Justine Henin to Come Back to Professional Tennis

Just after one and half year of retiring from tennis, Justine Henin, the former world no. 1 of Women’s tennis, has now decided to come back to tennis circuit breaking her untimely retirement. The Belgian star retired from tennis in May 2008 when she was the then world no. 1. Her coming back to tennis circuit came just a week after fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters winning the US Open Women’s singles following her return to competitive tennis breaking her retirement. Now that, Henin is also aspiring to make a come back, it seems that women’s tennis might see the Belgian dominance once again.

Justine Henin has also revealed her wish to win Wimbledon title, the only grand slam title that the 7-grand slam title winner could not yet achieve. Henin has also said that she wants to continue her career until 2012 Olympics Games in London.

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seattletimes

Dinara Safina and Venus Williams Crushed out of Toray Pan Pacific Open 2009

Top seed and defending champion Dinara Safina has been crushed out of the second round of Toray Pan Pacific Open. The world no. 1 Russian lost to an 18-year-old qualifier, Chang Kai-chen. The Taiwanese defeated Safina 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 7-5 in the match, putting on some excellent performances. Venus Williams also suffered the same fate as she was also knocked out by a qualifier. Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova took two sets (7-6 (8-6), 7-5) to defeat Venus.

In both the matches, the Safina and Venus got off to a bad start. Safina could recover well in the second set against Chang, but the Russian lost the highly competitive last set. Venus though fought toe-to-toe with Pavlyuchenkova, she eventually lost both the sets.

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timesdispatch

India Reaches Davis Cup 2010 World Group by Defeating South Africa in Play off

India defeated South Africa 4-1 in a Davis Cup play-off earlier this month to clinch its place in the prestigious World Group of Davis Cup 2010. This is the first time India earned a world group berth in 11 years. Last time, India achieved this mark was in 1998. Last year, India was about to reach the elite group, but at the last moment they lost to Romania.

Indian Davis Cup squad includes some talented players like Somdev Devvarman and Yuki Bhambri, who is the world no. 1 in men’s junior ranking, as well as experienced stars like Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna. India will face Russia in their first game of Davis Cup World Group where 16 teams will be participating.

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BBC

Sania Mirza Eliminated from Pan Pacific Open at the First Round

Losing to Chinese opponent Jie Zheng, Indian tennis star Sania Mirza has been crushed out of the Pan Pacific Open tournament which is currently going on in Tokyo, Japan. The three set match saw Sania having a good start as she won the first set 7-5, but the Indian lost the next two sets 2-6, 3-6 without building sufficient competition.

Service was the major problem for Mirza who suffered from a niggling wrist injury for more than a year. Though she has come back on the circuit after recovering the injury, she is yet to get his rhythm back. Sania lost four services in the second set and there was no different in the third set too.

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PTI News

Top Ten Female Tennis Players of US Open of All Time

Earlier, I wrote about top ten male tennis players of US Open. In this entry, I am going to write about the top ten female players of US Open tennis. No doubt, the task of deciding whom to be included and whom to be excluded was not very easy. There are many great players who deserve a place in the list, but you know there are only 10 places and I can choose only 10 players. So, a number of notable players like Alice Marble, Elisabeth Moore and Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman were left out from the list. I hope you will enjoy the list.

Helen Wills Moody (7 times: 1923-25, 1927-29, 1931)

Born as Helen Newington Wills Roark, this former American tennis great became Helen Wills Moody after her marriage with Frederick Moody. Winner of 19 grand slam singles titles, Helen is widely considered as the first American sportswoman who became an international celebrity. She was one of the dominant figures of women’s tennis in 1920s and 1930s. She had powerful service and was equally skilled at both forehand and backhand.

Among her 19 grand slam singles titles, Helen Wills won 7 titles in US Open, besides 8 Wimbledon and 3 French Open titles to her credit. Only Molla Mallory won more US Open singles titles (8 times) than Helen. Actually, I think, Helen Wills had more dominance in US Open than any player during her time and she deserves to be the best female tennis player in the history of US Open.

Chris Evert (6 times: 1975-78, 19-80-82)

Christine Marie "Chris" Evert is considered to be one of the greatest tennis players of women’s tennis. Among her 18 grand slam singles titles, 6 came in US Open and no other player in Open Era won more titles than she did in US Open. You might say that Molla Mallory has more US Open titles than Evert, but you have to understand the fact that Mallory belongs to an era when tennis was more or less an amateur sport whereas Evert’s era was full of professionals. She finished five years (1975-77, 1980-81) as world no. 1 in WTA ranking.

Among the professional tennis players, Chris Evert has the best win-loss singles record that stands at 1,309–146 (.900). Evert holds a number of Open Era record in US Open tennis. First of all, Evert is the only female tennis player who won 4 US Open titles in a row from 1975 to 1978. Then she played highest 9 US Open finals (1975-1984) including 6 consecutive finals (1975-1980). So, there is no doubt, she is one of the best ever players in the US Open history.

Molla Mallory (8 times: 1915-1918, 1920-22, 1926)

Molla Mallory holds 8 US Open titles, an all-time record in US Open history. Born in Norway and brought up in the US, Molla was perhaps the first female star of US Open. She won four consecutive US Open titles from 1915 to 1918 and played in record 10 US Open finals. Besides 8 US Open singles titles, Molla Mallory also won 2 doubles and 3 mixed doubles titles in US Open. So, there is no doubt, she is one of the best ever tennis players of US Open. In fact, some would consider Molla Mallory as the best women’s singles player of US Open, considering her 8 singles titles in the competition.

Margaret Jean Court (5 times: 1962, 1965, 1969-70, 1973)

There are only three female tennis players: Molla Mallory, Helen Wills Moody and Chris Evert- who have more US Open singles titles than Australian tennis great Margaret Jean Court (sometimes known as Margaret Smith Court) who has 5 US Open titles in the span of 11 years (from 1962 to 1973). That means, she is one of those few players who won US Open titles both in open era and prior to open era. She won career grand slam both before open era and during open era. Margaret overall won 24 grand slam singles title, an all-time record in women’s tennis. So, there is no question about her greatest and to many, she is the best ever female tennis players in the history. Naturally, I did not hesitate to place Margaret Jean Court in the fourth position of the list of all time best female tennis players of US Open.

Martina Navratilova (4 times: 1983-84, 1986-87)

This Czechoslovakian-born American great is another influential female tennis player in the history of US Open. Martina Navrátilova is perhaps the only tennis player (both in men’s and women’s tennis) who was equally dominant in singles, doubles and mixed doubles event in the grand slam tournaments for a long period of time. Four of her eighteen grand slam singles titles came in US Open. You might be surprised to know that Navratilova also won 31 doubles and 10 mixed doubles titles in grand slam tournaments. Out of her 31 doubles titles, 9 came in US Open. She also has 3 mixed doubles titles in US Open. To be honest, if I considered the doubles and mixed doubles events equally with the singles achievements then I would have placed Navratilova at the top of this list.

Steffi Graff (5 times: 1988-89, 1993, 1995, 1996)

To many tennis fans, Steffi Graph is the greatest female player of all time. She is now 40 years old and is perhaps a good mother and wife. However, let me take you back to 21 years ago. The year was 1988 and Graff won the titles of all 4 grand slam events and also the Olympics gold medal. No male or female player before or after her could achieve this record. It shows that she had something special. As for US Open, she won it 5 times during the time 1988-96. She became runners up 3 times.

Billie Jean King (4 times: 1967, 1971-72, 1974)

Billie Jean King is another great of women’s tennis who got considerable success in US Open. Out of her 12 grand slam singles titles, she won four titles in US Open. First of he four titles came in 1967 just before the start of open era and her next three US Open titles came after the start of open era. In terms of success in singes, doubles and mixed doubles success, King can go very close to Navratilova with 12 singles, 16 doubles and 11 mixed doubles titles in grand slam tournaments. She is one of those rare tennis greats who became successful as an administrator too after retiring from tennis. In fact, Billie Jean King founded the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) which is today the governing body of women’s tennis.

Helen Jacobs (4 times: 1932-35)

Born as Helen Hull Jacobs, she is widely known as Helen Jacobs. This former world no. 1 American star also holds an impressive performance in US Open. Out of her 5 career grand slam singles titles, she won four titles in US Open and all of them came in consecutive years. Moreover, Jacobs also has 4 doubles and a mixed doubles titles in US Open. Her overall career may not be very great, but when it comes to US Open, you must admit that Helen Jacobs deserves a place in this list.

Serena Williams (3 times: 1999, 2002, 2008)

Serena Williams is undoubtedly one of the most influential players of women’s tennis today. The American star has most grand slam singles titles among the currently active players with 11 grand slam singles titles to her credit. She was ranked world no. 1 in WTA ranking four times in the past and she is still at her top form. Among her 11 grand slam titles, only 3 came in US Open. So, you might raise question about my decision to include her in this list.

Well, the reason that guided me to include Serena Williams in this list is that the way she has been dominating the circuit for a long period and the way she is currently playing, it seems just a matter of time, she would add more US Open titles to her credit. Even though she can not win any more US Open titles, still I believe Serena Williams deserves a place in this list of best female players of US Open tennis.

Maria Bueno (4 times: 1959, 1963-64, 1966)

The story of Maria Bueno is a bit different from many other successful tennis players. When she won the women’s singles title of national championship in Brazil at the age of 14, she had no prior formal training in tennis. By the time she turned 19, she became professional in tennis. Maria Bueno is perhaps the first Brazilian women’s tennis star world tennis with 7 singles, 11 doubles and a mixed doubles grand slam titles. Though she could win US Open and Wimbledon titles, she played in the final of all four grand slam tournament in her career. Four out of her seven grand slam singles titles came in US Open and she was also the losing finalists of 1960 US Open. Bueno also has 4 doubles titles in US Open and on three occasions she was in the losing side of the US Open doubles finals.

Source:

Wikipedia

Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt Facing Each Other in 3rd Round of US Open 2009

Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt are going to face each other in the third round match of the ongoing US Open 2009 tournament. Both the players met each other on 22 occasions on the court and this would be their 23^rd meeting. However, this is going to be the first time they will be meeting each other as fathers. Federer became a father of twin-girls just about a month ago. Hewitt is also a father of two.

Though both of them are fierce rivals on the court, they have a very friendly relationship off the court. Hewitt defeated Federer in all of their first seven matches, but since then Hewitt could not win any more game against the Swiss star. Now, let us see if Federer can continue his winning run against Hewitt as a father too.

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Reuters

Top Ten Male Tennis Players of US Open of All Time

Beside Wimbledon, US Open is one of the two oldest grand slam tennis tournaments in the history of the game. The men’s singles even was initially known as U.S. National Championship. There is no doubt that US Open has seen many great players since its inception in 1881. Here, I made a list of top ten male tennis players of all time on the basis of their achievement in US Open tournament. You can find the players like Bill Tilden, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi in this list who are considered among the all time best male tennis players.

Bill Tilden (7 titles: 1920-25, 1929)

Known as Big Bill, Bill Tilden is perhaps the all time best male tennis player. He is just one of the three players in the history who has 7 US Open titles. Throughout the 1920s, he was the dominant figure in world tennis and most of the time he was the no. 1 ranked player during this period.

In fact, he is perhaps the first biggest start in the game and his influence was such that during his heydays, the popularity of tennis increased significantly. He also has five doubles and four mixed doubles titles in US Open. From 1920 to 1925, Tilden won the US Open (known as U.S. National Championship at that time) titles six times in a row. Tilden was also part of US Davis Cup team that won Davis Cup titles seven times in a row.

Image Source: ESPN

Roger Federer (5 titles: 2004-08)

You might raise question about Federer’s placement in the second position of the list. Well, there is no doubt, Roger Federer is now considered to be one of the greatest ever players in the history of male tennis, not only because of the number of titles he won, but also his consistent dominant which could match only with the greatest players like Bill Tilden.

With 5 US Open titles, Federer is now one of the only three players in Open Era to have this achievement. In fact, the Swiss maestro is the only player in Open Era who has won 5 consecutive US Open titles. He is still in excellent form and the way he is going, he could one day surpass Bill Tilden in terms of his achievement in US Open.

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Richard Dudley "Dick" Sears (7 times: 1881-1887)

Not many people in tennis know about him today, but Richard Sears still holds a record 7 consecutive US Open titles from 1881 to 1887. Yes, it is true that during that time, the defending champion was automatically placed in the tournament final. However, that does not mean that you can look down upon his achievement. For your information, Richard Sears was still a student of Harvard when he won the first of his 7 titles.

Richard Sears did not even lose any set during his first three triumphs in US Open. He also made a record of 18-match unbeaten steak in the competition which was later on broken by Bill Tilden. Moreover, he also won 6 consecutive doubles title in the same competition from 1882 to 1887. So, when it comes to US Open, Richard Sears will always be remembered as one of the bests of this tournament.

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William "Bill" Augustus Larned (7 times: 1901-02, 1907-11)

Popularly known Bill Larned or William Larned, this American dominated the US Open circuit in the first decade of the last century, winning 7 titles in the space of 11 years. Besides Tilden and Sears, Larned is the only other player who has 7 US Open titles to his credit. A versatile sportsman, Larned also showed his skill and talent in horseracing, golf and shooting. His talent was apparent during his junior days. In 1956, William Larned was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

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Pete Sampras (5 times: 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2002)

Pete Sampras started playing pro tennis in 1988 and retired in 2003. So, many people of this generation know about him. In any kind of top ten list about tennis, his name must come. Many people, think that he is the best player of all time. Well, he was very strong in US open and won the title 5 times and it is still a record in the Open Era. He had great rivalry with Andre Agassi. Pete Sampras was a gentle player and that is why he had many fans around the world. He played at a time when cable TV became very popular in Asia and Europe and that is why, many could see him live.

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Jimmy Connors (5 times: 1974, 1976, 1978, 1982-83)

Jimmy Connors is the boss of US Open Tennis. He dominated the event in a way that very few could do it. In fact, he is the only player who could win the tournament in grass courts, hard courts, and clay courts. In fact, he reached the semifinals of US open for 12 years continuously. He had an amazing record of number one ranking of 160 consecutive weeks. Connors had big rivalry with Björn Borg and John McEnroe.

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John McEnroe (4 times: 1979, 1980, 1981, 1984)

John McEnroe was the bad angry popular tennis player. He was totally an unorthodox player. He was famous for his outburst while playing matches and it often put into problem with umpires. His young angry man type of image is perhaps an exception in tennis history. McEnroe was successful in US open. He won the singles title 4 times and doubles title 3 times in US open. It makes him as one of the most successful player in this competition.

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Frederick "Fred" Perry (3 times: 1933-34, 1936)

Fred Perry is perhaps the best male tennis player from the British isle. Perry won the US Open title three times, besides three Wimbledon, one Australian and one French Open titles during his illustrious career. During 1930’s Perry dominated world tennis and was world no. 1 for five years in a row from 1934 to 1938. Perry is just one of the six male tennis players who have all of the four grand slam titles to their credit. No doubt, Perry is one of the best male tennis player in the history of tennis, and I think, he deserves a place in this list of top ten male players of US Open.

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Robert "Bob" Wrenn (4 times: 1893-94, 1896-97)

Robert Wrenn was the 4-time US Open winner during 1890s. His four US Open titles came in the space of 5 years. Wrenn may not be a very well-known player today, but when he was in his prime, he was definitely a threat to others in the court. His contribution in tennis is not only restricted as a player. In fact, he showed his organizing skill later on while serving as the president of United States Tennis Association from 1912-1915. Besides his 4 US Open singles title, he also won the Doubles title in 1895. Robert Wrenn was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1955.

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Andre Agassi (2 times: 1994, 1999)

He was a very charismatic player and Agassi earned $31,152,975 as career prize money. He had great rivalry with Sampras. The main weapon of Agassi was strong service return. In male tennis, most players focus on serving strongly and it is a big weapon. However, Agassi became expert in the opposite skill. Well, I think that Agassi was most successful in Australian Open. However, you have to understand that US Open is perhaps the toughest tournament to win.

Image Source: Wikipedia

Sources:

Official Website of US Open

US Open in Wikipedia