World's biggest loser

One of the many charms of Wimbledon is the numerous tabloid headlines and storylines during The Championships. Back on this day, June 26, in 2000, the U.K.’s Daily Mail labeled Vince Spadea as the “World’s Biggest Loser” after he finally broke his ATP record 20-match losing streak in the first round of Wimbledon, beating Britain’s Greg Rusedski in the first round. Screamed the Daily Mail headline after Rusedski’s 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, 6-7, 9-7 loss to Spadea, “Rusedski Falls To World’s Biggest Loser.” Spadea, however, has proved to be far from a loser as the 34-year-old veteran qualified this year at Wimbledon (his 14^th appearance) and reached the second round, losing to Igor Andreev. The book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.tennishistorybook.com) chronicles the Spadea-Rusedski match – and others – in the June 25 excerpt below.

2000 – Vince Spadea breaks his ATP record 21-match losing streak by upsetting No. 14 seed Greg Rusedski of Britain 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, 6-7, 9-7 in the first round of Wimbledon. Entering the match, Spadea is winless on the ATP Tour since the previous October in Lyon, France. Says Spadea, “If I had lost this match I was thinking: ‘Holy goodness! I am going to have to stay in Europe until I win a match. But here I am, six months on. It was worth the wait.” The following day, Rusedski is greeted with the headline in the Daily Mail reading, “Rusedski Falls To World’s Biggest Loser.”

2002 – Seven-time Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras plays what ultimately becomes his final Wimbledon match, losing in the second round – unceremoniously on the Graveyard Court – Court No. 2 – to lucky-loser and No. 145-ranked George Bastl of Switzerland 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4. Bastl, who enters the match having won only one main draw grass court match in his career, only gains entry into the tournament when Felix Mantilla of Spain withdraws the day before the tournament begins. Despite the loss, Sampras tells reporters after the match that he would return to the All England Club to play again, but after his U.S. Open triumph later in the summer, he never plays another professional match. “You know, I’m not going to end my time here with that loss,” Sampras says after the match. “I want to end it on a high note, and so I plan on being back… As long as I feel like I can continue to win majors and contend, I’ll just continue to play.” Says Bastl, “It’s a nice story isn’t it? I gave myself chances because I was practicing on grass for the last three weeks. I had won my last three matches and I knew my game was improving match by match. I felt I would have some sort of a chance.”

1951 – On a cold and rainy afternoon, Althea Gibson walks on to Centre Court at Wimbledon as the first black player to compete in The Championships. Ten months after becoming the first black player to compete in a major when she played the U.S. Championships the previous summer, Gibson wins her first match in her debut Wimbledon, defeating Pat Ward of Great Britain 6-0, 2-6, 6-4. Reports the Associated Press of Gibson, “Although the tall Negro girl is unseeded, she convinced the British experts that she has the equipment to rank high in the world within another year or two.”

1962 – Eighteen-year-old Billie Jean Moffitt beats No. 1 seed Margaret Smith 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the opening round of Wimbledon, creating history as the first player to knock of the women’s No. 1 seed in the opening round at the All England Club. Smith is the heavy favorite to win the title after winning the Australian, Italian and French Championships entering the tournament. Billie Jean, who goes on to win six singles titles at the All England Club– and a record 20 titles overall at Wimbledon. Writes Bud Collins in The Bud Collins History of Tennis, “Her victory established ‘Little Miss Moffitt’ as a force to be reckoned with on the Centre Court that already was her favorite stage.”

1965 – Manuel Santana becomes the first defending champion to lose in the first round of Wimbleodn when he is defeated by Charlie Pasarell 10-8, 6-3, 2-6, 8-6. Writes Fred Tupper of the New York Times of the Pasarell’s upset of the No. 1 seed, “Over 150 spine-tingling minutes this afternoon, the Puerto Rican was the better tennis player, stronger on serve, more secure on volley, and rock steady in the crises.” Says Santana, “Charlito was good.He was fast and hit the ball hard.”

1978 – Bjorn Borg performs a first-round escape on the opening day of Wimbledon as the two-time defending champion staves off elimination by six-foot-seven inch, 220-pound Victor Amaya of Holland, Mich., prevailing in five sets by a 8-9, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 margin. Amaya, who wears size 15 sneakers, leads Borg two sets to one and 3-1 in the fourth set and holds break point in the fifth game to go up two breaks in the fourth set. “He played better than I did on the important points, and that’s always the difference in a five-set match,” says Amaya. “He came up with great shots like that on crucial points, and that’s why he is great.”

1998 – After no victories in 17 previous matches, including a 6-0, 6-0 loss 10 years earlier in the final of the French Open, Natasha Zvereva wins her first match against Steffi Graf, defeating the German 6-4, 7-5 in the third round of Wimbledon. Graf is hampered by a hamstring injury and is playing in only her fifth event of the year after recovering from knee surgery.

2007 – In his last Wimbledon singles match, Justin Gimelstob makes Wimbledon history as the first player to use the “Hawk-Eye” instant replay system at the All England Club. In his 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (3) first-round loss to Andy Roddick on Court No. 1 on the opening day of play, Gimelstob uses the Hawk-Eye system to challenge one of his serves in the first set. Says Gimelstob of his new status in Wimbledon history, “I’d like to have a few more important records, but I’ll take what I can get.”

1990 – John McEnroe is defeated in the first round of Wimbledon for only the second time in his career, as the 31-year-old three-time champion is sent packing by the hands of fellow American Derrick Rostagno by a 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 margin. McEnroe is joined on the sideline by newly-crowned French Open champion and No. 5 seed Andres Gomez, who falls to American Jim Grabb 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. “I’m going home to Ecuador and watch the matches on TV and pretend I never was here,” says Gomez. Future seven-time Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras is also sent packing in the first round by South African Christo van Rensburg, who defeats the No. 12 seeded Sampras 7-6, 7-5, 7-6.

1985 – French Open champion Mats Wilander of Sweden is dismissed in the first round of Wimbledon as six-foot-six, No. 77-ranked Slobodan Zivojinovic of Yugoslavia defeats the No. 4 seeded Wilander 6-2, 5-7, 7-5, 6-0.

2004 – The USTA names the 2004 U.S. Olympic tennis team during the same day that the Olympic flame is run through the All-England Club at Wimbledon. Named to the U.S. Olympic tennis team were Andy Roddick, Mardy Fish, Taylor Dent, Vince Spadea, Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Chanda Rubin, Lisa Raymond and Martina Navratilova.

Wimbledon 2009

Bagels – in addition to strawberries and cream – were served on the opening day of Wimbledon Monday as Marion Bartoli registered a “double bagel” – a 6-0, 6-0 win over Yung-Jan Chan in the first round of women’s singles.  On Tuesday, June 23, marks the 22^nd anniversary of the last TRIPLE bagel at Wimbledon when Stefan Edberg hammered his fellow Swede Stefan Eriksson. That match – and others – are documented in the June 23 chapter of the book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.tennishistorybook.com). The full excerpt is detailed below.

June 23

1987 – Stefan Edberg defeats fellow Swede Stefan Eriksson 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 in the first “triple bagel” at Wimbledon since 1947. ”It’s nice to be able to do whatever you want to do out there,” Edberg says, ”but I felt sorry for Stefan, too. It was his first match on grass. I thought about giving him a game but you never know when you are going to have another chance to win three love sets again.”

2003 – Robby Ginepri of the United States becomes the first player in Wimbledon history to wear a sleeveless shirt in competition in his 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-7 (3), 10-8 first-round loss to Arnaud Clement of France.

1981 – Fourteen-year-old American Kathy Rinaldi becomes the youngest player to win a match at Wimbledon at the at the time, saving a match point in defeating Sue Rollinson of South Africa 6-3, 2-6, 9-7 in 2 hours, 36 minutes on Court No. 2 at the All England Club. Rinaldi, a ninth-grader at Martin County High School in Stuart, Fla., enters Wimbledon fresh off reaching the quarterfinals of the French Open. Rollinson serves for the match twice – at 5-4 and 6-5 in the final set and holds at match point in the 12^th game of the third set. Rinaldi loses her distinction nine years later when Jennifer Capriati, at the age of 14 years, 90 days – one day younger than Rinaldi – defeats Helen Kelesi 6-3, 6-1 in her first-round match on June 26, 1990.

1976 – John Feaver of Britain fires 42 aces, a Wimbledon record at the time, but is not able to put away three-time champion John Newcombe, losing to the Australian legend 6-3, 3-6, 8-9, 6-4, 6-4 in the third round on Court No. 2. Feaver’s 42 aces stands as the Wimbledon ace record for a match until 1997, when Goran Ivanisevic fires 46 aces in a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (4), 4-16, 14-12 loss to Magnus Norman in the third round. Ivo Karlovic of Croatia breaks Ivanisevic’s record in a first round match in 2005, a 6-7(4), 7-6 (8), 3-6, 7-6 (5), 12-10 loss to Daniele Bracciali of Italy.

1992 – Jeremy Bates of Britain, a man who Robin Finn of the New York Times describes as being “more prone to be written off locally than to pulling off major upsets on the home turf” defeats No. 7 seed Michael Chang 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in the opening round of Wimbledon. The win marks only the second match victory on the season for the 30-year-old Bates, ranked No. 113. John McEnroe, playing in what ultimately is his final singles sojurn at the All-England Club – and unseeded in the Championships for the first time since his 1977 debut – wins his opening round match with Luiz Mattar 5-7, 6-1, 6-3, 6-3.

1990 – Eighteen-year-old Californian Pete Sampras, the future seven-time Wimbledon champion, wins his first grass court tournament title of his career, defeating Gilad Bloom of Israel 7-6 (9), 7-6 (3) in the final of the Manchester Open in Manchester, England. Says Sampras following the victory, ”I was very composed, and he got a little tight on the crucial points.” Sampras, however, is not able to translate his grass-court success in Manchester onto the lawns of Wimbledon the following week as he loses in the first round of The Championships to Christo van Rensburg of South Africa 7-6 (4), 7-5, 7-6 (3).

1982 – Prior to teeing off for a round of pro-am golf at the Westchester Country Club in support of the PGA Tour’s Westchester Golf Classic, Ivan Lendl explains that his decision to skip Wimbledon is based on an allergy to grass. ”I sneeze a lot,” he says. ”I take shots every second day.” When pressed about his Wimbledon absence, Lendl says. ”I am on a vacation because I need the rest. When you are on vacation you don’t write stories. I am not at Wimbledon because I needed the rest. This is when I scheduled my holiday and I didn’t want to change it. The grass courts at Wimbledon are also a factor because of my allergy. I’ll probably play at Wimbledon next year. ”

1988 – John McEnroe suffers a second-round straight-set loss to Wally Masur, losing 7-5, 7-6, 6-3, marking the three-time Wimbledon champion’s earliest loss at the All England Club since a first-round loss in 1978. Says McEnroe after the match, “If that’s the best I’ve got to give, I’d quit tomorrow. It’s like my body went into some sort of letdown. I wasn’t even pushing myself to be my best. It’s almost enough to make me sick.”

2008 – A sell-out crowd of 19,690 that includes golf legend Tiger Woods pack Madison Square Garden in New York City for the NetJets Showdown exhibition match between Roger Federer and Pete Sampras. Federer, an owner of 12 major singles titles, edges 14-time major singles titlist Sampras in a third-set tie-breaker 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6) in the sometimes competitive celebration of tennis. Says Sampras, “It was a great night for tennis.” Writes the Associated Press of the match, “There were moments when, if you squinted a bit, you would have sworn that was the Sampras of old, rather than an old Sampras. There were moments when, if you listened to the whip of the racket through the air, you would have been absolutely sure Federer was giving it his all. And then there were moments when, as you watched Sampras throw his racket to the ground in mock disgust or saw Federer raise an index finger to celebrate four aces in a single game, it didn’t really matter whether this match counted or not.” Says Federer after the match, “I don’t think winning or losing was really the issue tonight. I think we both tried to do our best and have a fun night, and that’s what it turned out to be.”

1991 – Twenty-year-old Jim Courier, ranked No. 26 in the world, wins his second career singles title, defeating No. 5 ranked Guy Forget 4-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4) to win the Newsweek Champions Cup in Indian Wells, Calif. “To win it – and it sounds like a cliché – but it’s a big honor for me,” says Courier.

2006 – The “champions” tennis circuit returns to the United States for the first time since 2001 as the Outback Champions Series begins in Naples, Fla., as Mats Wilander defeats Aaron Krickstein 2-6, 6-2, 10-2 in the opening round robin match of the series. Tour co-founder Jim Courier defeats Mikael Pernfors 6-2, 6-2 and, in the final match of the day, Pat Cash surprises John McEnroe 2-6, 7-6(5), 10-6 in the Champions Tie-break.

1971 – No. 1 seed Rod Laver is upset by Mark Cox of Great Britain 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 in the third round of the Australian Open in Sydney. No. 3 seed and fellow Australian John Newcombe is also upset, losing to Marty Riessen 7-6, 1-6, 7-6, 7-6.

1996 – In her second tournament in her second comeback attempt in professional tennis, Jennifer Capriati routs Shi-Ting Wang of Chinese Taipei 6-0, 6-0 in 43 minutes in the second round of the State Farm Evert Cup in Indian Wells, Calif.

STARS

Andy Murray beat Rafael Nadal 6-3 4-6 6-0- to win the ABN Amro World Tennis in Rotterdam, Netherlands

Amelie Mauresmo beast Elena Dementieva 7-6 (7) 2-6 6-4 to win the Open GDF Suez in Paris, France

Radek Stepanek won the SAP Open in San Jose, California, by beating Mardy Fish 3-6 6-4 6-2

Vera Zvonareva won the Pattaya Women’s Open, beating Sania Mirza 7-5 6-1 in Pattaya City, Thailand

Thomas Robredo beat Thomaz Bellucci 6-3 3-6 6-4 to win the Brasil Open in Costa Do Sauipe, Brazil

Pete Sampras won the Champions Cup Boston by beating John McEnroe 7-6 (10) 6-4 in Boston, Massachusetts

SAYING

“The feeling you have when you conclude a tournament with the title is different than a good week with a defeat. It’s a special feeling. It gives you an extraordinary confidence.” – Amelie Mauresmo, after winning the Open GDF Suez in Paris, France.

“The whole week Amelie was playing very solid. She really picked up her game and played her best, especially today. … She has had some difficult times with all of those injuries, and it’s really great to see her win here, especially since it’s at home.” – Elena Dementieva, who lost the Paris final to Amelie Mauresmo.

“He made it difficult as he was hitting the ball so hard and being aggressive on every shot to try and keep the points short. It just shows how good he is that he can beat me on one leg.” – Andy Murray, after beating an injured Rafael Nadal to win in Rotterdam, but losing the second set.

“I had a problem with the injury, but I don’t want to talk about that. Andy played very well today and he deserved to win the tournament.” – Rafael Nadal.

“I’ve been playing a lot of tennis. Maybe it’s just a sign that I need to take a day off or two and get ready for the next event.” – Serena Williams, after pulling out of a WTA Tour event in Paris.

“The Tour is reviewing appropriate remedies for Ms. Peer and also will review appropriate future actions with regard to the future of the Dubai tournament. The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour believes very strongly, and has a clear rule and policy, that no host country should deny a player the right to compete at a tournament for which she has qualified by ranking.” – Larry Smith, Sony Ericsson WTA Tour CEO, on the refusal of the United Arab Emirates to give a visa to Israeli Shahar Peer.

“This is my second tournament this year after six months of injury last year. I couldn’t ask for a better start by winning the mixed doubles in the Australian Open and making it to the final here in Pattaya City.” – Sania Mirza, who lost to Vera Zvonareva in the Pattaya Women’s Open title match.

“Everything went – starting with my leg, my feet. You stop moving, you get a little tight. … To say it doesn’t creep in your mind that you remember some of those losses you have in all those finals – I have 10 losses in all those finals – that’s a lot.” – Mardy Fish, the losing finalist in San Jose, California.

“It was an amazing week for me. It never happened to me to win the singles and doubles in the same week. It seems like there is some magic around here. I’m always playing well here.” – Radek Stepanek, who won both singles and doubles at the SAP Open.

STOPS PEER

Shahar Peer was denied a visa to compete in the Dubai Tennis Championships, a move that could damage Dubai’s efforts at fostering an image of full openness in business, sports and other high-profile events. Peer broke barriers last year when she became the first Israeli to play a WTA Tour event in Qatar. But the visa denial could prove to be a blow to Dubai. “Ms Peer has earned the right to play in the tournament and it’s regrettable that the UAF is denying her this right,” said Larry Scott, WTA chief executive. Scott said WTA tour officials will take a close look at the event’s future. Peer’s brother said the 21-year-old player applied for a visa months in advance and was assured by tournament organizers that she would be allowed entry.

SWEET SUCCESS

Amelie Mauresmo returned to the winner’s circle for the first time in two years when she beat Elena Dementieva in the final of the Open GDF Suez in Paris, France. A two-time Grand Slam tournament winner, Mauresmo has been beset by several injuries. Her last title came in Antwerp, Belgium, in February 2007.

STOPPED

Losing to Andy Murray in the final at Rotterdam, Netherlands, was the least of Rafael Nadal’s problem. The Spaniard hurt his knee in the first game of the second set and received treatment from the ATP trainer after the third game. Then came eight successive service breaks as Nadal went for broke on Murray’s service games. The strategy worked for awhile as Nadal won the second set to level the match. But after that it was all Murray, who kept the ball in play and cut down on his own errors. Murray’s victory was the first in Rotterdam for a British player, while the final pitted the top two seeds against each other for the first time since Ivan Lendl played Jimmy Connors in 1984.

SERBIA VS SPAIN

Serbia will travel to Spain for their World Group playoffs in April. In other matchups, with the winners qualifying for next year’s World Group competition, Slovak Republic will be at France, Germany and China and Ukraine an Argentina. The losing nations of the April 25-26 competition will drop to the World Group II in 2010. In World Group II playoffs, Canada will be at Belgium, Estonia at Israel, Poland at Japan, and Switzerland at Australia.

SIDELINED

A right knee injury forced Serena Williams to withdraw from her semifinal match at Elena Dementieva at the Open GDF Suez tournament in Paris, France. “My left knee always hurts, but this time it’s my right knee,” said Williams. “When I woke up this morning it wasn’t feeling good. I wasn’t moving well at all in practice.” Williams said she hurt her knee during a victory against Emile Loit and was in too much pain to compete.

SWIMMINGLY STUNNING

Three tennis players – Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, Maria Kirilenko of Russia and Tatiana Golovin of France – are appearing in the 46^th edition of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. Joining some of the world’s top supermodels, the players spent five days shooting on the secluded beaches of the Dominican Republic. While Hantuchova, Kirilenko and Golovin are making their SI Swimsuit debuts, several other players have been featured in the publication, including Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Anna Kournikova, Steffi Graf and Ashley Harkleroad.

SWITCHING COACHES

In a bid to regain the form that brought her the French Open title a year ago, Ana Ivanovic has hired Craig Kardon as her new coach. The 47-year-old Kardon has coached a number of other top players, including Martina Navratilova, Lindsay Davenport, Mary Pierce and Jennifer Capriati. Ivanovic, who had been coached by Sven Groeneveld, took over the number one ranking when she won at Roland Garros, but has since dropped to number eight in the world.

SPANISH RESCUE

Brazilian tennis is turning to Spain in a bid to reinvigorate the sport in the South American country. Emilio Sanchez Vicario, who led Spain to the Davis Cup title last year, will oversee a project to find new talent and reorganize the structure of the sport in Brazil. “The project will focus on high level in all spheres of the confederation, from youths to professionals. I chose Brazil because it has a very large base to work with,” said Sanchez Vicario, who won 15 singles and 50 doubles titles on the ATP tour. The only Brazilian player to reach number one in the world was Gustavo Kuerten, the three-time French Open champion who retired last year. There are currently no Brazilian women ranked in the top 100.

SAVES DAY

Tommy Haas helped out tournament officials of the SAP Open by playing two singles matches on the same day. The German downed Lars Poerschke 6-1 7-6 (8) in a first-round match, then returned to the court to play an exhibition match against Pete Sampras. “Tommy saved the day,” said Sampras, who had been scheduled to play James Blake. But citing back spasms, Blake withdrew from the exhibition match less than 15 minutes before the scheduled state. “Pete asked me and I said sure, why not?” Haas said. “A lot of people came to see Pete tonight, and not who he played. It was fun. Pete still has an unbelievable serve.” For the record, Haas beat Sampras 6-7 (4) 6-4 12-10 (match tiebreak).

SERBIAN IRE

Jelena Jankovic is a little ticked off at Roger Federer. Last month, Federer criticized the WTA rankings, saying a player who has never won a Grand Slam tournament should not be ranked number one in the world. Jankovic, who has been number one and has never won a major singles title, told Reuters that she could not understand why Federer felt he needed to hit out at women’s tennis while Rafael Nadal was, in her words, “so humble.” Jankovic said Federer should not criticize fellow players. “I don’t think it’s nice to attack other players,” the Serbian right-hander said.

STILL OUT

Maria Sharapova is now looking at the end of March before returning to tennis. Her shoulder injury has caused her to miss the last two Grand Slam tournaments as well as the Beijing Olympics. Writing on her web site, Sharapova said she hopes to return by March 25 at Key Biscayne, Florida, “depending on how things shape up.” The Russian has been recovering from a torn rotator cuff tendon in her right shoulder.

SENIORS

Mark Philippoussis, Jim Courier and Goran Ivanisevic will headline the field at The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman Legends Championships to be held April 24-26 in Grand Cayman. The tournament is the fourth of eight events on the 2009 Outback Champions Series, the global tennis circuit for champion tennis players age 30 and over. The event’s other three competitors will be announced in the near future.

SUCH HIGH HOPES

Grigor Dimitrov, who won the Junior Boys titles at Wimbledon and the US Open last year, is moving to France where he will be coached by Peter Lundgren, the man who has coached Roger Federer and Marat Safin. A native of Bulgaria, Dimitrov will train at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in France.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Rotterdam: Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic beat Lukas Dlouhy and Leander Paes 6-2 7-5.

Paris: Cara Black and Liezel Huber beat Kveta Peschke and Lisa Raymond 6-4 3-6 10-4 (match tiebreak)

San Jose: Tommy Haas and Radek Stepanek beat Rohan Bopanna and Jarkko Nieminen 6-2 6-3

Pattaya City: Tamarine Tanasugarn and Yaroslav Shedova beat Yuliya Beygelzimer and Vitalia Diatchenko 6-3 6-2

Costa Do Sauipe: Marcel Granollers and Tommy Robredo beat Lucas Arnold Ker and Juan Monaco 6-4 7-5

SITES TO SURF

Marseille: www.open13.fr/

Buenos Aires: www.copatelmex.com/

Memphis: www.rmkchampionships.com/1/home/

Dubai: www.dubaitennischampionships.com

Bogota: www.copacolsanitas.com

Acapulco: www.abiertomexicanodetenis.com

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

ATP

576,000 Open 13, Marseille, France, hard

$600,000 Copa Telemex, Buenos Aires, Argentina, clay

$1,226,500 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships, Memphis, Tennessee, USA, hard

WTA TOUR

$2,000,000 Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, Dubai, United Arab Emigrates, hard

$220,000 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships & the Cellular South Cup, Memphis, Tennessee, USA, hard

$220,000 Copa Colsanitas, Bogota, Colombia, clay

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

ATP

$2,233,000 Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, Dubai, UAE, hard

$1,226,500 Abierto Mexicano Telcel, Acapulco, Mexico, clay

$500,000 Delray Beach International Tennis Championships, Delray Beach, Florida, USA, hard

WTA TOUR

$220,000 Abierto Mexicano Telcel, Acapulco, Mexico, clay

1980 – Bjorn Borg finally wins in New York as the two-time U.S. Open runner-up wins the Masters Championships at Madison Square Garden, defeating Vitas Gerulaitis 6-2, 6-2 in the championship match. “I wanted to win a tournament here for a long time,” says Borg, who would play – and lose – two more U.S. Open finals in his career.

1985 – John McEnroe wins his third – and final – Masters singles championship, defeating Ivan Lendl 7-5, 6-0, 6-4 in the final at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Says Lendl of McEnroe in the post-match press conference, “I would say that he played very well. Unfortunately, I’ve seen him play very well many times.” The only hiccup in the match comes with McEnroe serving for the first set at 6-5 and, while bouncing balls off his racquet, waiting for photographers to settle down in their courtside positions, he bounces one of the balls higher than anticipated that hits his eye and requires McEnroe to engage in a three-minute injury time-out. Says McEnroe of freak injury, “I couldn’t see for a couple of minutes. I’ve hit myself before never when it hurt that way.”

1997 – Unheralded Spaniard Carlos Moya upsets defending champion Boris Becker 5-7, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the first round of the Australian Open in oppressive 95-degree temperatures, with on-court readings registering as high as 135 degrees. “The weather was maybe the key to the match,” Moya says after contesting only his third five-set match. “I was also tired, but I think he was more tired than me. I am a young man, he is 29…I played a good match. Nobody can beat Boris when he’s playing 100 per cent. I was sure at least to fight (out) the match and put pressure on him.” Moya, a future French Open champion and world No. 1, goes on to reach the final of the tournament, where he loses to Pete Sampras.

2003 – Two-time defending champion Jennifer Capriati becomes the first defending women’s singles champion to lose in the first round of the Australian Open, losing to German Marlene Weingartner 2-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4 on the opening day of the Australian Championships. Capriati partially blamed the loss on recent eye surgery in late 2002.

2007 – In a rare, ironic twist, James Blake wins the Sydney International with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 win over Carlos Moya, the same player he is scheduled to play in the first round of the following week’s Australian Open. Three days later, Blake again beats Moya, registering a 7-6 (8), 6-2, 6-4 first round win. Blake joins four-time champion Lleyton Hewitt and two-time titlist Pete Sampras as the only players to win back-to-back titles in Sydney in the Open era.

1974 – Six weeks after losing the 1973 Davis Cup final to lose its five-year hold on the Davis Cup trophy, the United States is dealt its earliest loss ever in Davis Cup play as Jairo Velasco defeats Erik van Dillen 6-0, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 to clinch Colombia’s 4-1 first round win over the United States in Bogota, Colombia. A 45-minute rain delay at the end of the third set snuffs out any momentum that van Dillen can muster as the American double-faults 10 times in the fourth set to go down in defeat. After clinching the historic victory, Velasco is carried around the court by enthusiastic fans.

1998 – Martina Hingis becomes the first No. 1 ranked woman ever to lose her opening match of a calendar year, losing 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 to fellow 17-year-old Venus Williams in the first round of the Sydney International tennis championships.

On This Day In Tennis History ($19.95, 528 pages), is a fun and fact-filled, this compilation offers anniversaries, summaries, and anecdotes of events from the world of tennis for every day in the calendar year. Presented in a day-by-day format, the entries into this mini-encyclopedia include major tournament victory dates, summaries of the greatest matches ever played, trivia, and statistics as well as little-known and quirky happenings. Easy-to-use and packed with fascinating details, the book is the perfect companion for tennis and general sports fans alike and is an excellent gift idea for the holiday season. The book features fascinating and unique stories of players such as John McEnroe, Don Budge, Bill Tilden, Chris Evert, Billie Jean King, Jimmy Connors, Martina Navratilova, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Anna Kournikova among many others. On This Day In Tennis History is available for purchase via on-line book retailers and in bookstores in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. More information on the book can be found at www.tennishistorybook.com

Said Hall of Famer Jim Courier of the book, “On This Day In Tennis History is a fun read that chronicles some of the most important-and unusual-moments in the annals of tennis. Randy Walker is an excellent narrator of tennis history and has done an incredible job of researching and compiling this entertaining volume.” Said tennis historian Joel Drucker, author of Jimmy Connors Saved My Life, “An addictive feast that you can enjoy every possible way-dipping in for various morsels, devouring it day-by-day, or selectively finding essential ingredients. As a tennis writer, I will always keep this book at the head of my table.” Said Bill Mountford, former Director of Tennis of the USTA National Tennis Center, “On This Day In Tennis History is an easy and unique way to absorb the greatest-and most quirky-moments in tennis history. It’s best read a page a day!”

Walker is a writer, tennis historian and freelance publicist and sports marketer. A 12-year veteran of the U.S. Tennis Association’s Marketing and Communications Division, he served as the press officer for the U.S. Davis Cup team from 1997 to 2005 and for the U.S. Olympic tennis teams in 1996, 2000 and 2004. He also served as the long-time editor of the U.S. Open Record Book during his tenure at the USTA from 1993 to 2005.

More information on the book can be found at www.tennistomes.com as well as on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1627089030&ref=name and on myspace at http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=428100548

People mentioned in the book include, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt, Goran Ivanisevic, Andre Agassi, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Monica Seles, Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic, Maria Sharapova, Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters, Amelie Mauresmo, Anna Kounikova, Jennifer Capriati, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Martina Hingis, Gustavo Kuerten, Svetlana Kuznetsova, James Blake, Wilmer Allison, Mal Anderson, Arthur Ashe, Juliette Atkinson, Henry “Bunny” Austin, Tracy Austin, Boris Becker, Kark Behr, Pauline Betz, Bjorn Borg, Jean Borotra, John Bromwich, Norman Brookes, Louise Brough, Jacques Brugnon, Butch Buchholz, Don Budge, Maria Bueno, Rosie Casals, Michael Chang, Philippe Chatrier, Dodo Cheney, Henri Cochet, Maureen Connolly, Jimmy Connors, Jim Courier, Ashley Cooper, Margaret Court, Jack Crawford, Allison Danzig, Dwight Davis, Lottie Dod, John Doeg, Laurence Doherty, Reggie Doherty, Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers, Jaroslav Drobny, Margaret duPont, Francoise Durr, James Dwight, Stefan Edberg, Roy Emerson, Chis Evert, Bob Falkenburg, Neale Fraser, Shirley Fry, Althea Gibson, Pancho Gonzalez, Evonne Goolagong, Arthur Gore, Steffi Graf, Bitsy Grant, Darlene Hard, Doris Hart, Anne Jones, Gladys Heldman, Slew Hester, Bob Hewitt, Lew Hoad, Harry Hopman, Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman, Joe Hunt, Frank Hunter, Helen Jacobs, Bill Johnston, Perry Jones, Bob Kelleher, Billie Jean King, Jan Kodes, Karel Kozeluh, Jack Kramer, Rene Lacoste, Bill Larned, Art Larsen, Rod Laver, Ivan Lendl, Suzanne Lenglen, George Lott, Gene Mako, Molla Mallory, Hana Mandlikova, Alice Marble, Dan Maskell, Simone Mathieu, Mark McCormack, John McEnroe, Ken McGregor, Kitty Godfree, Chuck McKinley, Maurice McLoughlin, Frew McMillian, Don McNeill, Elisabeth Moore, Angela Mortimer, Gardnar Mulloy, Ilie Nastase, Martina Navratilova, John Newcombe, Yannick Noah, Jana Novotna, Betty Nuthall, Alex Olmedo, Rafael Osuna, Frank Parker, Gerald Patterson, Budge Patty, Fred Perry, Nicola Pietrangeli, Adrian Quist, Patrick Rafter, Dennis Ralson, Vinnie Richards, Nancy Richey, Cliff Richey, Bobby Riggs, Tony Roche, Mervyn Rose, Ken Rosewall, Elizbeth Ryan, Gabriela Sabatini, Pete Sampras, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Manuel Santana, Dick Savitt, Ted Schroeder, Gene Scott, Richard Sears, Frank Sedgman, Pancho Segura, Vic Seixas, Frank Shields, Pam Shriver, Stan Smith, Fred Stolle, Bill Talbert, Bill Tilden, Tony Trabert, Lesley Turner, Jimmy Van Alen, John Van Ryn, Guillermo Vilas, Ellsworth Vines, Brian Gottfried, Virginia Wade, Holcombe Ward, Watson Washburn, Mal Whitman, Mats Wilander, Tony Wilding, Helen Wills Moody, Sidney Wood, Robert Wrenn, Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Todd Woodbridge, Marat Safin, Leslie Allen, Sue Barker, Jonas Bjorkman, Mahesh Bhupathi, Donald Dell, Albert Costa, Mark Cox, Owen Davidson, Pat Cash, Mary Carillo, John Isner, Roscoe Tanner, Vijay Amritraj, Mark Woodforde, Tim Henman, Richard Krajicek, Conchita Martinez, Mary Joe Fernandez, Cliff Drysdale, Mark Edmondson, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Zina Garrson, Roland Garros, Wojtek Fibak, Tom Gullikson, Andres Gimeno, Vitas Gerulaitis, Fernando Gonzalez, Tim Henman, Goran Ivanisevic, Andrea Jaeger, Ivo Karlovic, Richard Krajicek, Petr Korda, Luke Jensen, Murphy Jensen, Rick Leach, Iva Majoil, Barry MacKay, Ivan Ljubicic, Cecil Mamiit, David Caldwell, Alex Metreveli, Nicolas Massu, Todd Martin, Gene Mayer, Thomas Muster, Tom Okker, Charlie Pasarell, Mary Pierce, Whitney Reed, Leander Paes, Renee Richards, Helen Sukova, Michael Stich, Betty Stove, Ion Tiriac, Brian Teacher, Wendy Turnbull,  Richards, Fabrice Santoro, Ai Sugiyama, Patrick McEnroe, Camille Pin, Phil Dent, Jelena Dokic, Mark Edmondson, Gael Monfils, Xavier Malisse, Dinara Safina, Barry Lorge, Stefano Pescosolido, Fabrice Santoro, Roscoe Tanner, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Roger Smith, Erik van Dillen, Gene Mayer, Tamara Pasek, Stefan Koubek, Jie Zheng, Gisela Dulko, Kristian Pless, Chuck McKinley, Marty Riessen, Brad Gilbert, Tim Mayotte, Andrea Petkovic, Klara Koukalova, Bobby Reynolds, Dominik Hrbaty, Andreas Seppi, Christopher Clarey, Casey Dellacqua, Anders Jarryd, Janko Tipsarevic, Nadia Petrova, Christian Bergstrom, Ramesh Krishnan, Emily Sanchez, Marcos Baghdatis, Mark Philippousssis, Wally Masur, Paul McNamee, Daniela Hantuchova, Gerry Armstrong, Younes El Aynaoui, Thomas Johansson, Pat Cash, Lisa Raymond, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Chanda Rubin, Tony Roche, Alex O’Brien, Petr Korda, Karol Kucera, Amelie Mauresmo, Juan Gisbert, Pablo Cuevas, Jim Pugh, Rick Leach, Julien Boutter, Larry Stefanki, Chris Woodruff, Jill Craybas, Sania Mirza, Mike Leach, Maggie Maleeva, Guillermo Canas, Guillermo Coria, Donald Young, Dick Stockton, Johan Kriek, Milan Srejber, Zina Garrison, Slyvia Hanika, Karin Knapp, Laura Granville, Kei Nishikori, Scott Davis, Paul Goldstein, Alberto Martin, Nicolas Kiefer, Joachim Johansson, Jonathan Stark, Jakob Hlasek, Jeff Tarango, Amanda Coetzer, Andres Gomez, Richey Reneberg, Francisco Clavet, Radek Stepanek, Miloslav Mecir, Jose-Luis Clerc, Colin Dibley, Mikael Pernfors, Martin Mulligan,  Robbie Weiss,  Hugo Chapacu, Victor Pecci, Charlie Bricker, Greg Rusedski, Robin Finn, Kimiko Date, David Nalbandian, Goran Ivanisevic, Mikhail Youzhny, Nicole Pratt, Bryanne Stewart, Novak Djokovic, Rennae Stubbs, Corina Morariu, Marc Rosset, Kenneth Carlsen, Kimiko Date, Ryan Harrison, Richard Gasquet, Jimmy Arias, Jim Leohr, Felix Mantilla, Cedric Pioline, Annabel Croft, Brooke Shields, Jaime Yzaga, Slobodan Zivojinovic, Alberto Mancini, Peter McNamara, Andrei Chesnokov, Fabrice Santoro, Bud Collins, Mardy Fish, Sebastien Grosjean, Donald Dell, Petr Kuczak, Magnus Norman, Hicham Arazi, Nduka Odizor, Lori McNeil, Horst Skoff, Karolina Sprem, Ros Fairbank, Linda Siegel, Chris Lewis, Kevin Curren, Thierry Tulasne, Guy Forget, Fred Tupper, Jaime Fillol, Belus Prajoux, Ricardo Cano, Georges Goven, Ray Moore, Charlie Pasarell, Paul Annacone, Tomas Smid, Dmitry Tursunov, Elena Dementieva, Arnaud DiPasquale, Carl Uwe Steeb, Bill Scanlon, Jose Higueras, Jay Berger, Jana Novotna, Bill Dwyre, Lisa Dillman, Sean Sorensen, Paul McNamee, Jiri Novak, Benjamin Becker, Ion Tiriac, Neil Amdur, Tim Gullikson, Jan-Michael Gambill, Taylor Dent, Bryan Shelton, Vijay Amritraj, Martin Verkerk, Brian Gottfried, Carlos Moya, Jacco Eltingh, Adriano Panatta, John Feinstein, Aaron Krickstein, Wilhelm Bungert, Derrick Rostagno, Torben Ulrich, Daniel Nestor, Ray Ruffels, Cliff Drysdale, James Reilly, Andy Murray, Leander Paes, Alicia Molik, Barry MacKay among others.

New Chapter Press is also the publisher of The Bud Colins History of Tennis by Bud Collins, The Roger Federer Story, Quest for Perfection by Rene Stauffer and Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games by Tom Caraccioli and Jerry Caraccioli and the soon to be released title The Lennon Prophecy by Joe Niezgoda. Founded in 1987, New Chapter Press is an independent publisher of books and part of the Independent Publishers Group. More information can be found at www.newchapterpressmedia.com

Bammer, the mother of a seven-year-old daughter Tina, will next play No. 2 seed Jelena Jankovic. While a long-shot to win the title, the No. 30-ranked Bammer is looking to join a very exclusive club of five moms to win a major singles title. Moms to win a major singles title are as follows;

Dorothea Douglass Chambers – The British great won two of her Wimbledon titles after the birth of her first child (1910, 1911) and two more after the birth of her second child (1913, 1914).

Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman – She was challenged by her father to win the U.S. Championship after she became a mom. In her first return appearance, she lost in the 1915 singles final to Molla Mallory, but she did turn the trick until 1919, when at 32 years old, she beat Marion Zinderstein Jessup 6-1, 6-2 to win her fourth U.S. title.

Sarah Palfrey Cooke – This American star did not defend her 1941 U.S. title due to pregnancy (she was married to standout American player Elwood Cooke), but she won the 1945 U.S. title, beating Pauline Betz as a 33-year-old mother.

Margaret Court – The Australian who was the most prolific winner of majors championships ever (62 titles in singles, doubles and mixed) actually played the 1971 Wimbledon women’s singles final while pregnant with her first child, son Daniel, losing to Evonne Goolagong. Court, however, returned to win the Australian, French and U.S. Opens in 1973.

Evonne Goolagong – The most recent of moms to win a major, Goolagong beat Chris Evert Lloyd in the 1980 Wimbledon final.

I sometimes would hit with Jennifer Capriati in Florida, and she would hit the ball so deep.  Since I was accustomed to mostly playing doubles, I would play her baseline games to eleven and she would give me a run for my money.  She was a goofy girl, in a good way, and really didn’t like to practice, but we all didn’t really.  She was always talking about her boyfriend at the time, Xavier Malisse, and how crazy he was.

The campus at Yale where the tourney is played (then known as the Volvo International, now the Pilot Penn) is like an oasis in the middle of east Los Angeles.  This is where Sidney Wood, the 1931 Wimbledon champion would hone his game.  You might still be able to catch him cruising the grounds.

One year I played with Adam Malik, the All-American out of Kentucky who was from Malaysia. We played Marius Barnard and Brent Haygarth from South Africa. Marius liked to bounce the ball a lot before he served. Adam would blink constantly when talking to you. Brent was a stellar player out of Texas A&M, who dates former tour player Tara Snyder.  We played a tight match and came up short 7-6, 4-6, 4-6.

In 1998, I played with T.J. Middleton, a team member of the NCAA champion Georgia Bulldog’s in 1987. We would always have a good time, and hung out together that week at Toad’s Place. Unfortunately, we went down to the tough German doubles team of Marc-Kevin Goellner and David Prinosil.  They would get to the finals of the French Open together, losing to the wild Jensen brothers. Marc patented wearing a baseball cap turned backwards, inspiring the craze you see now in tennis.  The summer tennis season was coming to a close, and the last big dance was upon us.

Maria Sharapova is the most recent example with the reigning Australian Open champion pulling out of the Beijing Games – and the U.S. Open – with a shoulder injury. Other recent pullouts include Marcos Baghdatis, Mario Ancic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Some other examples of high profile pullouts from past Games include Pete Sampras and Steffi Graf before the 1996 Games in Atlanta, (strained Achilles tendon and left knee injury, respectively) Andre Agassi before the 2000 Games in Sydney (cancer diagnosis to his mother and sister), Serena Williams and Jennifer Capriati before the Athens Games (left knee and hamstring, respectively).

The other high-profile player not in the Beijing field is of course 2003 U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick and 2004 Olympic silver medalist Mardy Fish. While a super-patriot when representing the United States in Davis Cup – and at the 2004 Games – Roddick made the tough decision to focus on getting a leg up on his rivals at the U.S. Open by not traveling to the other side of the globe just two weeks before the fourth and final major tournament of the year. Roddick’s reasoning for skipping the Games is to put the Open as a high priority this time around. Fish, another Davis Cup stalwart, made the tough decision as well having already achieved Olympic glory on his resume.

Another great American tennis champion, Bill Tilden, took perhaps the same reasoning when skipping the Olympic tennis competition at the 1924 Games in Paris, although his public excuse for missing out on the Games was due to his journalistic contracts. On March 11, 1924 – as documented in the my new book On This Day In Tennis History (New Chapter Press, $19.95) – Tilden announced that he will not represent the United States in the Paris Games. Tilden’s reasoning is that even if he wanted to play for the United States, the U.S. Olympic rule that forbids athletes from writing for newspapers prevents him from competing since he is contracted to write two articles per week for various outlets. Wrote the New York Times on the day “The tennis champion had never definitely announced that he would go abroad this year if picked for the Olympic team. Two months ago, Tilden said he did not think he would go because of the sharp competition expected in the national singles and in the Davis Cup matches. He said he regarded the Davis Cup competition more important than the Olympics and that he felt he could husband his strength for those matches in the event he is to be one of the contestants.” The USLTA also had enacted a similar rule for amateur tennis, but it is not scheduled to take affect until Jan. 1, 1925.

Also in 1924, French superstar Suzanne Lenglen withdrew from the competition in the capital city of her home country due to illness. She does, however, attend select sessions of the competition. Reported the Associated Press on the first day of the 1924 competition, “Suzanne Lenglen, the world’s champion, watched some of the matches until the sun became too uncomfortably warm for her. She looked thinner than usual. Mlle. Lenglen said she still felt ill and her appearance bore out her statement.”

The benefactors of Tilden and Lenglen’s withdrawals in 1924? Vincent Richards, Tilden’s Davis Cup teammate who won singles gold over France’s Henri Cochet, and Helen Wills, who won the singles competition over France’s Didi Vlasto.

Tennis was a fixture on the Olympic program through the 1924 Games in Paris. The International Tennis Federation – the international governing body for tennis – and the International Olympic Committee saw differences on the definition of amateurism, and on whether Wimbledon should be played in Olympic years. What resulted was the exclusion of tennis from the Olympic Games as an official medal sport until 1988 in Seoul, South Korea.

Tennis triumphantly returned to the Olympic Games in 1988 in Seoul, becoming the first Olympic sport to allow professionals to compete (Basketball followed suit in 1992). Steffi Graf of West Germany completed the rarest feat in the sport by capping a “Golden Slam” at the Seoul Games, having won all four major titles in professional tennis heading into the 1988 Games.

A compilation of Olympic tennis results and medalists are compiled below…

1896 – ATHENS, GREECE

MEDALISTS

Men’s Singles

GOLD — John Boland (Great Britain)

SILVER — Demis Kastaglis (Greece)

BRONZE — Momcsillo Topavicza (Hungary)

Men’s Doubles

GOLD — John Boland (Great Britain) and Fritz Traun (Germany)

SILVER — Demis Kasdaglis and Demetrious Petrokokkinos (Greece)

BRONZE — Edwin Hack (Australia) and George Robertson (Great Britain)

RESULTS

Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match– John Boland (Great Britain) def. Demis Kastaglis (Greece), 7-5, 6-4, 6-1.

Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match– John Boland (Great Britain) and Fritz Traun (Germany) d. Demis Kasdaglis and Demetrios Petrokokkinos (Greece), 6-2, 6-4.

1900 – PARIS, FRANCE

MEDALISTS

Men’s Singles

GOLD — Laurie Doherty (Great Britain)

SILVER — Harold Mahony (Great Britain)

BRONZE — Reggie Doherty (Great Britain)

A.B.J. Norris (Great Britain)

Men’s Doubles

GOLD — Reggie Doherty and Laurie Doherty (Great Britain)

SILVER — Spalding de Garmendia (United States) and Max Decugis (France)

BRONZE — G. de la Chapelle and Andre Prevost (France)

Harold Mahony and A.B.J. Norris (Great Britain)

Women’s Singles

GOLD — Charlotte Cooper (Great Britain)

SILVER — Helene Prevost (France)

BRONZE — Marion Jones (United States)

Hedwig Rosenbaum (Bohemia)

Mixed Doubles

GOLD — Charlotte Cooper and Reggie Doherty (Great Britain)

SILVER — Helene Prevost (France) and Harold Mahony (Great Britain)

BRONZE — Hedwig Rosenbaum (Bohemia) and Archibald Walden (Great Britain)

Laurie Doherty (Great Britain) and Marion Jones (United States)

RESULTS

Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Laurie Doherty (Great Britain) def. Harold Mahony (Great Britain), 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.

Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match– Reggie Doherty-Laurie Doherty (Great Britain) def. Spalding de Garmendia (United States) and Max Decugis (France), 6-3, 6-3, 7-5

Women’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Charlotte Cooper (Great Britain) def. Helene Prevost (France), 6-3, 6-3, 7-5.

Mixed Doubles Gold Medal Match — Charlotte Cooper and Reggie Doherty (Great Britain) def. Helene Prevost (France) and Harold Mahony (Great Britain), 6-2, 6-4.

1904 – ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, UNITED STATES

MEDALISTS

Men’s Singles

GOLD — Beals Wright (United States)

SILVER — Robert LeRoy (United States)

BRONZE — Alphonso Bell (United States) and Edgar Leonard (United States)

Men’s Doubles

GOLD — Edgar Leonard and Beals Wright (United States)

SILVER — Alphonso Bell and Robert LeRoy (United States)

BRONZE — Joseph Wear and Allen West (United States)

Clarence Gamble and Arthur Wear (United States)

RESULTS

Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Beals Wright (United States) def. Robert LeRoy (United States) 6-4, 6-4.

Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match — Edgar Leonard and Beals Wright (United States) def. Alphonso Bell and Robert LeRoy (United States), 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.

1908 – LONDON, ENGLAND (Outdoor)

MEDALISTS

Men’s Singles

GOLD – Josiah Ritchie(Great Britain)

SILVER – Otto Froitzheim (Germany)

BRONZE – Wilberforce Eaves (Great Britain)

Men’s Doubles

GOLD – George Hillyard and Reggie Doherty (Great Britain)

SILVER — Josiah Richie and James Parke (Great Britain)

BRONZE — Charles Cazalet and Charles Dixon (Great Britain)

Women’s Singles

GOLD — Dorothea Chambers (Great Britain)

SILVER — Penelope Boothby (Great Britain)

BRONZE — Joan Winch (Great Britain)

RESULTS

Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match – Josiah Ritchie (Great Britain) def. Otto Froitzheim (Germany), 7-5, 6-3, 6-4

Men’s Singles Bronze Medal Match - Wilberforce Eaves (Great Britain) def. Ivie John Richardson (South Africa), 6-2, 6-2, 6-3.

Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match — George Hillyard and Reggie Doherty (Great Britain) def. Josiah Richie and James Parke (Great Britain) 9-7, 7-5, 9-7.

Women’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Dorothea Chambers (Great Britain) def. Penelope Boothby (Great Britain), 6-1, 7-5.

1908 – LONDON, ENGLAND — (Indoor)

MEDALISTS

Men’s Singles

GOLD — Arthur Gore (Great Britain)

SILVER — George Caridia (Great Britain)

BRONZE — Josiah Ritchie (Great Britain)

Men’s Doubles

GOLD — Arthur Gore and Herbert Barrett (Great Britain)

SILVER — George Simond and George Caridia (Great Britain)

BRONZE — Wollmar Bostrom and Gunnar Setterwall (Sweden)

Women’s Singles

GOLD — Gwendoline Smith (Great Britain)

SILVER — Angela Greene (Great Britain)

BRONZE — Martha Adlerstraille (Sweden)

RESULTS

Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Arthur Gore (Great Britain) def. George Caridia (Great Britain), 6-3, 7-5, 6-4.

Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match — Arthur Gore and Herbert Barrett (Great Britain) def. George Simond and George Caridia (Great Britain), 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Women’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Gwendoline Smith (Great Britain) def. Angela Greene (Great Britain), 6-2, 4-6, 6-0.

1912 – STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN (Outdoor)

MEDALISTS

Men’s Singles

GOLD — Charles Winslow (South Africa)

SILVER — Harold Kitson (South Africa)

BRONZE — Oskar Kreuzer (Germany)

Men’s Doubles

GOLD — Charles Winslow and Harold Kitson (South Africa)

SILVER — Felix Pipes and Arthur Zborzil (Austria)

BRONZE — A. Canet and M. Meny (France)

Women’s Singles

GOLD — Marguerite Broquedis (France)

SILVER — Dora Koring (Germany)

BRONZE — Molla Bjurstedt (Norway)

Mixed Doubles

GOLD — Heinrich Schomburgk and Dora Koring (Germany)

SILVER — Gunnar Setterwall and Sigrid Fick (Sweden)

BRONZE — A. Canet and Marguerite Broquedis (France)

RESULTS

Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Charles Winslow (South Africa) def. Harold Kitson (South Africa), 7-5, 4-6, 10-8, 8-6.

Men’s Singles Bronze Medal Match - Oskar Kreuzer (Germany) def. Ladislav Zemla (BOH), 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1

Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match — Charles Winslow and Harold Kitson (South Africa) def. Felix Pipes and Arthur Zborzil (Austria), 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.

Women’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Marguerite Broquedis (France) def. Dora Koring (Germany), 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Mixed Doubles Gold Medal Match — Dora Koring and Heinrich Schomburgk (Germany) def. Sigrid Fick and Gunnar Setterwall (Sweden), 6-4, 6-0.

1912 – STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN (Indoor)

MEDALISTS

Men’s Singles

GOLD — Andre Gobert (France)

SILVER — Charles Dixon (Great Britain)

BRONZE — Anthony Wilding (Australia)

Men’s Doubles

GOLD — Andre Gobert and Maurice Germot (France)

SILVER — Gunnar Setterwall and Carl Kempe (Sweden)

BRONZE — Arthur Beamish and Charles Dixon (Great Britain)

Women’s Singles

GOLD — Edith Hannam (Great Britain)

SILVER — Thora Gerda Sophy Castenschiold (Denmark)

BRONZE — Mabel Parton (Great Britain)

RESULTS

Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Andre Gobert (France) def. Charles Dixon (Great Britain), 8-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Men’s Singles Bronze Medal Match - Anthony Wilding (Australia) def. Gordon Lowe (Great Britain), 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, 6-0

Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match– Andre Gobert and Maurice Germot (France) def. Gunnar Setterwall and Carl Kempe (Sweden), 6-4, 12-14, 6-2, 6-4.

Women’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Edith Hannam (Great Britain) def. Thora Gerda Sophy Castenschiold (Denmark), 6-4, 6-3.

Mixed Doubles Gold Medal Match — Edith Hannam and Charles Dixon (Great Britain) def. Helen Aitchison and Roper Barrett (Great Britain), 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.

1920 – ANTWERP, BELGIUM

MEDALISTS

Men’s Singles

GOLD — Louis Raymond (South Africa)

SILVER — Ichiya Kumagae (Japan)

BRONZE — Charles Winslow (South Africa)

Men’s Doubles

GOLD — Noel Turnbull (South Africa) and Max Woosnam (Great Britain)

SILVER — Seiichiro Kashio and Ichiya Kumagae (Japan)

BRONZE — Pierre Albarran and Max Decugis (France)

Women’s Singles

GOLD — Suzanne Lenglen (France)

SILVER — Dorothy Holman (Great Britain)

BRONZE — Kitty McKane (Great Britain)

Women’s Doubles

GOLD — Kitty McKane and Winifred McNair (Great Britain)

SILVER — Geraldine Beamish and Dorothy Holman (Great Britain)

BRONZE — Elizabeth D’Ayen and Suzanne Lenglen (France)

Mixed Doubles

GOLD — Suzanne Lenglen and Max Decugis (France)

SILVER — Kitty McKane and Max Woosnam (Great Britain)

BRONZE — Milade Skrbkova and Razny Zemie (Czechoslovakia)

RESULTS

Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match– Louis Raymond (South Africa) def. Ichiya Kumagae (Japan), 5-7, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4.

Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match — Noel Turnbull (South Africa) and Max Woosnam (Great Britain), def. Seiichiro Kashio and Ichiya Kumagae (Japan), 6-2, 7-5, 7-5.

Women’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Suzanne Lenglen (France) def. Dorothy Holman (Great Britain), 6-3, 6-0.

Women’s Doubles Gold Medal Match — Kitty McKane and Winifred McNair (Great Britain) def. Geraldine Beamish and Dorothy Holman (Great Britain), 8-6, 6-4.

Mixed Doubles Gold Medal Match — Suzanne Lenglen and Max Decugis (France) def. Kitty McKane and Max Woosnam (Great Britain), 6-4, 6-2.

1924 – PARIS, FRANCE

MEDALISTS

Men’s Singles

GOLD –Vincent Richards (United States)

SILVER — Henri Cochet (France)

BRONZE — Umberto Luigi de Morpurgo (Italy)

Men’s Doubles

GOLD — Vincent Richards and Frank Hunter (United States)

SILVER — Jacques Brugnon and Henri Cochet (France)

BRONZE — Jean Borotra and Rene Lacoste (France)

Women’s Singles

GOLD — Helen Wills (United States)

SILVER — Didi Vlastro (France)

BRONZE — Kitty McKane (Great Britain)

Women’s Doubles

GOLD — Helen Wills and Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman (United States)

SILVER — Kitty McKane and Dorothy Covell (Great Britain)

BRONZE — Evelyn Colyer and Dorothy Shepherd Barron (Great Britain)

Mixed Doubles

GOLD — Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman and R. Norris Williams (United States)

SILVER — Marion Jessup and Vincent Richards (United States)

BRONZE — Hendrik Timmer and Cornelia Bouman (Netherlands)

RESULTS

Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Vincent Richards (United States) def. Henri Cochet (France), 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 5-7, 6-2.

Men’s Singles Bronze Medal Match – Umberto Luigi de Morpurgo (Italy) def. Jean Borotra (France), 1-6, 6-1, 8-6, 4-6, 7-5

Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match — Vincent Richards and Frank Hunter (United States) def. Jacques Brugnon and Henri Cochet (France), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.

Women’s Singles Gold Medal Match– Helen Wills (United States) def. Didi Vlastro (France), 6-2, 6-2.

Women’s Doubles Gold Medal Match — Helen Wills and Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman (United States) def. Kitty McKane and Dorothy Covell (Great Britain), 7-5, 8-6.

Mixed Doubles Gold Medal Match — Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman and R. Norris Williams (United States) def. Marion Jessup and Vincent Richards (United States), 6-2, 6-3.

1988 – SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA

MEDALISTS

Men’s Singles

GOLD — Miloslav Mecir (Czechoslovakia)

SILVER — Tim Mayotte (United States)

BRONZE — Stefan Edberg (Sweden)

Brad Gilbert (United States)

Men’s Doubles

GOLD — Ken Flach and Robert Seguso (United States)

SILVER –Sergio Casal and Emilio Sanchez (Spain)

BRONZE — Stefan Edberg and Anders Jarryd (Sweden)

Miloslav Mecir and Milan Srejber (Czechoslovakia)

Women’s Singles

GOLD — Steffi Graf (West Germany)

SILVER — Gabriela Sabatini (Argentina)

BRONZE — Zina Garrison (United States)

Manuela Maleeva (Bulgaria)

Women’s Doubles

GOLD — Zina Garrison and Pam Shriver (United States)

SILVER — Jana Novotna and Helena Sukova (Czechoslovakia)

BRONZE — Liz Smylie and Wendy Turnbull (Australia)

Steffi Graf and Claudia Kohde Kilsch (Germany)

RESULTS

Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Miloslav Mecir (Czechoslovakia) def. Tim Mayotte (United States), 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.

Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match — Ken Flach and Robert Seguso (United States) def. Sergio Casal and Emilio Sanchez (Spain), 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (1-7), 9-7.

Women’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Steffi Graf (West Germany) def. Gabriela Sabatini (Argentina), 6-3, 6-3.

Women’s Doubles Gold Medal Match — Zina Garrison and Pam Shriver (United States) def. Jana Novotna and Helena Sukova (Czechoslovakia), 4-6, 6-2, 10-8.

1992 – BARCELONA, SPAIN

MEDALISTS

Men’s Singles

GOLD — Marc Rosset (Switzerland)

SILVER — Jordi Arrese (Spain)

BRONZE — Goran Ivanisevic (Croatia)

Andrei Cherkasov (CIS)

Men’s Doubles

GOLD — Boris Becker and Michael Stich (Germany)

SILVER — Wayne Ferreira and Piet Norval (South Africa)

BRONZE — Goran Ivanisevic and Goran Prpic (Croatia)

Javier Frana and Christian Miniussi (Argentina)

Women’s Singles

GOLD — Jennifer Capriati (United States)

SILVER — Steffi Graf (Germany)

BRONZE — Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (Spain)

Mary Joe Fernandez (United States)

Women’s Doubles

GOLD — Mary Joe Fernandez and Gigi Fernandez (United States)

SILVER — Conchita Martinez and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (Spain)

BRONZE — Natasha Zvereva and Leila Meshki (CIS)

Rachael McQuillan and Nicole Provis (Australia)

RESULTS

Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Marc Rosset (Switzerland) def. Jordi Arrese (Spain), 7-6 (7-2), 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 8-6.

Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match — Boris Becker and Michael Stich (Germany) def. Wayne Ferreira and Piet Norval (South Africa), 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3

Women’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Jennifer Capriati (United States) def. Steffi Graf (Germany),  3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Women’s Doubles Gold Medal Match — Mary Joe Fernandez and Gigi Fernandez (United States) def. Conchita Martinez and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (Spain), 7-5, 2-6, 6-2.

1996 – ATLANTA, GEORGIA, UNITED STATES

MEDALISTS

Men’s Singles

GOLD — Andre Agassi (United States)

SILVER – Sergi Bruguera (Spain)

BRONZE – Leander Paes (India)

Men’s Doubles

GOLD – Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge (Australia)

SILVER – Tim Henman and Neil Broad (Great Britain)

BRONZE – Marc-Kevin Goellner and David Prinosil (Germany)

Women’s Singles

GOLD — Lindsay Davenport (United States)

SILVER – Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (Spain)

BRONZE – Jana Novotna (Czech Republic)

Women’s Doubles

GOLD — Mary Joe Fernandez and Gigi Fernandez (United States)

SILVER – Jana Novotna and Helena Sukova (Czech Republic)

BRONZE – Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Conchita Martinez (Spain)

RESULTS

Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match – Andre Agassi (United States) def. Sergi Bruguera (Spain), 6-2, 6-3, 6-1.

Men’s Singles Bronze Medal Match – Leander Paes (India) def. Fernando Meligeni (Brazil), 3-6, 6-2, 6-4

Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match – Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge (Australia) def. Tim Henman and Neil Broad (Great Britain) 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.

Men’s Doubles Bronze Medal Match – Marc-Kevin Goellner and David Prinosil (Germany) def. Paul Haarhuis and Jacco Eltingh (Netherlands), 6-2, 7-5

Women’s Singles Gold Medal Match – Lindsay Davenport (United States) def. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (Spain), 7-6 (6), 6-2.

Women’s Singles Bronze Medal Match - Jana Novotna (Czech Republic) def. Mary Joe Fernandez (United States), 7-6 (8), 6-4

Women’s Doubles Gold Medal Match — Mary Joe Fernandez and Gigi Fernandez (United States) def. Jana Novona and Helena Sukova (Czech Republic), 7-6 (6), 6-4.

Women’s Doubles Bronze Medal Match – Conchita Martinez and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (Spain) def. Manon Bollegraf and Brenda Schultz-McCarthy (Netherlands), 6-1, 6-3

2000 – SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

MEDALISTS

Men’s Singles

GOLD – Yevgeny Kafelnikov (Russia)

SILVER – Tommy Haas (Germany)

BRONZE – Arnaud DiPasquale (France)

Men’s Doubles

GOLD – Sebastien Lareau and Daniel Nestor (Canada)

SILVER – Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge (Australia)

BRONZE – Alex Corretja and Albert Costa (Spain)

Women’s Singles

GOLD — Venus Williams (United States)

SILVER – Elena Dementieva (Russia)

BRONZE – Monica Seles (United States)

Women’s Doubles

GOLD – Venus Williams and Serena Williams (United States)

SILVER – Miriam Oremans and Kristie Boogert (Netherlands)

BRONZE – Els Callens and Dominique Van Roost (Belgium)

RESULTS

Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match – Yevgeny Kafelnikov (Russia) def. Tommy Haas (Germany), 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.

Men’s Singles Bronze Medal Match - Arnaud DiPasquale (France) def. Roger Federer (Switzerland), 7-6 (5), 6-7 (7), 6-3

Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match – Daniel Nestor and Sebastien Lareau (Canada) def. Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge (Australia) 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (2)

Men’s Doubles Bronze Medal Match – Alex Corretja and Albert Costa (Spain), def. David Adams and John-Laffnie de Jager (South Africa), 2-6, 6-4, 6-3

Women’s Singles Gold Medal Match – Venus Williams (United States) def. Elena Dementieva (Russia), 6-2, 6-4

Women’s Singles Bronze Medal Match – Monica Seles (United States) def. Jelena Dokic (Australia), 6-1, 6-4

Women’s Doubles Gold Medal Match – Venus Williams and Serena Williams (United States) def. Miriam Oremans and Kristie Boogert (Netherlands) 6-1, 6-1.

Women’s Doubles Bronze Medal Match – Els Callens and Dominique van Roost (Belgium)def. Natalia Zvereva and Olga Barabanschikova (Belarus), 4-6, 6-4, 6-1

2004 – ATHENS, GREECE

MEDALISTS

Men’s Singles

GOLD – Nicolas Massu (Chile)

SILVER – Mardy Fish (United States)

BRONZE – Fernando Gonzalez (Chile)

Men’s Doubles

GOLD – Nicolas Massu and Fernando Gonzalez (Chile)

SILVER – Nicolas Kiefer and Rainer Schuettler (Germany)

BRONZE – Ivan Ljubicic and Mario Ancic (Croatia)

Women’s Singles

GOLD – Justine Henin-Hardenne (Belgium)

SILVER – Amelie Mauresmo (France)

BRONZE – Alicia Molik (Australia)

Women’s Doubles

GOLD – Li Ting and Sun Tiantian (China)

SILVER – Virginia Ruano Pascual and Conchita Martinez (Spain)

BRONZE – Paola Suarez and Patricia Tarabini (Argentina)

RESULTS

Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match – Nicolas Massu (Chile) def. Mardy Fish (United States) 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4

Men’s Singles Bronze Medal Match - Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) def. Taylor Dent (United States), 6-4, 2-6, 16-14

Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match – Nicolas Massu and Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) def. Nicolas Kiefer and Rainer Schuettler (Germany), 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4

Men’s Doubles Bronze Medal Match – Ivan Ljubicic and Mario Ancic (Croatia) def. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi (India), 7-6 (5), 4-6, 16-14

Women’s Singles Gold Medal Match – Justine Henin-Hardenne (Belgium) def. Amelie Mauresmo (France), 6-3, 6-3

Women’s Singles Bronze Medal Match – Alicia Molik (Australia) def. Anastasia Myskina (Russia), 6-3, 6-4

Women’s Doubles Gold Medal Match – Li Ting and Sun Tiantian (China) def. Virginia Ruano Pascual and Conchita Martinez (Spain), 6-3, 6-3

Women’s Doubles Bronze Medal Match – Paola Suarez and Patricia Tarabini (Argentina) def. Ai Sugiyama and Shinobu Asagoe (Japan), 6-3, 6-3