Roger Federer, a genius who made tennis look effortless, will be among the most-talked-about men on the sport this month.
Tennis’ top stars have long been known for the quality of their on-court triumphs.
But Federer’s dominance, the best on the ATP calendar with 774 titles, has been a rare reminder of the magnitude of the sport. He has won 11 of the past 12 tournaments on the clay-court circuit, and is one of just 10 men to have won titles in all three surfaces.
He holds more titles at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open than any other player on the tour.
A week after reaching a major final, he was a double loser when it came to points in the French Open final against Rafael Nadal, who played a masterly tie-break game to win his third title in the year.
But Federer, 30, will also play on Rod Laver Arena, where the men’s draw will include two of his old rivals: Andre Agassi and Guillermo Vilas.
These are the biggest moments in tennis and there are at least two big ones for every one of the 20 men who are competing this week.
Here are the big moments so far in 2008
Monday, July 18, 2008
At Wimbledon I can say that for the first time in the last decade, we are not discussing the Australian Open or the French Open; this is a tennis tournament and it’s time for the US Open to make a statement with its grand slam.
That is what Serena Williams has done on this red clay. There is nothing wrong with the strategy, but it’s that great champion Serena’s play that is so great, I believe, that they have been able to maintain the quality. Serena is not a show-off player at all. She is a champion, a very good one. But at Wimbledon, perhaps in a grand slam, you want more from your women’s