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else, and he gives us a hard time.

Started by wxq123, 2014/04/03 05:53AM
Latest post: 2014/04/03 05:53AM, Views: 275, Posts: 1
else, and he gives us a hard time.
#1   2014/04/03 05:53AM
wxq123
WIMBLEDON, England -- A Grand Slam title drought did indeed end in Sundays historic and riveting Wimbledon final, only it was Roger Federers lengthy-for-him gap between trophies that came to a close, rather than Britains 76-year wait for a homegrown mens champion. Making sure everyone knows he is still as capable as ever of brilliance on a tennis court -- particularly one made of grass, and with a roof overhead -- Federer came back to beat Andy Murray 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 indoors on Centre Court for a record-tying seventh championship at the All England Club. "It feels nice," Federer said, clutching the gold trophy only Pete Sampras has held as many times in the modern era. "Its like it never left me." The victory also increased Federers record total to 17 major titles after being stuck on No. 16 for 2 1/2 years, and clinched a return to the top of the ATP rankings, overtaking Novak Djokovic, after an absence of a little more than two years. Federers 286th week at No. 1 ties Sampras for the most in history. "He doesnt want to stop now. He knows hes going to continue to play well and try to break seven, and he could very well end up with eight or nine Wimbledons," Sampras said in a telephone interview. "I just think hes that much better than the other guys on grass, and he loves the court the way I loved that court. Hes a great champion, a classy champion, and Im really happy for him." After a record seven consecutive Wimbledon finals from 2003-09, winning the first six, Federer lost in the quarterfinals in 2010 and 2011, then wasted two match points and a two-set lead against Djokovic in the U.S. Open semifinals last year, raising questions about whether he might be slipping. "A couple tough moments for me the last couple years, I guess," Federer said. "So I really almost didnt try to picture myself with the trophy or try to think too far ahead, really." After losing in the semifinals each of the previous three years, Murray was the first British man to reach the final at Wimbledon since Bunny Austin in 1938, and was trying to become the hosts first male title winner since Fred Perry in 1936. Alas, Murray dropped to 0-4 in Grand Slam finals, three against Federer. Only one other man lost the first four major title matches of his career: Ivan Lendl, who is coaching Murray now and sat in his guest box with chin planted on left palm, as expressionless as he was during his playing career. While Lendl never did win Wimbledon, perhaps Murray can take solace from knowing his coach did end up with eight Grand Slam titles. "Im getting closer," Murray told the crowd afterward, his voice cracking and tears flowing. "Everybody always talks about the pressure of playing at Wimbledon, how tough it is," he said. "Its not the people watching; they make it so much easier to play. The support has been incredible, so thank you." The Scotland native was urged on by 15,000 or so of his closest friends in person, along with thousands more watching on a large video screen a short walk away across the ground -- not to mention the millions watching the broadcast on the BBC. The afternoons first roar from those in attendance came when Murray jogged to the baseline for the prematch warmup; there even were cheers when his first practice stroke clipped the top of the net and went over. Any omen would do. The British, tennis enthusiasts and otherwise, searched for signs everywhere. Murray turned 25 in May, just as Perry had turned 25 in May 1934, shortly before he won his first of three consecutive Wimbledon titles; 2012 is Queen Elizabeth IIs Diamond Jubilee, celebrating her 60-year reign, just as 1977, when Virginia Wade won the Wimbledon womens championship, was the Silver Jubilee, marking 25 years on the throne; on Saturday night, Jonathan Marray (paired with Frederik Nielsen of Denmark) became the first Brit to win a mens doubles title at Wimbledon since -- yes, thats right -- 1936. Royalty -- real and of a celebrity nature -- began arriving more than a half-hour beforehand: Prince Williams wife, Kate, and her sister, Pippa Middleton; British Prime Minister David Cameron; soccer star David Beckham and his wife, former Spice Girl Victoria. Also present in the Royal Box: Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, who wants Scotland to break away from Britain. Early on, every point Murray won earned cheers as though the ultimate outcome had been decided. Every miss, even a first-serve fault, drew moans of "Awwwwwww," as though their lad had lost any chance. Murray got off to a glorious start. Federer, appearing in his 24th Grand Slam final, appeared the tenser of the two, amazingly enough, and when he sailed a swinging forehand volley long to get broken in the opening game, spectators rose to their feet and waved their Scottish and Union Jack flags. That said, they do appreciate greatness here, and so Federers best offerings drew applause, too. There was plenty of clapping and yelling to go around for both men, who produced extremely high-quality play, filled with lengthy exchanges, superb shotmaking and deft volleying -- all befitting the setting and the stakes. Murrays second break helped him take the opening set, and things were even as could be for much of the second, until deuce at 5-5. From there, Federer stepped up, in large part by winning 43 of the 57 points on his serve the rest of the way. He saved all five break points he faced after the first set. After holding for 6-5 in the second, Federer broke. At 30-all, he won a 17-stroke point with a drop volley that Murray got to but sailed a lob attempt long. And then Federer carved -- caressed, really -- another drop volley, this one bouncing to the side after it landed for a winner, impossible to reach, closing a 20-stroke exchange. "Roger did a good job in the second set, turning the momentum around, and really changing things a lot," said his coach, Paul Annacone, who also worked with Sampras. A real key switch happened at 1-all in the third, when a drizzle transformed into heavy showers, causing a 40-minute delay while the retractable cover was moved over the court. The roof was installed before the 2009 tournament; this was its first use for a singles final. Until then, Federer had won 86 points, Murray 85. Under the roof -- with no wind to alter trajectories, allowing the third-seeded Swiss star to make pure, explosive contact with the ball -- Federer won 65 points, Murray 52. "The way the court plays is a bit different," the fourth-seeded Murray said. "I think he served very well when the roof closed. He served better." The most monumental game, though, came with Murray serving and trailing 3-2 in the third. It was chock-full: 10 deuces, six break points for Federer, three falls to the turf by Murray, all spread over roughly 20 gloriously intense minutes. Murray went up 40-love, then began to crack as Federer walloped two backhand returns to 40-30. On the next point, Federer conjured up another beautiful drop shot and Murray tumbled head-over-heels while giving chase; both Federer and the chair umpire went over to check on him. A few points later, Murray did a somersault at the baseline when he slipped going after a lob. And on it went. At the 10th deuce, Federer sent another lob over Murray, who hit the deck yet again, but got up in time to see the ball plop on the baseline. This set up Federers sixth break point, the last he would need -- in the game and the set, certainly, but also in the match and the tournament, it seemed. He converted it with an inside-out forehand that landed in a corner, and Murray could only push his reply into the net. There would be no more shifts of control, no reasons for Federer to doubt -- or for Murray and his legion of backers to believe. The final break for Federer made it 3-2 in the fourth, when he flicked a cross-court backhand passing winner that was powerful and perfect. Federer made a rare show of strong emotion, shaking his right fist and bellowing. That, essentially, was that, no matter how many times the fans were going to sing their choruses of "An-dy! An-dy!" and "Mur-ray! Mur-ray!" Federer only needed to hold serve three more times, and he did, then crumbled to the court when Murray sailed one last forehand wide. "This is, I guess, how you want to win Wimbledon -- by going after your shots, believing you can do it," Federer said, "and thats what I was able to do today." He most definitely is back to being the best at what he does. Federer turns 31 on Aug. 8, and is the first thirtysomething man to win Wimbledon since Arthur Ashe in 1975. No matter. He and Sampras -- and, by now, plenty of others -- see no reason why Federer cant keep adding to all of his records. "Im so happy Im at the age I am right now, because I had such a great run and I know theres still more possible. To enjoy it right now, its very different than when I was 20 or 25," said Federer, whose twin daughters, wearing matching black-and-white dresses and frilly socks, applauded from his guest box during the trophy ceremony. "Im at a much more stable place in my life. I wouldnt want anything to change," he added. "So this is very, very special right now." Cheap Louis Vuitton Outlet . If the Americans are to repeat as gold medal winners, they will have earned it. While the field still needs to be filled out thanks to the last-chance play-in tournament set for July in Venezuela; the United States find themselves in the more difficult of the two groups. Cheap Louis Vuitton . His three years as an NFL executive didnt go as hoped. And for perhaps the first time in his football life, Holmgren came up short as a leader. This loss was tough to swallow. http://www.cheaplouisvuittonoutl... . Dresslers highlight reel grab defeated Tristan Jacksons 129-yard missed field goal return in the final of a bracket that started with 12 plays from the 2012 season. In their July 19 overtime loss to the Calgary Stampeders, the Roughriders were trailing by a point as half approached and looking for the momentum heading into the second half of the game. [url=http://www.cheaplouisvuittonoutletbiz.com/]Louis Vuitton Outlet Sale . Ben Street and Krys Kolanos had the other goals for Abbotsford (16-8-6), while Danny Taylor made 25 saves for the win. Darren Archibald and Zach Miskovic replied for Chicago (13-11-4), while Matt Climie stopped 24 shots in net. cheap louis vuitton sale . Lotus struggled tremendously in its debut season, and was down to only one team after the Indianapolis 500. Lotus chief operating officer Aslam Farikullah said Friday the decision to ask to be released from its IndyCar contract was not easy, and the manufacturer has not ruled out someday returning to the series.SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Cam Newton is everywhere these days. If hes not flying through your television set on "Cams Night Out" hawking Under Armour gear or sucking down Gatorade and "Winning the Fifth Quarter," chances are youve seen the 23-year-old quarterback featured prominently by the NFL in advertisements for its upcoming preseason games. Hes featured in the intro to ESPN SportsCenter. And, if not for Calvin Johnson, hed be on the cover of Madden NFL 13, too. In just 15 months Newton has developed into a national celebrity unlike anything the Panthers have seen since they began play in 1995. Charismatic, built like a Greek god and, above all, incredibly talented, Newton has taken the country by storm since being drafted No. 1 overall last year. As Panthers teammate Jon Beason said, Newton has become "a mega-superstar." Steve Smith? Julius Peppers? Sam Mills? All great players for the Panthers over the years, but none has come close to grabbing the national spotlight as Newton has after a record-setting season in which he combined for 35 touchdowns and became the first rookie to throw for more than 4,000 yards. "We havent had a guy who gets this much attention -- ever," said offensive tackle Jordan Gross, now in his 10th season with the Panthers. When asked about Newtons impact on the Panthers, teammate Charles Johnson laughed and said, "Cant you tell? Just like when he walked on to the practice field (Sunday) night." Newton did so to a rock stars welcome, entering Wofford Colleges Gibbs Stadium for the first training camp practice before a fired-up crowd of 12,871. Fans wearing his No. 1 jersey were everywhere, far outnumbering any other member of the team. It was the largest crowd ever assembled for a single practice in the 18 summers the Panthers have spent in Spartanburg, according to team spokesman Charlie Dayton. Call it the Cam factor. And Newton, who has a flare for showmanship, didnt shy away from attention. He raced up the field for a 25-yard gain on a play-action fake, veered out of bounds and ran along the inside wall of the stadium pumping his left fist at fans. They roared with delight. After practice, Newton had a little fun with fans, pretending first to run to one side of the field and then the other. Every time he changed directions, fans cheered, each side pleading with him to come over to sign autographs. "Hes become the face of this team," Johnson said. "Hes a monster out on the field. Im glad hes on our team." So are the Panthers. Not only do they appear to have a legit star quarterback for the first timme in 18 seasons, they have an identity.dddddddddddd The Panthers are Cam Newton. And Cam Newton is the Panthers. Of the season ahead, coach Ron Rivera said, "As Cam goes, we go." "I think we need that in Charlotte," Beason said. "Were still a very young franchise in a city where NASCAR is superior. If we win more games here, more of you guys (the media) are going to show up; there will be more endorsement deals and TV commercials for everybody. I think when you do have a mega-superstar on your team it definitely helps you." Of course, with fame come potential pitfalls. Riveras aware of that. Thats one of the reasons he pulled Newton aside in February for a private talk, making sure he kept his priorities straight in the off-season. "We talked about what he was going to be doing and he was very forthright about it -- and we have no issue with it," Rivera said. "The biggest thing he understands is that once were in the season, its time to work. And his focus and attention is about what we do. And it is. So I have no problem." Centre Ryan Kalil said Newtons work ethic has never been questioned in the locker room. Kalil raved about how hard Newton has been working away from the spotlight, trying to get a better grasp of the playbook and recognizing defences. He said Newtons desire to win is unrivaled. "People see him on commercials and think thats what hes been doing in the off-season, but they dont know what hes done behind the scenes," Kalil said. "Cam has been in there with Chud (offensive co-ordinator Rob Chudzinski), with (quarterbacks coach) Mike Shula, and hes been working his tail off. You might think hes about the commercials, but thats not the deal. You dont see what we see." Newton didnt want to talk about his endorsement deals Monday, saying his focus is solely on football -- and winning. "Im just working on being great," Newton said. "Its the little things. Everybody wants to win the Super Bowl, but lets worry about today. Tomorrow is not promised. Lets worry about trying to go out and execute every play and focus on the small things." Gross said Newton has done a great job of separating business from football. And that has endeared him to teammates. All that attention can often distance a player from his teammates, Gross said. "But Cam fits in great," he added. "We goof around and have fun and give him a hard time just like everybody else, and he gives us a hard time. Thats the little things that will make guys follow someone, when they know hes there and hes just one of the guys." ' ' '


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