Wimbledon 2010: Epic halted at 59-59 in fifth set

John Isner and Nicolas Mahut tore up the record books as their epic first-round contest at Wimbledon became the longest in tennis history.

The match was locked at 59-59 in the final set after 10 hours of play when it was suspended because of bad light.

The decision meant that, incredibly, the contest would go into a third day, having been called off at two sets all on Tuesday for the same reason.

It will resume on Court 18 on Thursday after two other singles matches.

The final set, which began shortly after 1400 BST on Wednesday and was still going seven hours later when the sun went down, is already longer than any match ever played.

Isner, with 98, and Mahut (95) have also both smashed the previous record for the most aces, the 78 set by Ivo Karlovic in a Davis Cup tie in 2009.

The previous longest match was at the French Open in 2004, when Fabrice Santoro beat Arnaud Clement after six hours and 35 minutes.

The longest at Wimbledon had been the famous battle in the days before tie-breaks between Pancho Gonzales and Charlie Pasarell in 1969, which took five hours 12 minutes and finished 22-24 1-6 16-14 6-3 11-9 to Gonzales.

There was no indication of the drama that was about to unfold when Isner and Mahut resumed on Tuesday afternoon locked at two sets all.

But fans quickly crammed into court 18 - capacity 782 - as word spread about the historic contest and every possible vantage point outside was taken.

Mahut, from France, had his first break points of the entire set at 50-50, but Isner, 25, dug deep into his reserves to save both.

The 6ft 9in American had two match points himself at 33-32 and another at 59-58, all of which Mahut managed to fend off.

Towards the end, the umpire's voice was going, rallies had become collectors' items and the scoreboard was broken because it could not cope with the alien numbers.

Just after 2110 BST, Mahut complained that he was having difficulty seeing the ball and the decision was taken to suspend play.

Wimbledon 2010: Rafael Nadal powers past Nishikori on Centre Court return

RAFAEL Nadal made a significant statement of intent as he launched his Wimbledon assault with a hugely impressive victory over Kei Nishikori.

The Spaniard, who missed out on the chance to defend his title 12 months ago through injury, was returning to Centre Court for the first time since his epic final win over Roger Federer in 2008.

And while Federer and Novak Djokovic, the two players directly behind him in the world rankings, laboured to five-set victories over journeymen opponents the previous day there were no such worries for Nadal.

Normally it takes the 24-year-old a couple of matches to find his feet on grass after switching from his favoured clay but the transition this time was almost immediate.

The way he clinically despatched the dangerous Nishikori 6-2 6-4 6-4 was impressive and would not have gone unnoticed by Federer, who regained his crown in the Mallorcan's absence last year.

Nadal was delighted to get off to a flying start and avoid the problems which befell his great rival against Colombian outsider Alejandro Falla.

He said: "Opening matches are tough and it's important to pass them.

"After that I think I will start to play a lot better. It just takes a little while to adjust to the timing of the ball.

"For me it was very special to come back to the nicest centre court in the world. To be here is unbelievable as I worked so hard to come back. The crowd here are always amazing so I want to thank them very much, they make me feel like I'm at home.

"I watched Roger the previous day and it was very close, but the first round is always very difficult.

"Normally for him it is easier than the rest of the players because he likes to play on grass so much. He needs to adjust his game less than everybody else.

"Falla had a great chance to beat the best player in history on this surface but he didn't and the win will be very good for Roger's confidence."

Despite watching Federer toil Nadal still thinks the Swiss star is the man to beat here over the next fortnight and believes he still sets the benchmark in the men's game.

Nadal has seven Grand Slam titles - nine behind the world No.1, but has been tipped to double his tally now he is free from the knee problems which blighted his progress last season.

He said: "I'm happy to have seven as that's more than I dreamed of a few years ago. I feel lucky to have a chance of winning another here but we will see how many I have when I finish my career. If I'm still playing well and improving hopefully I will have more chances to win, although it is very difficult to win Grand Slams."

Many shrewd observers reckoned Nadal's knee injuries would prove insurmountable yet he appears even stronger than ever this year.

His Japanese opponent is tipped to be a future top-10 performer but he was handed a tough lesson yesterday.

Nadal said: "For me this was a very good victory against a diff icult opponent and the next round will also be dangerous against a server like Robin Haase."

Nadal will now face Dutchman Haase in front of the Queen, who will be on Centre Court tomorrow for the first time since 1977.

He said: "It will be a pleasure to have the Queen here at Wimbledon. It is very good for the sport.

"There is not any extra pressure on me. It will just be an honour to watch her in the Royal Box. I would love to have the chance to say hello to her."

Wimbledon 2010: Serena Williams 'to dress more conservatively' for the Queen

The world number one is expected to play her second round match in front of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh on Centre Court.
It is the first time the monarch has visited SW19 since 1977.

Williams, who beat her first round opponent in straight sets yesterday (tues), has been busy practicing the mark of respect and said she was “speechless” at the thought of playing in front of the Queen.
“My curtsy is really fun, she said yesterday. “It is a little dramatic, I want it to be more natural - right now it feels really forced, so I am looking forward to nailing it.
“It’s something that she’ll definitely never forget, if I ever even get a chance to meet her.
“We really don’t do that so much in the United States, so I’m working really hard on it.”
Williams, 28, said she had planned to practice her curtsy during her first round match, but lost the courage.
“I think I flubbed it, so I’m definitely going to work on it a little more. I’m trying to tone down my wrist action.”
Williams beat Portugal’s Michelle Larcher de Brito in an hour and three minutes as the two women battled it out in front of a capacity crowd.
Both women are known for their loud grunting as they hit the ball, with the loudest noise recorded at 90 decibels – the equivalent of motorway traffic.
Williams, who is known for her striking fashion sense, sported a “strawberries and cream” outfit in honour of Wimbledon – complete with strawberries on her socks.
Temperatures reached 27 degrees Celsius on Centre Court and by 3pm 66 people had been seen by St John’s Ambulance for heat related ailments.
There was further disappointment for British tennis as Anne Keothavong threw away a 4-0 lead in the third set to lose to Australian Anastasia Rodionova.
Rodinova drew boos from the crowd after repeatedly shouting at Keothavong’s supporters to be quiet.
Keothavong was not immune to losing her temper after a series of umpiring decisions went against her, at one point shouting at the line judge: “Are you kidding me? Oh my God. What are you doing, lady?”
Afterwards, Keovathong said: “Nerves got the better of me, to be honest. There’s so much pressure on all of us here.
“There is nothing we would love more than to do well. Unfortunately that didn’t happen. Life goes on, nobody died.”
The warm weather encouraged spectators to flock to the tournament and the queue for on day two was full by 10.15am.
The queue allows for 1,500 seated tickets and 7,000 ground tickets to be bought. Fans without tickets being advised to turn back at Southfields underground station.
The capacity for this year’s tournament has been reduced by 2,500 because courts three, four and six are closed for improvements.
It is the last phase of improvements for the SW19 site.
Wimbledon had its latest finish on Monday night, with a match between Novak Djokovic and Olivier Rochus ending at 10.58pm.
The roof was closed at 8.15pm to allow te first round, five set match to continue with the last two sets lasting an hour each.
By the time the match finished, Centre Court was only a third full.
An All England Club spokesman said: “It is not something we seek to repeat on a regular basis, if at all.”

Wimbledon 2010: Venus Williams wins opening match

Five-time winner Venus Williams safely booked her place in the second round at Wimbledon with a straight-sets win over Paraguay's Rossana De Los Rios.

Belgian duo Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin both marked their SW19 returns with opening-round successes.

Clijsters, in her first appearance since 2006, beat Italy's Maria Elena Camerin while Henin was too good for Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova.

But French Open champion Francesca Schiavone was knocked out.

The fifth seed, who reached the quarter-finals last year failed to close out her match against Russia's Vera Dushevina in the second set and lost 6-7 (0-7) 7-5 6-1.

The Italian has not enjoyed the best of records at Wimbledon, but reached the quarter-finals last year, but after also losing in the first round at Eastbourne, she refused to accept she might have rested on her laurels after her Roland Garros win.

"It was a tough match on a different surface with a different feeling. But she played very well and I didn't take my chance in the second set," she said.

"I work hard every day like I always did in my life. Of course, you can enjoy [winning in Paris]. But at the end you have to come back to work."

There were few problems for second seed Venus Williams, Clijsters, seeded eighth and Henin, the 17th seed, who last played at Wimbledon in 2007.

Venus plans to be 'simply the best' again at Wimbledon

LONDON — Venus Williams has revealed her bid for a sixth Wimbledon singles' title is being inspired by pop star Tina Turner.

Venus raised more than a few eyebrows at the French Open last month when she played in a black corset-style dress and flesh-coloured underwear.

The powers that be at the All England Club would never tolerate such a flamboyant outfit, so the eight-time Wimbledon finalist has had to tone down her appearance here.

But Venus still took to the Court One on Monday for her match with Rossana De Los Rios in a uniquely personal outfit.

She claims the so-called shimmy dress is inspired by Turner, whose hits includes the likes of 'Simply The Best' and 'What's Love Got To Do With It'.

Williams was definitely far too good for De Los Rios as she crushed the Paraguayan 6-3, 6-2 to set up a second round meeting with Russia's Ekaterina Makarova.

"My dress was inspired by Tina Turner," Venus said. "It still has a lace motif and I think it's just a fun, elegant dress. Here it's all about white. There is no illusion this time.

"I love Tina Turner. Obviously, she's just an amazing, amazing artist, just a survivor.

"She reinvented herself. Plus she looks great. I've loved her forever. So the dress is really inspired by her."

Venus, beaten by sister Serena in last year's final, was never troubled by De Los Rios and admitted she had been raring to go after a long wait due to the length of previous matches on the court.

"It was a really a long day at the tennis (waiting to play). So I was happy to get on and everything was pretty straightforward," she said.

"I was just ready to go. I've been practicing on the grass since Wednesday so I feel like I had a good feel for it.

"It's the first round and that can be tough because you never know how the courts are going to play, if it's going to be slippery, how the bounce will be.

"Each one's playing so different but I was pretty happy with how the court was playing."

Few players on the women's tour can match the potent mix of power and poise Venus displays on grass, but the 30-year-old refused to get carried away by the ease of her first round victory.

"I've had times where I've had a slower start, I've had times where I've had a faster start, so each one is different," she added.

Curtsy and bow--Wimbledon stars work on etiquette

For Queen Elizabeth, whose favorite sport has always been horse racing, is coming to the world's most famous tennis tournament for the first time in 33 years.

She never misses Royal Ascot's annual festival of top-class racing. But she has not been to Wimbledon since her Silver Jubilee year in 1977 when Britain's Virginia Wade won the women's singles.

Current titleholder Serena Williams. who hopes to be playing in front of the Queen on Thursday if the draw works out, said "Wow, this is really, really cool."

"I've been working on my curtsy. It's a little extreme so I am going to have to tone it down," she said.

Murray is not quite sure what the etiquette will be.

"I don't want to be bowing and the person I'm playing with walks straight past or the other way round. You obviously need to have an agreement before you go on," he said.

Wade reckons the royal presence will help to energize the Scot and really fire up his game which has tapered off since he reached the Australian Grand Slam final in January.

Last year, when Murray became the first Briton in 71 years to land the pre-Wimbledon tournament at Queens, the monarch sent him a note of congratulations.

Britain, which invented the game of tennis and hosts its most glamorous tournament, has not enjoyed success at Wimbledon in the men's singles since the glory days of Fred Perry way back in the 1930s.

BBC commentator Max Robertson was beside himself with excitement after Wade's victory: "Virginia Wade has won the centenary title with the Queen watching her. Virginia will be taking tea with the Queen."

Organizers are hoping -- shocks permitting -- that Queen Elizabeth will get to watch both Murray and Williams when she takes her seat in the royal box on Thursday.

But if Murray fulfils the sporting dreams of a nation, she will not be able to return next week for the final -- she and Prince Philip will be on a state visit to Canada.

Records show that the first royal visit to Wimbledon came in 1895 when Crown Princess Stephanie of Austria came to watch the men's doubles.

Before his accession, George VI even competed in the men's doubles at the 1926 championships. He and Commander Louis Greig were easily defeated in the first round. Their opponents were spared a trip to the Tower of London.

Princess Diana was lucky enough to attend the nail-biting 1981 final between arch rivals John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg.

But perhaps the most memorable royal moment was offered by the Duchess of Kent in 1993. At the prize-giving, she comforted losing finalist Jana Novotna who broke down and sobbed on her shoulders after her defeat.

Simply the best: Venus Williams begins her quest for for a sixth Wimbledon crown wearing dress 'inspired by Tina Turner'

She was once content to be simply one of the best tennis players in the world, but lately Venus Williams has seemed more interested in causing a stir with her outfits than her performances.But mercifully the 30-year-old chose to avoid the flesh-coloured knickers that caused a stir at the Australian Open.

And yesterday she appeared on the first day of Wimbledon in a tasseled outfit inspired by 80s popstar Tina Turner.

Williams - the number two seed at the tournament - chose a white layered dress that looked more suited to a night club than a tennis club.

Referring to the furore her unflattering underwear caused earlier this year, Williams said yesterday: 'There's no illusion this time. Here it's all about white. I just think it's a fun, elegant dress.

Explaining the inspiration behind the outfit, she said: 'I love Tina Turner. Obviously, she's just an amazing, amazing artist, just a survivor.

'She reinvented herself and she looks great. I've loved her forever. So this dress is really inspired by her.'

Despite the attention attracted by her skimpy outfit, the five-time Wimbledon champion won a straight-set victory over Rossana de los Rios of Paraguay.

Wimbledon 2010: Andy Murray vs Jan Hajek Preview

The 2010 Wimbledon tennis tournament is now into its second day of play today (Tuesday, June 22nd), and we’ve already seen a rather eventful day of play yesterday. And today, is when Andy Murray takes on the likes of Jan Hajek from the Czech Republic, on Court 1.

As reported by Mike Dickson, Hajek – who has hardly ever played on grass, has a ranking of 90 and who suffered a heart scare 2 years ago – has high ambitions heading into today’s match against Murray, and is hoping to knock the British No. 1 out.

Hajek says that he not only wants to knock Murray out of the competition, but he also wants to put a dampener on The Queen’s visit to Wimbledon on Thursday for what should, theoretically speaking, be Murray’s second-round appearance.

Joking around about it, Hajek said: “I know she would be disappointed if I beat Andy as this is her first visit for more than 30 years, but it would be good to interrupt her plans.” Hajek has also been keen to emphasize that all his problems are now behind him.

GRF : Roger Federer --- Wimbledon 2010 Preview Ad