Roger Federer wins eighth Wimbledon Title

Roger Federer became the first man to win Wimbledon eight times and extended his record to 19 Grand Slam titles with victory over Croatia Marin Cilic. The Swiss third seed won 6-3 6-1 6-4 as seventh seed Cilic struggled with blisters on his left foot and broke down in tears during the second set.

Federer, 35, finished the contest in one hour and 41 minutes to claim his first Wimbledon title since 2012. He becomes the oldest man in the Open Era to win at all England Club. Federer surpasses Pete Sampras and William Renshaw, who won their seventh titles in 2000 and 1889 respectively, with only Marina Navratilova still ahead in terms of Wimbledon single titles on nine.

He has won two of the three Grand Slam Titles so far this year, having returned from a six-month break to win the Australian Open in January. With 19 major titles he extends his lead over Rafael Nadal in the men’s game to four, and now stands joint-fourth on the all-time list with Helen Wills Moody, five behind Margaret Court on 24. Among his long list of achievements, Federer became the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1976 to win the Wimbledon title without dropping a set.

In other categories, Garbine Muguruza romps to victory over Venus Williams in Women’s Singles. Lucasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo clinch Wimbledon Men’s double title. Makarova and Vesnina clinch Wimbledon Women’s doubles title. James Murray and Martina Hingis clinch Wimbledon Mixed Doubles title.

Sporting Moments of 2016

Unpredictability has perhaps been 2016 most consistent element and it has not been any different in the world of sports and athletics. Underdogs Leicester City won the English Premier League Football Championship in an astounding season. Serena Williams clinched 22 career Grand Slam singles to tie up for second on the all-time list with Steffi Graf. Nico Rosberg shocked the sporting world by announcing his retirement from Formula One racing after his maiden Championship Triumph.

Serena Williams celebrates winning her women’s singles final match against Germany Angelique Kerber at Wimbledon. Her total of 22 Grand Slam singles titles marks the joint record for the most Major wins by a tennis player in the Open Era. Portugal won the Euro 2016 Championship, their first major trophy.

Leicester City Premier League title dream became reality earlier this year as they completed one of the greatest ever sporting achievements. The Foxes Premier League campaign has captivated fans in the provincial English city as well as sports fans worldwide. Serbia Novak Djokovic won his first ever French Open title in 2016 after defeating Britain Andy Murray. Usain Bolt won Gold Medals in 100m, 200m and relay in his third consecutive Olympic appearance.

British Formula One driver Nico Rosberg who represented Mercedes stunned the sporting world when he announced his retirement on 2^nd December just five days after the 31 year old became the sport’s world Champion for the first time in his entire career.

French Open 2016

Serbia Novak Djokovic defeated Britain’s Andy Murray in the final of the French Open at Roland Garros to win his 13^th Grand Slam. With this victory, Djokovic won his maiden Roland Garros crown and also completed his career Grand Slam dream.

Coming from a set down, the Serb won back to back three sets to oust Murray from the title hunt. He won 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, and 6-4. The world number one etched his name in the history books by becoming the first man since 1969 to hold all four grand slams concurrently. After a rather sluggish start, Djokovic came back with all guns blazing, only to destroy Murray hopes of becoming the first player from Britain to win the French Open since 1935.

A lot was stake at Murray, who has not only gunning for glory but also looking to shut down his critics. On the contrary, for Djokovic, the French Open was the only silverware missing from his trophy cabinet and the weather gods made it even more difficult for him to his hands on it. Djokovic battled the weather and an adamant opponent, to make his way to the summit. Earlier, 22 year old sensation Garbine Muguruza had stunned Serena Williams to win the crown in straight sets 7-5, 6-4 in women’s singles.

Men’s doubles title is won by F. Lopez and M. Lopez, who stunned Bryan brothers in finals by 4-6, 7-6, and 3-6. Women doubles title is won by C. Garcia and K. Mladenovic by 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. Mixed double is won by M. Hingis and L. Paes who beat S. Mirza and I. Dodig in finals by 4-6, 6-4, and 10-8. Next Grand Slam event will be Wimbledon which will start from 27 June 2016 in Wimbledon.

Australian Open 2016

Novak Djokovic crushed Andy Murray 6-1, 7-5,7-6(3) to match Roy Emerson record of six Australian Open titles and leave the Briton heartbroken again at Melbourne Park. The defending champion was at his ruthless best under the lights at Rod Laver Arena, mauling Andy Murray in the baseline duels and closing out the match in two hours and 53 minutes.

Murray succumbed to his fifth loss in five Australian Open finals, and fourth against the Serbian World number one, who claimed his 11^th Grand Slam title to draw level with the totals of Australian Rod Laver and Swede Bjorn Borg. For a man who has owned the year’s first Grand Slam for five of the past six years and won his first in 2008, Djokovic celebrations were subdued and he gave Murray a consoling pat on the chest as they shook hands.

In Female single, Angelique Kerber upset world number one Serena Williams 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to clinch the Australian open and become the first German to win a grand Slam title. In Men’s double Jamie Murray became the first Briton to win the Australian Open men’s doubles title in 82 years as he and Bruno Soares beat Daniel Nestor and Radek Stepanek 2-6, 6-4, 7-5.

Women Doubles title is won by World Number one Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza by 7-6, 6-3. Mixed Double title is won by Elena Vesnina and Bruno Soares by 6-4, 4-6 (10-5). Bruno Soares won two titles in a single day winning Mixed Doubles and Men Doubles. Next Grand Slam Tournament will be French Open which is played on Clay Court.

Australian Open 2016: The Contenders

Novak Djokovic, World No 1 and had won 10 Grand Slam Titles. He was virtually unstoppable in 2015, when he put together one of the best seasons even seen: three grand slam titles among 11 tournament victories and a win loss record of 82-6. As the season closed, it was only the rapier backhand of Wawrinka in the French Open final that had stopped Novak Djokovic from completing the first men’s calendar year Grand Slam.

Andy Murray, World No 2 and had won 2 Grand Slam Titles. Murray has contested four Australian Open finals without winning any. Murray won four tournaments last season, including two Masters Titles, and finished the year as World No 2 for the first time. But his runner-up finish behind Djokovic in last year Australian Open final turned out to be his best performance in a major tournament.

Roger Federer, World No 3 and had won 17 Grand Slam titles. Federer lost to Djokovic in the Wimbledon and US Open Finals last year, and piercing the armour of the World No 1 is a key challenge as he looks to add to his collection of major titles. Federer, the oldest man in the top 10, and without a Grand Slam title since 2012, has not had a trouble free build up to the year first Grand Slam as he lost to Raonic in the Final.

Stan Wawrinka, World No 4 and had won 2 Grand Slam Titles. One of the few men to trouble Djokovic in recent times will be watched warily by rivals in the men’s draw. Wawrinka stunned Djokovic on his way to winning his first Grand Slam title in the Australian Open in 2014 breaking a four year stranglehold over the Grand Slam Titles by the men’s “Big Four”. In 2015 he won four titles including French Open title.

Rafael Nadal, World No 5 and had won 14 Grand Slam Titles. A wretched spell last year prompted Nadal to wonder whether his Grand Slam winning days were over as the oft injured Spaniard looked a busted flush. Nadal failed to win a major tournament last year for the first time in a decade, and saw his ranking drop to 10^th before he clawed his way back up late in the season. Runner-up finishes in Beijing and Basel and victories over Wawrinka, Murray and David Ferrer at the World Tour Finals.

2015 Rogers Cup

The 2015 Rogers Cup presented by National Bank is a Tennis Tournament played on Outdoor Hard Courts. It was the 126^th edition for men and the 114^th edition for women of the Canadian Open, and is part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the 2015 ATP World Tour, and of the WTA Premier 5 Tournaments of the 2015 WTA Tour, plus is the 2015 US Open series event.

The men’s event was held at the Uniprix Stadium in Montreal, from August 10 to August 16, and the Women event at the Rexall Centre in Toronto, from August 10 to August 16. Second Seed Andy Murray won the Men’s Singles title while Belinda Bencic won the Women Singles Title. Andy Murray ended an eight match losing run against Novak Djokovic, beating the world number one for the first time in two years to win the Rogers Cup.

The British Number one’s 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 victory in three hours in Montreal earned him a fourth title of the year. A first win over the Serbian since the 2013 Wimbledon final will be a huge boost for Murray before the US Open in New York starts on 31 August. The Scot dominated from the baseline as he claimed an 11^th Masters title.

On the other hand, eighteen year old Belinda Bencic won women Singles beating Simona Halep in final. Simona retired in third round after losing three game points due to injury in leg. Men’s doubles tournament is won by Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan. Women’s doubles is won by Bethanie Mattek Sands and Lucie Safarova. 

French Open 2015

French Open is a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 114^th edition of the French Open and second grand slam event of the year. It consisted of events for professional players in singles, doubles, mixed doubles, juniors and wheelchair players. Rafael Nadal was the nine time defending champion in Men’s singles and Maria Sharapova in the Women Singles.

Stan Wawrinka won his first French Open title defeating Number one Novak Djokovic in the final by 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, and 6-4. Serena Williams won her 3^rd French Open title and 20^th Grand Slam Singles title beating Safarova in the final. She defeated Safarova by 6-3, 6-7(2/7), and 6-2. This was Wawrinka second major winning title after Australian Open 2014. He also ended Novak 28 match winning streak.

Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo won the Men’s doubles title defeating Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan in the final. In Women Doubles Bethanie and Safarova defeated Casey and Shvedova in the final. Mixed Double is won by Bethanie and Mike Bryan. Stan Wawrinka defeated Roger Federer in the quarterfinals and Jw.Tsonga in the Semi-Finals to reach finals of French Open. On the other end, Novak defeated Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals and Andy Murray in Semi-Finals.

In Women Singles, Serena defeated S.Errani in quarterfinals and T. Bacsinszky in Semi-Finals to reach final. Lucie Safarova defeated G. Muguruza in quarterfinals and A. Ivanovic in Semi-Finals to reach final of the tournament. The next tennis major tournament Wimbledon will start from 29 June 2015 and last till 12 July 2015. With stunning performances in Men’s section, competition is tougher for other players to win their title. Last year Novak Djokovic won Men’s singles and Petra Kvitova won Women singles title.

Australian Open 2015

2015 Tennis season has started with Australian Open. It is played on outdoor hard courts at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne in Australia. It will be played from 19 January to 1 February and will feature men and women events in Singles, as well as mixed doubles. The tournament will also feature senior, junior, and wheelchair events. Stan Wawrinka is the defending men’s champion from Switzerland and Li Na is defending women’s champion from China. Li Na will not defend her title as she retired from tennis on 19 September 2014.

As a sports crazy fan, I prefer watching almost all sports and follow their updates. Like every year, this year is going to be very interesting in tennis. I have compiled a list of players to watch out for in Men and Women tournament. Beginning with the Men tournament, first is Stanislas Wawrinka. He is the currently the world no. 4 tennis player and the defending champion of Australian Open. In finals, he defeated Rafael Nadal and won the first grand slam title for him. This year, he will have to fight to defend his title. Roger Federer is currently world no. 2 and one of the best tennis players in the world of all time. He recently won his 1000 match this month. He won Australian Open four times and last time in 2010. However, the World No. 2 had not won any grand slam title since last two years. This year he will have to fight hard and increase his slam tally.

Novak Djokovic is World No. 1 tennis player from Serbia. He won Australian Open in 2013 and won one grand slam titles in 2014. He can change the course of game anytime into his favor. He is one of the strongest players this year too. Rafael Nadal is World No. 3 tennis player in the world from Spain. Famous as “The King of Clay,” Nadal is winner of Australian open once. He won one title in 2014 and geared up for this season too. Andy Murray is World No. 6 tennis player from Britain. He is the finalist of Australian Open 2013 and had never won the Australian Title. He can be the one to change his tally figures this year. He won two grand slam titles until now. Marin Cilic is World No. 9 Tennis player from Croatia. He is the new star in Tennis, who won US Open 2014 title. He was also quarterfinalist in Wimbledon 2014. He is also under watch in Australian Open. Kei Nishikori is World No. 5 Tennis player from Japan. He is youngest player contender for title this year. He was the finalist of US Open in 2014 and fourth round in Wimbledon 2014. These are few men singles players who seems to be fight against each other to win title.

Now, in the Women tournament first is Serena Williams. Currently ranked World No. 1 from US, Serena won Australian Open five times. She is the winner of US Open 2014 and is in good touch to win Australian Open again. Maria Sharapova is World No. 2 women tennis player. She is the winner of Australian Open once in 2008. She had won grand slam title in 2014. Simona Halep is World No. 3 tennis player from Romania. She had a wonderful year last year but was not able to win any title. She is young and enthusiastic to open his slam tally. She made into finals of French Open 2014 and semifinals of Wimbledon. She is the one to watch in tournament. Petra Kvitova is World No. 4 tennis player. She is the winner of Wimbledon 2014. In year 2012, she made into semi finals of three slam tournaments but could not make any further. She is another strong contender in the queue.

Agnieszka Radwanska is World No. 5 tennis player from Poland. She is the semi finalist of Australian Open 2014 and made into finals of Wimbledon 2012. She will try hard to win her first grand slam title. Eugenie Bouchard is the World No. 7 tennis player from Canada. She is just 20 year old and is the youngest and strongest tennis player of coming time. She had wonderful last year and made into semi finals of Australian Open 2014 and French Open 2014. She was the finalist in Wimbledon 2014 and fourth round in US Open 2014. She is the one to watch this year. Victoria Azarenka is the World No. 42 tennis player. She is into list because she won Australian Open in 2013. Last year was not good for her but in 2013 she was up to his best. She can also change game. Last but not the least is Venus Williams. She had won Wimbledon and US Open many times but had never won French Open and Australian Open. She may want to open his tally for these grand slam titles.

This is the list of players to watch out in Australian Open 2015, who will produce a good beginning sports season. Let us stay tuned for the results and watch some tight matches between the champions.