Nadal crushed as Rosol rocks Wimbledon to core

June 29, 2012

nadal


Londom, June 29: Launching outrageous winners left, right and centre, obscure Czech Lukas Rosol rocked Wimbledon's Centre Court to its foundations on Thursday by winning a final-set shootout after dusk against twice former champion Rafa Nadal.

Ranked 100th in the world, few of the enthralled 15,000 fans inside the famous arena would have heard of Rosol before the match started but none present will forget witnessing one of the biggest shocks in the tournament's 126-year history.

When Nadal levelled the match at two sets all it seemed inevitable that he would reach the third round, albeit with plenty of battle scars.

However, after a 30-minute delay while Centre Court's roof was slid into position, 26-year-old Rosol returned to overpower the 11-times grand slam champion and complete an electrifying 6-7 6-4 6-4 2-6 6-4 victory in three hours and 18 minutes.

The late-night drama left everything that went before it on the fourth day looking almost bland by comparison.

Home favourite Andy Murray survived a barrage of Ivo Karlovic serves to reach the third round in four sets after which his Croatian opponent accused Wimbledon of bias.

Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova stayed on course for a possible replay of their 2004 final with contrasting second- round victories and Frenchman Gilles Simon's comments that women should not get equal prize money continued to ruffle feathers.

The day will be remembered, however, for a performance of rare power from a player who usually inhabits a different tennis universe from the one Nadal resides in.

The game's journeymen are supposed to fight valiantly against the so called "Big Four", provide some entertainment before packing their bags and disappearing back into the wilderness. Not Rosol.

After losing the first set tiebreak 11-9 he hit back with blistering tennis to stagger Nadal and take a two sets to one lead. The Mallorcan swept through the fourth set but Rosol returned after the roof closure like a man possessed.

Serving at 5-4 all eyes were on the Czech to see if his nerve would hold.

DEEP BREATH

He simply took a deep breath, stared over the net at his quarry and fired down two clean aces, a clubbing forehand winners and another ace to leave Nadal powerless.

After his 22nd ace flashed by the Spaniard, Rosol fell to the court in disbelief before clambering to his feet and shaking the hand of a shell-shocked opponent who had not tasted a second- round defeat at a grand slam since Wimbledon 2005.

"I never expected something like this," said Rosol, who had never played a main draw match at Wimbledon until this week.

"I am very sorry for him but I hope I can play one more match like this. I played my best match ever."

Rosol hit 60 winners during the match, some groundstrokes clocked on the speed gun at 100mph.

Nadal, who had hoped to complete a third French Open/Wimbledon double, admitted there was little he could do in the face of a Rosol's extraordinary last-set onslaught.

"In the fifth set he played more than unbelievable," said the world number three Spaniard, who looked mildly irritated when the match was halted to close the roof at the end of a fourth set, when the momentum has swung his way.

"I didn't have the right inspiration in the first three sets. Later was impossible, no? That's happens when you play against a player who is able to hit the ball very hard, hit the ball without thinking and feeling the pressure.

"At the end, when the opponent wants to play like he wanted to play in the fifth, you are in his hands, no? Everything was going right for him in the fifth."

Nadal's exit could prove to be a boost for Murray - who was seeded to meet his nemesis in the semi-final.

Murray, looking to become Britain;s first male grand slam champion for 76 years, survived a scare when losing the second set against Karlovic, winning 7-5 6-7 6-2 7-6.

Karlovic complained that he was foot-faulted 11 times.

"I don't know what to say, but it was a little bit outrageous," he said.

"Is it Davis Cup or is it Wimbledon? After this match, the whole credibility of this tournament went down for me..."

Women's top seed Sharapova lost her way against dangerous grasscourter Tsvetana Pironkova before claiming a 7-6 6-7 6-0 victory while Williams, the four-times champion who Sharapova beat to win her sole Wimbledon crown in 2004, was far more ruthless in a 6-1 6-4 defeat of Hungarian Melinda Czink.

After contrasting victories they both ganged up on Simon.

"Oh, my gosh. You know I can't bite my tongue," sixth seed Williams told reporters. "I mean, definitely a lot more people are watching Maria than Simon. She's way hotter than he is. Women's tennis I think is really awesome."

Awesome could not even come close to describing what occurred at the end of a hot, humid and, for Nadal, a tumultuous day in south west London.




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News Network
April 4,2020

New Delhi, April 4: India skipper Virat Kohli has said that the 2014 Test series against England was the lowest point of his career.

He made the revelation during a candid Instagram Live session with former England batsman Kevin Pietersen.

To date, the 2014 Test series in England remains one of the worst Test series for Kohli as he averaged just 13.40 from 10 ten innings with his highest score being 39.

"I felt like as a batsman, you know you are going to get out in the morning as soon as you wake up. That was the time I felt like that there is no chance I am getting runs. And still to get out of bed and just get dressed for the game and to go out there and go through that, knowing that you will fail, was something that ate me up," Kohli told Pietersen.

However, just four years later, Kohli made a triumphant return to England as he scored a century in the opening Test of the 2018 series and finished as the highest run-getter in the series.

Kohli told Pietersen that the performance in 2014 came because he was just thinking about his own batting.

"2014 series happened, for all the younger guys listening, because I was too focused on doing well from a personal point of view. I wanted to get runs. I could never think of what does the team want me to do in this situation," Kohli said.

"I just got too engulfed with England tour - if I perform here, Test cricket, in my mind I am going to feel established and all that crap on the outside, which is not important at all," he added.
During the chat, Kohli talked about his favourite format in cricket and he also revealed the main reason for turning into a vegan.

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News Network
June 9,2020

Jun 9: Former West Indies skipper Darren Sammy has released a video, alleging racism within the SunRisers Hyderabad camp. Last week, Sammy had lost his cool after learning the meaning of the word "Kalu", which he alleged was directed at him during his Indian Premier League (IPL) stint with the SunRisers Hyderabad. The T20 World Cup-winning Windies skipper had said that he along with Sri Lanka player Thisara Perera were sometimes called that word when they played for SunRisers Hyderabad. However, Sammy did not specify as to who directed these slurs at him, but now the player has released a video, saying he will message all those who called him that word.

"I have played all over the world and I have been loved by many people, I have embraced all dressing rooms where I have played, so I was listening to Hasan Minhaj as to how some of the people in his culture describe black people," Sammy said in a video posted on his Instagram account.

"This does not apply to all people, so after I found out a meaning of a certain word, I had said I was angry on finding out the meaning and it was degrading, instantly I remembered when I played for SunRisers Hyderabad, I was being called exactly the same word which is degrading to us black people," he added.

Sammy said that at the time when he was being called with the word, he didn''t know the meaning, and his team-mates used to laugh every time after calling him by that name.

"I will be messaging those people, you guys know who you are, I must admit at that time when I was being called as that word I thought the word meant strong stallion or whatever it is, I did not know what it meant, every time I was called with that word, there was laughter at that moment, I thought teammates are laughing so it must be something funny," Sammy said.

"Now, I realise it was degrading, I will be texting you guys and I will ask you as to when you called me with that name, did you all mean it in any bad way or form? I have had great memories in all my dressing rooms, so all those who used to you call me with that word, think about it, let's have a conversation, if it was in a bad way then I would be really disappointed," he added.

The former Windies skipper has been a vocal supporter of the protests that are currently going on in the United States over the death of an African-American man named George Floyd.

Sammy had also made an appeal to the ICC and other cricket boards to support the fight against social injustice and racism.

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News Network
June 22,2020

Zadar (Croatia), Jun 22: Grigor Dimitrov took to Instagram to announce that he has tested positive for coronavirus. The tennis star was one of the players who took part in the Adria Tour with the likes Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem among others.

Taking to Instagram, the player wrote: "Hi Everyone-I want to reach out and let my fans and friends know that I tested positive back in Monaco for Covid-19. I want to make sure anyone who has been in contact with me during these past days gets tested and takes the necessary precautions. I am so sorry for any harm I might have caused. I am back home now and recovering. Thanks for your support and please stay safe and healthy."

He also urged those who had come in contact with him over the last few days in Monaco should also get tested for the deadly virus.

Meanwhile, World no.1 Djokovic reached the final of his exhibition tournament in Zadar, Croatia, after easing through the round-robin group stage on the first day. This is the second stage of the Adria Tour with Austrian Dominic Thiem winning the first leg in Belgrade, Serbia.

Djokovic started by saving three set points in his 4-3, 4-1 win over fellow Serb Pedja Krstin. He then beat home favourite Borna Coric 4-1, 4-3 in front of several thousand fans at the Visnjik tennis complex.

The tournament in Zadar is being played on red clay over two days. In the other group, Russian Andrey Rublev is in pole position to advance into the final after wins over 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic and Serb Danilo Petrovic. He faces German star Alexander Zverev in the final round robin match on Sunday who stayed in contention after beating Cilic 4-3, 0-4, 4-3.

Djokovic''s own inconsequential final group match is against Croatian Dino Serdarusic who replaced Grigor Dimitrov after the Bulgarian pulled out of the tournament with sickness following his opening 4-1, 4-1 loss to Coric.

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