Succes 2011: Billie Jean King, tennis living legend. Winner of "The Battle of the Sexes"

Billie Jean King (née Moffitt; born November 22, 1943) is a former professional tennis player from the United States. She won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. King has been an advocate against sexism in sports and society. She won "The Battle of the Sexes" in 1973, in which she defeated Bobby Riggs, a former Wimbledon men's singles champion.

King is the founder of the Women's Tennis Association, the Women's Sports Foundation, and owner of World Team Tennis, which was founded by her former husband, Lawrence King, Dennis Murphy, Frank Barman, and Jordan Kaiser.

King learned to play tennis on the public courts of Long Beach, California. and was coached by Clyde Walker, a fine tennis teacher. She furthered her tennis career at the Los Angeles Tennis Club (LATC) under the jurisdiction of Perry T. Jones, President of the Southern California Tennis Association. At age 17, The Long Beach Tennis Patrons, through the efforts of Harold Guiver of USC, raised $2000 to send her to Wimbledon, where she won the Doubles with Karen Hantze.[18] She was an aggressive, hard-hitting net-rusher, with excellent speed. Chris Evert, however, said about King, "Her weakness is her impatience."

Concerning her motivations in life and tennis, King said,

Any time you're satisfied with mediocrity, any time you take away incentive from human beings, you've blown it. I'm a perfectionist much more than I'm a super competitor, and there's a big difference there.... I've been painted as a person who only competes. ... But most of all, I get off on hitting a shot correctly. ... Any woman who wants to achieve anything has to be aggressive and tough, but the press never sees us as multidimensional. They don't see the emotions, the downs....


King once said, "Victory is fleeting. Losing is forever."

In a May 19, 1975, Sports Illustrated article about King, Frank Deford noted that she had become something of a sex symbol and said, "Billie Jean cackles when the matter of her being a sex symbol is raised. 'Hysterical! Hysterical! Me, with these little short legs!' But she is practical enough to realize that a guy who buys a ticket to look at the girls has bought a ticket as sure as the guy who buys a ticket to look at the girls' forehands. ... Billie Jean herself not only thinks that sex is a dandy thing to have lurking around sports, but she also employs sex as sort of the ultimate gauge of equality between women's and men's athletics. This may be described as the Get-It Quotient.... 'There's a lot of ugly fellas among the male athletes, but just because they're athletes they get it all the time, don't they? Now, never mind prize money and publicity and all that. When we reach the point where all the women athletes are getting it, too, regardless of their looks, just like the fellas, then we've really arrived.'"

Grand Slam singles tournaments

King's triumph at the French Open in 1972 made her only the fifth woman in tennis history to win the singles titles at all four Grand Slam events, a "career Grand Slam." (Four additional women have completed a career Grand Slam since King.) King also won a career Grand Slam in mixed doubles. In women's doubles, only the Australian Open eluded her.

King won a record 20 career titles at Wimbledon – 6 singles, 10 women's doubles, and 4 mixed doubles. (Martina Navratilova also has 20 career titles at Wimbledon.)

King played 51 Grand Slam singles events from 1959 through 1983 (197–39 .835 win–loss record): 21 at Wimbledon (96–15 win–loss record), 18 at the U.S. Championships/Open (63–14 win–loss record), 7 at the French Championships/Open (22–6 win–loss record), and 5 at the Australian Championships/Open (16–4 win–loss record). King reached at least the semifinals in 27 and at least the quarterfinals in 40 out of her 51 attempts.

King was the runner-up in 6 Grand Slam singles events.

An indicator of King's mental toughness at crunch time in Grand Slam singles tournaments was her 11–2 career record in deuce third sets, i.e., third sets that were tied 5–5 before being resolved.

Margaret Court, who won more Grand Slam titles than anyone, has said that King was "the greatest competitor I’ve ever known".

Chris Evert, winner of 18 Grand Slam singles titles, has said, "She's the wisest human being that I've ever met and has vision people can only dream about. Billie Jean King is my mentor and has given me advice about my tennis and my boyfriends. On dealing with my parents and even how to raise children. And she doesn't have any."

King was the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year in 1967.

In 1972, King became the first tennis player to be named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. She was also the first female athlete ever to receive that honor.

Friends with singer Elton John, the 1975 song "Philadelphia Freedom" is a tribute to King. On a PBS program, John talked about how he brought a demo copy of the record to play for her right after he had recorded it.

In 1975, Seventeen magazine found that King was the most admired woman in the world from a poll of its readers. Golda Meir, who had been Israel's prime minister until the previous year, finished second.

In 1979, several top players were asked who they would pick to help them recover from a hypothetical deficit of 1–5 (15–40) in the third set of a match on Wimbledon's Centre Court. Martina Navratilova, Rosemary Casals, and Françoise Durr all picked King. Navratilova said, "I would have to pick Billie Jean at her best. Consistently, Chris is hardest to beat but for one big occasion, one big match, one crucial point, yes, it would have to be Billie Jean." Casals said, "No matter how far down you got her, you never could be sure of beating her."

King was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.

Life magazine in 1990 named her one of the "100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century."

King was the recipient of the 1999 Arthur Ashe Courage Award.

In 2000, King received an award from the GLAAD, an organization devoted to reducing discrimination against gays, lesbians and bisexuals, for "furthering the visibility and inclusion of the community in her work." The award noted her involvement in production and the free distribution of educational films, as well as serving on the boards of several AIDS charities.

In 2006, the Women's Sports Foundation began to sponsor the Billie Awards, which are named after and hosted by King.
The USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park was rededicated as the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center

On August 28, 2006, the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park was rededicated as the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. John McEnroe, Venus Williams, Jimmy Connors, and Chris Evert were among the speakers during the rededication ceremony.

On December 6, 2006, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife Maria Shriver inducted King into the California Hall of Fame located at The California Museum for History, Women, and the Arts.

On October 18, 2007, the Public Justice Foundation presented King with its highest award, the Champion of Justice Award.

On November 20, 2007, King was presented with the 2007 Sunday Times Sports Women of the Year Lifetime Achievement award for her contribution to sport both on and off the court.

Charles M. Schulz, creator of the Peanuts comic strip, was an admirer and close friend. Schulz referred to King several times in Peanuts over the years. In one strip, Peppermint Patty tells Marcie, "Has anyone ever told you that when you're mad, you look just like Billie Jean King?"

She was honored by the Office of the Manhattan Borough President in March 2008 and was included in a map of historical sites related or dedicated to important women.

King was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.

Succes 2011: Samantha Stosur, former world No. 1 on the WTA Tour in doubles

Samantha Jane Stosur is an Australian professional tennis player. She is a former world No. 1 on the WTA Tour in doubles with Lisa Raymond from the United States. In singles, Stosur has wins against former No. 1s Ana Ivanović, Jelena Janković, Serena Williams, Dinara Safina, Lindsay Davenport, Amélie Mauresmo, Justine Henin and Caroline Wozniacki. She is currently ranked World No. 8 and her career high in singles is World No. 4, achieved on 21 February 2011. Stosur was runner-up in singles at the 2010 French Open.

Stosur was born in Brisbane, Queensland, the daughter of Tony and Diane, and has two brothers, Dominic and Daniel. She is of Polish descent by way of a grandfather. When she was six the family house and business on the Gold Coast was destroyed by a flood, and the family decided to move to Adelaide. There she started playing tennis, when she was given a racket for Christmas at the age of eight. While her parents worked long hours at the cafe they had started, Stosur played at local courts with older brother Daniel, who later encouraged their parents to take her to tennis lessons. Stosur attended Helensvale State High School on the Northern Gold Coast. She went away on her first overseas trip at the age of 13, competing in the World Youth Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia.

At 14 she joined the Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) under Geoff Masters and in 2001, when she was 16, Stosur joined the Australian Institute of Sport tennis program.

Stosur first played professional tennis in 1999 on the ITF circuit. She debuted on the Women's Tennis Association tour in 2000, losing in the first qualifying round of the Australian Open. In 2001 she won four straight ITF titles. In 2002 she lost in the first round at the Gold Coast event.

In 2003 Stosur won her first WTA singles matches, reaching the third round of the Australian Open. She lost in the third round to No. 7 seed, Daniela Hantuchová. She also qualified for a WTA event in Memphis.

In 2004 Stosur reached the semifinals of the Gold Coast event, before falling to Ai Sugiyama. The next week she reached the second round of the WTA tournament in Hobart, then the second round of the Australian Open. She later qualified for WTA events in Acapulco, Indian Wells, Vienna and Birmingham. Stosur competed at the Athens Olympics, where she lost in the first round. She continued to play WTA qualifying events, qualifying for the Japan Open and Bali in the autumn of 2004. At the end of the 2004 season, Stosur reached the doubles final in Québec City, partnered with Els Callens from Belgium.

Stosur began her 2011 season by competing at the Brisbane International as the top seed. Stosur defeated Czech qualifier Lucie Hradecká in the first round in straight sets, 7–6(1), 6–1, after overcoming two breaks of serve and saving two set points in the first set. Stosur then fell in straight sets to fellow Australian, Jarmila Groth in the second round.

After this tournament, Stosur competed at the Medibank Sydney International as the fourth seed. She was drawn to a tough first round opponent in the in-form Yanina Wickmayer. She won 7–5 6–4, but lost in the second round to Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Stosur was seeded 5th at the 2011 Australian Open. In the first round she easily overcame American wildcard and world number 443 Lauren Davis, 6–1 6–1, and continued her form in the second round against Vera Dushevina 6–3 6–2 but ended up losing in the third round to 25th seed Petra Kvitová, 7–6(5), 6–3.

Stosur's ranking rose to number 5 despite her early loss at the Australian Open. Stosur then rose to a new career high No. 4 following a quarterfinal showing at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Stosur had a disappointing start to the first American leg of the year falling in the 3rd round of the Indian Wells tournament to Dinara Safina, 6(2)-7, 4–6. At Miami, Stosur was seeded 4th and received a bye to the second round. She won her second round match against Zheng Jie 6–2 6–1, and then won again in the third round to 30th seed Lucie Šafářová, 6–0, 7–6(1). This was Stosur's first victory against Šafářová after losing to her in their other three encounters. However, her run was ended in the fourth round by 16th seed and former No. 1 Maria Sharapova, who defeated her, 6–4, 6–1.

After Miami, Stosur played at Charleston where she failed to defend her title – falling in the third round to Elena Vesnina in 2 sets. This will be Stosur's crucial clay season as she has over two thousand ranking points to defend including her finalist points at last year's French Open.

At Stuttgart, Stosur had 320 ranking points to defend for being last year's finalist. At fifth seed, Stosur defeated Spaniard María José Martínez Sánchez in the first round. In the second round, Stosur won against Daniela Hantuchová and made it 5–1 in head to head. At the quarterfinals, Stosur took on world no. 3 Vera Zvonareva. This is their first time they faced each other since last year's final at Charleston. In the end, Stosur prevailed in three sets 2–3, 6–3, 7–6(3) to make it Stosur's first win against a top 10 player for the year as well as her first third set tiebreaker win and made it 6–1 against Zvonareva. Stosur lost to Germany's Julia Görges in the semifinals 4–6 6–3 5–7 and will lose 120 points in her rankings, but rose to world no. 6. However, Stosur did end up winning in the doubles at Stuttgart, partnering Germany's Sabine Lisicki and defeating the German team of Kristina Barrois and Jasmin Wöhr in the final 6–1, 7–6(5).

Stosur's next tournament was the 2011 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open, where she was the fifth seed and was to defend 250 ranking points. In the first round, Stosur defeated Gisela Dulko 3–6, 6–2, 6–2. She followed that up with another win against Daniela Hantuchová with a 7–6(1), 7–5 tally, but she in the third round to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets, 6(4)-7, 3–6.

She then competed in her second Premier 5 tournament in Rome with no ranking to defend as she didn't take part last year due to injury and fatigue. As the sixth seed, Stosur had a bye in the first round. In the second round, Stosur defeated Iveta Benešová 6–1, 7–5. In the third round, Stosur defeated qualifier Polona Hercog 6–3, 6–4. In the quarterfinals, Stosur defeated second seed Francesca Schiavone 6–2, 6–4. Stosur also defeated fourth seed Li Na in the semifinals 7–6(6), 6–0. In her first tournament final since the 2010 French Open Stosur faced former world No. 1 Maria Sharapova. Both players had not dropped a set since coming into the tournament. In the final Stosur suffered a debilitating straight sets 2–6, 4–6 loss to the seventh seed Sharapova, this extended her head to head against the Russian player to 0 wins – 8 losses. It was her first encounter and subsequent loss on the clay court to Sharapova. However Stosur had cited a nauseating illness the morning before the final, which was also incidentally delayed due to rain.


An accomplished doubles player, Stosur in her early years developed a serve-and-volley style of play but as the years progressed, she started to feel more comfortable hitting on the baseline and coming to the net less often. Although she is known for being a doubles specialist and having great volleys and drop-shots while playing doubles, in her singles matches, Stosur has a tendency to miss-hit these shots. Her right-handed forehand ground-strokes, hit with heavy top-spin, are considered her best evidenced by her often choosing to hit inside-out forehands. She can hit forehand winners from any side of the court, and her motion when hitting her forehands makes it hard for her opponents to guess where she will hit it to. Because of this, many players attack her backhand side which was considered a weakness of her game, however in 2010, Stosur adopted Pat Rafter's signature backhand slice to add to her game and help her set up points. She has also improved on her two-handed backhand and has even generated winners on occasion. Stosur is also noted for her athleticism and after bouncing back from a career-threatening Lyme's Disease, she has became one of the fittest players on tour.

Due to its power, kick and variety, Stosur's serve is widely considered as one of the best on the women's tour. Her first serve, however erratic, reaches more than 118 mph (190 km/h) on a regular basis. Her second, a high bouncing kick serve, is highly rated as being the best second serve in the women's game by media and players alike, and was thought to play a key role in her French Open success in 2009 and 2010. One thing that Stosur has changed in her game, thanks to coach David Taylor is the fact that her serve has been less predictable with Stosur sometimes even using her kick serve as first serves. Her good serving motion has helped her overhead smashes and she rarely misses those shots.

Her favourite surface is hard court, although to date, her best Grand Slam singles results have occurred on the clay of the French Open. Stosur has also mentioned her least favourite surface is grass and this is mostly due to the fact that her biggest weapons (top-spin forehand & kick-serve) are not very effective on this surface. Her performances at Wimbledon have reflected this as she has only gone past the second round once on the lone grass-court Grand Slam event.


In her earlier years on the WTA tour, Stosur's real weakness was her inability to handle the pressure at major matches, and for not being good at closing out matches. In her first four WTA tour finals, she won the first set only to eventually lose the match. On her off-days, she is susceptible to hitting over 50 unforced errors. She has shown great improvement in these areas, and these weaknesses are seen less frequently in her matches now, as exemplified in her calm dispatch of the four-time Roland Garros champion and former World No. 1 Justine Henin, one time Roland Garros champion and the then-current World No. 1 Serena Williams and former World No. 1 Jelena Janković in the 4th round, quarter-final and semi-final at the 2010 Roland Garros. Despite this, her inability to handle pressure under major matches was evident in the final against Francesca Schiavone, losing in straight sets and hitting many errors despite being the clear favourite to take the title.

As of 2009, Stosur's clothing sponsor is Lacoste. Her racquet is Babolat's Pure Storm model, and she endorses Oakley eyewear, particularly the Enduring model.

Succes 2011: Roger Federer, deținător al recordului pentru cele mai multe victorii în turneele de Mare Șlem

Roger Federer este jucător elvețian de tenis de câmp, în prezent clasat pe locul 2 ATP. Este deținător al recordului pentru cele mai multe victorii în turneele de Mare șlem, cu 16 astfel de succese, și în Turneul Campionilor, cu cinci trofee. A fost pentru mai mult de cinci ani lider al clasamentului mondial al tenismenilor profesioniști.

Recorduri

* Clasament ATP
o A ocupat primul loc în clasamentul mondial masculin pentru un număr record în istoria tenisului de 237 săptămâni consecutive, între 2 februarie 2004 și 17 august 2008, detronându-l pe americanul Jimmy Connors (160 săptămâni) și ulterior a mai condus ierarhia timp de un an, între iunie 2009 și iunie 2010, oprindu-se la un total de 285 de săptămâni, cu o săptămână mai puțin decât recordul absolut deținut de Pete Sampras.
o Cele mai multe puncte deținute la sfârșitul anului - singur

* Mare Șlem
o Victorie în 16 turnee de Mare Șlem. Precedentul record era deținut de americanul Pete Sampras, cu 14 succese
o A jucat în 22 finale de Mare Șlem - Precedentul record era deținut de cehul Ivan Lendl, cu 19 prezențe în finală
o Este primul jucător din toate timpurile care a câștigat cel puțin 50 de meciuri de simplu la trei turnee de Mare Șlem, cu un record impresionant de 54-7 la Australian Open, 55-6 la Wimbledon și 56-6 US Open
o A jucat 23 de semifinale consecutive în turneele de Mare Șlem, de la Wimbledon 2004 până în prezent. Precedentul record, de 10 semifinale consecutive, era deținut de Ivan Lendl și Rod Laver
o De la Wimbledon 2005 până la Australian Open 2008, a jucat 10 finale consecutive în Marele Șlem. Precedentul record îi aparținea lui Rod Laver, 6 finale consecutive
o A câștigat toate cele 4 turnee diferite de Mare Șlem - record pe care îl deține împreună cu:Perry,Budge,Laver,Emerson,Agassi,Nadal
o A câștigat primele șapte turnee de Mare Șlem la care a participat - împreună cu Sears [21]
o A disputat toate cele patru finale de Mare Șlem doi ani consecutiv - singur
o Trei turnee de Mare Șlem câștigate pe an, în trei ani diferiți (2004,2006,2007) - singur [21]
o Cinci titluri consecutive la două turnee de Mare Șlem (Wimbledon,U.S. Open) - singur
o Opt ani consecutiv (2003-2010) în care a câștigat cel puțin un Mare Șlem - împreună cu Borg și Sampras
o Este primul jucător din istoria tenisului care a câștigat minim 4 finale la 3 dintre cele 4 turnee de Mare Șlem: Australian Open 4(5), Roland Garros 1(4), Wimbledon 6(7), U.S. Open 5(6) fiind în același timp și singurul care a jucat minim 4 finale la fiecare dintre cele patru turnee.
o Cele mai multe seturi câștigate consecutiv la turnee de Mare Șlem: 36 - singur
o Pe 8 iulie 2007 a câștigat turneul de tenis de la Wimbledon pentru a cincea oară consecutiv egalând recordul lui Bjorn Borg
o A disputat 4 finale consecutive la Roland Garros - împreună cu Borg și Nadal
o A disputat 7 finale consecutive la Wimbledon - singur
o A ajuns cel puțin în faza semifinalelor la toate cele patru turnee de Mare Șlem în 5 ani consecutivi 2005-2009 - singur

* Turneul Campionilor
o În data de 28 noiembrie 2010, în sala O2 din Londra, a câștigat finala Turneului Campionilor pentru a cincea oară în carieră, învingăndu-l pe Rafael Nadal și egalând astfel recordul de cinci trofee în această competiție, deținut de Pete Sampras și Ivan Lendl.

* Masters 1000
o A disputat 29 finale de Master Series 1000 - singur
o A câștigat 4 turnee Master 1000 pe an de două ori - singur



* Diverse
o A câștigat 24 de finale ATP consecutiv - singur
o A disputat 16 finale din 17 turnee la care a participat într-un singur sezon (2006) - singur
o Cel mai mare număr de victorii consecutive pe iarbă - 65 - singur
o Cel mai mare număr de victorii consecutive pe ciment - 56 - singur
o Minim 10 turnee ATP câștigate pe sezon timp de 3 ani consecutiv - singur
o A câștigat 12 turnee ATP într-un singur sezon (2006) - împreună cu Muster
o Deține cele mai multe titluri pe iarbă în Open Era :11 - singur
o În cele 16 finale de Mare Șlem câștigate a învins 11 oponenți diferiți.(1. Philippoussis, 2. Safin, 3. Roddick, 4. Hewitt, 5. Agassi, 6. Baghdatis, 7. Nadal, 8. Gonzalez, 9. Djokovic, 10. Murray, 11. Soderling). -singur
o Pe 19 august 2007 a câștigat al 50-lea titlu al carierei cu o victorie în fața americanului James Blake, totodată devenind al 5-lea cel mai tânăr jucător (26 de ani și 11 zile) care câștigă cel puțin 50 de titluri în carieră.
o Prin calificarea în turul secund la US Open 2009, a devenit primul tenismen din istorie care depășește 50 de milioane de dolari bani câștigați exclusiv din tenis, iar la sfârșitul anului 2010, după câștigarea Turneului Campionilor, a depășit suma de 60 de milioane de dolari

Succes 2011: Björn Borg, one of the greatest tennis players of all time

Björn Borg is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Sweden. Between 1974 and 1981 he won 11 Grand Slam singles titles. He won five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles (a record shared with Roger Federer) and four consecutive French Open singles titles (a record shared with Rafael Nadal). He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time.

During his relatively brief pro career, Borg won 41 percent of the Grand Slam singles tournaments he entered (11 of 27) and 89.81 percent (141-16) of the Grand Slam singles matches he played, which is an all time record. He also has the highest all surfaces (grass, clay, hard, carpet, court) career match winning percentage of any other male player 82.68 (730/603). All three are open era male records for an entire career. In addition, Borg's six French Open singles titles are an open era male record. He is one of four players in the open era to win both Wimbledon and the French Open in the same year and the only player to do so for three consecutive years. He also won three year end championship titles including two Masters Grand Prix titles and one WCT Final title.

Borg joined the professional circuit at age 14. In 1972, at the age of 15, Borg became one of the youngest players ever to represent his country in the Davis Cup and won his debut singles rubber in five sets against seasoned professional Onny Parun of New Zealand. Later that year, he won the Wimbledon junior singles title, recovering from a 5-2 deficit in the final set to overcome Britain's Buster Mottram.

In 1973, Borg reached the Wimbledon main draw quarterfinals in his first attempt. Just before his 18th birthday in 1974, Borg won his first top-level singles title at the Italian Open, becoming its youngest winner. Two weeks later he became the then-youngest winner of the French Open defeating Manuel Orantes in the final 2–6, 6–7, 6–0, 6–1, 6–1. Barely 18 at the time, Borg was the youngest-ever male French Open champion (the record has since been lowered by Mats Wilander in 1982 and Michael Chang in 1989).


In early 1975, Borg defeated the great Rod Laver, then 36 years old, in a semifinal of the World Championship Tennis (WCT) finals in Dallas, Texas 7–6, 3–6, 5–7, 7–6, 6–2. Borg subsequently lost to Arthur Ashe in the final.


Borg retained his French Open title in 1975, beating Guillermo Vilas in the final in straight sets (three sets). Borg then reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals, where he lost to eventual champion Ashe 2-6, 6-4, 8-6, 6-1. Borg did not lose another match at Wimbledon until 1981.

Borg won two singles and one doubles rubber in the 1975 Davis Cup final as Sweden beat Czechoslovakia 3–2. With these singles wins, Borg had won 19 consecutive Davis Cup singles rubbers since 1973. That was already a record at the time. But Borg never lost another Davis Cup singles rubber, and, by the end of his career, he had stretched that winning streak to 33—a Davis Cup record that still stands.

In early 1976, Borg won the World Championship Tennis year ending WCT Finals in Dallas, Texas with a four-set victory over Guillermo Vilas in the final.

At the 1976 French Open Borg lost to the Italian Adriano Panatta, who remains the only player to defeat Borg at this tournament. Panatta did it twice: in the fourth round in 1973 (7–6, 2–6, 7–5, 7–6), and in the 1976 quarter-finals (6–3, 6–3, 2–6, 7–6).

Borg won Wimbledon in 1976 without losing a set, defeating the favored Ilie Năstase in the final. Borg became the youngest male Wimbledon champion of the modern era at 20 years and 1 month (a record subsequently broken by Boris Becker, who won Wimbledon aged 17 in 1985). It would be the last time Borg played Wimbledon as an underdog. Ilie Năstase later exclaimed,"We're playing tennis, he's [Borg] playing something else."

Borg also reached the final of the 1976 US Open, which was then being played on clay courts. Borg lost in four sets to World No. 1 Jimmy Connors.


Borg skipped the French Open in 1977 because he was under contract with WTT, but he repeated his Wimbledon triumph, although this time he was pushed much harder. He defeated his good friend Vitas Gerulaitis in a semifinal 6–4, 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 8–6.[8] In the final, Borg was pushed to five sets for the third time in the tournament, this time by Connors. The win propelled Borg to the #1 ranking on the computer, albeit for just one week in August.

Through 1977 he had never lost to a player younger than himself.

Borg was at the height of his career from 1978 through 1980, completing the difficult French Open-Wimbledon double all three years.

In 1978, Borg won the French Open with a win over Vilas in the final. Borg did not drop a set during the tournament, a feat only he, Năstase (in 1973), and Rafael Nadal (in 2008 and 2010) have accomplished at the French Open during the open era.

Borg defeated Connors in straight sets at the 1978 Wimbledon. At the US Open, now held on hard courts in Flushing Meadow, New York, he lost the final in straight sets to Connors. That autumn, Borg faced John McEnroe for the first time in a semifinal of the Stockholm Open and was upset 6–3, 6–4.

Borg lost to McEnroe again in four sets in the final of the 1979 WCT Finals but was now overtaking Connors for the top ranking. Borg established himself firmly in the top spot with his fourth French Open singles title and fourth straight Wimbledon singles title, defeating Connors in a straight-set semifinal at the latter tournament. At the French Open, Borg defeated big-serving Victor Pecci in a four-set final, and at Wimbledon, Borg took five sets to overcome an even bigger server, Roscoe Tanner. Borg was upset by Tanner at the US Open, in a four-set quarterfinal played under the lights.

At the season-ending Masters tournament in January 1980, Borg survived a close semifinal against McEnroe 6–7, 6-3, 7–6(1). He then beat Gerulaitis in straight sets, winning his first Masters and first title in New York. In June, he overcame Gerulaitis, again in straight sets, for his fifth French Open title. Again, he did not drop a set.

Borg won his fifth consecutive Wimbledon singles title, the 1980 Wimbledon Men's Singles final, by defeating McEnroe in a five-set match, often cited as the best Wimbledon final ever played. Having lost the opening set 6-1 to an all-out McEnroe assault, Borg took the next two 7-5, 6-3 and had two Championship points at 5-4 in the fourth. But McEnroe averted disaster and went on to level the match in Wimbledon's most memorable 34-point tiebreaker, which he won 18-16. In the fourth-set tiebreak, McEnroe saved five match points and Borg six set points before McEnroe won the set. Bjorn served first to begin the 5th set and fell behind 15-40. Borg then won 19 straight points on serve in the deciding set and prevailed after 3 hours, 53 minutes. Borg himself commented years later that this was the first time that he was afraid that he would lose, as well as feeling that it was the beginning of the end of his dominance. Borg married Romanian tennis pro Mariana Simionescu in Bucharest on 24 July 1980.

He defeated McEnroe in the final of the 1980 Stockholm Open, 6–3, 6–4, and faced him one more time that year, in the round-robin portion of the year-end Masters, played in January 1981. With 19,103 fans in attendance, Borg won a deciding third-set tie-break for the second year in a row, 6–4, 6–7, 7–6(2). Borg then defeated Ivan Lendl for his second Masters title, 6–4, 6–2, 6–2.


Borg won his last Grand Slam title at the French Open in 1981, defeating Lendl in a five-set final. Borg's six French Open singles titles remains a record in the Open era for a male player.

In reaching the Wimbledon final in 1981, Borg stretched his winning streak at the All England Club to a record 41 matches. In a semifinal, Borg was down to Connors by two sets to love before coming back to win the match 0–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–0, 6–4. However, Borg's streak was brought to an end by McEnroe, who defeated him in four sets, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4.

Borg went on to lose to McEnroe at the 1981 US Open, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3, and the defeat effectively ended Borg's career. After that defeat, Borg walked off court and out of the stadium before the ceremonies and press conference had begun. It would turn out to be the Swede's last Grand Slam final. Although he felt in good condition physically, he recognized that the relentless drive to win and defy tour organizers had begun to fade.

The U.S. Open was his particular jinx. He failed to win in 10 tries, losing four finals, 1976 and 1978 to Jimmy Connors, and 1980 and 1981 to McEnroe. In 1978, 1979 and 1980, he was halfway to a Grand Slam after victories at the French and Wimbledon (the Australian Open being the last Grand Slam tournament of each year at the time) only to falter at Flushing Meadow, lefty Tanner his conqueror in 1979.

He had appeared only once at the Australian Open, earlier in his career, at which he lost in one of the earlier rounds.

In 1982, Borg played only one tournament, losing to Yannick Noah in the quarterfinals of Monte Carlo. Nevertheless, Borg's announcement in January 1983 that he was retiring from the game at the age of 26 was a shock to the tennis world. McEnroe tried unsuccessfully to persuade Borg to continue.

Succes 2011: Ágnes Szávay, professional tennis player from Hungary

Ágnes Szávay is a professional tennis player from Hungary. She is the country's highest ranked tennis player. She was the WTA Newcomer of the Year in 2007. She achieved her career high ranking of World No. 13 on April 14, 2008.
Szávay was born in Kiskunhalas, Hungary and grew up in Soltvadkert, Hungary. She started to play tennis at the age of six, with her parents acting as her first coaches and managers. Her previous coaches were Zoltán Újhidy, Levente Barátosi, Miklós Hornok, József Bocskay and Zoltán Kuharszky. Currently, her coach is Karl-Heinz Wetter. She has a younger sister, Blanka, who is five years younger than her and currently plays on the junior circuit.


Szávay trained intensely during the off-season, and started to play better than she had been in 2010. At the Brisbane International, she reached the second round beating Peng Shuai before losing to Daniela Hantuchová 6–3 6–1 . At the Sydney International, where she qualified to reach the main draw. She won her first round match again, beating Jelena Janković 5–7, 6–1, 7–5 for her first top ten win since defeating Venus Williams at the 2009 French Open before losing in a close two-set match to Aravane Rezaï in the second round. She finished the month at the 2010 Australian Open reaching the second round again, beating Stéphanie Dubois before falling to sixteenth seed Li Na 3–6, 7–5, 6–2 (Szávay led 4–2 and held two match points in the second set).

Szávay then played the 2010 Open GDF Suez and reached her first quarterfinal of the year. Szávay beat Olga Govortsova (who retired with illness) and Petra Martić before losing to Melanie Oudin 2–6, 6–4, 6–2. Next was the Abierto Mexicano TELCEL in Acapulco, Mexico. Ágnes was the second seed and played well to reach the quarterfinals, beating Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová 2–6, 6–1, 6–3 and Renata Voráčová 7–5, 6–1 however she was forced to retire while trying eighth-seeded Polona Hercog in the quarterfinals 6–4, 0–1 due to a left adductor strain. She also competed in the doubles tournament with Gisela Dulko, however they lost in the first round to Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci 6–3, 6–3.


Ágnes continued by playing the Monterrey Open as the fifth seed, she defeated Germans Julia Görges 6–3, 3–6, 6–3 andAnna-Lena Grönefeld 6–1, 6–7 (4), 6–1. However, she fell in the quarterfinals against fourth-seeded Dominika Cibulková 3–6, 6–3, 6–3. She then played at the 2010 BNP Paribas Open and 2010 Sony Ericsson Open reaching the third round of both events losing to Carla Suárez Navarro and Svetlana Kuznetsova. At the European Clay season she fell to Dinara Safina 7–6(5) 3–6 6–0 n the second round of the 2010 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and suffered a back to back loss at the 2010 Estoril Open and 2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open, which caused her to drop out of the top 40. At the 2010 French Open, she lost to Nadia Petrova 6–1 6–2 in the second round.


At the Grass season Szávay played at the 2010 AEGON International losing to Marion Bartoli in he second round. And at the 2010 Wimbledon she was lost to Ekaterina Makarova in the very first round 6–4 7–6(2). However she followed it up with back-to-back titles in 2010 GDF SUEZ Grand Prix upsetting Alexandra Dulgheru in the semifinals 6–1, 5–7, 7–5 and a repeat of last year's final defeating Patty Schnyder 6–2, 6–4 and in 2010 ECM Prague Open defeating Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová 6–2, 1–6, 6–2.

Agnes missed 2011 Australian Open and Australian season because of illness. Her next scheadule tournament was 2011 Open GDF Suez but she withdrew because of back injury. Agnes came back at 2011 BNP Paribas Open. There she won her first match in nearly five months by beating American veteran Jill Craybas. She will play against Alisa Kleybanova in the second round.

Succes 2010:Kim Clijsters

Succes 2010: Rafael Nadal

Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player currently ranked No. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time; his success on clay has earned him the nickname "The King of Clay", and has prompted many experts to regard him as the greatest clay court player of all time.

Nadal has won ten Grand Slam singles titles,including 6 French Open titles, the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles, a record 19 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments, and also was part of the Spain Davis Cup team that won the finals in 2004, 2008 and 2009. He completed the career Grand Slam by winning the 2010 US Open, being the seventh player in history, and the youngest in the open era, to achieve it. He is the second male player to complete the Career Golden Slam (winner of the four grand slams and the Olympic Gold medal) after only Andre Agassi.

Nadal had a 32-match winning streak in 2008, starting at the 2008 Masters Series Hamburg to the 2008 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters and Women's Open, which included titles at Hamburg, the French Open (where he did not drop a set), Queen's Club, his first ever title at Wimbledon, and the Rogers Cup. In 2011, by winning the Monte Carlo Masters, he became the only player to have won seven editions of a tournament in a row at the ATP level. Nadal was ranked world No. 2, behind Roger Federer, for a record 160 consecutive weeks before earning the top spot, which he held from 18 August 2008 to 5 July 2009.[8] He regained the world No.1 ranking on 7 June 2010, after winning his fifth French Open title.