Roger Federer reached 20 Slam semifinals

On Wednesday, Roger Federer reached the semifinal stage of Roland Garros by beating Gaël Monfils in straight sets.

Federer has now reached a record 20 consecutive Grand Slam semifinals. The Swiss tennis player had shared the record with Martina Navrátilová.

Federer has now qualified for the semifinals of Roland Garros five times. Only Björn Borg and Mats Wilander have a better record in the Open Era. They reached the last four in Paris six times.

However, Federer is the first to reach the semifinals five years in a row, according to Infostrada.

Most consecutive Grand Slam semifinals – Women’s and Men’s Singles – Open Era

# Name Nation Years

20 Roger Federer SUI 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

19 Martina Navrátilová USA 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988

15 Steffi Graf FRG 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990

11 Chris Evert USA 1984, 1985, 1986

11 Martina Hingis SWI 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999

10 Ivan Lendl TCH 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988

9 Margaret Court AUS 1969, 1970, 1971

9 Chris Evert USA 1981, 1982, 1983

7 Chris Evert USA 1973, 1974

6 Ann Jones GBR 1968, 1969

6 Ivan Lendl TCH 1983, 1984

6 Monica Seles YUG 1991, 1992, 1993

6 Steffi Graf GER 1993, 1994

6 Jennifer Capriati USA 2001, 2002

6 Serena Williams USA 2002, 2003

Most semifinal appearances Roland Garros – Men’s Singles in Open Era

# Name Nation Years

6 Björn Borg SWE 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981

6 Mats Wilander SWE 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988

5 Ivan Lendl TCH 1981, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987

5 Andre Agassi USA 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1999

5 Roger Federer SUI 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

4 Guillermo Vilas ARG 1975, 1977, 1978, 1982

4 Jimmy Connors USA 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985

4 Jim Courier USA 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994

4 Sergi Bruguera ESP 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997

4 Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003

4 Rafael Nadal ESP 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

Padraig Harrington goes for third Golf Mayor in a row

At the 2009 US Masters, Ireland’s Padraig Harrington will attempt to make it three Majors in a row having won the British Open and USPGA crowns last year. No European golfer has recorded a hat-trick of this kind since 1882.

The last player to win at least three in a row was Tiger Woods in 2000-2001.

Most successive Major wins
# Name Nation First Last

4 Tom Morris, Jr. SCO 1868 British Open 1872 British Open
4 Tiger Woods USA 2000 US Open 2001 US Masters
3 Jamie Anderson SCO 1877 British Open 1879 British Open
3 Bob Ferguson SCO 1880 British Open 1882 British Open
3 Ben Hogan USA 1953 US Masters 1953 British Open
3 Jack Nicklaus USA 1971 USPGA 1972 US Open

2 Padraig Harrington IRL 2008 British Open 2008 USPGA

Very lucky loser

As part of the Sony Ericsson Open 2009, the German Bjorn Phau have won 45 points and $20,400. Why? Here we have the equation:

Qualifying Draw

(5)Bjorn Phau d. (WC)Michael McClune (459º USA) 4-6 6-0 6-1
John Isner d. (5)Bjorn Phau 2-6 7-5 6-3

Main Draw Singles - Second Round
[LL] B Phau * d A Montañes (ESP) 6-4 2-0 and ret. (hamstring)
* Replaces [24] R Gasquet (FRA) – shoulder

Easy? Not sure. But it seems that Bjorn is a very very lucky loser...

More info: http://www.sonyericssonopen.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_loser

Rafael Nadal goes for Roger Federer again!

The second tournament of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 began in Miami. Rafael Nadal, winner in Indian Wells, is looking to become the seventh player to win the first two tournaments in the Masters Series since its introduction in 1990.

Roger Federer is the only player to win the first two tournaments twice (2005 and 2006). Make a note of the first two tournaments of the Masters Series have always been in Indian Wells and Key Biscayne/Miami. Nadal can equal Federer for second most wins in Masters Series tournaments with a win in Miami, trailing only Andre Agassi (17).

Winning first two tournaments in Masters Series – Men’s Tennis
Year Player Nation
2006 Roger Federer SUI
2005 Roger Federer SUI
2001 Andre Agassi USA
1998 Marcelo Ríos CHI
1994 Pete Sampras USA
1992 Michael Chang USA
1991 Jim Courier USA

Most tournament wins in Masters Series – Men’s Tennis
# Player Nation
17 Andre Agassi USA
14 Roger Federer SUI
13 Rafael Nadal ESP
11 Pete Sampras USA
8 Thomas Muster AUT
7 Michael Chang USA

Cristiano Ronaldo and Usain Bolt together in Manchester

Usain Bolt will race on a specially constructed tartan track in the city centre as part of the inaugural 'Great CityGames' in Manchester on May 17.

The race, which will be the Jamaican's first in Europe this year, will pit him against leading British sprinters and several overseas stars yet to be announced, but Chambers, the European indoor 60m record-holder, once again finds himself left out in the cold.

A spokesman for the event organisers, Nova International, said: "We've decided not to invite Dwain to compete. We're working on the basis that Manchester in May and future races or this type are about helping British athletes prepare for London 2012 against world-class opposition.

"Because he has accepted he won't be in London in 2012 because of his ban, we want to put in Brits who have the potential to represent the country in three and half years' time."

Bolt, who ran a wind-assisted 9.93 sec in his first 100m of the year last week, said he was eager to experience the new concept of street athletics, which had a successful trial run on the Newcastle and Gateshead quayside last autumn as a prelude to the Great North Run.

He said: "I am very excited to compete for my first time in Manchester, my first time in a 150m race and my first time in a street race outside the stadium.

"I love competing in the UK. It is like my second home as I usually stay in London during the European racing season. When I heard about the idea I thought it would be great fun and something new and exciting."

His trip will also give him the chance to indulge his love of Manchester United and to hold a sprint coaching session with his favourite player, Cristiano Ronaldo.

His presence in the race, which will take place over a straight rather than a bend, is a considerable coup for the organisers, who have also signed up Ethiopian marathon world-holder Haile Gebrselassie to compete in the Bupa Great Manchester Run earlier in the day.

Confirmed: Federer is going to be a father

Roger Federer announced on his website that his girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec is pregnant and they are expecting their first child this summer.



"This is a dream come true for us," Federer said. "We love children and we are looking forward to being parents for the first time. Mirka is feeling great and everything is going well."



More info: Seattle Post-Intelligencer

It is Rafael Nadal time in Indian Wells desert

The ATP Masters Series has been renamed the ATP World Masters 1000 for the 2009 series and begins with the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

This tournament has been the one most frequently won by the world number one but a win by top ranked Rafael Nadal would go against recent form in this series. No world number one has won one of these tournaments since Roger Federer triumphed in Cincinnati in August 2007.

Current world number one Rafael Nadal has now won 12 of these tournaments, two fewer than Roger Federer and five fewer than Andre Agassi.

ATP Masters Series tournaments won by World number one (since series began in 1990)

# Tournament Champions who were World number one at the time

8 Indian Wells Jim Courier (1993), Pete Sampras (1994, 1995), Lleyton Hewitt (2002, 2003), Roger Federer (2004, 2005, 2006)
6 Cincinnati Andre Agassi (1995), Pete Sampras (1997, 1999), Gustavo Kuerten (2001), Roger Federer (2005, 2007)
3 Paris Stefan Edberg (1990), Pete Sampras (1997), Andre Agassi (1999)
3 Miami Pete Sampras (1994), Roger Federer (2005, 2006)
3 Canada Andre Agassi (1995), Roger Federer (2004, 2006)
3 Hamburg Roger Federer (2004, 2005, 2007)
2 Rome Jim Courier (1992), Pete Sampras (1994)
2 Madrid Juan Carlos Ferrero (2003), Roger Federer (2006)
0 Monte Carlo -

Note: The Masters Series tournament currently hosted by Madrid was previously held by Stuttgart, Essen and Stockholm. None of the champions of those tournaments were ranked world number one at the time of their victory.

In 2009, the Madrid tournament moves to May and replaces the tournament in Hamburg. The Beijing Masters replaces Cincinnati and the Shanghai Masters takes the slot previously occupied by Madrid.


Winners Men’s Singles Indian Wells since 1990
Year Winner Nation World ranking

2008 Novak Djokovic SER 3
2007 Rafael Nadal ESP 2
2006 Roger Federer SUI 1
2005 Roger Federer SUI 1
2004 Roger Federer SUI 1
2003 Lleyton Hewitt AUS 1
2002 Lleyton Hewitt AUS 1
2001 Andre Agassi USA 4
2000 Alex Corretja ESP 26
1999 Mark Philippoussis AUS 16
1998 Marcelo Rios CHI 7
1997 Michael Chang USA 3
1996 Michael Chang USA 5
1995 Pete Sampras USA 1
1994 Pete Sampras USA 1
1993 Jim Courier USA 1
1992 Michael Chang USA 15
1991 Jim Courier USA 26
1990 Stefan Edberg SWE 3

Omega reveals Vancouver 2010 watch

As the Omega clock counting down to the start of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver reaches the minus-one-year mark, the watch brand is releasing two special limited-edition watches to commemorate the occasion.

The Omega Seamaster Diver 300m "Vancouver 2010" Limited Edition is being produced in 41 mm and 36.25 mm versions, each in a release of 2,010 numbered pieces and featuring the OMEGA Co-Axial caliber 2500. The watches feature white lacquered dials and red-anodized aluminum bezel rings to represent the Canadian flag with its red maple leaf against a stark white background. The white dials are also reminiscent of the snow and ice, which play an important role in the Winter Olympics.

The watches connection to the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver is further reinforced by the colored Olympic rings on the counterweight of the seconds hand, which casts a soft blue reflection in limited light. In addition, the caseback is embossed with the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games logo and is engraved with the limited-edition number.

The Seamaster Diver 300m "Vancouver 2010" Limited Edition is equipped with professional diving features such as a unidirectional rotating bezel, a helium-escape valve and is water-resistant to 300 meters.

Omega will be serving as the Official Olympic Timekeeper for the 24th time at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.

Saint Luis 1904: 105 years later, Australia claim long-lost Olympic medals

Australia is claiming four Olympic medals 105 years after they were awarded to the United States.

The Australian Olympic Committee said in a statement Friday that Francis Gailey, who won four swimming medals at the 1904 Games in St. Louis, was Australian and not American at the time.

Gailey finished second in the 220-, 440- and 880-yard races and third in the one-mile freestyle.

AOC official historian Harry Gordon says Gailey was Australian, a student at Brisbane Grammar School and age 22 when he swam in the St. Louis Olympics. He came home to Australia after the Olympics, but emigrated to the United States in 1906. He later became a naturalized U.S. citizen and settled in California, where he died in 1972.

Gordon said confirmation of Gailey's identity had come from a group of international historians and statisticians investigating the nationalities of athletes at the 1900 (Paris) and 1904 Olympics, accordind to The Associated Press.

"Both were badly organized attachments to international trade expositions, or world's fairs," Gordon was quoted as saying in an AOC statement. "The records have always been pretty suspect."

The AOC said Gailey can now be recognized as winning the most individual medals at a single Olympics of any male Australian swimmer. Ian Thorpe won five individual medals at two Games: two at Sydney 2000 and three at Athens 2004.

The committee said Gailey's medals, when credited to Australia, increased the country's total at the Summer Games to 449: 135 gold, 144 silver and 170 bronze.

China, Indonesia, Mexico, Morocco, Poland and Turkey apply to host the 2nd Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2014

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that six National Olympic Committees (NOCs) have submitted applications to host the 2nd Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2014. They are, in alphabetical order: China, Indonesia, Mexico, Morocco, Poland and Turkey.

A number of NOCs requested additional time to designate the city they wish to put forward as Candidate City. The IOC has extended the deadline for these NOCs to submit the name of their cities to 1 April 2009. As of today, Jakarta 2014 (Indonesia), Nanjing 2014 (China) and Poznan 2014 (Poland) have already been confirmed.

The updated timelines below outline the bid process. The date of the election by the IOC members and of the announcement of the host city remains unchanged.

Source: IOC Press