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U.S. Open Men’s Tennis Champions

Bill Sullivan — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

After a dramatic semifinal win, claiming another United States Open Tennis championship seemed like a foregone conclusion for Roger Federer.

Juan Martin del Potro had other ideas.

The No. 6 seed dropped two of the first three sets, but rallied to take the last two to outlast Federer in a four-hour thriller. The upset ended Federer’s streak of five consecutive U.S. Open titles.

Here’s a list of the men’s champion’s since the U.S. championship went to an open format in 1968:

2009 — Juan Martin del Potro

2008 — Roger Federer

2007 — Roger Federer

2006 — Roger Federer

2005 — Roger Federer

2004 — Roger Federer

2003 — Andy Roddick

2002 — Pete Sampras

2001 — Lleyton Hewitt

2000 — Marat Safin

1999 — Andre Agassi

1998 — Patrick Rafter

1997 — Patrick Rafter

1996 — Pete Sampras

1995 — Pete Sampras

1994 — Andre Agassi

1993 — Pete Sampras

1992 — Stefan Edberg

1991 — Stefan Edberg

1990 — Pete Sampras

1989 — Boris Becker

1988 — Mats Wilander

1987 — Ivan Lendl

1986 — Ivan Lendl

1985 — Ivan Lendl

1984 — John McEnroe

1983 — Jimmy Connors

1982 — Jimmy Connors

1981 — John McEnroe

1980 — John McEnroe

1979 — John McEnroe

1978 — Jimmy Connors

1977 — Guillermo Vilas

1976 — Jimmy Connors

1975 — Manuel Orantes

1974 — Jimmy Connors

1973 — John Newcombe

1972 — Ilie Nastase

1971 — Stan Smith

1970 — Ken Rosewall

1969 — Rod Laver

1968 — Arthur Ashe

Source: USOpen.org.

U.S. Open Women’s Tennis Champions

Bill Sullivan — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 22:25:31 +0000

When Kim Clijsters announced a return to competitive tennis after retiring to try motherhood, hardly anyone expected her to be more than an interesting sideshow at the 2009 United States Open championships. Instead, the 2005 winner came back to claim her title, outlasting Serena Williams.

Here’s a list of winners since 1968, the year in which the U.S. championships were opened to professionals:

2009 — Kim Clijsters

2008 — Serena Williams

2007 — Justine Henin

2006 — Maria Sharapova

2005 — Kim Clijsters

2004 — Svetlana Kuznetsova

2003 — Justine Henin-Hardenne

2002 — Serena Williams

2001 — Venus Williams

2000 — Venus Williams

1999 — Serena Williams

1998 — Lindsay Davenport

1997 — Martina Hingis

1996 — Steffi Graf

1995 — Steffi Graf

1994 — Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario

1993 — Steffi Graf

1992 — Monica Seles

1991 — Monica Seles

1990 — Gabriela Sabatini

1989 — Steffi Graf

1988 — Steffi Graf

1987 — Martina Navratilova

1986 — Martina Navratilova

1985 — Hana Mandlikova

1984 — Martina Navratilova

1983 — Martina Navratilova

1982 — Chris Evert Lloyd

1981 — Tracy Austin

1980 — Chris Evert Lloyd

1979 — Tracy Austin

1978 — Christine Marie Evert

1977 — Christine Marie Evert

1976 — Christine Marie Evert

1975 — Christine Marie Evert

1974 — Billie Jean King

1973 — Margaret Smith Court

1972 — Billie Jean King

1971 — Billie Jean King

1970 — Margaret Smith Court

1969 — Margaret Smith Court

1968 — Virginia Wade

Source: USOpen.org

Men’s Wimbledon Winners

Bill Sullivan — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:35:14 +0000

Rafael Nadal had Paris and Roger Federer owned London — until 2008, at least. Federer’s record-tying run of five consecutive Wimbledon men’s titles came to an end in ‘08 as Nadal won an epic five-set final, holding off Federer 9-7 in the final set after the Swiss rallied from an early two-set deficit.

Federer won an epic of his own in 2009, outlasting American Andy Roddick, 16-14, in the deciding fifth set to claim his sixth Wimbledon crown. In the process, Federer claimed the 15th Grand Slam title of his career, surpassing Pete Sampras for the all-time lead in Grand Slam wins.

Here’s a list of recent Wimbledon champions, including Sampras’ own run of excellence:

2009 — Roger Federer, Switzerland

2008 — Rafael Nadal, Spain

2007 — Roger Federer, Switzerland

2006 — Roger Federer, Switzerland

2005 — Roger Federer, Switzerland

2004 — Roger Federer, Switzerland

2003 — Roger Federer, Switzerland

2002 — Lleyton Hewitt, Great Britain

2001 — Goran Ivanisevic, Croatia

2000 — Pete Sampras, USA

1999 — Pete Sampras, USA

1998 — Pete Sampras, USA

1997 — Pete Sampras, USA

1996 – Richard Krajicek, The Netherlands

1995 — Pete Sampras, USA

1994 — Pete Sampras, USA

1993 — Pete Sampras, USA

Source: Wimbledon.org

All-Time Men’s Tennis Grand Slam Leaders

Bill Sullivan — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:30:41 +0000

Like golfers, tennis champions are largely defined by the “majors.” Winning the Australian and French Opens, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open are the benchmarks by which the great ones are measured.

By that standard, you’ll find few surprises on this list of the top Grand Slam winners. It’s a measure of both sustained excellence and versatility.

Winning both the French Open and Wimbledon in 2009, Roger Federer claimed his 14th and 15th Grand Slam titles, surpassing Pete Sampras to become the all-time leader.

Here’s the list, with Grand Slam victories in parentheses:

1. Roger Federer, Switzerland (15)

2. Pete Sampras, USA (14)

3. Roy Emerson, Australia (12)

4. Bjorn Borg, Sweden (11)

T4. Rod Laver, Australia (11)

6. Bill Tilden, USA (10)

7. Fred Perry, Great Britain (8)

T7. Andre Agassi, USA (8)

T7. Jimmy Connors, USA (8)

T7. Ken Rosewall, Australia (8)

T7. Ivan Lendl, Czechoslovakia/USA (8)

Source: ESPN.com

Women’s Wimbledon winners

Bill Sullivan — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:35:40 +0000

If you were looking to handicap the ladies’ field at Wimbledon in recent years, picking someone named Williams wasn’t a bad place to start. Americans Venus and Serena Williams have combined to win eight of the last 10 titles, including Serena’s win over Venus in the 2009 event.

Here’s a list of the champions since 2000 — a group with a decidedly Williams look:

2009 — Serena Williams, USA

2008 — Venus Williams, USA

2007 — Venus Williams, USA

2006 – Amelie Mauresmo, France

2005 — Venus Williams, USA

2004 — Maria Sharapova, Russia

2003 — Serena Williams, USA

2002 — Serena Williams, USA

2001 — Venus Williams, USA

2000 — Venus Williams, USA

Source: Wimbledon.org

All-Time women’s Grand Slam leaders

Bill Sullivan — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:30:00 +0000

It isn’t Steffi Graff or Martina Navratilova. It’s not Chris Evert. And Billie Jean King doesn’t even come close.

So who’s the all-time leader among women in Grand Slam tennis championships? None other than Australia’s own Margaret Smith Court, whose best work came before the tennis boom led by King, Navratilova, Evert, and others.

Curious who else belongs on the list of tennis’ all-time greats?

Here’s the list, through Wimbledon 2009:

1. Margaret Smith Court, Australia (24)

2. Steffi Graf, Germany (22)

3. Helen Wills Moody, USA (19)

4. Chris Evert, USA (18)

T4. Martina Navratilova, Czechoslovakia, USA (18)

6. Billie Jean King, USA (12)

7. Serena Williams, USA (10)

T8. Maureen Connolly, USA (9)

T8 Monica Seles, Yugoslavia/USA (9)

T10. Suzanne Lenglen, France (8)

T10. Molla Bjursdedt Mallory, USA (8)

Source: ESPN.com

Women’s French Open Winners

Bill Sullivan — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 18:01:40 +0000

Svetlana Kuznetsova’s five-year wait for a second Grand Slam title finally came to an end at the 2009 French Open. The Russian routed No. 1 seed Dinara Safina, 6-4, 6-2 and needed just 75 minutes to do so.

Here’s a list of most recent female champions at Roland Garros:

2009 — Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russia

2008 — Ana Ivanovic, Serbia

2007 — Justine Henin-Hardenne, Belgium

2006 – Justine Henin-Hardenne, Belgium

2005 — Justine Henin-Hardenne, Belgium

2004 — Anastasia Myskina, Russia

2003 — Justine Henin-Hardenne, Belgium

2002 — Serena WIlliams, USA

2001 — Jennifer Capriati, USA

2000 — Mary Pierce, France

Source: rolandgarros.com

Men’s French Open Winners

Bill Sullivan — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 17:29:14 +0000

Roger Federer may be the dominant men’s tennis player of his time, and now the folks in Paris can attest to it. Federer won his record-tying 14th Grand Slam title 6-1 7-6 (1) 6-4 win over No. 23 seed Robin Soderling of Sweden.

It was Federer’s first-ever title on the clay courts of Roland Garros, making him only the sixth man to win all four of tennis’ major titles.

Who else has distinguished himself at Roland Garros in recent years?

Here’s a list of the 10 French Open winners preceding Rafael Nadal’s just-ended recent run of four in a row:

2005-08: Rafael Nadal

2004 — Gasón Gaudio, Argentina

2003 — Juan Carlos Ferrero, Spain

2002 — Albert Costa, Spain

2001 — Gustavo Kuerten, Brazil

2000 — Gustavo Kuerten, Brazil

1999 — Andre Agassi, USA

1998 — Carlos Moya, Spain

1997 — Gustavo Kuerten, Brazil

1996 — Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Russia

1995 — Thomas Muster, Austria

Source: rolandgarros.com

Top Paid Tennis Stars

Bill Sullivan — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:03:28 +0000

Interest in tennis may have faded a bit in recent years, but there is still plenty of money to be made in whacking that ball back and forth over a net.

How about $35 million a year in prize and endorsement money? That’s what Forbes estimates as Roger Federer’s total take over the past 12 months. While Federer may have relinquished his No. 1 ranking to rival Rafael Nadal over the summer, it’s still a blowout at the bank, where Federer outearns Nadal (an estimated $18 million) by nearly 2-1.

Here’s the Forbes list of the world’s wealthiest tennis players:

1. Roger Federer: $35 million

2. Maria Sharapova: $26 million

3. Rafael Nadal: $18 million

4. Andy Roddick: $15 million

5. Venus Williams: $15 million

6. Serena Williams: $15 million

7. Justin Henin: $10 million

8. Novak Djokovic: $9.5 million

9. Ana Ivanovic: $8 million

10. James Blake: $7.5 million

To read more about these players, and to see a slideshow, visit Forbes.com.

Most U.S. Open Tennis Singles Titles

Bill Sullivan — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:46:06 +0000

Who has won the most singles titles in U.S. Open Tennis history? Unless you’re a serious fan, you’d probably never guess, since she added her last championship a scant 82 years ago, long before this was even an ”Open” competition.

Here’s a list of the all-time winners:

Men
7 - Richard Sears 1881-87; Bill Larned 1901-02, ‘07-11; Bill Tilden 1920- 25, ‘29
5 – Jimmy Connors 1974, ‘76, ‘78, ‘82-83; Pete Sampras 1990, ‘93, ‘95-96, ‘02, Roger Federer 2004-08
4 – Bob Wrenn 1893-94, ‘96-97; John McEnroe 1979-81, ‘84
3 – Oliver Campbell 1890-92; Mal Whitman 1898-1900; Fred Perry 1933-34, ‘36; Ivan Lendl 1985-87

Women
8 – Molla B. Mallory 1915-18, ‘20-22, ‘26
7 – Helen Wills Moody 1923-25, ‘27-29, ‘31
6 – Chris Evert Lloyd 1975-78, ‘80, ‘82
5 - Margaret Smith Court 1962, ‘65, ‘69-70, ‘73; Steffi Graf 1988-89, ‘93, ‘95-96
4 – Elisabeth Moore 1896, 1901, ‘03, ‘05; Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman 1909-11, ‘19; Helen H. Jacobs 1932-35; Alice Marble 1936, ‘38-40; Pauline Betz 1942-44, ‘46; Maria Bueno 1959, ‘63-64, ‘66; Billie Jean King 1967, ‘71-72, ‘74; Martina Navratilova 1983-84, ‘86-87

Source: usopen.org