The Spirit of Wimbledon 2012

The 126th Edition of the All-England Championships at Wimbledon has started!

It's the world's premier tennis tournament. And it has showcased some of history's greatest matches by the sport's greatest players . . .

We will likely see more memorable contests and perhaps even a match or two to rank with those of the ages . . .

Bill Tilden, Don Budge, Fred Perry, Pancho Gonzales, Rod Laver, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, John Isner-Nicholas Mahut . . . 

Suzanne Lenglen, Helen Wills Moody, Margaret Court, Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Serena and Venus Willams, Maria Sharapova . . .

Wimbledon means the best tennis of yesterday and today . . .

And the Spirit of Wimbledon means elegance, class and courage -  whether in victory or defeat.

For more on the best tournament in tennis, see Wimbledon. 

To visit with the Official Timekeeper of Wimbledon, see Rolex.

Best,
Gary

The Lethal Forehand of Rafa Nadal: An Video Analysis of Speed and Spin for the New York Times

Enjoy, 

Gary

Advancement of Women in Tennis & Sports: Billie Jean King Testifies Before U.S. Senate

 "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance."
-Title IX, of the Education Amendments of 1972, 20 USC Section 1681, et. seq.

On the 40th anniversary of Title IX, Billie Jean King, legendary tennis player and trailblazer in advancing the rights of women in tennis and sports in general, testified in Congress in support of this landmark law. 

Most observers believe that no other single piece of legislation in modern times has done more than Title IX to help the cause of gender equality in sports and education in our society.

King has been a vocal and historical voice in support of equal rights, pay and status for women, as well as for lesbians and gays. 

King is only one of two tennis players to ever win our nation's highest honor - the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the other being Arthur Ashe). 

Billie Jean, and other prominent women, spoke to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee on June 19, 2012.

The Making of a Tennis Logo: Novak Djokovic

Enjoy!

Gary 

Video: How to Design the New Tennis Logo for Novak Djokovic
By: www.centercourt.de

Making History: The 2012 Roland Garros French Open

Paris - Roland Garros - Singles's Championships

Rafael Nadal (Spain, No. 2) defeated Novak Djokovic (Serbia, No. 1) in four rain-soaked sets over two days, 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 to win the men's single's trophy at Roland Garros. 

It was Nadal's 7th title at the French Open - a record which beats Bjorn Borg's previous record of 6 titles on the famous red clay in Paris. 

It was also Nadal's 11th Grand Slam title, moving him to fourth on the all-time list, tying him with Borg and Rod Laver. 

"This tournament is, for me, the most special tournament of the world," said Nadal.

Djokovic remarked afterwards, "He's definitely the best player in history on this surface, and the results are showing that he is one of the best-ever players to play this game."

On the women's side, Maria Sharapova (Russia, No. 2), defeated Sara Errani (Italy, No. 21) in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2 to win the women's single's championship, her first ever Roland Garros title. 

With the win, she moves into World No. 1 rank, and also made tennis history - becoming only the 10th woman to achieve the "career" Grand Slam, winning each of the four majors in her career.

Working her way from shoulder surgery in 2008, she re-committed herself to the highest levels of the game. 

"I could have said, 'I don't need this. I have money; I have fame; I have victories; I have Grand Slams.' But when your love for something is bigger than all those things, you continue to get up in the morning when it's freezing outside . . . you can achieve great things."

Congratulations to all the winners, players, fans and supporters at the 2012 Roland Garros French Open.

See you next year!
Gary

Tennis Quote of the Day: Patterns and Executions

"Elite sports are about patterns and executions, and the best athletes repeatedly do things you can't defend against. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's hook shot is a good example. You know it's coming, you just can't stop it. The reality is that [the best players such as Nadal and Agassi] play by forcing everyone to adjust to their patterns. To offset their patterns, you have to incur tremendous risk."

-Justin Gimelstob

Tennis Channel analyst and former professional player

The Three Keys to Winning Tennis

Coach Jim McLennan explains his three keys to winning tennis at any level.

1. Keep the ball in play

2. Do everything possible to win the first point

3. Size up your opponent's game

Enjoy,

Gary