Team World Brought All The Right Stuff Together To Win Their First Laver Cup Title

Team World lifts the Laver Cup in London

Team World entered the final day of Laver Cup 2022 in London trailing four-time champion Team Europe 8-4 and needing to win three of four matches. While it wasn’t an impossible task, it would take everyone on John McEnroe’s Team World squad coming together and playing inspired and focused tennis on Sunday.

With each win worth three points, match by match, Team World turned this year’s Laver Cup upside down and won three straight matches – all with exciting outcomes – to win the Laver Cup title for the first time.

It was quite a weekend to remember in London, which drew more than 96,000 tennis enthusiasts to the O2 Arena, first to bid farewell to Roger Federer, then to see Novak Djokovic’s return to the ATP Tour after winning his seventh Wimbledon title, and, finally, to see Team World’s remarkable final-day comeback, in which Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime and Frances Tiafoe of the United States shouldered the load and carried the team on their shoulders to triumph.

Auger-Aliassime gave Team World the lead on the final day thanks to a pair of wins, first by partnering with Jack Sock to edge Matteo Berrettini and Andy Murray, 2-6, 6-3, 10-8, then by defeating Djokovic, 6-3, 7-6 (3). Next, Tiafoe, fought off four match points during a second-set tie-break to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas, 1-6, 7-6 (11), 10-8, which clinched the 13-8 victory for Team World. 

When one considers what transpired, it’s pretty wild that a team with zero Grand Slam singles titles beat a team with 66 that featured Federer (20), Rafael Nadal (22), Djokovic (21) and Andy Murray (3). But that’s exactly what happened. 

In praising his team during the trophy ceremony, Team World captain McEnroe said: “They brought the energy, belief and intensity.”

Later, McEnroe admitted: “It beats losing, that’s for sure. The difference was that we kept battling. There was a great team spirit. We knew we had a shot at it, but it was an uphill battle.”

While McEnroe likely would have been second-guessed for playing Auger-Aliassime back-to-back in Sunday’s first two matches – especially if the young, 21-year-old Canadian faltered against the veteran Djokovic, 35 – in hindsight it was a brilliant and tactical decision.

“This is something that’s discussed among all of us,” he said. “These guys know the ins and outs of what’s going to work best. Felix was ready for it, he had debuted last year, and now he was ready to step up to the big time.”

Auger-Aliassime said he enjoys the challenge that comes from playing in team events, “feeling I can bring something not only to myself but to the team. I feel like it pushes me also to stay positive, to dig deep, that feeling that I’m not only playing for myself, I’m trying to bring something to the team, bring a point to the team.”

Tiafoe added: “All week leading up I kept saying this was our year. The guys showed up. Felix beat Novak, Jack and Felix also played unbelievable doubles. We did it all together, it wasn’t just me.”

Coming off a semifinal run at the US Open, which boosted his ranking to a career-best World No. 19, Tiafoe has been playing some of the best tennis of his career. He said he would rank his Laver Cup-clinching victory over Tsitsipas among his best.

“To do it here in Laver Cup, to win for the first time, given how bad Mac wanted it, how bad everybody else wanted it, seeing what Felix and Jack did – I thought it was just time. It was time to get it done,” Tiafoe said during his team’s final press conference. 

Looking back, as New York Times tennis correspondent Christopher Clarey suggested in a tweet Sunday evening, “[the] Laver Cup has proven that it is value added for tennis.

“Its future is up to the players. If the best ones commit to it consistently and continue to care about the outcome it will thrive.”

A postscript

Roger Federer said this year’s Laver Cup competition would remain special to him – especially the sendoff he received Friday evening after playing in the final match of his pro career.

“Being on court on Friday and having such a huge moment in my career, being surrounded by my biggest rivals like Novak and Andy and Rafa was truly unique, and I can never thank them enough for being there and staying there and going through it with me,” he said.

“I hope that their farewell will also be unique and special, that it works for them, because it was beautiful for me.”

Cover photo: Courtesy Getty Images for Laver Cup.

Andy Murray: “I tried my best.”

By all indications, tennis player Andy Murray put up a better fight against Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut than anyone – the thousands of fans who crowded inside Melbourne Arena or the global TV audience that watched during all hours of the day and night – would have thought he could on this warm Australian summer Monday evening. It was opening night at the 2019 Australian Open.

Win or lose, it would be an emotional exit for the Scotsman. That’s because last Friday, Murray came into the interview room at Melbourne Park, teary-eyed and choked up with emotion, and revealed that he could no longer play with the pain in his hip he’s been experiencing while trying to play tennis. The former No. 1 had fallen to No. 230 in the world rankings because of his inactivity due to injury.

“Not feeling good. Been struggling for a long time,” said Murray, his shoulders slumped and the brim of his cap pulled down low. “I’m not sure I can play through the pain for another four or five months.”

Even still, as New York Times tennis correspondent Ben Rothenberg tweeted moments after Murray went down to a 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-2 first-round defeat, “his clock struck midnight before we thought it should be over.”

The No. 22 seed Bautista Agut won and will advance on in the Australian Open. But, as Rothenberg noted, Murray will be remembered for his “incredible effort; Andy has everything to be proud of.”

Following the fourth set tie-break, which Murray won 7-4, BBC5 Live’s David Law tweeted, “Whatever happens from here, over the last 10 minutes Andy Murray has turned this into an Andy Murray match.

“Fighting tooth and nail, making people care, making them live their lives through him, the ups and downs, the agony and ecstasy. Forget the titles, that’s Murray’s legacy.”

While Murray’s effort, which produced what “The Tennis Podcast” called “a rousing comeback in a match of unrivaled poignancy and significance” wasn’t quite enough for him to win, it provided everyone with hours of compelling drama. Although it was after 11 p.m. when the match ended, because of the 16-hour time difference between Melbourne and the U.S. east coast, for me I saw the exciting conclusion while digesting my morning breakfast.

Interviewed on the Melbourne Arena court shortly after his glorious defeat by his former coach-turned-broadcaster Mark Petchey, Murray searched long and deep for the right words to say that expressed his emotions. Although he was exhausted from his effort, he wasn’t sad or bitter. Instead, he composed his thoughts very carefully. Finally, he spoke, saying, “It was incredible. Thank you so, so much to everyone who’s come out tonight. ... I’ve loved playing here over the years. If this was my last match, amazing way to end. I gave literally everything I had.”

For now, Murray appears to be keeping his options open and hopes to play the final tournament of his career this summer at Wimbledon. However, that could all change in a matter of days if not hours.

During Murray’s post-match press conference that followed his four-hour nine-minute loss, he was asked by French tennis journalist Carole Bouchard what his tennis legacy should be. Murray’s answer, so brief but eloquent, was summed up in just four simple words: “I tried my best.”

A few minutes with Ted Robinson: "Sometimes, winning is measured by giving everything you have at 3 a.m. ..."

Ted Robinson

Ted Robinson calls a variety of sports each year, including American professional and collegiate football and college basketball, on both cable and network TV and on radio. Every two years, he serves as an NBC Sports Olympics play-by-play broadcaster, commenting on a variety of sports such as short-track speed skating, springboard and platform diving, tennis and baseball. However, for many American sports fans on a national level, he’s most identified for his body of work as a tennis play-by-play commentator.

Since 2000, Robinson has anchored NBC’s tennis coverage. He’s called every French Open final alongside John McEnroe and Mary Carrillo since 2000, as well as the Wimbledon Championships from 2000-11. He was also the prime time host of the U.S. Open on USA Network for 22 years.

Robinson, 61, a New York native who resides near San Francisco, also anchors tennis broadcasts for Tennis Channel throughout the year, a position he’s held since 2007. It was in this capacity of hosting Tennis Channel’s night-time coverage of the recent ATP 500 Citi Open in Washington, D.C., televised to a mostly North American audience, that Robinson found himself perched inside the Stadium court broadcast booth at the Rock Creek Park Tennis Center in the early hours of August 3, commenting on Andy Murray’s third-round match against Darius Copil. He shared the call of the match with Hall of Famer Jim Courier.

Because of heavy rain, which delayed play on Stadium court by more than four hours, the Murray-Copil match didn’t begin until nearly midnight on Thursday, August 2. It was just Murray’s third competition since beginning his comeback from January hip surgery and his third Citi Open match in four days – and, as it happened, the Murray-Copil match didn’t end until 3:01 a.m. early Friday morning after three hard-fought sets by both players. Robinson remained focused throughout the broadcast and stayed on the air with Courier until after both players had exited the Stadium court to the applause of a hundred or so spectators who stayed to the very end, too.

Two days later, an hour before it was time for Robinson to call the Citi Open final between Alexander Zverev and Alex De Minaur, he sat down with me in the players’ dining hall for a 20-minute conversation. Robinson re-lived commenting on Murray’s emotional match and how he handled the complexity of the moment by remaining silent for a solid 90 seconds once Murray began sobbing tears into a towel while seated at his bench after he won, letting the pictures and sound tell the story. Robinson also shared with me how he got his start in tennis broadcasting and what his relationship with tennis great and broadcast sidekick John McEnroe has meant to him. He described why the epic Federer-Nadal Wimbledon 2008 final remains the best tennis match he’s ever called 10 years after it was played. Finally, Robinson spoke about how Tennis Channel is changing the landscape of tennis broadcasting in the U.S. as it attempts to reach larger audiences.

What do you remember most about Andy Murray’s match against Darius Copil that started at midnight on a Thursday night and lasted until 3:01 a.m. Friday morning?

“I’m used to late nights from all of my years at the U.S. Open, but this late? Never. I think the only time a match that we know of that had finished later than this one was at the (2008) Australian Open (between Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis) that lasted until (nearly) 5 a.m. It was quite a match.

“Honestly, it got to the point where I wasn’t really thinking about the hour as much as I was of the dynamic of Murray having not played much and coming back from his injury and his surgery – and how having to play yet another long match, coming from behind and, probably, mostly in the third set, it amazed me that he was putting the effort out. He could have easily, after losing a 5-0 lead, drop the first-set tie-break. I thought, OK, he could put out an effort in the second set, just cash it in, and move on to Toronto. The fact that he didn’t do that, just to me, is admirable.

“It is a lot of what we saw during the years of great late night matches at the Open. There’s something about that environment that’s unusual. To play that late at night brings out a special competitiveness in players. That’s what we saw, why Murray’s a champ. He didn’t pack it in at all, and of course, the emotion at the end was unprecedented. I’ve never seen that. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that in any sport, and it’s a point to really what the genesis of that reaction was. Everyone was asking. Everyone has theories. Andy is the only one who can know for sure.”

As a broadcaster, do you just sit back and let the pictures tell the story? You maintained quiet for 90 seconds after Murray sat down and began crying into his towel before you broke your silence.

“Yes, I think all of my years of training probably paid off, in being taught by people – most notably Dick Ebersol (former chairman of NBC Sports) – about how to handle those kind of moments. We don’t speculate; we’re not mind readers. We don’t speculate about injuries and health; we’re not doctors. ... I’ll talk about or report, if it’s radio, what I see – but not what I think. So, the scenario here, everyone could see what was happening to Murray. But why? We could not even imagine to guess. I know we punctuated it. I said to Jim Courier that ‘winning is more than just being measured by championships. It’s about putting your heart out there at 3 a.m. in the third round of a regular tour match.’ And Jim said, ‘winning is not just getting back on court.’ I think the blend of those two thoughts was the proper way to catch the moment. I’m sure, everyone has all kinds of theories about why he broke down. Maybe, some day I’m sure, Andy will talk to the BBC and address the moment.”

How did this rank with some of the other tennis broadcast moments you’ve done? After all, you called many Wimbledon and French Open finals, including Federer-Nadal in 2008, from which the book and documentary “Strokes of Genius” were written and produced?

“This was different because it wasn’t as much about tennis as it was about the human condition. It was a third-round match in a regular-season tour event. It wasn’t a championship match. Andy’s reaction compels us to put the moment in a much higher plateau. That’s what we’re all wondering about. So, the last question to it is: There were tears, and it was tears of ‘blank.’ Were they tears of joy? Were they tears of exhaustion? Were they tears of satisfaction? Were they tears of reality? Honestly, I don’t know. That’s why I won’t go there (to speculate). That’s really like playing the old ‘Match Game’ with Gene Rayburn. ‘Andy Murray broke down in his chair and he cried tears of blank.’ We just don’t know what the ‘blank’ is.”

I found it interesting that Murray said during one of his Citi Open press conferences that he’s more interested and concerned with his health now than his world ranking. Why do you think this is?

“I think anyone who has young kids would agree. He wants to be able to play with his kids. He wants to hit tennis balls with his kids, kick some soccer balls. I’m sure that’s what he’s thinking.

“It’s going to be a moment that will be re-lived and I hope Tennis Channel re-lives it for a long time. It’s a very powerful moment and it speaks to ... you needed to be there at 3 a.m. to experience it.”

Speaking of the Federer-Nadal 2008 Wimbledon final, is that the best or most compelling match you’ve ever called?

“Yes, it inspired ‘Strokes of Genius’ (both the book by Jon Wertheim and the Tennis Channel documentary film). It will never be replicated for rivalry, stakes, drama and setting. There were multiple rain delays, darkness, looming curfew ... all on the sport’s greatest stage.”

Robinson also noted some runners-up that he’s called: Venus Williams-Lindsay Davenport, Wimbledon final 2005; Andre Agassi-Pete Sampras, U.S. Open quarterfinals 2001, “four tie-break sets and (the) Ashe (Stadium crowd) gave them a standing ‘O’ before the fourth-set tie-break began; Jennifer Capriati-Justine-Justine Henin, U.S. Open semifinals 2003.

You’ve broadcast a variety of sports, including baseball, basketball, football, the Olympic Games. How did you get started broadcasting tennis?

“When Dick Enberg (longtime NBC tennis commentator) decided to move to CBS, NBC’s tennis producer reached out to gauge my interest. He had watched the U.S. Open frequently. And to further my cause, John McEnroe went to bat for me with Dick Ebersol. That’s a debt I can never repay!

“I started with NBC in 2000, worked Wimbledon through 2011, and just finished my 19th French Open for them.

“Tennis Channel started through a connection with Larry Meyers, their executive producer. I began on some Davis Cup ties and then some Legends/Seniors events. As I had left baseball, my availability for Tennis Channel increased. They have welcome me with more work each year. No surprise – they are essential for the sport!”

How does commenting on live matches on site, such as the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., compare with sitting in Tennis Channel’s Los Angeles studios doing “live” broadcasts remotely?

“The number of events that we go to and do live presentations is what we’re all doing this for. To come and spend a week here and be able to interact with the players, the coaches, the officials, the trainers ... that’s what’s important. At some point, we will reduce that. That will be the one trade off. The reality is that finances will dictate not just Tennis Channel but many channels that broadcast sports. Tennis Channel was actually at the front end of this.

“My 11-or-so years of working for Tennis Channel, we’ve been calling matches from our studios in Los Angeles quite a bit because it’s financially reasonable. It’s already bled into other sports on other networks – and it will continue. But this is the thing ... you can’t replace the personal touch and interaction, being here where the players see you, the players know you, they come sit at the desk with Justin (Gimelstob) all week – and Justin knows them. We do it here, we do it in Charleston (South Carolina), Houston, Indian Wells and, of course, the four majors.”

How so you interact with each of your tennis partners, such as John McEnroe and Mary Carrillo and Jim Courier? Do you prepare differently based upon who you are paired with?

“Everybody knows it’s no secret that John McEnroe has been the most important part of my tennis broadcasting career. I wouldn’t have had the chance to call Wimbledon or the French Open for NBC without his support. Gosh, I’ve called tennis 25 years with him – and John’s a friend. He’s a friend. He knows my family, I know his family. I’ve been to his home, he’s been to my home. That’s special. I have a different level of appreciation for him.

“John is simply one of the great analysts across any sport that I’ve worked in. Without question, he ranks up with the best. We’ve had a special relationship. I say this a lot, but I really mean it – and all of the names you’ve mentioned are all champions. Jim (Courier), Lindsay (Davenport), Chrissie (Evert), Martina (Navratilova), Tracy (Austin). I worked with Chrissie my first three years with NBC. Martina, Tracy and Lindsay here (with Tennis Channel) and Jim at USA Network and Tennis Channel. There’s no other sport where the greatest champions who played the sport ... almost all of them are commentators. That’s extraordinary! John has a special place because of the length of time we’ve been together and our friendship. That can’t be duplicated.”

Now that NBC no longer has the contract to broadcast Wimbledon, do you miss it?

“I went back to Wimbledon with Tennis Channel this year for the first time since the 2012 London Olympics, and I understood how much I missed it, how great it is. It’s very special. When you go back, you recognize it’s the one place that everyone has played the sport; the championship everyone dreams of winning no matter where they grew up or what surface they learned to play on. They want to win Wimbledon. The surface is now the outlier. There’s few tournaments played on grass, there’s fewer grass courts in America. I’ve never played on a grass court, have you?”

How did Tennis Channel approach its Wimbledon coverage differently from ESPN’s, aside from the fact that all of the matches it aired were on tape?

“A lot of the matches Tennis Channel was airing from Wimbledon were in the hours that people could watch them – and that was our strength. If you missed the live presentation on ESPN, you have a chance to watch it on Tennis Channel in more human hours. Tennis Channel just started doing this last year and I think it’s a very good service for the viewer, especially if you live in California, where live tennis is over by noon. Now, I get home at 4 o’clock in the afternoon and I didn’t see the Nadal match today ... put on Tennis Channel and there’s a pretty good shot we’re going to have it on.”

Will you go to the U.S. Open this year?

“No, I don’t go to the Open any longer because of my broadcast commitments with football. (Robinson is the radio play-by-play voice of the San Francisco 49ers.) Also, the way that television has changed there. Tennis Channel doesn’t call matches there any longer at the U.S. Open. I went back there a couple of years ago for Tennis Channel during the middle weekend, when ESPN would do its Bowling Green-Southern Mississippi football game (on Saturday night) instead of the Open. Those days are over.”

In addition to calling tennis, you also have broadcast baseball, basketball, football and Olympic sports such as springboard and platform diving and short-track speed skating. Do you have a favorite?

“That answer has changed a lot over the years. I used to think baseball, but I would say more now that I really appreciate the Olympics. The more I’ve done the Olympics, the more that I appreciate it. There’s something special about the Olympics. As corny as it sounds, having the world come together in relative peace every other year for two weeks is special. Wimbledon is special and I do love the atmosphere around college football. I enjoy going to stadiums. I enjoy the atmosphere of college football, the passion. College sports comes from the heart, whereas pro sports is more often from the head.”

Photo: By Michael Dickens © 2018.

At Roland Garros, Djokovic and his quest both embraced

Novak Djokovic / Kissing the Coupe, basking in the glory of tennis history.

What more could you ask for – No. 1 playing No. 2, Novak Djokovic versus Andy Murray. At stake was an opportunity for one player to be the first in 47 years to hold all four Grand Slam titles at once, while for the other it was a chance to be the first British male player since Fred Perry in 1935 to be champion of Roland Garros. Neither had won the French Open before. On Sunday, one of them would win, and when they did, they would get to hoist the Coupe de Mousquetaires, one of the great and exciting moments in tennis.

Pour le gagnant va la Coupe. À votre santé!

At Roland Garros, the Parisian crowd
loves to embrace its winners.

As evening began to fall over Court Philippe Chatrier, it became apparent to everyone witnessing the spectacle in person as well as to a world-wide television audience that this Grand Slam was Djokovic's to win. After losing in the final three of the last four years, Djokovic finally had reason to feel joyous. He finally got to experience the thrill of victory instead of the agony of defeat when he beat Murray, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4, to win the title.

When the last point had been played, Djokovic became the eighth man to complete a career Grand Slam in tennis – and the first since the iconic Rod Laver of Australia in 1969 to hold all four of the Grand Slam singles titles at the same time – when he won the 2016 French Open. Call it a Djoker Slam, if you wish. Soon, he used his tennis racquet to create a heart in the clay, then promptly lay down inside of it spread eagle, happy, and smiling all the while.

"It's a very special day, perhaps the biggest moment of my career," Djokovic, a 29-year-old from Serbia, said in French to what New York Times tennis columnist Christopher Clarey described as "the tough-to-conquer Parisian crowd that had gradually come to embrace him and his quest."

In witnessing Djokovic's historic four-set victory over Murray, Clarey wrote of the World No. 1: "He is quite a conundrum for the opposition with his elastic ground strokes, big serve and world-class returns. He can make a tennis court look dauntingly cramped as you face him across the net."

Gracious in defeat, Murray, the No. 2 seed from Great Britain, said of Djokovic: "This is his day today. What he's achieved in the last 12 months is phenomenal. Winning all four of the Grand Slams in one year is an amazing achievement. it's something that is so rare in tennis. You know it's not happened for an extremely long time, and it's going to take a long time for it to happen again. Everyone here who came to watch is extremely lucky to see it."

The champion and the Coupe / Djokovic enjoys
the day after in Paris.

Each year in late spring, the French Open in Paris serves as a grading period – a report card if you will – for professional tennis. It's the second of the year's four Grand Slam events – the others are the Australian Open in January, Wimbledon in late June and the U.S. Open in August near the end of summer  – and all the big names in men's professional tennis except 17-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer, seeded third, who pulled out with a back injury, came to famed Roland Garros to complete for the Coupe.

Soon after, No. 4 seed Rafael Nadal, himself the owner of 14 Grand Slam titles – including nine at Roland Garros – pulled out just before his third-round match with an injury to his left wrist that he developed coming into the tournament. His status for Wimbledon remains uncertain. So, it was left to Djokovic and Murray, among the Big Four, to carry on the fight to the end while dodging many rain delays – and worthy opponents, including last year's champion Stan Wawrinka – along the way during the second week of the fortnight. To the amazement of many, both the men's final as well as the women's final the day before, won by Garbiñe Muguruza of Spain in a huge upset over Serena Williams of the U.S., went on as scheduled.

"In the beginning, I was not glad to be part of their era," Djokovic said in reference to Federer and Nadal. Now, with 12 Grand Slams to his name, tying him with Australian great Roy Emerson for fourth on the career list and putting him within of Federer and Nadal, his attitude has changed. He said: "Later on I realized that everything happens for a reason. You're put in this position with a purpose, a purpose to learn and grow and evolve."

Photos: Courtesy of Google Images, 2016; Official Roland Garros poster art by Marc Desgrandchamps, 

Roland Garros: From inside the baselines, Wawrinka's moxie and power reigned during this Parisian fortnight

2015 French Open poster art by Chinese artist Du Zhenjun / 
Drawing upon his Asian roots and from contemporary Western art.

Each year in late spring, the French Open in Paris serves as a grading period -- a report card if you will -- for professional tennis. It's the second of the year's four Grand Slam events -- the others are the Australian Open in January, Wimbledon in late June and the U.S. Open in August near the end of summer  -- and all the big names in men's professional tennis came to famed Roland Garros to complete for the Coupe des Mousquetaires, or the Cup of the Musketeers.

A funny thing happened by the end of the red clay fortnight on Sunday: None of the elite Big Four -- Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray or Rafael Nadal -- won the Coupe. Instead, it was Stan Wawrinka, he of the funny plaid shorts and winner of one previous Grand Slam final -- the 2014 Australian Open -- who prevailed in come-from-behind fashion. At the end of the day, the Swiss raised the champion's trophy after beating Djokovic with moxie and precision power in four sets, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. A year ago, Wawrinka was a first-round loser. What a difference a year made for Stan the Man.

In leading up to Sunday's championship finale on Court Philippe Chatrier, three of the Big Four had fallen by the wayside: Federer was sent packing for Wimbledon in straight sets by Wawrinka in the quarterfinals; and Murray, the Scot who for the past year has been coached by French darling Amelie Mauresmo, took out David Ferrer in a tension-filled quarterfinal before he was stubbornly knocked out by Djokovic in a semifinal match that required two days to complete because of rain.

Meanwhile, last Wednesday, the much-anticipated men's singles quarterfinal match-up between World No. 1 Djokovic of Serbia and nine-time defending champion Nadal of Spain, who arrived in Paris as the sixth seed and whose usually-strong game on clay showing signs of weakness and fatigue, was won convincingly by Djokovic. He stunned Nadal in straight sets -- it wasn't even close -- and, thus, ended the King of Clay's reign in Paris.

What started two weeks ago with a 128-player draw played down to two by the last day: Djokovic, who only needed to win the French Open to complete a career Grand Slam, and Wawrinka, who has spent the past decade playing in the shadows of the more famous and acclaimed Swiss player, Federer. After Djokovic won the opening set 6-4, Wawrinka took his tennis to a new level by winning the next three sets -- playing "the match of my life" -- and, with it, the championship.

Stan Wawrinka /
2015 French Open champion

When the dust had settled on the famed Roland Garros stage, it was Wawrinka who dashed Djokovic's hopes of achieving a career grand slam. Afterwards, the 30-year-old Swiss walked into the interview room inside Court Philippe Chatrier. He hung a pair of his infamous plaid shorts over a table. No explanation was provided, just a sarcastic grin on his face. Later, when he was prompted to explain, Wawrinka said: "Everybody has been talking about these shorts since I put them on. I quite like them. Apparently I'm the only one. It's quite funny that they won the French Open."

Questionable fashion choices aside, Wawrinka was rock solid when it mattered and he showed against Djokovic that he was able to produce "big time tennis" by hitting 60 winners, no easy fete against the top player in the world. Djokovic had held a 17-3 lead over Wawrinka going into the final and had dominated the spring clay-court circuit by winning titles in Monte-Carlo and Rome. Wawrinka's world ranking improved over the fortnight from No. 9 to No. 4 with his French Open triumph, and he sealed the victory with a backhand winner.

"I'm very surprised at the way I finished the fourth set," admitted Wawrinka. "I was relaxed on my backhand side and I could hit some wonderful backhands. It's a rare feeling that you experience in a final against Djokovic. It's a great feeling.

"I'm still surprised that in two months I can win the French Open, because I wasn't in good shape after Monaco. It was a tough, tough moment for me. To say that now I won the French Open, it's something complete crazy."

Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka / 
During the trophy presentation.

When the final ended, Djokovic showed why he is always a class act in defeat. Pushed to tears, he paid full credit to Wawrinka in accepting the runner-up trophy during the on-court ceremony. It was his third final defeat on Court Philippe Chatrier, the others against Nadal.

Djokovic refused to use his own fatigue as a reason for losing. As a result of his forthright honesty, Djokovic received a prolonged standing ovation from the French crowd that was possibly the most emotional moment seen during a fortnight of tennis.

"Obviously was not easy to stand there as a runner-up again, but I lost to a better player who played some courageous tennis and deserved to win," said Djokovic, after his 28-match winning streak was ended by Wawrinka.

"I respect the appreciation the crowd showed me, and it was more or less the same situation like last year in (the) closing ceremony (after losing to Nadal). This is something that definitely gives me even more motivation to come back and keep on trying."

Djokovic continued: "There are two players who want to win this trophy, not just me. So I think people tend to create more of a story where it's just me.

"It feels like I'm the only player who wants to win this trophy and nobody wants to win it as much as I do. This is completely untrue. Every single player who is here, especially the top players, want to win this trophy as much as I do.

"Of course the finals of a grand slam and the grand slam I never won gives a special importance to my approach to the match. But I thought I started well. As I got into the match, that was not a major issue in terms of dealing with the pressure. It's just that he was better.

"At least I'm proud of the fight that I put into this match. I tried my best. It wasn't to be."

Photos: Courtesy of Getty Images; Google Images, 2015.

Roland Garros ~ Where the clay is red and the story lines are always a little unpredictable

Roland Garros 2012 poster art by Hérve Di Rosa /
 "Sensual mouthes and rebellious looks."

As world No. 1 Novak Djokovic began his quest on Monday to hold all four Grand Slam tennis titles at once by winning his first round match at the French Open ~ and Roger Federer and Andy Murray figure to advance deep into the second week of the Paris fortnight ~ Rafa Nadal entered this year's tournament as the defending champion and the favorite to make history on the red clay of Roland Garros.

Like Djokovic before him, the world No. 2 Nadal had no difficulty in defeating his first-round opponent, the 111th-ranked Simone Bolelli, on Tuesday afternoon on Philippe Chatrier Court, the main stadium at Roland Garros.

Each year in late spring, the French Open in Paris serves as a grading period ~ a report card ~ for tennis. It's the second of the year's four Grand Slam events ~ the others are the Australian Open in January, Wimbledon in June and the U.S. Open in August ~ and all the big names of tennis come to the famed Roland Garros to complete for the Coupe des Mousquetaires, or the Cup of the Musketeers.

With a 128-player singles draw for both men and women, there are plenty of interesting story lines among the top men's players emerging after just three days. Here's a few worth pointing out:

* Nadal is going after his seventh French Open singles title, which would surpass the record of six first set by the famed Bjorn Borg. The Spaniard won at Roland Garros in 2011 and is the pre-tournament pick to win it all, again. He is the undisputed "King of Clay".

* Djokovic is aiming to hold all four Grand Slam tennis titles at once. He has won the last three Grand Slams ~ Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open. A year ago, Djokovic reached the semifinals of the French Open before losing to world No. 3 Roger Federer en route to surpassing Nadal as the world's top-ranked player.

* As for Federer, he remains a very viable competitor and still possesses the talent and ability to win Grand Slams. With 16 career Grand Slams, including one French Open crown (2009), Federer would have to beat Djokovic in a potential semifinal match-up in order to meet Nadal in a dream championship final.

* Meanwhile, No. 4 Andy Murray has a new coach this year in three-time former French Open champion Ivan Lendl, who beat John McEnroe in an epic, five-set final at Roland Garros in 1984. If anyone can, perhaps Lendl can finally bring out Murray's potential and push him to loftier heights.

On the women's side of the French Open, in Tuesday's fading twilight that fell on Philippe Chatrier Court, unheralded Virginie Razzano of France, ranked 115th in the world, stunned perennial (13-time) Grand Slam champion and world No. 5 Serena Williams in a three-hour, three-set thriller that was anything but a routine first-round match ~ and it knocked the American out in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in her professional career after winning 46 consecutive first-round Grand Slam matches. The Tennis Channel commentators, broadcasting the match back to the U.S., called the dramatic and emotional loss by Williams a "monumental" and "stunning" defeat.

In a Grand Slam event that few Americans ~ men or women ~ ever fare well in, the early farewell by Williams, who was the last American to win a French Open title in 2002 and was thought of as a "sure thing" entering this year's Roland Garros with a 17-0 record on clay this spring, took everyone by surprise. Including Razzano, who said in a post-match interview while still on court that she just simply wanted to win the match. The last game of the match, alone, lasted a quarter of an hour. "Yes, I think there were some angels watching me up above. I'm going to enjoy this for a long time."

Finally, here's a feel-good story that involves a player little known outside of his native north African country of Tunisia. His name is Malek Jaziri and he's the 94th-ranked singles player in the world. He may not be a house-hold name to most, but he's got a Facebook page devoted to him created by fans from his home country.

Jaziri, 28, hails from Bizerte, Tunisia, and he's a first-time qualifier for the French Open. On Monday, he won his first round match against Philipp Petzschner of Germany on an outer court.

Meeting the media after his victory, Jaziri said that he's been an avid viewer of the French Open for many years and has been to Roland Garros before as a hitting partner for others. "It's a tradition back home in Tunisia. We all watch Roland Garros," said Jaziri. "Everyone in north Africa knows the tournament. I've dreamt about playing here since I was a kid. It's a dream come true. What's even better is that I didn't have to go through the qualification round like I did in the U.S. Open (last year), but went straight to the main draw."

Jaziri is the top-ranked player in Tunisia and the fourth-ranked player in north Africa. As long as he stays ranked in the top 100, he should be able to gain main draw status in Grand Slam tournaments. He said his goal is to be able to some day play Roger Federer. Next up for him in this year's French Open is a second-round match against Spaniard Marcel Granollers, ranked 23rd in the world, on Thursday. It will likely be assigned to one of the outer courts away from the big crowds filling up Philippe Chatrier Court and Suzanne Lenglen Court, the two largest show courts at Roland Garros.

"I'd love to play one of the greats like Federer," said Jaziri, who could only meet Federer at Roland Garros if both reach the final.  Give Jaziri credit. He's full of heart and he's got lofty goals.

"That's why I play tennis," he said. "To play on the big courts with the legends."

Image of 2012 Roland Garros poster art by French artist Hérve Di Rosa, courtesy of Galerie Lalong FFT 2012.

A love of American team sports: At what price?

The rest of the sporting world is catching up to America.

In his weekly sports commentary this morning on National Public Radio, commentator Frank Deford opined about how America's love of team sports comes at a price.

I have a deep admiration for Deford, an author and writer whose reporting and commentary includes: senior contributing writer for Sports Illustrated, commentator for NPR and correspondent for HBO's monthly sports magazine 'Real Sports'. Today, Deford said: "I've always thought that one of the best things about American sport is that we aren't dominated by one team game, as so much of the rest of the world is soccer-centric. That's why we can have our own American dream.  The dream of most other countries is simply to have their national soccer team do well." (Note to my friends around the world: What you call football, in the U.S. we call it soccer.)

Deford is absolutely right.  In America, we've always focused our devotion to team sports ~ baseball, American-style football, basketball and ice hockey come to mind ~ and we've turned college sports into a big multi-million-dollar business. Can high school sports be fare behind?

Looking up at No. 1 /
Vamos Rafa!

Meanwhile, I have found through many friendships I've made on Facebook that in other nations, their sports affection and devotion are monogamous.  For instance, my friends either root for Rafa Nadal or Novak Djokovic, but not for both. It's either "Vamos Rafa" or "Ajdee Nole". Switzerland's Roger Federer, like his native country, is a neutral presence. And, on the football pitch, the line is clearly drawn between fans rooting for either Real Madrid or Barcelona. For Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. You see, there's no waffling among my international friends when it comes to showing one's rooting interest.  It is pinned to their heart or worn on their sleeve for everyone to see ~ and I've grown to appreciate this.

Here in the U.S., Deford refers to American sports fans as "serial team fans". What this means is simple: You're either for the Yankees or the Mets if you live in New York, but dare not root for both. And, if you live in Chicago, you're either a Cubs fan ~ especially if you live on the North Side ~ or a White Sox fan if you're from the South Side. But you can't be a true Chicago baseball fan and root for both teams.

In a topsy turvy week that began with deadly tornadoes whipping through Alabama and beyond in the U.S., then continued with the splendid Will and Kate's Royal Wedding in London, and, finally, concluded Sunday night with President Obama announcing to the nation and the world the killing of Osama bin Laden, the U.S. has shown it has become less of a power in individual sports like tennis.

From the hard courts of Melbourne and Flushing Meadows to the red clay of Roland Garros to the pristine grass of Wimbledon, all of the reigning Grand Slam champions, except for Serena Williams at Wimbledon, are foreigners.  Sure, the Williams sisters have mostly been injured on and off for the past year. But, even if they were healthy, who's to say the outcome of any of the Grand Slam tournaments would have been any different? Still, it's a far cry from the days when John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Chris Evert were part of a dominating American presence in the Grand Slams.

Roger Federer/
In search of his 17th
Grand Slam singles title.

Now that the tennis calendar has shifted to the European clay court season in the lead up to this month's French Open, the focus is clearly on rest of the world.  The top four men's seeds at this week's Mutua Madrid Open ~ Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray ~ are from Spain, Serbia, Switzerland and Great Britain, respectively. After the first day of competition, all of the Americans except one had lost.  The lone exception, John Isner, had to defeat another American, Mardy Fish, to advance to the second round.   And, it was yet another clay-court disappointment for America's best player, Andy Roddick. The red clay that is a universal playing surface for much of the rest of the world, is still so very foreign to the American players.  It seems they can't wait to get to Wimbledon so they can play on grass, or to return home to America for the summer hard-court season leading up to the U.S. Open in August.

Yes, it is painfully obvious that the rest of the world has caught up with America in sports as it has in many other respects. And, as Deford concluded his commentary this morning, he said: "The cliche is that there's no 'I' in team. But more and more, when it comes to tennis and golf, there's no 'U.S' in world champion."

I couldn't agree more.

Thinking global, connecting through tennis

Tennis / Thinking global beyond borders.

It's been a long week with so much riveting news being made throughout the world, especially in Egypt.  Fortunately, it's rewarding to know that in these challenging times of unrest, a spirit of peace, sportsmanship and multiculturalism can exist and thrive through world sport.

Last weekend, the Australian Open crowned its 2011 champions in men's and women's singles.  The Americans didn't fare very well, while Serbia and Belgium did just the opposite.  And, when the new world rankings were announced on Monday, for the first time since the rankings began in 1975, the women's Top 10 players were from 10 different countries.  It's just another example of the global nature of tennis ~ and sport beyond borders ~ in an era when the United States is no longer a dominant force from the baseline or at the net.

Down under in Melbourne, basking in a glow of sunshine in the middle of summer, "The Grand Slam of Asia/Pacific" provided a couple of nice endings that got the 2011 tennis season off to a very promising start.  First, Kim Clijsters of Belgium proved that she is the best women's player in the world ~ bar none ~ as she defeated Li Na of China in three very competitive sets. It was the fourth career Grand Slam singles title for Clijsters, who improved her world ranking afterwards to No. 2.  Now, it's just a matter of time before she's No. 1 and, someday soon, Li will prove a worthy Grand Slam champion, too.

The following evening at Rod Laver Arena, Novak Djokovic of Serbia won his second Australian Open crown in straight sets over his boyhood friend, Great Britain's Andy Murray. Throughout the fortnight, the acrobatic Djokovic showed his shot-mastery and fortitude, dropping only one set in seven matches and dispatching defending champion Roger Federer in the semifinals.

In accepting the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup, awarded to the men's champion, Djokovic paused for reflection, choosing his words carefully, and thoughtfully projected a mature side of himself not always displayed on the court.  "There's been a tough period for our people in Serbia, but we are trying every single to day to present our country in the best possible way. So, this is for my country, Serbia," Djokovic said, clutching the trophy.

Both matches brought out a lot of great qualities in each of the finalists, and above all, there was a tremendous display of sportsmanship shown by Clijsters, Li, Djokovic and Murray. The multicultural crowds for both finals, many waving flags and holding up tasteful banners of support, applauded politely and respectfully.  After all, this was the Happy Slam.  Added up, it gives us hope for the future of the sport, even if there isn't always an American ~ or Roger Federer ~ playing on the final day of a Grand Slam.

As noted earlier in this post, the new WTA (Women's Tennis Association) rankings released this week show the Top 10 players hail from 10 different countries.  It's like a United Nations of tennis with Denmark, Belarus and Australia all having representation on the court.

"Having 10 different players represent the top 10 rankings shows how truly global tennis has become," WTA Chair and CEO Stacey Allaster said in a statement after the release of the latest rankings.

The women's Top 10:  1. Caroline Wozniacki, Denmark; 2. Kim Clijsters, Belgium; 3. Vera Zvonareva, Russia; 4. Francesca Schiavone, Italy; 5. Sam Stosur, Australia; 6. Venus Williams, U.S.; 7. Li Na, China; 8. Jelena Jankovic, Serbia; 9. Victoria Azarenka, Belarus; 10. Agnieska Radwanska, Poland.

And, the 11th ranked player, Shahar Peer, is from Israel. Thirty of the top 60 are from different nations.  Plus, Schiavone is the first Italian to break into the top five, and Li is the first Chinese player to reach No. 7.

Thinking global, connecting the world peacefully with tennis racquets instead of igniting chaos with stones.

Photograph by Michael Dickens (2004) from the Museum of the French Federation of Tennis, Stade Roland Garros, Paris.

Greatest match ever in the greatest place

It took 11 hours, 5 minutes and 183 games ~ spread over three days ~ before the longest match in tennis history finally ended at 4:48 p.m. local time on Thursday afternoon with American John Isner prevailing 70-68 in the fifth set over Nicolas Mahut of France in a first-round gentlemen's singles match at Wimbledon.

If the final tally looked impossible or, worse, a misprint in your morning newspaper, make no mistake.  The final result on the Court No. 18 scoreboard, which had to be reprogrammed after Wednesday evening's suspension of play, was full of a lot of crooked numbers ~ and most of them were in Isner's favor: 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 70-68.

The headline in Friday's New York Times hailed the epic match:

Game, Set, and 3 Days Later, Match.

It drew a hardy mention from a World Cup announcer during the broadcast of the Italy-Slovakia match on ESPN when the score of the last set was 67-all.

By Day 3, the Isner-Mahut marathon match had become the talk of the tournament, if not the world, and nearly upstaged the royal visit by Her Majesty The Queen.  It's too bad Queen Elizabeth II didn't make time to stay late and venture over to the quaint Court No. 18 during her first visit to the All England Club in 33 years. If she had, she could have rubbed shoulders with a few hundred enthusiastic spectators, including John McEnroe and Woody Allen.  Imagine, a tea time threesome with the queen, McEnroe and Allen.  Instead, the queen, 84, preferred to call it a day after spending a couple of hours in the Royal Box at Centre Court watching Andy Murray, Britain's best and only hope for winning a singles title this year, who put on a pretty good show for everyone in defeating Jarkko Nieminen of Finland in conventional straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

In fairness, the queen's itinerary was scripted to the minute, which earlier included a brief walk about the hallowed grounds, lunch with tennis royalty, including Roger Federer and Martina Navratilova (the main course: orange and honey marinated chicken on fruity couscous with roasted vegetables), and an appearance in the front row of the Royal Box surrounded by her cousin, the Duke of Kent, and Virginia Wade, the last Englishwoman to win Wimbledon in 1977 ~ coincidentally, the last time the queen paid a visit to Wimbledon, during her Silver Jubilee year.

For the record, Queen Elizabeth II arrived on schedule at Centre Court at 1 p.m. sharp, attired in a light blue dress and matching hat and sunglasses.  The crowd gave the queen a standing ovation and she acknowledged the crowd with a polite, royal wave with her white-gloved left hand.  At least, that's how I remember seeing it on TV, although I admit I was still half-asleep at 5 a.m. Pacific Time. The British newspaper, The Guardian, described Her Majesty's arrival in a slightly more colorful manner:  "The crowd whooped and cheered as she materialised, resplendent in a turquoise gown with matching inverted flower-pot hat."

No worries, the important matter is this: By all accounts, it appeared that Queen Elizabeth II enjoyed a pretty good time during her visit to SW19 on Thursday, and in return, the All England Club put on a jolly good show for the royals  ~ and, the tradition of bowing on Centre Court, albeit for one match, made a nice comeback.

A postscript: OK, I'll admit it.  Like many tennis fans who collectively held their breath, I became hooked by the Isner-Mahut marathon of all matches, starting from twentysomething-all on Wednesday.  I invested about four hours of my time on Wednesday, watching and tracking the tennis match on TV, which followed the euphoria of the Landon Donovan goal that gave the U.S. a stunning 1-0 victory over Algeria in the World Cup.  So, coming back to watch the conclusion of the tennis match on Thursday morning was a given.

Even though I didn't favor one player over the other, I hoped the match would have a happy ending.  Finally, it did after Isner held serve to go ahead 69-68 and, then, for the first time in the decisive fifth set, broke Mahut.  In the end, both Isner and Mahut were winners, and they will be forever linked by this match.  Even, if only one player would emerge as the victor and earn the right to play on in the second round.

After being embraced at the net by Isner, his opponent for three days, Mahut put things in proper perspective. "We played the greatest match ever in the greatest place to play tennis."

Federer: A champion and a gentleman

OK, I'll admit it ~ I'm an unabashed Roger Federer fan and have been for a long time. In 2008, I had a brush with greatness moment when I got to see Rog hit on a practice court while attending the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla. during a family vacation. So, what's not to like about a champion and a gentleman who exudes talent, confidence and a warm, friendly personality?

On a summer Sunday night down under in Melbourne, Federer won his 16th career Grand Slam tennis championship as he won the Australian Open men's singles title for the fourth time in his career. Federer's convincing 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (13-11) victory over Andy Murray added to his record for men's Grand Slam singles titles and served to solidify his place in in the tennis history books. It happened while I slept, Melbourne being 19 hours ahead of the U.S. west coast.

Even adulation has it's limits.

Yet, I woke at 6 a.m. PST to hear good news of Federer's victory as reported on NPR's "Weekend Edition Sunday," then, happily watched a taped replay of ESPN's coverage over breakfast a few hours later.

And I enjoyed every moment of it.

You see, Federer brings out the best in his opponents ~ and he raises the level of their games, too.

The third set tie-break, alone, showed why Federer, at 28, is an all-court master tennis craftsman ~ he overcame five set points by the younger Murray, 22, and, finally, won 13-11 on his third championship point.

Throughout the match, the always-motivated Federer excelled in all facets of his game ~ the first serve, the powerful forehand, the pinpoint one-handed backhand, the court speed, the deft touch, the mental toughness. He is a thinking-man's player and an independent one, too, who does not have a full-time coach like most other players on the tour.

By the end of Sunday's championship final, after more than two and one-half hours of emotion-filled tennis from both players, Federer seemed as fit as he was at the beginning of the match. And, his court mastery brought Murray to tears like Rafa Nadal did to him a year ago when Federer lost the 2009 final in a five-set thriller.

"I'm over the moon winning this thing" Federer said during the on-court trophy presentation after his victory. "I've played some of the best tennis of my life over the last two weeks."

In the final week alone, Federer, a native of Basel, Switzerland, beat the Australian Lleyton Hewitt in the Round of 16, the Russian Nikolay Davydenko in the quarterfinals and the Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinals before facing the Scot Murray, whom he defeated in the finals of the 2008 U.S. Open.

Some day, Murray will win a Grand Slam ~ even if, as Federer quipped after his semifinal victory in an on-court interview with former great Jim Courier: "I know he'd like to win the first for British tennis in, what is it, like 150,000 years?" It drew laughter. Federer sure knows how to work a 15,000-seat arena crowd. "The poor guy has to go through those moments over and over again," he added.

You, see, not since British tennis great Fred Perry did 74 years ago has a player from the U.K. won a Grand Slam men's singles title. Like everyone since Perry, Murray came up just a little short against Federer, whom he enjoyed a 6-4 lifetime record before Sunday.

"I can cry like Roger," Murray said on the awards platform after the match, his voice choking with each word. "It's a shame I can't play like him."

Everyone loves a worthy champion and Federer currently reigns supreme on all tennis surfaces ~ hard court, clay and grass. However, what I like best about Federer is this: He exudes other noble qualities often lacking in today's sporting arena, namely good sportsmanship, whether in victory or defeat. On Sunday night, Rog was all smiles, but he also graciously congratulated Murray as well as the Australian fans.

Finally, what's not to like about the maturing Federer winning his first Grand Slam since becoming a father of twin girls last summer? His wife, Mirka, and his unassuming parents were in the the Friend's Box to appreciate Federer's latest achievement. Nice folks, those Federers.

"You know, I really want to try to enjoy, you know, my end to my career," Federer spoke to the crowd "because I've reached already so many goals I thought were never possible."

Spoken like a worthy champion and a wonderful gentleman.