Steps to the success

Aug 17: Roger Federer has finally achieved his long-time dream of being an Olympic champion by winning an Olympics Gold with his good friend, Stan Wawrinka at the doubles. What a glorious day!

July 31: This devastating month of July will be viewed by fans and historians as a key turning point in Roger's career. From a heart-wrenching loss in the Wimbledon final to his twolosses in the hard court master series, the four years at the top has taken its toll. It's likely that is his Number One streak of 234 consecutive weeks will come to a screeching halt. "It's a pity", as Roger would say..

June 22: Against the green background of grass courts, Roger won Halle for the fifth time. The timing was impeccable to erase the disappointing memory of losing the final at Roland Garros the last three years.

Apr 25: Roger is back with a bang as he won a sensational match at Monte Carlo against his famous nemesis, David Nalbandian. Signs are here that Roger is finally fighting off the flu, lack of conditioning and match fitness. Now he plays Djokovic, to whom he lost at the Australian Open.

Mar 1: At Australian Open, after the stomach sickness, a tough 5-setter with Tipsarevic and loss in semi-finals against Djokovic, Federer gave a great, exhaustive interview as he starts Dubai Open this week. And he won the fourth straight Laureus and first to do so. Congrats Roger!

Dec 15: A nice video to wrap up the year. Great shots of Federer from 2007. Happy Holidays!


Sep 09: After a great summer on hard courts, winning at Cincy and finals at Montreal, Federer won his fourth consecutive US Open against wind, great fight from Djokovic and bomb serves from Isner and Roddick. Truly a great classy effort for his 12th Grand slam. Check out this great article. "Surely, watching Federer is the closest any of us will get to paradise on earth in a sports arena." claims this awesome article.

July 15: Federer did it with panache to a 5-peat at Wimbledon, as this commentary exclaims, "What Federer also did, and really only he could, was in one match pay homage to an entire history of tennis. He saluted Bill Tilden’s generation with his attire, honoured Laver’s grand Australians with his manners, Connors with his spirit, McEnroe with his art, Borg with five Wimbledon wins, and when he twice was 15.40 in the fifth, and used serves to extricate himself from distress, one word flew across the mind: Sampras." Can't say much better, can we?

June 23: The grass is always greener as Wimbledon is this Sunday! Roger fans unite and give him a big wish as he aims to match history in the next two weeks.

June 10: With a heart-breaker final against Nadal on the red clay, Federer skipped Halle to rest his minor injury. He has made the finals of 8 consecutive grand slam finals. Never done before!!

May 23: After breaking with his coach, Roger was on fire (crazy rally, reaction) against Nadal at Hamburg masters. With his fourth clay masters, Roger is on perfect timing for Roland Garros. Good luck Roger on the looming French Open test.

May 13: After his shock defeat at Rome Masters, Federer has fired his part-time coach, Tony Roche just before Hamburg.

May 9: Roger won his fourth dubai title in March, before tumbling to Canas twice in Indian Wells and Miami. With the clay season well underway, Federer was denied his title at Monte Carlo by Nadal. Back with coach Roche, Federer is busy training and playing at Rome. Check out this awesome Vogue 9-page article on Roger with cool pics!!

Jan 29: Roger Federer does what he does the best. He won his third Australian Open to raise his slam count to 10 slams. Woot !! Do check out this great article - Federer immune to the laws of sport.

Jan 24: As Roger gets to play Roddick tommorow at the Australian Open SF, enjoy this great article by Jake Niall.

Jan 9: Roger Federer plays in Kooyong exhibition this week before he defends his crown at the Australian Open. In his vacation, he went to India as an UNICEF ambassador to mark the second aniversary of the tragic tsunami and says, "I have spent a lot of time with the children and I think I now know each of them by their first name, Children are our future, and for that reason I have tried to inspire them." What a great champ !! (also a video).


Nov 19: Federer finished the year with an impressive win at the Masters Cup in Shanghai. With it, he will break the Jimmy Connors record of consecutive weeks at number one. He would do so sometime after the upcoming Australian Open. Federer plays Nadal again in an exhibition on Nov 22. After a short break, he will be in Doha to practice with Coach Roche before starting his next season. Wishing you happy holidays !!

Oct 29: Federer finally won his first home town title this week at Basel against Gonzalez. After his emotional loss in 2001 against Henman (video) and 2002, Federer was over-joyed at his win. Highlights of all his matches this year are here. And here's the gorgeous trophy.

Oct 22: Roger won his 10th title this year at Madrid and has done so for the last three years. Roger won Tokyo with the blog-power, and Madrid after his impressive victory against Gonzalez. The eventful tourney concluded with models as ball girls and champagne celebrations. And the now popular 'shhh' from Berdych.



Sep 10: Against an inspired Andy, Roger won a tight US Open final for his 9th Grandslam. Congrats Roger !! Tiger Woods was in Roger's box as they were both managed by IMG. Roger had a +50 differential with 69 winners and just 19 errors. Insane and simply mind-numbing !!! Also buy a Feder-bear that will be available soon as a part of the Roger's UNICEF charity initiatives.

Sep 2: In a rain-interrupted week at the US Open, Agassi and King has grabbed the headlines. Roger has been under the radar and he hit a magical shot (vid) against Henman yesterday. On a serious note, wanna spend an hour exclusively with Roger and Tony Roche? Humpty Dumpty foundation is auctioning (pdf) for its charity for children.

Aug 21: Federer won the canada masters after several 3-setters and an intense final against young gun Richard Gasquet before losing to Andy Murray in the 2nd round of Cincy Masters. He looked pretty tired after playing back-to-back masters and is now preparing for the US Open. Do check out this awesome article from David Wallace titled "Federer as Religious Experience" at NYTimes.

July 9: Federer does it in style as he wins his 4th straight Wimbledon. After a really rough draw and an unexpected final against Nadal, finally Federer conquered his nemesis to grab his 8th Grand Slam. Congrats Roger. And May all the federer fans rejoice !! Do check out this classic camaraderie picture and video [Thanks beernutz]. And also his post match interview. And do check out insider info [3rd post] about his jacket. And some pics.

June 20: Wimbledon is finally here and Roger got his fourth Halle title. Considering it is just the week after Paris, Roger brought his fitness trainer Pierre Paganini with him. It is remarkable how he went through a tough draw and transistioned to grass. Read his post-match interview after his final against Tomas Berdych. By the way, Max Mirnyi is blogging this week at ATP.

June 12: Roger showed why he is a class-act with his post-match interview after his heart-breaking defeat at the hands of the young Rafael Nadal and his French Open Blog. Roger admitted he didn't play as well as he has played at earlier matches. It surely is disappointing the way he approached from the second set after his stellar set. Anyways, on to the greener lusher Wimbledon. He plays Halle this week.

May 22: Next week is the French Open, with Federer and Nadal as top two seeds. Meanwhile checkout the transcript of the Federer's radio interview. It is very nice, frank and honest interview ranging from his one-dimensional comment to his childhood crush with Gabriella Sabatini. Here is the Part One and Part Two of the interview. Also see this video of the amazing shot a few years back against roddick [Thanks a guy]. And yes, he does it with style. Roger wins his second consecutive Sportsman of the Year title at the Laureus World Sports awards !! Congrats, Roger.

May 14: Roger played against clay king Nadal in a five hour five setter marathon match with 3 tiebreaks and lost a heartbreaker. Scoreline, 7-6(0), 6(5)-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6(5)-7, says it all. Roger showed his heart as a true champion at the Rome Masters. Congrats to Nadal on tieing Guillermo Vilas's clay court win streak of 53.

May 1: Federer played in an exhibition match at Sierre. Here is a short clip and more pics here [Thanks Mrs.B]. Read all about the encounters of Roger and Nadal on clay (at Roland Garros 05 and Monte Carlo 06) in this excellent article.

Apr 24: Federer went down bravely against a red-hot nadal at Monte Carlo yesterday :(. But he got a nice measure of Nadal ahead of the French Open. Check out his post match interview (as well as Nadal's). In other news, Wimbledon still refuses equal pay for women :(

Apr 22: It's Federer vs Nadal on red clay tommorow. Do check out the scores here and live on computer here. Nadal is 3-1 head-to-head against Roger.

Apr 3: Federer became the first man to win back-to-back Double Masters in tennis after a tough fightout against Ivan Ljubicic yesterday. After a couple of weeks rest, he plays at Montecarlo masters, supposedly the closest to Roland Garros clay. Between, he joins an elite list as an UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in NY today. Check out the ATP's new page that celebrates his off-tennis charity work and his interview.

Mar 31: Just like his brilliant tennis against blake yesterday, Federer has signed an exclusive Memorabilia deal. Check out his Roger Federer Collection at Steiner Sports. Looks good to me.

Mar 20: Federer had his highs and lows last week and won decisively against James Blake for his 9th Tennis Masters Shield. If there is only one article that you ever want to read about Federer, Read this.

Mar 14: Federer is currently playing at the Pacific Life Open at IndianWells, CA. ATP has this cool highlight video thingy available for free here. Also check out the blogging series by various top ranked players participating in tournaments.

Mar 7: After playing sublime tennis for a set and half, Roger went down to Nadal in 3 sets at the Dubai Open Final. Check out his post-match interview.

Feb 27: If you are a fan of mobile games, check out this cool Federer game that can be played on a variety of phones and it just costs $7. Also, check out their demo.

Feb 03: A couple of stuff for the weekend: Do listen to the Tennis Podcast from Kevin McClure. It looks very exciting. Also read all about the federer's saga with sponsorship on this article.

Jan 29: Federer did it with amazing struggle and emotion at the Melbourne Park. He overcome challenges of his own with his ankle recovery and train-rolling-down with Baghdatis, one to watch in the years to come. Roger was clearly moved with Rocket Rod giving him his 7th Grand Slam. Write a poem about roger and win cool stuff. Deadline is Feb 6th. Do check out the video of Federer's speech during the trophy presentation from Rod Laver here. It was so wonderful to see Roger emotional and how much that trophy meant to him..

Jan 17: With the third title at Doha and exhibition matches at Kooyong, Federer is through to the second rd at the Aussie Open as a heavy favorite.

Jan 06: Federer starts his season with a bang as he is in the final defending his title at Doha against the exciting teenager Gael Monfils after winning over Tommy Haas. Tony Roche has been busy training Roger as well as giving interviews like this and that. Roger is also quoted on the media

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Federer’s Redemption – Five Time US Open Champion

Flushing Meadow, New York – Roger Federer set his own high standard for excellence when he went on an incredible run, picking up 12 grand Slam titles over five years and holding the World No.1 ranking for four years. Since winning his first Grand Slam at Wimbledon in 2003, Federer won at least two Grand Slam titles per year (in 2004, 2006 and 2007 he took home three).

In 2008, Federer failed to defend his Australian Open title when he lost to Novak Djokovic in the semis. His career worst Grand Slam final loss ever came at Roland Garros and his most heartbreaking loss was a five set epic at Wimbledon – both defeats where executed by Rafael Nadal who also managed to wrestle the No.1 ranking from Federer’s tight grip at the conclusion of the Beijing Olympics.

To say Federer’s 2008 season was a trial is no understatement as coupled with his setbacks the Swiss maestro faced an unprecedented stream of criticism as well as speculation of whether he was on the decline. That Federer lost to the usual suspects – Nadal and Djokovic – this season was fine. That he had an uncharacteristic high quota of weird losses in ATP tournaments to unusual suspects (Mardy Fish and Gilles Simon no less) and suffered a shocking defeat at the hands of James Blake at the Olympics all but contradicted Federer’s outward calm and seemingly unconcerned nature and had tennis bettors perplexed.

Nevertheless, with his US Open victory this week Federer salvaged his year. His lone Grand Slam title came when he defeated Andy Murray in straight sets on Monday.

Federer’s victory at the US Open brings him a fifth consecutive title in Flushing Meadows, making him the first player in history to take home five consecutive titles in two different Grand Slams: Wimbledon (2003-07) and US Open (2004-08). Federer now holds 13 Grand Slam titles just one shy of Pete Sampras’s all time record of 14.

Prior to the US Open Federer’s domination was relegated to the past. More than a few were ready to write him off permanently. That he weathered the storm of criticism, transcended setbacks and battled mononucleosis, shows us he is human, vulnerable and real. His inexhaustible will to win cannot be denied. Heck, the Wimbledon final (lauded to be the best ever in the history of the game) was a testament to that desire as he (and Nadal) gave everything they had and more on the luscious lawns of the All England Club. How quickly people forget. Yet, almost just as quickly, he gently reminded us how good he really is.
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Do I think we will see the Federer of old dominating the Grand Slam scene as he once did in 2009? Perhaps not! But is he done filling his trophy cabinet? Ha! Not a chance! Federer is a creature of habit. He has made a habit of winning and rewriting history and I expect that next year he will take the history books to task once again.

Pete Sampras once said “if he could win (at least) one Grand Slam title a year, I know it has been a good year for me.” Sampras won three Grand Slam titles after his 27th birthday. Federer only just turned 27 and already has more Grand Slam titles than Pete had at the same age. Makes you wonder how many more Federer can win if he continues to play well into his thirties?

Check out the Tennis Futures for the 2009 Australian Open, 2009 French Open and 2009 Wimbledon all ready available at BetUS Sportsbook.

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Matt Cronin's Day 10 Analysis

Fish defeats Monfils

Safina Smashes

Nadal focuses

Del Potro Hits

Murray Hits

1-RAFAEL NADAL V. MARDY FISH

Fish was adamant in saying that his old-school attacking game can threaten Nadal, and maybe it can on a great day. But what cannot be dismissed is that Nadal is 4-0 lifetime against Fish and has never lost any of the 10 sets they've played, and two matches were played on grass and the other two on hardcourts.

So while a zoning Fish with a raucous crowd behind him can do damage, the world's top player won't be walking on court shaking in his shoes. He must have a good idea as to how to return Fish's serves proficiently enough, how to pass him when he's climbing all over the net, how to exploit the American's weaker forehand.

Nadal did not play very well in his four-set win over Sam Querrey, and Fish played great in throttling Gael Monfils. That's the major positive that Fish can take into this match -- that maybe he'll continue to kiss the corners, while Nadal will be content hugging the middle of the court.

This is a pretty simple call. Will Nadal's excellent returning, mind-boggling passing shots and tireless play from the backcourt be enough to hook the streaking Fish, or can Mardy serve and volley his way to the year's biggest upset? The answer is pretty clear: Nadal will lose his way for a set and a half, but Mardy is due to come back to earth and will fall in four hard-fought sets.

6-ANDY MURRAY V. JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO

There seems to be a mini-blood feud boiling here, as back in May at Rome, Andy Murray accused the 19-year-old Argentine of insulting his mother, Judy, during a heated match. "I haven't spoken to him since, so whether there is unfinished business or not, it's just another tennis match to me,” Murray said. “Whether I like Del Potro or not does not really make any difference. I wasn't great friends with him before. I don't need to be friends with him now.”

Murray said the incident doesn't bother him any more, but Del Potro's form just might. The tall and deceptively fast Argentine has won 23 straight matches and seems to have all the makings of a top-5 player to be. He owns a big serve and crushing forehand and is competing very well, despite having played a tremendous amount during the past two months.

But Murray is in better form, is a smart player and knows how to blunt big servers. He was near perfect in crushing Stan Wawrinka and realizes that this should by all rights be his breakout Slam. His first serve is to be feared when he's in the zone, his groundstrokes are thoughtful, and his return is world-class.

Del Porto will go straight at him and will be difficult to break, but the Argentine hasn't faced such an intelligent competitor yet. Del Potro is sure to be pumped and produce plenty of fireworks for a set and a half, but Murray will get into his head and come through in four sets.

6-DINARA SAFINA V. 16-FLAVIA PENNETTA

Going into their final-round clash in LA about six weeks ago, I tried to conceive of a way that Pennetta could take down Safina, and I could only think of one: if the Russian grew tired and erratic and the Italian played super steady and with force. That didn't occur, and Pennetta was clearly out-classed in the match.

Safina is a superior player when she's on, so much of the same scenario will occur here: will Safina, who said she nearly pulled out of her previous contest because she's fried after a long summer, give in to her tired legs and mind, or will she finally see the goal line in sight and unleash her incredibly impressive game?

The thought here is that the Russian will, because after two days of rest and re-focus, she should be ready to let it all hang out. When she does, she serves and strokes the ball too firmly for Pennetta, who has done all she could this year to push herself to her limits but may have topped out in ability. She can certainly out-steady Safina if the Russian gets in a funk, is well conditioned and is a terrific fighter, but Dinara will convince herself that the only way to end her summer on a positive note is to go deeper here and win in straight sets. She has to crave a clash with a Williams sister in the semis, and she'll get one.

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Mardy Fish

Background Country:   United States of America Birth Date:   9 December 1981 Birthplace:   Edina, Minnesota, USA Residence:   Tampa, Florida, USA Height:   6 ft. 2 in. (1.88 meters) Weight:   180 lbs. (81.8 kilos) Plays:   Right Year Turned Pro:   2000 Current 52 week rank for singles:   35 Current ATP Champions Race Position:   25 Current doubles rank:   70 High rank for singles:   17 High rank date for singles:   22 March 2004 High ATP Champions Race Position:   7 High ATP Champions Race Position Date:   29 January 2007 High rank for doubles:   65 High rank date for doubles:   19 August 2002 Career matches won:   165 Career matches lost:   140 Year to date matches won:   26 Year to date matches lost:   20 Career prize money:   $2,926,577 Year to date prize money for singles:   $588,768 Year to date prize money for doubles:   $57,459 Bio information courtesy of the ATP

Grand Slam Singles Results:
Year	Australian Open	Roland Garros	Wimbledon	US Open
2000	-	-	-	1ST
2001	-	-	1ST	1ST
2002	2ND	-	-	2ND
2003	3RD	1ST	3RD	2ND
2004	1ST	-	2ND	2ND
2005	2ND	1ST	-	1ST
2006	-	-	3RD	2ND
2007	QF	-	1ST	2ND
2008	3RD	2ND	1ST	-

Grand Slam Doubles Results:
Year	Australian Open	Roland Garros	Wimbledon	US Open
2001	-	-	-	3RD
2002	1ST	2ND	1ST	2ND
2003	1ST	-	-	1ST
2005	QF	-	-	-
2006	-	-	-	2ND
2007	2ND	-	-	-

Round	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Q-F	S-F	F
Matches Played	1	1	1	1
5 Set Matches	0	0	0	0
4 Set Matches	1	1	0	0
3 Set Matches	0	0	1	1
Sets Played	4	4	3	3
Tie Breaks Played	2	0	1	0
Total Games	45	36	31	28
Winners	52	44	55	49
Return Games Won	4	4	5	6
Server Points Won	102	72	66	64
Unforced Errors	58	27	28	28
Total Points	156	106	106	105
First Serves In	74	60	56	45
% 1st Serves In	47	60	57	46
Total Aces	15	27	16	5
Total Double Faults	7	0	4	5
1st Serve Pts won	58	51	47	36
% 1st Srv Pts Won	78	85	83	80
% 2nd Srv Pts Won	48	52	41	50

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Paes-Dlouhy in US Open quarters

NEW DELHI: Past months have been a roller coaster ride for Indian ace tennis player Leander Paes. It all started with an unceremonious exit in the men's doubles at the Bejing Olympics. After much fuss, Lee paired with Mahesh Bhupathi only to bow out in the quarters where Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka tamed the Indians 6-2, 6-4. Paes also stepped down as the Davis Cup captain, ending a tumultous two-year reign that saw a players' revolt against him in February. So amidst all this, while the nation had little expectations from Lee to have any success at the US Open, the Indian ace has done it again. Partnering Czech Lukas Dlouhy, Leander Paes has made it to the quarter-finals of the US Open. Paes' best performance with Dlouhy this year at the Grand Slams has been making the semi-finals at Wimbledon and his performances at the Australian and French have been less than impressive. At the US Open they have had to work hard to get to the last eight. In the first round they battled to score a three-set win over the Spanish combine of Oscar Hernandez and Albert Montanes. They then overcame a second set lapse to quell the challenge of Eduardo Schwank of Argentina and Potito Starace of Italy 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 in their second round. And in the 3rd round they comprehensively beat Rik De Voest and Ashley Fisher 6-3, 6-3. The stakes are high for Leander after some disappointing performances this year and he will be hoping to end the final Grand Slam on a high.

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Paes-Dlouhy in US Open quarters

New York(PTI): Seventh seeds Leander Paes and his Czech partner Lukas Dlouhy advanced to the US Open men's doubles quarterfinals with a comfortable straight-set victory over South African Rik De Voest and Australia's Ashley Fisher here.

The Indo-Czech pair beat their rivals 6-3, 6-3 in a lopsided third round encounter.

Paes and Dlouhy will now take on the winners of the other third round match between the top seeded Canadian-Serb pair of Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic and Robert Lindstedt (Sweden) and Jarkko Niemein.

Among the juniors, 12th seed Yuki Bhambri beat American Denis Kudla 6-2, 5-7, 6-3. The 16-year-old will next take on unseeded Serb Filip Krajinovic.

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Del Potro and Nishikori: Two Teens Electrify on the Big Stage

Del Potro Forehand

Nishikori Fist

Del Potro Stretches

Nishikori Service

Sunday, August 31, 2008
By Neil Schlecht

The tennis world is accustomed to overachieving teens in the women’s game: Chrissie, Tracy, Martina. But their presence is more of a rarity in the big-hitting men’s game, where late-maturing boys usually take a few years before becoming men on tour.

Witness Donald Young.

But two teens from disparate parts of the world – one a surging tennis powerhouse, the other better known for its electronics and sushi – have taken the US Open by storm and, on the strength of respective down-to-the-wire, five-set matches, reached the final 16.

Juan Martín del Potro, 19, from Argentina, and Kei Nishikori, 18, from Japan, both electrified crowds on show courts in day matches that went deep into the night on Friday. Side-by-side and back-to-back, Del Potro and Nishikori toiled for nearly four hours apiece to push into the fourth round.

There the two teens will meet . . . each other.

Monday’s matchup won’t just be a battle to determine the top teen; it may gauge who is ready to issue a manly challenge to the rulers of the men’s game.

Del-Po, the Enano

Rafael Nadal isn’t the hottest player on tour. That distinction goes to Del Potro, who’s strolling through the summer on a 22-match win streak. The Argenteen has won four tournaments since July – becoming the first player to win his first four titles in four straight tournaments.

As a reward, Del Potro has rocketed up the rankings. In July he was No. 65; by the start of the US Open, he had reached a career-high of 17. Along the way he has notched wins over Andy Roddick and Richard Gasquet.

Del Potro, from the small city of Tandil, five hours south of Buenos Aires, hardly looks the part of a newcomer. The lanky 6-foot-6 right-hander, nicknamed “Enano” (Dwarf) and “Palito” (Twig), has an imposing game of forceful groundstrokes and a big, 130-mph-plus serve. The Argentine takes a massive windup on his forehand and crushes the ball deep into the corners. Unlike most of his compatriots (of whom there were 10 in the draw at the start of the US Open), who are more at home on clay, Del Potro prefers hard courts (even though two of his titles this summer were on European dirt).

After his 3-hour, 47-minute third-round victory over Gilles Simon, another player who’s had a personal-best summer, Del Potro said: “It was punishing, a battle. At the end, neither of us had anything left.”

“One day of rest won’t be enough; I need a month,” he added. “But I can’t complain.”

A First for Japan

The baby-faced and much slighter Kei Nishikori, ranked No. 126, is the youngest player remaining in the men’s draw and the youngest to reach the last 16 here since Marat Safin did it in 1998.

To get there, Nishikori scored the knockout of the tournament so far, toppling No. 4 seed David Ferrer, a US Open semifinalist last year. Nishikori snatched the first two sets but had to battle cramping in the third and fourth to come back to win the hour-long final set against the indefatigable Spaniard. The improbable win delighted the boisterous Armstrong Stadium crowd – which included Nishikori’s countrywoman, Ai Sugiyama, who made her way over to support him after her loss to Serena Williams.

The victory over Ferrer was Nishikori’s second over a top-20 player. Earlier this year Nishikori raised eyebrows when, as a qualifier ranked No. 244 in the world, he won his first career ATP title, beating James Blake in the final of Del Ray Beach. Nishikori also managed to take a set off Nadal on the grass at Queen’s Club, just two weeks before Nadal captured the Wimbledon crown.

Nishikori, from the coastal city of Shimane, Japan, moved – alone – to the U.S. at the age of 14 to attend the Bolletieri Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

“I couldn't speak English,” he said. “I was so nervous. I was like scary everything, all the American people.”

Nishikori is more than just raw potential. Against Ferrer, he demonstrated surprising polish and poise. When Ferrer stormed back to take sets three and four, few could have imagined that the teen, playing the biggest match of his career, could hang tough – overcoming cramps, no less – against a veteran known as a gritty competitor who never gives up.

When Nishikori struck a forehand winner to close out the match, he fell on his back as though he had just been crowned champion. That, he isn’t – not yet – though he is the first Japanese man to reach the US Open’s final 16 in the Open era.

The youngster looked shaky in an on-court interview, his legs visibly quivering. “I couldn't even move after the match,” he admitted.

For their efforts, Del Potro and Nishikori now take to the court on Labor Day, fittingly enough. The outcome may well depend on which of the exhausted teenagers has recovered from his previous match.

But they’re young, right?

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GOLF NEWS

Tiger Woods considered his U.S. Open win "probably the greatest tournament I've ever had."(Getty Images)

Woods tops Mediate in 19 holes for 14th major

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- With a throbbing knee and a pounding heart, Tiger Woods made one last improbable escape Monday and won the U.S. Open in a 19-hole playoff over Rocco Mediate, his 14th career major and maybe the most amazing of them all.

Tiger Woods embraces his caddie Steve Williams after the win.(Getty Images)

Related

Hole-by-hole scoring
Notes from the playoff
U.S. Open playoff history
Monday's best pics
Quotes: Woods
Quotes: Mediate

One shot behind after a collapse no one saw coming, Woods birdied the 18th hole to force sudden death at Torrey Pines against a journeyman with a creaky back who simply wouldn't go away.

But that one extra hole was enough to doom Mediate, trying to become the oldest U.S. Open champion at 45 years, 6 months.

He put his tee shot in the bunker at No. 7, knocked his approach off a cart path and against the bleachers, chipped some 18 feet past the hole and missed the par putt.

On the verge of one of golf's greatest upsets, Mediate instead became another victim.

"Great fight," Woods told him as they embraced on the seventh green.

Woods, who delivered so many spectacular moments over four days along the Pacific bluffs, only needed a two-putt par to win the U.S. Open for the third time, and the first since it last was held on a public course at Bethpage Black in 2002.

It capped a remarkable week for the world's No. 1 player, who had not played since April 15 surgery on his left knee and looked as though every step was a burden. But the knee held up for 91 holes, and the payoff was worth the pain, even if doctors had warned him that he risked further injury by playing the Open.

"I'm glad I'm done," Woods said. "I really don't feel like playing anymore. It's sore."

Woods joins Jack Nicklaus as the only players to capture the career Grand Slam three times over.

Mediate's odyssey began two weeks ago when he had to survive a sudden-death playoff simply to qualify for this U.S. Open. Even more unlikely was going toe-to-toe with Woods -- whom Mediate referred to as a "monster" -- and nearly slaying him.

He had a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to win, but it slid by on the left.

Mediate struggled to keep his emotions after taking bogey on the first extra hole, but he walked off Torrey Pines with 12,000 new friends who crammed both sides of every fairway for a playoff that was tighter than anyone imagined.

"Obviously, I would have loved to win," he said. "I don't know what else to say. They wanted a show, they got one."

Did they ever.

TORREY PINES KNOWLEDGE, SHOTMAKING HELPS WOODS OVERCOME PAIN
By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.com Managing Editor

LA JOLLA, Calif. -- We may never know the true extent of the pain Tiger Woods endured this week with his surgically repaired left knee, or the limitations he faced on the torque and flexibility required to play the kind of golf no one else can match. He spent the entire week at the U.S. Open trying to downplay the matter, to answer as succinctly as possible -- usually with one word, sometimes just with a slight nod -- when asked about his health.

Woods

But we saw the grimaces. We saw how he needed two clubs, acting as canes, to get out of a bunker. We saw him hobble and limp at times, a somewhat disturbing image for a golfer who's still in the prime of his career and remains the fittest on the PGA TOUR. Tiger didn't need to tell us he was hurting, that he wasn't 100 percent. We could see it.

In his own way, though, Woods finally did offer an indication that winning the U.S. Open on Monday was nothing short of a miracle. After all, he essentially defied doctors' concerns that he might suffer long-term damage to his knee by playing this week. Then he held up under 72 holes, making all the big shots when he needed them. Then another 18 holes in a playoff with Rocco Mediate -- and as if that weren't enough, still another sudden-death hole before finally subduing the pesky and endearing Rocco.

MEDIATE PROVES HE CAN HANDLE THE PRESSURE
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents

LA JOLLA, Calif. -- He said he didn't want to get his butt handed to him.

Mediate

And Rocco Mediate certainly didn't. In fact, the part of his anatomy that was most evident Monday during his 18-hole playoff with Tiger Woods to decide the 108th U.S. Open was his heart.

He may not have won the match -- Woods closed him out on the first hole of sudden death and the 91st the two had played at Torrey Pines this week -- but Mediate walked away with legions of fans and proved something very important to himself.

"I can handle this heat," he said firmly. "I've won golf tournaments, but not this stuff. I can handle this heat. And especially against him with everybody in the world all looking in and everything everyone is expecting me to get my ass handed to me and I didn't.

"And I almost got it done. I almost got it done."

IS 18-HOLE PLAYOFF THE WAY TO GO?
By John Maginnes, PGATOUR.com Contributor

LA JOLLA, Calif. -- I was wrong. Don't tell my ex-wife. The fact of the matter is that at some point I wrote an impassioned defense of the 18-hole playoff that the USGA uses to determine its U.S. Open champion. I spoke of things like equity and the magnitude of winning our nation's most important tournament. Blah, blah, blah.

I stood by that position right up until I cancelled my flight east on Sunday night. The echoing cheers that reverberated around Torrey Pines as Tiger's birdie putt at the 72nd hole curled in the right side of the hole were in direct contrast to the collective silence that enveloped the media center and the workers and volunteers at Torrey Pines.

You would be hard-pressed to find a sportswriter in attendance who would argue for an 18-hole playoff. After all, if golf is, in fact, entertainment then the opportunity to finish with the No. 1 player in the world at the U.S. Open in prime time is too good to pass up. After the high drama of Sunday afternoon, though, the question was posed to Tiger: would he rather finish it on Sunday or have a Monday playoff?

"I would rather go right now, but that is just me," he said.

Rocco Mediate, the other protagonist in this U.S. Open drama, took the opposite view. "I think the 18-hole playoff for the national Open is the way to go," he said.

Mediate went on to say that the title was more important than a sudden death playoff. Of course, he is right. I am not arguing that. And there is no other way to have an 18-hole playoff without playing on Monday morning. So what is the premise for my new position and the foundations for my argument? I admit I have nothing. Sure, you can argue that there are grandmothers all over the country who are missing their "stories" on Monday. But soap operas tend to move about as fast as Tiger and Lee Westwood did on Sunday so I don't think that they will miss much.

Tiger Woods' career playoff record (11-1)

Year Tournament Result 1996 Las Vegas Invitational Defeated Davis Love 1997 Mercedes Championship Defeated Tom Lehman 1998 Nissan Open Lost to Billy Mayfair 1999 WGC-American Express Defeated M.A. Jimenez 2000 Mercedes Championship Defeated Ernie Els 2000 PGA Championship Defeated Bob May 2001 WGC-NEC Invitational Defeated Jim Furyk 2005 Masters Defeated Chris DiMarco 2005 WGC-American Express Defeated John Daly 2006 Buick Invitational Defeated Olazabal/Green 2006 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational Defeated Stewart Cink 2008 U.S. Open (18-hole playoff) Defeated Rocco Mediate by one stroke in 19 holes

BY THE NUMBERS

4	Number of majors Woods now has to win to tie Jack Nicklaus.
6	Top 10s for Woods in a U.S. Open.
17	Consecutive weeks where Woods has led the FedExCup standings.

RECORD-SETTING PERFORMANCE

The improbable statistics and amazing records just keep building up for Tiger Woods. With his victory at the U.S. Open, Woods became the fifth player to win the U.S. Open after not playing in a tournament since the Masters earlier in the year.

In an odd twist, three of those five U.S. Opens went to a playoff. Byron Nelson accomplished this feat in 1939 and Retief Goosen accomplished it most recently in 2001.

At the start of the playoff, Woods had just 12 putts in his first 10 holes, which is the fewest putts for Woods in a major championship through 10 holes. His previous low was 13 putts in major championships and 11 putts for all PGA TOUR events.

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US Open Schedle

Session No. Date Day/Evening Time Featured Matches
1	Monday, Aug. 25	Day	11 a.m.	Men's/Women's 1st Round
2		Evening	7 p.m.	Men's/Women's 1st Round
3	Tuesday, Aug. 26	Day	11 a.m.	Men's/Women's 1st Round
4		Evening	7 p.m.	Men's/Women's 1st Round
5	Wednesday, Aug. 27	Day	11 a.m.	Men's 1st/Women's 2nd Round
6		Evening	7 p.m.	Men's 1st/Women's 2nd Round
7	Thursday, Aug. 28	Day	11 a.m.	Men's/Women's 2nd Round
8		Evening	7 p.m.	Men's/Women's 2nd Round
9	Friday, Aug. 29	Day	11 a.m.	Men's 2nd/Women's 3rd Round
10		Evening	7 p.m.	Men's 2nd/Women's 3rd Round
11	Saturday, Aug. 30	Day	11 a.m.	Men's/Women's 3rd Round
12		Evening	7 p.m.	Men's/Women's 3rd Round
13	Sunday, Aug. 31	Day	11 a.m.	Men's 3rd/Women's 4th Round
14		Evening	7 p.m.	Men's 3rd/Women's 4th Round
15	Monday, Sept. 1	Day	11 a.m.	Men's/Women's 4th Round
16		Evening	7 p.m.	Men's/Women's 4th Round
17	Tuesday, Sept. 2	Day	11 a.m.	Men's 4th/Women's Quarterfinal
18		Evening	7 p.m.	Men's 4th/Women's Quarterfinal
19	Wednesday, Sept. 3	Day	11 a.m.	Men's/Women's Quarterfinal
20		Evening	7 p.m.	Men's/Women's Quarterfinal
21	Thursday, Sept. 4	Day	11 a.m.	Men's Quarterfinal/Mixed Doubles Final
22		Evening	7 p.m.	Men's Quarterfinal/Women's Doubles Semifinal
23	Friday, Sept. 5	Day	11 a.m.	Women's Semifinals/Men's Doubles Final
24	Saturday, Sept. 6	Day	11 a.m.	Men's Semifinals
25		Evening	7 p.m.	Women's Singles Final
26	Sunday, Sept. 7	Day	12 p.m.	Women's Doubles Final/Men's Singles Final

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schedule of play

	ASHE STADIUM 11:00 AM Start		1 Women's Singles - 3rd Rnd.   Jie Zheng (CHN) v.   Jelena Jankovic (SRB)[2]   In Progress followed by  2 Men's Singles - 2nd Rnd.   Thiago Alves (BRA) v.   Roger Federer (SUI)[2]  3 Men's Singles - 2nd Rnd.   Robert Kendrick (USA) v.   Novak Djokovic (SRB)[3]

	ASHE STADIUM 7:00 PM Start		1 Women's Singles - 3rd Rnd.   Lindsay Davenport (USA)[23] v.   Marion Bartoli (FRA)[12] followed by  2 Men's Singles - 2nd Rnd.   Andy Roddick (USA)[8] v.   Ernests Gulbis (LAT)

	ARMSTRONG STADIUM 11:00 AM Start		1 Men's Singles - 2nd Rnd.   Bobby Reynolds (USA) v.   Fernando Gonzalez (CHI)[11]   In Progress followed by  2 Women's Singles - 3rd Rnd.   Elena Dementieva (RUS)[5] v.   Anne Keothavong (GBR)  3 Women's Singles - 3rd Rnd.   Katarina Srebotnik (SLO)[28] v.   Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)[3]  4 Men's Singles - 2nd Rnd.   Tommy Robredo (ESP)[15] v.   Marat Safin (RUS)

	Grandstand 11:00 AM Start		1 Men's Singles - 2nd Rnd.   Nikolay Davydenko (RUS)[5] v.   Agustin Calleri (ARG)   In Progress followed by  2 Men's Singles - 2nd Rnd.   Marin Cilic (CRO)[30] v.   Robby Ginepri (USA)  3 Women's Singles - 3rd Rnd.   Victoria Azarenka (BLR)[14] v.   Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)[21]  4 Men's Singles - 2nd Rnd.   Carlos Moya (ESP) v.   Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)[19]

	Court 4 11:00 AM Start		1 Men's Singles - 2nd Rnd.   Ivo Minar (CZE) v.   Jarkko Nieminen (FIN)   In Progress followed by  2 Men's Doubles - 2nd Rnd.   Michael McClune (USA)/ Kaes Van't Hof (USA) v.   Martin Damm (CZE)[11]/ Pavel Vizner (CZE)[11]  3 Men's Singles - 2nd Rnd.   Jeremy Chardy (FRA) v.   Igor Andreev (RUS)[23]  4 Mixed Doubles - 1st Rnd.   Jelena Jankovic (SRB)/ Fernando Verdasco (ESP) v.   Katarina Srebotnik (SLO)[2]/ Nenad Zimonjic (SRB)[2]

	Court 6 11:00 AM Start		1 Men's Doubles - 2nd Rnd.   Eduardo Schwank (ARG)/ Potito Starace (ITA) v.   Lukas Dlouhy (CZE)[7]/ Leander Paes (IND)[7]   In Progress followed by  2 Women's Doubles - 2nd Rnd.   Klaudia Jans (POL)/ Alicja Rosolska (POL) v.   Sorana Cirstea (ROU)/ Monica Niculescu (ROU)  3 Men's Doubles - 2nd Rnd.   Daniel Nestor (CAN)[1]/ Nenad Zimonjic (SRB)[1] v.   Ross Hutchins (GBR)/ Andy Murray (GBR)  4 Women's Doubles - 2nd Rnd.   Cara Black (ZIM)[1]/ Liezel Huber (USA)[1] v.   Lucie Hradecka (CZE)/ Renata Voracova (CZE)  5 Mixed Doubles - 1st Rnd.   Chia-Jung Chuang (TPE)[1]/ Daniel Nestor (CAN)[1] v.   Sloane Stephens (USA)/ Robert Kendrick (USA)

	Court 7 11:00 AM Start		1 Men's Singles - 2nd Rnd.   Victor Hanescu (ROU) v.   Dmitry Tursunov (RUS)[26]   In Progress Not Before 12:30 PM  2 Men's Doubles - 2nd Rnd.   Jonas Bjorkman (SWE)[5]/ Kevin Ullyett (ZIM)[5] v.   Christopher Kas (GER)/ Philipp Petzschner (GER) followed by  3 Women's Doubles - 2nd Rnd.   Maria Elena Camerin (ITA)/ Gisela Dulko (ARG) v.   Marina Erakovic (NZL)/ Jelena Kostanic Tosic (CRO)  4 Men's Singles - 2nd Rnd.   Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) v.   Andreas Seppi (ITA)[31]

	Court 8 11:00 AM Start		1 Men's Doubles - 2nd Rnd.   Amer Delic (USA)/ Alex Kuznetsov (USA) v.   Maximo Gonzalez (ARG)/ Juan Monaco (ARG)   In Progress followed by  2 Women's Doubles - 2nd Rnd.   Julie Ditty (USA)/ Carly Gullickson (USA) v.   Tathiana Garbin (ITA)/ Tamira Paszek (AUT)  3 Women's Doubles - 2nd Rnd.   Dominika Cibulkova (SVK)/ Virginie Razzano (FRA) v.   Iveta Benesova (CZE)[12]/ Galina Voskoboeva (RUS)[12]  4 Mixed Doubles - 1st Rnd.   Jill Craybas (USA)/ Eric Butorac (USA) v.   Ai Sugiyama (JPN)[3]/ Kevin Ullyett (ZIM)[3]

	Court 10 11:00 AM Start		1 Men's Doubles - 2nd Rnd.   Pablo Cuevas (URU)[12]/ Luis Horna (PER)[12] v.   Rik De Voest (RSA)/ Ashley Fisher (AUS)   In Progress followed by  2 Women's Doubles - 2nd Rnd.   Janette Husarova (SVK)[11]/ Shuai Peng (CHN)[11] v.   Liga Dekmeijere (LAT)/ Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL)  3 Women's Doubles - 2nd Rnd.   Nuria Llagostera Vives (ESP)[14]/ Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP)[14] v.   Tatiana Poutchek (BLR)/ Anastasia Rodionova (AUS)  4 Mixed Doubles - 1st Rnd.   Janette Husarova (SVK)/ Jeff Coetzee (RSA) v.   Asia Muhammad (USA)/ Sam Querrey (USA)  5 Mixed Doubles - 1st Rnd.   Anna Chakvetadze (RUS)/ Max Mirnyi (BLR) v.   Nadia Petrova (RUS)/ Jonas Bjorkman (SWE)

	Court 11 11:00 AM Start		1 Men's Singles - 2nd Rnd.   Gilles Muller (LUX) v.   Tommy Haas (GER)   In Progress Not Before 1:00 PM  2 Men's Singles - 2nd Rnd.   Fernando Verdasco (ESP)[13] v.   Rui Machado (POR) followed by  3 Women's Singles - 3rd Rnd.   Patty Schnyder (SUI)[15] v.   Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK)  4 Women's Singles - 3rd Rnd.   Tatiana Perebiynis (UKR) v.   Sybille Bammer (AUT)[29]

	Court 13 11:00 AM Start		1 Men's Doubles - 2nd Rnd.   Marcelo Melo (BRA)[15]/ Andre Sa (BRA)[15] v.   Jurgen Melzer (AUT)/ Rainer Schuettler (GER)   In Progress Not Before 12:30 PM  2 Women's Singles - 3rd Rnd.   Na Li (CHN) v.   Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) followed by  3 Men's Singles - 2nd Rnd.   Nicolas Almagro (ESP)[18] v.   Sam Warburg (USA)  4 Men's Singles - 2nd Rnd.   Radek Stepanek (CZE)[28] v.   Chris Guccione (AUS)

	Court 14 11:00 AM Start		1 Mixed Doubles - 1st Rnd.   Rennae Stubbs (AUS)/ Robert Lindstedt (SWE) v.   Nathalie Dechy (FRA)[8]/ Andy Ram (ISR)[8]   In Progress followed by  2 Men's Doubles - 2nd Rnd.   Mahesh Bhupathi (IND)[4]/ Mark Knowles (BAH)[4] v.   Yves Allegro (SUI)/ Horia Tecau (ROU)  3 Women's Doubles - 2nd Rnd.   Tracy Lin (USA)/ Riza Zalameda (USA) v.   Stephanie Foretz (FRA)/ Camille Pin (FRA)  4 Mixed Doubles - 1st Rnd.   Zi Yan (CHN)[7]/ Mark Knowles (BAH)[7] v.   Elena Vesnina (RUS)/ Mariusz Fyrstenberg (POL)

The schedule of play is released each evening and will be posted on the website as soon as it is made available. This schedule is correct at time of publishing and is subject to change.

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