Roger Federer vs Rod Laver: Game Of The Greats

Roger Federer traded shots with his hero Rod Laver on Wednesday in the stadium that bears the Australian great's name.

The 17-times Grand Slam champion enjoyed a few rallies with the 75-year-old, who was dressed in traditional whites and impressed a packed crowd with his movement ahead of Federer's exhibition match with French world number 10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

"Hitting with Rod Laver for me clearly is an absolute dream come true," Federer told reporters, "It's in his arena as well, it's named after him and he deserves it so much..  

"While I was playing my racket was feeling extremely heavy, that means I was very nervous which I really was because you don't want to miss a shot.

"I was happy we had some rallies. What an honour it was for me and I hope that the crowd enjoyed it and I'm very thankful that he was willing to do something like this because it's not normal in any way and that's why I really appreciate it."

Later, Roger pleased the crowd with a 6-7(5) 6-3 7-5 win over Tsonga in the fund-raising event for his charity, the Roger Federer Foundation, on Wednesday, January 8th. Roger and Friends raised more than $1 million 

"What a pleasure to play any match here, in particular a match for a good cause," said Federer. "I played some of the biggest matches of my career right here. It’s very special being back. It was a dream come true to play some balls with Rod Laver, spend some time with him, speak with him. The most important thing tonight was to enjoy it, have fun with Jo and get into the mood of the Australian Open. 
"It's a pleasure playing the Australian Open. I’ve been coming for nearly 15 years. This was perfect preparation, but so much more tonight."

A Night With Roger Federer & Friends (starts at 4m00) - FULL Replay! (Thanks Australian Open!)

"I’m really pleased to be here tonight," said Tsonga, speaking to Hewitt. "To help Roger is always an honour. I played well. It was a good match tonight. It’s always tough to play against Roger. It’s great to be here tonight for a great cause."

(Eurosport)

xo K

ATP Tennis: Season 2014 Begins With Nadal, Wawrinka And Hewitt Triumph

A new tennis season began and first titles are taken as we step into the Australian Open season.

Rafael Nadal wins Qatar Open in Doha:

World number one claims his first title of the new season and his 61st career title with a 6-1 6-7(5) 6-2 win over Gial Monfils at Qatar Open in Doha.

This victory helped Nadal overcome Andre Agassi and he is now placed 8th on the all-time list of ATP Tour title winners.

He also extended his lead at the top of the world rankings over Novak Djokovic who did not participate in any warm-up tournament prior to the Australian Open.

Stanislas Wawrinka wins in Chennai:

World number eight and the top seed at the tournament, beat Edouard Roger-Vasselin in two sets, 7-5 6-2 at ATP Chennai to win the title for the second time.

The victory brought the swiss his 5th career title.

Lleyton Hewitt wins Brisbane International:

Australia's Lleyton Hewitt triumphed at his home-country event, Brisbane International, with a tight three-set victory over Swiss top seed Roger Federer: 6-1 4-6 6-3.

The Swiss committed 22 unforced errors and was broken three times in the first set. World number six looked remarkably better in the second set, taking it 6-4, although missing seven break opportunities in the third cost him the match.

The victory at the tournament brought him his first ATP title since Halle in 2010.

For more Tennis News visit Eurosport.com

xo K

Martina Hingis Becomes One Of The Youngest Members To Be Inducted Into Hall Of Fame

Martina Hingis has been inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame, becoming one of the youngest members to join in one of the sport's most elite clubs.

The 32-year-old Swiss star was among a distinguished class of inductees who were formally inducted at Newport, Rhode Island. She became the 4th youngest player to be inducted, following Tracy Austin (30), Bjorn Borg (31) and Hana Mandlikova (32).

Martina told the crowd she was humbled by the honor: "Thank you, tennis. You gave me the world... and now I honestly am out of words, because there are no words to explain what I feel. You chose to give me a place here for eternity."

Born in Czechoslovakia, Hingis announced her arrival on the world stage when she won the 1993 French Open junior title at just 12 years of age. She turned professional two weeks before her 14th birthday and went on to achieve a series of youngest-ever records.
Hingis won 5 grand slam singles titles - the 1997, 1998 and 1999 Australian Opens, 1997 Wimbledon and 1997 U.S. Open - and held the number one ranking for 209 weeks.
She also won 9 grand slam doubles titles and a mixed doubles title before injuries forced her into early retirement at the age of 22.

Stan Smith, president of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, said Hingis was a worthy recipient: "Having achieved world number 1 status in both singles and doubles and having won an incredible 15 grand slam tournament titles, Martina Hingis is undoubtedly one of the world's elite tennis players, and we are glad to pay tribute to her among the legends of the sport," Smith said.
(Source)

Our congratulations! :)

xo K

The Unbeaten Wheelchair Tennis Player Esther Vergeer Retires

Dutch wheelchair tennis player, Esther Vergeer, hung up her racket after an unbeaten decade.The 31-year-old, who claimed four Paralympic singles gold medals and three in doubles, won 470 consecutive matches and 120 successive tournaments, dropping only 18 sets during that time.
Her career record stands at 700 wins and 25 defeats.
She won every grand slam singles event she ever entered, racking up 21 singles and 23 doubles titles - and went two years without losing a set from 2004 to 2006.

Esther won: 42 Grand Slams, 22 year-end championships and 7 Paralympics titles

In December 2010 Esther Vergeer was featured on CNN for her tennis record of 401 straight wins receiving congratulations from Roger Federer and Kim Clijsters.
"She is an inspiration to many. Wheelchair tennis owes her a huge debt of gratitude for her professionalism and her quality as a player."

Vergeer, who took up wheelchair tennis because of complications after spinal surgery at the age of 12, rose to world number one in 1999 - aged just 18 - and remained there ever since.

"I love this game more than anybody. It's a lot of sacrifice, it's a lot of effort, but I do enjoy that," she told The Sport Review last year, "My main motivation is the inner game: I just love the sport, I love the training, but then also the way I see that I can improve in so many aspects still."

(Eurosport)


xo K

Celebrating Nine Years Of Roger Federer's #1 Ranking Triumph!

The amazing article by the tennis lover, Vibhu Batra, celebrating 9 years of the Swiss Maestro's, Roger Federer, domination in tennis since he gained the #1 ranking spot for the first time on February 2nd, 2004.
Enjoy!

Roger Federer's 2nd Grand slam title win was at Australian Open, 2004 on 1st February, 2004, where he defeated Marat Safin in straight sets.
That win ensured that Roger Federer would become the World No.1 on 2nd February, 2004.

Here's what the rankings of Top-10 looked like immediately after Australian Open 2004.

For the next 237 weeks, Roger Federer remained the World No. 1 and it was only after Rafael Nadal won the 2008 Beijing Olympics Gold Medal on 17th August, 2008, that Roger Federer's streak of 237 weeks at World No.1 ended that Sunday night.

Post that Roger Federer has regained No. 1 ranking twice: on 6th July, 2006 after winning the Wimbledon 2009 title defeating Andy Roddick in the epic 5 setter marathon. That stretch of No.1 ranking lasted for 48 weeks and ended after the French Open, 2010.

But after winning the Wimbledon 2012 title he regained the #1 ranking for the 2nd time and that streak continued for another 17 weeks to take his overall tally of weeks at No.1 at 302.

It may be hard to guess if Roger Federer will be able to re-gain the #1 ranking again, but the thing is: the hunger, the dedication, the devotion that Roger Federer has today (after having spent 302 weeks at ATP #1) is same, if not more than when Roger Federer reached the ATP #1 ranking on 2nd February, 2004.

This is how Roger Federer looked when he reached the No.1 ranking for the first time and how he looks now:

Just to give you a fair idea of Roger Federer's dominance, during the last 468 weeks, this is the break-up of Roger Federer's ATP rankings :

1. Roger Federer got the Ranking of #1 for 302 weeks or 64.52% of the 9 year tenure between 2nd Feb-2004 to 2nd Feb- 2013.

2. Roger Federer has been Ranked #2 for 70 weeks or almost 15% of time between 2nd Feb-2004 to 2nd Feb-2013.

3. Roger Federer has been Ranked #3 for 91 weeks or almost 20% of time between 2nd Feb-2004 to 2nd Feb-2013.

4. Roger Federer has been Ranked #4 for 5 weeks or almost 0.01% of time between 2nd Feb-2004 to 2nd Feb-2013.

Here's to more success of the Swiss maestro!

You may also be interested in:

Roger Federer's 2013 Schedule

Roger Federer's Facts and Records

xo K

Champagne With Style, Or Roger Federer As A New Ambassador For Moët & Chandon

In one of the most exciting partnerships between two worldwide icons, Moët & Chandon is proud to introduce Roger Federer as the House's brand new ambassador. Roger Federer, with his shining aura of big bold wins and elegant moves, is the absolute natural match for Moët & Chandon, the universal symbol of global success and eternal style.

"I am teaming with Moët & Chandon as their new brand ambassador. Not just any champagne but the world's most loved. This is a real honour, and as a partnership, I see it as a natural match. The House of Moët & Chandon is an absolute legend, one of the most iconic symbols of global success and style", - Roger described the brand and their product on his official website.

The interview:

We immortalized this celebratory moment with the camera of the amazing photographer Patrick Demarchelier. I must have been shot so many times before, but I think you’ll agree these pictures are exceptional. The way Patrick has captured my movement is phenomenal.
I look forward to toasting with you my upcoming victories!" 

Shooting of the ad:

Enjoy the videos :)


Related: Roger Federer's Schedule For 2013: Miami Masters, Monte Carlo & Basel Not Included


xo K

Roger Federer's 2013 Schedule: Miami Masters, Monte Carlo & Basel Not Included

As of next year, Roger Federer will be exempt from ATP World Tour Masters 1000 commitments due to the milestones he has reached during his career, so he can now choose which events he wants/can attend.

As of November 17th, 2012, a new schedule was released on www.rf.com, tennis fans noticed that a couple of Roger's "usual" tournaments were missing in the new schedule.

Thus, Miami Masters, Monte Carlo and Federer's hometown event in Basel, Switzerland were not included in next year's plan.

Roger Federer's schedule for 2013:

Australian Open, Melbourne
01/14/2013 - 01/27/2013

ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Rotterdam
02/11/2013 - 02/17/2013

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Dubai
02/25/2013 - 03/02/2013

BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells
03/04/2013 - 03/17/2013

Mutua Madrid Open, Madrid
05/06/2013 - 05/12/2013

Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Rome
05/13/2013 - 05/19/2013

Roland Garros, Paris
05/27/2013 - 06/09/2013

Gerry Weber Open, Halle
06/10/2013 - 06/16/2013

Wimbledon, London
06/24/2013 - 07/07/2013

Rogers Cup, Montreal
08/05/2013 - 08/11/2013

Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati
08/12/2013 - 08/18/2013

US Open, New York
08/26/2013 - 09/08/2013

Shanghai Rolex Masters, Shanghai
10/07/2013 - 10/13/2013

BNP Masters, Paris
10/28/2013 - 11/03/2013

plus hopefully the ATP World Tour Finals in London.

(partially Eurosport)

xo K

Andy Murray & Serena Williams Triumph At The US Open 2012

This year's US Open Championship was full of surprises, shocks, unexpected turns of events, tears of happiness and sadness, and of course something for the history.

Serena Williams' summer one can describe as more than just incredible - after battling her injuries and illnesses, going out in the first round of the French Open, the Queen of courts is finally and fully back on top, winning the Wimbledon title in July, Olympic Gold medal at the London Olympics and now, her 4th US Open.
The 30 year old overcame the world number one  Victoria Azarenka  in the final match thriller, sailing the 6-2 2-6 7-5 victory and her 15th career Grand Slam title. And she is not done!
"Even with this win, I'm so excited still to play the next grand slam and see what I can do. Just to do more, I love that feeling".

Andy Murray's celebration is probably not that quiet either - just like the Wimbledon Champion, Roger Federer, predicted in July, Murray became the first British man in 76 years to win a grand slam singles title after beating the defending champion, Novak Djokovic, in a five-setter: 7-6 7-5 2-6 3-6 6-2.

"I proved that I can win the grand slams," said Andy, "It's something that hasn't happened for a long time obviously in our country so I'm obviously proud that I managed to achieve it."

Congratulations to the Champions! :)


xo K

US Open 2012 - Almost There!

So much is going on during this year's last Grand Slam Tournament in Flushing Meadows...
Couple of surprises, goodbyes, early exits, withdrawals and more!

1. Kim Clijsters participated in her last professional tennis tournament and as announced earlier, the former number one from Belgium is retiring. She lost to 18 year old rising star from Britain, Laura Robson, in the second round of the tournament, and with losses in women's doubles with Kirsten Flipkens and mixed doubles with Bob Bryan, the amazing career of the four Grand Slam winner, 41 career titles holder and a very entertaining and unique athlete came to an end (this time it's final!)

2. Andy Roddick surprised everyone at the beginning of this year's event when on Thursday, during the press conference he announced that US Open 2012 would be his last and final tournament before his retirement."I just feel like it's time", was Andy's first answer to the reporter's question "why?", "I don't know that I'm healthy enough or committed enough to go another year".
You'll definitely be missed! 

Today, Andy will be fighting against Del Potro for the chance to stay in the tournament since yesterday's match was postponed.

3. Rafael Nadal withdrew from the tournament with a knee injury (again... poor Rafa!) following his decisions not to play at the Olympics, after the shocking second round exit at Wimbledon this year, and couple other tournaments before the US Open 2012... Get well soon!

4. Laura Robson probably made her career breakthrough at this tournament, sending two seeded players packing at this year's US Open. The Brit, ranked 89th in the world ended Kim Clijsters' hopes to play a little longer before her retirement after beating the former number one in two sets 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5) in 126 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium: "I didn't have any expectations because she's so experienced. Kim has been such a great player for so many years and a role model for all the younger girls coming up."
In third round Robson continued her game with the 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 win over 9th seeded Li Na to reach US Open Last 16 before losing to defending champion, Samantha Stosur, in two sets 6-4 6-4.

5. Roger Federer gets a walk over to the quarter finals in Flushing Meadows since Mardy Fish withdrew from the tournament because of undisclosed health concerns: "I regret that I have to withdraw from the US Open for precautionary measures, I was reluctant to do so, but am following medical advisement." ... Roger Federer: "I am really sorry for Mardy. I just want to wish him a speedy recovery. We all want to see him back on tour soon."
This means that world number one advances to his 34th consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final and will now play Tomas Berdych on Wednesday.

For more insights, scores and news, please visit www.usopen.org or Eurosport :)

Related article: US Open 2012 Champions

xo K

Kylie To Perform In Abu Dhabi!

www.kylie.com/news
http://www.yasalam.ae/en/register-now/#.UEMeehwpdss.twitter
KYLIE TO PERFORM IN ABU DHABI

Kylie will perform on the first night of the Yasalam After-Race Concerts (Friday 2nd November), Now in their fourth year, the Yasalam After-Race concerts are staged at the du Arena, Yas Island, exclusively for F1 (tm) ticket holders. Yasalam is one of the most hotly anticipated festivals on the UAE’s entertainment calendar, returning to the city for a fourth year. This year it offers even more privileges for F1(tm) ticket holders through the newY1 Access.

“We’ve had some fantastic performances at Yasalam over the years, and we’re delighted that as the festival enters a fourth year we are welcoming Kylie Minogue…to Abu Dhabi. They are both huge acts, and continue to build on the festival’s commitment to providing world-class live events in and around the race weekend for residents and visitors to enjoy. We are also excited about Sunday of course, and promise fans it will finish off the weekend in style!”

For more information about Yasalam, visit www.yasalam.ae. For Grand Prix tickets visit www.yasmarinacircuit.com

WHOOP!  :)

xo K

Lance Armstrong: Lifetime Ban And No Tour de France Titles?

Shocking!! No other words... I admire this cyclist and person, what he's done for sport, his courage and desire to fight for life against testicular cancer and Livestrong charity he created...

“I know who won those seven tours, my team-mates know who won those seven tours, and everyone I competed against knows who won those seven tours. Nobody can ever change that” (Armstrong)
Armstrong’s attorneys sent a letter to USADA today saying he won’t fight drug allegations by the agency that the cyclist called part of an “unconstitutional witch hunt.”


“We will have an official release tomorrow (UPDATE: Read Lance Armstrong's Statement), but he will be banned for life and loss of results since Aug 1, 1998,” Annie Skinner, a USADA spokeswoman, said in an email.

“If I thought for one moment that by participating in USADA’s process I could confront these allegations in a fair setting and - once and for all - put these charges to rest, I would jump at the chance,” Armstrong said in a letter. “But I refuse to participate in a process that is so one-sided and unfair.” 

Armstrong, 40, won the Tour de France every year from 1999 to 2005, a record for the sport’s most prestigious race. He survived testicular cancer early in his career, and created Livestrong, a charity that has raised more than $470 million for the fight against cancer, according to its website.

(For all information considering the case, please read --> The Telegraph article! <--)

Disappointing...

xo K

Roger Federer - New Cincinnati Champion!

What a tournament, what a final - peRFection in action - just flawless!! :)

Congratulations, Champ, congratulations, Roger!!!
(good game, Novac!)

Tournament facts:
Roger wasn't broken in the whole tournament
Roger didn't face a single BP against Djokovic in a final
Roger only faced 3 break points the entire tournament
Roger's record breaking 5th title in Cincinnati

76th Career title, 21st Masters - way to go!! :)

xo K

Kylie At Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Launch Party!

The Olympic party isn't over yet: Kylie Minogue poses with Olympians Alex Partridge, Emily Pidgeon, Jenna Randall, Victoria Pendleton, Laura Trott, Asha Randall, Jason Kenny and Andrew Osagie at the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 launch party, which took place on August 15th (well, more like 16th ;)).

Samsung Electronics is taking another shot at the dominance of Apple's iPad with a tablet equipped with a digital pen and a faster processor at the same price tag. Apple's latest iPad starts at the same price but the Note 10.1 offers some features that the iPad does not have, while its screen resolution is lower than the iPad's.
It is Samsung's first Android tablet equipped with a digital pen and can run two applications side-by-side on a screen divided in half. The split screen, made possible by the quad-core processor and two gigabytes of RAM, can be useful when taking notes while watching a video or surfing the Internet.
(you can find out more about it HERE)

Meanwhile, this is what Kylie's been busy with! She left us all wondering what that was all about tweeting the picture of her "today's kit" on August 14th:

Now it all makes sense - she was rehearsing a little gig for the launch party in UK!
(rehearsing before the party, August 15th in Dolce&Gabbana leopard-print dress. SHOES!! <:D )

And later that night rocking the dance-floor in a very sparkly pink mini-dress (by Roberto Cavalli), performing some of her biggest hits! (SHOES (again)!!)

All The Lovers:

(download video: http://www.sendspace.com/file/si7qgo)

Can't Get You Out Of My Head:

(download video: http://www.sendspace.com/file/lzt5gh)

Locomotion:

(download video: http://www.sendspace.com/file/y5v95j)

(Many thanks to IBIY from Sayhey for download links!!)

(according to Twitter users who were lucky to be there, Kylie performed All The Lovers, Wow, Can't Get You Out Of My Head, Better the Devil You Know and Locomotion)

I bet everyone had a Kylietastic night! ;)

And the sweet couple, Kylie and boyfriend Andres, leaving the event together later that night, looking gorgeous!

xo K

London 2012 Summer Olympics - The Results

Congrats to the Team USA for the amazing achievement during this year's Summer Olympics as well as China and hosts - Great Britain!!
And all the other participating countries for the great time and entertainment for the whole world watching!
Here's the Top 20 medal count and I must say I am very proud for my native country, Ukraine, which reserved its #14 spot in this chart! :) (we could've been higher if not for few misunderstandings though)

Top 3 Countries' Medals by sport:

Team USA:                                Team China:                                                  Tean GB:

Ukraine:

For full details on everything London 2012 Summer Olympics, please visit --> www.london2012.com

Facts:
Around 8 million people visited Olympic Venues during the games
27 million people tuned in to the Opening ceremony
Closing Ceremony was one of the best so far! ;)

xo K

Steve Anderson For 2012 London Olympics

Steve Anderson is a very loved producer, songwriter and musical director for Kylie Minogue (as well as Leona Lewis, Westlife and The Hurly Burly Show)

These are two of the latest masterpieces for the 2012 Olympics Gymnastics Presentation Events at the North Greenwich Arena, performed by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, composed and produced by Steve Anderson and Cliff Masterson.


Game On:
Game On (From the 2012 Olympics Gymnastics Presentation) by Steve Anderson

The Road To Glory:
  The Road To Glory (From the 2012 Olympics Gymnastics Presentation) by Steve Anderson

These two are giving me goosebumps!!!

You can follow Steve Anderson on Twitter :)
More about the --> London 2012 Summer Olympics <-- (the Closing Ceremony is TONIGHT!)

xo K

Andriy Shevchenko Retires...

It IS shocking, Andriy..!

"Perhaps, I will shock everyone: my future has nothing to do with soccer" Shevchenko said in the statement, "...It is related to politics."
Independent

We appreciate everything you have done for our country: making its name famous around the world, making us very proud to be Ukrainians and uniting us! Thank you for such contribution, for all 48 goals for Ukrainian national team, captaining Ukrainian national team to the quarter finals of the 2006 FIFA World Cup and all 374 goals of your professional career!



We are very proud of you and hope now, moving to politics, you will be able to make same "revolution" for our nation! ;)

Facts & Figures:
- the third-highest goalscorer in Champions League history with 58 goals as of 10 March 2011, behind Ruud van Nistelrooy (60) and Raúl (71)
- ranked as the third top goalscorer in all European competitions with 67 goals
- won the UEFA Champions League in 2003 with Milan
- won various league and cup titles in Ukraine, Italy, and England
- Ukrainian Footballer of the Year (1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005)
- UEFA Champions League Top Scorer (1998-99, 2000-01, 2005-06)
- UEFA Team of the Year (2004, 2005)
- Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year (2000)
- Serie A Top Scorer (2000, 2004)
- Golden Foot award (2005)

Shevchenko did not say if he planned to join one of Ukraine's existing political parties or create his own ahead of October's parliamentary election. He promised to announce the details on Saturday.

Andriy Shevchenko's Club Career:
Dynamo Kyiv (1994-1999)
Milan (1999-2006)
Chelsea (2006-2009)
Milan (loan) (2008-2009)
Dynamo Kyiv (2009-2012)

We are wishing you all the best in your "new career" and we believe in you, Sheva! ;)

xo K