Showing posts with label Health and Fitness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Health and Fitness. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Venus Williams' Outfit
Venus Williams' Outfit Causes Stir During Wimbledon Win Venus Williams is in the press again for another fashion flub. Although she readily disposed of Akgul Amanmuradova in a 6-3, 6-1 victory at Wimbledon, sports commentators and critics could talk only of her outfit. Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle writes:It seemed nobody could quite find the words to describe Venus Williams'
Venus Williams' Outfit
Venus Williams' Outfit Causes Stir During Wimbledon Win Venus Williams is in the press again for another fashion flub.
Although she readily disposed of Akgul Amanmuradova in a 6-3, 6-1 victory at Wimbledon, sports commentators and critics could talk only of her outfit. Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle writes:
It seemed nobody could quite find the words to describe Venus Williams' outfit on Court 2, except that it conformed to the All England Club's all-white requirement. Draping oddly over her shoulders, open in the back and generally unwieldy, it brought to mind togas, or hospital gowns.
Most agreed that it was an outright disaster, as opposed to Venus' play in a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan. Venus got it done in 59 minutes, committing only five unforced errors and not once facing a break point.
Jenkins reports, " 'It's a jumper,' Venus said of her self-designed attire. 'Jumpers are very now, kind of trendy. The back is kind of, I don't know, like a cutout or a peekaboo. I'm always trying to do something different and fun.' "
Well, since I've been called a fashion nazi for questioning Venus' use of outfits that draw more attention to her clothing and less attention to her fantastic play, I'll refrain from commenting, other than it was a hot mess. Unlike the U.S. Open, at least it wasn't bedazzled. Why Williams insists on making her clothes the focus of her play as opposed to her tremendous skill and ability, I don't know. Perhaps I'm taking her "fun" outfit too seriously, so I'll ask you: Do you think this "jumper" is appropriate for play at Wimbledon.
By: Nsenga Burton
Most agreed that it was an outright disaster, as opposed to Venus' play in a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan. Venus got it done in 59 minutes, committing only five unforced errors and not once facing a break point.
Jenkins reports, " 'It's a jumper,' Venus said of her self-designed attire. 'Jumpers are very now, kind of trendy. The back is kind of, I don't know, like a cutout or a peekaboo. I'm always trying to do something different and fun.' "
Well, since I've been called a fashion nazi for questioning Venus' use of outfits that draw more attention to her clothing and less attention to her fantastic play, I'll refrain from commenting, other than it was a hot mess. Unlike the U.S. Open, at least it wasn't bedazzled. Why Williams insists on making her clothes the focus of her play as opposed to her tremendous skill and ability, I don't know. Perhaps I'm taking her "fun" outfit too seriously, so I'll ask you: Do you think this "jumper" is appropriate for play at Wimbledon.
By: Nsenga Burton
Venus starts strong at Wimbledon LONDON
Venus starts strong at Wimbledon LONDON Day One at the All England Club meant very different things to different players. For Venus Williams it was a win in what she describes as a white jumper with a peek-a-boo back; for Michael Russell it was five minutes of fame on Centre Court against the world No. 1 and, for Kimiko Date-Krumm, a record-breaking Wimbledon win at the age of 40.Venus found
Venus starts strong at Wimbledon LONDON
Venus starts strong at Wimbledon LONDON Day One at the All England Club meant very different things to different players.
For Venus Williams it was a win in what she describes as a white jumper with a peek-a-boo back; for Michael Russell it was five minutes of fame on Centre Court against the world No. 1 and, for Kimiko Date-Krumm, a record-breaking Wimbledon win at the age of 40.
Venus found herself on early call at noon sharp on the new No. 3 Court — a small, compact arena which has replaced the old No. 2 Court, nicknamed the Graveyard of the Stars. Maybe that genie was carted away with the old concrete because Venus had few problems handling the powerful game of Akgul Amanmuradova, a 26-year-old from Uzbekistan whose name is as long as her body is tall. The score was 6-3, 6-1.
Venus put it all down to how well she has been hitting the ball in practice and the matches she had in Eastbourne. "I don't think things could have gone as well for me today had I not been at Eastbourne," she said. "I had some long matches. That was great. I was so happy about that."
Venus admitted that she had been reluctant to call her mother last month when she was making her decision to come back and play in England after her hip injury. "Yeah, I avoided calling my mom because she said 'You're not trying to come back too soon are you?' Bullying me about it. So this time I couldn't come back too soon or I'd be in the same situation as I was in Australia. That was painful; not something to go through twice."
Next up, Venus will be playing someone she admires, the amazing Date-Krumm who became the third oldest woman to win a singles match at Wimbledon when she outplayed Britain's Katie O'Brien 6-0, 7-5.
"I thought it was amazing that she came back," Venus said of the Japanese player who took years off from the tour to get married and lead a 'normal' life. "I watched her results. I always root for her, actually. But this time I'm playing her so I will be rooting for me!"
Date-Krumm started so quickly that she embarrassed O'Brien, winning the first set in just 17 minutes. O'Brien got better but never threatened to prevent her opponent from winning her first match at Wimbledon in 15 years.
"Of course I remember 1996 on Centre Court — I played Steffi Graf and it was darkness. I played two days with her. It was a big, big memory for me. Then after 15 years I win first round. It's already a miracle!"
Michael Russell needed a miracle against Nadal and hopes of achieving one actually flickered faintly for a few minutes. Obviously fortified by an early lunch of chicken breast and rice, the 33-year-old American broke the defending champion's serve and found himself leading 4-2 in front of 15,000 people on the world's most famous tennis court. This must have come as something of a shock for a man who has been playing most of his tennis this year at Challenger level in places like Honolulu and Savannah.
It didn't last as Nadal fought back to clinch a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 victory, but the Spaniard gave his opponent credit. "I think he started playing really well," said Nadal. "Aggressive with good returns. I started, in my opinion, trying to play too fast in the beginning. But after that I started to find more rhythm with the slice, trying to play a bit longer points, trying to hit the forehand when I had the chance."
Inevitably Nadal had plenty of chances and will probably get plenty more when he plays another American, Ryan Sweeting, who produced the day's best comeback, recovering from a two-set deficit to beat Spain's Pablo Andujar 3-6, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6, 6-1. But, for the moment, Rafa is refusing to look to far forward.
"Let's talk about today or tomorrow," he said. "Let's not talk about in 10 or 12 days because I don't know if I am here or I am fishing in Mallorca."
It was said humorously but the fact is that many people feel Nadal is not quite as confident right now as he has been in the past. Winning the French Open again certainly helped put him back on track, but there is no doubt his psyche has been bruised by losing in four consecutive ATP Masters Series finals to Novak Djokovic this year — especially as two of them were on clay. Nadal has proved himself to be a fine grass-court player but if things get difficult, as they could quite quickly if he has to face a huge server like Milos Raonic, his level of confidence may be severely tested.
Raonic, incidentally, only discovered who he was playing — Marc Gicquel — 45 minutes before going on Court 14. The Frenchman was called up to replace Italy's Fabio Fognini who was hurt in Paris and Raonic knew very little about him.
"So I had to find a way," said the 20-year-old Canadian, who has enjoyed a meteoric rise up the rankings this year after starting at around 185 before find himself ranked 25th in the world going into Wimbledon. "It was quite difficult because he plays quite low to the ground. It was hard for me to sniff out my chances and be aggressive and come in. But I'm happy with how I responded to it." Raonic won 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.
Raonic is a Pete Sampras fan and remembers watching his idol beat Patrick Rafter in the 2000 final. "I was nine then and I remember a lot about the match. But it wasn't even just that. I could tell you stats about him. I think he holds the record here for winning 88 straight games. Stuff like that about him."
Chances are, in 10 years, we will be talking about records Raonic has set. He looks like a prospective champion.
The weight of expectations was clear for all to see as Andy Murray appeared under the roof on Centre Court to play Daniel Gimeno-Traver as the rain teemed down outside. Gimeno-Traver is a Spaniard who is ranked No. 56 in the world; whose grass court record is 2-7 and who began 2011 by losing in the first round of his first nine tournaments.
Yet, for a set and a half he played better than Murray. And although the Spaniard struck the ball well and scored with some great forehands, he played that well because Murray allowed him to.
To the bewilderment of the crowd and his group of trainers and coaches, Murray let Gimeno-Traver engage him in a baseline battle that might as well have been played on a clay court.
Murray tried one drop shot that missed; never went to the net and returned poorly.
So at 6-4, 3-3 to Gimeno-Traver there was a bit of tension in thre air. But then Murray started to apply a little pressure and the Spaniard, who seemed to suffer from a muscle problem in his right leg, fell apart. Final score? 4-6, 6-3, 6-0, 6-0 — as big a turnaround as you could hope to see. By the end it was exhibition stuff for the Scot.
Mardy Fish had to battle through two tiebreaks before outserving the dogged Spaniard Marcel Granollers 7-6, 7-6, 6-4. Fish found it hard going because of the balls which he described as extremely heavy.
"It was frustrating," he said. "I served and volleyed on, I think, every first serve today. So I didn't get into a lot of long rallies. But it's tough to hit the ball through the court on the forehand. You've got to try and generate a lot of pace and it's hard."
It was hard for Atlanta's Donald Young, too, who found himself facing fellow American Alex Bogomolov Jr. from Chickamauga, Ga. Young is 21 and Bogomolov, 28, and experience showed as the older man came through 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. All that happened just before the rains came.
By: msn.foxsports.com
Venus found herself on early call at noon sharp on the new No. 3 Court — a small, compact arena which has replaced the old No. 2 Court, nicknamed the Graveyard of the Stars. Maybe that genie was carted away with the old concrete because Venus had few problems handling the powerful game of Akgul Amanmuradova, a 26-year-old from Uzbekistan whose name is as long as her body is tall. The score was 6-3, 6-1.
Venus put it all down to how well she has been hitting the ball in practice and the matches she had in Eastbourne. "I don't think things could have gone as well for me today had I not been at Eastbourne," she said. "I had some long matches. That was great. I was so happy about that."
Venus admitted that she had been reluctant to call her mother last month when she was making her decision to come back and play in England after her hip injury. "Yeah, I avoided calling my mom because she said 'You're not trying to come back too soon are you?' Bullying me about it. So this time I couldn't come back too soon or I'd be in the same situation as I was in Australia. That was painful; not something to go through twice."
Next up, Venus will be playing someone she admires, the amazing Date-Krumm who became the third oldest woman to win a singles match at Wimbledon when she outplayed Britain's Katie O'Brien 6-0, 7-5.
"I thought it was amazing that she came back," Venus said of the Japanese player who took years off from the tour to get married and lead a 'normal' life. "I watched her results. I always root for her, actually. But this time I'm playing her so I will be rooting for me!"
Date-Krumm started so quickly that she embarrassed O'Brien, winning the first set in just 17 minutes. O'Brien got better but never threatened to prevent her opponent from winning her first match at Wimbledon in 15 years.
"Of course I remember 1996 on Centre Court — I played Steffi Graf and it was darkness. I played two days with her. It was a big, big memory for me. Then after 15 years I win first round. It's already a miracle!"
Michael Russell needed a miracle against Nadal and hopes of achieving one actually flickered faintly for a few minutes. Obviously fortified by an early lunch of chicken breast and rice, the 33-year-old American broke the defending champion's serve and found himself leading 4-2 in front of 15,000 people on the world's most famous tennis court. This must have come as something of a shock for a man who has been playing most of his tennis this year at Challenger level in places like Honolulu and Savannah.
It didn't last as Nadal fought back to clinch a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 victory, but the Spaniard gave his opponent credit. "I think he started playing really well," said Nadal. "Aggressive with good returns. I started, in my opinion, trying to play too fast in the beginning. But after that I started to find more rhythm with the slice, trying to play a bit longer points, trying to hit the forehand when I had the chance."
Inevitably Nadal had plenty of chances and will probably get plenty more when he plays another American, Ryan Sweeting, who produced the day's best comeback, recovering from a two-set deficit to beat Spain's Pablo Andujar 3-6, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6, 6-1. But, for the moment, Rafa is refusing to look to far forward.
"Let's talk about today or tomorrow," he said. "Let's not talk about in 10 or 12 days because I don't know if I am here or I am fishing in Mallorca."
It was said humorously but the fact is that many people feel Nadal is not quite as confident right now as he has been in the past. Winning the French Open again certainly helped put him back on track, but there is no doubt his psyche has been bruised by losing in four consecutive ATP Masters Series finals to Novak Djokovic this year — especially as two of them were on clay. Nadal has proved himself to be a fine grass-court player but if things get difficult, as they could quite quickly if he has to face a huge server like Milos Raonic, his level of confidence may be severely tested.
Raonic, incidentally, only discovered who he was playing — Marc Gicquel — 45 minutes before going on Court 14. The Frenchman was called up to replace Italy's Fabio Fognini who was hurt in Paris and Raonic knew very little about him.
"So I had to find a way," said the 20-year-old Canadian, who has enjoyed a meteoric rise up the rankings this year after starting at around 185 before find himself ranked 25th in the world going into Wimbledon. "It was quite difficult because he plays quite low to the ground. It was hard for me to sniff out my chances and be aggressive and come in. But I'm happy with how I responded to it." Raonic won 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.
Raonic is a Pete Sampras fan and remembers watching his idol beat Patrick Rafter in the 2000 final. "I was nine then and I remember a lot about the match. But it wasn't even just that. I could tell you stats about him. I think he holds the record here for winning 88 straight games. Stuff like that about him."
Chances are, in 10 years, we will be talking about records Raonic has set. He looks like a prospective champion.
The weight of expectations was clear for all to see as Andy Murray appeared under the roof on Centre Court to play Daniel Gimeno-Traver as the rain teemed down outside. Gimeno-Traver is a Spaniard who is ranked No. 56 in the world; whose grass court record is 2-7 and who began 2011 by losing in the first round of his first nine tournaments.
Yet, for a set and a half he played better than Murray. And although the Spaniard struck the ball well and scored with some great forehands, he played that well because Murray allowed him to.
To the bewilderment of the crowd and his group of trainers and coaches, Murray let Gimeno-Traver engage him in a baseline battle that might as well have been played on a clay court.
Murray tried one drop shot that missed; never went to the net and returned poorly.
So at 6-4, 3-3 to Gimeno-Traver there was a bit of tension in thre air. But then Murray started to apply a little pressure and the Spaniard, who seemed to suffer from a muscle problem in his right leg, fell apart. Final score? 4-6, 6-3, 6-0, 6-0 — as big a turnaround as you could hope to see. By the end it was exhibition stuff for the Scot.
Mardy Fish had to battle through two tiebreaks before outserving the dogged Spaniard Marcel Granollers 7-6, 7-6, 6-4. Fish found it hard going because of the balls which he described as extremely heavy.
"It was frustrating," he said. "I served and volleyed on, I think, every first serve today. So I didn't get into a lot of long rallies. But it's tough to hit the ball through the court on the forehand. You've got to try and generate a lot of pace and it's hard."
It was hard for Atlanta's Donald Young, too, who found himself facing fellow American Alex Bogomolov Jr. from Chickamauga, Ga. Young is 21 and Bogomolov, 28, and experience showed as the older man came through 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. All that happened just before the rains came.
By: msn.foxsports.com
Venus, Nadal, Roddick on Centre Court
Venus, Nadal, Roddick on Centre Court: Wimbledon Day 3 Venus Williams, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Roddick will headline play on Centre Court as Day 3 of the 2011 Wimbledon Championships kicks off on Wednesday.The Centre Court proceedings will commence with five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams as she faces Japan’s Kimiko-Date Krumm in her second-round match-up, which the American is heavily
Venus, Nadal, Roddick on Centre Court
Venus, Nadal, Roddick on Centre Court: Wimbledon Day 3 Venus Williams, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Roddick will headline play on Centre Court as Day 3 of the 2011 Wimbledon Championships kicks off on Wednesday.
The Centre Court proceedings will commence with five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams as she faces Japan’s Kimiko-Date Krumm in her second-round match-up, which the American is heavily favored to win. Venus, who made a splash on Monday by appearing on court in a fashion-forward jumper, could potentially meet sister Serena Williams in the final round.
Defending champion Rafael Nadal will square off against Ryan Sweeting of the U.S. in the second match of the day on Centre Court. After defeating Michael Russell in the first round, Nadal will be looking to take down another American, and the top seed will have a definite edge over Sweeting, who is coming off of a grueling five-set battle in the first round.
In the final Centre Court match of the day, No. 8 seed Andy Roddick will compete against Romania’s Victor Hanescu. The Romanian has promised to be on his best behavior this year after his unsportsmanlike conduct last year, which involved spitting on a group of spectators when his request for his first-round match to be suspended due to bad light was declined and then retiring from the match in the next game.
by: Erin Frauenhofer
Defending champion Rafael Nadal will square off against Ryan Sweeting of the U.S. in the second match of the day on Centre Court. After defeating Michael Russell in the first round, Nadal will be looking to take down another American, and the top seed will have a definite edge over Sweeting, who is coming off of a grueling five-set battle in the first round.
In the final Centre Court match of the day, No. 8 seed Andy Roddick will compete against Romania’s Victor Hanescu. The Romanian has promised to be on his best behavior this year after his unsportsmanlike conduct last year, which involved spitting on a group of spectators when his request for his first-round match to be suspended due to bad light was declined and then retiring from the match in the next game.
by: Erin Frauenhofer
Serena Weeps in Victory
Serena Weeps in Victory, Isner-Mahut II a Bust Tuesday at Wimbledon Serena Williams let loose with a river of tears following her first-round win at Wimbledon, but it wasn’t over her sister Venus’ cotton baby-jumper outfit.The younger Williams sister defeated Aravane Rezai 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, and the tears started flowing over her last 12 months of surgeries, medical emergencies and health scares.“I
Serena Weeps in Victory
Serena Weeps in Victory, Isner-Mahut II a Bust Tuesday at Wimbledon
Serena Williams let loose with a river of tears following her first-round win at Wimbledon, but it wasn’t over her sister Venus’ cotton baby-jumper outfit.
The younger Williams sister defeated Aravane Rezai 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, and the tears started flowing over her last 12 months of surgeries, medical emergencies and health scares.
“I usually don’t cry, so I don’t understand it, but it’s just been so hard,” said Williams, who cried into her towel after the match and was misty-eyed throughout her post-match interviews. “I never dreamt I would be here right now.”
The result and ensuing tears were a culmination of emotions after not knowing if she would return to tennis following two operations to repair a torn tendon in her right foot, then additional multiple hospitalizations to recover from blood clots in both lungs and a hematoma, which then required more surgery.
“It’s been a disaster year, but you know I’ve been praying and I have my family and I love tennis, and to be able to come back at Wimbledon is pretty awesome,” Williams said. “I didn’t expect to play. I’m just excited. I never cried with joy for anything.”
Former Wimbledon champ and No. 7 seed Maria Sharapova was also a winner Tuesday. She beat fellow Russian and former Top 5er Anna Chakvetadze, whose ground game is formidable on the grass, but whose puff-ball second serve Sharapova pounded like a locked glass double door prior to the opening of a sale day at Bloomingdales, 6-2, 6-1.
“I played against an opponent that’s been in the Top 10 before,” Sharapova said. “Hasn’t had the best results this year. But you don’t quite know what to expect. I’m sure, you know, she’d come out in the match and have nothing to lose. I thought she played a really good match, and I really had to step it up.”
Virtually the entire Top 10 of the WTA tour were in action Tuesday due to the Monday rains, with No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, No. 3 Li Na, No. 4 Victoria Azarenka, No. 8 Petra Kvitova, and No. 9 Marion Bartoli all straight-set winners joining Serena and Maria.
“I thought it was very difficult,” Wozniacki said. “First, it was my first match on grass, a real match. But then, you know, the wind blowing everywhere, I felt like I was throwing the ball up quite a few times for the serve. But I thought actually I served pretty well. But anyways, the conditions were pretty tough. There was one point where I hit the ball and it almost didn’t come over and then I hit the next one and it just flew.”
The highest-seeded upset victim Tuesday was No. 10 Sam Stosur, upended 6-3, 6-4 by Hungarian Melinda “The Fifth Element” Czink.
Spanish all-courter Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez was also an upset winner over No. 15 seed and former No. 1-ranked Jelena Jankovic 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.
Among other results of note, American Melanie Oudin was brutalized 6-0, 6-1 by No. 18 seed and former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic; No. 25 Daniela Hantuchova bounced back from injury with a win over Russian qualifier Vitalia Diatchenko after dropping the first set; No. 31 Lucie Safarova won the all-Czech all-Lucie battle against Lucie Hradecka after dropping the first; and India’s Sania Mirza crashed out against Virginie Razzano in three.
Matches to look for Wednesday are tough out Kimiko Date-Krumm vs. (23) Venus Williams, an all-Russian in Elena Vesnina vs. (2) Vera Zvonareva, Anabel “Funky Cold” Medina Garrigues vs. (16) Julia “Gorgeous” Goerges, and another all-Russian in (14) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs. Nadia Petrova.
On the men’s side Tuesday the hubbub centered around John Isner vs. Nicolas Mahut II, a rematch of last year’s 11-hour, three-day contest that set the record for the longest pro match.
The match fittingly began with a first-set tiebreak, with both players picking up where they left off last year. Isner ran away with the opening-set tiebreak, then the match 7-6(4), 6-2, 7-6(6).
“I’m just really thrilled to have won that third set, because if I lose that third set, then chances are we don’t finish,” Isner said. “You know, our match goes to another second day. So obviously you want to be through to the next round. So tomorrow I don’t have anything to do. Just gonna practice and get ready. It’s a nice feeling I don’t have to sleep on finishing this match.”
Another American came through on Tuesday when Andy Roddick, who has yet to claim the Wimbledon crown after being turned back three times in the final by Roger Federer, patiently outlasted the forehand-centric German Andreas Beck 6-4, 7-6(6), 6-3.
“He certainly had an obvious game plan and executed it for most of the day,” Roddick said of Beck. “He wasn’t going to rally much. He was just going to take his shots and go really aggressive and it worked most of the day. Normally when you have that mindset, you can count on someone making errors in bunches. Luckily he made two when he was up in that breaker.”
Other Top 10 winners in their opening-round matches were No. 2 Novak Djokovic beating Frenchman Jeremy Chardy in straights, No. 3 Roger Federer defeating Mikhail Kukushkin in straights, No. 5 Robin Soderling downing German Philipp Petzschner in four, and No. 7 David Ferrer straight-setting France’s Benoit Paire.
“Rafa and Roger are two biggest favorites to win this tournament because of the fact that they’ve been so dominant the last couple years, especially on the grasscourts,” Djokovic said. “They are the only two players who have been winning this tournament for quite some time. Obviously, there is Andy Murray, who is home favorite. He’s playing really well on grasscourts, Wimbledon, last couple years. It’s true there is a different approach to this year’s Wimbledon from my side because I’m playing, I think, best tennis of my life in the last six months.”
Avoiding upsets were No. 18 Mikhail Youzhny edging Juan Monaco 6-4 in the fifth, No. 21 Fernando “Hot Sauce” Verdasco saving a match point to ground Radek “The Worm” Stepanek 9-7 in the fifth, and No. 32 Marcos Baghdatis outlasting James Blake 6-4 in the fifth.
The four seeds that did fall by the wayside Monday were No. 22 Alexandr Dolgopolov beaten in four by Chilean Fernando “Gonzo” Gonzalez, No. 23 Janko Tipsarevic retiring with a groin injury against “Dr.” Ivo Karlovic, Croat Ivan Ljubicic booting fellow Croat and No. 27 seed Marin Cilic in four, and Aussie Bernard Tomic straight-setting No. 29 Nikolay Davydenko.
Unseeded winners of note out of the first round were Xavier “X-Man” Malisse, Brazilian Ricardo Mello “Yello” beating Canadian Frank Dancevic in five, Andreas “Don’t Be a” Haider-Maurer, “Next” American Ryan Harrison, and former All England Club champ Lleyton Hewitt beating Kei Nishikori in four.
Matches to look for Wednesday are (1) Rafael Nadal vs. Ryan Sweeting, Victor Hanescu vs. (8) Andy Roddick, Julien “The United Colors of” Benneteau vs. (6) Tomas Berdych, (24) Juan Martin Del Potro vs. Olivier “The Roach” Rochus, Gilles Muller vs. (31) Milos Raonic, Rainer Schuettler vs. Feliciano “F-Lo” Lopez, Dudi “Where’s My Car?” Sela vs. (15) Gilles Simon, and Ernests Gulbis vs. Dmitry Tursunov (to finish).
By: Staff
“I usually don’t cry, so I don’t understand it, but it’s just been so hard,” said Williams, who cried into her towel after the match and was misty-eyed throughout her post-match interviews. “I never dreamt I would be here right now.”
The result and ensuing tears were a culmination of emotions after not knowing if she would return to tennis following two operations to repair a torn tendon in her right foot, then additional multiple hospitalizations to recover from blood clots in both lungs and a hematoma, which then required more surgery.
“It’s been a disaster year, but you know I’ve been praying and I have my family and I love tennis, and to be able to come back at Wimbledon is pretty awesome,” Williams said. “I didn’t expect to play. I’m just excited. I never cried with joy for anything.”
Former Wimbledon champ and No. 7 seed Maria Sharapova was also a winner Tuesday. She beat fellow Russian and former Top 5er Anna Chakvetadze, whose ground game is formidable on the grass, but whose puff-ball second serve Sharapova pounded like a locked glass double door prior to the opening of a sale day at Bloomingdales, 6-2, 6-1.
“I played against an opponent that’s been in the Top 10 before,” Sharapova said. “Hasn’t had the best results this year. But you don’t quite know what to expect. I’m sure, you know, she’d come out in the match and have nothing to lose. I thought she played a really good match, and I really had to step it up.”
Virtually the entire Top 10 of the WTA tour were in action Tuesday due to the Monday rains, with No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, No. 3 Li Na, No. 4 Victoria Azarenka, No. 8 Petra Kvitova, and No. 9 Marion Bartoli all straight-set winners joining Serena and Maria.
“I thought it was very difficult,” Wozniacki said. “First, it was my first match on grass, a real match. But then, you know, the wind blowing everywhere, I felt like I was throwing the ball up quite a few times for the serve. But I thought actually I served pretty well. But anyways, the conditions were pretty tough. There was one point where I hit the ball and it almost didn’t come over and then I hit the next one and it just flew.”
The highest-seeded upset victim Tuesday was No. 10 Sam Stosur, upended 6-3, 6-4 by Hungarian Melinda “The Fifth Element” Czink.
Spanish all-courter Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez was also an upset winner over No. 15 seed and former No. 1-ranked Jelena Jankovic 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.
Among other results of note, American Melanie Oudin was brutalized 6-0, 6-1 by No. 18 seed and former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic; No. 25 Daniela Hantuchova bounced back from injury with a win over Russian qualifier Vitalia Diatchenko after dropping the first set; No. 31 Lucie Safarova won the all-Czech all-Lucie battle against Lucie Hradecka after dropping the first; and India’s Sania Mirza crashed out against Virginie Razzano in three.
Matches to look for Wednesday are tough out Kimiko Date-Krumm vs. (23) Venus Williams, an all-Russian in Elena Vesnina vs. (2) Vera Zvonareva, Anabel “Funky Cold” Medina Garrigues vs. (16) Julia “Gorgeous” Goerges, and another all-Russian in (14) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs. Nadia Petrova.
On the men’s side Tuesday the hubbub centered around John Isner vs. Nicolas Mahut II, a rematch of last year’s 11-hour, three-day contest that set the record for the longest pro match.
The match fittingly began with a first-set tiebreak, with both players picking up where they left off last year. Isner ran away with the opening-set tiebreak, then the match 7-6(4), 6-2, 7-6(6).
“I’m just really thrilled to have won that third set, because if I lose that third set, then chances are we don’t finish,” Isner said. “You know, our match goes to another second day. So obviously you want to be through to the next round. So tomorrow I don’t have anything to do. Just gonna practice and get ready. It’s a nice feeling I don’t have to sleep on finishing this match.”
Another American came through on Tuesday when Andy Roddick, who has yet to claim the Wimbledon crown after being turned back three times in the final by Roger Federer, patiently outlasted the forehand-centric German Andreas Beck 6-4, 7-6(6), 6-3.
“He certainly had an obvious game plan and executed it for most of the day,” Roddick said of Beck. “He wasn’t going to rally much. He was just going to take his shots and go really aggressive and it worked most of the day. Normally when you have that mindset, you can count on someone making errors in bunches. Luckily he made two when he was up in that breaker.”
Other Top 10 winners in their opening-round matches were No. 2 Novak Djokovic beating Frenchman Jeremy Chardy in straights, No. 3 Roger Federer defeating Mikhail Kukushkin in straights, No. 5 Robin Soderling downing German Philipp Petzschner in four, and No. 7 David Ferrer straight-setting France’s Benoit Paire.
“Rafa and Roger are two biggest favorites to win this tournament because of the fact that they’ve been so dominant the last couple years, especially on the grasscourts,” Djokovic said. “They are the only two players who have been winning this tournament for quite some time. Obviously, there is Andy Murray, who is home favorite. He’s playing really well on grasscourts, Wimbledon, last couple years. It’s true there is a different approach to this year’s Wimbledon from my side because I’m playing, I think, best tennis of my life in the last six months.”
Avoiding upsets were No. 18 Mikhail Youzhny edging Juan Monaco 6-4 in the fifth, No. 21 Fernando “Hot Sauce” Verdasco saving a match point to ground Radek “The Worm” Stepanek 9-7 in the fifth, and No. 32 Marcos Baghdatis outlasting James Blake 6-4 in the fifth.
The four seeds that did fall by the wayside Monday were No. 22 Alexandr Dolgopolov beaten in four by Chilean Fernando “Gonzo” Gonzalez, No. 23 Janko Tipsarevic retiring with a groin injury against “Dr.” Ivo Karlovic, Croat Ivan Ljubicic booting fellow Croat and No. 27 seed Marin Cilic in four, and Aussie Bernard Tomic straight-setting No. 29 Nikolay Davydenko.
Unseeded winners of note out of the first round were Xavier “X-Man” Malisse, Brazilian Ricardo Mello “Yello” beating Canadian Frank Dancevic in five, Andreas “Don’t Be a” Haider-Maurer, “Next” American Ryan Harrison, and former All England Club champ Lleyton Hewitt beating Kei Nishikori in four.
Matches to look for Wednesday are (1) Rafael Nadal vs. Ryan Sweeting, Victor Hanescu vs. (8) Andy Roddick, Julien “The United Colors of” Benneteau vs. (6) Tomas Berdych, (24) Juan Martin Del Potro vs. Olivier “The Roach” Rochus, Gilles Muller vs. (31) Milos Raonic, Rainer Schuettler vs. Feliciano “F-Lo” Lopez, Dudi “Where’s My Car?” Sela vs. (15) Gilles Simon, and Ernests Gulbis vs. Dmitry Tursunov (to finish).
By: Staff
Wimbledon 2011
Wimbledon 2011: Live - Venus Williams v Kimiko Date-Krumm. Venus 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 3-2 Date-Krum If you're looking for signs which way this match might go, Venus has just held to love in a tenth of the time it took her opponent to hang on to her previous serve. Smart cash still on the six-time champion.Venus 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 2-2 Date-KrummQuite a few hats being worn in the crowd, which is surprising
Wimbledon 2011
Wimbledon 2011: Live - Venus Williams v Kimiko Date-Krumm. Venus 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 3-2 Date-Krum If you're looking for signs which way this match might go, Venus has just held to love in a tenth of the time it took her opponent to hang on to her previous serve. Smart cash still on the six-time champion.
Venus 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 2-2 Date-Krumm
Quite a few hats being worn in the crowd, which is surprising considering we're virtually indoors. I guess if you've made the effort to select one/purchase, you want to make the most of it. Superior hitting from Venus, point for her third break of serve on the bounce - huzzah! first ace of the match from KDK, and the patrons applaud her pluck. Backhand out wide - called out, and with it the game, but hold on - the umpire has overruled. In, clean winner, off the hook. Wide again, another break point, saved with a hurried Venus backhand into the net. Great game, this, another rapier exchange as Venus flashes a winner down the line and KDK punches away a volley. 10 minute game, match-time to two hours 16 mins. Gripping.
Venus 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 2-1 Date-Krumm
Come on Kimiko - what's left in the locker? A dipping forehand cross court, that's what - sweetly struck, and the crowd love that. Venus to the net, long legs flashing... oh, a nick on the net-cord, and KDK's feeble backhand skips right over Venus's waiting flay-trap. Chance here for an unlikely break-back - first serve into the net, second serve... into the net! Break-back it is, much to the crowd's delight.
By:Tom Fordyce
BBC Sport at Wimbledon
Quite a few hats being worn in the crowd, which is surprising considering we're virtually indoors. I guess if you've made the effort to select one/purchase, you want to make the most of it. Superior hitting from Venus, point for her third break of serve on the bounce - huzzah! first ace of the match from KDK, and the patrons applaud her pluck. Backhand out wide - called out, and with it the game, but hold on - the umpire has overruled. In, clean winner, off the hook. Wide again, another break point, saved with a hurried Venus backhand into the net. Great game, this, another rapier exchange as Venus flashes a winner down the line and KDK punches away a volley. 10 minute game, match-time to two hours 16 mins. Gripping.
Venus 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 2-1 Date-Krumm
Come on Kimiko - what's left in the locker? A dipping forehand cross court, that's what - sweetly struck, and the crowd love that. Venus to the net, long legs flashing... oh, a nick on the net-cord, and KDK's feeble backhand skips right over Venus's waiting flay-trap. Chance here for an unlikely break-back - first serve into the net, second serve... into the net! Break-back it is, much to the crowd's delight.
By:Tom Fordyce
BBC Sport at Wimbledon
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Reactive Hypoglycemia
Reactive Hypoglycemia If you are anything like me when it comes to weight training, or exercising period for that matter, you hate to miss a workout! When I first started having problems with Reactive Hypoglycemia or Idiopathic Postprandial Syndrome, it affected everything!I could no longer eat like before. I could no longer train hard like before. I had no idea what was going on, what to do and
Reactive Hypoglycemia
Reactive Hypoglycemia If you are anything like me when it comes to weight training, or exercising period for that matter, you hate to miss a workout! When I first started having problems with Reactive Hypoglycemia or Idiopathic Postprandial Syndrome, it affected everything!I could no longer eat like before.
I could no longer train hard like before. I had no idea what was going on, what to do and couldn't seem to get a straight answer from anyone on what I should be doing...and yes, anyone included my doctors! So, I had to try and beat this thing on my own. The dizzy spells, the panic attacks, the hypoglycemic episodes, the weakness, the fatigue, the shakes, the heart palpitations...and, well, I did!
I didn't get the right formula in a day's time! It literally took almost 2 months to get my diet nailed down and for my body to adjust.
I researched everything on the net. I talked to dietitians, nutritionists, bodybuilders, personal trainers and honestly tried to avoid doctors, they only seemed to make it worse!
For the sake of keeping things short, and getting right do the heart of what "works" (for me anyway), I found that a diet high in fat, protein, fiber and very low in carbohydrates kept me from having any episode at all! That's right! My diet eliminated my episodes all together and for good!...but don't ask your doctor(s) about this, because chances are they have no idea and only want to stick you on some medicine!
Hopefully by now you know that eating refined foods, simple carbohydrates and sugars, caffeine and alcohol will cause you (a person with Reactive Hypoglycemia or Idiopathic Postprandial Syndrome) to have an episode. However, if you are working out, you are definitely going to need some carbohydrates right?...Complex carbohydrates that is!...but getting the perfect amount and knowing how to eat them is key!
What I did when I first changed my diet was to go on the Ketogenic diet for about 5 days straight. (You should research the Ketogenic diet more. Basically it's a diet that gets your body to switch from burning carbohydrates as a fuel source to burning fat as a fuel source.) I recommend not working out and consulting someone knowledgeable about this diet (or your physician, if they truly know about it) before doing this.
Now, it's workout time, what do ya do? Well, remember, your diet has to always fit your activity. So, you have to take in enough carbohydrates to get through your workout (think about intensity and the length of time you will be training), but not so many carbohydrates you kick your body out of ketosis (that whole deal where your body is burning fat as an energy source). Your complex carbohydrates from breakfast and lunch may work fine, but, if you are doing high intensity training, you may want to try eating 2 to 4 glucose tabs while working out. These tabs are made of Dextrose and are immediately absorbed and will be used immediately for energy to help you get through your workout.
Now, if you are eating every 2 to 2 and a half hours a day, you will be eating about 7 meals a day give or take, and only 2 of those meals will include small servings of complex carbohydrates depending on your workout for the day. The rest of the meals should include foods like, whey protein shakes, cottage cheese, steak, eggs, fish, bacon, almonds, peanuts, peanut butter, decaf coffee with heavy cream, etc. (For more information on a sample diet, see my website.)
There are a lot of unknowns in all of this because obviously every individual is different. It make take some people 5 days to reach Ketosis and other people 10 days to reach Ketosis on the Ketogenic diet. Some people may do just fine with a half of a bowl of oatmeal in the morning for their workout others might need the quarter to half sweet potato and the glucose tabs. You will have to learn by trial and error what works for you. Keep a detailed food journal and tweak your diet as needed, but remember the key points here. Don't eat sugar, refined foods, simple carbohydrates, caffeine or alcohol. Eat more fat, protein, fiber and when you do eat your small amounts of complex carbohydrates, eat them with fat. Eat small meals 2 to 2 and a half hours throughout the day, and be consistent! This is the key to stopping your episodes!
By Elvis Jackson Jr | ezinearticles.com
Working Out While Sick
Working Out While Sick Illness is almost inevitable. Even the fittest among us occasionally succumb to the common cold. No one enjoys being sick, especially athletes. It can derail training and throw off schedules while you're stuck on the couch with the sniffles. When you aren't just being a baby that is.Even though light physical activity can help you boost your disease fighting capability, you
Working Out While Sick
Working Out While Sick Illness is almost inevitable. Even the fittest among us occasionally succumb to the common cold. No one enjoys being sick, especially athletes. It can derail training and throw off schedules while you're stuck on the couch with the sniffles. When you aren't just being a baby that is.Even though light physical activity can help you boost your disease fighting capability, you ought to be gentle on yourself any time you have already got the flu. This is when you should take notice of your body, and provide it a chance to get well.You should always trust your gut when it comes to getting back into an exercise routine after an illness. You know your body best and should listen if it tells you to take some extra down time.
However, there are a few guidelines you can follow when trying to get back into the swing of things. When you have temperature because of the flu, then be wary of exercise. Generally, people who have the flu have got fevers for 2 to 5 days. A fever really is a sign that the body is fighting a viral or bacterial infection. Performing exercises may strain your system all the more and lead to dehydration. It may possibly postpone your healing from the flu. You might want to hold out a few days till your fever has broken and your body's feeling far more energized before going back to your regular exercise program.
In the event that you do not have temperature yet suffer with additional flu signs or symptoms, it is better to talk to your medical doctor before lacing up your sneakers. After all, they are going to be in the closet in a few days when you find yourself completely recovered from the flu.
By Claude Crowe | ezinearticles.com
Avoidant Paruresis - overcome your shame
Avoidant Paruresis - overcome your shame The only statement I can make with certainty about your bashful bladder is that it is shame-based. I don't know the specific source of this shame and you probably don't either, but shame's crippling nature is much the same for all of us--for me and for you.1) Shame-based behaviors thrive on silence. If you want to overcome your bashful bladder, You need to
Avoidant Paruresis - overcome your shame
Avoidant Paruresis - overcome your shame The only statement I can make with certainty about your bashful bladder is that it is shame-based. I don't know the specific source of this shame and you probably don't either, but shame's crippling nature is much the same for all of us--for me and for you.
1) Shame-based behaviors thrive on silence. If you want to overcome your bashful bladder, You need to go public about your inhibition--both in what you say and what you do. That doesn't mean you have to announce it (or do it) from the rooftops. Go public with your best man friend first. (The woman of your life is another person you need to "out" yourself with if you haven't already done so, but generally men do not relieve themselves in the presence of women so there is no need to "out" yourself to other female acquaintances.) Speak to your friend about your avoidant paruresis. Then ask him to witness you urinating.
To overcome your shame, commit yourself to urinating in front of male friends and acquaintances whenever appropriate--every occasion it is appropriate! The first time you ask anyone to witness you will be the most difficult time. Do so as soon as possible! Get it over with! Then keep asking.
2) Like all behaviors, urinating in front of others will become easier the more you do it. That's the strength of exposure work. If you want to become more comfortable urinating in public rest rooms and overcome your bashful bladder, you are going to need to practice "going" in the presence of other men. That is where witnessing comes in.Urinating with a man you have asked to witness you is both easier and more difficult than doing so with a stranger. It is easier because you can select men who will not judge you and so you can eliminate--or at least mitigate--any consequent feeling of failure. If it takes you ten minutes or more to relax, that's fine. Your man will not shake his head or judge you or walk away.It is harder because you're doing something without any "protection." No anonymity, no little wall between you and someone's stare. It's all out there. It's going "all the way," and other experiences of public urination may then seem less challenging or threatening--and that's what you want.
3) This witnessing will speed up the process of modifying your behavior--and thus of overcoming avoidant paruresis. Many times when you walk into a men's room, you are alone in the space and therefore cannot practice acquiring new behaviors. That slows progress. Every time you ask someone to witness you, you will be assured someone is there and you will be unlearning an old behavior and practicing a new one.If you habitually pass up opportunities to urinate in the presence of others (male friends and acquaintances), ask yourself why are you foregoing the chance to develop new behavior. Why are you holding on to shame? In answering this, don't be too easy on yourself. There are years of fear weighing against change. It is likely your answer will be a justification rather than a valid reason.
4) Behavior modification calls for tireless activity. Commit yourself to urinating--whenever appropriate--only in the presence of other men--strangers in a rest room or pee buddies. It's what you need to do if you are going to modify your behavior. Thinking about change in you behavior, hoping for change, will not effect change. Only making a modification in your behavior will create a change in your behavior. With every succeeding effort, the asking will be easier (and the doing, too).Good Luck!
By David Soucy | ezinearticles.com
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Best Fitness Program to Stay Healthy
Best Fitness Program to Stay Healthy Building a healthy body is an art. People who are interested in body building are dedicated towards it and they always want to make sure that they never stay away from their hard work. Without hard work it is quite important to create your dream body.Keeping your body fit and healthy has become quite difficult these days. There are lots of distractions and
Best Fitness Program to Stay Healthy
Best Fitness Program to Stay Healthy Building a healthy body is an art. People who are interested in body building are dedicated towards it and they always want to make sure that they never stay away from their hard work. Without hard work it is quite important to create your dream body.
Keeping your body fit and healthy has become quite difficult these days. There are lots of distractions and disturbances which can distract you from your aim. The first thing that you need to do is create an aim for yourself.
Secondly you should know how to stick to the right path to reach to your aim or goal. In the beginning it might to be a bit difficult but if you can control yourself then you can surely achieve the goal.
You might have noticed that people these days tend to get overweight very quickly. They add some extra fat in their body due to the wrong lifestyle they tend to follow. They eat wrong food and practice some wrong habits.
If these people are unable to change the lifestyle and their food habit then they will become unhealthy and will have to face lots of problems regarding their body. Diet and exercise are the two most effective ways to achieve a healthy weight.
You must always strive to achieve the best for your body. You must always treat your body as a place to worship and taking good care of your body is equal to worshipping your god. There are various body building professionals who can guide you in the right manner.
They are usually experts in this field and they know the best methods to create a healthy body. One of the ways to build body and muscle mass is strength training. If you take up proper strength training programs then you can surely find some changes in your body after a certain period of time.
You must always wait for the right time to find out the changes. Strength training is not magic which will start working from the very day you start practicing it. Strength training is possible with the help of certain machines.
But before you start the training it is important to understand your body. Different people have different kinds of body build up and different requirements. You need to choose your ways after considering these requirements. In the beginning you might have a little trouble because the body might put up some resistance to this strenuous job.
This is the reason why you need to proceed with the whole thing gradually. You need to learn the techniques from the professionals and then practice them at home. It is very important to make sure that you apply the right kind of techniques.
Implying the wrong technique might have some adverse effect on your body. Some people take the wrong route to build their body. There are certain drugs which can help people build muscles but they can destroy your body from within. Stay away from any wrong decisions.
By Jeffrey Raudzus http://ezinearticles
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Disiplin, Hadiah, dan Konsekuensi
Disiplin, Hadiah, dan Konsekuensi. Set Clear Aturan dan HarapanSeperti dengan jadwal yang jelas, dapat dicapai, aturan jelas dan harapan yang juga penting untuk anak-anak dengan ADHD. Di sekolah maupun di rumah, anak-anak dengan ADHD membutuhkan konsisten dan jelas seperangkat aturan. Hal ini dapat membantu untuk membuat daftar aturan untuk rumah dan posting mereka di tempat di mana anak dapat
Disiplin, Hadiah, dan Konsekuensi
Disiplin, Hadiah, dan Konsekuensi. Set Clear Aturan dan Harapan
Seperti dengan jadwal yang jelas, dapat dicapai, aturan jelas dan harapan yang juga penting untuk anak-anak dengan ADHD. Di sekolah maupun di rumah, anak-anak dengan ADHD membutuhkan konsisten dan jelas seperangkat aturan. Hal ini dapat membantu untuk membuat daftar aturan untuk rumah dan posting mereka di tempat di mana anak dapat dengan mudah melihat mereka. Ini sangat penting untuk tetap berpegang pada aturan dan memberikan imbalan yang adil dan konsisten dan konsekuensi ketika aturan rumah tangga tidak diikuti.
Berikan Petunjuk Hapus
Hindari jelas atau terbuka instruksi seperti "membersihkan kotoran Anda" atau "bermain baik" yang tidak akurat menyampaikan tugas-tugas tertentu yang ingin dilakukan. Sebaliknya, gunakan bahasa yang jelas dan instruksi spesifik seperti "silakan memasukkan semua pakaian kotor dalam keranjang," "silahkan taruh semua mainan kembali ke rak," atau "mari kita biarkan teman Anda untuk memiliki giliran bermain dengan mainan." Bicaralah dengan suara tenang dan jelas, dan pastikan untuk menjalin kontak mata dengan jenis anak Anda ketika Anda memberikan petunjuk sehingga lebih besar kemungkinan ia berfokus pada apa yang Anda katakan. Hal ini dapat membantu agar anak Anda mengulangi petunjuk kembali kepada Anda. Meruntuhkan instruksi untuk tugas-tugas besar menjadi langkah-langkah sederhana juga dapat membantu.
Disiplin, Hadiah, dan Konsekuensi
Anak-anak dengan ADHD merespon dengan baik untuk suatu sistem didefinisikan dan diprediksi penghargaan dan konsekuensi untuk mengelola perilaku dan disiplin. Reward perilaku positif dengan pujian atau dengan imbalan kecil yang biaya uang sedikit atau tidak ada, seperti waktu khusus dengan orangtua atau berpartisipasi dalam outing atau kegiatan favorit. Fokus pada pujian atau hak istimewa sebagai hadiah daripada makanan menawarkan atau mainan sebagai hadiah.
Selalu terbaik untuk memberikan penghargaan yang lebih dan pujian positif dari komentar negatif atau konsekuensi. Sebagai contoh, tersenyum dan berkata, "Aku suka cara Anda bekerja pada pekerjaan rumah Anda" atau "Anda melakukan pekerjaan yang besar membersihkan meja." Minta anak Anda untuk mengatakan apa yang dia lakukan dengan baik selama suatu kegiatan dan membantu dia untuk datang dengan sesuatu jika dia tidak bisa.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)