Federer Now The Greatest Ever?

In a classic tennis match at the All England Club in London, Roger Federer once again proved why he is the greatest to ever play the sport. In a match dominated by Andy Roddick, Federer still found a way to win and that's what the great ones always do. Roddick came out of the gate quick and grabbed the first set 7-5. In the second set, Roddick was up 6-2 in the tiebreaker when Federer reeled off 6 straight points to take the set. Federer would go on and also win the 3rd set in a tiebreaker. Roddick would fight back and regain control of the match by winning the 4th set 6-3. Then in a classic ending to a brilliant match, Federer would break Roddick's serve for the first time all day and win the 5th set 16-14. Andy Roddick played the most complete match, I've ever seen him play today and yet it still wasn't good enough to beat Federer. With tennis royalty on hand, Federer pulled out the victory and received a thumbs-up from Pete Sampras. This was the first time Sampras had visited the All England Club since he last played there, and wanted to be there in person to pass the torch to Federer. Federer broke Sampras' record of 14 major title victories, by winning Wimbledon and capturing his 15th career slam win today.

All Williams Wimbledon

Dinara Safina was supposed to be the number 1 player in the world, and then she met Venus Williams. Venus Williams barely broke a sweat and cruised to a 6-1, 6-0 win versus Safina. In a semi-final match at Wimbledon, you would think there might be a little drama on Centre Court, but it wasn't meant to be. Venus was far and away the better player, and it showed mightily. Venus has now advanced on to the Wimbledon final, and will meet her younger sister, Serena. Serena struggled today, but in the end she was able to outlast Elena Dementieva and win 6-7, 7-5, 8-6. Unlike the matchup between Venus and Safina, this match contained plenty of drama and great tennis. Dementieva and Serena battled like two well-trained gladiators in a Centre Court match-up that will be remembered for some time to come. However, with Serena's victory, now comes the match between arguably the best two female tennis players in the world. Not arguably, it is the best two female tennis players in the world. They have proved it time and time again. In a game, where time is never on your side. In a game, where most players have a short shelf-life, these two women have been able to sustain excellence for over a decade. It's a testament to their greatness, indeed. Hopefully, there will be some great American fireworks this 4th of July in England, when these two square-off in a classic match up for the Wimbledon Title. However, if history is any indicator of the type of match they will play, then it's liable to be a disaster. Finals between these two never seem to be great, and often time they end up being one-sided. Let's hope and pray it's different this time. Let's hope we see the best of both women, and they create a memorable final that will leave a legacy for a long time.

Roddick Advances at Wimbledon

American hopeful, Andy Roddick, has advanced to the Round of 16 at Wimbledon once again. Roddick has never won the Wimbledon title, yet he does have two second place finishes at the All England Club. Roddick was able to hold on and beat Jurgen Melzer in a 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/2), 4-6, 6-3 win. Behind his electric serve, he was able to outlast Melzer and win two sets by tiebreaker points. Roddick finished the match with 33 aces. Roddick will now have to face Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic. If he can defeat Berdych he will advance to the quarterfinals. In other Wimbledon news, Murray, Haas, and Hewitt, also advanced to the Round of 16 on the men's side.

Oudin Ousts Jankovic

Once again an American woman is dominating the headlines at Wimbledon. However, this time it's not one of the Williams' sisters that's making the news. It's 17 year old Melanie Oudin from Marietta, Georgia. Oudin has fought her way into the Round of 16, at the biggest grass tournament in the world. She ousted former number one ranked Jelena Jankovic today in the third round, pulling off one of the greatest upsets in tournament history. Ranked No. 124 in the world, Oudin had to win three qualifying matches just to get into the Grand Slam event. However, this isn't her first rodeo. She's played in two other Grand Slam tournaments as well, but has never made it out of the first round. She's still very young, and has a ton of upside. I seriously doubt that she advances on to the next round, but nonetheless she has made her mark and will continue to get better. Oudin will definitely be a contender in the coming years.

Tennis, NCAA Baseball, and NBA Basketball

Today is jam-packed in terms of the sports world. Earlier this morning, Roger Federer finally earned his first ever French Open title. He dispatched of Soderling, after Soderling had upset Nadal earlier in the tournament. Roger Federer won his record-tying 14th major title. Does this make Federer the greatest tennis player to ever lace them up? Let the debate begin! He made an impressive statement today, by overwhelming Soderling 6-1, 7-6 (1), 6-4 in straight sets. He tied Pete Sampras' record by winning today, and will try to overtake Sampras by winning Wimbledon in a few weeks. Personally, I've never seen another tennis player with his poise and calm. Given the choice between him and Sampras, I'd take Federer everytime!

Another sporting event, I've been keeping my eye on this weekend is the NCAA baseball Super Regionals. As of this moment, several teams have already punched their ticket to Omaha and the College World Series. Those teams are LSU, UNC, Virginia, CS Fullerton, and Arkansas. Three spots remain and will be decided by tomorrow. TCU/Texas are tied at 1 game apiece. Southern Miss is up 1-0 on Florida, and Ariz St is up 1-0 on Clemson. I'll be supporting my Clemson Tigers tonight, but it's not looking good for their chances to move on. We'll see what happens and who can advance on to Omaha!

Another big sporting event taking place tonight, is Game 2 of the NBA Finals. Kobe and the Lakers got off to a hot start in Game 1 and trounced the Orlando Magic. Let's see what kind of adjustments the Magic can make to get back in this series. Stan Van Gundy will have his work cut out for him against the HOF coach Phil Jackson. If I'm Van Gundy, I'm pounding the ball into Superman aka Dwight Howard, and making him the focus point of my offense. He's got to get touches in order for the Magic to win. If he gets the ball in the post, it'll spread the defense of the Lakers more and therefore give the Magic shooters (Lewis, Austin, and company) better 3pt looks. I'd love to see the Magic win Game 2 and make this a competitive series.