FACTBOX-Tennis-Wimbledon champion Roger Federer - Reuters UK
LONDON, July 8 |
LONDON, July 8 (Reuters) - Factbox on Switzerland's Roger Federer who won a record-equalling seventh Wimbledon men's singles title on Sunday.
MAKING HIS NAME
* Born Aug. 8, 1981 in Basel, Switzerland.
* Bursts on to the scene in 2001 when he ends Pete Sampras's 31-match winning streak at Wimbledon in the fourth round before losing in the quarter-finals.
RECORD 17 GRAND SLAM TITLES Wimbledon, 2003-2007, 2009, 2012; U.S. Open 2004-2008; Australian Open 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010; French Open 2009.
* In 2003, becomes the first Swiss man to win a grand slam after beating Mark Philippoussis in the Wimbledon final.
* Is the only man to win five consecutive titles at two different grand slams - Wimbledon and U.S. Open.
* Is the first man to win Wimbledon-U.S. Open double four years in a row.
* Is the only man in the professional era to win three consecutive majors twice in his career when he captured the 2007 Australian Open title.
* Equalled Bjorn Borg's record of five consecutive Wimbledon titles in 2007.
* His run of reaching 10 consecutive grand slam finals is snapped by Novak Djokovic in the 2008 Australian Open semi-finals.
* The 2008 five-set epic at Wimbledon is regarded by many as the best ever tennis match. He lost the match to Rafael Nadal.
* His 2009 French Open crown made him the sixth man - after Fred Perry, Don Budge, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson and Andre Agassi - to have won all four grand slam titles during his career. Nadal has since become the seventh to achieve the feat.
* Breaks American Pete Sampras's record of 14 grand slam titles with his 15th win in the 2009 Wimbledon final to reclaim the world number one spot from Nadal.
* In 2009, becomes the first man to reach seven successive Wimbledon finals since the abolition of the Challenge Round in 1922. Reaches a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon final in 2012, extending his overall major final appearance record to 24.
* His record run of reaching 23 consecutive grand slam semi-finals is snapped by Robin Soderling in the last eight of the 2010 French Open. That record is widely considered as one of the most astonishing in sport as it means Federer finished in the top four at a major for almost six successive years. His streak is more than double the previous record held by Ivan Lendl, who reached 10 consecutive major semis.
OTHER CAREER MILESTONES
* Becomes the 23rd man to top the ATP rankings in 2004, and keeps the ranking for a record 237 consecutive weeks. By winning his seventh Wimbledon title, he also matches Sampras's record of spending 286 weeks as world number one.
* Holds a record run of 24 consecutive final victories, which was snapped when he lost 2005 Masters Cup final to David Nalbandian. Finished the season with an 81-4 win-loss record.
* In 2006 he reached all four grand slam finals, winning in Australia, Wimbledon and the U.S. among a haul of 12 titles and a 92-5 win-loss record.
* Has a professional era record of 65 consecutive wins on grass, which was ended by Nadal in the 2008 Wimbledon final.
* Won an Olympic men's doubles gold medal with Stanislas Wawrinka at the 2008 Beijing Games.
PERSONAL LIFE
* Suffered from a bout of glandular fever at the start of the 2008 season which affected his form.
* Married long-time girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec in April 2009 and celebrated the arrival of twin daughters three months later. (Compiled by Pritha Sarkar, editing by Ed Osmond)
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No guarantees for Torres at Chelsea - Di Matteo - Football
Published: 08 Jul 2012 - 09:17:17
New Chelsea manager Roberto di Matteo expects a 'buzzing' Fernando Torres to be raring to go when he returns to pre-season training - but warned the Euro 2012 Golden Boot winner there can be no guarantees of being the Blues' number one striker.
The Spain international came off the bench in the final, scoring one and setting up another in a 4-0 win over Italy to help fire them to European glory. The 28-year-old had launched an outburst at the Blues in the wake of their Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich, attacking his treatment and threatening to quit, although he later backtracked.
"There is no concerns about Fernando at all," said Di Matteo. "I did have a chat with him the morning after the final, and have been in touch since as well. It (disappointment) was a feeling he had at the time, but I will continue to speak to the players. I am expecting him here in a good mood, to be buzzing and be very good next season."
Torres enjoyed a successful season with both club and country last term, and Di Matteo added: "Certainly winning the Golden Boot and the Euros, along with the trophies they won with us should give them a lot of confidence. I expect him next season to be a fantastic player with us."
Di Matteo, though, said: "We have three strikers at the moment in the squad, and I would not be saying who is going to be playing. They will all have to fight for their position and there is healthy competition. Whomever is in the best form and can give the best for the team will be playing."
Chelsea may have secured Champions League glory on the back of what were resolute defensive displays to get past Barcelona in the semi-finals, but Di Matteo insists that is not the only way forward for his team.
"Chelsea have never been a defensive side over the years and won't turn into one overnight," the Italian said.
"There may be a tactical situation when you have to play like that but I can't see our club turning into a defensive side. It was successful the way we approached certain games but it was just three games and the rest of the games weren't approached like that."
Di Matteo added: "It is not a question of overhauling the squad it is a question of finding the right players to integrate into the team.
"The team will change face over time as the players move on or retire and new players come into the team."
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Longmuir eyes Rangers D-day - Football
Published: 08 Jul 2012 - 20:47:38
Scottish Football League chief executive David Longmuir hopes on Friday to see a resolution to the problem of Rangers newco which will 'be for the betterment' of the game in the future.
The relaunched Govan club will discover at the end of the week whether they will be playing in the Irn-Bru First Division or Third Division next season.
Longmuir told Press Association Sport: "Friday is a very important day for Scottish football, I will let others judge just how important. I expect to have meetings with the SFA and the SPL this week. We hope to achieve an agreement which will be for the betterment of the game in Scotland."
The vast majority of Ibrox fans favour a fresh start in the bottom tier after last week's failed bid to remain in the Scottish Premier League.
However, the First Division looks the likely destination after Scottish Football Association chief executive Stewart Regan claimed that dire financial consequences meant he could not allow Ally McCoist's side to resume life in Division Three.
Longmuir expects to meet with Regan and Scottish Premier League chief executive Neil Doncaster over the next few days before the decision about Rangers newco is taken by the SPL board, on behalf of its members, who would then look forward to a package of reforms which are likely to include the re-introduction of play-offs and changes to the distribution of finances and votes.
Meanwhile, former Rangers striker John MacDonald is baffled by the whole situation and claims the Ibrox club have been subject to a "witch hunt".
MacDonald, who played for the Gers in the late 1970s and 1980s, told Press Association Sport: "Are there any rules or are they making them up as they go along? Any notions or talk of sporting integrity has gone right out of the window.
"Rangers really should start in the Third Division and most fans want that so there will be no comeback in years to come.
"But Stewart Regan has held a gun to the head of the SFL clubs by more or less saying they have to vote Rangers into the First Division. So it looks like the club will be in the First Division next season."
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