Agirsoy-All+about+tennis

   =//Tennis - A world of balls around the world// = 

Australian Open
__Beginnings:__  The tournament began in 1905, when The Australasian Tennis Championships were first staged at the Warehouseman's Cricket Ground in St Kilda Rd, Melbourne. It was organized by The Lawn Tennis Association of Australia, which is known today as Tennis Australia.  Until tennis' "Open" era began in 1968, the Australian Championships were held in many different states, and at many different venues around Australia.  In the sixties, Australian players were totally dominant on the world tennis stage. Rod Laver won his two Grand Slams in 1962 and 1969, and, between them, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson and Margaret Smith Court won sixteen out of a possible twenty men's and women's titles.  __Open Tennis__  <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">With the ushering in of Open tennis, the name was changed to the Australian Open, and by 1972, the National Tennis Body decided to give the Australian Open a permanent home. That home was Melbourne, as it was the people of Melbourne who had given the most support to the tournament over the years. The Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club was chosen as the venue, where the tournament was held on grass courts for the next sixteen years. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">Up until 1977, the Australian Open was held in January. That year, the tournament was shifted to December, which meant that there were two Australian Opens in the same calendar year. A December tournament remained the case until 1987, when the event was, once again, played in January. This meant that in 1986, there was no tournament. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">During the eighties, Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander and Stefan Edberg were the dominant players in the mens, and Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert were at the forefront in the women's. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">Also during the eighties, it became more and more evident that the tournament's rapidly growing stature would require a new venue. Flinders Park, which sported a new cushioned hardcourt surface (replacing Kooyong's grass), next to the Melbourne Cricket Ground was chosen as the new site. It proved to be a popular choice with both players and spectators. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">In 1996, the Flinders Park venue was expanded and renamed Melbourne Park, where the stadium court, the Rod Laver Arena, and the No 1 showcourt both feature a movable roof, which can be shut when weather conditions outside threaten to interrupt play. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">

<span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">**French Open**
<span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">__Beginnings:__ <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">The "French Open" was first played in 1891. It was called the French Championships, and open only to French players. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">It remained a domestic event until 1925, when the French Championships were renamed the French Internationals, and opened up to the best foreign players. For the next three years, Stade Francais and the Racing Club de France took turns staging the tournament. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">This coincided with the time that French tennis really started to take off. First came Suzanne Lenglen, with her flamboyant style and her five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles from 1919 - 1923 (and again in 1925); and then Henri Cochet, Rene Lacoste, Jean Borotra and Jacques "Toto" Brugnon - the Four Musketeers - who shocked the American tennis establishment by winning the Davis Cup on American soil in Philadelphia in 1927. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">__ Roland Garros Stadium__ <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">After their historic Davis Cup triumph, the French sought a new venue in Paris for the following year's return match against the USA. It was in 1927 that Stade Francais sold a 3 hectare site close to Park D'Auteuil to the French tennis authorities. There was one condition attached to the sale; namely, that the new stadium be named after one of Stade Francais' former members, the famous aviator Roland Garros. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">Roland Garros was famous for being the first man to fly across the Mediterranean**,** on 23 September, 1913. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> So it was that in 1928 the French Internationals were played for the first time at Roland Garros stadium. And later that year, the Four Musketeers once again beat The USA (4-1) in the final of The Davis Cup. It wasn't until 1933 that the French lost their stranglehold on the event, losing to Great Britain 2-3. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">Amongst them, the Musketeers won a total of 51 Grand Slam singles and doubles titles, with 49 of them being between 1924 and 1936. Borotra won 15 titles, Cochet 14, and Lacoste and Brugnon won 11 each. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">From 1940-45 - the War years - the French Internationals were cancelled. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">In 1968, the French Internationals was the first Grand Slam tournament to join the "Open" era, thus becoming the **French Open** we know today. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">In 1983, the charismatic **Yannick Noah** delighted home fans by beating Sweden's Mats Wilander, to become the first - and so far the only - Frenchman to win theFrench Open in the professional era. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">

<span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">Wimbledon
<span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">The first Wimbledon, and the first tennis Grand Slam, was held in 1877 at The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club. Played on a court with a net that was five foot high at the posts and three foot three inches high at the center, Spencer Gore won the men's singles over W.C. Marshall, beating him 6-1 6-2 6-4 in the final. There were 22 players in the field. The final was watched by approximately two hundred spectators who paid a shilling each to get in. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">In the first Wimbledon, the Gentlemen's Singles was the only event. Men's doubles was introduced in 1884, as was the Ladies Singles which was won by the 19 year old daughter of a vicar, Maud Watson, who beat her older sister, Lilian, 6-8 6-3 6-3 in the final. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"><span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left;">Until 1922 <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left;"> the winners of the tournament did not have to play through the draw the following year <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left;"> The holders of the title played a //<span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left;">Challenge Round // <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left;"> against the winner of the tournament comprising all entrants except the previous year's winner. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">In 1887, Charlotte 'Lottie' Dod won the ladies singles at 15 years old. She is still Wimbledon's youngest winner - male or female. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">In 1905, May Sutton of the USA became the first champion from overseas. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">In 1913, Ladies' Doubles and Mixed doubles were introduced. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">The first World War interrupted proceedings between 1915 - 1918. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">In 1922 the Challenge Round was abolished. But it wasn't until five years later that full seedings were introduced. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">In 1938, Don Budge (USA), and current holder of the Australian Open and the French open, won a second Wimbledon singles title. A win at the US Open later that year saw Budge become the first player to complete the tennis Grand Slam. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">Between 1940 - 1945, The Championships were interrupted by the Second World War. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">In 1948, two new events were introduced - the Boys' and Girls' invitational singles. But it wasn't until 1964 that another event was introduced - the Invitation Men's Veterans. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">In 1968, Rod Laver and Billie Jean King won the first "Open" Wimbledon. The following year, Richard "Pancho" Gonzales and Charlie Pasarell played Wimbledon's longest match. It was a first round marathon that was played over two days, lasting 5 hours and 12 minutes, with a total of 112 games. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">In 1971, the tie-break was introduced at eight games all in the first four sets. The fifth set remained advantage. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">Since the abolition of the Challenge Round 58 years earlier, Swedish sensation, Bjorn Borg, broke the record for the number of consecutive men's singles titles, picking up his fifth title in a row in 1980. Today, that record still stands. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">Not even the great Pete Sampras, who won between 1993 - 1995 and 1997 - 2000 was able to win five in a row. Perhaps the winner for the last four years, Roger Federer, will claim Borg's record. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">Meanwhile, will anybody ever better Martina Navratilova's record of six consecutive women's singles titles from 1982 - 1987? <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">In 2005, in an innovative move, wheelchair tennis was introduced as a new event at Wimbledon's Championships. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> As one of the world's most widely watched sporting events, with massive, global tv coverage, Wimbledon is the premier tennis Grand Slam. Like the Australian Open, The French Open and the US Open, Wimbledon has its own unique atmosphere. With its grass courts and polite crowds, Wimbledon's garden party atmosphere is a "must visit" for any tennis fan. It truly deserves its place at the top of the tennis Grand Slam tree. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">
 * <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left;">, **
 * <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left;">. **

<span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">US OPEN
<span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">Called the US National Singles Championship, the first US Open was held in August, 1881, at the Newport Casino in Rhode Island. Entry was restricted to those clubs that were members of the United States National Lawn Tennis Association. The event was held at Newport for the next 34 years. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">That first tournament was won by Richard Sears, who went on to win 7 consecutive titles. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">Overall, the five major events have been played at nine different sites in the tournament's history. Of these major events, the Women's Singles has been played in the fewest places -- The Philadelphia Cricket Club, The West Side Tennis Club and The USTA National Tennis Center. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"><span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left;">Six years after the first men's tournament, the first official Women's National Singles Championship was held in 1887. It was played at the Philadelphia Cricket Club. Two years later, in 1889, The US Women's National Doubles Championship was added to the tournament. The first Mixed Doubles Championship was played alongside the Women's Singles and Doubles. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">__**Modern Era**__ <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">

<span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">With the advent of the 'Open' era in 1968, for the first time the US Open staged all five events at The West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, Queens, N.Y. The tournament was held on grass courts, with total prize money of $100,000 and a field of 96 men and 63 women. Athur Ashe was the winner of the Men's Singles, Virginia Wade of Great Britain won the Women's Singles. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">In 1970, the US Open was the first of the Grand slam tournaments to adopt the tie-breaker. In another controversial move, in 1975 the tournament surface at The West Side Tennis Club was switched from grass courts to green clay. The winners of the singles that year were Spain's Manuel Orantes and Chris Evert of the USA. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">Just three years later, the tournament was moved to the deco-turf hard courts at The USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadow, New York, where the main court is the 23,000 seat Arthur Ashe Stadium, named after Arthur Ashe, the winner of the inaugural professional US Open in 1968. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left;">After the switch to hard courts, the US Open was totally dominated by Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe in the Men's Singles, and Chris Evert (1978, 1980, 1982), Tracy Austin (1979, 1981) and Martina Navratilova (1983, 1984) in the Women's Singles. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">Today, the US open offers close to $20 Million to a field of over 600 men and women, including qualifiers. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">**3 Questions related to the topic:** <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">1-Which of these tournaments attract you most and why? <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">2-Write about your favourite player and which game of her/him you can't forget? <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">3-Who do you think is the King/Queen of tennis and why? <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">media type="youtube" key="A9N0jSusuSw" height="315" width="560" <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">**http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9N0jSusuSw** <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">I chose this video because my favourite grand slam tournament is Wimbledon.It is so exciting and year by year a joy again. I remember times in past when I stop doing everything else as watching this tournament.Unfortunately till today I had no chance to watch it live. As soon as I have the opportunities I will go to each tournament and realize my childhood-dream:) This video is the final of 2008 ,Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal.One of the most enjoyable plays ever.These two players are fascinating.I love to watch matches between them.It is always an unforgeetable one. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">

<span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">Link for news:
<span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">**http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/7490443.stm** <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"><span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">By Piers Newbery

<span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">BBC Sport at Wimbledon <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">Nadal won his fifth Grand Slam title and first away from Roland Garros**.** <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">**Rafael Nadal held off an incredible fightback from Roger Federer to win his first Wimbledon title and end the Swiss star's reign at the All England Club.** <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The article by Piers Newberry is about the amazing and fightning final match of 2008 Wimbledon.He wrote how difficult it was for Nadal to win against Roger Federer, who won the title for years.I prefered this article because I think Newberry gave us all information about that day by referring to former situations between this two genious players. <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">media type="youtube" key="ndsbDRq54FY" width="425" height="350" <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">

<span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">**link for song:**
<span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndsbDRq54FY&feature=related <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">This video is made of with photos and videos of Rafael Nadal:) <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">link for funny pictur of Nadal:
<span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;"> <span style="background-color: #00fff3; color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left; vertical-align: sub;">http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/833/4474114242c9071b12e7.jpg/