It was the most anticipated first sight of a ceiling since Michelangelo pulled back the covers on the Sistine Chapel. And as far as roofs go, the one over Centre Court that was used for the first time on Wimbledon Day 7 worked very well thank you. It kept the rain out.

It was not a torrential downpour that caused the roof to be closed, in fact by the time play had recommenced on Centre Court they were also playing on all the other, roofless, courts. But that’s beside the point.

The point ...

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“Yeah, I'm a control freak. Yeah, I love controlling. You know, I'm used to that. You can't get this good without some kind of a little idiosyncrasy.”

Venus Williams successfully turns what could be deemed a negative personality trait into another weapon in her already lethal tennis armoury.

“I'm always mad. You guys know I'm really bratty. This is nothing new, so...”

Serena Williams joins her sister in taking a moment to complete an honest self critique and similarly seems rathe...

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After a week of relative calm at Wimbledon, the storm clouds gathered ominously above the courts of the All England Club on middle Saturday. Despite rumblings of thunder in the distance there were no shocks today on Centre Court with Andy Murray, Andy Roddick and Venus Williams all progressing comfortably to the fourth round.

Murray in particular was in fine form beating Viktor Troicki in straight sets and a little over 90 minutes. Murray has been keeping everyone amused with his 'Tennis pl...

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“It looks so easy when he steps on the court. It looks so easy, doesn't it? And I think he's such a great champion. I mean, I was so thrilled for him when he won French Open. I actually had little tears in my eyes when he was doing the speech.”
Ana Ivanovic, just another victim of the Roger Federer effect. Tissues at the ready if the Swiss man triumphs at Wimbledon again to break Pete Sampras’ Grand Slam record.

“That's a good idea. You know, I was thinking maybe I could, like, tota...

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Roger Federer dropped a set and it didn’t rain on Wimbledon Day 5. The rain had been forecast, the dropped set had not.

At the start of the day, the weather forecast had predicted a 40% chance of heavy rain. But few people would have expected Philipp Kohlschreiber to get anything from his match against Federer given that he had lost in straight sets to the Swiss in three previous meetings.

There was not a drop of rain but Kohlschreiber gave Federer a contest 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1.

...

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"Well, I thought someone was gonna come get me. Then I figured, well, maybe I just have to report. I didn't know what to do. So I was waiting, warming up. I was waiting and waiting. Finally I was like, Okay, I think I'm just going to go out. I'm used to someone coming and saying, Okay, let's go.”
Serena Williams proving just what a big brave girl she is on Court 2.

“You know, it was quite funny before the match. We were warming up at the same place. We just had to make sure we were not goi...
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Andy Murray and Lleyton Hewitt have a lot in common. That both were victorious on Wimbledon Day 4 is just a minor thing. If Murray can become a Wimbledon winner like Hewitt, it would be a major thing.

Murray and Hewitt are the sole representatives in the men’s draw of Britain and Australia, respectively; two proud tennis nations with a shared history, both in the grip of a talent crunch.

They have been on the wrong side of public opinion in their homelands, they have said things when they we...
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“Well, when I walk behind short people I feel like I'm going to fall over because I start taking these little steps, and I can't take little steps. I take big steps. I've always been large, always been tall. I don't know anything about small.”

Venus Williams on the perils of being tall.

You know, party every day until 6:00 in the morning and then sleep during the day, and now I play these two days (laughter).

The secret to effective major Championship tournament preparation brought ...

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Maria Sharapova is out of Wimbledon. Perhaps that is worth repeating: Maria Sharapova will play no further part in the 123rd Wimbledon Championships.

The crowd favourite and 2004 champion was beaten in three fraught and painful sets by Gisela Dulko 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in the second round, her worst result here since – well, since here last year.

Of course, she has only been back in action for just over a month after surgery on a long-term shoulder injury. Still feeling her way back, she is no...

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Q. Have you noticed anything in him (Andy Murray)? Is he still relaxed on the practice courts?

Novak Djokovic: Yeah, he has a haircut, different haircut (smiling).

Andy Murray will be delighted that his latest grooming exploits have not gone unnoticed by his contemporaries.

“I had so many easy balls, and I just made unforced errors from those. You know, when I've had those situations before those balls would be pieces of cake, and today they weren't. But it's okay.”

Maria Sharapova�...

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Oh, don't get there, because otherwise you're gonna see a lot of balls flying around and racquets, and a lot of swearing. I don't think you want that extreme."
Marat Safin explains how the world would work if the players were allowed to express their emotions without fear of censure.

"I don't know. Probably not a lot. I'll just keep it, rainy day. I might not be a tennis player soon, might be stacking shelves. I haven't had to think about it but Tesco's are offering, though."
Great Britain’...

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If not everything went to plan on day two of Wimbledon 2009, at least the weather followed the script and bathed the All England Club in warm summer sunshine and azure skies.

It was a day of tears for some, cheers for others - well done Andy Murray and Elena Baltacha - and, in that sense, was like every other day in the history of these Championships.

Tennis is a brutal sport and it does not get any less bruising just because it is played in surroundings which please the eye and remind ev...

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It's the little things like, you know, living in a house, you know, having a normal key instead of like the hotel key, you know, cooking your own breakfast, I don't know, making your own tea. You feel like you're a little bit ‑ it's a little homely. Everything is close if you're in the village. You don't have to be in too much traffic, unless you're staying in London."
— Maria Sharapova outlines the details of her love affair with Wimbledon.

"There's nothing that I can do about it. It's ...

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Day One of the 123rd Wimbledon Championships – and it was a disaster. Well, it was if you had just spent a fortune on a new roof for the Centre Court. So, what sort of weather did we have on the dawn of the brave new age of life with a roof? Sunshine, a few clouds and hours and hours of uninterrupted play. Not a drop of rain to be seen. Rats! The roof will have to wait for another day.

Other than that, Day One could not have been better. The brand-spanking new No.2 Court was opened by th...

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Murray claims first grass-court title at Queen's Club

LONDON (AP)—Andy Murray defeated James Blake 7-5, 6-4 Sunday to win the Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club for his first grass-court title.

The top-seeded Murray became the first British player to win the tournament since Bunny Austin in 1938, who then went on to become the last Briton to reach the Wimbledon final.

“I was quite nervous,” Murray said. “People were telling me that no (Briton) had won here for 70-odd years so th...

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Haas stuns Djokovic in three sets to win Halle title

HALLE, Germany (AP)—Tommy Haas upset Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-1 Sunday to win the Gerry Weber Open for his first grass-court title.  The 31-year-old German became the oldest ATP Tour winner this year. Haas has 12 career titles and now has won on all surfaces.

“It’s a great accomplishment for me,” he said. “It’s such a great feeling to hold a trophy again. It makes all the setbacks go away.”  In defeating the second-seeded ...

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