When Was Roger Federer Born? posted by Tennis Fan

Born August 8, 1981, in Switzerland, Roger Federer is known to be the greatest tennis player of all time. Since October 2002, he has been consistently maintaining his ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) rank in the top ten. Federer has held the number one position in the world for overall 302 weeks, which includes a consecutive stretch of 237 weeks from 2004 to 2008. During this time, he has reached every Grand Slam Final event five times minimum, which is a record in itself. During the Open Era, Federer has won 17 Grand Slam titles in the singles events, and shares the record for most titles at Wimbledon, U.S. Open, and Australian Open with other players.

Roger Federer grew up playing football, basketball, and badminton, apart from tennis. In 1998, he won his first junior player titles at Wimbledon for the singles and doubles events. He also went on to win the Orange Bowl, and ended the year with number one world junior ranking. Federer also started his professional career in the same year, where he lost to Lucas Ker. He reached his first finals in 2000 at the Marseille Open, but lost to March Rosset. Federer had his first victory in 2001 at the Hopman Cup, where he partnered with Martina Hingis in the doubles match. His first single's win was also in the same year when he defeated Julien Boutter in the Milan Indoor tournament.

Federer won his first Grand Slam singles title in 2003 at Wimbledon when he defeated Mark Philippoussis in the finals. In 2004, he won three singles Grand slam titles during the season, and equaled this record set in 1988 by Mats Wilander. He became world no.1 for the first time in 2004, when he beat Marat Safin in the Australian Open final. Roger Federer still manages to reach the semi-finals and the finals in many ATP tournaments, and recently won the 2014 Shanghai Open.

What’s the Difference Between Men’s and Women’s Tennis Shoes? posted by Tennis Fan

There is a distinct difference between men’s and  women's tennis shoes, beyond the possible difference of color. It is important that you know what these differences are, so you don’t make the mistake of thinking that it doesn’t matter which shoes you buy, as long as they seem to fit. What are the differences? The following are the significant factors that make men’s and women’s tennis footwear different and are the reasons why tennis players shouldn’t typically wear shoes belonging to the opposite gender.
Width.One of the most notable differences is width. The majority of  men’s tennis shoes are much wider than women’s shoes, for the simple reason that, by nature, men typically have larger feet than women. In fact, the standard width for a man’s shoe is often the extra wide version for a woman. Furthermore, women’s shoes tend to be narrower, as women typically have a narrower forefoot and heel, as well as a lower instep.
Toe box.The width of shoes is different in terms of the toe box. Since shoes for men tend to be wider, the toes are often squared off, while the toes on tennis shoes designed for women tend to have a rounder or pointed oval shape, due to the shoes being designed for narrower feet. Thus, a woman’s tennis shoe isn’t simply a smaller version of one that is designed for a man. It is carefully created to accommodate the shape of her foot.
Soles.The soles of the shoes are constructed differently for men and for women. The reason for this is, typically, men and women do not strike the ground with their feet in the same way. Men usually strike the ground with their heel, while women tend to hit the ground mid-foot and with less impact. Women have a much wider Q angle than men (this is the angle of the legs as they extend from the hips). As a result, the average woman has a far greater tendency to overpronate (roll foot inward) more than the average man. Therefore, if she fails to wear the proper shoe that offers adequate support, she could suffer a knee injury.
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3 Things To Look Out For when Choosing a Tennis racquet posted by Tennis Fan

Tennis racquets have come along way. Originally all racquets were made of animal intestine and laminated wood. Making the strings of the racquet with the intestine was not always easy, because they had to make a racquet that was stiff enough to hit the ball with power and also a durable racquet that would last long enough.

Today the  tennis racquets available in the market are built with very high standards. Tennis racquets are now made using a variety of materials. When manufacturers started making racquets commercially, they used steel and aluminum. Nowadays they are made using materials such as carbon fiber, fiber glass and even titanium. There is a science behind the design of the racquets. When you are buying a tennis racquet you have to consider the grip, the size of the head and the weight of the racquet amongst other things.

The grip of the racquet can help you improve your game. The grip is the distance between your ring finger and the middle crease of the palm of your hand. The typical grip size for men is 4 1/2” for men and 4 1/8” for women. It is always better to choose a smaller grip size, because you can modify it by adding an over-grip.  Even when you choose the right grip, you may want to add an over-grip in future. Over-grips can absorb sweat better and may feel more comfortable, so you may find that you need them in future.

The other thing you need to look out for is the weight of the racquet. Weight can also greatly affect your performance when playing tennis. A heavier racquet gives a better swing but its better for the pros. If you are not used to playing tennis choose a lighter racquet. A heavy racquet could exhaust you. It is also possible to get muscle injuries if you play for a long time. The weight of the racquet usually varies between 8 and 12 ounces for unstrung racquets. There are over-grips that can be used to add weight to the racquet. For that reason it is better to buy a lighter racquet and an over-grip when you are unsure.

The Importance of Quality in Women Tennis Shoes posted by Pro Tennis News

Quality is a highly important feature in women tennis shoes. It ensures that you are wearing the right equipment for the sport. All too many people overlook the importance of their footwear when it is not a part of a team sport uniform.

The truth is, though, that women tennis shoes must be of a certain quality not only to provide the features that you need in order to properly perform, but also to prevent injury. Among the most common injuries experienced by tennis players is a twisted ankle. When you buy shoes that are sturdy and stable, you minimize the chances that this type of injury will occur, because your feet will have more stability in your movements, and there will be less strain on the joint.

The reason that many people hesitate to purchase quality women tennis shoes is that they don’t realize their importance to the game, and when they see their price tag, they don’t believe them to be worth the cost. This is because these products are generally more expensive than other types of athletic shoes such as runners or cross trainers.

If cost is a factor, then simply make the effort to find the right product but at a reduced price. You can look for sales, request gift cards instead of presents for birthdays or other gift-giving occasions. This way you can save your money but still have the right footwear for your sport.

The best quotes by athletes in the 2000s posted by Colin Linneweber

February is widely recognized as the dimmest and most lackluster of all the months on the sports calendar. 

Considering the relative dearth of interesting storylines (sorry, Winter Olympics), I decided to rank the seven most entertaining quotes uttered by athletes over the course of the past decade. 

I chose to incorporate seven quotes because we are a mere seven weeks into the new year.  

1)      “Iron” Mike Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) demolished Lou Savarese (46-7, 38 KOs) by TKO just 38 seconds into their fight in Glasgow, Scotland. 

In a ringside interview with Showtime’s Jim Gray shortly after the massacre, Tyson went on a inane tirade against Lennox Lewis (41-2-1, 32 KOs). 

“I’m the best ever. I’m the most brutal, vicious and most ruthless champion there’s ever been. There’s no one can stop me,” said Tyson, who remains the youngest boxer to ever capture the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles. 

“Lennox (Lewis) is a conqueror? No. I’m Alexander. He’s no Alexander. I’m the best ever. There’s never been anybody as ruthless. I’m Sonny Liston. I’m Jack Dempsey. There’s no one like me. I’m from their cloth. There’s no one that can match me. My style is impetuous. My defense is impregnable. And I’m just ferocious. I want your heart. I want to eat his children. Praise be to Allah.” 

When they finally met in Memphis in June 2002, Lewis battered Tyson before he earned a decisive eighth round knockout. 

Funny non-sport related videos!!!!! posted by Devin

I know these 3 clips have nothing to do with sports, but I thought that it would be entertaining because all you need to do is laugh sometimes.  I will probably post 3 videos every so often so stay tuned, I guess:

THEY GET BETTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IT GETS EVEN BETTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

STAY TUNED, THERE ARE MORE LAUGHS TO COME!!!!!!!!!

Devin

Centsports Is Sweet posted by Chad

So, rumor has it online sports betting used to be really sweet; I heard pinnaclesports was an excellent, reputable site until the US cracked down on this alleged integrity issue.  An article I read points to a 1999 study that over $380 billion is illegally wagered on betting.  Now, I am not an advocate of; well, if society does it.. then it must be right.  Because usually, I think people are pretty stupid, especially society.  However, this seems harmless to me because the money can be used in so many ways.  Think of all the tax money and money, in general, the state and the US can collect, insane.  Anyway, it appears sports betting is only allowed in several states where it was legal before a certain law was passed.
BUT WAIT!  There is still a way for you to bet!  centsports.com and it is sweet.  There aren't props or a ton of other options.. but it is free betting.  It's a simple concept; advertisers pay your profit.  You view some ads maybe click on a few of them and then you can make and win some bets.  You start at .10 and have to work your way up from there.  It can be a real challenge, and you can do up to 5 game parlays; there are some early bonus options to boost your account size.  You'd have to read more of the rules to see how they try to limit you a little bit, which makes sense.. I'm sure they don't want to be making $550,000 payouts on a daily basis. 
There are a lot of betting options, soccer leagues galore, the WNBA (I giggle everytime), NFL, MLB, college sports, NHL, MMA, tennis, Nascar are all available for wagers.  Thankfully, I have no clue about MMA, tennis, or soccer yet I routinely throw wagers down on them and lose, draining my bank account.  I believe they would call me a degenerate in Vegas.  This is part of the reason I'm sure I have never made it passed the magnificent account total of.... $5.50!  TA DA!  Sweet.  I know.  Guess where I am at after 1 year of this.  .10!  The starting point.  Thanks to the Marlins loss last night or I would have hit a 5 team parlay.  Back to the drawing board.

What's next for Andy Roddick? posted by Erik Siwak

Roger Federer collected his record-breaking 15th Grand Slam title today in a spectacular Wimbledon final that will not be easily forgotten by any of us who saw it. Major congratulations to the man who most pundits feel comfortable calling the Greatest Tennis Player of All Time.

On the downside, Sunday's four and a half hour final will be hard for Andy Roddick to forget also. Roddick, a major underdog who had lost to Federer 18 times in 20 meetings, looked poised to pull off the huge upset. He took the first set. He had four set points in the second that he failed to convert. He took the fourth set which launched a thrilling fifth set that would contain 30 games. Throughout, Roddick had been rock solid on his serve, never allowing Federer to break him...until the very last game of the match. It was a heartbreaker for a man who had worked so hard to get to that point.

Watching Roddick stare forlornly at the grass after the match, it was impossible not to wonder how badly this loss will sting. In many ways, this match reminded me of the classic Venus Williams-Lindsay Davenport Wimbledon final from 2005. Davenport was another former Grand Slam champion who came within a hair of nabbing another Grand Slam title by knocking off a big name. She came up just short-losing a match point-and never got that close again. Will the same thing happen to Roddick?

If there's any justice, the answer should be no. There are so many positives for Roddick to take away from this year's Wimbledon that they should, over time, outweigh the negatives of coming so damn close. I can't remember ever seeing Roddick play better than he did during the last four rounds of this tournament. The backhand has improved dramatically and his court tactics are much shrewder. More importantly, Roddick seemed to believe he could beat the big dogs like Murray and Federer.
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A-Rod: Disgracing Baseball or Saving American Tennis? posted by Greg Archuleta

Sunday, the many lives of A-Rod increased by one.

While the more famous -- or infamous -- A-Rod, a.k.a. Alex Rodriguez, was enjoying a day off while his New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 10-8 for their 10th win in 11 outings, his moniker received a huge boost in a different sport played on grass overseas.

A rejuvenated Andy Roddick nearly pulled off the unthinkable -- preventing Roger Federer from claiming an unprecedented 15th Grand Slam title. At Wimbledon, of all places.

Alas, Federer was too much Federer in the end of an epic 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14 victory in the Wimbledon final. So a tell-all book on this A-Rod will have to wait.

Federer, the Swiss Army of One, endured the longest fifth set in Wimbledon finals history en route to his sixth trophy in England, one short of Pete Sampras and William Renshaw.

Roddick, meanwhile, could be on his way to accomplishing something really big.

The talented but perhaps underachieving Omaha, Neb., native has been the United States' best hope for a tennis great since the retirements of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.

Roddick won the U.S. Open in 2003 and was ranked No. 1 in the world to finish the year, but has not achieved that kind of success since -- mostly due to Federer's rise.

When Rafael Nadal became Federer's main rival in 2006, it seemed as if Roddick's chance at greatness was over and American tennis was about to enter a dark period with no one really capable of challenging Nadal or Federer in the forseeable future.

Roddick was bounced out of the second round at Wimbledon last year, and the defeat probably was the best thing to happen to his career.

Federer vs Roddick in the finals is at least intriguing right? posted by Brandon Richardson

If I had bet on every sporting event in which I just knew in my gut what the outcome was going to be, I would be even more broke than I am now.  We all know that Roddick is 2-15 against Federer lifetime and that Roger is playing some tennis right now that could be better than I have ever seen him play.  That is why sports are so entertaining!  Especially those decided by one game or match as opposed to a "best of" series.  On any day, at any time, there is an opportunity for an upset.  That's why the Confederation Cup final was even slightly exciting to me.  I knew Brazil had a much better team, but on any given day.....              I knew that the Patriots were going to clobber the Giants and finish a historic season 19-0.  I knew that Tyson was going to knock out Buster Douglas and continue his tear through anyone who got in his way.  And without a doubt, I KNEW that my Florida Gators were going to destroy a Michigan team that had lost to a division II school earlier in the year.   And Sunday...  I will be watching a cheering for the American Andy Roddick, even though I KNOW that Federer is going to win.............................. 

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