The Swiss player won a thrilling Australian Open final but would have been happy to ‘accept a draw’ against another wonderful ambassador for tennisRoger Federer’s claim to greatness has never been in question, not even in the five years since he won his 17th grand slam. However, his right to be regarded as peerless in the history of his sport was cemented beyond argument when he drew four majors clear of the 14 Rafael Nadal shares with Pete Sampras by defeating the Spaniard in an Australian Open final to rank alongside the best of the nine in which they have now contested a slam title. Related: Roger Federer eyes Wimbledon success after Australian Open triumph The triumph belonged not only...
Straight out of the notorious Los Angeles neighbourhood of Compton, the incomparable sister act show yet again that they dominate women’s tennisThere is by now a numbing effect to the decades‑long dominance of Serena Williams, who on Saturday captured the Australian Open championship for a seventh time to eclipse Steffi Graf’s record for major titles in the Open era, all but silencing the few stubborn holdouts who referred to the record book to deny that she is the best there has ever been. Related: Australian Open 2017: day 13 – women's singles final - in pictures Related: What the Williams sisters mean in America today | Derrick Clifton Continue reading...
In an uncertain era, the success of Venus and Serena tells a story of the greatness that already exists in the United StatesIt was to be Serena’s day. But the impact of an all-Williams final at the Australian Open cannot be overstated.Before Serena’s victory over Venus in Melbourne, the 23rd major title of her glittering career, the last time the two sisters went head-to-head in a grand slam final was at Wimbledon in 2009. Serena bested Venus in a tough two-set match. At the time, the sisters had won multiple titles in their already storied careers, which began with family practice sessions on the dilapidated courts of Compton. Related: It’s not all bad news – we’ve got Venus, Serena, Roger...
The Swiss will rarely have had to fight harder than he did to subdue Stan Wawrinka in the Australian Open semi-final and become the oldest man to reach a grand slam final since 1974, yet he did so with grace and panacheIt was as nailed-on that there would be a Swiss player in the men’s final of the 2017 Australian Open on Sunday as it was that an American would win the women’s title on Saturday. The odds that their combined ages would be at least 70 were a little tougher to see at the start of the fortnight but it crystallized into stunning reality here on the 11th day of a tournament that has had more twists than the...
The 35-year-old Swiss was seeded to meet the world No1 in the quarter-finals at the Australian Open but now Sunday’s final beckonsIt may ease Andy Murray’s pain to learn that Roger Federer is sure the Scot can win the Australian Open one day – except not on his day, not on Sunday when, against all expectations, the Swiss could now be taking Murray’s place in the final. Related: Roger Federer beats Kei Nishikori in epic five-set Australian Open match Related: ‘It’s just tennis’ – Andy Murray’s words after shock Australian Open loss Related: Andy Murray crashes out of Australian Open to inspired Mischa Zverev Continue reading...