Congratulations to Christina McHale on her first Wimbledon win!

Now, as you can see, I’m super excited about this.

But you might be saying, “First round, what’s the big deal?’

Well, the reason this is an important story to me, and I believe for tennis players everywhere, is that her story reads like ones that we probably all have experienced at one time or another.

And by reviewing hers, we can all learn an invaluable lesson in the process. So, listen up.

The past tournament openers of this rising star have been no dream experience. In fact, they were more like nightmares. Sound familiar?

Oh yeah, she’s struggled. She had talent oozing out of her ears and has actually beaten some top seeded players in some of the smaller level tournaments on tour (…i.e Daniela Hantuchova and Nadia Petrova)…

…But wasn’t able to get it done when it came to the really big moments. Hmm, how about now ? See, you’re not the only one. I told you you could probably relate to it.

Anyway, on with the story. Last year at the 2010 French Open, she lost in 2 quick sets to Varvara Lepchenko in the first round. But get this, the problems didn’t stop there.

This year, in 2011, her troubles continued. Some would say they even got a lot worse. Why? This time, she didn’t just get beat, she had a win within reach, then decided to gift-wrap literally the biggest match of her life to her opponent practically free of charge.

If you caught any of the tournament, you probably figured out what I’m referring to, the awful mental meltdown Christina McHale suffered at this year’s French Open.

Now considering it was only her second time playing on the big stage at Rolland Garros, she surprisingly held her nerves together like a veteran, towards the early part of the match at least.

The 19 year old Christina McHale played extremely well. In fact, when she got to the third, she piled it on even more, roaring out of the gate, commanding a 5-0 lead in the final set , the set that would have sent the teenage American hopeful into the second round, another first for her.

But as the finish line grew closer and the great opportunity of a great win against one of the best players in the world became clearer… She cracked!

And her opponent, Sara Errani, took full advantage, and ultimately took the set 9-7, abruptly ending her journey.

While in tears, this is what she had to say to reporters:

“I started rushing when she won a couple of games and I felt like it was slipping away and I couldn’t stop it,” a tearful McHale said, according to the report.

“I just panicked and didn’t take my time. I was feeling something in my leg and I wanted to close it out quickly and I stopped thinking and I was just trying to end it. I’m not stunned because I know anything can happen in tennis. But I’m upset and disappointed in myself.”

Now, this type of horrifying loss a lot of times, can crush a career (…emotionally scarring a player), leaving them never wanting to set foot on the court again. …Especially one that’s so young.

But luckily, that wasn’t the case here. Nope, not this one, not Christina McHale. She’s back on the big stage, kicking butt and taking names!

There was no indication that her heart-wrenching defeat from a year ago had any lingering effect, in her first round win at the 2011 Wimbledon over 28th seeded Ekaterina Makarova, 2-6, 6-1, 8-6.

After Monday’s post-match interview, she stated the reason for her great play as of late and why that horrible loss at the French didn’t break her is because of how she handled it.

She didn’t do what would be very instinctive for most players, and wait around feeling sorry for herself.

She instead erased that match or that mistake and shook off that negative feeling right away. How’d she do it?

The she said they key to her massive turnaround was because she was able to get right back on the horse so to speak and began playing more tournaments.

That said, less than 48 hours later, she wrote the tournament director and put in a request for a late entry.

She was given a invitation to the “quallies”… She quickly got a few wins under her belt… And before you knew it, she was playing better than ever.

I mean, now look at her, 2nd round at one of the most (…if not the most) prestigious tennis tournament in the world, Wimbledon baby!

Check this out. This doesn’t only work for Christina, it’ll work for you too. The sooner you’re able to get back out there competing again, the quicker you’ll forget that unfortunate situation or and no longer retain the memory that one you let slip away.

Instead, you’ll be replacing it with plenty of good ones (…i.e great bagels and furious comebacks).

The longer you sit, the longer the feeling of regret and negativity lingers, until it eventually consumes you.

Then you all of sudden have no desire to play anymore. Heck, you might even wind up putting the racket down for good.

So learn from Christina. Next time you you have a bad match or do something you think you might regret, don’t drown in the sorrow.

Come out swinging, and you’ll get both your confidence and competitive edge, and you’ll be back kicking butt in no time!

Have a great day, and an even better game!

Brian
TennisMindCamp

It’s getting awfully close…. The numbers are in…

Wimbledon 2011 seeds were revealed Wednesday June 15, 2011. The seeds on the mens side have been generated by a specific formula based on the players success in tournaments played on grass over the past year and their overall national ATP ranking.

As for the women, their seeding is only based on their official ranking by the WTA. But this is where it gets interesting. The womens positioning can be altered if the tournament administrative team feels the draw ends up being significantly lopsided.

Venus And Serena Get A Wimbledon 2011 Whirlwind With Seed Re-arrangement

Case in point, the Williams sisters, Venus (…who was moved to 8th) and Serena (…who was moved to 24th) were the only two alterations executed for the 2011 Wimbledon tournament.

Check out the mens and womens Wimbledon 2011 singles seedings below:

Gentlemen’s Singles

1 Rafael NADAL (ESP) [1]

2 Novak DJOKOVIC (SRB) [2]

3 Roger FEDERER (SUI) [3]

4 Andy MURRAY (GBR) [4]

5 Robin SODERLING (SWE) [5]

6 Tomas BERDYCH (CZE) [6]

7 David FERRER (ESP) [7]

8 Andy RODDICK (USA) [8]

9 Gael MONFILS (FRA) [9]

10 Mardy FISH (USA) [10]

11 Jurgen MELZER (AUT) [11]

12 Jo-Wilfried TSONGA (FRA) [12]

13 Viktor TROICKI (SRB) [13]

14 Stanislas WAWRINKA (SUI) [14]

15 Gilles SIMON (FRA) [15]

16 Nicolas ALMAGRO (ESP) [16]

17 Richard GASQUET (FRA) [17]

18 Mikhail YOUZHNY (RUS) [18]

19 Michael LLODRA (FRA) [19]

20 Florian MAYER (GER) [20]

21 Fernando VERDASCO (ESP) [21]

22 Alexandr DOLGOPOLOV (UKR) [22]

23 Janko TIPSAREVIC (SRB) [23]

24 Juan Martin DEL POTRO (ARG) [24]

25 Juan Ignacio CHELA (ARG) [25]

26 Guillermo GARCIA-LOPEZ (ESP) [26]

27 Marin CILIC (CRO) [27]

28 David NALBANDIAN (ARG) [28]

29 Nikolay DAVYDENKO (RUS) [29]

30 Thomaz BELLUCCI (BRA) [30]

31 Milos RAONIC (CAN) [31]

32 Marcos BAGHDATIS (CYP) [32]

Wimbledon 2011 Gentlemen’s Doubles:

1 Bob BRYAN (USA) & Mike BRYAN (USA) [1]

2 Max MIRNYI (BLR) & Daniel NESTOR (CAN) [2]

3 Mahesh BHUPATHI (IND) & Leander PAES (IND) [3]

4 Rohan BOPANNA (IND) & Aisam-Ul-Haq QURESHI (PAK) [4]

5 Jurgen MELZER (AUT) & Philipp PETZSCHNER (GER) [5]

6 Michael LLODRA (FRA) & Nenad ZIMONJIC (SRB) [6]

7 Mariusz FYRSTENBERG (POL) & Marcin MATKOWSKI (POL) [7]

8 Robert LINDSTEDT (SWE) & Horia TECAU (ROU) [8]

9 Eric BUTORAC (USA) & Jean-Julien ROJER (AHO) [9]

10 Mark KNOWLES (BAH) & Lukasz KUBOT (POL) [10]

11 Wesley MOODIE (RSA) & Dick NORMAN (BEL) [11]

12 Juan Ignacio CHELA (ARG) & Eduardo SCHWANK (ARG) [12]

13 Marcelo MELO (BRA) & Bruno SOARES (BRA) [13]

14 Marcel GRANOLLERS (ESP) & Tommy ROBREDO (ESP) [14]

15 Marc LOPEZ (ESP) & David MARRERO (ESP) [15]

16 Daniele BRACCIALI (ITA) & Frantisek CERMAK (CZE) [16]

Wimbledon 2011 Ladies’ Singles – Revised

1. Caroline WOZNIACKI (DEN) [1]

2. Kim CLIJSTERS (BEL) [2] Withdrawn

2. Vera ZVONAREVA (RUS) [2]

3. Na LI (CHN) [3]

4. Victoria AZARENKA (BLR) [4]

5. Maria SHARAPOVA (RUS) [5]

6. Francesca SCHIAVONE (ITA) [6]

7. Serena WILLIAMS (USA) [7]

8. Petra KVITOVA (CZE) [8]

9. Marion BARTOLI (FRA) [9]

10. Samantha STOSUR (AUS) [10]

11. Andrea PETKOVIC (GER) [11]

12. Svetlana KUZNETSOVA (RUS) [12]

13. Agnieszka RADWANSKA (POL) [13]

14. Anastasia PAVLYUCHENKOVA (RUS) [14]

15. Jelena JANKOVIC (SRB) [15]

16. Julia GOERGES (GER) [16]

17. Kaia KANEPI (EST) [17]

18. Ana IVANOVIC (SRB) [18]

19. Yanina WICKMAYER (BEL) [19]

20. Shuai PENG (CHN) [20]

21. Flavia PENNETTA (ITA) [21]

22. Shahar PEER (ISR) [22]

23. Venus WILLIAMS (USA) [23]

24. Dominika CIBULKOVA (SVK) [24]

25. Daniela HANTUCHOVA (SVK) [25]

26. Maria KIRILENKO (RUS) [26]

27. Jarmila GAJDOSOVA (AUS) [27]

28. Ekaterina MAKAROVA (RUS) [28]

29. Roberta VINCI (ITA) [29]

30. Bethanie MATTEK-SANDS (USA) [30]

31. Lucie SAFAROVA (CZE) [31]

32. Tsvetana PIRONKOVA (BUL) [32]

The rest of the Wimbledon 2011 seeds can be view at: http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/index.html

Have a great day and an even better game,

Brian
TennisMindCamp

For for more posts on Wimbledon 2011, click here.

And for 19 hours of kick butt tennis lessons, mental tennis tips and strategies, visit this page.

Ugggh… Why can’t womens tennis keep its stars shining all at the same time?

I mean, the ever so dominant Serena Williams is back from multiple health concerns and months of rehab (…great news), then no less then a couple days afterwards, we get word that Kim has gone down (…horrible news).

Kim Clijsters often times looks unbeatable on the tennis court, but the opponent that has caused her the most problems, is the injury bug. And unfortunately, it has struck again.

The former US Open and Australian Open Champion, has been forced to withdraw from the Wimbledon 2011 tournament at the All-England Club, after sustaining an injury to her foot.

Tennis Injury Of Foot Gives Clijsters the boot out of Wimbledon 2011:

When the official seedings were revealed earlier Wednesday, Clijsters had locked in a pretty solid spot at #2, but now that positioning in the Wimbledon draw will have to be reassigned.

She had injured it before, but the latest unfortunate incident happened in a 7-6 (5), 6-3 loss to Romina Oprandi in the Netherlands.

When asked about how she would handle the tennis injury, she replied by saying, “I have no other choice now but to rest, recover and to not play tennis for a few weeks.”

…No doubt something that is going to be extremely tough for her. Get better soon Kim… For tennis tip, tennis lessons, and tennis strategies, click here

Brian
TennisMindCamp

Great news from Serena and for womens tennis!

Miss Serena Williams recently released a statement signed off by her agent that should bring joy to tennis fans around the world. This is what she said…

“I am so excited to be healthy enough to compete again. These past 12 months have been extremely tough and character building. I have so much to be grateful for.

I’m thankful to my family, friends, and fans for all of their support. Serena’s back!”

It’s Been A struggle For Miss Serena Williams, But She’ll Be Ready To Fight

Oh yes, after being forced to take nearly a year off from the game after suffering a nasty foot injury, being diagnosed with blood clots in her lung, and going through a series of treatment for a hematoma, sources now say that the fiery Serena Williams is injury-free and ready for battle!

That’s right, she’s completely healed and will be 100% ready to roar and defend her Wimbledon crown this June.

You see, if you *REALLY* want it, you’ve got to fight – you’ll have to stop at nothing to reach the finish line. And not just when times are good either.

The mark of a true champion isn’t just for when you’re up, it’s even more crucial when you’re down. And she’s right, it does build character. And it makes you a heck of lot stronger and magnifies your mental toughness exponentially.

Think about that the next time you get down because you’ve got a another minor but nagging injury. Pull through it.

It may take a while, it may not. But one thing is for certain, you’ll come back stronger than ever (…with an even more intensified hunger) like SW.

Ok, enough lecture …

Womens Tennis Is Excited For Serena Williams is Excited, So Am I!

Now, I’m excited! It’s felt like forever since we’ve seen Serena Williams play. It should definitely make this year’s Wimbledon 2011 tournament a whole lot more fun. …Well maybe not so much for her potential opponents in womens tennis.

Great to have you back Serena, the game missed ya!

-Brian
TennisMindCamp

What the heck?!? Nadal loses the final round in Madrid? Rafa lost on clay? In straight sets?

I know, it sounds like the impossible scenario or something totally fake (…like WWF wrestling), but it’s the truth.  It happened!  He lost 5-7, 4-6 against Novak Djokovic on Sunday!

How did this unspeakable event happen? Two reasons.

2 Killer Tennis Strategies Djokovic Used To Dethrone The Clay Master:

1. He BELIEVED he could win: “I always believed from the first moment when I stepped onto the court that I could win” was one of the very first statements taken from an interview immediately following the match (see video below).  And it definitely showed.

The way Novak Djokovic was able to fluidly execute his shots,  striking the ball with the perfect combination of power and  precision, and his ability to really cover the court well proved to me that he really felt comfortable out there, despite being in a hostile place, with the entire crowd against him.

And Novak, at times, can be a pretty emotional guy and wear his heart on his sleeve if you know what I mean. Not this time. He kept himself together, was very focused on the task at hand, and looked toward the finish line (…something incredibly crucial in his development as a top player).

The reason why this is so important for tennis players everywhere is because self-belief generates confidence. And with that confidence, you truly can achieve anything you want in the game of tennis (…even beat Nadal on Clay). It’s really the core or the driving force behind your progress.  You and your game will benefit tremendously

Just as I mentioned in the last video with Melanie Oudin.  If you want any chance of winning a match, you have to realistically see yourself  achieving that goal.

Do that, and your chances of getting the win will instantly sky-rocket. And Novak is living proof of that.

Failure to do so will make those chances virtually non-existent. Exactly, you lose.  Same goes for Djokovic in this match.  If he would have seen this as most fans did, as an impossible hurdle, he most certainly would’ve lost it, I assure you.

I take that back.  He would have been DESTROYED!

2. He really brought it: He didn’t allow the thunderous power of Rafa’s shots to push him backward.  Djokovic took the offensive road and was much more  A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E.

Novak took a spoonful of Rafa-ade and gave him some of his own medicine.  He kept his opponent scrambling and on his heals as much as possible, dampening Nadal’s ability to come and attack him.

If a player is used to attacking, but then all of a sudden isn’t able to do that (…and they’re the ones being attacked), it causes big problems for that player.  It screws everything up.  And Nadal knew it.

“I have to play more aggressive with the forehand.” Nadal said.

Now though Nadal did pick it up, the super-man of the clay court a.k.a the clay master, was unfortunately locking horns with something (…according to him) that’s more monster than human right now – Novak Djokovic’s tennis game.

“I came up against a great player obviously — he’s having a monster year,” Nadal said. “He was better, you have to accept that.”

Now, I’m not saying that the freshly surging Novak, by any means, stomped Rafa into the ground. Though the duel started off horrifically for Nadal, it ultimately turned into what everyone had originally expected, a real (…edge of your seat) nail-biter.

It seemed like every single point contained jaw-dropping shots, including an amazing eye-popping lob between his-legs by Rafa, that helped produce three break points in the first game of the second set.

In fact, “Every point took an average 10-15 rallies. I needed to work hard for my points,” Djokovic said.  But though it certainly was a dog fight, Novak and his MONSTER game eventually secured the victory and the purse of over 800,000 smackers.

It was obvious that the cross-court backhand consistently gave Nadal problems throughout, and because of that, it  resulted in 3 consecutive match points for his opponent.  The Serb converted the 2nd one when Rafa sent a slice backhand wide after another lengthy rally.

After that… the trophy was in hand, and Novak was all smiles. Hey, who wouldn’t be after racking up close to a million bucks after a few days of work?

So yeah, although Novak wasn’t particularly a “people person” early on in his career and has been streaky at times, I’m now officially on the bandwagon.

My hat is off to Djokovic and his extraordinary success, the success that has given him the remarkable undefeated tag up to this point of 2011.

Is The Recent Success of Djokovic A Fluke Or The Real Thing?

Now, you might say, “Is this on-court dominance a fluke or for real?” I say this guy’s game has reached a whole new level and will only go up from here.

Because hey, Lord knows, not very many tennis players can beat arguably the most dominant player the sport has ever seen, on his favorite surface, AND practically in HIS HOMETOWN!

Oh, and just in case, you weren’t sure if Novak was aware of how a HUGE win like this could affect his career, he does!  When he was asked how it felt taking out Nadal in front of his friends, family, and die hard fans, this was his reply.

“Probably it’s right at the top,” Djokovic said about beating Nadal on clay on Spanish soil. “Under the circumstances I was playing an unbelievable match.”

Djokovic spent the large part of the last few years as the 3rd guy on tour, kind of lurking in the shadows of Roger and Rafa. But now, he’s performing better than ever and becoming a real force.

So, watch out!  We just may have a new world number 1 after the finals at the 2011 Italian Open. Yup, no more shadow. Novak is coming into the light.

Have a great day and an even better game!

Brian
TennisMindCamp

P.S. Be the next player to take your game to the next level and check out our 19 H-O-U-R instructional mega-course, TennisMindCamp Strategy Secrets 101. Do so, and you too might start to have Djokovic like results.

The Clay Master does it again!

With fellow countrymen David Ferrer and Rafael Nadal battling it out Sunday, Spain was all smiles while getting to watch (…not one but two) local products in the 2011 Monte Carlo Masters final.

Now the people of Spain wanted both players to have a good showing, of course. But given the performance history of each participant,  it was well understood before the match even began as to who would win the title.

Who would that be? …The heavily favored and almost invincible (…virtually UNBEATABLE), world number 1, Rafael Nadal. That’s who .

And they were 100% correct.

Now it wasn’t a brutal mauling by any means.  From playing together so often, these guys really understand each other’s game pretty well.  So that said, the match was a close one (…even a nail biter at times).

But the clay master ultimately prevailed against his former Davis Cup teammate and hitting partner, David Ferrer, in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5.

And though it was a narrow margined victory by Rafa’s standards, a win is a win.  But in route to winning this tennis tournament,  he must have been listening to a little “Thriller” by the late king of pop, Michael Jackson.

Because after his win today, the Spaniard continued to demonstrate his tennis dominance by snatching his 37th consecutive victory on the clay surface, an accomplishment very similar to the best-selling album’s king-like reign at number 1 on the music charts for a mind-boggling 37 weeks.

Oh, and since we’re talking about numbers, this is Nadal’s 44th career title and his 19th at a Masters event. Not bad, huh? Maybe he could give Tiger some tips on how to get another green jacket .

With the NBA playoffs starting today, I’ll finish off by saying (…just like the Black Mamba’s jersey number), this cold-blooded “Clay Killer” is only a mere 24 years old! WOW!

Many wouldn’t even say he’s reached his prime yet . Watch out ATP, I think the best is truly yet to come from this kid.  What do you think?

Have a great day guys and an even better game,

Brian
TennisMindCamp

ESPN (Source)  – Serena Williams has undergone an emergency procedure connected to her earlier treatment for a pulmonary embolism, her spokeswoman told People magazine.

“Monday Serena Williams underwent emergency treatment at [Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles] for a hematoma she suffered as a result of treatment for a more critical situation,” her spokeswoman, Nicole Chabot, told People.

“Last week, Serena suffered from a pulmonary embolism which was discovered upon her return to [Los Angeles]. She had been in New York for doctor appointments for the ongoing issues with her foot,” Chabot said, according to the report. “Doctors are continuing to monitor her situation closely to avoid additional complications.”

Williams, 29, has won 13 Grand Slams, including the 2010 Australian Open and Wimbledon titles.

But shortly after her win at the All England Club, she cut her foot on broken glass at a restaurant and sustained an injury that has kept her sidelined ever since.

TMC: Get well fast Serena… Everyone here at TennisMindCamp is cheering for ya. You have many more titles to get after!

ESPN - PARIS — Gael Monfils saved five match points to beat top-seeded Roger Federer 7-6 (7), 6-7 (1), 7-6 (4) and reach the Paris Masters final against Robin Soderling.

Soderling saved three match points before overcoming Michael Llodra of France 6-7 (0), 7-5, 7-6 (6).

Gael Monfils faced five match points in the 12th game of the final set before forcing the tiebreaker with an ace.

Federer shanked a forehand to give Monfils two match points, and the Frenchman converted the first with a service winner.

“He’s someone I admire a lot,” Monfils said about Federer. “He’s a legend of tennis, THE legend, and beating him is a beautiful victory. I will remember it for my whole life.”

Federer had a 5-0 record against Monfils before their semifinal.

Monfils Made It Work In The Tie Break

In the first tiebreaker, Federer fired an ace at 6-5 down to erase a set point then hit a forehand winner for a 7-6 lead. But Monfils replied with a service winner to level at 7-7 before a wide service return from the Australian Open champion gave Monfils a set point that he converted when Federer netted a forehand.

Federer bounced back by winning five straight points to take the second set.

In the third, Federer broke for a 2-0 lead on an unforced error from Monfils.

“I guess I had control over it in the third, went a break up,” Federer said. “That’s a disappointment there. It’s a tough match to lose.”

Federer dropped serve in the seventh game with a wide forehand and Monfils snapped a backhand winner to level at 4-4.

“What really made me believe I could win is that key moment with that forehand where he gave me the break point,” Monfils said.

Despite the defeat, Federer remained upbeat about the end of his season.

“In a way it is a relief that I was able to finish the tournament in good physical health,” Federer said. “I’m fresh mentally, too.

“I’m going to go back to Switzerland quickly and I’m going to prepare for London [ATP Finals] because London is the great final of the year. I think I have good chances maybe of winning in London.”

The 12th-seeded Monfils or the fourth-seeded Soderling will win his first Masters title on Sunday.

Soderling faced three match points in the 12th game of the decider, but raced to the net each time, hitting two backhand volleys and forcing Llodra to net a forehand pass.

The French Open finalist converted his second match point with a forehand winner.

“I know now that even if I don’t play my best tennis, I can still win matches,” Soderling said. “Tennis is a very mental sport. It’s the mental thing that is going to decide a lot of matches. I’m a better player now compared to a couple of years ago.”

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ESPN: DOHA, Qatar — Elena Dementieva retired from tennis after losing at the WTA Championships on Friday, ending a 12-year career in which she reached two Grand Slam finals and won the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.

Elena Dementieva, 29, ends her career with two Grand Slam finals appearances, 16 WTA Tour titles and an Olympic gold medal.

The 29-year-old Russian struggled with injuries this year but still won two tournaments. She announced her retirement following a 6-4, 6-2 loss to French Open champion Francesca Schiavone. Dementieva was surrounded by her peers in a tearful ceremony, with mother Vera courtside.

Elena Dementieva Lets The Emotions Flow

“It is so emotional,” Dementieva said. “It is so hard to say goodbye. I am going to miss you so much.”

Her rivals lined up to pay tribute.

“She has been one of the players I grew up with playing in juniors,” said Kim Clijsters, holding back tears. “It’s nice to see her looking forward to something new in her life. … She has been one of the most professional players, one of the nicest girls on the court.”

Dementieva is ranked No. 9 after reaching a career-high No. 3 last year. She talked about retiring during a season in which she overcame shoulder, calf and ankle problems to qualify for the WTA Championships a 10th time.

“I think she has been great inspiration for a lot of young Russians,” compatriot Vera Zvonareva said. “She was a role model. I looked up to her. She had such a great career. Right now, the whole country will be sad and everyone will support her.”

Stacy Allaster, chief executive officer of the WTA, said in a statement that Dementieva has been a “champion and consummate professional on and off the court.”

“She has also been a catalyst for the growth of the sport in Russia and around the world,” she added.

Dementieva considered her biggest achievement the Beijing title in which she beat Serena Williams, Zvonareva and Dinara Safina en route to the gold medal.

Elena Dementieva: Her Major Accomplishments

Dementieva was part of the first all-Russian Grand Slam final, losing the French title in 2004 to Anastasia Myskina. Later that year she reached her only other Grand Slam final — another all-Russian affair, this time at the U.S. Open with Svetlana Kuznetsova. She enjoyed outstanding wins over Amelie Mauresmo and Jennifer Capriati to reach both finals.

Dementieva competed in 46 consecutive Grand Slams until she missed this year’s Wimbledon because of a calf injury.

After turning pro in 1998, Dementieva won 16 titles, including Sydney in January with a win over Williams and the Paris Indoors in February. She also reached finals in Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo.

Elena Dementieva played 18 series in the Fed Cup, spearheading Russia to the 2005 title with all three points in the final. She has been ranked in the top 20 since April 2003 and was also a top five doubles player. She finishes with a 576-273 record and a place in the year-end top 10 for the seventh time in eight years.

For 19 hours of tennis tips and more tennis strategies (…many Elena Dementieva used in her best performances), click here.

Gain access to over 100 tennis secrets, click here.

YAHOO SPORTS – STOCKHOLM – Roger Federer beat Germany’s Florian Mayer 6-4, 6-3 to win the Stockholm Open on Sunday and match Pete Sampras’ total of 64 career titles.

Since 1968, only Jimmy Connors (109), Ivan Lendl (94) and John McEnroe (77) have won more singles tournaments than Federer and Sampras.

“It’s amazing that I’m there where Pete’s ended his career on,” Federer said. “You never know when it’s your last one. That’s why you want to savor every tournament victory.”

In beating the 47th-ranked Mayer at Royal Tennis Hall, Federer won his third title of the year. The unseeded German broke serve in the seventh game before Federer started spraying winners to take the set. Federer showed glimpses of his best form in the second set, mixing power and finesse and ending the match in 63 minutes.

Federer, a 16-time Grand Slam winner, won his 50th match of the year Friday. He became only the fifth man, and the first since Sampras, to win 50 matches in at least nine straight years in the Open era.

Federer: How He Truly Feels About Catching Sampras

“Early on, I think that feeling of wanting to prove yourself to the world and all the doubters is a very strong one, so you’re very aggressive in your ways of winning and not enjoying them,” Federer said. “Today it’s much more of the enjoyment part because I don’t need to prove myself to anyone anymore, except to myself.”

Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria presented the trophy to Federer, who was appearing at this tournament for the first time in a decade.

“For me, every tournament victory is special,” the Swiss star said. “This is one I’ll definitely remember, maybe more than other ones.”

Mayer, yet to win an ATP title, was appearing in his third career final and first in four years. He knocked out second-seeded Robin Soderling in the quarterfinals and his unorthodox style also gave Federer difficulty.

Federer has beaten Mayer in all three of their matches without losing a set. Indeed, Federer has lost only five matches against players ranked above 40 in the past five years.

“It was over really after the first set,” Mayer said. “I got tired while his game improved a lot, but I felt it was a closer match than the score showed.”

This was Federer’s first tournament title in Sweden and the 18th country in which he has won.

“It feels great winning any tournament, but especially in a country where I’ve never been successful before,” Federer said. “Mayer played a really good match in the final, and I had to really come up with some good tennis.”

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All the best,

Brian

TennisMindCamp