Some of the highest-ranked tennis players in the world lost in the past couple days at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The list of losers was a Who's Who of tennis superstars, as (lame-duck) #1 ranked Roger Federer and both Williams sisters lost in a single day.Federer lost to American James Blake (USA! USA! USA!) 6-4 7-6, and lost a chance for another potential finals matchup with Rafael Nadal, who will be taking over the #1 spot in the rankings on Monday. Federer was extremely gracious in defeat, however, and spoke very highly of Blake's play.
"I think James played well. I can only really say how well he played. I've played him on many occasions, but I think this was the best I've seen him. I'm happy for him. I hope he can go all the way now."
Blake returned the kind words, saying;
"It's like Tiger Woods. When they don't win every single week, it's called a bad year. Roger's been in two finals of a slam, semi-finals of a slam. To consider that a bad year is just amazing. You never see him lose his cool. Never see him break a racket. Never see him berate an umpire. I still have a ton of praise for him. I still have a ton of respect for him as a man."
It's refreshing to see a couple players exhibit such class and grace after a hard-fought match, and both men definitely displayed the spirit of the Olympics with their post-match comments.
Serena Williams lost to Russia's Elena Dementieva 3-6 6-4 6-3, and Venus Williams lost to Li Na of China, 7-5 7-5. The Williams sisters are still alive in the doubles competition, and are playing together against the Japanese duo of Morita Ayumi and Sugiyama Ai.
...more power...and keep on shining..ok?..
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