FEDERER SEEKS 7th WIMBLEDON TITLE AS NBC SPORTS PRESENTS 9 CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF COVERAGE FROM THE CHAMPIONSHIPS, WIMBLEDON
“It’s hard to see anyone derailing them.” – NBC Sports’ Robinson on Williams Sisters
Conference Call NEXT Wednesday, June 30 with McEnroe, Carillo, Robinson
NEW YORK – June 23, 2010 – “Breakfast at Wimbledon,” one of the great traditions in sports, highlights NBC Sports’ nine consecutive days of coverage of The Championships, Wimbledon beginning this Saturday and Sunday 12-3 p.m. ET with early round action. The network will present coverage of more than 38 hours over nine days concluding with live coverage of “Breakfast at Wimbledon” with the Ladies’ Final Saturday, July 3 at 9 a.m. ET and the Gentlemen’s Final, Sunday, July 4 at 9 a.m. ET.
Host Ted Robinson anchors NBC Sports’ coverage from Wimbledon, joined by three-time Wimbledon champion John McEnroe and Mary Carillo, with interviews and essays from Jimmy Roberts. Robinson, McEnroe and Carillo will be available for a conference call on Wednesday, June 30 at 3 p.m. ET. Conference call info to follow early next week.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Borg-McEnroe epic five-setter that Borg won 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (16-18), 8-6. It was the last of Borg’s five straight Wimbledon titles and McEnroe’s first Wimbledon final. McEnroe then went on to beat Borg in 1981 on his way to three Wimbledon singles titles in four years.
For NBC Sports, this is the 31st anniversary of “Breakfast at Wimbledon” and the 41st anniversary of NBC’s Wimbledon coverage from the prestigious grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
GENTLEMEN’S BRACKET:
On the men’s side, Roger Federer is seeking his seventh Wimbledon singles title that would tie him with Pete Sampras and William Renshaw for the most singles titles in the history of Wimbledon. Federer, who was taken to a fifth set in the first round by Alejandro Falla, the No. 65 player in the world, has reached the Wimbledon final each of the last seven years with his only loss coming in 2008 to Rafael Nadal in what McEnroe called, “the greatest match I have ever seen.” Nadal, who is coming off his fifth French Open title, will be among Federer’s main challengers that also include No. 4 seed Andy Murray of Great Britain and three-time Wimbledon runner-up Andy Roddick. Roddick has lost all three of his Wimbledon final appearances to Federer including last year.
ON FEDERER’S TOUGH FIRST-ROUND MATCH:
ROBINSON: “Federer’s match is a warning sign. He will be 29 in August and at some point he will become human even at Wimbledon. Falla looked like George Bastl, the journeyman who beat Sampras in Pete’s last Wimbledon match. But Falla couldn’t finish and Roger found his game – although he admitted it was a match he ‘shouldn’t have won.’ We all need to be aware that time catches all champions and it is beginning to close in on Federer.”
CARILLO: “Roger’s never had to work so hard at Wimbledon just to get out of the first round. He was really whistling in the dark there. But a win’s a win and his game and his energy should pick up considerably now that he’s survived that scare.”
CARILLO ON FEDERER’S COMPETITION: “Roddick and Nadal have declared their intentions with their early play. They’re both looking good.”
ROBINSON BREAKS DOWN MEN’S BRACKET:
ON FEDERER: “On paper, Federer has an easy path to the semifinals. His toughest seeds in his quarter of the draw are Thomas Berdych and Nicolaiy Davydenko, and neither has much Wimbledon history.”
ON NADAL: “Rafa has a tougher half than Federer. He could have Robin Soderling in the quarterfinal and Andy Murray in semifinal. In addition, American Sam Querrey is also in his half, and the one guy Rafa doesn’t like to see in his section, American John Isner is a possible round-of-16 match.” (Note, at press time, Isner is playing in the longest match in Wimbledon history.)
ON RODDICK: “Andy could meet Federer in semifinals and Novak Djokovic in quarters, but first has to get through several guys who have beaten him before. Andy’s 3rd round is against Philipp Kohlschreiber, who beat him at 2009 Australian Open.”
MCENROE WEIGHS IN ON TOP WIMBLEDON MATCHES EVER: “My match vs. Bjorn Borg in the 1980 final is the best match I have played in.”
The best matches McEnroe has seen:
1) Nadal vs. Federer in the 2008 final
2) Ivanisevic vs. Rafter in the 2001 final
3) Gerulaitus vs. Borg in the 1977 semifinals when I was first coming up
4) Sampras vs. Agassi in 1999 final
LADIES BRACKET:
The Williams sisters have dominated the ladies tournament at Wimbledon over the past decade. They have won eight of the last 10 Ladies singles titles with Venus winning five times and Serena winning three times. Each of Serena’s wins has been over her sister, including last year’s straight set victory.
CARILLO ON LADIES BRACKET: “Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova are two past champions that are playing well right from the first ball, but Serena’s game, at least so far, looks untouchable.”
ROBINSON ON LADIES BRACKET: “Serena and Venus are 1-2 in rankings, assuring they can’t meet until the Final. The final Saturday at Wimbledon is a day the Williams family has owned. It’s hard to see anyone derailing them.”
LIVE AT WIMBLEDON: NBCSports.com is your online companion for NBC Sports coverage of Wimbledon. Live at Wimbledon, powered by Microsoft Silverlight, will offer simulcasts of NBC Sports’ broadcasts from Wimbledon, live streaming of up to three concurrent courts including Centre Court and Court One, on-demand replays of the best matches from every day of The Championships, alternate camera angles for NBC Sports’ finals coverage, and daily video highlights.
Live at Wimbledon is available throughout The Championships, Wimbledon with on-demand coverage. Live streaming of NBC Sports’ coverage and additional matches will begin this Saturday at 12 p.m. ET, concluding with the Ladies’ Final on Saturday, July 3 at 9 a.m. ET and the Gentlemen’s Final on Sunday, July 4 at 9 a.m. ET.
WIMBLEDON ON NBC SPORTS MOBILE: Again this year, NBC Sports provides live mobile coverage of The Championships, Wimbledon. Starting Saturday, June 26 (12-3 p.m. ET) and extending until the end of the championships, tennis fans can watch NBC’s coverage on either NBC 2Go or NBC Sports Mobile, including live coverage of every exciting point of the Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Finals. Plus, tennis fans will be able to get news and scores right on their cell phones with the NBC Sports Mobile site or exclusive text alerts; users can just text the word TENNIS to 51515 or visit http://m.NBCSports.com.
NBC’s Wimbledon Broadcast Schedule
Saturday, June 26
12-3 p.m. ET
3rd Round (live and same-day tape)
Sunday, June 27
12-3 p.m. ET
No Sunday matches (tape)
Monday, June 28
10 a.m.-1 p.m. all time zones
Round of 16 (live and same-day tape)
11:35-11:50 p.m. ET/PT
Wimbledon Update
Tuesday, June 29
10 a.m.-1 p.m., all time zones
Ladies’ Quarterfinals (live and same-day tape)
11:35-11:50 p.m. ET/PT
Wimbledon Update
Wednesday, June 30
10 a.m.-1 p.m., all time zones
Gentlemen’s Quarterfinals
(live and same-day tape)
11:35-11:50pm ET/PT
Wimbledon Update
Thursday, July 1
Noon- 5 p.m. all times zones
Ladies’ Semifinals
(live and same day tape)
11:35-11:50 p.m. ET/PT
Wimbledon Update
Friday, July 2
Noon- 5 p.m. all time zones
Gentlemen’s Semifinals
(live and same day tape)
11:35 p.m.-12:05 a.m. ET/PT
Wimbledon Update
Saturday, July 3
9 a.m.-2 p.m. ET
“Breakfast at Wimbledon”
Ladies’ Final (live)
Sunday, July 4
9 a.m.-3 p.m. ET
“Breakfast at Wimbledon”
Gentlemen’s Final (live)
*All telecasts are subject to change due to rain delays.
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