Sports
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The Weekender: Bruce Webber and the 2012 Summer Olympic Games
LET THE GAMES BEGIN!The long-awaited 2012 Summer Olympics is finally upon us! And we’re very excited about that and with all the buzz surrounding it. Obviously, we cannot wait for the opening ceremony which will take place this evening. So I couldn’t imagine not having the Olympics as a center story for Friday’s post. The latest series of photographs that Bruce Weber took for Vanity Fair in order to mark the occasion are simply magnificent. I love great photography and he’s certainly a top tier professional – just like the athletes pictured here. Thinking back, I wanted to do a short post on Brigitte Lacombe’s Stunning Portraits of Arab Lady Athletes called the “Hey’Ya: Arab Women in Sport”.
This brilliant series of photographs will be first shown at Sotheby’s in London, then moved to the Qatar Museums Authority Gallery in Doha in early 2013. Both stories are just great, but at the end, Weber’s flawless photography won me over.
“Try to have some fun, try to breathe and take it in but also WIN! – Michelle Obama to the American Team.”Michelle Obama
Misty May and Kerri WalshBeach Volleyball
Chris KapplerEquestrian Sports
Serina WilliamsTennis
Justin and Troy DumaisDiving
Mary SandersRhythmic Gymnastics
Dain BlantonBeach VolleyballImages via Vanity Fair
NOTE: Please notify us directly, if you believe that certain images on this post are alleged to infringe upon the copyrights of others, according to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Thank you. - Andre Agassi, Anna Wintour, England, Great Britain, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Sports, Steffi Graf, Tennis
Anyone For Tennis?
The Importance of Being SERENAShe’s Grand!Serena Williams after winning her 5th Women Title at Wimbledon 2012Can you believe that the genesis of tennis was such that players use to hit the ball with their hands? Soon after leather gloves follow, and eventually (four hundred years later – the 16th century to be exact) those gloves were replaced with an adaptive handle for effective hitting and serving of the ball. Oh my.Photo via Getty ImagesIf the first technique was still true today, there’s no doubt that Anna Wintour would be the most efficient female player when it comes to serving with her back hand. Agreed? But I’m not here today to talk about the history of tennis. Instead, let’s talk about four of the greatest players around.
Center CourtFashionista Central: Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour made a show of support for Serena during the women’s final matchPhoto via EPA
Vogue magazine contributing editor Andre Leon Talley, Serena Williams, Vogue magazine editor-in-chief Anna Wintour at Rodarte – Front Row – Spring 2011Photo via ZimbioShe is unstoppable. And that’s a good thing. How wonderful it is to see that Serena Williams has fully checked in, after two long years of illness. Over the weekend at Wimbledon, she silenced her critics, and defeated her opponents by winning her 5th Wimbledon Title. Her career report card goes something like this: 14 Grand Slam singles titles. She is the sixth on the all-time list. Serena now ranks fourth in Grand Slam women’s singles titles, which she won during the open era, behind Steffi Graf (22 titles) and Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova (18 titles each). Among active players, male or female, she holds the most Major titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. Welcome back Serena!
Five times Wimbledon winner Serena Williams at the Wimbledon Championships 2012 Winners BallSource: Bethany Clarke/Getty Images Europe), via ZimbioRAFAWidely regarding as one of the greatest players of all time, for me, Rafa IS the greatest player ever. At 26 years of age, Nadal has the records to prove it. He has won eleven Grand Slam singles titles, including a record seven French Open titles, the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles, a record 21 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments, and was also part of the Spain Davis Cup team that won the finals in 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2011. And so on, and so forth. Rafael Nadal was sorely missed at Wimbledon the last couple of days.
The King Of Clay, Rafael Nadal
The Big Guns: Rafael Nadal showing his toned, athletic body while playing atthe beach of his native country, Majorca, Spain
The Perfectionist: Rafael NadalAll images via Getty Images EuropeSTEFFI
Steffi GrafSteffi Graf was the reason why I became interested in tennis. I remembered the first time I saw her on the court. I was mesmerized. Her game was flawless, and she was very much in charge. During her years as a tennis star, Steffi Graf accumulated a total of 22 Grand Slam singles titles, second among male and female players only to Margaret Court’s 24. HIGH NOTE: In 1988, Steffi became the first and only tennis player (male or female) to achieve the Calendar Year Golden Slam by winning all four Grand Slam singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year. How swashing!
Picture PerfectEx Tennis Star, Steffi Graf
A New GameSteffi Graf and her husband, eight-time Grand Slam champion Andre AgassiPhoto via Sports IllustratedROGER
Leading Man7th time Wimbledon winner, and 17th Grand Slam title winner, Roger Federer lifts the coveted trophy.Photo via Getty Images“You’re the reason we love it!” That’s what someone shouted at the champ during yesterday’s match. And how true that was. Roger Federer continues to break all kinds of records. As the world already knows by now, he took home the big gun on Sunday, his 7th Wimbledon Grand Slam title, by digging deeper and deeper into his game as he terribly upset the people of Great Britain when he defeating their favorite son, Andy Murray. Roger, or as he is sometimes called, the Federer Express, has had a stellar career. He has amassed a staggering numbers of trophies and countless of accolades.
Roger Federer, 2011
The King Is BackRoger Federer at the Wimbledon Championships 2012 Winners BallSource: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images Europe) via Zimbio
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The Weekender: Rafael Nadal
“I’m going to get even better.”
Rafael NadalAs far as I’m concern, Nadal is going to win, because he’s got the taste for it, and he is perfection personified. This summer, we should expect to see nothing less from him. Oh, how I wish I was present at the All England Club in the suburb of London, from June 20th to July 3rd to witness this great event (!)Most of you already know how hard tickets for Wimbledon (celebrating its 125th anniversary, this year) are to come by, ever since its beginning in 1877. But for me, it’s not always about the tennis, you know. For the last few years, besides seeing my favorite champion on the court, what I usually look for is the high fashion, the strict dress code among the competitors, and of course, the strawberries and cream, which sales for far too much. But who cares? It’s Wimbledon, a tournament which is considered by most one of the most prestigious of them all. And for two glorious weeks, it is Tennis Heaven for Rafael Nadal‘s enthusiasts like myself.
Above: Rafa Nadal wearing the Tourbillon RM 027 by Richard Mille which was developed for him in 2010.Mille’s team took almost a year to create the $525,000 watch. Titanium base plate, with bridges of aluminum lithium. Barrel pawl with progressive recoil, winding barrel teeth and third-wheel pinion with central involute profile.Can somebody say “Advantage Nadal“? Thank you.In April of this year, Richard Mille continued his collaboration with Rafael Nadal by donating the RM 027 to Only Watch Charity Auction. The proceeds went to fund research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Wimbledon’s famous Strawberries and Cream
Yes, sublime tennis will be on the minds and hearts for two straight weeks, but what about some site seeing, and adventurous getaways? One can get plenty of those. Visit this tourist guide toWimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship and the local towns.
NOTE: Please notify us directly, if you believe that certain images on this post are alleged to infringe upon the copyrights of others, according to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Thank you.You May Also Like
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