Author: kI8Qp6HX0lW42b4RCh1I (Page 11 of 19)

The first of the four “Grand Slam” events held throughout the tennis season is the Australian Open. The 101st edition of the tournament took place in Melbourne in January 2013. Seeds and matchups are determined by the Australian Open draw held shortly before the tournament gets underway.

History of the Australian Open Draw

The Australian Open was first known as the “Australasian Open” and the first event took place at Warehouseman’s Cricket Ground in 1905. The tournament was later called the “Australian Championships” in 1927 before becoming the Australian Open shortly after the start of the Open era in 1969.

In the first-ever men’s final, Rodney Heath bounced back from losing the first set and notched a four-set victory over Arthur Curtis. The first women’s singles champion wasn’t crowned until 1922. In the first women’s final, Margaret Molesworth defeated Esna Boyd Robertson, who lost in the first five finals before breaking through in 1927. She lost in the final again, however, the following year.

What is known as the “Open Era” began in 1968. This marked the first time events allowed professional players to compete against amateurs. Before the era began, Australian Roy Emerson collected six singles championships on the men’s side. While on the women’s side, Margaret Court collected seven of her 11 championships before the start of the era.

In the 2013 men’s singles final, Novak Djokovic outlasted Andy Murray to win the Aussie Open for the fourth time in his career. Djokovic captured his third straight Australian championship by notching a 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-2 win. On the women’s side, Victoria Azarenka downed Li Na to win the Aussie for the second straight year.

With his victory, Djokovic tied Andre Agassi and Roger Federer atop the all-time championship list. Djokovic’s three straight titles are also the most by any male in the Open era. Meanwhile, American Serena Williams leads all women with five championships since the start of the era. In 2003, the legendary Martina Navratilova became the oldest player to win a singles title at 46 years and three months.

To date, the 2013 Aussie Open was the highest paying tennis tournament of all time. Djokovic and Azarenka each took home over 2.4-million Australian dollars each for their respective victories. Murray and Na netted 1.2-million Australian dollars apiece.

Download: Australian Open Draw

Every year, the French Open is the marquee’ clay court tennis event in the world. Arguably the most grueling of the four “Grand Slam” events takes place on the legendary clay courts in Paris. The 2013 French Open draw will take place shortly before the tournament begins on Sunday, May 26th. Weather permitting, the 112th edition of the event will wrap up on Sunday, June 9th.

History of the French Open Draw

The modern-day version of the French Open began as the French Championships in 1891. Only men participated in singles competitions until women’s singles were introduced in 1897. In the first-ever men’s final, H. Briggs defeated P. Baigneres in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.

What is known as the “Open Era” began in 1968. This marked the first time events allowed professional players to compete against amateurs. Since the start of the era, no player has dominated the clay courts more than Spain’s Rafael Nadal. In 2005, Nadal captured the first of his record seven French titles. Nadal also matched Bjorn Borg’s record by winning four straight titles from 2005-08. Borg won four in-a-row from 1978-81.

On the women’s side, American Chris Evert has won an all-time high seven championships. Evert’s first title came in 1974. At 31 years and six months, Evert became the oldest woman to win the title in 1986. Her record still stands entering 2013. Monica Seles and Justine Henin share the record for most consecutive titles won with three. Seles’ run lasted from 1990-92, while Henin’s went from 2005-07.

Seles still also holds the youngest woman to ever win the title at 16 years and six months. At 17 years and three months, American Michael Chang is the youngest man.

The clay courts at Roland Garros have been a great equalizer throughout the years. Several notable players were never able to win the French Open, including John McEnroe, Venus Williams, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker, Lindsay Davenport, Martina Hingis and legendary American Pete Sampras.

In 2012, Nadal and women’s champion Maria Sharapova each pocketed just under $1.9-million each for their respective victories. Runners up Novak Djokovic and Sara Errani each earned just under $950,000.

Download: French Open Draw

The oldest and most well-known tennis tournament in the world is The Championships, Wimbledon. Each year since 1877, the tournament has been played on the legendary grass courts at the All England Club. The 2020 Wimbledon draw will be held shortly before the prestigious event gets underway on June 24th. Weather permitting, the 127th edition of the tournament will wrap up on July 7th.

Wimbledon Draw History

In July ’77, the first Wimbledon Championship took place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. The only event that was held was the Gentleman’s Singles competition and the field consisted of 22 players. Spencer Gore defeated William Marshall in straight sets in the first-ever final. Women’s singles was added in 1884. Double’s competitions later followed in 1913.

Wimbledon has been interrupted twice during its storied history: From 1915-18 for World War I and from 1940-45 for World War II. What is known as the “Open Era” began in 1968. This marked the first time events allowed professional players to compete against amateurs. Australian Rod Laver won the first Open title at Wimbledon that year.

Since the dawn of the Open era, American Pete Sampras and Swiss star Roger Federer have won seven titles apiece. Sampras won from 1993-95 as well as 1997-2000, while Federer captured consecutive crowns from 2003-2007. Federer’s run of five straight titles matches a record set by Bjorn Borg from 1976-80.

On the women’s side, Martina Navratilova has won a record nine championships. Navratilova’s first victory came in 1978. Her last was in 1990. She won a record six in-a-row from 1982-87. In 2012, gentleman’s singles champion Federer and women’s singles champion Serena Williams each pocketed just under $1.8-million for their respective victories. Runners up Andy Murray and Agnieszka Radwańska netted just over $870,000.

In 2010, American John Isner and Frenchman Nicolas Mahut engaged in the longest match in Wimbledon history. The 183-game marathon lasted 11 hours and five minutes over the course of three days. The epic battle, which is also the longest in all of tennis history, was won by Isner, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 70-68.

Download: 2020 Wimbledon Draw

The United States Open Tennis Championships is one of the oldest tennis tournaments in existence. The two-week event is held every year during the summer in New York. The 2013 US Open draw will be held before the tournament gets underway on Monday, August 26th. Weather permitting, the US Open will wrap up with the men’s final on Monday, September 9th.

US Open Draw History

The first US Open took place in Newport, Rhode Island in August 1881. The event was known as the “U.S. National Championships” until becoming the US Open in 1968. In addition, the tournament was reserved for men only until 1887 and the first tournaments were played on grass courts.

In the first-ever championship final, Richard Sears defeated William E. Glyn in straight sets, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2. The victory started a run of seven consecutive US National Championship titles for Sears from 1881-87. Sears also won six straight doubles titles with partner James Dwight from 1882-87. In the inaugural women’s final, Ellen Hansell whitewashed Laura Knight, 6-1, 6-0.

Records for the tournament are broken down into pre and post Open-era categories. Sears, Bill Larned and Bill Tilden all won seven men’s championships apiece prior to the start of the Open era. Americans Jimmy Connors and Pete Sampras, as well as Swiss start Roger Federer have captured a record five titles each after the era began. Sampras still holds the record for the youngest man to ever with the title at 19 years and one month. Federer won all five of his titles consecutively from 2004-08.

On the women’s side, Molla Bjurstedt Mallory won eight championships before the start of the Open era. American Chris Evert bagged six titles since the start of the era. Evert also won four straight from 1975-78. In 1979, American Tracy Austin became the youngest woman to win the tournament at 16 years and eight months.

In 2012, more than $24,000,000 in prize money was awarded. Andy Murray and Serena Williams, who were the singles winner on their respective sides, received just under $2,000,000. Runners up Novak Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka netted just under $1,000,000.

Download: US Open Draw

The Rugby World Cup pits the best 20 international test teams against one another every four years. The Rugby World Cup 2019 is scheduled to get underway September 18th in England. The championship final will be held at Twickenham Stadium on October 31st. Japan will host the event in 2019.

Rugby World Cup 2019 History

The first Rugby World Cup tournament took place in 1987 and included 16 teams. The 16-team field remained in place until the current 20-team format was installed in 1999. In the inaugural championship final, New Zealand hammered France, 29-9. In the bronze medal game, Wales edged Australia, 22-21.

The William Webb Ellis Cup is handed out to the winner of the tournament. Some claim that Webb Ellis is directly responsible for creating the game. New Zealand, Australia and South Africa have hoisted the Cup two times apiece. England captured the other remaining Cup in 2003. France has reached the final three times only to lose each match.

The United States has had very little success at the Rugby World Cup. The Americans have posted no more than a single victory in all of their six tournament appearances. The U.S. has also been held winless on three occasions. Overall, the U.S. is a woeful 3-18 all-time in the tournament. Two of the Americans’ three all-time wins are over Japan.

New Zealand holds the all-time record for points in a single match with 145. The total came in a 145-16 victory over Japan in 1995. The record for the biggest margin of victory belongs to Australia, which hammered Namibia 142-0 in 2003. In all, there have been 10 shutouts in the history of the tournament. The last was a 66-0 win for Wales over Fiji in 2011. New Zealand’s Grant Fox holds the record for most points in a single tournament with 126 in 1987.

Along with the FIFA World Cup, the Olympic Games, and the Tour de France, the Rugby World Cup is one of the most popular international sporting events in the world. Just over four billion people watched the tournament in 2007. In 2011, just under 1.5-million people attended the 48 matches.

The F1 season features the highest class of single-seat racing that is sanctioned by the FIA. Also known as Formula One, Formula 1 and the FIA Formula One World Championship, the F1 season features 19 Grand Prix races. The 2013 F1 schedule opens up with the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, March 17th.

The Formula 1 2013 schedule will wrap up with the Grand Prix of Brazil on Sunday, November 24th. Some of the stops on the Formula 2013 schedule include Malaysia, Spain, Monaco, Canada, Korea, Japan, Abu Dhabi and the United States.

F1 Schedule History

The Formula One World Drivers’ Championship was first handed out to Italy’s Giuseppe Farina in 1950. The winner is determined by a points system used during Grand Prix events. Another honor, known as the Formula One World Constructors’ Championship, is given to the most successful F1 constructor during a season. Scuderia Ferrari has taken home the title a record 16 times since the award was first handed out in 1958.

No driver has won the F1 World Drivers’ Championship more times than Germany’s Michael Schumacher, who has captured the crown seven times. Schumacher’s first title came in 1994. He later won five straight championships from 2000-04. Argentina’s Juan Manuel Fangio sits alone in second place on the all-time list with five titles. France’s Alain Prost is in third with four championships. The only Americans to win the title are Phil Hill in 1961 and Mario Andretti in 1978.

Sebastian Vettel of Germany enters the 2013 season as the three-time defending champion. Vettel clinched his third title in the final race of the season in 2012. Vettel’s constructor Red Bull has also won three straight titles.

Unfortunately, a number of drivers have been died while driving an F1 car. The first was Cameron Earl, who died during a test run in June 1952. The first American to pass away while driving was Chet Miller, who died during the Indianapolis 500 in 1953.

In all, nearly 50 drivers have lost their lives as the result of behind the wheel of an F1 car. The last to be killed during a Grand Prix race was Ayrton Senna in 1994.

Download: F1 Schedule