Tennis | featured news

Defending champion Novak Djokovic and third seed Roger Federer begin their Wimbledon campaigns with wins but Tomas Berdych is out.

Venus Williams, a five-time Wimbledon champion, lost in the first round Monday to Elena Vesnina of Russia, 6-1, 6-3.

After dominating tennis so completely in his mid-20s, Roger Federer has only one trajectory remaining in a brilliant career: downward, as certain as gravity. And even that has been graceful. It’s difficult to pinpoint a skill of Federer’s that has diminished these last two years, in which he slid from No. 1 in the world to No. 3. His movement, at 30, remains fleet and fluid. His serve is shrewdly placed with plenty of pace. And he brandishes a full array of strokes and the smarts to deploy each as circumstances dictate.

Rafael Nadal was worried. A guy so unflinching, so nearly unbeatable, while sliding and grinding and pounding his way past opponent after opponent at the French Open, got a real case of nerves during the 18 hours he and Novak Djokovic waited for the restart of their rain-interrupted final at Roland Garros.

Maria Sharapova defeated Sara Errani 6-3, 6-2, to win the French Open and become the 10th woman to win a career Grand Slam.

For the fourth straight time in a Grand Slam final, it will be Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal....

Rafael Nadal moved closer to a record seventh French Open title and improved to 50-1 for his career at the tournament by beating 12th-seeded Nicolas Almagro 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-3 in the quarterfinals Wednesday.

Defending champion Li Na needed three sets to stop American Christina McHale at the French Open on Saturday. The seventh-seeded Li, who last year became the first Chinese player to win a Grand Slam singles title, rallied to beat McHale 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.

Rafael Nadal improved his record at the French Open to 47-1, advancing to the third round Thursday by beating Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan 6-2, 6-2, 6-0.

The loss to Virginie Razzano of France ranks among the most unexpected upsets in the recent history of the French Open.