FEDERER SEEKS RECORD-TYING 14th GRAND SLAM TITLE AS NBC SPORTS PRESENTS LIVE COVERAGE OF THE FRENCH OPEN FINALS SATURDAY & SUNDAY
“It feels like history will happen on Sunday.” – NBC’s Carillo
“He is the Baryshnikov of our sport.” – NBC’s McEnroe on Federer
“Twenty straight Grand Slam semifinals is to tennis what Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak is to baseball.” – NBC’s Robinson on Federer’s streak
NEW YORK – June 4, 2009 – Roger Federer looks to make history by tying Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam titles as NBC Sports presents live coverage of the French Open men’s finals on Sunday beginning at 9 a.m. ET. Federer looks to complete the career Grand Slam by winning his first ever French Open in the men’s final but he first must defeat the No. 5 seed Juan Martin Del Potro in the semifinals. On the women’s side, No. 1 seed Dinara Safina is seeking her first ever Grand Slam title as she takes on No. 7 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova. Live coverage of the women’s final begins Saturday at 9 a.m. ET. NBC Sports will provide coverage of the men’s semifinals tomorrow 10 a.m.-1 p.m. (all time zones).
Host Ted Robinson anchors NBC’s coverage from Roland Garros, joined by analysts John McEnroe and Mary Carillo. McEnroe and Carillo combined to win the French Open mixed doubles title in 1977.
MEN’S BRACKET:
Federer is looking to make history as he seeks his first French Open title that would give him 14 Grand Slam titles, tying the record held by Pete Sampras. Federer, the world’s No. 2 player had been the world’s top ranked tennis player for a record 237 straight weeks from February 2004 – August 2008 before being surpassed by Rafael Nadal. Nadal, who lost to Sweden’s Robin Soderling in the fourth round had won the previous four French Opens, beating Federer in the last three finals and in the semifinal round in 2005. Federer has won a total of 13 Grand Slam singles titles (five Wimbledon, five U.S. Open, three Australian Open).
For Federer, this marks the 20th consecutive time he has reached a Grand Slam semifinal extending his record. To put that into perspective, no player in history has ever reached more than 10 consecutive Grand Slam semifinals (Rod Laver, Ivan Lendl).
Federer will take on Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina who lost only one set on his way to the semifinals. The other semifinal match will have Soderling taking on Fernando Gonzalez of Chile. Gonzalez has not lost a set in the French Open this year dispatching No. 3 seed Andy Murray in the quarterfinals. Federer has dominated the remaining three men with a combined record against them of 26-1 with his only defeat coming to Gonzalez in a round robin format in Shanghai in 2007, an event that Federer went on to win.
ROBINSON ON FEDERER’S PLACE IN TENNIS HISTORY: “The biggest story of this last weekend is can Roger Federer climb the last mountain in tennis, the French Open. If he does he has an extraordinary case of being called the greatest of all time.”
MCENROE ON FEDERER: “He is the Baryshnikov of our sport. His footwork is awesome.”
ROBINSON ON FEDERER’S STREAK IN GRAND SLAM SEMIS: I believe 20 straight Grand Slam semifinals is to tennis what Joe DiMaggio’s 56 game hitting streak is to baseball. It’s an extraordinary record that will never be touched in our lifetime. To play 20 straight slams is notable, to reach the semis in 20 straight is mind-boggling.”
ROBINSON ON FEDERER’S CHANCES OF WINNING: “I would be shocked if Federer doesn’t win. He’s dominated each of the other players who are still alive so he has that track record going for him. His confidence has to be high. And, somebody else did for him what he has been unable to do himself at the French and that is defeat Nadal.”
CARILLO ON THE MEN’S SEMIS/FINALS: “There are three semifinalists with monstrous forehands, trying to get passed the classic, elegant, vastly more experienced Federer. Roger is three sets from another final and Nadal is nowhere in sight. It feels like history will happen on Sunday.”
WOMEN’S BRACKET:
The women’s final is set for Saturday morning with No. 1 seed Dinara Safina of Russia, the sister of former U.S. Open and Australian Open winner Marat Safin taking on the No. 7 seed and fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova. Safina, seeking her first Grand Slam title has dropped only one set so far this tournament and beat No. 20 seed Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia in the semifinals 6-3, 6-3. Kuznetsova beat No. 30 ranked Samantha Stosur of Argentina in the semifinal round 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 after knocking off No. 2 Serena Williams in the quarterfinals.
This will be the 12th time these two women have played each other with Safina holding a 7-4 edge including winning five of their last six matches dating back to a straight set win in last year’s semifinals at Roland Garros, 6-3, 6-2. Kuznetsova did beat Safina in the French Open semifinals in 2006 however, defeating her 7-6, 6-0.
CARILLO ON THE WOMEN’S FINAL: Safina and Kuznetsova have been the two best clay courters all season. The boldest will win her first major on Saturday.”
ROBINSON’S VIEW OF THE WOMEN’S FINAL: “Safina has been in two Grand Slam finals and hasn’t won and Kuznetsova won the U.S. Open back in ’04 and has had a lot of chances since and has come up empty. So somebody has to prove that they can handle the moment and become a champion.”
COVERAGE ON NBC SPORTS: Following is the schedule for NBC Sports’ coverage of the 2009 French Open, which culminates with live HD coverage of the women’s and men’s finals this weekend:
Friday, June 5, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. (all time zones) – Men’s Semifinals
Saturday, June 6, 9 a.m.-Noon ET – Women’s Final (Live)
Sunday, June 7, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. ET – Men’s Final (Live)
FRENCH OPEN GOES MOBILE: Tennis fans that are on the go can once again watch the French Open live on their mobile phones through NBC 2Go and NBC Sports Mobile. Fans can also get live news and scores on their mobile devices through the NBC Sports Mobile site (http://m.nbcsports.com) or by texting “TENNIS” to 51515 to sign-up for NBC Sports Mobile tennis alerts.
NBC AND THE FRENCH OPEN: In 1975, NBC became the first American television network to provide coverage of the French Open when the network signed a three-year deal with the French Tennis Federation. The tournament was covered by CBS from 1980-82 and returned to NBC in 1983, where it has remained since.
ABOUT NBC SPORTS CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON: NBC Sports Championship Season ties together seven iconic championship events with a combined 769 years of history in a 65 day period starting with the Kentucky Derby on May 2 and culminating with Wimbledon on July 5. NBC Sports Championship Season also includes The Players, the Preakness Stakes, the French Open, the Stanley Cup Final and the U.S. Open.
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