Greats Federer and Rod Laver trade shots in Melbourne
10 Jan 2014 5:15 AM IST
Australian legend Laver, the only man twice to have won all four grand slam tournaments in a calendar year, surprised 17-time grand slam tournament winner Federer at the charity event in Melbourne.
The 75-year-old took to the Melbourne Park court named in his honour wearing a vest, shorts and tennis shoes. He briefly traded shots with Federer before the Swiss player took on Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in an exhibition match.
Federer admitted he was nervous about rallying with Laver. “The racquet feels a little heavy right now, I must say,” he said. The 32-year-old Swiss famously showed his deep respect for the Australian when he burst into tears after winning the 2006 Australian Open, with Laver watching on the winner’s dais.
Bopanna-Qureshi in semis, Paes-Stepanek crash out
SYDNEY: Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi progressed to the semifinals of the Sydney International but Leander Paes failed to rescue his 2014 season from a poor start as he crashed out in the first round with Czech partner Radek Stepanek.
Bopanna and his Pakistani partner, seeded third, faced stiff resistance from Trat Huey of Philippines and Briton Dominic Inglot before prevailing 6-7(3) 7-6(5) 10-3 in the quarterfinals.
Leander Paes and Stepanek, seeded second, were ousted 4-6, 4-6 in 65 minutes by the French pair of Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.
The 75-year-old took to the Melbourne Park court named in his honour wearing a vest, shorts and tennis shoes. He briefly traded shots with Federer before the Swiss player took on Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in an exhibition match.
Federer admitted he was nervous about rallying with Laver. “The racquet feels a little heavy right now, I must say,” he said. The 32-year-old Swiss famously showed his deep respect for the Australian when he burst into tears after winning the 2006 Australian Open, with Laver watching on the winner’s dais.
Bopanna-Qureshi in semis, Paes-Stepanek crash out
SYDNEY: Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi progressed to the semifinals of the Sydney International but Leander Paes failed to rescue his 2014 season from a poor start as he crashed out in the first round with Czech partner Radek Stepanek.
Bopanna and his Pakistani partner, seeded third, faced stiff resistance from Trat Huey of Philippines and Briton Dominic Inglot before prevailing 6-7(3) 7-6(5) 10-3 in the quarterfinals.
Leander Paes and Stepanek, seeded second, were ousted 4-6, 4-6 in 65 minutes by the French pair of Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.
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