The Wimbledon Championships

The past couple weeks I have found myself quite attached to the Wimbledon Championships. It is the first time I have followed this prestigious tennis tournament from beginning to end. I suppose I've found myself quite bored with baseball and the off season of football and soccer. Therefore a major world tournament such is this has been a great new summer discovery for me.

The Sport of Tennis

I've always enjoyed the sport of tennis, yet hardly get to play it as much as I would like. I suppose this is because I've yet to find a partner at my level (besides Gabriel who never wants to play with me). I also hardly ever follow the majors on a regular basis, and am just familiar with some of the big names in the game such as Federer, Nadal, and Serena Williams. I have been learning quite a lot this week on the history and format of some of the most prestigious tennis tournaments.


Grand Slams of Tennis

The top 4 most prestigious tennis tournaments are known as the Grand Slams, also referred to as the Majors. This includes the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon Championships, and the US Open. The reason these events are so prestigious is because they are the oldest tournaments in the sport, having each been founded in the 1880-1900s. The annual calendar of the Grand Slams begins with the Australian Open in January, the French Open in May, Wimbledon in July, and the US Open in September. These four tournaments make up the Grand Slam and the order of their prestige is debatable however I believe Wimbledon to be the top crown of them all.


Wimbledon Championships 

Location: Wimbledon, London, UK
Founded: 1877 (Oldest tennis tournament)
Grounds: All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
Tournament Format: 128 players qualified based on rankings and wildcards. The top 32 players are seeded based on performances in prior major tournaments. Players face off in a single elimination bracket style tournament. There are 7 rounds of games to reach the final match.

Significance: It is the World Cup of tennis tournaments, being the oldest and most prestigious of them all. It is the 3rd tournament on the annual Grand Slam tournament, held in early July. The event is a British heirloom, regarded for it's formal and traditional format. The players have a strict dress code of wearing all white. The tournament is played on 18 grass courts. The center court hosts the larger matches and seats nearly 16,000.

Year	Men's Champion	Women's Champion
1877	Spencer Gore
1878	Frank Hadow
1879	John Hartley
1880	John Hartley
1881	William Renshaw
1882	William Renshaw
1883	William Renshaw
1884	William Renshaw	Maud Watson
1885	William Renshaw	Maud Watson
1886	William Renshaw	Blanche Bingley Hillyard
1887	Herbert Lawford	Lottie Dod
1888	Ernest Renshaw	Lottie Dod
1889	William Renshaw	Blanche Bingley Hillyard
1890	Willoughby Hamilton	Lena Rice
1891	Wilfred Baddeley	Lottie Dod
1892	Wilfred Baddeley	Lottie Dod
1893	Joshua Pim	Lottie Dod
1894	Joshua Pim	Blanche Bingley Hillyard
1895	Wilfred Baddeley	Charlotte Cooper Sterry
1896	Harold Mahoney	Charlotte Cooper Sterry
1897	Reginald Doherty	Blanche Bingley Hillyard
1898	Reginald Doherty	Charlotte Cooper Sterry
1899	Reginald Doherty	Blanche Bingley Hillyard
1900	Reginald Doherty	Blanche Bingley Hillyard
1901	Arthur Gore	Charlotte Cooper Sterry
1902	Lawrence Doherty	Muriel Robb
1903	Lawrence Doherty	Dorothea Lambert Chambers
1904	Lawrence Doherty	Dorothea Lambert Chambers
1905	Lawrence Doherty	May Sutton
1906	Lawrence Doherty	Dorothea Lambert Chambers
1907	Norman Brookes	May Sutton
1908	Arthur Gore	Charlotte Cooper-Sterry
1909	Arthur Gore	Dora Boothby
1910	Anthony Wilding	Dorothea Lambert Chambers
1911	Anthony Wilding	Dorothea Lambert Chambers
1912	Anthony Wilding	Ethel Thomson Larcombe
1913	Anthony Wilding	Dorothea Lambert Chambers
1914	Norman Brookes	Dorothea Lambert Chambers
1915-18	Cancelled Due to World War I
1919	Gerald Patterson	Suzanne Lenglen
1920	Bill Tilden	Suzanne Lenglen
1921	Bill Tilden	Suzanne Lenglen
1922	Gerald Patterson	Suzanne Lenglen
1923	Bill Johnston	Suzanne Lenglen
1924	Jean Borotra	Kitty McKane Godfree
1925	René Lacoste	Suzanne Lenglen
1926	Jean Borotra	Kitty McKane Godfree
1927	Henri Cochet	Helen Wills Moody
1928	René Lacoste	Helen Wills Moody
1929	Henri Cochet(2)	Helen Wills Moody
1930	Bill Tilden	Helen Wills Moody
1931	Sidney Wood	Cilly Aussem
1932	Ellsworth Vines	Helen Wills Moody
1933	Jack Crawford	Helen Wills Moody
1934	Fred Perry	Dorothy Round Little
1935	Fred Perry	Helen Wills Moody
1936	Fred Perry	Helen Jacobs
1937	Don Budge	Dorothy Round Little
1938	Don Budge	Helen Wills Moody
1939	Bobby Riggs	Alice Marble
1940-45	Cancelled Due to World War II
1946	Yvon Petra	Pauline Betz Addie
1947	Jack Kramer	Margaret Osborne duPont
1948	Bob Falkenburg	Louise Brough Clapp
1949	Ted Schroeder	Louise Brough Clapp
1950	Budge Patty	Louise Brough Clapp
1951	Dick Savitt	Doris Hart
1952	Frank Sedgman	Maureen Connolly Brinker
1953	Vic Seixas	Maureen Connolly Brinker
1954	Jaroslav Drobný	Maureen Connolly Brinker
1955	Tony Trabert	Louise Brough Clapp
1956	Lew Hoad	Shirley Fry Irvin
1957	Lew Hoad	Althea Gibson
1958	Ashley Cooper	Althea Gibson
1959	Alex Olmedo	Maria Bueno
1960	Neale Fraser	Maria Bueno
1961	Rod Laver	Angela Mortimer Barrett
1962	Rod Laver	Karen Hantze Susman
1963	Chuck McKinley	Margaret Smith Court
1964	Roy Emerson	Maria Bueno
1965	Roy Emerson	Margaret Smith Court
1966	Manolo Santana	Billie Jean King
1967	John Newcombe	Billie Jean King
1968	Rod Laver	Billie Jean King
1969	Rod Laver	Ann Haydon Jones
1970	John Newcombe	Margaret Smith Court
1971	John Newcombe	Evonne Goolagong Cawley
1972	Stan Smith	Billie Jean King
1973	Jan Kodeš	Billie Jean King
1974	Jimmy Connors	Chris Evert
1975	Arthur Ashe	Billie Jean King
1976	Björn Borg	Chris Evert
1977	Björn Borg	Virginia Wade
1978	Björn Borg	Martina Navrátilová
1979	Björn Borg	Martina Navrátilová
1980	Björn Borg	Evonne Goolagong Cawley
1981	John McEnroe	Chris Evert
1982	Jimmy Connors	Martina Navrátilová
1983	John McEnroe	Martina Navrátilová
1984	John McEnroe	Martina Navrátilová
1985	Boris Becker	Martina Navrátilová
1986	Boris Becker	Martina Navrátilová
1987	Pat Cash	Martina Navrátilová
1988	Stefan Edberg	Steffi Graf
1989	Boris Becker	Steffi Graf
1990	Stefan Edberg	Martina Navrátilová
1991	Michael Stich	Steffi Graf
1992	Andre Agassi	Steffi Graf
1993	Pete Sampras	Steffi Graf
1994	Pete Sampras	Conchita Martínez
1995	Pete Sampras	Steffi Graf
1996	Richard Krajicek	Steffi Graf
1997	Pete Sampras	Martina Hingis
1998	Pete Sampras	Jana Novotná
1999	Pete Sampras	Lindsay Davenport
2000	Pete Sampras	Venus Williams
2001	Goran Ivaniševic	Venus Williams
2002	Lleyton Hewitt	Serena Williams
2003	Roger Federer	Serena Williams
2004	Roger Federer	Maria Sharapova
2005	Roger Federer	Venus Williams
2006	Roger Federer	Amélie Mauresmo
2007	Roger Federer	Venus Williams
2008	Rafael Nadal	Venus Williams
2009	Roger Federer	Serena Williams
2010	Rafael Nadal	Serena Williams
2011	Novak Djokovic	Petra Kvitová
2012	Roger Federer	Serena Williams
2013	Andy Murray	Marion Bartoli
2014	Novak Djokovic	Petra Kvitová
2015	Novak Djokovic	Serena Williams
2016	Andy Murray	Serena Williams

Male Multiple Champions

Player	Open Era	Amateur Era	All-time	Years
William Renshaw (BRI)	0	7	7	1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1889
Pete Sampras (USA)	7	0	7	1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
Roger Federer (SUI)	7	0	7	2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Björn Borg (SWE)	5	0	5	1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980
Laurence Doherty (BRI)	0	5	5	1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906
Reginald Doherty (BRI)	0	4	4	1897, 1898, 1899, 1900
Rod Laver (AUS)	2	2	4	1961, 1962, 1968, 1969
Anthony Wilding (NZL)	0	4	4	1910, 1911, 1912, 1913
Wilfred Baddeley (BRI)	0	3	3	1891, 1892, 1895
Boris Becker (GER)	3	0	3	1985, 1986, 1989
Novak Djokovic (SRB)	3	0	3	2011, 2014, 2015
Arthur Gore (BRI)	0	3	3	1901, 1908, 1909
John McEnroe (USA)	3	0	3	1981, 1983, 1984
John Newcombe (AUS)	2	1	3	1967, 1970, 1971
Fred Perry (GBR)	0	3	3	1934, 1935, 1936
Bill Tilden (USA)	0	3	3	1920, 1921, 1930
Jean Borotra (FRA)	0	2	2	1924, 1926
Norman Brookes (AUS)	0	2	2	1907, 1914
Don Budge (USA)	0	2	2	1937, 1938
Henri Cochet (FRA)	0	2	2	1927, 1929
Jimmy Connors (USA)	2	0	2	1974, 1982
Stefan Edberg (SWE)	2	0	2	1988, 1990
Roy Emerson (AUS)	0	2	2	1964, 1965
John Hartley (BRI)	0	2	2	1879, 1880
Lew Hoad (AUS)	0	2	2	1956, 1957
René Lacoste (FRA)	0	2	2	1925, 1928
Andy Murray (GBR)	2	0	2	2013, 2016
Rafael Nadal (ESP)	2	0	2	2008, 2010
Gerald Patterson (AUS)	0	2	2	1919, 1922
Joshua Pim (IRL)	0	2	2	1893, 1894

Female Multiple champions

Player	Amateur Era	Open Era	All-time	Years
Martina Navratilova (USA)[i]	0	9	9	1978, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990
Helen Wills Moody (USA)	8	0	8	1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1938
Dorothea Lambert Chambers (UK)	7	0	7	1903, 1904, 1906, 1910, 1911, 1913, 1914
Steffi Graf (GER)	0	7	7	1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996
Serena Williams (USA)	0	7	7	2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016
Blanche Bingley (UK)	6	0	6	1886, 1889, 1894, 1897, 1899, 1900
Suzanne Lenglen (FRA)	6	0	6	1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1925
Billie Jean King (USA)	2	4	6	1966, 1967, 1968, 1972, 1973, 1975
Charlotte Cooper Sterry (UK)	5	0	5	1895, 1896, 1898, 1901, 1908
Lottie Dod (UK)	5	0	5	1887, 1888, 1891, 1892, 1893
Venus Williams (USA)	0	5	5	2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008
Louise Brough Clapp (USA)	4	0	4	1948, 1949, 1950, 1955
Maureen Connolly (USA)	3	0	3	1952, 1953, 1954
Maria Bueno (BRA)	3	0	3	1959, 1960, 1964
Margaret Court (AUS)	2	1	3	1963, 1965, 1970
Chris Evert (USA)	0	3	3	1974, 1976, 1981
Althea Gibson (USA)	2	0	2	1957, 1958
Kitty McKane Godfree (UK)	2	0	2	1924, 1926
May Sutton Bundy (USA)	2	0	2	1905, 1907
Maud Watson (UK)	2	0	2	1884, 1885
Evonne Goolagong Cawley (AUS)	0	2	2	1971, 1980
Petra Kvitová (CZE)	0	2	2	2011, 2014

Movie Review: Wonder Woman

I've had this superhero movie on my radar for some time now. Not so much because I care much about the story of Wonder Woman, yet because I found the casting of Gal Gadot to be sensational. She is a gorgeous up-and-coming actress from Israel, unlike any actress we've seen before. She has a unique sexuality to match her physicality and for that reason I believe this film has already gone on to do so well. Gal Gadot represents something new in the film industry; a female led blockbuster.

This marked my 2nd blockbuster viewing of the summer, a rare occurrence however just happened to be two movies I really wanted to see in theaters this summer. This time I went to Rave Motion Pictures with my mom, who was also excited at the concept of a female empowering film. That's exactly what the movie of Wonder Woman was, and it was done so in a manner that can be enjoyed by all, not just woman. The movie directed by Patty Jenkins was filled with cutting edge special effects, action sequences, and just an overall great story line.

The Premise 

Set in present day Paris, Diana Prince receives an inquiry from Bruce Wayne about a mysterious photo of Wonder Woman set in WW1. This is a tie to the formation of the Justice League which was a story line in the 2016 film Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. Wonder Woman played a brief part in that film, however her full story was not described. As she looks upon the photo that Bruce has sent her, she begins to flash back to her origins and thus the story begins.

The story of Wonder Woman is tied to Greek Mythology and the setting of the Amazon female warriors. The tribe of warriors were created by Zeus to protect humankind on a remote island known as Themyscira. However they were challenged by the God of War, Ares. Zeus and the beautiful queen Hippolyta, thus created a secret weapon that could defeat Ares, by bringing life to Princess Diana. As a child she trains under her aunt General Antiope (played by Robin Wright), however her mother Hippolyta (played by the beautiful Connie Nelson from Gladiator) does not want her daughter to leave the island.

This however quickly changed when a young American pilot named Steve Trevor (played by Chris Pine) crashes on the island and Diana saved him. The Amazon warriors fight off an invading German troop. They later discover from Steve that there is an ongoing terrible war, known as World War I. Diana insists that she take part in this conflict to save mankind and defeat Ares. Against her mother's will she leaves the island to join the war and find Ares. She quickly discovers the complexities of a war that is fought on many fronts with many nations involved.

Diana joins Steve's band of allied mercenaries on a mission to disrupt the German General Ludendorff's poison operation. The group of allies are financed in secrecy by a British politician named Sir Patrick Morgan (played by David Thewlis). Gen Ludendorff (played by Danny Huston) is aided by a toxic chemist known as Dr. Poison. En route to the chemical plant, Diana bravely leads the allies across a no-mans-land battlefield and helps free a town under German siege.

She believes Luddendorf to be under the guise of Ares, and defeats him in battle. However she later discovers it is actually Sir Patrick Morgan who has orchestrated the Great War as the super villian Ares. She then faces him in battle and it appears she is no match for the God of War. That is until she realizes that Steve has sacrificed his life to destroy the chemical weapons. Through her new found love of him and human kind she is able to defeat Ares. And so after 100 years of living among humanity she recalls her purpose to save and defend humanity and accepts Bruce's invitation to join the Justice League.  

Movie Review: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2

I decided to treat myself this Memorial weekend with a traditional summer blockbuster movie. I chose to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 in theaters for several reasons. I enjoyed the first movie, I enjoyed the classic rock soundtrack, I enjoyed the comical characters, yet mostly because it's all my baseball co-workers talk about. Also the special effects are top-notch, cutting-edge quality which is best to be experienced in theater. So considering all this, it was the perfect movie to catch in theaters and it did not disappoint.

The story is yet another Marvel Comic series, which I agree has gotten quite old, yet it's a bit different since it's rather a Sci-Fi then a usual superhero film. Unlike the Avengers series, the Guardians of the Galaxy are more of a stand-alone story in a completely different universe. They are lead by the rebellious human Star-Lord (played by Chris Pratt), the stubborn Gamora (played by Zoe Saldana), the comical brute Drax the Destroyer (played by Dave Bautista), the technical savvy Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper), and the walking tree Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel).

The Premise

This sequel continues shortly after the first film in which the Guardians have now assembled. Star-Lord is the commander of their ship while Groot is still in his baby plant-form of which we saw at the end of the first movie. The group is still a band of greedy misfits, always arguing with one another while they do dangerous jobs for money. This makes for an unusually funny dynamic which you don't often see in superhero action films.

The Guardians accept a job from a snobbish race known as the Sovereign to defeat an alien monster. Upon completing their task, Rocket insults the race by stealing valuable batteries from them. This infuriates the Sovereign into taking action against the Guardians. During their escape, the Guardians are saved by a mysterious celestial being known as Ego, who happens to be Star-Lord's father (played by Kurt Russell). Star-Lord, Drax, and Gamora take refuge in Ego's magical planet where Star Lord learns of his past identity. Meanwhile Rocket, Nebula (Gamora's sister), and baby Groot stay back to work on their ship.

On the magical planet it is later revealed that Ego is actually a self-absorbed being who wants to dominate the entire universe. Rocket teams up with Yondo (Star-Lord's adopted father played by Michael Rooker) to rescue Star-Lord and the others. To further complicate matters the Sovereigns lead a full drone assault on the planet, still bitter about the batteries. Star-Lord is able to discover his half-god powers to fight Ego, while the rest are able to escape. He is however eventually saved by his adopted father who sacrifices himself while Ego and his planet are destroyed.

The movie was quite a visual sensation, well worthy of the 10$ to be seen in theater. It was also extremely funny, and I fond the constant verbal jabs among the Guardians to be great stuff. Almost every line Drax says is a ridiculously stupid jar-headed comment which makes for great comedy. The music in the film is also quite enjoyable, 70s classic rock, just like the first film. I'd say this series has become one of my new favorite Sci-Fi series, after Star Wars of course.