Arthur Ashe was an American professional tennis player. He won three Grand Slam titles and was ranked world No. 1. Ashe, an African-American, was the first black player selected to the United States Davis Cup team and the only black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open or the Australian Open. He retired in 1980. In the early 1980s, Ashe is believed to have contracted HIV from a blood transfusion he received during heart bypass surgery. Ashe publicly announced his illness in 1992 and began working to educate others about HIV and AIDS through two Arthur Ashe Foundations. Ashe was born on July 10, 1943 and died from AIDS-related pneumonia on February 6, 1993. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Bill Clinton.
Andy Murray is a Scottish professional tennis player, currently ranked world No. 3. He started playing tennis at the age of three, entered his first competitive tournament at age five and was playing league tennis by the time he was eight. Murray won the junior U.S. Open in 2004 and turned professional the following year. He has since won the 2012 U.S. Open and the 2013 Wimbledon Championships in men’s singles. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Murray won a gold medal in singles, defeating Roger Federer. From 2008 to 2015, Murray was the runner-up in six Grand Slam finals, losing three each to Federer and Novak Djokovic. Murray was born on May 15, 1987.
Maria Sharapova is a Russian professional tennis player. She is currently ranked No. 2 on the WTA Tour. A U.S. resident since 1994, Sharapova has competed on the WTA tour since 2001. She has been ranked world No. 1 in singles by the WTA on five separate occasions. She became the world No. 1 for the first time in 2005 and last held the ranking in 2012. Sharapova’s 34 singles titles and five Grand Slam titles—two at the French Open and one each at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open—rank third among active players, behind Serena Williams and Venus Williams. Sharapova is the reigning champion in singles at the French Open. She won a silver medal for Russia at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Sharapova was born on April 19, 1987.
My wife, daughter and I returned to Oregon late last night after visiting family in Pennsylvania. Today we will be attending Linework NW, a free illustration and comics festival in Portland. It starts at noon at the Norse Hall, which is in Northeast Portland near Voodoo Doughnut Too. Last night we stayed at the Nordic Motel (fairly close to the airport), so I guess between Norse and Nordic we’re accidentally pretending to be visiting Scandinavia today?
Stan Wawrinka is a Swiss professional tennis player and currently world No. 3, which is also his career-high singles ranking. He first attained this ranking on January 27, 2014 as a result of winning his first Grand Slam event, the 2014 Australian Open. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Wawrinka won a gold medal for Switzerland in the men’s doubles event with partner Roger Federer. Wawrinka’s powerful backhand has been described by John McEnroe as “the best one-handed backhand in the game today.” Wawrinka was born on March 28, 1985.
I was happy to see Wawrinka finally win a Grand Slam tournament this year. He joined Juan Martín del Potro (who won the 2009 U.S. Open) as the only men not named Federer (17), Nadal (14), Djokovic (6) or Murray (2) to win a Grand Slam title since 2005. I hope Wawrinka does well at the ongoing 2014 Wimbledon.
Dominika Cibulková is a Slovak professional tennis player. She is currently ranked No. 10 on the WTA Tour. Known for her quick and aggressive style of play and diminutive height, she has won four career singles titles. Cibulková has reached the quarterfinals or better of all four Grand Slam tournaments. The most notable achievement of her career to date was a finals appearance at the 2014 Australian Open. Cibulková became the first female Slovak to reach the championship round of a Grand Slam. She was born on May 6, 1989.
After the retirement of Kim Clijsters in 2012, I was looking for a new favorite women’s tennis player to root for. I can’t cheer for the insufferable shrieking banshees of women’s tennis (e.g., Sharapova, Azarenka, Serena Williams), as I am somewhat inclined to agree with tennis great Martina Navratilova that grunting or screaming during play “is cheating, pure and simple.” Some women’s players I like include Sloane Stephens (WTA no. 18), Australia’s Samantha Stosur (WTA no. 17) and Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard (WTA no. 13), but Dominika Cibulková is my favorite. Happy Wimbledon!
Kim Clijsters is a Belgian tennis player. She won four Grand Slam singles titles and two Grand Slam doubles titles. Clijsters retired in 2007 to have a child, but returned to tennis in 2009. In only her third tournament back, she won her second U.S. Open title, becoming the first unseeded player and wildcard to win the tournament, and the first mother to win a major since Evonne Goolagong in 1980. At age 29, Clijsters just retired to have a second child. The U.S. Open in 2012 was her final tournament. I guess I need to choose a new favorite WTA player.
Note: This is 8-bit tennis character #8 of 8 in celebration of the U.S. Open.
Justine Henin is a Belgian former tennis player. She won seven Grand Slam singles titles from 2001-2007. Henin also won the singles gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics. She is a very gifted athlete with the best one-handed backhand in the women’s game (and probably the men’s game too, unless you think the Federer backhand is better).
Note: This is 8-bit tennis character #7 of 8 in celebration of the U.S. Open.
Serena Williams is an American tennis player. She has won 14 Grand Slam singles titles, 13 Grand Slam women’s doubles titles (with her older sister Venus) and two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. She has also won four Olympic gold medals, one in singles (2012) and three in women’s doubles (2000, 2008 and 2012). Serena’s complete domination (6-0, 6-1) of Maria Sharapova in the gold medal match at the 2012 Olympic Games last month was remarkable. She is one of the greatest tennis players of all time, but can also act appallingly classless and disrespectful.
Note: This is 8-bit tennis character #6 of 8 in celebration of the U.S. Open.
Venus Williams is an American tennis player. In 2002, she became the first African-American woman to achieve a world No. 1 ranking in the Open Era. Venus has won seven Grand Slam singles titles, 13 Grand Slam women’s doubles titles (with her younger sister Serena) and two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. She has also won four Olympic gold medals, one in singles (2000) and three in women’s doubles (2000, 2008 and 2012).
Note: Venus wore this controversial lacy corset dress at the French Open in 2010. This is 8-bit tennis character #5 of 8 in celebration of the U.S. Open.
Martina Hingis is a Swiss former tennis player. She won five Grand Slam singles titles, nine Grand Slam women’s doubles titles (including all four in 1998) and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title. Hingis spent a total of 209 weeks as world No. 1. Ankle ligament injuries forced her to withdraw from tennis in 2002 at the age of 22. Hingis returned to the WTA Tour in 2006, but announced her retirement after testing positive for cocaine during Wimbledon in 2007.
Note: This is 8-bit tennis character #4 of 8 in celebration of the U.S. Open.
Monica Seles is a former tennis player born and raised in the Socialist Republic of Serbia to Hungarian parents. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1994. Known for her aggressive game and for introducing the grunt to women’s tennis, Seles won nine Grand Slam singles titles. In 1990, at the age of 16, she became the youngest-ever French Open champion. Seles won eight Grand Slam singles titles before her 20th birthday and seemed utterly unstoppable. However, in April 1993, she was stabbed on a court in Hamburg by a maniac who adored Steffi Graf. Seles did not return to tennis until 1995. Her game was never the same.
Note: This is 8-bit tennis character #3 of 8 in celebration of the U.S. Open.
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario is a Spanish former tennis player. She won four Grand Slam singles titles, six Grand Slam women’s doubles titles and four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. Sánchez Vicario participated in a record five Olympics and won four Olympic medals (two silver and two bronze). I mainly remember her tenacity and determination, and how I would root against her when she played Steffi Graf.
Note: This is 8-bit tennis character #2 of 8 in celebration of the U.S. Open.
Steffi Graf is a German former tennis player. She won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, the most of any tennis player in the Open Era. In 1988, she became the only player to achieve a Golden Slam by winning all four Grand Slam singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year. Graf was ranked world No. 1 for a record 377 total weeks. Many consider her the greatest women’s tennis player of all time. Graf retired in 1999 and married Andre Agassi in 2001.
Note: This is 8-bit tennis character #1 of 8 in celebration of the U.S. Open.
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian tennis player who has won five Grand Slam singles titles, between 2008 and 2012. In 2011, Djokovic became the sixth male player in the Open Era to win three Grand Slams in a calendar year. During 2011, he compiled in 43-match winning streak and finished the season with a 70-6 record and No. 1 in the world. He’s one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
This is 8-bit tennis character #8 of 8 in celebration of Wimbledon. Also, Djokovic’s long-time girlfriend Jelena Ristić is possibly the most supportive and adorably emotive tennis fan ever. Happy Fourth of July!
Rafael Nadal is a Spanish tennis player who has won 11 Grand Slam singles titles, between 2005 and 2012. His wins include a record seven French Open titles and the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles. He’s one of the greatest tennis players of all time—and the greatest clay court player in history, as his nickname “The King of Clay” attests.
Note: This is 8-bit tennis character #7 of 8 in celebration of Wimbledon.
Roger Federer is a Swiss tennis player who has won a men’s record 16 Grand Slam singles titles, between 2003 and 2011. He has appeared in an unprecedented 23 career Grand Slam tournament finals, including a men’s record ten in a row, and appeared in 18 of 19 finals from 2005 through 2010. He’s one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Note: This is 8-bit tennis character #6 of 8 in celebration of Wimbledon.
Pete Sampras is an American former tennis player who won 14 Grand Slam singles titles between 1990 and 2002. He was the year-end world No. 1 for six consecutive years (1993-1998), a record for the Open Era. His seven Wimbledon singles championships are also an Open Era record. He’s one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Note: This is 8-bit tennis character #5 of 8 in celebration of Wimbledon.
Andre Agassi is an American former tennis player who won eight Grand Slam singles titles (and competed in 15 Grand Slam finals) between 1990 and 2005. He also won the 1996 Olympic gold medal in singles. Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game. He’s one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Note: This is 8-bit tennis character #4 of 8 in celebration of Wimbledon. Now-bald Agassi is sporting his iconic 1990s-era mullet, which he recently revealed was a wig.
Boris Becker is a German former tennis player who won six Grand Slam singles titles and an Olympic gold medal in doubles between 1985 and 1996. He is the youngest-ever winner of the men’s singles title at Wimbledon at the age of 17. He’s one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Note: This is 8-bit tennis character #3 of 8 in celebration of Wimbledon.
Stefan Edberg is a Swedish former tennis player who won six Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam men’s doubles titles between 1985 and 1996. A major proponent of the serve-and-volley style of tennis, he is a former world No. 1 professional tennis player (in both singles and doubles). He’s one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Note: This is 8-bit tennis character #2 of 8 in celebration of Wimbledon.
Maria Sharapova – No. 863
Maria Sharapova is a Russian professional tennis player. She is currently ranked No. 2 on the WTA Tour. A U.S. resident since 1994, Sharapova has competed on the WTA tour since 2001. She has been ranked world No. 1 in singles by the WTA on five separate occasions. She became the world No. 1 for the first time in 2005 and last held the ranking in 2012. Sharapova’s 34 singles titles and five Grand Slam titles—two at the French Open and one each at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open—rank third among active players, behind Serena Williams and Venus Williams. Sharapova is the reigning champion in singles at the French Open. She won a silver medal for Russia at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Sharapova was born on April 19, 1987.
My wife, daughter and I returned to Oregon late last night after visiting family in Pennsylvania. Today we will be attending Linework NW, a free illustration and comics festival in Portland. It starts at noon at the Norse Hall, which is in Northeast Portland near Voodoo Doughnut Too. Last night we stayed at the Nordic Motel (fairly close to the airport), so I guess between Norse and Nordic we’re accidentally pretending to be visiting Scandinavia today?