Querrey up against Murray — and all of Britain

By Art Spander

WIMBLEDON, England — Playing Andy Murray at Wimbledon? It would be like playing Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Or the Warriors at Oracle Arena. “It’s going to be tough,” said Sam Querrey. “He’s defending champion, No. 1 in the world. He loves playing here. The crowd is going to be behind him.”

Querrey faces Murray Wednesday in a quarterfinal at Wimbledon. Which Murray won last year. And in 2013, then becoming the first British man in 77 years to be singles champion of the All England Lawn Tennis Championships.

So everything and presumably everyone will be against Querrey, the 29-year-old from Southern California — where, as Sam correctly pointed out, there’s baseball and football and basketball. ”I doubt people in L.A. even know what’s going on over here,” he said.

What’s going on is the oldest (115 years), most important tournament in the world, as much a part of an English summer as strawberries and cream and evenings that stay light until at least 10 p.m.

Murray, the home-country kid (well, he’s from Scotland but at the moment that’s still part of the United Kingdom), defeated Benoit Paire of France, 7-6, 6-4, 6-4, on what is known as “Manic Monday” in one fourth-round match. Querrey defeated Kevin Anderson, 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-7 (11), 6-3 in another quarterfinal.

And Querrey was into the quarterfinals for a second straight year. And Murray for a tenth straight year. “It’s really impressive,” said Querrey. “I mean I’ve done it twice in my life.” 

Querrey is on the outside looking in. Men’s tennis has been the property of the Big Four: Murray, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal, who in a marathon match Monday was upset by Gilles Muller, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 15-13.

A few years ago, when he passed up a scholarship at USC to turn pro out of Thousand Oaks High School, Sam was projected as one of the future greats. But in 2009, while at a tournament in Bangkok, he leaned on a glass coffee table, which shattered. His arm was cut severely, and he missed time during recovery.

So he never made the ultimate step. Not that he stopped trying to do so. Querrey said he gladly would accept the pressure the 30-year-old Murray faces, especially at Wimbledon,

“Yeah,” said Querrey. “Because that would mean I’d probably be No. 1 or No. 2 in the world, have a ton of money, have Grand Slams. Life’s pretty good. I do know that comes with a lot more.

“I’m very happy right now with my life. Yeah, I’d love to be at the next level.”

He could approach that with a win over Murray, as difficult as that would appear to be.

“He’s earned it,” Querrey said about Murray. “I’m sure he feels the pressure sometimes. He’s done an incredible job of backing it up and living up to and winning Wimbledon. He’s accomplished all that a player can accomplish.”

For two weeks, the Wimbledon fortnight, there’s no individual in Britain who gets more attention. Not the prime minister. Not the Queen. Not even the soccer player Wayne Rooney, although his return this past weekend to Everton up in Liverpool, after 11 years at famed Manchester United, was maybe only two notches below. As they say, timing is everything.

“The entire country seems like they watch Wimbledon,” said Querrey. “In the U.S., whether it’s football, baseball, basketball, tennis, a lot of people watch, but it’s not 100 percent of America, even the Super Bowl. It feels like everyone watches Wimbledon here with Andy Murray.

“But sometimes it’s fun to go out there and play where the crowd is behind the other player. I’m going to try and play aggressive, hopefully play well and can sneak out a win.”

At Wimbledon, with a nation watching and Murray on the court, even sneaking a glance at the chair umpire will require a special skill.

Newsday (N.Y.): Wimbledon 2017: Mad dogs and Englishmen...

By Art Spander
Special to Newsday

WIMBLEDON, England — It’s been a Wimbledon of bad lawns and bad actors. Of weather that’s too warm and matches that — because of numerous “retirements” — were too short; a Wimbledon of flying ants and more than $33,000 in fines. And it still has a week remaining.

You can debate whether or not there’s global warming, but there’s no question the weather here this summer is the hottest since 1976. Maybe that’s the reason competitors have been giving up early — “Quitters,” is what the headline in the London Times called them. It’s definitely the reason the grass courts are in bad shape.

Read the full story here.

Copyright © 2017 Newsday. All rights reserved.

Wimbledon: Quitters, flying bugs, wins for Querrey and Venus

By Art Spander

WIMBLEDON, England — That’s what Wimbledon needed, a little plug to remind one and all that despite two withdrawals during matches at Centre Court — “Fans cheated as players take appearance fee then quit early,” was the headline in the Times of London — and despite an attack of “flying ants,” it remains the premier tournament in tennis.

“It’s like the Masters for golf,” said Sam Querrey, understandably expressive Wednesday after his 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia — not the state but the country, where Zaza Pachulia of the Warriors grew up.

Querrey grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles, and he knows his sporting venues. He also knows how to play tennis.

A year ago he stunned the defending champion, Novak Djokovic, in the third round here, and Djokovic hasn’t won a Grand Slam since.

Of course, John McEnroe, who won a lot of Slams (three of the four, missing out on the French) and now comments on everything from the Mets (his team) to Medvedev (first name Danil, a Russian who was beaten Wednesday) blames Djokovic’s recent failings on “off-court issues with the family.”

McEnroe, who knows how to get attention, a necessity when you’re commenting for ESPN and the BBC, then tossed in Tiger Woods. “When he had issues with his wife,” McEnroe said on the BBC, “he seemed to go completely off the rails.”

John, dating back to his year at Stanford, never has been lacking in opinions. So here at the world’s oldest tennis event — it started in 1877 — there were two references to golf, if one, from Querrey, could be described as positive.

Also positive was Venus Williams’ play on an afternoon when the temperature in the greater London area pushed past 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Williams came back after being outplayed in the first set to beat Qiang Wang of China, 4-6, 6-4, “I was always thinking about how I could turn it around,” said Williams.

The All-England Club officials turned around her media post-match interview before it started, the moderator telling reporters to stick to tennis. That meant no questions, as there had been on Monday, about her auto accident in Florida that resulted in one person’s death.

The match against Wang was the 97th played at Wimbledon by the 37-year-old Venus. “Wow,” Williams said when informed. “I’d love to reach 100. That would be awesome.”  A five-time Wimbledon singles champion, Williams could hit the century mark next week by reaching the quarterfinals.

Querrey hasn’t gone that far here, but he speaks of the tournament reverently. “It’s the best tournament,” he said. “Everything about it is unique and fun. The grounds are immaculate. I like playing on grass anyway, so that helps.

“Wimbledon, it feels like a bucket-list thing, not only for players but to fans, moreso than the other three Slams. It’s had that aura around it for a long time. Hopefully that will continue.”

As opposed to the withdrawals, the opponents of both seven-time winner Roger Federer and three-time champ Novak Djokovic taking a hike before the matches Tuesday on Centre Court were played to legitimate conclusion. Each halted after 45 minutes because of announced injuries. The hurting — or least the guilty parties — were Alexandr Dolgopolov and Martin Klizan.

“A player should not go on court if he knows he should not finish,” said Federer. “The question is, did they truly believe they were going to finish?”

The ATP (formerly the Association of Tennis Professionals), the men’s tour, allows a player to twice a year withdraw before a first-round match and still collect his prize money. Once the match starts, however, no replacement can be used, so people who bought tickets get only a partial match for their money.

A second headline in the Times was “Wimbledon crackdown on quitters,” but there hasn’t been a crackdown, only discussions.

Another subject Wednesday was the insects. ”I don’t know they had them on every court,” said Querrey. He was informed his location, Court 18, in a corner of the grounds, was one of the worst.

“Never seen it before,” said Querrey. “I lost the set when the ants came. If I won that, probably wouldn’t have bugged me as much.”

Pretty good quote, Sam.

Newsday (N.Y.): Djokovic’s Grand Slam streak ends in Wimbledon loss to Querrey

By Art Spander
Special to Newsday

WIMBLEDON, England — The great Roger Federer could see the upset coming. Even if the rest of us, and Novak Djokovic, perhaps did not.

Californian Sam Querrey defeated Djokovic, the No. 1-ranked player in the world, in four often-interrupted sets played over two days.

Read the full story here.

Copyright © 2016 Newsday. All rights reserved.

CBSSports.com: This U.S. Open coming up short on Americans

By Art Spander
The Sports Xchange/CBSSports.com

NEW YORK -- One singular sensation. A song lyric from A Chorus Line. A fact of tennis from the not-so-U.S. Open. The last two Americans went back-to-back Tuesday on a court named for a historic American, Arthur Ashe, and only one managed to survive.

Out went Sam Querrey, if stubbornly, and after he disappeared from view, from the draw, on came Venus Williams, who wasn't going anywhere, except to the semifinals.

Read the full story here.

© 2010 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved.