crème de la crème

Jai Ganesh · 2022-12-13 00:08:47

1191) Yul Brynner

Summary

Yuliy Borisovich Briner (July 11, 1920 – October 10, 1985), known professionally as Yul Brynner, was a Russian-born actor. He was best known for his portrayal of King Mongkut in the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical The King and I, for which he won two Tony Awards, and later an Academy Award for Best Actor for the film adaptation. He played the role 4,625 times on stage and became known for his shaved head, which he maintained as a personal trademark long after adopting it for The King and I. Considered one of the first Russian-American film stars, he was honored with a ceremony to put his handprints in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood in 1956, and also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.

In 1956, Brynner received the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Rameses II in the Cecil B. DeMille epic The Ten Commandments and General Bounine in Anastasia. He was also well known as the gunman Chris Adams in The Magnificent Seven (1960) and its first sequel Return of the Seven (1966), along with roles as the android "The Gunslinger" in Westworld (1973), and its sequel, Futureworld (1976). In addition to his film credits, he also worked as a model and photographer and was the author of several books.

Details

Yul Brynner, original name Yuliy Borisovich Bryner, (born July 11, 1920?, Vladivostok, Far Eastern Republic [Russia]—died October 10, 1985, New York, New York, U.S.), Russian-born stage and film actor who was known primarily for his role as the Siamese monarch in more than 4,000 performances in the Broadway musical The King and I between 1951 and 1985 and in the 1956 film version. (1956).

Brynner was prone to exaggeration and invention, causing much uncertainty about his life, especially his childhood. He notably stated that he was born on Sakhalin Island in Russia and that his father was from Mongolia and his mother was a Romanian Roma. However, a 1989 biography by his son revealed that Brynner was born in Vladivostok, a city in what was then Far Eastern Republic. According to that book, Brynner’s father was an engineer of Russian and Swiss descent and his mother was Russian. While Brynner was still young, his father left the family, and they moved to China before settling in France. There, a teenaged Brynner became a nightclub balladeer and then a trapeze artist.

In the early 1940s Brynner settled in the United States, where he soon drifted into acting with a touring company. He made a successful Broadway stage debut in 1941, appearing in William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. He acted in several other stage productions, including a lead role in Lute Song (1946), and from 1949 to 1953 he occasionally worked as a television director. Brynner made his film debut as a drug smuggler in Port of New York (1949). During this time he became a U.S. citizen.

Brynner’s breakthrough came when he was offered the role of the arrogant king of Siam in the Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein musical The King and I, for which he won immediate acclaim and a Tony Award in 1952. He became known for his resonant voice, charisma, and shaved head. From 1951 to 1954 Brynner gave 1,246 performances on Broadway as King Mongkut and then starred in the 1956 screen version (with Deborah Kerr), winning an Academy Award for best actor. He went on to give a total of 4,625 performances of the part, taking his last curtain call as the Siamese king in 1985.

Brynner also had starring roles in other major films. He played Rameses, king of Egypt, in Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments and an unscrupulous Russian businessman in Anastasia (both 1956), Other roles were those of Dmitri in The Brothers Karamazov (1958) and the lead gunslinger in The Magnificent Seven (1960). Brynner continued to appear on the big screen into the mid-1970s. His most memorable later performance was as a robot gunman in the sci-fi thriller Westworld (1973).

In addition to his acting career, Brynner was a noted photographer, and he wrote Bring Forth the Children: A Journey to the Forgotten People of Europe and the Middle East (1960), which included some of his pictures. He also published a cookbook. In the 1960s Brynner, who was then living in Switzerland and had obtained Swiss citizenship, renounced his U.S. citizenship.

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Jai Ganesh · 2022-12-15 00:11:40

1192) Sunil Gavaskar

Summary

Sunil Manohar Gavaskar (born 10 July 1949), is an Indian cricket commentator and former cricketer who represented India and Bombay from 1971 to 1987. Gavaskar is acknowledged as one of the greatest opening batsmen of all time.

Gavaskar was widely admired for his technique against fast bowling, with a particularly high average of 65.45 against the West Indies, who possessed a four-pronged fast bowling attack regarded as the most vicious in Test history. However, most of Gavaskar's centuries against West Indies were against their second string team when their four-pronged attack were not playing together. His captaincy of the Indian team, however, was mentioned as less successful despite of team winning the Benson & Hedges World Championship of Cricket in 1985. Turbulent performances of the team led to multiple exchanges of captaincy between Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, with one of Gavaskar's sackings coming just six months before Kapil led India to victory at the 1983 Cricket World Cup. He is also a former Sheriff of Mumbai.

Gavaskar is a recipient of the Indian sports honour of the Arjuna Award and the civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan. He was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2012, he was awarded the Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for Cricket in India.

Details

Batting Career Summary

M : Inn : NO : Runs : HS : Avg : BF : SR : 100 : 200 : 50 : 4s : 6s
Test : 125 : 214 : 16 : 10122 : 236* : 51.12 : 15327 : 66.04 : 34 : 4 : 45 : 1016 : 26
ODI : 108 : 102 : 14 : 3092 : 103 : 35.14 : 4966 : 62.26 : 1 : 0 : 27 : 234 : 21

Bowling Career Summary

M : Inn : B : Runs : Wkts : BBI : BBM : Econ : Avg : SR : 5W : 10W

Test : 125 : 29 : 376 : 206 : 1 : 1/34 : 1/34 : 3.29 : 206.0 : 376.0 : 0 : 0
ODI : 108 : 4 : 20 : 25 : 1 : 1/10 : 1/10 : 7.5 : 25.0 : 20.0 : 0 : 0

Career Information

Test debut vs West Indies at Queen's Park Oval, Mar 06, 1971
Last Test vs Pakistan at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Mar 13, 1987
ODI debut vs England at Headingley, Jul 13, 1974
Last ODI vs England at math Stadium, Nov 05, 1987

Profile

Before Sachin Tendulkar took apart attacks, the original little master dominated in the early seventies and brought them a lot of pride in the next decade and a half. Sunil Manohar Gavaskar, a man synonymous with grit, character, and defiance, brought about a revolution in Test batsmanship - one of extraordinary consistency against some of the most fierce and intimidating bowling attacks of all time.

Arguably one of the greatest opening batsmen of all time, Sunil Gavaskar was statistically most successful. An immaculate technique, unerring concentration, and most importantly, daring nerve defined his batting. In an age of the fearsome and blood-thirsty West Indian pacers, it took enormous courage to bat without a helmet - something Gavaskar did over a period of 16 years, and through the 10,000 runs that he scored. With the latent fear of a cracked skull, Gavaskar maintained incredible composure at the crease with his astute judgment of line and length and his complete game of both the front foot and the back foot.

One often speaks of Rahul Dravid and eulogizes him as the wall, but the man who inspired the phrase "putting a price on your wicket" remains Sunil Manohar Gavaskar, the Emperor of grit. Nevertheless, this did not mean he was short on strokes. With a technique so versatile, he had nearly every shot in the book, but his grit and stoic at the tie overshadowed all else.

With a record (at the time) 34 Test hundreds, he was the first batsman from India to exhibit consistency at the world stage, and despite his record being broken by his successor Sachin Tendulkar, his contribution to Indian cricket lay far beyond numbers. Having dominated the most successful team of his era, Sunil Gavaskar was indeed the most valuable batsman of Indian cricket at the time and the most prized wicket for the opposition.

Rise to the top

Sunil Gavaskar, the wunderkind, shot to local fame at the age of 17 when he was named India's Best Schoolboy Cricketer in 1966. After an incredibly consistent start by this precocious wonder-kid, Gavaskar was immediately roped into Mumbai's Ranji squad but only made his Ranji debut against Karnataka during the 1968/69 season, two years after he came into the squad. After a failure to start with, he was severely criticized and was even accused of making wrongful use of his influential uncle, Madhav Mantri (former Indian Test player). However, history is our witness that Gavaskar silenced critics very soon by slamming a series of hundreds in Ranji cricket thereafter, and he was rather hastily pushed into India's Test squad, for the infamous tour of the West Indies in 1970/71.

It was evident in his debut series, that Sunny was here to stay. His batting transcended the level of his peers as the little champion bulldozed long-standing records. He made a joke out of the alleged "baptism by fire" against the West Indian pace bowlers on his way to 4 hundreds, 3 fifties, and 774 runs @154.80 in four Tests. He knocked out the last of his naysayers with a hundred and a double-hundred in the first and second innings of the final Test match in Port of Spain. Gavaskar became only the second batsmen in Test history to achieve this prestigious feat after Doug Walters (and, to this day, the only Indian to do so). He had a bit of a hangover from this early success and a subsequent dip in form, Gavaskar regained his touch in 1975 and never looked back.

His Finest Moments

Gavaskar's biggest achievement of the time was registering India's highest Test score at the time - 236 vs. the West Indies, against whom he seemed to have taken a special liking. With Malcolm Marshall, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding and Winston Davis running in at him, Gavaskar terrorized the men from the Caribbean and ended up with an average of 65.45 against them. One of his finest knocks in Test cricket came against England at the Oval in 1979, in a match that came to be known as the Great Chase that wasn't. India were set a mammoth target of 438 in roughly 500 minutes. The visitors began Day 5 at 76/0, needing 362 runs on the final day, which started off quietly. However, Gavaskar, not particularly known for smashing the leather off the ball, picked up the pace brought India within striking distance, before being dismissed for 221. England managed to induce some panic and the teams settled for a draw, an agonizing nine runs short of a victory in one of the closest finishes in Test history - a draw that changed the image of India as a cricketing nation. Gavaskar was also a part of India's 1983 World Cup winning team, but hardly achieved the level of success he did in Test cricket in the shorter format, scoring only one hundred in over a hundred matches. In fact, he is often, to this day, criticized for playing one of the most puzzling innings in World Cup history - 36 off 174 balls, chasing 334 in 60 overs against England in the 1979 tournament. Nevertheless, the good always overshadowed the bad in case of Sunil Gavaskar, as he contributed to yet another scarcely believable run-chase of 406, this time against his favoured West Indies team in 1976, contributing 102 as an opening batsman as his compatriot Gundappa Vishwanath sealed the deal with another hundred in the middle-order.

Post his retirement, Gavaskar has served as a television commentator and columnist and has taken on various roles with the BCCI. He also briefly served as chairman of the ICC cricket committee but stepped down in controversial circumstances as he returned to commentary. A vocal and often humourous character off the field, Gavaskar has continued to be an influential figure in Indian cricket long after his retirement. Nevertheless, the original Little Master will always be remembered for his playing days - the Sunny Days.

Additional Information

Sunil Gavaskar, in full Sunil Manohar Gavaskar, by names Sunny and the Little Master, (born July 10, 1949, Bombay [now Mumbai], India), is an Indian cricket player who is considered one of the sport’s greatest opening batsmen of all time. Gavaskar skillfully captained the Indian team in 47 Test (international) matches and dominated the game during a career that spanned 16 years and 125 total Test contests.

Gavaskar was instigated into playing cricket in Bombay under the guidance of his Test-playing uncle, Madhav Mantri. Gavaskar’s impressive performance in domestic cricket soon attracted national notice, and he was selected for the extremely tough tour of the West Indies in 1971. Not only on that tour—when he scored 774 runs—but also in subsequent tours, Gavaskar was the one batsman the fearsome West Indian bowlers could never suppress. His world record of 34 Test centuries (100 runs in a single innings) stood for 19 years until it was broken by his countryman Sachin Tendulkar in 2005. Just 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 metres) tall, Gavaskar was a master of short-pitched bowling; very few fast bowlers could claim to have completely dominated him.

Gavaskar went on to break many records, setting his own long-standing Indian Test record of 236 not out (subsequently broken by Tendulkar). He is also the only Indian to have scored two centuries in a Test match on three occasions. A superb driver and cutter of the ball, Gavaskar was the first player to score 10,000 runs in Test matches. He was also an excellent fielder, with 108 catches during his career; he was the first Indian apart from wicket keepers to reach the landmark of 100 catches.

After his retirement in 1987, Gavaskar put his immense cricketing acumen to great use as a popular columnist for some of the leading Indian newspapers and magazines and as a widely respected television commentator. He was inducted into the International Cricket Council’s Hall of Fame in 2009.

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Jai Ganesh · 2022-12-16 21:11:36

1193) Ellyse Perry

Summary

Ellyse Alexandra Perry (born 3 November 1990) is an Australian sportswoman who has represented her country in cricket and association football. Having debuted for both the national cricket team and the national soccer team at the age of 16, she is the youngest Australian to play international cricket and the first to have appeared in both ICC and FIFA World Cups. Gradually becoming a single-sport professional athlete from 2014 onward, Perry's acclaimed cricket career has continued to flourish and she is now widely considered to be one of the greatest female players ever.

A genuine all-rounder, Perry's mastery of both batting and fast bowling disciplines is reflected in several statistical achievements—she was the first player to amass a combined 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in T20Is, she holds the record for the highest score by an Australian woman in Test matches (213 not out), and she was the third player to claim 150 wickets in women's ODIs. Her contribution to various successful teams at international and domestic level across cricket's primary formats has led to winning seven world championships with Australia, eleven WNCL championships with New South Wales, and two WBBL championships with the Sydney Sixers. She has also been recognised with numerous individual honours, such as winning the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Award and the Belinda Clark Award three times each, and being named as one of the Wisden Five Cricketers of the Decade: 2010–19.

Due to her on-field performance, off-field marketability and stature as "the ultimate role model", Perry is credited as a leading figure for the rising female presence in Australia's sporting culture.

Personal information

Full name : Ellyse Alexandra Perry
Born : 3 November 1990 (age 32)
(Sydney, New South Wales, Australia)
Nickname : Pez
Height : 1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Batting : Right-handed
Bowling : Right-arm fast
Role : All-rounder

Relations
Matt Toomua (husband)
(m. 2015; sep. 2020)

Website : ellyseperry.com

International information

National side: Australia (2007–present)
Test debut (cap 152) : 15 February 2008 v England
Last Test : 27 January 2022 v England
ODI debut (cap 109) : 22 July 2007 v New Zealand
Last ODI : 3 April 2022 v England
ODI shirt no. : 8
T20I debut (cap 21) : 1 February 2008 v England
Last T20I : 14 December 2022 v India
T20I shirt no. : 8

Domestic team information

Years : Team :
2007–2019 : New South Wales
2015–present : Sydney Sixers
2016–2017 : Loughborough Lightning
2018 : Supernovas
2019–present : Victoria
2022–present : Birmingham Phoenix

Career statistics

Competition : WTest : WODI : WT20I : WNCL
Matches : 10 : 128 : 126 : 85
Runs scored : 752 : 3,369 : 1,253 : 2,178
Batting average : 75.20 : 50.28 : 27.84 : 46.34
100s/50s : 2/3 : 2/29 : 0/4 : 4/13
Top score : 213* : 112* : 60* : 127*
Balls bowled : 1,881 : 5,524 : 2,285 : 3,915
Wickets : 37 : 161 : 115 : 118
Bowling average : 19.97 : 24.90 : 19.45 : 20.84
5 wickets in innings : 2 : 3 : 0 : 2
10 wickets in match : 0 : 0 : 0 : 0
Best bowling : 6/32 : 7/22 : 4/12 : 5/11
Catches/stumpings : 5/– : 43/– : 37/– : 30/–

Details

Ellyse Perry's rise has seen her become one of the dominant players of her - or any - generation as well as a global icon of the game and female sport. She became the youngest Australian ever to play international cricket when she debuted in the second ODI of the Rose Bowl series against New Zealand in July 2007, before her 17th birthday, despite never having played a domestic match at the senior level.

Australia had been looking for a replacement for fast bowler Cathryn Fitzpatrick, who retired in March 2007, and initially that was the role Perry settled into. However, for a time that had been uncertain as she also had the alluring prospect of a long-term career in soccer, and was representing the Matildas when the call-up to the national cricket team came. Her future in cricket had been secured when she was in the group of the first women cricketers to be handed contracts by Cricket Australia in 2008. Nonetheless, she went on to represent Australia in World Cup football, becoming the first woman to represent the country in World Cups in two sports, and continued for a short while to juggle both, representing Sydney FC in the Women's League.

By the time Perry had made her Test debut against England in 2008, she had already made headlines, when, days earlier, her unbeaten 29 that included a massive straight six, and four wickets on T20I international debut, led Australia to a 21-run win over England at the MCG. Initially, it was her bowling that proved her stronger suit, and she picked up her maiden five-wicket haul in an ODI against New Zealand in February 2010. Three months later, she was Australia's leading wicket-taker at the Women's World T20 in the Caribbean. That included a Player-of-the-Match performance in the final, where her three wickets helped restrict New Zealand in a thrilling run chase. She went on to play a vital role in all of Australia's four World Cup victories in as many years, though she will forever be remembered for the 2013 Women's World Cup final against West Indies, when, barely able to walk, she limped in to bowl 10 overs and took 3 for 19.

However, her credentials as an allrounder were growing and between 2014 and 2019 she produced stunning Ashes returns which included a double century in Sydney and another hundred in Taunton. In 2015, when she missed out with the bat, she claimed nine wickets to help Australia regain the Ashes. In a sign of how her batting went to new levels in the latter part of the decade she become a run-machine for the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash.

Everything seemed set for her to be a vital part of the T20 World Cup campaign on home soil in 2020, but during the group match against New Zealand she suffered a severe hamstring injury which ruled her out of the knockouts, although she was there to lift the trophy with her team in front of 86,000 people at the MCG.

Jai Ganesh · 2022-12-18 00:02:41

1194) Ian Botham

Summary

Ian Terence Botham, Baron Botham, OBE (born 24 November 1955) is an English cricket commentator, member of the House of Lords, a former cricketer who has been chairman of Durham County Cricket Club since 2017 and charity fundraiser.

Hailed as one of the greatest all-rounders in the history of the game, Botham represented England in both Test and One-Day International cricket. He played most of his first-class cricket for Somerset, at other times competing for Worcestershire, Durham and Queensland. He was an aggressive right-handed batsman and, as a right-arm fast-medium bowler, was noted for his swing bowling. He generally fielded close to the wicket, predominantly in the slips. In Test cricket, Botham scored 14 centuries with a highest score of 208, and from 1986 to 1988 held the world record for the most Test wickets until overtaken by fellow all-rounder Sir Richard Hadlee. He took five wickets in an innings 27 times, and 10 wickets in a match four times. In 1980, he became the second player in Test history to complete the "match double" of scoring 100 runs and taking 10 wickets in the same match. On the occasion of England's 1000th Test in August 2018, he was named in the country's greatest Test XI by the ECB.

Botham has at times been involved in controversies, including a highly publicised court case involving rival all-rounder Imran Khan and an ongoing dispute with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). These incidents, allied to his on-field success, have attracted media attention, especially from the tabloid press. Botham has used his fame to raise money for research into childhood leukaemia. These efforts have realised millions of pounds for Bloodwise, of which he became president. On 8 August 2009, he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. In July 2020, it was announced that Botham would be elevated to the House of Lords and that he would sit as a crossbench peer.

Botham has a wide range of sporting interests outside cricket. He was a talented footballer at school and had to choose between cricket and football as a career. He chose cricket but, even so, he played professional football for a few seasons and made eleven appearances in the Football League for math United, becoming the club's president in 2017. He is a keen golfer, and his other pastimes include angling and shooting. He has been awarded both a knighthood and a life peerage.

Details

Personal details

Born : 24 November 1955 (age 67)
(Heswall, Cheshire, England)

Personal information

Full name : Ian Terence Botham
Nickname : Beefy, Both, Guy
Height : 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Batting : Right-handed
Bowling : Right-arm fast-medium
Role : All-rounder

International information

National side : England (1976–1992)
Test debut (cap 474) : 28 July 1977 v Australia
Last Test : 18 June 1992 v Pakistan
ODI debut (cap 33) : 26 August 1976 v West Indies
Last ODI : 24 August 1992 v Pakistan

Domestic team information

Years : Team
1974–1986 : Somerset
1987/88 : Queensland
1987–1991 : Worcestershire
1992–1993 : Durham

Career statistics

Competition : Tests : ODI : FC : LA
Matches : 102 : 116 : 402 : 470
Runs scored : 5,200 : 2,113 : 19,399 : 10,474
Batting average : 33.54 : 23.21 : 33.97 : 29.50
100s/50s : 14/22 : 0/9 : 38/97 : 7/46
Top score : 208 : 79 : 228 : 175*
Balls bowled : 21,815 : 6,271 : 63,547 : 22,899
Wickets : 383 : 145 : 1,172 : 612
Bowling average : 28.40 : 28.54 : 27.22 : 24.94
5 wickets in innings : 27 : 0 : 59 : 3
10 wickets in match : 4 : 0 : 8 : 0
Best bowling : 8/34 : 4/31 : 8/34 : 5/27
Catches/stumpings : 120/– : 36/– : 354/– : 196/–

Profile

On July 20 who challenged the notions of impossible. His exploits on that day made him an object of reverence that would last till he retired. On July 20 one of the greatest all-rounders in cricket, Sir Ian Botham.

Sir Ian’s first big moment came during his first year in first class cricket in 1974. Playing for Somerset, he was facing Andy Roberts, the hostile quick from the West Indies and he was hit in the mouth. With blood oozing out profusely, he spat out his broken teeth and continued to bat on undaunted. After a poor run in Grade Cricket in Australia, Sir Ian made his Test debut against Australia at Trent Bridge in 1977 and he made an impact when he picked up 5/74 to put England on top. Botham’s spell on the opening day ensured England secured their first victory over Australia at Trent Bridge since 1930.

Botham continued to have a fabulous time in Tests. In the three Test series against Pakistan in 1978, Botham notched up two centuries. It was in the Lords Test where he single-handedly stole the show. He scored a fine hundred and picked up 8/34 in the second innings, giving him the third best haul for an English bowler in Tests. Such was his level of consistency that he was elevated to the captaincy post in 1980. It was from that point on that Botham’s form dipped. He captained in 12 matches and did not win any. It must be noted that 10 out of those 12 matches were against the West Indies, the best team at that point in time. However, during that torrid time, after he relinquished his captaincy, Botham notched up another moment of brilliance when he became the first man to score a century and pick up 10 wickets in a Test.

He achieved this feat against India at the math By the time of the Ashes series in 1981, Botham’s form was woeful. In the second Test at Lords, Botham was out for a pair and newspaper headlines bellowed, “BOTHAM MUST GO.” In the third Test at Headingley, England stared at an innings defeat and bookmakers had placed odds of 500-1 on an England win. Botham had a good match till then, having scored 50 and picking up 6/95. Few would imagine that it was the beginning of one of the great passages of play in English cricket.

Botham, along with Graham Dilley, decided to have a bit of fun and proceeded to bat like a man possessed. He smashed 149 of the finest runs and shared vital partnerships with the tail as England set Australia a target of 130. Bob Willis put on an astonishing display of fast bowling to pick up 8/43 to give England a remarkable victory by 18 runs. It was only the second time in Test history that a team had won a match after following in. This result galvanized England both as a team and a nation, but Botham would continue the torment on Australia.

In the fourth Test at Birmingham, Botham snapped up 5/11 in 14 overs to give England another close victory by 29 runs. In the fifth Test at Manchester, Botham gave a brutal exhibition of his batting as he tonked 118, a knock which included six huge sixes. Although Australia put up a fight, England secured victory by 103 runs to help England win the Ashesin style. If Sir Don Bradman had spooked England during his time, then the exploits of the 1981, English cricket changed forever. That day saw the emergence of a man th, 1981, the world saw the emergence of Sir Ian Botham in that summer of 1981 spooked Australia.

Botham was at the zenith of his career but as time wore on, injuries took a toll on him and his form faded away. In 1986, he was banned for two months by the England board for smoking cannabis. However, he made a comeback against New Zealand and became the leading wicket-taker in Tests, going past Dennis Lillee’s mark of 355 wickets. By the end of his career, Botham’s mojo seemed to have faded and he retired from both Tests and ODI cricket in the summer of 1992 against Pakistan. 5200 runs at an average of 33.5, 383 wickets at a bowling average of 28. These numbers are remarkable and this resulted in him been knighted in 2007. He was also inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2009. He is now a commentator and is seen all England home series apart from the major tournaments across the globe.

Jai Ganesh · 2022-12-20 00:06:56

1195) Lionel Messi

Summary

Lionel Andrés Messi (born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Messi has won a record seven Ballon d'Or awards, a record six European Golden Shoes, and in 2020 was named to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team. Until leaving the club in 2021, he had spent his entire professional career with Barcelona, where he won a club-record 35 trophies, including 10 La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles and four UEFA Champions Leagues. With his country, he won the 2021 Copa América and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. A prolific goalscorer and creative playmaker, Messi holds the records for most goals in La Liga (474), most hat-tricks in La Liga (36) and the UEFA Champions League (8), and most assists in La Liga (192) and the Copa América (17). He has also the most international goals by a South American male (98). Messi has scored over 750 senior career goals for club and country, and has the most goals by a player for a single club (672).

Born and raised in central Argentina, Messi relocated to Spain at the age of 13 to join Barcelona, for whom he made his competitive debut aged 17 in October 2004. He established himself as an integral player for the club within the next three years, and in his first uninterrupted season in 2008–09 he helped Barcelona achieve the first treble in Spanish football; that year, aged 22, Messi won his first Ballon d'Or. Three successful seasons followed, with Messi winning four consecutive Ballons d'Or, making him the first player to win the award four times. During the 2011–12 season, he set the La Liga and European records for most goals scored in a single season, while establishing himself as Barcelona's all-time top scorer. The following two seasons, Messi finished second for the Ballon d'Or behind Cristiano Ronaldo (his perceived career rival), before regaining his best form during the 2014–15 campaign, becoming the all-time top scorer in La Liga and leading Barcelona to a historic second treble, after which he was awarded a fifth Ballon d'Or in 2015. Messi assumed captaincy of Barcelona in 2018, and in 2019 he won a record sixth Ballon d'Or. Out of contract, he signed for Paris Saint-Germain in August 2021.

An Argentine international, Messi holds the national record for appearances and is also the country's all-time leading goalscorer. At youth level, he won the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship, finishing the tournament with both the Golden Ball and Golden Shoe, and an Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. His style of play as a diminutive, left-footed dribbler drew comparisons with his compatriot Diego Maradona, who described Messi as his successor. After his senior debut in August 2005, Messi became the youngest Argentine to play and score in a FIFA World Cup in 2006, and reached the final of the 2007 Copa América, where he was named young player of the tournament. As the squad's captain from August 2011, he led Argentina to three consecutive finals: the 2014 FIFA World Cup, for which he won the Golden Ball, and the 2015 and 2016 Copa América, winning the Golden Ball in the 2015 edition. After announcing his international retirement in 2016, he reversed his decision and led his country to qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, a third-place finish at the 2019 Copa América, and won the 2021 Copa América, while winning the Golden Ball and Golden Boot award for the latter. This achievement would see him receive a record seventh Ballon d'Or in 2021. In 2022, he captained his country to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup, for which he won the Golden Ball for a record second time, and broke the record for most appearances in World Cup tournaments with 26 matches played.

Messi has endorsed sportswear company Adidas since 2006. According to France Football, he was the world's highest-paid footballer for five years out of six between 2009 and 2014, and was ranked the world's highest-paid athlete by Forbes in 2019 and 2022. Messi was among Time's 100 most influential people in the world in 2011 and 2012. In February 2020, he was awarded the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, thus becoming the first footballer and the first team sport athlete to win the award. Later that year, Messi became the second footballer and second team-sport athlete to surpass $1 billion in career earnings.

Details

Lionel Messi, in full Lionel Andrés Messi, also called Leo Messi, (born June 24, 1987, Rosario, Argentina), is an Argentine-born football (soccer) player who received a record-setting seven Ballon d’Or awards as the world’s top male player (2009–12, 2015, 2019, and 2021). In 2022 he helped Argentina win the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)’s World Cup.

Early life

Messi started playing football as a boy and in 1995 joined the youth team of Newell’s Old Boys (a Rosario-based top-division football club). Messi’s phenomenal skills garnered the attention of prestigious clubs on both sides of the Atlantic. At age 13 Messi and his family relocated to Barcelona, and he began playing for FC Barcelona’s under-14 team. He scored 21 goals in 14 games for the junior team, and he quickly graduated through the higher-level teams until at age 16 he was given his informal debut with FC Barcelona in a friendly match.

Club play

In the 2004–05 season Messi, then 17, became the youngest official player and goal scorer in the Spanish La Liga (the country’s highest division of football). Though only 5 feet 7 inches (1.7 metres) tall and weighing 148 pounds (67 kg), he was strong, well-balanced, and versatile on the field. Naturally left-footed, quick, and precise in control of the ball, Messi was a keen pass distributor and could readily thread his way through packed defenses. In 2005 he was granted Spanish citizenship, an honour greeted with mixed feelings by the fiercely Catalan supporters of Barcelona. The next year Messi and Barcelona won the Champions League (the European club championship) title.

Messi’s play continued to rapidly improve over the years, and by 2008 he was one of the most dominant players in the world, finishing second to Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo in the voting for the 2008 Ballon d’Or. In early 2009 Messi capped off a spectacular 2008–09 season by helping FC Barcelona capture the club’s first “treble” (winning three major European club titles in one season): the team won the La Liga championship, the Copa del Rey (Spain’s major domestic cup), and the Champions League title. He scored 38 goals in 51 matches during that season, and he bested Ronaldo in the balloting for both the Ballon d’Or and FIFA’s world player of the year by a record margin. During the 2009–10 season Messi scored 34 goals in domestic games as Barcelona repeated as La Liga champions. He earned the Golden Shoe award as Europe’s leading scorer, and he received another Ballon d’Or (the award was known as the FIFA Ballon d’Or in 2010–15).

Messi led Barcelona to La Liga and Champions League titles the following season, which helped him capture an unprecedented third consecutive world player of the year award. In March 2012 he netted his 233rd goal for Barcelona, becoming the club’s all-time leading scorer in La Liga play when only 24 years old. He finished Barcelona’s 2011–12 season (which included another Copa del Rey win) with 73 goals in all competitions, breaking Gerd Müller’s 39-year-old record for single-season goals in a major European football league. His landmark season led to his being named the 2012 world player of the year, which made Messi the first player to win the honour four times. His 46 La Liga goals in 2012–13 led the league, and Barcelona captured another domestic top-division championship that season. In 2014 he set the overall Barcelona goal record when he scored his 370th goal as a member of the team. That same year he also broke the career scoring records for play in both the Champions League (with 72 goals) and La Liga (with 253 goals).

Messi helped Barcelona capture another treble during the 2014–15 season, leading the team with 43 goals scored over the course of the campaign, which resulted in his fifth world player of the year honour. He scored 41 goals across all competitions for Barcelona in 2015–16, and the club won the La Liga title and the Copa del Rey during that season. Messi topped that with 53 goals for Barcelona in 2016–17, leading the team to another Copa del Rey title. In 2017–18 he scored 45 goals, and Barcelona won the La Liga–Copa del Rey double once again. Messi scored 51 goals across all domestic competitions in 2018–19 as Barcelona won another La Liga championship. In late 2019 he won his sixth career Ballon d’Or and was named FIFA’s best male player of the year. In the 2020–21 season, Barcelona claimed the Copa del Rey title, the seventh of Messi’s career. He became a free agent in 2021, and financial issues—some of which were the result of La Liga rules—largely prevented him from re-signing with Barcelona. He left the club having set a number of records; notably, he was the leading goal scorer in the league’s history (474). Later in 2021 he signed with Paris St.-Germain, and that year he received another Ballon d’Or.

International career

Despite his dual citizenship and professional success in Spain, Messi’s ties with his homeland remained strong, and he was a key member of various Argentine national teams from 2005. He played on Argentina’s victorious 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship squad, represented the country in the 2006 World Cup, and scored two goals in five matches as Argentina swept to the gold medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Messi helped Argentina reach the 2010 World Cup quarterfinals, where the team was eliminated by Germany for the second consecutive time in World Cup play. At the 2014 World Cup, Messi put on a dazzling display, scoring four goals and almost single-handedly propelling an offense-deficient Argentina team through the group stage and into the knockout rounds, where Argentina then advanced to the World Cup final for the first time in 24 years. Argentina lost that contest 1–0 to Germany, but Messi nevertheless won the Golden Ball award as the tournament’s best player. During the 2016 Copa América Centenario tournament, he netted his 55th international goal to break Gabriel Batistuta’s Argentine scoring record.

After Argentina was defeated in the Copa final—the team’s third consecutive finals loss in a major tournament—Messi said that he was quitting the national team, but his short-lived “retirement” lasted less than two months before he announced his return to the Argentine team. At the 2018 World Cup, he helped an overmatched Argentine side reach the knockout stage, where they were eliminated by eventual champion France in their first match. After a third-place finish at the 2019 Copa América, Messi led Argentina to victory in the tournament two years later, and he received the Golden Ball award. His success continued at the 2022 World Cup. There he guided Argentina to the finals, where he scored two goals—and made a penalty kick during the shootout—to help defeat France. Messi won the World Cup’s Golden Ball, becoming the first male player to receive that award twice.

Other activities and legal issues

Off the field, Messi was one of the biggest athletic stars in the world. In addition to earning a football salary that was frequently, with Ronaldo’s, one of the two largest athletes’ salaries in all professional sports, he was an extremely successful product pitchman, notably for the sportswear company Adidas. In 2013 Messi and his father (who handled his son’s finances) were charged with tax fraud and accused of using overseas shell companies to avoid paying €4.2 million in Spanish taxes on endorsement earnings. Despite subsequently paying €5 million to the Spanish state, the pair were nevertheless ordered to stand trial on the charges in 2016. In July of that year, Messi and his father were each given suspended 21-month prison sentences (first-time offenders in Spain are given suspended sentences if the duration is under two years) and were fined €2 million and €1.5 million, respectively.

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Jai Ganesh · 2022-12-22 00:07:24

1196) Matt Biondi

Summary

Except for Matthew Biondi, the only other swimmers to have won seven golds at the Olympic Games are Mark Spitz and Michael Phelps.

False star

Biondi made an inauspicious start as a swimmer. In his first race, having taken up the sport aged five, he made two false starts and then lost his swimsuit on the dive. Far from daunted, he went on to become one of the all-time greats, winning 11 career Olympic medals.

Longer fingernails

In the 100m butterfly at the Seoul Olympic Games, Biondi was the favourite. However, he had to settle for second when he was beaten by just 0.01 seconds, by Anthony Nesty of Surinam. This led Biondi to reflect, "One one-hundredth of a second - what if I had grown my fingernails longer?"

Seoul success

Biondi successfully channelled his disappointment. He entered five more events, winning gold in all of them and setting world records in four. He took part in all three US relay victories and his total of seven swimming medals at a single Games has been beaten only by Michael Phelps.

Bigger and better

What set Biondi apart from other swimmers was his competitive edge. The bigger the event, the better he swam, and his best was always reserved for Olympic finals. In the 50m freestyle in Seoul, he won by defeating teammate Tom Jager for the first time in two years.

Additional Information

(born 1965). U.S. swimmer Matt Biondi won a total of 11 medals in his three Olympic appearances. This tied the record set by swimmer Mark Spitz and shooter Carl Osburn for most medals won by a United States athlete in Olympic competition.

Biondi was born on Oct. 8, 1965, in Moraga, Calif. He began swimming recreationally at age 5 and started competing in high school. An All-American water polo player at the University of California at Berkeley, he also placed first or second in the 50-, 100-, and 200-yard freestyle events at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships from 1985 through 1987.

Biondi made his first Olympic appearance at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, Calif. The relay team of Biondi, Chris Cavanaugh, Mike Heath, and Rowdy Gaines won the gold medal in the 4 × 100-meter freestyle. At the 1986 world championships Biondi won a record seven medals, including three golds.

It was the 1988 Olympics that brought Biondi stardom. He earned individual gold medals in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle events and won three more golds as a member of the victorious 4 × 100-meter freestyle, 4 × 200-meter freestyle, and 4 × 100-meter medley relay teams. He also won a silver medal in the 100-meter butterfly and a bronze in the 200-meter freestyle. The 6- foot, 7- inch (2-meter) athlete left Seoul, South Korea, with four world records and more medals than any other American at the games. For his accomplishments he was named sportsman of the year by the United States Olympic Committee and male athlete of the year by United Press International.

At the 1991 world championships, Biondi won the 100-meter freestyle and placed second in the 50-meter freestyle. He also anchored two winning relay teams. He continued his Olympic success at the 1992 Games in Barcelona, Spain, earning a silver in the 50-meter freestyle and golds as a member of the 4 × 100-meter medley and freestyle relay teams. An environmental activist, he cofounded the Delphys Foundation for marine study.

Details

Matthew Nicholas Biondi (born October 8, 1965) is an American former competitive swimmer and water polo player. As a swimmer, he is an eleven-time Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder in five events. Biondi competed in the Summer Olympic Games in 1984, 1988 and 1992, winning a total of eleven medals (eight gold, two silver and one bronze). During his career, he set three individual world records in the 50-meter freestyle and four in the 100-meter freestyle.

At the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Biondi won five gold medals, setting world records in the 50-meter freestyle and three relay events.

Biondi is a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame and the United States Olympic Hall of Fame.

Early life and athletics

Biondi started his aquatics career as a swimmer and water polo player in his hometown of Moraga, California. As he moved into his teens, his incredible abilities as a sprint swimmer began to emerge. Though he did not start swimming year-round until he started at Campolindo High School, by his senior year in 1983 Biondi was the top schoolboy sprinter in America with a national high school record of 20.40 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle.

College and international career:

1983-84 freshman year

Biondi accepted a scholarship to attend the University of California, Berkeley, to swim and play water polo, and enrolled in 1983. In his first year, he played on Berkeley's NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) championship water polo team, and made the consolation finals at the 1984 NCAA Swimming Championships, finishing in ninth place in the 50-yard freestyle and 7th place in both the 100 and 200-yard freestyle events (until 1985 only the top six swimmers advanced to the championship finals) along with a fourth place finish as part of the 400-yard freestyle relay and a second place in the 800 free relay.

1984 Olympics

In the summer of 1984, Biondi surprised the swimming community by qualifying for a spot on the United States 4×100-meter freestyle relay at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics with his fourth-place finish in the 100-meter freestyle at the Olympic Trials held in Indianapolis. He also finished 18th in the preliminaries of the 200-meter freestyle, failing to advance to the finals. At the Los Angeles Olympics, Biondi swam the third leg of the relay, entering the water in second place, just barely behind the team from Australia. Thanks to his 49.67 second split time, the U.S. had taken a four-tenths of a second lead by the time that Biondi turned over the race to anchor swimmer Rowdy Gaines. The U.S. won the gold medal in Olympic and World Record time.

Post-Olympics NCAA swimming and water polo

In 1985, fresh off of his 1984 Olympics success, Biondi won the 100 and 200-yard freestyle events at the NCAA Championships, setting NCAA and American Records in each event, and contributed relay legs on Cal's victorious 400 and 800-yard freestyle relays, with the 400 free relay team also setting NCAA and American records. He finished second to Tom Jager of UCLA in the 50-yard freestyle and was part of Cal's second place 400-yard medley relay team. Thanks in large part to Biondi's efforts, the Cal team finished fourth overall in the team standings.

The next season, 1986, Biondi swept the sprint freestyles, repeating his 1985 victories in the 100 and 200, and adding a win in the 50 with new NCAA and American records in the event. Cal once again finished first in the 400 and 800 free relays with Biondi anchoring both, but once again fell short in the 400 medley relay finishing third. By virtue of his three individual victories, Biondi tied with Stanford's Pablo Morales for high-point scorer in the meet in which Cal finished runner-up to Stanford for the team title.

In his final collegiate season, 1987, Biondi repeated as winner in the 50, 100, and 200-yard freestyle events, breaking his own NCAA and American records in all three. Having broken the 50 free record in both his preliminary heat and again in the final, he became the first swimmer to break four individual NCAA and American records in the same meet. Once again Cal repeated as champions in the 400 and 800 freestyle relays, yet again they finished third in the 400 medley relay, and for the second straight year Biondi shared the high-point individual title with Morales. The Bears finished fifth in the team standings. For his career, Biondi won eight individual NCAA titles and swam on six winning relays. He broke individual NCAA and American records seven times, and was named the NCAA Swimmer of the Year in 1985, 1986, and 1987.

In his other sport, Biondi was named to an All-American College Water Polo team four times: a third-team selection in 1983, 1985, and 1987, and a second-team selection in 1984. Biondi's Cal Water Polo teams won NCAA Championships in 1983, 1984, and 1987, and Biondi was voted the team's most valuable player in 1985.

International swimming, 1985-88

Biondi set the first of his twelve individual swimming world records in 1985. He was the first man to swim the 100-meter freestyle faster than 49 seconds, and by 1988 he owned the ten fastest times swum in that event and held the world record for nearly nine years. He won a total 24 U.S. Championships in the 50, 100, and 200-meter freestyle events, as well as the 100 butterfly. In two World Championships (1986 and 1991), Biondi won 11 medals including six gold. During his career, he was a finalist for the James E. Sullivan Award, the UPI Sportsman of the Year, the U.S. Olympic Committee Sportsman of the Year, and selected twice as the Swimming World magazine Male Swimmer of the World, in 1986 and 1988.

1988 Olympics

Biondi was involved in one of the closest defeats of any competitor at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. In the 100-meter butterfly final race, he was caught between strokes as he approached the finishing wall. He chose to glide rather than take another stroke, and Biondi was edged out by Anthony Nesty of Suriname by just one one-hundredth (0.01) of a second.

Biondi still won five gold medals, one silver medal, and one bronze medal in the 1988 Olympics, breaking the world records in four of those victories: three in relay races, and one in the 50-meter freestyle, taking just 22.14 seconds for this swim. This was the third time that he had broken or equalled the existing 50-meter freestyle world record.

Biondi's time in the 100-meter freestyle final was the only swim of the competition below 49.00 seconds, and he set a new Olympic record of 48.63 seconds, the second fastest swim at this distance at that time.

1992 Olympics

At the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Biondi won two more gold medals in relays and a silver in the 50-meter freestyle. Following the 1992 Olympics, Biondi retired, which he attributed to multiple factors including lack of financial assistance.

World Championships

Biondi competed at the World Championships in 1986 and 1991, winning six gold medals.

In 1986, he won three gold medals, one silver and three bronzes to set a record of seven medals at one World Championship meet. (This record has since been matched by Michael Phelps, and passed by Caeleb Dressel with 8 medals.)

Life outside competitive swimming

Biondi graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Economy of Industrialized Societies (PEIS).

Biondi married Kirsten Metzger in her home state of Hawaii in 1995. They have three children: sons Nathaniel (Nate), born in 1998, a current senior for the Cal men’s swimming program, and Lucas, born in 2002; and their daughter Makena, born in 2007. They divorced in 2014. Kirsten still resides in Hawaii.

Kirsten Biondi persuaded her husband to continue his education, and he earned his master's degree in education in 2000 at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon.

In recent years, Biondi has worked as a school teacher and swimming coach in Hawaii. As of 2012, he teaches math and coaches at Sierra Canyon School in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Chatsworth.

Biondi has become active within the masters swimming community, launching an annual masters competition that bears his name. The Matt Biondi Masters Classic was held for the first time on March 23, 2014, in Simi Valley, California. The competition is a one-day, short course yards meet held in conjunction with Biondi's masters club, the Conejo Valley Multisport Masters.

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Jai Ganesh · 2022-12-24 00:03:51

1197) Caroline Wozniacki

Summary

Caroline Wozniacki (born 11 July 1990) is a Danish former professional tennis player. She was ranked world No. 1 in singles for a total of 71 weeks, including at the end of 2010 and 2011. She achieved the top ranking for the first time on 11 October 2010, becoming the 20th player in the Open Era and the first woman from a Scandinavian country to hold the top position. In 2018, she became the first Dane to win a Grand Slam singles title, after winning the 2018 Australian Open.

Known for her footwork and defensive abilities, Wozniacki won 30 WTA singles titles (including six in both 2010 and 2011, the most in a year by a WTA player from 2008–2011) and two doubles titles. A junior Grand Slam champion, she won the 2006 Wimbledon girls' singles title over Magdaléna Rybáriková, and was voted the WTA Newcomer of the Year in 2008. She won a Grand Slam singles title at the 2018 Australian Open, beating Simona Halep and becoming the first Dane to win a Grand Slam singles title. Previously, she had reached two Grand Slam finals at the US Open, falling to Kim Clijsters in 2009 and to her friend Serena Williams at the 2014 US Open. Wozniacki also won the season-ending WTA Finals in Singapore in 2017, beating Venus Williams, after finishing runner-up to Clijsters at the event in 2010. Her other major career highlights include winning three Premier Mandatory and three Premier 5 titles, reaching four Grand Slam semifinals (the 2011 Australian Open and the 2010, 2011 and 2016 US Opens, three Grand Slam quarterfinals (the 2012 Australian Open and the 2010 and 2017 French Opens), and the quarterfinals at the 2012 London Olympics.

Wozniacki retired on 24 January 2020, following a third-round loss in the 2020 Australian Open. She became an ESPN commentator in 2022.

Details

Caroline Wozniacki is a successful and popular tennis player from Denmark, who has established a terrific career for herself despite playing in the same era as the Williams sisters.

Wozniacki is a Grand Slam champion who has also been ranked World No. 1 on numerous occasions. Considering her age and fitness levels, she could still win many more accolades in the future.

Best finish at each of the four Grand Slams:

Australian Open: Champion (2018)

French Open: Quarterfinalist (2010, 2017)

Wimbledon: 4th Round (2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017)

US Open: Runner-up (2009, 2014)

Highest Ranking: No. 1

Style of play

Wozniacki is a defensive player who relies on her speed and consistency to outlast her opponents. She stays rooted to the baseline in most of her matches, and comes to the net only when forced to.

Wozniacki has a heavy topspin forehand which she rolls crosscourt on most occasions, but her backhand is flat and penetrating. She hits her backhand slice and her volleys with an unusual two-handed grip, and also slices plenty of forehands when put on the run.

Strengths and weaknesses

Stephens' foot speed and consistency are two of her biggest strengths. She can neutralize the power of almost any opponent, and plays percentage tennis at its most effective.

Wozniacki's backhand is a huge weapon when she takes it on the rise; her down-the-line backhand in particular can be devastating. Her return of serve is also a key aspect of her game, and she can break serve just as easily and frequently as her own serve is broken.

Wozniacki's serve is possibly her biggest weakness, as she rarely gets free points with it. She also struggles to finish points with her forehand, even when she gets a short ball, as she lacks the flat power that some of her peers possess.

Personal life

Wozniacki was born in Odense, Denmark, but she is of Polish origin. Her parents, Piotr and Anna, are immigrants from Poland who moved to Denmark when Piotr signed an agreement to play professional football for Boldklubben 1909.

Jai Ganesh · 2022-12-26 00:04:14

1198) Azim Premji

Summary

Azim Hashim Premji (born 24 July 1945) is an Indian businessman, investor, engineer, and philanthropist, who was the chairman of Wipro Limited. Premji remains a non-executive member of the board and founder chairman. He is informally known as the Czar of the Indian IT Industry. He was responsible for guiding Wipro through four decades of diversification and growth, to finally emerge as one of the global leaders in the software industry. In 2010, he was voted among the 20 most powerful men in the world by Asiaweek. He has twice been listed among the 100 most influential people by Time magazine, once in 2004 and more recently in 2011. For years, he has been regularly listed one among The 500 Most Influential Muslims. He also serves as the Chancellor of Azim Premji University, Bangalore. Permji is awarded Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civillian award, by the Government of India.

He is one of the richest people in India with an estimated net worth of US$32.8 billion according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index. In 2013, he agreed to give away at least half of his wealth by signing the Giving Pledge. Premji started with a $2.2 billion donation to the Azim Premji Foundation, focused on education in India. He topped the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List for 2020. In 2019, he dropped from the 2nd position in the Forbes India Rich list to 17th position after giving away a huge amount to charity.

Details

Azim Premji, in full Azim Hasham Premji, (born July 24, 1945, Bombay [now Mumbai], India), is an Indian business entrepreneur who served as chairman of Wipro Limited, guiding the company through four decades of diversification and growth to emerge as a world leader in the software industry. By the early 21st century, Premji had become one of the world’s wealthiest people.

In the year that Premji was born, his father founded Western Indian Vegetable Products Ltd., which produced vanaspati, a widely used hydrogenated shortening. Three years later, colonial India was partitioned into mainly Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan, but the Premjis, a Muslim family, chose to remain in India. In 1966, just before Premji was to complete his degree in engineering at Stanford University, his father died unexpectedly. Postponing his graduation, he returned to India to take the reins of the family business and immediately began to diversify, delving into consumer products such as soap, shoes, and lightbulbs, as well as hydraulic cylinders.

Premji renamed the company Wipro in 1977, and in 1979, when the Indian government asked IBM to leave the country, he began to steer the company toward the computer business. Wipro established a number of successful international partnerships in the 1980s to help it build computer hardware for sale in India. It was software development, however, that made the firm so lucrative. Premji built a reputation for hiring the best people and providing them with unparalleled training, and he took advantage of India’s large pool of well-educated software developers who were willing to work for much less money than their American counterparts. Wipro concentrated on developing custom software for export, primarily to the United States.

Thanks to substantial increases in technology stocks, Wipro’s value skyrocketed in the late 1990s, and Premji became one of the richest entrepreneurs in the world—a position he retained well into the 21st century. The success of both the company and its chairman was more than merely the result of outside forces’ inflating the value of the company, however. Premji had boldly broken with tradition by transforming Wipro into an information technology powerhouse with a solid footing in foreign markets at a time when most fortunes in India were based on ownership of land and factories used to produce domestically consumed goods. In 1999 Premji officially completed his degree from Stanford through a distance-learning arrangement.

Despite his vast personal wealth, Premji continued to be recognized for his modesty, lack of extravagance, and charity. In 2001 he established the nonprofit Azim Premji Foundation, through which he aimed to improve the quality of elementary education in rural regions throughout India. By the end of the first decade of the 21st century, the foundation had extended computer-aided education to more than 16,000 schools, with child-friendly content increasingly available in local languages. Premji’s reputation remained that of a highly ethical entrepreneur whose operation served as a model for other Indian firms.

Jai Ganesh · 2022-12-28 00:22:57

1199) Jane Goodall

Summary

Dame Jane Morris Goodall DBE (born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall on 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English primatologist and anthropologist. Seen as the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best known for her 60-year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees since she first went to Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania in 1960, where she witnessed human-like behaviours amongst chimpanzees, including armed conflict.

She is the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and the Roots & Shoots programme, and she has worked extensively on conservation and animal welfare issues. As of 2022, she is on the board of the Nonhuman Rights Project. In April 2002, she was named a UN Messenger of Peace. Goodall is an honorary member of the World Future Council.

Details

Jane Goodall, in full Dame Jane Goodall, original name Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall, (born April 3, 1934, London, England), is a British ethologist, known for her exceptionally detailed and long-term research on the chimpanzees of Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania.

Goodall, who was interested in animal behaviour from an early age, left school at age 18. She worked as a secretary and as a film production assistant until she gained passage to Africa. Once there, Goodall began assisting paleontologist and anthropologist Louis Leakey. Her association with Leakey led eventually to her establishment in June 1960 of a camp in the Gombe Stream Game Reserve (now a national park) so that she could observe the behaviour of chimpanzees in the region. In 1964 she married a Dutch photographer who had been sent in 1962 to Tanzania to film her work (later they divorced). The University of Cambridge in 1965 awarded Goodall a Ph.D. in ethology; she was one of very few candidates to receive a Ph.D. without having first possessed an A.B. degree. Except for short periods of absence, Goodall and her family remained in Gombe until 1975, often directing the fieldwork of other doctoral candidates. In 1977 she cofounded the Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research, Education and Conservation (commonly called the Jane Goodall Institute) in California; the centre later moved its headquarters to the Washington, D.C., area. She also created various other initiatives, including Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots (1991), a youth service program.

Over the years Goodall was able to correct a number of misunderstandings about chimpanzees. She found, for example, that the animals are omnivorous, not vegetarian; that they are capable of making and using tools; and, in short, that they have a set of hitherto unrecognized complex and highly developed social behaviours. Goodall wrote a number of books and articles about various aspects of her work, notably In the Shadow of Man (1971). She summarized her years of observation in The Chimpanzees of Gombe: Patterns of Behavior (1986). Goodall continued to write and lecture about environmental and conservation issues into the early 21st century. In 2002 she became a UN Messenger of Peace.

The recipient of numerous honours, Goodall was created Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2003. She also was awarded the 2021 Templeton Prize. Jane, a documentary about her life and work, appeared in 2017.

Additional Information

Dr. Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall, best known simply as Jane Goodall, was born in Bournemouth, England, on April 3, 1934, to Margaret (Vanne) Myfanwe Joseph and Mortimer (Mort) Herbert Morris-Goodall. As a child, she had a natural love for the outdoors and animals. She had a much-loved dog, Rusty, a pony, and a tortoise, to name a few of their family pets. When Jane was about eight she read the Tarzan and Dr. Dolittle series and, in love with Africa, dreamed of traveling to work with the animals featured in her favorite books.

Jane was unable to afford college after graduation and instead elected to attend secretarial school in South Kensington, where she perfected her typing, shorthand, and bookkeeping skills. She retained her dream of going to Africa to live among and learn from wild animals, and so she took on a few jobs including waitressing and working for a documentary film company, saving every penny she earned for her goal. At age 23, she left for Africa to visit a friend, whose family lived on a farm outside Nairobi, Kenya.

In March 1957 Jane boarded a ship called the Kenya Castle to visit her friend and her family. There, Jane met famed paleoanthropologist Dr. Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey, who offered her a job at the local natural history museum. She worked there for a time before Leakey decided to send her to the Gombe Stream Game Reserve (what is today Gombe Stream National Park) in Tanzania to study wild chimpanzees. He felt her passion for and knowledge of animals and nature, high energy, and fortitude made her a great candidate to study the chimpanzees. Leakey felt that Jane’s lack of formal academic training was advantageous because she would not be biased by traditional thought and could study chimpanzees with an open mind. His hope was that by studying our closest living relatives (chimpanzees who share a common ancestor with humans) he could discover more about what early humans were like−things he could not learn from fossils alone. They just needed to secure funding for the project.

In December 1958, Jane returned home to England and Leakey began to make arrangements for the expedition, securing the appropriate permissions from the government and raising funds. To prepare for her upcoming expedition Jane moved to London to work in the film library of Granada Television’s film library at the London Zoo where she spent her spare time studying the behavior of primates. In May 1960, Jane learned that Leakey had obtained funding from the Wilkie Brothers Foundation. Permits in hand, she boarded a plane to Nairobi.

Gombe Stream National Park

On July 14, 1960, Jane arrived by boat at the Gombe Stream Game Reserve on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika with her mother−local officials would not allow Jane to stay at Gombe without an escort−and a cook, Dominic.

The early weeks at Gombe were challenging. Jane developed a fever−likely malaria−that delayed the start of her work. Once recovered, the rugged terrain and thick vegetation made traversing the reserve a challenge and often she hiked miles without seeing a chimpanzee.

Finally, an older chimpanzee−whom Jane named David Greybeard, although the practice of naming one’s study subjects was taboo in ethology−began to allow Jane to watch him. As a high ranking male of the chimpanzee community, his acceptance meant other group members also allowed Jane to observe. It was David Greybeard whom Jane first witnessed using tools. She spotted the chimpanzee sticking blades of stiff grass into termite holes to extract termites. Excited, she telegraphed Dr. Leakey about her groundbreaking observation. He wrote back, “Now we must redefine ‘tool,’ redefine ‘man,’ or accept chimpanzees as humans.”

During the years she studied at Gombe Stream National Park, she made three observations that challenged conventional scientific ideas: (1) chimps are omnivores, not herbivores and even hunt for meat; (2) chimps use tools; and (3) chimps make their tools (a trait previously used to define humans). Beyond the significance of her discoveries, it was Jane’s high standard for methods and ethics in behavioral studies may have had the greatest impact in the scientific community.

Jane continued to work in the field and, with Leakey’s help, began her doctoral program without an undergraduate degree in 1962. At Cambridge University, she found herself at odds with senior scientists over the methods she used−how she had named the chimpanzees rather than using the more common numbering system, and for suggesting that the chimps have emotions and personalities. She further upset those in power at the university when she wrote her first book, ‘My Friends, the Wild Chimpanzees,’ published by National Geographic, aimed at the general public rather than an academic audience. The book was wildly popular, and her academic peers were outraged. Dr. Jane Goodall earned her Ph.D. on February 9, 1966, and continued to work at Gombe for the next twenty years.

Conservation

Jane shifted from scientist to conservationist and activist after attending a primatology conference in 1986, where she noticed all the presenters mentioned deforestation at their study sites worldwide. Jane herself had noticed some signs of deforestation along Lake Tanganyika at Gombe Stream National Park, but nothing significant. Then, in the early 1990s, she flew in a small plane over the park and was shocked to see large-scale deforestation on the other side of the park where local villages were rapidly expanding. Miles of bare hills stretched where once untouched forests had stood. Jane knew that she had to take action to protect the forest and preserve the critical habitat of the chimpanzees.

Her first mission was to improve the conditions for chimpanzees held at medical research facilities. Jane helped set up several refuges for chimps freed from these facilities or those orphaned by the bushmeat trade. She established the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) in 1977, a global community-centered conservation organization, and JGI’s program Roots & Shoots in 1991, which encourages young people around the world to be agents of change by participating in projects that protect the environment, wildlife, or their communities. She met with anyone she felt could be key to protecting places like Gombe Stream National Park and species such as her beloved chimpanzees and has been an advocate for protecting animals, spreading peace, and living in harmony with the environment.

Jane is still hard at work today raising awareness and money to protect the chimpanzees, their habitats, and the planet we all share. She travels about 300 days a year giving speeches, talking to government officials and business people around the world encouraging them to support wildlife conservation and protect critical habitats.

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Jai Ganesh · 2022-12-30 00:03:20

1200) Mats Wilander

Summary

Mats Arne Olof Wilander (born 22 August 1964) is a Swedish former world No. 1 tennis player. From 1982 to 1988, he won seven major singles titles (three at the French Open, three at the Australian Open, and one at the US Open), and one major men's doubles title (at Wimbledon). His breakthrough came suddenly and unexpectedly when he won the 1982 French Open at the age of 17.

In 1988, Wilander won three of the four singles majors and finished the year ranked as the world No. 1. Although he never won the singles title at Wimbledon, Wilander twice won the Australian Open when it was played on grass courts. This makes Wilander one of only six men (along with Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic) to have won major singles titles on grass courts, hard courts, and clay courts since it was first achievable in 1978 (when US Open was first played on hard courts). Wilander, Nadal, and Djokovic are the only men to have won at least two major singles titles on each of the three surfaces.

Wilander won his fourth major singles title at the age of 20, the youngest man in history to have achieved the feat. He also won eight Grand Prix Super Series titles (1983–88), the precursors to the current ATP Tour Masters 1000. He won 33 singles titles and seven doubles titles during his career. He was also a driving force behind Sweden's run of seven consecutive Davis Cup finals in the 1980s.

In 2002, Wilander was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Details

For Mats Wilander, the comparisons to Björn Borg were inevitable. Both were Swedes. Both were punishing baseliners who hit heavy topspin, though Wilander used a one-handed slice backhand as much, if not more, than he rolled his two-handed backhand like Borg. Both were stoic under pressure and never let their emotions show on court. Both were prepared to smash back as many balls as it took to win, their inner resolve eerily similar.

Both were multiple major singles champions, both shined at the French Open – Borg winning six championships; Wilander copping three. Both didn’t delve into doubles much, Borg winning only four career titles; Wilander just seven. Both heralded an era of resurgence for Swedish tennis, winning four combined Davis Cup championships: Borg in 1975 and Wilander in 1984, 1985, and 1987.

Then the similarities and comparisons had a historically significant diversion. Borg never won the US Open or three major titles in one year. In 1988, Wilander became the first Swede in history to win at Flushing Meadows, following championships at the Australian and French Opens.

Wilander didn’t have a tennis racquet placed into his tiny hands as a youth like so many tennis stars did. In Sweden, kids played ice hockey and soccer, and Wilander was no different. Wilander’s father Einar started playing tennis himself in the 1940s. The day after watching the Davis Cup on television he turned the parking lot at the local factory into a tennis court, which was his son’s introduction to the game. Wilander found junior tennis tournaments enjoyable and when he turned 13, the family moved from Vaxjo, separating him from his ice hockey and soccer teams. “I was pretty shy and couldn’t imagine joining another team at that point in my life,” Wilander told Sun Valley Magazine. “So, I just focused more on the tennis.”

That focus was intense as Wilander won the junior French Open title, the European under-16 and under-18 tournaments and the prestigious Orange Bowl under-16 tournament in Miami. He made the professional leap as a 16-year-old in 1980, playing in the Swedish Open. Two years later, Wilander was playing in the 1982 French Open finals and en route to winning seven major singles championships in a compact six year span, five of which came by age 20, making him the youngest male player in history to achieve that feat. Wilander advanced to 11 major singles finals, winning seven. Three of these wins came against his rival Ivan Lendl; the pair squared off in five of the 11 trips the Swede made to championship matches. Lendl earned victories at the 1987 French and US Opens respectively.

In 1982, no one at Roland Garros saw Wilander as a threat to win the championship. Though he was the 18th ranked player in the world, he was not worthy of a seeding. The championship trophy was supposed to be hoisted by either No. 1 seed Jimmy Connors or No. 2 seed Lendl, but in the fourth round Wilander upset Lendl in five grueling sets, 4-6, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. He then toppled No. 5 Vitas Gerulaitis in the quarterfinals, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, and reached the final with a 7-5, 6-2, 1-6, 7-5 victory over No. 4 Argentine Jose Luis Clerc. Another Argentine, No. 3 Guillermo Vilas, awaited Wilander in the final. In a 4 hour and 42 minute marathon match of wits – one point alone lasting 90 shots – Wilander out-stroked the clay court specialist Vilas, 1-6, 7-6, 6-0, 6-4. At the time, the victory made the 17 year and 9 month old Wilander the youngest male French Open and major singles champion in history, a mark since surpassed by Boris Becker and Michael Chang. Remarked Vilas aide Ion Țiriac afterwards,”Wilander’s mind is a weapon.”

With a title in his first major final, Wilander earned that accomplishment faster than anyone in history, only equaled by Gustavo Kuerten at the 1997 French Open. Wilander’s run on the clay in Paris included championships as the No. 4 seed in 1985 over defending champion Ivan Lendl (3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2) and in 1988 as the No. 3 seed in a 7-5, 6-2, 6-1 victory over Frenchman Henri Leconte.

From 1983 to 1985, Wilander made three consecutive trips to the Australian Open finals, one of only three players to achieve that feat, Lendl and Novak Djokovic the others. When he defeated Lendl routinely in the finals, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4, he became the second youngest Australian Open champion in history behind Ken Rosewall. That championship included a nifty 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory over No. 2 seed John McEnroe in the semifinals. The 1984 title was earned over South African Kevin Curren, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 6-2, but in 1985 his streak was halted by compatriot Stefan Edberg, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. In 1988 Pat Cash gave Wilander his most difficult test in a Melbourne final, pushing the Swede to five sets in the Aussie heat, but ultimately falling 6-3, 6-7, 3-6, 6-1, 8-6, giving Wilander his third title in Melbourne.

In 1988 Wilander enjoyed his finest year on tour. He won the Australian and French Opens and added the US Open title in his second straight trip to the final. Back to seek revenge against Lendl, Wilander slugged it out with the Czech who beat him the year before, in a five-setter that saw the Swede win his third major of the season, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. With the win, he closed out the year as the No. 1 ranked player in the world after three previous years finishing as the world No. 3. With victories on three different surfaces (the Australian was played on grass), Wilander equaled Jimmy Connors as the only players in history with that distinction. Wimbledon’s grass was Wilander’s Achilles heel, though, as he never advanced past the quarterfinals (1987, 1988, 1989). Wilander’s run toward a calendar-year Grand Slam in 1988 was thwarted by Miloslav Mecir at Wimbledon, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3.

Wilander won an eighth major title at Wimbledon, capturing the 1986 Gentlemen Doubles championship alongside compatriot Joakim Nystrom over Swede Gary Donnelly and American Peter Fleming, 7-6, 6-3, 6-3.

In his 15-year career, Wilander won 33 singles titles in 220 tournaments and compiled a 571-222 record, among the 30th best records in history. He was a member of Sweden’s Davis Cup team from 1981-90, reaching seven straight finals and winning three Cups (1984-85, 1987), the most impressive coming in 1984 when he defeated Jimmy Connors 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 and leading Sweden to a 4-1 upset championship over the United States. He had a 36-16 singles and 7-2 doubles record in Davis Cup competition.

Jai Ganesh · 2023-01-01 00:12:18

1201) Andre Agassi

Summary

Andre Kirk Agassi (born April 29, 1970) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. He is an eight-time major champion and an Olympic gold medalist, as well as a runner-up in seven other majors.

Agassi is the second of five men to achieve the career Grand Slam in the Open Era and the fifth of eight overall to make the achievement. He is also the first of two men to achieve the career Golden Slam (career Grand Slam and Olympic gold medal), as well as the only man to win a career Super Slam (career Grand Slam, plus the Olympic gold medal and the year-end championships).

Agassi was the first man to win all four singles majors on three different surfaces (hard, clay and grass), and remains the most recent American man to win the French Open (in 1999) and the Australian Open (in 2003). He also won 17 Masters titles and was part of the winning Davis Cup teams in 1990, 1992 and 1995. Agassi reached the world No. 1 ranking for the first time in 1995, but was troubled by personal issues during the mid-to-late 1990s and sank to No. 141 in 1997, prompting many to believe that his career was over. Agassi returned to No. 1 in 1999 and enjoyed the most successful run of his career over the next four years. During his 20-plus year tour career, Agassi was known by the nickname "The Punisher".

After suffering from sciatica caused by two bulging discs in his back, a spondylolisthesis (vertebral displacement) and a bone spur that interfered with the nerve, Agassi retired from professional tennis on September 3, 2006, after losing in the third round of the US Open. He is the founder of the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation, which has raised over $60 million for at-risk children in Southern Nevada. In 2001, the Foundation opened the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy in Las Vegas, a K–12 public charter school for at-risk children. He has been married to fellow tennis player Steffi Graf since 2001.

Details

Andre Agassi, in full Andre Kirk Agassi, (born April 29, 1970, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.), is an American professional tennis player who won eight Grand Slam titles as well as the “career Grand Slam” for winning each of the four major tennis tournaments—Wimbledon, the Australian Open, the French Open, and the U.S. Open—at least once.

By age 2 he could serve a tennis ball on a full court. At 13 he was sent to a tennis academy in Bradenton, Florida, run by Nick Bolletieri, who later became his coach. In 1987 Agassi won his first professional tournament. With six tournament wins in 1988, the shaggy-haired right-hander with the powerful forehand began attracting attention. Agassi’s charisma, flashy on-court wardrobe, and good looks made him a media sensation, and the tagline of one of the products he endorsed—“Image is everything”—came to stand as shorthand for the perception of Agassi among some tennis fans. He further annoyed tennis traditionalists by refusing to play at Wimbledon because of the event’s dress code and the grass surfaces of its courts.

Agassi managed to reach three Grand Slam finals between 1990 and 1991 but lost each time (including a defeat at the hands of his rival Pete Sampras at the 1990 U.S. Open), leaving some to question whether he had the tenacity to win a big match. In 1992 he quieted his doubters when he triumphed over Goran Ivanisevic of Croatia at Wimbledon (he had ended his boycott of the tournament the previous year) to take his first Grand Slam title. In 1994, after being dropped by Bolletieri—who questioned Agassi’s dedication to the sport—and falling out of the top 30 in the rankings, he returned with a new coach, Brad Gilbert, and a new, more focused game. He entered the 1994 U.S. Open unseeded; when he won there, it was the first time that an unseeded player had taken the tournament since 1966. Agassi, sporting a shaved head, claimed his third Grand Slam title in 1995 by beating Sampras in the Australian Open final in Agassi’s first participation in that event.

A gold medal in the men’s singles event at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, marked Agassi’s only notable victory in 1996. In 1997 Agassi made headlines with his marriage to actress Brooke Shields, though his tennis continued to suffer because of a recurring wrist injury, and he saw his ranking plummet to 141. The disappointing losses continued through 1998 and early 1999, but they—along with a widely publicized split with Shields in April 1999—failed to shake Agassi’s focus on a comeback as he slowly worked his way back into a top 10 world ranking.

In 1999 Agassi won the French Open to become the fifth men’s player in history to win all four Grand Slam events, and the first to do it on three different surfaces. A title at the U.S. Open in September confirmed that he was back in top form, and he returned to the number one ranking at the end of 1999. Agassi won a second Australian Open in 2000 and a third in 2001. Later that year, he married fellow tennis star Steffi Graf. After recurring wrist problems limited his 2002 season, he captured his fourth Australian Open championship in 2003. He made a surprise run for the 2005 U.S. Open final (a four-set loss to Roger Federer) and retained a top 10 ranking through early 2006, but mounting injuries and advancing age led to his retirement after the 2006 U.S. Open. However, he remained involved in the sport, and from 2017 to 2018 he coached Novak Djokovic of Serbia. In 2011 Agassi was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Agassi also was notable for the charitable ventures he undertook, including the founding of the Andre Agassi Foundation (1994) to aid at-risk children. In 2001 he opened the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, a tuition-free charter school based in Las Vegas that is open to disadvantaged children. His autobiography, Open, was published in 2009.

Additional Information

In the late 1980s, when tennis was looking for a revival and needed a shot of adrenaline to revive its energy and excitement, along came Andre Agassi. He was more than accommodating.

Agassi brought flash and pizzazz to courts throughout the world, a star appeal the sport hadn’t witnessed since Ellsworth Vines debuted his charm, Hollywood good-looks, and supreme play in the early 1930s. True to his Las Vegas roots, Agassi was a showman and entertainer, a devastating baseline player who bashed every ball as though his life depended on it. Long before he had ever won his first tournament, Nike signed the teenager to a multi-million dollar endorsement contract and created a line of shoes and apparel that matched his playing style: loud, bold, aggressive, and confident. In 1990, when his career was q qqjust on the brink of exploding into a frenzy, Nike introduced Agassi’s Challenge Court selection, a series of acid wash denim shorts with neon yellow, pink, and purple Lycra tights underneath extending mid-thigh. The accompanying top was loosely fitted with a pull zipper instead of the traditional three button polo and featured colorful geometric shapes. Much to the adulation of the female fan base, every time Agassi pounded a forehand, reached for a serve and lunged for a volley, his shirt would raise halfway up his body, exposing his finely-toned midriff.

Agassi’s shoes were color-coordinated to match his outfit, or vice versa; flamboyant in style and simple cool for the millions who “had” to have them.

The finishing touch was a wide headband that adorned his blonde mullet, the hottest hairdo topic since the Beatles landed in the United States from Liverpool with their bowl cuts in 1964.

When the 16-year-old Agassi burst on the tennis scene straight from Nick Bollettieri’s Tennis Academy in 1986, TENNIS Magazine featured just the back of his head on the cover – the first time the magazine didn’t promote instruction to its readers. The headline – Andre Agassi: Turning Heads.

In winning eight major singles championships (tied for eighth best in history), an Olympic Gold Medal, and 60 ATP titles, Agassi did more than just turn heads, he had the entire world on a swivel following his every move. He would enjoy a 21-year professional career, one with extreme highs and lows. Agassi compiled a 870-274 career record (6th best in history upon his retirement), but more importantly won a Career Grand Slam by capturing the singles championship at all four majors, a feat only four other male tennis players in history accomplished. Had it not been for his chief rival Pete Sampras, Agassi would have added to his major title collection. He faced Sampras in five major finals and won only once. None-the-less, Agassi won the Australian four times (1995, 2000, 2001, 2003), the French once (1999), Wimbledon once (1992) and the US Open twice (1994, 1999). He was a major finalist 15 times, and earned $31,152,975 in prize money, sixth highest in history.

By his own admission in his critically acclaimed autobiography Open, Agassi was force-fed tennis as a toddler from his father Mike, an Iranian immigrant and former Olympic boxer. Agassi was taught to hit the ball as hard as he could on every shot. He obliged, becoming a devastating baseline player who won match after match without playing much at net. He was a USTA junior national champion and at age 13 began a stormy relationship with the sun-tanned Bollettieri who parted ways with his star pupil in 1993, suggesting he wasn’t working hard enough.

Agassi was originally scheduled to train in Florida for three months, but Bollettieri boasted that “Agassi had more natural talent than anyone else he had seen” and kept the long-haired Vegas kid at the Academy for several years at no cost. At age 16, Agassi turned professional.

Agassi was taught to hit the ball on the rise and as early as possible. His hand-eye coordination was exceptional and his racquet head speed produced blistering shots off both his forehand and backhand. He hit balls deep, either flat or with moderate topspin, and was a powerful counterpuncher. His return of serve has been regarded as the best in tennis history – the ball driven back harder than it arrived – and Agassi was masterful at producing winners at acute cross court angles or down the line. As he embraced training and fitness, Agassi grew stronger and resilient to his punishing style. He was a dogged ball retriever, fast laterally and would wear his opponent down with a constant barrage of penetrating shots.

It would appear that with a power game built to compete against the world’s best players Agassi would enjoy immediate success on the professional circuit, and in tournaments outside the majors, he did. He won his first tournament in 1987 at the Sul American Open in Itaparica, Brazil over Luiz Mattar, 7-6, 6-2, and at the conclusion of his first year touring was ranked No. 25 in the world. By the close of 1988, he had earned $1 million in prize money after just 43 tournaments, the fastest in history.

Manufacturers were eager to use Agassi as a pitchman, most notably camera company Canon, who created the moniker “Image is Everything” for Agassi. While the television commercial boosted Agassi’s notoriety and fandom, it also magnified that his generation of young and talented players such Michael Chang, Jim Courier, Stefan Edberg, Mats Wilander, and Sampras had all won major singles championships before him. Some wondered whether there was any playing substance behind the flash. It took Agassi five years to advance to his first major singles final – the 1990 French Open – but he fell to Andrés Gómez in four sets, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. He and Sampras staged an All-American final at the 1990 US Open – the first since John McEnroe and Vitas Gerulaitis in 1979, but Sampras won easily 6-4, 6-3, 6-2. Agassi returned to the French final in 1991 but his bid for a major title was derailed by his former Bollettieri Academy roommate Courier, 3-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.

It wasn’t until his seventh attempt at Wimbledon in 1992 that Agassi broke through. He had chosen not to compete in London from 1988 through 1990, denouncing the pomp, circumstance and tradition at the All England Club which among other things, required players to wear predominantly white outfits, a dress code that Agassi didn’t favor. He was seeded No. 12 and had two huge back-to-back wins over Boris Becker in the quarterfinals and McEnroe in the semifinals. He faced big-serving Croatian Goran Ivanisevic in the finals and outlasted the powerful lefty, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4. After winning the match he dropped to his knees in tearful joy. His road to a Career Grand Slam had one notch in its belt.

The second notch was earned in his ninth attempt at the 1994 US Open, when he became the first man to capture the event as an unseeded player, defeating German Michael Stich in the final, 6-1, 7-6, 7-5. Along the way, Agassi defeated five seeded players. He won his third major the following January at the Australian Open – the first of his four titles in Melbourne – registering his lone major triumph over Sampras, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6, 6-4. Agassi and Sampras were as disparate as classical music and hard rock. They met 34 times, Sampras holding a 20-14 lead, and prevailing at the majors, winning the 1990 US Open (6-4, 6-3, 6-2), the 1995 US Open (6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5), Wimbledon in 1999 (6-3, 6-4, 7-5) and at the US Open in 2002 (6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4). Even in victory, Sampras had deep respect for Agassi, saying “when Andre’s on, forget it. He does practically everything better than anybody else.”

The victory at the Australian, a semifinalist appearance at Wimbledon, and a trip to the US Open finals earned Agassi the world No. 2 ranking at the close of 1995. In his career, he held the world No. 1 ranking for 101 weeks, first ascending to the top in 1992. From 1988 to 2005, he was ranked in the World Top 10 on 16 occasions. He earned a coveted Gold Medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, thrashing Spaniard Sergi Brugera, 6-2, 6-3, 6-1.

Fame and celebrity placed Agassi in the spotlight, and led to his personal life becoming tabloid fodder. He wed Steffi Graf in 2001, forming a marriage with 31 major titles and two Gold Medals..

From 1997 to 1999, Agassi hit a difficult patch in his professional and personal life, but overcame those obstacles to win two major titles in 1999. The first at the French in a colossal comeback victory over Andriy Medvedev (1-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4) and the US Open in a grueling five-setter against fellow American Todd Martin (6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 6-3, 6-2). The Australian Open proved to be his most successful major, as Agassi won the 2000, 2001, and 2003 event, knocking off Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov (3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4), Frenchman Amaud Clement (6-4, 6-2, 6-2), and German Rainer Schuttler (6-2, 6-2, 6-1) respectively. He was 33 years old when he won his fourth Australian, arguably playing better than ever with a game that didn’t rely on punishing groundstrokes on every shot. He had made modifications to his game, adding a balanced and selective shot approach that he didn’t possess in his younger days. Agassi won 26 straight matches at the Australian (second best in history), 27 consecutive sets (fourth best), four titles (third best), and compiled an all-time best 48-5 record (90.57 percent).

His play at the Australian combined with a 79-19 record at the US Open, earned him a 127 career hard court major victories, second best in history, and a 127-24 record, seventh best all-time.

Injuries, especially recurring back pain, began to hobble Agassi in 2006, his last season on tour. Agassi made one final dramatic run at the US Open that year, winning his first round in four sets over Romanian Andrei Pavel and second round in an upset over No. 8 seed Marcos Baghdatis from Cyprus. His magic ran out in the third round against Germany’s Benjamin Becker in four sets. As he fought back constant tears and blew kisses to the adoring crowd, Agassi received a four-minute standing ovation in his last professional event.

During his career, and particularly since retirement, Agassi has focused on philanthropic ventures primarily in the areas of children and education. In 2001, he opened the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, a tuition free public charter school for kindergarten through Grade 12 and the Agassi Boys and Girls Club in Las Vegas’s most at-risk neighborhood.

Jai Ganesh · 2023-01-01 21:32:49

1202) Clive Lloyd

Summary

Sir Clive Hubert Lloyd (born 31 August 1944) is a Guyanese-British former cricketer who played for the West Indies cricket team. As a boy he went to Chatham High School in Georgetown. At the age of 14 he was captain of his school cricket team in the Chin Cup inter-school competition. One of his childhood memories is of sitting in a tree outside the ground overlooking the sightscreen watching Garry Sobers score two centuries for West Indies v Pakistan.

In 1971 he was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year. He captained the West Indies between 1974 and 1985 and oversaw their rise to become the dominant Test-playing nation, a position that was only relinquished in the latter half of the 1990s. He is one of the most successful Test captains of all time: during his captaincy the side had a run of 27 matches without defeat, which included 11 wins in succession (Viv Richards acted as captain for one of the 27 matches, against Australia at Port of Spain in 1983–84). He was the first West Indian player to earn 100 international caps. Lloyd captained the West Indies in three World Cups, winning in 1975 (with Lloyd scoring a century) and 1979 while losing the 1983 final to India.

Lloyd was a tall, powerful middle-order batsman and occasional medium-pace bowler. In his youth he was also a strong cover point fielder. He wore his famous glasses as a result of being poked in the eye with a ruler. His Test match debut came in 1966. Lloyd scored 7,515 runs at Test level, at an average of 46.67. He hit 70 sixes in his Test career, which is the 14th highest number of any player. He played for his home nation of Guyana in West Indies domestic cricket, and for Lancashire (he was made captain in 1981) in England. He is a cousin of spin bowler Lance Gibbs. Since retiring as a player, Lloyd has remained heavily involved in cricket, managing the West Indies in the late 1990s, and coaching and commentating. He was an ICC match referee from 2001 to 2006.

In 2009, Lloyd was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. He was knighted in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to cricket.

Career

Lloyd made his Test debut on 13 December, 1966 against India. He scored 82 in the first innings and 78 not out in the second.

In 1971–72, Lloyd suffered a back injury while playing for a Rest of the World team at the Adelaide Oval. He was fielding in the covers when Ashley Mallett hit a lofted drive towards his area. He made an effort to take the catch but it bounced out of his hands when he hit the ground awkwardly. When he went to get up, he felt a stabbing pain in his back and he was unable to move. He spent the next few weeks in an Adelaide hospital flat on his back.

In the 1975 Cricket World Cup Final against Australia, the West Indies were deep in trouble at 3/50 when Lloyd strode to the crease. He duly made 102 from 85 balls, the only limited overs international century of his career. With Rohan Kanhai he added 149 for the West Indies to win by 17 runs. Play ended at 8:40pm and was the longest day's play ever at Lord's.

On 22 January 1985, Lloyd was made an honorary Officer of the Order of Australia for his services to the sport of cricket, particularly in relation to his outstanding and positive influence on the game in Australia.

In 2005, Lloyd offered his patronage to Major League Cricket for their inaugural Interstate Cricket Cup in the United States, to be named the Sir Clive Lloyd Cup. His son, Jason Clive Lloyd, is a goalkeeper for the Guyana national football team. In 2007, Lloyd's authorised biography, Supercat, was published. It was written by the cricket journalist Simon Lister.

In 2022, Lloyd received a knighthood at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle.

Clive is regarded as one of the greatest captains in the history of the game.

Personal life

Lloyd is a fan of English football club Everton FC.

Statistics

Full name : Clive Hubert Lloyd
Born 31 August 1944 (age 78)
Georgetown, British Guiana (now Guyana)
Nickname : Big C, Hubert, Super Cat
Height : 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Batting : Left-handed
Bowling : Right-arm medium
Role : Batsman
Relations : Lance Gibbs (cousin)

International information:

National side

West Indies : (1966–1985)
Test debut (cap 125) : 13 December 1966 v India
Last Test : 30 December 1984 v Australia
ODI debut (cap 9) : 5 September 1973 v England
Last ODI : 6 March 1985 v Pakistan

Domestic team information

Years : Team
1964–1983 : Guyana/British Guiana
1968–1986 : Lancashire

Career statistics

Competition : Test : ODI : FC : LA
Matches : 110 : 87 : 490 : 378
Runs scored : 7,515 : 1,977 : 31,232 : 10,915
Batting average : 46.67 : 39.54 : 49.26 : 40.27
100s/50s : 19/39 : 1/11 : 79/172 : 12/69
Top score : 242* : 102 : 242* : 134*
Balls bowled : 1,716 : 358 : 9,699 : 2,926
Wickets : 10 : 8 : 114 : 71
Bowling average : 62.20 : 26.25 : 36.00 : 27.57
5 wickets in innings : 0 : 0 : 0 : 0
10 wickets in match : 0 : 0 : 0 : 0
Best bowling : 2/13 : 2/4 : 4/48 : 4/33
Catches/stumpings : 90/– : 39/– : 377/– : 146/–

Details

Clive Lloyd, in full Sir Clive Hubert Lloyd, (born August 31, 1944, Georgetown, British Guiana [now Guyana]), is a West Indian cricketer, a powerful batsman who, as captain from 1974 to 1985, was largely responsible for the West Indies’ extraordinary success in Test (international) play.

Having left school at age 14 to support his family, Lloyd worked as a hospital clerk before becoming a full-time cricketer. He made his Test debut for the West Indies in 1966 and went on to become one of the longest-serving players and captains in Test match history. Like many West Indian cricketers, Lloyd also played county cricket in England.

A tall, hulking left-handed batsman who wore thick glasses and wielded an unusually heavy bat, Lloyd could drive and hook the ball with tremendous power. In a Test career spanning 110 matches, he averaged nearly 47 runs per innings, had 19 centuries (100 runs per innings), and an individual high of 242 runs in one stand. He was also a skilled medium-pace bowler and, early in his career, an excellent fielder.

As captain, he led the West Indies to two World Cup championships and a record 36 Test victories, including 11 consecutive wins. He also introduced the idea of using four fast bowlers—rather than two fast and two spin bowlers—to create an unrelenting attack. After retiring as a player, Lloyd served as a referee, and he continued to be one of the most respected personalities in the game.

The recipient of numerous honours, Lloyd was inducted into the International Cricket Council’s Hall of Fame in 2009. In addition, he was included in the United Kingdom’s New Year Honours list for 2020 as a knight bachelor.

Additional Information

Sir Clive Lloyd is, unarguably the greatest captain Test and ODI cricket, has ever seen. Few cricketers have inspired an entire generation of captains as Lloyd has. Captaining an international team might not be that difficult for say, an England or Australian team. Lloyd was the captain of the West Indies side which consisted of cricketers from various different countries like Guyana, TnT, Barbados, etc who came with their own set of baggage and cultural differences. History might point out that skipper Lloyd had players of the caliber of Sir Viv Richards, Holding, Marshal, Haynes, Greenidge and others. Talent and temper have an almost parallel growth and to Lloyd's credit, the team that he led was one of the most professional and well mannered sides.

Born in Georgetown, Guyana on August 31st 1944, the tall ( 6' 5") and slender Lloyd made his debut for his native state at the ripe age of 19. Soon enough he represented Haslingden in the Lancashire league in 1967. There was something that attracted the eyes of the talent spotters, for both Warwickshire and Lancashire wanted to sign him on. Finally, he made his debut for Lancashire in 1968, two years after he had made his debut for West Indies against India at Mumbai. In his first Test, he made 82 and 78 not out at Brabourne Stadium which was assisting the spinners. Batting with Sir Gary Sobers, he led his team to victory. Going back home, Lloyd notched up his first Test century at Trinidad against England which was instrumental in his team warding off defeat. He went on to score 18 more hundreds for his side and ended his Test career with 7515 runs in 110 Tests at an average of 46.67.

Lloyd was a prominent part of the West Indies middle order throughout the 70s. His batting style involved minimal usage of footwork and with a heavy bat, the long follow through generated power which was devastating for his opponents. He was known to annihilate the bowling line ups , especially in the county set up where he scored the then fastest double hundred against Glamorgan in exactly 2 hours. He was also named Wisden cricketer of the Year in 1971 solely on the back of 1600 runs scored for Lancashire at an average of 47.

It was not until the India tour of 1974-75 that he was handed over the captaincy. The additional burden had no effect on him whatsoever as the first Test in Bangalore saw Lloyd blasting a 100 in 85 balls and the fifth Test in Mumbai saw him bring up his career best 242. On the back of such strong performances, West Indies went on to win the series. His next assignment, the tour to Australia, however was not as successful as Lillee and Thomson led the home team to a 5-1 win. Lloyd's place as a batsman was never questioned as he was consistently scoring runs.

The royal spanking received at the hands of the Australians led Lloyd to bring about a change in his style of captaincy. He devised a strategy which was based on intimidating the opposition by employing tall fast bowlers who could move the ball at blurring speeds. Such a tactic gave birth to an entire generation of unplayable fast bowlers who were instrumental in West Indies ruling the official rankings up till the early 90s. Such a tactic had it's own share of drawbacks: Low over rates and claims of intimidation by opposing captains were quite common. But it certainly was a trendsetter in the way Test cricket began to be played. Lloyd went on to lead West Indies to successive World cup wins in 75 and 79; he scored a century in the finals of the 1975 WC. They were clear favorites to win for a third consecutive time in 83 until Kapil Dev's men stopped their unbeaten run.

After a fruitful international career of 20 years ended in 1986, Lloyd took an active interest in the management of the Guyana and West Indies teams. He was also an accomplished commentator, but his experience was put to good use by the ICC when he was made Match Referee in 1992 for the South Africa-India Test match at Durban. It was a new beginning for Lloyd as players looked up to him as a cricketing behemoth. He officiated in the infamous semi-final of the 1996 WC and awarded the match to Sri Lanka after the Kolkata crowd turned riotous and went out of control. However West Indies' continuous deterioration prompted him to become the team manager. Although he did not prefer an administrative job, a sense of duty drove him, but after three frustrating years, he resigned that job and resumed his duties of an ICC match referee. Recently in 2008, he was appointed the Chairman of ICC cricket committee when Sunil Gavaskar relinquished that spot.

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Jai Ganesh · 2023-01-03 00:03:45

1203) Curtly Ambrose

Summary

Sir Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose (born 21 September 1963) is an Antiguan former cricketer who played 98 Test matches for the West Indies. Widely acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time, he took 405 Test wickets at an average of 20.99 and topped the ICC Player Rankings for much of his career to be rated the best bowler in the world. His great height—he is 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) tall—allowed him to make the ball bounce unusually high after he delivered it; allied to his pace and accuracy, it made him a very difficult bowler for batsmen to face. A man of few words during his career, he was notoriously reluctant to speak to journalists. He was chosen as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1992; after he retired he was entered into the International Cricket Council Hall of Fame and selected as one of West Indies all-time XI by a panel of experts.

Born in Swetes, Antigua, Ambrose came to cricket at a relatively late age, having preferred basketball in his youth, but quickly made an impression as a fast bowler. Progressing through regional and national teams, he was first chosen for the West Indies in 1988. He was almost immediately successful and remained in the team until his retirement in 2000. On many occasions, his bowling spells were responsible for winning matches for West Indies which seemed lost, in association with Courtney Walsh. Against Australia in 1993, he bowled one of the greatest bowling spells of all time, when he took seven wickets while conceding a single run, hence taking figures of 7/1 for the first spell of the match. Similarly, in 1994 he was largely responsible for bowling England out for 46 runs, taking six wickets for 24 runs. He is regarded as one of the greatest match-winning bowlers of all time.

Ambrose's bowling method relied on accuracy and conceding few runs; several of his best performances came when he took wickets in quick succession to devastate the opposition. He was particularly successful against leading batsmen. From 1995, Ambrose was increasingly affected by injury, and several times critics claimed that he was no longer effective. However, he continued to take wickets regularly up until his retirement, although he was sometimes less effective in the early matches of a series. In his final years, the West Indies team was in decline and often relied heavily on Ambrose and Walsh; both men often bowled with little support from the other bowlers. Following his retirement, Ambrose has pursued a career in music as the bass guitarist in a reggae band.

Personal information

Full name : Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose
Born 21 September 1963 (age 59)
Swetes, Antigua and Barbuda
Height : 201 cm (6 ft 7 in)
Batting : Left-handed
Bowling : Right-arm fast
Role : Bowler

International information:

National side

West Indies (1988–2000)
Test debut (cap 192) : 2 April 1988 v Pakistan
Last Test : 31 August 2000 v England
ODI debut (cap 53) : 12 March 1988 v Pakistan
Last ODI : 23 April 2000 v Pakistan

Domestic team information

Years : Team
1985–2000 : Leeward Islands
1989–1996 : Northamptonshire
1998–1999 : Antigua and Barbuda

Career statistics

Competition : Test : ODI : FC : LA
Matches : 98 : 176 : 239 : 329
Runs scored : 1,439 : 639 : 3,448 : 1,282
Batting average : 12.40 : 10.65 : 13.95 : 11.98
100s/50s : 0/1 : 0/0 : 0/4 : 0/0
Top score : 53 : 31* : 78 : 48
Balls bowled : 22,103 : 9,353 : 48,798 : 17,143
Wickets : 405 : 225 : 941 : 401
Bowling average : 20.99 : 24.12 : 20.24 : 23.83
5 wickets in innings : 22 : 4 : 50 : 4
10 wickets in match : 3 : 0 : 8 : 0
Best bowling : 8/45 : 5/17 : 8/45 : 5/17
Catches/stumpings : 18/0 : 45/0 : 88/0 : 82/0

Profile

Basketball will never know what it let slip. In the Caribbean, where the behemoth of American sports lingers, it would have been very difficult for a teenager to say no to a lucrative basketball deal in the USA. One such teenager was almost swept in, but luckily, he listened to his mother who advised a career in cricket. This teenager would go on to become the colossus of West Indies bowling in the 90s. Curtly Ambrose, the giant who spoke very rarely, is another product of the long assembly line of West Indies bowlers.

At a height of six feet seven inches, armed with a high arm action, Ambrose could get the ball to bounce at pace. As the years wore on, those supple wrists were used to bowl immaculate line and lengths with some seam movement. Ambrose started off his career playing first-class cricket for the Leeward Islands in 1985/ 86. After this stint, he was given a scholarship to play club cricket in England. He played for the Liverpool league and Central Lancashire league where he picked up tons of wickets. The experiences in the leagues helped Ambrose fine-tune his bowling technique.

He made an impact in ODI cricket during the 1987/88 series against Pakistan. In three games, he picked up 10 wickets at an average of 10.35, including two consecutive four wicket hauls in his first two matches. In the Champions Trophy cup held in the UAE, Ambrose won the man of the match award in the final where he picked up 4/29. His brilliant form continued in the Benson and Hedges series in 1988/89 where he picked up 21 wickets, including his best haul of 5/17 against Australia at the MCG.

His wonderful form in the ODIs resulted in splendid performances during the Test series as well. In the second Test against Australia at Perth, Ambrose displayed his class and ferocity as he snapped up eight wickets in the match, including his first five wicket haul and also broke Jeff Lawson’s jaw as West Indies won the match by 169 runs. However, his first major show-stopping spell was against England in the cauldron of the Kensington Oval in Barbados in 1990. England had looked all set to win a rare series in the West Indies and they were holding out for a draw. However, Ambrose came in at the end of the day and in five magnificent overs, picked up the last five wickets as he finished up with 8/45 to help West Indies level the series in fading light. Another instance of Ambrose's destruction was against South Africa at Bridgetown in 1992. Chasing 201 for a historic win, South Africa looked in good shape at 123/2 but Ambrose sliced through the middle order and picked up 6/34 to give West Indies a famous win.

If there is one match that defined Ambrose's brilliance, it was during the match against Australia at Perth in 1992/93. Having arrived here with a brilliant 10 wicket haul in the Adelaide Test, he arrived at his favourite venue and decimated Australia with one of the greatest spells in cricket. In 32 balls, he snapped up seven wickets for just one run as West Indies stormed to an innings victory to clinch the series.

Ambrose continued to decimate oppositions and during the Test against England at Port of Spain in 1994, he once again demonstrated his class. Having picked up five wickets in the first innings, he then proceeded to bowl England out for a paltry 46 as he finished up with 6/24 to give West Indies an unlikely victory. It was a wonderful exhibition of fast bowling which left England totally demoralized.

As the years wore on, Ambrose was plagued by injuries but he continued to pick wickets at regular intervals. He formed a formidable opening partnership with Courtney Walsh. In 52 Tests that the duo played together, Ambrose and Walsh took a staggering 412 wickets at an average of 22. It is a shame that all these statistics were achieved during the period when West Indies cricket stagnated.

Ambrose retired after the England series in 2000. He was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2011. His statistics make him as the one of the best bowlers in this game. His statistics reflect Ambrose as the person: Silent yet Gigantic. The legendary quick was knighted during the first ODI between West Indies and England in February 2014 at Antigua.

FUN FACTS:

Ambrose is a bass guitarist for the Reggae band Big Bad Dread and the Baldhead.

When he left school at 17, Ambrose worked as an apprentice carpenter.

The phrase, “Curtly talk to no man” came about when he refused to give an interview to a journalist in 1991.

Jai Ganesh · 2023-01-05 00:14:51

1204) Viv Richards

Summary

Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards (born 7 March 1952) is an Antiguan retired cricketer who represented the West Indies cricket team between 1974 and 1991. Batting generally at number three in a dominant West Indies side, Richards is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time.

Richards made his test debut in 1974 against India along with Gordon Greenidge. His best years were between 1976 and 1983 where he averaged a remarkable 66.51 with the bat in test cricket. In 1984 he suffered from pterygium and had an eye surgery which affected his eyesight and reflexes. Despite this, he remained the best batsman in the world for the next four years, averaging 50. His form declined in the latter years of his career where he averaged 36. Overall, Richards scored 8,540 runs in 121 Test matches at an average of 50.23 and retired as then West Indies leading run scorer overhauling the aggregate of Garfield Sobers. He also scored 1281 runs in World Series Cricket with five tons at average of over 55 which was regarded as highest and most difficult cricket ever played. As a captain, he won 27 of 50 Test matches and lost only 8. He also scored nearly 7,000 runs in One Day Internationals and more than 36,000 in first-class cricket.

He was knighted for his contributions to cricket in 1999. In 2000 he was voted one of Wisden's five Cricketers of the Century by a 100-member panel of experts and in 2002 the almanack judged that he had played the best One Day International innings of all time. In December 2002, he was chosen by Wisden as the greatest One Day International batsman who had played to that date and as the third greatest Test cricket batter. In 2009, Richards was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

In October 2013, Wisden selected the best test team across 150 years of test history and slotted Viv Richards at no. 3, he was only batsman of the post war era along with Sachin Tendulkar to get featured in that team.

Personal information

Full name : Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards
Born 7 March 1952 (age 70)
St. John's, British Leeward Islands
Nickname : Master Blaster, Smokin Joe, King Viv
Height : 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Batting : Right-handed
Bowling : Right-arm slow seam, Right-arm off-break
Role : Batsman

International information

National side : West Indies (1974–1991)
Test debut (cap 151) : 22 November 1974 v India
Last Test : 8 August 1991 v England
ODI debut (cap 14) : 7 June 1975 v Sri Lanka
Last ODI : 27 May 1991 v England

Domestic team information

Years : Team
1971–1981 : Combined Islands
1971–1991 : Leeward Islands
1974–1986 : Somerset
1976/77 : Queensland
1990–1993 : Glamorgan

Career statistics

Competition : Test : ODI : FC : LA
Matches : 121 : 187 : 507 : 500
Runs scored : 8,540 : 6,721 : 36,212 : 16,995
Batting average : 50.23 : 47.00 : 49.40 : 41.96
100s/50s : 24/45 : 11/45 : 114/162 : 26/109
Top score : 291 : 189* : 322 : 189*
Balls bowled : 5,170 : 5,644 : 23,226 : 12,214
Wickets : 32 : 118 : 223 : 290
Bowling average : 61.37 : 35.83 : 45.15 : 30.59
5 wickets in innings : 0 : 2 : 1 : 3
10 wickets in match : 0 : 0 : 0 : 0
Best bowling : 2/17 : 6/41 : 5/88 : 6/24
Catches/stumpings : 122/– : 100/– : 464/1 : 238/–

Details

Viv Richards, in full Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards, (born March 7, 1952, St. John’s, Antigua), is West Indian cricketer, arguably the finest batsman of his generation.

The son of Malcolm Richards, Antigua’s leading fast bowler, Viv Richards followed in a family tradition that included two brothers who also played cricket for Antigua. Richards began his Test (international) match career for the West Indies team at age 22 in 1974. In the course of a career that encompassed 121 Test matches and lasted until 1993, he distinguished himself as one of the most feared and productive batsmen of all time. Though he did so in an era when some of the game’s most dominant fast bowlers thrived, he defiantly and famously refused to wear a batting helmet. In the process of scoring 8,540 runs and averaging more than 50 runs per innings in Test competition, Richards recorded 24 centuries (100 runs in a single innings), leading the West Indian team that he captained from 1985 to 1991 to sweeping international success. Richards was also an “off-spin” bowler and took 32 wickets in Test competition. But it was as a batsman that the “Master Blaster,” who also had a distinguished career in English county cricket, will always be remembered. Richards was knighted by the Antiguan government in 1999. His autobiography, Sir Vivian: The Definitive Autobiography, written with Bob Harris, was published in 2000.

Additional Information

ProfileSwagger. That is the word used extensively to describe the batting style of Sir Vivian Richards. Aggressive batting was not a very common sight in the 1970s and 80s, but the term aggression is an understatement when it comes to describing Viv’s batting. Devastating would be a better term. With just a cap on (he never wore a helmet), he would slowly walk into the crease accompanied by huge cheers from the crowd, who demanded nothing but entertainment from him. Entertain he did, and poor bowlers from across the globe were reduced to mere bowling machines and the fielders to ball-boys who would run to the fence and fetch the ball.

But Viv Richards was not a slogger. 8000+ Test runs at a 50+ average with 24 centuries cannot possibly come from mere slogging. Add to that the 5 centuries he made in World Series cricket, and Richards will comfortably fall into one of the all-time best Test batsmen. He made his Test debut in 1974 in India, and scored an unbeaten 192 in his very second game. Just 2 years later, in 1976, Richards scored 1710 runs at an average of 90 with 7 centuries from 11 Tests. It remained a record for almost 30 years, until it was broken by Mohammad Yousuf in 2006. He also scored the fastest ever Test century, when he smashed a ton in just 56 balls against England in 1986.

In ODIs, Richards had a strike rate of 90+ when he retired, a feat which wasn’t too easy in those days. He was part of the World Cup winning West Indies sides of 1975 and 79, and even scored a century in the latter edition's final to help his side to the title.

The name Viv Richards is often associated with his destructive batting style (and rightly so), but not many remember him as one of the best captains for West Indies. In the period between 1984 and 1991, when he was the captain for 50 Tests, West Indies never lost even a single series. He was also widely respected for refusing a blank-cheque offer to play for the rebel West Indies tour to South Africa during the Apartheid period in 1983-84.

Richards also played County cricket in England for the Somerset team. He is one of the 4 non English batsmen to make 100 first class centuries. In 2000, he was named as one of the 5 Wisden Cricketers of the Century.

Interesting facts: Richards also played international football for Antigua, having represented them in the qualifying matches for the 1974 World Cup

In 1994, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to cricket.

Richards had a brief affair with Indian actress, Neena Gupta and fathered a child - named Masaba.

The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium is a cricket stadium in North Sound, Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda, which is named in honour after him. It was built for use in the 2007 Cricket World Cup.

His son, Mali also took to cricket like a fish to water but has very little to show for when compared to the stellar feats of his father. Mali, a left handed batsman, has represented Middlesex and Leeward Islands.

Jai Ganesh · 2023-01-07 00:08:20

1205) Macaulay Culkin

Summary

Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin (born Macaulay Carson Culkin; August 26, 1980) is an American actor. Often regarded as one of the most successful child actors of the 1990s, he was placed 2nd on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Kid-Stars". Culkin rose to prominence as a child actor starring as Kevin McCallister in the first two films of the Home Alone film series (1990 and 1992), for which he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. He also starred in the films My Girl (1991), The Good Son (1993), The Nutcracker (1993), Getting Even with Dad (1994), The Pagemaster (1994), and Richie Rich (1994).

Culkin took a break from acting in 1994. He returned in 2003 with a guest appearance on the television show Will & Grace and a role in the film Party Monster. He wrote an autobiography, Junior, which was published in 2006. In 2021, he starred in American Horror Story: Double Feature, the tenth season of the anthology series American Horror Story.

In 2013, Culkin co-founded the New York comedy rock band the Pizza Underground, of which he was the vocalist; in 2016, Culkin stated that the Pizza Underground was splitting up and their next album would be their last. He is currently the publisher and CEO of Bunny Ears, a satirical pop culture website and podcast.

He has also received an MTV Movie Award from three nominations, and a Young Artist Award.

Details

Macaulay Culkin, byname Mack, (born August 26, 1980, New York City, New York, U.S.), is an American actor who rose to fame in the 1990 box office hit Home Alone and quickly became one of the most famous child actors of the 1990s. In his teens he took a step back from acting, and he reemerged in his early 20s to act occasionally and to pursue other creative opportunities.

Early life and work

Culkin was born in New York City to Kit Culkin and Patricia Brentrup, one of seven siblings. His father, a former child actor, shepherded his children into acting at a young age; two of Macaulay’s brothers, Rory and Kieran, would go on to have successful acting careers as adults. Young Macaulay’s first credited movie role was in Rocket Gibraltar (1988), which was closely followed by See You in the Morning (1989), Uncle Buck (1989), and Jacob’s Ladder (1990).

His breakout role came in the box office hit Home Alone (1990) as Kevin McCallister, the youngest son in a large family that accidentally leaves him behind during their frenzied departure for a Christmas vacation in Paris. The movie, written by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus, sees Kevin first reveling in having the house all to himself, indulging in all sorts of activities that he had not been allowed to do, and then, once he realizes that two thieves have targeted his house, he rallies an impressive and creative defense of his home. He next appeared in Only the Lonely and costarred in the highly acclaimed My Girl, both released in 1991. Culkin returned to his star-making role as Kevin in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), which also performed well at the box office. Culkin’s next role, a dramatic turn from his previous work, was in the dark and disturbing The Good Son (1993), in which he played a deeply troubled child.

Culkin continued to work steadily, appearing in one more film that year and in three films the next year—The Nutcracker (1993), Getting Even with Dad (1994), The Pagemaster (1994), and, in the title role, Richie Rich (1994)—before taking a step back from acting.

Legal issues, school, and family life

Culkin’s hiatus came amid rising tensions in both his professional and private life. Kit, who managed Macaulay’s career and had become increasingly controlling as his son’s popularity grew, soon had a reputation in the industry for being unreasonable and demanding, reportedly not unlike the situation at home with his family. Culkin’s parents separated in 1995, leading to a contentious—and expensive—battle for custody of their children who were minors as well as to determine who would manage the children’s acting careers. The custody battle ended in 1997 when Kit conceded and the kids happily remained with Patricia. By this time Culkin also had his parents removed from his trust fund and had hired an executor to oversee it, something he since said has been misinterpreted as him becoming emancipated from his parents.

On his hiatus from working, Culkin was able to focus on his education, attending the Professional Children’s School in New York City, where he met actress and fellow student Rachel Miner. The two married in June 1998, but the marriage did not last long. They separated in 2000 and finalized their divorce in 2002.

A friendship of his was in the news after pop star Michael Jackson was arrested in 2003 for allegedly having molested a child. Culkin had met and become friends with Jackson when he was nine years old and Jackson was an adult. Culkin said they bonded over their common experiences of having to deal with fame at a young age and having overbearing fathers. He was called to testify in Jackson’s defense during the trial, which took place in 2005. (Jackson was acquitted.) Culkin maintained that he had never experienced anything inappropriate with Jackson.

Return to acting

Meanwhile, Culkin had returned to acting in the early 2000s. He starred in the play Madame Melville, which opened in London in 2000 and moved to New York City (Off-Broadway) the next year. His first movie as an adult was Party Monster (2003), in which he played the murderous party promoter Michael Alig. It was closely followed by his role in Saved! (2004), a comedy in which he played a high-school student whose sister is a Christian zealot. Later films included gender and Breakfast (2007), The Wrong Ferrari (2011), Adam Green’s Aladdin (2016), and Changeland (2019). During this time he also worked in television, notably making appearances on Will & Grace, in 2003; Foster Hall, in 2004; Kings, in 2009; Dollface, in 2019; American Horror Story, in 2021; and The Righteous Gemstones, in 2022. Culkin lent his voice to Robot Chicken (2001– ) and appeared as himself in The Jim Gaffigan Show (2015–16).

Other creative pursuits

Culkin pursued other creative interests as well. He wrote a novel, Junior (2005), which is the story of a young star who has a troubled relationship with his father; while ostensibly fiction, it appeared to have many similarities to Culkin’s own experiences with his father. Culkin also dabbled in music. He formed a band called the Pizza Underground that performed the songs of the Velvet Underground but with the lyrics humorously revised to incorporate a pizza theme. Pizza Underground went on a brief tour in 2014. In 2017 Culkin created the comedy website and accompanying podcast Bunny Ears, which was a satiric riff on wellness and lifestyle brands.

Relationship with Brenda Song

In 2017 Culkin began a relationship with actress Brenda Song, whom he met after they were cast in Changeland. They welcomed a son, Dakota, in 2021.

Biography

Macaulay Carson Culkin (born August 26, 1980) is an American actor, musician, and web host. He is known for playing Kevin McCallister in the Christmas films Home Alone (1990), which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for, and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992).

Along with the Home Alone series, Culkin also starred in the films My Girl (1991), The Good Son (1993), The Nutcracker (1993), Getting Even with Dad (1994), The Pagemaster (1994) and Richie Rich (1994). He has been nominated for the MTV Movie Awards and Young Artist Awards. At the height of his fame, he was regarded as the most successful child actor since Shirley Temple. Culkin ranked at number two on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Kid-Stars" and E!'s list of the "50 Greatest Child Stars".

He took a break from acting in 1994, and made his return in 2003 with a guest appearance on the television show Will and Grace and a role in the film Party Monster (2003). He wrote an autobiographical book titled Junior, which was published in 2006. In 2013, Culkin co-founded the New York-based, pizza-themed comedy rock band the Pizza Underground, of which he was the vocalist. They toured in 2014, beginning in Brooklyn on January 24, 2014. On July 10, 2016, Culkin stated that the Pizza Underground was splitting up and their next album would be the last. Culkin is currently the publisher and CEO of a satirical pop culture website and podcast called Bunny Ears.

Jai Ganesh · 2023-01-09 00:15:47

1206) Stefan Edberg

Summary

Stefan Edberg is a retired tennis player from Sweden, who was very highly regarded for his elegant style of play, his incredible volleys, and his sportsmanlike qualities.

Edberg was one of the best players in the world during the late 80s and early 90s, winning 6 singles Grand Slams and spending a considerable amount of time ranked World No. 1. His rivalry with Boris Becker is one of the most memorable in tennis history, and the two contested 3 consecutive Wimbledon finals from 1988 to 1990.

Best finish at each of the four Grand Slams:

Australian Open: 2-time Champion (1985, 1987)

French Open: Runner-up (1989)

Wimbledon: 2-time Champion (1988, 1990)

US Open: 2-time Champion (1991, 1992)

Highest Ranking: No. 1

No. of weeks at No. 1: 72

Style of play

Edberg was a quintessential serve-and-volleyer, who would rush the net with abandon no matter what the match situation. He almost never stayed back at the baseline during his service games, and even while returning he would frequently chip and charge.

Edberg didn't rely on sheer serve speed to set up points at the net; instead, he often used a slice serve or a kick serve to give him more time to set up shop in the forecourt.

Edberg's groundstrokes had a fair amount of topspin on them, although he could flatten his backhand very easily when he got a short ball. He also used the backhand slice liberally, putting a lot of underspin and sidespin on it.

Strengths and weaknesses

Edberg's biggest asset was clearly his net game. Widely considered one of the finest exponents of the serve-and-volley game ever seen in tennis, Edberg could make his attacking approach work even on clay and other slow courts.

That said, the Swede achieved most of his success on fast courts, particularly grass. The skidding nature of the grasscourt surface added extra bite to his already zipping volleys, and he could also hit excellent overhead smashes when players tried to lob him. Edberg had unbelievable reflexes and athleticism at the net, and he could put away even the hardest of passing shots with ease.

Edberg's serve was not the quickest, but he could direct it very effectively to set up his net attacks. His kick serve in particular was very effective, forcing the opponent to move outside the court which then enabled him to close the net.

The Swede's backhand was one of the best of its time. He could use both the topspin version and the slice to devastating effect; his backhand was almost as effective a finishing shot as his volley.

Edberg's forehand was one of the weak areas of his game, and he often failed to get enough penetration off it. His return was also not the greatest, and he sometimes struggled to break his opponent's serve.

Personal life

Edberg was born in Vastervik, Sweden, and was an exceptionally successful junior. He won all the four junior Grand Slams in 1983, become the first (and so far only) player in the Open Era to do so.

Edberg married famous model Annette Hjort Olsen, who was earlier in a relationship with Mats Wilander, in 1992. Stefan and Annette currently live in London, and have two children together - Emilie and Christopher.

Edberg's professional career got off to a bad start, as he inadvertently caused the death of linesman Dickinson Wertheim with a math serve at the 1983 US Open. But he managed to put that incident behind him to win the Australian Open title just two years later.

Edberg's rivalry with Boris Becker took on legendary proportions during the late 80s. Both of them constantly rushed the net and hit some miraculous stretch volleys, leaving spectators all over the world speechless.

The Swede was always a model of professionalism and politeness throughout his career. To honor his impeccable grace both on the court and off it, the ATP named its annual sportsmanship accolade - the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship award - after him.

After his retirement, Edberg has remained in the tennis consciousness with his numerous public appearances. He even coached Roger Federer from 2014 to 2015, and he continues to be a good friend and adviser to the Swiss legend.

Details

A single tennis stroke doesn’t necessarily equate to becoming a major champion, but in Edberg’s case, his proficiency as a superb serve-and-volley player, particularly on the backhand side, led him to six major singles championships and an additional three titles in men’s doubles.

Edberg’s volleying acumen was pure beauty; and while dominating net play was the hallmark of many great tennis players, few in any, were as polished and technically savvy as the Swede. With the abundance of talent on the men’s pro tour during his era (1983-96), Edberg’s game stood out for how he was able to win two Australian (1985, 1987), Wimbledon (1988, 1990) and US Open (1991, 1992) championships with a game not built on power or pace, but with precision and what many consider perfect serve-and-volley tennis. “Nobody does it (serve and volley) these days, so there is hardly any variation in the style of play,” Edberg said following his playing days. “I would love to see players serve and volley more. It’s a very sad aspect of the game that the art has vanished.”

When his technique is broken down into its individual components, his efficiency from ball toss to attacking the net was nearly perfect. His big kick-serve or wicked slice serve were fast and viciously spun, which compensated for not being thunderous like his counterparts. His one-handed backhand – a big departure from his idol and fellow Swede Björn Borg who slapped his two-handed backhand hockey-style – was a huge weapon that won him many critical points. In fact, it was stronger and better than his forehand. Edberg had quick feet and reflexes and total control of his body. It was rare that he would be caught hitting a shot in no-man’s land, out-of-position, or unprepared.

Edberg had the misfortune, or opportunity as many suggested, in succeeding his countryman Borg. The two were entirely different players in all styles, though they did share great athleticism, court demeanor, and approach to competition. Edberg, like Borg, was immensely focused and not prone to displaying his emotions. His temperament was smooth, just like his game. “I’ve always been used to keeping it all inside, but it was all tactics,” Edberg said, “because, as when you play poker, you have to show as little as possible to your opponent, you don’t have to bring your weaknesses to exploit his.”

Like his childhood idol Borg, Edberg began playing tennis at a young age. At age 7 in 1973, he first hit the courts. Ten years later, in 1983, he became the first and only player to win a junior singles Grand Slam. At the Australian and US Opens, he defeated Australian Simon Youl for two legs of the four major titles he earned as a junior. As a professional he won 41 singles and 18 doubles titles. He won 801 singles matches, seventh best in history, and ranks fifth all-time in winning percentage at the Australian Open (85 percent). In major tournament play, Edberg won 178 matches, eighth best all-time.

Edberg joined the pro tour in 1983 and it took him less than two years to win his first ATP tournament. It came on March 25, 1984 in Milan, Italy over fellow Swede Mats Wilander, 6-4, 6-2. He won Olympic honors before winning a major championship, defeating Mexico’s Francisco Maciel, 6-1, 7-6 at the 1984 Games that were conducted as a demonstration sport in Los Angeles. He won Bronze Medals at the 1988 Games played in Seoul, South Korea in both singles and doubles. Until Edberg won in Memphis in late January 1985, he hadn’t yet made a complete mark on the men’s game. But that championship included a 6-4, 6-2 win over Brad Gilbert in the quarterfinals, a 6-1, 6-4 thrashing of Jimmy Connors in the semifinals, and a 6-1, 6-0 blitz over Yannick Noah in the finals. That string of wins caught everyone’s attention.

Fast surfaces were tailored made for Edberg’s game – he won all of his major singles and doubles titles on hard courts. He never won the French Open, though he did advance to the 1989 final, falling to 17-year-old Michael Chang, who became the youngest male major champion in history, on the slow red clay at Roland Garros, 6-1, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.

Statistically at least, the Australian Open was his favored venue. He played in five finals from 1985-93, tied with Roger Federer for the second most in history. On the way to winning the 1985 and 1987 titles and advancing to three additional finals, Edberg compiled a 56-10 record (85 percent winning mark) in Melbourne. As the No. 5 seed in 1985, Edberg played a dazzling five-set match in defeating Lendl in the semifinals (6-7, 7-5, 6-1, 4-6, 9-7). Fellow Swede Wilander was unable to counterattack Edberg’s masterful serve-and-volley game in the final, losing 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. Edberg’s 1987 championship had an easier semifinal win (6-2, 6-4, 7-6 over Aussie Wally Masur), but the championship match was an arduous back-and-forth tussle against Pat Cash that Edberg captured in five sets, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3. He lost to Lendl in 1990 and to Jim Courier in both the 1992 and 1993 finals that saw the ecstatic Courier jump in the muddy Yarra River.

Edberg’s fiercest rival – outside of the Courier defeats in Australia – was German Boris Becker, who Edberg defeated to win the 1988 and 1990 Wimbledon Gentlemen Singles Championships. Both matches were massive serving and volleying efforts by both players, Edberg winning 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2 in 1988 and 6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4 in 1990. Becker convincingly defeated Edberg at Wimbledon in 1989, 6-0, 7-6, 6-4. The pair played 35 times, with Becker holding a 25-10 advantage. At the 1987 Wimbledon Championships, Edberg advanced to the semifinals before being defeated by Lendl in four sets, but in his opening round match against Stefan Eriksson, he defeated his fellow Swede 6-0, 6-0, 6-0, becoming one of only six players in history to earn a triple bagel victory.

In ten meetings versus Edberg, Courier won six, but one of Edberg’s four victories came on a sweltering 90-plus degree day at the 1991 US Open, 6-2, 6-4, 6-0, and those the odds weren’t in his favor. Edberg seemed destined to follow the same unfortunate snake-bitten path as Borg, who failed to win the US Open in ten attempts. Going into the 1991 final against Courier, Edberg had been stymied in eight previous trips to New York. But he was crisp throughout the tournament, winning five of his seven matches that year in straight sets and dispensed Lendl, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, in the semifinals. “I remember walking off the court knowing there was no way I could have beaten him on that day,” Courier told the media afterwards. “He played a nearly flawless match.” Edberg confirmed he was in the zone that afternoon at Flushing Meadows. “Lifting the trophy after beating Courier was the best match of my life.”

The Swede successfully defended his US Open title in 1992 with a neat 3-6, 6-4, 7-6, 6-2 win over Pete Sampras, a player he lost to in eight of 14 tournaments, but never in a major event (he defeated Sampras in the semifinals of the 1993 Australian). Throughout his career, Edberg held his own and then some against the world’s best, facing nine players who were current- or former-No. 1 players nine times. “I was lucky to play in the era of great players,” Edberg told atpworldtour.com.

Edberg’s singles proficiency spilled nicely into his doubles game where he joined John McEnroe as the only players in history to be ranked No. 1 in singles and doubles since the ATP computer rankings began, a feat he achieved in the 1986-87 season. He was ranked No. 1 in singles a total of 72 non-consecutive weeks during his career and No. 1 in doubles 11 weeks (June 9, 1986 to August 24, 1986). Edberg was ranked in world Top 10 in year-end rankings ten straight years (1985-1994), finishing in the Top 5 from 1985-1993. In major doubles competition, he and Swedish partner Anders Jarryd won the Australian and US Opens in 1987, and in 1996 Edberg teamed with Czech Petr Korda to win a second Australian doubles title.

Edberg represented Sweden in Davis Cup competition from 1984 to 1996, leading the team to championships in 1984, 1985, 1987, and 1994.

Edberg, who was named the ATP Player of the Year in 1990 and 1991, was honored by the organization five times with its Sportsmanship Award (1988-90, 1992, 1995). That distinction led the ATP to rename the award to the “Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award” in 1996. In its 40 Greatest Player of the TENNIS era, TENNIS Magazine ranked Edberg 14th overall and eighth on the men’s side.

Additional Information

Stefan Bengt Edberg (born 19 January 1966) is a Swedish former professional tennis player. A major proponent of the serve-and-volley style of tennis, he won six Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam men's doubles titles between 1985 and 1996. He is one of only two men in the Open Era to have been ranked world No. 1 in both singles and doubles (the other being John McEnroe). He also won the Masters Grand Prix and was a part of the Swedish Davis Cup-winning team four times. In addition, he won four Masters Series titles, four Championship Series titles and the unofficial 1984 Olympic tournament, was ranked in the singles top 10 for ten successive years, and ranked nine years in the top 5. After retirement, Edberg began coaching Roger Federer in January 2014, with this partnership ending in December 2015.

Career

Edberg first came to the tennis world's attention as a junior player. He won all four Grand Slam junior titles in 1983 to become the first (and only) player to achieve the "Junior Grand Slam" in the open era. Later that year as a professional, Edberg won his first career doubles title in Basel. Edberg accidentally caused the death of linesman Dickinson Wertheim with an errant serve during the 1983 US Open.

In 1984, Edberg won his first top-level singles title in Milan. Edberg also won the tennis tournament at the 1984 Summer Olympics when the sport was an exhibition event and partnered with fellow Swede Anders Järryd to reach the final of the US Open. Edberg also reached the French Open doubles final with Järryd in 1986 and consequently was world No. 1 in doubles in that year.

U.S. fans first took notice of Edberg's professional career when he won the U.S. Indoor in Memphis in February 1985, defeating Yannick Noah in the final. Edberg's first two Grand Slam singles titles came at the Australian Open. In December 1985, he defeated Mats Wilander in straight sets to claim his first major title. In January 1987, he defended his title by defeating local favourite Pat Cash in five sets to win the last Australian Open held on grass courts. Edberg also won the Australian Open and US Open men's doubles titles in 1987 (partnering fellow Swede Anders Järryd).

In 1988, Edberg reached the first of three consecutive finals at Wimbledon, but lost his ranking as Sweden's number-one-player when Mats Wilander had his best year by winning the Australian, French and US Opens, becoming the world's number-one-ranked player. In all three of his consecutive Wimbledon finals, Edberg played German Boris Becker in what became one of Wimbledon's greatest rivalries. Edberg won their first encounter in a four-set match spread over two days because of rain delays. A year later, Becker won in straight sets. The closest of their matches came in the 1990 final, when Edberg won in five sets after being down a break in the fifth set.

Edberg reached the French Open final in 1989 but lost in five sets to 17-year-old Michael Chang, who became the youngest-ever male winner of a Grand Slam singles title. This was the only Grand Slam singles title that Edberg never won, denying him the completion of a career Grand Slam at the senior level, to match his junior Grand Slam.

In 1990, an abdominal muscle injury forced Edberg to retire from the Australian Open final while trailing Ivan Lendl 5–2 (including two breaks of serve) in the third set. Edberg nevertheless took the world No. 1 ranking from Lendl on 13 August 1990 by winning the Super 9 tournament in Cincinnati. He held it for the rest of that year and for much of 1991 and 1992. Edberg spent a total of 72 weeks as World No. 1. In 1991, Edberg again reached the semifinals of Wimbledon but lost to Michael Stich in a close match: 6–4, 6–7, 6–7, 6–7.

Edberg's final two Grand Slam singles triumphs came at the US Open, with wins over Jim Courier in the 1991 final and Pete Sampras (who was just months away from attaining the world No. 1 ranking) in the 1992 final.

Edberg reached the finals of the Australian Open again in 1992 and 1993, losing both times to Jim Courier in four sets. He was one of the few players who reached the finals of the Australian Open five times. The 1993 Australian Open final was Edberg's last Grand Slam singles final appearance.

In 1996, Edberg reached the finals of Queens Club but lost the match to Boris Becker. He won his third and final Grand Slam doubles title at the Australian Open with Petr Korda. He reached the quarterfinals of his last US Open after defeating Richard Krajicek and Tim Henman, but lost in the quarterfinals to Goran Ivanišević.

Edberg was most comfortable playing tennis on fast-playing surfaces. Of his six Grand Slam singles titles, four were won on grass courts at the Australian Open (1985 and 1987) and Wimbledon (1988 and 1990) and two were won on hardcourts at the US Open (1991 and 1992).

In December 2013, Edberg began coaching Roger Federer. His coaching stint ended in December 2015 after which Federer hired Ivan Ljubičić as coach.

Style of play

Edberg is noted as one of the finest serve-and-volley players of his era. Edberg did not possess a powerful dominating serve like Pete Sampras or Boris Becker, but his serve was still largely effective. Edberg often chose to use a less powerful serve, such as a kick or slice serve. The extra time from using a slower serve gave Edberg more time to get to the net, where he used his quick feet and athleticism to gain control of the point. Edberg's volleying skills were among the very best and he could easily redirect powerfully struck balls to the open court. He had sufficient groundstrokes, and his one-handed backhand was one of his marquee shots. Edberg's backhand was extremely effective and considered amongst the best of his era.

Jai Ganesh · 2023-01-11 00:05:15

1207) Selena Gomez

Summary

Selena Marie Gomez (born July 22, 1992) is an American singer, actress, and producer. Gomez began her acting career on the children's television series Barney & Friends (2002–2004). As a teenager, she rose to prominence for starring as Alex Russo on the Disney Channel television series Wizards of Waverly Place (2007–2012). Alongside her television career, Gomez appeared in the films Another Cinderella Story (2008), Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie (2009), Ramona and Beezus (2010), Monte Carlo (2011), Spring Breakers (2012), Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016), and The Dead Don't Die (2019), and voiced Mavis in the Hotel Transylvania film franchise (2012–2022).

Gomez executive produced the Netflix television series 13 Reasons Why (2017–2020) and Living Undocumented (2019) through her production company, July Moon Productions. Additionally, she executive produces and stars in the HBO Max cooking series Selena + Chef (2020–present) and the Hulu mystery-comedy series Only Murders in the Building (2021–present). The latter earned Gomez critical praise, and nominations for a Golden Globe Award, and as producer, a Primetime Emmy Award .

Gomez released three albums with her former band, Selena Gomez & the Scene, all of which reached the top ten of the US Billboard 200 and were certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA): Kiss & Tell (2009), A Year Without Rain (2010), and When the Sun Goes Down (2011). Her debut solo album, Stars Dance (2013), topped the U.S. Billboard 200, while its lead single, "Come & Get It", reached the top ten in the US Billboard Hot 100. Gomez's second studio album Revival (2015), debuted at number one in the US, was certified platinum by the RIAA, and spawned three US top-ten entries: "Good for You", "Same Old Love", "Hands to Myself". Her third studio album, Rare (2020), became her third consecutive number one in the US, and its lead single, "Lose You to Love Me", her first number-one song in the US and Canada. In 2021, she released the Spanish-language EP Revelación, for which she received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album.

She has received various accolades and was named Billboard's Woman of the Year in 2017, and she also broke 15 Guinness World Records. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2020. She has a large following on social media and is the most followed musician and actress on Instagram. Gomez's other ventures include makeup, clothing, handbag and fragrance lines. She has worked with many charitable organizations and served as a UNICEF ambassador since age 17.

Details

Selena Gomez, in full Selena Marie Gomez, (born July 22, 1992, Grand Prairie, Texas, U.S.), is an American actress and singer who won legions of young fans as the winsome star of the Disney television series Wizards of Waverly Place (2007–12) and as a pop vocalist.

Gomez, who was named after the popular Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez, was raised in suburban Dallas. Inspired by her mother, an amateur actress, Gomez tried out for a role on the PBS children’s television series Barney & Friends and, as a result, appeared regularly on the program in 2002–04. After making her big-screen debut in the family movie Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003), she auditioned for the Disney Channel, which eventually led to a guest spot on the TV series The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. In 2007 Gomez was cast as Alex Russo, a mischievous tomboy with magical powers, on a new Disney sitcom, Wizards of Waverly Place. The show, for which she also sang the theme song, became an instant hit among the preteen set, and she earned favourable comparisons to the channel’s leading ingenue, Miley Cyrus.

While continuing to star in Wizards of Waverly Place, Gomez acted in various tween-oriented videos and TV movies and provided a voice for the animated feature Horton Hears a Who! (2008). She then landed lead roles in the theatrical film Ramona and Beezus (2010), which was based on a children’s novel by Beverly Cleary, and the romantic comedy Monte Carlo (2011). Gomez departed from her family-friendly image with a role as a college student seeking adventure in Florida in the lurid Spring Breakers (2012). She then portrayed the girlfriend of a college student who is killed in a shooting on campus in the drama Rudderless (2014) and a sorority sister in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016). Gomez also voiced a character in the animated Hotel Transylvania (2012) and its sequels (2015, 2018) as well as Dolittle (2020). In 2019 she appeared in Jim Jarmusch’s zombie movie The Dead Don’t Die and in Woody Allen’s A Rainy Day in New York. She returned to TV for Only Murders in the Building (2021– ), in which she costarred with Steve Martin and Martin Short as an unlikely crime-solving trio.

Gomez ventured into music as the front woman of Selena Gomez & the Scene, an electronic-influenced pop band that produced several dance hits. The group released the albums Kiss & Tell (2009), A Year Without Rain (2010), and When the Sun Goes Down (2011) before announcing its separation in 2012. Gomez then forged a solo career with Stars Dance (2013), which featured the seductive single “Come & Get It.” Subsequent solo albums included Revival (2015) and Rare (2020), the latter of which yielded the hit ballad “Lose You to Love Me.”

As Gomez transitioned into adulthood, her fame was undoubtedly magnified by a romantic relationship with pop singer Justin Bieber. She was also known for her philanthropic work, much of it accomplished through UNICEF, which in 2009 appointed her a goodwill ambassador. In 2015 Gomez revealed that she had been diagnosed with lupus. As a result of complications from the disease, she had a kidney transplant in 2017. During this time Gomez was also candid about her struggles with depression and anxiety, and in 2020 she revealed that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In the documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me (2022), she discussed her mental health and her struggles with fame.

Additional Information

Actress and singer Selena Gomez was born on July 22, 1992 in Grand Prairie, Texas. She is the daughter of Mandy Teefey and Ricardo Gomez. Her mother is of part Italian ancestry, and her father is of Mexican descent. She was named after Tejano singer Selena, who died in 1995.

Her first acting role was as "Gianna" in the popular '90s children's television show Barney & Friends (1992), alongside Demi Lovato from 2002-2004. Gomez also had roles in Spy Kids 3: Game Over (2003), Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire (2005), and House Broken (2006).

Gomez moved to Los Angeles, California when she booked the lead role of "Alex Russo" and rose to fame in the Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place (2007). She then starred in Another Cinderella Story (2008) on ABC Family, had her first voice-role in the animated film Horton Hears a Who! (2008), and co-starred with childhood friend, Demi Lovato, in Princess Protection Program (2009).

In 2009, Gomez released her first album with her band called "Selena Gomez & the Scene," which ranked #9 on the Billboard 200 album charts. Gomez later released two other albums with her band and starred in Monte Carlo (2011), Spring Breakers (2012), and Hotel Transylvania (2012).

In 2013, she released her first solo album "Stars Dance" and the lead single "Come & Get It" from the album, became Gomez's first top ten entry on the Billboard Hot 100 list. She starred in Getaway (2013), Rudderless (2014), and Behaving Badly (2014).

In 2015, she released her second solo album "Revival," which debuted #1 on the Billboard 200 list, and starred in Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015), The Fundamentals of Caring (2016), In Dubious Battle (2016), and Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016). She made her third solo album "Rare" in 2020.

Jai Ganesh · 2023-01-13 00:11:08

1208) John McEnroe

Summary

John Patrick McEnroe Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional tennis player. He was known for his shot-making and volleying skills, his rivalries with Björn Borg and Jimmy Connors, and his confrontational on-court behavior, which frequently landed him in trouble with umpires and tennis authorities.

McEnroe is the only male player in tennis history to hold the world No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles simultaneously. Only one other male player, Stefan Edberg, ever attained No. 1 in both, although at different times. McEnroe finished his career with 77 singles titles on the ATP Tour and 78 doubles titles; this remains the highest men's combined total of the Open Era. He is the only male player to win more than 70 titles in both the men's singles and the men's doubles categories. He also won 25 singles titles on the ATP Champions tour. He won seven Grand Slam singles titles (four at the US Open and three at Wimbledon), nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles (five at Wimbledon and four at the US Open), and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title (at the French Open). His singles match record of 82–3 in 1984 remains the best single season win rate of the Open Era.

McEnroe also excelled at the year-end tournaments, winning eight singles and seven doubles titles, both of which are records. Three of his winning singles year-end championships were at the Masters Grand Prix (the ATP year-end event) and five were at the World Championship Tennis (WCT) Finals, an event which ended in 1989. Since 2000, there has been only one year-end men's singles event, the ATP Finals (the new name for the Masters Grand Prix). He was named the ATP Player of the Year and the ITF World Champion three times each: 1981, 1983 and 1984.

McEnroe contributed to five Davis Cup titles for the U.S. and later was team captain. He has stayed active in retirement, often competing in senior events on the ATP Champions Tour. He also works as a television commentator during majors tournaments.

Details

John McEnroe, in full John Patrick McEnroe, Jr., (born February 16, 1959, Wiesbaden, West Germany [now in Germany]), is an American tennis player who established himself as a leading competitor in the late 1970s and the ’80s. He also was noted for his poor behaviour on court, which resulted in a number of fines and suspensions and, on January 21, 1990, in his default at the Australian Open.

McEnroe grew up in Douglaston, New York, and received tennis training at the Port Washington Tennis Academy nearby. He first attracted international attention as an amateur in 1977, when at the age of 18 he became the youngest man to reach the Wimbledon semifinals. He enrolled at Stanford University in 1977, but, after winning the U.S. collegiate title in 1978, he left school and turned professional. In his first six months on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour, McEnroe acquired a record of 49 wins and only 7 losses.

In 1978 McEnroe helped the United States win the Davis Cup for the first time in five years by beating the Chilean competitors with doubles partner Brian Gottfried and by winning the singles over John Lloyd and Buster Mottram, both from Great Britain. McEnroe subsequently led the U.S. team to four more Davis Cup titles.

In 1979 McEnroe’s powerful volley helped him to win his first U.S. Open, and by the year’s end he was rated one of the best players in the world. He repeated his U.S. Open victory in 1980 and 1981—becoming the first man since Bill Tilden to win that title three consecutive times—and again in 1984. He also won the Wimbledon singles in 1981, 1983, and 1984. With partner Peter Fleming, McEnroe won several doubles titles at the U.S. Open and Wimbledon, as well as Championship Tennis tournaments. From 1983 to 1985 he won 75 matches on indoor carpet, setting a record for most consecutive victories on one surface; his record was broken in 2007 by Rafael Nadal of Spain (competing on clay).

McEnroe’s temper tantrums, invective, and “racket abuse” were characteristic features of his performances. At the 1990 Australian Open, he became the first player to be ejected from a Grand Slam event in nearly 30 years. In 1992 he retired from professional play and subsequently became a television announcer. He was also involved in music, forming the Johnny Smyth Band; the name was partly inspired by rocker Patty Smyth, whom McEnroe wed in 1997; he had earlier been married (1986–94) to actress Tatum O’Neal. During this time he continued to play on the seniors tour, and in 1999 he returned to the professional tour, competing in the mixed-doubles event with Steffi Graf; they reached the semifinals but Graf withdrew, citing an injury. In 2006 McEnroe competed in two ATP doubles events, winning a tournament in San Jose, California.

The autobiographies You Cannot Be Serious and But Seriously were published in 2002 and 2017, respectively. McEnroe was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1999.

Additional Information

John McEnroe was Pablo Picasso using a tennis racquet instead of a paintbrush. “The greatest compliment I ever got was when people called me an artist,” McEnroe said. “I understand that solo aspect of being an artist, when you’re in there by yourself, trying to do something great.”

McEnroe was a player of considerable skill and finesse; his volleying touch considered the best tennis has ever seen. The subtle nuances he displayed at net, which was just a sliver of his wide math of shots, stood out in sharp contrast to his boisterous outbursts between the lines, which often overshadowed the depth of his game. McEnroe was controversial, immensely competitive, and prone to outbursts, but there could be no disputing his enormous talents. He possessed a capacity to defeat any competitive style he faced – he could nullify the power and pace of Ivan Lendl, match the aggressive counter punching of Jimmy Connors, and trade groundstrokes with Björn Borg, his three biggest rivals. What made McEnroe a marvel was how easy he could make the game appear, all the while defeating the world’s best players and winning seven major singles titles. His deft acumen around the net earned him nine major doubles titles and one major mixed doubles championships. The bombastic McEnroe won 77 singles titles, 72 in doubles competition and was ranked No. 1 in the world in both categories, compiling an 877-198 career record in singles and a 532-103 mark in doubles. The combined 149 titles are the most in the Open Era, highlighted by the 1979 season in which he won 10 singles and 16 doubles titles.

His play sparked some of tennis’s most intense rivalries, especially with Borg and Connors. McEnroe won three of four major finals against Borg (at the US Open in 1980 and 1981 and Wimbledon in 1981; and his Wimbledon loss in 1980 to Borg is considered one of the greatest matches in tennis history) and spilt his 14 matches against the Swede. His battles with Connors, who he defeated 20 of 34 times, were epic matches, but the pair only met in two major singles finals, McEnroe losing at Wimbledon in 1982, but rebounding on Centre Court in 1984. Lendl was a tough foe in three major finals, nipping McEnroe at the French Open in 1984 and the US Open in 1985, while McEnroe captured the 1984 US Open.

McEnroe won three championships at Wimbledon in five trips to the finals. It was the site of his memorable match against Borg and his most memorable outburst, coming in opening round against Tom Gullikson in 1981. After a shot McEnroe hit was called out, he approached chair umpire Edward James bellowing, “You cannot be serious, man. YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS! That ball was on the line, chalk flew up (to emphasize his point McEnroe threw his arms up). It was clearly in. How could you possibly call that out! He (Gullikson) walks over, everyone in the whole stadium knows it’s in and you call that out?” McEnroe walked away saying, “You guys are the absolute pits of the world.” Upon hearing that less-than-flattering description, James calmly said, “I’m going to award a point against Mr. McEnroe.” Readers of Britain’s Telegraph once voted McEnroe’s rant as the "top Wimbledon moment of all time." To his credit, McEnroe later admitted he felt “terrible” about the incident, but it nonetheless cemented his fiery legacy, and McEnroe later titled his autobiography, “You Cannot Be Serious.”

McEnroe was born in Wiesbaden, West Germany, where his father was stationed in the Air Force. The family moved to Douglaston, an upper middle class community in Queens, New York. McEnroe began playing tennis at age 8, honing his game at the Douglaston Club and then the famed Port Washington Tennis Academy in Long Island. His tireless assault on the game led him to become a junior champion at the 1977 French Open, and few will recall that the first of McEnroe’s 17 major titles came as an amateur playing mixed doubles with Mary Carillo at the 1977 French Open. He advanced to the French second round that year and made an unexpected run at the Wimbledon Championships after his play in the qualifying tournament earned him a spot in the main draw. He lost to Connors, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, in the semifinals (the youngest semifinalist in 100 years), and the match was the start of a combative history against his fellow left-hander. McEnroe won 12 of his last 14 matches against Connors, starting in 1983 at the Cincinnati Open, where he lost in the final to Mats Wilander.

McEnroe’s play at Wimbledon led him to attend Stanford University in the fall of 1977, and although he led the Cardinals to the NCAA Division I National Championship and won the national singles title, his stay in California was short-lived. He turned professional in late 1978, winning five tournaments and defeating Arthur Ashe in his first of three Masters Grand Prix championships, 6-7, 6-3, 7-5. McEnroe’s three subsequent Masters Grand-Prix Year-End Championships were: 1978 (over Arthur Ashe), 1983, and 1984 (both over Ivan Lendl). He was also runner-up to Lendl in 1982. To close out the 1978 majors, McEnroe advanced to the fourth round of the US Open. In 1979 he won the first of four his US Open titles – and three straight – defeating friend Vitas Gerulaitis convincingly, 7-5, 6-3, 6-3. At 20 years, 6 months and 24 days old, McEnroe was the youngest US Open champion in 31 years, dating back to when Pancho Gonzales won the title at the same age in 1948. He won 10 ATP championships that season.

The 1980 season was historic for McEnroe, playing in back-to-back epic major singles finals against Borg. The 1980 Wimbledon final, McEnroe’s first-ever Wimbledon final, is widely considered one of the finest matches in history, won by Borg, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (16-18), 8-6. The 34-point tiebreaker that decided the fourth set, saw McEnroe thwart off five match points and Borg stave off six set points himself before McEnroe prevailed to force a fifth set. “There’s a magic when our names are mentioned together,” said McEnroe “We brought tennis to a place it wasn’t at before.” “It’s a match I will remember for the rest of my life,” Borg said of the 4 ½ hour classic.

Another McEnroe-Borg classic would ensue at the 1980 US Open, where McEnroe outlasted Borg, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1, 6-7 (5-7), 5-7, 6-4, but the duo, who were as different as night and day in playing style and on-court demeanor, were far from through with contesting major singles championships.

McEnroe won 10 championships in 1980. He and Borg met again in the 1981 Wimbledon final, with McEnroe battling Borg’s heavy topspin baseline game with a picturesque serve and volley match en route to his first Wimbledon title, 4-6, 7-6 (7-1), 7-6 (7-4), 6-4. The 1981 US Open would pit the two combatants against one another for a fourth time with a major title at stake, and McEnroe remained composed after dropping the first set to win in four, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3. He added the second of his three Wimbledon titles in 1983, defeating unseeded and relatively unknown New Zealand native Chris Lewis, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2.

Perhaps McEnroe’s finest year on tour came in 1984, when he recorded the best single season win-loss record in the Open Era, comprising an 82-3 record (96.5 percent). He advanced to his lone French Open final, losing a tightly-contested five setter to Lendl, one that saw McEnroe take the first two sets, 3-6, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, 7-5. He won his third Wimbledon by routing Connors, 6-1, 6-1, 6-2, and evened the score against Lendl at the US Open with a prolific performance, 6-3, 6-4, 6-1. McEnroe had reached the height of his career; in the following eight seasons he advanced to just one major singles final – a 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 6-4 loss to Lendl in 1985 at the US Open. He took a six-month break from playing in 1986 and a seven month break in 1987, and never regained his form upon his return. In his 16-years playing in the majors, McEnroe only entered the Australian five times and played the French 10 years, though unevenly dispersed through his career.

McEnroe’s doubles prowess may be among the best of all time. He forged a virtually unstoppable tandem with Peter Fleming, and the duo won 52 doubles titles, including four at Wimbledon (1979, 1981, 1983, 1984) and three at the US Open (1979, 1981, 1983). He was 9-3 in major doubles finals, winning a fifth Wimbledon doubles title with German Michael Stich in 1992 and a fourth US Open championship with Aussie Mark Woodforde in 1989. McEnroe was ranked No. 1 in doubles for 270 weeks.

McEnroe was ranked in the World Top 10 in singles for nine years, finishing No. 1 four consecutive years (1981-1984) and spent 170 weeks atop the rankings. He was the top-ranked doubles player for five consecutive years (1979-1983). He played Davis Cup for 12 years, helping the Americans win the Cup five times (1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1992). For his dedication to Davis Cup play, McEnroe was awarded the Davis Cup Commitment Award by the International Tennis Federation in 2013.

McEnroe also won a record eight season ending championships, including five WCT Finals titles and three Masters Grand Prix titles from twelve final appearances at those two events, a record he shares with Ivan Lendl. He won five WCT Year-End Championships: 1979 (over Björn Borg), 1981 (over Johan Kriek), 1983 (over Ivan Lendl), 1984 (over Jimmy Connors), and 1989 (over Brad Gilbert). He was a finalist in 1980 (Jimmy Connors), 1982 (Ivan Lendl), and 1987 (Miloslav Mečíř).

McEnroe earned his 78th doubles title in 2006 when he partnered with Jonas Bjorkman to win the SAP Open in San Jose, California. The win came just a few days shy of his 47th birthday. McEnroe had last won a doubles title at the Paris Indoors in 1992 with his brother Patrick. Both brothers are former Captains of the United States Davis Cup team and they both entered broadcasting following their careers. John is recognized by a younger generation of tennis fans as a familiar face and voice working for CBS, NBC, Tennis Channel, and ESPN at all of the major championships. McEnroe has made numerous television and movie appearances, and written and collaborated on many books.

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Jai Ganesh · 2023-01-15 00:14:23

1209) Sandra Bullock

Summary

Sandra Annette Bullock (born July 26, 1964) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, Bullock was the world's highest-paid actress in 2010 and 2014. In 2010, she was named one of Time's 100 most influential people in the world.

After making her acting debut with a minor role in the thriller Hangmen (1987), Bullock received early attention for her supporting role in the action film Demolition Man (1993). Her breakthrough in the action thriller Speed (1994) led to leading roles in the romantic comedy While You Were Sleeping (1995), and the dramas A Time to Kill (1996) and Hope Floats (1998). She achieved further success in the following decades with the comedies Miss Congeniality (2000), Two Weeks Notice (2002), The Proposal (2009), The Heat (2013), Ocean's 8 (2018), and The Lost City (2022); the dramas Crash (2004) and The Unforgivable (2021); and the thrillers Premonition (2007) and Bird Box (2018). For her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy in the biographical drama The Blind Side (2009), Bullock won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She was nominated for the same award for playing an astronaut stranded in space in the science fiction thriller Gravity (2013), which ranks as her highest-grossing live-action film.

In addition to acting, Bullock is the founder of the production company Fortis Films. She has produced some of the films in which she has starred, including Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (2005) and All About Steve (2009), and served as an executive producer on the ABC sitcom George Lopez (2002–2007), on which she made numerous appearances. Dubbed "America's sweetheart" by the media, Bullock was also named the Most Beautiful Woman by People magazine in 2015.

Details

Sandra Bullock, in full Sandra Annette Bullock, (born July 26, 1964, Arlington, Virginia, U.S.), is an American actress and film producer known for her charismatic energy and wit onscreen, especially as girl-next-door characters in romantic comedies.

Bullock spent most of her childhood in Nürnberg, West Germany, though she often traveled with her mother, who was a German opera singer, and occasionally performed in her mother’s productions. Bullock attended high school in Virginia, and she later studied drama at East Carolina University. In 1986 she moved to New York, where she studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. After receiving positive attention for the Off-Broadway play No Time Flat, Bullock made her motion-picture debut in Hangmen (1987) and took supporting roles in such films as Religion, Inc. (1989) and the television movie Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman (1989). Her first leading role was in Who Shot Pat? (1989), a romantic coming-of-age film that examines racial tensions in the 1950s. In 1990 Bullock starred in the short-lived TV series Working Girl, playing an ambitious New York City executive.

In 1992 Bullock displayed her earnest charm in the romantic comedy Love Potion No. 9. This led to a series of films the following year, including the thriller The Vanishing; Demolition Man, in which she starred alongside action star Sylvester Stallone, and the drama Wrestling Ernest Hemingway. Her big breakthrough, however, was the thriller Speed (1994), about a policeman (played by Keanu Reeves) who, with the assistance of a plucky passenger (Bullock), must deactivate a bomb on a bus. In 1996 Bullock earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for her performance in the romantic comedy While You Were Sleeping (1995). Seeking parts outside her typical romantic comedy roles, she appeared in the thriller The Net (1995); A Time to Kill (1996), based on the legal novel of the same name by best-selling author John Grisham; and In Love and War (1996), a drama about Ernest Hemingway’s wartime romance that inspired his novel A Farewell to Arms (1929).

In the late 1990s Bullock founded the production company Fortis Films, which in 1998 produced the romantic drama Hope Floats and the comedy Practical Magic; Bullock starred in both movies. That same year her voice was featured in the animated The Prince of Egypt. She returned to familiar territory as an endearing but eccentric lead in the romantic comedy Forces of Nature (1999), opposite Ben Affleck. In 2000 her performance in 28 Days was praised, as she balanced humour with vulnerability to portray a writer and party girl who is sent to rehabilitation. Later that year Bullock had a box office hit with Miss Congeniality, a comedy in which she played an FBI agent who goes undercover as a beauty pageant contestant.

Continuing to pursue work in all genres of film, she starred as a homicide detective in Murder by Numbers (2002), as a playwright who has a difficult relationship with her mother in Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002), and as an underappreciated lawyer in Two Weeks Notice (2002). She later appeared as the racist wife of a Los Angeles district attorney in the critically acclaimed Crash (2004). Bullock took another serious role when she portrayed the American author Harper Lee in Infamous (2006), a biopic about writer Truman Capote. In 2006 she reunited with Reeves in The Lake House, a romance about two people who fall in love by sending letters forward and backward in time.

In 2009, after appearing in the romantic comedies The Proposal and All About Steve, Bullock starred as a determined mother in the sports drama The Blind Side; she won numerous accolades for her performance, including an Academy Award for best actress. Another maternal role followed in Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011), a film about a boy coping with the death of his father in the September 11 attacks. In 2013 Bullock earned laughs as half of a mismatched pair of female FBI agents in the broad, raunchy comedy The Heat. Later that year she starred with George Clooney in Gravity, an acclaimed drama about astronauts struggling to survive after their spacecraft has been destroyed; Bullock earned an Oscar nomination for her performance. She then voiced the villainous Scarlett Overkill in the animated comedy Minions and depicted the struggles of an American political strategist guiding a Bolivian presidential campaign in the dark farce Our Brand Is Crisis (both 2015).

In 2018, Bullock played the mastermind of a jewelry heist in Ocean’s 8, the female-driven reboot of the Ocean’s franchise. She was also cast as a mother who takes a perilous journey blindfolded in Bird Box, a supernatural thriller in which an obscure force causes destruction to those who look upon it. In her next film, The Unforgivable (2021), Bullock portrayed a convicted murderer who searches for redemption and her younger sister after being released from prison. She returned to comedy with The Lost City (2022), about a romance writer who is kidnapped.

Additional Information

Sandra Annette Bullock was born in Arlington, a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C. Her mother, Helga Bullock (née Helga Mathilde Meyer), was a German opera singer. Her father, John W. Bullock, was an American voice teacher, who was born in Alabama, of German descent. Sandra grew up on the road with her parents and younger sister, chef Gesine Bullock-Prado, and spent much of her childhood in Nuremberg, Germany. She often performed in the children's chorus of whatever production her mother was in. That singing talent later came in handy for her role as an aspiring country singer in The Thing Called Love (1993). Her family moved back to the Washington area when she was adolescent. She later enrolled in East Carolina University in North Carolina, where she studied acting. Shortly afterward she moved to New York to pursue a career on the stage. This led to acting in television programs and then feature films. She gave memorable performances in Demolition Man (1993) and Wrestling Ernest Hemingway (1993), but did not achieve the stardom that seemed inevitable for her until her work in the smash hit Speed (1994). She now ranks as one of the most popular actresses in Hollywood. For her role in The Blind Side (2009) she won the Oscar, and her blockbusters The Proposal (2009), The Heat (2013) and Gravity (2013) made her a bankable star. With $56,000,000, she was listed in the Guinness Book Of World Records as the highest-paid actress in the world.

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Jai Ganesh · 2023-01-17 00:10:35

1210) Shannon Lucid

Summary

Shannon Matilda Wells Lucid (born January 14, 1943) is an American biochemist and retired NASA astronaut. She has flown in space five times, including a prolonged mission aboard the Russian space station Mir in 1996, and is the only American woman to have stayed on Mir. From 1996 to 2007, Lucid held the record for the longest duration spent in space by an American and by a woman. She was awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in December 1996, making her the tenth person and the first woman to be accorded the honor.

Lucid is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, where she earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1963, a master's degree in biochemistry in 1970, and a PhD in biochemistry in 1973. She was a laboratory technician at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation from 1964 to 1966, a research chemist at Kerr-McGee from 1966 to 1968, and a research associate at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation from 1973 to 1978.

In 1978, Lucid was recruited by NASA for astronaut training with NASA Astronaut Group 8, the first class of astronauts to include women. She flew in space five times: on STS-51-G, STS-34, STS-43, STS-58, and her mission to Mir, for which Lucid traveled to the space station on Space Shuttle Atlantis with STS-76 and returned six months later with STS-79. She was the NASA Chief Scientist from 2002 to 2003 and a capsule communicator (CAPCOM) at Mission Control for numerous Space Shuttle missions, including STS-135, the final mission of the Space Shuttle program. Lucid announced her retirement from NASA in 2012.

Details

Shannon Wells Lucid, née Shannon Matilda Wells, (born January 14, 1943, Shanghai, China), is an American astronaut who from 1996 to 2007 held the world record for most time in space by a woman and from 1996 to 2002 held the record for the longest-duration spaceflight by any U.S. astronaut.

Lucid was born in China as the daughter of Baptist missionaries and with her family spent several months in a Japanese prison camp near Shanghai during World War II. She received bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees from the University of Oklahoma; the Ph.D. was in biochemistry. She worked with the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation in Oklahoma City until her 1978 selection as one of the first six women to train as astronaut candidates for flights aboard the space shuttle.

Lucid first flew aboard the space shuttle in 1985 on a mission that deployed three communication satellites. She flew on three more space shuttle missions in 1989, 1991, and 1993, and then in 1996 rode the shuttle to the Russian space station Mir, where she spent 188 days, which was then a record for the longest-duration spaceflight by any U.S. astronaut. In all, Lucid spent a total of 223 days in space, then a record for most time in space by a woman.

In 2002 Lucid was named chief scientist of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), with responsibility for overseeing the scientific quality of all NASA programs and for external communication of NASA’s research objectives. She held that position until 2003, when she returned to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. She retired from NASA in 2012.

Additional Information

Shannon W. Lucid, Ph.D. was selected by NASA in January 1978 and became an astronaut in August 1979 as part of the first U.S. astronaut class to include women. A veteran of five space flights, including one stay on the Russian space station Mir, she has logged over 5,354 hours – 223 days – in space. She set a record for the most flight hours in orbit by a female astronaut, which she held until 2007, and remains the only American woman to have served aboard Mir.

Lucid launched aboard Discovery on June 17, 1985 on her first mission, STS-51G. The crew deployed several communications satellites and used the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) to deploy and retrieve the SPARTAN satellite, which performed X-ray astronomy experiments while separated from Discovery. The crew also participated in biomedical experiments and performed other mission objectives.

STS-34 saw Lucid lift off aboard Atlantis on October 18, 1989, with objectives of deploying the Galileo spacecraft on its mission to explore Jupiter, operating the Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Instrument (SSBUV), and performing numerous other experiments.

Lucid returned to space aboard Atlantis once more as a mission specialist for STS-43, which launched on August 2, 1991. The crew deployed the fifth Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-E) and conducted 32 physical, material, and life science experiments.

On October 18, 1993, Lucid launched aboard Columbia for STS-58. The crew performed many medical experiments, expanding our knowledge of human and animal physiology. They also performed engineering tests and Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project experiments. This 14-day mission was recognized by NASA as the agency’s most successful and efficient Spacelab flight.

After a year of training in Star City, Russia, Lucid lifted off aboard STS-76 Atlantis on March 22, 1996 and was transported to the Russian space station Mir. Lucid spent 188 days on the station serving as Board Engineer 2 for the Mir EO-21 mission, performing life and physical science experiments. She was the second American to have a long-duration stay aboard Mir. She returned to Earth aboard STS-79 Atlantis on September 26, 1996.

Besides working as an astronaut, Lucid also worked in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL); the Flight Software Laboratory; the Astronaut Office, where she worked on payload testing, Shuttle testing, and launch countdowns; as a CAPCOM at Johnson Space Center Mission Control Center; as Chief of Mission Support and Chief of Astronaut Appearances; and as NASA’s Chief Scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Lucid retired from NASA in January 2012.

Lucid was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame on May 2, 2014.

Jai Ganesh · 2023-01-19 00:09:08

1211) Maria Bueno

Summary

Maria Bueno, in full Maria Ester Audion Bueno, (born October 11, 1939, São Paulo, Brazil—died June 8, 2018, São Paulo), was a Brazilian tennis player who won 19 Grand Slam titles, 7 of which were in singles events. She had particular success at Wimbledon and United States championships (the latter held at Forest Hills, New York), where she won a combined 16 titles.

Bueno began playing tennis at about the age of six. She won her first tournament at São Paulo at age 12 and the women’s tennis championship of Brazil at 15. In 1958 she won the women’s doubles championship, with Althea Gibson, at Wimbledon, and in 1959 she won the singles championships at Wimbledon and Forest Hills. In 1960 she repeated her Wimbledon singles victory. That year she also registered a Grand Slam in the doubles event by winning the Australian, French, Wimbledon, and U.S. titles. She captured the Australian Open with Christine Truman, but the others were won with Darlene Hard. Adding to her titles in 1960, she also won the mixed doubles (with Bob Howe) at the French Open.

After a serious illness Bueno returned to competition in 1962, winning the U.S. doubles championship with Hard. In 1963 she won the U.S. singles title and shared Wimbledon doubles honours, again with Hard. She swept the Wimbledon and Forest Hills singles events in 1964, and in 1965 she won the Wimbledon doubles with Billie Jean Moffitt (afterward Billie Jean King). In 1966 Bueno won her fourth U.S. singles title and, with Nancy Richey (afterward Nancy Richey Gunter), captured the doubles championships at Wimbledon and Forest Hills. In 1968 she joined Margaret Smith Court to win the women’s doubles title in the first open tournament (both amateurs and professionals eligible) at Forest Hills. Bueno and Court also won doubles honours in the 1968 U.S. amateur tournament, held at Brookline, Massachusetts. After a long retirement because of injuries, she joined the professional tour in 1975 and played at Wimbledon in 1976 and 1977. Bueno was particularly graceful as an amateur, with a good range of shots. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1978.

Details

Maria Esther Andion Bueno (11 October 1939 – 8 June 2018) was a Brazilian professional tennis player. During her 11-year career in the 1950s and 1960s, she won 19 Grand Slam titles (seven in women's singles, 11 in women's doubles, and one in mixed doubles), making her the most successful South American female tennis player in history, and the only one to ever win Wimbledon. Bueno was the year-end number-one ranked female player in 1959 and 1960 and was known for her graceful style of play.

In 1960, Bueno became the first woman ever to win a calendar-year Grand Slam in doubles (all four majors in a year), three of them with Darlene Hard and one with Christine Truman.

Tennis career

Bueno was born in São Paulo. According to her official website, her father, a businessman, was a keen club tennis player. Her elder brother Pedro was also a tennis player. She began playing tennis aged six at the Clube de Regatas Tiete in São Paulo and, without having received any formal training, won her first tournament at age 12. She was 15 when she won her country's women's singles championship. She first went abroad in 1957 at age 17 and won the Orange Bowl juniors tournament in Florida, USA.

Joining the international circuit in 1958, Bueno won the singles title at the Italian Championships. The same year she gained the first of her Grand Slam titles, winning the women's doubles at Wimbledon with Althea Gibson. The following year, Bueno won her first singles title at Wimbledon, defeating Darlene Hard in the final. She also won the singles title at the U.S. Championships after a straight-sets victory in the final against Christine Truman, earning the World No. 1 ranking for 1959 and the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year award. Bueno was the first non-North-American woman to win both Wimbledon and the U.S. Championships in the same calendar year. In her native Brazil, she returned as a national heroine, honored by the country's president and given a ticker-tape parade on the streets of São Paulo.

According to Lance Tingay of the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail and Bud Collins, Bueno was ranked in the world top ten from 1958 through 1960 and from 1962 through 1968, reaching a career high of World No. 1 in those rankings in 1959 and 1960. The International Tennis Hall of Fame also lists her as the top ranked player in 1964 (after losing the final at the French Championships and winning both Wimbledon and the U.S. Championships) and 1966.

Bueno won the singles title at Wimbledon three times and at the U.S. Championships four times. She was a singles finalist at the Australian Championships and the French Championships, losing both finals to Margaret Smith. Bueno reached at least the quarterfinals in each of the first 26 Grand Slam singles tournaments she played. This streak ended at Wimbledon in 1967 when she lost in the fourth round because of an arm injury.

As a doubles player, Bueno won twelve Grand Slam championships with six different partners. In 1960, she became the first woman to win the women's doubles title at all four Grand Slam tournaments in the same calendar year, partnered with Christine Truman at the Australian Championships and Hard at the French Championships, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Championships.

Her playing career was affected by various arm and leg injuries. She played only intermittently after 1968; her final tournament win was the Japan Open in 1974, her only professional win. She retired from playing in 1977.

Her playing style was described as bold and aggressive; she had a hard serve, was a strong volleyer, and often came into the net. Bud Collins described her as "incomparably balletic and flamboyant". She did not use a coach, and attributed her speed on the court to training with men. The American player Billie Jean King acknowledged her as an influence. She was also known for her on-court style, wearing tennis dresses designed by Ted Tinling.

Later career

Bueno worked as a commentator for SporTV, a Brazilian cable television sports channel.

Death

Bueno died on 8 June 2018, aged 78, at a hospital in São Paulo, Brazil, where she had been admitted for mouth cancer. One obituary states she was diagnosed in 2016 with virulent Merkel-cell carcinoma, a rare and highly aggressive skin cancer. A minute's applause in honour of Bueno was held as a tribute before the Women's Singles final at the 2018 French Open the day after her death.

Honours

In 1959 Correios do Brasil issued a postal stamp honouring her title at the Wimbledon Ladies Singles Championships. That same year the Associated Press voted her Female Athlete of the Year. In 1978, Bueno was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island.

Bueno was awarded the International Club's prestigious Jean Borotra Sportsmanship Award in 2003.

The Seniors World Team Championships for the women's 50 age category is named "Maria Esther Bueno Cup" by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in her honour. In 2015 the centre court of the Olympic Tennis Centre in Rio de Janeiro was named after her.

In October 2018, Maria Esther Bueno received the Medal of Sporting Merit from the Chamber of Councilors of São Paulo, according to the Resolution 03/2014. The award is instituted within the scope of the Municipality of São Paulo, to be awarded annually to the entity or citizen of São Paulo in recognition of the relevance of services rendered in favor of sport in the Municipality of São Paulo, or that, in any case, have contributed to the aggrandizement of the sport or significantly encourage its practice, whether through personal goals achieved or activity with society.

Grand Slam finals

Bueno won 19 and lost 16 of her Grand Slam finals. This represents a success rate of 54%.

Additional Information

Maria Esther Bueno’s impact on South American tennis, particularly in her native Brazil, was so profound that in 1959 she was issued a postal stamp honoring her Wimbledon Ladies Singles Championships, won in 1959 and 1960. The “Correios de Brasil,” stamp serves as a historical marker and tribute to the remarkable career Bueno forged as a player who put both a region and women’s tennis on her back.

Bueno won 19 of 35 major singles, doubles, and mixed doubles opportunities, a 54 percent victory rate in the majors. You earn your own stamp and immortality in Newport when you become the first non-US woman to win both Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals in the same year (1959). In tennis history, only eight woman players have won three Wimbledon and U.S. Championships in their career, and Bueno is among that elite group. She solidified herself as the preeminent player of the 1960s by being ranked No. 1 in the world in 1959, 1960, 1964, and 1966, and ranks 12th all-time on the list of major singles winners. Twelve of her 19 major titles were won in doubles and mixed doubles, with six different partners of varying skills and techniques, capturing a doubles Grand Slam in 1960.

Bueno went about her tennis business with both grace and style, flair and artistry, leading tennis writers of the era to bestow praise. In his Tennis Encyclopedia Bud Collins wrote “… the incomparably balletic and flamboyant Bueno. Volleying beautifully, playing with breathtaking boldness and panache, the lithe Brazilian became the first South American women to win the Wimbledon singles.” In Wimbledon: The Hidden Dream, Gwen Robyns penned, “She looked like an exotic Siamese cat as she roamed the court. Maria was sinuous, sensuous and feminine. They called her the Queen of Wimbledon.” In his book 100 Wimbledon Championships, A Celebration, John Barrett waxed poetically, writing, “Between 1959 and 1964 we were treated to three regal wins from the artistic racket of the elegant queen of Brazilian tennis, Maria Bueno. Here was poetry in motion whose every movement combined the grass of a ballet dancer with the controlled power of a top gymnast.”

Bueno merged dominant tennis with her inherent beauty. She was glamorous and chic on court, wearing specially designed dresses created by the incomparable Ted Tinling. All this did what magnify Bueno’s appeal to a global audience. While she was beloved in Brazil — her Wimbledon victory in 1959 leading to a parade on the streets of São Paulo — and throughout South America, she was developing a worldwide following that adored her game, her style and panache.

The 5-foot-6 Bueno had long, trim legs and brown hair cut short and tucked behind her ears. She had no formal coaching and traveled the world unchaperoned. She won the Brazilian Nationals as a 15-year-old in 1954, adding to her collection of age group category (14-year, 18-year, and 21-year) championships as a prodigious teenager. In late 1957 he left her native São Paulo and made her first international splash by winning the prestigious Orange Bowl Championship in Florida. She played the Caribbean Circuit and soon made her way to Europe, where her exploits at Wimbledon placed her into the tennis hierarchy and earned her icon status. When Bueno defeated Shirley Bloomer, England’s best player, and Lorraine Coughlin, Australia’s best player (3-6, 6-3, 6-3), to win the Italian Championships in 1958, it was reported that she “hits the ball with the power of a man … serves hard and rushes to the net at every opportunity.” Nicknamed “The São Paulo Swallow” because she appeared out of thin air to swoop in and dominate the net, Bueno won the Italian again in 1961 and 1965.

Bueno was also called the heir apparent to Althea Gibson, but she remained modest in trying to remain under the radar as long as possible. “I’m not good,” she told the Associated Press, which named her its Female Athlete of the Year in 1959. “I’m afraid of everyone I play.”

All but one of Bueno’s major singles titles were won in straight sets — Margaret Court extended her to three sets (6-4,7-9, 6-3) at Wimbledon in 1964, which earned Bueno her third and final championship on Centre Court. She was a finalist there in 1965 and 1966, losing to Court and Billie Jean King. In 1959, she faced American Darlene Hard in the finals and was on a roll, winning easily, 6-4, 6-3. “Winning Wimbledon in 1959 was the greatest moment of my career,” Bueno said. “It was a bit unexpected as I was very young — 17 years old. Coming from Brazil where we only had clay courts, we didn’t have the chance to really play on grass, so winning the first time was huge and a big surprise.”

Later that summer at Forest Hills, Bueno dismantled Brit Christine Truman, 6-1, 6-4, to win the U.S. Nationals. She returned to Wimbledon in 1960 as the No. 1 seed, powered through the draw and faced an unlikely finalist in South African Sandra Reynolds Price, who gave Bueno a tussle in the first set, but was no match, falling 8-6, 6-0.

Bueno was all-business at the U.S. Nationals, playing in five championship matches, winning four of them. Hard won the 1960 rematch, 6-4, 10-12, 6-4, then Bueno won three straight in 1963 over Court (7-5, 6-4); 1964 over Carole Graebner (6-1, 6-0) and her last in 1966 over Nancy Richey (6-3, 6-1). Bueno had an exhausting stretch of singles success — she amassed 589 overall titles — and reached the quarterfinals (or better) in each of the first 26 majors she played. She was ranked in the world Top 10 from 1958 to 1968.

Meanwhile, Bueno was able to also focus on doubles, winning 12 doubles and mixed doubles championships in 23 opportunities. Her aggressive style, which served her so well in singles, was tailor made for doubles. She and Hard teamed to win five of the 11 (1960 and 1963 Wimbledon; 1960 and 1962 U.S. Nationals; and 1960 French). Alongside Gibson she won her first major at Wimbledon in 1958 and paired with King (1965 Wimbledon), Richey (1966 U.S.), and Truman (1960 Australian) for additional major championships. In mixed doubles, Bueno partnered with Aussie Bob Howe to win the 1960 French.

Bueno’s career didn’t extend long enough to play into the Open Era, and when tour money arrived, significant arm and leg injuries prevented her from competing after 1968. She made cameo appearances thereafter, winning the 1974 Japan Open for her lone professional title compared to the 62 tour victories she earned as an amateur.

Her immortality in Brazil will endure forever, with three constructed statues and a mural honoring her legacy, and joins Gabriela Sabatini as the only South American women inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. She passed away in 2018 in her native São Paulo. According to the New York Times, upon her death Brazil’s president, Michel Temer, said Bueno “will always be remembered as the No. 1 of tennis in the hearts of all Brazilians.”

Jemsnixon · 2023-01-19 02:29:26

I believe that studying the masters rather than the students is the best course of action if one wishes to advance in mathematics. Niels Henrik Abel
According to Stephen William Hawking, there is nothing greater than reading and learning more and more.

Last edited by Jemsnixon (2023-01-19 02:30:55)

Jai Ganesh · 2023-01-19 04:14:12

1212) Ravi Shastri

Summary

Ravishankar Jayadritha Shastri (born 27 May 1962) is the former head coach of the India national cricket team, a cricket commentator and former captain of Indian Cricket Team. As a player, he played for the India national cricket team between 1981 and 1992 in both Test matches and One Day Internationals. Although he started his career as a left arm spin bowler, he later transformed into a batting all-rounder.

As a cricketer, Shastri was essentially defensive with his trademark "chapati shot" (a flick off the pads), but he could raise his strike rate when required. Due to his above-average height (he stood 6' 3" tall) and an upright stance, he had a limited number of shots against fast bowling, but was able to put the lofted shot to good use against spin bowling. Ravi played either as an opening batsman or in the middle order.

The highlight of his career was when he was elected Champion of Champions in the World Championship of Cricket in Australia in 1985. In the same season, on 10 January 1985, he equaled West Indian Garry Sobers's record of hitting six sixes in an over in first class cricket. He was regarded as a potential captain, but his image outside cricket, injuries and tendency to lose form at crucial times meant that he captained India in only one Test match.

In domestic cricket, he played for Bombay and led them to the Ranji Trophy title in his final year of playing. He also played four seasons of county cricket for Glamorgan. He was forced to retire aged 31 due to a recurring knee injury. He has done commentary on behalf of BCCI in the matches that India play. In 2014, he became the director of Indian cricket team for a period of eight months from India's tour of England until the 2015 World Cup. On 13 July 2017, he was appointed as the head coach of Indian cricket team. On 16 August 2019, he was re-appointed as the head coach of the senior men's Indian team and remained in charge until the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup.

Details

There's cricket, and there's things around cricket. Ravi Shastri has done everything in either. It is often easy to forget that the faces and voices omnipresent on television screens ...

Full profile

Batting Career Summary

M : Inn : NO : Runs : HS : Avg : BF : SR : 100 : 200 : 50 : 4s : 6s
Test : 80 : 121 : 14 : 3830 : 206 : 35.79 : 7942 : 48.22 : 11 : 1 : 12 : 317 : 22
ODI : 150 : 128 : 21 : 3108 : 109 : 29.05 : 5089 : 61.07 : 4 : 0 : 18 : 206 : 25

Bowling Career Summary

M : Inn : B : Runs : Wkts : BBI : BBM : Econ : Avg : SR : 5W : 10W
Test : 80 : 125 : 15751 : 6185 : 151 : 5/75 : 8/179 : 2.36 : 40.96 : 104.31 : 2 : 0
ODI : 150 : 136 : 6613 : 4650 : 129 : 5/15 : 5/15 : 4.22 : 36.05 : 51.26 : 1 : 0

Career Information

Test debut vs New Zealand at Basin Reserve, Feb 21, 1981
Last Test vs South Africa at St George's Park, Dec 26, 1992
ODI debut vs England at Narendra Modi Stadium A Ground, Nov 25, 1981
Last ODI vs South Africa at Kingsmead, Dec 17, 1992

Profile

There's cricket, and there's things around cricket. Ravi Shastri has done everything in either. It is often easy to forget that the faces and voices omnipresent on television screens as a part of the media had celebrated cricketing careers before getting there. Shastri is one such prime example.

One of the many Bombay-products of the 80s in the Indian side, he started off as a prodigy from the maidans. A Harris-Shield winning captain in the final year of school, he was spotted by the scouts, fast-tracked through the ranks and at the age of 17, found himself in the Bombay Ranji Trophy squad, the then youngest to do so. A year later, an India cap duly followed.

He was the generation's pin-up boy - flamboyant, loud, brash. His cricket though was for large parts the perfect contrast - orthodox, defensive. Often promoted to bat up the order when the regular openers would 'get injured' as soon as India went overseas, Shastri built a style of ultra-defensive batting around himself - something that his career risks getting defined by. But it got him runs, big runs, against big sides. An average of 77.75 against the mighty Aussies of that decade says enough.

He came into the side predominantly as a left-arm spinner, starting off at number ten, when he made his Test debut in 1981 against New Zealand at Basin Reserve. Promotions surely were in order, moving up the ladder and in eighteen months found himself opening the batting, batting in every single position by the end of his career.

Out of his eleven Test centuries, seven of them came outside home, on tough tours of Pakistan, England and the West Indies. He was also a perpetual vice-captain, first to Gavaskar, then to Kapil Dev, followed by Vengsarkar, Srikkanth and Azharuddin. In the one Test he led India at Madras, he took them to victory, pocketing an interesting piece of trivia.

The glory moments

The World Championship of Cricket in 1985 marked a new chapter in India's cricketing journey. Not only was it one of those rare televised tournaments in India, it also marked the start of one-day cricket as we know it today - with coloured clothes and under floodlights. India were also in with a mission to prove that their 1983 World Cup win was no fluke. Ravi Shastri maintained his top form throughout, both with ball and as an opener and helped India win each of their matches en route the trophy. The Audi, a Man of the Series prize was his.

Another defining moment came in the domestic circuit, against poor Tilak Raj of Baroda. In one of those instances of breaking out of his perceived defensive mould, Shastri launched an offence that culminated in six sixes in an over - a record achieved by only three others in the world till date.

Commentary days

If one skims through any of India's recent cricketing footage, Shastri's booming voice would stand out. With a bunch of one-liners, repeated with regularity, he's carved out a niche for himself behind the mic as he calls out the game. He took to commentary soon after retirement, and found his rise coincide with India's economy getting globalized. With new players stepping into the broadcasting scene, his command over English and the ability to articulate, made him a much sought after entity in the box and in the analyst's chair.

Take India's big moments, the 2011 World Cup winning hit, Sreesanth's catch in the 2007 World T20, Yuvraj Singh's six sixes, it's his voice that'll blare through the screens.

Coaching voyage

A crisis in Indian cricket often has Shastri as its supposed cure. He was made manager of the national side after the drubbing in the 2007 World Cup. Although only for a series, it marked a new shift in guard after the troublesome Greg Chappell era. Similarly after a string of dismal overseas tours, he was made the 'Team Director' in 2014, a role which continued even post Duncan Fletcher's exit till early 2016.

His interview from Bangkok for the Head Coach and his subsequent tiff with Sourav Ganguly made headlines, but after Anil Kumble's unceremonious exit after the 2017 Champions Trophy, he was back in the chair. Together with skipper Virat Kohli, he's formed an aggressive, bordering on arrogant, combo, but it's one that's delivering the right results for the side. It's during his tenure that India's become this powerhouse of fast bowling, a key reason for them becoming the first Indian side in history to register a Test series win in Australia in 2018-19.

Despite not quite performing to full potential in the 2019 World Cup, a campaign that saw some debatable batting strategies as favourites India bowed out to underdogs New Zealand, Shastri received staunch support for an extension in his coaching term from his skipper Kohli. He was duly awarded one, now lasting until the 2021 T20 World Cup.

Shastri.jpg?format=750w

Jai Ganesh · 2023-01-20 00:03:19

1213) Steve Waugh

Summary

Stephen Rodger Waugh (born 2 June 1965) is an Australian former international cricketer and twin brother of cricketer Mark Waugh. A right-handed batsman and a medium-pace bowler, Waugh is considered one of the greatest cricketers of all time. As Australian captain from 1997 to 2004, he led Australia to fifteen of their record sixteen consecutive Test wins, and to victory in the 1999 Cricket World Cup. Waugh is considered the most successful Test captain in history with 41 victories and a winning ratio of 72%, he along with Clive Lloyd are regarded the two greatest captains of all time taking into account both test and ODI cricket.

Born in New South Wales, with whom he began his first-class cricket career in 1984, he captained the Australian Test cricket team from 1999 to 2004, and was the most capped Test cricket player in history, with 168 appearances, until Sachin Tendulkar of India broke this record in 2010. Waugh was the world number 1 all-rounder in both Test and One Day International (ODI) cricket until back issues forced him to give up bowling. He concentrated only on batting and went on to become one of the leading batsmen of his time. He is one of only thirteen players to have scored more than 10,000 Test runs.

He was named Australian of the Year in 2004 for his philanthropic work, and inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in front of his home fans at the Sydney Cricket Ground in January 2010.

Waugh has been included in a list of one hundred Australian Living Treasures by the National Trust of Australia, awarded the Order of Australia and the Australian Sports Medal. Known as an attacking and sometimes ruthlessly efficient captain, Described in 2003 as a "cold-blooded, scientific" leader, cricket columnist of The Times Simon Barnes noted that "Waugh wants to defeat you personally." At the end of his final Test match, Waugh was carried by his teammates in a lap of honour around the Sydney Cricket Ground. In a fan poll conducted by the CA in 2017, he was named in the country's best Ashes XI in the last 40 years.

Details

Batting Career Summary

M : Inn : NO : Runs : HS : Avg : BF : SR : 100 : 200 : 50 : 4s : 6s
Test : 168 : 260 : 44 : 10927 : 200 : 50.59 : 22461 : 48.65 : 32 : 1 : 50 : 1175 : 20
ODI : 325 : 288 : 56 : 7569 : 120 : 32.62 : 9971 : 75.91 : 3 : 0 : 45 : 530 : 68

Bowling Career Summary

M : Inn : B : Runs : Wkts : BBI : BBM : Econ : Avg : SR : 5W : 10W
Test : 168 : 150 : 7805 : 3445 : 92 : 5/28 : 8/169 : 2.65 : 37.45 : 84.84 : 3 : 0
ODI : 325 : 207 : 8883 : 6761 : 195 : 4/33 : 4/33 : 4.57 : 34.67 : 45.55 : 0 : 0

Career Information

Test debut vs India at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Dec 26, 1985
Last Test vs India at Sydney Cricket Ground, Jan 02, 2004
ODI debut vs New Zealand at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Jan 09, 1986
Last ODI vs South Africa at W.A.C.A. Ground, Feb 03, 2002

Profile

Much like his predecessors Allan Border and Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh was also a temple of mental stamina and patience with a large sprinkling of aggression to boot. If the two captains before him established a work culture for the Australian cricket team en route to being the best side in the world, Waugh was responsible for infusing ruthlessness and a winning habit into the side. Under Waugh, Australia weren't just winning games, they were destroying opponents, especially in Tests where the team redefined the way red-ball cricket was played. His captaincy was pivotal to this and so was his dogged style of batting where the modus operandi was to tire out the bowlers and then, feast on them.

His career as a whole was a stark contrast to the time he started out in international cricket as a raw youngster who was being baptized by fire against the furious West Indians. Here was a lad who could bat decently and also roll out useful medium-pacers to stifle the opposition's scoring rate. His ability to hold his nerve especially while bowling at the death earned him the nickname Iceman. Steve was as cool as they come even in the face of adversity and this showed in his progress as a player. Having made his international debut in the 1985-86 season, it took a while for him to find his feet in Tests but Steve embraced the ODI format instantly and also had a moderate time in Australia's 1987 World Cup title.

It was shortly after the World Cup win that his twin brother Mark Waugh joined the national team and the brothers as a combination went on to produce several magnificent partnerships for the team. Steve had started to shed his initial brawn and raw energy while a more composed and cool temperament replaced those. From 1993 onwards, Steve's career hit top gear across both formats as he made runs for fun, especially in the longer format while his white-ball career continued to be consistent. In 1995, he played a vital part in Australia upsetting West Indies for the first time in 20 years, a masterful double century setting up the series win and from then on, his team ruled the roost in world cricket.

Much like his twin brother Mark, Steve also relished playing on the big stage - be it the World Cups or the Ashes, he just plundered runs. Waugh didn't have a particularly pretty technique or batting stance but it was mighty effective. He was always willing to fight it out, even if it meant to look ugly at times. The efficiency was all that he cared about as he built his knocks brick by brick, blunting the opposition bowlers to submission. He was also a fantastic player of spin - a quality that not many non-Asian players had, especially not the Australians. In ODIs, Waugh batted with a calculated mind and focused a lot on rotating the strike before launching the big shots when set. Who can forget his tournament-turning century against South Africa in the 1999 World Cup? From there on, the Aussies went on a roll to claim their second ever World Cup title.

As a captain, Waugh was unfazed even in the most trickiest of situations and this helped the Australians to get across the line in such scenarios. His attacking style of captaincy saw the team being the most verbally aggressive side in the world, often getting under the skins of the opposition. Although not a commonly accepted tactic, he carried it out efficiently himself and goaded his mates to do the same. His partner in crime was the champion leg spinner Shane Warne as the duo would control the side's on-field activities to unsettle the opposition. Waugh was also the first captain who thought proactively in Tests, calling his teammates to adopt a free-wheeling style of strokeplay to ensure that the bowlers had enough time to take 20 wickets. It revolutionized the format and with time, the other teams also took the cue.

Despite all the achievements, Steve's career, ODIs in particular ended on a sour note. After the VB Series disaster in 2002 when Australia failed to make the final in the tri-series that featured South Africa and New Zealand, both the Waugh brothers were booted from the squad. For Steve, it was a straight removal from captaincy and into the sidelines, out of the squad. Needless to say, it hurt him big and although Mark retired from international cricket in the same year, Steve continued to lead the Test side and was making a fair amount of runs as well. However, with Ricky Ponting rising quickly up the ranks and also leading Australia to their third World Cup title in 2003, the pressure was certainly on Steve and he finally bid farewell in the 2003-04 home series against India. He ended in style, producing a match-saving 80 to deny the Indians of what would have been a historic series win.

Off the field, Waugh was a pioneer in charity, setting up a lot of homes in Calcutta for the leprosy patients. He was a frequent visitor to India for the same and as time went by, he started spreading this to other parts of the world, notably in Australia itself. He has also been an active social worker in his country although he has rubbished reports of entering politics. His son Austin Waugh is following the same footsteps and was a part of the Australian U19 team that played in the 2018 World Cup. A leader, determined batsman and an inspiration to his mates, Steve Waugh was iconic to Australia's rise as a dominant team.

Additional Information

Steve Waugh, by name of Stephen Rodger Waugh, (born June 2, 1965, Canterbury, New South Wales, Australia), is an Australian cricketer who set the record for most international Test appearances (168; later broken by Sachin Tendulkar) and who, with his twin brother, Mark, helped lead the resurgence of the Australian national team in the late 20th century.

Waugh made his debut at the age of 20 against India in 1985 but did not score a century (100 runs in a single innings) in his first 26 Tests. He was a key member of Australia’s 1987 Cricket World Cup-winning team, but his true breakthrough came in England in 1989 when he made 177 not out and 152 not out in the first two Tests and finished the series with an average of 126. Despite another successful Ashes tour (Australia’s long-standing Test competition against England) four years later, it was not until the tour to the West Indies in 1995 that Waugh fully matured into the complete Test batsman and was considered one of the greatest batsmen in the world. His 200 against a strong West Indian attack answered the critics who had consistently questioned his technique against short-pitched bowling. Against England in 1997, he became only the third Australian to score two centuries in the same Test.

Waugh became Australia’s Test captain in 1999, and he led Australia’s One Day International (ODI) team to another World Cup victory that year. Also in 1999, the Australian side began a world-record streak of 16 consecutive Test wins (a mark that was equaled by another Australian team from 2005 to 2008). In 2002 he was removed from Australia’s ODI team but remained captain of the Test squad, which won the Ashes in 2002–03. He retired in 2004 and turned to philanthropy, establishing the Steve Waugh Foundation for sick children. His autobiography, Out of My Comfort Zone, was published in 2005.

Jai Ganesh · 2023-01-22 00:03:33

1214) Richie Benaud

Summary

Richard Benaud OBE (/ˈbɛnoʊ/; 6 October 1930 – 10 April 2015) was an Australian cricketer who played for New South Wales and the Australia national cricket team. Following his retirement from international cricket in 1964, Benaud became a highly regarded commentator on the game.

Benaud was a Test cricket all-rounder, blending leg spin bowling with lower-order batting aggression. Along with fellow bowling all-rounder Alan Davidson, he helped restore Australia to the top of world cricket in the late 1950s and early 1960s after a slump in the early 1950s. In 1958 he became Australia's Test captain until his retirement in 1964. He became the first player to reach 200 wickets and 2,000 runs in Test cricket, arriving at that milestone in 1963.

Gideon Haigh described him as "perhaps the most influential cricketer and cricket personality since the Second World War." In his review of Benaud's autobiography Anything But, Sri Lankan cricket writer Harold de Andrado wrote: "Richie Benaud possibly next to Sir Don Bradman has been one of the greatest cricketing personalities as player, researcher, writer, critic, author, organiser, adviser and student of the game."

Details

Richie Benaud, by name of Richard Benaud, (born October 6, 1930, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia—died April 10, 2015, Sydney), was a cricketer who is best remembered as one of Australia’s most-imaginative captains. He served as captain of the Australian national team from 1958 to 1963, during which time Australia never lost a Test (international) series. After his retirement from professional cricket, Benaud moved on to a highly successful broadcasting career and was revered in both Australia and England for his cricket commentary, earning widespread recognition as “the voice of cricket.”

Benaud began playing organized competitive cricket at the age of six and made his debut in first-class cricket at the age of 18. He first appeared in Test matches in 1951. Benaud developed a reputation as a fine leg-spin bowler as well as an excellent batsman and fielder. He also became known for his intelligent and energetic play.

Additional Information

Batting Career Summary

M : Inn : NO : Runs : HS : Avg : BF : SR : 100 : 200 : 50 : 4s : 6s
Test : 63 : 97 : 7 : 2201 : 122 : 24.46 : 1119 : 0.0 : 3 : 0 : 9 : 182 : 8

Bowling Career Summary

M : Inn : B : Runs : Wkts : BBI : BBM : Econ : Avg : SR : 5W : 10W
Test : 63 : 116 : 16374 : 6704 : 248 : 7/72 : 11/105 : 2.46 : 27.03 : 66.02 : 16 : 1

Career Information

Test debut vs West Indies at Sydney Cricket Ground, Jan 25, 1952
Last Test vs South Africa at Sydney Cricket Ground, Feb 07, 1964

Profile

If there is one word to describe Richie Benaud, it is influential. If Australia were in the midst of a slump following Sir Don Bradman’s retirement, then it was Richie Benaud who pulled Australia out of the darkness and helped them become the top team that they were. If his influence in the game was great, then his contributions outside the game make him greater.

Benaud made his first class debut in 1948/49 for New South Wales and was soon battling for his life. During the match against Victoria in Melbourne, he was hit on the head by a ball from Jack Daniel. This resulted in a skull fracture and he was side-lined for the whole season.

With the progress of time, Benaud started cementing his position in the NSW team and soon earned a Test match debut in 1951, despite moderate success.

His starting years in Test cricket did not yield much success. However, during the 1953/54 summer, Beanud had a prolific run in domestic cricket. During that season, he scored 811 runs at an average of 62 and he also picked up 35 wickets. This rich form also translated in good returns in Test cricket and his breakthrough series was the West Indies tour in 1955.

His 121 in the final Test helped Australia clinch the series 3-0 and he contributed consistently with the ball. Overall, his average of 41 with the bat and his 18 wickets at an average of 27 signalled the arrival of Benaud.

However, if there was one country which Benaud excelled against, it was India. The team that had a formidable reputation against spin had no clue against Benaud in the 1956 series.

In three Tests, he picked up a staggering 23 wickets, including his only 10 wicket haul as Australia won the series 2-0. He would do more damage to India during the 1959 series as he picked up 29 wickets in five games at an average of 19. If one looks at the career statistics of Benaud, he picked up 52 wickets in eight Tests in India at an average of 18, a truly remarkable achievement.

Another remarkable achievement of Benaud is that Australia never lost a series when he was captain. He was already in the peak of his performance during 1957 during the tour to South Africa. He had scored 329 runs at an average of 55 while he also picked up 30 wickets. His captaincy period started from the Ashes in 1958/59 and he showed tremendous skill and shrewdness while captaining the team. Under Benaud, Australia secured the Ashes. From then on, Australia would win five consecutive series until 1961.

An example of his shrewd and bold captaincy was during the 1960/61 series against West Indies, a series that changed cricket. During the first Test at Brisbane, Benaud decided to go after a challenging target of 233. At 92/6, it seemed West Indies held the upper-hand but a 134 run stand for the seventh wicket between Benaud and Alan Davidson got them closer to victory. However, Benaud departed and the tail wilted as the match was tied. This was the first ever tied Test in history. Benaud’s captaincy had made Test cricket a lot more attractive and Australia managed to win a nail-biting series 2-1.

As the middle part of the 60’s approached, Benaud was plagued with injuries and he retired from international cricket after the completion of South Africa’s tour in 1964. Benaud was a thorough analyst of the game and he was interested in journalism. After the end of the 1956 series, he joined a training course as a presenter in the BBC and was also a sports columnist at the News of the World. In 1960, he had his first stint as a radio
commentator for the BBC before moving into Television. He worked for the BBC and for Channel 9 in Australia. Such was his mastery over the language and his analysis was so thorough, it gave people the feeling that they were listening to ‘The Godfather of cricket commentary.’

If television commentary has a template of the Do’s and Dont’s in cricket, they all emerge out of Richie Benaud, a cricketer, captain and commentator par excellence.

Math Is Fun Forum

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Re: crème de la crème

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Re: crème de la crème

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