PEOPLE
MEDIUM
2006 JUNE 7, 8
Stars of the TENNIS Courts
June is a great month for watching tennis. Who are the top players to look for?
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Great tennis awaits you. Two of the biggest tennis tournaments of the year will be held this month. The French Open began on May 28. The oldest tennis competition, Wimbledon, will begin its 120th tournament on June 26. Along with the Australian and U.S. Open, these are tennis’s biggest events. A tennis player who wins all four tournaments takes the Grand Slam.
Do any of tennis’s young players have a chance at it? Keep a close eye on both the French Open and Wimbledon to find out.
Roger Federer
Andy Roddick
Rafael Nadal
MENS TENNIS
Switzerland’s Roger Federer currently dominates the male tennis world. He has won the last three Wimbledon titles. In 2004, he came within one title of winning the Grand Slam.
American Andy Roddick and Spaniard Rafael Nadal plan to challenge him in both June events this year. Roddick’s greatest strength is his fast serve. He holds the world record for the fastest serve, at 153 miles per hour. Last year, 19-year-old Nadal defeated Federer in the French Open. He went on to claim the tournament title.
Maria Sharapova
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WOMEN”S TENNIS
In women’s tennis, many fans will be watching young Russian Maria Sharapova. In 2004, Sharapova won Wimbledon at only 17 years old. She went on to win her next 22 tennis matches on grass courts. Grass is considered the most challenging surface to play on.
Two young Belgian ladies should also perform well this year. Justine Henin-Hardenne is known for her powerful backhand. It may be the best in the sport. Last year Kim Clijsters surprised many by winning the U.S. Open. She had sat out most of the year due to injuries.
Justine Henin-Hardenne
Kim Clijsters
SURPRISE, SURPRISE
Of course, nobody can know for sure who will come out on top. Every year has its surprises. Take American tennis player James Blake for example. In 2004, he suffered a broken neck, a serious disease and the death of his father. These setbacks almost made him give up on tennis. But in 2005 he gave it another try. Amazingly, he went all the way to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open. It was his best performance ever. Watch Wimbledon and the French Open to see what surprise take place this month.
Word Bank
Tournament (n) 锦标赛；联赛
Our high school team is competing in this year’s basketball tournament.
Keep an eye on someone or something (idiom) 仔细留意某人或某事
Fiona kept an eye on Ben’s things in the library while he was gone.
Dominate (v) 称霸；拥有压倒性优势
Our team dominated the football game. Nobody was surprised we won.
Title (n) 冠军头衔
Muhammad Ali won many boxing titles.
Sit out (v) 因…坐在一旁不参与
Ted sat out of the basketball game because his knee hurt.
Injury (n) 伤势；受伤
Lisa cannot exercise for a month because of her foot injury.
Come out on top (v) 脱颖而出
Which team will come out on top at this Saturday’s baseball game?
Setback (v) 挫折
When Melanie broke her leg, it was a big setback to her tennis career.
More Information
Grand slam (n) 大满贯
The last tennis player to win the Grand Slam was Martina Hingis.
Serve (n) 发球
Diana was unable to return her opponent’s fast serve.
Backhand (n) 反手击球；反手拍
Gary used a backhand to hit the ball over the net.
Quarterfinal (n) 1/4决赛
Ronny had hoped to win the championship. But he lost in the quarterfinals.
Talk About It
☆ Who is your favorite sports star? Why?
☆ How much do you know about tennis? Explain.
Usage Tips
In 2004, he came within one title of winning the Grand Slam.
这个句子的意思是：“他只差一项冠军就可以得到大满贯了”。在英文里有一个类似的谚语叫做“come within an inch of doing something”，形容“差一点就如何…”。我们可以来学学这种用法，比如说：
I came within an inch of losing my life in that trip.
我差一点在那次行程中丧生。
He came within two hot dogs of winning the hot dog eating championship.
他只差两个热狗，就可以赢得吃热狗大赛的冠军。
造句：
Tom在一次车祸中差点失去了他的右脚。
Lisa差一票就当选董事长了。