Journalism of Courage
Frank sedgman was just waking up at 6 a.m. Friday when he received a text message from his daughter Roxy 8212; Americans Bob and Mike Bryan had lost their doubles match in the U.S. Open semifinals. The now 85-year-old Australians 62-year-old record was safe for at least another year,and maybe forever. In 1951,he and Ken McGregor won all four Grand Slam doubles titles in the same calendar year. The Bryan brothers were trying to become the only players to equal that feat but fell two matches short when they were beaten 3-6,6-3,6-4 by Leander Paes of India and Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic on Thursday in New York. I was already awake when I got the text,and my daughter knew Id be interested, Sedgman told The Associated Press from his home in Melbourne on Friday. Im not sure it was relief,but it was good to see doubles back in the news again. Doubles seems to be a bit watered down these days,back then we always used to play five sets. It was a fifth set that nearly enabled McGregor,who died in 2007,and Sedgman to win two years worth of Grand Slam doubles titles. The Australian pair won seven major doubles titles in a row,but fell just short in the final of the U.S. Open in 1952. Lost 7-5 in the fifth set to Mervyn Rose and Vic Seixas, Sedgman recounted like it was yesterday. We came that close to doing it two years in a row. Sedgman,who said he might try to watch a replay of the Bryans match later Friday,paid tribute to the Americans. Obviously they will go down as one of the best ever doubles pairings, Sedgman said. I really thought they had a good chance to break it.
Seles inducted
