Tennis - FACTBOX-US Open finalist Novak Djokovic

GRAND SLAM TITLES: (Six): Australian Open: 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013; Wimbledon: 2011; U.S. Open: 2011.

* Born: Belgrade, May 22, 1987

* Began playing tennis aged four.

* His father was a professional skier and wanted his son to be a skier or professional soccer player but changed his mind when Djokovic excelled at tennis from an early age.

* First full year on tour in 2005, made grand slam debut as a qualifier at the Australian Open, losing to Marat Safin in the first round. Finished as the youngest player (18 years, five months) inside the top 100.

* In 2006, he won his first ATP tour title at Amersfoort, followed that with second title indoors at Metz.

* He retired in the 2006 French Open quarter-finals against Nadal when trailing by two sets and again a year later due to blisters in the Wimbledon semi-final against the same opponent.

* In 2007, he won five titles (Adelaide, Miami, Estoril, Montreal and Vienna), made the semi-finals at the French Open and Wimbledon and advanced to his first grand slam final at the U.S. Open, losing to Roger Federer 7-6 7-6 6-4.

* Broke the Federer-Nadal grand slam duopoly by beating Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets to win his maiden major title at Melbourne Park in 2008.

* Failed to defend his title in Melbourne the following year after controversially pulling out of his quarter-final against Andy Roddick citing heat exhaustion on a sweltering day.

* Lost in the quarter-final at Melbourne Park to Tsonga in 2010 when he suffered a stomach bug.

* Upset Federer in the semi-finals of the 2010 U.S. Open before losing in four sets to Nadal in the final.

* Led Serbia to their first Davis Cup title with victory over France in Belgrade in December 2010.

* Began 2011 by winning the Australian Open, beating Andy Murray in the final, to end his three-year wait for a second grand slam.

* Won his next six tournaments in Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami, Belgrade, Madrid and Rome. He did not lose again until June 3 when Federer ended his 41-match winning streak in 2011 in the French Open semi-finals.

* Secured the number one spot on July 4 by beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Wimbledon semi-finals, then beat Nadal to clinch his first Wimbledon title, his first on grass.

* Won a record fifth Masters title in a season when he won in Toronto, one of the lead-up events for the U.S. Open.

* Saved two match points to beat Federer in the semi-finals of the U.S. Open then defeated Nadal in the final to become just the seventh man to win three grand slams in a year since tennis turned professional in 1968.

* Won his third Australian Open title in 2012, and fifth overall to continue his dominance of the men's game, when he beat Spain's Nadal in five hours and 53 minutes.

* Defeated by Nadal again in the final of the 2012 French Open 6-4 6-3 2-6 7-5.

* Loses out to Roger Federer in the semi-final of Wimbledon and is then defeated by Andy Murray in the final of the U.S. Open.

* Begins 2013 by retaining his Australian Open crown with a 6-7 7-6 6-3 6-2 victory over Murray becoming the first man in the professional era to win three successive Australian Open titles.

* Loses to Nadal in the French Open semi-finals and then Murray gains revenge over the Serb with victory in the Wimbledon final.

(Compiled by Simon Evans, Editing by Gene Cherry)

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Tennis - WRAPUP 1-Federer and Djokovic cruise, Stosur stunned at U.S. Open

* Federer and Djokovic cruise to wins

* Janowicz booed for underhand serve (writes through at end of day)

A teenage American girl with a squeaky voice and an incredible tale of survival stole the spotlight at the U.S. Open on Tuesday with a stunning upset win over the former champion, Sam Stosur.

While Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic and the rest of the sport's old order calmly went about their business, 17-year-old Victoria Duval became the toast of New York.

Making her second appearance in a grand slam event against the Australian who beat Serena Williams in the final just two years ago, the pint-sized Duval clawed and fought her way to a 5-7 6-4 6-4 first-round win.

It was a remarkable performance but made all the more astonishing because of her background.

When she was seven years old, Duval was taken hostage by robbers at her aunt's house in Haiti, a terrifying incident that convinced her parents, both doctors, to move back to the United States.

"It's not a good memory, so I try to forget as much as I could about it. I don't remember too much of it anymore, which is great," she told reporters.

In 2010, her father was buried alive in the Haiti earthquake. He survived by digging himself out but suffered serious injuries, including broken legs, broken ribs and a punctured lung.

Duval took to tennis instantly and has quickly risen through the American junior ranks but Tuesday's win was by far her biggest.

With her family watching from courtside and chants of "U-S-A!" echoing around the Louis Armstrong Stadium, Duval had to battle all the way to beat the vastly more-experienced Stosur.

"I think I'm very much of a child at heart ... (but) on the court, you have to be a warrior because that's just the sport we are in," she said.

Stosur paid tribute to Duval, saying she deserved the win, but said she had contributed to her own downfall with a whopping 56 unforced errors.

"I'm not going to be a sore loser and say she didn't do anything," said Stosur. "But, you know, I think I certainly helped her out there today, that's for sure."

Federer and Djokovic blasted their way into the second round with ruthless efficiency, crushing their hapless opponents in straight sets.

Defying the sceptics who had dismissed his chances of winning a sixth title in the Big Apple, Federer was in vintage form as he brushed past Slovenia's Grega Zemlja 6-3 6-2 7-5 in a delayed afternoon match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Djokovic then lit up Tuesday's night session with a dazzling combination of power and precision to defeat Lithuania's Ricardas Berankis 6-1 6-2 6-2.

The world number one hardly broke sweat on a balmy New York night as he took the first step toward a possible fourth straight appearance in the final.

EASY WIN

The 32-year-old Federer won the last of his five U.S. Open titles in 2008 but the Swiss master said he had lost none of his love of the game, ripping 35 winners in his win over Zemlja.

"I'm in a good spot right now. I want to enjoy it as long as it lasts," Federer said.

Twelve months after her agonising defeat in the women's final, Victoria Azarenka made a triumphant return to Arthur Ashe Stadium, chalking up a rare double-bagel win by thrashing Germany's Dinah Pfizenmaier 6-0 6-0 in just over an hour.

Italy's Sara Errani showed why she is looming as a real contender as she also handed out a 6-0 6-0 thrashing to her Australian opponent Olivia Rogowska, who got into the draw as a 'lucky loser' when Japan's Ayumi Morita withdrew.

Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki survived a tough examination to join grand slam winners Petra Kvitova and Ana Ivanovic in the second round.

Kvitova, the 2011 Wimbledon champion, also had to put in some overtime before winning her clash with Misaki Doi 6-2 3-6 6-1 while a grieving Ivanovic, the 2008 French Open winner, cruised to a 6-2 6-0 win over Georgia's Anna Tatishvili.

Ivanovic arrived in New York with a heavy heart after learning about the drowning death of a childhood friend back in her native Serbia.

"It's been very sad news," Ivanovic told reporters. "It was very hard because it was almost like my relative. We grew up, and I knew him since we were kids. It's very, very sad."

'DAY OF SURVIVAL'

With her boyfriend, golfer Rory McIlroy, watching from the stands, Wozniacki had to dig deep to beat Chinese qualifier Duan Yingying 6-2 7-5.

Wozniacki raced through the opening set in just 35 minutes then reeled off five games in a row to seal the win after falling behind 5-2.

"It's not about being pretty," Wozniacki said. "It's about just getting the job done. I did that, so I'm happy about that."

Wimbledon semi-finalist Jerzy Janowicz was booed for serving underhand in his 6-4 6-4 6-2 loss to Argentina's Maximo Gonzalez, who is ranked 247th in the world.

Hampered by a painful back injury he suffered training three days ago, the Polish world number 14 was in a foul mood, arguing with the chair umpire and throwing his water bottle on the court.

"I was in really good shape before this happened," he growled. "That's why I'm fricking disappointed."

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Tennis - Watson adamant she'll start taking chances soon after US Open loss

Watson, who competed for Team GB in the women's singles and doubles at the London 2012 Olympics, lost 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to Simona Halep of Romania in her first clash at Flushing Meadows.

It could have all been different though had Watson converted when 40-0 up at 4-4 in the second set however she dropped five points in a row and the next four games.

Watson therefore failed to join fellow London 2012 Olympian and mixed doubles silver medallist Laura Robson as well as Dan Evans in advancing to round two.

It is also the third successive time that Watson has failed in the first round at the US Open while she is yet to progress beyond the third round at a Grand Slam.

However the 21-year-old is adamant the more she finds herself in the position she was against Halep the less chance there is that she'll squander the opportunity.

"I knew she wouldn't give it to me and she didn't, and I didn't make first serves on any of those game points," said Watson.

"That game was extremely important and I think once I get a few matches under my belt, I'll learn how to play those points smarter and take my time.

"I think that's why it hurts a lot, because I was so close. But if I keep making these opportunities for myself, I'll take some.

"I played better than I have been. I was playing one of the hottest players on tour right now; she made a lot of balls.

"I thought I played a good two sets and in the third my fitness let me down a bit; I was cramping in my legs. I was bit tense in the way I was moving and hitting the ball.

"All in all, I'm pleased with how I played but I had my chances and I had an opportunity to win that match in two sets. But she's got the confidence and she won the points when it mattered."

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Wimbledon - Judy Murray fears for British tennis despite Andy's triumph

Andy ended a 77-year wait for a British men’s champion at SW19 on Sunday against Novak Djokovic and celebrated with a kiss for his mum.

However Judy, who is coach of the British Fed Cup team, told the BBC’s Newsnight programme that she fears the wave of optimism will break under a lack of facilities at grassroots level.

"The country will go tennis crazy. Kids and adults will want to try tennis and not all of them will get the opportunity," she said.

"The key is to make sure there are as many public courts in as many communities we can put them in if we're going to tap into this great imagination…

"I'd like it to become way more inclusive. I think it still is [too elitist]. Some moves have been made to make things better but there's still such a long way to go and there are huge swathes of the country where you can't find tennis courts.

"You need to build courts in areas where they currently don't exist for it to become a much more inclusive sport…

"We need to get into rural areas and disadvantaged areas and get tennis to people that haven't had the opportunity to play.”

However Tom Gibbins, head of education at the Lawn Tennis Association, refuted the notion that tennis is inaccessible.

"We're trying to dispel lots of myths about tennis and one is that it has to be an expensive sport to play. The average weekly membership of a tennis club is less than £1.50 a week for a junior to play,” he told BBC London.

"Andy gave British tennis its greatest moment ever and it's our job to capitalise on that interest and inspire more kids and adults to play tennis.

"There are 20,000 tennis courts up and down the country, 1,500 of which are free. Tennis isn't an expensive sport especially at beginner and recreational level."

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