On Friday, the International Olympic Committee selected Rio de Janeiro as the host for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, beating out Madrid, Tokyo, and Chicago.

Here is what athletes on Twitter said regarding the IOC’s decision:

1. 
   mcewenrobbie (Professional Cyclist) CONGRATULATIONS RIO DE JANEIRO!! 02 Oct 2009 from TweetDeck
2. 
   h3lio (IRL Driver) AEEEE!!!! Olimpiadas no Rio em 2016! #Rio2016 !!!!
   uhuuuuu! #VaiBrasil 02 Oct 2009 from Tweetie
3. 
   AmerDelic (Professional Tennis Player) Back to the #Olympics. #Rio will be a great host. Brazilians know how to enjoy life. Maybe that rubs off on some others when they visit. 02 Oct 2009 from Echofon
4. 
   KJ_MayorJohnson (Former NBA Player) Congratulations Rio – you’re lucky Sacramento wasn’t a candidate! 02 Oct 2009 from web
5. 
   TonyKanaan (IRL Driver) Olimpiadas 2016 no Rio, SINIXXXXTROOOO. estaremos la. 02 Oct 2009 from web
6. 
   jayfeely (NFL Player) I was surprised Obama extended himself without assurances that US would win the vote. I am dissappointed b/c I wanted to take my kids 02 Oct 2009 from mobile web
7. 
   Lala_the_diver (Olympic Diver) Congrats to Rio on getting the 2016 OlympicGames! 02 Oct 2009 from web
8. 
   DatDude75 (Former NFL Player) @SheezyDoesIt I couldn’t be happier for Rio……Congrats to them…..and I will thank them personally all the way through 2016!!!! 02 Oct 2009 from web in reply to SheezyDoesIt
9. 
   alex_lloyd (IRL Driver) Such a shame Chicago lost the Olympic bid for 2016. 02 Oct 2009 from Tweetie
10. 
    Juliegranada (LPGA Golfer) Shot 2 under today! Very solid! I heard that the 2016 olympics is going to be in rio! Wow that’s great! 02 Oct 2009 from Echofon
11. 
    str8edgeracer (MLB Player) not really surprised chicago didn’t get the olympic bid, but I know a lot of it is because of our current political and economic situasche 02 Oct 2009 from web
12. 
    johanbruyneel (Professional Cyclist) Too bad Madrid (where I live) didn’t get the Olympics. Odds were against us. Never twice on same continent. Up to 2020 or move to Brasil… 02 Oct 2009 from UberTwitter

— this quote was brought to you by quoteurl

To see what these athletes, as well as other are up to on Twitter check out Championist or Twitter Athletes

Tweet This Post 

I would rather see Roger Federer go for his 15th major title against an upstart U.K. tennis superstar than see the same challenge against last year’s champion Rafael Nadal, the stringy-haired Spaniard so adamantly declared Fed’s rival.

Murray has the same charisma and defiant style that Nadal has, but has an entire nation backing him. Imagine that final? It would be like Tiger Woods attempting to break Jack Nicklaus’ major record at the Masters with a crowd made up of just the Golden Bear’s supporters.

Read up on Murray’s backstory then factor in the last time someone from the European island brought home a Wimbledon title (1936) and you have a bonafide, once-in-a-lifetime sports moment.

1. 
   RichardDedor Andy Murray is just a boy, still at play. Thanks @espn for a great piece on Dunblane! 29 Jun 2009 from Twitterrific
2. 
   chantalxxo watching very touching piece on espn about Andy Murray and dunblane tragedy:( so glad he’s had so many accomplishments *.:｡✿*ﾟ❤ *.:｡✿*ﾟ❤ 29 Jun 2009 from TweetDeck

 Even Rafa would be sitting at home on pins and needles.

So while Murray still has to get past Juan Carlos Ferrero and potentially Andy Roddick– playing some of his best tennis ever– should that happen, you might very well see best Wimbledon final ever.

Oh yes, the year following Federer and Nadal’s seven-set masterpiece could elicit a much greater response than the “greatest ever” proclamations that rang off the grass surface in 2008.

1. 
   wmboult94 Well done Murray unlucky Wawrinka but Britain needs to win Wimbledon for once 29 Jun 2009 from TwitterFon
2. 
   paulglester Murray goes through as does Britain’s hopes for a Wimbledon title. Way to go, Andy! http://snipurl.com/l4sq3 29 Jun 2009 from web

 Atleast this year, you won’t have to sit through hours of rain delays since Centre Court now has a retractable roof– in use for the first time during the Murray match (despite clear skies). That being said, my tevo is ready. Is yours?

TwitPic by @Brownie1871

Brian Miller is co-editor for Breaking Tweets Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @BTSports_Brian.

Like, dislike what Brian said? Comment below or using Twitter @BTsports.

Other sources: AOL Fanhouse, ESPN, Sana Malik

Tweet This Post 

Kuznetsova, winner of the 2004 U.S. Open, overcame her shaky emotions and capitalized on the seven double-faults of Safina, who could not find her rhythm in the orange clay at Roland Garros (@rolandgarros_09). The loss marked the end to Safina’s 16-match winning streak.

Twitterers in Paris shared their thoughts about the match:

1. 
   DrMorisset va faire autre chose que regarder la finale de roland garros cet apmidi, parce que faut pas rigoler : le tennis féminin n’est pas du tennis (will do anything but watch the final of Roland Garros this apmidi because need not laugh: Women’s tennis is not tennis)  06 Jun 2009 from web
2. 
   jaimebiendotcom je ne comprends pas les personnes qui achètent des places en final Dames à Roland Garros … près de 100 euros pour 1h de tennis (I do not understand people who buy tickets in Ladies final atRoland Garros … nearly 100 euros for 1 hour of tennis) 06 Jun 2009 from web
3. 
   leonlee919 See you next year Safina, u will eventually make it!! 06 Jun 2009 from web
4. 
   karthikaluru Safina crashes!! This is turning out to be a season of surprises! Watch out Federer and Men in Blue. 06 Jun 2009 from web
5. 
   rolandgarros_09 Kuznetsova finds herself, and first Roland Garros title http://bit.ly/ryFpx 06 Jun 2009 from TweetDeck

Here’s a quick look at action from the rain-dampened match:

Taken at Roland Garros during women's final by @alaingerlache

Tomorrow’s men’s final features second-ranked Roger Federer against 23rd-ranked Robin Soderling.

Tweet This Post 

23rd-ranked Robin Soderling defeated the top-ranked Nadal in four sets 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-6 (2). The loss snapped Nadal’s 31-match winning streak at the French, a tournament record.

The loss is even more stunning when you consider Nadal’s complete dominance–he had only lost 7 sets during his winning streak. Incroyable!

This development is trending as tennis fans are in a state of Twitter turmoil-

1. 
   Sparksgrandma unbelievable! Nadal is gone from the French Open? now what? 31 May 2009 from web
2. 
   HeyKamy Oh no! What happened to Nadal? He’s OUT! The spice of French Open is out! Why does it have to be Soderling? No Fed-Nadal match 31 May 2009 from web
3. 
   JessWeingert I can’t believe that Nadal lost!! And in the 4th Round!!!! I’m in utter shock!! 31 May 2009 from web
4. 
   jeanbean88 Nadal out at the French Open! My mind has been blown. This is what happens when you start wearing shirts with sleeves. 31 May 2009 from web
5. 
   Jeffrey_Stewart :::WOW:::Nadal is out @Roland_Garros…Speechless…RF Come On!!!!! 31 May 2009 from web
6. 
   alycupcakes how the hell did nadal lose the french open? whatever he’s still the best. 31 May 2009 from web

With the big-gunned one out, this opens the door for Roger Federer to finally win the French, the one major that has eluded him. This idea has tennis twitterers tweeting gleefully:

1. 
   dekenter Nadal is out! The stars have aligned, this is Fed’s year! 31 May 2009 from web
2. 
   jonlui Nadal is out. This is your year Federer… time to complete the career grand slam 31 May 2009 from web
3. 
   Lori_Len Absolutely ecstatic that Robin Soderling kicked Rafael Nadal’s butt today! Now the Championship is Roger’s to win!!! Happy Happy Joy Joy. 31 May 2009 from web
4. 
   Rachael90210 Nadal is out of the French Open? Aw man, he’s the good looking one isn’t he? Or is that Fed? 31 May 2009 from web
5. 
   mahogany_soul so glad that nadal lost at the french open. onward, federer! 31 May 2009 from web
6. 
   anikhare Though Federer might have his best shot ever at the French Open, I regret I’ll miss the usual grand finale. 31 May 2009 from web

I had to throw in tweets from Justin Gimelstob, who is broadcasting the French Open for the Tennis Channel. His tweets mirror the reaction of most everyone in the tennis world over Nadal’s loss:

1. 
   justingimelstob this changes everything….I am in shock..all credit to Soderling, he TOOK the match, NADAL played defensively and tentatively 31 May 2009 from web
2. 
   justingimelstob For once in my life i am speechless…that’s what Nadal losing here did 2 me 31 May 2009 from web
3. 
   justingimelstob it’s killing me we can’t talk about NADAL’s loss,biggest upset in years.I feel like we need Al Michaels to yell “DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES” 31 May 2009 from web

Nadal and Soderling battle it out on Roland Garros’ clay as seen by a Twitterer:

There will be a new French Open champion this year

(Twitpic by @stijnjacobs)

Tweet This Post 

Per ESPN, the Spaniard Nadal’s 33-match winning streak on clay was snapped in the process as Federer also ended a five-match losing streak to his rival.

Pro-Swiss tweeters are heralding the victory:

1. 
   formentipaolo Well done Roger Federer, classic straight set win over Rafael (not the turtle) Nadal, a new era of Borg Vs McEnroe upon us! 17 May 2009 from web
2. 
   abhinayverma Roger Federer beat Nadal in a final for the first time in two years. Seems its time for the Return of the King !!! 17 May 2009 from web
3. 
   van_l federer > nadal… finally! 17 May 2009 from web

The tweets coming from Rafa’s camp were far less positive:

1. 
   lauriegforce Darn. I really wanted Rafael Nadal to win. 17 May 2009 from web
2. ss="url" href="http://twitter.com/NikkiDai">
   NikkiDai Federer beats a tired Rafa, not quite 100% – this is a big deal? Fed will be crying again in Paris. 17 May 2009 from web
3. 
   iceydefeat Wow, just saw the recap of the Roger and Rafael tennis match. That was sad on Nadal’s part. 17 May 2009 from web
4. 
   radosko @mckaycnn Rafa was mentally and physically tired after 4 hours yesterday. Roger had an easy draw with Americans who are bad on clay. 17 May 2009 from web in reply to mckaycnn

One lucky tennis Twitterer captured this pic during the tournament:

(Twitpic by @bossanova)

Tweet This Post 

Twitterers remain in awe of the 22-year-old’s talent.

1. 
   Luzinha_Franzoi Nadal is really THE ONE! I love this guy! 19 Apr 2009 from web
2. 
   maryjansenc So Nadal won. Again. It’s getting boring, guys. 19 Apr 2009 from web
3. 
   denfab i’d like to meet a person who can successfully argue that nadal isn’t the king of clay. winning on (what seems to be) an off-day? just wow. 19 Apr 2009 from TweetDeck
4. 
   Gloster_Gal Another fab day – I think so anyway – Nadal wins again and Everton beat the Scum ) 19 Apr 2009 from web
5. 
   arihaz vamos Rafa you have done it again, You are truly the king of claycourt. Keep us smiling Rafael Nadal..we are smiling too 19 Apr 2009 from web
6. 
   tweetcath Nadal remains the man! 20 Apr 2009 from web

Tweet This Post 

Tweet This Post 

A man in the UAE seemed confused by the news.

@tomsp (Abu Dhabi, UAE): If Israeli tennis player Shahar Peer can play in Qatar, I don;t really see why she can;t play in the UAE http://tinyurl.com/acj9j7

The news sparked reaction from other parts of the world.

@Yael_80 (Glasgow, Scotland): I really can’t believe that 46% of people polled on cnn.com believe the UAE had a right to refuse an entry visa for Shahar Peer. WTF.

@magzalez (Gainesville, Fla.): UUGGH, can’t believe the UAE denied Shahar Peer (Israeli female tennis player) a visa to play in Dubai this week! WTA needs to take action.

@PDMojo (St. Louis, Mo.): Weak, WTA. Very weak. Clearly the reason they didn’t cancel is because Dubai is rolling in cash. If this were Serena, story would be huge.

@JodiEchakowitz (Toronto, Canada): UAE denied a visa to an Israeli tennis player. Someone needs a good lesson on separating church (sports) from state (politics).

Tweet This Post 

The epic match forced some to lose sleep.

@marragem (Brisbane): Want to/need to go to bed but how can I miss this great fight between Federer & Nadal

The event was number one in trending on Twitter for some time, as @kinshasha pointed out.

@kinshasha (Brisbane): Even with the SuperBowl countdown well underway, Aussies are leading twitter-trends w/ Federer, Nadal, Australian Open, #ausopen, Rafa, etc

The culmination of the tournament was emotional for some, such as @djmattyg007, who was live twittering the match.

@djmattyg007 (Melbourne): and there goes yet another year of tennis. really am gonna miss it, can’t recall ever watching so much of it before, especially over cricket

Tweet This Post 

The initial reaction from Australia came in different flavors.

@larryhudson (Melbourne): Still stunned at Serena Williams’ performance. Disappointing but amazing.

@ggw_bach (Sydney): so Serena wins again. What a champ.

@djmattyg007 (Melbourne): Safina got steamrolled by Serena Williams. she won in less than an hour 6-0 6-3. kind of boring really.

Tweet This Post