Wimbledon, Golf And The Week In Sports

Transcript

WADE GOODWYN, HOST:

It's time now for sports.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

GOODWYN: It was a Serena slam. Serena Williams beat Garbine Muguruza at Wimbledon this morning. And while Scott Simon is away, we're going to leave Chicago out of this for one Saturday. Sorry Chicagoans, but we've got more than enough drama in Dallas. We're joined now by NPR sports correspondent Tom Goldman. Thanks for being with us, Tom.

TOM GOLDMAN, BYLINE: My pleasure, Wade.

GOODWYN: Serena did it.

GOLDMAN: She did it. You know, there was talk going into this final that it may not be a cakewalk, although 21-year-old Garbine Muguruza was playing in her first grand slam singles final, Serena Williams in her 25th. And Muguruza beat Williams easily in last year's French Open, but not today. It was an intriguing match, though. Williams was up 6-4, 5-1, everyone was writing their stories about the Serena machine rolls on. But Muguruza showed some fight. Williams started making mistakes. The score narrowed to 5-4, but that was it. It was 6-4, 6-4. And indeed, the Serena machine rolls on. It's her sixth Wimbledon singles title, her 21st major championship, her second Serena slam, meaning for the second time in her career she's won the four majors in a row over two years. But now she has a chance at next-month's U.S. Open to win the calendar grand slam - all four majors in one year.

GOODWYN: She's unbelievable.

GOLDMAN: Yeah.

GOODWYN: Now to Dallas, where DeAndre Jordan just re-signed with the LA Clippers, which would've been fine except he'd already said yes to the Mavericks. Team owner Mark Cuban was less than thrilled.

GOLDMAN: He certainly was, especially about the way Jordan, the coveted 6-foot, 11-inch free-agent, reportedly stopped communicating with Cuban early in the week, when Jordan was starting to have second thoughts and while Cuban was desperately trying to save the deal. How desperate, Wade? - our favorite scene of the week - Cuban shows up at DeAndre Jordan's doorstep in Houston texting I'm here. Can we talk? And Jordan texting back I'm on a date. But then Cuban texting back hey, if you want to make the date fun, I could take you and your date to Dallas for a night out. Meet Mark Cuban, world's richest third wheel.

GOODWYN: I mean, he - Jordan really left the Mavericks high and dry. There's been speculation the date was just a way for Jordan to avoid Cuban. But late-breaking news - last night, DeAndre Jordan apologized to Cuban for his change of heart.

GOLDMAN: Yeah, right, and the apology was on Twitter, so it was really heartfelt and personal. This will not appease Dallas fans, surely. It does seem a bit late and seems to be ordered up by someone in image control. But Mark Cuban's a successful businessman. He knows that you have to sometimes take your lumps and move on, which he says he's doing.

GOODWYN: Do you think the Mavericks are - is this a catastrophe?

GOLDMAN: They're wounded - not only losing out on this dominating, shot-blocking, rim-protecting player, but during the time the Mavs promised Jordan more than $80 million, they couldn't afford to woo any other big-time players. And by the time they realized they'd get the $80 million-plus back, most of the attractive, big free agents already were off the market. So there are some who say the Mavericks need to forget about this season, lose enough games to put themselves in position to get a top pick or two in the next college draft. Others say no, Dallas will have enough good players left to compete.

GOODWYN: OK, another Texan - my new favorite golfer Jordan Spieth. Rory McIlroy's out with a hurt ankle, and Spieth, this young guy, is going to be the favorite in the British Open at St. Andrews next week.

GOLDMAN: Yeah. Of course, he's won the first two legs of golf's grand slam - the Masters and a couple of weeks ago the U.S. Open. But, you know, Wade, saying Spieth is the favorite and having him win are two very different things, especially on a supremely-challenging links course like St. Andrews...

GOODWYN: No question.

GOLDMAN: ...With the exposure to the elements next to the sea, with the wacky bounces and strange rolls the ball takes, anything can happen. Although Spieth showed he was up to the task on the links-style course at Chambers Bay, where he just won the U.S. Open.

GOODWYN: NPR's Tom Goldman. It was great, Tom.

GOLDMAN: Great talking to you, Wade. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.