Big Loss Spurs Serena Williams To WTA Title - Mondays with Bob Greene

Mondays with Bob Greene

STARS

Serena Williams beat Simona Halep 6-3 6-0 to win the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore in Singapore

Roger Federer beat David Goffin 6-2 6-2 to win the Swiss Indoors Basel in Basel, Switzerland

Andy Murray beat Tommy Robredo 3-6 7-6 (7) 7-6 (8) to win the Valencia Open 500 in Valencia, Spain

Timea Babos beat Oceane Dodin 6-3 4-6 7-5 to win the Internationaux Féminins de la Vienne in Poitiers, France

DAVIS CUP

Group 1 Second Round Playoffs, Asia Oceania Zone: New Zealand beat Chinese Taipei 4-1 in Christchurch, New Zealand; Europe/Africa Zone: Sweden beat Latvia 3-2 in Jonkoping, Sweden

SAYING

“I didn’t expect to end the year on this note. Like I’ve said this week, I was just happy to even be competing here. At one point I thought my last match would be against Genie (Eugenie Bouchard), and I was happy to win that match. It just makes everything much more sweet and satisfying, especially for me.” – Serena Williams, after beating Simona Halep to win the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore.

“She’s the best. She’s a great player. And she deserves to win the title.” – Simona Halep.

“Knowing she has the ability and capability to play so well, I had to step up my game. I knew I had to play a lot better, so I was expecting to be a much better player than I was in the earlier rounds.” – Serena Williams, noting the difference between her round-robin loss to Simona Halep and her victory in the title match.

“I won’t forget that I beat Serena this week.” – Simona Halep.

“Embarrassing describes the way I played today. Very embarrassing.” – Serena Williams, after losing 6-0 6-2 to Simona Halep in the round-robin portion of the WTA Finals.

“It was my best match of my life. I played unbelievable shots. It means a lot this match. At an important time I played really well, and after today my confidence will be more high.” – Simona Halep, after her round-robin victory over Serena Williams.

“I’m not going to play Paris and London. I’m not competitive enough.” Rafael Nadal, announcing he will undergo season-ending surgery for appendicitis.

“It is always such a treat to be in the final here, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd. It’s why I play tennis, why I play the tournament here in Basel. It will remain very special for me personally.” – Roger Federer, after winning his hometown tournament, the Swiss Indoors Basel, for the sixth time.

“It was a tough match, of course. Here in his hometown, he was in great shape and played too good for me today. At the beginning of the match I was a little bit nervous, especially a final against Roger. It’s not easy to return his serve. That’s why it was a nightmare for me today.” – David Goffin, after losing to Roger Federer in the Swiss Indoors Basel final.

“I know it was an incredible match. The tennis at the end and in the second set was high level. I played well at the right moments.” – Andy Murray, after saving five match points in his win over Tommy Robredo.

“It was an amazing match, and you have to enjoy it. Unfortunately someone has to win and it was decided by a few balls. It is what it is. Now I will be a bit out for a couple of hours, but I guess that when I finish the season next week and I watch today’s match against one of the best players we have right now, I will be very happy.” – Tommy Robredo.

“It’s unbelievable for me. I just want to enjoy the moment. I’m just so surprised and it’s an unbelievable feeling.” – Borna Coric, following his straight-set upset of Rafael Nadal in Basel, Switzerland.

“It is only a number, but it’s a special number.” – Tommy Robredo, after becoming only the seventh active player on the ATP World Tour and the 44^th player in the Open Era to win 500 career matches.

“I didn’t want to offend any athlete with my words. I regret that this joke… has garnered so much attention. I don’t think this incident deserves so much fuss.” – Shamil Tarpischev, head of Russian tennis federation, after calling the Williams sister “brothers” and “scary.”

“You know sports are a microcosm of society, so it teaches you how the world still perceives gender inequality. It’s not fun. It’s really sad actually.” – Billie Jean King, in response to some male players complaining about women being paid equal prize money at Grand Slam tournaments.

“I feel like I have so much more to learn still and so much more to improve. Playing against the best in the world today, I got my butt kicked, but I had fun. It actually motivates me to try to get better.” – Eugenie Bouchard, after losing all three of her round-robin matches in her first WTA Finals.

SINGAPORE REVENGE

Simona Halep handed Serena Williams the worst defeat of her professional career. Four days later, Williams got her revenge in the title match of the WTA Finals. Halep pulled off the first service break in the finale, going up 2-1. Disgusted with her own play, Williams smashed her racquet on the court, drawing an “abuse of equipment” warning from the umpire. “She was playing so well and I was literally on the side of the court and I just laughed,” Williams said. “I said, ‘Serena, you have nothing to lose. Just relax. And then once I relaxed I just started playing better and kept making my shots.” A relaxed Serena went on a tear, winning the last eight games of the match to capture her fifth WTA Finals crown 6-3 6-0 in the year-ending event’s debut in Singapore. At the age of 33, Williams became the first player to win the season finale three consecutive times since Monica Seles pulled it off in 1992. It also was Serena’s fifth year-end title in four cities, tying her with Steffi Graf for second-most titles in the tournament’s history. Only Martina Navratilova has won more – eight. And Williams also received one of Singapore’s highest honors: the tournament named an orchid after her. “It’s been an unbelievable week,” she said.

In their first meeting in the round-robin portion of the week, Williams matched the record for the fewest games she had won in a completed match as Halep triumphed 6-0 6-2. The last time Serena was held to just two games in a match was in 1998 when she was a 16-year-old newcomer to the tour known as Venus’ little sister. “My forehand was off today,” Williams said after the loss. “It’s obviously gone on an early vacation. My serve was at best at the 10-and-under division of juniors. You got to step up to the plate. She did and I didn’t.” It was the first time the fourth-ranked Halep had beaten a player ranked in the top three in the world. “I have to forget this day, but it will be hard to forget,” Halep said. “I am so happy.”

SEASON-ENDING SURGERY

Following a surprising defeat at the Swiss Indoors, Rafael Nadal has decided to undergo a season-ending appendicitis surgery, meaning he will miss the Paris Masters and Barclays ATP Finals in London, England. Nadal announced his decision to undergo surgery after he lost to 17-year-old Borna Coric of Croatia 6-2 7-6 (4) in the quarterfinals in Basel, Switzerland. The Swiss Indoors was only the third tournament Nadal has played in since Wimbledon, when he suffered a wrist injury. Since returning, he lost to Slovakia’s Martin Klizan in Beijing and to fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in Shanghai. The 28-year-old left-hander won his ninth French Open in June. He needed treatment for appendicitis earlier this month in Shanghai and has been treating his ailment with antibiotics before finally deciding to undergo the surgery.

SWISS MASTER

By winning the Swiss Indoors Basel for the sixth time in eight years, Roger Federer has narrowed the gap with Novak Djokovic in a battle he never really expected to be fighting. Federer is now less than 500 points behind the Serb in the battle for the year-ending number one ranking. “It would be very special to reclaim number one,” Federer said. “World number one is what it’s all about in our game. With the year I have had and the amount of finals I have played, the level of tennis I have played, I am pleased to see that I have a shot. But having a shot and being there is two separate things.” Federer’s latest title came on a 6-2 6-2 triumph over David Goffin. It was Federer’s 82^nd tour-level trophy, his 12^th straight match win and improved his ATP World Tour-leading mark in 2014 to 66-10. The Swiss master has won six titles or more at six different tournaments. Federer has won Wimbledon and the Gerry Weber Open seven times each, and has captured six trophies at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, the Western & Southern Open, Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and the Swiss Indoors Basel.

SIGNIFICANT STEP

Andy Murray saved five match points and beat Tommy Robredo to win the Valencia Open 500 and take a significant step toward qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. The two battled for three hours, 20 minutes, making it the longest final on the ATP World Tour this year. With the win, Murray is now fifth in the race for the elite eight-man season-ending event that will be played in London, England. “I like playing here,” Murray said of the tournament site, Valencia, Spain. “It’s a nice place to come this time of year. It’s extremely warm outside, which is good for the muscles, the joints and the mind as well. I came to train here earlier in the year. Good food, good weather and good people.” Murray staved off the first two match points in the second-set tiebreak to pull even. The eventual winner squandered a match point of his own in the 10^th game of the third set, then fought off three more Robredo match points in the final tiebreak before finally sealing the win with a backhand passing shot. It was Murray’s second Valencia Open title, having also won in 2009, and his 31^st overall. Robredo was seeking to become the ninth Spaniard to capture the tournament since it moved to Valencia in 2003.

SICK BAY

Rafael Nadal isn’t the only top player who will be missing the Paris Masters because of illness. US Open champion Marin Cilic pulled out of the event with a right arm injury. Also withdrawing from Paris is Ernests Gulbis, who cited a right shoulder injury for his absence.

SERVING ACES

Ivo Karlovic served 33 aces in a losing semifinal match against Roger Federer at the Swiss Indoors Basel. That brings him 10 aces shy of 9,000 for his career. Only fellow Croatian Goran Ivanisevic and Andy Roddick have achieved that feat in ATP World Tour history.

SPECIAL MILESTONES

Although he lost in the Valencia Open semifinals to Andy Murray, top-seeded David Ferrer became the fourth active player to win 600 matches in his career. A three-time champion in Valencia, Ferrer joined Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Lleyton Hewitt as the only players still competing on the ATP World Tour with 600 career match victories. The Spaniard joined the elite group when he beat Thomaz Bellucci 6-1 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the Valencia, Spain, tournament. “I’m most proud of all the years that I’ve been able to stay among the best players in the world,” said the 32-year-old Ferrer, who has won 21 titles and is currently ranked fifth in the world. “There have been important tournaments that I’ve won, and that I’ve been proud of, but what I’m most proud of is to have been able to maintain this stability for all these years.”

Tommy Robredo also reached a milestone when he won his 500^th match at the Valencia Open. He is only the fifth Spaniard in the Open Era to win 500 career matches, joining Rafael Nadal, Manuel Orantes, David Ferrer and Carlos Moya. “If somebody told me I would win 500 matches at the beginning of my career, I would sign up for it,” Robredo said. “Now I will go for 600.” What makes the milestone even more precious is the fact Robredo was out of the game for a 14-month stretch in 2011 and 2012 with a leg injury. Other active players with 500 or more career match victories include Roger Federer, Nadal, Lleyton Hewitt, Ferrer, Novak Djokovic and Tommy Haas. Robredo and two fellow Spaniards – Nadal and Ferrer – are the only active players who have recorded more than 200 match wins on both hard and clay courts. He was ranked a career high fifth in the world in 2006.

SHOCKER

He’s called “Baby Djokovic” because of his similarities with the world’s top-ranked player, Novak Djokovic. Borna Coric, a 17-year-old from Croatia, showed the nickname might not be that far off when he stunned Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the quarterfinals of the Swiss Indoors Basel, 6-2 7-6 (4). True, Nadal was having an off-day, but the teenager took advantage with a power game that produced winner after winner. Coric broke Nadal’s serve three times in the opening set, racing out to a 5-0 lead. Ranked 124^th in the world, Coric finished the day with six aces and 17 winners. Nadal, on the other hand, had 37 unforced errors. “Believe me, I’m a very nervous person,” said Coric, who entered the tournament on a wild card. “I (was) just trying to keep it inside of me. I didn’t have anything to lose. Because I never played against him, I wasn’t sure what I was going to get. Is he going to kill me or what? So I was under pressure.”

SEASON RANKING

Surprisingly, this is only the fourth time Serena Williams has finished a year ranked as the number one player on the WTA tour, and the first time she’s ever accomplished the feat in consecutive years. Being ranked number one at the end of the year for the fourth time ties her with Lindsay Davenport. Steffi Graf did it eight times, Martina Navratilova seven times and Chris Evert five. This also is the first time Williams has held the number one ranking the entire year, a feat that hasn’t been done since Graf did it in 1996.

SON FOR NOVAK

Novak Djokovic and his wife, Jelena, have a son. “Stefan, our baby angel, was born!” Djokovic tweeted. “I’m so proud of my beautiful wife Jelena! Thank you so much for your love and support. We love you all!!!!” RTS, Serbia’s state TV, reported that Jelena Djokovic gave birth in Nice, France, on October 21. The couple live in nearby Monte Carlo, Monaco. The two married on July 10, four days after Djokovic won Wimbledon by beating Roger Federer in the final. He said on his website that he intends to play at the Paris Masters this week where he will be defending his title and staff off Federer’s challenge for the year-end number one ranking.

SHE’S BACK

Li Na may have retired from playing tennis, but not from the sport itself. The Chinese star opened the WTA Finals in Singapore with a ceremonial first serve. Wearing high heels and a flowing black evening dress, Le hit the serve at the end of the opening ceremony. She had been expected to headline the elite eight-player event before she retired last month.

SEMIFINAL COLLAPSE

Maria Sharapova has been ranked number one in the world, but she has never finished the year as the top-ranked player. And she won’t be this year, either. Sharapova had a shot at overtaking Serena Williams to finish the year ranked number one in the world. But she lost her first two round-robin matches at the season-ending WTA Finals, falling to Caroline Wozniacki 7-6 (4) 6-7 (5) 6-2 and to Petra Kvitova 6-3 6-2. Perhaps unbelievably, she still had a chance to reach the semifinals by beating Agnieszka Radwanska in straight sets. Sharapova won the opening set 7-5 and had a 5-1 lead in the second. Three times she was at match point. But when she double-faulted to lose the second set 7-6 (4), any chance of her moving on was gone. “It would’ve been very easy for me to get down on myself,” Sharapova said after winning the third set and beating Radwanska. “I had so many chances being up, having match point, and just saying you know what? I’ve lost two matches. Just so easy to just let it go, but I didn’t. I got the job done. I know I’m not moving forward, but I’m proud of that effort and to finish the year off on this way.”

SPARKLING AMONG DIAMONDS

Monica Puig isn’t among the big stars who filled the draw at the season-ending WTA Finals in Singapore. At least not yet. The 21-year-old Puerto Rican was in Singapore, however, as part of a consolation event called the Rising Stars – four players picked in fan voting, two from Asia-Pacific and two from the rest of the world. Puig showed she belonged. She beat each of her three opponents – Zheng Saisai of China; Shelby Rogers of Charleston, South Carolina, USA; and Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan – in the round-robin portion of the competition, then beat Zheng again 6-4 6-3 in the final. “When I found out that I was going to come here, I was just overwhelmed and so overjoyed that I have another chance to bring out my best tennis and compete as hard as I can,” said Puig, who pocketed USD $20,000 for winning the competition.

SAYS HE’S SORRY

Russian tennis chief Shamil Tarpischev sent written apologies to both Serena and Venus Williams after he called them the “Williams brothers.” Tarpischev was fined USD $25,000 and suspended from any involvement in the WTA tour for a year for his comments made on a Russian TV show, in which he also said the sisters were “scary” to look at. He said there was no malicious intent and that the quotes were taken out of context. In a statement, the WTA said “his derogatory remarks deserve to be condemned.” Serena said Tarpischev “has reached out to apologize to both myself and my sister,” adding “it was written. No, I did not speak to him.”

SENIOR MASTERS

Pat Cash, who won Wimbledon in 1987, and Sergi Bruguera, a two-time French Open champion, will join the all-star line-up in the Statoil Masters Tennis, a senior event that will be held at London’s Royal Albert Hall December 3-7. Cash will meet John McEnroe in an exhibition match. Bruguera will join the ATP Champions Tour field that includes Andy Roddick, Fernando Gonzalez, Tim Henman, Greg Rusedski and Thomas Enqvist. Australian Mark Philippoussis has withdrawn from the event. At 43, Bruguera will be the oldest player in the Champions Tour field.

Besides competing in the ATP Champions Tour event, Roddick, McEnroe and Henman will join Billie Jean King, Kim Clijsters, Sabine Lisicki and Sir Elton John for the Mylan World TeamTennis Smash Hits tennis charity event, which will be held during the evening session on December 7. It is the first time the event will be held outside the United States and will raise money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

SEARCHING STILL

The top-ranked doubles team of Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci will have to wait another year if they are to become only the third pair to win all four Grand Slam tournament titles and the WTA Finals. Only the season-ending trophy is missing for the Italians, and this year is no different. They retired from their match against Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik due to a right rib injury suffered by Errani. During a changeover, Errani requested a trainer. She lifted her shirt and revealed an abdominal support brace. After talking with the trainer, she unstrapped the support and retired. Prior to the Singapore tournament, Errani had contracted a cough that led her to pull abdominal muscles. “For us it is a very special tournament and I tried to do everything to be here,” Errani said. “A minimum percent to compete, but I couldn’t do it. It was not improving much and I’m sorry for (Roberta) but I tried and sometimes things happen.” The only teams to have won all four Grand Slam tournament titles and the season-ending WTA Finals during their partnership were Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver and Gigi Fernández and Natasha Zvereva.

SEIZING THE MOMENT

Now you see them, now you don’t. Cara Black and Sania Mirza won the WTA Finals doubles title, losing the opening game of the match before crushing the defending champions, Peng Shuai and Hsieh Su-Wei, 6-1 6-0. It was the last match for both teams. “Sania is in the prime of her career at the moment and I just said to her at the US Open that I’m not too sure what I’m going to do next year and how much I’m going to play,” Black said. “I think it was fair for her to tell her to find somebody. I think she’s found a great partner. I wish them all the best.” Mirza will team up with Hsieh next year. It was the first time the team of Peng and Hsieh had lost a final, having won all 12 times they had reached a title match, including this year’s French Open and Wimbledon in 2013. At the age of 35, Black is not sure if she will continue to play in 2015. “I just want to wind down a little bit and see where the next step takes me,” said Black, who won the season-ending event for the third time, but her first since returning to tennis after taking time out to have a child.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Basel: Vasek Pospisil and Nenad Zimonjic beat Marin Dragonja and Henri Kontinen 7-6 (13) 1-6 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Poitiers: Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka beat Katarzyna Piter and Maryna Zanevska 6-1 7-5

Singapore: Cara Black and Sania Mirza beat Hsieh Su-Wei and Peng Shuai 6-1 6-0

Valencia: Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau beat Kevin Anderson and Jeremy Chardy 6-4 6-2

SURFING

Paris: http://bnpparibasmasters.billetterie.fft.fr/

Sofia: http://sofia-tennis.bg/en/home

Bratislava: www.stz.sk/

Fed Cup: www.fedcup.com

London: www.barclaysatpworldtourfinals.com/en/

Dubai: www.dubaitennis.com