MONDAYS WITH BOB GREENE: STARS OF 2009

STARS OF 2009

Australian Open

Men: Rafael Nadal; Women: Serena Williams

Roland Garros

Men: Roger Federer; Women: Svetlana Kuznetsova

Wimbledon

Men: Roger Federer; Women: Serena Williams

US Open

Men: Juan Martin del Potro; Women: Kim Clijsters

Sony Ericsson Championships

Serena Williams

Barclays ATP World Tour Finals

Nikolay Davydenko

Davis Cup

Spain

Fed Cup

Italy

SAYINGS

“We can attribute the strength and the growth of women’s tennis a great deal to her. She is a superstar.” – Stacey Allaster, WTA Tour chairman and CEO, talking about Serena Williams.

“My goal is to have a better year than ’09 – and to stay healthy, and I think if I can do that, I’ll be fine.” – Serena Williams, looking towards 2010.

“To win my first Roland Garros title, break the all-time Grand Slam record and regain the number one ranking is amazing. It means a lot to me to finish the year again at the top.” – Roger Federer.

“I know I’m going back into the tennis life, where we’re spoiled with limousines and hotel suites, but I know now there are other more important matters. You have to build on the human adventures, not the trophies, not the titles, not the money.” – Justine Henin, saying her time away from tennis allowed her to discover herself.

“Anyone who knows me knows that I love the game of tennis. I play it regularly, watch it frequently, and now look forward to being in Indian Wells every March to host the greatest players in the world.” – Larry Ellison, new owner of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, USA.

“Being captain of the Davis Cup team is difficult but it also makes you proud, and given that there are a lot of people who could do this job, I am thankful for the renewal of this confidence in me.” – Albert Costa, whose contract to captain Spain’s victorious Davis Cup team was extended for another year.

SERENA ATHLETE OF YEAR

Serena Williams was named the 2009 Female Athlete of the Year by The Associated Press. The world’s top-ranked player received 66 of 158 votes cast by editors at AP member newspaper in the United States. No other candidate got more than 18 votes. Williams won the Australian Open and Wimbledon singles titles, giving her 11 Grand Slam tournament victories for her career, and she teamed with her older sister Venus to win the women’s doubles titles at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. At the two majors she didn’t win in 2009, Williams lost to the eventual champions, Svetlana Kuznetsova at Roland Garros and Kim Clijsters at the US Open. Serena also won the AP Female Athlete of the Year award in 2002. “I’m just happy and blessed to even be playing seven years later,” she said. “All this is a bonus, really. In 2002, I just was really dominant, and I think in 2009 I just brought that back. I kind of became that player again.”

STELLAR CHAMPIONS

For the fifth time, Roger Federer has been named the International Tennis Federation (ITF) men’s champion. Serena Williams was named the top woman for the second time in her career. Federer regained the world number one ranking from Rafael Nadal as he won his first French Open title and his 15^th Grand Slam tournament crown by capturing his sixth Wimbledon title. The Swiss star also reached the final of the other two Grand Slam tournaments, losing to Nadal at the Australian Open and to Juan Martin del Potro at the US Open. “It is an honor for me to be named ITF World Champion for a fifth time. It was an incredible year for me both on and off the court,” said the 28-year-old Federer, who also was married and became the father of twin daughters in 2009.

Serena Williams was also impressive in 2009. She won the Australian Open for the fourth time and her third Wimbledon title, and then finished the year by capturing the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, Qatar. She broke the single-season women’s money record by winning more than USD $6.5 million as she posted a 50-12 match record in singles. Serena led the WTA Tour with 381 aces and also led in percentages of first-service points won and service games won.

Serena also teamed with her sister Venus Williams to be named the women’s doubles World Champions. They won the doubles titles at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open in 2009, running their career total to 10 Grand Slam tournament titles. Serena joins Lindsay Davenport and Martina Hingis as the only players to become singles and doubles world champions in the same year. When Martina Navratilova was dominating both singles and doubles in the 1980s, the ITF did not honor doubles champions.

American twins Bob and Mike Bryan were named the men’s doubles World Champions for the sixth time in seven years.

The award is based on performances at Grand Slam tournaments, tour events, Davis Cup and Fed Cup. The ITF World Champions will receive their awards at the annual ITF World Champions Dinner on June 1 in Paris, France, during the French Open.

SPORTS EVENT MANAGEMENT AWARD

The All England Club received a Gold Award for Sports Event Innovation at the SportBusiness Sports Event Management Awards 2009. The award recognizes the innovation and skills of the people and organizations that make sports events happen. Nigel Rushman, co-chair of the judging panel, said the judges “were extremely impressed” by the All England Club’s entry. “They have earned the right to be considered the best in the world in their area in 2008-9.” Wimbledon unveiled a retractable roof over Centre Court in 2009, allowing play to continue even in inclement weather.

SINGLED OUT

Wild cards entries into the Australian Open have been handed out to Australians Alicia Molik and Bernard Tomic. Olivia Rogowska, a teenager from Melbourne, Australia, was also given a wild card into the women’s singles by tournament organizers. Besides Tomic, who won the Australian Open and US Open junior boys titles in 2009, others given wild cards into the men’s singles were two other Australians, under-18 champion Jason Kubler and Davis Cupper Carsten Ball. Earlier, organizers granted former world number one Justine Henin of Belgium a wild-card entry into the women’s draw.

STICKING AROUND

Albert Costa will be back as captain of Spain’s victorious Davis Cup team. The Spanish tennis federation (RFET) extended Costa’s contract for another year. Costa led his team to victory over the Czech Republic in the 2009 final as Spain became the first team in 11 years to successfully defend its title. Costa, who played Davis Cup for Spain and won the French Open as a player, had been appointed in December 2008 for one year. Spanish federation president Jose Luis Escanuela praised Costa’s “fine work behind the scenes” in winning Spain’s fourth Davis Cup.

SENT INVITATION

Great Britain’s Prince William has been invited to attend the Australian Open. Tennis Australia president Geoff Pollard sent an official invitation to Prince William, urging the second in line to the British throne to be guest of honor at Melbourne Park. The prince will be on a three-day tour of Australia, including a visit to areas devastated by bush fires. “We are very hopeful Prince William will come,” said Australian Open chief Steve Wood. “We have heard he is a bit of a tennis fan and we think he would absolutely love seeing the world’s best players on Rod Laver Arena at Australian Open 2010.”

SANTIAGO-BOUND

Defending champion Fernando Gonzalez of Chile, German Tommy Haas, Argentina’s Juan Monaco and Richard Gasquet of France headline the roster at the 2010 Movistar Open, which begins January 31 in Santiago, Chile. This year’s Movistar Open will be held during the 200^th anniversary of Chilean independence and will feature players from Australia, Brazil, Ecuador, France, Argentina, Spain, Italy, Poland, Uruguay and the United States, as well as Chile. Both Haas and Gasquet will be making their first visit to Chile. Monaco was runner-up in 2008 when the tournament was held in Vina del Mar.

SWITCH IN OWNERS

The BNP Paribas Open and the Indian Wells Tennis Garden have a new owner. Larry Ellison, co-founder and CEO of Oracle Corporation, has purchased the tournament and stadium from the previous ownership group, which included several former tennis champions, including Charlie Pasarell, Raymond Moore, Pete Sampras, Chris Evert and Billie Jean King. The BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, USA, is reportedly the best attended tennis tournament in the world after the four Grand Slam events. Pasarell and Moore, who formed PM Sports Management in 1985, will continue to manage the event and the stadium for Ellison’s company, Tennis Ventures LLC. Steve Simon will continue as tournament director and chief operating officer of the facility. Former owner George Mackin has the new title of Director of Sponsorship Marketing.

SIGNED ON

Ana Ivanovic will begin her bid to regain the world number one ranking with a new fitness trainer. The 2008 Roland Garros champion has already begun working with Australian Damian Prasad on a trial basis. Prasad formerly worked with many other players, including Nadia Petrova, Eleni Danilidou, Nicolas Kiefer, Wayne Arthurs and Raemon Sluiter.

Ivanovic also has recently purchased an apartment in an exclusive building being built in New
Belgrade. Her apartment reportedly has an impressive view of New and Old Belgrade and the rivers. Construction is in the final phase and Ana’s parents, Dragana and Miroslav, have already started working on the interior design for their daughter.

STARRING AS KING

Novak Djokovic has stepped up from being the best tennis player in Serbia to becoming king of Yugoslavia. Djokovic will play the king in a new television series about the life of Aleksandar Karadjordjevic (1888-1934), who was the first king of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia as well as the last king of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The 10-episode series will begin filming in March. Novak’s youngest brother, Djordje, will play the young Aleksandar Karadjordjevic.

SELECTED

The best Czech tennis player of 2009 is – drum roll, please – the Czech Republic Davis Cup team. Czech President Vaclav Klaus presented the award to the Davis Cup team, which advanced to the final for the first time in 29 years. It is the first time in the poll’s 17-year history that the award went to a team and not an individual player. Radek Stepanek was named the best male player of the year, while Lucie Safarova received the best female tennis player of the year honor.

SELA, SHAHAR STAR

There was tennis over the Christmas holiday. One tournament was the Israeli championships in Ra’anana, which was won by Dudi Sela and Shahar Peer. Sela won his second Israeli men’s crown and first since 2006, beating Amir Weintraub in the final, while Peer had no problems crushing Julia Glushko in the women’s title match. Peer already has won six national championships, including the last four. “I was looking at the record books and saw that Tova Epstein won eight straight titles, so I’m hoping to break her record in the future,” Peer said.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Australian Open: Men: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan; Women: Serena Williams and Venus Williams; Mixed: Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi

Roland Garros: Men: Lukas Dlouhy and Leander Paes; Women: Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual

Wimbledon: Men: Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic; Women: Serena Williams and Venus Williams; Mixed: Mark Knowles and Anna-Lena Groenefeld

US Open: Men: Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy; Women: Serena Williams and Venus Williams; Mixed: Carly Gullickson and Travis Parrott

London: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan

Doha: Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez

SITES TO SURF

Brisbane: www.brisbaneinternational.com.au/

Chennai: www.aircelchennaiopen.org/

Auckland: www.asbclassic.co.nz/

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK