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U.S. Team in Fight for Fed Cup Spot This Weekend on Tennis Channel

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Sisters Serena and Venus Williams, Christina McHale and Liezel Huber Battle Belarus and Australian Open Champion Victoria Azarenka to Compete for 2013 Cup

Venus Williams at pre-draw press conference

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 2, 2012-Tennis Channel will provide exclusive coverage of the U.S. Fed Cup team’s first-round competition against Belarus in Worcester, Mass., this weekend, with live telecasts Saturday, Feb. 4, and Sunday, Feb. 5. Because the Americans lost in their first-round competition last April, they must defeat Belarus for a chance to compete for the Fed Cup in 2013. Former World No. 1 and 13-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams will join the United States team against Australian Open champion and World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.

The battle between the United States, a finalist during the 2009 and 2010 Fed Cup competitions, and Belarus will consist of two singles matches on Saturday, and two singles matches and the doubles match Sunday. Tennis Channel will carry all matches live, beginning at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday and 12p.m. ET on Sunday, followed by same-day encore coverage each evening at 7 p.m. ET.

Coverage from DCU Center in Worcester, Mass., is as follows (subject to change):
Saturday, Feb. 4:
1 p.m. – Live Singles #1
3 p.m. – Live Singles #2
{7 p.m. – Instant Encore Singles #1}
{9 p.m. – Instant Encore Singles #2}
{11 p.m. – Instant Encore Singles #1}

Sunday, Feb. 5:
12 p.m. – Live Singles #3
2 p.m. – Live Singles #4
4 p.m. – Live Doubles
{7 p.m. – Instant Encore Doubles}

The United States and Belarus have never faced each other in Fed Cup play. The American squad will be playing outside of the Fed Cup’s top division for the first time in its history after losing matches to Belgium and Germany last year. In 2009 and 2010 the United States reached the championship before falling to Italy both times. The United States leads all nations with 17 Fed Cup championships, the most recent in 2000 when it defeated Russia 5-0 in Las Vegas.

The 2012 U.S. Fed Cup team is captained by American tennis star Mary Joe Fernandez, who won the Fed Cup championship as a player in 1996. Serena Williams returned to the courts this past fall after a year-long injury, and reached the final at the 2011 US Open. In 2010 she defended her Wimbledon crown by overpowering Vera Zvonareva to win her 13th Grand Slam singles title. Williams holds 12 doubles titles and two Olympic gold medals in women’s doubles in 2000 and 2008 with her sister Venus. Christina McHale scored the biggest win of her young career last year when she upset World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati and defeated Marion Bartoli en route to the third round at the US Open. She enters this weekend’s match after an impressive run at the Australian Open before falling to Jelena Jankovic. Venus Williams is appearing in her first sanctioned competition since being diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome last year. She has captured seven Grand Slam singles titles and won the Olympic gold medal in women’s singles in 2000. Liezel Huber, doubles World No.1, recently won her fifth Grand Slam doubles title at the 2011 US Open with partner Lisa Raymond.

Belarus earned its spot in Fed Cup play this weekend for the first time since 1999 after an impressive 5-0 victory over Estonia in Minsk, Belarus. If Belarus wins this weekend it will qualify for a chance to compete for the 2013 Fed Cup. The Belarusian team is captained by Sergei Teterin and features World No. 1 Azarenka, Anastasia Yakimova, Olga Govortsova and Darya Kustova.

Tennis Channel (www.tennischannel.com) is the only 24-hour, television-based multimedia destination dedicated to both the professional sport and tennis lifestyle. A hybrid of comprehensive sports, health, fitness, pop culture, entertainment, lifestyle and travel programming, the network is home to every aspect of the wide-ranging, worldwide tennis community. It also has the most concentrated single-sport coverage in television, with telecast rights to the US Open, Wimbledon, Roland Garros (French Open), Australian Open, Olympus US Open Series, ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events, top-tier WTA competitions, Davis Cup and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, and Hyundai Hopman Cup. Tennis Channel is carried by nine of the top 10 video providers.

(photo via USTA)

Djokovic-Nadal Australian Open Epic To Be Added to Steve Flink’s Upcoming Book

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NEW YORK, January 30, 2012 – Stop the presses! Steve Flink, the noted tennis journalist and historian who is in the process of finishing his upcoming book THE GREATEST TENNIS MATCHES OF ALL TIME, has a new chapter to add.

Novak Djokovic’s epic 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5 victory over Rafael Nadal in the 2012 Australian Open singles final will be a last minute addition to the volume, due out June 1, 2012 by New Chapter Press. Djokovic’s victory lasted 5 hours, 53 minutes, making it the longest singles final ever at a Grand Slam tournament and the longest match in the history of the Australian Open.

“This was definitely one of the greatest matches of all time – easily one of the ten best since the Open Era of tennis started in 1968,” said Flink. “Djokovic and Nadal both showed boundless energy and determination. They moved beyond themselves time and again, finding reserves of willpower they never knew existed. It was a match that will stand the test of time. It was riveting theatre and I am looking forward to documenting it in my book THE GREATEST TENNIS MATCHES OF ALL TIME.”

THE GREATEST TENNIS MATCHES OF ALL TIME features profiles and rankings of the greatest matches and strokes in the history of the sport. The book features matches played by such legends as Bill Tilden, Suzanne Lenglen, Rod Laver, Billie Jean King, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Roger Federer, Serena Williams and many others. Flink breaks down, analyzes and puts into historical context these most memorable matches, providing readers with a courtside seat at these most historic and significant duels. THE GREATEST TENNIS MATCHES OF ALL TIME ($25.95) can be pre-ordered at the following link: http://m1e.net/c?136411417-YM9fTHfPlr7o2%407188901-jZ107MahwFdcY

Flink, one of the most respected writers and observers in the game, is currently a columnist for TennisChannel.com. He is the former editor of World Tennis magazine and a former senior columnist at Tennis Week. He lives in Katonah, New York.

Founded in 1987, New Chapter Press (www.NewChapterMedia.com) is also the publisher of “Roger Federer: Quest for Perfection” by Rene Stauffer (www.RogerFedererBook.com), “The Bud Collins History of Tennis” by Bud Collins, “The Education of a Tennis Player” by Rod Laver with Bud Collins, “The Wimbledon Final That Never Was” by Sidney Wood, “Acing Depression: A Tennis Champion’s Toughest Match” by Cliff Richey and Hilaire Richey Kallendorf (www.CliffRicheyBook.com), “Jan Kodes: A Journey To Glory From Behind The Iron Curtain” by Jan Kodes with Peter Kolar, “Tennis Made Easy” by Kelly Gunterman, “On This Day In Tennis History” by Randy Walker (www.TennisHistoryBook.com), “A Player’s Guide To USTA League Tennis” by Tony Serksnis, “Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games” by Tom Caraccioli and Jerry Caraccioli (www.Boycott1980.com), “The Lennon Prophecy” by Joe Niezgoda  (www.TheLennonProphecy.com), “Bone Appetit, Gourmet Cooking For Your Dog” by Susan Anson, “How
To Sell Your Screenplay” by Carl Sautter, “The Rules of Neighborhood Poker According To Hoyle” by Stewart Wolpin, “People’s Choice Guide Cancun” by Eric Rabinowitz, “Lessons from the Wild” by Shayamal Vallabhjee among others. New Chapter Press will also publish in April, 2012 the book “Titanic: The Tennis Story” by Lindsay Gibbs.

The Inexplicable Australian Open

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by Thomas Swick

Contemporary tennis defies logic. Most people will tell you that something can’t be constantly changing and dull, in the same way that something can’t be predictable and thrilling. But most people didn’t watch the Australian Open.

On Friday night, Victoria Azarenka won her first Grand Slam title with a victory in straight sets over Maria Sharapova. The only thing that kept the match from qualifying as a snoozer was the fact that the high decibel levels of both players’ screams made it impossible for anyone watching to fall asleep.

The win catapulted the Belarusian to No. 1 in the rankings, replacing Caroline Wozniacki, the Grand Slam bridesmaid who lost in straight sets in her quarterfinal match against Kim “Supermom” Clijsters.  The quarterfinals gave us the last of the women’s tiebreaks – a feature of tennis that it is no less exciting, and a lot more equitable, than the shootout in soccer.

The women’s game is becoming one of remarkable flux and drama-drained matches. Of last year’s Grand Slam winners – Kim Clijsters, Li Na, Petra Kvitova and Samantha Stosur – only Clijsters and Kvitova made it to the Melbourne semifinals, after which they both departed the scene.

Freshness trumping consistency is not necessarily a bad thing; everybody likes to see new faces. But it’s not good for tennis when fans forget the old ones. It makes their accomplishments look a little suspect. Li Na lost in the fourth round, while Stosur – who came inwith momentum from winning the previous Slam – was knocked out in the first round by Sorana Cirstea.

Yes, Sorana Cirstea.

And, as tended to be the case on the women’s side, the match was over after two sets. The women’s U.S. Open champion failed to win a set – in effect, failed to show up on her home court – when matched against the 59th ranked player in the world.

Two rounds later, 13 of the 16 women’s matches were won in straight sets. As much publicity as the screams got, this women’s tournament was really about the yawns.

On the men’s side the landscape is drastically different. It’s hard to imagine any of the top four players – Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer or Andy Murray– exiting a Grand Slam in the first round. In fact, with Djokovic it’s getting hardto imagine him exiting without the trophy. But watching his seemingly inexorable progress toward the prize is the antithesis of boring.

He played a grueling, five-set semifinal against Murray, while in the other semi, Nadal needed four sets to dispatch Federer. There they were again: the Serb, the Spaniard, the Swiss, and the Scot. Rulingthe men’s game is a hierarchical Gang of Four.

But nobody is complaining, at least not in the stands. The final promised yet another dream matchup of the indefatigable versus the invincible. It would, we knew, go more than three sets, and all of them would last longer than 36 minutes (the time it took Azarenka to bagel Sharapova). All as predicted, and all spectacularly riveting.

If you woke up late on Sunday – and it had to be quite late, since the match sailed on for nearly six hours – you saw that it was being replayed under the heading of “Instant Classic.” Djokovic, after losing the fourth-set tiebreak, looked ready to crumble, netting a few forehands on seemingly spent legs. We were told that he had never won back-to-back five-set matches.

But the Orthodox Tebow crossed himself repeatedly, kissed the wooden cross he wears around his neck, and made impassioned entreaties to the heavens. And, miraculously, Nadal started to flag. He still ran down pretty much every shot, but he also committed some stunning unforced errors. The man who has made a career out of jumping up and down, pumping his fist, sprinting to the baseline, was seen after one point bent over in exhaustion, trying to catch his breath.

But he couldn’t catch Djokovic. Hitting an easy winner on a desperately returned serve, the Serb flopped ecstatically onto his back. After a wet hug on the other side of the net, he ripped off his shirt as he walked toward his box and let out a series of primal screams. The weary supplicant had become the bare-chested King of the World.

During the awards ceremony, both players grimaced and stretched away cramps until staff members kindly brought out two chairs (Djokovic gentlemanly sending the first one to Nadal). Both overcame unimaginable mental and physical exhaustion to give gracious speeches in a language not their own. Both said everything we expected them to say, yet nevertheless we found it uplifting.

Djokovic Edges Nadal In Epic Australian Open Final

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From staff and wire reports

Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal in one of the most gripping, hard-fought major finals in tennis history, winning his third Australian Open men’s singles title with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5 victory.

Novak Djokovic as champion

The match lasted five hours and 53 minutes in the longest major singles final in tennis history and the longest ever match at the Australian Open.

Djokovic came within two points of victory in the fourth set, but he came from a break down in the fifth to finally emerge triumphant. Nadal led 4-2 in the fifth set and missed an easy backhand down the line at 30-15 that would have placed him at 40-15, five points from victory. Djokovic was able to break Nadal back that game to get back on serve. He broke Nadal at 5-5, then served out the victory, his fifth major singles title to go with one Wimbledon and US Open title and two previous Australian titles.

Both players were weary with fatigue in the final stages of the match, but managed to smack balls across the net at each other with fierce abandon. The previous longest major final came with Mats Wilander outlasted Ivan Lendl in 4:54 in the 1988 US Open Final. The previous longest Australian Open match came when Rafael Nadal beat Fernando Verdasco in 5:14 in the 2009 semifinals.

“You think you’ve seen almost everything and it boggles the mind what two men can do,” said former U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe on ESPN2.

“Unforgettable. Unmatched. New definition of suffering for a title,” said Chris Fowler on ESPN2. “Tennis found new boundaries tonight thanks to these two men…Nadal will feel this pain for the rest of his life.”

Nadal, who beat Federer in four sets on Thursday, had the luxury of two days’ rest, while Djokovic, needed nearly five hours to see off Andy Murray on Friday. While Djokovic may have had the mental edge, having won the last six meetings between the pair, Nadal attempted to neutralize that threat by pushing Djokovic physically from the outset.

And the Serb looked to be battling fatigue in the early stages as Nadal produced a superb backhand cross-court winner to forge the first break point of the match. Two big serves got Djokovic out of trouble, but a netted backhand gave Nadal a second chance, before a languid backhand gifted the Spaniard an early break.

Djokovic fought hard to break back immediately, a backhand volley brought him to deuce on Nadal’s serve, but the second seed wrapped up the game to take a 4-2 lead. But Djokovic was unbeaten in his last 20 grand slam matches, and he dug deep, securing a crucial service hold before breaking back at the third time of asking.

Nadal had the chance for a triple break point, but an unlucky net cord allowed Djokovic back into the game and he took a 5-4 lead to force Nadal to serve for the set. After racing to a 40-0 lead, Nadal was pegged back to 40-30, but unleashed a blistering forehand to level the scores.

The Spaniard grabbed break point with a forehand down the line before a 19th unforced error from Djokovic handed Nadal the chance to serve for the set, and although Djokovic saved two set points, Nadal wrapped up a brutal opening set after 79 minutes.

Nadal had lost just one grand slam match after winning the opening set, but he could not afford to rest on his laurels against the world No. 1, and the Serb looked livelier in the second set as he loosened up and reduced his error count.

And the Serb was rewarded for his crisper hitting with a break to take a 3-1 lead, digging out a volley to snatch the break. Pouncing on Nadal’s second serves, Djokovic began to dominate the baseline rallies, and the Spaniard struggled to find a way back.

Serving for the set, Djokovic twice forced Nadal out wide on his backhand before burying a volley to carve two set points, but an overenthusiastic backhand snuck wide before Nadal saved the second with a blistering forehand.

Nadal atoned for a poor drop shot with a forehand cross-court volley for break point, and a double fault from Djokovic handed Nadal the break. But the world No. 1 recovered from squandering two set points to break back to snatch the set, a double fault from Nadal returning the favour.

With Djokovic firmly in the ascendancy, Nadal was camped out behind the baseline, and although the Spaniard hung onto his serve to level at 1-1 in the third set, Djokovic’s pressure took its toll and as in the second set he broke to lead 3-1 when Nadal hooked a forehand wide after a gruelling 20-stroke rally.

He consolidated the break in emphatic fashion, serving out to love for a 4-1 lead, and although Nadal hung on to his service game keep himself in the set, it merely delayed the inevitable as Djokovic creamed a backhand to wrap up the third set and tighten his grip on the match.

Nadal’s fans were in a frenzy when the Spaniard took a 30-15 lead on Djokovic’s serve, but with the top seed serving first in the fourth set, he always had the upper hand. Leading 4-3, the Serb opened up his forehand to fashion three break points, and the Serb was just five points away from the championship.

However, Nadal is a fierce competitor, and he saved the first break point with a penetrating forehand. A big serve rescued the second before he sent a backhand down the line which spun away from Djokovic. The Spaniard got his nose in front with an ace, before another huge serve down the middle resulted in a huge service hold.

As the clock ticked over to four hours, any sign of a swing in momentum was checked as the rain set in and the players were forced off court while the roof was closed. Djokovic, who had been one point away from serving for the match, was left to rue what might have been during the break in play.

But any doubt was immediately cast aside as Djokovic proved impenetrable on his serve, holding to love to put the pressure immediately back on Nadal, who dug out a backhand to force a fourth set tiebreak.

Nadal saw his chance to steal an early lead dissolve when he hit a backhand long after Djokovic left the court open, and when the ball bounced off the top of the net, it looked like it might be Djokovic’s day. An inch-perfect forehand which wrongfooted his opponent put the Serb within two points of victory, but he let Nadal back in, spraying his forehand wide after a brutal rally.

When Nadal’s backhand bounced short, Djokovic had the title in sight, but he failed to put away the winner, instead finding the net, and at 5-5 the pair were back on level terms. It was gone midnight local time, but the crowd were desperate to see a fifth set, and Rod Laver Arena was buzzing when Nadal produced an ace for set point, and when Djokovic hit a forehand wide, the Spaniard sank to his knees as if he had won the championship.

Playing with renewed confidence and energy, Nadal took the match to Djokovic, who looked like he was running on empty, and a pair of unforced errors handed Nadal a break to go 4-2 up.

But an inexplicable error from the Spaniard, snatching at a backhand with the court at his mercy, opened the door for Djokovic, and the Serb didn’t need a second invitation as he broke back after a wayward forehand from Nadal.

Djokovic sank to the floor in disbelief when a backhand sailed long, and he could scarcely believe his misfortune when his drop shot failed to clear the net. The Spaniard held on to force Djokovic to serve to stay in the match, but the Serb held his nerve before snatching a break to coolly serve out for the championship to become only the fifth man in the Open era to win three consecutive grand slam titles.

Azarenka Shows Poise In First Major Final

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by Lisa-Marie Burrows

Victoria Azarenka was calm personified in her debut Grand Slam final against Maria Sharapova. If she was nervous about appearing in her first major final, she did not show it as she blasted past the Russian 6-3, 6-0 in front of a stunned Rod Laver Arena crowd.

Sharapova had the wealth of experience behind her as she went into the final a three-timemajor winner, winning her first title when she was only 17 years old on the grass courts of Wimbledon. Yet it was the No. 3 seed Azarenka who was poised, cool and brimming with confidence.

Azarenka had beaten Sharapova on three out of six occasions, so she had the game and capability to beat her, but more importantly, she knew how to beat her.  She had a plan and she stuck with it.  Point after point, the 22 year old pulled Sharapova from side to side across the tennis court, keeping her rival on the run.  Azarenka knew how important it was to keep the hard hitting Russian off balance, play aggressive and attack the net to shorten the points – and she did so beautifully.  It was an on court lesson to all the other players on how to break down the Sharapova game effectively.

Azarenka was the boss on court and produced a fantastic performance with her consistently good serve and powerful groundstrokes.  She started off slowly in the first set as she went down an early break 0-2, and then 0-30, but soon fought back to 2-2 as she used her excellent movement to retrieve impossible balls and dominated play from the baseline. She calmly served out the first set 6-3, pumping her fist as Sharapova’s return of serve on set point went into the net.

The start of the second set did not see Maria Sharapova get off to a good start or change up her on court tactics to secure the second set and as a result, she was swiftly broken in her opening service game.  There was no holding Azarenka back as the momentum of the game was firmly in her hands. All thoughts of lifting the trophy were clearly at the back of her mind, as her focus remained impeccable.

She went on to take the next five games and her tough mentality did not waver as she fiercely served for the championship without letting her nerves get the better of her. In a powerful and mature performance Victoria Azarenka eventually dropped to her knees in shock as she achieved what she had always dreamed of – a major title

In an outstanding match performance lasting 82-minutes, not only was the Belarusian crowned the Australian Open champion, she has also taken the world No. 1 ranking from Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki and achieved this amazing feat against one of the best competitors in the game.

Flurry of Winners Place Djokovic In Final Down Under

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by Lisa-Marie Burrows

In an enduring survival of the fittest semifinal between world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and world No. 4 Andy Murray, both players fought, struggled and left their hearts out on the tennis court after they produced an epic semifinal lasting just under five hours on Rod Laver Arena on Friday. Djokovic, the defending champion, eventually nudged out the victory 6-3, 3-6, 6-7, 6-1, 7-5 to book his place into the final to set up an electrifying showdown with world No.2 Rafael Nadal on Sunday.

This year’s semifinal match between the two was a far cry different contest to the Australian Open final match of last year, where Murray was easily defeated in three straight sets. This time around, the match was full of exquisite shots, dogged determination and nail biting penultimate points which required Djokovic to strike 184 winners to dispatch of Murray – but not without a fight.

The first two sets demonstrated the quality of play and the incredible physicality of the athletes as they were engaged in frequent 40-shot rallies to win a single point. The sets went down to a few deciding points as Djokovic took the first set and Murray grasped the second.

It was all to play for in the third set as the momentum of the match swung direction between both players and it became apparent that a tiebreak was imminent.  The players were neck and neck with each other and either player had a chance of stealing the set, but it was the 4th seeded Murray whose courage withstood the test and secured him the two sets to one advantage.

Undeterred by losing the third set, Djokovic did not step back on court despondent, in fact losing a valuable opportunity of the advantage seemed to set fire to the belly of the Serb as he immediately broke Murray in the opening game and went on to break him a further one more time to level the match two sets all after a rapid 25-minutes.

As predicted, the match came down to the wire and what a thin line it was for Murray. The Scot was suddenly staring defeat in the face as he found himself 2-5 down and a game away from exiting the tournament, but somehow Murray used his energy reserves to crawl his way back into the match and kept his dream of ousting the world No.1 alive.  This hope was short lived and a shattered Murray could not withstand the Serbinator in the 11th game, as he watched a crosscourt forehand soar past him and a jubilated Djokovic fall to the fall with relief, happiness and exhaustion.

On Sunday, Djokovic will seek to add another Grand Slam to his collection and succeed in claiming his third major in a row and a third title in Melbourne.  The talented Serb will square up once more against Spanish No.1 and former Australian Open champion, Rafael Nadal.

All is not lost for Murray who courageously engrossed in his longest ever career match which lasted just under five hours in a highly competitive, edge of the seat, heart banging match with so much at stake for both players.  Murray may feel disappointed having lost the match and critics may continue to discuss whether he will ever claim an elusive Grand Slam, but what must be remembered is that the Scot did not lose to an average player – he lost to the world’s best player.  With the wise words of new coach Ivan Lendl in his mind, this could very much be the world No.4s year – and what an exciting 2012 it could be after this epic semifinal match. Would we like to see more toe-to-toe battles featuring “Murrovic”?  Oh, yes please!

Unforced Errors Plague Federer In Loss To Nadal

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by Lisa-Marie Burrows

In another epic contest between arguably two of the greatest of all time players, world No.2 Rafael Nadal defeated his old nemesis Roger Federer 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 in three hours and 42 minutes on a packed Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park Thursday.

Nadal recorded his 18th victory out of 27 meetings against the Swiss maestro to advance to the final for the second time on Sunday against the winner of Friday’s semifinal between Andy Murray and world No. 1 and defending champion, Novak Djokovic.

The beauty of watching these two players contest against each other on the court is that they never fail to bring out the best in each other – something which Nadal was unsuccessful in doing against Novak Djokovic last year after his six final defeats in 2011.  But the Nadal that stepped onto the courts today was a man of sheer confidence, fully rejuvenated and his passion was clearly back.

Unfortunately for Federer, he was the one who experienced more difficulties – something unexpected after his flawless journey through the tournament.  The normally flashy, infamous forehand of Federer failed to launch today and only ignited on a few occasions.  Throughout the match, the sixteen-time Grand Slam champion committed 63 unforced errors and needed to change from his A Plan (attacking using the forehand) to Plan B (attacking the net and playing with more aggression).

Federer was able to take the first three games from the superior Spaniard, but eventually edged out the first set in a tiebreak.  This seemed to bring the world No. 2 to life in the second set as he quickly stormed ahead to a 6-2 lead, retrieving impossible balls from the Federer racquet and often punished him with brutal passing shots as he volleyed at the net.

Nadal and Federer shared an equal break during the third set and both players screamed and pumped themselves up on the court – all the way to another crucial tiebreak.  Federer’s forehand seemed to abandon him during this critical time and it was the Roland Garros champion who managed to steal the third set and have the two sets to one advantage.

The third set proved to be a similar story, but with Federer’s belief and shot making capabilities weakening, the Spaniard upped the ante and Federer could not fend off the break points he faced in the ninth game, which saw Nadal serve out for the match successfully and take the fourth set 6-4 after an unforced error from Federer’s forehand.

Each time these players face each other on a tennis court, it is TV gold.  Both rivals on court never fail to produce a magnificent contest, often leaving the spectators wanting more and wondering how many more times they will witness these two great players fight it out on the tennis court again.  Hopefully for those who love tennis and the sheer brilliance that these two champions bring to the court, there will be many more opportunities.

Nadal will certainly be seeking to reignite his performance from today to life the trophy for the second time in his career against either world No.1 Novak Djokovic or Britain’s Andy Murray, who will be vying to reach his fourth Grand Slam final. Either way, with so much at stake, it will certainly be a mouthwatering contest on Sunday.

Djokovic Through to the Semifinals

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By Lisa-Marie Burrows

Defending champion Novak Djokovic beat Spaniard David Ferrer in the Australian Open quarterfinals Wednesday 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 and revealed that during his straight sets victory, the world No.1 had experienced difficulties with his breathing.

Despite the straightforward score line, the match against the battling Spaniard was less than easy to begin with.  The top seed was fending off a hamstring injury and his endurance levels during the match were questionable as he revealed his nose felt blocked and he struggled with oxygen

Novak Djokovic

inhalation.

Set one showed the 24-year-olds tactics as he played aggressive from the onset against the retrieving ‘wall’ that is Ferrer and forced the 5th seed to play on the defensive.  The Serb had six break point opportunities before finally breaking at 2-2 to gain a 3-2 lead and obtained the opening set 6-4.

The second set was more competitive as both players took the match to a vital tie-break, which would have guaranteed dominating Djokovic a two sets lead or allowed fighting Ferrer back into the match to level the competition one set apiece. It appeared that Ferrer had the physical edge in the tie-break leading 4-2 as Djokovic struggled with his movement due to a hamstring injury, but it was the world No.1 who had the mental edge as he fought back with five consecutive points to seize the second set.

The Australian Open champion proved to be unstoppable and avenged his defeat to Ferrer at the ATP World Tour Finals in London by taking the third set 6-1.

Djokovic will square off with Britain’s Andy Murray after he defeated Kei Nishikori of Japan 6-3, 6-3, 6-1.  It will be a repeat of last year’s final in Melbourne, where the British No.1 lost in his third Grand Slam final. He will look once again to secure his place in the last two in hope of lifting his first major title.

Venus Williams, Christina McHale and Liezel Huber Join Serena Williams on U.S. Team for Fed Cup by BNP Paribas

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WORLD GROUP II FIRST ROUND VS. BELARUS 

Matches to be played on indoor hard court at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass., Feb. 4-5

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., January 24, 2012 — The USTA and U.S. Fed Cup Captain Mary Joe Fernandez announced today that 13-time Grand Slam Champion Serena Williamswill be joined by her sister Venus Williams, Christina McHale, and world No. 1 doubles player Liezel Huber in representing the U.S. against Belarus in the 2012 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group II First Round at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass., February 4-5. Sloane Stephens will also come to Worcester to train with the team.

Current world No. 3 Victoria Azarenka is expected to lead the Belarusian team.  Azarenka will face defending champion Kim Clijsters in the Australian Open semifinals and could take over the world No. 1 ranking this week.

The best-of-five match series begins on Saturday, February 4, with two singles matches and is followed by two reverse singles matches and the doubles match on Sunday, February 5.  Tennis Channel will present daily coverage beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET on Saturday and 12:00 p.m. ET on Sunday.

The match will mark the first-ever matchup between the U.S. and Belarus in Fed Cup competition.  The winner of this match will advance to the World Group Playoff and play for a chance to compete for the Fed Cup title in 2013.  The loser will compete in the World Group II Playoff and will either maintain its status in World Group II for the following year or be relegated to zonal competition.

“I am looking forward to having Serena and Venus on the team for the first time since I became U.S. Fed Cup captain.  They bring so much to this team, not only for what they can do on court, but the influence they will have on Christina and the rest of the team,” said U.S. Fed Cup Captain Mary Joe Fernandez.” Victoria is playing the best tennis I have seen from her, so we are excited to be facing Belarus in our first match in the United States in two years.”

Serena Williams, 30, will make her first appearance in Fed Cup since 2007 and is undefeated in her Fed Cup career.  She captured her 13th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2010, and then returned from a year-long injury hiatus to reach the final at the 2011 US Open.  She has also partnered with sister Venus to win 12 Grand Slam doubles titles, and has been ranked No. 1 in the world in both singles and doubles.  Williams is 4-0 in Fed Cup singles play, and helped the U.S. capture the 1999 Fed Cup title.  She and Venus also won the Olympic gold medal in women’s doubles in 2000 and 2008.

McHale, 19, will be making her second consecutive appearance on the U.S. Fed Cup team and third overall.  McHale had a career year in 2011, defeating world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki at the US Open Series event in Cincinnati and then upsetting Marion Bartoli en route to the third round at the US Open.  She is coming off a third round appearance at the 2012 Australian Open and is currently a career-high No. 42 in the world.  McHale trained full-time at the USTA Training Center Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., from 2007-10, and currently trains at the USTA Training Center-East at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.  

Venus Williams, 31, will be making her first appearance in sanctioned competition since the 2011 US Open when she revealed she had been diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome. She holds a 17-4 overall record in Fed Cup competition (14-2 in singles) and was a member of the title-winning team in 1999. She is a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion. She ranked No. 1 in both singles and doubles, and in addition to two Olympic gold medals in doubles with Serena in 2000 and 2008, Venus captured the singles gold medal in 2000. 

Huber, 35, has won six of her eight career matches for the U.S. Fed Cup team, including tie-clinching semifinal matches in both 2009 and 2010 with partner Mattek-Sands.  Currently the top-ranked doubles player in the world, Huber owns five Grand Slam women’s doubles titles, including the 2011 US Open title, and won the 2010 US Open mixed doubles title with Bob Bryan. Born in South Africa, Huber spent four years on the South African Fed Cup team (1998-00, ’03) where she posted a 9-3 overall record (9-2 doubles) in 12 ties.  She became a U.S. citizen on July 25, 2007, with the hopes of playing for the U.S. at the 2008 Olympic Games (where she teamed with Lindsay Davenport to reach the doubles quarterfinals).  Huber and Martina Navratilova are the only players in Fed Cup history to have represented another nation before playing for the U.S.

Fed Cup by BNP Paribas is the world’s largest annual international women’s team competition with 90 countries competing in 2011.  The United States leads all nations with 17 Fed Cup titles, the last coming in 2000.  For more information, including access to player and historical Fed Cup records, please go to www.usta.com/fedcup.

Wilson is the official ball of the U.S. Fed Cup Team.

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The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level — from local communities to the highest level of the professional game.  A not-for-profit organization with more than 750,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, the highest attended annual sporting event in the world, and launched the Olympus US Open Series linking 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns the 90-plus Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S, and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA philanthropic entity, USTA Serves, provides grants and scholarships and helps underserved youth and people with disabilities. For more information on the USTA, log on to usta.com, “like” the official Facebook page facebook.com/usta or follow @usta on Twitter.

Clijsters Sends Wozniacki Packing

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By Lisa-Marie Burrows

World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki has been under constant criticism for being the top-ranked player without winning a major title and Tuesday at the Australian Open her scrutiny will continue as she lost to defending champion Kim Clijsters in the quarterfinals 6-3, 7-6. To boot, she also lost the No. 1 ranking.

The 11th seeded Clijsters broke Wozniacki in the opening service game and showed no signs of being hampered by her ankle injury she suffered in the fourth round match against Li Na in a repeat of last year’s final. She looked in cruise control and snatched the first set 6-3.

Kim Clijsters

Clijsters continued her dominance in the second set and rapidly progressed to a 5-2 lead — until Wozniacki switched gears and her fight back campaign began. Suddenly Clijsters allowed a few errors to creep into her game and appeared to lose full concentration as Wozniacki used her frustration with her game to play more aggressively in the second set.

The No. 1 seed pushed the competition to a crucial tie-break, but her dreams of collecting her first major title at the Australian Open ended there as Clijsters regrouped and saw off her rival 7-4 to seal the victory and prevent the match from being pushed to a deciding third set.

All is not lost for the young Dane having achieved the world No. 1 ranking position for 67 of the past 68 weeks and in time and with greater experience Wozniacki will always be a huge contender for a Grand Slam title if she continues to improve and remain healthy. Now the pressure will now be placed on the shoulders of Petra Kvitova, Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova, who will not only battle for the title Down Under, but for the No. 1 world ranking.

Clijsters will now meet No. 3 seed Victoria Azarenka in the semifinals after her comeback battle against No. 8 seed Agnieszka Radwanska in three tough sets 6-7 (0-7), 6-0, 6-2.

By The Numbers: Dominance of “The Big Four”

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By Matthew Laird

In an interview with the U.S. Tennis Association at the beginning of the 2012 Australian Open, Andy Roddick said that there was ‘a significant divide’ between the top four players and the rest of the field. While his injury and subsequent retirement against Lleyton Hewitt must have made that divide feel even wider, the American was only the most recent in a long line of players and commentators to observe that the big four – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray – are playing on a different level than their opponents. It’s been a common refrain over the course of the last year, and it should come as no surprise that we’ve been hearing it more and more frequently.

Roger Federer

In 2011, nobody outside of the top four players made a Grand Slam final, and all of them made at least one. While Novak Djokovic’s meteoric rise was the dominant storyline last year, it was easy to ignore the fact that in two of the four majors last year, all four semifinal spots were occupied exclusively by the big four. It took a knee injury to Nadal in Australia and a stunning, unprecedented five-set comeback against Federer at Wimbledon to keep that from happening in all four of tennis’s most elite tournaments. With that in mind, I think a closer look at the big four’s performances in Grand Slam tournaments is warranted. Everyone would agree that they’ve been dominant, but just how dominant?

The first Grand Slam tournament in which all four participated was Wimbledon in 2005, just about six and a half years ago. Federer was 23, Nadal was 19, and Djokovic and Murray were both 18. Since then, there have been 26 Grand Slam tournaments played, not including the in-progress 2012 Australian Open. The most obvious and mind-boggling statistic to come out of that span is the fact that of those 26 tournaments, 25 of them have been won by one of the big four. The only exception was Juan Martin Del Potro’s victory over Federer in the 2009 U.S. Open. And since Murray is still winless in three tries at this level, that means that the last 26 Grand Slams have been split amongst four players.

For context, the previous 26 Grand Slams – which extended from the 1999 Australian Open through the 2005 French Open – were split amongst fourteen players. That’s more than three times as many winners over the same period. In the six and a half years before that, stretching between Wimbledon in 1992 and the U.S. Open in 1998, there were thirteen different winners, and it was during that time that the great Pete Sampras racked up ten of his trophies. It was always an impressive accomplishment, but it does seem like it was easier to win one of these major titles before these four champions made the prospect vastly more difficult.

It’s not just that the current big four is consistently winners these tournaments, either. Increasingly, they’re the only ones even making it to the late stages of these events. In the last 26 Grand Slams, 41 out of the 52 players who made it to the final were one of these four. Again, if you take the most successful four players from the previous six and a half years, they only represented 20 out of the 52 spots. Those four players were Andre Agassi with seven appearances in Grand Slam finals, Pete Sampras with five, and then any two out of Federer, Marat Safin, and Lleyton Hewitt, who each made four.

The numbers remain just as impressive even if you look at who’s making it to the semifinals of these tournaments. There were spots for 104 players in the semifinals, and 60 of those spots were taken up by either Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, or Murray. In 26 tries, Federer made at least the semifinals 23 times, Nadal made 16, Djokovic made 13, and Murray made 8. Nadal and Murray were forced to withdraw from two of those tournaments, as well. After those four players, only Roddick (5), Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Nikolay Davydenko (3 each) made the semifinals more than twice in nearly seven years of trying. This is how brutal the highest level of the men’s game has become, when so few players outside of the top four even get the chance to try for a major title.

Here’s another perspective on how dominant these players have been on tennis’s biggest stages and on all four surfaces, as well. Since the big four appeared on the scene, their combined record at Grand Slam tournaments against everyone else is 438-40. That means that at the four majors, the current crop of top players have won their matches against everyone who is currently ranked five or lower more than 90% of the time. That is an unprecedented level of dominance, to put it mildly. Honestly, it’s difficult to come up with enough superlatives to describe how well the top four fare against everyone else.

With their impressive records against the other players quite clear, it’s interesting to look at how the members of the big four stack up against each other in Grand Slams. Against the other three members of this elite group, only one actually has a winning record at this level. Nadal is 17-6 against Federer, Djokovic, and Murray combined. Federer is almost even, with 9 wins and 10 losses. Djokovic is 7-10, but 5 of those wins came just last year, as the current world number one beat Federer in two semifinals, Nadal in two finals, and Murray in a final, as well. So keep that in mind when you consider Murray’s unimpressive 2-9 record, with both of those wins coming against Nadal. It’s entirely possible that Murray could manage to turn that around in much the same way.

Over the last half decade or so, it’s been one of these four players who has separated himself from the other three and gone on a tear, breaking all kinds of records in the process. Djokovic was following in Nadal and Federer’s footsteps when he put together one of the best years in tennis history in 2011. There are no guarantees about what’s going to happen in 2012. I don’t think anyone would be surprised to see Djokovic continue his rich run of form, winning multiple grand slams for the second year in a row. But I don’t think it would be a shock to see Federer or Nadal accomplish the same feat, either. I don’t think it’s beyond the realm of possibility to expect Murray to fulfill his potential and put together a year like his compatriots in the top four have all done in the past.

The only thing that would surprise me is if somebody outside of this group manages to put together a serious challenge to their vice-like grip on the top tier of men’s tennis. It could happen, but I don’t see anyone who’s ready to dislodge one of the big four from their position.

Matthew Laird is a freelance writer and editor currently living in California.

Andy Murray Entertains Down Under

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By Lisa-Marie Burrows

World No.4 Andy Murray showed that he was indeed a great entertainer against rival Michael Llodra as the Scot impressively booked his spot in the last 16 of the Australian Open after overpowering the Frenchman 6-4, 6-2, 6-0.

Andy Murray

At times the encounter between the two players looked more like an exhibition match, particularly during the end of the second set, as Murray flew across the court to make a seemingly impossible passing shot look easy, leaving Llodra pressed against the wall with a wry smile on his face.

Murray was challenged the most in the opening set after breaking the world No.49 early in the third game despite the Frenchman charging to the net to pressurize the Scot. After sparkling net play and with rallies that largely ended with winners, he took the first set 6-4.

The two-time finalist at the Australian Open continued his belligerent form in the second set, attacking Llodra’s serve and returning with venom to go up a double break and secure the second set 6-2.

The third set lasted only 23-minutes as Llodra had no answer to the 24-year-olds aggressive game. The crowd watched in awe to see Murray scurry around the court with great success during cat and mouse-like pleasurable points, which became a whitewash set to the Scot, 6-0.

Murray is through to the last 16 Down Under for the fourth time in his career and he will face unseeded Kazakhstani Mikhail Kukushkin after his shock win against 14th seed Gaël Monfils 6-2, 7-5, 5-7, 1-6, 6-4.

Fellow Frenchman, 17th seed Richard Gasquet, had a terrific victory to knock out 9th seed Janko Tipsarevic 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 and he will now play David Ferrer next after the Spanish 5th seed beat Juan Ignacio Chela in straight sets 7-5, 6-2, 6-1.

Kei Nishikori of Japan beat another Frenchman, Julian Benneteau in a close encounter, eventually booking his place in the fourth round after a 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-3 win to meet Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the last 16.

In an entertaining evening match, Aussie Lleyton Hewitt was the unlikely winner on Rod Laver arena against Canadian 23rd seed Milos Raonic in four tight sets 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-3. The hopeful home hero will now face his ultimate challenge – the world No.1, Novak Djokovic. The defending champion was through to the last 16 with a comfortable victory over Nicolas Mahut 6-0, 6-1, 6-1 after dropping only two games in the entire match.