By: Justin Cohen
- Tennis Australia announced on Tuesday that it would offer a record $24.2 million ($25 million AU) in prize money at the 2011 Australian Open in Melbourne, which is up 3.8 percent from the 2010 event. The men’s and women’s singles winners will take home a champion’s check of $2.1 million ($2.2 million AU). In the recently completed US Open, Rafael Nadal and Kim Clijsters each earned $1.7 million for winning the singles title. Tennis Australia officia
Justine Henin ls also announced a 10-year television rights deal with ESPN for North and South America for their tournament, which will take place from January 17-30.
- The ATP World Tour has announced that they have commissioned the world’s top players to create a series of one-of-a-kind self portraits in honor of their qualification for the 2010 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, which will be played in London at The O2 from November 21-28. The world’s top players used their tennis skills to create individual masterpieces by hitting paint covered tennis balls against large art canvases. Each canvas was overlaid with a stenciled image, which, when removed, revealed a unique self-portrait showing one of the player’s signature moves on court. The final artwork that each player created will be on display for public viewing in Central London in early November, and during the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at the new Fan Zone at The O2. Following the completion of the tournament, the artwork will be auctioned off for charity.
- Martina Navratilova has been added to the field for the WTT Smash Hits presented by GEICO, which is the annual charity event hosted by Sir Elton John and tennis legend Billie Jean King. Navratilova joins a star-studded field which already includes Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Anna Kournikova and James Blake. The WTT Smash Hits event will take place on Monday, November 15 at 7 p.m. at the Bender Arena on the campus of American University in Washington, D.C.
- Andre Agassi, Mike Davies, Thelma Coyne Long, Christine Truman Janes and Fern Lee “Peachy” Kellmeyer lead the list of nominees for induction into the 2011 International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I. Tickets go on sale on Wednesday, October 13 at 10 a.m., for members of the International Tennis Hall of Fame for the 2011 Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. General public tickets go on sale on Tuesday, October 26 at 10 a.m. The ATP World Tour tennis tournament will be played from July 4-10, while the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on Saturday, July 9. For more information or to become a member call 866-914-FAME (3263) or visit http://www.tennisfame.com/node/988.
- Tennis officials in Serbia announced that they will play on a hardcourt surface for its Davis Cup final against France at the beginning of December.
- According to Inside Tennis, Jim Courier will likely be named the next captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team. The magazine cites sources that Courier will be named the captain over other American tennis greats Todd Martin and Brad Gilbert. Patrick McEnroe stepped down as captain last month following 10 years on the job.
- Liezel Huber, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Flavia Pennetta and Francesca Schiavone are finalists for the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Heart Award of 2010. The Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Heart Award is a joint initiative between BNP Paribas and the ITF. It aims to recognize players who have represented their country with distinction, shown exceptional courage on court and demonstrated outstanding commitment to their team. The winner, which is decided by a public vote on FedCup.com andFedCup.com/es, receives a silver Baccarat bracelet and a check worth $10,000 to be donated to a charity of the player’s choice. A total of six Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Heart Awards are being presented in 2010. Earlier in the year, Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium, Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, Maria-Fernanda Alves of Brazil, Kimiko Date-Krumm of Japan, and Katarina Srebotnik of Slovakia were all recognized.
- The Hopman Cup organizers announced the pairings for the 2011 event for next January:
o Australia: Alicia Molik and Lleyton Hewitt
o Belgium: Justine Henin and Steve Darcis
o France: Kristina Mladenovic and Gael Monfils
o Italy: Francesca Schiavone and Potito Starace
o Serbia: Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic
o United States: Serena Williams and John Isner
o Kazakstan: Yaroslava Shvedova and Andrey Golubev
- The USTA announced that Chief Medical Officer Brian Hainline, M.D., has been elected as a Board Member of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), the independent anti-doping agency for Olympic related sports in the United States. Dr. Hainline will serve as one of two National Governing Body (NGB) representatives, and his four-year term is effective immediately. “True sport means fair play, respect for one’s competitor and respect for the fundamental fairness of competition,” said Lucy S. Garvin, Chairman of the Board and President of the USTA. “As a NGB representative to the USADA’s Board, Brian provides a key link between our great sport of tennis and the USADA’s vision.”
- Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters became the third and fourth players to qualify for the year-end WTA Championships in Doha, Qatar, from October 26-31, joining Caroline Wozniacki and Vera Zvonareva. For the third straight year, the season ending championships will take place at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex. The world’s top eight singles players and top four doubles teams will compete for the desirable WTA Championships title and a share of the $4.5 million in prize money.
- Christophe Rochus announced that he plans to retire at the end of the 2010 season. Rochus, who was ranked No. 38 in the world in 2006, will play a challenger inMons in his home country of Belgium, followed by the event in Valencia, Spain, before hanging up the racquets for good. “I don’t have the capacity to aim for a place in the top 100,” said Rochus. “To play to be 200th in the world rankings doesn’t interest me.”
- Svetlana Kuznetsova announced on her Twitter account that she is pulling out of next week’s event in Moscow and will not play the remainder of the 2010 season.“My health issues won’t al(low) me to play in my home country tournament in Moscow! I have to end this difficult season now and recover,” said Kuznetsova.
- Following her first round loss in Beijing, Agnieszka Radwanska says she is done competing for the rest of the 2010 season because of stress fracture in her foot. She also said that there is a chance she may not be ready in time for the Australian Open in January. “I’m done for this year with a very serious injury, a stress fracture,” said Radwanska. “It’s a complicated injury and there’s some chance it won’t be healed in time for Australia. I just realized how serious the injury was just before I came to Asia to play in Tokyo and Beijing.”
- Anastasia Pivovarova will be out for the remainder of the 2010 season with an elbow injury. Pivovarova reached the third round at the French Open this year.
- Justine Henin, who has not played since getting injured during her loss against Kim Clijsters at Wimbledon, will make her return during an exhibition match at the Diamond Games against Clijsters on December 9 in Antwerp, Belgium. Belgian Yanina Wickmayer and 2010 French Open Champion Francesca Schiavone of Italywill also participate.