World Tennis Magazine

Unique Tennis Perspectives

andrea petkovic

Jannik Sinner wins Citi Open 2021 in thrilling three setter

by

Maya Sherif becomes first Egyptian to reach a WTA Finale

Maya Sharif becomes the first Egyptian to reach a WTA Finale and it happened in Romania at the Cluj-Napoca tenns tournament. Despite her loss versus experienced Andrea Petkovic 6-1 6-1, Sherif can look back on a great tournament because she reached the finals and as said before: the first Egyptian ever!

This is what Sherif had to say about it:

“I’m so proud of where I came from, how hard it was to get where I am today being from Egypt,” she said. “I could not imagine being here one day. It’s very emotional.

“It’s so nice to always do something first.”

Rafael Nadal reflects on Citi Open loss versus Lloyd Harris

Rafael Nadal lost versus Lloyd Harris at the Citi Open on Thursday in a thrilling three set: 6-2, 4-6, 7-6. In a comment Nadal said the following:

“I was ready,” the Spaniard said. “The most positive thing is my foot was better today than yesterday, so that’s the best news possible. I played against a player that played well. For the moment, I played better than yesterday, but in the third set when I had opportunities, the truth is his serve was huge, and I played this last game really bad.

This was the first match for the 35 year old Spaniard in 55 days.

“I honestly didn’t have two easy months. I had a lot of problems with my foot. I was not able to practice all the days that I really wanted, but I did as much as I could. And I tried hard here.”

Nadal is still expected to play the National Bank Open in Toronto, that is being held between August 9 – August 15.

Read our article on how Rafael Nadal can bounce back after this loss.

Roger Federer turned 40

Roger Federer, the all time GOAT, turned 40 years old this week and is still active on the ATP Tour. He received many many congratulations ranging from Billie Jean King to Novak Djokovic. There are some very interesting stats that was compiled by the ATP Tour. Here are some:

40 – The age Federer is now! The Swiss is the only 40-year-old inside the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings, the elite group he has been part of — without dropping from it — since 11 October 1999
39 – Combined wins against Novak Djokovic (23) and Rafael Nadal (16)
38 – Age when Federer won his most recent title at the 2019 Swiss Indoors Basel. He has lifted the trophy at his hometown tournament 10 times
37 – Age when Federer won his 100th tour-level title at the 2019 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. The only other player who has also reached that milestone is Jimmy Connors, who captured 109 trophies

Eugenie Bouchard turns tennis commentator on the Tennis Channel

Eugenie Bouchard hasn’t played much tennis since she had surgery on her shoulder. Although with her good looks and charisma she is a natural when it comes to commenting and analysing tennis matches. It went as far as this: “I was so nervous, thanks for the help”, Eugenie Bouchard thanked moderator Brett Haber afterwards. “Are you sure that you haven’t done that before?” Was Brett Haber’s reply.

Bouchard announced on Instagram that she had shoulder surgery recently and takes her time to recover. In a lengthy post she wrote the following:

Hey guys. Bad news to report. As some of you may know, I’ve been having pain in my right shoulder since last fall. This past March, I tore my subscapularis in my first round match in Guadalajara. Since then, I have tried every form of conservative treatment and rehab known to man, to no avail. So last week, I pulled the trigger and had arthroscopic surgery. Doc says everything went great. I have a tough road of rehab ahead of me, but my spirits are high and I will work hard to get back to the job that I love.

Thank you to Dr. Altchek and his great team at HSS. They helped make this whole process as pleasant as it could possibly be. And thank you to all of you guys for your unwavering support. I will be busy in the next few months and I’ll keep you posted! 💕

Taylor Townsend is making a comeback

Meanwhile Taylor Townsend is making a comeback to the world of tennis. The 25 year old is back into training after she gave birth four months ago to a baby girl. She has been working out and tells sources that she has been sore from all the intense training. Taylor Townsend is expected to come back to the WTA tour sometimes in the first or second quarter of 2022.

While she was away, she has also been planning and setting up projects outside the world of tennis. So we will see exciting project and product announcements pretty soon.

Nick Kyrgios to play doubles with Coco Gauff?

And why not? Coco Gauff was asked in an interview earlier this week who she would like to be friends with and the name Nick Kyrgios came to mind. She remembers Nick Kyrgios because when she was 12 she hit with him at the Miami Open. And played Ping Pong with her brother in the past.

Gauff thinks he is supercool guy both on and offcourt.

Meanwhile Nick Kyrgios wasn’t against the idea of doing a mixed doubles with Gauff when he reacted to the tweet:

Janek Sinner wins Citi Open 2021 by beating MacKenzie McDonald

Janek Sinner wins the the Citi Open 2021 by beating MacKenzie McDonald. But it wasn’t an easy one for Sinner. McDonald took Sinner to three sets before Sinner got to matchpoint and thus sealing the third ATP Tour title of his career at the early age of 19. The match lasted for over three hours but in the end Sinner won 7-5, 4-6, 7-5.

“I had a lot of chances,” Sinner said, “[but] I couldn’t use [them] because, first, he was playing better in the crucial moments. But I tried to work for one more chance and for one more chance.”

The Citi Open 2021 finale marked the first for MacKenzie McDonald. But in more ways than one, this was also a victory for McDonald himself. McDonald was on the verge of the breakthrough of his career when a hamstring injury required surgery back in 2019. This marks a great comeback for McDonald who takes home $178,500 while Janek Sinner takes home $350,755.

“He pushed me really hard today,” McDonald said, “and I think I left it all out there.”

Coco Vandeweghe and Taylor Fritz support Second Serve

Americans Coco Vandeweghe and Taylor Fritz support Second Serve. Second Serve is a non-profit organisation who is “dedicated to enhancing the lives of underprivileged kids who love tennis by supporting them with the equipment they need.”

Fritz and Vandeweghe both donated equipment and a moment to talk to the youngsters while attending a fundraiser in order to get more tennis equipment.

“I think it’s really fun,” Ayanna said in an interview last winter. “A couple of months ago we sent a shipment out to Uganda with a couple of our old racquets, and to see the pictures of the kids, with our rackets, is just really nice to see the impact.”

https://fox5sandiego.com/sports/neighborhood-all-stars/local-sisters-start-nonprofit-to-help-underprivileged-kids-play-tennis/
This video is only available outside the EU.

Second Serve

We are striving to enhance the lives of underprivileged kids who love the game of tennis by supporting them with the equipment they need! Help us make an impact by donating your gently used equipment to us. We have many amazing national and international partner organizations in underserved communities around the world that we donate to. Please visit their website at https://www.secondserve.org/

Tennis results for the Citi Open, Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic and the Winners Open

The winners are in bold

Janek Sinner vs MacKenzie McDonald Citi Open finale ended up in 7-5, 4-6, 7-5.

Andrea Petkovic vs Maya Sherif at the Cluj-Napoca (the Winners Open) ended up in 6-1 6-1.

Danielle Collins vs Darja Kasatkina at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic ended 6-3, 6-7, 6-1.

That’s it for Mondays with Morgan Adams. If you have any comments or questions then please feel free to contact me at jimbeamgames (a) gmail.com

Stan Wawrinka Captures His First Indoor Title – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Stan Wawrinka beat Tomas Berdych 4-6 6-3 6-4 to win the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands

Andrea Petkovic won the BNP Paribas Fortis Diamond Games in Antwerp, Belgium, when Carla Suarez Navarro withdrew with a neck injury

Kei Nishikori beat Kevin Anderson 6-4 6-4 to win the Memphis Open in Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Pablo Cuevas beat Luca Vanni 6-4 3-6 7-6 (4) to win the Brasil Open 2015 in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Daniela Hantuchova beat Ajla Tomljanovic 3-6 6-3 6-4 to win the Thailand Open in Pattaya City, Thailand

 

SAYING

“The important thing for this year is to focus on the day-by-day. I need to keep working and try to improve. When I do that, I know the results will come. Hopefully I can play well all the year, not have any big ups and downs.” – Stan Wawrinka, after winning the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament.

“I was in control in the beginning and the small differences decided it.” – Tomas Berdych, following his loss to Stan Wawrinka.

“Anytime you make it to the weekend, you are playing well. It hasn’t happened too often in my career, so when it happens I am very excited.’” – Donald Young, after beating Bernard Tomic to advance to the semifinals of the Memphis Open.

“I woke up in the morning and I felt this pain in my neck. I went to the physio to great treatment and tried to play at 11:30, then had physio again and tried to play again at 2:15, and I just couldn’t serve. I couldn’t play like I wanted. So I had to pull out of this final.” – Carla Suarez Navarro, after withdrawing from the final of the BNP Paribas Fortis Diamond Games.

“I hope you don’t take any offense Kim, but I’m glad you are done playing on tour.” – Andrea Petkovic, after losing a 5-3 exhibition match against Kim Clijsters.

“It means so much to me to win this tournament three times. I’ve never done that in my career and never thought I’d be able to. It’s always a special feeling playing in Pattaya. I’ve felt great here since the first match, and I’m very proud I kept it up all week.” – Daniela Hantuchova, who captured her third Thailand Open title.

“At the end I couldn’t believe it was over because I thought in my head it was over so many times before it actually was. So to be honest, when I finally won the match I was so over celebrating.” – Aja Tomljanovic, after outlasting Monica Puig 7-6 (4) 5-7 7-6 (7) to reach the PTT Thailand Open final.

“We were both very nervous. I think it was the first time I played a final as the favorite. I thought that I couldn’t lose when that happens, but the matches become more difficult. In front of me I had someone that was playing with a lot of confidence and with a great serve. I think we both failed at some moments: a double fault, a volley. There were many mistakes at the end and the winner was the one who fails less than the other.” – Pablo Cuevas, following his victory in Sao Paulo.

 

STAN THE MAN

By continuing his domination of Tomas Berdych, Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka has captured his first indoor tournament trophy and first 500 series ATP title. “I’m very happy in winning my first 500 title, especially indoors. It’s always amazing to win trophies, it’s the best feeling,” Wawrinka said. The 29-year-old beat Berdych, the defending champion, for the sixth straight time. “I’m disappointed with how it finished today, but there can only be one winner,” Berdych said. “I can still see some positive things. The last time I played him it was completely different. I could not deal with him,” said the Czech, referring to the World Tour Finals in London last November when Wawrinka triumphed 6-1 6-1. After dropping the first set, Wawrinka took a 5-3 lead en route to leveling the match at a set each. The led 4-1 in the third set before Berdych broke back and held for 4-3, Berdych saved one match point when serving at 5-3 down before Wawrinka clinched the victory on his next serve.

 

SLOVAKIAN WINNER

It’s becoming a habit for Daniela Hantuchova. The Slovak won her third WTA Pattaya Open by edging her 21-year-old Croatian rival, Ajla Tomljanovic, in three sets. Ten years older than her opponent, Hantuchova dropped the opening set before winning the next two 6-3 6-4. She had previously won the title in 2011 and 2012. “Today was very tough because Ajla was playing some great tennis,” Hantuchova said. “I had to really fight for it. At the end I felt maybe I was a little fresher and sharper, and that decided the match.” Hantuchova barely made it back to the final. She saved two match points to beat Marina Erakovic in the semifinals. In the title match, she won eight of nine games to close out the second set and take a 3-0 in the third. Tomljanovic battled back, knotting the set at 3-all and 4-all before Hantuchova captured the last two games for the crown. Tomljanovic had never reached a WTA semifinal before Pattaya, let alone a final. “There are too many positives from the week,” Tomljanovic said. “There are things I can learn from this match and the week. Overall I think this was a really big step forward for me in Pattaya.”

 

SAO PAULO CHAMPION

Once Pablo Cuevas gets to the final, he’s unbeatable. The Uruguayan bested a qualifier, Luca Vanni, to win the Brazil Open in Sao Paulo. It was the third time Cuevas has reached an ATP title match – and his third ATP title. All three victories have come on clay. It wasn’t that easy, however, as Vanni served for the match at 5-4 after breaking his foe. Cuevas broke right back and sent the match into a tiebreak, where he won 7 of the last 10 points. Vanni had never won an ATP World Tour match prior to his run to the title match. “I’m so happy,” said Vanni, who was the first qualifier to reach the Brazil Open final in the tournament’s 15-year history. “It was a close match. I fought hard against Cuevas. … I’m so proud of myself.”

 

SLIPS INTO TITLE

Andrea Petkovic has never won a final so easily. The third-seeded German won the Diamond Games without stepping onto the court as fifth-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain pulled out of the title match with a neck injury. “You can never really enjoy the win when you don’t fight for it,” Petkovic said. “I had a great week and I’m leaving as the champion, but definitely mixed emotions.” Suarez Navarro said she woke up with severe neck pains. After twice undergoing therapy, she decided she was unable to play. “I just couldn’t serve,” the Spaniard said. “I couldn’t play like I wanted.” Also she didn’t have to step onto the court to win the title, Petkovic had to struggle to reach the final. She staved off eight match p0ooints in a second-round win over Belgian wildcard Alison Van Uytvaqnck, and she took well over two hours to beat unseeded Barbora Zahlavova Strycova in the semifinals. With her sixth career title, the 27-year-old Petkovic moves back into the top 10 in the WTA rankings.

 

SUCCESS IN MEMPHIS

Kei Nishikori winning in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, is becoming habit-forming. Nishikori became the first player to win the Memphis title in three consecutive years since the tournament’s inception in 1975. “It feels great, of course,” Nishikori said of the win. “Today’s match was much different than (the past) couple of matches. I played really solid from the baseline and returned really well.”  Anderson slammed 12 aces, but it wasn’t enough as Nishikori broke his South African opponent once in each set. Nishikori clinched his first title of 2015 on his fourth match point. While he sailed to victory in the final, Nishikori struggled earlier in the tournament. He squeezed past Sam Querrey 5-7 7-6 (5) 7-6 (5) in the semifinals after also being forced to go three sets in his first two matches against qualifiers Ryan Harrison and Austin Krajicek.

 

SWISS STARS MISSING

Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka led Switzerland to its first Davis Cup title last year. The Swiss will play their first-round tie against Belgium in March without either star. A Swiss Tennis Federation statement confirmed the pair “have decided to not make themselves available” for the March 6-8 competition. “I’m the first to understand that priorities change in the year after a Davis Cup victory and that it isn’t that easy to get back into the fray,” Federation president Rene Stammbach said. Wawrinka has been a mainstay of the squad. “I have been a part of this Davis Cup squad for 11 years and this is the first time I have decided not to play,” said Wawrinka, who explained that 2014 had been “a very long year, rich in emotion and with some incredible moments.” While deciding to skip the first-round tie, Wawrinka said he may be available for later in the tournament if Switzerland qualifies.

 

SIMON TRIUMPHANT

It had been nearly eight years between Gilles Simon’s victories over Andy Murray. The Frenchman last beat Murray on clay at the Rome Masters. Then Murray won 12 straight matches before Simon surprised Murray again in the quarterfinals of the World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Simon saved four of the six break points he faced and capitalized on Murray’s flurry of unforced errors to win 6-4 6-2 on his third match point.

 

SICK BAY

Two of the world’s top players – Australian Open champion Serena Williams and Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard – have pulled out of this week’s Dubai Tennis Championships. Tournament organizers said Williams is still trying to get over a persistent, nagging cough. The American didn’t play the reserve singles match in Fed Cup play last week because of the cough. No reason was given for Bouchard’s withdrawal after she was given a wild card into the event. However, she was upset in Antwerp, Belgium, when she double-faulted nine times in a 4-6 6-1 6-2 loss to Germany’s Mona Barthel.

 

SUSPENDED

Italy’s Potito Starace and Daniele Bracciali have been provisionally suspended for 40 days pending a corruption inquiry. In a statement, the Italian Tennis Federation (FIT) said, “Bracciali and Starace are suspected of having distorted the result of certain matches in order to make illicit gains through betting.” Both players have already served shorts suspensions – six week for Starace and three months for Bracciali – in 2008 in another better scandal. Starace is suspected of having thrown his ATP Casablanca final in 2011 when he lost 6-1 6-2 to Spain’s Mariano Andujar. Italian media reports the FIT decided to act because of the “repetition of illicit behavior by the two players.”

 

SURFACE SURPRISE

The King of Clay, Rafael Nadal, was surprised when the Rio de Janeiro Olympics decided to play the tennis competition on hard court and not clay. “I am surprised that in a country which has clay specialists the Olympics are going to be on hard court,” Nadal said. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said the choice was based on the fact the tournament, which will be held August 6-15, will be just two weeks before the US Open, which is also played on hard court. “Brazil was able to pull off successfully something as complicated as a World Cup and I am sure the Olympics are going to be a success,” said Nadal, who won the singles competition at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

 

SET AS CAPTAIN

Former doubles player Michael Kohlmann has been named the new captain of the German Davis Cup team. The German Tennis Federation also announced that veteran Niki Pilic will return to the squad as adviser. Kohlmann replaces Carsten Arriens, who stepped down last week. Germany plays France in a first round tie March 6-8 in Frankfurt, Germany. The 75-year-old Pilic was captain when Germany won three Davis Cup titles with Wimbledon champions Boris Becker and Michael Stich on the team. Pilic also helped his native Croatia and Serbia win Davis Cup titles, in 2005 and 2010, respectively.

 

SEEKING HONORS

Four players, including Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams, along with the Swiss Davis Cup team are in the running for the Laureus World Sports Academy honors. Compiled from a ballot of the world’s sporting media, selected six nominees in each of seven categories, the winners are voted for by the Academy, a jury made up of 50 of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen headed by chairman Edwin Moses. Djokovic is in the sportsman of the year category with the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Cristiano Ronaldo and Rory McIlroy. The Serb won the award in 2012 after winning three Grand Slam tournaments and five Masters in 2011. Williams and Li Na are both in the sportswoman of the year competition. Williams is seeking her fourth Laureus Award, having won this competition in 2003 and 2010 and the Comeback Award in 2007. Li Na won her second Grand Slam tournament women’s singles title in 2014 before retiring later in the year. Marin Cilic is seeking to win the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year category, an award captured by Andy Murray in 2013 and Rafael Nadal in 2006. Switzerland’s Davis Cup team, starring Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka, is shortlisted in two categories: Team of the Year and Breakthrough of the Year. The winners will be revealed at the Awards Ceremony in Shanghai, China, on April 15.

 

SPONSORSHIP

Godiva Chocolatier, a Belgian luxury chocolate manufacturer, has signed Danish tennis star Caroline Wozniacki to an endorsement deal. “So excited to announce that my dream partnership is here,” Wozniacki wrote on a popular phot-sharing social networking application. “@Godiva is now officially feeding my sweet tooth.” She is Godiva’s first sports personality as an endorser. The deal’s cost was not revealed.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Antwerp: Anabel Medina Garrigues and Arantxa Parra Santonja beat An-Sophie Mestach and Alison Van Uytvanck 6-4 3-6 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Memphis: Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Santiago Gonzalez beat Artem Stak and Donald Young 5-7 7-6 (1) 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Pattaya City: Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan beat Shuko Aoyama and Tamarine Tanasugarn 2-6 6-4 10-3 (match tiebreak)

Rotterdam: Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau beat Jamie Murray and John Peers 3-6 6-3 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Sao Paulo: Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah beat Paolo Lorenzi and Diego Schwartzman 6-4 6-2

 

SURFING

Dubai: www.dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com/

Rio de Janeiro: http://rioopen.com/

Delray Beach: www.yellowtennisball.com/

Marseille: www.open13.fr/

Acapulco: www.abiertomexicanodetenis.com/

Bueno Aires: http://argentinaopenatp.com/atp/

Doha: www.qatartennis.org/tournaments/index/64

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$1,549,230 Rio Open presented by Claro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, clay

$549,230 Delray Beach Open by The Venetian @ Las Vegas, Delray Beach, Florida, USA, hard

632,840 Open 13, Marseille, France, hard

$100,000 Wroclaw Open, Wroclaw, Poland, hard

$100,000 Delhi Open 2015, New Delhi, India, hard

 

WOMEN

$2,212,250 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, hard

$226,750 Rio Open presented by Claro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, clay

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$2,503, 810 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, hard

$1,548,755 Abierto Mexicano Telcel, Acapulco, Mexico, hard

$573,750 Argentina Open presentado por Buenos Aires Ciudad, Buenos Aires, Argentina, clay

 

WOMEN

$665,900 Qatar Total Open 2015, Doha, Qatar, hard

$226,750 Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, Acapulco, Mexico, hard

 

Stan Wawrinka
Stan Wawrinka

Novak Celebrates Birth of Son by Winning Paris – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Novak Djokovic beat Milos Raonic 6-2 6-3 to win the BNP Paribas Paris Masters in Paris, France

Andrea Petkovic beat Flavia Pennetta 1-6 6-4 6-3 to win the Garanti Koza WTA Tournament of Champions in Sofia, Bulgaria

 

SAYING

“This week has been incredible and my first tournament since becoming a father 10 days ago, so I dedicate this victory to my wife and son.” – Novak Djokovic, after winning the Paris Masters.

“It’s been an incredible week for me.” – Milos Raonic, after reaching the Paris Masters final, only to lose to Novak Djokovic.

“I think you need to be a little crazy, but in a good way.” – Caroline Wozniacki, after running the New York City Marathon.

“It’s going to be a lot of tension and I might get nervous first match, but I will try to enjoy the moment.” – Kei Nishikori, on qualifying for the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

“Monica Seles. I played her in Indian Wells in 2002 and she beat me 6-0 6-2. I was only 14 at the time, but I learned a lot from that match. It really showed me how big the difference is between playing as a junior and a pro. She had such a positive attitude about her. She was really inspiring.” – Maria Sharapova, in a Sport Magazine interview when asked who is the most talented player she has faced.

 

SON SPURS NOVAK

With one victory Novak Djokovic reached a lot of milestones. His 6-2 6-3 win over Milos Raonic gave the world’s number one player his second straight Paris Masters victory. It also was his 600th ATP career match win. And it was his first tournament title since his wife Jelena gave birth to their son Stefan. “I dedicate this victory to my wife and son,” Djokovic said. The victory also extended his indoor winning streak to 27 match – his last defeat coming in Paris two years ago. And the 27-year-old Serb also increased his lead over Roger Federer in the race for the year-ending number one spot. “It’s not easy against a player with such a big serve but I played an exceptional match and I’m very happy to win this trophy,” Djokovic said. “Like I said, it’s my first tournament since becoming a dad and it’s been a great pleasure to play here.” Djokovic won the opening three games of the match and never appeared to be in trouble after that. He also took a 3-0 lead in the second set. Djokovic is now fifth on the all-time list of active players with match wins. Federer leads with 991, Rafael Nadal has 706, Lleyton Hewitt has 611 and David Ferrer 602.

Even in defeat, Raonic was pleased with his week, having knocked off Roger Federer in the quarterfinals. “It’s been an incredible week for me,” the Canadian said. “Congratulations to Novak for his win and also the new addition to his family. … He didn’t really give me too many looks. Even on the break chances I had, he played them well and he just made life difficult for me today.”

 

STARRING IN SOFIA

Although Andrea Petkovic won the season-ending Tournament of Champions, her season is far from over. She is on Germany’s team that will take on the Czech Republic in the Fed Cup final this week. In Sofia, Bulgaria, Petkovic lost her serve three times in the opening set before rallying to defeat Italy’s Flavia Pennetta and win her third WTA title of the year. “I am very happy to win the title at the end of this long season,” Petkovic said. “I dedicate my victory to my dad (and coach Zoran Petkovic).” The 27-year-old is the fifth player to win three or more tournaments in 2014 after Serena Williams (7), Maria Sharapova (4), Ana Ivanovic (4) and Petra Kvitova (3). Petkovic broke Pennetta in the opening game of the second set, then held on to level the match. After splitting the first six games in the deciding set, Petkovic won the final three for the victory. “I’m happy I met Flavia in the final because we’ve both been coming back from injury this year,” Petkovic said. “I was so happy when she won Indian Wells because I know what she went through, and so it’s even nicer to play her for this title today. I hope next season is even better for her.”

 

SIX 1000 CROWNS

The Bryan twins keep on rewriting the record books. Brothers Bob and Mike became the first players in singles or doubles to win six ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles in the same season when they captured the BNP Paribas Masters final in Paris by defeating Marcin Matkowski and Jurgen Melzer in a match tiebreak. The Americans also won ATP World Tour Masters 1000s in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Cincinnati and Shanghai. They also captured the doubles at the US Open, in Delray Beach, Florida, USA, and Houston, Texas, USA. It was their 32nd ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown in their 50th final and their 102nd tour-level title. “We’re very happy to win Paris again, especially since we had to beat four quality teams along the way,” Mike Bryan said. “We hope to keep our level high going into the last tournament of the season.” The 36-year-old twins have clinched the year-end number one spot in the doubles rankings and have qualified for the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals next week.

 

SERVING BIG

Until the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris, big-serving Milos Raonic had only won one set against Roger Federer. He changed that in a hurry in Paris. Raonic beat Federer 7-6 (4) 7-5 in a quarterfinal matchup and eventually reached the title match, where he lost to Novak Djokovic. The victory for the Canadian was his first over Federer in seven meetings and also snapped the Swiss maestro’s 14-match winning streak. There was only one service break in the match, that coming at 5-5 in the second set. Raonic finished with 21 aces. “I played well throughout the match and served really well, so it’s a great victory,” the Canadian said. “Considering all the circumstances around it, I think this was the biggest win for me.”

 

SEASON-ENDER

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic and second-ranked Roger Federer will continue their battle for the year-end number one ranking when they battle in the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. But by winning in Paris, Djokovic almost has wrapped up that battle. “I see it better now than one week ago, that’s for sure,” Djokovic said. “It helps that I won the title in Bercy, that I’m playing well, and that I’m feeling good about myself on the court playing indoors.” Federer agrees. “Whether I am number one at the end of this year or one or two weeks later next year, it doesn’t really matter,” the Swiss maestro said. “Novak seems to be fit, anyway.” Djokovic extended his points advantage over Federer to 1,310 points with 1,500 available to a player who makes an unbeaten run to the World Tour Finals title. Federer also can pick up points when he plays the Davis Cup final for Switzerland against France beginning November 21.

Other qualifiers for the London tournament are Australian Open winner Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland, Great Britain’s Andy Murray, Japan’s Kei Nishikori, Thomas Berdych of the Czech Republic, US Open champion Marin Cilic of Croatia, and Canada’s Milos Raonic. Nishikori said he’s “excited but nervous” about becoming the first Asian-born player to qualify for the season-ending finale. “It’s going to be a lot of tension and I might get nervous first match, but I will try to enjoy the moment,” said Nishikori, who reached the US Open final in September where he lost to Cilic. “I have been playing really well this year, so I think I have a chance to do well.”

Spain’s Rafael Nadal also qualified for the ATP World Tour Finals, but withdrew to undergo appendix surgery.

 

STEPPIN’ OUT

A camera crew’s presence helped Caroline Wozniacki finish the New York City Marathon in an impressive time of 3:26:33 and raise more than USD $81,000 for Team For Kids. “I’ve never tried anything this hard,” Wozniacki said after running the 26.2-mile distance for the first time. “This was the toughest physical test I’ve ever (had). It’s so hard. You have to keep going, keep going. Once I got onto First Avenue, I had a camera crew following me the whole day, so I couldn’t walk. I had to keep running.” Ranked eighth in the world on the WTA tour, Wozniacki had never run more than 13 miles during her training due to her exhaustive tennis schedule. After the marathon, the Dane said 13 miles had felt “really easy,” but admitted she hit the proverbial wall around mile 20 before pushing through it to the finish line in Central Park. There, she was greeted by her close friend and rival tennis player Serena Williams. “I didn’t feel nerves at all last night, and I didn’t feel them at all when I woke up this morning,” Wozniacki said. “The only time I felt them was when we were going onto the bridge to start. I was like, ‘Oh, my God, what did I get myself into? Ready or not, there’s no way back. As long as I finished and didn’t get injured, that’s an achievement in itself.” Her time qualified her for the Boston Marathon, although she has said she did not plan on running another marathon. Another women’s tennis player – Japan’s Kimiko Date-Krumm – ran the 2004 London marathon in 3:27:47, but that was when she was in the midst of a 12-year retirement from tennis.

 

SET FOR PRAGUE

Angelique Kerber and Andrea Petkovic will lead Germany into the Fed Cup final November 8-9 in Prague, Czech Republic. The Czech squad will be spearheaded by Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova. Kerber is ranked 10th in the world and Petkovic 14th. Also named to the German team are Sabine Lisicki and Julia Goerges. Playing their third Fed Cup final in four years, the Czechs will team the fourth-ranked Kvitova with Lucie Safarova, Karolina Pliskova and Lucie Hradecka. The 22-year-old Pliskova has rocketed up the rankings this year and is at a career-high 24th in the world after winning her second and third career titles in the last two months. The Czechs have won the international team tittle seven times, and have beaten Germany six times in their seven encounters. Germany is seeking to capture its third Fed Cup crown and first since 1992.

 

SCENE IS LONDON

Brothers Bob and Mike Bryan will be the top seeds in the 2014 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals doubles competition November 9-16. The Bryans have already clinched the year-end number one Emirates ATP Doubles Team Ranking for a record 10th time and will be out to capture their fourth season finale title. Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic won the season-ending crown twice, in 2008 and 2010, while Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin reigned supreme at the French Open this year. Australian Open champions Lukasz Kubot and Robert Lindstedt are in the hunt, as are the teams of Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau, Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez, Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares, and Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo.

 

SPARKLING TEEN

Xu Shi Lin has made Chinese tennis history by getting to the top of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) world junior tennis rankings for girls’ aged 18 and under. She is the first Chinese player ever to be ranked number one in the world in the juniors. The 16-year-old moved to the top of the heap by winning the singles and doubles titles at the Osaka Mayor’s Cup in Japan. Like Hall of Famer Monica Seles, Xu hits with two hands from both sides. She dropped only one set in winning six matches to win the titles. “I am very proud to become the first Chinese player to earn the number one world junior ranking,” said Xu, who has been Asia’s top-ranked junior for the past two years. “The 2014 season is not over yet, so I need to stay focused and continue to play like I did in Japan.” Xu will be defending her Asian titles in singles and doubles in Korea during next week, and then finish the season during the first two weeks of December playing two world-class events in Florida, USA: the Eddie Herr and Orange Bowl tournaments.

 

SLAMS RACQUET, DISQUALIFIED

Darian King of Barbados let his anger get the best of him. It also got him disqualified from a challenger tournament in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA. In his first-round match against Edward Corrie of Great Britain, King became very upset and slammed his racquet into the wall behind him. Unfortunately, a lineswoman was standing close to the wall, and while the racquet didn’t hit her, she collapsed to the ground and had to be attended to. King had lost the first set 6-4 and the second set was knotted at 6 and going into a tiebreak when he angrily threw his racquet into the wall.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Paris: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Marcin Matkowski and Jurgen Melzer 7-6 (5) 5-7 10-6 (match tiebreak)

 

SURFING

Bratislava: www.stz.sk/

 

Fed Cup: www.fedcup.com

London: www.barclaysatpworldtourfinals.com/en/

Dubai: www.dubaitennis.com

Toyota: www.dunlop-tennis.jp

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$107,675 Ritro Slovak Open, Bratislava, Slovakia, hard

 

FED CUP

Final

Czech Republic vs. Germany in Prague, Czech Republic, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$6,500,000 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, London, England, hard

 

WOMEN

$75,000 Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, hard

 

 

TOURNAMENTS Week of November 17

 

MEN

$220,000 Challenger Tour Finals at Sao Paulo, Brazil, clay

 

WOMEN

$75,000 Dunlop World Challenge Tennis Tournament, Toyota, Japan, carpet

 

DAVIS CUP

World Group Final

France vs. Switzerland at Lille, France, clay

 

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic

Roger Federer Wins 77th Career Title, His First in 2013 – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

STARS

Roger Federer beat Mikhail Youzhny 6-7 (5) 6-3 6-4 to win the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany

Andy Murray beat Marin Cilic 5-7 7-5 6-3 to win The Aegon Championships in London, Great Britain

Simona Halep beat Andrea Petkovic 6-3 6-3 to win the Nürnberger Versicherungscup in Nürnberg, Germany

Daniela Hantuchova beat Donna Vekic 7-6 (5) 6-4 to win The Aegon Classic in Birmingham, Great Britain

SAYING

Roger Federer returns to the winner’s circle in Halle

“I thought I played well from the start and I really had to fight for it, in the semis against Tommy Haas and in the finals against Mikhail Youzhny. I think I did well today and they are exactly the kind of wins I need at this part of the season.” – Roger Federer, after capturing his first title of the year.

“The difference was that he was better today – he’s been better all his life.” – Mikhail Youzhny, who lost to Roger Federer in the final at Halle.

“He’s one of the best grass court players in the world. Me and Marin, we have played against each other since the juniors and we have had a lot of close matches and tight matches. I was lucky to come through in the end because he was playing great tennis, especially towards the end of the second set and I got a little bit lucky at the end of that set.” – Andy Murray, who beat Marin Cilic to win the title at Queen’s Club.

“It was a great match from both sides, a great level of tennis. Andy showed he is capable of coming back; he’s a great fighter. Congratulations to him for a great week. It was an extremely great week for me. I enjoyed all my matches. It wasn’t easy. I had some tough fights.” – Marin Cilic.

“It feels great to finally get the title. The first week on grass is always really demanding on the body, so I’m proud of how I made it through so many long matches throughout the week. And when I really needed to, I was tough mentally. I’ve been playing here since ’99, I think – it was about time I got the title.” – Daniela Hantuchova, after winning at Birmingham, Great Britain.

“I have mixed emotions right now. I can’t be happy after losing a match, but it was a great week for me and I’m happy I could reach the finals. And I gave it my all today – maybe it wasn’t my best tennis, but it was the best I could do today, and Daniela was just the better player out there.” – Donna Vekic, following her loss to Daniela Hantuchova at Birmingham, Great Britain.

“It is something that right now seems light-years away, something that I am not even thinking about.” – Rafael Nadal, when asked about matching Federer’s record 17 Grand Slam tournament titles.

“Ten years ago I went into Wimbledon with so much pressure, even though I had lost in the first round the year before. In terms of needing to prove my point that I was a legitimate Grand Slam contender, I had incredible pressure. Now, 10 years later, I know Wimbledon, I know Halle, I know my way around and what I need to do to perform well. I’m going in with pressure because I’m defending my title. There’s always pressure because it’s a privilege to play at Wimbledon and I want to do so, so well.” – Roger Federer.

“Always having a title you feel happy, especially one week away from Wimbledon. It’s the first tournament on grass this year and to win it gives us confidence.” – Santiago Gonzalez, after teaming with Scott Lipsky to win the Gerry Weber Open doubles.

“I think it is disappointing for a serve-and-volley player to go down like this. It shows also how easy it is to hit passing shots or returns today.” – Roger Federer, after beating Mischa Zverev 6-0 6-0 in the Gerry Weber Open quarterfinals.

“Andrea beat me in Romania a few years ago and I’m happy I could win against her here today. She played great and the atmosphere was great. It’s an unbelievable feeling to win my first WTA title.” – Simona Halep, who beat Andrea Petkovic in the final of the Nürnberger Versicherungscup.

“There are definitely more positives than negatives. The good thing is Simona made it a little easier for me to get over the loss because she played such an incredible match. She played an almost perfect match, especially after she found her rhythm in the middle of the first set. I wasn’t playing my best tennis, but even if I was playing my best tennis, it would be a very, very tough call.” – Andrea Petkovic.

“There is no one leader. If there is a guy playing better than the other, he doesn’t try to be the leader. Because that is not good. You don’t want to feel that your brother is carrying you.” – Mike Bryan, on how he and brother Bob play winning doubles.

“As twins, you see your twin as an equal. You don’t want to feel like you are dominating. When one of us starts to talk and bosses the other around, that is a negative for us. It is better in big moments, when we don’t say too much.” – Bob Bryan.

“I love playing as many weeks on grass as possible. Yeah, that’s why the Olympics and playing Newport (Rhode Island, USA) last year was so special to me because I could play a bigger chunk of tournaments. I think it’s a unique surface. There are certain players that play really well on it.” – Lleyton Hewitt, who is second only to Roger Federer in number of match wins on grass among active players.

“Happy Father’s Day to our awesome Dad back home in California. He is the reason we fell in love with this game so many years ago.” – Bob Bryan.

STILL WINNING

Halle, Germany, seemed as good a place as any for Roger Federer to return to the winner’s circle. Federer used the grass-court tournament to prepare for his defense of his Wimbledon title by rallying from a set down to beat Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny and capture his first title of 2013. “I have won a lot in my career but not recently,” said Federer, who hadn’t won since August 2012 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. “I am happy it worked for me today.” Youzhny played brilliantly and matched Federer with hammering ground strokes. Federer took home the Gerry Weber Open title for the sixth time after playing for two hours, 2 minutes. It was his 77th career title, tying him with John McEnroe for third place in the career titles list behind Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl. “I was satisfied with my game in the past 10 months,” Federer said. “Maybe people thought I was playing badly. That was not the case. I was playing well but when it mattered the others were just better. Today it worked well.”

STRONG AGAIN

Andy Murray overcame an opening-set groin strain and a strong performance by defending champion Marin Cilic to win his third Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club. In gaining his 27th career singles title, Murray rallied to defeat Cilic 5-7 7-6 6-3. It was his first tournament since he withdrew from the French Open with a back injury. “I worked very hard in the time that I had off to try and get myself in the best shape possible,” Murray said. The winner screamed in agony in the eighth game of the match when his foot slipped on the grass and he strained his groin. He continued to play without treatment. “It was just a bit sore on the groin area, but thankfully it wasn’t too bad,” Murray said. Murray also won the Wimbledon warm-up tournament in 2009 and 2011, and became the sixth player to win Queen’s Club three or more times.

SLOVAKIAN CHAMPION

Daniela Hantuchova was the experienced veteran and ranked higher. She was supposed to win, considering her opponent in the final was 16-year-old Donna Vekic. But even in defeat Vekic showed she could be the face of the future on the WTA tour. “This was my second WTA final and I’m still only 16,” said Vekic, the youngest player in the top 350 in the rankings. “Things have gone fast so far in my career, but I’m hoping when I make my third final I will win it. But it’s been a great week, considering it was my first grass-court event on the WTA Tour. Now I’m really looking forward to Wimbledon” where she will be making her main draw debut. The 30-year-old Hantuchova captured her sixth career title, her first since Pattaya City, Thailand, in February. This was her first win in three grass-court finals, having been runner-up in Eastbourne, Great Britain, in 2004, and Birmingham, Great Britain, in 2011.

SIMONA VICTORIOUS

Playing in the fourth final of her career, Simona Halep finally came away with the big trophy. The Romanian never lost her serve as she bested former top-10 player Andrea Petkovic at the Nürnberger Versicherungscup for her first WTA title. “This is a very nice win for me, and this is a very nice tournament,” Halep said. “I’ll never forget this.” Halep became the eighth Romanian ever to win a WTA title, joining Virginia Ruzici, Irina Spirlea, Ruxandra Drogomir Ilie, Sorana Cirstea, Alexandra Dulgheru, Irina-Camelia Begu and Monica Niculescu. Petkovic entered the tournament as a wild card. Despite the defeat, her confidence is high as she heads to Wimbledon, where she received a wild card into the main draw. “Everybody knows that grass and me haven’t become a love romance yet,” Petkovic said. “But I’m working on it. A few candlelight dinners with the grass and we’ll see.” The German has never made it past the third round at Wimbledon.

SECOND DOUBLE BAGEL

Roger Federer was perfect in his quarterfinal match at the Gerry Weber Open. And it was Mischa Zverev who paid the price. The Swiss master posted only his second career double bagel as he blanked Zverev 6-0 6-0 at the Gerry Weber Open. “It’s not something which is easy to do,” Federer said. “You never go into a match aiming for that score. I was very surprised that it happened, especially on grass.” It took just 39 minutes for Federer to close out his easy win. “I hope he doesn’t take it too badly,” Federer said. “I just had a pretty easy time picking up his serve, and I must have made a ton of returns.” He got his first double bagel against Gaston Gaudio at the 2005 Masters Cup in Shanghai, China, and said the only time he lost a match without winning a game was his first match at the age of 8. Zverev was philosophical about the beating. “I’d rather lost 6-0 6-0 to Roger in a quarterfinal” than to a qualifier in the second round,” Zverev said. “At least there is something to talk about later.”

SHOWING IMPROVEMENT

On her way to the final of the WTA event in Nürnberg, Germany, Andrea Petkovic upset top-seeded Jelena Jankovic. Both players received wild card entries into the tournament. Petkovic had missed months of action due to various injuries. Once ranked in the top 10, she had dropped to 103rd in the world. “I am glad my body has allowed me to play tennis again,” Petkovic said. “It was also mentally important for me to play such a match against a top-20 player.’” Serving for the match at 5-3, Petkovic lost the first three points, falling to a 0-40 deficit. But her Serb opponent produced error after error, giving Petkovic the victory.

SOUTHERN CAL OPEN PARTNER

Tonic by Martina Hingis has been named the Official Clothing Partner of the Southern California Open, a WTA Premier 700 event that will be held July 27-August 4 in Carlsbad, California, USA. The youngest Grand Slam tournament champion of this era and the youngest player to be ranked number one in the world, Hingis will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame next month. She is collaborating with Tonic to create her own signature tennis collection. The pieces were created for the high intensity movements of tennis.

SIGNED UP

Serbia’s top two female players – Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic – along with Italy’s Flavia Pennetta have announced they will be play in the Southern California Open, a major stop on the Emirates Airline US Open Series calendar. Others in the field include reigning Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka and 2012 Wimbledon finalist Agnieszka Radwanska. The 28th edition of the Southern California Open will be played at the La Costa Resort and Spa.

SICK BAY

Gael Monfils has pulled out of Wimbledon for “personal reasons.” The 26-year-old Frenchman has just returned to action after being sidelined with a knee injury. He said he withdrew his request for a Wimbledon wild card because he had to deal with a personal problem that could not be delayed. He didn’t elaborate. Once ranked as high as seventh in the world, Monfils fell to 119th in the ATP rankings before rebounding to 67th following a series of good results.

SPOTS SECURED

Rafael Nadal has already earned a spot in the Barclay’s ATP World Tour Finals, which will be held in London on November 4-11. Since returning from a knee injury that sidelined him for seven months, Nadal has reached the final in all of the nine events he has played, winning seven titles, including a record eighth French Open crown. While Nadal is currently fifth in the world rankings, he is first in the current Race standings and guaranteed a top-eight finish and end-of-season showpiece event. Nadal missed last year’s World Tour Finals due to the knee injury that also forced him out of the London Olympics, the US Open and this year’s Australian Open. He has qualified for the ATP World Tour Finals for nine straight yeas. In 2010, Nadal lost to Roger Federer in the title match.

Also qualifying for the season-ending event are brothers Bob and Mike Bryan, the world’s top-ranked doubles team. The 35-year-old American twins are three-time ATP World Tour Finals champions, winning in 2003-04 and 2009. The Bryans have qualified for the season finale for the 12th consecutive year. They are trying to finish the season ranked number one in the world for a ninth time and fifth consecutive season.

SUSPENDED

Yannick Ebbinghaus of the Netherlands has been suspended for six months and fined USD $10,000 for violating tennis’s betting rules. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said the 23-year-old Ebbinghaus admitted to 67 violations between May 2012 and February 2013. The ITF said he can cut three months off his suspension if he commits no future violations and attends anti-corruption education training. If Ebbinghaus cooperates with the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) in educating others about the ban on betting, half of his fine will be waived. Under tennis rules, players are prohibited from betting on matches.

SISTERS AND SELES

Sisters Venus and Serena Williams will play a doubles exhibition match against Monica Seles and Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard to kick off the Rogers Cup competition in Toronto, Canada. The match will be played August 5 on the opening night of the week-long WTA tournament. A member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Seles will be returning to Toronto for the first time since she was inducted into the Rogers Cup Hall of Fame in 2009. She won the Rogers Cup in 1995 following a two-year absence from the sport after being stabbed by a spectator at a match in Hamburg, Germany. Bouchard won the Wimbledon junior girls singles in 2012. The Williams sisters had received a wild card into the French Open women’s doubles, but withdrew because of an injury suffered by Venus.

STILL REMEMBERED

They remember Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon. Still reaping the fruits of his record 11-hour, 5-minute marathon match against John Isner in 2010, Mahut has been given a wild card into this year’s tournament. Mahut lost the first-round match 70-68 in the fifth set. He currently is ranked 224th in the world and could not have entered the main draw without a wild card. The 31-year-old Mahut teamed with fellow Frenchman Michael Llodra to reach the French Open doubles where they lost to American brothers Bob and Mike Bryan.

SINGLES ACHIEVEMENT

Thanks to four rain delays, it took more than five hours before Sam Querrey was able to wrap up his 200th career singles victory. That came on the American’s 7-6 (11) 5-7 7-6 (5) win over Aljaz Bedene in the second round at the Queen’s Club grass-court tournament in London, Great Britain. Querrey saved a match point at 6-5 before winning the tiebreaker and wrapping up the victory. Bedene fell hard while hitting a cross-court forehand winner. He received medical attention but was not injured.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Birmingham: Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua beat Cara Black and Marina Erakovic 7-5 6-4

Halle: Scott Lipsky and Santiago Gonzalez beat Daniele Bracciali and Jonathan Erlich 6-2 7-6 (3)

London: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares 4-6 7-5 10-3 (match tiebreak)

Nürnberg: Raluca Olaru and Valeria Solovyeva beat Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Kveta Peschke 2-6 7-6 (3) 11-9 (match tiebreak)

SURFING

Eastbourne: www.lta.org.uk/

‘s-Hertogenbosch: www.topshelfopen.nl/

Wimbledon: www.wimbledon.com

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK
(All money in USD)

MEN

$618,000 Aegon International, Eastbourne, Great Britain, grass
$541,600 Topshelf Open, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, grass

WOMEN

$637,000 Aegon International, Eastbourne, Great Britain, grass
$235,000 Topshelf Open, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, grass

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN and WOMEN

The Championships, Wimbledon, Great Britain, grass (first week)

Rafael Nadal continues amazing title run — Mondays with Bob Greene

by

STARS

Rafael Nadal beat David Ferrer 7-6 (1) 7-5 to win the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell in Barcelona, Spain

Maria Sharapova beat Victoria Azarenka 6-1 6-4 to win the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany

Gilles Simon beat Fabio Fognini 6-4 6-3 to win the BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy in Bucharest, Romania

Kiki Bertens beat Laura Pous-Tio 7-5 6-0 to win the Grand Prix de SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem in Fès, Morocco

Go Soeda beat Tatsuma Ito 6-3 6-0 to win the OEC International Tennis Challenge in Kaohsiung, Taiwan

DAVIS CUP

Asia/Oceania Group III at Tehran, Iran (round-robin): Syria and Kuwait promoted to Group II in 2013; Bangladesh and Kyrgyzstan relegated to Group IV in 2013

SAYING

Rafael Nadal celebrates his title in Barcelona (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

“’This is the hardest match I had on clay court this season. David always takes you to the limit. A bit of it was lottery; luck fell on my side today.” – Rafael Nadal, after beating David Ferrer to win the Barcelona title for the seventh time.

“Like always, Rafa. I’ve lost four times. but four times against a great.” – David Ferrer, after losing the Barcelona title match for the fourth time – all against Rafael Nadal.

“I’m excited. I’m going to play more tournaments now and try to win more.” – Kiki Bertens, a qualifier after winning her first WTA Tour singles title, the Grand Prix de Sar La Princesse Lalla Meryem.

“It is only my second tournament on clay, so I’m still happy with the result.” – Laura Pous-Tio, who lost to Kiki Bertens in the Fès final.

“I’m just happy to be the champion. I came to Europe this year a bit earlier than I usually do. I added this to my schedule and was going to use it as a warm-up tournament for the clay court season. But maybe I should start doing it every year since it’s obviously working for me.” – Maria Sharapova, after winning in Stuttgart, Germany.

“Obviously I’m not happy I lost in the final, but congratulations to Maria, she did a really good job this week. It was still a good week for me. I was really happy to come to Stuttgart and I hope to do better next year.” – Victoria Azarenka, after losing to Maria Sharapova in the title match of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.

“’Clay’s not his best surface, but he consistently does well on it. Last year he reached the semifinals at the French Open, Monte Carlo and Rome, so he can play really well on it. For me, it was a big win, regardless of the surface.’” – Milos Raonic, after beating Andy Murray 6-4 7-6 (3) in the quarterfinals in Barcelona.

“The time of the match is not important. You could be spending two hours on the court but barely working hard and having no rallies, but you could spend one hour and it’s so intense. I don’t pay attention. I just try to stay focused.” – Victoria Azarenka, following her quick 77-minute semifinal win over Agnieszka Radwanska.

“Another semifinal this year at a very strong tournament is not a bad result, of course, but playing against the same player all the time is not really fun. She is just playing great tennis this year and played another good match against me today. I’ll be back to try and win the car next year.” – Agnieszka Radwanska, after losing to top-ranked Victoria Azarenka.

“We hadn’t won a title in our last seven finals. We were very lucky I’d say in the final. (Marcel) Granollers and (Marc) Lopez played a very good match, but couldn’t finish it. We fought hard and in the end it paid off by winning. The whole week’s been like this for us, very lucky. But we played some good quality tennis, especially in the semifinals against (Max) Mirnyi and (Daniel) Nestor, and today we got lucky and won.” – Marcin Matkowski, after he teamed with Mariusz Fyrstenberg to win the doubles in Barcelona.

“I had to run a lot today. You really have the feeling that you are never in control of the game. I’m always happy when I win a tournament like this because sometimes people think it will be easy when you’re the number one seed, but on the court it’s very close every time.” – Gilles Simon, after winning the Bucharest, Romania, tournament for the third time.

“I’m upset because I lost the final. I had my chances, but he has played more finals than me and is more experienced. Maybe next time I will have the chance to win the tournament.” – Fabio Fognini, who lost to Gilles Simon in the Bucharest final.

STREAK CONTINUES

It may not be routine, but Rafael Nadal sure makes it seem that way. The Spanish great won the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell for the seventh time and becoming the first player in the Open Era to win two tournaments seven times. Ranked second in the world, Nadal won his eighth straight Monte Carlo title a week earlier. Nadal has won 21 straight matches on clay, while only Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have beaten the Spaniard in a clay court final. Nadal now has won 48 tournaments in his career and ran his winning streak in Barcelona to 34 straight. It was the fourth time the sixth-ranked David Ferrer has reached the final at Barcelona. Each time he has lost to Nadal. “It’s almost unimaginable to win here seven times,” Nadal said. “It’s a special tournament for me, at home in my club. To win at home in front of the people you know is always more special.”

SHARAPOVA WINS

Maria Sharapova finally figured out a way to beat top-ranked Victoria Azarenka in the final of a tournament. While her advantage over Sharapova was only 5-3 in their career meetings, Azarenka owned a 4-0 record in finals, winning them all in straight sets, including this year’s Australian Open. Sharapova turned that around in Stuttgart, Germany, winning her 25th WTA career title by simply overpowering her opponent. The Russian was dominating on her serve, losing just 17 points in her nine service games in the match and not being broken at all. Sharapova had 31 winners to just 13 unforced errors. “I had lost the last few previous encounters with Victoria, so I was extremely motivated today,” Sharapova said. “When I got the chance to go out and play her again I knew I had to change a few things. Before I was maybe a little bit impatient and went for a bit too much sometimes, but this time I was really patient. I was aggressive but consistent when I had to be against her. I felt I played quite smart in the important moments in the match.” It was Sharapova’s sixth career win over a player ranked number one in the world. She beat Lindsay Davenport in 2005, Justine Henin in 2008, Amélie Mauresmo in 2006 and Caroline Wozniacki last year.

STICKING TO THE SCRIPT

When Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova and Agnieszka Radwanska reached the semifinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany, it sent the WTA Tour officials to the record book. It was the first time the top four players in the world reached the semifinals of an event since July 2009 at Wimbledon. That was when Dinara Safina, Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Elena Dementieva made up the final four. The Williams sisters battled their way into the final, with Serena eventually capturing the title. “On the men’s side it’s normal to have the top four in the semis,” Kvitova said. “It’s great for the tournament, the sponsors and the people. It has been a long time since the last time, but hopefully it will happen in more tournaments soon.”

SURPRISING WINNER

Playing in only her second WTA Tour main draw, young Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens came away with the title at the Grand Prix de SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem in Fès, Morocco. Last year she played her first WTA tournament in her home event in ‘s-Herogenbosch, losing in the opening round. And she had to qualify to get into the main draw in Fès, rallying from 3-1 down in the third set to Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino and 4-1 in the third set to Kristyna Pliskova. And that was in qualifying. Once she got into the main draw, Bertens beat Urszula Radwanska, Chanelle Scheepers, Garbiñe Muguruza Blanco and Simon Halep before taking on Laura Pous-Tio in the title match. It was the first final for Pous-Tio also, although she had been in three semifinals before. After falling behind 0-3, Bertens rallied. Knotted at 5-5 in the opening set, Bertens won the last nine games for a 7-5 6-0 victory. “In the beginning I was very nervous and she started well, but after I won the first set all my nerves were gone,” Bertens said. “I love it here. I was here for one week because I played the qualies too, so I’m a little bit tired now.”

In the semifinals, Pous-Tio lost her serve five times to Mathilde Johansson, but broke her French opponent seven times to win 6-1 2-6 7-5.

SUCCESSFUL STRUGGLE

Petra Cetkovska and Alexandra Panova had a hard time winning the doubles title match in Fès, Morocco. The pair rallied from 6-3 5-3 down and fought off five match points in their win over Irina-Camelia Begu and Alexandra Cadantu. Cetkovska and Panova actually missed six match points of their own, losing a 9-3 lead in the match tiebreak before closing out the victory 3-6 7-6 (5) 11-9 (match tiebreak).

SIMON REPEATS

It’s getting to be old hat for Gilles Simon. The Frenchman won the Nastase Tiriac Trophy in Bucharest, Romania, for the third time, this time besting Fabio Fognini of Italy 6-4 6-3. Simon also won the tournament in 2007 and 2008. Fognini was playing in his first ATP World Tour final.

SIGNATURE COLOR

Until now clay came in two colors: red in most of the world and green in the United States. The Mutua Madrid Open is being played in Madrid, Spain, this week and the players will be traipsing on a blue clay surface. “If they have changed how the courts play, as well as the color, and the courts play better, that’s great,” said Australian Samantha Stosur. “I think it worked well when the Australian Open changed the color of the courts from green to blue, but that’s just a case of painting cement. This is changing the color of the dirt, and it will be interesting to see how it changes the court.”

STOPPING AT THE TOP

Lisa Raymond has joined her partner Liezel Huber at the top of the WTA doubles rankings. And at 38 years old, Raymond is the oldest player in WTA history to hold the coveted number one spot in either singles or doubles. The Americans also became the eighth pair to share the top spot. Raymond is not unfamiliar with that role. She has been a part of three of those duos, teaming with Rennae Stubbs 12 years ago and with Samantha Stosur in 2006-07. This is the fifth time Raymond has been ranked number one, and the first time since July 2007. Other duos who have shared the top ranking include Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suárez, Cara Black and Huber, Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta, Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik, and sisters Venus and Serena Williams.

SEVENTH TITLE

The top-seeded team of Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau won their seventh ATP World Tour doubles title when they beat Jeremy Chardy and Lukasz Kubot in the final in Bucharest, Romania. “I wasn’t 100 per cent before the first match. I had a knee issue,” Lindstedt said. “To get through that one really got us set on our tracks. The semifinal was the most rewarding match for us as a team. It was a very difficult match the way it evolved. It was very important for us. Today’s match is the icing on the cake for a great week.” It was the 13th career doubles title for the 35-year-old Lindstedt, while the 27-year-old Tecau captured his 10th career title.

SKIPS HOME EVENT

Because of the death of his grandfather, Novak Djokovic has pulled out of this week’s Serbia Open. “I’ve made a decision to take part in the tournament this year,” said Djokovic, who was the defending champion in the Belgrade, Serbia, clay-court event. “This is certainly one of the toughest decisions in my career but it is impossible for me to play in the next few days and to think about tennis when there are some other things in my head.” The top-ranked Djokovic lost to second-ranked Rafael Nadal in the Monte Carlo Masters final a week ago, just three days after his grandfather’s death

SIDELINED BY INJURY

Andrea Petkovic will be sidelined for three months after tearing ligaments in her right ankle at the Porsche Grand Prix. The German hurt her ankle in a second-round match against top-ranked Victoria Azarenka. The Stuttgart, Germany, tournament was Petkovic’s first since January, having been sidelined with a lower back injury. She also has been nursing a right knee injury. Currently ranked 11th in the world, Petkovic was the first German woman to finish a year in the top 10 since Steffi Graf in 1998. But in the second set against Azarenka, Petkovic stepped awkwardly and twisted her right ankle. She didn’t even try to continue playing and had to be helped off the court.

SVETLANA HURT

Svetlana Kuznetsova hurt her leg and had to retire from her second round match in Fès, Morocco. The two-time Grand Slam tournament champion had won the first set 6-1 against Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu. The Russian star then lost the second set in a tiebreaker and trailed 3-2 in the third set when she pulled out.

STRONG SHOWING

A huge serve has been Milos Raonic’s calling card. It works on clay also, as Andy Murray found out. The Canadian crushed 14 aces as he ousted Murray 6-4 7-6 to grab a spot in the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open. Playing an aggressive game, Raonic took the initiative from the start against the second-seeded Murray and held off a fightback from the Scot at the end of the second set to record one of the best wins of his career. Murray managed just one break of Raonic’s serve. “Clay’s not (Murray’s) best surface, but he consistently does well on it,” Raonic said. “Last year he reached the semifinals at the French Open, Monte Carlo and Rome, so he can play really well on it. For me, it was a big win, regardless of the surface.”

SPREADING THE WEALTH

When the All England Club announced it has increased the prize money for this year’s Wimbledon, it noted that the majority of the cash will go to players who lose in qualifying or the early rounds. That doesn’t mean the top players aren’t helping fatten their bank accounts. The men’s and women’s singles champions will each receive USD $1.85 million. The purse will increase by USD $2.4 million to a total of USD $26 million. The increase for the lower-ranked players, some of whom struggle to cover the costs of training, traveling and competing at major tournaments, was requested by the world’s top four players – Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray – in a meeting with Wimbledon officials in Indian Wells, California, USA. “’Wimbledon continues to be successful and we are delighted to share that increase with the players,” said All England Club chairman Philip Brook. “At the same time, we appreciate the need to help players meet the rising costs associated with professional tennis.” Wimbledon also will begin ply 30 minutes earlier on the outside courts, hoping that will cut down on the number of matches held over by darkness.

SPECIAL RANKING

A 16-year-old from Stockbridge, Georgia, USA, is the first American girl to be named number one in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Junior Rankings since the ITF combined singles and doubles rankings in 2004. Taylor Townsend won the girls’ singles and doubles titles at the Australian Open, becoming the first American to sweep both junior titles at a Grand Slam tournament since Lindsay Davenport did the same at the 1992 US Open. She also won the prestigious Easter Bowl singles title in April, where she also reached the doubles final. Donald Young is the last American male to reach the number one spot in the boys’ rankings in 2005. Perhaps not coincidentally, Young’s parents were also Townsend’s first tennis coaches.

SUPPORTIVE SISTER

Serena Williams has altered her diet to support sister Venus Williams. Serena said she’s cut down on eating chicken and fish and is eating more raw foods. Venus changed her diet to help her body cope with Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease that can cause fatigue and joint pain. Serena said that since she lives with Venus, she eats foods that won’t tempt her older sister. “I don’t want her to come home and see a piece of chicken and be like, ‘Oh, I want it,’ and she can’t have it,” Serena said. “It would be like a stumbling block for her.”

SIGNATURE ACHIEVEMENT

Prince Albert II of Monaco presented International Tennis Hall of Fame rings to four great tennis champions and contributors to the sport during the ATP World Tour stop in Monte Carlo. Honored were Ilie Nastase of Romania, Françoise “Frankie” Durr of France, Nicola Pietrangeli of Italy and Italian tennis journalist Gianni Clerici. All four have been inducted into the Newport, Rhode Island, USA, shrine. During the Monte Carlo ceremony, the official Hall of Fame rings were presented as a symbol of their International Tennis Hall of Fame induction. Prince Albert has served on the board of director for the Hall of Fame, a non-profit institution dedicated to honoring the greatest legends of tennis and preserving the history of the sport. Also participating in the ring presentation was International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum chairman Christopher E. Clouser and CEO Mark L. Stenning, and Zeljko Franulovic, director of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. Since 1955, 220 of the greatest champions and contributors to the sport have been inducted to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

SAY GOODBYE

The men’s tennis tour is leaving northern California. The 123-year-old event in San Jose, California, USA, currently called the SAP Open, is moving to Memphis, Tennessee, in 2014. The Memphis tournament is being sold and moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The ATP Board of Directors approved the sale of the Memphis tournament to IMX for operation of the 500-level event in Brazil. The ATP will determine the calendar and format for the events in 2014 and 2015 later this year. The SAP Open began as the Pacific Coast Championships in Monterey in 1889 and has been played indoors recently. The WTA Tour still has an annual event at Stanford, California.

SWITCH IN NAMES

The Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, DC, USA, is changing its name to the Citi Open. The 500-level event has been known as the Legg Mason Tennis Classic since 1994. In addition to the new title sponsor, this year’s tournament will also include a lower-level WTA event played at the same time and place, July 28 through August 5.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Barcelona: Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski beat Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez 2-6 7-6 (7) 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Bucharest: Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau beat Jeremy Chardy and Lukasz Kubot 7-6 (2) 6-3

Fès: Petra Cetkovska and Alexandra Panova beat Irina-Camelia Begu and Alexandra Cadantu 3-6 7-6 (5) 11-9 (match tiebreak)

Kaohsiung: John Paul Frutter and Raven Klaasen beat Daniel King-Turner and Frederik Nielsen 6-7 (6) 7-5 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Stuttgart: Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova beat Julia Goerges and Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-4 7-5

SURFING

Munich: www.bmwopen.de/

Belgrade: www.serbiaopen.rs/

Estoril: www.estorilopen.net

Budapest: www.budapestgrandprix.hu

Tunis: www.tct.org.tn/

Medellín: www.tennissegurosbolivar.com

Madrid: www.madrid-open.com

Cagnes-Sur-Mer: www.opendecagnes.com

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com

Sao Paulo: www.grandchampionsbrasil.com.br

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$523,619 BMW Open, Munich, Germany, clay
$523,619 Estoril Open, Estoril, Portugal, clay
$484,000 Serbia Open, Belgrade, Serbia, clay
$125,000 Tunis Open, Tunis, Tunisia, clay

WOMEN

$220,000 Budapest Grand Prix, Budapest, Hungary, clay
$220,000 Estoril Open, Estoril, Portugal, clay

SENIORS

Seguros Bolivar Tennis Champions, Medellín, Colombia, hard

DAVIS CUP

Europe Zone Group III at Sofia, Bulgaria, clay (round-robin, 13 nations in four pools): Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Iceland, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, Norway, San Marino

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$4,088,000 Mutua Madrid Open, Madrid, Spain, clay
$112,446 Strabag Prague Open, Prague, Czech Republic, clay

WOMEN

$5,189,000 Mutua Madrid Open, Madrid, Spain, clay
$100,000 Open GDF SUEZ de Cagnes-sur-mer Alpes-Maritimes, Cagnes-Sur-Mer, France, clay

SENIORS

Grand Champions Brazil, Sao Paulo, Brazil, clay

Australian Open Tennis Fashion from Adidas

by

Check out the latest adidas tennis fashions for the year’s first slam at the Australian Open, and dress in style while on-court! All products may be purchased directly through adidas for Men and Women.

Andy Murray:

adipower barricade Crew Tee, $55

When you ramp up your serves, this men’s adidas BARRICADE Crew Tee shirt makes sure heat and sweat don’t trip you up thanks to CLIMACOOL ventilation. And with a FORMOTION design, this tennis t-shirt gives you the perfect fit for high-pressure rallies.

adipower barricade Short, $45.00

With these men’s adidas BARRICADE Shorts you can respond immediately to your opponent’s shots thanks to a FORMOTION design that follows your natural motion. These tennis shorts also have side pockets for extra balls and a snug elastic waist.

adipower barricade 7.0, $140

Win from front court and back in the men’s adiPower BARRICADE shoes by adidas. adiPRENE+ in the forefoot of these tennis shoes launches you up to the net, EXTENDED TORSION gives you support, and the adiWEAR 6 outsole holds up to hard play.

–

Fernando Verdasco:

adizero Crew Tee, $60

Big serves and powerful backhands get backup with this men’s adizero Crew Tee shirt by adidas. This tennis shirt features a FORMOTION™ design that moves with you in the high-pressure rallies so you stay in control.

adizero Bermuda, $50

As you lift-off into your serve, these men’s adizero Bermuda Shorts by adidas make sure you stay cool with breathable mesh inserts. And with convenient side pockets, these tennis shorts have room for a few extra balls for when you don’t want to interrupt your flow.

adizero Feather, $125

With their lightweight build, the men’s adizero Feather shoes from adidas move easily between devastating backhands and point-winning serves. The tennis shoes have a breathable upper, adiPRENE+ for propulsion and EXTENDED TORSION for midfoot support.

 –

Jo Wilfried Tsonga:

adizero Theme Polo (similar style is adizero Crew Tee, $60)

This adizero Feather Theme Polo Shirt by adidas keeps you cool with breathable CLIMACOOL and comfortable with an active FORMOTION design, so you can focus on your serves and placement.

adizero Bermuda, $50

As you lift-off into your serve, these men’s adizero Bermuda Shorts by adidas make sure you stay cool with breathable mesh inserts. And with convenient side pockets, these tennis shorts have room for a few extra balls for when you don’t want to interrupt your flow.

adizero Feather, $125

With their lightweight build, the men’s adizero Feather shoes from adidas move easily between devastating backhands and point-winning serves. The tennis shoes have a breathable upper, adiPRENE+ for propulsion and EXTENDED TORSION for midfoot support.

–

Ana Ivanovic:

adizero Dress, $80

Tennis is a game that requires your full body, and that’s why this women’s adizero Dress by adidas is designed to move with you, from your swinging shoulders to your swift-moving legs. This tennis dress has a FORMOTION design for an active fit, CLIMACOOL ventilation, and ruching details for a more feminine look. Comes with a bra and shorts.

adizero Tempaia, $125

The adiZero Tempaia shoes by adidas are lightweight, breathable tennis shoes designed for multi-court use. They feature a breathable upper, adiPRENE+ in the forefoot for propulsion, adiPRENE heel cushioning and EXTENDED TORSION for support.

–

Andrea Petkovic:

adipower barricade Capsleeve, $50

You have to open the set with a powerful serve and be ready to back it up, and that’s why this women’s adidas BARRICADE Cap-Sleeve Tee shirt has a dynamic FORMOTION design for a comfortable, active fit. And with CLIMACOOL ventilation, this tennis shirt keeps the heat locked out.

adipower barricade Skort, $45

As you put your returns into play, this women’s adidas BARRICADE Skort puts itself in the right positions thanks to a dynamic FORMOTION design. And with built-in short tights, this tennis skort has a snug, comfortable feel.

adipower barricade 7.0, $130

Every woman is different, but these adiPower BARRICADE shoes by adidas come close to a perfect fit for any lady. That’s because these tennis shoes have a feminine design with plenty of cushioning, stability claws that keep you on your feet and adiPRENE heel cushioning.

–

Caroline Wozniacki:

Tennis Performance Dress, $120

Worn by Caroline Wozniacki at Wimbledon and the Australian Open, the adidas by Stella McCartney Tennis Performance Dress draws moisture away from skin to keep you dry and focused.

Sebellica Tennis (shoes), $200

 

 

 

 

(Photos courtesy of adidas Sport; all products may be purchased through adidas for Men and Women.)

Australian Open: Midnight at the Oasis

by

by Thomas Swick

The Australian Open is the oasis in the tennis fan’s desert, coming four months after the previous grand slam and four months before the next grand slam. Watching the tournament on TV has the same restorative effect as a mid-winter vacation in the Caribbean: it is a needed reminder that there exists somewhere a land of sunshine, warmth, long days, long rallies. Into our cold, dark nights (the matches are usually shown at ungodly hours) come scenes of tanned, healthy, hatted people (and those are just the fans), visions of hard-court ballistics, and a promise of what will be ours if we can only wait a few months.

Australian Open fans

But like each of the slams, the Australian Open has its own character. While fans at the French Open are described as knowledgeable (and unforgiving), and those at Wimbledon decorous, and those at the U.S. Open extroverted, those in Melbourne are portrayed as carefree. The no-worries-mate nation has created the Happy Slam. The people’s penchant for putting on costumes reveals a Dame Edna-like distain for public opinion. Sizzling under a fierce sun they keep themselves hydrated, apparently not always with water. They hand the victor a toy koala.

Australia, despite its great tradition of tennis, always seemed a long way to go to play it. That was before Qatar and Chennai. Non-tennis fans are still fairly oblivious to the goings on down there (as they aren’t about Wimbledon or the U.S. Open), but tennis aficionados (as well as some insomniacs) watch the Australian with hungry if bleary eyes.

Like Australians, the tournament takes pleasure in upending the established order. Last January, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer – fresh off their holiday BFF tour – came in as the kings, only to be deposed by Novak Djokovic, who went on to have a year of years, winning every slam except the French. The fact that he wasn’t Sports Illustrated’s “Sportsman of the Year” – beaten out by two college basketball coaches – was an indication not only of the sorry lack of respect for tennis but the sad parochialism of American journalism. If Mardy Fish had done what Djokovic did, you can be sure he would have won the honor. (Further boosting Djokovic’s claim to “Sportsman of the Year” is the fact that he’s the only one of the top three who smiles during matches, and occasionally applauds opponents’ shots.)

Roger Federer © Ben Solomon for AustralianOpen.org

Now the tennis world is waiting to see if he can continue his domination. Federer ended the year triumphantly in London, outlasting a weary and gimpy field. It was a glorious sight for the Federer faithful, evidence of his phenomenal physical condition (the Last Man Standing had been the Oldest Man Playing) and a happy flashback to his erstwhile invincibility. But that was two months ago, and now the Cal Ripken of Tennis is nursing a back injury which caused him to pull out of the Qatar Open, with profuse apologies to the fans.

Nadal is not 100 percent (one can only guess at the last time he was), and he lost in straight sets in Qatar to Gael Monfils. He has already announced that as soon as the Australian is over he’s going to take time off to rest his shoulder.

For many number 1’s, all this would not be unpleasant news. But Djokovic is at such a high level right now that he may actually relish toying with uninjured, excuseless legends. Federer’s game, for all its beauty and grace, seems already to be of an older, less ferociously-ripped time. (At least his one-handed backhand does.) In fact, the biggest challenge to Djokovic may come from Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who has good memories of the Australian Open.

Life’s more complicated on the women’s side. Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters are both ailing (ankle and hip), though at least the Belgian appears to still like tennis. Neither of them is in the Top 10, though none of the Top 10 players would be overjoyed to find them in her draw.

Caroline Wozniacki

The Big 10 is comprised of a percolating mix of Slavs, immigrant Slavs, and three pesky non-Slavs. Everyone is still waiting to see if world number 1 Caroline Wozniacki (from the immigrant group) can win a grand slam. Everyone, that is, except most of Australia, which would like nothing better than to see its Sheila, Samantha Stosur, do in Melbourne what she did in New York.

Will she be able to handle the pressure of playing in front of her bewigged and face-painted compatriots? Will Wozniacki get the monkey off her back and the koala in her hands? Will the literate Andrea Petkovic surprise everyone by winning the tournament and then quoting Clive James? (Though probably not his poem, “Bring Me the Sweat of Gabriela Sabatini.”) Whatever happens, it will be worth staying up to watch it.

Andrea Petkovic hopes to be Lucky Loser in Istanbul

by

By Stephane Carter

Watching Andrea Petkovic calculate her way into Istanbul reminded of playing poker in an online casino.

Andrea PetkovicBut I digress.

Unfortunately for the lovely German, it wasn’t mean to be. To qualify for the Tennis Championships in Istanbul she had to win the Beijing Open. She failed to do that and as a result the race for that number eight spot is now between Agnieszka Radwanska or Marion Bartoli. They are both great players and especially Marion Bartoli has been a revelation this season. Bartoli showed that by reaching the finals of the Pacific Life Open and the semis of the French Open that the Wimbledon finale was no fluke and that she is definitely trying establish herself as a consistent performer worthy of one of the top spots of the WTA Tour.

Petkovic’ quest for qualification for Istanbul also reminded me of the poker players using the baccarat strategy when we looked at the points that Petkovic needed to earn to get her into Istanbul. Even with wins in Luxembourg or Moscow then she wouldn’t have gotten in. She would still be approximately 200 points away from qualifying.

But I digress.

Andrea Petkovic has had a top season. She impressed by reaching the semis of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami with her solid results and her famous Petko dance. She maintained her good form during the clay season with good results at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart and winning the Internationaux de Strasbourg tournament and her best result on clay came when she reached the semis of the French Open. And even though it became fairly obvious that grass isn’t her game she quickly showed her good form again during the US Open Series and China.

What should have been the crown on an excellent season ends in a bummer for Petkovic. With a broken meniscus, heavily fatigued by the long season she is still hoping to play in Istanbul. She will travel to the tournament with hopes of one of the qualified will withdraw so she can take the spot. Play a few matches in the round robin stage and end the year in Indonesia to play the Commonwealth tournament in Bali.

It is unfortunate that she does not get the close out the season by playing Istanbul directly. Of all the other competitors, she is the most qualified for it.

Everybody’s in action as sun comes out

by

NEW YORK – “We just want to play,” said Andy Roddick.

And play they did on Thursday at the US Open.

It was where they played that was the biggest surprise as the rain that washed out play for two days finally subsided.

Andy Roddick

Roddick, the 2003 US Open champion who hadn’t played outside of Arthur Ashe Stadium since 2002, ended up on Court 13 at the outer edges of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. His fourth-round match against fifth-seeded David Ferrer of Spain was to be played on Louis Armstrong Stadium, but was switched when water bubbled to the surface right behind the baseline.

“I played there in 1999. I lost to Scott Lipski in juniors first round,” Roddick said of playing on Court 13. “Year before that, I lost to Fernando González out there first round in juniors.”

He didn’t lose Thursday, pounding his way into the quarterfinals with a 6-3 6-4 3-6 6-3 win over Ferrer.

Another American, 28th-seeded John Isner, grabbed a quarterfinal berth by ousting No. 12 Gilles Simon of France 7-6 (2) 3-6 7-6 (2) 7-6 (4).

There were surprises in the other two fourth-round matches as defending champion Rafael Nadal stopped Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller 7-6 (1) 6-1 6-2 and fourth-seeded Andy Murray eliminated unseeded American Donald Young 6-2 6-3 6-3.

Because of the rain, the four early winners will have to play four consecutive days if the year’s final Grand Slam tournament is to end on Sunday. In the bottom half of the draw, Friday’s quarterfinals will pit Nadal against Roddick and Murray against Isner.

There were two upsets in the women’s quarterfinals, but not in the upper half of the draw where top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki and heavy favorite Serena Williams posted straight-set victories. But ninth-seeded Samantha Stosur of Australia and surprising Angelique Kerber of Germany will face off for the other spot in the final.

Wozniacki bested Germany’s Andrea Petkovic 6-1 7-6 (5); Williams downed Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5 6-1; Stosur knocked off second-seeded Vera Zvonareva 6-3 6-3, and Kerber ended the run of Italy’s Flavia Pennetta 6-4 4-6 6-3.

Like Roddick, Wozniacki also was relegated to Court 13, which usually during the second week of the Open is where the juniors play.

“The whole match was tough,” Wozniacki said. “There are different conditions out there, the court is faster. But I won. That’s the most important thing.”

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic was the first man to reach the semifinals, outlasting his Serbian Davis Cup teammate Janko Tipsarevic 7-6 (2) 6-7 (3) 6-0 3-0 retired. In Thursday’s night match, third-seeded Roger Federer took on No. 11 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to see who would face Djokovic on Saturday. That match was suspended in the opening set by rain.

The forecast for Thursday was for a four-hour window of good weather before the rain returned later in the day. To catch up, tournament officials began all four fourth-round matches on four different courts.

Then came the problem on Armstrong and the switch to Court 13.

Because of the weather and a backup of matches, officials switched the men’s final to Monday and the women’s final to Sunday.

In other schedule changes, the quarterfinals between Isner-Murray and Roddick-Nadal will be played Friday, with the men’s semifinals set for Saturday day. The women’s semifinals will be played Saturday evening.

The women’s favorite, Serena Williams, is seeded only 28th after being out of tennis for 11 months because of injuries and illness. She has dominated lately, winning the title at both Stanford and Toronto, and could collect a $1 million bonus

Against the 20-year-old Pavlyuchenkova, Williams started slowly, the two trading service breaks for the first six games. By the time she wrapped up the opening set she was beginning to look her usual overpowering self.

“It was a slow start, sand once I lost serve I was determined to break serve so I wouldn’t be down a break,” Williams said. “Then I just kept losing serve in the beginning. Very weird.”

Williams and Pavlyuchenkova briefly took to the court on Wednesday night, but never got beyond their warm-up before rain prompted officials to cancel all play.

Although Stosur is the higher ranked of the two players, she beat Zvonareva for their eight consecutive time in their 10 career meetings. While the Australian was stretched to three close sets in her last two matches, she was dominant against her Russian opponent, needing just 67 minutes to advance to the semifinals, her best showing ever at America’s premier tennis event.

Stosur never faced a break point as he hit 25 winners.

“She was able to hold her serve pretty easy, that’s why she could take a lot of risks on mine,” said Zvonareva, who had runner-up finishes at Wimbledon and the US Open last year. “She was over-playing me a little in every game.”

Kerber had never been past the third round of a Grand Slam tournament before now. Ranked 92nd in the world, she had lost in the first round of her last four major tournaments. Pennetta has never been past the quarterfinals at a major, who has reached this stage three times.

A typical day (where no days are the same)

by

By Thomas Swick
swickt@bellsouth.net

At 9:45 the atrium lobby of Le Parker Meridien was sporty with people in shorts and sneakers. The 10 o’clock shuttle was even more so. A young woman in uniform sat next to me, a doubles specialist, I learned, and the anti-Petkovic, answering my questions with only a few words. Sample: “Do you like all the travel?” “It’s part of the job.” “But do you enjoy it?” “Yes.” I went back to my Times.

Sabine Lisicki

At the entrance to the tennis center, her coach had his bag checked in front of me.

“Great,” the security man said, “a tennis player. You gonna win today, sir?”

“Only if I play the lotto. SHE’S gotta win,” he said, looking at my seatmate.

In the media center I picked up the day’s schedule and took a seat at El Expresso. Not given a work station, I have been laptop squatting. The first day I sat at the Trenton Times’ station, which I felt vaguely entitled to, having begun my journalism career at the paper. And I liked the sign – Times of Trenton – which gave my old paper an uncommon cachet.

Today I had a vague hope that El Expresso would help me write faster.

I was in the middle of a sentence when a tour group came through.

“We’re like animals in a zoo,” the woman next to me complained. But I rather liked it; after days of watching others, we now had people watching us.

Finished with my story, I headed out to become one of the watchers again. Though with notebook in hand. At a doubles match with a Romanian pair I talked to a journalist for a Romanian paper. There are quite a few Romanian players, the woman said, but as soon as they go, she will too.

I grabbed a quesadilla and sat with a man who’s been coming to the U.S. Open every first Friday since ’92. “It was much more crowded last year,” he said. “I think it’s because of the hurricane. People who got water are still cleaning up.”

Then over to the Grandstand, which is fast becoming my home away from home. What memories will rush in when, in years to come, watching on TV, I hear Cliff Drysdale say, “Let’s check what’s happening on the Grandstand court.”

The media box for the Peng Shuai-Julia Goerges match was unusually crowded, and I plopped down between two Chinese photographers. The one to my left aimed his enormous zoom sheepishly, and asked very kindly: “Is OK?” (Unlike the AP photographer the day before, who came and sat next to me and then blocked my view without a word.)

Peng Shuai won in straight sets. She started to leave after the handshake at the net, but the losing German insisted on giving her two kisses.

The next match pitted another German, Sabine Lisicki, against the young American Irina Falconi.

A couple sat down next to me. “We train her,” the woman said.

Falconi lost the first set 6-love, then walked to the wrong end of the court to start the second.

“My bad,” she said with an abashed smile as she passed the chair umpire.

After all my time on this court I kept noticing new things, like the words painted above the exit, an instruction to fans that now seemed like a prophetic warning for players: “Re-entry is not guaranteed.”

Also, at one point, the sound of the Long Island Railroad penetrated the match. I had always heard about the noise of planes at the Open – I was now watching them sail off in succession over the eastern stands – but not about trains.

Falconi took a game, and had a chance for another. After one well-played point, the woman next to me let out an ear-splitting whistle. “You’re going to be hearing that a lot, hopefully,” she said to me. “So I apologize.”

I never heard it again.

A little before six I took a seat on Court 6, for a mixed doubles match between Chan-Fyrstenberg and Vesnina-Paes. The light had taken on a poignant clarity, and the air was starting to turn that early autumn evening cool. Mixed doubles is probably the most overlooked type of tennis and yet it beautifully demonstrates the sport’s singularity, for on what other playing field can you find a team of both genders competing against another? And in what other sport do you find a Pole and a Chinese woman playing a Russian and an Indian? In tennis, east teams with west.

But another view was expressed over on Court 13, where Hradecka-Cermak were playing Kops-Jones-R. Ram.

“Mixed doubles is not fair,” a young Czech spectator confided to me. “It depends on how much gentleman you are.”

I knew what he was getting it, and I asked him if the man, serving to the woman, doesn’t always go for broke. “If it’s an important point, yes,” he said. “Normally, no.”

I asked what he thought of Berdych’s chances. He said that, as much as he liked his fellow countryman, when he plays Federer he always roots for Roger. “He’s amazing,” he said, in what was one of the finest testaments to Federer’s greatness that I’ve ever heard.

I met my friend Bob back on Court 6 for yet another mixed doubles match: Dulko-Schwank vs. Vandeweghe-Butorac.

“You gotta write something about what preceded ‘come on’,” Bob said. “Everybody says it now.”

“It’s true,” I said. “Even players whose native language isn’t English.”

“It’s like the cellphone,” he said. “You can’t live without it.”

After a miss, Vandeweghe slammed her racket onto the court, turning it into abstract art.

“Good thing the family has money,” said Bob.

We were joined, appropriately, by Bob’s friend Mary Ann, and the three of us headed over to Louis Armstrong. This was like the World’s Fair, where you hopped from pavilion to pavilion, wondering what marvels you would see next. On the way, we came upon a group of young women all wearing T-shirts that read on the back: “If we wanted soft serve we would have gone to DQ.”

“They’re the tennis team from South St. Paul High School in Minnesota,” one of the older women with them told me. “They came up with the slogan themselves; it had nothing to do with Dairy Queen.”

In the stadium, Samantha Stosur was exchanging ground strokes with Nadia Petrova. At one point, just as Stosur was about to serve, music came wafting onto the court.

“It’s coming from Arthur Ashe,” Mary Ann explained. “It’s the music they play at the changovers. I’m surprised that the players don’t complain.”

Stosur held on to win, allowing us to eat a late dinner in the food court – chicken stir fry – while watching on the big screen Roddick and Sock. It seemed the perfect way to end the day, but on the shuttle back into Manhattan I sat next to a lines person who was much more interesting than the doubles player in the morning. He told me that at every match there is someone judging the lines peoples’ performances, and those with the best marks at the last weekend are the ones who get assigned to the finals. Knowing that, I slept very soundly.

To those who make it fun

by

By Thomas Swick
swickt@bellsouth.net

During a lull in the first set of the Andrea Petkovic-Zheng Jie match on the Grandstand court I inventoried the contents of the shelf below the umpire’s chair (items that had escaped my attention during the Radwanska-Kerber match the night before). It held a gray box that looked like a possible first-aid kit, two black telephones (I hoped nobody would call during a point), a bottle of Evian, what looked like a lotion dispenser, and a box of Kleenex.

Andrea Petkovic

Petkovic took a bathroom break after losing the first set, and the man sitting in front of me predicted that would be it. “Her father didn’t want her to play,” he told me in a German accent, explaining that she had injured her knee in Cincinnati. (A tough town, Cincy, between Petkovic’s knee and Nadal’s fingers.) “But,” the white-haired gentleman said, “these players have heads like cement.”

Petkovic not only returned, she won the second set after falling behind love-3. Then she won the third, turning the expression on her father’s face – he was sitting in the next section – from one of parental consternation to one of relief, and vague parental pride.

I had requested an interview with Petkovic, a woman who has fascinated me ever since I read that her favorite writers are Goethe and Oscar Wilde. It was moved from 6 to 6:30, allowing me time to attend the daily media cocktail hour. Yes, we get cocktails, and chips and salsa (never drink and write on an empty stomach), and crudités with blue cheese dip. I gulped my drink and headed to interview room 3, where two reporters already sat holding their microphones inches from Petkovic’s mouth. She finished her answer to the young man in the press hat (he was actually wearing a small fedora with a card that read “Press” sticking out of the band), then she stood up and, taking a couple steps in my direction, held out her hand and introduced herself. This was totally unnecessary – having requested the interview, I knew who she was – and unbelievably classy.

The early birds got the questions, which came fast and uncomplicated: “Who are you closest with on tour?” (“The German girls – and Ana Ivanovic.”) “Who is the funniest player?” (“Sania Mirza.”) When asked about her reading, Petkovic said she had two books going at the moment: “Don Quixote” and “Mediations on the Roman Empire” by Marcus Aurelius. This may have marked the first time in the history of modern tennis that the name Marcus Aurelius was mentioned in an interview room.

She answered all the questions, even though she’d probably heard them hundreds of times – with a freshness and an almost girlish enthusiasm. She talked about movies; she was a fan of “artsy films,” mentioning Almodovar’s as particular favorites, and said that, after tennis, she might like to try her hand at filmmaking. Writing was also an interest (“but not about tennis”). She didn’t drink – “because of my profession” – so often served as the designated driver for friends. (She kept her car supplied with music and snacks, including gummy bears, which, she claimed, are excellent in Germany.)

The other reporter asked her if tennis players “have less fun” than they could have – obviously thinking of players other than the one seated in front of us – and Petkovic said: “I think we get caught up in our job,” then added that that’s not unique to tennis players. Who, I thought, are engaged in a job – hitting a tennis ball – that most people think of as play, hence the conviction that they should be having a blast.

I have often wondered if Petkovic’s Renaissance woman approach to life was perhaps a handicap in tennis, which, like all sports, demands a dogged, single focus. Can a reader of Cervantes win the U.S. Open? But I didn’t want to suggest to her that she become a dullard to raise her ranking, and anyway we had run out of time.

I headed outside – another beautiful evening in Flushing Meadows – and caught a bit of the action in Arthur Ashe. Wandering through the food court, I heard a roar coming from Court 17. Arriving on the scene, I found the crowd on its feet, cheering a weary Gael Monfils.

“This had to be the longest day of his life,” usher Brian Potter said, explaining that, earlier, Monfils had lost a nearly five-hour, five set match. He had lost this doubles match too, but it was impossible to tell.

He pulled off his shirt and tossed it into the stands.

Potter told me that, for his last serve, Monfils had patted the ball in and, while his partner Marc Gicquel stood off to the side, laughing, their opponents ran Monfils back and forth with soft shots.

We looked back to the court. Monfils, in a fresh white T-shirt, had picked up a large gray umbrella and was carrying it to the other side of the court, where he handed it to fans. (Why should the folks behind the umpire’s chair get all the gifts?) Coming back, he picked up the box of Kleenex from under the umpire’s chair and tossed IT to the crowd. Cheers once again pierced the night air in appreciation of a man the next day’s papers would erroneously call a loser.

US Open strategies

by

By Thomas Swick
swickt@bellsouth.net

Sure, players train rigorously before a Grand Slam tournament, but so do writers. All summer I’ve been working on my gamesmanship for the coming two weeks of grueling press conferences at the US Open.

Before asking Novak Djokovic a question I’m going to tap my pen against my notebook 10, maybe 15 times.

For all of Rafael Nadal’s press conferences I’m going to make sure that I’m holding my notebook in the exact same position.

I’m going to try to come up with a really stupid question for Andrea Petkovic and then, as she stares at me, I’m going to slap my thigh in self-disgust.

For John Isner I’ve got the longest question in tennis history.

I don’t care who’s sitting at the microphone, after every question I’m going to ask for the towel.

With Caroline Wozniacki, I’m going to tell her to think of a question she’d like me to ask her and then I’ll give her the answer she’d most likely come up with.

No fist pumping, no unnecessary expenditure of energy, after I ask Serena Williams a question. (Especially if I just tweet it to her.)

For Andy Roddick, a simple tug of my shirt at the shoulder before launching into my inquiry.

My question to Andy Murray is going to start out looking like a standard question and then, taking him as well as my colleagues by surprise, it’s going to stop short.

When I think a player’s response goes on too long, or misses the point, I’m going to request a challenge.

Before asking Marion Bartoli a question I will mouth the words to myself a few times.

All answers from Roger Federer, Stanislas Wawrinka and Richard Gasquet will be recorded by holding my pen and balancing my notebook with one hand.

I may ask Sam Querrey a question, or I may just sit back and chill.

Addressing Maria Sharapova I’m going to stand up and, as soon as she’s finished giving her answer, I’m going to turn my back to her and, staring down at my notebook, pretend to readjust the rings.