andreas seppi

STARS

Marion Bartoli beat Petra Kvitova 6-1 4-6 7-5 to win the AEGON International women’s singles in Eastbourne, Great Britain

Andreas Seppi beat Janko Tipsarevic 7-6 (5) 3-6 5-3 retired to win the AEGON International men’s singles in Eastbourne, Great Britain

Dmitry Tursunov beat Ivan Dodig 6-3 6-2 to win the men’s singles at the UNICEF Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands

Roberta Vinci beast Jelena Dokic 6-7 (7) 6-3 7-5 to win the UNICEF Open women’s singles in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands

Andy Murray beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 3-6 7-6 (2) 6-4 to win the AEGON Championships at The Queen’s Club in London, Great Britain

Sabine Lisicki beat Daniela Hantuchova 6-3 6-2 to win the AEGON Classic in Birmingham, Great Britain

DAVIS CUP

Asia/Oceania Zone Group III: Sri Lanka and Lebanon are promoted to Group II for 2012; United Arab Emirates and Myanmar were demoted to Group IV.

Americas Zone Group IV: Panama and Trinidad & Tobago are promoted to Group III for 2012.

SAYING

“Venus and I have both missed tennis so much. If tennis has missed us half as much as we have missed tennis, we’re in a good place.” – Serena Williams.

“It was all great and it was all awesome. People will remember that match forever. Look, I will, too. But I don’t want it to be the only lasting image of my career. It’s up to me to make sure I accomplish more than that.’” – John Isner, about last year’s record-breaking match with Nicolas Mahut.

“I couldn’t believe it. I joked with him earlier in the week, last week, and said, ‘Watch us play each other.’ And he said, ‘No, there’s no way. That’s not even funny.’” – John Isner, referring to a rematch of his record-breaking first-round Wimbledon battle a year ago against Nicolas Mahut.

“Isner vs. Mahut drawing each other in the first round after last year is the most amazing thing I’ve seen in tennis! Centre court anyone?!” – Andy Murray.

“You cannot be serious.” – Patrick McEnroe, US Davis Cup captain borrowing his brother John’s famous Wimbledon saying when he heard about the Isner-Mahut rematch.

“The first sort of five hours nobody cared too much. It’s the next five that made the news. We were all glued to the television. It was something very special and unbelievable. We all know that. It’s nice that it’s possible in tennis.” – Roger Federer, on last year’s John Isner-Nicolas Mahut match.

“We might do dinner (afterward). We’re really good friends now, but obviously we both want to win. But we’re going to enjoy it and laugh at it at the same time.” – John Isner.

“It’s the same ankle I injured earlier. I slipped in the first set and it started hurting. I took some medication on the court that helped with pain in my knee but not my ankle.” – Kim Clijsters, who pulled out of Wimbledon after turning her ankle in a match ‘s-Hertogenbosh, the Netherlands.

“I think maybe she was not one hundred percent, and I tried drop shots.” — Romina Oprandi, a qualifier who upset Kim Clijsters 7-6 (5) 6-3.

“He was playing a different sport to me in the first two sets. I’ve never seen anyone dive so much.” – Andy Murray, referring to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s many diving volleys during their final match at The Queen’s Club – a match Murray won.

“Tennis has changed a lot. People are now trying to be healthier and everyone’s believing they can play longer. I think the days of retiring at 27 are over. By the time you get to the age I am, that’s when you really start to understand the game and you can take advantage of that. So I’m going to stay and take advantage of all my experience.” – Venus Williams.

“I’m enjoying the game, staying focused, having fun. Lots of people put too much pressure on themselves without sitting back and seeing we’re playing tennis for a living and it’s fun.” – Heather Watson of Great Britain, at 19 the youngest player in the top 100 in the women’s rankings.

“I’m really excited to be back. I really miss playing tennis. I’m thoroughly enjoying the short time I’ve been back on the practice courts. It sucked because when I left I was ranked number one. That’s what I miss most, just being on top of the game and playing some really good tennis, and the challenges of all the other players.” – Serena Williams.

“If we come back and play well, that’s credit to our games. It’s not easy to win majors because if it was, everyone would be doing it.” – Venus Williams, when asked if a Wimbledon victory by either her or her sister Serena would show that women’s tennis was in poor condition.

“Obviously no one wants to play them. They have the experience and play really well, especially on grass. It’s good that they got a higher seed than their rankings because no one wants to play them in the early rounds.” – Caroline Wozniacki, talking about Serena and Venus Williams.

“I’m hoping I can peak at Wimbledon, hopefully in the second week, and hopefully I’ll get there.” – Serena Williams.

“We have dropped ranking points and that’s part of being off, but at this point we’re happy to be back, we’re here to play, we’re in the draw and that’s what matters.” – Venus Williams.

“It’s fantastic for fans to have Serena and Venus back on the courts. Serena is one of the all-time greats and she brings a fantastic energy, fun on the court. She’s a great champion and a great entertainer.” – Stacey Allaster, WTA chief executive.

SAME PLACE, SAME FOE

American John Isner and France’s Nicolas Mahut made tennis history last year when their first-round duel at Wimbledon became the longest match in tennis history, a grueling 11-hour, 5-minute marathon stretched over three days. As only the luck – or “unluck” – of the draw would have, Isner and Mahut will meet again in a Wimbledon first-round match. “It won’t happen again,” Isner said of a possible repeat of the marathon battle. “Not even come close.” Last year Isner was victorious 6-4 3-6 6-7 (7) 7-6 (3) 70-68 since Wimbledon does not have a fifth-set tiebreak. It is only the eighth time in the Open Era that Wimbledon has had a back-to-back repeat first-round match up. In five of the previous seven occasions, the winner of the first meeting won the second time around. Shuzo Matsuoka of Japan had it happen to him twice. In 1990 Matsuoka beat Luiz Mattar, only to lose to him the following year. Matsuoka lost to Mark Woodforde in both 1993 and 1994.

SKIPPING WIMBLEDON

Kim Clijsters, who won the Australian Open in January, will miss Wimbledon because of a foot injury. The second-ranked Belgian injured her right foot at the Unicef Open in the Netherlands this past week. “At this moment I feel frustrated that it has to happen now before one of my favorite tournaments,” Clijsters said in a statement. “I’ve always enjoyed being a part of the Wimbledon atmosphere but I have no other choice now but to rest, recover and to not play tennis for a few weeks.” Clijsters is a three-time US Open winner.

American Sam Querrey and Benjamin Becker of Germany also have withdrawn from the grass court Grand Slam tournament. Both cited elbow injuries. A knee injury forced Greta Arn of Hungary to withdraw from the women’s singles draw.

SISTERS MOVING UP

With a look at the past, Wimbledon officials moved the Williams sisters up in the seeding for this year’s tournament. Defending champion Serena Williams was bumped up to number 7 in the seedings – 19 places above her world ranking – while sister Venus, who is ranked 33^rd in the world, was seeded 23^th. Serena underwent two foot surgeries and later had blood clots on her lung, missing nearly a full year. Venus was injured while playing in the Australian Open in January. Both sisters returned to action just this past week at Eastbourne, Serena losing in the second round while Venus lost in the third round. Between them, the sisters have combined to win nine of the last 11 titles at the All England Club, with Serena beating Venus three times in their four Wimbledon final meetings. “The seeding order follows the WTA ranking list, except where in the opinion of the committee a change is necessary to produce a balanced draw,” Wimbledon organizers said. “The only changes this year are Serena Williams and Venus Williams moving to 8 and 24, respectively. This reflects the balance between their proven records and also their lack of competitive play in the past 12 months.” They each were moved up one spot when second-ranked Kim Clijsters pulled out of Wimbledon with an injury.

STANDING BY

Lleyton Hewitt retired from his opening match at Eastbourne when he aggravated an existing injury. The 30-year-old Australian has undergone intensive treatment on the injury and hopes to be able to play Wimbledon, which he won in 2002. “I’d want it to be a lot better than it is today to be able to play Wimbledon,” Hewitt said last week. Hewitt’s world ranking has plummeted to 130 after winning just six matches this season and failing to defend his title in Halle, Germany. Because of a left ankle injury, Hewitt pulled out of the French Open just hours before he was to play his first-round match.

SHARK BITE

Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic could overtake Rafael Nadal for the number one spot in the men’s rankings by the time Wimbledon ends its fortnight run. In order for the Spaniard to remain number one, he must win the title and Djokovic must lose before the final. Anything else and the Serb would take over the top spot, according to Greg Sharko, the ATP’s computer and statistics guru. Roger Federer can’t catch Djokovic regardless of what happens, but if Federer won Wimbledon for the seventh time and Nadal loses before the final, Federer would pass Nadal.

SUCH DOMINATION

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have dominated men’s tennis in the last six years. Since Nadal won his first Grand Slam tournament title at Roland Garros in 2005, the Spaniard and Federer have combined to win 22 of the last 25 Grand Slam men’s singles titles. During that stretch, Federer has won 12 Grand Slam tournaments and Nadal 10. The only ones that escaped the dynamic duo were the Australian Open in 2008 and this past January, when Novak Djokovic joined the winner’s circle, and the 2009 US Open, which was won by Juan Martin del Potro. Since Roland Garros in 2007, the trio of Nadal, Federer and Djokovic have reached the semifinals together 20 times. Of the 20, eight have come in Grand Slam tournaments, including Wimbledon in 2007.

SWITCH

After calling for his match to be halted because of bad light, Janko Tipsarevic retired hurt in a rain-interrupted AEGON International men’s singles match at Eastbourne, giving unseeded Andreas Seppi of Italy the first ATP title of his career 7-6 (5) 3-6 5-3, retired. Tipsarevic asked for play to be halted at the start of the third set but was turned down by the tournament supervisor. He later complained that “the scoreboard was shining.” Officials halted play for around 20 minutes with Seppi leading 4-0 in the final set. Tipsarevic won the next three games before play was halted again for 10 minutes while the Serb was worked on by a trainer. Tipsarevic hurt his leg when he fell on the greasy surface. With Seppi two points from victory at 5-3 15-0 in the third set, Tipsarevic retired. Because of rain delays throughout the week, both men were playing their second matches of the day.

STRUGGLE, BUT VICTORY

It wasn’t easy. Sixth-seeded Marion Bartoli overcame blustery winds, a groin injury and the left-handed firepower of Petra Kvitova to win the Eastbourne grass court Wimbledon warm-up tournament. It was Bartoli’s sixth WTA title and first on grass. The Frenchwoman has now won 13 of her last 15 matches going into Wimbledon. In the third set Bartoli left the court to get treatment for a groin strain. Although she was limping, the set went with serve until Bartoli broke in the seventh game as Kvitova served three double faults. When she served for the match the first time, Bartoli was broken. But she broke right back, then closed out the victory on her next service game. It was the second match of the day for both women at the rain-affected tournament.

SEVEN-MILE RULE

Blaz Kavcic is staying too far away from the All England Club. Currently ranked 72^nd in the world, Kavcic will take on Tobias Kamke of Germany in Wimbledon’s first round, with the winner possibly taking on fourth-seeded Andy Murray. Kavcic complained that Wimbledon’s official transport refused to take him home and instead dropped him at a subway station. “Can u believe it?” Kavcic Twittered. “Wimbledon official transport service is within 7 miles, I need it for 9, they dropped me at 7 and I had to take a tube :(`” However, all players had been told they must live within a seven-mile radius of the All England Lawn Tennis Club to enjoy free travel during the competition.

SUCCESSOR TO LI NA?

Playing in her first International Tennis Federation (ITF) final, 16-year-old Yang Zhaoxuan of China crushed Kim Hae Sung of Korea 6-2 6-0 to win the Airtel USD $10,000 women’s tournament in New Delhi, India. Yang dominated the entire week, capturing the title without dropping a set and losing only 14 games total in all five rounds. In the title match, Yang served six aces and 28 other winners against her 23-year-old foe. Yang lost only 10 points in her seven services games.

STEPPING DOWN

Adam Helfant will step down as head of the ATP at the end of the year when his three-year contract expires. In announcing the move, Helfant said he turned down an offer from the ATP board of directors to renew his contract with the men’s tennis tour. An American who joined the ATP as president and executive chairman in January 2009, Helfant said he will pursue other opportunities. “I am proud to say the tour is stronger than ever – in terms of on-court action and our business – and is well positioned for the future,” Helfant said in a statement. “There comes a time when it makes sense to look to the future and consider other opportunities. For me, that time is now.”

SKINNY-DIPPING

The latest ATP player to show all – well, almost all – for a good cause is Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The nude picture of the Frenchman is in the June issue of the United Kingdom version of Cosmopolitan magazine. Tsonga is the third tennis player to bare all in support of the Everyman Male Cancer Campaign, following in the footsteps of Spaniards Tommy Robredo and Fernando Verdasco. The Everyman campaign raises awareness of, and funds research into, testicular and prostate cancer. Cosmopolitan features different celebrities in nude centerfolds each month to aid the male cancer campaign. Through its centerfolds, the magazine has helped raise vital funds for the 39,000 men a year diagnosed with male-specific cancer.

STUDY ON WTA

A study released by the WTA shows that despite injuries to prominent players such as Serena and Venus Williams, player withdrawals for 2011 are down by 35 percent and top player participation rates are up by 39 percent. The study, called the “Roadmap Report,” is a quarterly analysis of players’ participation rates and withdrawal rates. “Even though several top ranked players missed tournaments this year due to injuries, the number of top players participating in tournaments worldwide is way up this year compared to the way it used to be,” said Stacey Allaster, the CEO of the WTA. “The Roadmap is doing its job. Withdrawals are down; top player participation is up; prize money is up and so is attendance. Our game is doing quite well.”

Three years ago, the calendar for women’s tennis was substantially changed in response to concerns from players that the season was too long and grueling.

SENIOR BATTLE

Ten years ago, Goran Ivanisevic, Pat Rafter and Tim Henman were the talk of Wimbledon. This November, the three will reunite in London at the Royal Albert Hall. In 2001, Ivanisevic beat Rafter for the Wimbledon title after stopping Henman in the semifinals. All will take part this fall in the AEGON Masters. Joining the trio will be John McEnroe, Henri Leconte, Mansour Bahrami and Pat Cash.

SPONSOR

Rolex, a leader in the luxury goods market and a longtime supporter of tennis, will be the Official Timekeeper of the year-end TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships. The season-ending event will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Under the terms of the six-year agreement, Rolex will receive global exposure across all WTA marketing platforms, including broadcast, digital and on-court branding. Additionally, Rolex will sponsor the Hawkeye Electronic Line Calling at the year-end Championships, which will feature the world’s top eight singles players and top four doubles teams.

SADDLEBROOK FORUM

Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel, Florida, USA, will play host to the nation’s largest tennis gathering, the USPTA World Conference on Tennis. The United States Professional Tennis Association represents more than 15,000 instructors in more than 80 countries. Association spokeswoman Poornima Rimm said the five-day conference attracts about 1,500 attendees. The conference will feature more than 40 general sessions, seminars and specialty courses for tennis pros, manufacturers, wholesalers and media.

SHARED SUCCESS

Eastbourne (men): Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram beat Grigor Dimitrov and Andreas Seppi 6-3 6-3

Eastbourne (women): Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik beat Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond 6-3 6-0

‘s-Hertogenbosch (men): Daniele Bracciali and Frantisek Cermak beat Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau 6-3 2-6 10-8 (match tiebreak)

‘s-Hertogenbosch (women): Barbora Zahlavova Strycova and Klara Zakopalova beat Dominika Cibulkova and Flavia Pennetta 1-6 6-4 10-7 (match tiebreak)

London: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes 6-7 (2) 7-6 (4) 10-6 (match tiebreak)

SURFING

Wimbledon: www.wimbledon.com

Braunschweig: www.nordlb-open.org/

Turin: www.sporting.to.it/

The Lawn Tennis Association: www.lta.org.uk/

Tennis Brit: www.tennisbrit.co.uk/

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

Wimbledon, London, Great Britain, grass (first week)

$100,000 Guadalajara Challenger, Guadalajara, Mexico, hard

WOMEN

Wimbledon, London, Great Britain, grass (first week)

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

Wimbledon, London, Great Britain, grass (second week)

$163,300 Braunschweig, Germany, clay

$122,000 Turin, Italy, clay

WOMEN

Wimbledon, London, Great Britain, grass (second week)

SENIORS

Volkswagen Senior Classic, Turin, Italy, clay