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andy murray

Where Novak Djokovic Can Regain His Mojo

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If there’s one place where Novak Djokovic can get back his Grand Slam tournament momentum, it’s the Australian Open.

The hard courts at Melbourne Park has been the friendly environment where the Serbian has won six of his 12 major singles titles. With a win at the 2017 Australian Open in January, Djokovic will move past Roy Emerson and become the most decorated men’s singles champion in Australian Open history with his seventh title. Emerson won his six titles prior to the Open Era in 1961 and from 1963-1967.

Djokovic’s chief threat to continued Australian Open immortality is Andy Murray, the just usurped the No. 1 ranking.

Although he has never won the Australian Open, Murray has an incredible record in Melbourne, having lost the final five times (2010-2011, 2013, 2015-2016), which ties him for the men’s tournament record with Australian John Bromwich, who also lost five finals (1937-1938, 1947-1949).

Other threats for the men’s singles title include 2014 Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka and 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic. The two old warriors, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, may also prove that they have more major titles left to win and may once again threaten to win Down Under.

On the women’s side Angelique Kerber of Germany began her ascent to the world No. 1 ranking at the Australian Open in 2016, where she won her maiden major title defeating Serena Williams in the final. Kerber used her win in Australia to move to the top ranking, also reaching the Wimbledon final and winning the U.S. Open during her 2016 campaign.

Williams, who did not play any matches in the 2016 season after her semifinal loss to Karolina Pliskova in the U.S. Open, always peaks for the major championships and is still looking to win her 23rd major singles title that would move her ahead of Steffi Graf into first place in most major singles titles won since the Open Era began in 1968. Garbine Muguruza of Spain, the 2016 French Open champion, and Pliskova, the U.S. Open finalist, will also contend.

Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray at 2016 Australian Open
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray at 2016 Australian Open

Andy Murray Beats Novak Djokovic, Clinches Year-End Number One Ranking – Mondays with Bob Greene

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Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Andy Murray beat Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-4 to win the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London, Great Britain

Ekaterina Alexandrova beat Caroline Garcia 6-4 6-0 to win the Engie Open de Limoges in Limoges, France

Evgeniya Rodina beat Chang Kai-Chen 6-4 6-3 to win the OEC Taipei WTA Challenger in Taipei, Taiwan

Peng Shuai beat Patricia Maria Tig 3-6 7-5 6-4 to win the Shenzhen Women’s Tournament in Shenzhen, China

 

SAYING

“It’s a very special day. It’s been a tough rivalry. I’ve lost many of them, but obviously I’m happy I’ve got the win today. To finish the year number one is very special. It’s something I never expected.” – Andy Murray, after beating Novak Djokovic to win the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and clinch the year-end number one ranking.

“It wasn’t my day. On the other hand, credit to Andy for being mentally tough and playing the right shots and making me play extra shots in every rally. He definitely deserved to win.” – Novak Djokovic, after losing to Andy Murray in the final match of the ATP World Tour season.

“I’ve known from the start that we could beat any team in the world. To do it on a consistent basis has been obviously a big plus. But to be contesting for these titles, I don’t think either one of us is surprised about that.” – Henri Kontinen, who teamed with John Peers to capture the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals doubles title.

“I think after the US Open things were tough. There’s many things I can improve. But if I look in general, the season was amazing for me. I won a Grand Slam, plus finished in the Top 5. I won in my home in Geneva, which was really important for me.” – Stan Wawrinka, who has been hampered by a knee injury since winning the US Open.

 

SMASHING PERFORMANCE

Andy Murray left no doubt as to who is the top player in the world. The Scot produced a brilliant performance to knock off Novak Djokovic in straight sets to win the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and finish the year with the number one ranking. The victory also extended Murray’s personal-record winning streak to 24 matches as he claimed his fifth straight title and denied Djokovic a fifth consecutive win in the second-ending tournament. Murray became the 17th player and first Brit to finish the year atop the ATP Rankings. While it was Djokovic who held serve easier at the beginning of the match, it was Murray who took control, at one point ripping off four straight games to take the opening set and go up a break to start the second. When Murray was able to break Djokovic once more, the end was clearly in sight, even when the Serb got one of the breaks back. It took Murray three match points before he was able to convert when Djokovic sailed a forehand return wide. “It’s taken a huge effort the last five, six months to get there,” Murray said of his number one ranking. “I would obviously like to stay there. I’m aware that’s going to be extremely difficult because I had a great year this year. I only managed to do it by one match. To repeat that again next year is going to be extremely difficult.”

 

SIBLINGS STAR

It wasn’t just Andy Murray winding up 2016 with the number one ranking. His older brother Jamie and his partner Bruno Soares finished the season as the top doubles team. They clinched the position when Frenchmen Nicholas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert lost all three of their round-robin matches in the ATP World Tour Finals. Jamie Murray reached the individual doubles number one ranking during the season, but Mahut ended the year in the top spot. “We used to play against each other all of the time pretty much until we were like 12 to 14,” Andy Murray said. “But we did play golf together. We played squash together, table tennis. We were always competing against each other from a young age. Now we obviously don’t.”

Since the rankings began, no brothers have been ranked number one in both singles and doubles at the same time. Not so with the women. In mid-2010, Serena Williams led the WTA rankings in singles and teamed with her sister Venus to be the top-ranked team.

 

SINO STOPPERS

The OEC Taipei WTA Challenge wasn’t a happy event for the home crowd. Russian players swept their Taiwanese opponents in the finals of both singles and doubles. Evgeniya Rodina won the biggest title of her career when she stopped Chang Kai-Chen. Then Natela Dzalamidze and Veronika Kudermetova rallied to defeat Chang and Chuang Chia-Jung. “Chang played really well today, but I was lucky I came out on top in the important moments,” said Rodina, who was cheered on by her husband and young daughter. After battling past her opponent in the opening set, Rodina raced out to a 4-0 lead in the second, then held on. “It was great to have my daughter and husband here this week. It really helped,” Rodina said.

 

SURPRISE

Ekaterina Alexandrova surprised top-seeded Caroline Garcia to keep the French woman from successfully defending her Engie Open de Limoges title. Ranked 133rd in the world, the unseeded Russian recovered from a slow start and completely dominated the final. Alexandrova lost her serve to begin the match, but rallied to pull even at 3-3. She then won nine of the next 10 games to complete her domination of the French Fed Cup team. Besides Garcia, Alexandrova also beat Pauline Parmentier and Alizé Cornet during the week. It was Alexandrova’s first title away from the International Tennis Federation (ITF) circuit.

The doubles final also resulted in an upset. Elise Mertens and Mandy Minella knocked off the second-seeded team of Anna Smith and Renata Voracova.

 

SEES THE END

Venus Williams knows when she will finally call an end to her tennis career. “I’m kind of targeting the next Olympics,” the 36-year-old Williams said when asked if she has thought about retirement, “and that’s in what, 3-and-half years … and I’m not counting.” Williams, who turned pro in 1994, has won 22 Grand Slam tournament titles – seven singles, 13 women’s doubles, all with her sister Serena, and two mixed doubles.

 

SUPER TEAM

Henri Kontinen and John Peers aren’t surprised that they won the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals doubles title in their first trip to the season finale. “When I start to think what we’ve achieved probably in the last month, it’s been a great thing for both of us,” Peers said. “It just feels really good to know that all the hard work we kept putting in time and time again, even if we felt good or bad, that it’s all starting to pay off and we can contest for the big tournaments all the time.” The won the title by beating another team making its World Tour Finals debut, Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram. Kontinen, of Finland, and Peers, of Australia, finish the season on a 10-match win streak, which included their first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title at the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris. The also won titles in Brisbane, Munich and Hamburg. “To be honest, it probably actually hasn’t sunk in,” Peers said. “It will hopefully sink in tomorrow once I get a flight back home.”

 

SECOND CHILD

After leading France to its first Fed Cup final since 2005, Amélie Mauresmo said she is stepping down because she is expecting her second child. When France was last in the Fed Cup final, Mauresmo was playing for the team. In her four years as captain, the two-time Grand Slam tournament champion led France from Fed Cup zonal relegation to the final, where they narrowly lost to the Czech Republic in the decisive doubles rubber.

 

SPLITSVILLE

After teaming up for the two best years of her career, sixth-ranked Karolina Pliskova is splitting up with her coach Jiri Vanek. The announcement came after Pliskova helped lead the Czech Republic to its fifth Fed Cup title in the last six years. With Vanek on her team, Pliskova broke into the Top 10 in 2015, then in 2016 won the biggest title of her career, the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, and reached her first Grand Slam tournament final, where she lost the US Open in three sets to top-ranked Angelique Kerber.

Elina Svitolina says she and longtime coach Iain Hughes will no longer be a team. The 22-year-old Ukrainian had her best season this year, making the final of the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai and finishing with a career-high ranking of 14th in the world. In 2016 she was the only woman to beat both reigning number one players, defeating Serena Williams at the Rio Olympics and Angelique Kerber at the China Open.

 

SEASON EXTENDER

The ATP World Tour will last one week longer next year. The men’s tour announced that a new tournament featuring the world’s top 21-and-under singles players will be held in Milan, Italy, Nov. 7-11, 2017. The five-day tournament, named the Next Gen ATP Finals, will remain in Milan for five years, through 2021. The top seven players in the season-long “Emirates ATP Race to Milan” will qualify automatically, with the eighth spot reserved for a wild card. The tournament will feature a number of rule changes and innovations, which will be announced later. “This event will also act as a launch pad for tennis innovation as we bid to make our sport more attractive to the changing consumer habits of the next generation of fans,” said Chris Kermode, ATP executive chairman and president.

 

SUCCESS FINALLY

Marcus Willis had a fairytale Wimbledon where as a wildcard entry he advanced through qualifying and the first round of the men’s singles before losing to Roger Federer 6-0 6-3 6-4. “I had a plan and believed, rightly or wrongly, I could win,” Willis said at the time. The Englishman finally has won, an International Tennis Federation (ITF) USD $10,000 Kuwait Futures event. And Willis won both singles and doubles in only his second tournament since Wimbledon. He beat Daniel Altmaier of Germany 6-3 7-6 (8) in the singles final, then teamed with Altmaier to down Dutchman Roy Sarut De Valk and Frenchman Ronan Joncour 6-1 6-1 to win the doubles. For his victorious week in Meshref, Kuwait, Willis pocketed USD $1,310.  He took home $68,900 for reaching the second round at Wimbledon.

 

SAD NEWS

Gardnar Mulloy was proof that tennis is a lifetime sport. The oldest member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Mulloy was 102 when he died at his home in Miami, Florida, USA. Mulloy won four men’s doubles titles at the United States Nationals – now the US Open – and was 38 years old when he reached the singles final at the Nationals and became ranked number one in the United States. In 1957, Mulloy, at the age of 43, teamed with 33-year-old Budge Patty to win the Wimbledon doubles, stunning the top-seeded Australian team of Lew Hoad, 22, and Neale Fraser, 23. “We talk of tennis as a lifetime sport. He’s living proof,” Hall of Famer Tony Trabert once said of Mulloy. A strong advocate for expanding senior tennis from age 45 and up to age brackets extending to 90 and above, the Gardnar Mulloy Cup is awarded annually to the winner of a men’s 80-and-over international event. Mulloy received a football scholarship to the University of Miami but rarely played. When he asked the school’s president why the university did not have a tennis team, he was told he could start one, which he did. One of Mulloy’s recruits was Pancho Segura, who won three consecutive NCAA singles championships from 1943 to 1945 and also is a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Limonges: Elise Mertens and Mandy Minella beat Anna Smith and Renata Voracova 6-4 6-4

London: Henri Kontinen and John Peers beat Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram 2-6 6-1 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Shenzhen: Nina Stojanovic and You Xiaodi beat Han Xinyun and Zhu Lin 6-4 7-6 (6)

Taipei: Natela Dzalamidze and Veronika Kudermetova beat Chang Kai-Chen and Chuang Chia-Jung 4-6 6-3 10-5 (match tiebreak)

 

SURFING

 

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com/en/

Honolulu: https://hawaiitennisopen.com/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

 

WOMEN

$115,000 Hawaii Open, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, hard

 

DAVIS CUP

Final

Croatia vs. Argentina at Zagreb, Croatia, hard

 

Andy Murray
Andy Murray

Andy Murray Captures Paris and No. 1 Ranking – Mondays with Bob Greene

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Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Andy Murray beat John Isner 6-3 6-7 (4) 6-4 to win the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris, France

Petra Kvitova beat Elina Svitolina 6-4 6-2 to win the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai in Zhuhai, China

 

SAYING

“To get to this stage is about 12 months of tournaments … The last few months have been the best of my career and I’m very proud to get to this moment.” – Andy Murray, on becoming number one in the world on the ATP World Tour, surpassing Novak Djokovic.

“There was pride and satisfaction in the success I have had with my team, but in the other hand it was also very exhausting. At a certain point, I had to reach this kind of phase where I had to reflect and say, ‘OK, I have played on the highest possible level for that much.’ The drop of form is normal in sports. I’m not too concerned about how the future will go for me.” – Novak Djokovic, talking about his form after he won the French Open for the first time.

“On the scoreboard it looks pretty close, but he was the better player in the third set. He’s the guy that everyone is looking up to right now.” – John Isner, after losing to Andy Murray in the Paris Masters final.

“This morning I had trouble waking up and getting out of bed. I had some tests and an MRI half an hour ago and they found that I have a tear, Grade 1 tear in the right quad.” – Milos Raonic, who withdrew from his Paris semifinal against Andy Murray.

“The end of the season is just getting better and better.” – Marin Cilic, after upsetting Novak Djokovic at the Paris Masters but before he lost to John Isner in the semifinals.

“We’ve just been really building all year, and I believed it was just a matter of time until we really got in sync and started to actually back it up match after match. We’ve been able to get some really good matches here and there throughout the year but it’s actually been a challenge for us to back it up every day. I think we’re starting to learn how to do that as a team and also as individuals, so it’s been really good to be able to do that.” – John Peers, who teamed with Henri Kontinen to win the doubles in Paris.

“Consistency is what we’re all striving for on the court; it’s difficult with different surfaces, different time zones and different climates. It’s a long year in tennis.” – Steffi Graf.

“At the end of the week we were the only two players left in the locker room. But we still had each other’s backs even then. Every Sunday one of us would be comforting the other one. There was always that caring, that compassion between us. It was very deeply rooted.” – Chris Evert, on her relationship with Martina Navratilova.

“Welcome to a very small club of members being the best in their profession.” – Boris Becker, former world number one who has coached Novak Djokovic, on Andy Murray becoming top-ranked on the men’s tour.

“Congrats @andy murray – Wimbledon champion, Olympic gold, and now number one! What a year! – Kensington Palace.

“You’ve come a long way, baby.” – Judy Murray, Andy’s mother and former coach of Great Britain’s Fed Cup team.

 

SMOKIN’

Being number one in the world wasn’t enough for Andy Murray. The Scot replaced Novak Djokovic atop the ATP World Tour rankings when Milos Raonic withdrew from their semifinal. Murray then won his fourth straight title, this time the Paris Masters.  “Sometimes after you achieve something big or something that you maybe didn’t expect, it can be quite easy to have a letdown and feel a little bit flat,” Murray said. “But I was really up for the match and really wanted to try and win today. I didn’t feel like my work this week was done.” American John Isner put up a battle, but it wasn’t enough as Murray won his 19th consecutive match, adding Paris to his titles in Beijing, Shanghai and Vienna. Isner never was able to break Murray’s serve, but the 6-foot-10 (2.08m) Isner took the second-set tiebreak 7-4. Isner lost his serve in the first and third sets. In eight meetings with Murray, the American has created 39 break-point opportunities and converted only one. It was Isner’s third Masters 1000 final and his third loss after also reaching the title match at Indian Wells in 2012 and Cincinnati in 2013. Murray responded to Isner’s big serving game by keeping the ball low and controlling play.

By winning the Paris Masters for the first time, Murray now has a 405-point lead over Djokovic. That’s significant because Murray will lost his Davis Cup points later this month. He will be able to finish the year in the top spot if he matches whatever Djokovic does at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London.

 

STANDING TALL

Andy Murray is the 26th player to be ranked number one in the Emirates ATP Rankings and the first man from Great Britain to accomplish the feat. The 29-year-old Scot is the oldest first-time number one since 30-year-old John Newcombe took the top spot in June 1974. Murray first reached the number two ranking in August 2009 and has been ranked second in the world for a total of 76 weeks. And now that Murray has reached the top, every member of the Big Four – Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Murray – has been number one in the world. Federer topped the rankings for 302 weeks, Djokovic 223 weeks and Nadal 141 weeks. Reaching number one in the rankings caps a remarkable year for Murray that saw him win his second Wimbledon and successfully defend his Olympic gold medal in Rio de Janeiro.

 

STRONG FINISH

A slow start didn’t stop Petra Kvitova from winning the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai in straight sets. “I knew that it’s still in my hands,” Kvitova said after beating Elina Svitolina. “I just felt that she played a little bit aggressively than me in the beginning of the match.” The Czech left-hander, a two-time Wimbledon champion, found her rhythm midway through the opening set and took complete control, winning five straight games after trailing 4-1. “I was a little bit trying to get the rhythm to play a little bit more aggressive, maybe a little bit longer rallies, that I can go to the game and be able to play,” said Kvitova, who lost just 18 games in her four matches. Kvitova has beaten Svitolina in all three of their meetings this season. It was the Czech’s 19th career title and her second in China in two months, having won in Wuhan in October. “I still think that I find a way to kind of beat her,” Kvitova said. “I player her in Wuhan and I was break down there as well from the beginning of the match. I just probably knew that it’s still not the end, so I was just trying to play point by point. That was kind of the style of the match.”

 

SICK CALL

Milos Raonic pulled out of his Paris Masters semifinal against Andy Murray because of a “Grade 1 tear in the right quad.” Now there’s a question as to whether or not the Canadian will be able to compete in the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals next week. “I still have the possibility of making it,” Raonic said, “but I was told 5 to 10 days. So I’m on the borderline for that.”

 

SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE

Kei Nishikori didn’t come away from the Paris Masters with a title, but he did claim a significant mark in his career. Nishikori’s 6-2 7-5 victory over Viktor Troicki in a second-round battle was the Japanese player’s 300th tour-level win. “I think it’s a great number,” Nishikori said of the feat. “I think this year has been pretty good. I have been winning a lot of matches and playing a lot of tournaments. Every year I feel like I’m getting strong, so I’m happy with performance right now.” Ranked fifth in the world, Nishikori will be making his third appearance at the upcoming Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London.

 

SPECIAL SOCK

After winning his first-round match at the Paris Masters, Jack Sock was only wondering about a little boy who had been treated by paramedics during his match. In the second set, Sock hit a first serve that landed out and bounced into the first row, hitting the boy in the mouth. The boy started crying and play was stopped while paramedics rushed his side and gave the boy an ice pack. “Obviously I couldn’t see exactly what happened,” Sock said. “At first when I saw the serve go over and it hit him, I thought it could be his eye and he was wearing glasses, so could have been a disaster.” The American soon learned the boy, who was sitting with his father in the stands, had stayed though the entire match after getting a bloody nose when he was hit by the ball. Sock comforted the boy, gave him one of his wristbands and posed for photos with him. “It was better than I thought it was,” Sock said. “I’m glad he’s OK.”

 

SURGING

Finland’s Henri Kontinen and Australia’s John Peers are finding their games are a perfect match for each other. The unseeded pair won their first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title when they upset top-seeded Frenchmen Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut in the Paris Masters final. “It was amazing to actually get the first Masters (1000) title for both of us,” Peers said. “I know we’ve put in a lot of hard work together and it’s something to cap off a really good year just before we head to London.” The pair qualified for their first ATP World Tour Finals. “We’ve just been really building all year, and I believed it was just a matter of time until we really got in sync and started to actually back it up match after match,” Peers said. “I think we’re starting to learn how to do that as a team and also as individuals, so it’s been really good to be able to do that.”

 

STOPPED

Novak Djokovic’s reign atop the ATP World Tour rankings was ended by Marin Cilic, not Andy Murray. Of course, Murray was the one who replaced Djokovic in the number one spot, but it was Cilic who opened the door for Murray, beating the Serb 6-4 7-6 (2). It was the first time Cilic had beaten Djokovic in 15 career matchups. But it was Djokovic who made uncharacteristic mistakes from the baseline, struggled on serve and, when serving for the second set at 5-4, hit two double faults and was broken. “I wasn’t on the level that I could have been on,” said Djokovic said, who also called for the tournament doctor during the first set. “I was also in this kind of circumstances and with his level of play, in a good position to take the match into the third set, and then two double faults. Just in important moment I wasn’t able to deliver. He is a deserved winner.”

After winning the French Open in June for the first time, Djokovic has ran into a rough patch. He lost in the third round at Wimbledon and in the first round of the Rio Olympics. At the US Open, he reached the title match and won the opening set before losing to Stan Wawrinka.

 

SMASHIN’

John Isner may not have wound up his season by winning the Paris Masters, but he did finish 2016 with a title. The big-serving American slammed 18 aces in each of his final two matches to bring his total to 1,159 to claim the aces title for a fourth time and halt Ivo Karlovic’s two-year reign. Karlovic, who finished with 1,131 aces, was bidding to achieve the feat for a record-tying sixth time, the mark set by Goran Ivanisevic. The Croat had entered the Paris tournament with a 50-ace lead. Isner and Karlovic have dominated the aces category in the last 10 years. Isner won the title in 2010, 2012, 2013 and this year. Karlovic won in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2014 and 2015. The only player to out-ace the two was Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who captured the aces title in 2011.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Paris: Henri Kontinen and John Peers beat Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut 6-4 3-6 10-6 (match tiebreak)

Zhuhai: Ipek Soylu and Xu Yifan beat Yang Zhaoxuan and You Xiaodi 6-4 3-6 10-7 (match tiebreak)

 

SURFING

Bratislava: www.tennisslovakopen.sk/uvod.html

Mouilleron Le Captif: www.internationauxdevendee.com/

Tokyo: http://ando-open.tokyo

Fed Cup: www.fedcup.com

London: www.barclaysatpworldtourfinals.com/en

Limoges: www.engieopendelimoges.fr/

Taipei: www.oectennis.com/bin/home.php

Shenzhen: www.missionhillschina.com

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com/en/

Honolulu: https://hawaiitennisopen.com/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN

$100,000 Internationaux De Tennis De Vendee, Mouilleron Le Captif, France, hard

$100,000 Peugeot Slovak Open 2016, Bratislava, Slovakia, hard

 

WOMEN

$115,000 WTA Ea Hua Hin Championship 2016, Hua Hin, Thailand, hard

$100,000 Ando Securities Open Tokyo 2016, Tokyo, Japan, hard

 

FED CUP

Final

France vs. Czech Republic at Strasbourg, France, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, London, Great Britain, hard

WOMEN

$115,000 Engie Open de Limoges, Limoges, France, hard

$115,000 OEC Taipei WTA Challenger, Taipei, Taiwan, carpet

$100,000 Shenzhen Women’s Tournament, Shenzhen, China, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS WEEK of NOVEMBER 21

WOMEN

$115,000 Hawaii Open, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, hard

 

DAVIS CUP

Final

Croatia vs. Argentina at Zagreb, Croatia, hard

 

 

Andy Murray
Andy Murray

Andy Murray Gunning To Become First Brit To Secure ATP No. 1 Ranking This Week In Paris

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Scottish tennis player Andy Murray is on the verge of achieving a lifelong dream of becoming the best tennis player on the planet. It is not going to be easy for the player from Scotland as he is trying to take the No. 1 ranked place from Novak Djokovic who is one of the greatest tennis players ever to have played the sport. For Murray to achieve his dream he will have to win the Paris Masters and hope that Djokovic does not make the final.

Murray who is now 29 years old is in the best form of his life and has won three titles over the last few weeks with the latest coming in Vienna last week. His competitor for the top spot Djokovic has recently suffered from a slump in form which has given the Scottish player a great chance of taking the number one spot from the Serb. The website bestbettingwebsites.org.uk shows that bookies are uncertain on who is the favorite out of the two to win the Paris Masters with different bookmakers having either Murray or Djokovic as their favorite.

Djokovic, the 12 times Grand Slam tournament champ, is not going to give up the No. 1 place without a fight. He is determined to hold on to it and in a recent interview he said that it has fired him up and is going to fight for every single point.

Djokovic who is also 29 years old has an impressive record and over the past five years, he has finished in the top spot for four of them. In order for him to keep his title as the best tennis player in the world, he will need to reach the final at the Paris Masters. If he fails to make this and Murray can win it, he will overtake Djokovic to become the No. 1 ranked player.

Andy Murray has been on fire this season and has had a career best season of winning seven titles so far this season. The Scotsman has only lost three-time since his loss at the French Open which took part in June.

No other male tennis player from Great Britain has ever been number ranked No. 1. The closest were Greg Rusedski and Tim Henman who both managed to reach the top four. If Andy Murray wins the Paris Masters he will make a feat that no other tennis player from Britain has managed to achieve. Fred Perry was regarded as the best player in the world in the 1930s, before the days of computer rankings and pro tennis.

With Murray playing the best tennis of his life and in form, he is certainly in with a very good chance of achieving history. Djokovic will have to greatly improve his form or hope that Murray has a disaster in Paris or he will find himself pushed out of the top spot he has held onto for such a long time.

 

Andy Murray
Andy Murray

Can Andy Murray Win The ATP Tour Finals?

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The season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals begin on November 13th at the O2 Arena in London and while two spots remain unfilled, it might not matter on the night. It’s hard to see past Novak Djokovic for this one, even despite his recent struggles on the court.

Paris Masters

Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray will fight a separate battle on the way to London, with the world number1 spot up for grabs in this week’s BNP Paribas Masters in Bercy, France. Murray has existed in the Serb’s considerable shadow for 76 weeks but a 15-match winning streak has the Scot in a favourable position to top the leaderboard.

There are a few complications. Murray has to win overall without Djokovic reaching the final. Alternatively, Murray can lose in the final if Djokovic gets no further than the quarters. In either case, Andy Murray has to go one better than the incumbent number one. It’s been four years since anybody other than Djokovic won the Paris Masters, however.

The field for the ATP Finals consists of the two players plus Gael Monfils, Milos Raonic, Kei Nishikori and Stan Wawrinka. The seventh spot would have gone to Rafael Nadal but the Spaniard has retired for the season due to a wrist injury, along with notable absentee Roger Federer, who hasn’t played since Wimbledon.

The final two slots will probably go to one-time French Open semi-finalist Dominic Thiem, Tomas Berdych, or 2014 US Open winner Marin Cilic, depending on the outcome of the Paris tournament. There’s also hope for David Goffin, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Roberto Bautista Agut and Lucas Pouille.

Wimbledon

Murray is having the season of his life. He’s 69-9 (win-loss) for the current campaign, with an impressive set win rate of 28 from 30 in his last fifteen games. He’s finally ended the nightmare of his second serve, winning 54% of points from it in 2016 and has improved his forehand shot, which, historically, has been a weakness.

Murray has done an outstanding job to close the gap on Djokovic, running him down from an 8,000-point lead in June to just 415 on Sunday, but it’s hard to separate Murray’s career-defining season from Novak Djokovic’s truly awful one. The Serb has struggled with injuries and personal problems off the court in 2016.

It’s a great disservice to the Scot but it’s not a new observation. In the build-up to Murray’s first Grand Slam success, there was an intimation that he had struggled to win at Wimbledon because he was playing in a ‘golden age’ of competition, with the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic running the show.

With the deepest respect to the player, Andy Murray is not a player of the same calibre as Djokovic. Granted, he’s a consistent finalist but the Serb is consistently a winner – there’s a reason Djokovic has twelve Grand Slam titles and Murray only has three, despite making their debuts in the same year (2005).

Momentum

The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals isn’t a trophy that changes hands very often. There have been just four winners in 13 years, with Djokovic and Federer taking home nine trophies combined. The Scot has struggled time and again in the competition, with his recent showings very different to those at Wimbledon or the US Open, for example.

Not only does Murray have to reach the final in London, a feat he’s never achieved, he will also have to undo the five-year monopoly on titles held by Djokovic. The Scot is favourite in the latest tennis betting (5/4) but that’s on the back on his stellar season to date and not due to any particular prowess at the O2.

As a bookend to the year’s tennis, the ATP World Tour Finals aren’t particularly important and Murray will focus on attaining the number one spot before it begins. He’s odds-on for the Paris Masters in Bercy and goes into the event with a lot of momentum behind him.

Andy Murray
Andy Murray

Andy Murray Continues Bid for Top Spot as Novak Djokovic Loses – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Andy Murray beat Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6 (1) 6-1 to win the Shanghai Rolex Masters in Shanghai, China

Peng Shuai beat Alison Riske 7-6 (3) 6-2 to win the Tianjin Open in Tianjin, China

Caroline Wozniacki beat Kristina Mladenovic 6-1 6-7 (4) 6-2 to win the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open in Hong Kong, China

Dominika Cibulkova beat Viktorija Golubic 6-3 7-5 to win the Generali Ladies Linz in Linz, Austria

Konstantin Kravchuk beat Denis Istomin 7-5 6-4 to win the Tashkent Challenger in Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Ernesto Escobedo beat Denis Kudla 6-4 6-4 to win the Monterrey Open in Monterrey, Mexico

 

SAYING

“This is one of those days. Things go in an opposite direction than you want them, but again, it’s a lesson. Every day is a lesson.” – Novak Djokovic, after being upset by Roberto Bautista Agut in Shanghai.

“I can’t describe how I feel. I’m so happy.” – Robert Bautista Agut, after upsetting Novak Djokovic in Shanghai.

“It’s great winning trophies; it’s what we play for. I’m very pleased with my week this week. I played some good tennis. I’m proud of how I managed to win.” – Caroline Wozniacki, following her win in Hong Kong.

“I need to look after my body first. I’ve only got one, so I really have to make sure I make the right decisions for my health.” – Johanna Konta, after withdrawing from the Hong Kong Tennis Open with an abdominal strain.

“It’s the end of the season. I guess everyone is struggling with something.” – Agnieszka Radwanska, after pulling out of the Tianjin Open with a right thigh injury.

“For tennis in general, that Roger (Federer) will be back at the top with no injury. I think it’s always good for everybody when he’s playing. And for myself, I don’t have any. I’m working every day to try to make the best I can with my tennis career.” – Stan Wawrinka, when asked what his top two wishes were for 2017.

“I had to experience sooner or later this. I knew I could not go on playing the highest level for so many years all the time, but it’s good to experience this so I can hopefully get better in the period to come.” – Novak Djokovic, following his upset loss in Shanghai.

“I do think that after everything he’s achieved and the kind of dominance that he’s had, it takes so much effort and work to be making finals almost every single week for two years. It’s maybe normal if he’s mentally a little tired or trying to find the next thing for him to achieve after what he did at the French Open.” – Andy Murray, discussing Novak Djokovic.

“The first time I remember I played him I thought he was from another planet, and now I think I’m closer to him.” – Roberto Bautista Agut, talking about Novak Djokovic.

“Andy is doing everything to get Novak. I can sit it in his eyes. He’s really focused on getting number one.” – Roberto Bautista Agut, on Andy Murray’s bid to supplant Novak Djokovic as the world’s top player.

“It’s an incredible year, such a great season.” – Dominika Cibulkova, who won her third title of 2016, the Generali Ladies Linz.

“Proving to myself that I’m still one of the top players and that I’m tough to beat is definitely something that I could call a success.” – Caroline Wozniacki, the former world number one who has soared in the WTA rankings since the US Open.

“As you know, tennis is very tight. Sometimes you lose because of a couple of points. Now I’m winning those points more often. Everything might be similar, but at the end of the day I’m the one winning the key points. It’s not about changing something big as much as it’s about being very focused in important moments and believing in yourself, that you can do it.” – Agnieszka Radwanska.

 

SURGING ANDY

Andy Murray made another move to supplant Novak Djokovic as the world’s top-ranked player, winning his sixth title of the year, the Shanghai Masters. In the final, Murray defeated Roberto Bautista Agut, who had upset Djokovic in the semifinals. “Really, since the French Open (I’ve) played the best three months of tennis of my career,” Murray said. Capturing his second title in two weeks wasn’t easy at first. Bautista Agut broke Murray’s serve to level the match at 5-5. That’s when the Scot stepped up his game another notch. Murray won the tiebreak 7-1 before racing through the second set. He had 16 unforced errors in the opening set, but only three after that. “I will try to finish this year as strong as I can,” Murray said. “And next year if the opportunity is there to reach number one, then I want to tray and take it. It’s going to be a tough thing to achieve that. I’m aware of that. But I believe I can get there. … These last few months have proved that to me.”

 

SECURES FIRST TITLE

China’s Peng Shuai won her first WTA title, the Tianjin Open, by downing American Alison Riske in the final. It was the seventh final for the 30-year-old Peg, who save 10 of 12 break points she faced against Riske in wrapping up the crown. Peng’s trip to the final was made easier when defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska withdrew from their quarterfinal match with an injury to her right thigh. Because of rain, both finalists won their semifinals earlier in the day, Peng beating Danka Kovinic 3-6 7-5 6-3 and Riske stopping second-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4 5-7 6-4.

 

SLOVAKIAN VICTORY

The Generali Ladies title was the third of the season for Dominika Cibulkova and gave the Slovak a berth at the season-ending WTA Finals for the first time. Cibulkova beat Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic to capture her seventh career title. “It feels so great,” Cibulkova said after converting her first match point with a service winner. She also won at Katowice in April and Eastbourne in June, and appeared in three more finals this year. Cibulkova, an Australian Open finalist two years ago, led 3-1 in the second set before Golubic broke back with a backhand winner. She staved off four Golubic set points in the 10th game, and then won three straight games to take the title.

The future of the Austrian indoor tournament is uncertain. The Generali Ladies has been part of the WTA tour since 1991, but the main sponsor has not signed on for next year.

 

SWEPT AWAY

Novak Djokovic was upset on stadium court at the Shanghai Masters. Then he was upset. The world’s top-ranked player smashed a racquet and tore his shirt in frustration before he fell to Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4 6-4. He smashed his racquet after losing the first set, then grabbed a towel from a ball girl to sweep up the pieces. Later he ripped his shirt open in anger during another point. Djokovic also repeatedly argued with chair umpire Carlos Bernardes over line calls and a time violation he received while he was changing his ripped shirt. “(Bernardes) was the star of the show,” Djokovic said after his match, still upset with the way things went on court. “That’s what he wanted to be today.” What Bautista Agut wanted and got was a rare win over Djokovic. The 28-year-old Spaniard controlled play with his big forehand as he beat Djokovic for the first time in six meetings and posted his first win in six tries over players ranked number one in the world. As Djokovic struggled to gain momentum, Bautista Agut matched him shot for shot, eventually converting on his fourth match point.

 

STRONG FINISH

Caroline Wozniacki is showing the form that once took her to the number one ranking. Injuries forced her to skip the French Open and her ranking fell to 74th in the world. That was then. The Dane captured the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open, her 25th career title, besting Kristina Mladenovic. Last month, Wozniacki won the Toray Pan Pacific Ocean. She struggled to a 13-14 match record this year before the US Open, skipping the French Open because of an injury. However, since the year’s final Grand Slam tournament, Wozniacki is 19-3 with two titles. “I never doubted that I could come back and make it here because I’ve worked too hard my whole life on fitness to keep my body in shape,” she said. “I was like, ‘It’s going to be OK, where it’s going to be a month, two months, four months.’ I knew eventually I would be back.” Wozniacki began the Hong Kong final by breaking Mladenovic and streaking to a 5-0 lead. After Mladenovic held to avoid a bagel, Wozniacki wrapped up the opening set. Mladenovic took a long medical timeout between sets, then won the second-set tiebreak 7-4 to level the match. That seemed to ignite Wozniacki again, and the Dane took a commanding lead in the third set, closing out the victory on her second match point.

 

SHOCKED AGAIN

Angelique Kerber is finding that being number one is the world has made her a target. Australia’s Daria Gavrilova is the latest to upset the two-time Grand Slam tournament champion, knocking her out of the Hong Kong Open 6-3 6-1. “I’ve played Angie six times and now I’ve finally won,” Gavrilova said. “It’s really exciting.” Kerber won the Australian and US Open titles this year as well as reaching the final at Wimbledon, replacing Serena Williams atop the WTA rankings. “I think Angie has had a long season,” said the 22-year-old Gavrilova. “I didn’t expect to win that easily, but I was ready to turn it around and get a win against her.” Since her US Open victory, Kerber is 5-3, losing in the third round at Beijing to Elina Svitolina and in the second round at Wuhan to Petra Kvitova before falling to Gavrilova.

 

SEASON ENDED?

Rafael Nadal is considering joining his long-time rival Roger Federer on the sideline for the rest of this season. The 30-year-old Nadal said he might halt his season early in a bid to regain the form that took him to 14 Grand Slam tournament titles. “I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next couple week,” the Spaniard said. “I cannot say now what I’m going to do during the next month. I’m not sure about my calendar. I’m not sure about the things that I need to do to try to be 100 percent ready for next year. Sometimes keeping competing is not the solution. Sometimes the solution is to practice and stop and have a process of training.” Federer ended his season early so he could fully recover from his injuries. The Swiss star has said he will play again beginning in January.

 

STOPPED BY SPRAIN

Agnieszka Radwanska’s bid to defend her title at the Tianjin Open was halted by a thigh strain. The top seed crushed Evgeniya Rodina of Russia 6-1 6-1 in the second round before pulling out of the tournament with the injury. Still, Radwanska has qualified for her eighth WTA Finals, including the last six, the longest streak among active players. She will also finish the season in the Top 10 for the sixth consecutive year.

 

STALLED

The singles final of the Francis Ford Coppola Winery Fairfield Men’s Challenger, a $100,000 men’s tournament in Fairfield, California, USA, was halted by rain Sunday. Second-seeded Santiago Giraldo of Colombia and unseeded Quentin Halys of France both won twice on Saturday to advance to the final of the rain-plagued event. The title match of the hard court tournament was moved to Monday morning.

 

SINGLES QUALIFIER

Kei Nishikori is the fifth player to qualify for the singles competition at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. The Japanese star joins Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Milos Ranoic in the elite eight-player field. “I am very excited to come back to London this year,” said Nishikori, who is making his third consecutive appearance at the season-ending event. “It’s been a very consistent year so far and I am excited to be part of this elite group again.”

 

SIDELINED

Garbiñe Muguruza was leading 7-5 3-6 4-2 when she sprained her left ankle during her quarterfinal match against Viktorija Golubic in Linz, Austria. Despite retiring from the match two games later, the reigning French Open champion became the sixth player to clinch a berth in the season-ending WTA Finals. Last year the Spaniard reached the semifinals, where she lost to eventual champion Agnieszka Radwanska. Others already qualified for the 12-player field at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global are Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams, Radwanska, Simona Halep and Karoline Pliskova.

 

SIGN OF THE TIMES

For the first time in 13 years, neither Roger Federer nor Rafael Nadal are ranked among the top four players in the world. The two have combined to win 31 Grand Slam tournaments, but injuries have hampered both this year. Federer has not won an ATP World Tour title in 2016 and missed both the French Open and the US Open because of injuries. Nadal won twice this year – in Monte Carlo and Barcelona – as well as teaming with Marc Lopez to capture the Rio de Janeiro Olympic doubles gold medal. However, the Spaniard has not reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament since winning the French Open in 2014, and he failed to go beyond the fourth round in a major this year.

 

SECURES SPOT

Madison Keys will make her debut at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. “I’ve worked harder than ever this year both on and off the court and I am happy that the hard work is paying off,” said Keys, the seventh player to qualify for the elite eight-player singles field. “I look forward to finishing my seasons strong in Singapore.” Keys broke into the WTA Top 10 in June, becoming the first American to enter the Top 10 since Serena Williams in 1999. She has won her second career title this year, the Aegon Classic Birmingham on grass in Great Britain, as well as finishing runner-up on clay at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia and on hard court at the Rogers Cup. She was one of just four players to reach the round of 16 at all four Grand Slam tournaments this year.

The Singapore singles field was completed when Dominika Cibulkova won in Linz, Austria. The victory over Viktorija Golubic confirmed Cibulkova will join Keys, Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams, Simona Halep, Agnieszka Radwanska, Karoline Pliskova and Garbiñe Muguruza in the WTA Finals. “After such a tough year last year, this year has been amazing,” Cibulkova said. “So reaching the WTA Finals is a dream come true.”

 

SHE’S BACK

Maria Sharapova is back. The Russian returned to the tennis court for two exhibition matches, her first appearance since testing positive for the banned substance meldonium at the Australian Open in January. The former world number one partnered American Taylor Johnson at the World Team Tennis “Smash Hits” event in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, which raises money for the Elton John Aids Foundation. Sharapova lost her first match to Martina Navratilova and Liezel Huber. She then teamed up with John McEnroe to beat Navratilova and Andy Roddick.

 

SET FOR LONDON

Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo are heading to their fourth Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. The Croatian/Brazilian duo are the fifth doubles team to qualify for the season-ending event, where they were runners-up in 2014. The pair won consecutive ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati.

 

SWEDISH DELIGHT

Talk about typecasting. Leo Borg will play his father in the movie “Borg/McEnroe,” which will chronicle the rivalry between Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe. Borg’s son is one of three actors to play the International Tennis Hall of Famer in the film. Leo will pay his father as a child, while Swedish actor Sverrir Gudnason will portray the tennis ace in his heyday and another first-time actor, Markus Mossberg, will play a slightly older version of Borg. Shia LaBeouf is playing McEnroe. “Leo Borg auditioned for the part and the fact that he already is playing tennis was pure fluke,” said Danish director Janus Metz. “He is also interested in filmmaking and is somewhat of a natural talent in front of the camera.”

 

STRIKE A MATCH

Tennis was really a hot sport in Casablanca. The tournament used fire to dry part of the clay court during the semifinals. “We had a long rain break and the side of the court was still holding a lot of water in the surface,” ATP Challenger Tour supervisor Carl Baldwin said. “To solve this, you pour gas on it and set it alight. This isn’t commonly done, but I have seen it before.” With the court dry, Frenchman Maxime Janvier completed his 6-4 6-3 win over Belgium’s Arthur De Greef. Janvier went on to win the tournament, stopping Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece in the final, 6-4 6-0.

 

SIGNALED FOR AWARD

Caroline Garcia has won the final Fed Cup Heart Award of 2016 for her performance in the World Group semifinals. She is the first French player to receive a Heart Award. The 22-year-old helped France edge Netherlands 3-2 in April’s World Group semifinal, defeating Arantxa Rus on day two before pairing with Kristina Mladenovic to win the doubles. Garcia will receive a check for USD $10,000, which will be donated to Sourire à la Vie, a charity dedicated to children with cancer.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Fairfield: Brian Baker and Mackenzie McDonald beat Sekou Bangoura and Eric Quigley 6-3 6-4

Hong Kong: Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan beat Naomi Broady and Heather Watson 6-3 6-1

Linz: Kiki Bertens and Johanna Larsson beat Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Kveta Peschke 4-6 6-2 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Monterrey: Evan King and Denis Kudla beat Jarryd Chaplin and Ben Mclachlan 6-7 (4) 6-4 10-2 (match tiebreak)

Shanghai: John Isner and Jack Sock beat Henri Kontinen and John Peers 6-4 6-4

Tashkent: Mikhail Elgin and Denis Istomin beat Andre Begemann and Leander Paes 6-4 6-2

Tianjin: Christina McHale and Peng Shuai beat Magda Linette and Xu Yifan 7-6 (8) 6-0

 

SURFING

Stockholm: www.stockholmopen.se/

Antwerp: www.teleticketservice.com/en/tickets/2016-2017/european-open

Moscow: www.kremlincup.ru/

Brest: www.openbrestarena.fr/

Luxembourg: www.bglbnpparibas-open.lu/main_en.html

Basel: www.swissindoorsbasel.ch/de-de/

Vienna: www.erstebank-open.com/de/

Singapore: www.wtafinals.com/

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

 

MEN

$792,645 VTB Kremlin Cup, Moscow, Russia, hard

$711,776 If Stockholm Open, Stockholm, Sweden, hard

$711,776 European Open, Antwerp, Belgium, hard

$125,000 2016 International Challenger Ningbo, Ningbo, China, hard

$119,256 Open Brest Arena Credit Agricole, Brest, France, hard

 

WOMEN

$758,788 Kremlin Cup, Moscow, Russia, hard

$226,750 BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open, Luxembourg, Luxembourg, hard

$100,000 Soho Square Egypt Women’s, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

 

MEN

$ 2,706,340 Erste Bank Open, Vienna, Austria, hard

$2,360,470 Swiss Indoors Basel, Basel, Switzerland, hard

 

WOMEN

$7,000,000 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore, Singapore, hard

 

DAVIS CUP

Group 1, Americas Zone, Relegation Playoffs

Dominican Republic vs. Barbados at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, hard

Andy Murray
Andy Murray

Andy Murray, Agnieszka Radwanska Winners in Beijing – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Agnieszka Radwanska beat Johanna Konta 6-4 6-2 to win the China Open women’s singles in Beijing, China

Andy Murray beat Grigor Dimitrov 6-4 7-6 (2) to win the China Open men’s singles in Beijing, China

Nick Kyrgios beat David Goffin 4-6 6-3 7-5 to win the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships 2016 in Tokyo, Japan

Jan-Leonard Struff beat Vincent Millot 6-2 6-0 to win the Ethias Trophy in Mons, Belgium

Francis Tiafoe beat Noah Rubin 6-4 6-2 to win the Stockton Challenger in Stockton, California, USA

 

SAYING

“Every title means a lot, but especially here when you play against the best players in the world in one of the biggest tournaments.” – Agnieszka Radwanska, after winning the China Open.

“It was probably my best match of the week.” – Andy Murray, on his straight-set victory over Grigor Dimitrov in the China Open men’s singles final.

“I just didn’t feel that I had another gear.” – Grigor Dimitrov, who lost to Andy Murray in the Beijing final.

“I guess it’s pretty cool. I’m very pleased with my progress over the last few years and hopefully, yes, still many more places to climb.” – Johanna Konta, who becomes only the fourth British woman to be ranked in the Top 10.

“He knew if he wanted to win he had to serve well, and that’s what he did. That’s his best weapon.” – David Goffin, after losing to Nick Kyrgios in the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships final.

“I was just trying to be really focused on every ball, and of course try to win.” – Elina Svitolina, who did just that in upsetting Angelique Kerber in the third round of the China Open.

“It’s amazing. I’m already there for singles, so it’ll be great to be there in doubles as well.” – Karolina Pliskova, who has qualified for the season-ending BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore in both singles and doubles.

“This year everything change. I am feeling much more confident on court. When I want to go cross-court, the ball go cross-court. When I want to go down the line, they go down the line. I can control everything on court. I feeling everything working, yeah. Feeling good. I like this tennis.” – Zhang Shuai, after upsetting fourth-seeded Simona Halep at the China Open. Last year Zhang was considering retiring from tennis.

“I know who I am and I know how I’ve played the sport since I was a young girl, with integrity. I’ve never taken the easy way out. I’m one of the biggest fighters in the game. I love what I do and I will continue to keep doing it and forming my legacy.” – Maria Sharapova, after having her two-year ban from tennis reduced by nine months.

 

SURGING ANDY

Andy Murray continued his surge toward the top of the men’s rankings by grabbing a straight-set win over Grigor Dimitrov in the China Open. It was Murray’s fifth title of the year and 40th of his career. “Considering the conditions were fairly cold, I was still serving over 100 miles an hour on some second serves,” Murray said. “I felt using good variation on that shot, so I didn’t give him a chance to really attack me there, and that was probably the thing that I did best tonight.” Murray started the finale by breaking Dimitrov’s serve. In the second set, both held serve through the first four games until Murray once again broke his Bulgarian opponent to go up 3-2. Dimitrov was not finished, however, He won 11 consecutive points, breaking Murray at love, and the battle went into a tiebreak. It was all Murray in the extra session, as he won every point when Dimitrov served. “I personally think I didn’t play a good enough match to rally with him throughout,” Dimitrov said. “If the match would have gone to the third set, I’m not sure that I could have done things differently.” Murray is the 16th man in the Open Era to win at least 40 titles and the fourth active player to accomplish the feat as he joined Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Dimitrov reached the final when his semifinal opponent, Milos Raonic, withdrew with an ankle injury.

 

SWINGING POLE

Asia is a happy hunting ground for Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska. She won her second China Open crown by easily downing Johanna Konta in the women’s singles final. It was Radwanska’s 20th career title, her third of 2016 and career ninth in Asia. “That was a really special week for me,” Radwanska said. “I really played great tennis, especially against top players. Against Konta, she committed just six unforced errors to 29 by her opponent. She did not drop a set all week and led 5-2 in the second set when Konta finally began playing the kind of tennis that took her to the title match. The Brit won two straight games before missing a routine drive volley. A few points later, Radwanska was holding up the winner’s trophy. “It’s top players from the first round and I’ve been playing my best tennis all week, so of course I’m very happy to win this tournament again, and this trophy is going to stay in a very special place,” said Radwanska, who became one of four active players to win three or more Premier Mandatory titles. The others are Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka.

After posting China Open victories over sixth-ranked Karolina Pliskova and eighth-ranked Madison Keys, Konta moved into the Top 10 in the WTA rankings, becoming the first British woman to do so since Jo Durie in 1984. And with Andy Murray ranked second in the ATP World Tour rankings, it is the first time a British man and woman are ranked in the Top 10 at the same time.

 

SERVING TO WIN

Riding his powerful serve, Nick Kyrgios won his third title of the year, the Rakuten Japan Open, by coming from behind to beat David Goffin. There were only three breaks of serve in the three-set match, but none in the third game of the second set when Kyrgios fell behind 0-40 before staving off five break points. “He was serving at 215 kph (134 mph) with a lot of precision,” Goffin said of his Australia foe. “I had to be solid on my serve and wait for my opportunity. I didn’t take it.” Kyrgios pounded 21 of his 25 aces in the final two sets, including an ace down the middle on match point. Goffin’s serve, on the other hand, fell apart in the third set when he double-faulted six times. “It was physically pretty tough, we had a lot of long rallies,” Kyrgios said. “The way I returned today got me a lot of break points. If one of us had taken more of their break points, it would have made it a lot easier for both of us. There was just a couple of points in it.” Goffin won only one of his 12 break points, while Kyrgios won two of 13.

 

SURPRISING SVITOLINA

Elina Svitolina wanted to prove that her upset win over then-number one Serena Williams at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics was not a fluke. Now she has another win over the world’s top-ranked player. Svitolina beat number one Angelique Kerber in the third round of the China Open in straight sets, 6-3 7-5. “I was trying to think about my next step, what I should try to do,” the 22-year-old said. “I tried to make my first serve and concentrated on the next shot, but still I was a little bit shaky.” Apparently not that shaky. After Kerber saved a couple of match points, Svitolina finally closed out the victory. “The main thing is to just stay in the moment, to think about the plan, about the match, what is my next step, next action,” Svitolina said. “So I try to really don’t think about (playing a number one). If I think too much, I lose my way. Of course, Angelique or Serena, they’re not letting you play your game. If you’re out for even two, three seconds, they just going to do winners. They are there all the time. They’re not letting you go.”

 

SET FOR SINGAPORE

Karolina Pliskova will be doing double duty in Singapore – doubles as well as singles. The Czech right-hander and her partner, Julia Goerges, grabbed the final spot in the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global when they knocked off Martina Hingis and CoCo Vandeweghe 6-3 4-6 10-8 (match tiebreak) in the second round of the China Open. “It’s very exciting, I must say,” said Goerges, who will be making her first appearance at the WTA Finals. “We didn’t plan it because it was our first year playing together. We said we’d only play around 10 tournaments, and to qualify with eight pretty decent results is pretty special for us.” The other seven teams in the elite field are Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic, Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza, Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova, Timea Babos and Yaroslava Shvedova, Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yugh-Jan, and Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka. “Kaja will be going there for singles as well,” Goerges said, referring to Pliskova. “But for me, it’s amazing to go to Singapore. It’s always been a dream, either in singles or doubles – hopefully one day I’ll get to go for singles, too – but it’s exciting and a nice way to end the season.”

 

SECURES SPOT

China’s Zhang Shuai is going to Zhuhai, China. Asia’s top woman player received a wildcard into the second edition of the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai. The year’s event will be played November 1-6 in Zhuhai featuring 11 of the top-ranked players – those who do not qualify for the WTA Finals in Singapore – and one wildcard entry, Zhang. The Chinese star received the wildcard after upsetting Simona Halep and Samantha Stosur en route to the quarterfinals of the China Open. Her Beijing results have moved Zhang into the Top 30 in the WTA rankings. She recently reached the semifinals in Seoul and Tokyo, as well as the third round at the US Open. “I’m very happy to get to play in my homeland in front of all Chinese fans,” Zhang said. “I can’t wait to play 2016 WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai and meet the fans from Zhuhai there.”

Last year, Zhang was thinking about retiring from tennis. Once ranked 30th in the world, she had fallen to 191 in the rankings. After suffering yet another first-round defeat, Zhang was ready to call it a career. However, her family convinced her to play one last tournament – the Australian Open. She shocked Halep in the first round of the year’s first Grand Slam event and reached the quarterfinals. “I feel I played much more better today than in Australia Open because I have more confidence,” Zhang said after crushing the fifth-ranked Halep 6-0 6-3 in Beijing. “Especially because we are in the China Open, my favorite tournament, so I’m really happy.” “Last year I was feeling really down,” she said. “I was feeling really sad. I felt I was working hard but never won, never play good, never play well. This year everything change.”

 

SHARAPOVA BAN REDUCED

Maria Sharapova will be heading back to a tennis court soon. The Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced the Russian star’s suspension to 15 months. She had been handed a two-year suspension after testing positive for meldonium. Now she will be able to return to play on April 26, 2017, in time for the French Open, which she won in 2014. “I’ve gone from one of the toughest days of my career last March when I learned about my suspension to now, one of my happiest days, as I found out I can return to tennis April,” Sharapova said. “In so many ways I feel like something I love was taken away from me and it will feel really good to have it back. Tennis is my passion and I have missed it. I am counting the days until I can return to the court.” Sharapova won Wimbledon in 2004, the US Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008, one of just 10 women to have won all four Grand Slam tournaments.

While winning her appeal, Sharapova and her attorney took shots at the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The game’s governing body immediately denied the player’s suggestions that the ITF sought a four-year ban, that its independent tribunal was not neutral and that it knew about the widespread use of meldonium in Eastern Europe prior to the drug being banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on January 1, 2016. Sharapova’s legal team has argued that the ITF should have informed Eastern European athletes that meldonium had been placed on the prohibited substances list. Sharapova was first prescribed meldonium in 2006 for heart issues, and she said she was unaware it had been added to the banned substance list by WADA.

Steve Simon, chief executive of the WTA, said the women’s organization, to avoid a repeat of the Sharapova case, will take a greater role in educating players on doping rules. “I think it is really clear that not only does the athlete need to pay attention to what the latest rules are and what they are ingesting into their systems, but I also think there is a takeaway for us at the WTA that we cannot sit back and wait for the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme or the ITF to give their education to the players,” Simon said. “You will see an increased effort from the WTA to ensure that we never see another positive drugs test because a player was uninformed.”

 

SELECTED

Japan’s Naomi Osaka has been voted WTA Breakthrough of the Month after reaching the final of the Toray Pan Pacific Open. It was the first WTA final for Osaka, who turns 19 next Sunday. She also reached the third round at three of the four Grand Slam tournaments this season. “I’m happy with the way I play at Slams because they’re very important to me,” she told reporters at the US Open, “but I kind of wish I could transfer the feeling like to the other tournaments.” She did at the Tokyo event, knocking off former Australian Open finalist Dominika Cibulkova and Elina Svitolina on her way to the title match. “I don’t really feel pressure here since the first match since everyone is ranked higher than me,” Osaka said. “I’m a wildcard, so I just try to do my best. But this, for sure, it’s my best tournament.” She also is the youngest player ranked in the WTA’s Top 50.

 

SAD NEWS

Angie Cunningham, the WTA’s former vice president of player relations and on-site operations, has died at her home in Melbourne, Australia, following a long battle with Motor Neurone Disease. Cunningham was a leading junior player who went on to work at the WTA for eight years before moving back to Australia with her husband and their two children. She was diagnosed with MND in 2012. In the United States, the disease is also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Beijing (men): Pablo Carreno Busta and Rafael Nadal beat Jack Sock and Bernard Tomic 6-7 (6) 6-2 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Beijing (women): Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova beat Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic 6-4 6-4

Mons: Julian Knowle and Jurgen Melzer beat Sander Arends and Wesley Koolhof 7-6 (4) 7-6 (4)

Stockton: Brian Baker and Sam Groth beat Matt Reid and John-Patrick Smith 6-2 4-6 10-2 (match tiebreak)

Tokyo: Marcel Granollers and Marcin Matkowski beat Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram 6-2 7-6 (4)

 

SURFING

Shanghai: http://en.shanghairolexmasters.com/

Tashkent: www.tennis.uz/

Monterrey: www.sierramadretennisclub.com/

Fairfield: www.usta.com/Pro-Tennis/Pro-Circuit/

Tianjin: www.tianjinopen.com/

Linz: www.generali-ladies.at/de/news/index_ger.html

Hong Kong: www.hktennisopen.hk/p/en/home

Stockholm: www.stockholmopen.se/

Antwerp: www.teleticketservice.com/en/tickets/2016-2017/european-open

Moscow: www.kremlincup.ru/

Brest: www.openbrestarena.fr/

Luxembourg: www.bglbnpparibas-open.lu/main_en.html

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN

$7,655,640 Shanghai Rolex Masters, Shanghai, China, hard

$125,000 Tashkent Challenger, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, hard

$100,000 Monterrey Open, Monterrey, Mexico, hard

$100,000 Francis Ford Coppola Winery, Fairfield, California, USA

 

WOMEN

$426,750 Tianjin Open, Tianjin, China, hard

$226,750 Generali Ladies Linz, Linz, Austria, hard

$226,750 Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open, Hong Kong, China, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$792,645 VTB Kremlin Cup, Moscow, Russia, hard

$711,776 If Stockholm Open, Stockholm, Sweden, hard

$711,776 European Open, Antwerp, Belgium, hard

$125,000 2016 International Challenger Ningbo, Ningbo, China, hard

$119,256 Open Brest Arena Credit Agricole, Brest, France, hard

 

WOMEN

$758,788 Kremlin Cup, Moscow, Russia, hard

$226,750 BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open, Luxembourg, Luxembourg, hard

$100,000 Soho Square Egypt Women’s, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, hard

 

Andy Murray
Andy Murray

Even Without Olympic Gold, Andy Murray Is Ranked No. 1 In The World (In One Sensible But Defunct Ranking System)

by

By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

 

Who is the best player so far this year in men’s tennis?

It’s Andy Murray, according to one sensible, but now defunct ranking system that does not include the Olympic Games, which was won by Murray.

Wait a minute, you may say. Novak Djokovic is the clear No. 1 in the ATP World Tour rankings and won the first two majors of the year at the Australian and French Opens to complete a “Novak Slam” having won all four major titles in a row.

Well, consider this. The average sports fan only really pays close attention to tennis four times a year, during the major championships. With all due respect to the other events on the ATP World Tour, the four major championships are the anchor of the sport.

Back in 1990s (from 1990 to 1999 to be exact), the International Tennis Federation held a year-end championship called “The Grand Slam Cup” where the top 16 point leaders from a points system from all four majors qualified for a year-end competition, where the winner earned a $2 million payday.

For the Grand Slam Cup, points were awarded based on a players finish at a major, with the point values per round being as follows:

 

2 points – First Round

20 points – Second Round

40 points – Third Round

75 points  – Fourth Round

150 points – Quarterfinals

300 points – Semifinals

450 points – Runner-up

600 points – Champion

 

So, through the first three major championships, using this formula, it is Andy Murray who is the top-point earner in men’s tennis this year. With his runner-up showings at the Australian and French Open and his Wimbledon victory, Andy Murray would hold 1500 points in this ranking system after Wimbledon. Djokovic would only hold 1240 points, pained by only earning 40 points based on his third-round loss to Sam Querrey at Wimbledon to go with two 600 point hauls from winning the Australian Open and the French Open.

Using this formula, this would be the top 10 rankings heading into the US Open for both men and women

 

Top 5 Men

Andy Murray – 1500 points

Novak Djokovic – 1240 points

Milos Raonic – 825 points

Roger Federer – 600 points

Tomas Berdych – 600 points

 

Top 5 Women

Serena Willams – 1500 points

Angelique Kerber – 1052 points

Garbine Muguruza – 660 points

Aga Radwanska – 450 points

Venus Williams – 377 points

Andy Murray
Andy Murray

Angelique Kerber, Andy Murray Both Stumble In Cincinnati – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

 

STARS

Marin Cilic beat Andy Murray 6-4 7-5 to win the Western & Southern Open men’s singles in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Karolina Pliskova beat Angelique Kerber 6-3 6-1 to win the Western & Southern Open women’s singles in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

 

SAYING

“I felt that I played really good tennis today. The serve was a big factor in my game. I was hitting a lot of big serves in important points, and I was definitely in that second set very, very mentally strong.” – Marin Cilic, after beating Andy Murray to win the Western & Southern Open men’s singles.

“I’m very proud of this week. Obviously today it didn’t go how I would’ve wanted. But I certainly didn’t expect to get to the final when I arrived here.” – Andy Murray.

“I was expecting I’m going to play good, but I wasn’t expecting it that easy. I think she might be a little bit tired, or she felt a little bit of pressure on herself.” – Karolina Pliskova, following her upset win in the Cincinnati final over Angelique Kerber.

“I’m really tired. I played the 11th match in 13 or 14 days. I really enjoyed the week. I really tried my best today, but sometimes you have days when it’s not working so good.” – Angelique Kerber.

“As cliché as it sounds, a ranking is really just a number. At the end of the day you have to come out and you have to play your best tennis. That’s what we did, and we feel like that’s why we won the tournament.” – Sania Mirza, who took over the top doubles ranking alone after sharing the spot with former partner Martina Hingis.

“You have to change the rhythm. I didn’t hit as strong as I did first four games and I didn’t miss as I did at the beginning. She was playing really well at the beginning, those four games, but then I had just to change, to play more angles, and then I came back and I think I was the one that was dominating match.” – Simona Halep, following her 7-5 6-1 victory over Agnieszka Radwanska.

“I’ve practiced with him many times, so to some extent I have an understanding of his game, like he has of mine. But it’s different come match time, so I did a little bit of studying. I feel like I took that all in and adapted well.” – Milos Raonic, on Dominic Thiem after beating the Austrian 6-3 6-4.

 

STOPS KERBER

Karolina Pliskova made sure Serena Williams remains atop the women’s rankings by knocking off Germany’s Angelique Kerber. It was the sixth career title for the Czech, but by far her biggest. If Kerber had won, she would have moved past Williams and take over the number one spot in the rankings. “Of course I’m disappointed, but still she played a great match and a great tournament and deserved to win,” Kerber said of her conqueror. Pliskova came into the hard-court event ranked 15th in the world and leads the WTA Tour in aces. Against Kerber, Pliskova pounded seven aces, the last one on match point. Kerber committed 32 unforced errors, most coming from her forehand. “I know she was playing for the world number one,” Pliskova said. “I think you deserve to be number one. But maybe next time.” It was the second straight week that she came up short. Kerber fell to Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig in the women’s final at the Rio Olympics. The result allowed Williams to continue her reign on top of the rankings to 184 consecutive weeks, two weeks away from tying the all-time mark held by Steffi Graf.

 

STUNNER BY CILIC

Marin Cilic found his serve, which was enough to power the Croat over Andy Murray and capture his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title, the Western & Southern Open. “The serve was a big factor in my game,” said Cilic, who became only the second active player outside of the Big Four to win both a Grand Slam tournament and a Masters 1000 title. “I was hitting a lot of big serves in important points, and I was definitely in that second set very, very mentally strong.” Cilic, relentless in his baseline game, took the opening set in 41 players. He pulled off the only service break in the 11th game of the second set, then closed out the victory on his first match point. “I felt that I played really good tennis today,” Cilic said. “Andy was starting to play a bit better, but it’s definitely a huge win against him. He’s been on a great run the last couple of months.” Cilic’s victory is just the fifth title by a player outside of the Big Four of Murray, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal since 2010.

 

SWIFT KICK

A swift kick almost caused Andy Murray to be penalized during his semifinal match at the Cincinnati Masters. When a ball came his way, Murray kicked it towards the crowd. But the ball narrowly missed the chair umpire’s head and drew a stern look from the umpire. The ATP rulebook states: “Players shall not violently, dangerously or with anger hit, kick or throw a tennis ball while on the grounds of the tournament site except in the reasonable pursuit of a point during a match.” Murray escaped any penalty and went on to easily down Milos Raonic 6-3 6-3.

 

SOLE POSSESSION

No longer are India’s Sania Mirza and Switzerland’s Martina Hingis teammates. And no longer are they tied for the number one on the WTA doubles ranking. When Mirza and her new partner, Barbora Strycova, beat Hingis and Coco Vandeweghe 7-5 6-4 to win the women’s doubles crown in Cincinnati, the 29-year-old Mirza took over sole possession of the top of the rankings. Hingis and her American teammate won five of the first six games before Mirza and the Czech Republic’s Strycova won the next six games and wrapped up the victory in straight sets. Although Mirza and Hingis have split up, they will team up in October for the year-ending WTA Tour Championships in Singapore.

 

STRONG FINISH

Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo won five of the last six points in their match tiebreak to capture the Western & Southern Open men’s doubles over Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau. It was their fourth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title together. The Croatian/Brazilian pair improved their 2016 record to 25-11. Neither team dropped serve in the match and both won 7-5 tiebreaks to send it into the match tiebreak.

 

STAYING HOME

Ninth-ranked Madison Keys is skipping this week’s Connecticut Open because of a neck injury. Announcing her withdrawal from the final hard-court warmup event before the US Open, Keys said she felt pain on the right side of her neck while she was hitting a forehand return during a practice session. “I probably hit it late,” she said. “As soon as I finished the stroke, I knew that I did something.” Keys has had trouble with her neck in the past. She has sought medical treatment and hopes to be ready in time for the US Open, which begins its two-week run next Monday.

Two other players withdrew from the New Haven, Connecticut, USA, tournament, although both won titles at Cincinnati. Karolina Pliskova, who upset Angelique Kerber to win the Western & Open women’s singles, withdrew from New Haven with a lower back injury. Barbora Strycova, who teamed with Sania Mirza to win the doubles, pulled out of the Connecticut Open with an illness.

 

STRAIGHT IN – MEN

Juan Martin del Potro, the Olympic silver medalist, was given a wild card entry into the men’s singles draw at the US Open. The 27-year-old del Potro returned to competitive play in February following his third surgery on his left wrist. He was ranked as high as fourth in the world in 2010, but has missed quite a bit of time since then because of surgeries, including on to his right wrist.

Others receiving wild card entries into the main men’s singles draw include Rajeev Ram, Bjorn Fratangelo, Frances Tiafoe, 2016 NCAA singles champion Mackenzie McDonald, 2016 USTA Boys’ 18s national champion Michael Mmoh and USTA Pro Circuit US Open Wild Card Challenge winner Ernesto Escobedo. As part of a reciprocal agreement with the USTA, Tennis Australia will award one additional main draw wild card.

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) also awarded wild card entries into the US Open qualifying tournament, which will be played this week. Players receiving those wild cards are Sekou Bangoura, Christian Harrison, Vasil Kirkov, Mitchell Krueger, Thai-Son Kwiatkowski, Reilly Opelka, Tennyus Sandgren and Ryan Shane.

 

STRAIGHT IN – WOMEN

Two-time NCAA singles champion Danielle Collins and mixed doubles Olympic gold medalist Bethanie Mattek-Sands head the list of direct wild card entries into the US Open women’s singles main draw. A senior at the University of Virginia, Collins won her second NCAA singles title this year. She also won in 2014, after which she received a wild card and played second-ranked Simona Halep in the opening round, winning the first set in a tiebreak. Mattek-Sands, 31, won the mixed doubles gold medal at the Rio Olympics with Jack Sock. Last year, she teamed with Lucie Safarova to win the women’s doubles at both the Australian Open and the French Open, and also won the French Open mixed doubles title with Mike Bryan. Mattek-Sands will be competing in her 15th US Open main draw.

Others receiving wild card entries into the women’s singles main draw are Lauren Davis, 2016 USTA Girls’ 18s national champion Kayla Day, USTA Pro Circuit US Open Wild Card Challenge winner Sofia Kenin, Vania King and Virginie Razzano of France. As part of a reciprocal agreement with the USTA, Tennis Australia will award one additional main draw wild card.

Awarded wild card entries into the US Open qualifying tournament are 14-year-old Amanda Anisimova, Francesca Di Lorenzo, Nicole Frenkel, Ellie Halbauer, Jamie Loeb, Raveena Kingsley, Melanie Oudin and Great Britain’s Laura Robson.

 

SICK BAY

After receiving a wild card into the Western & Southern Open women’s singles draw, top-ranked Serena Williams withdrew from the tournament citing a right shoulder injury. That’s the same injury that forced her to withdraw from the Rogers Cup in Montreal last month. “My shoulder inflammation continues to be a challenge,” Williams said, “but I am anxious to return to the court as soon as possible.” She did play in the Rio Olympics, but appeared to be bothered by her shoulder in her third-round loss to Elina Svitolina of the Ukraine.

 

SUFFERING APPENDICITIS

The US Open has already lost one of its top players. Eighth-ranked Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic pulled out of the year’s final Grand Slam tournament after suffering appendicitis. “I am very disappointed to announce I will not be able to compete at the US Open this year,” Berdych wrote on Twitter. “I was just diagnosed with appendicitis in Cincinnati so I will be flying back to Europe for additional checks and treatment. I will need to take some time off to recover fully, but I know I will get back as strong as ever.” Berdych reached the semifinals at Wimbledon this year where he lost to eventual champion Andy Murray.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Cincinnati (men): Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo beat Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau 7-6 (5) 6-7 (5) 10-6 (match tiebreak)

Cincinnati (women): Sania Mirza and Barbora Strycova beat Martina Hingis and Coco Vandeweghe 7-5 6-4

 

SURFING

New Haven: www.ctopen.org

Winston-Salem: www.winstonsalemopen.com/

New York: www.usopen.org

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN

$720,940 Winston-Salem Open, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA, hard

 

WOMEN

$695,900 Connecticut Open, New Haven, Connecticut, USA, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN and WOMEN

US Open, New York, New York, USA, hard

 

 

Angelique Kerber

 

Monica Puig, Andy Murray Are Golden In Rio – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Rio Olympics

Gold

Men’s singles: Andy Murray, Great Britain

Women’s singles: Monica Puig, Puerto Rico

Men’s doubles: Marc Lopez and Rafael Nadal, Spain

Women’s doubles: Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina, Russia

Mixed doubles: Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jack Sock, United States

 

Silver

Men’s singles: Juan Martin del Potro, Argentina

Women’s singles: Angelique Kerber, Germany

Men’s doubles: Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau, Romania

Women’s doubles: Timea Bacsinsky and Martina Hingis, Switzerland

Mixed doubles: Venus Williams and Rajeev Ram, United States

 

Bronze

Men’s singles: Kei Nishikori, Japan

Women’s singles: Petra Kvitova, Czech Republic

Men’s doubles: Steve Johnson and Jack Sock, United States

Women’s doubles: Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova, Czech Republic

Mixed doubles: Lucie Hradecka and Radek Stepanek, Czech Republic

 

OTHER

Ivo Karlovic beat Feliciano Lopez 7-6 (5) 6-2 to win the Abierto Mexicano Los Cabos in Los Cabos, Mexico

Janko Tipsarevic beat Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo 1-6 7-5 6-1 to win the China International Challenger in Qindao, China

Daniel Evans beat Cameron Norrie 6-3 6-4 to win the Nordic Naturals Challenger in Aptos, California, USA

 

SAYING

“I know that my life is probably going to change a little bit from here on out, but it’s going to change for the better, I know.” – Monica Puig, after winning the gold medal by beating Angelique Kerber.

“She played her best tennis and one of her best matches in her career, for sure. I tried everything.” – Angelique Kerber.

“Today was a long, tiring match. I’m glad I got through it.” – Andy Murray, following his gold-medal marathon men’s singles win over Juan Martin del Potro.

“I just achieved one of my biggest dreams. I’m just so happy I was able to be the first Puerto Rican woman to win a medal at the Games, and not just any medal – the gold medal.” – Monica Puig.

“I can compare this with the Davis Cup finals, where we were a couple of years ago, because I think the nicest, deepest and strongest emotions you can only achieve when you play for your country. … This medal belongs to our whole country.” – Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic, who teamed with Lucie Hradecka to win the mixed doubles bronze medal.

“I’m very happy to win, to get a medal, even though third place. It means a lot for me to especially beat Rafa. I knew before playing the Olympics that if I can play good tennis, good, solid tennis, I’d have a chance to get a medal.” – Kei Nishikori, who beat Rafael Nadal to win the men’s singles bronze medal.

“With Serena, I expect to win! I’ve got to be honest.” – Venus Williams, who with sister Serena won three Olympic women’s doubles gold medals but lost in the first round at Rio.

“It’s different when you are winning Grand Slams at 16, you think you have another 10 years, at least, at the top of the game. But now that I know it’s coming towards the end and everything is behind me, today is the way it is.” – Martina Hingis.

“You know I am number two in the world and that means a lot to me and that gives me a lot of confidence. I am trying to enjoy every single moment on court here because it is really special. The Olympics you play for your country. And then the Village, it is a little bit different to the normal hotels with all the athletes from the world, so I am really trying to take the energy when I am going on court.” – Angelique Kerber.

“It’s unbelievable. If I could play in 12 Olympics, I’d play in 12 Olympics. Is there senior Olympics for tennis? There should be. Just so that we can come back. It’s been great. It’s so amazing.” – Madison Keys.

“This is only my second Olympics in 20 years. I skipped the other ones because I wasn’t playing tennis, but this is an experience you don’t forget quickly. It’s just so different to the regular tournaments you play. You play for your partner, you play for your country and this is something that I cherish.” – Martina Hingis.

“It’s amazing. I’m staying in the village and it’s an amazing atmosphere over there, it’s like a big family and I feel the support of the other athletes there. We are watching other sports on TV and they are coming to watch tennis, which is pretty close to the village, which is great. It’s amazing and I wish to have Olympics every year.” – Petra Kvitova.

“I would love to try lots of sports. When I went to school, Sports Day was the best day of the year.” – Samantha Stosur.

“I came here for my first Olympic Games with a very open and positive mind and so far the experience has been really great – sleeping in the village, seeing all the other athletes, having a good time. Of course now it is hard to describe this feeling, ending with a very sad and serious injury.” – Philipp Kohlschreiber, who withdrew after the opening round with a stress fracture in his right foot.

 

STUNNER

“Yes I can,” Monica Puig kept repeating to herself. And she did. Puig beat Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber of Germany 6-4 4-6 6-1 to win Puerto Rico’s first Olympic gold medal. “It’s just amazing,” said Puig, who is ranked 34th in the world. “I know my country really appreciates this, and I really wanted to give this victory to them.” Puig’s women’s singles title was a shocker, but it ended a week of stunning victories for the right-hander. On her way to the gold medal she also beat reigning French Open champion Garbiñe Muguruza of Spain and two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic. After the two finalists split sets, Puig raced to a 5-0 lead in the decider. She then failed to cash in on three match points, but Kerber squandered six break point chances in the final game. When the German sailed a cross-court backhand wide on championship point, Puig threw her racquet into the air, fell to the ground and cried tears of joy. “I did hear everybody saying, ‘Yes, you can, yes, you can, yes, you can,’” Puig said. “I kept repeating it inside myself, ‘Yes, I can, yes, I can, yes, I can.’” And she did.

Kvitova beat American Madison Keys 7-5 2-6 6-2 to win the bronze medal.

 

SUCCESSFUL REPEAT

Great Britain’s Andy Murray made history by becoming the first player to win the men’s singles gold medal in consecutive Olympics when he fought off Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro 7-5 4-6 6-2 7-5 in a battle that lasted more than four hours. Murray also captured the singles gold four years ago at the London Games. Del Potro entered the Rio final as a big underdog. But despite being ranked 141st in the world, the Argentine had begun his amazing Olympic run by upsetting top-ranked Novak Djokovic, then beating fifth-ranked Rafael Nadal in the semifinals. Murray, though, was able to come up with the key points as both players struggled with fatigue. He broke del Potro in the 12th game of the match to take the opening set. After del Potro evened the match at a set apiece, Murray won four straight games to close out the third set. Serving to send the fourth set to a tiebreak, del Potro instead found Murray’s quickness and all-court game too much to handle. The Scot cashed in on his second match point to clinch the gold.

Japan’s Kei Nishikori won the bronze medal, beating Spain’s Rafael Nadal 6-2 6-7 (1) 6-3.

 

SWEET FINISH

Life-long friends Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina almost didn’t make it to the Rio Olympics. They finally did, however, and ended up with the women’s doubles gold medal, defeating Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinsky and Martina Hingis 6-4 6-4 in the final. “We were supposed to get here Tuesday morning, but we got here Wednesday, but late,” Vesnina said of the pair’s trip from Montreal, Canada. “We got the last two seats in economy class … We gave up our business tickets.” The Russian pair made their trip to Rio pay off. “We stick together, we knew what we wanted and it’s incredible that we got this gold medal in the end,” Vesnina said.

Hingis was playing in her second Olympics, but her first since Atlanta in 1996. The 35-year-old had been scheduled to play mixed doubles with Roger Federer, but he withdrew from the Olympics with an injury. A day later, her doubles teammate, Belinda Bencic, also pulled out of the Games. Hingis was then teamed with Bacsinszky, a pairing that resulted in a silver medal.

In an all-Czech battle, Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova won the bronze by defeating Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 7-5 6-1.

 

STREAK ENDS

Playing in their first Olympics, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jack Sock denied Venus Williams the chance to become the first five-time gold medalist in Olympics tennis history. Instead, Williams wound up with the silver as she and Rajeev Ram fell to their fellow Americans 7-6 (3) 6-1 10-7 (match tiebreak). The first set took 55 minutes before Mattek-Sands and Sock prevailed. After Williams and Ram ripped through the second set to level the match, the teams played a 10-point tiebreak.

Williams has won four gold medals since her Olympic debut in 2000 and is tied with her sister Serena for the most tennis gold medals. Her five medals ties her with Kathleen McKane, who won five in the 1920s, including one gold.

The Czech Republic’s Lucie Hradecka and Radek Stepanek beat India’s Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna 6-1 7-5 for the bronze medal.

 

STILL GOLDEN

Although Rafael Nadal lost to Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro in the singles semifinals, the Spanish star left Rio de Janeiro with a gold medal. Nadal’s second Olympic gold came in the doubles, where he and Marc Lopez rallied for a break down in the third set to beat Romania’s Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau 6-2 3-6 6-4. “Amazing experience,” Nadal said, “especially doing that with one of my best friends. Nadal and Lopez have known each other since they were young – Nadal says he was 14, Lopez says Nadal was 12. Nadal, who has won a record nine French Open singles titles, rarely plays doubles on the ATP World Tour, but four of his nine tour doubles titles have come with Lopez. Nadal’s first gold medal came in singles at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

The silver for Mergea and Tecau is Romania’s first Olympic tennis medal.

Steve Johnson and Jack Sock of the United States won the bronze, beating Canada’s Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil 6-2 6-4.

 

SMASHING WIN

The 6-foot-11 (2.11m) Ivo Karlovic stood tall in Los Cabos, Mexico. The 37-year-old Croatian won his eighth ATP World Tour title, the Abierto Mexicano Los Cabos, by downing Feliciano Lopez 7-6 (5) 6-2. It was the third time in his last four tournaments that Karlovic has reached the final. He slammed 13 aces but wrapped up the title when Lopez double-faulted on match point.

 

SPLITSVILLE

Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza are the top-ranked women’s doubles team. They no longer are a team. While admitting on her official Facebook page that the two have split up, Hingis said they would reunite to defend their title at the WTA Finals. Mirza and Hingis, self-dubbed “Santina,” dominated the women’s tour for more than a year, winning 13 titles over a 165-month span, including three majors – the 2015 Wimbledon, 2015 US Open and 2016 Australian Open – besides the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore last fall. But since their 41-match winning streak was snapped in February, the team has won just one title, the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. They have failed to make it past the quarterfinals in their last four tournaments. According to reports, Hingis will now team up with CoCo Vandeweghe while Mirza will partner with Barbora Strycova at the Western & Southern Open and the US Open. She also will team up with Bethanie Mattek-Sands at the Connecticut Open.

 

SICK CALL

Injuries don’t take time off for the Olympics. Both Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany and Romania’s Monica Niculescu withdrew before their second-round matches at the Rio Games. Kohlschreiber said he has a stress fracture of his right foot, while Niculescu said she had injured her lower back. “The doctor said that I really should stop right away and I have to rest and make sure it doesn’t become a really big injury,” Kohlschreiber said. Czech Lucie Safarova retired with stomach pain after dropping the first set in her match against Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens.

 

SECURES WILD CARD

Serena Williams is playing in this week’s Western & Southern Open in a bid to keep her number one ranking. Williams received a wild card entry into the hard-court event in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, a Premier 5 event. The two-time defending champion has a 10-match win streak in Cincinnati and a 21-4 match record in seven previous appearances at the tournament. She has played only three matches since winning Wimbledon in July – losing her third-round match at the Rio Olympics to Elina Svitolina. Angelique Kerber, who won the silver medal in Rio, could take over the number one ranking if she wins the Western & Southern Open and Williams loses before the quarterfinals. Kerber is seeking to become the first German to reach the top ranking since Stefanie Graf and would be only the third left-hander to be ranked number one after Martina Navratilova and Monica Seles.

 

SKIPPING CINCY

While Serena Williams has signed up for Cincinnati, the world’s top-ranked male, Novak Djokovic, has withdrawn from the Western & Southern Open with an injured left wrist. “I have a recurring injury that has taken its toll on my body due to a very busy and active schedule this year,” said Djokovic, who was upset in the first round at the Rio Olympics. “I have played many matches and I have to take some rest in order to heal.” Cincinnati is the only Masters 1000 series event Djokovic has never won.

 

SWITCHING COACHES

Tomas Berdych has a new coach: former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic. “Goran, with his playing and coaching experience, as well as his energy, is a perfect addition to the team,” said Berdych, who fired his previous coach Dani Vallverdu in May. Berdych has led the Czech Republic to two Davis Cup titles but has never won a Grand Slam tournament, losing in the Wimbledon final in 2010.

 

STRESSED

Just before Kristina Mladenovic and Carolina Garcia went on court for their first-round women’s doubles match, they were told they could be defaulted if the players did not wear the same colored clothing. Mladenovic lent a spare outfit to Garcia, who has a different clothing sponsor than her partner. The two then raced through the first set 6-0 before Japan’s Misaki Doi and Eri Hozumi rallied to upset the Frenchwomen in three sets. On Twitter Mladenovic and Garcia said the episode affected them and criticized the Federation Francaise de Tennis (FFT) for not informing them of the rules. “To be at the Olympics, about to start our match, and be completely stressed because the ITF (International Tennis Federation) won’t let us play in different colors,” Mladenovic wrote. “Thanks to our federation, so incompetent, to have ruined a sporting moment so important in the careers of Caroline Garcia and me.”

 

SENT HOME

Benoit Paire was kicked off the French Olympic team for “flouting the rules.” Arnaud di Pasquale, technical director of the French tennis squad, refused to divulge the details of Paire’s indiscretions, but said, “You cannot flout the rules and the jersey like this.” Paire was kicked off the team moments after he had lost his second-round match to Italy’s Fabio Fognini 4-6 6-4 7-6 (5). “This is not the first time he has been warned,” di Pasquale said. “The France team, it is not an open bar. There are rules to follow. … We did not see much of him in the Olympic Village.” Paire was a late addition to the French Olympic team, replacing the injured Richard Gasquet.

 

SAYONARA

The US Open, which begins later this month, was be the final tournament for Eric Butorac. After 13 years on the ATP World Tour, Butorac will play doubles at America’s premier tennis event with good friend Scott Lipsky. “I grew up with my dad being around every day,” said the 35-year-old Butorac, whose highest ranking was 17th in the world in doubles. “I want to be around for my kids the same way. I don’t want my son to have to run up to me any more before I get on a plane and say, ‘Daddy, don’t go.’” Butorac and his wife Maggie have two children. Butorac served eight years on the ATP Player Council, including two as vice president under Roger Federer and a two-year term as president. His future job will be Director, Professional Tennis Operations and Player Relations for the USTA and the US Open.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Aptos: Nicolaas Scholtz and Tucker Vorster beat Mackenzie McDonald and Ben McLachlan 6-2 (5) 6-3 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Los Cabos: Purav Raja and Divij Sharan beat Jonathan Erlich and Ken Skupski 7-6 (4) 7-6 (3)

Qindao: Danilo Petrovic and Tak Khunn Wang beat Gong Mao-Xin and Zhang Ze 6-2 4-6 10-5 (match tiebreak)

 

SURFING

Cincinnati: www.wsopen.com/

New Haven: www.ctopen.org

Winston-Salem: www.winstonsalemopen.com/

New York: www.usopen.org

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

 

MEN

$5,004,505 Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, hard

 

WOMEN

$2,503,250 Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, hard

 

Monica Puig
Monica Puig

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEE

MEN

$720,940 Winston-Salem Open, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA, hard

WOMEN

$695,900 Connecticut Open, New Haven, Connecticut, USA, hard

 

Most Memorable Tennis Moments from Previous Olympic Games

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No one knows what the Olympics will bring to the table this season. However, it is difficult to imagine the tennis matchups in Rio delivering moments capable of matching these top 10 occurrences from previous Olympics games, though you can bet on Tennis to try and exceed expectations:

1). Steffi Graf’s 1988 Seoul Games Golden Slam

A teenager from West Germany at the time, Graf had barely recovered from her U.S Open victory. Inspired by other Olympians, though, Graf won the Singles competition, becoming the first Tennis player to achieve the Golden Slam of Scoring four majors and the Olympic Singles title in a single season.

2). Andy Murray’s 2012 Olympic Win

Murray defeated Novak Djokovic and then Roger Federer in the semifinals and gold medal match (respectively) in straight sets, making memories during the 2012 Olympic Games in London in front of an ecstatic home crowd.

3). Roger Federer VS Juan Martin Del Potro

It was hardly surprising that Federer failed to defeat Murray in the 2012 Olympic finals, especially considering his epic bout with del Potro in a match that lasted three hours of intense play. This was the longest Men’s three-set match of the Open era.

4). The Serena Williams/Maria Sharapova Final

Serena Williams didn’t simply beat Sharapova. She dominated her in the final of the 2012 London Olympics. Sharapova’s silver medal was no consolation for her one-sided match against the clearly superior Serena, who was determined to complete a career Golden Slam.

5). Nicolas Massu’s Double Gold Win

Massu had to contend with sleep deprivation to win two gold medals at the 2004 Athens games, finishing his match alongside Fernando Gonzalez in the doubles so late that he fell asleep after 4:00 a.m.

A few hours later, he played against the United States’ Mardy Fish, somehow coming out of the match victorious. To Massu, these were the two best days of his life.

6). James Blake’s Fury at Fernando Gonzalez

When Blake’s shot supposedly brushed Gonzalez’ racket before being called out, he thought Gonzalez should have admitted it. Gonzalez stayed quiet, and sufficing to say, Gonzalez’s victory didn’t go down well with Blake, whose fury was palpable.

7). Andre Agassi Swearing

Andre Agassi’s victory run to the Olympic gold medal is remembered, not for the touching moment when two generations of Agassi family Olympians embraced on the court, but the Course language Andre unleashed during his match against Wayne Ferreira.

Ferreira thought Andre deserved a harsher punishment than the penalty point he received for swearing and cussing.

8). Jamie Murray Runs from the Court

Following a disappointing performance by Jamie Murray and his brother Andy during the 2008 Beijing Games, Jamie bolted from the court at such a speed that he left his racket and bag behind. Andy was already reeling from a loss in the first round of the singles.

9). Roger Federer and Mira Vavrinec

Federer and his future wife met at the 2000 Olympic Games, Federer kissing her for the first time at the games. They married nine years after and currently have two children.

10). Rafael Nadal’s Washing Foibles

People are still recounting the story Bradley Wiggins (a British Cyclist) told when he met Nadal in the Athletes’ village in Beijing and grew concerned about the way he was mixing his whites and colors.

Nadal won the singles gold medal during those games.

 

Roger Federer at the 2008 Olympic Games
Roger Federer at the 2008 Olympic Games

 

Serena Ties Steffi, Andy Murray Wins Second Wimbledon – Mondays with Bob Greene

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Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Wimbledon

Men’s singles: Andy Murray beat Milos Raonic 6-4 7-6 (3) 7-6 (2)

Women’s singles: Serena Williams beat Angelique Kerber 7-5 6-3

Men’s doubles: Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut beat Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-4 7-6 (1) 6-3

Women’s doubles: Venus Williams and Serena Williams beat Yaroslava Shvedova and Timea Babos 6-3 6-4

Mixed doubles: Henri Kontinen and Heather Watson beat Robert Farah and Anna-Lena Groenefeld 7-6 (5) 6-4

Junior Boys’ singles: Denis Shapovalov beat Alex de Minaur 4-6 6-1 6-3

Junior Girls’ singles: Anastasia Potapova beat Dayana Yastremska 6-4 6-3

Junior Boys’ doubles: Kenneth Raisma and Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov 4-6 6-4 6-2

Junior Girls’ doubles: Usue Maitane Arconada and Claire Liu beat Mariam Bolkvadze and Caty McNally 6-2 6-3

Men’s Wheelchair Singles: Gordon Reid beat Stefan Olsson 6-1 6-4

Women’s Wheelchair Singles: Jiske Griffioen beat Aniek Van Koot 4-6 6-0 6-4

Men’s Wheelchair Doubles: Alfie Hewitt and Gordon Reid beat Stephane Houdet 4-6 6-1 7-6 (6)

Women’s Wheelchair Doubles: Yui Kamiji and Jordanne Whiley beat Jiske Griffioen and Aniek Van Koot 6-2 6-2

 

OTHERS

Thomaz Bellucci beat Inigo Cervantes 6-1 1-6 6-3 to win the Sparkassen Open 2016 in Braunschweig, Germany

Pauline Parmentier beat Oceane Dodin 6-1 6-1 to win the Lorraine Open 88 in Contrexeville, France

Elitsa Kostova beat Viktoriva Tomova 6-0 7-6 (3) to win the Europe Tennis Center Ladies Open in Budapest, Hungary

 

SAYING

“I don’t mind failing. Failing’s OK providing that you’ve given your best and put everything into it. Obviously a lot of questions would get asked of me after those losses. But failing’s not terrible. I put myself in a position all of the time in these events to win them. Haven’t won them all of the time. I’ve lost a lot of close ones against great players most of the time. That’s it. Just have kind of not being afraid of failing. Sort of learning from all of my losses. That’s what I’ve done throughout most of my career.” – Andy Murray, after winning his second Wimbledon title.

“This one is going to sting. I’m going to make sure I do everything I can to be back here for another chance.” – Milos Raonic, who lost the Wimbledon men’s singles final to Andy Murray in straight sets.

“I learned that you can’t win everything, even though I try really hard. I still am not going to be perfect. Once I started focusing more on the positives, I realized that I’m pretty good. Then I started playing a little better.” – Serena Williams, following her win over Angelique Kerber in the women’s singles final.

“Serena was serving unbelievable today. At the end I was trying everything, but she deserved it today. I was not the one who lost the match. I think she won the match.” – Angelique Kerber.

“It’s a privilege, it’s an honor. When you enter the doubles draw, you dream of winning. Then we enter the singles, we dream of winning. To have Williams on both of those, somehow in 2016, it’s another dream come true.” – Venus Williams, after teaming with sister Serena, the singles champion, to win the doubles.

“This one clearly hurts, because I could have had it. I was so, so, close.” – Roger Federer, after losing for the first time in 11 Wimbledon semifinal appearances.

“There’s definitely some blurs between eight, nine and 10. I don’t even know where eight, nine and 10 were, or when. I definitely don’t remember where 12 was. I remember one through four. Gets really blurry after that. But I will be able to definitely place this one.” – Serena Williams, claiming a lapse in memory but saying she will remember when and where she won her 22nd Grand Slam tournament singles title.

“She is someone who beats records and not just equals them.” — Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena Williams’ coach, about the 2016 Wimbledon champion.

“I find the very top players hate to lose more than they like to win. Serena hates losing. She absolutely goes crazy. I always talk about the head, the heart and the guts have to be together to make greatness, and that’s what Serena has.” – Billie Jean King.

“In life there is no such thing as impossible, it’s always possible. That’s what you feel as an athlete. Pretty much our job is to make the impossible happen every day. It’s like magic, you know.” – Venus Williams.

“I would love to, it’s all in the plans. If it’s different, I’ll be sure to let you know.” – Venus Williams, when asked if she would return to Wimbledon next year.

 

SERENA AT 22

Finally. After three tries went awry, Serena Williams finally captured her 22nd Grand Slam tournament singles title to pull even with Steffi Graf for the most won in the Open Era. And the American did it at Wimbledon, where she also won her 21st major crown last year. “Number 22 is awesome,” Williams said after downing Germany’s Angelique Kerber. “Centre Court feels like home.” She now is two major titles behind Australia’s Margaret Smith Court, who began her winning career before the Open Era began. It was Serena’s seventh Wimbledon singles title, and it came after she was upset in the semifinals of the US Open last September and lost to Kerber in the Australian Open in January and to Spain’s Garbiñe Muguruza at Roland Garros last month. “I think, if anything, I was able to show resilience that, no, that’s not going to shake me, you’re not going to break me, it’s going to make me stronger,” Williams said of her losses. Kerber, who played almost as well as Williams, said the American was a great champion. “Serena, you deserve it, you are a great champion and great person,” Kerber said. “We played a great match.” That they did. Williams finally prevailed by slamming 13 aces and 39 winners. “Angelique brings out great tennis in me,” Williams said. The 71st singles title also moved Williams within two of Martina Navratilova’s all-time record of nine Wimbledon triumphs.

At age 34, Williams is the oldest woman to win a major title. She has won nine Grand Slam tournament crowns since turning 30. Navratilova and Court each won three majors after turning 30. Williams also has the longest winning span between Grand Slam tournament titles. It was 16 years, 10 months between her first US Open crown in 1999 and the 2016 Wimbledon.

 

SPECIAL SUNDAY

This one was for himself. “I feel happier this time, more content. I feel like this was sort of more for myself more than anything, and my team as well,” Andy Murray said after winning his second Wimbledon singles title by besting Canada’s Milos Raonic in straight sets. “The last time it was just pure relief, and I didn’t really enjoy the moment as much, whereas I’m going to make sure I enjoy this one more than the others.” It was Murray’s third Grand Slam tournament title – he captured the US Open in 2012 – and he became the first British man to win multiple Wimbledon titles since Fred Perry in the 1930s. “I obviously want to win to make all the fans that come to watch happy. I’m not suggesting this was only for me. But the last time it was such a big thing, you know, for a British man to win Wimbledon. It had been so long, I was so relieved that I’d done that.” The only service break came in the opening set. And while the last two sets went to tiebreaks, Murray was in complete control of both. The Scot faced just two break points in the battle, and his return of serve limited Raonic to only eight aces in the title match. Raonic was attempting to become the first Canadian to win a major title since Daniel Nestor teamed with Max Mirnyi in 2012 to capture the French Open doubles. Instead, he committed 29 unforced errors to just 12 for Murray.

 

SISTER POWER

Sisters Venus and Serena Williams were not seeded at this year’s Wimbledon, despite having won the women’s doubles five previous times. Make that six. The Williams sisters, preparing to defend their doubles title at the Rio Olympics, ran their record to a perfect 14-0 in Grand Slam doubles final, besting Timea Babos of Hungary and Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova. The final was played just hours after Serena won her 22nd Grand Slam tournament singles title. The younger sister has now won both the singles and doubles at Wimbledon in the same year four times. “It’s unbelievable,” Serena said. “It’s a feat even I couldn’t have thought would have happened. It’s amazing.” The sisters are now 22-1 in all doubles finals they have played together. Their 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together move them into a tie with American Gigi Fernandez and Belarussian Natasha Zvereva for second place on the all-time list. Martina Navratilova and fellow American Pam Shriver lead the list with 20 major titles. “We’ve played so sporadically the last few years,” Venus said. “It’s not easy to come out and play one match, then not play for a year.” Tell that to Babos and Shvedova.

 

SWEET VICTORY

When Russia’s Anastasia Potapova finally won the junior girls’ singles title, she had no problem celebrating her victory. After all, she had practiced her celebration twice before. On her fourth match point, Potapova fell to the ground in tears after hitting what she thought was the winning shot. But Dayana Yastremska successfully challenged the shot. Potapova celebrated winning again with a baseline shot. But again Yastremska disputed it and again was proven correct. That’s when a visibly upset Potapova threw her racquet to the ground. “I didn’t have anything to lose so I decided to take the challenge just to see,” Yastremska said. “For me it wasn’t hard to get back in the game. I didn’t pay attention to what she was doing, I was just focusing on the next point.” Potapova, on her fifth match point, finally was able to close out the victory. “I’m happy for her that she won,” Yastremska said. “It wasn’t my day. She deserved it.”

 

SWISS FEAR

Roger Federer is wondering whether or not he suffered a serious injury in his semifinal loss to Milos Raonic. Four games into the fifth set, with the score at deuce, Federer rolled his left ankle as he lunged after a forehand winner from Raonic. The Swiss master sprawled face down on Centre Court, finally got back to his feet and slumped into his chair rather than head for the baseline. The trainer came onto the court to manipulate Federer’s left knee and leg. The 17-time Grand Slam tournament singles champion managed to save that break point, but four points later Raonic had the break for a 3-1 lead. It was all the Canadian needed, eventually winning 6-3 6-7 (3) 4-6 7-5 6-3. “I just hope I didn’t hurt myself,” Federer said of the tumble. “Is it a three-day thing, is it a 24-hour thing, or is it more? I hope it’s not bad.” The 34-year-old underwent surgery on the same knee earlier this year. “I just didn’t feel the same after the fall,” Federer admitted.

 

STRAIGHT-SET WIN

Nicolas Mahut’s name is in the Wimbledon record book for something more than his marathon battle against American John Isner. Mahut teamed with Pierre-Hughes Herbert to win the men’s doubles with a straight-set win over fellow Frenchmen Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. “When you win the match point in the final, you just realize that you’re going to have your name written on the trophy and everywhere,” Mahut said. “Being the champion here in Wimbledon, it’s a dream come true for me.” It was the first all-French doubles final at Wimbledon in the Open Era. Mahut and Herbert have won five titles this year, including the first three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events, making them the best men’s doubles team in 2016. “Now I can come in the press conference as a Wimbledon champion. It’s great,” Mahut said.

 

SEARING HEAT

Milos Raonic hit the fastest serve at this year’s Wimbledon in his semifinal win over Roger Federer. The Canadian rocketed a serve clocked at 144 mph (231.7 km/h) in the opening set. The record for the fastest serve ever hit, clocking 163 mph (263.4km/h) is credited to Australia’s Sam Groth, who did it at a second-tier Challenger event in Busan, South Korea, in May 2012.

 

SENT PACKING

It should have been an omen. Leander Paes and Martina Hingis, who had won the mixed doubles at four of the last five Grand Slam tournaments, were ousted at Wimbledon by a team playing their first match together. Britain’s Heather Watson and Finland’s Henri Kontinen had reached the third round because of walkovers. “We were warming up and getting ready each day and we were always put on at the end of the day, so we’ve literally just been ready to play for each match and they’ve told us last minute,” Watson said. Whatever, it worked. The two beat Robert Farah and Anna-Lena Groenefeld 7-6 (5) 6-4 to win the mixed doubles title. Kontinen became the first Finn to win a Grand Slam tournament title, while Watson is the first British woman to win the mixed doubles since Jo Durie and Jeremy Bates did it in 1987.

Paes and Hingis came into Wimbledon having completed the mixed doubles Grand Slam at Roland Garros last month. Last year they won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.

 

STRONG SHOWING

British fans had a lot to cheer about at this year’s Wimbledon. Andy Murray won his second men’s singles title. Heather Watson teamed with Finland’s Henri Kontinen to capture the mixed doubles event. And Britain’s Gordon Reid won the inaugural Wimbledon men’s wheelchair singles title. The 24-year-old Reid defeated Sweden’s Stefan Olsson 6-1 6-4 to add to the doubles title he won with fellow Brit Alfie Hewitt. “I wanted to achieve two things,” the victorious Scot said. “First, if there were any kids with disabilities for this to inspire them to take up the sport. And second was to continue to break down the barriers when it comes to disability sport, to showcase the talent in the sport. The coverage and interest we’ve had this week, it’s been a big milestone and hopefully we can build on that.”

 

STRANGE VIRUS

An unknown virus has struck Marion Bartoli three years after she won Wimbledon. Now 31, the Frenchwoman is extremely thin, a condition she attributes to her illness. “My life right now, it’s an absolute nightmare,” Bartoli said on British TV. “What I’m going through, I wish it to absolutely nobody.” Bartoli believes she contracted the disease while on a long flight in February. She says she can only eat organic leaves and cucumbers without skin because her body rejects other food. She said she has been seeking treatment.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Braunschweig: James Cerretani and Philipp Oswald beat Mateusz Kowalczyk and Antonin Sancic 4-6 7-6 (5) 10-2 (match tiebreak)

Budapest: Ema Burgic Bucko and Georgina Garcia-Perez beat Lenka Kuncikova and Karolina Stuchla 6-4 2-6 12-10 (match tiebreak)

Contrexeville: Cindy Burger and Laura Pous-Tio beat Nicole Melichar and Renata Voracova 6-1 6-3

 

SURFING

Hamburg: https://german-open-hamburg.de/

Newport: www.halloffametennischampionships.com/

Båstad (men): http://men.swedishopen.org/

Bucharest: www.brdbucharestopen.ro/

Gstaad (women): www.ladieschampionshipgstaad.ch/

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com/en/home.aspx

Washington: www.citiopentennis.com/

Kitzbühel: www.generaliopen.com/

Umag: http://www.croatiaopen.hr/

Gstaad (men): www.jsafrasarasinswissopengstaad.ch/en/

Stanford: www.bankofthewestclassic.com/

Båstad (women): www.ericssonopen.org/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

 

MEN

$1,471,340 German Tennis Championships, Hamburg, Germany, clay

$539,730 Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, Newport, Rhode Island, USA, grass

$540,573 SkiStar Swedish Open, Båstad, Sweden, clay

 

WOMEN

$250,000 Ladies Championship Gstaad, Gstaad, Switzerland, clay

$250,000 BRD Bucharest Open, Bucharest, Romania, clay

 

DAVIS CUP

World Group Quarterfinals

Serbia vs. Great Britain at Belgrade, Serbia, clay

Italy vs. Argentina at Pesaro, Italy, clay

Czech Republic vs. France at Trinec, Czech Republic, hard

United States vs. Croatia at Portland, Oregon, USA, hard

 

Group I 2nd Round

Americas Zone: Brazil vs. Ecuador at Belo Horizonte, Brazil, hard; Chile vs. Colombia at Iquique, Chile, clay

Asia/Oceania Zone: India vs. Korea, at Chandigarh, India, grass; Uzbekistan vs. China at Tashkent, Uzbekistan, clay

Europe/Asia Zone: Romania vs. Spain at Cluj-Napoca, Romania, hard; Ukraine vs. Austria at Kiev, Ukraine, hard; Russia vs. Netherlands at Moscow, Russia, hard; Hungary vs. Slovakia at Budapest, Hungary, clay

 

Group II, 2nd Round

Americas Zone: Peru vs. Mexico at Lima, Peru, clay; El Salvador vs. Venezuela at Santa Tecla, El Salvador, hard

Asia/Oceania Zone: Philippines vs. Chinese Taipei at Manila, Philippines, clay; Thailand vs. Vietnam at Nonthaburi, Thailand, hard

Europe/Africa Zone: Lithuania vs. South Africa at Kaunas, Lithuania, clay; Bosnia/Herzegovina vs. Turkey at Odmor I Rekreaciju, Bihac, clay; Belarus vs. Latvia at Minsk, Belarus, hard; Denmark vs. Finland at Kongens Lyngby, Denmark, carpet

 

Group III Round-Robin

Americas Zone at La Paz, Bolivia, clay: Bahamas, Bermuda, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama, Trinidad & Tobago

Asia/Oceania Zone at Tehran, Iran, clay: Cambodia, Hong Kong, Iran, Lebanon, Pacific Oceania, Qatar, Singapore, Syria, Turkmenistan

Africa Zone at Antanarivo, Madagascar, clay: Algeria, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda

Group IV Round-Robin

Asia/Oceania Zone at Amman, Jordan, clay: Bahrain, Brunei, Iraq, Jordan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

 

MEN

$1,877,700 Citi Open, Washington, DC, USA, hard

$574,464 J. Safra Sarasin Swiss Open, Gstaad, Switzerland, clay

$574,464 Generali Open, Kitzbühel, Austria, clay

$574,464 Konzum Croatia Open, Umag, Croatia, clay

 

WOMEN

$687,900 Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, California, USA, hard

$250,000 Citi Open, Washington, DC, USA, hard

$250,000 Ericsson Open, Båstad, Sweden, clay

Andy Murray
Andy Murray