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Kei Nishikori Renews Clothing Deal with Uniqlo – This Week In Tennis Business with Kevin Craig

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by Kevin Craig

@KCraig_Tennis

 

 

Kei Nishikori Renews Clothing Deal with Uniqlo

Kei Nishikori, the 2014 US Open finalist has renewed his clothing contract with Uniqlo, according to Bloomberg Business. It is possible that the deal will exceed $10 million a year as Nishikori continues his rise through the ATP rankings. Nishikori’s agent did not comment on the exact specifics of the deal, but is focusing on the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo as a huge prospect for Japan’s No. 1 tennis player. Tadashi Yanai, the founder of Uniqlo, has also been able to bring in Novak Djokovic, Shingo Kunieda, the world No. 1 wheelchair tennis player, as well as the 2013 Masters winner, Adam Scott. Yanai hopes the exposure during the Olympics, along with opening stores in various cities around the world like Paris and New York, will allow his company to grow exponentially.

Andy Murray Raises £83,000 for Charity

Through the Andy’s Aces Initiative, the 2015 Davis Cup winner has been able to raise £83,000 for Unicef by donating £50 every time he hits an ace, in addition to contributions from various sponsors, according to BBC. The initiative began in September when Murray learned about the news of the events that had been going on in Syria. Murray decided to team up with Unicef due to their contributions to the Syrians, focusing on helping the children who had their lives changed forever. Standard Life, Under Armour, the Lawn Tennis Association, and the ATP all decided to match the £50 donation, joining in on the contributions to Unicef. In an interview with BBC, David Bull, UK’s Unicef Executive Director, stated his gratitude for Murray and everyone who helped with the contribution, citing that the children in Syria need help now more than ever.

Rio de Janeiro Cancels Contract for New Olympic Tennis Center

Reuters Sports announced that the city of Rio de Janeiro has been forced to cancel the construction contract of the Olympic Tennis Center. The cancellation comes exactly 200 days before the Olympic Games get underway, leaving the tennis world with many questions. Not only has the contract been cancelled, but the consortium has also been fined approximately $2.7 million, according to Rio’s Official Gazette. The complex is about 90 percent complete, according to Reuters, leaving the consortium perplexed and thinking of taking the issue to court seeking compensation for financial losses and damage to their reputations. The city of Rio de Janeiro will now have to look for a new tennis center to host the Olympics, but may not have to look far due to their already being an ATP and WTA combined event hosted in the city.

Maria Sharapova Becomes Brand Ambassador for NetJets

According to Business Wire, the five time grand slam champion has recently signed on with NetJets in the role of a brand ambassador. Sharapova’s main focus for the company will be a marketing campaign via social media. Along with this, Sharapova will be able to provide owners of NetJets with exclusive opportunities. Pat Gallagher, the Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for NetJets, praised Sharapova as “a best in class athlete, business owner, and philanthropist,” in an interview with Business Wire. Sharapova is affiliated with a long list of other major brands, such as Nike, Evian, Porsche, and American Express.

IMG, Topnotch Management Reel in Clients while Lagardere Struggles

Lagardere Tennis, one of the leaders in the tennis management industry, has taken a hit in recent months as many of their clients have left for other companies like IMG and Topnotch. The many moves have come after Sam Duvall, former Vice President of Tennis at Lagardere, resigned from his position. Duvall went on to create Topnotch Management and has brought some of his clients with him, according to Sports Agent Blog. Americans John Isner, Steve Johnson, and Denis Kudla have joined the company, alongside French stars Jeremy Chardy and Caroline Garcia. IMG has been able to bring in recent Auckland champion Sloane Stephens, a former client of Lagardere, joining Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, Petra Kvitova, and many others. Others to leave Largardere in recent weeks include Victoria Azarenka and Eugenie Bouchard, according to Tennis World USA.

California Dream Forced to Fold

Back in the December 18th edition of This Week in Tennis Business, the financial struggles of Sacramento’s World Team Tennis organization were featured. Less than a month since then, the team has been forced to leave the league, the Sacramento Bee has announced. World Team Tennis spokeswoman Rosie Crews claimed the team was terminated “due to noncompliance with their obligation to the league.” The announcement comes after the period in which teams typically have to pay a fee to ensure their position in the league for the upcoming season. This news is just an addition to the long list of problems that Sacramento has witnessed during its time in World Team Tennis, which leaves many people doubting that a team will ever be able to return to the area. For more details about the demise of the California Dream, read the December 18th edition of This Week in Tennis Business here, http://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/12484.

ASB Classic Succeeding Financially

The first major New Zealand sporting event of the calendar year has continued its growth again in 2016, seeing ticket sales doubled from four years ago. In the past few years, sponsorship revenue, prize money, and international broadcasting rights have increased contributing to the rise in ticket sales that saw 60 percent of the tickets for the event sold before the player fields were even announced. According to Ateed, one of the major sponsors of the event, stated that the tournament was able to outdo expectations in 2015 by bringing in just under $2 million for the Auckland region and seeing more than 60,000 spectators enter the grounds. Karl Budge, events director of the ASB Classic, has stated that the overall prestige of the event has risen significantly in recent years, in an interview with the New Zealand Herald. Budge believes that this spike in financial success over the past four years has set him and his tournament up for at least another five years of sustained success.

Milos Raonic to Participate in the NBA Celebrity Game

The NBA announced the list of participants in the 2016 NBA Celebrity Game that takes place during the NBA’s All-Star Weekend, and Raonic was among those participants. With the game taking place in Toronto, Raonic was an easy choice for the game as he grew up in the suburbs of Toronto. Raonic will be playing for Team Canada, coached by Grammy Award winning artist Drake, teaming up with former NBA MVP Steve Nash, Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays, Drew and Jonathan Scott of the Property Brothers, and others. Team USA is coached by actor/comedian Kevin Hart who has won MVP of the NBA Celebrity Game four times, and sees the roster filled out by actors Jason Sudeikis, Michael B. Jordan, and Nick Cannon, plus former NBA stars Chauncey Billups and Muggsy Bogues. The game will take place on Friday, February 12th and will be televised on ESPN.

Kei Nishikori
Kei Nishikori

Roger Federer Announces 2016 Schedule – This Week In Tennis Business with Kevin Craig

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by Kevin Craig

@Kcraig_tennis

 

Roger Federer Announces 2016 Schedule

Roger Federer has released his provisional schedule for the 2016 season via his Twitter account and will begin his action at the Brisbane International the first week of the year. The rest of Federer’s schedule will see him play the four slams; five Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells, Toronto, Cincinnati, Shanghai, and Paris; the Olympics; and five other events throughout the year in Rotterdam, Dubai, Stuttgart, Halle, and Basel. The tentative schedule sees Federer only playing one event on clay, the French Open, meaning he will be taking about a two month break from the middle of March to the middle of May. By playing the majority of his season on hard courts and only playing in 16 tournaments total, Federer may be prioritizing the 2016 Summer Olympics, as he is looking to win is first gold medal in singles.

Serena Williams Wins Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year Award

After her great 2015 season, Serena Williams became the first tennis player to win the award since Arthur Ashe in 1992, and the first female tennis player since Chris Evert in 1976. Not much can be said about Williams’ year that hasn’t been said already, as she won the first three majors of the year and came within two matches of finishing the calendar grand slam. This is a positive for the tennis world as the sport gets some massive international attention with Williams beating out American Pharaoh, the first horse to win a triple crown since 1978. Williams’ win also sees the award officially receive a name change from Sportsman or Sportswoman of the Year to Sportsperson of the Year.

Duran Duran to Perform at Miami Open

The Miami Open announced that Duran Duran will be performing at the Miami Open on April 1st, following the men’s singles semifinal matches. The band is on tour after releasing their album Paper Gods, which has been the band’s highest charting album since the early 1990’s. This event is part of the 2016 edition of the entertainment platform known as the Miami Open Experience that the Miami Open began in 2015, in an attempt to provide tennis fans with a much fuller and more unique experience. The concert will take place on Grandstand Court at the Miami Open and tickets are now on sale, starting at $60. If interested, go online to www.miamiopen.com or call 305-442-3367.

Jonas Bjorkman No Longer on Andy Murray’s Coaching Staff

Jonas Bjorkman will not return to Andy Murray’s coaching box in 2016 as Murray did not renew his contract, according to Paul Newman at Independent. Bjorkman took over the primary coaching role in the latter stages of 2015 as Amelie Mauresmo, Murray’s head coach, had given birth to her first child in the summer. Murray went through a great run of form with Bjorkman in charge as he made the semifinals in Shanghai and the final in Paris before winning the Davis Cup title, but opted to look for a change at the assistant coach position. While Bjorkman will not be returning, Mauresmo will be as she plans on working the majority of the 2016 season with Murray.

Rio Olympic Tennis Center Opens for Test Event

The tennis center that will be hosting the 2016 Summer Olympics opened up for a test event in which Brazilian tennis players like Thomaz Bellucci and Bruno Soares had the opportunity to get a feel for the brand new courts and prepare them for the big event next summer. The tennis complex is placed in Barra Olympic Park, which will be the main sports hub for the Olympics in 2016. The complex holds 16 courts in total, with the center court having 10,000 seats, and will be used for much more than just the 2016 Summer Olympics. In an interview with rio2016.com, Juan Margets, the Executive Vice President of the International Tennis Federation, stated that he believes the complex will one day be able to host large events on the ATP and WTA tours, possibly even at the level of the ATP Masters event and a WTA Tier One. Gustavo Kuerten, a former world No. 1 from Brazil, was also interviewed by rio2016.com and stated that he hopes the complex will be able to have a large impact on Brazilian tennis as the complex will be used as a major training ground and hopes the complex will increase enthusiasm towards tennis amongst young Brazilian athletes.

Rafael Nadal and Mahesh Bhupathi Team Up Their Tennis Academies

Rafael Nadal and Mahesh Bhupathi have combined their tennis academies in an attempt to boost Indian tennis and give young players the opportunity to train with some of the best coaches in Spain, starting in May 2016, according to Business Standard. Bhupathi’s academy has had tremendous success promoting the sport and has seen widespread popularity throughout India, so there will be no shortage of talent to choose from as Nadal’s academy will be able to seek out the players with the most talent and potential. Bhupathi claims that the main goal of his academy is to seek out raw talent and help young athletes be able to go into professional sports, so this collaboration with a 14-time grand slam winner will be pivotal for his academy and Indian tennis as a whole.

California Dream of World Team Tennis Faces Massive Financial Issues

After only one year of action, the California Dream’s future appears to be up in the air as the organization faces a variety of financial problems. According to an article from The Sacramento Bee, the team has recently been sued by their food concessionaire for $19,000, minority owner Bob Kaliski claims that he has lost $175,000 investing on the team, and one of the team’s main sponsors has not heard from any of the team’s owners since the team’s season ended in July. Sacramento held a World Team Tennis team from 1988 through 2013, but lost the organization when their owner was arrested for using the team in a Ponzi scheme for his own business, leading to the league ordering the club to be disbanded. Also in 2010, then-owner Lonnie Nielson was sent to prison for embezzlement involving the team’s box office receipts, so economic issues are nothing new to World Team Tennis in Sacramento. 2014 saw no World Team Tennis action in the California capital, but in 2015 the Texas Wild moved to Sacramento, as current owner Jeff Launius viewed the city that loved World Team Tennis. The Dream were able to make it to the Western Conference Championship with contributions from Bob and Mike Bryan, but the league has yet to hear from Launius since the season ended. Rosie Crews, World Team Tennis’ spokeswoman claims there have been no major warning signals that the team will not return next year, despite the economic troubles of the club that see the Dream owing its vendors $192,000.

Western & Southern Open Loses Tennis Director, Vince Cicero

According to Bob Larson at TennisNews.com, Vince Cicero has decided to leave one of the biggest tennis tournaments of the year to start his own sports marketing company. With Cicero at the helm, the Western & Southern Open was able to set new attendance records in each of his five years. Cicero has a large amount of experience in the sports world, as he worked with the Cincinnati Bengals for 13 years and has ties to the Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks, and Marquette University, all of which have long inspired Cicero to start his own company.

Tennis Australia Board Director Scott Tanner Resigns

Scott Tanner joined the Tennis Australia Board in 2007 and has played a pivotal role in the growth of the Australian Open in recent years, making it one of the most popular sporting events in the world. Tanner has resigned in order to focus more on his other business interests which include being the CEO of the Bank of Melbourne and a director of the Melbourne Business School, this is also according to Bob Larson.

Roger Federer
Roger Federer

Andy Murray Super in Leading Britain to Davis Cup Title – Mondays with Bob Greene

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STARS

 

DAVIS CUP

(Final)

Great Britain beat Belgium 3-1 at Ghent, Belgium

OTHERS

Inigo Cervantes beat Daniel Munoz-de la Nava 6-2 3-6 7-6 (4) to win the ATP Challenger Tour Finals in São Paulo, Brazil

Yanina Wickmayer beat Nicole Gibbs 6-3 7-6 (4) to win the Carlsbad Classic in Carlsbad, California, USA

Jana Fett beat Luksika Kumkhum 6-4 4-6 6-4 to win the 2015 Dunlop Srixon World Challenge in Toyota, Japan

 

SAYING

“We’ll all remember this year for the rest of our lives, regardless of what happens in the rest of any of our careers.” – Andy Murray, after leading Great Britain to the Davis Cup title.

“I gave everything. I have no regrets. I think after a match like this, and a tie, we can all be proud. Even if we lost the tie today, we played an unbelievable season in Davis Cup.” – David Goffin, who won Belgium’s lone point in the Davis Cup final.

“I was dominating the first two sets. He couldn’t get near me. He turned that (around), and that’s something I need to learn from.” – Kyle Edmund, who won the first two sets before losing the opening match in the Belgium-Great Britain Davis Cup final.

“This week has been huge for next year. It’s a very good start. I’ve been practicing next to my matches, so it’s very nice to see improvement and progress in my game.” – Yanina Wickmayer, after winning her fifth career WTA tour title.

“I think that’s kind of normal in Davis Cup, to be honest. I don’t feel like they crossed the line. I’m experienced enough now to not allow it to bother me, and try to use it to my advantage as much as I can.” – Andy Murray, refusing to criticize the noisy Belgian fans at the Davis Cup final.

“I don’t think people fully appreciate what Andy Murray has achieved. It’s fantastic how committed he is to the Davis Cup now, he has put his whole heart and soul into winning this.” – Mark Cox, former British Davis Cupper, talking about Murray.

“He keeps surprising me, his ability to produce the type of tennis he does under stress, fatigue and pain. He just gives everything every time he pulls on the shirt. He is the superstar, but his support for the team is phenomenal.” – Leon Smith, Great Britain’s Davis Cup captain, talking about Andy Murray.

 

SUPER JOB

With Andy Murray winning all three points, Britain won the Davis Cup for the first time in 79 years. The 28-year-old Murray captured both of his singles matches and joined his brother Jamie to win the doubles. It was the first time Britain has been Davis Cup champions since Hall of Famer Fred Perry led the way in 1936. Murray beat David Goffin 6-3 7-5 6-3 in the first reverse singles to give Britain an unbeatable 3-1 lead over Belgium. The two sides decided not to play the meaningless fifth match.

Murray is just the third player to win all eight singles in the same calendar year since the Davis Cup World Group started in 1981. The others were John McEnroe and Mats Wilander. And he became only the third player in the Open era – after Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi – to win Wimbledon, the Olympic singles gold medal and the Davis Cup.

Murray broke Goffin once in each of the first sets. Belgium’s top player had only once came back from a two-set deficit, and that was in the opening match against Kyle Edmund, making his Davis Cup debut for Britain. Murray, however, was a much different story. “Murray is a tremendous champion,” Goffin said. “I rocked him a bit and I did everything I could. But he was just too strong for me. He was monstrous.”

 

SPANISH TILT

In an all-Spanish battle, Inigo Cervantes edged Daniel Munoz-de la Nava to win the ATP Challenger Tour Finals. “I’m glad that I won such an important and special final,” the champion said. The Spaniard, who underwent to hip surgeries two years ago, is the first undefeated champion in the five-year history of the Challenger finale. He also became just the third player in ATP Challenger Tour history to win 50 matches in a season, finishing up 2015 with a 50-20 record. “These numbers show how excellent my year was,” Cervantes said. “Two years ago I was in a wheelchair without being able to play tennis or walk because of two hip surgeries. Now I have my best ranking. Next year I’ll have even bitter goals and I hope to get better and better.”

 

STRONG PERFORMANCE

In the same week Belgium’s men played in the Davis Cup final, the country’s top female player, Yanina Wickmayer, won her fifth WTA Tour title at the Carlsbad Classic. Ranked 49th in the world going into the final week of the WTA season, the 26-year-old Wickmayer broke her American foe three times before closing out the match in the second-set tiebreak. It was Wickmayer’s second title of 2015, having won the Japan Women’s Open in September. Gibbs was playing in her first WTA Tour final.

 

STOPPING SERENA

Even if it doesn’t count officially, Caroline Wozniacki finally posted a win over Serena Williams. The two close friends met in the Energi Denmark Champions Battle in Herning, Denmark, with Wozniacki coming out on top 6-3 6-4, the first time she has beaten Williams since 2012 in Miami, Florida, USA. “It was such a great thing to play in front of my home crowd here in Herning, and at the same time to play against a great champion and a good friend,” Wozniacki said. “I hope very much to be able to play in Denmark again in the future. It’s been a great pleasure to come and play here.” It was the second straight year Williams has played in Herning. Last year the world’s top-ranked player took on Ana Ivanovic of Serbia.

 

STAYING THE COURSE

David Goffin waited out the British whirlwind before giving host Belgium a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five Davis Cup final. Great Britain’s Kyle Edmund, making his Davis Cup debut, raced through the first two sets against Belgium’s top player, 6-3 6-1. “I started very well,” Edmund said. “Obviously not playing a Davis Cup match before, I was nervous, (but) it couldn’t have gone any better.” Unfortunately for Edmund, Davis Cup play is best-of-five sets, and Goffin found his game in time. “I was a little bit worried because Kyle was playing unbelievable,” said Goffin, who is ranked 16th in the world. “He just had nothing to lose. He played a wonderful match. But, like I said, I knew I had a chance and I had to take it. I know it’s always tough when you are young, when you’re playing your first match in Davis Cup, to play three sets like this. It’s always tough. That’s why I tried to stay calm and wait for a chance.” Edmund said tiredness and cramps caused his form to dip dramatically as Goffin began his winning charge. “In the third set he started to get on top of me,” the 20-year-old Edmund said. “Then things started to fall away. In the fourth set I was struggling physically, and in the fifth set it was just disappointing that my body couldn’t hold up the way I would have liked it to.” Goffin won the opener 3-6 1-6 6-2 6-1 6-0.

 

SPECIAL PARTNER

Caroline Wozniacki had a pretty high-profile partner when she participated in an event designed to inspire children to participate in daily exercise. Joining the former world number one for Children’s Aid Day in Copenhagen was Princess Mary of Denmark. The Princess wore a chunky grey wool scarf with a tailored navy trench coat over her slim-leg navy pants.  She finished the look with charcoal suede stiletto boats and her hair was worn loosely over her shoulders. Wozniacki was dressed in active wear and trainers. Children’s Aid Day is held to support youth who live with foster families. The special day has received royal support since 1904. Princess Mary is known for her work with organizations that support women and children and is patron of the Children’s Aid Foundation.

 

SECOND SEASON

The International Premier Tennis League Presented by Qatar Airways (IPTL) will begin its second season in Kobe, Japan, with the first of five round-robin tournaments. Other stops will be in Manila, New Delhi, Dubai and Singapore. The brief tour has expanded to five franchises in Asia, an increase of one over the teams that participated in last year’s inaugural tour. Joining the four original teams – Indian Aces, manila Mavericks, Singapore Slammers and UAF Royals – are the Japan Warriors, who will host the opening series. The Warriors’ roster includes Maria Sharapova, Kei Nishikori and 2000 US Open champion Marat Safin.

Other players participating in the IPTL include Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Tomas Berdych, Ana Ivanovic, Marin Cilic, Treat Huey, Richard Gasquet, Sabine Lisicki, Rohan Bopanna, Sania Mirza, Nick Kyrgios, Carlos Moya and Belinda Bencic.

 

STILL IN CHARGE

India’s Anil Khanna has won re-election as president of the Asian Tennis Federation (ATF). Khanna recently was also elected vice president of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and also is head of the All India Tennis Federation (AITA). Randy Villanueva was appointed treasurer of the ATF, while Sheikh Ahmad Al Sabah of Kuwait was made an honorary life president of the organization. Nasser Al Ghanim Al Khelaifi of Qatar was appointed as the new chairman.

 

SKIPPING DECEMBER

Both the ATP World Tour and the WTA tour have ended their regular seasons for 2015, and so will this column. The next Mondays with Bob Greene will be available on Jan. 4, 2016

Although the “big guns” are vacationing – or participating in lucrative exhibitions – there is still plenty of tennis being played around the world. This week, for example, the men are playing tournaments in Bangkok, Thailand; Opava, Czech Republic; Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Antalya, Turkey; Doha, Qatar; El Kantaoui, Tunisia; Jassowal, India; Larnaca, Cyprus; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; San Pedro Sula, Honduras; Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt; Tel Aviv, Israel; Temuco, Chili, and Trujillo, Peru.

Meanwhile, there are women’s tournaments in Santiago, Chile; Antalya, Turkey; Cairo, Egypt; El Kantaoui, Tunisia, and Tel Aviv, Israel.

Most of the events each have total prize money of USD $10,000, although some are USD $15,000 events. The women’s tournament in Santiago has a total purse of USD $25,000. In comparison, the ATP tournament in Chennai, India, beginning Jan. 4 has prize money of USD $459,140, while the WTA event in Auckland, New Zealand, the same week is paying out USD $250,000.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Carlsbad: Gabriela Ce and Veronica Cepede Royg beat Oksana Kalashnikova and Tatjana Maria 1-6 6-4 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Toyota: Akiko Omae and Peangtarn beat Luksika Kumkhum and Yuuki Tanaka 3-6 6-0 11-9 (match tiebreak)

 

SURFING

International Tennis Federation: www.itftennis.com/home.aspx

ATP World Tour: www.atpworldtour.com/

WTA Tour: www.wtatennis.com/

Andy Murray
Andy Murray

Novak Djokovic Rolls to Victory; Venus Williams Back in Top 10 – Mondays with Bob Greene

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Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Novak Djokovic beat Andy Murray 6-2 6-4 to win the BNP Paribas Masters Paris in Paris, France

Venus Williams beat Karolina Pliskova 7-5 7-6 (6) to win the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai, China

Yuichi Sugita beat Stephane Robert 6-2 1-6 6-3 to win the World Tennis Thailand Championships in Hua Hin, Thailand

 

SAYING

“I’m still determined to improve, to get better. Nobody can be perfect, but, you know, if you are going for the perfection, you might reach excellence.” – Novak Djokovic, after winning the Paris Indoors.

“It’s tough going out of a tournament without losing your serve.” – Roger Federer, who did just that when he lost to John Isner in Paris.

“I’m not so young. I don’t want to play more, more, more. I had a lot of success, a lot of victories, but sometimes it’s time to change and stop.” – Roberta Vinci, announcing she will retire after the 2016 season.

“In sport there are days when you just lose your rhythm. You’re trying a bit too much and you lose a bit of confidence. It was frustrating … It hasn’t happened to me for a long time.” – Novak Djokovic, after beating Gilles Simon 6-3 7-5 to advance to the quarterfinals in Paris.

“These days there are huge prizes at stake. Some may say that it isn’t such a good thing and perhaps there is a need for more respect in the game. But, just as I am proud of that Wimbledon final and playing for Britain in the Davis Cup, I am also proud of how much we have achieved with tennis, bringing the game to the public and getting exposure to make it that much more professional.” – Mike Davies, a tennis player/promoter who died at the age of 79.

 

STELLAR PERFORMANCE

There’s Novak Djokovic, then there is everyone else on the ATP World Tour. Djokovic continued his dominant season by crushing Andy Murray in straight sets to retain his Paris Masters title. Djokovic became the first man to win six Masters 1000 tournaments in a season and will enter the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals with a 22-match winning streak. He has now won the indoor Paris event four times, breaking the mark of three held by his coach Boris Becker and Marat Safin. Murray had very few chances against Djokovic, the first player to reach 14 consecutive finals in the Open Era. Djokovic broke Murray in the third and fifth games to race through the opening set. Not letting up, Djokovic broke the second-ranked Murray once again en route to a 2-1 second-set advantage. Murray broke back at love in what proved to be his last hurrah. Djokovic broke his Scottish foe for the fourth time in the match, and then secured his third straight title in Paris on Murray’s 34th unforced error of the match. “I’m a married man, and I’m a father as well,” Djokovic said. “I think I have a nice balance and serenity in my private life that reflects on the professional life, and vice versa. … I try to take nothing for granted. I try to work on it all the time, because I know that that is the only way I’m managing to stay successful, is to continue progressing. I’m not trying to keep the status quo, because for me then that’s a regression.”

 

SHE’S BACK IN TOP 10

Venus Williams climbed back into the Top Ten for the first time in four years by winning her third tournament of the year, stopping Karolina Pliskova in the final of the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai. It was her second title in China, having won in Wuhan last month. “Seven weeks here in Asia and now I feel like it’s my home,” Williams said. Top-seeded in Zhuhai, Williams had her hands full with Pliskova. The American raced out to a 4-1 lead in the opening set before her Czech opponent won the next thee games to level the score. Pliskova led 4-2 in the second set and by the same score in the tiebreak before Williams raised her game to capture the title. “It’s a great thing to be Top 10 now with the level of the game, but I’m still very hungry. I’m ready for more,” Williams said. “I’ve had so many experiences in tennis that I still expect a lot from myself. So I’m very happy to be moving forward, but I also want to continue and not stop here.”

 

SOME COMEBACK

Noah Rubin was match point down at 3-6 1-5 30-40 in the final of the Charlottesville Men’s Pro Challenger when his opponent, 18-year-old Tommy Paul, sailed a forehand return long. That apparently was the spark Rubin needed as he rallied to win the USD $50,000 event 3-6 7-6 (7) 6-3 in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA. Rubin ripped off five straight games to take a 6-5 lead in the second set. Paul finally held, forcing a tiebreak. Twice Paul reached match point in the tiebreak, only to have Rubin, a 19-year-old qualifier, battle back, finally winning 9-7. Playing his eighth match in nine days, Rubin ran out to a 4-1 lead in the decisive set, fought back Paul’s final charge and took home the title by breaking Paul at love in the final game.

 

SIZZLING ISNER

Victories over Roger Federer are rare if you are not a member of the Big Four. But John Isner found a way to surprise the Swiss maestro in the third round of the Paris Masters. The American slammed 27 aces in his 7-6 (3) 3-6 7-6 (5) win over Federer. “He’s an incredible player, obviously,” Isner said of his opponent. “My favorite player and the greatest of all time. It was a huge win for me. I’m very proud.” Federer never lost his serve in the match and looked as he might make a tremendous comeback when he won three straight points after being 6-2 down in the decisive tiebreaker. But the Swiss star’s bid for victory ended when Isner hit a looping serve to his backhand. Isner, who called it one of the “top five” wins of his career, saved a break point in the fifth game of the third set with a backhand volley. “That arguably saved the match for me,” the 30-year-old said.

 

SEASON STOPPED

Caroline Wozniacki cut her finger with a bread knife, bringing an abrupt end to her season. According to the WTA, the Danish player cut her finger badly in her hotel and was unable to hold her racquet properly, prompting a wrist injury. Wozniacki tied to play with the injury, but wound up retiring from her match while trailing Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5 2-2 at the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai, China. Wozniacki later withdrew from the tournament, the final event on the WTA tour. “It’s been a really, really frustrating second half of the year,” the one-time world number one said. “Basically just been falling apart physically.”

 

SUPER SERENA

San Francisco police want Serena Williams to file a police report after she told how someone tried to steal her cell phone at a restaurant. Writing about the event on her Facebook page, Serena said she was having dinner at a Chinese restaurant when a man grabbed her cell phone and took off. Surveillance footage shows Williams leaving the restaurant and confronting the man on the sidewalk. She said she asked the man if he had accidentally taken the wrong phone, and he said he had before giving it back. Serena’s Facebook post shows her in a “Supergirl” costume. “Always keep your things close,” she wrote. “Fight for what’s right. Stand for what you believe in! Be a superhero!”

 

SEES THE END

Roberta Vinci, who reached the US Open final in September, says 2016 will be her final season on the WTA tour. The Italian pulled off the biggest upset of the year’s final Grand Slam tournament when she beat top-ranked Serena Williams in the semifinals. After losing to Serena’s older sister, Venus Williams, in the semifinals of the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai, China, Vinci announced her decision. “For me next year is the last,” she said. “Probably I don’t change my mind. Of course, you never know, but it’s tough.” Vinci said she will take some time off before beginning her regular preparation for the start of the season in Australia, but knowing it likely will be her farewell tour. “I want to change my life,” she said, “so probably next year and then I’m finished.”

Vinci lost the US Open final to fellow Italian Flavia Pennetta, who immediately announced after her victory that she was retiring from the sport. Pennetta later said she may hold off her retirement until after the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

 

SORRY

Andy Murray was at first startled and then annoyed when a tennis ball hit his water bottle while he was taking a water break at the Paris Masters.  But that changed when a young ball-girl named Lorenza wrote a charming apology note that was tweeted at Murray. The British star responded by saying there were no hard feelings and he was looking forward to see her the next day.

 

SAD NEWS

Mike Davies, a player, sports administrator and promoter, is dead at the age of 79. The only native of Wales to play in a Wimbledon final, Davies was instrumental in changing the game and making it one of the most watched sports on the planet. In 1969 he became executive director of World Championship Tennis (WCT), and over the next 13 years spearheaded a series of innovations, including changing the color of the balls from white to yellow so they would be more easily seen on television, introducing colorful tennis clothes, and signing the sport’s first contract with a major television network, NBC. In January 2014, Davies returned to Wales to become the first recipient of the President’s Award from Tennis Wales. After reaching the Wimbledon men’s doubles final with Bobby William in 1960, where they lost to Rafael Osuna and Dennis Ralston, Davies became the first British player to turn professional, signing with Jack Kramer. He left the WCT in 1981 to become marketing director and later executive director of the ATP. In 1987, he joined the International Tennis Federation (ITF) as general manager and marketing director, creating the Grand Slam Cup, a tournament held annually in Munich, Germany, from 1990 to 1999. Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2012, Davies is survived by his wife Mina and four children.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Hua Hin: Lee Hsin-Han and Lu en-Hsun beat Andre Begemann and Purav Raja, walk-over

Paris: Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo beat Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock 2-6 6-3 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Zhuhai: Liang Chen and Wang Yafan beat Anabel Medina Garrigues and Arantxa Parra Santonja 6-4 6-3

 

SURFING

Bratislava: www.stz.sk/

 

Fed Cup: www.fedcup.com

Limoges: www.engieopendelimoges.fr/

Hua Hin: http://worldtennisthailand.com/

London: www.barclaysatpworldtourfinals.com/

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

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

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

 

WOMEN

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

$115,000 Hua Hin Championships, Hua Hin, Thailand, hard

 

FED CUP

Nov. 14-15

(Final)

Czech Republic vs. Russia at Prague, Czech Republic, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

 

MEN

$7,000,000 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, London, Great Britain, hard

 

WOMEN

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

 

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic

Andy Murray Looks To Make Up Ground On Novak Djokovic

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He may have lost out to his nemesis at Shanghai recently but Andy Murray acknowledges just how good Novak Djokovic has been so far this season as the race to London hots up.

“I think this year, he (Djokovic) has obviously played extremely well,” Murray said. “He’s found ways to win matches when he hasn’t been playing his best and I think that’s what all of the best players do and he’s done it consistently well this year.”

Murray and Djokovic have a long-standing rivalry – without animosity – at the very peak of tennis and over the years that has only grown as each player has progressed in their respective careers.

The pair have met 29 times so far, with Djokovic leading the battle well ahead by 20-9 and out of those meetings, 12 have been tour finals.

Grand Slam tournaments such as the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open have seen five Murray-Djokovic finals. From the 12 tour finals, neither man can be separated with both winning six each so far.

The five Grand Slam finals were the 2011 Australian Open, in which Djokovic won in three sets, the 2012 US Open, where Murray defeated Djokovic in a record-equaling match almost five hours long to claim his maiden Grand Slam title, the 2013 Australian Open with Djokovic prevailing in four sets, the 2013 Wimbledon Championships where Murray won in straight sets and the 2015 Australian Open with Djokovic again prevailing in four sets.

It may be a close rivalry, but Andy Murray is 11-2 with Coral to win the Australian Open this year and although he’ll have to get past Djokovic to do it, the 28-year-old will be hopeful of taking his first ever Australian title as the season begins next January.

Djokovic holds the edge over Murray when it comes to games on clay, having won all three but Murray has defeated the Serbian in their only games on grass, winning both. However, the Scot has had little answer to Djokovic’s domination on the hard courts, where he is losing 17-7 in career matches.

“Although I’m a long way behind Novak in the rankings right now, that can change a lot if a few matches go your way, the Grand Slam semi-finals and finals which are worth the big, big points. To make No.1 in the world I’ll need to win a couple of them. Hopefully I can do that next year.”

 

Andy Murray
Andy Murray

Will Belgium’s Ghent Gamble Pay Off?

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At the start of the year, few would have predicted that Belgium and Great Britain would be contesting the Davis Cup final.

With no major depth to their teams, the two nations have overcome the odds to make it through to November’s final, with Belgium having home advantage.

Belgium have played on different surfaces at home this year, but have chosen a clay surface in Ghent for the final, with the decision presumably based on the fact that it is British number one Andy Murray’s weakest surface. The question is whether it’s a gamble that will pay off for Belgium as they bid to win the Davis Cup for the first time, or will it backfire?

You can understand Belgium’s reasoning behind choosing clay as the stats prove it is Murray’s weakest surface. His win record on clay is around 10 per cent poorer than it is on other courts. He has won two-thirds of his ATP Tour matches on clay, compared to at least 77 per cent on other surfaces.

Yet those stats don’t truly reflect the progress Murray has made on clay. The Scot won his first two titles on clay this year when successful in Munich and Madrid, and he is going to shape the final few weeks of his season around the Davis Cup final.

The surface does put more pressure on Murray’s fitness and his back, but he is under no pressure to play in several more events this year after already qualifying for the ATP World Tour Finals. Murray has floated the prospect of missing that event as it falls just a week before the Davis Cup final, but it is unlikely he will be given permission to do so.

Instead, it could be that Murray’s participation in the ATP World Tour Finals will give Belgium their best chance of beating Britain, rather than the clay surface itself. Prior to losing to Fabio Fognini last year, Murray had won his previous seven Davis Cup singles matches on clay.

His ATP Tour record on the surface also stacks up well against his two likely opponents in the singles – David Goffin and Steve Darcis.

Goffin has won 54 per cent of his clay-court matches on tour and Darcis has won 49 per cent. In the Davis Cup, Goffin has won four and lost one match on clay, while Darcis is 11-4 on the surface.

History between the players is, unfortunately, not going to provide too many clues as to what will happen as Murray has faced Goffin just once, when winning in straight sets at Wimbledon in the first round in 2014. He has yet to meet Darcis on tour.

If GB coach Leon Smith selects Dan Evans, the surprise pick in the semi-final against Australia, to play the singles as well as Murray, then Belgium will be confident of winning both matches against him. James Ward or potential Davis Cup debutant Kyle Edmund would, on paper, likely put up a sterner test.

Given the way Murray has played in the Davis Cup this year, he is the reason why Great Britain are odds-on with betfair at the time of writing to win for the first time since 1936. He is far from a one-man team, but it’s obvious why Belgium are trying to find any weakness in the world number three that they can exploit.

If Belgium can take down Murray in one match, they will likely win the Davis Cup. But the surface is unlikely to be the difference.

Ghent - Davis Cup
Ghent – Davis Cup

Great Britain and Belgium Advance To Davis Cup Finale – Mondays with Bob Greene

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Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Yanina Wickmayer beat Magda Linette 4-6 6-3 6-3 to win the Japan Women’s Open in Tokyo, Japan

Annika Beck beat Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-2 to win the Coupe Banque Nationale in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Jan-Leonard Struff beat Artem Smirinov 6-4 6-3 to win the Pekao Szczecin Open in Szezecin, Poland

Nicolas Almagro beat Marco Cecchinato 6-7 (1) 6-1 6-4 to win the rain-delayed AON Open Challenger in Genova, Italy

 

DAVIS CUP

World Group Semifinals

Great Britain beat Australia 3-2 in Glasgow, Scotland, Great Britain

Belgium beat Argentina 3-2 in Brussels, Belgium

 

World Group Playoffs

(Winners in World Group in 2016)

Czech Republic beat India 3-1 at New Delhi, India

Switzerland beat Netherlands 4-1 at Geneva, Switzerland

Italy beat Russia 4-1 at Irkutsk, Russia

United States beat Uzbekistan 3-1 at Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Japan beat Colombia 3-2 at Pereira, Colombia

Germany beat Dominican Republic 4-1 at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Croatia beat Brazil 3-1 at Florianopolis, Brazil

Poland beat Slovakia 3-2 at Gdynia, Poland

 

Group I

Americas Zone, 1st round playoffs: Ecuador beat Barbados 3-2 at St. Michael, Barbados

Asia/Oceania Zone, 2nd round playoffs: China beat Thailand 5-0 at Nonthaburi, Thailand

Europe/Africa Zone, 1st round playoff: Spain beat Denmark 5-0 at Odense Idraetshal, Denmark; Ukraine beat Lithuania 4-1 at Vilnius, Lithuania

 

Group II

Americas Zone, 3rd round playoffs: Chile beat Venezuela 5-0 at Santiago, Chile

Asia/Oceania Zone, 3rd round playoffs: Pakistan beat Chinese Taipei 3-2 at Izmir, Turkey

Europe/Asia Zone, 3rd round playoffs: Portugal beat Belarus 3-2 at Viana do Castelo, Portugal; Hungary beat Bulgaria 3-2 at Sofia, Bulgaria

 

SAYING

“Winning for your country and your teammates means a lot.” – Andy Murray, after Great Britain advanced to the Davis Cup final for the first time in 37 years.

“He’s quite good, isn’t he? It’s pretty amazing watching Andy’s work over the whole weekend, he fights so hard and he’s got the quality. He executed it perfectly today.” – Leon Smith, Great Britain’s Davis Cup captain, about his star player Andy Murray.

“The atmosphere was unbelievable. You know, this stadium is so famous in Belgium. For our small country, it’s pretty big.” – Steve Darcis, who won the decisive fifth rubber to lead Belgium over Argentina and into the Davis Cup final.

“It was the perfect match.” – David Goffin, about his reverse singles Davis Cup win over Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman,

“I think I was trying to play too nicely, too pretty. Winning doesn’t always have to be pretty.” – Yanina Wickmayer, after winning the Japan Women’s Open.

“We had a realistic chance of winning the tie after Somdev (Devverman) won the second singles. Unfortunately, the doubles went south after that. It wasn’t even a contest really, against a team which is good, but certainly not one of the best in the world.” – Anand Amritraj, India’s Davis Cup captain, after his team lost to the Czech Republic in the World Group playoffs.

“At the moment I feel both happy and tired. It was an amazing weekend. I was feeling really good on court and my mind was pushing me forward to play every single point. I am just really happy at the moment.” – Fabio Fognini, who led Italy to a 4-1 World Group playoff victory over Russia.

“For a rookie to win two singles points in his debut is a very, very good effort. It was a great effort by all the guys. – Jim Courier, USA Davis Cup captain, after Jack Sock led the Americans over Uzbekistan 3-1 in the World Group playoffs.

“Our goal in the beginning was to go back to Germany having won three points. We did that. Our mission is accomplished.” – Michael Kohlmann, German Davis Cup captain whose team beat the Dominican Republic 4-1.

 

­­­SUPER ANDY

Riding a super three-day performance by Andy Murray, Great Britain is back in the Davis Cup final for the first time in 37 years where it will face Belgium. The world’s third-ranked player completed his weekend with a tie-clinching 7-5 6-3 6-2 victory over Bernard Tomic, giving his country an unbeatable 3-1 lead over Australia. Britain has won the Davis Cup nine times, but the last time was in 1936 behind Fred Perry and Bunny Austin. In 2010, Great Britain was on the brink of relegation to Europe/Africa Zone Group III. It was Murray who was the catalyst for the change. “When Andy is here it has just made a huge difference to us,” said captain Leon Smith. And it was true against Australia as Murray began the weekend by beating Thanasi Kokkinakis, then teamed with his brother Jamie Murray for a 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-7 (6) 6-4 win over Sam Groth and Lleyton Hewitt. Kokkinakis won the dead rubber to make the final score 3-2. Murray led Great Britain despite a bad back. “I didn’t feel great the whole weekend to be honest,” Murray said. “I’ve been struggling with my back, but I just tried to disguise it.” It was Australia that really felt the pain.

 

SUPRISING BELGIUM

David Goffin and Steve Darcis won the reverse singles to give Belgium a spot in the Davis Cup final for the first time in 101 years. In 1905, Belgium lost to Great Britain in its battle for the prestigious international tennis trophy. With its come-from-behind 3-2 win over Argentina, Belgium will have home advantage when it meets Great Britain on November 27-29. “It’s one of the biggest moments of my career, that’s for sure,” said Darcis, who capped the comeback with a 6-4 2-6 7-5 7-6 (3) win over Argentina’s Federico Delbonis. “If you told me 10 years ago we would play a final in Davis Cup I would not believe (you).” Goffin began the final day by stopping Diego Schwartzman 6-3 6-2 6-1. “Maybe it looks easy, but it is not,” Goffin said. Darcis had two match points at 5-4 but failed to convert. “I was so tight,” he said. “Then I said, ‘Come on now, you have to do it, this is your time.’” Darcis won five of the first six points in the tiebreak. On his third match point, Darcis closed out the victory with an overhead.

 

SUCCESS, FINALLY

It was that kind of week for Belgium. While the men were capturing their Davis Cup semifinal, Yanina Wickmayer won her first WTA title in five years, the Japan Women’s Open Tennis in Tokyo. Wickmayer did it by coming from behind to stop Magda Linette 4-6 6-3 6-3. Linette appeared to be in the driver’s seat, building a 6-4 2-0 lead. “The first set wasn’t great for me,” said Wickmayer. “I was making too many unforced errors and going for too much. And I also really wanted to win today, so maybe I was a little bit nervous there in the beginning.” Wickmayer won 12 of the final 16 games to prevail. “From the second set I was trying to rally and make her play, make her win the points,” the winner said. “It wasn’t my best match of the tournament, but it was efficient, and that’s what matters. It feels great. It’s amazing to win my fourth WTA title. It’s been a while since my third one, so it feels very good to lift a trophy up again after a few years. I’m very happy and very excited about it.”

 

SECOND TITLE

By f finally solving the problems presented by Jelena Ostapenko, Annika Beck has her second career title. The 21-year-old German had lost both previous meetings with Ostapenko, including a three-setter in the first round at this year’s US Open. Not so this time. Beck beat her 18-year-old Latvian opponent in the final of the Coupe Banque Nationale in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. “I think there’s all the time place for some improvement, but especially to have it under pressure in the final and to be able to keep that kind of level makes me really happy,” Beck said. The eventual winner upset defending champion Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in the semifinals.

 

SWISS WINNERS

Roger Federer won both of his singles matches to ensure that Switzerland stays in the World Group next year, then suggested he might not play Davis Cup in 2016. “My idea was never to win it twice, the idea was always to win it once and we did that in front of a record crowd, which was a great moment for us all,” Federer said after Switzerland defeated the Netherlands in a World Group playoff tie. “I see this tie in isolation. Next year is an Olympic year. The summer will be very long and packed with highlights. It’s all a question of priorities. I can’t play everything, and of course if I do play Davis Cup other things have to drop out.” Federer played all three days against the Netherlands, but he and Marco Chiudinelli lost the doubles. His easy 6-3 6-2 6-4 victory over Thiemo de Bakker in the reverse singles gave Switzerland a decisive 3-1 lead.

 

STEPPING UP

Poland will play next year in the Davis Cup World Group for the first time. The World Group is the top 16 nations who actually compete for the prestigious international tennis trophy. Poland gained admittance to the elite by edging Slovakia 3-2 in their World Group playoff in Gdynia, Poland, when 31-year-old Michal Przysiezny beat Norbert Gombos 6-3 6-4 6-4. “I was expecting a very tough match, but today I was playing unbelievable and I was not making mistakes, serving very good, so I am very happy with my performance today,” Przysiezny said.

 

SECURES TOP SPOT

By capturing seven titles, including three Grand Slam championships, Novak Djokovic has clinched the year-end number one ranking for a fourth time. The 28-year-old Djokovic previously ended the year in the top spot in 2011, 2012 and 2014. He is the sixth player to finish the year ranked number one four or more times. The others were Pete Sampras (6), Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer (5), and Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe (4). “It’s a fantastic feeling to know I will end the year at number one again,” Djokovic said. “This is what we fight for since January 1st. We still have a few tournaments left though and I look forward to competing in Beijing, Shanghai, Paris and London.” This year Djokovic became only the third man in the Open Era to reach all four Grand Slam tournaments in the same season. Rod Laver did it in 1969 and Federer in 2006-07 and 2009. The Serb beat Andy Murray to win the Australian Open and Federer in the final at both Wimbledon and US Open. He lost to Stan Wawrinka in the title match at Roland Garros.

 

SAYS I DO

After nine years of dating, Andreas Haider-Maurer has married his fiancée Iris in Tirol, a small village near Innsbruck, Austria. Haider-Maurer is ranked 56th in the world and posted a 20-21 ATP World Tour-level record this year.

 

STANDING TALL

UNICEF will be enriched every time Andy Murray hits an ace. The world’s third-ranked player announced he will donate £50 (USD $56) for every ace he hits until the end of the year. Actually the world’s leading children’s organization will get much more than that. Standard Life, one of Murray’s partners, the ATP World Tour and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) have all announced they will match Murray’s donations, meaning every ace will result in a donation of £200 (USD $226) to children affected by conflict and disaster, such as those caught up in the current refugee and migrant crisis. “Having seen the images broadcast on the news in recent weeks I felt I had to do something to help the millions of children and their families who have been forced to flee their homes and had their lives turned upside down,” Murray said. “I’ll get that little bit more satisfaction from each ace I hit knowing that it will be helping UNICEF keep children safe. I’m also asking my fans across the world to join with me to and support UNICEF’s vital work. Together we can help make a safer world for every child.”

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Quebec City: Barbora Krejcikova and An-Sophie Mestach beat Maria Irigoyen and Paula Kania 4-6 6-3 12-10 (match tiebreak)

Szczecin: Tristan Lama Sine and Fabrice Martin beat Federico Gaio and Alessandro Giannessi 6-3 7-6 (4)

Tokyo: Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan beat Misaki Doi and Kurumi Nara 6-1 6-2

 

SURFING

 

Metz: www.moselle-open.com/

St. Petersburg: www.spbopen.ru/

Kaohsiung: www.oectennis.com/

Guangzhou: www.guangzhouopen.org/

Tokyo: www.toray-ppo.com/

Seoul: http://koreaopentennis.com/

Kuala Lumpur: www.malaysianopentennis.com/2015/

Shenzhen: www.shenzhenopen.com/

Wuhan: www.wuhanopen.org/

Tashkent: www.tashkentopen.uz/en/

Orléans: www.opendorleans.com/

Tiburon: http://tiburonchallenger.com/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

 

MEN

$1,091,000 St. Petersburg Open, St. Petersburg, Russia, hard

$560,241 Moselle Open, Metz, France, hard

$125,000 OEC Kaohsiung Challenger, hard

 

WOMEN

$881,100 Toray Pan Pacific Open, Tokyo, Japan, hard

$226, 750 Korea Open, Seoul, Korea, hard

$226,750 Guangzhou International Women’s Open, Guangzhou, China, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

 

MEN

$1,041,540 Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hard

$668,945 Shenzhen Open, Shenzhen, China, hard

$120,291 Open Orléans, Orléans, France, hard

$100,000 Tiburon Challenger, Tiburon, California, USA, hard

 

WOMEN

$2,212,250 Dongfeng Motors Wuhan Open, Wuhan, China, hard

$226,750 Tashkent Open, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, hard

 

Andy Murray
Andy Murray

Wimbledon Seeds Announced

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We’re now just days away from one of the most prestigious Grand Slam events of the year: Wimbledon. Taking place from 29th June to 12th July, the event promises to bring some of the world’s best talents to London, including Novak Djokovic, who will be gunning to win his second consecutive title.

However, one man wishing to take the title home on his native soil is Andy Murray, who will want to echo his 2013 success. After an annus horribilis in 2014, the World No 3 will be looking to retain his former glory. Indeed, those who want to check the odds on Andy Murray winning Wimbledon again can head over to Coral, who currently have him in at 9/4 for the Men’s Singles.

The Scottish superstar now finds himself seeded third for Wimbledon, while defending champion Djokovic tops the men’s seeds from Roger Federer, who has taken home the title seven times.

Meanwhile, over in the Spanish corner, things are not looking quite so positive for Rafael Nadal, who is now down to 10th seed. This could lead to him facing one of the main contenders in the final 16.

Russell Fuller, tennis correspondent at the BBC said: “Grass court performances over the past two years carry extra weight in the men’s seedings.

“But with the exception of last year’s semi-finalist Milos Raonic moving ahead of David Ferrer into seventh, the top eight seeds reflect the world rankings.”

The final top eight seeds see Serb Djokovic top, Federer second and Murray third, followed by Swiss Stan Wawrinka, Japanese Kei Nishikori and Czech Tomas Berdych. Canada’s Milos Raonic and Spain’s David Ferrer take the seventh and eighth places.

Over on the women’s side, as predicted, Serena Williams takes first place, followed by last year’s winner Petra Kvitova. The famed Maria Sharapova finds herself in fourth place behind Romania’s Simona Halep, while Rory McIlroy’s ex Caroline Wozniacki sits in fifth place. Lucie Safarova, Ana Ivanovic and Ekaterina Makarova occupy the sixth, seventh and eighth places respectively.

It’s particularly exciting news for home-grown Andy Murray, who could be facing Djokovic or Federer in the semi-finals, providing he improves on last year’s progress.

This should be easy, however – after a fourth victory at Queen’s Club recently, he is in fine form and doubtless ready to bounce back from a tough year in 2014.

Certainly he’ll have stiff competition if he’s to face Wimbledon expert Federer or World Number 1 Djokovic, but he’ll doubtless have the support of thousands of Brits cheering him on.

 

Andy Murray
Andy Murray

Roger Federer, Andy Murray Win On Grass – Mondays with Bob Greene

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Mondays with Bob Greene  

 

STARS

Roger Federer beat Andreas Seppi 7-6 (1) 6-4 to win the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany

Andy Murray beat Kevin Anderson 6-3 6-4 to win the Aegon Championships in London, Great Britain

Angelique Kerber beat Karolina Pliskova 6-7 (5) 6-3 7-6 (4) to win the Aegon Classic in Birmingham, Great Britain

 

SAYING

“You want to go into Wimbledon with grass matches under your belt. I’m playing better than I did in 2013, but it’s extremely difficult to win these events.” – Andy Murray, the 2013 Wimbledon champion, after capturing Queen’s Club.

“It was an amazing match, and for a final it was perfect. It sounds good to have my name on the trophy next to Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova, and I am proud of what I have achieved this week.” – Angelique Kerber, following her winning the Aegon Classic in Birmingham, Great Britain.

“I did everything I could. So I am not really disappointed to play a match like this in a final.” – Karolina Pliskova, after losing the Aegon Classic final to Angelique Kerber.

“I don’t want to take a big risk for Wimbledon, so I just retired from the match.” – Kei Nishikori, explaining why he stopped play in his semifinal against Andreas Seppi.

“He’s so loved. He gives of himself. It would be 100 percent correct to call Roger the pre-eminent worldwide athlete of the past decade. (Basketball star) LeBron (James) is huge. but internationally not as popular as Roger.” – Chris Evert, speaking about Roger Federer.

“Sometimes you can’t do anything. You have to hope for a bit of luck or that you don’t make a mistake at an important moment. The whole match can change in a moment. Thankfully it went well, though I had a bit of luck in the tiebreak.” – Roger Federer, talking about Ivo Karlovic’s serve.

“I still went out there with the intention of winning. You never go out there just hoping to get through a match. But it was a lot closer than the score suggested. That’s the way I thought anyway. – Laura Robson, whose first match back after an 18-month layoff resulted in a 6-0 6-1 defeat.

 

SWISS MASTERS HALLE

For a record eighth time, Roger Federer captured the Gerry Weber Open grass court tournament. The Swiss great has not won Halle more times than any other tournament. It also was his fourth title of the year, bringing his career total to 86. “It is a special moment for me, to win this tournament an eighth time,” Federer told the crowd. “I have always enjoyed amazing support here all these year. I always enjoy it here and it is one of my favorite events.” The top-seeded Swiss right-hander saved two set points on his serve when he trailed 5-4 in the opening set. He captured the tiebreak 7-1, and then fought off a break point in the fifth game of the second set. Federer missed a chance to break his Italian opponent in the eighth game, but did everything right two games later to close out the victory with a spectacular overhead smash. “2013 was difficult, 2014 was better and now 2015 after this week is even better and I hope I can keep it up,” Federer said. He has won Wimbledon and Dubai seven times each.

 

SIZZLING SCOT

Winning Queen’s Club is becoming a habit for Andy Murray. The Scot swept to a record-equaling fourth Queen’s Club title by stopping South Africa’s Kevin Anderson in the title match. Murray joins a select group who have won the grass-court Wimbledon warm-up event four times, including John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt. It also is Murray’s first grass-court triumph since he won Wimbledon in 2013. “I played better as the week went on,” Murray said. “I came up with some great shots today, and I had to play that way if I wanted to win.” Murray has now won 34 career ATP titles, pulling even with Arthur Ashe, Michael Chang and John Newcombe. Because of rain during the week, Murray had to play two matches on final day. He beat Serbia’s Viktor Troicki 6-3 7-6 (4) before taking a two-hour and coming back on court to capture the crown.

 

SERVING TO WIN

Delighted to be listed with a couple of tennis greats, Angelique Kerber believes she has gained confidence as she prepares for the year’s third Grand Slam tournament. The German outlasted Karolina Pliskova to remain in the WTA Top 10, a spot Pliskova would have assumed if she had won. “I just tried to fight point by point and being able to win this will give me great confidence in my preparation (for Wimbledon), Kerber said. Pliskova, who has served more aces than any other woman this year, powered 11 more in the final, but to no avail. Kerber rallied from a set and a break down, then from 5-6 down in the decider to pull off the victory. It was Kerber’s first grass court title. “I had the feeling Angelique was everywhere, and every lefty is tough on grass,” Pliskova said. “She moves so well and plays flat shots, which is important on this surface. I will go away happy.”

 

STRUGGLING SIMONA

Simona Halep can’t win for losing. The top seeded Romanian was upset at the Aegon Classic Birmingham, Great Britain, by Kristina Mladenovic 2-6 6-0 7-6 (4). “It was an amazing match and a big win for me today,” Mladenovic said. “I don’t know if it’s the best one – I’ve had a few matches where I’ve beaten Top 10 players – but it’s an amazing feeling to beat Simona in this way because she’s such a good player.” An upset didn’t appear to be in the works in the opening set, which Halep dominated. But the Frenchwoman bounced back to post her fifth win over a player ranked in the Top 10. Mladenovic led 5-3 in the final set before Halep fought back to send it into a tiebreak. “I think she was very solid in the first set and I was struggling with my rhythm and the sun,” Mladenovic said. “In the second I just tried to start over again and be aggressive and she perhaps gave me a couple of unforced errors that got me back in the match. But I think it was a great quality match, especially because it’s on grass and it’s always tough to find a rhythm.”

 

SLOW START

Garbiñe Muguruza and Carla Suarez Navarro got off to a slow start, falling behind 0-3 15-30. After that, though, the Spaniards were unstoppable as they won the Aegon Class doubles crown 6-4 6-4, defeating Czechs Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka. It was their third final of the year, and their first title. “It means a lot because we’ve only played a few tournaments the whole year, so we kind of feel nervous every time we play together,” Muguruza said. “We’re really happy, and it’s even more special because it’s on grass, where we didn’t expect a title.” Suarez Navarro said there’s a reason they are winners. “I think we are both the boss,” she said. “We match up really well together and it worked really well here.”

 

SICK CALL

Kei Nishikori has come up a problem just before he begin play at Wimbledon. The Japanese star suffered a calf injury that forced him to retire during his Gerry Weber Open semifinal match against Andreas Seppi. The 25-year-old was trailing Seppi 4-1 when he retired, hoping that he might recover before the grass court Grand Slam tournament begins its fortnight run. “I felt it yesterday during the quarterfinal (against Jerzsy Janowicz) and I fought through it, Nishikori said. “But there was a little pain this morning and I tried in the match, but couldn’t really move.” Nishikori reached the fourth round at Wimbledon last year, his best result at the All England Club. He said he was hopeful the injury is not serious. “I’m sure it’s going to be OK. It’s no big deal,” he said.

 

STYLE-SETTER

The cover of Newsweek Europe features Roger Federer, while a story inside ponders whether the Swiss star is the greatest active athlete. Written by tennis journalist Richard Evans, the feature story says Federer has set “a standard no other athlete in any sport has been able to emulate over the past dozen years. For skill and professionalism; for popularity and longevity, this Swiss genius with a South African mother and a broad, inquisitive view of the world has captured the imagination and the loyalty of people all over the globe.”

 

SMASH-A-LOT

Croatian Ivo Karlovic slammed a record 45 aces as he upset third-seeded Tomas Berdych in a Gerry Weber Open quarterfinal match. That broke the old mark of 44 aces hit in a three-set match. “Berdych returns quite well really,” Karlovic said. “That’s why lots of aces are so important.” The 36-year-old Karlovic ended the match with an ace. “I didn’t really know how many aces I’d done,” he said. “But when I heard it was 45 I knew that’s a new record. Hitting aces helps a lot. You can avoid the volleys. I was surprised when I was told on court after the match how many aces I hit.”

 

SHARING THE SPOILS

Frenchmen Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut won the Aegon Championships doubles by stopping Marcin Matkowski and Nenad Zimonjic. The Frenchmen together had seven aces and saved all three break points they faced. Because rain had delayed play earlier in the week, Matkowski and Zimonjic had to play two matches on the final day. They defeated Daniel Nestor and Leander Paes 6-3 7-6 (8) in a semifinal before falling to the Frenchmen in the title match. It was the first ATP World Tour title for Herbert and Mahut, who lost in the final at the Australian Open in January. “It was a dream,” Herbert said. “Everything we did was working. We know that if we play well, it will be difficult for our opponents, so we just focused on what we could do.”

 

SECOND TIME A CHARM

Playing together for just the second time, Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram finished up the week by winning the Gerry Weber Open doubles. Klaasen and Ram created 11 break point chances while facing just one as they beat Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea in the title match. “We started the match a little bit slowly,” Ram said.  “But after that we played very clean. We communicated well and we were ready for our opportunities.”

 

SICK BAY

Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga pulled out of the Nottingham Open with an abdominal injury. The 12th-ranked Tsonga has not played since losing to Stan Wawrinka in the semifinals of the French Open. He was injured in Paris and has withdrawn from tournaments scheduled in the last two weeks. Missing Nottingham casts doubts on his participation as Wimbledon.

 

STAYING HOME

Former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro has withdrawn from Wimbledon because of a recent operation on his left wrist. The Argentine has played only four matches this year. He underwent surgery in the United States last week. Marinko Matosevic of Australia replaces del Potro in the men’s singles draw.

 

STEPPING INTO THE FIRE

It had been almost a year and half since Laura Robson had played professional tennis. After finally recovering from a left wrist injury, Robson finally returned to the women’s tour at the Aegon International Eastbourne, gaining a wild card spot in the qualifying. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on her side. Her first-round opponent just happened to be Daria Gavrilova, the top seed in qualifying. Gavrilova crushed Robson 6-0 6-1, but it wasn’t quite as bad as the score indicates. In five of the 12 games she lost, Robson had game points or pulled to deuce. Before her injury-induced layoff, the Englishwoman had been ranked as high as 27th in the world. “I’ve definitely felt worse, but I’ve also felt better,” Robson said. “To be honest, I think in a way it was a victory to just finish a match and be back on court, back playing tournaments, and I’m very happy.”

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Birmingham: Garbiñe Muguruza and Carla Suarez Navarro beat Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 6-4 6-4.

Halle: Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram beat Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea 7-6 (5) 6-2

London: Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut beat Marcin Matkowski and Nenad Zimonjic 6-2 6-2

 

SURFING

Nottingham:www.lta.org.uk/major-events/aegon-open-nottingham/

Eastbourne:www.lta.org.uk/major-events/Aegon-International-Eastbourne/

Wimbledon: www.wimbledon.com/index.html

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$562,340 Aegon Open Nottingham, Nottingham, Great Britain, grass

 

WOMEN

$665,900 Aegon International Eastbourne, Eastbourne, Great Britain, grass

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN and WOMEN

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

 

Roger Federer
Roger Federer

Andy Murray’s Coaching Carousel

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Andy Murray’s coach, Amelie Mauresmo, has admitted she is undecided as to whether or not she’ll be with the Scotsman at Wimbledon this summer due to the upcoming birth of her first child. The Frenchwoman is due to give birth in August and will wait until the last minute before taking the decision to attend the All England Club in June. Murray, though, has ensured he has a back-up plan if Mauresmo is unable to join him at SW19. When it became clear the 35-year-old might miss part of the summer schedule, Murray added former world number-four Jonas Bjorkman to his coaching staff and the Swede would fill in if Mauresmo was absent.

Bjorkman is due to work with the two-time grand slam winner until the end of the hard court season, with September’s US Open set to be his final event working alongside Murray. However, there is the potential for the relationship to go beyond this year. The Swedish coach has had a positive impact on the Scotsman’s season, sharing the role with Mauresmo, who has led Murray’s coaching team since last June on a deal that sees her work with the Olympic gold medal winner for 25 weeks of the year. Despite coming in for some real criticism since replacing Ivan Lendl as Murray’s head coach, the Scottish star has remained loyal to Mauresmo and his results have really justified his loyalty.

After kicking off the year by reaching the final of the Australian Open for the fourth time in his career, Murray has picked up two promising tournament victories. On the back of a disappointing defeat in the final of the Miami Masters to Novak Djokovic, the Scotsman won his 32nd ATP Tour title at the BMW Open before lifting the Madrid Open for the first time in his career after a sensational straight sets victory over Rafael Nadal. One of the in-form players heading into the French Open, the 2013 Wimbledon champion at the time of writing has odds of 7/2 to again win the tournament. He will be helped by the partisan British public, who will turn up in their droves to cheer their man on.

Following an injury-hit 2014, this year has been a much more productive season for Murray. The Scotsman entered the clay-court season at a busy time in his life, with Murray fitting in a wedding to long-term partner Kim Sears as well as producing a string of impressive performances to get himself back into the upper echelons of the rankings. The packed schedule did force Murray to withdraw from the Italian Open at the third round stage citing fatigue, although that decision could end up helping him get through what will be a gruelling few months. While Murray has always maintained the support he receives at Wimbledon gives him a boost, it comes with a huge amount of pressure and the Scotsman knows he will be under an intense level of scrutiny from the moment he steps foot through the doors of the All England Club.

Murray finally ended Britain’s long wait for a Wimbledon champion in 2013 when he beat Djokovic in the final to win the title less than a year after beating the same opponent in the final of the US Open to end his long wait for lift a grand slam trophy. Last year’s defeat to Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals came as something of a shock, especially the ease in which the Bulgarian saw off the defending champion, and Murray will start this year’s event with plenty of motivation to right the wrongs from 12 months ago. But with Djokovic looking virtually unbeatable at times and Roger Federer still more than capable of producing magic on grass, the Scotsman will have his work cut out to repeat his exploits from 2013.

Andy Murray and Amelie Mauresmo
Andy Murray and Amelie Mauresmo

Big Four Plus Jack Sock Reach Second Week – Mondays with Bob Greene

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Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

(French Open first week)

Mirjana Lucic-Baroni beat third-seeded Simona Halep 7-5 6-1

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat fourth-seeded Tomas Berdych 6-3 6-2 6-7 (5) 6-3

Julia Goerges beat fifth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki 6-4 7-6 (4)

Kristina Mladenovic beat sixth-seeded Eugenie Bouchard 6-4 6-4

Flavia Pennetta beat eighth-seeded Carla Suárez Navarro 6-3 6-4

Ana Ivanovic beat ninth-seeded Ekaterina Makarova 7-5 3-6 6-1

Jack Sock beat 10th-seeded Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 (7) 6-2 6-3

Sara Errani beat 10th-seeded Andrea Petkovic 6-3 6-3

 

SAYING

“I felt good, defended my points, so I’m excited about that. That’s always exciting.” – Serena Williams, joking after matching her performance at Roland Garros last year when she lost in the second round.

“Honestly I don’t know what to say. It’s been kind of the same as how I have been feeling recently on the court. Just not like myself. So I just feel like it’s been a while that this has been happening, and it’s unfortunate. But I’m sure one day it will stop.” – Eugenie Bouchard, following her first-round upset loss to Kristina Mladenovic.

“You have several choices in a storm. You can get depressed, attach a weight to your leg and jump off a bridge. Or, if you have character, and I think my player has lots of character, you bounce back.” – Sam Sumyk, Eugenie Bouchard’s coach.

“When you play Ernests … he starts talking to the umpire, to the public, that’s a way for him, his way to stay focused and stay in his match. OK, he broke a racquet, but it’s difficult, you know. I thought he was going to serve and then he starts talking to the birds, to the umpire, or who knows.” – Nicolas Mahut, after his second-round win over Ernests Gulbis.

“If there is a problem in the crowd, if there is a donkey walking across the court, I don’t care. I want to play my match.” – Benoit Paire, following his second-round win over Fabio Fognini.

“Incredible. She’s just a great champion and I respect her so much.” – Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, after upsetting third-seeded Simona Halep for the second time in the last three Grand Slam tournaments.

“She played well. I couldn’t play my best today. But, you know, she started to hit the ball very strong at the beginning of the match. So she was better than me today.” – Simone Halep.

“When you arrive at any tournament, you hope you will have a chance to work your way into the event, but I didn’t have that opportunity. She just played better than me today.” – Venus Williams, after a first-round loss to Sloane Stephens.

“I need to get a lot better.” – American teenager Frances Tiafoe after losing his French Open first-round match 6-2 6-1 6-4 to Slovakia’s Martin Klizan.

 

SIMONA STOPPED

Mirjana Lucic-Baroni is proving to be a thorn in Simona Halep’s attempt to win her first Grand Slam tournament title. The veteran Croat shocked the French Open’s third seed in the second round, 7-5 6-1. It wasn’t the first time. Lucic-Baroni also upset Halep in the third round of last year’s US Open. Playing on Court Suzanne Lenglen, Halep never found her stride, hitting only five winners against her 33-year-old opponent. Instead of playing her normal game mixing up the pace, direction and spins, Halep was drawn into a hitting contest by Lucic-Baroni. “I just wanted to hit too strong maybe, and to change the game is not good,” Halep said. “I have to play like what I feel on court and to create the game. So I started to hit the ball too strong, and that is not my style. I don’t feel it, and I don’t handle it.” Lucic-Baroni, on the other hand, stayed true to her poised and aggressive style. “I think she was trying a couple of different things and I was just trying to stay aggressive and play smart and serve smart,” the winner said. “She moves the ball around really well. She’s an amazing athlete and super tough opponent. I was glad I was able to stay aggressive but not make too many unforced errors. That was the key for me.”

 

SOCK SURPRISE

Jack Sock is proving that Americans can win on clay. The 22-year-old knocked 10th-seeded Grigor Dimitrov out of Roland Garros 7-6 (7) 6-2 6-3 for his 14th clay-court win. “Today was a great match for me,” Sock said after the first-round win. “Things that I look to do well when I’m playing my matches I thought I did very well today – serving, forehand. Obviously most people know the things I look for the most. I thought I executed them very well.” With the win over Dimitrov, Sock became the first American to beat a Top 10 seed at Roland Garros since 2000 when Jan-Michael Gambill upset eighth-seeded Nicolas Kiefer. In April, Sock won his first ATP World Tour singles crown, taking the US Men’s Clay Court Championship. “I feel like if I play some of my best tennis I have a chance against anybody,” Sock said. “(Dimitrov and I) played in Stockholm last year and I had a break point chance. … He was able to take it at the end. Obviously that gave me some confidence going into today knowing I already played a close match with him. And then to play on clay, which I think suits me a little more.”

 

SUSPENDED

A 21-year-old player from Ukraine, Kateryna Kozlova, has been suspended for six months for violating the anti-doping rule. In announcing the suspension, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said Kozlova failed a urine test at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in February. The sample was found to contain dimethylbutylamine, a prohibited substance. Kozlova said she ingested the drug in a supplement given her by a doctor. The ITF accepted her explanation and cut her suspension to six months, which will end in August. She also forfeits all ranking points and prize money earned since February 16, 2015.

 

SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENT

Spain’s David Ferrer has joined his countryman Rafael Nadal as the only two active players who have won 300 clay-court matches in their careers. Ferrer recorded his 300th victory when he beat Lukas Lacko 6-1 6-3 6-1 in a first-round Roland Garros match. “I began the season playing really well, winning a lot of matches, and I am only focusing in the moment,” the 33-year-old said. “I don’t know when I will finish my career. The most important thing is my fitness. I don’t have important injuries. I am looking forward.”

 

SILENCE, S’IL VOUS PLAIT

Fans at Roland Garros roared their disappointment when defending champion Maria Sharapova refused to do an on-court TV interview following her first-round victory over Kaia Kanepi. “I totally understand that everyone usually does the interviews and answers a few questions,” Sharapova said. “It’s absolutely normal. I’m not making any excuses but I’ve got to do what I have to do.” The Russian said she had been suffering from a cold and didn’t give the interview because her voice was not strong enough.

 

SLOANE TRIUMPHANT

Sloane Stephens has a pretty good Grand Slam tournament record against the winningest sisters in tennis history, Venus and Serena Williams. The 22-year-old Stephens eliminated Venus 7-6 (5) 6-1 in a first-round battle on the red clay at Roland Garros. Although 12 years younger than the elder Williams sister, Stephens went into Paris ranked 36th in the world while Venus was ranked 18th and seeded 15th. The loser never showed the game that took her to seven Grand Slam tournament titles. But at break point in the second game of the second set, a serve by Williams startled a pigeon, which in turn startled Stephens. The eventual winner shrieked, and instead of Williams being credited with an ace, the point was replayed. This time, Stephens closed out the break. At the Australian Open two years ago, Stephens shocked Serena Williams in the fourth round. By beating Venus, Stephens becomes only the second woman to defeat both Williams sisters in Grand Slam tournaments. The other was Lindsay Davenport.

 

SAG CONTINUES

Eugenie Bouchard’s woes in 2015 continued at Roland Garros. The sixth-seeded Canadian was upset in the first round by Kristina Mladenovic of France 6-4 6-4. Bouchard has now lost seven or her last eight matches. Last year was just the opposite for the young star. She was a semifinalist at Roland Garros in 2014 before reaching the title match at Wimbledon, where she lost to Petra Kvitova. Bouchard put up a strong resistance in the first set, but lost the first five game of the second before Mladenovic was finally able to close out the win.

 

SKIPPING COSTLY

It was a costly non-appearance for Venus Williams when she lost her first-round match at Roland Garros. The veteran was fined USD $3,000 by tournament organizers for skipping a post-match news conference after she lost to fellow American Sloane Stephens 7-6 (5) 6-1. Instead, Williams issued a short statement to the media. It was the fifth time in her last 13 Grand Slam tournaments that Williams was eliminated in the first round.

 

SEEKING POST

David Haggerty, a former chairman of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), wants to be president of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). Currently serving as an ITF vice president, Haggerty hopes to succeed Italy’s Francesco Ricci Bitti, who is stepping down in September after completing his fourth term as ITF president. “My goal is to strengthen the ITF’s role as the world governing body for tennis and to increase revenue and communications throughout the tennis family so that we can ensure a healthy and viable future for our sport,” Haggerty said in a statement. Other candidates for the ITF post are Anil Khanna of India, Juan Margets Lobato of Spain and Rene Stammbach of Switzerland.

 

SENIOR CITIZENS

At 34 years of age, Venus Williams was the oldest player in the French Open women’s singles draw. But she was far from being the oldest woman to appear in this year’s event. Kimiko Date-Krumm holds that distinction. The native of Japan is 44 and began playing in the year’s second Grand Slam tournament in 1989. Being the oldest isn’t anything new to the right-hander, who was ranked as high as fourth in the world in 1995. In 2009, she became the oldest player to win a WTA tournament since Billie Jean King when she captured the title in Seoul, Korea, the week she turned 39. She became the oldest player to win a Roland Garros match in 2010, the same year she became the oldest player to defeat a Top 10 player (Sam Stosur). At the age of 42 years, eight months, in 2013 she became the oldest player to reach the third round at Wimbledon. Date-Krumm and her partner, 34-year-old Francesca Schiavone, were eliminated in the second round of the women’s doubles at this year’s French Open.

At least three players in their 40s were in this year’s men’s doubles at Roland Garros. Daniel Nestor of Canada is 43, India’s Leander Paes 42, while Mahesh Bhupathi of India turns 41 this week.

 

SPECIAL ANNOUNCER

When two Americans – Madison Keys and Varvara Lepchenko – met in a first-round at Roland Garros, they had a pretty high-ranked announcer calling the match on Tennis Channel Plus. Although Katrina Adams has worked for Tennis Channel as an announcer for years, it was the first time she took to the microphone while serving as president of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), a two-year position she assumed on January 1. Adams worked as an announcer on several other matches at Roland Garros.

 

SAD NEWS

Doris Hart, the first player in tennis history to win a career Grand Slam in singles, doubles and mixed doubles, is dead at the age of 89. The International Tennis Hall of Fame announced the 1950s star died at her home in Coral Gables, Florida, USA. She was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1969.  Hart won six Grand Slam tournament singles titles: the Australian in 1949, the French championships in 1950 and 1952; the US title in 1954 and 1955, and the 1951 Wimbledon title. Because of rain delays, Hart won the women’s singles and doubles and the mixed doubles titles all on the same day in 1951, dropping only one set in the effort. She also won all three trophies in France in 1952 and the US in 1954. Hart also lost in 12 Grand Slam tournament singles finals between 1946 and 1953.

 

SURFING

Paris: www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/index.html

Prostejov: http://czech-open.cz/

Marseille: http://openfeminindemarseille.com/

Caltanissetta: www.atpcaltanissetta.com/

Stuttgart: www.mercedescup.de/

‘s-Hertogenbosch: www.topshelfopen.nl/en/

Nottingham: www.lta.org.uk/major-events/aegon-open-nottingham/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$11,552,000 Roland Garros, Paris, France, clay (second week)

$118,231 UniCredit Czech Open, Prostejov, Czech Republic, clay

 

WOMEN

$11,552,000 Roland Garros, Paris, France, clay (second week)

$100,000 Open Féminin de Marseille, Marseille, France, clay

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$631,760 Mercedes Cup, Stuttgart, Germany, grass

$590,100 Topshelf Open, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, grass

$117,020 Caltanissetta ATP Challenger 2015, Caltanissetta, Italy, clay

 

WOMEN

$250,000 Topshelf Open, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, grass

$250,000 Aegon Nottingham Open, Nottingham, Great Britain, grass

 

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic

Andy Murray Tops Rafael Nadal to Win in Madrid – Mondays with Bob Greene

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Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Andy Murray beat Rafael Nadal 6-3 6-2 to win the Mutua Madrid Open in Madrid, Spain

Petra Kvitova beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1 6-2 to win the Mutua Madrid Open women’s singles in Madrid, Spain

Hyeon Chung beat Lukas Lacko 6-3 6-1 to win the Busan Open in Busan, South Korea

Danka Kovinic beat Margarita Gasparyan 7-5 6-3 to win the Empire Slovak Open 2015 in Trnava, Slovakia

Carina Witthoeft beat Tatjana Maria 7-5 6-1 to win the Open GDF GUEZ de Cagnes-sur-Mer Alpes-Martimes in Cagnes-Sur-Mer, France

Andy Murray beat Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-6 (4) 5-7 7-6 (4) to win the rain-delayed BMW Open by FWU AG in Munich, Germany

 

SAYING

“For me it was obviously a very tough match, you know winning against Rafa on clay is extremely difficult, one of the hardest things in tennis. From my side it was a very good performance. I’m sure Rafa feels he could have played much better. But from my side, I couldn’t have done much more.” – Andy Murray, after beating Rafael Nadal to win the men’s singles in Madrid, Spain.

“This wasn’t the game I wanted to play, but I tried to the very end. Still, it was a very important and positive week for me. I recovered sensations that I hadn’t felt in a long time.” – Rafael Nadal.

“I think I’m probably the kind of person who likes to play these kinds of big matches, to play the finals, the big tournaments, the Grand Slams, playing on the big stadiums. Finals are why we’re all playing tennis. We want to win the big tournaments and see these beautiful trophies. So that’s probably why it’s more motivation for me when I’m playing finals.” – Petra Kvitova, after winning the women’s singles at Madrid, Spain.

“I guess that’s why you play the game, to play on these big courts against these big players. He’s the greatest of all‑time, no doubt.” – Nick Kyrgios, after upsetting Roger Federer 6-7 (2) 7-6 (5) 7-6 (12) at the Madrid Open.

“He likes the big stage. He’s got nothing to lose, no fear, and he’s got a great game. He can rely on his serve so much. It keeps him in the match regardless of he how he plays from the baseline.” – Roger Federer, following his loss to Nick Kyrgios.

“I’m just exhausted today. This has been a rough week for me. It’s good to be really exhausted now going into another tournament and then getting ready for Roland Garros. So this is all great preparation that I actually really, really needed, something to push me to the wall and to the limit.” – Serena Williams, after losing 6-2 6-3 to Petra Kvitova in the Madrid Open semifinals.

“She played very well at that moment and really on the last match point the difference between winning or losing was less than a centimeter. I wouldn’t say I let myself down, just sometimes it doesn’t go your way.” – Victoria Azarenka, after narrowly losing to Serena Williams in Madrid.

 

STOP AT THE TOP

Marriage has proven to be a boon for Andy Murray. Since marrying long-time girlfriend Kim Sears on April 11, Murray has been perfect, posting a 9-0 match record and winning two straight clay court titles, including the Madrid Masters where he upset home favorite Rafael Nadal 6-3 6-2 in the final. “To win against Rafa on clay in a final in Spain is an extremely difficult thing to do, and I’m proud that I’ve managed to do that,” Murray said. Nadal was seeking his third straight triumph in the Spanish capital. Until now, Murray had never beaten Nadal on clay in their first six meetings. But the Scot won the first three games to begin and match and grabbed a 4-0 lead in the second set. Murray closed out the win on his first match point when Nadal sent a weak forehand return into the net. His loss drops Nadal to seventh in the world rankings, the first time the left-handed Spaniard has been outside the Top 5 since May 2005. “Obviously to win a Masters 1000 on clay for me is a step in the right direction,” Murray said. “It’s something I had never done before.”

 

SPANISH TRIUMPH

Petra Kvitova has proved she is dangerous on other surfaces besides grass. The two-time Wimbledon champion captured her second Madrid Open title, defeating Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final of the clay court tournament. That came a day after Kvitova handed world number one Serena Williams her first loss of the year in the semifinal. “It was an amazing week for me and I am really happy to win for a second time on this beautiful court,” Kvitova told the fans after the match. The Czech left-hander ripped 33 winners in 66 minutes to dominate Kuznetsova, who was hampered by a thigh problem. After dropping her opening service game, Kvitova won nine straight games to grab a 6-1 4-0 lead. Kuznetsova held her last two service games, but it was more just an afterthought, not a threat. Kvitova finished with just 14 unforced errors. “I knew that I had to play aggressively because Svetlana’s a great player on clay, and the last time we played in Paris I lost to her when we played the normal rallies,” Kvitova said. “So I knew that I had to make a lot of winners, and I knew that I had to go for the volley if I got the opportunity. That’s what I was trying to do, and it worked well. I’m glad everything went how I wanted.” Kuznetsova took a medical timeout after losing the opening set and returned to the court with her left thigh strapped. “I am very sorry I couldn’t play a good level of tennis today for you to enjoy, but I hope to return next year and play even better,” Kuznetsova told the spectators in fluent Spanish. The two-time Grand Slam tournament champion took out two other high-ranked Russians en route to the final, Ekaterina Makarova in the first round and Maria  Sharapova in the semifinals.

 

STOPPER

Australian Nick Kyrgios showed the tennis world his upset of Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon last year was just the beginning. The youngster, who turned 20 on April 27, overpowered Roger Federer to stun the Swiss master at the Mutua Madrid Open, 6-7 (2) 7-6 (5) 7-6 (12). “I couldn’t return his first serve,” Federer correctly observed. Kyrgios finished with 22 aces, seven more than Federer. “I’ve been playing well recently on the clay, so I knew I had a good chance to go out there and do well,” Kyrgios said. “I stuck to my game and served well and I got the win.” The top-seeded Federer saved five match points in the third-set tiebreaker while having two of his own annulled by the big-hitting Australian. Kyrgios reached the final at Estoril just a week ago after missing six weeks with an ankle injury. “I’ve been doing it for a long time already and I’m only 20,” Kyrgios said. “I don’t see why there is a reason to be nervous. … When you’re growing up and playing and watching these guys, you want to go out there. That’s one thing I think about every time I step out against one of these guys on a court like that.”

 

SERENA TRIPS

Serena Williams chalked it up to exhaustion. Petra Kvitova had a lot to do with that. “I’m just exhausted today,” the world’s top-ranked player said after her 27-match unbeaten streak was ended by Kvitova 6-2 6-3 in the Madrid Open semifinals. It was the first loss for Williams since October, and she appeared to be slow around the court against the tall left-handed Czech. Kvitova began the match by breaking the American’s first serve game and never appeared to be in trouble the rest of the way. It was the first time in six career meetings that Kvitova had come out on top. The winner broke serve three times in the first set and found little resistance in the second set. Williams had won Madrid in 2012 and 2013. “I think she just played well today,” Williams said of her conqueror. “I mean she went for broke on every serve and every return. I hit some second serves which she just hit for winners. I was very slow off the mark. On my serve I wasn’t moving as well as I should have. I wasn’t in it. This wasn’t Serena today.”

 

SHARAPOVA SLIPS

The Mutua Madrid Open final seemed to be set for another Serena Williams-Maria Sharapova battle. Petra Kvitova and Svetlana Kuznetsova had other ideas. Kvitova stunned Williams and Kuznetsova shocked Sharapova in the semifinals, 6-2 6-4. “I felt my shots were a little too flat and right in her striking zone,” Sharapova said after losing. “She was able to push me back, and when we got into a rally she was the one that found the right ball to be the more aggressive player.” Kuznetsova won the US Open in 2004 and Roland Garros in 2009, but she has struggled in recent years and is currently ranked in the top 30 in the world. “I feel very happy, it was a very tough match,” Kuznetsova said after besting her fellow Russian Fed Cup member. “I was playing good, serving good. Everything was working well.” It was only Kuznetsova’s second win in her last 12 encounters with players ranked in the Top 3, and her first victory over Sharapova in seven years.

 

SURGERY FOR RAONIC

Canada’s Milos Raonic is undergoing foot surgery, the reason he pulled out of this week’s Italian Open. “I will be undergoing surgery to repair a nerve in my right foot,” Raonic tweeted after losing to Andy Murray in the Madrid Open quarterfinals. “I withdrew from Rome to be ready to compete as soon as possible.” Raonic suffered the injury at the Monte Carlo Masters last month where he retired from his quarterfinal match against Tomas Berdych.

 

SQUEEKER FOR MURRAY

With his wedding band tied to his shoelaces, Andy Murray captured the rain-delayed Munich Open for his first title since getting married. He also became the first British man to win a clay court title since 1976 when he edged Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-6 (4) 5-7 7-6 (4). It was Murray’s 32nd career title.  “This was my first final on clay and to come out and play a match like that, I am very pleased to have won,” Murray said. “I had very few chances when I was returning. I was lucky to get a couple of good shots when I was behind in the tiebreak and hang on in the end.”

 

STREAKIN’

Kei Nishikori isn’t the only winning player from Asia on the ATP World Tour. Korea’s Hyeon Chung continued his winning ways by capturing the Busan Open, a USD $100,000 South Korean ATP Challenger event. Chung stopped Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko in the final, 6-3 6-1, to capture his second straight tournament. The 18-year-old right-hander captured a clay-court Challenger event in Savannah, Georgia, USA, last month. The best player to emerge from Korea since Hyung-Taik Lee, Chung had already broken into the Top 100 before his latest triumph. Chung is a sturdy 6-footer with a punishing groundstroke game, firing flat, laser-like forehands and backhands from the baseline. He qualified for the main draw at the Miami Open in March and won a round before falling to highly-ranked Tomas Berdych 6-3 6-4. “I was definitely under stress, but I was trying to do my best,” Chung said of his first encounter with a Top 10 player. “I felt a little bit like I was playing inside the TV, like I was on the outside looking in.”

 

SEVERE MELTDOWN

Victoria Azarenka should have won – but she didn’t. The former world number one blew three match points against Serena Williams before losing 7-6 (5) 3-6 7-6 (1) in a third-round Madrid Open match. “It just happens,” Azarenka said after serving three consecutive double faults to lose serve when she was serving for the match. “It wasn’t just the serve.” Because of injuries, Azarenka has slipped to 31st in the world in the WTA rankings. But she has rediscovered her form and gave the current number one player all that the American could handle.  Yet Williams rallied from a 5-1 deficit to win the first-set tiebreak 7-5. After dropping the second set, the two fought into a decisive tiebreak. “I could have won, she could have won and I ended up winning,” Williams said. “I don’t know how. Yeah, I feel like it was intense. I don’t feel that there were a lot of long points.”

 

STANDING TOGETHER

The new teaming of Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea proved to be a winning proposition. The two withstood a spirited fightback from Marcin Matkowski and Nenad Zimonjic to win their first ATP World Tour team title in Madrid, saving one match point in their 6-2 6-7 (5) 11-9 (match tiebreak) triumph. “It’s a great title for us, winning on the clay,” Bopanna said. “Especially for me, because it’s my first title on the clay. Playing with a guy like Florin, he’s a good friend and I’ve known him for a long time, so it’s nice to get a title with him.” Mergea said: “We’ve been working really hard and we believe in ourselves. We know what to do on the court to win these matches. Obviously, at some point luck can come into the equation, but we’ve kept our heads down and believed in ourselves.”

 

SEES PRIME MINISTER

Doubles partners Fabio Fognini and Simone Bolelli had an “unforgettable experience” while preparing the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. They were invited to a private meeting with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi at Palazzo Chigi, his official residence in Rome. The Italian pair won the Australian Open in January, reached the finals in Indian Wells, California, USA, and Monte Carlo. They are currently ranked number one in the world in the Emirates ATP Doubles Team Rankings. “The Prime Minister messaged us after we won the Australian Open in January and invited us for a meeting,” Fognini said. “We were glad we could meet today. We had a great chat and Palazzo Chigi is an amazing building.” Bolelli added: “It was an honor to meet the Prime Minister. He was very nice to us and it was really an unforgettable experience.”

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Busan: Sanchai Ratiwatana and Sonchat Ratiwatana beat Ji Sung Nam and Min-Kyu Song 7-6 (2) 3-6 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Cagnes-Sur-Mer: Johanna Konta and Laura Thorpe beat Jocelyn Rae and Anna Smith 1-6 6-4 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Madrid (men): Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea beat Marcin Matkowski and Nenad Zimonjic 6-2 6-7 (5) 11-9 (match tiebreak)

Madrid (women): Casey Dellacqua and Yaroslava Shvedova beat Garbiñe Muguruza and Carla Suárez Navarro 6-3 6-7 (4) 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Munich: Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares beat Mischa Zverev and Alexander Zverev 4-6 6-1 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Trnava: Yuliya Beygelzimer and Margarita Gasparyan beat Aleksandra Krunic and Petra Martic 6-3 6-2

 

SURFING

Rome: www.internazionalibnlditalia.com/

Bordeaux: www.atp-primrosebordeaux.com/

Nice: www.opennicecotedazur.com/

Geneva: www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Tournaments/Geneva.aspx

Strasbourg: www.internationaux-strasbourg.fr/

Nürnberg: www.nuernberger-versicherungscup.de/en/news/index_eng.html

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$3,680,920 Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Rome, Italy, clay

$100,000 BNP Paribas Primrose, Bordeaux, France

 

WOMEN

$2,428,490 Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Rome, Italy, clay

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$492,033 Open de Nice Côte d’Azur, Nice, France, clay

$492,033 Geneva Open, Geneva, Switzerland, clay

 

WOMEN

$226,750 Nürnberger Versicherungscup, Nürnberg, Germany, clay

$226,750 Internationaux de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France, clay

 

Andy Murray
Andy Murray