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citi open

Zverev, Kuznetsova Win Second Citi Open Titles – Mondays with Bob Greene

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Mondays with Bob Greene

STARS

Alexander Zverev beats Alex de Minaur 6-2 6-4 to win the Citi Open men’s singles in Washington, DC, USA

Fabio Fognini beat Juan Martin del Potro 6-4 6-2 to win the Abierto Mexicano de Tenis Mifel presentado por Cinemex in Los Cabos, Mexico

Mihaela Buzarnescu beat Maria Sakkari 6-1 6-0 to win the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic in San José, California, USA

Martin Klizan beat Denis Istomin 6-2 6-2 to win the Generali Open in Kitzbühel, Austria

Svetlana Kuznetsova beat Donna Vekic 4-6 7-6 (7) 6-2 to win the Citi Open women’s singles in Washington, DC, USA

Zhang Ze beat Henri Laaksonen 2-6 5-2 retired to win the 2018 International Challenger in Chengdu, China

Ugo Humbert beat Adrian Menendez-Maceiras 6-3 6-4 to win the Open Castilla Leon Villa de El Espinar in Segovia, Spain

SAYINGS

“I had a great tournament. I played a lot of great players. Losing only one set, it was a fantastic week for me.” – Alexander Zverev, who successfully defending his Citi Open title.

“I was able to take all the emotions away and keep focused, and try to take it as a normal match, not as a final.” – Mihaela Buzarnescu, who lost only one game in winning her first WTA title, the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic.

“She was serving clever … and she could do anything she wanted.” – Maria Sakkari, after losing 6-1 6-0 to Mihaela Buzarnescu in San José.

“I did a great job today and I deserved to win. I played a very solid game.” – Martin Klizan, after beating Denis Istomin to win the Generali Open.

“Tennis is always mental. If you lose or if you win, you always got to stay focused.” – Svetlana Kuznetsova, who won the Citi Open women’s titles.

“It is just so sad that I could not show my best game and a good fight in the final. (Klizan) played very well today, so there were not so many chances to break him.” – Denis Istomin, who lost to Martin Klizan in the Generali Open final.

“I tried to put aside the incredible champion she is and just play the player of the day.” – Johanna Konta, after handing Serena Williams the worst loss of her career.

“I’m not very big; I’m strong, but I don’t have a big serve. I have to play with my weapons, and my weapons are my physical condition, being solid inside the court, and making a lot of balls.” – Maria Sakkari, after upsetting Venus Williams.

“This is a very special moment for me, at home with the Mexican crowd, hungry to get a title.” – Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela, the first Mexican to win an ATP World Tour title in Mexico since 1995 when he teamed with Marcelo Arevalo to capture the doubles in Los Cabos.

“I feel like I’m really close, but sometimes really far. I’m sure I’ll get back where I want to be. It’s a long process and you have to accept that. I know I’ll get back. I just don’t know how long it will take.” – Stan Wawrinka, after losing his first-round Citi Open match and falling to a 6-11 record since missing nine months following surgery.

SURPRISE

Italy’s Fabio Fognini upset top-seeded Juan Martin del Potro in straight sets to win the Abierto Mexicano de Tenis Mifel, his third title of the year, eighth of his career but his first on hard courts. “It’s something strange because, of course, at the beginning of the week if you told me that we would be talking about titles,” Fognini said. Del Potro, ranked fourth in the world, was heavily favored, having won in Mexico previously this year at Acapulco. By the Argentine lost 12 of the final 15 games of the match. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t play my best tennis in the final,” del Potro said. “But Fabio deserved to win. He played a very smart game. He took all the chances to win.” Del Potro began the game by winning the first three matches. Fognini was nearly flawless after that, starting with a streak of five straight games. He broke del Potro twice early in the second set to take a 5-1 lead.

SUCCESS IN DC

In what could be a look at the future, Alexander Zverev beat Alex de Minaur to triumph at the Citi Open. It was the German’s third tour-level title of the season and ninth overall. “It’s quite funny, because this final could be the final of the next 15 years, so I hope you guys all enjoyed it,” Zverev told the crowd after his straight-set win. Zverev is 21 years old, de Minaur just 19. It was the youngest ATP World Tour final since Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic met in the 2007 BNP Paribas Open. “It feels great,” Zverev said of the win. “It shows mental strength as well, and shows a little bit of maturity.” Zverev’s serve kept de Minaur well back of the baseline, losing just two points on his first serve in the match. The Australian saved two match points on his own serve at 3-5, but Zverev held serve easily to grab the biggest trophy. “It’s been a great ride, and hopefully many more to come,” de Minaur said. “It’s been a really special week for me.” De Minaur’s trip to the final included wins over Vasek Pospisil, Marcos Baghdatis, Australian Open semifinalist Hyeon Chung and Stefano Tsitsipas of Greece.

SECOND CITI CROWN

Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova staved off four match points to win her second Citi Open title and her first tournament in two years. She also won the Washington, DC, tournament four years ago. Donna Vekic was one point from victory four times in the second set but each time Kuznetsova rallied. A two-time Grand Slam tournament champion, Kuznetsova is currently ranked 128th in the world. “In the second set, each of us holding serve, I was some match points down,” Kuznetsova said. “I just managed to hang in there. I knew I was close, I could turn it around, but of course it was really tight in the second set. Then the third set I felt (Vekic) was really down on herself and she was tired. I felt better and I found my game.” Kuznetsova has never lost in the American capital, extending her winning record to 11 straight matches. “This morning somebody said I never lost here,” the Russian said. “I didn’t realize that. I’m just doing my job the best I can, and this week I did pretty good for me.”

SIXTH TITLE

Martin Klizan has a remarkable record: he has never lost an ATP World Tour final. In just the second all-qualifier final since the men’s tour was established in 1990, Klizan beat Denis Istomin to capture the Generali Open. It was his sixth title in six finals. “Sometimes in the finals I was lucky, sometimes it was hard work and sometimes I was better on court,” Klizan said. “You never know what is going to happen. I am just happy to have that kind of statistic, winning six titles from six finals. In doubles, I have four titles from four finals.” The Slovakian became the first qualifier to win a tour-level title this year. He beat two seeded players during the week, including home favorite and top seed Dominic Thiem in the second round.

STEAMROLLING VICTORY

Mihaela Buzarnescu put an end to Maria Sakkari’s sparkling run in San José by winning her first WTA title and moving up the rankings to 20th in the world. And she did it emphatically, losing just one game to the 23-year-old Greek. Sakkari’s week included wins over Christina McHale, Timea Babos and Venus Williams. But she apparently ran out of steam as Buzarnescu needed less than 20 minutes to race out to a 5-0 lead. Sakkari then won her only game of the match before the 30-year-old Buzarnescu wrapped up the victory in just 73 minutes. “I never thought I would play again and reach this level,” Buzarnescu said. “It’s been amazing.” Last year, the fifth-seeded Romanian was ranked 142nd in the world. With the trophy, she will be ranked 20th this week. “I gained confidence and experience and it was a great week for me,” Sakkari said. “I think I will be more prepared for my next final.”

SKIPPING MONTREAL

Citing “personal reasons,” Serena Williams has pulled out of this week’s Rogers Cup in Montreal. “Of course, we are disappointed that Serena will not be joining us. Fans were very much looking forward to seeing her in action,” Rogers Cup tournament director Eugene Lapierre said in a statement. Tennis Canada said the decision to withdraw was for “personal reasons,” but didn’t elaborate.

SAYS HE’S FATIGUED

After winning three straight three-set matches, Andy Murray withdrew from the rain-plagued Citi Open, citing fatigue. “I’ve played quite a few matches this week in Washington and I need to be smart with my rest and recovery as I come back from injury,” Murray said. Earlier, he had won his quarterfinal match, edging Romanian Marius Copil 5-7 6-3 7-6 (4) in a match that didn’t end until 3 a.m., the latest finish in the Washington tournament’s 50-year history.

Murray also withdrew from this week’s Rogers Cup in Toronto. Murray’s wildcard was then given to Stan Wawrinka, who, like Murray, has won three Grand Slam tournaments. Both players are making comebacks from injury. Murray missed 11 months with a right hip injury before returning in June. Wawrinka was out eight months with a left knee injury. Both underwent surgery.

STILL UPSET

Britain’s Johanna Konta handed Serena Williams the worst loss of her career, crushing the former world’s number one 6-1 6-0 in the first round of the Silicon Valley Classic in San José, California, USA. “I think she played well in the second set and I think I wasn’t sharp at all in the first set and she got confident and she clearly ran away with it,” Williams said. The American, who has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, had never lost a match before where she did not win at least two games since turning pro in 1995. “She obviously wasn’t playing at her best level, nowhere near it, and I really just tried to play the match on my terns,” Konta said.

SCOTSMAN RETURNS

The Citi Open proved to be an expensive tournament for Benoit Paire. The Frenchman was fined USD $16,500 – more than twice his prize money – for unsportsmanlike conduct, audible obscenity and a lack of best efforts. In his first-round loss to Marcos Baghdatis, Paire smashed several racquets. In the latter stages of the match, he didn’t even try to put balls in play and was booed off the court by spectators. As a first-round loser at the Washington, DC, tournament, Paire received USD $7,130.

SICK BAY

A hip injury was cited when Nick Kyrgios withdrew from the Citi Open. The Australian had injured his hip a week earlier in Atlanta, but had hoped to play in the Washington, DC, tournament. Ranked 17th in the world, Kyrgios is also scheduled to play this week in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the following week in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA in preparation for the year’s final Grand Slam event, the US Open.

The two top seeded players in San José, California, USA, pulled out of the hard-court event with injuries. Top-seeded Garbiñe Muguruza withdrew with a right arm injury. “I’ve been feeling some pain in my right arm for a couple of days and realized I am not ready to play a match, so hopefully I can recover for the next tournaments,” Muguruza said in a statement. San José was to be the Spaniard’s first action since losing in the second round at Wimbledon. Madison Keys, the defending champion, pulled out with a right wrist injury. “I have been feeling pain in my wrist over the last couple of days and felt worse today,” Keys said

A right leg injury caused reigning Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki to pull out of last week’s Citi Open. “It’s just something that has been nagging for a little while,” the Dane said. “Hopefully it will be fine.” The top seed in the hard-court event, Wozniacki withdrew just hours before her scheduled opening match.

SIGNS UP

Andy Murray’s return to tennis will take him to China. “The China Open … has announced the entry of three-time Grand Slam champion and former world number one Andy Murray to the 2018 player field,” tournament organizers said on their website. The China Open will be held Oct. 1-7 in Beijing.

SPEAKING FRENCH

Serena Williams is making sure her daughter will be bilingual. The tennis star is teaching 11-month-old Olympia French. Serena shared a video on Instagram of herself speaking French to her baby. In the clip, Williams can be heard saying “wash your hands” as Olympia is doing so in the dog’s water bowl. Continuing in French, Serena tells her daughter not to use the dog water.

STUTTERING START

Stan Wawrinka is having a hard time regaining the form that took him to three Grand Slam tournament titles. The Swiss star lost his first-round Citi Open match in Washington, DC, to American qualifier Donald Young 6-4 6-7 (5) 7-6 (3). “It’s painful to lose in the first round here, especially 7-6 in the third,” said Wawrinka, who has struggled in his comeback from left knee surgery. “I was missing a lot for sure. It’s tough when you haven’t played a lot of matches. Tough loss for sure.” Wawrinka was sidelined for six months, returning in May. Since then he has posted a 6-11 record. “Stan at the top is totally different that when he’s working his way back,” said Young, whose ranking has dropped to 234th in the world. “I’m sure he’ll be back. I won’t want to play him when he’s back.”

SCHEDULE SHORTENED

Two collegiate events have been dropped by the United States Tennis Association (USTA). The American Collegiate Invitational, which has been held the last three years at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York during the US Open, has been canceled, along with the ITA Indoor Intercollegiate Championships, which was scheduled to be held in November at the New York City facility. Instead, the 2018 USTA & USTA Player Development Collegiate Blizzard Wild Card Challenge will be held at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida, USA, in December.

SHOOTER FREED

According to DailyMail.com, the man who killed the sister of Serena and Venus Williams has been released from prison. Robert Maxfield was convicted of the drive-by shooting in September 2003 of Yetunde Price, a registered nurse. The former Southside Crips gang member was released after completing his 15-year sentence early due to good behavior. Yetunde acted as the part-time personal assistant to both Venus and Serena.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Chengdu: Gong Mao-Xin and Zhang Ze beat Mikhail Elgin and Yaraslav Shyla 6-4 6-4

Kitzbühel: Roman Jebavy and Andres Molteni beat Daniele Bracciali and Federico Delbonis 6-2 6-4

Los Cabos: Marcelo Arevalo and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela beat Taylor Fritz and Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-4 6-4

San Jose: Chan Latisha and Kveta Peschke beat Lyudmyla Kichenok and Nadiia Kichenok 6-4 6-1

Segovia: Andres Artunedo Martinavarr and David Perez Sanz beat Matias Franco Descotte and Joao Monteiro 6-7 (3) 6-3 10-6 (match tiebreak)

Washington (men): Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares beat Mike Bryan and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 3-6 6-3 10-4 (match tiebreak)

Washington (women): Han Xinyun and Darija Jurak beat Alexa Guarachi and Erin Routliffe 6-3 6-2

SURFING

Toronto: www.rogerscup.com/
Montreal: www.couperogers.com/en/
Cincinnati: www.wsopen.com/
Vancouver: www.vanopen.com

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN

$5,275,595 Rogers Cup, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, hard
$174,800 China International Challenger, Jinan, China, hard
$148,000 Isar Open, Pullach, Germany, clay
$100,000 Nordic Naturals Challenger, Aptos, California, USA, hard
$ 116,539 Tilia Slovenia Open, Portoroz, Slovenia, hard

WOMEN

$2,513,000 Coupe Rogers présentée par Banque Nationale, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, hard

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$5,627,305 Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, hard
$100,000 Odlum Brown Van Open, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, hard

WOMEN

$2,513,000 Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, hard
$100,000 Odlum Brown Van Open, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, hard

Alexander Zverev
Alexander Zverev

Maria Sharapova Is “Topps” – This Week In Tennis Business with Kevin Craig

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by Kevin Craig

@KCraig_Tennis

Victoria Azarenka, Bryan Brothers Headline 12th Annual Desert Smash

Desert Smash, an annual charity celebrity tennis event, is set to take place on March 8th at the Westin Mission Hills Resort and Spa, according to Gulf-California Broadcast Company. In the 12th consecutive year this event has been held, major tennis stars such as Bob and Mike Bryan, Victoria Azarenka, Kevin Anderson, Sam Querrey, Mardy Fish, Fernando Verdasco, and others will be participating. Gulf-California Broadcast Company also reported an agenda for the event, saying that this year’s event will include “two fun playing opportunities” before the Pro Tennis and Celebrity Expedition get underway. After the tennis action is done for the day, Ja Rule will hold a musical performance for the player party. Also in attendance will be celebrities Nicole Scherzinger, Chelsea Handler, Hilary Swank, and others. Tickets are currently on sale for the event at  http://desertsmash.bpt.me/.

John Isner and Caroline Wozniacki Commit to 2016 Citi Open

The No. 1 American male and Danish female tennis players will be making a stop in Washington D.C. this summer, as the Citi Open announced on Sunday that John Isner and Caroline Wozniacki will be taking part in their event. Isner has had a lot of success at the Citi Open, making it to the final in the United States capital three times, while Wozniacki, who will be the flag bearer for Denmark at the 2016 Summer Olympics, is making her first appearance. The small list of early commitments also includes two rising American stars in the 2015 US Open Juniors champion Taylor Fritz and the 2015 Wimbledon Juniors champion Reilly Opelka. Tournament director Jeff Newman stated the tournament loves “offering our fans a mixture of marquee players who support the tournament year after year, such as John, and exciting new players like Caroline as well,” in the announcement from the Citi Open. Ticket packages for the only ATP 500-level event in the United States go on sale March 14th, with proceeds benefiting the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation.

ATP President Wants More Money Spent on Tennis Integrity Unit

After a hearing took place on Wednesday in which lawmakers from the United Kingdom questioned Chris Kermode, ATP president, and Nigel Willerton, director of the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU), the message is clear that tennis’ main match fixing investigative body needs more support to be effective. The TIU is currently funded by tennis’ governing bodies with a budget of only $2 million, less than half a percent of the ATP’s total income. Kermode claimed during the hearing that “we will spend whatever is needed to tackle the problem,” according to SBC News. During the hearing, it was revealed that 246 matches were flagged for suspicious betting activity in 2015. Willerton, when discussing the accuracy of the BBC and BuzzFeed News article that was released earlier in the year, claimed that there have been five suspected matches that were fixed in the four majors, yet he stated that none of them took place at Wimbledon. Attempting to help rebuild the image of tennis that has taken a massive hit in recent weeks, Willerton went on to ensure fans that these alerts come at the highest level of professional tennis in very rare situations, citing them as being “few and far between.” SBC News also reports that Willerton was emphatic in stating that no information had been suppressed by the governing bodies of tennis and addressed his disagreement with the suggestion that the suspected players of match fixing should be named, saying “you’ll have affected their whole livelihood on what I consider one stream of information and a betting alert. I don’t think that’s appropriate.”

Maria Sharapova to be Included in Topps Card Set

Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova will be included in a new set of Topps trading cards that will feature key figures from the world of sports and pop culture. Topps Allen & Ginter cards annually include a variety of cards, including hand-painted images and autographed cards, changing things up from their typical business of releasing trading cards with just a player’s picture and statistics on the card. Joining Sharapova, the five-time major title winner, will be Gennady Gennadyevich Golovkin, Steve Spurrier, Missy Franklin, and a few others that will be announced at a later date. Golovkin, known as Triple G, is the current middleweight boxing champion for the WBA, IBF, IBO, and WBC, holding an undefeated record of 34-0. Spurrier is a long-time football coach who worked for the University of Florida and University of South Carolina, just retiring in 2015. Spurrier is the first college football coach to have won the Heisman Trophy himself before coaching a player who won the Heisman Trophy. Franklin is a four-time gold medal winning swimmer for the United States, and she crashed on to the scene at the young age of 17, winning five medals overall at the 2012 Summer Olympics. This trading card set is scheduled to be released on July 20th.

Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Takes Over Management of USTA Pro Circuit Event in Vero Beach, Fla.

The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation has taken over the management of the $10,000 “Futures” tennis tournament – one of the longest-running and best attended events on the U.S. Tennis Association Pro Circuit. The tournament – to be called The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships – will now benefit the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, the non-profit tennis foundation benefiting children, named for Vero Beach native son Mardy Fish, a former top 10 tennis star, U.S. Davis Cup hero and silver medalist at the 2004 Olympic Games. Tom Fish, Mardy’s father and the chairman of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation (www.MardyFishFoundation.com) will serve as co-tournament director of the event along with former USTA press officer Randy Walker. To order tickets for the event – to be held April 22 – May 1 at The Boulevard Tennis Club in Vero Beach – go to www.VeroBeachTennisTickets.com

 

Rafael Nadal to Play Exhibition in Puerto Rico

The 14-time major champion Rafael Nadal will take on fellow Spaniard Pablo Andujar in an exhibition tennis event in San Juan, Puerto Rico on March 21st, according to Fox News Latino. The event will be held in the Jose Miguel Agrelo Coliseo, an indoor arena that has a seating capacity of 18,000. The match will actually be a best of five sets match, as event organizer Juan Buzo claimed Nadal “has accepted to play at the best of five sets.” According to the report, it is also possible that Nadal will attend a charity event during his visit to Puerto Rico.

British Reality TV Star Plays 24-Hour Match for Charity

Jaime Laing of English reality TV show Made in Chelsea took part in a 24 hour tennis match to raise awareness and money for Sport Relief, a sports related charity. The TV star’s goal was to raise £10,000 during the match via donations, while taking on celebrities, including Greg Rusedski, at the National Tennis Center in Roehampton. Laing, in an interview with Richmond and Twickenham Times, stated that he has “always been doing stuff for Sport Relief and they came to” him in an attempt to raise more awareness. The idea of playing tennis for an hour came up, before Laing stated they “thought about making it 24 hours.” The event, which is in partnership with the Lawn Tennis Association, means a lot to Laing as he believes “sport is a massive part of growing up, it keeps you fit and healthy and releases endorphins,” according to Richmond and Twickenham Times.

Kia Continues Support of Tennis in St. Lucia

Kia Motors and Northwest Limited have continued their support for the St. Lucia National Tennis Association for the fifth year now, hosting the National Independence Tennis Tournament, according to St. Lucia News Online. The event “has a special focus on the youth in an attempt to create a platform where they can express their achievements and skills,” as Northwest and Kia were joined by Blue Waters as a co-sponsor this year for the first time. Marketing director of Northwest Limited Lawrence Bain stated in an interview with St. Lucia News Online that his company is “committed to the tournament and proud to be involved in this kind of grass roots program which also represents the opportunity for young players to rub shoulders and gain experience from the more season professionals.”

Victoria Azarenka, Bryan Brothers Headline 12th Annual Desert Smash

Desert Smash, an annual charity celebrity tennis event, is set to take place on March 8th at the Westin Mission Hills Resort and Spa, according to Gulf-California Broadcast Company. In the 12th consecutive year this event has been held, major tennis stars such as Bob and Mike Bryan, Victoria Azarenka, Kevin Anderson, Sam Querrey, Mardy Fish, Fernando Verdasco, and others will be participating. Gulf-California Broadcast Company also reported an agenda for the event, saying that this year’s event will include “two fun playing opportunities” before the Pro Tennis and Celebrity Expedition get underway. After the tennis action is done for the day, Ja Rule will hold a musical performance for the player party. Also in attendance will be celebrities Nicole Scherzinger, Chelsea Handler, Hilary Swank, and others. Tickets are currently on sale for the event at  http://desertsmash.bpt.me/.

John Isner and Caroline Wozniacki Commit to 2016 Citi Open

The No. 1 American male and Danish female tennis players will be making a stop in Washington D.C. this summer, as the Citi Open announced on Sunday that John Isner and Caroline Wozniacki will be taking part in their event. Isner has had a lot of success at the Citi Open, making it to the final in the United States capital three times, while Wozniacki, who will be the flag bearer for Denmark at the 2016 Summer Olympics, is making her first appearance. The small list of early commitments also includes two rising American stars in the 2015 US Open Juniors champion Taylor Fritz and the 2015 Wimbledon Juniors champion Reilly Opelka. Tournament director Jeff Newman stated the tournament loves “offering our fans a mixture of marquee players who support the tournament year after year, such as John, and exciting new players like Caroline as well,” in the announcement from the Citi Open. Ticket packages for the only ATP 500-level event in the United States go on sale March 14th, with proceeds benefiting the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation.

ATP President Wants More Money Spent on Tennis Integrity Unit

After a hearing took place on Wednesday in which lawmakers from the United Kingdom questioned Chris Kermode, ATP president, and Nigel Willerton, director of the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU), the message is clear that tennis’ main match fixing investigative body needs more support to be effective. The TIU is currently funded by tennis’ governing bodies with a budget of only $2 million, less than half a percent of the ATP’s total income. Kermode claimed during the hearing that “we will spend whatever is needed to tackle the problem,” according to SBC News. During the hearing, it was revealed that 246 matches were flagged for suspicious betting activity in 2015. Willerton, when discussing the accuracy of the BBC and BuzzFeed News article that was released earlier in the year, claimed that there have been five suspected matches that were fixed in the four majors, yet he stated that none of them took place at Wimbledon. Attempting to help rebuild the image of tennis that has taken a massive hit in recent weeks, Willerton went on to ensure fans that these alerts come at the highest level of professional tennis in very rare situations, citing them as being “few and far between.” SBC News also reports that Willerton was emphatic in stating that no information had been suppressed by the governing bodies of tennis and addressed his disagreement with the suggestion that the suspected players of match fixing should be named, saying “you’ll have affected their whole livelihood on what I consider one stream of information and a betting alert. I don’t think that’s appropriate.”

Maria Sharapova to be Included in Topps Card Set

Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova will be included in a new set of Topps trading cards that will feature key figures from the world of sports and pop culture. Topps Allen & Ginter cards annually include a variety of cards, including hand-painted images and autographed cards, changing things up from their typical business of releasing trading cards with just a player’s picture and statistics on the card. Joining Sharapova, the five-time major title winner, will be Gennady Gennadyevich Golovkin, Steve Spurrier, Missy Franklin, and a few others that will be announced at a later date. Golovkin, known as Triple G, is the current middleweight boxing champion for the WBA, IBF, IBO, and WBC, holding an undefeated record of 34-0. Spurrier is a long-time football coach who worked for the University of Florida and University of South Carolina, just retiring in 2015. Spurrier is the first college football coach to have won the Heisman Trophy himself before coaching a player who won the Heisman Trophy. Franklin is a four-time gold medal winning swimmer for the United States, and she crashed on to the scene at the young age of 17, winning five medals overall at the 2012 Summer Olympics. This trading card set is scheduled to be released on July 20th.

Rafael Nadal to Play Exhibition in Puerto Rico

The 14-time major champion Rafael Nadal will take on fellow Spaniard Pablo Andujar in an exhibition tennis event in San Juan, Puerto Rico on March 21st, according to Fox News Latino. The event will be held in the Jose Miguel Agrelo Coliseo, an indoor arena that has a seating capacity of 18,000. The match will actually be a best of five sets match, as event organizer Juan Buzo claimed Nadal “has accepted to play at the best of five sets.” According to the report, it is also possible that Nadal will attend a charity event during his visit to Puerto Rico.

British Reality TV Star Plays 24-Hour Match for Charity

Jaime Laing of English reality TV show Made in Chelsea took part in a 24 hour tennis match to raise awareness and money for Sport Relief, a sports related charity. The TV star’s goal was to raise £10,000 during the match via donations, while taking on celebrities, including Greg Rusedski, at the National Tennis Center in Roehampton. Laing, in an interview with Richmond and Twickenham Times, stated that he has “always been doing stuff for Sport Relief and they came to” him in an attempt to raise more awareness. The idea of playing tennis for an hour came up, before Laing stated they “thought about making it 24 hours.” The event, which is in partnership with the Lawn Tennis Association, means a lot to Laing as he believes “sport is a massive part of growing up, it keeps you fit and healthy and releases endorphins,” according to Richmond and Twickenham Times.

 

Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova

Washington, D.C. Legacies: The Capital Tennis Town

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By Jane Voigt, Special for World Tennis Magazine

Washington D.C. (July 28, 2013) Politicians, lawyers, and journalists make up a large percentage of the working population in Washington D.C.

Yet little known to those that peer inside the capital beltway is the celebrity of tennis here.

Donald Dell with WTA player Melanie Oudin at last year’s Citi Open player’s party

Citi Open, formerly called The Legg Mason Tennis Classic and now branded with the clout of Citibank, is the creation of Donald Dell a Bethesda, Maryland, native and area lawyer.

Attorney Dell grew out of his law firm a strategic sports marketing and management company — SFX — that partnered with the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (WT&EF) to establish the annual tournament. Since then Dell’s footprint on the sport has become indelible, inside the beltway and internationally.

Dell inched toward the management of tennis players through SFX after his success as captain of the winning 1968 U. S. Davis Cup Team. He used his business connections in and around D. C. plus his friendship with Arthur Ashe — a Richmond, Vir., native and member of that Davis Cup Team — to underwrite the first tournament for professional tennis players one year after the Open Era began in 1968. It was called The Washington Star International, and named after the daily evening newspaper.

He also played on tour, help create the ATP Tour, ran the ATP Tour, and remains the founder and co-chairman of Citi Open.

The WT&EF continues its role to “improve the life prospects of low-income, underserved children and youth in the District of Columbia through athletic and academic enrichment,” writes its web site. Its mission satisfied Ashe’s imperative that the tournament be located in an area of D. C. that was inclusive of a broad range of races and ethnicities. Ashe had had his share of discrimination, during his tennis career, and wanted the practice stopped. The game was for everyone.

In addition to Dell’s continued work at Citi Open, his voice can be heard during the U. S. Open as he calls matches. HIs insight may not be predicated on up-to-the-second Twitter news, yet his vast experience lends an angle to his comments that make listeners pay attention.

Another lawyer that soared to the top of his profession to become a Supreme Court Justice is John Paul Stevens. Originally from Chicago, the now-retired Justice learned tennis from his older brothers at their parents’ summer home in Michigan.

His first racquet was a Wilson, or so he recalled in an interview. “It had gut in it,” he added emphatically.

Justice Stevens played on the “B” team at The University of Chicago.

“My coach made it clear that I had the worse serve in captivity,” Stevens said in the same interview. “It’s still true.”

The best players the Justice ever faced were Bill and Chet Murphy — twins on the first team (the “A” team) of the University of Chicago. “They took care of me,” he said.

He continued to play during World War II when stationed at Pearl Harbor with the Navy from 1942-1945, after the bombings. Depending on his weekly work schedule, he “played with other officers right on the Navy base.”

Before his appointment to The Supreme Court in 1973 by President Gerald Ford, Stevens worked as a law clerk. It was 1948. Justice Hugo Black invited him to play on his home’s court in Alexandria.

“I played two sets with him,” Stevens began. “I beat him handily in the first set, but he outlasted me in the second set. He was in better shape than I was when I was a law clerk that spring.”

Although Justice Byron White was not a tennis player, Stevens admired the All-American Football and Basketball player whom he met at Pearl Harbor.

“He was one of the greatest athletes in the history of college sports and the best athlete who ever served on the Court.”

While on The Supreme Court, he put together a regular Sunday game with two Supreme Court Policemen. He played Justice Antonin Scalia, too, but only twice.

“He’s probably better than me, but I don’t know. He’s an afternoon person and I’m a morning person. Our schedules don’t match up very well.”

Justice Stevens love of the game has endured in retirement. He still plays a couple times a week with a long-time friend and Washington lawyer. In colder months, he arrives sometimes wearing a bright red baseball jacket with ‘Washington Nationals’ embroidered in loopy letters across the front. On the back it reads, ‘Stevens.’ He was given the jacket as a souvenir, after sending a first-pitch right over home plate before a home game.

David Gregory, NBC’s host of Meet The Press, lives and plays tennis inside the beltway. What would he improve in his game? “As far as my game, I need better footwork and a better serve-volley game.” He believes now-retired Senator John Breaux is one of the best players inside D. C.

Fred Mc Nair’s name isn’t heard frequently in modern tennis circles. A Washington native, Fred, or “Freddie” to his friends, is the fourth Fred Mc Nair. He comes from a tennis playing and tennis giving family. His father started the WT&EF in 1954.

His grandfather played in the U. S. National Championships, currently the U.S. Open, in 1912. Fred’s father played in the same major four times when it was located at the Westside Tennis Club outside New York City. Fred played there once in 1969.

Electric Alexandr Dolgopolov wins Citi Open championship

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By Christopher Lancette

WASHINGTON – When Alexandr Dolgopolov spots a ball he can attack, he springs to life like a sleeping dog smelling a whiff of bacon. The 23-year-old almost levitates as shuffles his feet into position, draws the next shot or two in his mind, and pounces.

The 25th-ranked Dolgopolov feasted on a heavy diet of such points this week – enough to fuel his rain-delayed 6-7, 6-4, 6-1 victory over No. 36 Tommy Hass today at the Citi Open. One second he’s serving out wide and racing in for a put-away volley, the next he’s running wind sprints between the sidelines before cracking winners.

Alexandr Dolgopolov – Photo by Wonok Kim

Forget playing defensively and waiting for the opponent to make a mistake.

“I have so many shots that I like to risk,” Dolgopolov said after winning his first 500-level championship and second title overall. “It’s a part of me, like my personality. I like risking in life so I do that on the court. I just like to play tennis like that; I don’t think about the percentage. I like to do it my way and that’s how I win.”

Dolgopolov  is as confident driving winners through openings only he can see as he is racing cars at 200 miles per hour. That’s how he loves to spend his free time. Leave golf for the milk toast crowd.

His unconventional style was born when he was a kid. He was undersized and had health issues occasionally. Dolgopolov compensated for it by swinging for the fences – strikeouts be damned — like a Ukrainian version of Babe Ruth.

The power and prowess, along with the pitfalls they create, were on full display against Haas. Dolgopolov struggled a bit early in the first set, allowing it to go to a tiebreaker. At 7-all in the breaker, he came to the net and was in position to put away a volley. Instead, he chose to let Haas’s passing shot go by and drop in for a winner. Dolgopolov sent a forehand long on the next point, giving Haas the early momentum.

Dolgopolov began to find his rhythm through the course of the second set, constantly forcing Haas to work exceptionally hard to hold his serve. He held his own serve more easily, often filling Fitzgerald Stadium with the electricity of his strokes. At 1-all in the second set, Dolgopolov raced back toward the baseline to retrieve a would-be winner from Haas. He stopped, planted his feet and whipped a stunning forehand past a diving Haas. Up 5-4, he broke Haas’s serve – if not also his spirit – with a combination stab returns, lobs and vicious groundstrokes.

Haas admitted the match got away from him in the second set, too.

Tommy Haas – Photo by Wonok Kim

“In that second set, I think I cracked a little bit mentally,” Haas said. “I made a few bad decisions and was behind a break.”

The 34-year-old Haas turned in an excellent week of work himself and will see his ranking go up next week as well. His Citi Open accomplishments add to a great summer that has also included a title at Halle and a finals appearance at Hamburg.

“It has been unbelievable,” he said. “Obviously I’m a little frustrated now. I thought I had some chances to maybe win this title and I really wanted it. Overall, I’m obviously proud to get here to a final. I played really solid tennis. I just hope I can stay injury free and keep going and try to keep improving.”

Haas said he has no doubt that Dolgopolov get better, too.

“I know he’s got a pretty tricky serve, a pretty tricky game,” he said. “You have to be ready for all sorts of things. He’s got good firepower and he keeps the ball very flat. He’s a shot maker and he goes for his stuff. He’s tough and he has a good future ahead of him.”

Dolgopolov said he was going to celebrate the win in a way that a lot of people can appreciate.

“Drink some beer,” he said in answer to his evening plans. “I can’t really afford to celebrate too much. I play Tuesday already in Toronto. I have a flight in the morning. I have to have a practice tomorrow. It’s a bit of a tough schedule but still I’m happy to win here.”

Opponents at the Rogers Cup next week won’t see anything different from him than they’ve seen all year. Lest anyone think Dolgopolov is just a free spirit who plays with no rhyme or reason, there is a method to his madness.

“That’s my game, you know – to miss shots and to make winners,” Dolgopolov explained earlier in the week. “That’s what I understood this past half a year when I tried to play more solid. The (other) players get more comfortable and everyone is hitting so well these days that you can’t give them time. It’s more comfortable for me to make an error than let the player, the opponent, play really well. Then, you don’t have control of the match. For me, it’s better to make errors and make winners than let the guy beat you in a normal-paced game.”

Dolgopolov can certainly drink to that tonight.

Follow Christopher Lancette on Twitter @chrislancette. Get a look at the Citi Open men’s doubles finals later this week in World Tennis Magazine.

 All photos below by Wonok Kim

Tennis gets hotter in Washington, D.C. as WTA joins men in newly named Citi Open

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By Christopher Lancette

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 24, 2012 — Every good showman knows that rule No. 1 is “Give people what they want.” Citi, the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation and Lagardere Unlimited are doing just that this summer – converting the men-only Legg Mason Tennis Classic to the new, co-ed Citi Open that will remain at the William H. G. FitzGerald Tennis Center from July 28 through August 25.

The Legg Mason Tennis Classic was already a great tennis tradition here after decades of big stars winning the title but fans wanted to see more matches – and they wanted to bring the ladies to town. The WTA brought a small event to College Park, Maryland last year. The quality of play was solid but the location was relatively unknown to most D.C.-area tennis patrons. “It would be great if this event could take place on the same site as the Legg Mason next year,” fans and reporters alike kept saying.

William H. G. Fitzgerald Tennis Center stadium court (Photo courtesy of Romana Cvitkovic)

Citi listened. So did event organizer Lagardere Unlimited. With Legg Mason’s sponsorship contract expiring, they seized the moment and gave the District’s tennis-crazy fan base a shiny new toy that will come complete with newly added hard courts and seating to accommodate them.  Both men’s and women’s sides will feature a 32-player draw instead of 48 for 2012 – as many top players will be in England for the Olympics – but then return to 48-player tournaments next year.

The men’s tournament will remain a 500-level event while the women’s will continue as an International at least for now. Organizers hope the new and improved digs and increased seat capacity will give the women’s event a chance for a promotion over the next three to five years.

Top-ranked American Mardy Fish didn’t waste any time announcing he would play in D.C. this summer altogether skipping the Olympics. Other top players who don’t qualify for or choose not to play in the Olympics are also expected in town. The tournament will recruit the most competitive women’s field it can find, too.

Even better for fans, organizers say they don’t anticipate an increase in ticket costs despite the fact that fans will get to see the women play as well. (Both men and women will also play doubles.)

There may be a few hiccups in 2012, though.

There won’t be a replay system in use on the courts outside the main stadium, and already limited parking may be in even greater demand. Late-afternoon thundershowers could make a mess of the schedule. Players who advance until the final days of the tournament may be hampered when they take off the next morning for Toronto or Montreal. Legg Mason 2012 tournament champion Radek Stepanek and runner-up Gael Monfils both looked sluggish in Montreal last year after fighting the D.C. heat.

Considering the increased appeal of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic-turned-Citi Open, however, the only thing hotter than the courts may be the demand for tickets.

Shahar Peer: “A little girl from a small country” makes global difference

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By Christopher Lancette

I had planned to conduct a video interview with world No. 24 Shahar Peer in a nice, quiet media tent at the inaugural Citi Open in College Park, Maryland. The lighting didn’t quite do justice to Israel’s highest ranked player ever so we had to stroll outside and have the chat there – smack in the middle of the throng of fans that quickly surrounded us.

It’s hard enough to do a good interview in private, let alone courtside … especially when you’re trying to penetrate the shield that pro athletes naturally thrust between themselves and pesky reporters. The whole point of World Tennis Magazine’s “The Changeover” is to capture glimpses of a player’s humanity.

The result?

Peer didn’t just let her guard down: She opened her mind and her heart. She’s a 24-year-old tennis star on the rise but she’s also a woman with a lot to say about what matters in life.

She even turned the tables on me.

It’s normally my job to put profile subjects at ease so I can extract the best stuff from them but I was a little nervous interviewing Peer on camera in public. I was afraid I was going to flub the pronunciation of her name or the questions I intended to ask. Peer looked me straight in the eyes, though, and made it clear she stood ready to have a real conversation and that I was in good hands with her.

Peer quickly revealed how much some of her school teachers still mean to her today. Faster than she puts away a volley, she also put her livelihood of pro tennis in astonishing perspective.

“Tennis is very important,” she said. “I give everything to tennis, but there are other things except tennis and you need to be smart and to know other things than only hitting the ball.”

We had already established a connection just one minute into the conversation.

Out of the corners of my eyes, I saw the crowd around us increase, leaning in and hanging on her every word. Something special was unfolding. This was not just a star talking about backhands and breakpoint opportunities: The fans were getting to know Peer as a person right along with me.

The moment was right to bring up a conversation I knew would be impossible to cover and exit in the brief time we had together but I had to serve it up.

I asked her about her trip to the Auschwitz concentration camp with her Holocaust-survivor grandmother, Yuliana Eckstein, and her mom in April of 2010. She led “The March of the Living” – an annual walk between the Auschwitz and Birkenau extermination camps. Her grandmother’s parents were sent to the gas chambers at Auschwitz.

Peer spoke gently about what that trip meant, sharing a story that’s best viewed on the video rather than quoted here. Suffice it to say I was spellbound. So was the crowd.

The challenge for me at that moment was to figure out a way to transition from something so depressing to a question that might extract life lessons we as people can learn from what Peer said. I asked her why she has been so willing to use her celebrity status to take on major world issues when so many athletes are afraid to do so. It was Peer, after all, who forced the United Arab Emirates to reverse its policy of not allowing Israeli athletes to play within its borders.

Again, the power of her words are best viewed directly but her concluding thought gave me goose bumps. She responded in the context of making a difference in Middle Eastern relations.

“If I can as a little girl from a small country do something for that and help the Jewish and Arabs kind of be together and understand each other – and be able to know that we are all human beings – that is very important for me.”

I probably should have ended the interview right there but my brain was too busy trying to absorb the magnitude of what she just said. I was also contrasting the person I was interviewing with her persona on the court.

Moments before the interview, I had witnessed her physical power. She pounded ground strokes so her hard in her first Citi Open match against Japan’s Ryoko Fuda that I could have sworn I heard the balls actually yelp. And forget about trying to hit a winner past her: She made the 27 feet from sideline to sideline look as small as a croquet wicket. Peer on that day was invincible and invulnerable.

Yet there she was with me a short time later revealing her tenderness and femininity.

I asked her a final question about her practice of only allowing herself a dessert once a week while I tried to come up with my exit line. She said something about ice cream but I got lost in her deep brown eyes and sweet smile. I was so transfixed by her gaze that I actually forgot my own name as I tried to sign off the interview. I had to switch in mid-breath from what should have been “For World Tennis Magazine, I’m Chris Lancette” to a simple “Thank you so much for joining us.”

No one has ever made me forget my name.

I stood there after we wrapped and watched Peer field another interview, a basic one about the win over the Japanese qualifier. The WTA’s “Strong is Beautiful” campaign came to my mind as she spoke.

If you define strength not just by physical prowess but by character, I thought, Shahar Peer just may be the most beautiful woman in tennis.

Christopher Lancette is a Washington D.C.-area freelance writer. He can be reached by email through is blog at http://dcreflections.typepad.com

 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N92MnIheWhA&w=550&h=343]

Photos © by Won-ok Kim