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Czech Republic Sweeps USA for Sixth Fed Cup Crown in Eight Years – Mondays With Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Alex de Minaur to win the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, Italy

Ekaterina Alexandrova beat Evgeniya Rodina 6-2 6-2 to win the ENGIE Open de Limoges in Limoges, France

Alexander Bublik beat Lukas Rosol 6-4 6-4 to win the Peugeot Slovak Open in Bratislava, Slovak Republic

Elias Ymer beat Yannick Maden 6-3 7-6 (5) to win the Internationaux de Tennis de Vendee in Mouilleron-Le-Captif, France

Ivana Jorovic beat Zheng Saisai 6-3 2-6 6-4 to win the Shenzhen Challenger in Shenzhen, China

 

FED CUP

Final

Czech Republic beat United States 3-0 at Prague, Czech Republic

 

SAYINGS

“It was horrible, the worst (moment). But it’s not the end until the final match point is converted.” – Katerina Siniakova, who fought off two match points before defeating American Sofia Kenin to lead the Czech Republic to its sixth Fed Cup title in eight years.

“It was a long match, a lot of points, a lot of effort, long points. We fought hard till the end. It’s disappointing for me ‘cause I had like two match points but couldn’t turn things around. But I fought my hardest and I did everything I could.” – Sofia Kenin, who lost to Katerina Siniakova in the final match as the Czech Republic won the Fed Cup title over the United States.

“We did not get the result that we wanted but nobody can say that we didn’t leave it all out there.” – Kathy Rinaldi, USA Fed Cup captain.

“It’s a very special moment. I think I can get some confidence out of it and play better in the future.” – Stefanos Tsitsipas, after winning the Next Gen ATP Finals.

 

SIXTH FED CUP CROWN

Unable to call on their top two singles players, the Czech Republic turned to the world’s top-ranked doubles star to clinch its sixth Fed Cup title in eight years. “It was an unbelievable match for me. It was up and down, nerves,” Katerina Siniakova said after she held off Fed Cup rookie Sofia Kenin in three tight sets, giving the Czechs an unbeatable 3-0 win over the United States. “I am just terribly happy I won.” It was the first time the Czech Republic has beat the USA since the country was created after the split of Czechoslovakia in 1993. But it was the sixth straight time the Czech Republic has been victorious in the final of the prestigious international team competition. The Czechs were missing Karolina Pliskova, ranked eighth in the world but out with an injury, and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who is sick. The USA put up a fight, even though they were without sisters Serena and Venus Williams, world number six Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys, their top four players. It took Siniakova three hours, 45 minutes to overcome the stout effort by Kenin, 7-5 5-7 7-5. The two battled through long rallies before Kenin was denied two match points by Siniakova. “I am proud of the way I competed,” Kenin said. “I never gave up. When I was down, I was still fighting out there.” The Czechs claimed their 11th Fed Cup title, including five as part of Czechoslovakia. The Americans have won 18 titles. On the first day of the two-day competition, Barbora Strycova edged Kenin 6-7 (5) 6-1 6-4 before Siniakova stopped Alison Riske 6-3 7-6 (2).

 

STANDS TALL

Considered one of the next top stars in tennis, Stefanos Tsitsipas now has the title to prove it. The Greek player won the Next Gen ATP Finals with an undefeated run through the Milan, Italy, tournament, stopping Alex de Minaur in the final. “It feels great. I’ve been playing some great tennis this week here in Milan,” Tsitsipas said. “I was mentally very strong and that was proven in the tiebreak in the last set.” Last year, Tsitsipas was an alternate in the first Next Gen event. This year, the 20-year-old reached his first ATP World Tour final in Barcelona, beat four Top 10 opponents en route to the Toronto final, and won his first tour-level title in Stockholm. His five victories last week in Milan surpassed his career win total of four before 2018.

 

SKIPS LONDON

Surgery on his right ankle has forced Rafael Nadal to pull out of this week’s Nitto ATP Tour Finals in London.  The Spanish left-handed also withdrew from the recent Paris Masters because of an abdominal injury. “Unfortunately, I had the abdominal problem in Paris last week and I also have an issue in the ankle joint that has to be removed in the operating room today,” Nadal wrote on Twitter. “This way I hope to be in full condition for next season.” Nadal’s withdrawal means Novak Djokovic will end the year ranked number one in the world.

 

SPECIAL LADY

After winning her second Fed Cup Heart Award, Petra Kvitova dominated her winning check to the hospital that saved her hand and her career. “It’s a big honor for me to win it,” Kvitova said. “I won it once before, in 2011, and it’s a beautiful award. It’s awarded by the fans, which is something very special.” The award was accompanied by a check for £10,000 (USD $11,329), which she then presented to the Institute of Hand Surgery and Plastic Surgery in Vysoke nad Jizerou. That was the hospital where Kvitova underwent surgery on her left hand following a knife attack by an intruder in her home nearly two years ago. The Fed Cup Heart Award recognizes players who have represented their country with distinction, shown exceptional courage on court and demonstrated outstanding commitment to their team. It was first presented in 2009.

 

SECOND TIME

The Engie Open de Limoges is just perfect for Ekaterina Alexandrova. The 23-year-old Czech won the French tournament for the second time, this time beating Evgeniya Rodina in the final. Alexandrova slammed 12 aces and won 84 percent of her the points on her first serve and every point on her second serve. Alexandrova first won the Limoges title in 2016, when she beat Caroline Garcia in the final.

 

SAYS NO MATCH

The exhibition match between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia has been called off. Djokovic told BBC Sports that “the match is not happening this year” because of Nadal’s ankle injury, which required surgery. Both players had expressed doubt as to whether they would play the December 22 match because of the growing pressure from the international community against Saudi Arabia following the killing of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi. Amnesty International had urged both players not to play.

 

SWITCH AT WIMBLEDON

Gerry Armstrong, who defaulted John McEnroe from a match at the 1990 Australian Open, will take over as Wimbledon’s tournament referee in 2020. Armstrong is currently Wimbledon’s assistant referee under Andrew Jarrett, who is retiring after next year. He umpired for 41 years and was in the chair for eight Wimbledon singles final.

 

STAYING HOME

Darren Cahill says he will take a break from his “dream job” in 2019, citing family reasons. The 53-year-old Australian is ending his coaching job with the world’s number one woman player, Simona Halep.  He previously coached Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi. “I’d like to thank Simona for the last four amazing yeas,” Cahill wrote on Instagram. “Her understanding, personality, work ethic, generosity and professionalism made it a pleasure to stand by her side as her coach. Basically, I had the dream job.” He said he will continue to work as an ESPN television analyst at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open in 2019.

 

SAYONARA

The Australian Open will be the last tournament for Lucie Safarova. The 31-year-old Czech said she will retire after the year’s first Grand Slam tournament in January because of health concerns. She does not plan on playing in any tournaments before the Australian Open. “I had a great career, but my health doesn’t allow me to continue,” said Safarova, who helped the Czech Republic win four Fed Cup titles. She did not play in last weeks’ Fed Cup final. In her career, she won seven WTA singles titles and 15 doubles titles, including five Grand Slam tournaments with American Bethanie Mattek-Sands. She was ranked fifth in the world in singles in 2015 and top-ranked in doubles in 2017. She lost to Serena Williams in the French Open final in 2015. After that loss, she was hospitalized with an unspecified bacterial infection. She ended last season prematurely with a tendon inflammation. And she played in only 11 tournaments this year because of a bacterial infection and recurring joint pain.

 

SERBIAN’S AWARDS

Not surprisingly, Novak Djokovic was named the 2018 ATP Comeback Player of year. He was ranked 22nd in the world after the French Open, then won two Grand Slam tournaments — Wimbledon and the US Open – along with other events to finish the year ranked number one. Djokovic also was named the year’s top player, while Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic were voted as the ATP Doubles Team of the Year, and Stefanos Tsitsipas the Most Improved Player of the Year. Winners will receive their awards during the Nitto ATP Finals in London.

 

SHARING THE COURT?

Victoria Azarenka apparently has reunited with coach Wim Fissette. The two worked together in 2015 and 2016 before Azarenka stopped her career to have a child. Fissette recently split with Angelique Kerber, but has been training with the 29-year-old Azarenka in the off-season.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Bratislava: Denys Molchanov and Igor Zelenay beat Ramkumr Ramanathan and Andrei Vasilevski 6-2 3-6 11-9 (match tiebreak)

Limoges: Veronika Kudermetova and Galina Voskoboeva beat Timea Babos and Vera Zvonareva 7-5 6-4

Mouilleron-Le-Captif: Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen beat Romain Arneodo and Quentin Halys 6-3 4-6 10-2 (match tiebreak)

Shenzhen: Shuko Aoyama and Yang Zhaoxuan beat Ji-Hee Choi and Luksika Kumkhum 6-2 6-3

 

SURFING

London: https://www.nittoatpfinals.com/en

Bangalore: http://www.bengalurutennisopen.com/

Houston: https://oraclechallengerseries.com/houston/

Taipei: http://www.oecopen.com/

Lille: https://www.daviscup.com/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN

$8,500,000 Nitto ATP Finals, London, Great Britain, hard

$150,000 Bengaluru Tennis Open, Bangalore, India, hard

$150,000 Oracle Challenger Series, Houston, Texas, USA, hard

 

WOMEN

$150,000 Oracle Challenger Series, Houston, Texas, USA, hard

$125,000 Taipei OEC Open, Taipei, Taiwan, carpet

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

DAVIS CUP

Final

France vs. Croatia in Lille, France, clay

Czech Republic Fed Cup Champions 2018
Czech Republic Fed Cup Champions 2018

Czech Republic Wins Third Straight Fed Cup – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Julien Benneteau beat Andrey Rublev 7-5 2-6 6-3 to win the Internationaux de Tennis de Vendee in Mouilleron Le Captif, France

Zhang Shuai beat Dalma Galfi 4-6 7-6 (2) 6-2 to win the Ando Securities Open Tokyo 2016 in Tokyo, Japan

Norbert Gombos beat Marius Copil 7-6 (8) 4-6 6-3 to win the Peugeot Slovak Open 2016 in Bratislava, Slovakia

 

FED CUP

Final

Czech Republic beat France 3-2 at Strasbourg, France

 

SAYING

“It was the most unbelievable weekend of tennis. We were just a bit more lucky, but the French put up a stunning performance because we were the favorites on paper. I don’t thing we were favorites for the doubles, but you never know what you’re going to get in the team competition.” – Petr Pala, captain of the Czech Republic Fed Cup team.

“The feeling is something so special, even if it’s our fifth title. It’s really unbelievable.” – Barbora Strycova, who teamed with Karolina Pliskova to win the doubles and give the Czech Republic its third straight Fed Cup title.

“It’s one of the best trophies I am going to win. I am going to place it next to the one from last year.” – Karolina Pliskova.

“I feel fresh, actually. But it’s my longest match that I’ve played ever, so I’m really happy with the way I ended.” – Karolina Pliskova, who beat Kristina Mladenovic in the longest set in Fed Cup history, winning the opening rubber of the international team competition final 6-3 4-6 16-14.

“If I have to undergo surgery, I would like to do it as soon as possible so I can start getting ready for next season.” – Tomas Berdych, who withdrew as an alternate to the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals because of appendicitis.

“The memories come back quickly but also the pride to be part of the team like 40 times. It is a long career and I have to be proud of that. I try to keep the best memories I have, but also there were some bad memories in Fed Cup because I always did not play well, but I learned a lot with this team and to represent France for me was really important.” – Mary Pierce, after receiving a new Fed Cup award.

“Fed Cup always meant a lot to me. I played I think 40 times, and when we won in ’97 it was one of my goals.” – Nathalie Tauziat, who also received a Fed Cup Commitment Award.

“We literally lived right down the street so we could walk there.” – Venus Williams, telling a crowd in Compton, California, USA, about where she and sister Serena began playing tennis.

 

SUPREME AGAIN

Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Strycova teamed up to give the Czech Republic its third consecutive Fed Cup title and fifth in the last six years. Pliskova began the two-day competition by overcoming France’s Kristina Mladenovic in the longest set in Fed Cup final history, 6-3 4-6 16-14. Then, after Caroline Garcia won both of her singles matches to give France a 2-1 lead, Strycova knotted it up by stopping Alizé Cornet 6-2 7-6 (4). That put the title on the line in the doubles, and Pliskova and Strycova rose to the challenge, downing French Open champions Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic 7-5 7-5. “It was a huge day, but we made all three points, which is something really special,” Strycova said. “Today was tough, but in the end it’s a fairytale.”

After the two sides split the first-day singles matches, Garcia put France within two sets of the title when she upset Pliskova 6-3 3-6 6-3. Czech captain Petr Pala then called on Strycova to substitute for the injured Petra Kvitova. Strycova beat Cornet, herself a substitute for Mladenovic, setting the stage for the doubles. “Our secret? Just fighting on every point, fighting until the end,” said Strycova, who also clinched the decisive rubber with Pliskova in last year’s final against Russia.

Pala, whose teams have won five titles, became the most successful captain in Fed Cup history. It was the Czech’s 10th overall title and it became the first team to win three consecutive Fed Cups since Spain in 1993-95. “It’s a wonderful day,” Pliskova said. “It was not easy, that’s why we are so happy.”

 

SURVIVOR

The 2016 Fed Cup final began with a match that didn’t want to end. Karolina Pliskova outlasted France’s Kristina Mladenovic 6-3 4-6 16-14, the longest set in Fed Cup history, to give the Czech Republic its first point. “I heard that it’s the longest one,” Pliskova said. “I was just looking at the score and just counting the games and we were still continuing. Unbelievable match from both of us. My tennis was maybe not 100 percent, but it still counts as a win.” It was the Frenchwoman who kept her hopes alive. Pliskova had a 5-2 lead in the final set and was just two points away from winning when Mladenovic clawed her way back and put the match on serve. She saved two match points with a drop shot and crosscourt backhand to hold for 9-9. The two traded breaks at 12-12 before Pliskova closed out the victory three hours, 48 minutes after they began. The third set took 2 hours, 23 minutes alone.

 

STANDING TALL

Five women, including four from France and the Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova, were presented with a new Commitment Award for players who have shown long-standing dedication in representing their country in Fed Cup competition. The awards were handed out during the Fed Cup final in Strasbourg, France. Besides Kvitova, the award was given to Nathalie Tauziat, who played a record 40 ties for France; Gail Beneditti, who represented both her birth country Australia and adopted country France; François Durr, who was both player and captain over a period of 34 years, and Mary Pierce, a two-time Fed Cup champion in 1997 and 2003. Each award recipient has competed in a minimum of 20 World Group ties or 40 ties at any level of the competition, including zone group events, over their career. A total of 129 players have already qualified to receive the award, including all-time greats Margaret Court, Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario. The latter played a record 58 World Group ties. The list also includes Anne Kremer of Luxembourg, who is the record holder for number of ties at all levels with 74.

 

SISTERS IN COMPTON

Venus and Serena Williams returned to their childhood hometown to attend the dedication of tennis courts named in their honor. With a few hundred people watching, two newly refurbished courts at Lueders Park were proclaimed the Venus & Serena Williams Court of Champions. The sisters learned to play tennis a few miles away on courts at East Rancho Dominguez Park in an unincorporated area surrounding Compton. “When you consider all the challenges and all the obstacles that the Williams sisters had to overcome and they stayed focused and dedicated, so that same message is being transferred over to the young people in the city,” said Compton Mayor Aja Brown. The Williams sisters are helping fund the Yetunde Price Resource Center in Compton, which is named for their half-sister who was murdered in a drive-by shooting in 2003 and is set to open early next year. “It’s definitely a healing moment. They haven’t been to the city of Compton since their sister passed away,” said Brown, whose grandmother was fatally shot in Compton. “All of us in the community in some way have been touched by violence.”

 

SKIPPING LONDON

Saying he is again experiencing appendicitis, Tomas Berdych pulled out of the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. The 31-year-old was diagnosed with appendicitis in Cincinnati in August and was sidelined for about a month. “After discussion with doctors in Prague Hospital, I was recommended to have a break for two weeks, and then we will see what (they are) gonna do with my appendix,” Berdych wrote on Twitter. A spokesperson for the Czech Tennis Federation said a decision on whether or not to have surgery will be made within the next two weeks. Berdych is ranked 10th in the world.

 

SHE’S BACK

The United Nations will allow Maria Sharapova to resume her role as a UN goodwill ambassador when her drug suspension ends in April. The Russian became an ambassador for the UN Development Program (UNDP) in 2007, but was dropped in March when she admitted using the banned substance meldonium. The five-time Grand Slam tournament winner was handed a two-year ban, but it was later cut to 15 months. Sharapova will be eligible to play three of the four Grand Slam tournaments in 2017, missing only the Australian Open.

 

SECOND CHILD

Former world number one Justine Henin has seven Grand Slam titles. Now she’s about to have her second child. “We are super happy to announce that our family will expand,” the Hall of Famer announced. The child is expected to be born in the first half of next year. The 34-year-old Henin and her husband, Benoit Bertuzzo, also have a 3½-year-old daughter, Lalie. Besides having a family, Henin run a tennis academy and is a coaching consultant for Elina Svitolina, who trains at the academy.

 

SEASON STARTER

Rafael Nadal will begin his 2017 season in 2016. “Excited to announce my first tournament back will be in Abu Dhabi at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships in December,” the Spaniard posted on his Twitter account. That six-man event, which Nadal has won three times, will be held December 29-31. Others in the field are expected to be Andy Murray, Milos Raonic, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, David Goffin and Thomas Berdych.  Nadal cut his 2016 season short in October to fully recover from the physical problems that plagued his year.

 

SUSPENSION OVER

His suspension over, Nick Kyrgios can return to the ATP Tour. The Australian was originally suspended for eight weeks for “not giving his best effort” at the Shanghai Masters. The ban was reduced to three weeks when the 21-year-old underwent counseling from a sports psychologist. “His three weeks are up and he could be back out on tour playing if he chose to,” Tennis Australia official Todd Woodbridge said. “The punishment was there. I think everybody agreed that he had to get something. Now that’s done, we look forward to what he’s going to be able to show us in the new year.”

 

SCARY CRASH

David Nalbandian, who reached the semifinal of every Grand Slam tournament and was runner-up to Lleyton Hewitt at Wimbledon in 2002, escaped injury when his car crashed during a rally race in Argentina. “As you know, we had an accident in the Rally of Entre Rios. Both my co-driver and I, are perfectly well,” Nalbandian wrote on Twitter. Footage taken by spectators show the 34-year-old’s Chevrolet Agile rolling twice before ending up on its side. Fans helped the two drivers out of the battered car. The crash happened in San Justo, about 200 miles from Buenos Aires. Nalbandian retired from tennis in 2013 because of a troublesome shoulder injury. He also was involved in spectacular crash in April last year when his car flipped several times.

 

SEASON NOT OVER

The men, the ATP World Tour, and the women, the WTA, will end their seasons this month, but that doesn’t mean the players won’t be in action. The week beginning November 28 will find men’s tournaments in the United States, Turkey, Colombia, Spain, Qatar, Tunisia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Chile and Georgia. The largest will have a payout of only USD $25,000. Meanwhile the women will be playing USD $10,000 events in Thailand, Turkey, Egypt, Spain, Italy, Tunisia and Israel. A USD $100,000 women’s tournament is scheduled to be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the week of December 12.

Even the week of Christmas will find tennis tournaments being played around the world, albeit ones with very little money on the line. Istanbul, Turkey, will stage a USD $10,000 men’s event, while a USD $50,000 women’s tournament is scheduled to be held in Ankara, Turkey, the same week. Others will be playing Christmas week in India, Morocco, Thailand and Hong Kong

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Bratislava: Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski bet Purav Raja and Divu Sharan 4-6 6-3 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Mouilleron Le Captif: Jonathan Eysseric and Edouard Roger-Vasselin beat Johan Brunstrom and Andreas Siljestrom 6-7 (1) 7-6 (3) 11-9 (match tiebreak)

Tokyo: Rika Fujiwara and Yuki Naito beat Jamie Loeb and An-Sophie Mestach 6-4 6-7 (12) 10-8 (match tiebreak)

 

SURFING

London: www.barclaysatpworldtourfinals.com/en

Limoges: www.engieopendelimoges.fr/

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

Shenzhen: www.missionhillschina.com

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com/en/

Honolulu: https://hawaiitennisopen.com/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

 

MEN

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

 

WOMEN

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

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

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

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

 

WOMEN

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

 

DAVIS CUP

Final

Croatia vs. Argentina at Zagreb, Croatia, hard

 

2016 Czech Fed Cup Team
2016 Czech Fed Cup Team

Radek Stepanek, Czech Republic Repeat Winning Ways in Davis Cup – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

By  Bob Greene

 

STARS

The Czech Republic beat Serbia 3-2 in Belgrade, Serbia, to retain its Davis Cup title

Filippo Volandri beat Alejandro Gonzalez 4-6 6-4 6-2 to win the Challenger Tour Finals in São Paulo, Brazil

Jana Cepelova beat Maria-Elena Camerin 6-1 6-2 to win the Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

 

SAYING

“We played in Serbia, on their surface, in front of their fantastic crowd. We made history today. I felt great on the court here since Friday and I just proved it. I’ve been Top 10 singles, Top 10 doubles, I’ve won two Grand Slams and played the Masters in singles and doubles, but winning the Davis Cup tops it all.” – Radek Stepanek, who for the second straight year won the decisive fifth rubber to lead the Czech Republic to the Davis Cup title.

“Missing two second-choice players was too big a blow and we just couldn’t do more although we tried to cope with the tough situation as best we could. The positive thing is that we have expanded our Davis Cup team and we will keep the faith in our new arrivals.” – Bogdan Obradovic, Serbia’s Davis Cup captain who didn’t have either Janko Tipsarevic or Viktor Troicki for the final against the Czech Republic.

“It’s a dream. The first thing I have to say is it’s a privilege to be on this team. Having Tomas (Berdych) and Radek (Stepanek) on the team is something special. I’m really proud of my team, it’s really amazing what they achieved. Radek is a real professional.” – Vladimir Safarik, Czech Republic Davis Cup captain.

“It was a great final and a very special moment for me. I’m getting older and I can’t miss these opportunities. I know that (Alejandro) Gonzalez will have many other opportunities to win titles.” – Filippo Volandri, after winning the Challenger Tour Finals.

“We push each other to the limit. We make each other better players. We make each other work harder on our games, especially when we play against each other. It’s always a huge challenge.” – Novak Djokovic, on his rivalry with Rafael Nadal.

STEPANEK, AGAIN

For the second straight year the Davis Cup final has come down the decisive fifth rubber. And for the second straight year Radek Stepanek has been the hero for the Czech Republic. The veteran Stepanek used his experience in stopping Dusan Lajovic 6-3 6-1 6-1 and giving the Czech Republic a 3-2 victory over Serbia. “The match was the same (as last year’s final), under the biggest possible pressure that can be,” said Stepanek, who last year beat Spain’s Nicolas Almagro in the decisive rubber. “I knew that I would want to use the experience from last year’s final. I controlled the match apart from the first game and I think I played in my best form ever this weekend.” Serbia was led by Novak Djokovic, who easily won his two singles matches, both in straight sets. But Serbia was missing its next two best players with Janko Tipsarevic sidelined with a foot injury and Viktor Troicki serving a suspension for missing a blood test. Instead, it was 117th-ranked Dusan Lajovic who carried Serbia’s hopes. Lajovic broke Stepanek to begin the match, but after that is was all Stepanek, a former Top 10 player who is now ranked 44th in the world. The Czech’s became the first nation to retain the Davis Cup since Spain in 2009. “Of course, it is more difficult to defend the title, but I think we used the experience from last year and we earned it,” the 34-year-old Stepanek said. There were questions concerning the decision not to play Djokovic in the doubles, which the Czechs won in straight sets. “We only had so many fit and eligible players to choose from and although I must take responsibility for the outcome as the decision maker, I have no regrets about the team selection in any of the rubbers,” Serbia captain Bogdan Obradovic said.

The Czech Republic was captained by Vladimir Safarik, who replaced the ill Jaroslav Navratil.

 

SPANISH GOLD

Filippo Volandri had a second chance against Alejandro Gonzalez, and this time he came out the winner. Their second meeting of the week just happened to be for the ATP Challenger Tour Finals title. In the round-robin portion of the tournament, it was Gonzalez beating the second-seeded Volandri. But with the trophies on the line, the 32-year-old Italian won 4-6 6-4 6-2. “I’m getting older and I can’t miss these opportunities,” Volandri said. “I know that Gonzalez will have many other opportunities to win titles.” It was Volandri’s third title of the year, a single season career high. He finished the year on a 29-6 run since mid-July. “Volandri is an amazing player,” Gonzalez said. “He deserved this title. For me, it was a great week.”

 

STANDING ON THE SIDELINES

Serbia went into the Davis Cup final with one of the best players in the world, Novak Djokovic. The problem was the other top Serbian players were not available to see action against the Czech Republic.  Janko Tipsarevic, who has been ranked in the Top 10 in the world, missed the Cup finale because of a heel injury. And with Viktor Troicki suspended after missing a blood test, Serbia had only one player ranked in the Top 100 available for action: Djokovic, who was ranked number one in the world until this month. Dusan Lajovic, a 23-year-old ranked 117th in the world, was Serbia’s other singles player. On the opening day he lost to Tomas Berdych, then ended the competition by falling to Radek Stepanek in the decisive fifth rubber. Djokovic entered the Davis Cup final having won 22 consecutive matches and his last four tournaments since losing in the US Open final. He won both of his singles matches in straight set, but it wasn’t enough.

 

SITTING IT OUT

Argentina won’t have Juan Martin del Potro on its Davis Cup team when it takes on Italy next year. Del Potro, ranked fifth in the world, said he felt his country’s tennis association (AAT) was “two-faced” in its attempt to get him on the squad. “I’m tired of being invited by email or messages and being pressured at the same time through certain media with stories about whether or not I’ll play Davis Cup, trying to make me look bad to public opinion,” del Potro said in a statement sent to AAT president Arturo Grimaldi and Davis Cup captain Martin Jaite. “It seems to me a hypocritical two-faced stance, the same as last year when any reply or non-reply was quickly known by some journalists,” wrote Del Potro. The right-hander has been heavily criticized by fans and in some sections of the media for not playing Davis Cup in the past. Del Potro told the AAT at the end of 2012 that he would not play Davis Cup this year so that he could concentrate on the ATP Tour. He also said that despite being Argentina’s top player, he was never consulted by the AAT over some of its decisions.

 

SPEAKING UP

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said recent criticisms by Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic of its anti-doping programs are unfair. “I think that tennis is doing a good job in the programs it has and we’ve had two fairly high-profile cases recently with Marin Cilic and Viktor Troicki, and let’s not forget both of those cases resulted in violations for the athletes concerned,” the ITF’s anti-doping manager Stuart Miller said. “To me that shows that the program is successful in catching the people it is supposed to be catching, so I don’t think it’s necessarily fair criticism.” Troicki was given a 12-month ban for failing to provide a blood sample at the Monte Carlo Masters in April. Cilic recently completed a four-month ban for taking the stimulant nikethamide. The player said he had inadvertently taken the substance in glucose tablets.

 

SWITCHING GAMES

Having had his tennis career halted by a heart condition, American Mardy Fish is considering professional golf. The former Top 10 player has played two tournaments on the All-American Gateway Tour, a developmental circuit for up-and-coming professionals who one day hope to earn their PGA Tour card. Fish failed to make the cut at both the ASU Karsten Golf Course in Tempe, Arizona, USA, and the Whirlwind Golf Club in Chandler, Arizona, USA. Both tournaments ended this month. The 31-year-old right-hander has missed most of the past two tennis seasons while recovering from an accelerated heartbeat that first struck him during a Davis Cup match in February 2012. He had the same problem the following month at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Florida, USA. He hasn’t played since retiring in the third set of his match against Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen at a tournament in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA. Fish has won six career ATP Tour titles and was ranked as high as seventh in the world in August 2011. He reached the quarterfinals at the US Open, Wimbledon and Australian Open and won the silver medal at the 2004 Olympics.

 

SUSPENDED

A two-year suspension has been handed Nuria Llagostera Vives after she tested positive for methamphetamine at a tournament in Stanford, California, USA in July. “I do not know if I have the strength to fight,” the 33-year-old Spaniard told a newspaper. “The only thing I can say is I’m very affected by this situation. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said Llagostera Vives is not eligible to play again until September 7, 2015. She was ranked as high as 35th in the world in singles in 2005, but now only plays doubles. The ITF said she was to have teamed with partner Francesca Schiavone at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, but withdrew because the Italian was not well. The governing body says Llagostera Vives was still randomly selected for testing and could not explain how the drug entered her system.

 

STILL DANGEROUS

He might be ancient in tennis terms, but John McEnroe showed he is still a dangerous opponent on the court.  Playing a charity match in Tokyo, Japan, for the victims of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, the 54-year-old McEnroe gave Japan’s top player, Kei Nishikori, a scare before finally losing 1-6 6-4 10-7 (match tiebreak). McEnroe was playing in Japan for the first time since 1997. “Considering I just got in a few days ago, my body was moving pretty well,” McEnroe said. “I was able to make some good shots, but he took some mercy on me.” And, then, McEnroe became McEnroe when a crying baby interrupted his serve. “Is this a tennis match or a day-car center,” McEnroe shouted. “What the heck is going on here?” Even Nishikori was impressed with McEnroe’s game. “He played a lot better than I expected,” Nishikori said. “I was surprised. His shots were very good. I really enjoyed playing against him and it was a great experience.”

 

SOCHI-BOUND

Maria Sharapova is going home for the Olympic Games. The tennis star is returning to her hometown of Sochi, Russia, in February as an NBC Sports correspondent. Sharapova carried the Russian flag in the opening ceremonies and won silver for Russia in the women’s singles at the 2012 London Olympics. “As an Olympian it means so much to me for this year’s Olympic Games to be hosted in my hometown of Sochi,” Sharapova told a magazine. “Sochi has such rich culture and history, that I’m looking forward to sharing that with the world through being a part of the NBC family.” In a statement announcing her new job, NBC said as a correspondent Sharapova will be “offering insight and commentary on Russia’s first Winter Olympics.” She was born in Siberia and lived in Sochi until she was 6, when she left to train in the United States. “Growing up in Sochi until she was six years old and with family and friends still living in the area, Maria will offer a unique and personal perspective on a place she knows so well,” said Jim Bell, executive producer of NBC Olympics.

 

SKIPPING COLUMNS

With all the major players taking a break from the ATP and WTA tours, it’s time for this columnist to follow suit. Tennis continues, however, with ATP Challenger events this week in Andria, Italy; Toyota, Japan, and Tyumen, Russia. Meanwhile the men are also playing Futures events – with total prize money ranging from USD $10,000 to USD $15,000 in Colombia, Czech Republic, India, Brazil, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Mexico, Spain and Turkey. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is staging women’s event in countries all around the world, also. The week of December 2, for example, will find Viktoria Golubic of Switzerland, ranked 194th in the world, the top seed for a USD $10,000 tournament in Antalya, Turkey. See you in January.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Dubai: Titalia Diatchenko and Olga Savchuk beat Lyudmyla Kichenok and Nadiya Kichenok 7-5 6-1

 

SURFING

Toyota: www.dunlop-tennis.jp

 International Tennis Federation: www.itftennis.com

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

WOMEN

$75,000 Soho Square Ladies Tournament, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, clay

$75,000 2013 Dunlop World Challenge, Toyota, Japan, carpet

TOURNAMENTS WEEK of DECEMBER 30

MEN

Brisbane International, Brisbane, Australia, hard

Qatar ExxonMobil Open, Doha, Qatar, hard

Aircel Chennai Open, Chennai, India, hard

 

WOMEN

$1,000,000 Brisbane International, Brisbane, Australia, hard

$500,000 Shenzhen Gemdale Kaisa Open, Shenzhen, China, hard

$235,000 ASB Classic, Auckland, New Zealand, hard

 

Czech Davis Cup Team
Czech Davis Cup Team

Czech Republic Wins Fed Cup Title – Mondays with Bob Greene

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STARS

Marcel Granollers beat Juan Monaco 6-2 4-6 7-6 (3) to win the Valencia Open 500 in Valencia, Spain

Roger Federer beat Kei Nishikori 6-1 6-3 to win the Swiss Indoors Basel in Basel, Switzerland

Ana Ivanovic beat Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3 6-0 to win the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions in Bali, Indonesia

Ayumi Morita beat Kimiko Date-Krumm 6-2 6-2 to win the OEC Taipei Ladies Open in Taipei, Taiwan

Czech Republic win the Fed Cup

FED CUP

Championship

At Moscow, Russia

Czech Republic beat Russia 3-2 in Moscow, Russia

WHEELCHAIR

Invacare Doubles Masters

At Amsterdam, Netherlands

Men: Tom Egberink and Michael Jeremiasz beat Robin Ammerlaan and Stephane Houdet 6-4 6-2

Women: Sharon Walraven and Esther Vergeer beat Jiske Griffioen and Aniek van Koot 3-6 7-5 6-4

Quad: Nick Taylor and David Wagner beat Antonio Raffaele and Dorrie Timmermans-van Hall 7-5 6-4

SAYING

“It’s always the greatest for me to win the title here. See you next year.” – Roger Federer, after winning the Swiss Indoors in his native Basel for the fifth time.

“Petra (Kvitova) won two points, but we needed one more. I’m glad we’ve managed to (get) the third one. We all won it because victory is made of small pieces you have to put together. It’s teamwork.” – Petr Pala, Czech Fed Cup captain.

“He was getting impossible balls back and really making me play every shot. He was better and I didn’t use the opportunities I had. I don’t think I should speak about that third set.” – Novak Djokovic, after losing to Japan’s Kei Nishikori in the semifinals of the Swiss Indoors.

“I felt like I didn’t do much wrong. It was a great match for me. Anabel and I practiced together all week, so it was nice we got a chance to play each other on the last day of the tournament.” – Ana Ivanovic, after beating Anabel Medina Garrigues to win in Bali, Indonesia.

“She was playing so well, I couldn’t do anything today. She has been number one in the world and she’s a very good player. I’m really happy with my week, but she was too good on the court today.” – Anabel Medina Garrigues.

“It has been a long time since I felt so good physically. I’m at a different point in my career to the younger guys, I have to focus on what’s better for my body, my mind, my family, and I think it was the right decision.” – Roger Federer, explaining his long layoff before playing in Basel, Switzerland.

“The difference between us today was that she had played so many such matches this season, while I rarely had such intriguing matches.” – Svetlana Kuznetsova, after losing to Petra Kvitova in Fed Cup play.

SQUEAKER

Lucie Hradecka and Kveta Peschke captured the decisive doubles to lift the Czech Republic to the Fed Cup title, edging Russia 3-2. Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova won both of her two singles matches, but Russia captured the other two singles to send the decision into the doubles. Hradecka and Peschke defeated Maria Kirilenko and Elena Vesnina 6-4 6-2 to give the Czech Republic its first Fed Cup title as an independent nation. Their last victory was in 1988 when they competed as Czechoslovakia. Kvitova beat Kirilenko to begin the first-match tie. Svetlana Kuznetsova then tied it by stopping Safarova. Kvitova opened the second day by besting Kuznetsova, but when Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova stopped Safarova, it sent the tie into the decisive doubles.

STEADY AT HOME

Let’s face it: Roger Federer owns the Swiss Indoors Basel. It doesn’t hurt that the tournament is in Federer’s home town. Federer captured the title for the fifth time when he brushed aside Kei Nishikori 6-1 6-3. Basel is now the fifth tournament that Federer has won five or more times. Wimbledon and the US Open are two others that fit that description. Strangely, though, this was only the second title of 2011 for the world’s fourth-ranked player. Federer had not won since capturing Doha to begin the season in January. The Basel, Switzerland, title was the 68th in Federer’s career – fourth on the ATP Tour list behind Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe. Nishikori was seeking his second career title, the first coming three years ago at Delray Beach, Florida, USA.

SUPER BIRTHDAY PRESENT

Ana Ivanovic celebrated her 24th birthday in style, capturing her second straight Tournament of Champions title in Bali, Indonesia, by crushing Spain’s Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3 6-0. It was the Serb’s first tournament victory since she won the event a year ago, and only her first final of 2011. Granted a wild card into the final WTA event of the year, Ivanovic never lost a set and didn’t face a break point in the title match. “I feel great,” Ivanovic said. “I think I played an impeccable match today. I didn’t do much wrong and really stayed so focused.” The Spaniard had an even easier trip to the final as two of her opponents – Marion Bartoli and Sabine Lisicki – retired with injuries. In her march to the title, Ivanovic snapped a two-match losing streak to Roberta Vinci in the quarterfinals and downed longtime rival Nadia Petrova in the semis. “I’m super relaxed here, and that helps. I come here to compete, but I also spend lots of time on the beach and in the spa, and the people are so friendly – I’ve made many new friends. It’s just so enjoyable here.”

SPECIAL AWARD

Petra Kvitova is the winner of the year’s final Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Heart Award of 2011. The Wimbledon champion received the honor in recognition of her performance during the Czech Republic’s Fed Cup semifinal victory over Belgium in April. With Kvitova winning both of her singles matches, the Czech Republic won the Fed Cup title by defeating Russia 3-2 in Moscow. Kvitova increased her singles record for the year to 6-0. By winning the Heart Award, Kvitova was presented with a check for USD $10,000, which will be donated to her chosen charity of Help The Children. “For me it’s really nice,” Kvitova said. “I’m glad that I won because the people voted for me. I didn’t expect to win. I’m really happy that I can give the money to our charity in the Czech Republic.” Six Heart Awards were presented in 2011. Other recipients were Andrea Petkovic of Germany, Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia, Bianca Botto of Peru, Ayumi Morita of Japan and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus. The Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Heart Award is a joint initiative between BNP Paribas and the International Tennis Federation. It aims to recognize players who have represented their country with distinction, shown exceptional courage on court and demonstrated outstanding commitment to their team.

SWISS STREET

Roger Federer has plenty of titles, trophies and honors. Now he’s going to have a street named after him. The city of Biel, Switzerland, will name a boulevard in honor of the 16-time Grand Slam tournament winner. The new Avenue Roger Federer will lead to the western Swiss city’s new sports complex. Biel is the headquarters of the Swiss Tennis Federation and was where Federer lived when he was a teenager at the national training center. The announcement came just a few days after Federer had a national railway locomotive named after him. There was a picture of Federer on the side of the locomotive.

SECOND TITLE

Marcel Granollers won his second tournament of the season when he rallied in the third set to outlast Juan Monaco in the final of the Valencia Open 500. En route to the title, the Spaniard defeated four Top 20 players, including Alexandr Dolgopolov, Marin Cilic, Gael Monfils and Juan Martin del Potro. “To win a title in Spain is very nice and special, as my family was with me today. The crowd helped me a lot during the week so thanks to them,” said Granollers, who edged Monaco in the final 6-2 4-6 7-6 (3). “I kept fighting and at the end I played very good,” said Granollers, who won a hard court title for the first time. His two previous victories have come on clay. Monaco hasn’t won a tournament since 2007, when he won all three of his careers titles.

SEVEN AND COUNTING

American twins Bob and Mike Bryan continue to break records as they dominate the ATP doubles scene. The two won their record 75th team title by defeating Eric Butorac and Jean-Julien Rojer 6-4 7-6 (9) in the Valencia Open 500 final. That gave the 33-year-old brothers eight titles in 2011, and during the week they clinched the year-end number one ATP Doubles Team Ranking for a record seventh time. “It feels good to come away with another title here in the indoor season,” Mike Bryan said. “I think today’s final was high quality tennis by all four players and fortunately we squeaked out the second-set breaker.” Butorac and Rojer were seeking their fourth title of the season.

SET FOR LONDON

Known as the Indo-Pak Express, Rohan Bopanna of India and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan have qualified for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Their direct entry into the season-ending, eight-team field for the first time leaves three teams battling for the final berth. Bopanna and Qureshi have won two titles together this year, a grass-court crown in Halle, Germany, and an indoor hard court championship in Stockholm, Sweden. They also reached the semifinals of the US Open.

SPANISH PAIN

Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from this week’s Paris Masters. “I won’t be playing this upcoming week the tournament in Paris Bercy,” the Spaniard said on his Facebook site. “It’s been a difficult decision to take, but I understand that it is what I need to do right now to prepare well for the end of this season and also for 2012.” In his post, Nadal did not mention any injury, nor did he say what his plans were for the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, which will be held in London the week of November 20. Nadal hasn’t played since losing to Florian Mayer in the third round at the Shanghai Masters last month.

STAYING HOME

An injury to his right shoulder has caused Juan Martin del Potro to pull out of this week’s Paris Masters. “I felt pain in my right shoulder in Valencia and it hurt more and more as matches went on,” del Potro said in a statement released by organizers of the Paris tournament. “I must now think about rest.” Del Potro lost a chance to qualify for the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals when he lost at Valencia, Spain. The Argentine is 10th in the standings, but only the top eight players qualify for the Finals.

Robin Soderling has withdrawn from the Paris Masters because of illness. The sixth-ranked Swede is suffering from viral infection mononucleosis and has not played since winning the title in Båstad, Sweden, in July. Soderling had been in a brilliant form this season, winning 38 of the 47 singles matches he played and capturing his first tournament of the year at Brisbane, Australia, where he defeated Andy Roddick. Soderling beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and also won at Marseille, France, beating Marin Cilic in the title match.

SERENA SCARED

When Serena Williams saw an unidentified man on her security camera screen, she thought he was an intruder and rushed to a panic room inside her Los Angeles, California, USA, mansion. Her assistant called 9-1-1 reporting a possible burglar or prowler. Police came and discovered the person was a drug tester making an unannounced call to do a random out-of-competition urine test. Serena has not played since the US Open because of injuries.

SWISS COURT

When Switzerland plays host to a first-round tie with the United States in February, the teams will battle on an indoor clay court in Fribourg, Switzerland. The biggest indoor arenas in Switzerland are in Geneva and Zurich, but neither was available for the February 10-12 match. So the Swiss tennis federation is holding the tie at the 7,200-seat capacity Forum Fribourg arena. While the Swiss federation announced the site of the competition, it did not say if Roger Federer would be on the Swiss team. The Davis Cup first round will be played two weeks after the Australian Open.

SIGNED UP

Sabine Lisicki of Germany has entered the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, in January. Earlier, Venus Williams announced she would be playing in the Auckland tournament, which will be held January 2-7. Lisicki reached the Wimbledon semifinals this year and is currently ranked 18th in the world. She also won WTA titles in Birmingham and Dallas before reaching the fourth round of the US Open. The big-serving German has victories this year over US Open champion Sam Stosur, French Open winner Li Na and Marion Bartoli of France – all three in the top 10. Last year Lisicki qualified for the ASB Classic main draw before being eliminated by Yanina Wickmeyer.

SKIT FOR TV

The rumor was that Venus and Serena Williams were going to be at the Tennis Center in Orlando, Florida, USA. Instead, two comedians showed up wearing atrocious-looking wigs that closely resembled the tennis stars. Entertainers Tyler the Creator and Lionel Boyce were filming a skit for their upcoming sketch comedy show “Loiter Squad,” which is expected to air early next year on Comedy Central. The point of the sketch was to film the reaction of disappointed fans who were expecting to see the Williams sisters.

SAD NEWS

Tom Brown, who lost the finals of two Grand Slam tournaments to Jack Kramer, is dead at the age of 89. Brown reached the men’s singles title matches at the 1946 United States Championships – now the US Open – and Wimbledon in 1947. Both times he was beaten by Kramer. In 1946, at the first Wimbledon following World War II, the unseeded Brown upset highly favored Pancho Segura of Ecuador before losing in five sets in the semifinals to eventual champion Yvon Petra of France. Brown did team with Kramer to win the men’s doubles and captured the mixed doubles title with fellow American Louise Brough. He also won the US Championships mixed doubles title with Brough. Brown played on three USA Davis Cup teams, including the 1946 champions. A native of Washington, DC, Brown grew up in San Francisco, California, USA, where he practiced law. His companion for the last nine years, Lee Tyler Bradford, said Brown suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease.

SHARED PERFORMANCE

Basel:

Michael Llodra and Nenad Zimonjic beat Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor 6-4 7-5

Taipei:

Chan Yung-Jan and Zheng Jie beat Karolina Pliskova and Kristyna Pliskova 7-6 (5) 5-7 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Valencia:

Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Eric Butorac and Jean-Julien Rojer 6-4 7-6 (9)

SURFING

Paris:

www.fft.fr/bnp-paribas-masters-0

Phoenix:

www.goldwaterwomensclassic.org

Geneva:

www.atpgeneva.com/

Ortisei:

www.atpvalgardena.it

Santiago:

www.royalguardchampions.cl

Bratislava:

www.slovakopen2011.sk/

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$3,155,000 BNP Paribas Paris Masters, Paris, France, hard

$90,600 Sparkasse ATP Challenger, Ortisei, Italy, carpet

$90,600 Geneva ATP Challenger, Geneva, Switzerland, hard

$75,000 Copa Topper, Buenos Aires, Argentina, clay

WOMEN

$75,000 Goldwater Women’s Tennis Classic, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

SENIORS

Royal Guard Champions, Santiago, Chile, clay

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$220,000 ATP Challengers Tour Finals, Sao Paulo, Brazil, hard

$117,300 Slovak Open, Bratislava, Slovakia, hard

Novak Djokovic Leads Serbia into First Davis Cup Final this Weekend on Tennis Channel

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Tennis Channel will provide exclusive coverage of Serbia and France’s Davis Cup championship competition in Belgrade this weekend, with live and same-day “Instant Encore” replays Friday through Sunday.  The battle between first-time Davis Cup finalists Serbia and nine-time Davis Cup champions France will consist of two singles matches on Friday, Dec. 3, at 8 a.m. ET, followed by the doubles match Saturday, Dec. 4, at 9 a.m. ET.  Tennis Channel’s coverage concludes with the remaining singles play Sunday, Dec. 5, at 7 a.m. ET.  Each of the five matches is worth one point, with the team that wins at least three points winning the Davis Cup title.  Each evening at 7 p.m. ET Tennis Channel will offer an encore presentation of the day’s Davis Cup action.

Coverage from Belgrade Arena in Belgrade (all times ET)

Friday, Dec. 3

Novak Djokovic

8 a.m. – Live Singles #1

11 a.m. – Live Singles #2

{2 p.m. – Instant Encore Singles #1}

{5 p.m. – Instant Encore Singles #2}

{8 p.m. – Instant Encore Singles #1}

{11 p.m. – Instant Encore Singles #2}

Saturday, Dec. 4

9 a.m. – Live Doubles

{12 p.m. – Instant Encore Doubles}

{9:30 p.m. – Instant Encore Doubles}

Sunday, Dec. 5

7 a.m. – Live Singles #1

10 a.m. – Live Singles #2

{1 p.m. – Instant Encore Singles #1}

{9:30 p.m. – Instant Encore Singles #1}

Serbia and France have never faced each other in Davis Cup play.  Serbia enters this weekend’s matchup with victories over the United States 3-2, Croatia 4-1 and the Czech Republic 3-2, andwill be bidding to win its first Davis Cup title.  France reached its first final in eight years by defeating Argentina 5-0 in Lyon, France, and remains undefeated against Argentina.  The French team has lifted the Davis Cup trophy nine times, most recently in 2001, when France defeated Australia 3-2 in Melbourne.

France is currently tied with Britain for third place on the all-time list of Davis Cup champions, trailing only the United States (with 32 titles) and Australia (28 titles).  The French team has finished runner-up on six occasions, most recently losing 2-3 to the Russians in the 2002 Davis Cup finals.  France is captained by Guy Forget and features Gael Monfils, Michael Llodra, Gilles Simon and Arnaud Clement.

Serbia has a relatively short Davis Cup history, competing as Serbia & Montenegro from 2004-2006 and Yugoslavia from 1995-2003.  Serbia is captained by Bogdan Obradovic and features World No. 3 Novak Djokovic, Nenad Zimonjic, Janko Tipsarevic and Viktor Troicki.

JAN KODES: WATCH OUT FOR THOMAS BERDYCH

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By Jan Kodes

Watch out this year for Thomas Berdych!

The people of the Czech Republic are excited about Thomas and his great play at the Sony Ericsson Open, reaching the final and beating Roger Federer along the way.

Thomas has improved his game by improving his footwork and has lost some weight as well. His groundstrokes are more consistent compared to last year. He is also a lot more confident on the court.

Against Andy Roddick in the final, a double-fault at a crucial time (5-5, deuce) in the first set probably cost him the match. The first set was more important for Thomas since Andy was unbeatable in the second. Andy was better server at important times and he took mental control over Thomas. Andy played smarter and was more steady.

Thomas still needs more experience at what to do at the net, as he lost some chances there when he got passed.

It was a very good final and congratulations to Andy. For Thomas, I am sure the time is going to come for him.

Both Thomas and Andy have started the year very well. The rest of the season will be very interesting since Federer and Rafael Nadal are not really peaking as yet.

We will see what happens now at the European clay court events that will provide many tests leading into Roland Garros.

Jan Kodes is regarded as one of the greatest Czech players of all time. He won his first major title at the French Open 40 years ago in 1970 and repeated again in 1971. He won the men’s singles title at Wimbledon in 1973 and was the singles runner-up twice at the U.S. Open – in 1971 and 1973. His new book “Jan Kodes: A Journey To Glory From Behind The Iron Curtain” will be released in English this Spring. The book can be pre-ordered here: http://www.amazon.com/Jan-Kodes-Journey-Behind-Curtain/dp/0942257685/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270555884&sr=1-1

SPAIN CLINCHES DAVIS CUP

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Spain won the Davis Cup for a fourth time Saturday in Barcelona as Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez defeated Radek Stepanek and Thomas Berdych 7-6, 7-5, 6-2 to clinch a 3-0 victory over the Czech Republic.

Spain wins Davis Cup
Spain wins Davis Cup

Spain firmly established itself as the modern day Davis Cup powerhouse with its fourth title since 2000. Spain also won the Davis Cup in 2004 and last year. The only nations to win the Davis Cup more often than Spain are the United States (32 titles), Australia (28 titles), France (9 titles), Great Britain (9 titles) and Sweden (7 titles). Spain is the first team to repeat as Davis Cup champion since Sweden in 1997-1998.

The hero of the weekend was David Ferrer who beat Stepanek in an epic match, coming back from two-sets-to-love down to put Spain in the commanding 2-0 after day one. Feeding off the boisterous home support among the 16,200 capacity crowd, Ferrer won an unlikely 1-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, 8-6 decision. In the opening match of the series, world No. 2 Rafael Nadal defeated Berdych 7-5, 6-0, 6-2.

“It was an epic win but it won’t serve for anything if we don’t win the title,” Ferrer said after his win Friday. “It was an important victory, sure, but we have to win the whole thing for me to be able to savor it.”

Nadal set Spain on their way by edging the first set before taking the next two in irresistible style.

“After that first set I just started to play much better,” Nadal said. “I was able to control the points a lot better and I wasn’t making so many mistakes.”

Stepanek had looked equally commanding in the opening two sets of the second match, ruthlessly picking off Ferrer’s second serve and reeling off nine unanswered games after an exchange of breaks at the start of the match. Ferrer hinted at a comeback when he took a 2-1 lead in the third and, after an almighty tussle, managed to consolidate.

Stepanek got the break back but soon succumbed again and Ferrer served out before emerging the stronger player for the fourth set. He built a 5-2 lead before clinching it at the second attempt, with Stepanek starting to tire. The Czech stayed with Ferrer in the decider but he handed the Spaniard a break with a drop shot into the bottom of the net and Ferrer gratefully took advantage.