World Tennis Magazine

Unique Tennis Perspectives

gael monfils

Gael Monfils is fun, entertaining and original

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By Cynthia Lum

Gael Monfils (MON Feeze) is without question high on my favorite players list – as well as the who-I’d-most-like-to-have-drinks-with list.

The athletic Frenchman is one of the most fun and entertaining players to ever grace a tennis court. And talk about great photos … no chance of getting bored at a Monfils match. Running, sliding, leaping, joyous, sad, this Frenchy’s matches have it all… and what about those arms?

Fortunately for the women in the crowd, K-Swiss had the good sense to keep him in a sleevless shirt. My only problem is coming away with so many photos to edit and choose from. Of course I’d certainly rather have that problem than struggling for hours to get a couple of decent interesting images.

Nicknamed “Sliderman” for his superhuman sliding ability even on hard courts, this has become his signature move. I remember watching him on court one at the US Open, sliding sideways as if it were clay and wondering how in the world he does it, and how hard it is on his body. His coach Roger Rasheed confirmed that he has advised Gael that he should take lessons on his sliding on hard courts, but the Frenchman loves his move, feels sliding is faster and easier. He has been quoted as saying, “To me, it’s a gift, it’s natural. It may be different, but I’m me. I’m more of an artist.”

Anyone who has had the pleasure of watching a Monfils match live will agree, this is tennis art at it’s best. His spectacular shot making, along with a mercurial personality will steal the spotlight from even the top ranked guys, but no one accuses him of showboating. This is just simply who Gael Monfils is. Rafael Nadal has commented that “Monfils is a special player, a different player, a spectacular player. He is very good for tennis.”

Unfortunately the tall wiry Monfils has been injury prone and mentally suspect for a lot of his career, but Rasheed is working on both problems. Sometimes when I’m looking at him through a long lens, and he is losing points, he looks so sad it makes you sad for him. He’s like a child who is frustrated and unhappy when things start going wrong for them, but then when they turn around, the smile and joy are infectious.

Watching him Sunday against David Ferrer, the ground stroking machine from Spain, I did feel he was mentally stronger. After he lost his serve at 5-3 in the fifth, then was unable to break Ferrer, frankly I thought it was all over. Ferrer may be 29 but he is in super condition, and is a fighter to the death, but Monfils shook it off and won the match 8-6 in the final. He’s looking like more of a serious player, someone who wants to win a slam rather then just wow the crowd.

He’ll face Roger Federer in the next round and personally, I like his chances. Since this match today was called for darkness last night it will mean Gael will have to play three days in a row, but we know he will give it his all no matter how he feels, and the French fans will certainly be a factor.

My favorite quote from Sliderman, “I love tennis, but the main thing in my life, is life,”.

In this world of computer generated everything, with Starbucks and McDonalds on every corner, it’s great to have an original.

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Around The Corner: Brazil, Rotterdam and San Jose

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By Mike McIntyre

SAP Open, San Jose, California

Fernando Verdasco is the defending champion and number one seed this year in San Jose. He opens against journeyman American wildcard Rajeev Ram.

He will have a tough quarter-final opponent with the likes of Sam Querrey, Juan Martin Del Potro and veteran Lleyton Hewitt also in the top section of the draw. All are very capable hardcourt players who could walk away with the title. I don’t think Del P. has found his comfort level since returning from his wrist injury, while Querrey has yet to show the real consistency to make him a legitimate threat on tour. Hewitt looks fit to start the season despite having the bad luck of facing David Nalbandian in the opening round in Australia.

Andy Murray

James Blake makes his first appearance of the season and is in the bottom half where he will face a qualifier in the opening round. He would next face the winner of a very intriguing first match between Xavier Malisse and up and coming Canadian Milos Raonic.

Gael Monfils is the second seed and has a good chance of advancing deep in this draw as well.

ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

More prize money and ranking points than anywhere else this week are available at the ATP World Tour level 500 tournament being held on indoor hard-courts in Rotterdam.

Sweden’s Robin Soderling comes in as the number one seed as well as the defending champion and opens against local hope Robin Haase. Soderling will have his hands full in the top half of the draw with tough opponents like Mikhail Youzhny, Jurgen Melzer and Australian Open semi-finalist David Ferrer. Marin Cilic is also in the mix and one has to imagine that he will have a break-out at some point after several months of lackluster results.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych, and Andy Murray represent the top seeded threats in the bottom half of the draw. Lookout for unseeded talents like Nikolay Davydenko, Gilles Simon and Marcos Baghdatis to also create problems. All in all it is impossible to predict who we might see in the finals of this one.

It will be interesting to see how Murray handles himself after yet another Grand Slam final stinker in Melbourne. He opens against Baghdatis in what should be a great match for tennis fans to watch. Both players can relate to one another as they have both lost in the finals of the first major of the year at one point in their respective careers.

Brasil Open, Costa Do Sauipe, Brazil

It seems like a strange time of the year to be playing on clay courts, but this level 250 tournament offers those specialists a chance to earn more points than they would anywhere else at the tour.

Juan Carlos Ferrero is the defending champion and at almost 31 years of age can still perform quite well on this surface.

Other clay-court players like Albert Montanes, Tomaz Bellucci and Nicolas Almagro are also entered in the event.

Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov will be playing and despite his quarter-final result at the Aussie Open still considers clay as his favorite surface. Lookout for him to be one of the real break-out players of 2011. His showing in Melbourne was no fluke.

Mondays with Bob Greene: Serbia wins Davis Cup

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STARS

Serbia beat France 3-2 to win the Davis Cup by BNP Parabis in Belgrade, Serbia

Goran Ivanisevic beat Todd Martin 6-2 6-4 to win the AEGON Masters Tennis in London, England

Timea Babos beat Elitsa Kostova 3-6 6-3 7-5 to win the $25,000 William Loud Bendigo International in Bendigo, Australia

Alexandra Cadantu beat Julia Cohen 6-1 6-3 to win the $25,000 Hotel do Frade ITF Challenger in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Dominic Thiem beat Oliver Golding 6-2 6-1 to win the boys 18s at the Eddie Herr International Junior Tennis Championships in Bradenton, Florida, USA

Lauren Davis beat Yulia Putintseva 6-3 7-5 to win the girls 18s at the Eddie Herr International Junior Tennis Championships in Bradenton, Florida, USA

DAVIS CUP FINAL

Gael Monfils (France) beat Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia) 6-1 7-6 (4) 6-0

Novak Djokovic (Serbia) beat Gilles Simon (France) 6-3 6-1 7-5

Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra (France) beat Nenad Zimonjic and Viktor Troicki (Serbia) 3-6 6-7 (3) 6-4 7-5 6-4

Novak Djokovic beat Gael Monfils 6-2 6-2 6-4

Viktor Troicki beat Michael Llodra 6-2 6-2 6-3

SAYINGS

“Under the circumstances, with huge pressure, I played an amazing match. Everything was working for me.” – Novak Djokovic, after beating Gael Monfils in the reverse singles to knot the Davis Cup tie 2-2.

“I’m still in shock. After the last shot I couldn’t believe what had just happened. It will take a few days for it all to sink in. This was the most intense pressure ever in my life in front of my home fans. It’s unbelievable. I’m struggling for words.” – Viktor Troicki, after winning the decisive fifth rubber to give Serbia a 3-2 victory over France and its first Davis Cup title.

“The French team are good guys, but unfortunately someone has to lose.” – Bogdan Obradovic, Serbian Davis Cup captain.

“We are not asking them to be thieves and give us anything, but some of them were absolutely awful today and they made several bad calls at key moments in the match. They were like a dark force out there and their lack of patriotism was astounding.” – Bogdan Obradovic, Serbian Davis Cup captain, complaining about the line judges in the Davis Cup final against France.

“At times we felt like the line judges were French and we were playing in Paris.” – Viktor Troicki, a member of the victorious Serbian Davis Cup team.

“I had never before started the match with a pair of double faults. I was nervous and it’s not surprising the crowd never really got going because I gave them very little to cheer about. Stage fright is not the main reason for my bad performance though. Quite simply I lost to a better player today and all credit to (Gael) Monfils.” – Janko Tipsarevic, after losing the opening singles match to Gael Monfils and giving France a 1-0 lead over Serbia in the Davis Cup final played in Belgrade, Serbia.

“Every time people write me off – or try to write me off – I’m able to bounce back.” – Roger Federer, after winning the season-ending ATP World Finals in London, England, beating Rafael Nadal in the final.

“When he’s playing well, (it’s) difficult to find solutions.” – Rafael Nadal, talking about Roger Federer.

“I think I showed everyone this week that I have one of the best conditioning and that I’m probably the biggest fighter here. The basics for me just were to stay in the game, stay in the match and try to just get it to go longer and longer.” – Timea Babos, after winning the William Loud Bendigo International in Bendigo, Australia

SERBIAN KINGS

Viktor Troicki and Novak Djokovic were the heroes as Serbia made history by winning the Davis Cup for the first time in its history. Trailing France 2-1 going into the two reverse singles, Djokovic began the comeback by thrashing Gael Monfils 6-2 6-2 6-4. That knotted the score and made whoever won the fifth and final rubber the champion. Troicki played one of the best matches of his career to down Frenchman Michael Llodra 6-2 6-2 6-3. When Troicki’s cross-court backhand on match point was a winner, the players and the crowd broke into wild celebrations.

The three-day competition began with Monfils defeating Janko Tipsarevic and Djokovic beating Gilles Simon. France took its 2-1 led when Arnaud Clement and Llodra teamed up to defeat Nenad Zimonjic and Troicki in the doubles.

Serbia wins Davis Cup

SENIOR STAR

Goran Ivanisevic captured his first AEGON Masters Tennis title by downing Todd Martin 6-2 6-4 at Royal Albert Hall in London, England. Ivanisevic overwhelmed Martin with serves of more than 130 mph. “I’m just so happy I finally won this tournament,” Ivanisevic said after lifting the trophy. “The first set today was probably the best set I played this week.” Everything was working for the winner. His beloved British football team, West Bromwich Albion, also won, beating Newcastle 3-1. “My day can’t get any better!” shouted Goran to the crowd midway through the second set when he learned West Bromwich had taken a 1-0 lead. The AEGON Masters Tennis title is Goran’s third of the year, making 2010 his most successful year to-date on the ATP Champions Tour.

STANDING FOR PEACE

Doubles partners Rohan Bopanna of India and Aisam Ul Haq Qureshi of Pakistan have been awarded the 2010 Grand Prix of Peace & Sports at a glittering event held in Monaco. The two players, who are also known as “Indo-Pak Express,” were given the award in the presence of Crown Prince of Monaco for their role in promoting peaceful relations between India and Pakistan. One of the top doubles teams on the ATP Tour, the pair conveys their message of peace by sporting the slogan “Stop War, Start Tennis.” The citation on the award says: “Their commitment to promoting peace between the two countries and their conviction that peace was possible was shown amply during the year. In the US Open tournament they managed to bring together the ambassadors of India and Pakistan to support the same team.” As he presented the award, Joel Bouzou, president and founder of Peace and Sport Foundation, requested the governments of India and Pakistan support Bopanna and Qureshi by organizing a symbolic tennis match at the Wagah border check post. “The sport is ready for peace. Will the two governments rise to the occasion?” Bouzou asked.

SPECIAL MAN

Slobodan Zivojinovic was awarded the 2010 Davis Cup Award of Excellence at the Davis Cup finals held in Belgrade, Serbia. The International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum and International Tennis Federation (ITF) honored Zivojinovic during a special on-court ceremony. The award was presented by ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti and Geoff Pollard, a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum Board of Directors. The award recognizes the importance of Davis Cup by honoring individuals who best represent the ideals of the competition’s founder, Dwight Davis and is presented annually to a member of a past or present Davis Cup team who is from the country or region where the Final is being held. Zivojinovic was a member of the Yugoslavian Davis Cup team for more than a decade, representing his nation for 12 consecutive years between 1981 and 1992. He led the team to the semifinals in 1988, 1989 and 1991, compiling an overall Davis Cup win-loss record of 36-26.

Past recipients of the Davis Cup Award of Excellence are Manuel Orantes of Spain in 2009; Guillermo Vilas of Argentina in 2008; Stan Smith of the United States in 2007; Alex Metreveli of Russia in 2006; Miloslav Mecir of Slovak Republic and Goran Ivanisevic of Croatia in 2005; Manolo Santana of Spain in 2004; John Newcombe of Australia in 2003; Pierre Darmon of France in 2002; and Neale Fraser of Australia in 2001.

SEASON FOR GIVING

John Isner showed up in Dallas, Texas, USA, to help a friend, Dallas Stars center Brad Richards. Isner didn’t have to play tennis, but instead joined his hockey-playing pal in a Texas hold ‘em poker tournament to raise money to expand the pediatric cancer wing at Children’s Medical Center.

Twins Bob and Mike Bryan were just two big names who took part in a clinic in Clinton Township, New Jersey, USA, to benefit the Justin Gimelstob Children’s Fund and The Valerie Fund. The Children’s Fund provides financial support to a variety of children’s charities and related causes in Northern New Jersey and the metropolitan New York City area. The next night the Bryans joined Pete Sampras, Lindsay Davenport, Mary Joe Fernandez and Gimelstob in Chatham, New Jersey, USA, for another fund-raiser.

The Mark Knowles Tennis Invitational in Nassau, Bahamas, celebrated its 10th renewal. Joining Knowles, one of the world’s top doubles players, were Andy Murray, Xavier Malisse, Anna-Lena Groenefeld, Olga Savchuk, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Sabine Lisicki, Bobby Reynolds, Amer Delic, Alex Kuznetsov, Jesse Levine, Filip Krajinokov, Ryan Sweeting, Brent Haygarth, Oliver Marach and Don Johnson.

STUPID MOVE

Top of Form

Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria has been fined more than USD $2,000 for allegedly attacking an umpire at a Challenger tournament in Helsinki, Finland, and could be punished further. The Finnish press reported that after he lost to Ricardas Berankis, the 19-year-old Dimitrov pushed umpire Daniel Infanger and that the two had to be separated by another official. The tournament director said that Dimitrov, a former junior number one, is facing a possible suspension. “The immunity of the umpire is a sacred thing in sports. You can disagree with calls but this was way out of line,” Finnish umpire Antti Aine said.

Bottom of Form

STOSUR IS WINNER

Samantha Stosur was awarded the inaugural Newcombe Medal as Australia’s tennis’ player of the year. Currently ranked sixth in the world, Stosur received the medal from John Newcombe himself at the Australian Tennis Awards in Melbourne. The 26-year-old had a break-out year in 2010, reaching the French Open final where she lost to Italian veteran Francesca Schiavone. Stosur also reached the final at Stuttgart, won her second career title in Charleston and reached the semifinals of the season-ending WTA Tour Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Davis Cup stalwart Peter Luczak was awarded the Spirit of Tennis Award in recognition of his outstanding leadership, passion and dedication to the sport. Stosur’s coach and Australian Fed Cup captain, David Taylor, was awarded the Coaching Excellence, High Performance Award.

SERBIAN IRE

Calling them “unpatriotic,” Serbia captain Bogdan Obradovic lashed out at the line judges in the France-Serbia Davis Cup final played in Belgrade, Serbia. “They were like a dark force out there and their lack of patriotism was astounding,” Obradovic said. His comments came after Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra gave France a 2-1 lead by rallying from a two-set deficit and beating Serbia’s duo of Viktor Troicki and Nenad Zimonjic. The battle was played in a raucous atmosphere that threatened to boil over in the closing stages of the second set. With Serbia a set up and leading 6-5 in the second, several hundred French fans screamed for a foot fault on Troicki’s serve and Serbian supporters responded with loud jeers every time the French duo hit the ball after that. Following protestations to the umpire by both sides, Serbia’s Janko Tipsarevic grabbed a microphone and warned the home crowd that Serbia could be punished with a point or game deduction if the fans carried on. France then rallied to win the match. Serbia captured both reverse singles to win the prestigious international team trophy for the first time.

SIGNED

Two-time defending US Open champion Kim Clijsters will play in the 2011 Mercury Insurance Open, which will take place July 30 through August 7 in Carlsbad, California, USA. Since turning pro in 1997, Clijsters has won 40 career singles titles, including three US Opens. The Belgian finished 2010 by defeating Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark to win the WTA Championships in Doha, Qatar, and ended the year ranked third in the world.

SHARING SPACE

A death in Andy Roddick’s family has resulted in the postponement of the ConAgra Food Rock-n-Racquets exhibition in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. Instead, the event will be held on December 17 at the Qwest Center in Omaha. “This week is a time my family needs to be together. I appreciate everyone’s understanding and support and look forward to giving the fans a great show on December 17,” Roddick said. Tennis great Pete Sampras said he will also be able to accommodate the new date.

SHARAPOVA SET

Maria Sharapova will lead Russia when it takes on France in a first-round Fed Cup tie next year. “Sharapova has agreed to play the first round,” said Shamil Tarpishchev, president of the Russian Tennis Federation and its Fed Cup captain. “She is now fully recovered from the problems with her shoulder and again could challenge for the number one spot.” A three-time Grand Slam tournament champion and former number one, Sharapova has struggled to regain her form after a nine-month lay-off following shoulder surgery at the end of 2008. She finished this year ranked 18th in the world. Sharapova made her first and only Fed Cup appearance for Russia in a 4-1 victory over Israel in February 2008. Tarpishchev said Svetlana Kuznetsova, who has won two Grand Slam singles titles, and former world number one Dinara Safina will be joined by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on the Russian team. The tie will be played in Moscow on February 5-6.

SPARKLING DEBUT

Tobias Kamke of Germany has been named the ATP 2010 Newcomer of the Year after advancing 187 places in the ATP rankings since the start of the season. The 24-year-old reached four ATP Challenger Tour finals, winning twice. He finished the year ranked 67th in the world.

SPONSOR

Adecco, the world leader in Human Resources Solutions, has returned as an international sponsor to Davis Cup by BNP Paribas and will join Fed Cup by BNP Paribas. The new agreement, announced by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), began AT THE Davis Cup Final between Serbia and France in Belgrade and runs through 2013. Adecco previously sponsored Davis Cup from 2002-2007. “It is always good news when a top sponsor like Adecco chooses your competition. It is even better news when they decide to come back,” said ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti. “This shows a real vote of confidence for both Davis Cup and Fed Cup and reinforces the current strength of both competitions.”

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Bendigo: Timea Babos and Melanie Smith beat Jarmila Groth and Jade Hopper 6-3 6-2

Rio de Janeiro: Maria-Fernanda Alves and Ana-Clara Duarte beat Alize Lim and Paula Ormaechea, default

Bradenton (boys): Joris De Loore and Jannick Lupescu beat Bjorn Fratangelo and Alexios Halebian 6-3 5-7 10-6 (match tiebreak)

Bradenton (girls): An-Sophie Mestach and Demi Schuurs beat Jennifer Brady and Lauren Herring 6-4 4-6 10-8 (match tiebreak)

SITES TO SURF

ITF: www.itftennis.com

ATP Tour: www.atpworldtour.com

Rafael Nadal: www.rafaelnadal.com

Roger Federer: www.rogerfederer.com

Novak Djokovic: www.novak-djokovic.com

Caroline Wozniacki: www.carolinewozniacki.dk/

Vera Zvonareva: www.zvonareva.ru/

Kim Clijsters: www.kimclijsters.be/

Serena Williams: www.serenawilliams.com/

Mondays with Bob Greene: Kim Clijsters Wins WTA Championships

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STARS

Kim Clijsters beat Caroline Wozniacki 6-3 5-7 6-3 to win the WTA Championships in Doha, Qatar

Gael Monfils beat Ivan Ljubicic 6-2 5-7 6-1 to win the Open Sud de France in Montpellier, France

Jurgen Melzer beat Andreas Haider-Maurer 6-7 (10) 7-6 (4) 6-4 to win the Bank Austria Tennis Trophy in Vienna, Austria

Mikhail Kukushkin beat Mikhail Youzhny 6-3 7-6 (2) to win the St. Petersburg Open in St. Petersburg, Russia

Sofia Arvidsson beat Pauline Parmentier 6-2 7-6 (4) to win the Internationaux Feminins de la Vienne in Poitiers, France

SAYINGS

“At the moment I’m kind of relieved it’s over. It seemed like it would never end. It was a tough battle. We showed some great tennis and some great fitness. I think we showed the crowd some great women’s tennis tonight.” – Kim Clijsters, after winning her third season-ending WTA Championships.

“I had to step it up, and I did and I had the momentum. I just couldn’t keep it all the way through. You know, you cannot win every match. I’ve made the finals of the Championships and I lost one match today. I’ve had a fantastic week, a fantastic year. I won six tournaments, I’ve beaten so many good players.” – Carolina Wozniacki, who lost to Kim Clijsters in the WTA Championships final.

“I’m happy with the first final, but I was up 7-6 5-3, I served for the match. I had big chances to win this title, but it’s the first time. I was a little bit nervous. Jurgen played good in this moment and I lost.” – Andreas Haider-Maurer, after losing to Jurgen Melzer in Vienna, Austria.

“I am so happy about this title, and it’s even more special because it is in France and in front of my crowd.” – Frenchman Gael Monfils, following his victory in Montpellier, France.

“Four hundred (wins) is special. It’s a lot of matches, a lot of history, but I hope I’m not going to stop here.” – Ivan Ljubicic, who won his 400th career match victory in Montpellier, France.

“It wasn’t a goal I set for myself to hit more than 1,000 aces, but I knew coming into these last three tournaments that I was close and that I was very likely to reach it. It’s pretty neat being the company of these four really good players.” – John Isner, who became the fifth player to hit 1,000 or more aces in a single season.

“It was unbelievable walking out to a standing ovation on a national holiday. It was just a great atmosphere. It’s all been worthwhile, all the practice, and it was a good start. … The main thing is that there’s no pain. I’m fit and I know I can go long matches. … It’s awesome to be back playing.” – Thomas Muster, playing his first ATP Tour-level match since 1999 and losing to fellow Austrian Andreas Haider-Mauer in Vienna, Austria

“To have the opportunity to play Pete at Madison Square Garden is thrilling. Playing in front of the New York fans has always been exciting and I’m sure Pete and I will give them something to cheer about.” – Andre Agassi, on an upcoming exhibition he will play against Pete Sampras in New York’s Madison Square Garden.

SOARING

Kim Clijsters crowned one of her best seasons by winning her third WTA Championships singles title, defeating top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki 6-3 5-7 6-3 in the final. With her 40th career tournament title, Clijsters becomes only the fifth player in WTA history to win the season-ending event three of more times. Martina Navratilova won the tournament eight times, Steffi Graf five, Chris Evert four and Monica Seles three. In 2010, Clijsters won five tournaments, including her third US Open. Against Wozniacki, the Belgian mother jumped out to a 6-3 4-1 lead before her Danish opponent won seven of the next eight games, including breaking serve to begin the third set. After that, it was all Clijsters. “This may be disappointing for Caroline, but she has a great future,” said Clijsters, who during the week became the eighth player to surpass the USD $20 million career prize money mark.

It wasn’t all fun and games for Clijsters during his stay in Doha, Qatar. She escaped injury when the official car taking her to her WTA Championships semifinal match was hit by a truck that “came out of nowhere,” she said. “There was a lot of glass.” Despite the accident, Clijsters went on to defeat Samantha Stosur.

Clijsters, who left the women’s tennis tour to get married and have a daughter, said she plans on retiring from tennis again following the London Olympics in 2012 and having a second child. She told the Guardian newspaper of London that she owns a tennis club in Belgium. “We’re going through the process of rebuilding it, so when I retire from tennis that’s something that will interest me very much,” she said.

STANDING ON TOP

Despite losing in the WTA Championships final, Caroline Wozniacki finishes the year as the WTA’s top-ranked player. The 20-year-old Dane sealed the year-end number one ranking by beating Italian Francesca Schiavone in the season-ending tournament. “I’m only the 10th one to finish the year as number one, so I’m really proud of what I’ve achieved,” she said. Wozniacki won six titles this season and took over the number one ranking in October after reaching the quarterfinals of the China Open.

SET TO LEAD

Four-time Grand Slam tournament champion Jim Courier has taken over as captain of the United States Davis Cup team, replacing Patrick McEnroe. “I’ve always known, once I got a taste of playing Davis Cup, if I were given an opportunity to be the captain I would certainly want to take it,” Courier said. McEnroe served as captain for 10 years and led the US to the Davis Cup title in 2007.

Kim Clijsters

STARRING

Gisela Dulko of Argentina and Flavia Pennetta of Italy finished the season as the number one-ranked doubles team in the world for the first time. The duo captured six titles this season, including the season-ending WTA Championships. During the season the two won 17 consecutive matches, the WTA’s longest streak since March 2007. They reached the semifinals at Wimbledon and the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and the US Open.

SURPRISE

Mikhail Kukushkin was the surprise winner when he captured his first career title by upsetting top-seeded Mikhail Youzhny 6-3 7-6 (2) at the St. Petersburg Open in St. Petersburg, Russia. The winner’s previous best result came in Moscow last year when he reached the semifinals. Ranked 88th in the world, Kukushkin grabbed a 6-2 lead in the second-set tie-break, and then won the title on his first match point. “I won because I was running for every ball and played solid tennis,” Kukushkin said.

SAYONARA

Elena Dementieva announced her retirement after 13 years on the WTA tour. The Russian won the Beijing Olympics singles gold medal in 2008 and 16 WTA singles titles. Twice she reached the final of a Grand Slam tournament, only to lose to a fellow Russians – Anastasia Myskina at the 2004 Roland Garros and Svetlana Kuznetsova at the 2004 US Open. She won two tournaments this year, the Medibank International in Sydney, Australia, and the Open GDF Suez in Paris, France. Dementieva has been ranked inside the Top 20 for almost eight consecutive seasons and reached a career-high singles ranking of number three in the world. She also was ranked in the top five in doubles. She won a silver medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and represented Russia in 18 Fed Cup ties, leading the team to the title over France in 2005.

SWISH

John Isner has joined an illustrious group. The American slammed 12 aces in his three-set loss to Frenchman Gael Monfils in Montpellier, France, bringing his total number of aces for the season to 1,011. Isner joins Goran Ivanisevic, Ivo Karlovic, Pete Sampras and Andy Roddick as the only players to hit 1,000 or more aces in a single season. The record is 1,477 aces hit by Ivanisevic in 1996. Isner slammed more than 100 of his aces in his record-breaking match at Wimbledon against Nicholas Mahut.

SUPER SUPPORT

Billionaire Kirk Kerkorian will pay former pro tennis player Lisa Bonder more than USD $10 million in back child support plus USD $100,000 a month for a child Bonder has admitted was not Kerkorian’s biological daughter. Bonder was married briefly to the casino mogul after a long relationship. She acknowledged during a child support battle that she had faked a DNA paternity test by using saliva she obtained from Kerkorian’s adult daughter. She said the biological father actually was Hollywood movie producer Stephen Bing. Kerkorian, 93, has had joint custody of the girl, who lives with her mother. Bonder, 45, was married to Kerkorian for 28 days in 1999. Once the majority shareholder of what is now MGM Resorts International, Kerkorian is the legal father of the child because the couple married.

SAYS PAY UP

India’s Supreme Court has ruled that Mahesh Bhupathi must pay taxes on money the player claims he gave his father for tennis tips before turning pro in 1995. Chief Justice S H Kapadia and Justices K S Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar took less than five minutes to toss out Bhupathi’s appeal against an earlier verdict. The justices also refused to remove the stinging observation made by the Karnataka High Court that the agreement for payment by the son to the father was a sham transaction.

SECOND PLACE

Vera Zvonareva is the fifth Russian to be ranked in the top two in women’s tennis as she supplanted Serena Williams behind top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki. The 26-year-old Zvonareva joins Anastasia Myskina, Maria Sharapova, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Dinara Safina as the Russian players who have been ranked in the top two spots on the WTA Tour. Sharapova and Safina are the only Russians to be ranked number one.

SAYS NOT FOR PROFIT

Australian tennis star Lleyton Hewitt says he wasn’t trying to profit from his newborn baby when he encouraged fans to pay for a text service revealing the child’s name. The 29-year-old Hewitt instead blamed the media for putting a “spin on reality” by criticizing his use of the Text A Star service to announce the name. “Some sections of the media have, as usual, found it opportune to place some spin on reality by suggesting we have taken this approach just to make money,” Hewitt wrote on his website. “Certain media people believe that (they) are the only ones who should have an exclusive. In this instance, we made a decision that my fans deserve to know first and the general public second.” Text A Star charges subscribers $2 (Australian) per text to receive two messages a week from their favorite sports stars. It is not known how much Hewitt would make from the venture.

STOSUR HONORED

Samantha Stosur has won the Diamond ACES Award for the 2010 season. The ACES Award is given to the player who consistently goes above and beyond to promote the sport of women’s tennis to fans, media, and local communities by performing off-court promotional and charitable activities. “Sam is not only one of the world’s best athletes, she is extremely aware of the opportunity of giving back to women’s tennis and connecting the sport with media and sponsors,” WTA CEO Stacey Allaster said. The ACES award was first introduced in 1995 in memory of former Tour CEO Jerry Diamond. Since then, 10 players have won the award: Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, Gabriela Sabatini, Amanda Coetzer, Lindsay Davenport, Martina Hingis, Anastasia Myskina, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Ana Ivanovic, Elena Dementieva and Stosur.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Doha: Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta beat Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik 7-5 6-4

Montpellier: Stephen Huss and Ross Hutchins beat Marc Lopez and Eduardo Schwank 6-2 4-6 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Poitiers: Lucie Hradecka and Renata Voracova beat Akgul Amanmuradova and Kristina Barrois 6-7 (5) 6-2 10-5 (match tiebreak)

St. Petersburg: Daniele Bracciali and Potito Starace beat Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi 7-6 (6) 7-6 (5)

Vienna: Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic beat Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski 7-5 3-6 10-5 (match tiebreak)

SITES TO SURF

Valencia: www.valenciaopen500.com/

Basel: www.davidoffswissindoors.ch/

Bali: www.commbanktennis.com/

Taipei: www.taipeiarena.com.tw/

Paris: www.fft.fr/bnpparibasmasters/2010/

Ortisei: www.itfvalgardena.com

Phoenix: www.goldwaterwomensclassic.org/

Sydney: www.thechampionsdownunder.com.au/

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

ATP

$1,900,000 Valencia Open 500, Valencia, Spain, hard

$1,707,000 Swiss Indoors, Basel, Switzerland, hard

$125,000 Challenger Astana President’s Cup, Astana, Kazakhstan, hard

WTA

$600,000 Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions, Bali, Indonesia

$100,000 Taipei Ladies Open, Taipei, Taiwan, carpet

SENIOR

The Residences at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman Legends Championships, Grand Cayman

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$3,075,000 BNP Paribas Masters, Paris, France, hard

$88,000 Val Gardena – Sudtirol, Ortisei, Italy, hard

WOMEN

$75,000 Goldwater Tennis Classic, Phoenix, Arizona, USA, hard

SENIOR

The Champions Downunder, Sydney, Australia, hard

The Latest Nights in Tennis!

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It was four years ago when one of the latest recorded finishes occurred in professional tennis.

On October 5, 2006, Benjamin Becker of Germany and Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic concluded their round of 16 match at the Japan Open in Tokyo at 3:24 am local time, Becker emerging victorious by a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(4) margin. Becker saved a match point while serving at 5-6 in the third set in the latest recorded finish to a singles match in ATP history at the time. Months later, the record was broken by Andreas Seppi of Italy and Bobby Reynolds of the United States, who concluded a match at 3:34 am at the 2007 Australian Open. A year later, Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis play until 4:34 am at the 2008 Australian Open, setting the new standard.

In the newly updated and re-released second edition of authoritative record book and tennis encyclopedia THE BUD COLLINS HISTORY OF TENNIS ($35.95, New Chapter Press, www.NewChapterMedia.com), tennis Hall of Famer Bud Collins compiles the latest recorded finishes at all four major tournaments and of all-time, documented below.

Latest Finishes At Major Championships

(US Open and Australian Open are only majors with night play)

Australian Open

4:34 am Lleyton Hewitt d. Marcos Baghdatis 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-3 in the 2008 third round

3:34 am Andreas Seppi d. Bobby Reynolds 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-7 (5), 7-6 (3), 6-3 in the 2007 first round

French Open

9:56 pm Gael Monfils of France and Fabio Fognini of Italy had their second-round match suspended due to darkness with the score knotted at 6-2, 6-4, 5-7, 4-6, 5-5. Fognini wins the completed fifth set 9-7 the next day

Wimbledon

10:59 pm Novak Djokovic d. Olivier Rochus 4-6, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in 2010 first round

10:39 pm Andy Murray d. Stanislas Wawrinka 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 in 2009 fourth round (first-ever Wimbledon night match and the first complete match played under the retractable roof on Centre Court)

US Open

2:26 am Mats Wilander d. Mikael Pernfors 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-7 (5), 7-6 (3), 6-3 in the 1993 second round

2:14 am Younes El Aynaoui d. Wayne Ferreira 3-6, 7-5, 7-5, 7-6 (3) in the 2002 fourth round

The latest recorded start of a match at a major tournament came in 1987, when shortly after midnight, Gabriela Sabatini and Beverly Bowes took the court for a first round match, following a four-hour Boris Becker-Tim Wilkison match. Sabatini won 6-3, 6-3 in a match that ended at 1:30 am

Other Late Finishes

2:51 am Nicolas Massu and Fernando Gonzalez of Chile defeated Nicolas Kiefer and Rainer Schuettler of Germany 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 6-4 in the gold medal match in men’s doubles at the 2004 Olympic Games in four hours and 43 minutes

3:24 am Benjamin Becker of Germany defeated Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (4) in the round of 16, AIG Open in Tokyo, Oct. 5, 2006

Around The Corner: ATP Tour Shifts Focus to Europe

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The forgotten tennis season of the fall begins this week with two European events taking place. In Metz, France, there is an indoor hard-court event while in Bucharest, Romania, there is an outdoor event on clay. None of the big names are playing this week but that should come as no surprise following a hectic summer schedule and the lack of major prize money at these two ATP World Tour 250 events.

Open de Moselle

The Open de Moselle in France is a tournament that was resurrected in 2003. Previously played every two years it disappeared from the schedule in 1988. French tennis fans have much to be excited about these days with 6 players in the top 50 in the world, and 12 players in the top 100.

Gaels Monfils

Gael Monfils is the defending champion and defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber in the finals a year ago. Seeded second, he is the favorite in my opinion, especially after a strong showing in New York at the U.S. Open.

Marin Cilic is seeded first but has had such an inconsistent season that I can’t see him coming through here this week.

Other notable names include 2005 winner Ivan Ljubicic who is seeded third and fourth seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet.

BCR Open Romania

Romania hosts a rather sparse draw of clay-court talent led by top seeded Albert Montanes. Montanes captured the title a year ago and has the luxury of a first round bye. He could very well face Jeremy Chardy in the quarter-finals, a match that I believe will produce the champion in this year’s edition. Chardy could have played the hard court event in his home country of France but made the wise tactical move to enter the field in Bucharest instead.

Third seeded Potito Starace and fourth seeded Juan Ignacio Chela are also in the mix.

Looking further ahead on the ATP World Tour schedule reveals two tournaments in Asia next week in Thailand and Malaysia followed by larger events in China and Japan. The Masters event in Shanghai begins October 10th and that is where I expect we see all of the big names together again.

The Civil Rights of Tennis

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By Cynthia Lum

Wow, had a wonderful free morning. Novak Djokovic and Gael Monfils was the only match I was really interested in and they were scheduled second match on after 1 PM. I’d been wanting to see the exhibit at the International Center for Photography, so took this opportunity to have a nice leisurely look at their current exhibit, “For All the World to See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights ”

The exhibit deals with the way the media, through photography, film, and television, can influence and play a role in shaping history and culture in modern society.

As you enter, there is a film clip of celebrated African American photographer, Gordon Parks, loading film in his camera. He considered his camera his “Weapon of Choice,” an empowering tool to be used to influence social change.

In the section on black sports hero’s and how these positive images in popular magazines helped instill racial pride to a group of people who had been the subjects of discrimination, and degrading stereotypes, there is a wonderful interview with Althea Gibson from a 1957 Sports Illustrated where she appeared on the cover.

Powerful and sometime disturbing photos of the of the leaders of the civil rights movement, are stark reminders of where we were just 50 years ago.

The film clip of Malcolm X being interviewed and asked about his last name was great. There are also clips from famous entertainers, including Nat King Cole, The Supremes and a host of others.

I find this exhibit especially relevant right now when intolerance is once again rearing it’s ugly head in the USA.

Next stop was lunch under the shade of huge trees in Bryant Park, entertained by life piano music. This is truly wonderful. I love the reader’s area, where there are books, magazine, and newspapers to to peruse.

I arrived at the site, around 2 PM and prepared to shoot the Djokovic-Monfils match. Walking through the press room, still carrying visions of the civil rights movement in my head, I am  reminded of the internationality of our sport. People from around the world, working together.

As I sat in the photo pit, I kept thinking how great it is to have the privilege of participating in an event with no social barriers, the only measure being how well you train, and compete. There was Monfils, a Frenchman with Caribbean heritage, playing against a Serbian, who incidentally, speaks five languages fluently.

Novak is also hosting children of the 911 victims at the Open. Coming from a war torn country himself, he wanted to reach out to these young people. He said he is not talking to them about the past he just wants to give them a special experience.

“We’re trying to enjoy. We’re young. They’re young. They’re trying to enjoy their life, and they came to tennis,” he said. “So this is the positive message. We don’t want to, you know, get back in the past. What already happened, happened. It’s life.”

A famous Serbian tennis star, giving American children a special day. This is a perfect example of how the tennis tour can and show the world that people of all completions, can help one another and make this a better place for everyone.

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Five-Setters, Challenges and USTA Player Development at the US Open

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They don’t keep records on “most five-setters played in a Grand Slam,” and I’m not planning to pour through decades of drawsheets to research it, but there were 13 matches in the first round alone that went the distance, and we can all be thankful with the 90-degree heat that is frying New York that the U.S. Open plays fifth-set tiebreaks.

Otherwise, Victoria Azarenka might not have been the only player out there collapsing Wednesday. And John Isner vs. Nicolas Mahut? Don’t even think it.

Some of the most unlikely players have had to go five sets at this Open, and some of them won’t be coming back for the second round.

* Lleyton Hewitt, beaten 6-1 in the fifth by Paul-Henri Mathieu.

* Gael Monfils has more than he expected from qualifier Robert Kendrick, winning 6-4 in the fifth.

Mardy Fish

* Arnaud Clement upsets Marcos Baghdatis 7-5 in the fifth.

* Mardy Fish, in one of his wierdest matches, beats Jan Hajek 6-1 in the fifth after several one-sided sets.

* Jurgen Melzer, another top 20 player, needs five to beat back-from-injury Dmitry Tursunov 6-2 in the fifth.

* Fernando Verdasco needs five to whip little Fabio Fognini 6-3 in the fifth.

* David Nalbandian, whom we all thought was a tournament darkhorse, needs five to beat Rik De Voest — 6-4 in the fifth.

* Robin Soderling looks anything but a second-tier favorite, winning 6-4 in the fifth over big-serving Andrea Haider-Maurer.

***

After three days and two nights (not counting Wednesday evening), the men have left the women in the challenge dust.

The men are averaging 35.1 percent accuracy on their challenges, while the women are at 21.1 percent. Young Brad Klahn of the U.S. was 5-for-5 in his first-round loss. Marcos Baghdatis, who lost in five to Arnaud Clement, was 1-for-6.

Mathieu had 12 challenges in his five-set win over Hewitt and was right five times. But Ana Ivanovic was 0-for-5 and Nadia Petrova 0-for-6. In fact — and I’m not drawing any conclusions here — the Russian women so far are 1-for-14 on challenges.

***

Someone identifying himself as AL2000 wrote a passionate letter to us, very unhappy with the piece I wrote a couple days ago about how the USTA is spending millions on player development and not producing anything close to a top player.

Let me begin by thanking Mr. AL2000. We want to hear from readers and we want a dialogue about tennis. But I’m going to have to refute a couple points the reader produced in defense of the USTA.

He wanted to point out that Christina McHale and Coco Vandeweghe, both of whom have received USTA coaching, are in the U.S. Open main draw this year and that, in fact, this is the second year in a row McHale has been in the main draw.

What the reader didn’t reveal, however, is that both received wild cards into the main draw from the USTA. They didn’t have to qualify and their rankings weren’t high enough to get straight in. They simply had to show the USTA, which runs the Open, that they have “promise.” And they do. But there’s a Grand Canyon of difference between “promise” and “production.”

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Ms. McHale at a Challenger in Florida. She seems like a very humble, committed player, and she’s gotten her ranking up to No. 112, which, if she can elevate just a little farther, should get her straight into the Aussie Open in January. I hope she makes it.

She won a round at the Open a year ago and that’s a good first step. But she went down in the first round this year 6-3, 0-6, 6-1 to No. 85 Sybille Bammer. Meanwhile, Coco, No. 166, lost 6-1, 6-2 to No. 94 Sabine Lisicki.

You could find some vague golden lining in there if you wanted to. For example, you might point out that McHale won a set and you might consider that a half-step forward.

And if the USTA were spending a lot less money and had just a handful of coaches at one place, maybe this wouldn’t be so much of an issue. You get, as they say, what you pay for. But the USTA is throwing millions at this project and winning a set in the first round of the U.S. Open doesn’t cut it as progress. When you’re shooting this kind of money at a problem, you expect more definitive results.

This isn’t a wholesale critique of American tennis. What we’re doing here is asking a very economic question — the same kind we all ask in our everyday lives. Is the kind of money the USTA investing in player development largely being wasted, when we might get even better results for far less money by simply paying our best prospects to be trained at private academies around the country.

The same academies that have produced Jim Courier, Andre Agassi, Michael Chang and so forth and so on.

BIRMINGHAM TO HOST FED CUP: THIS WEEK IN TENNIS BUSINESS

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By Justin Cohen

  • The USTA announced on Tuesday that the Birmingham –Jefferson Convention Complex Arena in Birmingham, Ala., will host the 2010 Fed Cup semifinal tie between the United States and Russia from April 24-26. “We are very excited to have earned this home tie and are thrilled to choose a community that is rampant in its love for tennis,” said Mary Joe Fernandez, the U.S. Fed Cup Captain.  “The city of Birmingham offered the U.S. Davis Cup team tremendous support last year, and we look forward to playing in front of the same enthusiastic and patriotic crowd as we try to reach our second consecutive Fed Cup final.” The United States leads the series 4-3, but Russia has won the last three meetings dating back to 2005.
  • It was announced last Friday that MP & Silva will sell the television, internet and mobile rights to all territories outside the United States for the upcoming ATP World Tour Delray Beach International Tennis Championships. “We are glad to be able to enlist the services of MP & Silva, who have proven expertise, experience and exceptional track record of distributing top class events, which will ensure that the Delray Beach International Championships continues to make strong inroads on the ATP circuit,” said Mark Baron, the President and Tournament Director of ATP Delray Beach.
  • According to the Wimbledon Guardian, a local chamber of commerce is planning to create a tennis walk of fame in Wimbledon Village. The project is supposed to create awareness for the 2012 London Olympics were Wimbledon will host the tennis competition. Plaques will feature handprints and signatures of famous tennis stars along the tennis walk of fame.
  • Rafael Nadal has confirmed that he will not participate in Spain’s upcoming Davis Cup tie against Switzerland.
  • Defending US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro will not participate in Argentina’s Davis Cup tie against Sweden due to a wrist injury.
  • Gael Monfils, who has struggled with injuries recently, has pulled out of the ATP World Tour event in Acapulco to prepare for France’s Davis Cup tie against Germany.
  • According to Globesports.com, recently retired former World No. 1 Marat Safin, who is a member of the Russian Olympic Committee, will attend a few days worth of action at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
  • ATP World Tour Marseille Tournament Director Jean-Francois Caujolle heavily criticized Andy Murray for withdrawing from his event for the second straight year, this time to get more rest following his finals run at the Australian Open. “Murray did the same thing to me last year,” the Daily Express quoted Caujolle saying on Monday. “He can’t know what it is to keep his word. A week ago, he asked me for a wild card to play doubles with his brother Jamie and I gave him one. A few days ago, he asked me for five hotel rooms and I gave him them.”
  • Andy Roddick was the first overall pick by the Philadelphia Freedom in the recent World Team Tennis draft. Martina Hingis was picked second by the Albany-based New York Buzz, while Lindsay Davenport was picked third by the St. Louis Aces. The defending champion Washington Kastles picked up Serena and Venus Williams, while Kim Clijsters will team up with John McEnroe and play for the New York Sportimes.
  • According to the Dubai Gulf News, Jelena Jankovic will now train in Dubai instead of Florida. “I love so many things about this place (Dubai). The people are good and the place is lovely as I can step out any time and practice,” said Jankovic.
  • The Palm Beach Post reports that Tommy Haas has officially changed his name from Tommy Mario Haas to Tommy Haas. The former World No. 2 recently became a United States citizen.
  • Stanislas Wawrinka and his wife, television personality Ilham Vuilloud, had their first child, daughter Alexia on Friday evening in Switzerland. Wawrinka won a Gold medal in doubles with Roger Federer at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
  • Boris Becker and wife Lily had their first child, son Amadeus Benedict Edley Luis, last Wednesday in London. Becker has three other children from previous relationships.
  • According to the Associated Press, Ilie Nastase, 63, and wife Amalia, 34, are divorcing after seven years of marriage.
  • According to celebrity gossip columnist Perez Hilton, Rafael Nadal co-stars in Shakira’s “Gypsy” music video.
  • According to the ATP World Tour official website, Paradorn Srichaphan will play the lead role in the Thai movie, Bang Rajan II.

McENROE BOOK CALLED “HARDCOURT CONFIDENTIAL,” US OPEN NATIONAL PLAYOFFS TO DEBUT: THIS WEEK IN TENNIS BUSINESS

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Bob Stockton is subbing for Justin Cohen this week for THIS WEEK IN TENNIS BUSINESS

* U.S. Davis Cup Captain, USTA General Manager of Player Development and ESPN Commentator Patrick McEnroe will have his book called “Hardcourt Confidential: Tales from Twenty Years in the Pro Tennis Trenches” come out on June 8, 2010. [Read more…] about McENROE BOOK CALLED “HARDCOURT CONFIDENTIAL,” US OPEN NATIONAL PLAYOFFS TO DEBUT: THIS WEEK IN TENNIS BUSINESS

FEDERER IS SECOND-MOST POPULAR ATHLETE ON FACEBOOK; SHARAPOVA’S $70 MILLION DEAL WITH NIKE: THIS WEEK IN TENNIS BUSINESS

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By Justin Cohen

· According to Marca, Roger Federer is the second most popular athlete on Facebook. The current World No. 1 has 3.18 million Facebook fans.

· Maria Sharapova has signed an eight-year sponsorship deal with Nike, which is reportedly worth $70 million.

· According to CNBC, Kim Clijsters has signed a multi-year clothing and shoe deal with Fila.

· Juan Carlos Ferrero has signed a three-year clothing deal with Joma, a Spanish apparel company. Joma is also worn by Feliciano Lopez.

· According to the Melbourne Age, the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour now allows tournaments to pay appearance fees to players. For many years, the ATP World Tour has allowed appearance fees to be given to its players in tournaments outside the Grand Slam and Masters level events. While the range of appearance fees is broad, cities such as Doha and Dubai, as well as some Asian cities are rumored to distribute the largest fees.

· InsideOut Sports & Entertainment announced on Tuesday that Staples will be the new title sponsor for the $150,000 Champions Series event in Boston. The event will be held at the Agganis Arena on the campus of Boston University from April 29-May 2. The Staples Champions Cup will feature eight players including Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and Jim Courier. The tournament will mark Borg’s first tournament in the United States since 2000.

· Tennis Channel’s Australian Open coverage begins on Monday, January 18 at 7pm, ET. Tennis Channel will showcase close to 30 hours of live or first-run match coverage.

· Via Twitter, @tenniswire reports that ESPN2 will show the Australian Open in high-definition starting on Sunday.

· Gael Monfils withdrew from this week’s Medibank International in Sydney with a shoulder injury and is in doubt for the Australian Open. David Nalbandian status is also in doubt after withdrawing from the Heineken Open in Auckland, New Zealand, with an abdominal strain. Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu has already withdrawn from the Australian Open with a groin injury.

· Sebastien Grosjean and Stephanie Cohen-Aloro have been granted the French reciprocal wildcards for the main draw of the Australian Open. 15-year-old British star Laura Robson has been awarded a wildcard into the women’s qualifying tournament.

· American Ryan Harrison, who earned a main draw wildcard for the men’s event at the Australian Open, will work with the USTA’s David Roditi in Melbourne.

· During the Australian Open, Tommy Haas, Gilles Simon and Stanislas Wawrinka will use the legendary HEAD Prestige with updated YOUTEK technology.

· Jacob’s Creek, an associate sponsor of the upcoming Australian Open, is building a floating tennis court on the Yarra River in Melbourne and will feature an exhibition match between Patrick Rafter and Wally Masur. “He will probably beat me – after all he is a couple of years younger than I am but I will give it my best shot,” said Masur. “The Australian Open is all about the fans so it’s great that Jacob’s Creek is bringing the tennis to the city of Melbourne with an event that everyone can come along to watch. It should be a lot of fun.”

· ATP World Tour President and Executive Chairman Adam Helfant has appointed Kate Gordon as the Vice President of Corporate Communications for the ATP World Tour. Gordon, who starts her duties at the ATP this week and will be based in London, most recently was the UK Head of Sports and Sponsorship for Edelman Public Relations. “We are very much looking forward to having Kate bring her experience and enthusiasm to the Tour,” said Helfant. “Kate’s impressive track record in a wide variety of sports will help not only in expanding the reach and impact of tennis, but will add a broad perspective to the global operations of the Tour.”

· Pierce O’Neil, the Chief Business Officer of the USTA, announced that he will be moving on from his role after 15 years. “Pierce has been a tremendous asset to the USTA over the last fifteen years” said Lucy Garvin, the Chairman and President of the USTA. “His leadership, vision, creativity and skills have benefited the USTA in so many ways.”

· The USTA named Harlan Stone as its Chief Business and Marketing Officer, which is a new position created by the USTA due to an internal reorganization. All sponsorship, marketing and communications for professional and community tennis will report into Stone.

· Kevin Kempin of HEAD USA has been promoted from President Racquet Sports Division to CEO HEAD USA.

· Russian Ekaterina Bychkova has been suspended for 30-days and fined $5,000 for not telling tennis officials that she had been contacted to fix a match. Rules established by the Tennis Integrity Unit in 2007 require any player who is approached to fix a match to report the incident within 48 hours.

· Coco Vandeweghe is no longer working with the USTA and will exclusively be coached by Robert Van’t Hof.

· Serena Williams has agreed to participate in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour event in Charleston. Maria Sharapova, Caroline Wozniacki, Victoria Azarenka and Melanie Oudin have already signed up to play in the tournament, which will be held in April.

· According to reports on the Palm Beach Post website, Chris Evert and professional golfer Greg Norman have finalized their divorce in a Florida court. There was no exchange of money between Evert and Norman according to a source.

· Davis Cup defending champion Spain will host Switzerland from March 5-7 during its first round tie at the 11,000 seat Plaza de Toros bullring. On Tuesday, the Swiss Tennis Federation confirmed that the highly anticipated Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal matchup will not take place since the top ranked player will not participate in Davis Cup action.

· Fernando Gonzalez will participate in Chile’s first round Davis Cup tie against Israel. Last season, Gonzalez refused to play because of a dispute with the Head of the Chilean Tennis Federation.

BRISBANE: GREAT TENNIS, GREAT FUN

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The Brisbane International starts off the New Year with a great line up, headlined as the return WTA event for the newly, un-retired Justine Henin. Joining Henin will be her fellow Belgian “comeback kid” Kim Clijsters as well as Ana Ivanovic. Andy Roddick, Gael Monfils and James Blake highlight the men’s field. This year marks the second year of the event, played at the new Brisbane International Tennis Center.

Brisbane is the capital of the state of Queensland with a population of 2 million. This genuine forward-thinking city has a great youthful enthusiasm and has one of the best vibrant laid back atmospheres on the continent. There is something unique about all neighborhoods of Brisbane.

The CBD is the heart of downtown and is the premier shopping destination and a must see for all tourists. The South Bank is where you have all the chic outdoor cafes and riverside board walks. Many arts and entertainment centers are present here including the spectacular galley of modern art.

At Fortitude Valley, you have the best night life entertainment and world-class eclectic clubs with some of the best live music in the country.

In the west end are the modern bohemian artsy shops and small boutiques where to can find everything alternative. If you want something more upscale, go to new farm where the trendy and expensive shops are located.

If you want to enjoy the waters, walk over to portside wharf where all the fancy cruise ships dock and eat in some of the world class dining restaurants.

If you are looking to take gifts back home, go to Paddington Square where you will find many quaint boutiques and restaurants. At Mount Coot-tha, you can get a great scenic view of the city and spectacular views of the surrounding landscape.

Do not worry about the weather- Brisbane is warm all year around and dry. Getting round the city is easy, there are many bicycle paths. If you do rent a bike, get a helmet-It is must in Brisbane and the rule is heavily enforced. Cars are not recommended because Brisbane is often congested and parking fees are steep. If you are in no hurry take the public transport, it is cheap, and takes you to most touristy places. Perhaps the best way to see Brisbane is walking. Within minutes you can find a train station or a bus stop and the city is easy to navigate.

If you have taken time from the tennis, go and see the Brisbane city hall, the botanic gardens, or take the city cat water taxi- which for $5 will allow you to see all of the city and much more.

If you have more time go to kangaroo point which is a popular rock climbers Mecca or visit the Jan Powers Farmers Market. Gain an aerial perspective over a balloon or take a trip to some of the neighboring islands. If you like water, do not miss the River Life Adventure Center.

Brisbane is a cosmopolitan city and caters to every type of taste. There are ample restaurants and cafes where one can eat almost any kind of food. The two most popular are the Breakfast Creek Hotel with is a must and the Efes One Turkish restaurant.

Brisbane has all types of accommodation to suit all budgets. From clean rooms for back packers to luxury 5-star hotels.

If this is your first time to Brisbane, speak to a travel agent. There are lots of specials and discounts for packages tours. One thing is for sure about Brisbane, you will never regret going to this great city- it is all fun, sun and water and little bit of great tennis.