World Tennis Magazine

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Navratilova and Davenport Staying put in Broadcast Booth with Tennis Channel: This Week in Tennis Business with Justin Cohen

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Navratilova and Davenport sign multi-year contract extensions with Tennis Channel

On Monday, tennis legends Martina Navratilova and Lindsay Davenport signed multi-year contract extensions with Tennis Channel. Navratilova, who won a record 167 singles titles during her career including 18 Grand Slam titles, will continue to be Tennis Channel’s lead match analyst during coverage in Melbourne. Davenport, who is a former world No. 1 and three-time Grand Slam singles champion, will be in Melbourne working as a sideline reporter for the first time. “I’ve enjoyed working with Tennis Channel during the past few years, and I’m excited to build on that relationship, starting with the Australian Open this month” said Davenport. The network has close to 30 hours of live match play lined up for the two-week competition, with 75 additional hours of the daily morning show Australian Open Today.

Lindsay Davenport

Mauresmo named Co-Director of WTA Open GDF SUEZ

Former world No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam singles champion Amelie Mauresmo has been named Co-Director of the Open GDF SUEZ, a WTA event held in Paris from February 5-13. The other Co-Director is Regis Brunet. Mauresmo won the Paris tournament three-times throughout her career including in 2009 when she beat recently retired Top 10 Russian Elena Dementieva.

Future location of French Open to be decided next month

After reviewing all the bids to host the French Open beginning in 2016, the French Tennis Federation said that they will announce the future location of the French Open sometime next month. Last year, French Tennis Federation officials said that they were considering relocating the only Grand Slam event played on clay-courts because it needed more space to remain competitive with the other three majors. On Saturday, a presentation of a location next to Versailles Castle was given to officials. The other three options include staying at an expanded Roland Garros venue, a site near Disneyland Paris in Marne-La-Vallee, and the town of Gonesse. The French Open has been played at the Roland Garros site since 1928. The current contract runs through 2015.

Final Australian Open main draw wildcards announced

On Tuesday, Australia’s Bernard Tomic and Carsten Ball were awarded the final two wildcards into the men’s main draw at the Australian Open in Melbourne, while Sally Peers and Sophie Ferguson received wildcards on the women’s side. Tomic, who previously won the junior Australian Open and US Open titles, won three consecutive matches in qualifying last weekend to make the main draw at this week’s Medibank International in Sydney. The 18-year-old, who resides in the Gold Coast of Australia, is currently ranked No. 209. Ball, who is based in California but is an Australian citizen, is a regular Davis Cup competitor for Australia. In 2010, Ball reached the second round in singles at the French Open and US Open and qualified for the main draw at Wimbledon. “These (wildcards) are always difficult decisions,” said Todd Woodbridge, Tennis Australia’s Head of Men’s Tennis. “We wanted to see players achieve some results, and Carsten has certainly done that throughout the year. Bernard is a talent but cannot be rewarded with a wildcard on that alone, nor should he ever expect that. He has not had much tennis and he missed the AO Play-off so the pressure was on him to perform, particularly after he did not play well in Brisbane. He had not done enough. He needed to produce something in Sydney and he has done that with three good wins. His tennis has now earned this wildcard.” Peers, a 19-year-old currently ranked No. 151, had a remarkable year in 2010. She qualified for the main draw in singles at the US Open where she lost in the second round to eventual champion Kim Clijsters. Later in the season, Peers won a gold medal in doubles with fellow Australian Anastasia Rodionova at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India. Starting off the 2011 season, Peers notched her first win over a Top 50 player by knocking off Alisa Kleybanova in three sets at the Brisbane International. 24-year-old Sophie Ferguson of Sydney had an impressive year in 2010 as she qualified for the main draw at Roland Garros before losing in the second round to eventual champion Francesca Schiavone. Ferguson also qualified for WTA-level events in Ponte Vedra Beach, Charleston and Birmingham, England. Ferguson is currently ranked No. 123. “Congratulations to both Sally and Sophie on their Australian Open wildcards,” said Craig Morris, Tennis Australia’s Head of Women’s Tennis. “They are both well deserved. Sally has had a great year, with the highlight qualifying for the US Open and her first round win, as well having the chance to represent Australia and win gold in Delhi. Sophie has really improved throughout 2010 and I hope this will be a springboard into the top 100 in 2011.”

Ferrero withdraws from Australian Open

Former world No. 1 and 2003 French Open singles champion Juan Carlos Ferrero, who pulled out of this week’s Heineken Open in Auckland, has also withdrawn from next week’s Australian Open. The 30-year-old Spaniard is still recovering from wrist and knee surgery. The 2004 Australian Open semifinalist is currently ranked No. 29.

British hope withdraws from Australian Open and Fed Cup

Laura Robson, 16, has withdrawn from the Australian Open and Fed Cup with an adductor muscle tear. Robson will spend the next three weeks recovering in Paris.

Wilson Tennis goes Social Media wild at Australian Open

Attendees of the 2011 Australian Open in Melbourne will have the opportunity to get their picture taken on the Wilson Tennis couch and have it posted on the Wilson Tennis Facebook Page. Once the picture is taken, the fan will get the opportunity to select a Wilson Tennis player including Roger Federer, Venus Williams, Serena Williams or Justine Henin to sit on the couch next to them, digitally of course. All pictures will be displayed on www.facebook.com/wilsontennis. “Wilson is the #1 brand in tennis and we want to make sure that we are there for all the people who love our brand,” said Cory Springer, Wilson Global Business Director for Racquets. “We want to be accessible and interactive. It’s all about making it fun for everyone to be part of the Wilson team.” Wilson will host live UStream broadcasts through the tournament with player interviews, a behind the scenes look at the stringing room, inside the Wilson player service area and great Wilson giveaways. www.ustream.tv/wilsontennis.

Murray to play Davis Cup for Great Britain in 2011

After learning that participation in Davis Cup is required to play in the 2012 Olympics in London, Andy Murray announced that he will return to Davis Cup competition for Great Britain. Murray, who hasn’t played Davis Cup since 2009, must make himself available for at least two ties to be eligible for the Olympics. “I didn’t know about the Olympics situation until December, but I said to Leon (Smith, Davis Cup captain) before that I would be able to play and we should keep speaking,” Murray told the Daily Mail. “I will sit down and talk with him in Australia and see if he wants me to play in March or if it would be good for the other guys to have another match. I will definitely play, probably one or two (ties).”

USPTA announces new member credential

Starting on January 1, 2011, the United States Professional Tennis Association launched the Accredited Professional Coach classification, which is an opportunity to enhance current membership status. The classification is open to USPTA Professional 1, 2 and 3 members and Master Professionals. USPTA Professional members are required to take continuing education in order to earn and maintain APC status. Continuing education credits can be earned in a variety of ways, including attending educational presentations and viewing DVD seminars. For more information on earning and verification of credits, visit uspta.com and click on “Become a USPTA Accredited Professional Coach” in the blue box. The benefits of APC designation include opportunities for career enhancement through a commitment to tennis education and demonstration of expertise, and building the image of tennis-teaching professionals and tennis as a profession overall.

MONDAYS WITH BOB GREENE: ARAVANE REZAI COLLECTS TITLE IN SWEDEN

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STARS

Mardy Fish beat Olivier Rochus 5-7 6-3 6-4 to win the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, Rhode Island, USA

Aravane Rezai beat Gisela Dulko 6-3 4-6 6-4 to win the Collector Swedish Open Women in Bastad, Sweden

Agnes Szavay beat Patty Schnyder 6-2 6-4 to win the GDF SUEZ Grand Prix in Budapest, Hungary

Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo beat Roberto Bautista-Agut 7-6 (6) 6-4 to win the Open Diputacion Ciudad Pozoblanco in Pozoblanco, Spain

DAVIS CUP

World Group Quarterfinals

France beat Spain 5-0 at Clermont-Ferrand, France

Argentina beat Russia 3-2 at Moscow, Russia

Serbia beat Croatia 4-1 at Split, Croatia

Czech Republic beat Chile 4-1 at Coquimbo, Chile

Americans Zone Group II Second Round: Venezuela leads Peru 2-1; Mexico beat Paraguay 4-1

Americas Zone Group II Playoffs: El Salvador beat Bolivia 4-1; Netherlands Antilles leads Guatemala 2-1

Asia/Oceania Zone Group I First Round Playoffs: Chinese Taipei beat Philippines 4-1; Uzbekistan beat Korea 3-2

Asia/Oceania Zone Group II Second Round: Thailand beat Indonesia 4-1; New Zealand beat Pakistan 3-2

Asia/Oceania Zone Group II Playoffs: Pacific Oceania beat Malaysia 4-1; Hong Kong China beat Sri Lanka 3-2

Europe/Africa Zone Group I First Round Playoffs: Netherlands beat Belarus 4-1

Europe/Africa Zone Group II Second Round: Lithuania beat Ireland 3-2; Slovenia beat Bulgaria 5-0; Portugal beat Cyprus 5-0; Bosnia and Herzegovina beat Estonia 3-2

Aravane Rezai
Aravane Rezai

Europe/Africa Zone Group II Playoffs: Great Britain beat Turkey 5-0; Monaco beat Norway 5-0; Denmark beat Egypt 5-0; Hungary beat FYR Macedonia 4-1

SAYINGS

“We beat Spain, the defending champions. It’s unbelievable.” – Michael Llodra, after leading France over Spain in Davis Cup play.

“It’s magical. They pulled for each other. I hope it’s just the start of a long story for that squad.” – French Davis Cup captain Guy Forget after his team beat two-time defending champion Spain.

“Personally, I had a lot of responsibility with the package that I carried on my back before this tie but right now I feel so relieved that we won. We won in one of the toughest atmospheres against a team that has a lot of success in this competition.” – Novak Djokovic, after leading Serbia over Croatia.

“The only problem is that some words you can understand. Probably when you play in other countries they also say stuff but you don’t understand them.” – Serbia’s Janko Tipsarevic, commenting on what was said by the passionate Croatian crowd during their Davis Cup doubles match.

“It was a very difficult match but at the end I showed I could win these matches and these tournaments.” – Aravane Rezai, who won her fourth career WTA Tour title, capturing the Collector Swedish Open Women.

“To win two times at home, I can’t describe this feeling.” – Agnes Szavay, a native of Hungary, who successfully defending her GDF SUEZ Grand Prix singles title in Budapest, Hungary.

“I don’t know if any of us said we’re just going to be doubles players. We just excelled on the doubles court a little more than we did on the singles. As much as we would have loved to win more in the singles titles, we did in doubles.” – Todd Woodbridge, as he has partner Mark Woodforde were inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

“She was fire and I was ice.” – Natasha Zvereva, who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame along with her doubles teammate Gigi Fernandez.

“I can’t believe actually that I’m here. This is kind of the last straw. A guy in a wheelchair is being inducted into the Hall of Fame.” – Brad Parkers, a pioneer of wheelchair tennis who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

“I’ve certainly lost a lot of heartbreak finals, and it feels good to win one.” – Mardy Fish, after coming from behind to win the Campbell’s International Hall of Fame tournament.

SO LONG, BILLIE

Kim Clijsters and Serena Williams combined to knock Billie Jean King out of one part of the record book. A world record tennis crowd watched Clijsters beat the Wimbledon champion 6-3 6-2 in an exhibition in Brussels, Belgium. The crowd of 35,681 at King Baudouin Stadium surpassed the previous record of 30,472 set in 1973 at the Houston Astrodome in the Battle of Sexes match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. It originally was supposed to be an all-Belgian affair, but Williams stepped in when Justine Henin withdrew after injuring her elbow. Another tennis superstar also got into act: Martina Navratilova umpired the match.

STANDING ROOM ONLY

Brussels wasn’t the only spot on the tennis map to have an overflowing crowd. Wimbledon attracted a record crowd for the final Sunday. The All England Club reported that 32,036 spectators attended the final day, which included Rafael Nadal capturing his second men’s singles title, this time with a straight-sets victory over Tomas Berdych. Overall attendance for the two-week tournament was 489,946, the second-highest total for 13 days. The record was set in 2009 when 511,043 fans attended Wimbledon.

SEIZING THE MOMENT

In their first meeting in Davis Cup competition, it was Serbia that came out on top of Croatia. Ranked second in the world, Novak Djokovic won his two singles matches while Nenad Zimonjic showed why he’s one of the top doubles players in the world, teaming victoriously with Janko Tipsarevic as Serbia advanced to the semifinals of the international team tennis competition for the first time. The two countries were formerly part of Yugoslavia. Since they split, Croatia won the Davis Cup in 2005. “This is probably the sweetest victory in my career because this is not just an individual win, but a victory for my country,” Djokovic said after Serbia captured the tie 4-1. “Serbia is writing history by reaching the semifinals. Beating Croatia in this kind of heated atmosphere is really something big.” The tie was played in Split, Croatia.

France crushed two-time defending champion Spain as Gilles Simon and Julien Benneteau wrapped up the 5-0 victory in Clermont-Ferrand, France. Spain played without its top player, Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal, while France was missing its top player, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. It was the first time Spain had been beat 5-0 since 1957, when it lost to South Africa, and it was the first time Spain has lost to France in 87 years. “Hopefully they will keep the same level of play and by September our team will be even stronger,” said French captain Guy Forget. “Maybe it’s our time now.”

David Nalbandian beat Mikhail Youzhny 7-6 (5) 6-4 6-3 in the decisive fifth match as Argentina ended Russia’s 17-tie winning streak at home. The last time the Russians had lost at home was to the United States in the 1995 final. Nalbandian has been sidelined with a hamstring problem since April, but he won both of his matches in straight sets, on the opening day downing Nikolay Davydenko 6-4 7-6 (5) 7-6 (6).

It made no difference that Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek stayed at home. The Czech Republic beat Chile 4-1 and advanced to a semifinal matchup against Serbia. Chile’s top player, Fernando Gonzalez, also missed the tie because of injuries. Instead, Ivo Minar and Jan Hajek won their opening day singles in straight sets and the Czech Republic clinched the victory when Lukas Dlouhy and Hajek won the doubles.

SLIPPING

For the first time since November 2003, Roger Federer is not ranked either first or second in the world. The super Swiss tumbled to number three in the world, behind Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, after losing in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. Federer also lost in the quarters at Roland Garros in June, which broke a record of 23 consecutive semifinal or better appearances in Grand Slam tournaments going back to the French Open in 2004. Since he was last ranked third in the world, Federer has won 15 of his record 16 Grand Slam tournament singles titles. He is one week short of tying Pete Sampras for the most weeks spent at number one: Sampras leads with 286 weeks.

SHARING THE THRILL

Two doubles teams are among the newest inductees into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Australia’s Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde – the “Woodies” – headed the class of seven inductees into the Newport, Rhode Island, USA, shrine. Also enshrined were doubles partners Gigi Fernandez and Natasha Zvereva. The Woodies combined for 11 major titles and 61 ATP Tour championships from 1991-2000, a men’s record that is shared with American twins Bob and Mike Bryan. “I think we won our fourth tournament we played together,” Woodbridge said. “It was close on average to every fourth tournament we won the next 10 years. That’s pretty good business.” Fernandez and Zvereva won 14 Grand Slam tournament titles as a team. Also inducted were Brad Parks, the pioneer of wheelchair tennis, Owen Davidson and Derek Hardwick. The latter was enshrined posthumously.

SPREADING THE WEALTH

The richest purse in tennis will go to the US Open singles champions as each will earn a record USD $1.7 million. The purse for the year’s final Grand Slam tournament will top USD $22.6 million, an increase of USD $1 million from last year. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) said each singles champion can also earn an additional USD $1 million. The bonus money is for the US Open Series, 10 hard-court tournaments that are linked to the US Open. The two-week tournament in New York City begins August 30.

SETTING OFF ALARMS

A first-round match at the Hall of Fame grass-court tournament in Newport, Rhode Island, USA, is being investigated by tennis officials. The investigation was triggered by irregular betting on the match between Great Britain’s Richard Bloomfield and Belgian Christophe Rochus. Bloomfield, ranked number 552nd in the world, defeated his higher-ranked opponent 7-6 (1) 6-3. “If people are willing to risk four pounds to win one, that is indicative of a substantial gamble,” said Tony Calvin, spokesman for online gambling exchange Betfair. Bloomfield had been rated even money against his 160th-ranked foe. In the hours before the match, the odds on Bloomfield winning shortened to 1-4. After he won the first set, the odds shortened to 1-8. Notification of the irregular betting pattern was made to the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU), an independent body created by the sport’s governing bodies. Bloomfield also was involved in a betting controversy in 2006 when he beat Carlos Berlocq of Argentina in a first-round match at Wimbledon.

SINCE WHEN?

When Mardy Fish captured the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, it was the first time since 2003 that Americans had won the Newport, Rhode Island, USA, tournament two years in a row. Fish beat Olivier Rochus of Belgium 5-7 6-3 6-4. Last year, American Rajeev Ram was the winner.

STAYING POWER

Maybe Nicolas Mahut didn’t spend as much time on the grass courts at Newport, Rhode Island, USA, as he did at Wimbledon, but he went one round further. In his first match since his record-setting exploits at Wimbledon, the Frenchman won his opening round match at the Campbell’s International Tennis Hall of Fame Championships, defeating Colombia’s Alejandro Falla 6-3 1-6 6-3. Mahut lost his second-round match to Canadian Frank Dancevic 7-6 (5) 6-3. Still, it was much better than his record-setting 11-hour, 5-minute loss to John Isner at the All England Club. Mahut lost the fifth set 70-68, which in itself would have been the longest match in tennis history. “Nothing is worse than what I did in Wimbledon,” Mahut said. “Every match, I pray it will be easier. I can’t complain any more.”

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Bastad: Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta beat Renata Voracova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 7-6 (0) 6-0

Budapest: Timea Bacsinszky and Tathiana Garbin beat Sorano Cirstea and Anabel Medina Garriguez 6-3 6-3

Newport: Carsten Ball and Chris Guccione beat Santiago Gonzalez and Travis Rettenmaier 6-4 6-4

Pozoblanco: Marcel Granollers and Gerard Granollers-Pujol beat Brian Battistone and Filip Prpic 6-4 4-6 10-4 (match tiebreak)

SITES TO SURF

Stuttgart: www.mercedescup.de/

Bastad: www.swedishopen.org/

Bogota: www.tennissegurosbolivar.com/web/

Palermo: www.internazionalisnaiopendisicilia.it/

Prague: www.pragueopen.cz/

Portoroz: www.sloveniaopen.si/

Bad Gastein: www.gastein-ladies.at/

Petange: www.tennispetange.lu/

Poznan: www.porscheopen.pl/

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

ATP

$500,000 Mercedes Cup, Stuttgart, Germany, clay

$500,000 SkiStar Swedish Open, Bastad, Sweden, clay

$133,000 The Baltic Cup, Sopot, Poland, clay

$125,000 Seguros Bolivar Open, Bogota, Colombia, hard

WTA

$220,000 XXII SNBAI Open, Palermo, Italy, clay

$220,000 ECM Prague Open by Glanzis, Prague, Czech Republic, clay

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

ATP

$1,264,000 International German Open, Hamburg, Germany, clay

$531,000 Atlanta Tennis Championships, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, hard

$107,000 Poznan Porsche Open, Poznan, Poland, clay

WTA

$220,000 Banka Koper Slovenia Open, Portoroz, Slovenia, hard

$220,000 Nurnberger Gastein Ladies Open, Bad Gastein, Austria, clay

$100,000 ITF Roller Open, Petange, Luxembourg, clay

MONDAYS WITH BOB GREENE: NADAL WINS 5TH TITLE IN 6 YEARS IN RAINY ROME

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STARS

Rafael Nadal beat David Ferrer 7-5 6-2 to win the Internzionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, Italy

Justine Henin beat Samantha Stosur 6-4 2-6 6-1 to win the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany

Iveta Benesova beat Simona Halep 6-4 6-2 to win the Grand Prix de SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem in Fez, Morocco

Jose Acasuso beat Daniel Brands 6-3 6-4 to win the Tunis Open in Tunis, Tunisia

Kaia Kanepi beat Masa Zec-Peskiric 6-3 6-2 to win the Open GDF Suez de Cagnes-sur-Mer Alpes-Martimes 2010 in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France

Mark Philippoussis beat John McEnroe 6-3 4-6 10-5 (match tiebreak) to win the Staples Champions Cup in Boston, Massachusetts, USA

SAYINGS

“The important thing is that I won a very important tournament and finally I am very happy. … I played well, but not as well as Monte Carlo, but the important thing is winning.” – Rafael Nadal, after winning at Rome.

“I don’t have a word in English for it. It’s indescribable.” – Ernests Gulbis, after upsetting Roger Federer.

“Sometimes it takes a loss to wake up and shake you up for your approach the next week. When you always win, sometimes you forget how hard it is. That’s why today I don’t get too worried about this loss.” – Roger Federer, after losing to Ernests Gulbis.

“When I saw Roger Federer winning the French Open (in 2009), I had a lot of respect. That brought back the fire that wasn’t there any more. It’s been a lot of work to get back and it’s not over.” – Justine Henin, after winning her first title since returning from retirement.

“It’s getting pretty close now (to the Open Era record). Already four titles this year, so the next one’s going to be the big one. It’s going to be a big final, a lot of nerves. We’re hoping to tie it before we get out of Europe. We don’t want to get the monkey on our back and have to be thinking about it, so we want to do it as quick as possible.” – Mike Bryan, who with his twin brother Bob have moved within one victory of matching the men’s record for the most doubles titles in the Open Era.

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal

“With all the great matches we had in the past, it’s always something special to see John’s face on the other side of the net. I think he feels the same way, too.” – Bjorn Borg, who played – and lost – to John McEnroe in a seniors tournament in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

“When I’m feeling rotten and no good at tennis, then I’ll say to myself, `Get out of here.’ But on this wave of wins there is no real need for me to think about quitting.” – Venus Williams.

SHE’S BACK

Justine Henin is back in the thick of the battle for the top spot in women’s tennis. Appearing in her third straight final in her third tournament back from retirement, the former world number one from Belgium captured the Porsche Grand Prix by defeating Samantha Stosur 6-4 2-6 6-1. “It means a lot to me on clay,” Henin said of her clay court win. Four of her seven Grand Slam tournament titles have come on the red shale of Roland Garros. Henin said Roger Federer’s French Open win last year inspired her to end her 18-month retirement. “It brought back the fire,” she said after capturing her first title in her return. Henin was runner-up in Brisbane, Australia, and at the Australian Open. “Getting to the final was really good, it’s been a great week,” Stosur said. “She just got very aggressive in the third set, she put me under a lot of pressure and broke my serve three straight times.”

SENOR CLAY

Rafael Nadal is almost unbeatable on clay. The Spaniard won his fifth Rome Masters title in six years, beating fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 7-5 6-2. That improves Nadal’s clay court record to 10-0 this year, including capturing the Monte Carlo Masters to end an 11-month title drought. By winning the 17th Masters Series title of his career, the 23-year-old Nadal tied Andre Agassi’s record. Agassi was 34 years old when he won his 17th. The win snapped Nadal’s tie with Roger Federer, who was upset in a second-round match.

STAYING ON

Having already won two tournaments this year, Venus Williams sees no reason is calling it a career. Besides her two titles, Venus, who will turn 30 in June, reached the final at the Sony Ericsson Championships in Miami, Florida, and the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in January. “I guess it’s all a mental thing,” Venus said. “Everyone definitely plays better or plays worse mentally at the big tournaments and I have been blessed enough to play a great mental game and to bring my best tennis in at the toughest time, and I’m still trying to do this every day.” Since making her pro debut in 1994, Venus has won 43 singles titles, including seven Grand Slam tournament crowns – five at Wimbledon and two at the US Open.

SWISS CHEESE

Ernests Gulbis found a lot of holes in Roger Federer’s game. The Latvian stunned the world’s top-ranked player 2-6 6-1 7-5 in the second round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome. It was Federer’s first singles match in nearly a month and his first this year on clay. The Swiss star struggled with his serve, landing only 50 percent of his first attempts. The big-serving Gulbis put in 71 percent of his first serves. “My game was definitely not up to speed,” Federer said. “My serve was not working at all. On clay you can lose the feeling sometimes.” Gulbis fought off jitters at the end, winning on his seventh match point after double-faulting twice when within a point of victory. “I was shaking. I didn’t know what to do,” Gulbis said. “It was a terrible feeling.” The feeling was very good when he finally clinched the victory. The 21-year-old Gulbis began working with Hernan Gumy of Argentina in September and also hired a new fitness coach. “My team is perfect now,” Gulbis said. “It’s my coach, my fitness coach and my father.”

Roger Federer played doubles at Rome with fellow Swiss Yves Allegro and won two rounds before falling in the quarterfinals to finalists John Isner and Sam Querrey, two big-serving Americans.

SIGHT ON MARK

The Bryan brothers have the Woodies in their sight. Twins Bob and Mike Bryan beat fellow Americans John Isner and Sam Querrey 6-2 6-3 at Rome to post their fourth title of the year and 60th in their careers. Retired Australians Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde – known as the Woodies – hold the ATP Tour record with 61 career titles and are being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, USA, later this year. “It’s huge for us to be considered a great team like the Woodies,” Mike Bryan said. “Hopefully we don’t get stuck on 60 for a long time.” The Bryans plan on being in Newport when the Woodies are inducted into the tennis shrine. Then they want to chase the Woodies’ record of 11 Grand Slam tournament titles. The Bryans currently are at eight.

SENIOR CLASH

It was just like old times when John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg faced each on a tennis court. When the match was over, McEnroe had won the Champions Cup semifinals battle in Boston, just as he did the two times they met in the US Open final. This time Mac was on top 6-4 7-6 (3). “It’s something special, the rivalry we have in the past with all those great matches,” Borg said. “Every time we’ve played it’s produced great tennis. Even on the Champions Tour, it’s something special when me and John play. I feel it and John feels it. It’s a nice atmosphere.”

STRAIGHT IN

Two Americans – Ryan Sweeting of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Christina McHale of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey – are in the main draw of the French Open. The two won three-round tournaments to earn wild card berths into the year’s second Grand Slam tournament. Two French players receive wild cards into the US Open. Sweeting and McHale will compete in the main draw at Roland Garros for the first time.

STAPLES CHAMPION

Mark Philippoussis saved his best for last. The Australian won his first career senior title on the Champions Series circuit, besting John McEnroe in the USD $150,000 Staples Champions Cup. The score was 6-3 4-6 10-5 (match tiebreak). The Champions Series circuit is for champion players age 30 and over. The 33-year-old Philippoussis won the first five games of the match before McEnroe made the game competitive. In the tiebreak, Philippoussis hit four aces and three groundstroke winners, capturing six of the last seven points. “I knew I had to play some good tennis today,” Philippoussis said. “I think once he got into the match it got dangerous for me.”

STRUCK DOWN AGAIN

An ankle injury is dogging Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki. The top seed said her ankle was still bothering her when she lost to Lucie Safarova 6-4 6-4 in the Dane’s first match in the Stuttgart Open. “I didn’t feel I could move 100 percent,” Wozniacki said. “She was making me run and that’s why she won. If you can’t move it’s difficult to win.” Wozniacki hurt her ankle when she fell during a match at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. She retired from that match.

SERIOUSLY

Ernests Gulbis has begun being more serious about his tennis career, and it has paid off. The 21-year-old Latvian pushed Rafael Nadal to three sets before losing the semifinal at Rome. And that came after Gulbis upset top-seeded Roger Federer in a second-round match. “I just started concentrating more on tennis, treating it more like my job,” Gulbis said of his improvement. “Last year I didn’t take it as a job. It was more like a hobby. I didn’t have a system. … I’m still not a big tennis freak … but I have a better system.” Nadal was impressed. “He was really difficult to play against,” the Spaniard said after a narrow 6-4 3-6 6-4 win over Gulbis. “All the time he was serving at 210, 215, 216, 217 (kph). A player with this serve can be top 10 for sure.” Of course, Gulbis isn’t going to go completely the other way. “I am flying back tonight,” Gulbis said after losing to Nadal. “It’s Saturday night in Latvia, so I’m going to go out.”

SEEKING HELP

Fernando Verdasco says he might be able to win the French Open because of Andre Agassi’s knowledge. The Spaniard is taking advice from former Roland Garros champion Agassi on how to dodge some of the pitfalls in tennis. “He was my idol, so it’s great to have your idol telling you all the things you should do and shouldn’t do, giving you some advice from all the things he did and maybe he did wrong,” Verdasco said. “He’s helping me be a better player. Having someone like Agassi, who was my idol when I was a kid, telling you things is so special.” Verdasco has been talking with Agassi ever since he started working with Agassi’s former coach Darren Cahill and fitness trainer Gil Reyes.

SKIPPED OVER

When Australian captain John Fitzgerald picked the Davis Cup squad to face Japan, he skipped over teen-ager Bernard Tomic. Instead, Fitzgerald selected a team of Lleyton Hewitt, Peter Luczak, Carsten Ball and doubles specialist Paul Hanley. The 17-year-old Tomic is widely viewed as Australia’s next big star. He became the country’s youngest Davis Cup player when he won two singles against Taiwan in March. The Australia-Japan winner advances to the World Group playoffs in September.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Cagnes-Sur-Mer: Mervana Jugic-Salkic and Darija Jurak beat Stephanie Cohen-Aloro and Kristina Mladenovic 0-6 6-2 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Fes: Iveta Benesova and Anabel Medina Garrigues beat Lucie Hradecka and Renata Voracova 6-3 6-1

Rome: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat John Isner and Sam Querrey 6-2 6-3

Stuttgart: Giselo Dulko and Flavia Pennetta beat Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik 3-6 7-6 (3) 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Tunis: Jeff Coetzee and Kristof Vliegen beat James Corretani and Adil Shamasdin 7-6 (3) 6-3

SITES TO SURF

Rome: www.internazionalibnlditalia.it/

Cagnes-Sur-Mer: www.opendecagnes.com/

Munich: www.bmwopen.de/

Belgrade: www.serbiaopen.rs/

Estoril: www.estorilopen.net/1/en/home/default.asp

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com/

Sao Paulo: www.grandchampionsbrasil.com.br

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

ATP

$530,000 BMW Open, Munich, Germany, clay

$530,000 Estoril Open, Estoril, Portugal, clay

$496,700 Serbia Open, Belgrade, Serbia, clay

$100,000 Israel Open, Ramat Hasharon, Israel, hard

WTA

$2,000,000 Internazionali BNG d’Italia, Rome, Italy, clay

$220,000 Estoril Open, Estoril, Portugal, clay

DAVIS CUP

Africa Zone III, Marrakech, Morocco, clay (round robin, four groups): Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tunisia, Zambia, Zimbabwe

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

ATP

$3,775,000 Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, Madrid, Spain, clay

$113,000 BNP Paribas Primrose, Bordeaux, France, clay

WTA

$4,000,000 Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, Madrid, Spain, clay

DAVIS CUP

Europe Zone III, Athens, Greece, hard (round-robin, two groups): Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Georgia, Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, San Marino

SENIORS

Grand Champions Brazil, Sao Paulo, Brazil, hard