World Tennis Magazine

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gerry weber open

Roger Federer Ties John McEnroe With 77th Career Title In Halle

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

 

Roger Federer has created more tennis history.

Federer won his 77th career ATP singles title Sunday – tying John McEnroe for third place all-time – defeating Mikhail Youzhny 6-7(5) 6-3 6-4 in the final of the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany.

As documented in THE BUD COLLINS HISTORY OF TENNIS book (available here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Collins-History-Tennis-Authoritative/dp/0942257707/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371393198&sr=8-1&keywords=the+bud+collins+history+of+tennis) Federer trails only Jimmy Connors (109 titles) and Ivan Lendl (94 titles) on the all-time list.

The win is Federer’s sixth at Halle, his choice for his pre-Wimbledon grass-court tuneup. It also Federer’s first title since he beat Novak Djokovic in the final of Cincinnati last August.

He also extends his career head-to-head record against Youzhny to 15-0. Youzhny played aggressively and pushed Federer, unlike the last showing between the two in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon last year when Federer won by a 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 margin.

Federer’s first ATP singles title came in 2001 in Milan, Italy, when he defeated Julien Boutter in the title match, as documented by Rene Stauffer in his book ROGER FEDERER: QUEST FOR PERFECTION (www.RogerFedererBook.com).

Federer will begin the defense of his 2012 Wimbledon championship on Monday, June 24.

Roger Federer
Roger Federer

Nadal Signs Three-Year Contract To Participate in Gerry Weber Open in Halle: This Week in Tennis Business with Justin Cohen

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Rafael Nadal to return to Gerry Weber Open

World No. 2 Rafael Nadal will return to Halle, Germany in 2012 to compete in the Gerry Weber Open after signing a three-year contract with the ATP World Tour grass court event. “The Gerry Weber Open is a fantastic tournament. I’m very happy that I may finally play in Germany and in front of my German fans again,” said Nadal. The 25-year-old Spaniard, who has once before played in Halle in 2005, has won three grass court titles in his career including two Wimbledon titles and has recently chosen the grass-court event at Queen’s Club for his pre-Wimbledon tune-up. 

Gerry Weber Open tournament officials also announced late last week that 16-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer, Tomas Berdych and Gael Monfils will also join Nadal as participants in the 2012 event, to be held 11-17, 2012. “In all the conversations I have held with the players, it has been confirmed to me once again that our tournament for them is an important mark in their schedules,” said Ralf Weber, Tournament Director. Federer, who has committed to the tournament through a lifetime contract, is a five-time champion in Halle, while Berdych won the title in 2007 over Marcos Baghdatis. 

Global Rule Change for Tennis begin on January 1, 2012 in the United States

According to a press release, the USTA recently announced that effective January 1, 2012 the rules of tennis officially will be changed and require that 10 and Under Tennis tournaments be played utilizing smaller, lighter racquets and lower-bouncing balls on smaller courts. The change was adopted by the USTA in the summer of 2010. This rule change signifies the emergence of 10 and Under Tennis as an integral part of the development of young players. The scaled-down equipment and smaller courts better allow kids to rally and play the game earlier in their development, and increase the likelihood that they will return to the court and continue to improve while having fun doing it. “We want tennis to be fun and accessible to kids as they enter the game,” said Jon Vegosen, USTA Chairman of the Board and President. “Similar to other sports such as baseball, basketball and soccer, kids will now learn and compete on the right-sized court with the right-sized equipment, which will help us grow the game.” “Scaling tennis to the size of children will promote greater participation and ensure that young kids will be able to play tennis by developing their skills much more quickly,” said Kurt Kamperman, Chief Executive, Community Tennis, USTA. “This rule change to the competition format for kids ages 10 and under is critical to the long-term growth of our sport, and ultimately will help us develop new generations of world-class players.” The specifications for the revised rule hold that all tournaments for those ages nine and 10 be played on 60-foot courts using orange low-compression tennis balls and regulation nets (3- feet at the center) or, for those more experienced and more skilled players, on 78-foot courts with green lower-compression balls. Tournaments for those eight years-old and younger are to be played on 36-foot courts using either red low-compression balls or foam balls and nets at a height of two-feet, 9-inches. In preparation of the rule change, in 2011 the USTA helped install more than 3,000 youth-sized tennis courts in 283 markets in 45 states throughout the country.  The courts were either constructed or refurbished by painting permanent 36-foot and 60-foot tennis lines on existing 78-foot tennis courts, or constructing stand-alone 36-foot and 60-foot courts.  These courts were built in 502 facilities, which include public parks, school yards, tennis facilities and at local community based youth organizations. For more information on the rule change, visitwww.10andundertennis.com. 

Federer commits to Davis Cup tie against United States

16-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. 1 Roger Federer has confirmed that he will participate in Switzerland’s World Group First Round tie against the United States in Freiburg, Switzerland from February 10-12, 2012. The tie will be played on indoor clay. The 30-year-old tennis star has not played a non-relegation tie since 2004. 

Andy Murray’s mother hired as Britain’s new Fed Cup captain

Judy Murray, the mother of ATP World Tour players Andy and Jamie, has been hired by the Lawn Tennis Association as the new Fed Cup captain for Britain. Murray is a longtime coach and former player from Scotland who has worked with several British junior players in the past as well as her sons. To go along with her new title as Fed Cup captain, she will also mentor other female coaches. “It is a huge honor for me to represent my country in this way,” said Murray. “The role presents a very exciting challenge, given the mix of talent, experience and determination we have in our top female players right now.” Britain’s first Fed Cup tie under Murray will be during the Europe/Africa Zonal Group Competition with 14 other teams the week after the Australian Open in Israel. 

Eleven players graduate from ATP University in London

During a recent three-day workshop in London at the Marriott County Hall, eleven up and coming players graduated from the ATP University. The program covered a variety of topics including an overview of the ATP World Tour, rules and officiating, anti-corruption, media relations, giving back and personal finances. Since its inception in 1990, more than 800 players have graduated from the program. The 2011 graduates included Arnau Brugues, Sergei Bubka, Martin Emmrich, Malek Jaziri, Bastian Knittel, Konstantin Kravchuck, Vasek Pospisil, Adil Shamasdin, Andreas Siljestrom, Franco Skugor and Amir Weintraub. 

Kuznetsova rehires Olga Morozova as coach

Two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, who finished the year ranked No. 19 after only reaching one WTA Tour final in 2011, has rehired Olga Morozova as her coach. British journalist Simon Chambers first reported that the Russian is currently training in Dubai with Morozova. Despite bringing on Morozova as her new coach, the former world No. 2 doesn’t know if her coach will travel with her full-time. Morozova previously coached Elena Dementieva, Kuznetsova in 2008 and some British juniors. 

Hantuchova hires Claudio Pistolesi as new coach

The Slovak News Agency (SITA) recently reported that world No. 24 Daniela Hantuchova has hired Italian Claudio Pistolesi as her new coach and they will begin working together on a three tournament trial basis. Pistolesi has coached many players in the past including most recently Robin Soderling, Monica Seles, his former wife Anna Smashnova, Ai Sugiyama and Davide Sanguinetti. “Claudio and I have known each other for many years, so on personal level we both know what to expect, which is a big plus,” Hantuchova told SITA. “Tennis wise it’s very important for me to know that he was coach of a No. 1 already. He has huge experience and can give me lot of things. For example he wants me to play at the net more often, which was one of my goals for a long time already, but I didn’t do it too much in past.” 

Bryan Brothers commit to Delray Beach International Tennis Championships

Bob and Mike Bryan, the top-ranked doubles duo on the ATP World Tour, just confirmed that they will participate in the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships in South Florida from February 24-March 4, 2012. The Bryan Brothers won back-to-back titles in Delray Beach in 2009 and 2010. “The Bryans are favorites here in Delray Beach,” said Mark Barton, Delray Beach International Tennis Championships Tournament Director. “They’ve got game beyond the court. When they come to town they jam on our music stage and have a good time with the fans.” The former Stanford standouts from Southern California will join Andy Roddick and John Isner in the ATP World Tour event, while Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander, Pat Cash and Michael Chang will headline the 8-player ATP Champion’s Tour round-robin tournament to be held at the same time. The Delray Beach event is the only tournament in the world to host both Tours at the same venue during the same week. A holiday ticket special is being offered by the tournament with discounts of 50% off box and reserved seats and 40% off grandstand seats for specific sessions: Opening Night (24 February) and Day Sessions on Monday (27 February) and Wednesday through Friday (29 February-2 March). The discount will be in effect through December 31. To order tickets for the tournament, please visit the official tournament website at www.YellowTennisBall.com or call the ticket office at (561) 330-6000. 

del Potro to embark on 2012 season at Apia International Sydney

2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro will begin his 2012 season by playing down under at the Apia International Sydney, which runs from January 8-14. It will be the second straight season the Argentine will start his season playing at the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre. Currently ranked No. 11 in the world, del Potro will join Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis in the men’s draw. “Sydney is a great city and I like the tournament very much,” said del Potro. “In Sydney they gave me one of the first wild cards after my injury and I appreciate this very much from them. The people at the tournament and also in Sydney were very nice to me and my team and I remember this. I hope I can do very well in January because the tournament has a great history and tradition and a lot of players from Argentina have played in it and done very well. I would love to see all the fans from Argentina come to the tennis to support me.” Tickets to the Apia International Sydney are on sale now and can be ordered by visiting www.ticketek.com.au or by calling 1300-888-104. 

World No. 33 Gajdosova to begin 2012 season playing at Moorilla Hobart International in Australia

World No. 33 and Australian No. 2 Jarmila Gajdosova will start her 2012 season by defending her title at the Moorilla Hobart International in Australia, which will be played from January 6-14 at the Domain Tennis Centre. “I’m really excited about coming back to Hobart, and after my success this year I hope to perform well in early January,” said Gajdosova. “The crowds are so supportive in Hobart. I really enjoy playing out there on the centre court.” Gajdosova won the 2011 title just 11 months ago by defeating American Bethanie Mattek-Sands, which was her second career WTA Tour title.  

Simon to make first appearance at Brasil Open in February

World No. 12 Gilles Simon of France will make his first appearance at the Brasil Open in Sao Paulo from February 11-19, 2012. Simon is the third player to commit to the tournament, joining former Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian and former world No. 7 Fernando Verdasco in the main draw. Simon won singles titles in Sydney and Hamburg in 2011. 

Soderling withdraws from 2012 Australian Open, aiming for February return

World No. 13 Robin Soderling, a two-time French Open finalist, announced that he has withdrawn from the 2012 Australian Open in Melbourne due to his continued battle with mononucleosis, which has kept him out of competition since July. The former world No. 4 last played at the SkiStar Swedish Open in Bastad, where he captured his 10th career ATP World Tour title. Soderling insists he is feeling much better, but his recovery has taken longer than expected.  The Swede hopes to be back competing in tournaments by February. “My goal is to start with practice in January and I hope for a tournament comeback in February,” said Soderling. “But at this stage, it is hard to know when and where. I hope my body will allow me to do that.” In 2011, Soderling won 20 of his first 21 matches, finishing with a 38-9 record.

Cilic pulls out of 2012 Chennai Open, doubtful for Australian Open

World No. 21 and two-time Chennai Open champion Marin Cilic of Croatia has pulled out of the 2012 Chennai Open with a patella tendon injury and is doubtful for the Australian Open in Melbourne, which starts on January 16.

Wozniacki wins fifth title and Venus and Serena Williams make their comebacks – Mondays with Bob Greene

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STARS

Philipp Kohlschreiber beat Philipp Petzschner 7-6 (5) 2-0, retired, to win the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany

Caroline Wozniacki beat Lucie Safarova 6-1 6-4 to win the e-Boks Sony Ericsson Open in Copenhagen, Denmark

SAYING

“It does not really feel like a title win. It is a bit of a shame given that we had a really good fight in the first set. Now it kind of feels strange.” – Philipp Kohlschreiber, who won the Gerry Weber Open when Philipp Petzschner retired with a back injury in the second set.

“This was a day to celebrate German tennis. I don’t think it would have been a problem for me had I lost in a tight match, I would have been proud of my performance. But to give up such a final, and then here, that’s incredibly bitter.” – Philipp Petzchner.

“I’ve had a lot of tournaments, a lot of matches in a row and I was very tired. I wasn’t there like usual. I didn’t play every point like it was my last, like I usually do.” – Rafael Nadal, after losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at The Queen’s Club.

“He just said he completely ran out of everything. I must admit the telephone call came as something of a surprise but it is just a measure of the man that he cares so much.” – Chris Kermode, Queen’s Club tournament director, on Rafael Nadal calling him to apologize for the way he played in his match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Venus and Serena Williams

“The first time I reached the world top 100 was here at Queen’s and today I have beaten the world number one. It was close to my best tennis. It has to be to beat Rafa.” – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

“Ten years from now no one is going to remember who was poor or who was hurt. It will just say ‘Wimbledon title’ and hopefully my name will be on it. That’s all that matters.” – Venus Williams, when asked if a Wimbledon victory for either her or her sister Serena would reflect badly on the women’s game.

“I think I speak for most people in tennis whereas you want her in the game for so many reasons; not only because she wins and she’s a great champion, but she brings pop culture to tennis. She brings crossover appeal and creates storylines even when she’s not trying which, at the end of the day, is a healthy thing for our sport.” – Andy Roddick, welcoming the return of Serena Williams to the court.

“I missed tennis, tennis has been so kind to me. I love this sport, I love my job, it’s good to me and it’s an honor to be a professional athlete. I do hope I’ve given enough to my sport that it means something when I’m not here and hopefully it means more when I am here.” – Venus Williams.

“I am so excited to be healthy enough to compete again. These past 12 months have been extremely tough and character building. I have so much to be grateful for. I’m thankful to my family, friends, and fans for all of their support. Serena’s back!” – Serena Williams.

“I always believed with Rohan we could do really well on the tour and be the force to beat. I’m really happy that we won our last two matches in a match tiebreak; it’s going to make us mentally tougher and believe in ourselves even more. We’re just looking forward to the rest of the year; our goal is to win a Grand Slam title and to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, and this is one step forward.” – Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, who teamed with Rohan Bopanna to win the doubles at Halle, Germany.

SOGGY COURT

Steady rain forced the finals of two tournaments in Great Britain to be pushed back to Monday. At The Queen’s Club in London, Andy Murray took on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for the grass-court title. Sabine Lisicki and Daniela Hantuchova battled for championship at Birmingham.

SEVENTH WIMBLEDON

Should Roger Federer win Wimbledon, he would tie Pete Sampras for winning the grass court title seven times and would provide a huge gambling payoff for a dead man. Gambler Nick Newlife in 2003 placed a bet of USD $2,478 on the Swiss star to win seven Wimbledon titles before the year 2019. Newlife’s bet was made the year Federer won his first Wimbledon. He received odds of 66-to-1, and if should win the payoff would be more than USD $164,000. Newlife died in 2009 at the age of 59, but stated in his will that any winnings from his outstanding bets should go to Oxfam, an international confederation of 15 organizations dedicated to finding lasting solutions to poverty and injustice.

SISTERS ARE BACK

All’s right with the tennis world now. Following 11 months of mystery, drama and medical conjecture, reigning Wimbledon champion Serena Williams has returned to tennis and is playing in this week’s AEGON International event in Eastbourne, Great Britain. The 29-year-old has not played since beating Vera Zvonareva in last year’s Wimbledon final. She is joined at Eastbourne by her sister, Venus, who has not played since being injured at the Australian Open in January and has played only two events since Wimbledon a year ago – the US Open and the Australian Open. Serena cut her foot on broken glass in Germany shortly after her Wimbledon triumph, resulting in two operations. This past February she underwent emergency surgery for a blood clot in her lung and also needed treatment for a gathering of blood under the skin on her stomach. In her absence, her WTA ranking has dropped from number one in the world to 25th.

SOMETHING RARE

It was a rare meeting when Philipp Kohlschreiber and Philipp Petzschner squared off in the title match of the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany. It was the first all-German final in Germany since Hans Pohmann defeated Karl Meiler in June 1973 in Berlin. Kohlschreiber won his third ATP tour title and became the fifth German champion at Halle when Petzschner retired with a back injury while trailing 7-6 (5) 2-0. “I never really had that nervous feeling of match point because it was over so quick. So, for that winning feeling, this one was the worst of the three. But I worked hard all week and played well,” said Kohlschreiber, who won in Munich in 2007 and Auckland, New Zealand in 2008. Other German champions in Halle were Michael Stich, Nicolas Kiefer, David Prinosil and Tommy Haas.

SQUEAKER

Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic was clobbered 6-1 6-4 in the final of the e-Boks Sony Ericsson Open in Copenhagen, Denmark. But it’s a wonder Safarova was even in the title match. In the semifinals, Croatia’s Petra Martic won 10 of the first 11games and led 6-1 4-0 before Safarova began her comeback. The eventual winner, who bounced back from one-set deficits in all of her matches in Copenhagen before the final, did it again, rallying to win 1-6 6-4 6-2. Then came the final, where top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki easily repeated as champion. It was Wozniacki’s fifth title of the year.

SECOND TITLE

The Indo-Pak Express – Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi – captured their second ATP World Tour title, edging Robin Haase and Milos Raonic in a match tiebreak at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany. It was the ninth tour-level doubles final for Bopanna and Qureshi. Five of their runner-up finishes came in 2010, including their loss in their first Grand Slam tournament final at the US Open. The champions are currently sixth in the 2011 ATP Doubles Team Rankings, with the top eight teams at the end of the season qualifying for the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani immediately congratulated the winning duo. “He said that the whole nation is proud of this tremendous success and wish them a bright future,” a press release from the prime minister’s office said.

SET FOR LONDON’

French Open champion Rafael Nadal is the second player to qualify for the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, which will be held November 20-27 in London. The 25-year-old Spaniard joins Novak Djokovic of Serbia as the first players to qualify for the event, which features the top eight singles players in the world. This is the seventh straight year Nadal has qualified for the year-end finale. Last season he reached his first title match, losing to Roger Federer in three sets. Nadal has been ranked number one in the world for 100 weeks, including the past 55.

SKIPPED OUT

Roger Federer’s decision to withdraw from last week’s Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany, incensed tournament officials. A five-time champion of the grass court event, Federer last year signed a career-long commitment to play the tournament. The day after he lost the French Open final to Rafael Nadal, Federer’s manager, Tony Godsick, said the world’s third-ranked player would be missing Halle for the second time in three years. In a statement, Federer said he pulled out of the tournament because of a groin injury.

STRAIGHT IN

Alejandro Falla of Colombia, Gilles Muller of Luxembourg, Dudi Sela of Israel and Arnaud Clement of France have received direct entry into this year’s Wimbledon. The 27-year-old Falla last year won the first two sets against defending champion Roger Federer and served for the first-round match at 5-4 in the fourth set before falling. Clement, 33, will be in his 15th consecutive Wimbledon. Three men’s wild cards have gone to British players: Daniel Cox, Daniel Evans and James Ward. The first five women’s wild cards went to Britons Naomi Broady, Katie O’Brien, Emily Webley-Smith, Laura Robson and Heather Watson. Also receiving wild card entries directly into the main women’s draw are Sabine Lisicki of Germany and Eleni Daniilidou of Greece.

American James Blake and two other players were given entries into the men’s draw because of withdrawals. Once ranked fourth in the world, Blake replaced Paul-Henri Mathieu after the Frenchman pulled out of Wimbledon with a knee injury. France’s Florent Serra replaced Richard Berankis and Germany’s Denis Gremelmayr replaced Thiemo de Bakker.

In the women’s singles, Pauline Parmentier replaced former world number one Dinara Safina, with Vesna Dolonts, Anastasiya Yakimova, Olga Govortsova, Patricia Mayr-Achleitner and Kateryna Bondarenko also handed late entries.

SINO-VISION

When Li Na became the first person from Asia to win a Grand Slam singles title, her victory at Roland Garros over Italy’s Francesca Schiavone was watched by a record-breaking 116 million viewers in her native China, becoming this year’s most watched sporting event on television in the world’s largest market. The Roland Garros final attracted almost twice as many viewers in China as the previous high of 60 million viewers who watched the Australian Open final in January when Li Na lost to Belgium’s Kim Clijsters. The average Roland Garros final TV audience in China nearly tripled from Li Na’s semifinal match against Maria Sharapova, which had a viewership of 34.5 million across two different CCTV networks.

SPOTLIGHTED

NBC Sports’ coverage of the French Open men’s final between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer earned the best overnight rating for the event in 12 years and was up 63 percent from last year’s men’s final when Nadal beat Sweden’s Robin Soderling. The Nadal-Federer match was the best-watched French Open men’s singles final in the United States since 1999 when Andre Agassi became the last American man to win the clay court event.

SWEDISH STAY-AT-HOME

Robin Soderling won’t be there when Sweden battles defending champion Serbia in a Davis Cup quarterfinal. Sweden’s top player, Soderling said his “intensive match schedule, my sore foot and the overall physical and mental effort makes it impossible to participate” in the tie, which will be held July 8-10 in Halmstad, Sweden.

SINGLED OUT

Tommy Haas has been awarded a wild card entry into the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, to be held in Newport, Rhode Island, July 4-10. Once ranked as high as second in the world, Haas is making a comeback after missing 14 months due to surgery. The German will join a competitive player field at Newport, including American Sam Querrey, Ivo Karlovic of Croatia and several rising stars, including Ryan Sweeting and Ryan Harrison, both of the United States, Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, and Richard Berankis of Lithuania.


A highlight of the tournament week will be the International Tennis Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which will be held on Saturday, July 9. Being inducted into the shrine will be Andre Agassi in the Recent Player Category and Peachy Kellmeyer in the Contributor Category.

SIGNED UP

Former world number one Ana Ivanovic and the 2008 French Open Champion will be in the field for the 2011 Mercury Insurance Open Presented by Tri-City Medical Center. After reaching the Australian Open singles final in 2008, Ivanovic captured her first career Grand Slam tournament singles title by winning the French Open by defeating Dinara Safina 6-4, 6-3 in the final. Ivanovic, who has won 10 career WTA singles titles, will be making her third career appearance in Carlsbad. She joins Kim Clijsters, another former number one player in the world, as early entries in the 2011 Mercury Insurance Open.

America’s top male player, Mardy Fish, has joined the field for the Farmers’ Classic tennis tournament that will be held July 25-31 at UCLA’s Los Angeles Tennis Center. Also in the field are defending champion Sam Querrey and 2009 US Open winner Juan Martin del Potro.

SHE’S THAT OLD?

Russia’s Anna Kournikova, perhaps the most famous tennis player never to win a singles title on the WTA tour, has turned 30 years old. While known for her looks as much as her tennis, in 1997 she became the second player in the Open era to reach the semifinals in her Wimbledon debut. She won 16 doubles titles, including the Australian Open in 1999 and 2002, and was ranked number one in the world in doubles in 1999. Kournikova was a member of Russia’s Fed Cup team and competed in the 1996 Olympics. She retired from tennis in 2003.

SWITCHING NAMES

The Tennis Trophy is getting a new name. The ATP tour event will be renamed the Erste Bank Open. Tournament director Herwig Straka said “the change of the main sponsor after a quarter century marks the start of a new era for the event.” Erste Bank took over sponsorship of the USD $650,000 indoor hard-court tournament after longtime sponsor Bank Austria pulled out. The Erste Bank Open will be played October 23-31.

SENIOR FRIENDLY

It was called a “friendly,” a battle of elders pitting Russia against the World All-Stars at the Juan Antonio Samaranch national tennis center in Moscow. Marat Safin defeated Croatia’s Goran Ivanisevic 8-4 and Yevgeni Kafelnikov stopped Spain’s Carlos Moya 8-6. The All-Stars pulled even when Moya beat Safin 8-5 and Ivanisevic downed Kafelnikov 8-3. In the decisive doubles, however, Safin and Kafelnikov beat the Spanish-Croatian duo 6-2.

SPORTS AWARD WINNER

The University of California’s Jana Juricova has won the Honda Sports Award as the top college women’s tennis player in the United States, beating out finalists Lauren Dembree of Florida, Maria Sanchez of Southern California and Stacey Tan of Stanford. A native of Slovakia, Juricova won this year’s NCAA singles title, going 36-4 in her junior season. As one of the Honda winners in 12 sports, Juricova is eligible for Collegiate Female Athlete of the Year honors, which will be awarded June 27 in New York.

SAD NEWS

Twice a finalist at Wimbledon, Denmark’s Kurt Nielsen has reportedly died at the age of 80 following a long illness. The Danish tabloid Ekstra Bladet reported the death and Danish media reported a minute’s silence was observed before the semifinal match at the 000 e-Boks Sony Ericsson Open in Copenhagen, Denmark. Nielsen reached the 1953 and 1955 Wimbledon finals, losing to Americans Vic Seixas and Tony Trabert, respectively. Nielsen teamed with Hall of Famer Althea Gibson to win the US Championships mixed doubles in 1957. He won the Danish national championships 49 times, and his grandson, Frederick Loechte Nielsen, is currently Denmark’s top ranked male tennis player.

The head of the Moldovan tennis federation, Igor Turcan, was killed when a car exploded near the federation headquarters in the nation’s capital, Chisinau. Turcan, 38, was passing the parked car when it blew up and burst into flames. Nobody else was hurt in the blast. Turcan died in a hospital of wounds to his legs, stomach and head, according to his deputy, Marina Tauber. Moldova’s Prime Minister, Vlad Filat, said it was an attack, not an accident, aimed at killing Turcan. “I hope that authorities will do their duty and we will soon find out the details, motives and who committed this odious crime,” Filat said in a statement.

STRANGE POINT

Playing in the semifinals of a USD $15,000 Futures event in Sacramento, California, USA, Daniel Kosakowski was at match point when he netted a volley. Not so fast. The chair umpire ruled that Kosakowski’s opponent, Frenchman Antoine Benneteau, had hindered Kosakowski during an exchange at the net by saying “No” when Kosakowski appeared to hit the ball twice. Kosakowski was awarded the point and the 6-3 6-4 victory.

SPONSORS

BNP Paribas, a European leader in global banking and financial services, and its Turkish partner, Türk Ekonomi Bankasý (TEB), have become joint title sponsors of the year-ending WTA Championships, which will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2011, 2012 and 2013, featuring the top eight singles players and top four doubles teams. Under the three-year agreement, TEB-BNP Paribas will become the official bank of the WTA Championships and receive global exposure through on-court branding, broadcast and digital brand exposure; and international marketing and promotion across all WTA platforms, including digital and social media channels. The number one sponsor of world tennis for close to 40 years. BNP Paribas acts as the lead sponsor of some of the largest tennis events, including Roland Garros, the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, five ATP Masters 1000 events, and numerous junior and wheelchair tournaments.

SHARED SUCCESS

Birmingham: Olga Govortsova and Alla Kudryavtseva beat Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci 1-6 6-1 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Copenhagen: Johanna Larsson and Jasmion Woehr beat Kristina Mladenovic and Katarzyna Piter 6-3 6-3

Halle: Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi beat Robin Haase and Milos Raonic7-6 (8) 3-6 11-9 (match tiebreak)

SURFING

‘s-Hertogenbosch: www.unicefopen.nl/

Eastbourne: www.lta.org.uk/fans-major-events/AEGON-British-Tennis-Series/AEGON-International/

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com/en/home.aspx

Wimbledon: www.wimbledon.com

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$595,000 AEGON International, Eastbourne, Great Britain, grass

$577,000 UNICEF Open, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, grass

WOMEN

$618,000 AEGON International, Eastbourne, Great Britain, grass

$220,000 UNICEF Open, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, grass

DAVIS CUP

Americas Zone, Group III, at Santa Cruz, Bolivia (clay): Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica

Asia/Oceania Zone, Group III, at Colombo, Sri Lanka (clay): Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Myanmar, Oman, Sri Lanka, UAE, Vietnam

Americas Zone, Group IV, at Santa Cruz, Bolivia (clay): Panama, Trinidad & Tobago, US Virgin Islands

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

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

$100,000 Guadalajara Challenger, Guadalajara, Mexico, hard

WOMEN

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

FEDERER SIGNS LIFETIME CONTRACT TO PLAY HALLE: THIS WEEK IN TENNIS BUSINESS

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By: Justin Cohen

  • Roger Federer signed a lifetime contract with the ATP World Tour Gerry Weber Open in Halle, guaranteeing he will participate in Germany’s only grass court tournament until he retires from professional tennis. “I am delighted,” said Federer. “It feels a bit like I am getting married. I wanted to plan more long-term. I want to build up friendships and I get on really well with Ralf and Gerhard Weber.” Since 2003, Federer has won the Gerry Weber Open five times. “Halle has always been a really important tournament in my career,” said Federer.
  • A record breaking 30,670 tickets have been sold for the July 8 tennis exhibition match between Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin. The “Best of Belgium” event is expected to break the tennis attendance record that was set in 1973 when 30,472 watched the famous “Battle of the Sexes” between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs at the Astrodome in Houston.
  • US Davis Cup Captain and ESPN tennis commentator Patrick McEnroe’s highly anticipated book “Hardcourt Confidential” ($25.95, Hyperion) was released yesterday. Throughout the book, McEnroe discusses his life on the ATP Tour as a player, as well as life as a coach and television commentator. Although not revealing too many “confidential” nuggets, the book is extremely entertaining and gives a very honest and exclusive look at professional tennis from an industry veteran’s point of view. McEnroe teamed up to write the book with Tennis magazine senior writer and editor, Peter Bodo.
  • Emmy Award-winning play-by-play sportscaster Ted Robinson has signed a contract with Tennis Channel through 2013. “It’s been a privilege to have Ted on our Grand Slam team and to offer his incomparable voice to our viewers,” said Larry Meyers, the Senior Vice President of Production, and Executive Producer at Tennis Channel.  “Ted’s presence on our air ensures Tennis Channel viewers will continue to get the best tennis commentary on television.  We couldn’t be happier to extend our relationship.” Robinson started broadcasting for Tennis Channel at the 2007 French Open. Robinson, who also broadcasts the US Open each summer, is a veteran sportscaster with experience at the Olympics and with various major league baseball teams.
  • After capturing his fifth Roland Garros title in Paris, Rafael Nadal has overtaken Roger Federer at the top of the South African Airways ATP Rankings. Nadal, who has now won seven career Grand Slam singles titles, is the first player to qualify for the season-ending 2010 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 in London. “When you qualify for the World Tour Finals you have to be very happy because it proves you have had a very good season. Last year the crowd and the stadium were unbelievable. Playing in London is always a special feeling. I have amazing memories of London,” said Nadal.
  • Chris Evert, who won 154 titles including 18 Grand Slam singles titles, will be inducted into the Rogers Cup Hall of Fame this summer in Montreal at a ceremony on August 16. “Chris Evert is one of the greatest players of all time, a legend of the game who has become a significant part of tennis history as well as the history of the Rogers Cup,” said Tournament Director Eugene Lapierre. “She remains one of the most popular and recognizable faces in women’s tennis and we are thrilled to be inducting her into our Hall of Fame.” Evert won three singles titles at the Rogers Cup event including on her very first appearance in 1974.
  • Top ranked doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan have become the designers of the free “Tennis App,” which launched last week. “We’re really into it. We have weekly conference calls to keep looking for ways to make it better, we’re wearing a Tennis App patch on our match shirts and we’re doing all we can to promote it,” said Bob. The Tennis App features rankings, scores, tweets, news and super-slow motion shot instruction of the Bryans, including a feature that allows users to ‘flip’ the footage to suit their own playing hand. So a left-hander can still learn frame-by-frame how to hit a world-class backhand return from the right-handed Mike, and a right-hander can follow the signature serve of left-handed Bob. The Tennis App’s animation control, including smart zoom, allows users to slow down and zoom in on each stroke. The Bryans are hoping other pro tennis players will get on board with the stroke analysis, so they can build a library full of content.
  • The Grammy Foundation announced that three-time Grammy Award winner Keith Urban will headline its signature benefit Starry Night concert on July 23, 2010, at the LA Tennis Center on the campus of UCLA. The concert is presented in association with the ATP World Tour Farmers Classic tennis tournament and will be held three nights before the start of the main draw. “The Farmers Classic again delighted to collaborate with the GRAMMY Foundation to help raise funds for this worthy charity,” said Bob Kramer, the Farmers Classic Tournament Director. “The Southern California Tennis Association and UCLA are extremely proud to be involved with such important causes and to provide a lively and entertaining kick off for the 84th annual Farmers Classic at UCLA.”
  • Nicolas Kiefer, Kei Nishikori, Teimuraz Gabashvili, Andrey Kuznetsov and Britain’s Jamie Baker each received a wild card into the main draw at Wimbledon. Laura Robson, Heather Watson, Melanie South and Katie O’Brien were among the four British women granted main draw wild cards.
  • Fernando Gonzalez has withdrawn from Wimbledon with tendinitis in his left knee. Argentine David Nalbandian, who has played only a few tournaments since missing most of the 2009 season with a hip injury, said he will try to be ready in time to participate at Wimbledon. “I’m focused on my recovery and training double to try to play Wimbledon,” said Nalbandian. Nalbandian is a former singles finalist at the All England Club.
  • Russian Elena Dementieva could miss the upcoming Wimbledon Championships due to a left calf tear that she sustained in her second round match at Roland Garros. Dementieva played through the injury for majority of the tournament until the pain was too much to handle and she retired in the middle of her semifinal match against eventual champion Francesca Schiavone. “I was very close to stop the match in my third round with Aleksandra (Wozniack), but I was able to win this one,” said Dementieva. “I was waking up every morning and couldn’t make a first step. You know, it was that painful. But I really wanted to play because it’s a very special tournament for me.”
  • Lindsay Davenport announced on Tuesday that she will team with Bob Bryan in the mixed doubles tournament at Wimbledon. Last week, Davenport announced on Roland Garros Radio that she will play doubles this summer with Liezel Huber at WTA Tour events in Stanford and San Diego. The former World No. 1 singles and doubles player has not played since the end of 2008 when she found out she was expecting her second child. Huber said that she does not know if Davenport will play doubles at the US Open in August.
  • French Open finalist Samantha Stosur has committed to the play in the 2010 Bank of the West Classic at the Taube Family Tennis Center on the campus of Stanford University. The tournament, which will be held from July 26-August 1, will also feature Maria Sharapova, Elena Dementieva and defending champion Marion Bartoli.
  • Former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis has committed to play in the 2010 Atlanta Tennis Championships from July 19-25. Baghdatis joins a strong field which already includes Lleyton Hewitt, John Isner, Sam Querrey, James Blake and Robby Ginepri.
  • Defending US Open champion Kim Clijsters will team with fellow Belgian Xavier Malisse in the mixed doubles tournament at Wimbledon. British doubles player Jamie Murray, best known as Andy Murray’s brother, will team with Laura Robson.
  • Former Top 10 player Paradorn Srichaphan has officially announced his retirement from the ATP World Tour. Srichaphan, who a compiled a career record of 239-193 including winning five ATP singles titles, had been off the tour for almost three years due to a persistent wrist injury. The most famous Thai player to date will remain involved in tennis, as he is currently the Davis Cup Captain for Thailand.
  • Fed Cup pairings for 2010 have been released:
    • World Group I
      • Australia vs. Italy
      • Russia vs. France
      • Slovak Republic vs. Czech Republic
      • Belgium vs. United States
  • World Group II
    • England vs. Spain
    • Slovenia vs. Germany
    • Serbia vs. Canada
    • Sweden vs. Ukraine