World Tennis Magazine

Unique Tennis Perspectives

Grand Slams

Murray Bounced by “Other” Swiss Star

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NEW YORK – Andy Murray’s wait to become Britain’s first Grand Slam tournament champion since 1936 will have to wait a little longer.

The fourth-seeded Murray was hustled out of the US Open Sunday by Switzerland’s “other” star, Stanislas Wawrinka, 6-7 (3) 7-6 (4) 6-3 6-3. The only time Murray reached the final on the hard courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, that two years ago, he fell to Switzerland’s Roger Federer.

“I have no idea of whether I’ll win a Grand Slam or not,” Murray said. “You know, I want to.”

Andy Murray

This year Murray was one of the favorites, along with Federer, Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic. Murray had come into the year’s final major having won the Rogers Masters in Toronto, Canada, and reaching the final at the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles, California. He also reached the Australian Open in January and at Toronto beat both Nadal and Federer.

With such a strong summer showing, he clinched the 2010 US Open Series, which meant he would have pocketed a USD $1 million bonus if he had won the title. Instead, it was his earliest departure from a major since a third-round loss at the French Open in 2008.

“I’m very disappointed, obviously,” Murray said. “But, no I think I’ve been more disappointed, you know. In other Grand Slams, when you get closer to winning the tournament, I think it becomes a lot harder to take.”

Wawrinka, who teamed with Federer to win the men’s doubles gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, raced out to a 5-2 lead in the first-set tiebreak before Murray rallied. The Scot then took a 3-0 lead in the second set and, after trading service breaks, led 5-3 and seemingly safely in control.

It wasn’t to be.

Murray was two points from a two-set lead at 5-4, 30-30 when Wawrinka stepped up and became more aggressive, breaking back. The set went into a tie-break, which Wawrinka won 7-4, knotting the match

“I think all my game was pretty good,” Wawrinka said. “One of my best matches, for sure. I was very aggressive. I was doing everything really good, so I’m very happy.”

Both players needed to call the trainer. Murray had tightness in his left thigh, then had problems with his right elbow.

“It was just part and parcel of playing that sort of length of match, I guess,” said Murray, who kept emphasizing that it was Wawrinka’s play, not his injuries, that determined the final outcome.

“He played better than me. There’s not a whole lot more to it,” Murray said. “He had a chance to win the first set, didn’t take it. I had a chance to win the second set, didn’t take it. I just struggled from then on.”

Murray again broke in the opening game of the third set. It was to no avail as Wawrinka broke right back, then again in the fourth game to grab a 4-1 lead. That was when Murray called out the trainer and had treatment on his left thigh.

In the next game, it was Wawrinka’s turn to call for the trainer. He had his right thigh strapped, but still managed to take the set.

After trading breaks to begin the fourth set, Wawrinka broke again in the fifth game. Murray saved one match point before he sailed a forehand long to give Wawrinka a berth in the fourth round where he will take on American Sam Querrey, a 6-3 6-4 6-4 winner over 14th-seeded Nicolas Almagro of Spain.

“He’s a very good player,” Wawrinka said of Querrey. “He’s a strong player. Big serve, big backhand. Is never easy to play him.”

Almagro was one of the rare Spaniards to lose Sunday as a record-tying six players from Spain reached the men’s fourth round. That’s the most from a foreign country since Australia had six players in the fourth round in 1969. It’s also the most players from one country in the fourth round since the United States had eight reach the round of 16 in 1995.

A Spaniard is guaranteed to reach the semifinals since all four players in the top quarter of the draw are from Spain: top-seeded Rafael Nadal, 23rd-seeded Feliciano Lopez, 10th-seeded David Ferrer and eighth-seeded Fernando Verdasco.

“It’s always nice to see all the Spanish winning and being in the last rounds, no?” Verdasco said. “So if you need to lose, it’s better to lose against a Spanish player, then at least one guy is gonna be there one round more, no?”

Unseeded Tommy Robredo also won his third-round match Sunday, while 21st-seeded Albert Montanes grabbed a spot in the round of 16 on Saturday.

Nadal defeated Gilles Simon of France 6-4 6-4 6-2; Lopez advanced when Sergiy Stakhovsky of the Ukraine retired with a right toe infection while trailing 6-3 4-0; Ferrer stopped fellow Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver 7-6 (2) 6-2 6-2; Verdasco defeated David Nalbandian of Argentina 6-2 3-6 6-3 6-2; Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny outlasted American John Isner 6-4 6-7 (7) 7-6 (5) 6-4; and Robredo moved on when Michael Llodra of France retired while trailing 3-6 7-6 (6) 6-4 2-1.
Defending women’s champion Kim Clijsters, French Open winner Francesca Schiavone and two-time US Open winner Venus Williams won berths in the quarterfinals.

Clijsters had no problems downing Ana Ivanovic 6-2 6-1, while Schiavone beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3 6-0 and Williams got by Israeli Shahar Peer 7-6 (3) 6-3.

A late match pitted fifth-seeded Samantha Stosur of Australia against 12th-seeded Elena Dementieva of Russia.

With the victory, Clijsters increased her winning streak at the US Open to 18 straight matches. She won the title the last two times she has played here, but missed one year because of an injury and the next two during her two-year retirement from the sport.

“Not that I think about it, but I want to try and keep it going,” Clijsters said of her match winning streak. “I’ve always enjoyed playing here at the US Open.”

GRASS ROOTS EFFORT IN PLACE TO SAVE HISTORIC FOREST HILLS TENNIS STADIUM

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There is a grass roots effort to save and preserve the historic tennis stadium at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, N.Y.

The stadium is the historic tennis venue that hosted the U.S. Open/U.S. Nationals from 1920 to 1977, but has fallen in disrepair since it last seated spectators at a professional tennis event in 1990. The club’s membership is set to vote on August 19 on whether to sell the parcel of land that features the stadium to a real estate developer, who is planning to raze the stadium and construct condos on the hallowed ground of international tennis.

No history of American tennis can be told without including the West Side Tennis Club. Many of the greatest and most historic accomplishments in the sport occurred on these hallowed grounds. The idyllic setting features hard, clay, and plush grass courts, a famed Tudor-style clubhouse and a 14,000-seat stadium, making the venue the American version of Wimbledon and the All-England Lawn Tennis Club. The West Side Tennis Club is the tennis world’s version of baseball’s Wrigley Field. In the words of Hall of Famer Billie Jean King, “Sitting there and watching the sun go down behind the stadium – you’ll never see another sight like that in tennis.”

The West Side Tennis Club stadium was built in1923, christened with the playing of the Wightman Cup matches featuring Helen Wills. The stadium was the site of the first tennis “Grand Slam” in 1938 (Don Budge clinching over Gene Mako in the U.S. singles final) and also the site of the completion of Grand Slams by Maureen Connolly (1954), Rod Laver (1962, 1969) and Margaret Court (1970). The stadium also was the site of Althea Gibson breaking the color barrier in tennis (1950) and becoming the first black athlete to win the U.S. Nationals (1957, 1958) as well as venue of Arthur Ashe’s historic 1968 US Open title, becoming the first black man to win a major title. Many of the sports all-time great tennis greats, including Jack Kramer, Pancho Gonzalez, Helen Wills Moody, Tony Trabert, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Stan Smith, Jimmy Connors among many others won U.S. titles on this historic turf. The stadium has also hosted more U.S. Davis Cup matches than any other venue, while also serving as the site of many memorable musical performances from acts including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, Diana Ross among others.

Forest Hills

“Walking out to play Evonne Goolagong [in the 1974 Open final] and seeing the stadium full – SRO – for the first time at a women’s match. And it was a great place to sit on the clubhouse terrace and watch the sun set over that horseshoe stadium. They should find a way to use that stadium,” said Billie Jean King of Forest Hills in 2002. Said 1971 U.S. Open champion Stan Smith in 2001, “But I always tell people that I can say I won Forest Hills, and now when you say you won Flushing, it just doesn’t have the same ring.”

Wrote George Vecsey in the New York Times in 2001, The ancient stadium, where Bjorn Borg and the Beatles played — although not at the same time — is just a crumbling backdrop at the west end of the private club…Most of the old sports places get knocked down by the wrecking ball half an hour after the last fan totters out. In New York, people of a certain age get a knot in their stomach when they approach the buildings where the Polo Grounds, Ebbets Field and the previous Madison Square Garden once hunkered. The dingy old places were intimate in ways the new palaces are not. People in Chicago, Boston and New York must know how lucky they are to still be able to watch the Cubs, the Red Sox and the Yankees in their historic ballparks, despite the lack of amenities. …Forest Hills is a repository of the soul of tennis.”

Interested parties that wish to help try and prevent the sale of the stadium can participate in an urgent letter-writing campaign, which is now under way. Fans can write a letter supporting official landmark status for the stadium to Chair Tierney of the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Many people feel that it is unfair that the board of directors of the West Side Tennis Club are alone responsible for making decision to destroy or preserve the tennis stadium while the greater public (for whom the stadium was conceived for) is being excluded. If restored and adaptively reused for concerts and smaller tennis matches, it would enhance the appeal of the Forest Hills neighborhood and preserve the historic iconic venue. Green “historic” space is rare in New York and city land-marking would preserve the historic Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Clubhouse, grounds and interiors for future generations to cherish and increase the chances of funding for repairs.

Interested parties can e-mail the Landmarks Preservation Commission a letter requesting landmark status ASAP for the club. Contact:

– Chair Robert Tierney at rtierney@lpc.nyc.gov
– Dir of Research Mary Beth Betts at mbetts@lpc.nyc.gov
– General mailbox: comments@lpc.nyc.gov
– Rego-Forest Preservation Council Chair Michael Perlman: unlockthevault@hotmail.com

Photos, memorabilia, history (paste link into browser): http://www.flickr.com/photos/8095451@N08/sets/72157607136282297/

NADAL’S WIMBLEDON TITLE PLACES HIM IN “BEST-OF-ALL-TIME” CONVERSATION

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By Charles Bricker

And so at the precise age of 24 years, 1 month and 1 day, Rafa Nadal won his eighth Grand Slam title, exactly 10 months younger than when his elite contemporary, Roger Federer, won his eighth major back in 2006.

Although statistically this 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 triumph was close to even, it was decisive enough to leave no doubt about Nadal being, at this moment in tennis history, the best player in the game and, more importantly, this victory and Federer’s dismissal in the quarterfinals must rekindle that very good debate about who is the greatest player ever.

Is it, as many have been claiming for some time, Federer? Or is it Nadal. Or Pete Sampras. Or Rod Laver.

The purists might like Laver and there are significant reasons to grant this unofficial title to Sampras. But because these two men — Nadal and Federer — are at the forefront of the game right now, the probability is that any discussion about the greatest ever is going to center on them.

There are strong arguments for both men, but the more Nadal wins the more he looks to have an edge — if not now, then very soon in the future — in being pronounced greatest ever.

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal

Heavily in Federer’s favor is a record 16 Grand Slam singles titles, double Nadal’s current collection. But Federer will turn 29 years old on Aug. 8. Nadal is only just 24 and has, as noted, won his eighth major at an earlier age than did Federer.

Also heavily in Federer’s portfolio is that record run of semifinal finishes at Grand Slams. It is, without question, a prodigious effort. But, despite all the titles and five straight Wimbledon championships, there is one telling statistic that tarnishes Federer’s claim to greatest ever.

Many will argue than head-to-head competition is not important in this debate because some players simply match up well. There was a period when Wayne Ferreira defeated Sampras four times in a row, but Pete eventually figured it out and retired with a 7-6 edge. No one, however, would argue that Ferreira was a greater player.

The Nadal-Federer matchup is different. We’re not talking about merely just another top-20 player (Ferreira) who never came close to winning a major. We’re talking about the two pre-eminent players of their time.

If you’re going to be considered the greatest player ever, it means, almost by definition, that you’re better than every other player. Nadal has not only won 14 of the 21 times he’s played Federer, but he has beaten Federer six of the last seven matches, including the last three times they’ve met in a Grand Slam final, and each of those three times on a different surface — clay (French Open), grass (Wimbledon) and hardcourt (Australian Open).

When you put these two men on the same court and have them match skills against each, that’s a litmus test.

This head-to-head edge speaks more to Federer NOT being the greatest ever than it does to Nadal BEING the greatest ever. At least not yet. He’s going to have a career as long as Federer’s and come close or exceed Federer’s major titles.

Is that going to happen?

Nadal got through Wimbledon with only a minor flareup of the tendonitis in his knees — the same problem that destroyed his 2009 season and led to his early loss at the French Open and his inability to play Wimbledon. Until he puts together a couple years without any major knee problems, there is going to be a lingering suspicion about his durability and, of course, his ability to stay on court long enough to approach 16 (or more) Slam wins.

Federer won his first Grand Slam title (2003 Wimbledon) at the age of 21 years, 11 months and 6 days. Nadal won his first (2005 French Open) at 19 years, 0 months and 2 days.

Federer won his eighth major at 24 years, 11 months and 1 day — 10 months later than Nadal.

But since that time, Federer has won eight of the 16 Slams he’s played. Can Nadal equal or exceed that?

It will be more difficult for him than it was for Federer, who increased his titles at a time when the best young talent in men’s tennis was still evolving — Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and, to some extent, Nadal.

All those players, plus now Juan Martin Del Potro and Tomas Berdych, are greatly improved. None has yet reached their peaks, and that’s going to make winning Slams more difficult.

What does it all mean? Who, then, is the greatest? It’s a question that shouldn’t be answered for another couple years. One thing seems certain. Even those who prematurely proclaimed Federer the greatest ever must be reassessing their views after this Wimbledon.

Charles Bricker can be reached at nflwriterr@aol.com

NADAL PEAKING AT THE RIGHT TIME AT WIMBLEDON

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By Charles Bricker

One more balloon return of serve. That’s all Rafa Nadal needed to see at the turning point of this semifinal at Wimbledon Friday, and he put away the tiebreak that effectively signaled Andy Murray’s demise in this 6-4, 7-6 (6), 6-4 bravura performance.

Air under the ball is a good idea on high-bouncing clay. Not such a great concept, however, on grass, and perhaps one day, when Murray fully understands that, he can reach the final two rounds of this most prestigious of Grand Slams.

Meanwhile, he’s going home and Rafa is moving to the edge of another historic moment in his young life — the opportunity to become only the second man in the Open Era to twice win that toughest of major combos, the French Open and Wimbledon, in the same season.

He’ll have to defeat Tomas Berdych, who took down Novak Djokovic with surprising ease by 6-3, 7-6 (9), 6-3, but he’s done that seven times previously, in 10 attempts, including a straight-set win in the quarters of the 2007 Wimbledon, in which he limited the Czech’s heavy serving to 11 aces.

Nadal has lost five sets in six matches at Wimbledon, twice going five with players he should have more easily beaten. But he appears to be peaking at precisely the right time and, given his opponents of the last two rounds, he’s looked prodigious.

Robin Soderling had Nadal down 0-5 in the opening set, but since that moment Rafa has been indomitable. Soderling and Murray presented different challenges, but Nadal neutralized both. He took Soderling’s heavy serving away and he forced Murray out of his usual win-by-attrition game.

It’s not too much to conclude that these last two matches have been a tribute to Nadal’s ability to deal with different opponents.

Murray’s biggest weapons are his first serve, his retrieving ability and his knack for taking balls in difficult defensive positions and hammering back deep shots that allow him to get back into the point.

Nadal dealt with that with patience and constant aggression. He wasn’t going to get into a grinding match with Murray and, after winning the opening set, he forced Murray to get more aggressive and play with a little more risk.

But as the match wore on, it became evident that the salient difference between the two men, who both have great speed, was the amount of air under the ball. When Nadal gets the high-percentage ball he wants, he drives it flat with low net clearance. Murray, meanwhile, hits more of a deep floater. The upshot is that Nadal consistently had more time to get into position to shoot while Murray was more often off-balance having to deal with Rafa’s driving power.

Andy had one minor hurrah in the third set, when he broke to go up 1-0, but Nadal soon broke back and, by the end of this match, Murray looked tired and very frustrated while Nadal looked as if he was going to top off this victory with five-mile up Church Road.

This match could not have ended with Murray looking much more incompetent. On match point, he had a hanging curve ball inside the service line and his swinging volley went wide of the right sideline.

It didn’t much matter. He wasn’t going to win this. As Murray’s final shot slid wide, Nadal dropped on his back in celebration, pulled off his headband, embraced Murray at the net and gave him some real sympathy. It was great to see that kind of sportsmanship after Roger Federer’s whining about injury after losing to Berdych on Thursday.

This has been a tough year for Murray, who reached the final at the Australian Open but hasn’t been a runner-up since, and hasn’t won a tournament since Valencia last year. He went out in the round of 16 at Roland Garros to Berdych and now the semis at Wimbledon to Rafa.

He’ll look back on this match and his focus will be on the tiebreak, where he was serving for the set at 6-5. His first serve went low into the net — not even close. His second was another balloon. Nadal had an easy backhand return to take control of the point right away, then knocked off Murray’s attempt at a pass with a backhand volley into the open court.

Nadal surged home at 7-6 in the breaker and, with a two-set lead, there was no doubt about who was going to reach the semis opposite Berdych.

Charles Bricker can be reached at nflwriterr@aol.com

BYE, BYE AMERICAN PIE AT WIMBLEDON

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I woke up this morning to rain drumming on the skylight over my bed. YES! As much as we normally complain about the rain here, I’m ready for a rain delay. I’m behind in my editing, I’m tired, and an extra couple of hours without matches would be welcome. I know, I know they would still play on Centre Court, but one court would be a huge relief after running around to nineteen courts.

My big entertainment last night was hanging out with the security guards at Camp Queue, I know them all now, after crossing late every night, and having a beer with one of the campers. So much for fab nights out at Wimbledon.

Okay, we took a little break from Tennis yesterday, so now we’ll get back to what is going on at the Big W.
So it’s Bye Bye American Pie. Once again it’s up to the Williams sisters and the Bryan Brothers to carry the stars and stripes to victory in London. Both Andy Roddick and Sam Querrey bit the dust .. or in this case grass yesterday.

Big serving Sam losing to Andy Murray wasn’t really shocking, but Arod is another story. The American hope bid farewell on Court 2 in a five-set stunner to No. 82nd-ranked Yen-Hsun Lu fron Taipei. The 26-year-old Chinese has not made it past the first round in the last five Grand Slams and was out of Wimbledon on opening day for the last four years.

What is going on here? When I checked the schedule in the morning I didn’t even move my pink highlighter across that match, thinking I’d catch Andy in the next round. Right! Think again. I was up at the photo position overlooking Centre Court, shooting Murray and Querrey, as I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be seeing Sam again, when a little voice in my head, said, “check on Andy’s match” Oh my word! They were in a third set tiebreak, and Lu … I love Chinese names with two letters… was ahead.

So much for Sam, Roddick’s possible loss was a much bigger story. Off to Court 2 for me. By the time I got there Lu has won the third set 7-6. That meant Roddick was down two sets to one. Lu was serving great.. probably the best of his life, but shouldn’t the man with the laser arm be able to out serve this guy who is normally playing on the Challenger circuit? A player who has never won a tournament? Even Lu alluded to this in the post match press conference, “The fifth set,” Lu said, “I don’t believe I can win because he is a better server than me”.

At 28, it’s doubtful that Arod will get another chance at the Golden Wimbledon trophy. After last years shattering loss to Roger Federer everyone’s opinion in the press room was that 2009 was his last hurrah. Always the optimist, I thought he’d get one more chance. I’d love to see him win, it took Goran Ivanisovic four finals to finally raise the gold over his head, so I was hoping that after three finals losses here, it the fog would clear, and sun would be bouncing off Roddick this 2010 as he paraded around Centre Court with the coveted title.

Sadly it was not to be.

As for Venus, she looked completely off-balance, making lots of errors, and awkward shots. I wrote the first part of this before her match. Last year’s finalist went out to Tsvelana Pironkova, with a current WTA Tour ranking of 82. Hmmm is that the magic number here? Remember the player that took out Roddick Monday… yep, 82. Well, the good part is, she gave us a great match point right in front of me. I was wishing I had a shorter lens so I could have framed her up laying on the court, but I got a decent shot anyway.

Next up on court one were Petra Kvitova and Kaia Kanepi. Who in the world are they and how did they get to the quarters? To tell the truth I have not been paying a lot of attention to the women’s draw … obviously. I ask myself, did I really want to walk back to court one, do photos and then edit? Will they sell? Does anyone care about these two? You see how the media’s mind works, what we really care about is if a photo, blog, article will sell. We’re like merchants, deciding what product to put on our shelves.

In this case, the answer was no, whoever wins will be in the semi-final and that will be a story. I opted for Serena and Li Na, I’d much rather type four letters than struggle with the Estonian and Czech.

So we have two women in the semifinal with unpronounceable names who I have never heard of. It should be interesting. Does this herald a new cast of characters coming up in the ranks? I hope so tennis could do with some new fresh faces.

Cynthia

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Cynthia Lum is one of the world’s most celebrated sports photographers and has traveled the world covering all the major tennis events for 18 years. In addition to tennis she is currently shooting horse racing, golf, surfing, and beach volleyball. Visit her on-line photo archive at www.cynthialum.com where her photos are for sale for professional and personal use. She is available for hire for corporate and editorial clients. She is based in Hermosa Beach, Calif.

ROGER FEDERER AND THE FIRST SET CONUNDRUM

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By Ritesh Gupta

Is Roger Federer going through any “first set scare” phenomenon?

For Federer, this may not be an issue at all, but his die-hard supporters are going through some anxious moments of late.

It might be a self-imposed situation or one which is arising due to the initial exuberance of his opponents, but Federer does seem to be taking longer than usual in wrapping up the first set in the ongoing French Open.

One can’t help thinking the same. Going by his first two rounds in the only Grand Slam on clay, the defending champion is taking time in settling down. Also, recently, during the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 in Madrid, he lost the first set against Rafael Nadal (Federer lost the final, too), won 7-5 against David Ferrer in the semis and lost 3-6 to Ernests Gulbis before avenging his recent defeat to the Latvian in the quarterfinal.

Roger Federer
Roger Federer at the French Open 2010

Despite these hiccups, it has to be remembered that Federer and Grand Slams can be a nightmarish proposition for any pro. But still, if there is any opportunity of pushing Federer, one has to grab chances early in the match.

At the French Open, Federer hasn’t lost these first set battles. They are definitely quite close, more than one would expect. Importantly, the way Federer comes out from these challenges only show the class of the Swiss.

During the second round match against Alejandro Falla in Paris today, Federer did struggle in the first set. He  committed 21 unforced errors. To his credit, his left-handed rival made most of the long rallies and held serve without much fuss in the initial stages. Falla did break Federer’s serve in the 11th game. But the Colombian failed to serve out the set. More than Federer’s tenacity, the turn of events had to do more with self-belief of Falla.

Twice, Federer achieved mini-breaks in the first set tie-break with a couple of fabulous strokes. At 3-3, he went for a blazing backhand down the line to force a volley winner. And then, again, at 5-4, he went for an outright forehand cross-court winner. Falla finally gave up with an error.

Even though Federer missed a couple of forehands in the tie-break, it was Federer who forced the pace. The class, as usual, was written all over when it mattered the most.

There are times when Federer’s opponents, too, just fail to rise to the occasion or succumb to the pressure.

Looking at the scoreline between Federer and his first round rival, Peter Luczak, there might not be much to read. But the Australian just stroked error after error in the crucial 10th game before losing the first set.

Like Luczak, Falla, too, lost his fizz in similar fashion after dropping the first set. Falla lost 6-7 (4-7), 2-6, 4-6.

Luczak went down 4-6, 1-6, 2-6 earlier this week.

Both Luczak and Falla did their bit, but the man on the other side didn’t give them much of a chance once he got into his groove.

Federer might be starting off slowly. But he is still finishing his job with aplomb.

MURPHY JENSEN OWED OVER $1 MILLION IN TAXES, ACCORDING TO REPORT: THIS WEEK IN TENNIS BUSINESS

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By Justin Cohen

This Week In Tennis Business provides business headlines throughout the tennis industry and runs every Wednesday.

  • According to the Detroit News, former French Open doubles champion Murphy Jensen owed more than $1 million in taxes before filing for bankruptcy. Jensen was delinquent in paying more than $1 million in federal and state taxes in Georgia and California before filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection last December. From 1995-1998, he owed $156,007 in Georgia, while owing $121,464 in California starting in 2000. He also didn’t pay $759,294 in federal income taxes from 1999-2007. He is currently the coach of the Washington Kastles of World Team Tennis.
  • Gilbert Ysern, the General Director of the French Tennis Federation, mentioned in a news conference over the weekend that relocating the French Open from Roland Garros to another site is being considered because it needs more space to remain competitive with the three other Grand Slams. The current options are a possible site near Disneyland Paris and near the Versailles Castle. The French Open has been at Roland Garros since 1928 and the contract there is good until 2015. “I think by the time I finish my career, the tournament will still be at Roland Garros,” said Roger Federer. “I don’t know if the French Open will one day move to Disney, I doubt it. There is more space outside the city, I understand, but come on …”
  • The MPS Group Championships in Ponte Vedra Beach will be eliminated from the WTA Tour calendar effective immediately. The tournament, which was played for more than 20 years in Amelia Island before moving to Ponte Vedra Beach, was eliminated after the WTA proposed holding the tournament in February or during the US summer hardcourt season instead of its current April date, but had the idea shut down by tournament officials.
  • Victoria Azarenka was fined $4,000 by the French Open for skipping her post-match press conference following her straight sets opening round loss to Gisela Dulko.
  • A new international tennis foundation has lined up former Grand Slam champions including Juan Carlos Ferrero and Albert Costa, as well as coaches, lawyers and marketing experts to help develop the next generation of players. The nonprofit Global Tennis Legacy Foundation was launched on the eve of the French Open with plans to operate in at least 10 countries by next year, including the United States, Japan and several European nations. The ultimate goal with the foundation is to provide advice to young players in areas such as contracts, finances, medical care and training.
  • A remarkable 100,000 tickets were sold in 12 hours by organizers for the 2010 ATP World Tour Finals at the 02 Arena in London. In 2009, most of the 15 sessions were sold out and 265,000 fans attended, which is an indoor tennis tournament record.
  • Tickets for the 2010 Bank of the West Classic featuring Maria Sharapova and Elena Dementieva are now on sale. Tickets for the tournament, which will be held from July 26-August 1 at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium on the campus of Stanford University in Palo Alto, can be purchased by calling the box office at 866-982-8497 or by visiting the official tournament website at www.BankoftheWestClassic.com. Opening round tickets start as low as $26, while full week packages start as $575 and include tickets to all 13 sessions, a pass to the Plaza Club and invite to the players party.
  • Effective immediately, the Tennis Channel will offer a portion of its advertising inventory towards Google TV Ads. Tennis Channel will now be able to develop business through Google TV Ads’ widespread client base by being a part of the system’s unique auction like set up. Google’s system makes the advertising large inventory of more than 98 networks available to media buyers who are able to build national television campaigns and track highly targeted ads right from their computers. “Google TV Ads is an additional tool for us to use in support of the increased demand we’re seeing for Tennis Channel airtime,” said Gary Herman, Senior Vice President of Advertising Sales for Tennis Channel.  “Given the strong response we’ve received in conjunction with our first US Open coverage (in 2009) and our consistent weekly ratings, we’re excited to work with Google to maximize the value of our brand right now.”
  • Oakley, Inc. released comments on Tuesday from company ambassador Samantha Stosur, who is currently ranked No. 7 in the WTA Tour rankings. “I’ve worn Oakley sunglasses since I was fourteen years old,” said Stosur. “I probably begged my mom and dad to go out and buy me a pair, and I remember they were yellow M Frames®. I treated them very, very well.” Stosur went on to talk about her long relationship with the company. “Oakley has been very supportive of my career since I started. Whether I win or lose, they are behind me. It’s been a really good fit and it’s just been so enjoyable to have that backing and know that no matter what, it’s going to be there.” During the current French Open, Stosur will wear her current favorite Oakley sunglasses which are Enduring® and Commit® SQ.
  • Come to Win: Business Leaders, Artists, Doctors, and Other Visionaries on How Sports Can Help You Top Your Profession by Venus Williams will be released on June 29. The book can be pre-ordered through Amazon.com for $17.15.
  • Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean, who currently resides in Boca Raton, announced that he will retire from the ATP World Tour at the end of the 2010 season. “It’s not really my decision,” said Grosjean, speaking to reporters at the Rueil-Malmaison exhibition. “It’s my body that has made me take it.” Grosjean will play his final French Open this week in the doubles tournament with Richard Gasquet.
  • Dinara Safina has parted ways with coach Zeljko Krajan according to Russia’s Sport Express. Safina began working with Gaston Etlis during the French Open, but lost in the opening round to 39-year-old Kimiko Date Krumm.
  • Jelena Dokic is no longer being coached by Borna Bikic, whom coached her for several years. According to Serbian press, Dokic is still dating Borna’s brother Tin Bikic.
  • Juan Martin del Potro has announced that he will not be able to defend his US Open title this summer after undergoing wrist surgery earlier this month. Del Potro, who has not played a competitive match since the Australian Open in January, hopes to return to the ATP World Tour in time to compete in the Paris Masters in November.
  • Victoria Azarenka recently announced on her Twitter account that she has launched her new website at http://vikaazarenkatennis.com/.
  • 2009 US Open semifinalist Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium has launched her new website at http://www.yaninawickmayer.com/.
  • Last week, American Wayne Odesnik was banned for two years after pleading guilty to importing human growth hormone in Australia before the Australian Open. Despite denying using HGH and never testing positive for the banned substance, the International Tennis Federation suspended Odesnik because he possessed a banned substance “without a therapeutic use exemption.” Odesnik, who turned pro in 2004 and made the third round at Roland Garros in 2008, will have his ban backdated to start December 29, 2009 and expiring on 28, 2011. All his results from the 2010 season will not count.
  • Former French Open finalist Guillermo Coria recently told Argentine newspaper Ole that a comeback to the ATP World Tour has crossed his mind many times. “I’m not 28 and yes, it’s true I’ve asked myself that question, I’ve had a good time and now, when I see tournament on television, I’m nostalgic,” said Coria. “I’m not training really but I’m on the court everyday because I’m training my little brother and some Argentine hopefuls.”
  • Cliff Richey, a former top-ranked American player and a semifinalist at the 1970 French Open, will speak about his new book Acing Depression: A Tennis Champion’s Toughest Match at the Lubbock Country Club in Lubbock, Texas this Friday at noon. Fans can attend the speech and receive a copy of the book and lunch for $20. The talk is being held in conjunction with the club’s annual Memorial Day tennis tournament. Fans can RSVP to the Lubbock Country Club Tennis at 806.762.3430 or info@lubbockcc.org.
  • Tim Henman, who announced that he will play at the AEGON Masters Tennis tournament at Royal Albert Hall in London, welcomed the opportunity for a rematch against Goran Ivanisevic. Ivanisevic won their epic rain-delayed 2001 Wimbledon semifinal match before going on to defeat Patrick Rafter in the finals to win his only Grand Slam singles title. When asked who he thinks will win Wimbledon this year, Henman said, “I really think Wimbledon could be Murray’s.
  • During a recent conference call for Tennis Channel, tennis legend Martina Navratilova announced that she is “cancer free” after undergoing surgery six weeks ago. “I’m doing well,” said Navratilova. “I just started radiation last week.”
  • The Nominating Committee of the USTA Eastern Section is accepting resumes for the following Board and Nominating Committee member positions; President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Three “Member-At-Large” positions, Four Nominating Committee members. Please email your resume to Sue Wold at suzr1@juno.com or mail it to: USTA Eastern, Attn: Nominating Committee, 4 West Red Oak Lane, Suite 300, White Plains, NY 10604, Deadline: Resumes should be received by Monday, July 12, 2010.

GULBIS IN SHOCK EXIT FROM ROLAND GARROS

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By WTM staff and wire reports

Ernests Gulbis became the first high-profile casualty of the French Open, pulling out of the tournament lame against Julien Benneteau of France in the first round.

Gulbis, who beat Roger Federer en route to the semifinals of Rome earlier this month, was many critics’ pre-tournament tip as a dark horse at Roland Garros.

However, the Latvian No. 23 seed was outplayed early on before a hamstring injury forced him to retire at 6-4, 6-2, 1-0, ret.

Gulbis revealed he would undergo a scan on his leg, but refused to be too downbeat, saying: “I stretched my hamstring in my right leg and I heard two cracks. I will go for a scan and hope that nothing is broken.

“It’s very disappointing. I prepared really well for the tournament. But I have another eight or nine years in front of me, maybe 20 Grand Slams.

“If I concentrate on just this one, I’d go nuts. It’s happened and I will learn from it,” added the 21-year-old.

Gulbis is featured in this interview:

With Harry Cicma of the New England Sports Network Show “World Tennis with Harry Cicma.”

Elsewhere, Swedish fifth seed Robin Soderling, a finalist at Roland Garros last year, cruised into round two.

Meanwhile, No. 8 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France overcame German upstart Daniel Brands in five sets, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-7, 7-5.

He produced a completely dominant display to dispatch wild card Laurent Recouderc and cruise through in a complete mismatch.

Soderling hit a string of winners – 46 in total – to which world No. 179 Recouderc simply had no answer.

And the 25-year-old, last year’s runner-up at Roland Garros, ultimately won through 6-0, 6-2, 6-3 in an hour and a half.

“It’s always nice to have a quick match in the early rounds. It was a good to have a few rallies,” said Soderling.

Referring to his run in the tournament last year, during which he beat four-time champion Rafael Nadal before losing out to Roger Federer in the final, he added: “That was all last year. I have to start over again. But of course it’s always nice to come back to a place where you did well last year. It gives you good feelings.”

Also, 10th seed Marin Cilic overcame a second-set wobble to beat Ricardo Mello 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1. Russian No. 11 seed Mikhail Youzhny was barely troubled as he saw off Poland’s Michal Przysiezny 6-1, 6-0, 6-4, making just 11 unforced errors and breaking his opponent seven times.

Colombian Alejandro Falla, who U.S. Davis Cup fans are likely to see later this year when his country takes on the United States in September’s Davis Cup Play-off Round in Colombia, wasted equal little time in beating Serbian Janko Tipsarevic 6-1, 6-2, 6-3. He will next face top seed Roger Federer. Dutchman Thiemo de Bakker overcame Frenchman Olivier Patience 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.

Chilean two-time Olympic gold medallist Nicolas Massu fell at the first hurdle in a five-set epic against Italian Fabio Fognini, going down 6-1, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.

But there were no such problems for Spanish seeds Albert Montanes and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

Montanes, seeded 29th, beat Italian Stefano Galvani 6-3, 6-3, 6-3, while 32nd seed Garcia-Lopez downed German Rainer Schuettler 7-5, 6-4, 6-2.

THE FRENCH OPEN IS A MENTAL AND PHYSICAL TEST

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By Cliff Richey

The following column is written by Cliff Richey, one of America’s best ever clay-court players who nearly won the French Open 40 years ago in 1970, losing a hard-fought, five-set semifinal. His new recently released book is called ACING DEPRESSION: A TENNIS CHAMPION’S TOUGHEST MATCH and can be purchased at www.CliffRicheyBook.com

Tennis fans are getting set for the “biggest show on dirt.” For the next two weeks, the best pros in the world will play on the clay courts of the Stade Roland Garros for the French Open Championships in Paris.

Spring in Paris.  How nice!  But the pros face long rallies on a slippery surface and unpredictable weather. The women play best-of-of-three sets.  The men, however, play best-of-five sets, and the champion will have survived seven rounds of what some think is the most difficult of the four grand slams to win.  And you have to stay focused for two full weeks.  So for the women and especially the men, it is a grueling test of strength and talent.

So what does it take to win the “world title on dirt?”  Superb physical fitness is a must.  Four-hour matches over five sets are to be expected.  The human backboards are always tough on clay.  They have the lethal groundstrokes and footwork that is comfortable on the slippery clay in Paris.

Patience is also key.  The pros who have success are mentally prepared in several ways.  They know  a two-week event takes special concentration.  You can’t get too high or too low.  Level attitude for the two weeks is needed.  Be mentally prepared for long rallies, sometimes 20 to30 hits a rally.  Weather delays can also be metally taxing.  Again, patience is the key.

In a way, European clay court tennis is a specialty.  Most of the winners through the years grew up on the surface.  Americans on the other hand usually start out on hardcourts.  And even if the Americans have access to clay, it’s different than fthe European clay.  American clay is faster.  The weather is a factor as well.  The cooler air of Paris makes for even slower conditions.  The clay court specialists of Europe simply have the home court advantage.

Look for the usual suspects like Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic to do well.  My darkhorses would be Andy Murray and maybe David Ferrer.  The top names who I don’t think will go very far are Andy Roddick and John Isner.  They are talented players, but their games are not suited to the slow clay.

In the women’s event, Serena Williams, Jelena Jankovic and Justine Henin are the ones to bet on.

The French crowds are always very vocal and can add a lot of “atmosphere” to any match.  So enjoy the long rallies, superb footwork and finely conditioned pros play these next two weeks for the biggest prize on clay–The French Open.

BETTER DAYS ARE AHEAD FOR SHARAPOVA

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By Blair Henley

When Maria Sharapova’s camp announced that she would be playing the Madrid Open this week after being sidelined for almost two months by an elbow injury, a collective cheer erupted from her fans (and sponsors).

Too bad their excitement was short-lived. Rising star Lucie Safarova put a damper on the comeback party Sunday when she rolled past the lanky Russian 6-4, 6-3 in the first round. Sharapova’s critics, which are easy to come by these days, will use this loss as more proof that her best days are behind her, but here’s why it may be too early to count her out.

Let’s start with the obvious. The last time we saw Maria was after her third round loss to China’s Zheng Jie on the hard courts at Indian Wells. The clay court season has since started, with many of the players in Madrid having already played multiple tournaments on the markedly slower surface. Safarova, who has toppled two top ten players already this year, is no exception. Let Sharapova use this tournament, as well as next week’s event in Strasbourg, to regain her footing on clay before judging the success (or failure) of her return.

Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova in Madrid © Ralf Reinecke

Also keep in mind that the operation on her right rotator cuff in the fall of 2008 kept her off the court for ten months. Ten months! That’s an eternity in the tennis world. It’s not unreasonable to give her a bit more time to rebuild the game that won her three Grand Slams. Though female players aren’t exactly known for their longevity, Maria just turned 23 and should have several more years in the tank. The past seven weeks she’s spent recovering from a bruised elbow bone were an unfortunate setback, but it won’t completely erase the work she’s done so far.

In fact, that short break might even give her some time to reevaluate her serve strategy. Since the shoulder surgery, it has become routine for Maria to turn out double digit double fault totals in her matches. She has worked hard to develop a new, shortened motion in order to take some pressure off of her injury prone shoulder, but it’s likely that the mechanics have become a distraction in competition. It’s time to stop tinkering and use her feel for the game to find a way to get it in.

Sharapova’s coach/hitting partner, Michael Joyce, is a key factor in pushing her to execute an effective serve as well as her trademark “hit-the-ball-as-hard-as-you-can” game plan. She is one of the few players talented enough to succeed using that strategy, but she has yet to regain an acceptable level of consistency. Her matches have been littered with unforced errors, though don’t forget that she was never really known for her clean play and marathon points in the first place.

In her first round loss to fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko at the 2010 Australian Open, she committed 72 unforced errors and had 11 double faults. The score? No, not 6-0, 6-0. Kirilenko barely pulled out a win in three sets 7-6, 3-6, 6-4. If Sharapova can find a way to weed out just a fraction of those unforced errors, she is going to see a huge improvement in her results. After playing both Madrid and Strasbourg, assuming her elbow has fully recovered, it seems fair to think that she will have enough time to work out the kinks, setting her up for a strong run at Roland Garros.

Tennis fans have also surely noted the conspicuous absence of Maria’s father, Yuri Sharapov. In the past couple of years he has slowly, and wisely, started to pull himself away from his daughter’s tennis game. Compared to the parental shenanigans we’re used to seeing on the tennis sidelines, their father/daughter relationship seemed to function fairly well, but it can be immensely helpful to have a fresh set of eyes critiquing practice sessions and matches. Joyce, a former ATP Tour player who reached a career high singles ranking of 64 in 1996, has a solid vision for her tennis and wouldn’t have gotten involved if he envisioned her wallowing around outside the top ten for the remainder of her career.

Sharapova’s game has clearly been sidetracked for the past couple of years with multiple injuries, evolving mechanics and new coaching, but one thing has not changed. She plays with a fiery tenacity rarely seen in the women’s game. There’s no doubt she hates to lose, but she mentioned in her post-match press conference on Sunday that she sees this rough patch as “a lesson.” That can only mean she’s learning.

Though her results since the rotator cuff repair have been disappointing at times, her ranking still sits at No. 13 in the world. Not too shabby. It takes incredible talent and intensity to succeed at that level with only bits and pieces of a world class game. If Maria continues to make adjustments with that same intent focus, it won’t be long before we see streaks, instead of flashes, of brilliance from the tennis star.

Whether or not Sharapova’s right arm (both elbow and shoulder) can hold up over the remainder of the grueling professional tennis season remains to be seen. Though her serve has widely been criticized as the cause of her injury troubles, it’s hard to imagine that her forehand, with a follow through that often finishes somewhere above her head or behind her right ear, hasn’t also put undue strain on those joints.  But regardless of how her mechanics might affect her in the future, she is healthy as of today, and that’s all we can ask for.

Maria Sharapova has been in the spotlight for longer than her age would suggest, and she has proven herself to be more than a One-Slam Wonder. With her elbow pain behind her and fresh start going into the heart of the pro schedule, fans should get ready to hear a lot more of her trademark shrieking. Don’t lie – you know you missed it.

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THE SCOPE OF SERENA’S AUSSIE OPEN WIN OVER JUSTINE

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In one of the most fascinating women’s final of a Grand Slam tournament in years, Serena Williams won her fifth Australian Open title Saturday, defeating Justine Henin 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 in a renewal of one of the great rivalries in women’s tennis over the last decade.

Williams, the world No. 1 and the defending Australian champion, won the last four games in the match, despite losing a stretch of five straight games and 15 straight points at the end of the second set and the beginning of the third set.

Her win over Henin gave her a 12th major singles title, tying her with the great Billie Jean King for sixth place all-time. Coupled with her victory in the women’s doubles competition Friday with sister Venus Williams now owns 25 career major titles, placing her in ninth place all-time and giving her an argument that, outside of 59-time major winner, Martina Navratilova, is the best – or most complete – female player of the Open era (since 1968).

Said Williams of equaling the number of major singles titles won by King, her former U.S. Olympic coach, ““It’s so cool. To be mentioned in the same breath as her is awesome.”

Williams, who now has an impressive 12-3 record in major singles finals, previously won Australian Open titles in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009 and becomes the first player to win five Australian Open women’s singles titles in the Open era, moving her past Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Evonne Goolagong and Margaret Court. Court, who won an all-time record 62 major titles in singles, doubles and mixed,  won an incredible 11 Australian singles titles, but seven of them were in the “amateur” era prior to 1968.

Williams became the first player to win singles and doubles at the Australian Open – something that you rarely see these days in men’s or women’s tennis – since she turned the trick last year Down Under and also back in 2003. Serena also won a Grand Slam tournament double last year at Wimbledon, beating sister Venus in the singles final but pairing with her to win the doubles title.

Henin was competing in only her second tournament after a 20-month retirement and is not officially ranked on the WTA computer – nor will she be when the WTA rankings come out on Monday. A player must have three tournament results to qualify for a ranking so Henin will not have a WTA Tour ranking even after this event since her only other tournament appearance was a runner-up finish to fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters in the Brisbane International earlier this month.  Clijsters won the US Open last September in her third tournament of her comeback, and like Henin, was also as an un-ranked wild-card singles finalist. Henin was seeking her eighth major singles title and joined Goolagong as the only other unranked player to play in an Australian final title. Goolagong won the 1977 Australian title without a ranking, coming back to tennis after giving birth to her first child.

Henin now trails her head-to-head series 8-6 against Serena with this meeting being their first in a major tournament final. Williams lost only two games in their last encounter at Miami in 2008 (winning 6-2, 6-0), shortly before Henin announced her shock retirement from tennis while holding the No. 1 ranking.

Henin’s last Australian Open final was in 2006 against France’s Amelie Mauresmo where the Belgian, infamously, retired with stomach pains in the second set. Her first final was in 2004 when she won the title over compatriot Kim Clijsters.

As she has done many times in the past, Williams used the 2010 Australian Open to again showcase her skills from coming back from significant deficits to win. In the quarterfinals against Victoria Azarenka, she trailed a set a 4-1 but came back to win 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2.

The following excerpts from the book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.TennisHistoryBook.com) outlines some of Serena’s other sensational comebacks through the years en route to winning the Australian Open.

January 23, 2003 – Serena Williams fights off two match points and a 1-5 third-set deficit to beat Kim Clijsters 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 to dramatically advance into the final of the Australian Open. Williams advances into the final to meet sister Venus Williams, whom she defeats to clinch her “Serena Slam” run of fourth consecutive major tournament titles. ”It was just an unbelievable battle out there,” says Serena of comeback win. ‘’I thought, ‘I don’t want to lose, 6-1.’ Then I said, ‘I don’t want to lose, 6-2.’ So I just kept fighting. Next thing I know, I came back.”

January 25, 2003 – Serena Williams clinches “The Serena Slam” beating older sister Venus Williams 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-4 to win the Australian Open and complete her sweep of four consecutive major championships. Venus, ironically, is the final-round victim of Serena’s in all four of the major tournaments. Serena joins Maureen Connolly, Margaret Court, Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf as the only women to hold all four major tournament titles at the same time. “I never get choked up, but I’m really emotional right now,” says Serena in the post-match ceremony. “I’m really, really, really happy. I’d like to thank my mom and my dad for helping me.” The win for Serena places her ahead in her head-to-head series with Venus by a 5-4 margin. Says Venus of her younger sister, “I wish I could have been the winner, but of course you have a great champion in Serena and she has won all four Grand Slams, which is something I’d love to do one day.”

January 27, 2005 – Serena Williams saves three match points in defeating Maria Sharapova 2-6, 7-5, 8-6 in an epic women’s semifinal at the Australian Open. Says Williams, “I’m still the top fighter out there. Those are always the best wins when you’re down match point.” Williams, seeded No. 7, fights off the three match points with Sharapova serving for the match at 5-4 in the third. At 6-6 in the third, Sharapova has three break point chances with Williams serving. After holding her serve for a 7-6 lead, Williams converts on her first match point to advance into the women’s singles final. Of the match points Williams says, “I thought  ‘OK, Serena, you’re down match point, but that’s OK, you’ve been down match point before’. It’s a little closer this time so I thought, ‘OK, I could do this.’ When the third match point came around I was like ‘OK, haven’t been in this position before. It’s a new experience for me but I can keep fighting’.” Says Sharapova, “I didn’t take my chances when I could – and that’s what this game is about. If you don’t take your chances you lose. Of course I’m sad but I’ve got a long way ahead of me. I’m 17-years-old and I got to the semifinals of the Australian Open. Nothing’s negative…I think she (Williams) is one of the best competitors out there.”

January 29, 2005 – Serena Williams wins her seventh major singles title, defeating Lindsay Davenport 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open. Williams’ win is her first major since she won Wimbledon in 2003. Says Williams after the match of the suggestion that her career was in decline, “It is a very fashionable way to decline…It’s that much sweeter because people are always wondering about what’s happening to us. It’s been a long way coming back. But I’m almost to my goal, and it feels great. “

January 19, 2007 – Serena Williams wins her first match against a top 10 ranked player in two years, defeating No. 5 seed Nadia Petrova of Russia 1-6, 7-5, 5-3 in the third round of the Australian Open. When presented with this stat in her post-match press conference, Williams laughs and says, “Has it been that long? That’s a terrible stat!” Her last previous win over a top 10 player came at the 2005 Australian Open when she defeated Lindsay Davenport in the final.

January 23, 2007 – Unseeded Serena Williams edges No. 16 seed Shahar Peer of Israel 3-6, 6-2, 8-6 in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. Says Williams following the match, “I am the ultimate competitor… I’m definitely ready to create some more carnage. I feel absolutely no pressure. I don’t think anyone thought I would get this far, except for me and my mom.” Williams fights off 10 of 13 break points against her serve and comes back from a 1-4 deficit in the final set.

January 27, 2007 – Twenty-five-year-old Serena Williams overwhelms Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-2 in the women’s singles final of the Australian Open to win her eighth and most unlikely major women’s singles title. Williams, ranked No. 81 and having played only four tournaments in the last year due to a bad knee, becomes only the second unseeded woman to win the Australian title in the Open era, joining Chris O’Neill, who was ranked No. 111 when she won the 1978 Australian Open. “It was an awesome win, because I had so many critics. So many people … saying negative things,” says Williams. “Saying I wasn’t fit, when I felt that I was really fit, and I could last three sets…It’s always like, tell me no and I’ll show you that I can do it. I get the greatest satisfaction just holding up the Grand Slam trophy and proving everyone wrong.” Says Sharapova, “She came out today and she really played flawless tennis.”

MONDAYS WITH BOB GREENE: STARS FOR HAITI

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STARS

Elena Dementieva beat Serena Williams 6-3 6-2 to win the Medibank International women’s singles at Sydney, Australia

Marcos Baghdatis beat Richard Gasquet 6-4 7-6 (2) in Sydney, Australia, to win the Medibank International men’s singles

John Isner beat Arnaud Clement 6-3 5-7 7-6 (2) to win the Heineken Open in Auckland, New Zealand

Alona Bondarenko beat Shahar Peer 6-2 6-4 to win the Moorilla Hobart International in Hobart, Australia

SAYINGS

“It doesn’t make me angry, just disappointed a little bit. I think I deserved my place in the draw as the 16th seed and not as a qualifier, but I knew it was going to be this way. I tried to make the best of it, stayed positive and strong mentally. I’m really happy the way I handled everything.” – Yanina Wickmayer, who had to qualify for the Australian Open even though she is ranked 16th in the world.

“When I started in ’89 I remember my father said `OK, it’s good you’re professional, you play the big events and try to play for three, four, five years.’ This is my 22nd year, so never I thought I would be able to play that long at that level.” – Fabrice Santoro, who came out of retirement to play a Grand Slam tournament in a fourth decade.

“I have waited a couple of years for this title and I’m happy I won. I hope it’s not the last for this year.” – Alona Bondarenko, after winning the Moorilla Hobart International.

“This is completely unexpected … amazing. The biggest benefit will be the belief that I can play with these guys at this level. … Winning four matches at this level gives me a huge amount of confidence I can do it in singles as well.” – Marcus Daniell, after teaming with Horia Tecau to win the doubles title in Auckland, New Zealand.

“I was just happy to play in the tournament and have a chance.” – Horia Tecau, who with Marcus Daniell turned their wild-card entry into the Auckland tournament into a doubles title.

“I thought he retired? He asked me to play doubles with him in the US Open. Told me it was his last tournament. Now here he is, he’s unretired for the seventh time!” – John McEnroe, when told Fabrice Santoro was playing in the Australian Open.

“Anti-terrorism security is everywhere in the world, it’s not just in Mumbai because something happened there recently. It happens in Australia, New York, Madrid, London and Paris.” – Leander Paes, making a plea for Commonwealth countries to send teams to the upcoming Commonwealth Games in India.

“The last five, six years the dominance was obvious from (Roger) Federer, (Rafael) Nadal. They’ve been winning all the Grand Slams they’ve played. But now in last two years or so the things are changing a little bit. … You have (Juan Martin) del Potro, (Andy) Murray, (Andy) Roddick, (Nikolay) Davydenko. They’re all in great shape, great form.” – Novak Djokovic, the 2008 Australian Open champion noting there are a number of contenders for this year’s men’s singles title.

“I have seen the pictures on the news and it is just horrific. I want to send my condolences to everyone affected by the earthquake.” –Marcos Baghdatis.

“I don’t think we can fully comprehend the devastation of the earthquake over in Haiti and we just to do our part in helping everyone who is suffering during this difficult time.” – Daniel Nestor.

“It was something I felt I could easily do and I plan on doing it in Australia as well. It makes you realize how lucky you are.” – John Isner, after donating USD $5,000 of his winnings to the Haitian earthquake relief fund.

STARS FOR HAITI

On the eve of the Australian Open, some of the world’s top tennis players put on a fundraiser for earthquake victims in Haiti. The event, called “Hit for Haiti,” raised more than USD $185,000, a figure that is expected to grow. And that doesn’t include the money donated by the players themselves. Roger Federer teamed with Serena Williams, Lleyton Hewitt and Samantha Stosur to play a team composed of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick and Kim Clijsters. In the end, Federer’s Red Team beat the rival Blue Team 7-6 in their one-set match that featured mixed doubles with player substitution. The teams were named for the colors of Haiti’s flag. The fundraiser was Federer’s idea, and he also was master of ceremonies. “It was a fun afternoon for all of us,” the Swiss star told the crowd.” But most important is that we can help Haiti,”

Several players have reached into their pockets for contributions to the earthquake victims. Maria Sharapova, who won the Australian Open in 2008, gave USD $10,000, while American John Isner and Marcos Baghdatis of Cyrus each has donated USD $5,000.

SANTORO’S BACK

Fabrice Santoro made short work of his retirement. The Frenchman is playing in his 70th Grand Slam tournament as he extended his career into a fourth decade. He was 16 when he played in his first major, the 1989 French Open. He retired last year at Roland Garros. But the 37-year-old Santoro said the lure was too strong for one more appearance at the Australian Open, where he reached the quarterfinals in 2006. Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said Santoro has offered to donate his first-round prize money to charity.

SUPER QUALIFIER

After being forced to qualify, Yanina Wickmayer poses a problem for the top players at the Australian Open. Ranked 16th in the world, Wickmayer should have been seeded in the year’s first Grand Slam tournament. But she was ineligible to enter the main draw due to suspension, a ban which has since been lifted by a Danish court and the International Tennis Federation. Wickmayer easily won a main draw spot, crushing Spain’s Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-0 6-0 in the final qualifying round. She could face her two Belgian compatriots in the tournament: Justine Henin in the fourth round and Kim Clijsters in the quarterfinals. “Coming here and starting the qualifiers wasn’t easy for me,” Wickmayer said. “I just tried to take it the positive way.”

Xavier Malisse of Belgium was banned at the same time as Wickmayer, and he, too, had his suspension lifted. And like his female compatriot, Malisse came through qualifying to gain a main draw spot at the Australian Open.

The qualifiers for the women’s singles included 19-year-old Han Xinyun of China, who is making her Australian Open debut.

SEND TEAMS

Tennis star Leander Paes has appealed to New Zealand and other governments to send teams to the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India. Paes is one of a number of Indian athletes charged with promoting the games. He said every possible step will be taken to ensure the safety of athletes as he appealed to the Commonwealth governments to trust the organizer’s security efforts. “There is terrorism all around the world, it’s not just something that we have in India,” Paes said. “There will be high security measures taken at the Commonwealth Games because it’s like an Olympics or Asian Games. I am sure the security will be fantastic.” New Zealand and Australia have both indicated they are satisfied with security arrangements for the games but have said they were constantly monitoring the security situation. [Read more…] about MONDAYS WITH BOB GREENE: STARS FOR HAITI