World Tennis Magazine

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Sampras, Martin Included In Super Bowl Week in Indianapolis: This Week in Tennis Business with Justin Cohen

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Pete Sampras

Super Bowl XVLI week in Indianapolis to include Pete Sampras vs. Todd Martin exhibition match

On Sunday, January 29 at 7 p.m. at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, tennis legends Pete Sampras and Todd Martin will take part in the “Match For a Cure,” an exhibition tennis match kicking-off Super Bowl XLVI week. The event was put together by Pacers Sports & Entertainment, California-based Live Nation Entertainment Inc., and Michigan-based BP Sports and Entertainment.  Event organizers said 25 percent of the proceeds will go to organizations dealing with cancer research and treatment. The event founder is leukemia survivor and former tennis professional Bill Przybysz. The “Match For a Cure” event was started in 1999 when Przybysz challenged former world No. 1 John McEnroe to a match to raise money for cancer. This year’s event will feature Sampras competing against Martin in singles, as well as both men playing doubles against two local celebrities. Event organizers expect 10,000 to 12,000 fans to pack the stands for the event. “We think a lot of people who live here as well as visitors that happen to be here will want to come downtown to watch some high-level tennis in a good venue,” said Rick Fuson, Pacers Sports & Entertainment Vice President and Director of Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Club level tickets for the event are $27, lower-level tickets are $47 and $67, and courtside tickets—which include a meet-and-greet with the players—cost $150. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster.

Tennis Channel launches two consumer-targeted marketing initiatives during 2012 Australian Open

During this year’s Australian Open, the Tennis Channel has announced two brand new consumer-targeted marketing initiatives. The Tennis Channel Advantage program, which began during the first Grand Slam event of the year in Melbourne, offers viewer discounts, exclusive tips and news, as well as access to members-only VIP events. The network will also connect with their viewers by giving fans the golden opportunity to win signed tennis racquets. For users who “LIKE” the Tennis Channel Facebook fan page, they are given the chance to a win a signed tennis racquet each week for up to three months by players such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.  Winners will be selected at random. “We are thrilled to begin the year with two major promotions,” said Robyn Miller, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Tennis Channel. “Not only are we expanding awareness of our network but we’re getting a chance to reward our passionate and loyal fans for their support and viewership.” The Tennis Channel program enables avid fans of the network to sign up for everything from discounts on tennis merchandise, movies, concerts and more to special “VIP experiences” such as access into behind-the-scenes activities, premiere seats to Tennis Channel events and more. The program also encourages its members to create or connect with local chapters by organizing or participating in activities that range from tournament events to matches to viewing parties, while maintaining a profile page on which participants will receive exclusive tips, news and more. Members will pay a small fee to be a part of the program run by Stoneacre Acquisition Company, Inc., which has created similar programs for NASCAR, the NFL Alumni Association and University of Cincinnati Athletics. “We are excited to partner with the Tennis Channel and leverage our proprietary platform to treat passionate tennis fans as VIPs and deliver more of the sport they love for less,” said David Hickson, President and CEO, Stoneacre. For more details or to enroll, please visit www.TennisChannelAdvantage.com.

Baghdatis fined $800 for smashing four racquets at Australian Open

World No. 44 Marcos Baghdatis was slapped with an $800 fine after breaking four racquets on one changeover during his four-set loss to Stanislas Wawrinka at the Australian Open last week. The biggest fine given out was to Spain’s Fernando Verdasco, who was docked $2,000 for receiving coaching from his players’ box in his first round loss to Australian Bernard Tomic. Other ATP World Tour players given fines at this year’s first Grand Slam event included American John Isner, Alexandr Dolgopolov, Denis Istomin, Donald Young, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Gilles Simon.

Radwanska hires Dokic’s former coach

World No. 8 Agnieszka Radwanska has hired Borna Bikic as her new coach. Bikic is the brother of Jelena Dokic’s longtime boyfriend, and was once Dokic’s coach. Bikic previously coached Croatian player Karolina Sprem. Radwanska reached the quarterfinals at this week’s Australian Open before falling in three sets to world No. 3 Victoria Azarenka.

Bob Bryan to skip Davis Cup tie against Switzerland in February

Bob Bryan will skip the United States’ Davis Cup first round tie against Switzerland next month because his wife Michelle is due to give birth to their first child on January 29. “Mike is going solo and play with Mardy (Fish), John (Isner) or Sam (Querrey),” said Bryan. “I’m officially out. I called (captain) Jim (Courier) in November and he was supportive. He said it’s probably not a smart play, you won’t have your head in the game.” The Bryan Brothers have compiled an impressive 19-2 record together in Davis Cup doubles matches. The last time the top-ranked doubles duo in the world has not played together in a Davis Cup match was against Serbia two years ago, when Mike got food poisoning. Bob ended up joining forces with Isner and came through with the victory. The United States will take on the Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka led Swiss team in Fribourg, Switzerland, from February 10-12.

Roddick injured; will miss three weeks including Davis Cup against Switzerland

After retiring from his second round Australian Open match with a right hamstring injury against Lleyton Hewitt, American Andy Roddick will miss three weeks, including Davis Cup against Switzerland. Roddick said he hopes to be fit enough to play the tournament in San Jose.

Serena Williams at 500 Match Wins and Counting

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by Lisa-Marie Burrows

Serena Williams may have declared herself more of a ‘night owl’ after her late finish during her first round match, but today, she was equally swift in victory as she recorded her 500th career win on Rod Laver Arena, against Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-0 6-4 in a swift 68 minutes.

Serena Williams

Williams was on fire in the opening set and played with superiority in the blazing sun to take her on the next stage of her Grand Slam journey – to claim the title for a sixth time. The former world No.1 was in cruise control at the start of the match and dropped only nine points in 22 minutes, winning 86 percent of her first service points, preventing Zahlavova Strycova with very few opportunities to attack her second serve.

The five-time winner of the Australian Open, found the competition level elevated as the world No. 49 settled into the match and found her range.  The rallies intensified and she began to move the American around the court and even wrong-footed Williams, resulting in her falling awkwardly.  Fortunately, the fall was not serious and play resumed as normal.

The 12th seed had the opportunity to serve for the match at 5-3 in the second set, but her victory was delayed as Zahlavova Strycova broke her serve in hope of extending the competition.

Williams was untroubled by the momentary lapse and closed out the match by breaking the Czech at 5-4 after unleashing her power ball game to hit a short ball with a backhand down-the-line winner.

The American will now meet Greta Arn of Hungary in the third round after she was the successful winner of a long dual against the No.17 seed, Dominika Cibulkova in three, tough sets, 6-2, 3-6, 10-8.

Maria Sharapova, another former Australian Open champion, was equally as impressive in her second round encounter against American, Jamie Hampton, in a straight sets 6-0, 6-1 victory, whilst Wimbledon champion, Petra Kvitova, experienced a trickier contest. The Czech faced Carla Suarez Navarro in the second round and took three sets to dispatch of the Spaniard 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.

Crowd favourite Australian Jelena Dokic, was ousted in straight sets by 9th seed Marion Bartoli of France 6-3, 6-2 in her second round match on the Rod Laver Arena, as Ana Ivanovic continued her Australian Open campaign on Hisense Arena with ease after defeating Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands 6-2, 6-3. 

Russians, 7th seed Vera Zvonareva and 18th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, progressed into the third round after their defeats over Lucie Hradecka and Sloane Stephens respectively, whilst compatriot and 29th seed Nadia Petrova fell short to Sara Errani of Italy, 2-6, 2-6.

Lisa-Marie Burrows is a qualified LTA Community Tennis Coach from England and a trainee sports journalist, in the final stages of completion of her course, enabling her to put her passion and enthusiasm for tennis into words and write articles about the events on the WTA and ATP Tours. She has taken great pleasure in traveling across Europe to watch tennis and cover the events, most recently the Davis Cup tie between Spain and France and the Valencia Open 500 tournament. Lisa-Marie is a member of the International Press Association and a contributing journalist for its online magazine, IMPress.  She has contributed articles for various leading websites including www.tennisscoop.co.uk,www.olympictennis.net and most recently for www.tennisgrandstand,com andwww.worldtennismagazine.com. Lisa-Marie operates her tennis website called Tennis News and Views where you can read her reports and updates for the latest tennis information and keep up to date with the news on Twitter @TennisNewsViews.

Good Wimbledon preparations for Bartoli and Seppi – Mondays with Bob Greene

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STARS

Marion Bartoli beat Petra Kvitova 6-1 4-6 7-5 to win the AEGON International women’s singles in Eastbourne, Great Britain

Andreas Seppi beat Janko Tipsarevic 7-6 (5) 3-6 5-3 retired to win the AEGON International men’s singles in Eastbourne, Great Britain

Dmitry Tursunov beat Ivan Dodig 6-3 6-2 to win the men’s singles at the UNICEF Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands

Roberta Vinci beast Jelena Dokic 6-7 (7) 6-3 7-5 to win the UNICEF Open women’s singles in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands

Andy Murray beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 3-6 7-6 (2) 6-4 to win the AEGON Championships at The Queen’s Club in London, Great Britain

Sabine Lisicki beat Daniela Hantuchova 6-3 6-2 to win the AEGON Classic in Birmingham, Great Britain

Marion Bartoli and Petra Kvitova

DAVIS CUP

Asia/Oceania Zone Group III: Sri Lanka and Lebanon are promoted to Group II for 2012; United Arab Emirates and Myanmar were demoted to Group IV.

Americas Zone Group IV: Panama and Trinidad & Tobago are promoted to Group III for 2012.

SAYING

“Venus and I have both missed tennis so much. If tennis has missed us half as much as we have missed tennis, we’re in a good place.” – Serena Williams.

“It was all great and it was all awesome. People will remember that match forever. Look, I will, too. But I don’t want it to be the only lasting image of my career. It’s up to me to make sure I accomplish more than that.’” – John Isner, about last year’s record-breaking match with Nicolas Mahut.

“I couldn’t believe it. I joked with him earlier in the week, last week, and said, ‘Watch us play each other.’ And he said, ‘No, there’s no way. That’s not even funny.’” – John Isner, referring to a rematch of his record-breaking first-round Wimbledon battle a year ago against Nicolas Mahut.

“Isner vs. Mahut drawing each other in the first round after last year is the most amazing thing I’ve seen in tennis! Centre court anyone?!” – Andy Murray.

“You cannot be serious.” – Patrick McEnroe, US Davis Cup captain borrowing his brother John’s famous Wimbledon saying when he heard about the Isner-Mahut rematch.

“The first sort of five hours nobody cared too much. It’s the next five that made the news. We were all glued to the television. It was something very special and unbelievable. We all know that. It’s nice that it’s possible in tennis.” – Roger Federer, on last year’s John Isner-Nicolas Mahut match.

“We might do dinner (afterward). We’re really good friends now, but obviously we both want to win. But we’re going to enjoy it and laugh at it at the same time.” – John Isner.

“It’s the same ankle I injured earlier. I slipped in the first set and it started hurting. I took some medication on the court that helped with pain in my knee but not my ankle.” – Kim Clijsters, who pulled out of Wimbledon after turning her ankle in a match ‘s-Hertogenbosh, the Netherlands.

“I think maybe she was not one hundred percent, and I tried drop shots.” — Romina Oprandi, a qualifier who upset Kim Clijsters 7-6 (5) 6-3.

“He was playing a different sport to me in the first two sets. I’ve never seen anyone dive so much.” – Andy Murray, referring to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s many diving volleys during their final match at The Queen’s Club – a match Murray won.

“Tennis has changed a lot. People are now trying to be healthier and everyone’s believing they can play longer. I think the days of retiring at 27 are over. By the time you get to the age I am, that’s when you really start to understand the game and you can take advantage of that. So I’m going to stay and take advantage of all my experience.” – Venus Williams.

“I’m enjoying the game, staying focused, having fun. Lots of people put too much pressure on themselves without sitting back and seeing we’re playing tennis for a living and it’s fun.” – Heather Watson of Great Britain, at 19 the youngest player in the top 100 in the women’s rankings.

“I’m really excited to be back. I really miss playing tennis. I’m thoroughly enjoying the short time I’ve been back on the practice courts. It sucked because when I left I was ranked number one. That’s what I miss most, just being on top of the game and playing some really good tennis, and the challenges of all the other players.” – Serena Williams.

“If we come back and play well, that’s credit to our games. It’s not easy to win majors because if it was, everyone would be doing it.” – Venus Williams, when asked if a Wimbledon victory by either her or her sister Serena would show that women’s tennis was in poor condition.

“Obviously no one wants to play them. They have the experience and play really well, especially on grass. It’s good that they got a higher seed than their rankings because no one wants to play them in the early rounds.” – Caroline Wozniacki, talking about Serena and Venus Williams.

“I’m hoping I can peak at Wimbledon, hopefully in the second week, and hopefully I’ll get there.” – Serena Williams.

“We have dropped ranking points and that’s part of being off, but at this point we’re happy to be back, we’re here to play, we’re in the draw and that’s what matters.” – Venus Williams.

“It’s fantastic for fans to have Serena and Venus back on the courts. Serena is one of the all-time greats and she brings a fantastic energy, fun on the court. She’s a great champion and a great entertainer.” – Stacey Allaster, WTA chief executive.

SAME PLACE, SAME FOE

American John Isner and France’s Nicolas Mahut made tennis history last year when their first-round duel at Wimbledon became the longest match in tennis history, a grueling 11-hour, 5-minute marathon stretched over three days. As only the luck – or “unluck” – of the draw would have, Isner and Mahut will meet again in a Wimbledon first-round match. “It won’t happen again,” Isner said of a possible repeat of the marathon battle. “Not even come close.” Last year Isner was victorious 6-4 3-6 6-7 (7) 7-6 (3) 70-68 since Wimbledon does not have a fifth-set tiebreak. It is only the eighth time in the Open Era that Wimbledon has had a back-to-back repeat first-round match up. In five of the previous seven occasions, the winner of the first meeting won the second time around. Shuzo Matsuoka of Japan had it happen to him twice. In 1990 Matsuoka beat Luiz Mattar, only to lose to him the following year. Matsuoka lost to Mark Woodforde in both 1993 and 1994.

SKIPPING WIMBLEDON

Kim Clijsters, who won the Australian Open in January, will miss Wimbledon because of a foot injury. The second-ranked Belgian injured her right foot at the Unicef Open in the Netherlands this past week. “At this moment I feel frustrated that it has to happen now before one of my favorite tournaments,” Clijsters said in a statement. “I’ve always enjoyed being a part of the Wimbledon atmosphere but I have no other choice now but to rest, recover and to not play tennis for a few weeks.” Clijsters is a three-time US Open winner.

American Sam Querrey and Benjamin Becker of Germany also have withdrawn from the grass court Grand Slam tournament. Both cited elbow injuries. A knee injury forced Greta Arn of Hungary to withdraw from the women’s singles draw.

SISTERS MOVING UP

With a look at the past, Wimbledon officials moved the Williams sisters up in the seeding for this year’s tournament. Defending champion Serena Williams was bumped up to number 7 in the seedings – 19 places above her world ranking – while sister Venus, who is ranked 33rd in the world, was seeded 23th. Serena underwent two foot surgeries and later had blood clots on her lung, missing nearly a full year. Venus was injured while playing in the Australian Open in January. Both sisters returned to action just this past week at Eastbourne, Serena losing in the second round while Venus lost in the third round. Between them, the sisters have combined to win nine of the last 11 titles at the All England Club, with Serena beating Venus three times in their four Wimbledon final meetings. “The seeding order follows the WTA ranking list, except where in the opinion of the committee a change is necessary to produce a balanced draw,” Wimbledon organizers said. “The only changes this year are Serena Williams and Venus Williams moving to 8 and 24, respectively. This reflects the balance between their proven records and also their lack of competitive play in the past 12 months.” They each were moved up one spot when second-ranked Kim Clijsters pulled out of Wimbledon with an injury.

STANDING BY

Lleyton Hewitt retired from his opening match at Eastbourne when he aggravated an existing injury. The 30-year-old Australian has undergone intensive treatment on the injury and hopes to be able to play Wimbledon, which he won in 2002. “I’d want it to be a lot better than it is today to be able to play Wimbledon,” Hewitt said last week. Hewitt’s world ranking has plummeted to 130 after winning just six matches this season and failing to defend his title in Halle, Germany. Because of a left ankle injury, Hewitt pulled out of the French Open just hours before he was to play his first-round match.

SHARK BITE

Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic could overtake Rafael Nadal for the number one spot in the men’s rankings by the time Wimbledon ends its fortnight run. In order for the Spaniard to remain number one, he must win the title and Djokovic must lose before the final. Anything else and the Serb would take over the top spot, according to Greg Sharko, the ATP’s computer and statistics guru. Roger Federer can’t catch Djokovic regardless of what happens, but if Federer won Wimbledon for the seventh time and Nadal loses before the final, Federer would pass Nadal.

SUCH DOMINATION

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have dominated men’s tennis in the last six years. Since Nadal won his first Grand Slam tournament title at Roland Garros in 2005, the Spaniard and Federer have combined to win 22 of the last 25 Grand Slam men’s singles titles. During that stretch, Federer has won 12 Grand Slam tournaments and Nadal 10. The only ones that escaped the dynamic duo were the Australian Open in 2008 and this past January, when Novak Djokovic joined the winner’s circle, and the 2009 US Open, which was won by Juan Martin del Potro. Since Roland Garros in 2007, the trio of Nadal, Federer and Djokovic have reached the semifinals together 20 times. Of the 20, eight have come in Grand Slam tournaments, including Wimbledon in 2007.

SWITCH

After calling for his match to be halted because of bad light, Janko Tipsarevic retired hurt in a rain-interrupted AEGON International men’s singles match at Eastbourne, giving unseeded Andreas Seppi of Italy the first ATP title of his career 7-6 (5) 3-6 5-3, retired. Tipsarevic asked for play to be halted at the start of the third set but was turned down by the tournament supervisor. He later complained that “the scoreboard was shining.” Officials halted play for around 20 minutes with Seppi leading 4-0 in the final set. Tipsarevic won the next three games before play was halted again for 10 minutes while the Serb was worked on by a trainer. Tipsarevic hurt his leg when he fell on the greasy surface. With Seppi two points from victory at 5-3 15-0 in the third set, Tipsarevic retired. Because of rain delays throughout the week, both men were playing their second matches of the day.

STRUGGLE, BUT VICTORY

It wasn’t easy. Sixth-seeded Marion Bartoli overcame blustery winds, a groin injury and the left-handed firepower of Petra Kvitova to win the Eastbourne grass court Wimbledon warm-up tournament. It was Bartoli’s sixth WTA title and first on grass. The Frenchwoman has now won 13 of her last 15 matches going into Wimbledon. In the third set Bartoli left the court to get treatment for a groin strain. Although she was limping, the set went with serve until Bartoli broke in the seventh game as Kvitova served three double faults. When she served for the match the first time, Bartoli was broken. But she broke right back, then closed out the victory on her next service game. It was the second match of the day for both women at the rain-affected tournament.

SEVEN-MILE RULE

Blaz Kavcic is staying too far away from the All England Club. Currently ranked 72nd in the world, Kavcic will take on Tobias Kamke of Germany in Wimbledon’s first round, with the winner possibly taking on fourth-seeded Andy Murray. Kavcic complained that Wimbledon’s official transport refused to take him home and instead dropped him at a subway station. “Can u believe it?” Kavcic Twittered. “Wimbledon official transport service is within 7 miles, I need it for 9, they dropped me at 7 and I had to take a tube :(`” However, all players had been told they must live within a seven-mile radius of the All England Lawn Tennis Club to enjoy free travel during the competition.

SUCCESSOR TO LI NA?

Playing in her first International Tennis Federation (ITF) final, 16-year-old Yang Zhaoxuan of China crushed Kim Hae Sung of Korea 6-2 6-0 to win the Airtel USD $10,000 women’s tournament in New Delhi, India. Yang dominated the entire week, capturing the title without dropping a set and losing only 14 games total in all five rounds. In the title match, Yang served six aces and 28 other winners against her 23-year-old foe. Yang lost only 10 points in her seven services games.

STEPPING DOWN

Adam Helfant will step down as head of the ATP at the end of the year when his three-year contract expires. In announcing the move, Helfant said he turned down an offer from the ATP board of directors to renew his contract with the men’s tennis tour. An American who joined the ATP as president and executive chairman in January 2009, Helfant said he will pursue other opportunities. “I am proud to say the tour is stronger than ever – in terms of on-court action and our business – and is well positioned for the future,” Helfant said in a statement. “There comes a time when it makes sense to look to the future and consider other opportunities. For me, that time is now.”

SKINNY-DIPPING

The latest ATP player to show all – well, almost all – for a good cause is Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The nude picture of the Frenchman is in the June issue of the United Kingdom version of Cosmopolitan magazine. Tsonga is the third tennis player to bare all in support of the Everyman Male Cancer Campaign, following in the footsteps of Spaniards Tommy Robredo and Fernando Verdasco. The Everyman campaign raises awareness of, and funds research into, testicular and prostate cancer. Cosmopolitan features different celebrities in nude centerfolds each month to aid the male cancer campaign. Through its centerfolds, the magazine has helped raise vital funds for the 39,000 men a year diagnosed with male-specific cancer.

STUDY ON WTA

A study released by the WTA shows that despite injuries to prominent players such as Serena and Venus Williams, player withdrawals for 2011 are down by 35 percent and top player participation rates are up by 39 percent. The study, called the “Roadmap Report,” is a quarterly analysis of players’ participation rates and withdrawal rates. “Even though several top ranked players missed tournaments this year due to injuries, the number of top players participating in tournaments worldwide is way up this year compared to the way it used to be,” said Stacey Allaster, the CEO of the WTA. “The Roadmap is doing its job. Withdrawals are down; top player participation is up; prize money is up and so is attendance. Our game is doing quite well.”

Three years ago, the calendar for women’s tennis was substantially changed in response to concerns from players that the season was too long and grueling.

SENIOR BATTLE

Ten years ago, Goran Ivanisevic, Pat Rafter and Tim Henman were the talk of Wimbledon. This November, the three will reunite in London at the Royal Albert Hall. In 2001, Ivanisevic beat Rafter for the Wimbledon title after stopping Henman in the semifinals. All will take part this fall in the AEGON Masters. Joining the trio will be John McEnroe, Henri Leconte, Mansour Bahrami and Pat Cash.

SPONSOR

Rolex, a leader in the luxury goods market and a longtime supporter of tennis, will be the Official Timekeeper of the year-end TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships. The season-ending event will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Under the terms of the six-year agreement, Rolex will receive global exposure across all WTA marketing platforms, including broadcast, digital and on-court branding. Additionally, Rolex will sponsor the Hawkeye Electronic Line Calling at the year-end Championships, which will feature the world’s top eight singles players and top four doubles teams.

SADDLEBROOK FORUM

Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel, Florida, USA, will play host to the nation’s largest tennis gathering, the USPTA World Conference on Tennis. The United States Professional Tennis Association represents more than 15,000 instructors in more than 80 countries. Association spokeswoman Poornima Rimm said the five-day conference attracts about 1,500 attendees. The conference will feature more than 40 general sessions, seminars and specialty courses for tennis pros, manufacturers, wholesalers and media.

SHARED SUCCESS

Eastbourne (men): Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram beat Grigor Dimitrov and Andreas Seppi 6-3 6-3

Eastbourne (women): Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik beat Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond 6-3 6-0

‘s-Hertogenbosch (men): Daniele Bracciali and Frantisek Cermak beat Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau 6-3 2-6 10-8 (match tiebreak)

‘s-Hertogenbosch (women): Barbora Zahlavova Strycova and Klara Zakopalova beat Dominika Cibulkova and Flavia Pennetta 1-6 6-4 10-7 (match tiebreak)

London: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes 6-7 (2) 7-6 (4) 10-6 (match tiebreak)

SURFING

Wimbledon: www.wimbledon.com

Braunschweig: www.nordlb-open.org/

Turin: www.sporting.to.it/

The Lawn Tennis Association: www.lta.org.uk/

Tennis Brit: www.tennisbrit.co.uk/

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

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

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

WOMEN

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

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

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

$163,300 Braunschweig, Germany, clay

$122,000 Turin, Italy, clay

WOMEN

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

SENIORS

Volkswagen Senior Classic, Turin, Italy, clay

Mondays with Bob Greene: Caroline Wozniacki and Rafael Nadal are the ITF World Champions of 2010

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STARS

Sania Mirza beat Bojana Jovanovski 4-6 6-3 6-0 to win the $75,000 Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Ryan Harrison beat Jack Sock 7-6 (3) 6-2 6-7 (4) 6-4 to win the men’s USTA Australian Open wild-card playoffs in Norcross, Georgia, USA

Lauren Davis beat Coco Vandeweghe 6-2 6-2 to win the women’s USTA Australian Open wild-card playoffs in Norcross, Georgia, USA

Olivia Rogowska beat Jelena Dokic to win the Australian Open wild-card playoff in Perth, Australia

Shingo Kunieda beat Satoshi Saida 6-3 6-3 to win the men’s singles at the Asian Para Games in Guangzhou, China

Sakhorn Khanthasit beat Dong Fuli 6-4 1-6 7-5 to win the women’s singles at the Asian Para Games in Guangzhou, China

SAYINGS

“After having a not so good start to the year, I am happy to be finishing on a high. This has been a dream end for my season.” – Sania Mirza, after winning the Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge in Dubai.

“She was amazing in the third set. I had no answer to anything that she sent across.” – Bojana Jovanovski, after losing to Sania Mirza in the final of the Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

“I have also been very touched by all the messages of support I have received over the past few days, and want to thank Laureus Academy chairman Edwin Moses in particular for making a very early morning call from Atlanta … to wish me well. It was great to chat to him, although I did joke that perhaps I have gone above and beyond the call of duty for Laureus on this occasion!” – Martina Navratilova, who was hospitalized after developing a serious illness while attempting to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.

“When you lose a lot of people make a lot of drama about it. You must understand that there are a lot of talented young players out there.” – Roger Federer, about his play this year.

“We couldn’t take the financial risk, the gap in our budget was simply too large.” Dietloff van Arnim, tournament director of the World Team Cup, explaining why the eight-team event was pulling out of Dusseldorf, Germany, and possibly might not be played again.

“It is an honor to be named ITF World Champion for the second time. After a difficult year in 2009, it was an amazing feeling to regain the number one ranking and finally win the US Open. My goal all the time is to keep improving and be a better player each year than I was the previous year.” – Rafael Nadal.

Sania Mirza

“What an honor it is to be named ITF World Champion. To be listed with all the former ITF World Champions is something I am really proud of. I had a great year in 2010 and I’m training hard to have an even better year in 2011. I’m already looking forward to the ceremony in Paris.” – Caroline Wozniacki.

“This has been another memorable year for tennis, culminating in Serbia’s triumph in the Davis Cup Final. Rafael Nadal has proved himself to be one of the greatest competitors in the sport’s history, while Caroline Wozniacki has shown a strong determination and continuous commitment to the game to earn the women’s number one ranking at such a young age.” – Francesco Ricci Bitti, International Tennis Federation president.

SPOTLIGHT FOR CHAMPIONS

Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki are the ITF World Champions for 2010. Nadal, who won three of the four Grand Slam tournaments this year, won the International Tennis Federation award for the second time. Wozniacki won six tournaments and took over the women’s number one ranking. In doubles, American brothers Bob and Mike Bryan won the men’s award, while Gisela Dulko of Argentina and Flavia Pennetta of Italy captured the women’s title.

Nadal became only the seventh man in history to win a career Grand Slam after winning the US Open in September. He earlier in the year captured Roland Garros for the fifth time and his second Wimbledon title, regaining the year-end number one ranking from Roger Federer. Since he also has an Olympic gold medal and two Davis Cup titles, the 24-year-old Spaniard has won all of tennis’ major prizes.

Wozniacki is the fourth-youngest woman to earn the year-end number one ranking, behind Martina Hingis, Monica Seles and Steffi Graf. The 20-year-old is the first World Champion from Denmark since Kristian Pless was named Boys World Champion in 1999.

Youth Olympic champions Juan Sebastian Gomez of Colombia and Daria Gavrilova of Russia are the 2010 ITF Junior World Champions, while the ITF Wheelchair World Champions are Esther Vergeer of the Netherlands and Japan’s Shingo Kunieda. Vergeer has won the title for 11 consecutive years.

The ITF World Champions will receive their awards at the annual ITF World Champions Dinner on May 31 in Paris, France, during Roland Garros.

SHAHAR THE TARGET

Protesters are planning to show up at next month’s ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, even though the object of their wrath won’t be there. Organizers say Israeli tennis player Shahar Peer is actually entered in the Brisbane International, which is being played at the same time as the Auckland event. But the protest group believes she will turn up in New Zeeland. Peer has drawn protests in the past because of Israel’s policies towards Palestinians.

SUCCESSFUL

Ryan Harrison and Lauren Davis have landed berths in the Australian Open. The two youngsters won the USTA Australian Open wild-cards with victories in Norcross, Georgia, just outside Atlanta. Harrison edged Jack Sock in a battle of 18-year-olds, 7-6 (3) 6-2 6-7 (4) 6-4 to grab the Australian Open wild card for the second straight year. Davis, a 17-year-old from Gates Mills, Ohio, downed 19-year-old Coco Vandeweghe 6-2, 6-2 to earn her wild card berth to the first major of 2011. The victory by Davis ran his winning streak to 27 consecutive matches and 36 of her last 37. She has won two ITF Futures events, the Eddie Herr Junior Championships and the recent Dunlop Junior Orange Bowl.

SHOCKER

Teenager Olivia Rogowska shocked overwhelming favorite Jelena Dokic to win the Australian Open wild-card playoff in Perth, Australia. Dokic, who once was ranked as high as fourth in the world, led 6-1 3-1 before Rogowska rallied to win the rain-interrupted final 1-6 7-6 (3) 6-3. Last year it was Rogowska who was the top seed in the play-offs. In that final, Rogowska led Casey Dellacqua 6-1, 4-0 only to lose the match. “’The exact same situation happened to me last year, but vice versa, so I was really pleased to be able to close out the match and be champion this year,” Rogowska said. Dokic has already received a wild card into the Brisbane International and is likely to be granted a similar invitation to return to Melbourne Park for the year’s first Grand Slam tournament.

SERBIAN TURMOIL

Novak Djokovic is supporting his father’s initiative to change the Serbian Tennis Federation leadership and oust its president, Slobodan Zivojinovic. “I’m really sorry that the situation is almost out of control, but changes are inevitable,” the third-ranked Djokovic said. “The tennis association needs new people in order to finally build a national tennis center and provide better conditions for young talents to progress.” Djokovic’s father and Zivojinovic clashed immediately after Serbia won its first Davis Cup title by beating France 3-2 in Belgrade, Serbia.

STOPPED

Martina Navratilova was hospitalized in Nairobi, Kenya, after developing a serious illness while attempting to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. The tennis great was rushed to the hospital after developing high altitude pulmonary edema. She was climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in an attempt to raise money and awareness of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.

SWITCHED

The men’s tennis tournament that was held in New Haven, Connecticut, has moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The newly named Winston-Salem Open will be held at Wake Forest University in a new tennis facility that has yet to be constructed. The tournament, scheduled for August 22-27, will have a field of 48 players competing for a total purse of USD $625,000. Local corporate sponsors of the ATP Tour event include BB&T Bank, Hanesbrands and the Flow Cos. The tournament will be the final warm-up event for the US Open.

SPONSOR-LESS

The World Team Cup has pulled out of Dusseldorf, Germany, and might not be played again. The eight-team men’s event was canceled after the ARAG insurance group withdrew its sponsorship and tournament organizers were unable to find another sponsor. The event has been played since 1978. It was held a week before Roland Garros and was considered a major warm-up event for the French Open.

STOLEN MEMENTOS

Police say three scrapbooks and a trophy belonging to retired tennis star Pete Sampras that were stolen from a West Los Angeles, California, storage facility have been recovered. A Los Angeles Police Department spokesman said a member of the public found the items in Griffith Park and contacted police. Close to 100 trophies and awards were stolen from Sampras’ storage area, including an Olympic ring and his first Australian Open trophy. The tennis great said the memorabilia was not insured because it was impossible to assess its value.

STOPGAP MEASURE?

Ana Ivanovic has a coach – for now, anyway. The Serbian hired Antonio van Grichen of Portugal on a trial basis through at least the Australian hard-court season. She had been working with Heinz Gunthardt, but he did not want to travel fulltime, so they ended their relationship in the fall. Once ranked number one in the world, Ivanovic has worked with Craig Kardon, Sven Groeneveld, Darren Cahill and Mats Merkel. Working with Gunthardt, Ivanovic ended this year ranked 17th in the world. Van Grichen coached Victoria Azarenka to number six in the world and also worked briefly with Vera Zvonareva, Sorana Cirstea and Alize Cornet.

SLUGFEST, PERHAPS

Tennis Australia says it won’t tolerate any anti-social behavior from players, parents or anyone involved in tennis, and all breaches will be punished harshly. The warning came a brawl erupted at a junior tournament at Melbourne Park, site of the Australian Open, in which a 51-year-old man was arrested for assault and a 48-year-old man was taken to a hospital with facial injuries. Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said he was appalled by the fight and he wants to send a very clear message that there are certain standards and that they must be adhered to.

SITES FOR CUP

Defending champion Serbia will host India at Novi Sad, Serbia, in their first-round Davis Cup tie  March 4-6.  France, which lost to Serbia in the 2010 final, will travel to Austria for its first-round battle. Other 2011 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group first-round matches will have Sweden vs. Russia in Boras, Sweden; the Czech Republic vs. Kazakhstan in Ostrava, Czech Republic; Argentina vs. Romania in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Chile vs. the United States, in Santiago, Chile; Belgium vs. Spain in Charleroi, Belgium; and Croatia vs. Germany, in Zagreb, Croatia.

SAY IT QUICKLY

The broadcast announcers were probably breathing a sigh of relief when Konstantina Papoikonomou of Greece and Thailand’s Nicha Lertpitaksinchai withdrew from the USD $10,000 JSM Christmas Open, which is being played this week in Gimcheon, Korea. Top-seeded in the indoor hard court tournament is Na Ri Kim of Korea, who is ranked 322nd in the world. Kun-Hee Kim is the second-highest ranked player in the field at number 375. The tournament is scheduled to wind up on December 26.

STAN THE MAN

Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka has a wild card entry into the Aircel Chennai Open. Last year, Wawrinka reached the final in Chennai, India, tournament, losing to Croatia’s Marin Cilic. “I am grateful to the organizers at Aircel Chennai Open for providing me the opportunity to compete in this event,” said Wawrinka, who is ranked 21st in the world. Others in the draw include Cilic, Tomas Berdych and Janko Tipsarevic.

STILL WINNING

Japan’s Shingo Kunieda and Sakhorn Khanthasit of Thailand won the singles titles at the 2010 Asian Para Games in Guangzhou, China. Ranked number one in the world, Kunieda beat his compatriot Satoshi Saida to win the men’s wheelchair singles 6-3 6-3 to end the year with just one loss. The two finalists teamed to win the doubles, stopping Korea’s Ha-Gel Lee and Sang-Ho Oh in the title match.

Khanthasit also won gold in both singles and doubles. In the singles final, she bested China’s Dong Fuli 6-4 1-6 7-5, denying Dong the gold medal in what is expected to be the Chinese player’s last major tournament. Khanthasit teamed with Ratana Techamaneewat to capture the doubles gold.

SMILING FLIGHT

The new face of Turkish Airlines Business Class is from Denmark. Caroline Wozniacki will represent Turkish Airlines on commercials and public relations activities for three years. The 20-year-old Wozniacki was recently named world champion by the International Tennis Federation.

STARRING SANIA

India’s top female player captured her first tournament title in 17 months when Sania Mirza defeated Serbia’s Bojana Jovanovski 4-6 6-3 6-0 in the final of the USD $75,000 Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge. Once ranked as high as 27th in the world, the 24-year-old Mirza entered the Dubai, United Arab Emirates, tournament at number 164. The victory gives Mirza 110 ranking points, which should help her climb some 25 slots in this week’s rankings.

SWITCH TO YOUTH

Great Britain is turning to its younger players in a bid to reach the Fed Cup World Group II playoffs in April. British Fed Cup captain Nigel Sears said 18-year-old Heather Watson and 16-year-old Laura Robson will team up with Elena Baltacha and Anne Keothavong when Great Britain takes on Israel in a Europe/Africa Zone Group I battle in late January. Watson is the 2009 US Open junior girls’ champion, while Robson won the junior Wimbledon tournament in 2008.

SUCCEEDS HOWORTH

Peter Bretherton has been elected president of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), where he succeeds Derek Howorth. Bretherton previously was deputy president of the British organization. Cathie Sabin was elected deputy president, the first woman to hold that position.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Dubai: Julia Goerges and Petra Martic beat Sania Mirza and Vladimira Uhlirova 6-4 7-6 (7)

Guangzhou (men): Shingo Kunieda and Satoshi Saida (Japan) beat Ha-Gel Lee and Sang-Ho Oh (Korea) 6-0 6-2

Guangzhou (women): Sakhorn Khanthasit and Ratana Techamaneewat (Thailand) beat Kanako Domori and Yuko Okabe (Japan) 63 6-3

SITES TO SURF

Pune: www.aitatennis.com

ITF: www.itftennis.com

Brisbane: www.brisbaneinternational.com.au/

Chennai: www.aircelchennaiopen.org/2011/

Doha: www.qatartennis.org/

Auckland: www.asbclassic.co.nz/

BIGGEST WOMEN’S UPSET EVER AT WIMBLEDON

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Tsvetana Pironkova’s stunning 6-2, 6-3 upset over five-time Wimbledon champion and No. 2 seed Venus Williams Tuesday in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon is the biggest upset in the history of the tournament.

Consider that Pironkova is ranked No. 82 in the world and prior to this year at Wimbledon had never advanced beyond the second round at a major tournament. The Bulgarian handed Williams, arguably one of the top three women players ever at Wimbledon, her worst ever loss at the All England Club.

Bud Collins, the Hall of Fame tennis historian and journalist, in his authoritative book THE BUD COLLINS HISTORY OF TENNIS ($35.95, New Chapter Press, www.NewChapterMedia.com) documents the greatest upsets in Wimbledon history below.

Where does Pironkova over Williams rank?

EARLIEST LOSS OF A No. 1 SEED

* 1962 Unseeded Billie Jean Moffitt (King) d. 1st seed Margaret Court, 1-6, 6-3, 7-5, 2nd rd. (1st defeat for 1st seed in 1st match)

* 1994 Lorl McNeil (No. 22) d. 1st seed defending champ Steffi Graf, 7-5, 7-6(7-5), 1st rd. (only 1st rd defeat of a No. 1 seeded defending champion)

* 1999 Jelena Dokic (Q) def. No. 1 seed Martina Hingis, 6-2, 6-0 in 1st rd.

* 2001 Virginia Ruano Pascual (No. 83) d. 1st seed Martina Hingis, 6-4, 6-2, 1st rd.

EARLIEST LOSS OF A DEFENDING CHAMPION

* 1994 Lori McNeil (No. 22) d. 1st seed defending champ Steffi Graf, 7-5, 7-6(7-5), 1st rd. (only 1st rd defeat of a No. 1 seeded

defending champion)

OTHER UPSETS

* 1921 Non-seed Betty Nuthall d. 6th seed Molla Mallory, 2-6, 6-2, 6-0, 3rd rd.

* 1928 Non-seed Helene Contostavlos Nicolopoulo d. 5th seed Kea Bouman, 12-10, 8-6, 3rd rd.

* 1929 Non-seed Mary Hart McIlquham d. 2nd seed Lili de Alvarez, 1928 finalist, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 4th rd.

* 1959 Non-seed Yola Ramirez d. 1st seed Christine Truman, 6-3, 6-2,QF

* 1962 Non-seed Vera Puzejova Sukova d. 6th seed defending champ Angela Mortimer, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, 4th rd.: 2nd seed Darlene Hard, 6-4, 6-3, QF; 3rd seed Maria Bueno, 6-4, 6-3, SF

* 1974 8th seed Olga Morozova d. 1st seed defending champ Billie Jean King, 7-5, 6-2, QF

* 1983 Non-seed Kathy Jordan d. 2nd seed Chris Evert, 6-1, 7-6 (7-2), 3rd rd. (only time Evert failed to make SF at Wimbledon) Non-seed Liz Sayers Smylie d. 3rd seed Hana Mandlikova, 6-1, 7-6(7-5), 3rd rd. Also qualifier Molly Van Nostrand (No. 154) d. 4th seed Manuela Maleeva, 7-5, 6-2 in 4th rd.

* 1986 Anne Hobbs (No. 51) d. No. 9 seed Zina Garrison, 6-4, 0-6, 6-4,(Court Two), 2nd rd.

* 1990 5th seed Zina Garrison d. 3rd seed Monica Seles. 3-6, 6-3, 9-7 in the QF; 1st seed and defending champ Steffi Graf, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in the SF

* 1991 9th seed Jennifer Capriati, d. 3rd seed and defending champ Martina Navratilova, 6-4, 7-5, QF

* 1996 Katarina Studenikova (No. 59) d. 2nd seed Monica Seles, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4, 2nd rd.

* 1997 Anna Kournikova (No. 43) d. 4th seed Iva Majoli, 7-6 (7-1), 6-4, QF. Also, Denise Chladkova (No. 89) d. 5th seed Lindsay Davenport, 7-5, 6-2, 2nd rd.

* 1998 Non-seed Natasha Zvereva (No. 22) d. 4th seed Steffi Graf, 6-4, 7-5, 3rd rd.; and 6th seed Monica Seles, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 in the QF. Also, wild card Samantha Smith (No. 94) d. Conchita Martinez (No. 7), 2-6, 6-3, 7-5, (Court Two), 3rd rd.

* 1999 Mirjana Lucic (No. 134) d. 8th seed Nathalie Tauziat. 4-6. 6-4, 7-5, in QF. Also, Jelena Dokic (No.129) d. No. 1 Martina Hingis, 6-2, 6-0, 1st rd and No. 9 Mary Pierce, 6-4, 6-3, (Court Two) QF

* 2001 Lilia Osterloh (No. 51) d. No. 13 seed Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5, (Court Two), 2nd rd.

* 2004 No. 13 seed Maria Sharapova d. Serena Williams (Seeded No. 1, defending champion), F, 6-1, 6-4. Also, Karolina Sprem (No. 30) d. No. 3 seed Venus Williams 7-6 (5), 7-6 (6) in 2nd rd. Also, No. 31 seed Amy Frazier d. No. 2 seed Anastasia Myskina 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in 3rd rd

* 2005 No. 85-ranked Jill Craybas d. No. 3 seed Serena Williams 6-3, 7-6 (4) in 3rd rd. (Court Two), Also, No. 76 Eleni Daniilidou d. No. 7 seed Justine Henin Hardenne 7-6 (6), 2-6, 7-5 in 1st rd, ending 24-match winning streak

2007 No. 18 seed Marion Bartoli d. No. 1 seed Justine Henin 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 in SF. Also, Laura Granville (No. 77) d. Martina Hingis (Seed No. 9), 6-4, 6-2, (Court Two), 3rd rd.