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Romania Stuns Czech Republic, Reaches Fed Cup Semifinals – Mondays with Bob Greene

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Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Juan Ignacio Londero beat Guido Pella 3-6 7-5 6-1 to win the Cordoba Open in Cordoba, Argentina

Daniil Medvedev beat Marton Fucsovics 6-4 6-3 to win the Sofia Open in Sofia, Bulgaria

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4 6-2 to win the Open Sud de France in Montpellier, France

Mitchell Krueger beat Mackenzie McDonald 4-6 7-6 (3) 6-1 to win The RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas in Dallas, Texas, USA

 

FED CUP

First Round

World Group 

Romania beat Czech Republic 3-2 at Ostrava, Czech Republic

France beat Belgium 3-1 at Liège, Belgium

Belarus beat Germany 4-0 at Braunschweig, Germany

Australia beat USA 3-2 at Asheville, North Carolina, USA

 

World Group II

Switzerland beat Italy 3-1 at Biel, Switzerland

Latvia beat Slovakia 4-0 at Riga, Latvia

Spain beat Japan 3-2 at Kita-kyushu, Japan

Canada beat Netherlands 4-0 at ’s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands

 

Group I

Americas Zone at Medellin, Colombia: Winner promoted: Brazil beat Paraguay 2-0; Losers relegated: Colombia beat Puerto Rico 2-1; Argentina beat Ecuador 2-1

Asia/Oceania Zone at Astana, Kazakhstan: Winner promoted: Kazakhstan beat China 2-1; Loser relegated: Indonesia beat Thailand 2-1

Europe/Africa Zone at Zielona Góra, Poland: Winner promoted: Russia beat Sweden 2-0; Loser relegated: Estonia beat Denmark 2-0

Europe/Africa Zone at Bath, Great Britain: Winner promoted: Great Britain beat Serbia 2-0; Loser relegated: Slovenia beat Georgia 2-0

Group II

Europe/Africa Zone at Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg: Winners promoted: Austria beat Israel 2-0; Luxembourg beat Tunisia 2-0; Loser relegated: Portugal beat Bosnia/Herzegovina 2-1

 

SAYINGS

“It was an amazing moment for me to win here in Montpellier … I have made many efforts to come back (here), so for me it is a good reward and I hope I will be able to continue playing at this level.” – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, after winning in Montpellier, France.

“I knew it was going to be a hard match and he was all over me for the whole final. He was just the better player today.” – Pierre-Hugues Herbert, who lost the Open Sud de France to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

“I was the better player today and I deserved to win. This title gives me a lot of confidence.” – Daniil Medvedev, following his victory in the Sofia Open final.

“This is still one of the best weeks of my career and I’m very happy to be back in the Top 40 again.” – Marton Fucsovics, finding the silver lining in his week despite losing the Sofia Open final to Daniil Medvedev.

“It was my best and biggest win in the Fed Cup.” – Simona Halep, who beat Karolina Pliskova 6-4 5-7 6-4 to help lead Romania over the Czech Republic and into the Fed Cup semifinals for the first time.

“It was a tough week. It was a great week. In the final, I think we played our best match. It is our first title and hopefully it will not be our only one.” – Edouard Roger-Vasselin, who teamed with Ivan Dodig to win the Open Sud de France doubles.

“For me, the most important thing when I step on the court is to have fun. I think we are blessed. Sometimes people don’t realize how blessed we are to do this amazing sport. … Tennis is hard. We sacrifice a lot. I think people don’t realize how much we sacrifice. But for me, if I am not enjoying the court, I will be sad. I think I will stop.” – Gael Monfils.

 

STUNS DEFENDING CHAMPIONS

After losing the opening set, Irina-Camelia Begu and Monica Niculescu upset Wimbledon and French Open champions Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova to lift Romania over the Czech Republic and into the Fed Cup semifinals for the first time. The thrilling doubles decider lasted seven minutes short of three hours and gave Romania the 3-2 victory. The loss for the defending champions means the Czech Republic’s streak of reaching the Fed Cup semifinals is snapped after 10 straight years. “I am happy to win against such a tough opponent,” Romania’s Simona Halep said after winning both of her singles matches. Romania will travel to France in April’s semifinals.

Playing Fed Cup for the first time in two years, Caroline Garcia won both of her singles matches to lead France over Belgium and into the semifinals for the fourth time in five years. “Two years is not that long in a tennis career,” said Garcia, who missed the last two competitions following an ugly public spat with her teammates. “But I always said that I would come back and that it was important to me.”

Ashleigh Barty surprised Madison Keys in singles, then teamed with Priscilla Hon to defeat Danielle Collins and Nicole Melichar and give Australia a 3-2 victory over the United States. Her victory over Keys was her 10th straight singles win in Fed Cup play. Collins, who reached the Australian Open semifinals last month, beat Daria Gavrilova 6-1 3-6 6-2 to knot the tie at 2-2 and sending it into the decisive doubles match. Australia will take on Belarus in the semifinals, which will take place April 20-21.

Ninth-ranked Aryna Sabalenka defeated Laura Siegemund 6-1 6-1 to give Belarus an unbeatable 3-0 lead over Germany. “I am so happy and our team is so happy,” said the 20-year-old Sabalenka. “It’s unbelievable to win.”

 

SOFIA OPEN

Daniil Medvedev dominated Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics to give himself an early birthday present, the Sofia Open title. “I’m happy to win the title. This is what I came here for,” said the Russian, who turned 23 the day after claiming his fourth career title. Medvedev broke the unseeded Fucsovics four times and was in complete control. The Russian has reached at least the semifinals in five of his past nine events and at the Australian Open played in the second week of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time. “I have some goals in my mind,” Medvedev said. “To be top 10. I’ve never been there, so it would be great.”

 

SNARES TITLE

It was like old times for Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who won his first ATP title since 2017 by beating fellow Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the Open Sud de France final. The 33-year-old Tsonga, who entered the Montpellier, France, tournament on a wild card, was coming off an injury-hampered 2018 and hadn’t won a title since October 2017. He was forced to retire from the semifinals at Montpellier a year ago and underwent left knee surgery in April. “I am very happy with the way I played this week,” said Tsonga, who became the seventh Frenchman to win the title in the event’s nine years. Herbert was seeking his first ATP singles title.

 

SOUTH AMERICAN SHOCKER

Having never played in a tour-level main draw before, Juan Ignacio Londero gained entry into the Cordoba Open as a wild-card. The 25-year-old Argentine finished the week as champion, shocking countryman Guido Pella in the final. Pella was up a set and a break, but Londero stayed aggressive and took control of the final, inflicting much of the damage with a fearsome forehand. The first set was the first Londero had lost all week. In the semifinals, he crushed Federico Delbonis 6-1 6-0. Pella had won all three previous meetings with Londero, two on the Futures tour and one on the ATP Challenger Tour. But Pella, playing in his fifth career final, had no answers when Londero lifting his game in the final two sets.

 

STRONG PAIR

Although they were the top-seeded team, Ivan Dodig and Edouard Roger-Vasselin had never won a title. They didn’t start playing together until the Sydney International last month. “I am very happy about this first title together,” Roger-Vasselin said of their triumph at the Open Sud de France. “It is only our third tournament.” The lost only one set during the week. Roger-Vasselin has won 17 doubles titles, including in Montpellier in 2012 when he teamed with countryman Nicolas Mahut. Dodig now owns 12 doubles crowns.

 

SUCCESS IN SOFIA

Nikola Mektic and Jurgen Melzer also won their first doubles title as a team. The captured the Sofia Open, beating Hsieh Cheng-Peng and Christopher Rungkat in the final. Playing in just their third tournament as a team, the Croatian-Austrian tandem saved five of six break points and survived three successive match tiebreaks to claim the trophy. Hsieh and Rungkat also were seeking their first tour-level title as a team. They have won three ATP Challenger Tour crowns.

 

SICK CALL

Naomi Osaka, has been sidelined with an unspecified back injury. The world’s top-ranked play withdrew from this week’s Qatar Open. “I am sorry to have withdraw from Doha this year as I was looking forward to playing and seeing my fans there,” the 21-year-old said in a statement. Osaka has won the last two Grand Slam tournaments, the US Open last September and the Australian Open last month.

A right elbow injury is the reason South Africa’s Kevin Anderson won’t be defending his New York Open title this week. Anderson was hurt during the Australian Open in January. Ranked fifth in the world, Anderson was a semifinalist at Wimbledon last summer.

Also pulling out of the New York Open because of an injury was Alex de Minaur of Australia.

Another Australian, Nick Kyrgios has withdrawn from the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands, citing an injury. Kyrgios also pulled out of the Rotterdam tournament in 2016 and 2018 with injuries. “Nick Kyrgios had his knee examined last week, played a doubles to test the state of his recovery, but it proved to be insufficient,” said tournament director Richard Krajicek.

Also missing from the Rotterdam field will be fourth-ranked Alexander Zverev, defending finalist Grigor Dimitrov, Croatia’s Marin Cilic and Great Britain’s Kyle Edmund. “While my knee rehabilitation is going well, I am still not able to perform at the level I expect of myself,” Cilic said.

Richard Gasquet of France and Vasek Pospisil of Canada have withdrawn from Indian Wells. After making 11 consecutive appearances at the California event between 2006 and 2016, the 32-year-old Gasquet will miss the year’s first Masters 1000 of the season for the third straight year. Gasquet, who hasn’t played since the Paris Masters, is recovering from groin surgery. Pospisil, who is recovering from a surgical microdiscectomy, hasn’t played a match this season.

Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov has withdrawn from the upcoming Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco, Mexico, which begins February 25. Dimitrov won the tournament five years ago.

American Jack Sock underwent surgery to repair torn ligaments in his finger and will miss at least the next two months.

 

STUMBLES TO WIN

Despite collapsing at the side of the court, Johanna Konta went on to beat Aleksandra Krunic and help Great Britain win its Fed Cup World Group II tie against Serbia. The victory sends Great Britain into a World Group playoff in April. After dropping the second set to Krunic, Konta fell to her knees in the passageway beside one of the stands. “Light-headed, feeling shaky, feeling a little bit out of body. It got the better of me at the end of the second set,” Konta said. “I tried not to panic.” The British team rushed to her aid and she underwent a medical assessment before returning to the court following a seven-minute delay. “I was aware of what I was told, that she almost fainted,” Krunic said. “It’s difficult for everybody. None of us is fresh, we just cope with it differently, I guess. It was a very long time (that Konta was away from the court.) I don’t think it’s a fair play, no. But if she had health problems, then I can’t complain. I didn’t see anything wrong with her on the court.” Konta dominated the final set, beating Krunic 7-6 (1) 3-6 6-2, collapsing onto the floor after the final point. “I don’t even remember how the last point finished,” Konta said. “I remember the ball didn’t come back and I was overcome with a lot of emotion basically.”

 

SCHEDULE FOR ROGER

A few weeks ago, Roger Federer’s coach, Severin Luthi, said the Swiss great would play just one clay-court tournament in preparation for the French Open. Federer, however, tells a different story. “I’m currently in Switzerland before I will travel to Dubai for preparation and practice,” the 37-year-old Federer said. “After Dubai I will play Indian Wells, Miami and thereafter one or two clay tournaments prior to the French Open.”

 

SANIA RETURING?

India’s Sania Mirza is the latest mother considering returning to the WTA circuit. Mirza took time off to give birth to her son Izhaan. Mirza said she has already begun training and is eyeing a comeback by the end of this year. “I am 32 years old, I am not so young as a tennis player,” she said. “But I would die if I did not try. Tennis is my life, it has given me everything. I still have it in me.”

 

SLAMMING FOR A REASON

The newest couple on the tennis tour, Elina Svitolina and France’s Gael Monfils, have teamed up to help a children’s hospital in Svitolina’s hometown, Odessa, Ukraine. The two will donate USD $100 to the hospital for every ace they hit in their next two tournaments. Svitolina is playing in Doha and Dubai next, while Monfils will include Montpellier, where he reached the semifinals, and Rotterdam.

 

SETTLED SUIT

ESPN has “amicably” settled a lawsuit with announcer Doug Adler, according to reports. During an Australian Open match last year between Venus Williams and Stefanie Voegele, Adler said Williams put “the guerilla effect on, charging” after she had moved to the net with Voegele serving. Some viewers complained Adler had used the term “gorilla” in referring to Williams. Despite apologizing, Adler was fired by ESPN and subsequently sued the network. In reporting the settlement, the New York Post said Adler received a monetary settlement and may be re-hired by ESPN.

 

SWITCH IN COACHES

Former world number one Simona Halep has a new coach. The Romanian has hired Thierry Van Cleemput, replacing Darren Cahill, who left to spend more time with his family. Van Cleemput recently split with fellow Belgian David Goffin, with whom he had worked for last five years.

 

SAID WHAT?

Apparently, Mitchell Krueger needs to enunciate his words more clearly. Trying to pump himself up during a match at The RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas, Krueger hissed out loud, “Focus.” Unfortunately for Krueger, that’s not what umpire Carrie Hinueber thought she heard. Krueger was given an audible obscenity warning. And while he pled his case, it was to no avail. However, there was a happy ending for the 25-year-old Dallas player. Krueger beat fellow American Mackenzie McDonald to win the ATP Challenger tournament.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Cordoba: Roman Jebavy and Andres Molteni beat Maximo Gonzalez and Horacio Zeballos 6-4 7-6 (4)

Dallas: Marcos Giron and Dennis Novikov beat Ante Pavic and Ruan Roelofse 6-4 7-6 (3)

Montpellier: Ivan Dodig and Edouard Roger-Vasselin beat Benjamin Bonzi and Antoine Hoang 6-4 6-3

Sofia: Nikola Mektic and Jurgen Melzer beat Hsieh Cheng-Peng and Christopher Rungkat 6-2 4-6 10-2 (match tiebreak)

 

SURFING

Doha: http://www.qatartennis.org/tournaments/qatar-total-open-2019/

Rotterdam: https://www.abnamrowtt.nl/en

New York: http://newyorkopen.com/

Buenos Aires: https://argentinaopenatp.com/atp/

Rio de Janeiro: http://www.rioopen.com/

Marseille: https://www.open13.fr/

Delray Beach: https://yellowtennisball.com/

Dubai: https://dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

 

MEN

$2,403,910 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Rotterdam, Netherlands, hard

$777,385 New York Open, New York, New York, USA, hard

$673,135 Argentina Open, Buenos Aires, Argentina, clay

 

WOMEN

$916,131 Qatar Total Open, Doha, Qatar, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

 

MEN

$1,937,740 Rio Open presented by Claro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, clay

$842,014 Open 13 Provence, Marseille, France, hard

$651,215 Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com, Delray Beach, Florida, USA, hard

 

WOMEN

$2,828,000 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, hard

$250,000 Hungarian Ladies Open, Budapest, Hungary, hard

 

Romania Fed Cup
Romania Fed Cup

Jack Sock Leads USA To Mythical “Team Olympic Gold” In Rio

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

 

With two medal-producing performances in doubles and mixed doubles, Jack Sock led the United States to a team gold medal in tennis at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero.

Sock was the only player to win multiple medals in the tennis competition, winning mixed doubles gold with Bethanie Mattek-Sands and men’s doubles bronze with Steve Johnson. Sock’s efforts squeezed out the first-ever team gold medal for the United States, beating out Spain by one point, Rafael Nadal not able to win the bronze medal match against Kei Nishikori that would have tied the USA for the gold medal. The Spaniards, whose best performance was winning gold in men’s doubles with Nadal and Marc Lopez, finished with 21 points, one shy of Team USA’s 22 points. Russia and the Czech Republic each garnered 17 points to share team bronze.

Are you reading this and thinking that something is amiss here?

There is always chatter every four years during the staging of the Olympic tennis event on how a team event could be organized. Only men’s and women’s singles and doubles as well as mixed doubles are contested. However, if you gave each team a point for every individual match victory they get in each competition, you could determine a team champion.

I wrote about this four years ago when Jo-Wilfried Tsonga led France to the men’s team title and Maria Sharapova led Russia to the women’s team title at the London Games in 2012. Read more here http://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/7752

If you wanted to calculate just a women’s team and men’s team medal standings from Rio (not taking in consideration mixed doubles), then Spain would be your men’s team gold medal winner in Rio with 15 points, followed by Argentina, Japan and the United States in a three-way tie for silver. In a women’s team event, Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova’s win in the gold medal match edged Russia to women’s team gold, one point better 15-14 over the Czech Republic. Germany, led by Olympic singles silver medalist Angelique Kerber, also collected team bronze with 8 points.

Prior to the creation of the NCAA Team Tournament in college tennis in the United States, team champions were determined in this manner, awarding each team a point for each individual match victory.

Jack Sock hugs Bethanie Mattek-Sands
Jack Sock hugs Bethanie Mattek-Sands

Roger Federer Wins To Give Switzerland Its First Davis Cup Title – Mondays with Bob Greene

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Mondays with Bob Greene

 

DAVIS CUP

World Group Final

Switzerland beat France 3-1 at Lille, France

 

OTHERS

Diego Schwartzman beat Guilherme Clezar 6-2 6-3 to win the Challenger Tour Finals in Sao Paulo, Brazil

An-Sophie Mestach beat Shuko Aoyama 6-1 6-1 to win the Dunlop World Challenge Tennis Tournament in Toyota, Japan

 

SAYING

“This one is for the boys. It’s not for me. I’ve won enough in my career and did not need to tick any empty boxes. I’m just happy for everybody else. I’m happy we could live a great tennis historic moment in our country.” – Roger Federer, when asked what the Davis Cup title meant for him personally.

“I’ve been dreaming of this Davis Cup for years. I’ve been trying everything I can to win this competition. This year, maybe, was the ideal year. It started off very well in Serbia. It ends up perfectly well here in France. We made many sacrifices during the years to be able to win it. We did it now. We are very happy.” – Stanislas Wawrinka.

“He was not unbeatable today, but he only made a few mistakes. It’s a shame I could not get any break points.” – Richard Gasquet, whose loss to Roger Federer clinched Switzerland’s Davis Cup victory.

“I always said that it was very good for Federer to win the Davis Cup and very good for Davis Cup to have Federer’s name engraved on it.” – Francesco Ricci Bitti, International Tennis Federation president.

“Stan has put in so much effort over the years and played an unbelievable weekend that gave me the opportunity today.” – Roger Federer, noting Stanislas Wawrinka had a hand in two of Switzerland three points, winning the first singles match and teaming with Federer to win the doubles.

“We saw how quickly things changed. At the start of the week, the papers were full with stories about Roger’s back and the French team being ready to go to war. At the end of the day, we saw the opposite. We handled the tie as usual, with a lot of discussions between us.” – Stanislas Wawrinka, who teamed with Roger Federer to give Switzerland its first Davis Cup title.

“Let’s be serious, they are stronger, it would have been quite an achievement to beat them.” – Arnaud Di Pasquale, France’s technical director.

“Arnaud Clement has our confidence and our trust as a captain. Of course we lost, but many teams would like to be in the final. If every time we lost we should change captains, many captains would be fired in the world.” – Jean Gachassin, French Tennis Federation president, when asked if he would replace Clement as France’s Davis Cup captain.

“At the end, it’s a tennis match, you feel great emotions. You’re unbelievably happy and relieved. We wanted this clearly very badly, especially being up 2-1. You inch yourself closer and closer. Clearly seeing Stan (Wawrinka) out there, the rest of the team supporting you, gives you an extra push. It was definitely one of the better feelings in my career, no doubt about it. So much nicer to celebrate it all together.” – Roger Federer.

“It’s an amazing feeling. The best. We all know how it’s great to watch such an amazing player when he’s playing good tennis.” – Stanislas Wawrinka.

“He was playing fast. He was very focused and making very few mistakes. I was not even able to have a break point. It was difficult for me to give him problems. We are all disappointed. I would have liked to do more for the team because the crowd was ready, ready to support me to the end.  In that situation, the only thing you want to do is play a fourth or fifth set just to please the crowd.” – Richard Gasquet, after losing to Roger Federer.

“I think I’m getting really close. I beat Roger (Federer) this year and also Novak (Djokovic), too. It’s not like I can’t beat them.” – Kei Nishikori.

“I hope to use December to prepare well. I’ll have a month before things start in Australia. I hope and believe that’s enough to get me to my best level.” – Rafael Nadal.

“As highly committed players and leaders among the French tennis players, Henri Leconte and Guy Forget played a pivotal role in building the success of the French Davis Cup team. As we gather here in France for another dynamic Davis Cup Final, it is a pleasure to honor Henri and Guy for their important contributions over the years by presentation of the Davis Cup Award of Excellence.” – Francesco Ricci Bitti, International Tennis Federation president.

 

SWISS CAPTURE CUP

Roger Federer was at his best when the Davis Cup title was the prize. Producing a vintage performance, Federer crushed Richard Gasquet 6-4 6-2 6-2 to give Switzerland its first Davis Cup title with a 3-1 win over France. There were no signs of the back problems that forced him to default the ATP World Tour Finals title match a week ago. And there were no signs of any reported conflict between Federer and teammate Stanislas Wawrinka. Instead, the world’s second-ranked player showed how he had won 17 Grand Slam tournament titles as he dominated his French opponent before a record crowd of 27,448 at Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille, France. “It’s the first time Roger plays at this level against me,” said Gasquet, who has only beaten Federer twice in 15 career meetings. Switzerland becomes only the 14th nation to win the Davis Cup in its 115-year-old history. And with his title-clinching victory, Federer becomes the most successful Swiss player in Davis Cup history, recording his 50th Davis Cup victory in both singles and doubles. What possibly made it even sweeter was that Federer lost his opening singles to Gael Monfils in straight sets. But Wawrinka had started the tie with a victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, then teamed with Federer to win the doubles, beating Gasquet and Julien Benneteau, and set the stage for Federer’s title-clinching win over Gasquet. The fifth match between Wawrinka and Monfils was canceled. “I’ve been playing this game for almost 15 years and clearly I had never come as close than this past weekend,” Federer said.

 

SUBS FOR TSONGA

When Roger Federer took to the court for the first reverse singles, he expected to face France’s Jo-Wilfred Tsonga. Instead, his opponent was Richard Gasquet, who had beaten Federer only twice in 14 matches. Of course, one of Gasquet’s wins over Federer came at the 2011 Rome Masters on clay, the same surface the Davis Cup final was contested on. French Tennis Federation president Jean Gachassin said Tsonga was suffering from pain in his elbow. Arnaud Clement, the French captain, said Tsonga had aggravated an existing injury in his right arm. “I was just not able to go on the court and be the best chance on the court,” Tsonga said. Federer gave the French another pain by crushing Gasquet 6-4 6-2 6-2 to clinch Switzerland’s first Davis Cup title.

 

SIBLINGS’ COACH HELPS

Although he had two of the world’s top four players, Switzerland Davis Cup captain Severin Luthi felt he needed a little more help. So he hired the coach of American twins Bob and Mike Bryan to help the Swiss prepare for the doubles. Dave Macpherson, who had helped the Bryans finish atop the doubles rankings for a record 10th time this year and for the sixth consecutive season, may have played a big part of Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka’s straight-set victory over Frenchmen Julien Benneteau and Richard Gasquet. “I think he’s been very helpful for us,” Federer said about Macpherson. “We had a good long conversation about doubles. Not just yesterday and today, but in previous days.” Although Federer and Wawrinka had teamed to win the Olympic gold medal at the Beijing Games in 2008, they had not won a Davis Cup doubles match since 2011. “I think we were perfectly prepared,” Federer said after the Swiss beat the French duo. “Obviously you have to be able to execute it. I think Stan did that unbelievably well today. I tried to keep up.”

 

SMILES IN LOSS

Although Roger Federer was battered in his opening singles match by Gael Monfils, the Swiss star still found something to smile about. Monfils, playing marvelously, routed Federer 6-1 6-4 6-3 to knot the best-of-five contest at one match apiece. Federer, however, wasn’t worried. “It wasn’t all negative,” he said. “I started to feel better as the match went on. That’s very encouraging.” Federer had suffered a back injury last week and had to default the ATP World Tour Finals title match against Novak Djokovic. The Monfils match proved to Federer that his back was much better. “You don’t have to be in unbelievably excruciating pain, but it takes a while for it to leave your mind,” he said after the loss. “It’s like a ghost. But that’s why it was good for me to play three sets today. It definitely gives us a lot of information. I would think that I’m going to get better as the weekend goes on. … So I’m making myself available for the team as much as I can, 100 percent, not only as a player but in whatever role I can play.” The next day, Federer teamed with Stanislas Wawrinka to win the doubles in straight sets. Then he gave Switzerland its first Davis Cup title by crushing Frenchman Richard Gasquet in straight sets in the reverse singles.

 

SET FOR JANUARY

Recovering from an appendicitis operation, French Open champion Rafael Nadal says he hopes to be ready for the Australian Open in January. “As ever after a period when things haven’t gone well, you’re a bit more eager to (prepare) well, although there is uncertainty about how things will go,” the 28-year-old Spaniard said. “I hope to use December to prepare well. I’ll have a month before things start in Australia. I hope and believe that’s enough to get me to my best level.” Nadal last played in October and underwent the surgery at the beginning of this month. He said he would start 2015 with an exhibition event in Abdu Dhabi before defending his title in Doha, then go to the Australian Open.

 

SEES NEW CHALLENGE

Katrina Adams has been a player, a television analyst and executive director of the Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program in New York City. Beginning in January she will become the new president of the United States Tennis Association (USTA). A native of Chicago, Illinois, USA, Adams played on the tour from 184 to 1999 and was ranked as high as eighth in the world in doubles, winning 21 career WTA doubles titles. She has served on the USTA board of directors for 10 years and is currently completing a two-year term as First Vice President. She will become the first African American and first former professional tennis player to serve as the association’s Chairman of the Board, CEO and President.  She also serves on the board of directors of the USTA Foundation and the International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHoF), and is a member of the Grand Slam Board and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Davis Cup Committee.

Also nominated were Alexander Boyd (Andy) Andrews IV as First Vice President; Thomas S. Ho as Vice President; Donald L. Tisdel as Vice President; Patrick J. Galbraith as Secretary-Treasurer; David A. Haggerty as Immediate Past President; Fabrizio Alcobe-Fierro, Joan E. Baker, Mark D. Ein, Michael J. McNulty III, Andrew A. Valdez, Kathleen J. Wu and Lauren Barnikow, Directors at Large;  Todd C. Martion, Elite Athlete and Director at Large; and Chanda R. Rubin, as an Elite Athlete and Director at Large.

 

SUCCESSFUL TEAM

The heroes of France’s recent rich Davis Cup history – members of its winning teams of 1991, 1996 and 2001 – were honored just before the reverse singles rubbers of this year’s final. Arnaud Boetsch, Olivier Delaitre, Nicolas Escude, Guy Forget, Henri Leconte, Cedric Pioline, Guillaume Raoux and Fabrice Santoro participated in the ceremony before a crowd of 27,000 at the Stade Pierre Mauroy. The most memorable of those three victories came in 1991 when Forget and Leconte combined to defeat the United States 3-1 to clinch France’s first Davis Cup title in 59 years. Forget and Leconte were earlier honored with the Davis Cup Award of Excellence by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHoF). Boetsch, Raoux, Pioline and Forget led France over Sweden in 1996, a tie noted for being the first Davis Cup final to be decided in the fifth set of the fifth match. That was when Boetsch saved three championship points in the decisive rubber against Niklas Kulti, winning 10-8 in the fifth set to complete nine hours of play on the final day. In 2001, Escude won the decisive fifth rubber to give France a victory over an Australian team featuring Lleyton Hewitt and Patrick Rafter.

 

SERGIO’S CADDIE

Former French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero has a new job in his retirement. He will be the caddie for fellow Spaniard Sergio Garcia when he attempts to defend his title at next month’s Thailand Golf Championships. Also in the field will be Bubba Watson, a two-time US Masters champion, US Open champion Martin Kaymer and former world number ones Lee Westwood and Ernie Els. Ferrero was ranked number one in the world in tennis in 2003 and retired two years ago after 14 years on the ATP World Tour. “I’ve played golf with him many times, but he never caddied for me before,” Garcia said of Ferrero. “We just talked about it and he mentioned about it and we decided to do it. He is excited about it. … It is good fun to be able to enjoy golf and have a good time with a good close friend.”

 

SELECTED

Geneva, Switzerland, will be the site of an ATP World Tour 250 tournament beginning next year. The tournament, which had been held in Düsseldorf, Germany, will be staged at the Tennis Club de Genève at the Parc des Eaux-Vives, the oldest and largest tennis club in Switzerland. The Geneva Open will be held May 16-23, 2015, returning to the Swiss city for the first time since 1991.

 

SYDNEY BOUND

Three of the top six women in the world will in the battle at the Sydney International in January. Romania’s Simona Halep, ranked third in the world, Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic and Australian Open semifinalist Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland will headline the field. Kvitova is ranked fourth and Radwanska sixth. The Sydney International will be held January 11-17 at the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre.

 

SERENA THE MODEL

Tennis champion Serena Williams has shown another side of her talents. The 33-year-old is part of a new television advertising campaign for an Australian lingerie company, Berlei. Her photo shoot came in Miami, Florida, USA, right after she captured the WTA Finals Championships in Singapore last month. The 33-year-old American said she felt comfortable while posing for the underwear ads. “I’m a normal woman,” Williams said. “I can get self-conscious. But I think that is just natural for women to feel that way. I have learned to be proud of my curves and to embrace them. It’s important to love who you are and realize that you’re beautiful, no matter what society says.” Kellie Warwick, senior marketing manager of Berlei, said Williams was a natural model. “She was without a doubt a natural behind the camera and was an absolute delight to work with,” Warwick said. “She is such a professional.” The ad is scheduled to be released in time for Williams’ appearance at the Australian Open in January, when she will be seeking her 19th Grand Slam tournament singles title. It is the first ad Williams has done for the label since signing on as a sports bra ambassador in 2013.

 

SAD NEWS

Pablo Llorens, former president of the Spanish Tennis Federation, died on November 18. Llorens was an honorary International Tennis Federation (ITF) vice president. He also served as chairman of the ITF Olympic Tennis Committee and along with former ITF President Philippe Chatrier was instrumental in re-establishing tennis as an Olympic sport in Seoul, South Korea, in 1988. Llorens had been a member of the Spanish Olympic Committee since 1971 and in 1975 founded the European Tennis Association together with federation presidents of France, Switzerland, Germany and Great Britain. In 2001, Llorens was awarded the ITF/International Tennis Hall of Fame Golden Achievement Award.

Arturo Grimaldi, president of the Argentine Tennis Association, is dead at the age of 63. He had been suffering from cancer. A lawyer, Grimaldi was ranked number one in the junior under 14 category in 1963 and was Argentine’s seventh-ranked junior in the under 18 age group in 1967. After serving as president of the Tenis Club Argentino, Grimaldi became a board member of the Argentine Tennis Association (AAT) in 1996 and AAT president in 2009. He also was president of the South American Tennis Confederation (CASAT) between 2011 and 2013. “We at the ITF worked closely with Arturo and his team on successful Davis Cup and Fed Cup ties over many years and we thought of him as both friend and colleague,” said Francesco Ricci Bitti, ITF president. “He will be missed by all of us in the tennis family and we send our condolences to his family and his friends around the world.”

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Toyota: Eri Hozumi and Makoto Ninomiya beat Shuko Aoyama and Junri Namigata 6-3 7-5

 

SURFING

ATP: www.atpworldtour.com

WTA: www.wtatennis.com

ITF: www.itftennis.com

World Tennis Magazine: www.worldtennismagazine.com

 

TOURNAMENTS WEEK OF JAN. 5, 2015

(All money in USD)

MEN

$1,195,500 Qatar ExxonMobil Open, Doha, Qatar, hard

$511,825 Brisbane International presented by Suncorp, Brisbane, Australia, hard

$459,140 Aircel Chennai Open, Chennai, India, hard

 

WOMEN

 $1,000,000 Brisbane International presented by Suncorp, Brisbane, Australia, hard

$500,000 Shenzhen Open, Shenzhen, China, hard

$250,000 ASB Classic, Auckland, New Zealand, hard

Roger Federer
Roger Federer

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Agnieszka Radwanska Win In Canada – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Roger Federer 7-5 7-6 (3) to win the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Agnieszka Radwanska beat Venus Williams 6-4 6-2 to win the Rogers Cup in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Marcos Baghdatis beat Mikhail Kukushkin 7-6 (7) 6-4 to win the Comerica Bank Challenger in Aptos, California, USA

 

SAYING

“I’ve always liked Canada, but now I think I just love Canada.” – Agnieszka Radwanska, following her Rogers Cup victory, his first title of 2014.

“I played well all this week, I beat many good guys. It’s a big achievement because I worked really hard to come back from my knee injury last year. Unfortunately there is no secret. Behind this there is a lot of work.” – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, following his title-winning victory over Roger Federer.

“He beat great players along the way and backed it up with another great final. No excuses. I think he played really solid and well when he had to.” – Roger Federer, on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

“I had an amazing week. I was playing much better with each match. I didn’t start that well from my first match, but every match was much better. That is why I am sitting right here.” – Agnieszka Radwanska, after winning in Montreal.

“I ran out of energy because I was winning too many matches. I haven’t had that problem in a long time.” – Venus Williams, following her loss to Agnieszka Radwanska in the final at Montreal.

“Big sister taught little sister a lesson.” – Serena Williams, after losing her semifinal match to older sister Venus.

“I totally wanted to be in the top 20 like earlier this year. I’ve been having goals. It’s always a goal in mind for myself and hopefully most tennis players. I would love to hit the top 16 and just keep going forward after that. Obviously, if I can continue this level of tennis, it will be something that can happen for me.” – Venus Williams

“I feel more laid back today than I ever have because I don’t have to defend like 12 tournaments a year. I only won one last year, so I feel I don’t really have to prove anything to anybody – although people are always going to disagree with that, For me, it’s about how do I feel at practice, how’s my motivation, how am I actually playing, how do I feel rather than everyone else thinking they know. I can analyze it much clearer today than I ever have, and from that standpoint I’m not in a hectic place.” – Roger Federer.

 

STARRING IN TORONTO

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga capped a week of upsets by stopping second-seeded Roger Federer to win the Rogers Cup in Toronto. En route to the title, the Frenchman beat world number one Novak Djokovic in the third round, eighth-seeded Andy Murray in the quarterfinals and seventh-seeded Grigor Dimitrov in the semis. “I was looking for my best level. Today I had it and it’s great,” Tsonga said. Federer was seeking his 80th career title. Instead, Tsonga earned his first ATP World Tour title of the year and 11th of his career. His victims during the week included players who had won seven of the last 10 Rogers Cups. History was on the side of the Frenchman. Three of Tsonga’s five victory over Federer in their 16 career meetings have come on hard courts in Canada. Against Federer this time, Tsonga was superb. He never had a break point on his serve and pulled off the only service break of the match in the first set. In the second-set tiebreak, Tsonga broke away from a 3-3 deadlock by winning the last four points of the match. “What is achieved is achieved and I will just continue on this way, continue to work hard,” Tsonga said. “This win gives me a lot of hope for the rest of the year, of course.” Even in defeat, Federer remained positive about his game. “There were things I could have done better, but, overall it was a positive week,” he said. “I go away from this feeling good about my chances next week and also at the US Open.”

 

STEADY AGGIE STOPS VENUS

In a week of surprises, it was steady Agnieszka Radwanska who wound up with the winner’s trophy in Montreal. Radwanska knocked off Venus Williams to win the Rogers Cup, her first title of 2014 and 14th of her career. “One of my biggest titles,” Radwanska said. “As you can see in the draw had pretty all top players. So very, very special title for me.” The third-seeded Pole deserved the title after quietly knocking off a slew of top players, including Sabine Lisicki, Victoria Azarenka and Ekaterina Makarova. And, while she trails Venus Williams in their career head-to-head 5-4, Radwanska has now handedly won their last three meetings. “I think she (Williams) played great tennis whole week, playing and beating a lot of good players on the way to the final,” Radwanska said. “I think I’m even happier to beat Venus when she’s really on fire.” And the elder Williams had been on fire the entire week, no more so in the semifinals when she upset younger sister Serena, the world’s top-ranked player. “I just fell a little short today,” Venus said. “I wanted to give more but I just didn’t have it. … She just was a little too good today.” Radwanska took control early, breaking Williams twice to grab a 4-1 lead in the opening set. The broke her opponent again to start the second set, then broke the American again to take a 5-3 lead. Radwanska capped the victory with an ace, her third of the day.

 

STRAIGHT IN

Fifteen-year-old CiCi Bellis has a spot in the main draw of the US Open. Ranked second in the work in the juniors, Bellis earned the wild card by winning the USTA Girls’ 18s National Championship, beating 16-year-old Tornado Alicia Black in the final 6-3 6-1. Bellis is the youngest USTA Girls’ 18s national champion since Lindsay Davenport won the crown in 1991, also at the age of 15. Black earned a wild card into the US Open qualifying. Last year, Black reached the junior girls singles final at the US Open and was a quarterfinalist in the Wimbledon junior girls earlier this summer.

Noah Rubin won the USTA Boys’ 18s National Championships to earn a main draw wild card into the US Open. The 18-year-old from Rockville Centre, New York, USA, beat Collin Altamirano 6-4 6-4 6-3. Rubin also earned a wild card into the US Open doubles main draw when he teamed with 16-year-old Stefan Kozlov of Pembroke Pines, Florida, USA, to win the Boys’ 18s title. Rubin won the Wimbledon boys’ singles title in July.

 

SURGERY

Japan’s Kei Nishikori had a cyst removed from his right foot and may not be ready to play in this year’s US Open. Nishikori had the operation in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, then flew to Florida to begin his recovery. He pulled out of this week’s tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, but it is not known if he will have recovered in time to compete in the year’s final Grand Slam tournament, which begins its two-week run on August 25.

 

SISTERLY SLUGFEST

It has been a while since Venus has beaten her younger sister – a long while. In a battle of the Williams sisters, Venus shocked Serena in the semifinals of the Rogers Cup in Montreal, Canada. “You can’t win every match,” Venus said, explaining the 6-7 (2) 6-2 6-3 outcome. “You can’t win them all.” It had been five years since Venus had come out on top of the family tennis wars, that also being a three-setter in Dubai. “Serena is at her top level,” Venus said. “Nobody wants to play her. If you do, you have to play the match of your life.” Venus did have help, however. Serena pounded 19 aces, but had nine double-faults. And Venus jumped all over her sister’s second serve, winning 56 percent of those points compared to just 36 percent for Serena. Venus finished with six aces and just two double-faults. “I made many mistakes today. When I make so many mistakes it is impossible to win against her,” Serena said. “I haven’t been able to get into the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam this year. At this point, really just looking forward to next year, to be honest.”

 

SPOT SECURED

Once banned after getting caught with human growth hormone, Wayne Odesnik is now in the US Open, courtesy of a wild card. The 28-year-old American was off the tour from April 2010 to August 2011 after pleading guilty to importing HGH into Australia in January 2010. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) banned Odesnik for two years, but the ITF later cut that in half, saying it was because Odesnik had cooperated with its investigators. He had denied using HGH and never tested positive. Odesnik last played in the US Open in 2009. He earned the wild card this year for his results at USTA Pro Circuit events.

 

SEEKING SUPER SLAM

Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci are hoping to become just the third doubles team to win all four Grand Slam tournament titles and the year-ending WTA Finals during their career. The Italian due completed the career doubles Grand Slam when they captured Wimbledon earlier this summer. They won Roland Garros and the US Open in 2012 and the Australian Open in 2013 and 2014. And they have qualified for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global for the third straight year. But they have never won the season-ending event, which this year will be held in October. Only two doubles teams have accomplished that feat – and all four players have been inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver won their first of 10 WTA Finals and the first of five Wimbledons in 1981, the first of their seven Australian Opens in 1982, the first of their four US Opens in 1983 and the first of their four French Opens in 1984. In 1984, Navratilova and Shriver won all four Grand Slam tournament doubles titles as well as the WTA Finals. The other pair to capture all five events during their career was Gigi Fernández and Natasha Zvereva. Besides Errani and Vinci, two other pairs have won all four Grand Slam tournament titles but have failed to capture the WTA Finals. They are Kathy Jordan and Anne Smith and sisters Serena and Venus Williams.

 

SKIPPING CINCINNATI

This week’s Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, is missing a young Australian player. Nick Kyrgios pulled out of the qualifying for the Masters 1000 event because of a bone stress in his left arm. Kyrgios shot into the headlines earlier this summer when he upset Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon. He lost to Andy Murray in the second round at Toronto before undergoing an MRI on his arm. The youngster tweeted that the injury will not keep him from playing in the US Open later this month.

 

STOPPED BY DRUG TEST

Eighteen-year-old Australian Bradley Mousley is facing a two-year ban from tennis after a positive drug test showed ecstasy was in his system. An amateur, Mousley was tested following a first-round qualifying match in March. The Australian newspaper reported that Mousley’s legal team is seeking a shorter ban since the “would not have derived any performance benefit from it.” However, Tennis Australia is pushing for the full two-year ban from all competition as part of a broader campaign to rid its elite junior ranks of what it sees as a reckless party culture. Mousley already has missed this year’s Roland Garros and Wimbledon junior tournaments after receiving formal notification of the positive test. He has a strained relationship with Tennis Australia, having received warnings for breaking curfew and swearing at tennis officials. He reached the junior boys’ semifinals at this year’s Australian Open before losing to eventual champion Alexander Zverev of Germany. He has won two Junior Grand Slam titles in doubles.

 

SET FOR LONDON

Billie Jean King and longtime friend Elton John will be on the sidelines at a tennis match at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The World TeamTennis Smash Hits event will be held December 7 and benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation. King and John will coach the teams that will feature former world number ones Kim Clijsters and John McEnroe, Britain’s Tim Henman and 2013 Wimbledon runner-up Sabine Lisicki.

 

SECURITY CONCERNS

Because of the current Israeli-Hamas conflict, the inaugural Negev Israel Open to be held in Tel Aviv, Israel, has been cancelled because of security concerns. The tournament had been moved from St. Petersburg, Russia, and was to be the first ATP World Tour event in Israel since 1996. “We regret the ATP World Tour event in Tel Aviv, Israel, will not take place this year,: ATP president Chris Kermode said. “Sadly, we do not feel we can proceed as planned given the situation in the region. Ensuring the security of our players, fans and all those involved in organizing a world-class event, is our number one priority. We hope to be back in Tel Aviv next year. In the meantime, and much more importantly, we hope for a swift return to peace in the region.” In a statement posted on the tour’s website, the Israel Tennis Association (ITA) chairman, Asaf Tochneir, said he was unhappy with the ATP’s decision.

 

SET FOR NEW EVENT

The 2014 NCAA singles champions – Marcos Giron of UCLA and Danielle Collins of the University of Virginia – will headline the American college players competing in the inaugural American Collegiate Invitational, which will be held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center during the second week of the US Open. In making the announcement, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) said the winners of this new event will receive wild cards into the 2014 US Open. The winners of the eight-player draws in both men’s singles and women’s singles will also get wild cards into two USTA Pro Circuit events, while each runner-up will get one wild card. As NCAA champions, Giron and Collins received wild cards into this year’s US Open, which begins on August 25.

 

STILL PLAYING

Back in 1974, when he was just 15 years old, Bill Godfrey lost in the doubles final at the Ann Arbor City Tennis Tournament. “I don’t remember the scores,” Godfrey said of that match 40 years ago, “but it was fun because I got to play with the older guys.” Now 55, Godfrey once again reached the doubles title match this year. This time he and his partner Craig Capelli lost a three-setter. Still, Godfrey was thrilled with his accomplishment. “It meant way more because I’ve had health issues, so I’ve come way back from not being able to hit the ball to playing at that high level,” he said. “When I was 15, it was taken for granted.” Godfrey has had Bell’s palsy, causing paralysis to half of his face and vertigo. He underwent six months of physical therapy before being sidelined with knee trouble. Playing the Ann Arbor tournament this year was important for Godfrey, who has competed in the event the majority of the last 40 years. He has reached the singles and doubles final a combined 21 times, winning four singles and five doubles. “I love tennis, I love people who play tennis and I hope to play until I’m 100 years old,” he said. “I’m still competitive at this level (and I’ll play) until that’s not the case.”

 

SOLD TO USTA

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) and the local owners of The Racquet Club in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, have purchased the US National Indoor Tennis Championships and will keep the professional tournament in Memphis. According to David Brewer, the USTA’s chief professional officer and tournament director of the US Open, the sale was completed two weeks ago. The USTA will be the majority owner of the US Indoor, an annual stop on the ATP World Tour. The USTA is majority owner of two other events played in the United States – the BB&T Open in Atlanta, Georgia, and the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio. Brewer said the USTA wanted “to help, in some way, keep this tournament in the United States and, more importantly, keep it in the market it’s been all these years.” Memphis is one of 11 ATP tournaments held in the United States – down from 36 in the early 1980s.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Aptos: Ruben Bemelmans and Laurynas Grigelis beat Purav Raja and Sanam Singh 6-3 4-6 11-9 (match tiebreak)

Montreal: Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci beat Cara Black and Sania Mirza 7-6 (4) 6-3

Toronto: Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares beat Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo 6-4 6-3

 

SURFING

Cincinnati: www.cincytennis.com/

 

Bogotá: www.countryclubdebogota.com

Winston-Salem: www.winstonsalemopen.com/

New Haven: www.ctopen.org/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$3,079,555 Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, hard

 

WOMEN

$2,266,250 Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, hard

$100,000 Seguros Bolivar Open, Bogotá, Colombia, clay

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$598,260 Winston-Salem Open, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA, hard

WOMEN

$644,900 Connecticut Open presented by United Technologies, New Haven, Connecticut, USA, hard

 

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

On Yannick Noah’s June 5 Anniversary Day, The Comparisons Continue For Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

by

By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

 

Tennis fans who have downloaded the new “This Day In Tennis History” mobile app will receive a special “ping” on their IPhone, IPad or Android device on the morning of June 5 reminding them of a special anniversary in tennis that is once again thrown into the spotlight at Roland Garros.

It was exactly 30 years ago on June 5, 1983 when Yannick Noah exorcised a generation of French frustration by becoming the first men’s singles winner at Roland Garros in 37 years. A similar French frenzy returned to Roland Garros Tuesday – 30 years minus one day since Noah’s French Tennis Revolution – as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga took a giant step to having a chance to play for the coveted Coupe de Mousquetaires with a 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 quarterfinal upset of 17-time major champion and No. 2 Roger Federer.

“France Dares to Dream as Tsonga Defeats Federer” read the headline on the website of the New York Times hours after Tsonga’s guillotine execution of the King Federer, cheered raucously by the French mob at Stade Phillipe Chatrier. Tsonga is now only one match victory from being the first French men’s singles finalist since Henri Leconte in 1988 and only the third since Noah’s 1983 triumph. But rather than seven-time champion Rafael Nadal or world No. 1 Novak Djokovic awaiting in the semifinals, it is the less intimidating, but ferocious No. 4 seed David Ferrer of Spain, who has yet to punch through into the major singles final.

There are many similarities between Tsonga and Noah – both are of mixed race whose fathers hail from Africa, and both are swash-buckling, powerful presences on court with flashy games to go with their French fashion magazine allure and magnetism. When Noah achieved his pinnacle career moment, he paraded through the 1983 French draw as the No. 6 seed, the same seeding that Tsonga holds this year.

In his post-match press conference Tuesday, Tsonga was asked of his relationship to Noah. “Well, when he sings, I dance. That’s my relationship,” he said of 1983 French champion, who transformed from tennis champion to leading French pop singer. “When he says something to me, I listen to him.”

“50 Millions de Noah” was the headline in the French sports daily newspaper L’Equipe the day before Noah’s final in 1983, meaning “the entire French population of France would be behind Yannick Noah,” writes Tom Tebbutt in the latest edition of the emagazine Tennis Journal. Tsonga have no fewer numbers on his side and his name will dominate the newsprint, airwaves, blogs and social media updates in France until his tournament comes to an end. The way he handles the pressure, attention and opportunity presented him will be an equally compelling drama and allure than his athleticism on the court. Before last year’s French Open, Tsonga famously told reporters that there was “no chance” that a Frenchman would win the tournament, perhaps to lower expectations or a mere vocalization of a lack of belief that may have manifested when he blew four-match points in a 6-1, 5-7, 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-1 loss to Djokovic in last year’s French quarterfinals.

 

The June 5 entry in the “This Day In Tennis” mobile app reads as follows:

1983 – Yannick Noah creates a frenzy of French patriotism at Stade Roland Garros becoming the first Frenchman in 37 years to win the men’s singles titles at the French Open, defeating Mats Wilander 6-2, 7-5, 7-6 in 2 hours, 24 minutes in a passion-filled final. Noah serves and volleys and chips and charges on the slow red clay court to become the first Frenchman since Marcel Bernard in 1946 to win the French men’s singles title. Noah is discovered at age 10 in the African nation of Cameroon, the birthplace of his father, when U.S. Davis Cup star Arthur Ashe informs French Tennis Federation President Philippe Chatrier of Noah’s talent after seeing him play – with a tennis racquet carved out of wood during a U.S. State Department visit. Wilander falls short in his attempt to defend the title he won the previous year as an unknown 17-year-old, being unable to hit enough passing shots to fend off the constant net attacks by the dread-locked 23-year-old Noah. Writes Bud Collins in the Boston Globe, “Perhaps the French will rename that huge monument at Place de l’Etoile and call it Noah’s Arc de Triomphe. The original outlasted a flood, but the current one opened the floodgates of emotion at Stade Roland Garros and washed away not only the Swedish Reign of Terror in the French Open, but also a seemingly impenetrable barrier that has separated French male players from their own title for 37 years.”

The “This Day In Tennis” mobile app can be found by searching “Tennis History” in the iTunes App Store and Play Store or directly at these two links:

Apple iTunes: http://m1e.net/c?96279190-QVNZbhE7otwIQ%4018743020-36wDaWUl4hHss

Google Play: http://m1e.net/c?96279190-vbTXOvDe.eVzA%4018743021-/sLwXB3bzqDE6

Fans can follow the app on social media at www.Twitter.com/ThisDayInTennis and atwww.Facebook.com/pages/This-Day-In-Tennis-History/163146853852276?fref=ts.

To subscribe to Tennis Journal, go to www.Tennis-Journal.com

 

 

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Steep Climb For Roger Federer At 2013 Australian Open

by

By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

 

Roger Federer easily steered his way out of the first round of the 2013 Australian Open, but now faces about as tough a road as possible if he is to navigate himself to a fifth Australian Open title and 18th career major single title.

While Nikolay Davydenko of Russia has seen his better days on tour – reaching a high of No. 3 and winning 21 career titles – he is now ranked No. 40 and faces Federer in the second round. He has beaten Federer two times –against Federer’s 17 wins – but playing someone who has ranked as high as No. 3 in the world is not an easy second-round opponent for the Swiss, especially against someone who has defeated you more than once in the past.

In the third round, Federer could face brash Australian upstart Bernard Tomic, the cocky 20-year-old, who recently won his first career ATP singles title in Sydney last week and ranked No. 43. When asked to comment on a potential third-round match with Federer he responded “if he gets that far.” With comments from like against Federer, perhaps the most popular and liked tennis player in the history of the sport, it would be safe to say that a majority of people in the tennis world would be gladly rooting for a rout of the arrogant Aussie. The two played in the Australian Open fourth round last year, Federer winning easily 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.

Could the dangerous Canadian Milos Raonic be the player to end the incredible Federer streak of 34 consecutive appearances in the quarterfinals of a major? The 6-foot 5 inch 22-year-old, Federer’s potential round of 16 opponent, has been only points away from beating Federer in their previous three matches: 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3) in Halle on grass last June, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4) on the blue clay of Madrid last May and 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-4 at Indian Wells last March. He has been knocking at the door at taking out the mighty Federer. Will the door be opened in Melbourne?

In the quarterfinals, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France could await. He is one of the few men in the field who has experience beating Federer at a major tournament when he turned the trick on Federer’s favorite court of all places, Centre Court at the All England Club, in the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2011.

Should Federer reach the semifinals – in the draw’s unfortunate “draw of the straws” – he would potentially face No. 3 seed Andy Murray. The 2012 US Open and Olympic champion is on the ascent, his confidence swelling since breaking through and winning his first major title at the US Open and his enormous achievement of winning Olympic gold in his home country, drubbing Federer 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 in the final. Murray holds a rare winning head-to-head record against Federer at 10-9 and is the only player in the 2013 with a career winning record against the 17-time major champion.

To boot, based on the way the men’s draw has been scheduled, the potential Federer vs. Murray semifinal would take place on the second Friday of the tournament and, should Federer defeat Murray to reach the final, he would have 24 hours less rest than his opponent in the final, potentially No. 1 seed Djokovic, whose half of the draw would play their semifinal match on Thursday.

To read more about the life and career of Federer, pick up a copy of the book ROGER FEDERER: QUEST FOR PERFECTION by Rene Stauffer at www.RogerFedererBook.com

Roger Federer
Roger Federer

 

 

Venus Williams, Juan Martin del Potro return to winning ways — Mondays with Bob Greene

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STARS

Caroline Wozniacki beat Samantha Stosur 6-2 4-6 7-5 to win the Kremlin Cup women’s singles in Moscow, Russia

Andreas Seppi beat Thomaz Bellucci 3-6 7-6 (3) 6-3 to win the men’s singles at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, Russia

Tomas Berdych beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 4-6 6-4 6-4 to win the If Stockholm Open in Stockholm, Sweden

Juan Martin del Potro beat Grega Zemlja 7-5 6-3 to win the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, Austria

Venus Williams beat Monica Niculescu 6-2 6-3 to win the Luxembourg Open in Luxembourg

DAVIS CUP

Europe/Africa Group I, 2nd round: Denmark beat Finland 4-1 (Finland relegated to Group II in 2013)

Asia/Oceania Group I, 2nd round: Chinese Taipei beat New Zealand 3-2 (New Zealand relegated to Group II in 2013)

SAYING

Venus Williams wins her 44th career title in Luxembourg

“Coming to the tournament this week I was just trying to play well. I didn’t know if I could win this event, so to stand here as the winner is a wonderful way for me to end the year, and it really makes me look forward to next year as well.” – Venus Williams, after winning the Luxembourg Open.

“I didn’t have a very good start to the match. I made a lot of errors and I was nervous because it was a final. I tried to find a way to play aggressive. In the second set I broke early and that gave me confidence to play the final like I was expected. I was a little lucky to survive from 2-4 down in the first set.” – Juan Martin del Potro, on how he played in the final at Vienna.

“My first semifinal, my first final, it was a great week. I am happy with my tennis. I know now that I can beat everybody.” – Grega Zemlja, a qualifier who lost to Juan Martin del Potro in the Erste Bank Open final in Vienna.

“It is very special to win this title as I remember Yevgeny (Kafelnikov) winning so many times here and he was my idol growing up. I saw him a few times this week but I was too shy to ask him anything.” – Andreas Seppi, after winning in Moscow.

“I just did not play at the same level as I was before when I served for the match. Maybe I got too nervous.” – Thomaz Bellucci, who twice served for the match before losing to Andreas Seppi in the final at Moscow.

“When I was 2-4 down in the second set I remained positive and focused on my game. Against Jo you have to stay positive until the last point. I am happy that I was able to turn around the match, and that’s what makes this title special.” – Tomas Berdych, who rallied to beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and win the If Stockholm Open.

“I feel bad because it was a good final and a close score. I think we played a great match and had many opportunities, but he played well.” – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling to qualify for Istanbul by winning this important match at the Kremlin Cup. Nadia has been to the Championships before and even won the doubles title, but for me it will be the first time and I’m really looking forward to the experience.” – Maria Kirilenko, who with teammate Nadia Petrova qualified for the doubles competition at the WTA Championships.

“We have known each other for more than 10 years now and are good friends. We even lived together a few years ago. We went different ways at some point but got back together this summer when we played club matches. We decided to play together on the tour too. We got off to a great start and this title is unbelievable for us.” – Andre Begemann, who teamed with Martin Emmrich to win the doubles in Vienna.

“Our last match in Fed Cup I think we played three hours, so I expected a tough match today, and it was. Even thought the second set was 6-0, I really had to fight for it.” – Daniela Hantuchova, after winning 12 of the last 13 games to beat Lourdes Dominguez Lino 7-5 6-0 to reach the semifinals at Luxembourg.

STANDING TALL AGAIN

Venus Williams collected a singles title for the first time in more than two years, capturing the Luxembourg Open by beating Monica Niculescu. Now 32 years old and ranked 41st in the world, Williams played steady tennis from the baseline to earn her 44th career singles title, second-most among active players and trailing only her sister, Serena Williams, who has won 45 titles. Niculescu, who has yet to win on the WTA tour, lost in the Luxembourg final for the second straight year. Slowed by injuries and illness over the past two seasons, Williams last won a singles title in early 2010 in Dubai and Acapulco. Because of an autoimmune disease, which leaves her fatigued and with painful joints, Williams started her season in March following a seven-month layoff. Luxembourg was her first tournament since the US Open, where she lost in the second round.

SLOVENIAN STOPPER

When the Erste Bank Open final was over, both players were delighted. “It’s been a fantastic week,” said the winner, Juan Martin del Potro. “I am satisfied,” Grega Zemlja said after losing 7-5 6-3. It was del Potro’s first tournament since being sidelined for more than a month with an injury to his right wrist. And it was only his second time he has captured an indoors title. Zemlja was the first player from Slovenia to reach an ATP Tour final, and it did that by upsetting Janko Tipsarevic in the semifinals. Zemlja took a 4-2 lead before del Potro reeled off 11 of the next 15 games to gain the victory. “It wasn’t a good start, I was nervous because it was a final,” del Potro said. “In the second set I broke him early and that gave me confidence to play the final like everyone expected me to do.”

SET FOR ISTANBUL

Even though they lost in the final at Moscow, Maria Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova clinched the final doubles spot at the season-ending TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships. The Russian duo secured a spot in this week’s elite event in Istanbul, Turkey, by defeating the American team of Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears in a semifinal match at the Kremlin Cup. Other teams in the WTA Championships include Italians Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci, Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic, and Americans Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond, the defending champions.

The singles field is composed of the top eight players in the world: Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, Maria Sharapova of Russia, Serena Williams of the United States, Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, Angelique Kerber of Germany, Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, Sara Errani of Italy and Li Na of China. The first and second alternates, respectively, are Samantha Stosur of Australia and Marion Bartoli of France. It is the first time that the season-concluding event includes eight players from eight different countries – let alone 10 players form 10 separate countries counting the alternates.

SEATS IN LONDON

David Ferrer will be competing in his third straight season-ending championships when the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals is held in London November 5-12. Also qualifying for the elite field is Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic. The Spaniard reached the final on his debut in 2007 in Shanghai, China, where he lost to Roger Federer. The 30-year-old Ferrer won a career-high five titles on three different surfaces this year and is the fifth qualifier for the eight-player singles field. Berdych also will be making his third consecutive appearance at the season finale. Others who have already qualified are Novak Djokovic, Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.

Wimbledon doubles champions Jonathan Marray and Frederik Nielsen along with the Spanish pair of Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez have claimed places in the season-ending event for the first time. The British-Danish team stunned four seeded tandems, including defending champions Bob and Mike Bryan in the semifinals, as they captured Wimbledon in their first tour-level appearance as a team. The 31-year-old Marray became the first British player to win the doubles at the All England Club since 1936, while the 29-year-old Nielsen became the first Danish man to win a Grand Slam tournament title. Granollers and Lopez won ATP World Tour titles at Rome, Italy, and Gstaad, Switzerland. Earlier doubles qualifiers include the Bryan brothers, Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor, Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau, and Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek.

SWEET STOCKHOLM

It wasn’t easy, but Tomas Berdych captured the If Stockholm Open and a spot in the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. “It feels pretty good,” Berdych said. “This season has been really solid.” Ranked sixth in the world, Berdych ran his career record to 3-1 against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a Frenchman who double faulted on match point. “I just tried to stay positive until the end and tried to take points one by one,” the Czech said. The stronger player for a set and a half, Tsonga was disappointed in the defeat. “I feel bad,” he said. “I think we played a great match and I had many opportunities. I did some wrong things, but I gave my best tennis and I lost.”

SUPER STEADY

Injuries may have hampered his career, but they have not stopped Tommy Haas. The 34-year-old German became the fourth active player to win 500 matches on the ATP Tour when he won his second-round match at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, Austria. Haas is the 38th male player in the Open era to achieve the feat. Jimmy Connors leads the all-time list with 1,243 wins, followed by Ivan Lendl with 1,071, Guillermo Vilas with 923 and John McEnroe with 875. Next comes Roger Federer, the leading active player, with 871 match wins. Other active players ahead of Haas are Rafael Nadal with 583 and Lleyton Hewitt with 566. Boris Becker, who finished his career with 713 match wins, was the first Germany player to reach the 500 mark.

STARS ON PARADE

Chris Evert, John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Bjorn Borg and Boris Becker will be on hand for a spectacular evening of tennis entertainment at the Winter Whites Gala at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England, on December 8. Goran Ivanisevic and Tim Henman will reprise their 2001 Wimbledon semifinal, while McEnroe will also compete. The Royal Albert Hall will be transformed into an enchanted Winter Wonderland during the Statoil Masters Tennis. The extravaganza is raising money for Centrepoint, Prince Williams’ patron charity, which helps young homeless people. The charity’s former patron was the late Diana, Princess of Wales. Since 2005 Prince William has continued his mother’s work.

SEEING DOUBLE

Brothers Bob and Mike Bryan are the 2012 Olympic men’s doubles champions and winners of 12 Grand Slam tournament doubles titles. Now they’ll play a unique exhibition to kick off the 2012 USTA Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs, which will be held December 14-16 in Norcross, Georgia, USA. Five doubles teams from Georgia – taken from the state’s top players, from juniors to teaching professionals – will each play the Bryan brothers in a first-to-four-games competition in what is being billed as “The Battle of George.” Sixteen players – eight men and eight women – will compete in the wild card playoffs, with the two winners earning wild cards into the singles main draw at the 2013 Australian Open.

SORE ANKLE

An injury to his right ankle has forced Kei Nishikori to pull out of the Swiss Indoors tournament this week. “I had an MRI on my right ankle and unfortunately will not be able to play Basel yet,” Nishikori said on Twitter. He complained about feeling pain in his ankle after he lost to Sam Querrey in the second round of the Shanghai Rolex Masters. Last year, the Japanese star reached the final of the Swiss Indoors, where he lost to Roger Federer.

SPARKLING DEBUT

Now that she’s Britain’s top female player, Heather Watson is reaping some of the rewards – and responsibilities. The first British woman to win a WTA singles title in 24 years when she captured the Japan Open, Watson will headline “Ladies Night” at the Statoil Master Tennis when she partners Tim Henman against Anne Keothavong and Mark Philippoussis. “I am so excited to have the chance to play at the Royal Albert Hall for the first time, particularly as it will be Ladies Night at the Statoil Masters Tennis and Statoil are one of my personal sponsors,” said Watson. Before Watson, the last British woman to win a WTA singles title was Sara Gomer in 1988.

SEEING WHITE

Andy Roddick is returning to the tennis wars, if only for one night. The recently retired American will take on US Open champion and Olympic gold medalist Andy Murray in an exhibition match played on a white court in Miami. Others who will participate in the inaugural Miami Cup include 2003 French Open winner Juan Carlos Ferrero, fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro, Alejandro Falla of Colombia, and top-ranked American John Isner. The court at Crandon Park – home of the annual Miami Masters Series – will be pained white with red lines, surrounded by blue. It is yet another experiment with new color schemes that the sport is undertaking. This year the Madrid Masters was played on blue clay, a move that was unpopular with the players.

SET FOR MEXICO

Mexico is on Rafael Nadal’s itinerary. The Spanish superstar plans to play the Mexican Open, which is scheduled for February 25-March 2. Toni Nadal, the players’ coach and uncle, said the left-hander is focusing on returning in time for an exhibition at the end of the year in Abu Dhabi as part of his preparations for the Australian Open in January. Nadal has been sidelined with a left knee injury since a second-round loss at Wimbledon in June. He has said it was unlikely he will play for Spain in the Davis Cup final against the Czech Republic in November. The Australian Open, which Nadal won in 2009, begins on January 14. The Mubadala World Tennis Championships in Abu Dhabi will be played December 27-29.

SUPER SENIORS

Pete Sampras won the PowerShares Series’ Champions Challenge in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA, by beating Ivan Lendl 8-4. In the semifinals, Sampras stopped Jim Courier 6-4 and Lendl edged John McEnroe 7-6 (6).

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Luxembourg: Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka beat Irina-Camelia Begu and Monica Niculescu 6-3 6-4

Moscow (men): Frantisek Cermak and Michal Mertinak beat Simone Bolelli and Daniele Bracciali 7-5 6-3

Moscow (women): Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina beat Maria Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova 6-3 1-6 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Stockholm: Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares beat Robert Lindstedt and Nenad Zimonjic 6-7 (4) 7-5 10-6 (match tiebreak)

Vienna: Andre Begemann and Martin Emmrich beat Julian Knowle and Filip Polasek 6-4 3-6 10-4 (match tiebreak)

SURFING

Istanbul: www.wtachampionships.com/

Valencia: www.valenciaopen500.com/

Basel: www.swissindoorsbasel.ch/

Poitiers: www.ifv86.com

Paris: http://bnpparibamasters.fft/

Sofia: http://sofia-tennis.bg/

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$1,839,850 Valencia Open 500, Valencia, Spain, hard
$1,813,300 Swiss Indoors Basel, Basel, Switzerland, hard
$100,000 Samsung Securities Cup Challenger, Seoul, Korea, hard

WOMEN

$4,900,000 TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships, Istanbul, Turkey, hard
$100,000 Internationaux Féminins de la Vienne, Poitiers, France, hard

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$3,161,630 BNP Paribas Masters, Paris, France, hard

WOMEN

$750,000 Qatar Airways Tournament of Champions, Sofia, Bulgaria, hard

USTA raises concerns over possible MLS Stadium in Queens: This Week in Tennis Business with Justin Cohen

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By Justin Cohen

USTA Questions Major League Soccer Plan for Expansion Team in Flushing Meadows

Report: USTA Questions Major League Soccer Plan for Expansion Team in Flushing Meadows

According to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com, Major League Soccer’s intention to put an expansion team in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, near Citi Field, is being met with opposition from some local Queens residents as well as the United States Tennis Association, whose facility could be impacted by a new soccer stadium. The USTA believes a new stadium in the park, which also would stage concerts, would increase noise and traffic, according to a published report. “It raises a lot of concerns for us,” Gordon Smith, executive director of the USTA, told The New York Times. “We ought to be considered in a very different light, because we raise almost none of those complications.” Some neighborhood groups worry the parkland would not be adequately replaced.

Voters to Decide Future of Crandon Park and Sony Open

According to a press release, Miami-Dade County voters casting ballots this fall will have an opportunity to approve tournament-funded upgrades to the Crandon Park Tennis Center that will enhance the park for year-round public use and safeguard the Sony Open’s future in Miami. Voters will be asked to vote yes on #238, a referendum to authorize improvements to the park’s facilities and an extension of the Tournament’s usage agreement beyond the current nine year term. The park improvements would be entirely paid for by Tournament-generated revenues and cost savings, with NO COST TO TAXPAYERS. If approved, the proposed park improvements would be the first major Tennis Center updates since 1994, when Stadium Court opened. Tournament owner IMG estimates the total enhancements would cost approximately $50 million, without a single penny of public money spent. Efforts to educate the public on the measure and galvanize support are being spearheaded by the Park Partnership campaign, a coalition of business and civic leaders from Miami-Dade County and beyond. Members of the Park Partnership steering committee include Chair Adam Barrett, Honorary Chair and retired tennis star Mary Joe Fernandez, Stephanie Sayfie Aagaard, Key Biscayne Mayor Frank Caplan, Al Dotson, Jr., Maria Alonso, Marcelo Claure, Richard McLeod, Javier Soto, Phillis Oeters, Joy Lundeen, Jennifer Stearns Buttrick, James Champion, William D. Talbert, III, Jeff Bartel, Florencia Tabeni, Frances Sevilla-Sacasa, Mark Trowbridge and Tico Casamayor, among others. Beyond its standing as one of the world’s most prominent tennis tournaments, the Sony Open is a significant economic engine for Miami-Dade County. In fact, the Tournament is among the largest recurring events to take place in Miami, generating an impact of more than $386 million annually. In addition, the Tournament and Miami receive more than 7,000 hours of global television coverage broadcast throughout 180 countries. The need for a County-wide vote stems from an amendment to the Miami-Dade County Home Rule Charter which requires that two-thirds of Miami-Dade County voters approve extensions or modifications to leases and construction of any permanent structures in Crandon Park. The Sony Open’s proposed park updates include new green spaces, shaded areas, landscaping with plants and trees native to Key Biscayne, and show courts with comfortable seating. The Tournament’s capacity, terms of use and limitations on height of park structures will remain in place. Miami-Dade County will continue to own and operate the Tennis Center, ensuring the improved facilities are open to the public for 49 weeks of the year. The 2012 Sony Open was the most successful Tournament held to date, drawing more than 326,000 attendees, nearly 20 percent of whom currently reside outside the U.S., and resulting in the booking of more than 15,000 hotel room nights. The election will be held on November 6, 2012, with early voting beginning on October 27, 2012. Learn more about the Park Partnership campaign at www.parkpartnership.com.

International Tennis Federation Unconcerned Over WTA Dispute Over 2016 Rio Qualifications

According to an article written by David Gold of Inside The Games, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) is unconcerned about the fall out with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) over qualification requirements for the next Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. The ITF announced that players hoping to compete in Rio would have to make themselves available for three Federations Cup ties before the Games, compared to the two required for London. That has been met by opposition from the WTA, with women’s world number two, Maria Sharapova of Russia, publicly voicing her disappointment at the decision. One positive change which has been welcomed is that the qualification window began straight after the end of London 2012. According to Tennis.com, ITF spokesperson Kris Dent said that the opposition of the WTA does not change anything. “We haven’t had contractual agreement with ATP for years (over Davis Cup requirements),” he was reported as saying. “Our priority is going from strength to strength and the Fed Cup has done that. The Fed Cup final in Prague sold out in six hours…let’s face it, there is a requirement for players every week that they play on tour.” ITF spokesperson Barbara Travers insists that, contrary to the claims of some of the top women’s players, there is a dialogue with them, and that the issue is simply a case of a disagreement.

David A. Haggerty Nominated as USTA Chairman of the Board and President

The USTA Nominating Committee has announced the nomination of David A. Haggerty as USTA Chairman of the Board and President to serve a two-year term beginning January 1, 2013. Haggerty has served on the USTA Board of Directors for six years and is currently completing a two-year term as First Vice President. He is a member of the Budget, International, Major Construction Oversight and Compensation committees and represents the USTA on the Grand Slam Committee and the ITF Women’s Circuit Committee. He also is a member of the Board of Directors for USTA Serves. Prior to his appointment as president, Haggerty served as the Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee and as a member of the Compensation and Executive committees. Since 2007, he has served as a member of the Budget Committee. Haggerty also served for six years on the Board of Directors of the USTA Middle States Section, including two years as Vice President, and he served nationally as Chair of the USTA Section Marketing and Public Relations Committee in 2005-06 and Strategic Planning in 2009-10. Haggerty served a two-year term as President of the Tennis Industry Association from January 2007 to January 2009 and has served on the TIA’s Executive Committee for more than 20 years. Haggerty is the former Chairman of Head USA, a position he held until his retirement in March 2010. He began his career in tennis in 1980, when he was hired by Prince as Product Manager for accessories. In his 14 years at Prince, Haggerty worked his way up to General Manager before taking a position at Dunlop as President of Racquet Sports. He moved to Head in 1998, where he served as General Manager and President of Head/Penn Racquet Sports before becoming Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Head’s U.S. businesses. He currently serves as an External Director on the board of directors for Kepner-Tregoe, a global management consulting company that focuses on improving the business performance of clients worldwide using proven management methods. He has been nominated as a Board member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame beginning in 2013. Haggerty was the No. 1 singles player and captain for three of his four years at George Washington University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration. Haggerty has five children and lives in Pennington, N.J. In addition to the Haggerty nomination, other individuals nominated as new Officers and Directors of the USTA Board include Katrina M. Adams, Donald L. Tisdel, Thomas S. Ho, Patrick J. Galbraith, Alexander Boyd Andrews IV, Joan E. Baker, Raymond Benton, Mark D. Ein, Andrew A. Valdez, Jeff Williams, Todd Martin, Chanda Rubin and Brian Vahaly. Current USTA Chairman of the Board and President Jon Vegosen will remain on the USTA Board of Directors and will serve as Immediate Past President during the 2013-14 term.

Malaysian Open Comes of Age in its Fourth and Most Successful Year

According to an official tournament press release, in its fourth year on Malaysian soil, the Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur 2012 enjoyed one of its best ever showcases at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil from September 22-30. Attendances had increased greatly from past years, as the final three days saw almost 15,000 people head down for a spectacle of tennis they would not soon forget, while Sunday’s attendance of 5,300 was the best ever seen in KL. The Sunday final saw second seeded Argentine Juan Monaco top Frenchman Julien Benneteau 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. Part of the heightened appeal came from the most internationally diverse field of players the tournament has ever featured – with participants from over 24 countries across five continents arriving – along with several marquee names gracing the courts, such as David Ferrer, Juan Monaco, Kei Nishikori, Feliciano Lopez and Alexandr Dolgopolov. “It has been the most exciting, most attended and most diverse tournament we have had. Tournament staff personally met tourists from Australia, Spain, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Switzerland, Hawaii, China, the Philippines, Egypt, the USA, Singapore, Argentina, Japan, Austria, the UK and Germany, who had come down to watch the Malaysian Open,” said Tournament Director Nick Freyer of IMG, organizers of the event since inception. The tournament was also notable for marking Malaysian history as Si Yew Ming became the first local to win a match in an ATP 250 tournament and the Malaysian wildcard performances indicated significant improvement in local standards. Accordingly, to further boost the appeal of the sport in the young generation, over 2,000 students were introduced to professional tennis via a high impact and highly successful schools visit program. One of the touching stories of the 2012 tournament was two bus-loads of university students who took an overnight road trip from Perlis to visit the event. The tournament was broadcast live and delayed in High Definition to over 350 million people across the world, complete with Malaysian Truly Asia Hawkeye branding, over its final four days. In Malaysia, Astro broadcast over 100 hours of the tournament domestically. “We know because of the length of the final match, it overran on many television stations throughout the world, onto other programming. In the UK, it overran onto live Series A football programming, but ESPN UK choose to continue its live transmission of the Malaysian Open. I think that was a great tribute to the blockbuster quality of the match and the tournament,” said Freyer. The 2013 tournament will be held from September 21-29.

2013 Hyundai Hopman Cup Line-Up Announced

The official line-up for the 2013 Hyundai Hopman Cup has been announced and the 25th edition of the ITF’s mixed team competition will not disappoint. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Andrea Petkovic and Fernando Verdasco are just some of the new additions who will join the likes of Novak Djokovic, John Isner, Ana Ivanovic, Bernard Tomic and Venus Williams at the Perth Arena from December 29, 2012-January 5, 2013. The complete teams for the competition are as follows: Tomic and Casey Dellacqua (Australia), Tsonga and Mathilde Johansson (France), Tommy Haas and Petkovic (Germany), Andreas Seppi and Francesca Schiavone (Italy), Djokovic and Ivanovic (Serbia), Kevin Anderson and Chanelle Scheepers (South Africa), Verdasco and Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) and Isner and Williams (United States).

Hewitt, Stosur Commit to 2013 Brisbane International

Former Grand Slam champions Lleyton Hewitt and Samantha Stosur have both committed to start their 2013 season at the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp. It will be the first appearance in Brisbane for Hewitt, a former World No. 1. “I love playing the Australian tournaments and I have heard so many good things about the tournament. I am looking forward to kicking off the New Year there,” said Hewitt. “I am thrilled that Sam and Lleyton have both committed to the Brisbane International for 2013, adding more star power to an already imposing line up,” said Brisbane International Tournament Director, Cameron Pearson.

2012 PowerShares Series Kicks Off This Saturday in Arizona

The 2012 PowerShares Series will kick-off this Saturday, October 13 when tennis legends John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Michael Chang and Todd Martin compete in the Cancer Treatment Centers of America Tennis Championships, Presented by Sanderson Ford and Lincoln in Surprise, Ariz. The PowerShares Series will visit 12 U.S. cities during its seven-week season. Each event on the circuit will feature four champions squaring off in a one-night tournament held in one session for all ticket holders. Fans will see two 1-set semifinal matches followed by the championship match featuring the semifinal winners, in each of the shootout style tournaments that take approximately three hours from start to finish. Other players set to compete in the Series this year include Grand Slam Champions Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander and Pat Rafter. The players will compete for a prize pool totaling $1 million, to be shared by the top three finishers at the conclusion of the season. Following the Series stop in Arizona, fans will have the opportunity to attend the matches in Chicago, Detroit, Boston, Philadelphia, New York City, Tampa, Atlanta, San Jose, Las Vegas, Denver and Anaheim. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting www.PowerSharesSeries.com.

USPTA Raises More Than $7,500 at World Conference on Tennis in California

The United States Professional Tennis Association raised more than $7,500 during its silent auction at the USPTA’s Tennis Buying Show at the World Conference on Tennis, which was held from September 16-21 at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa in Monterey, Calif. Auction items included a signed Maria Sharapova racquet, courtesy of HEAD/Penn, two tickets to the 2013 US Open, courtesy of the USTA, Nike shoes for a year, courtesy of Fromuth, and much more. The auction benefits the USPTA foundation, which through grants supports various programs in the community that help to grow tennis and bring the game to those who might not otherwise have the chance to play.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and France, Maria Sharapova and Russia Win Olympic Team Gold in London

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by Randy Walker

 

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s silver medal effort in men’s doubles with Michael Llodra and his quarterfinal finish in singles was enough for France to win Olympic team gold in men’s tennis at the 2012 Olympic tennis competition that finished Sunday at Wimbledon. Maria Sharapova’s silver medal singles performance and the bronze medal effort from Maria Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova paced Russia to earn team gold in women’s tennis. Each nation successfully defended their team golds won at the 2008 Beijing Games.

In case you are thinking you missed something as you read this….you didn’t.

There are no team medals given out at Olympic tennis, but many in the tennis industry wish that there was a way for a team event to be placed into the competition. The solution that I put forward is simple. Award a point for each match victory for each nation in the men’s singles, doubles and women’s singles, doubles competitions. The team with the most points/victories earns the “team gold medal” with No. 2 earning silver, No. 3 earning bronze. It’s an idea I first wrote about four years ago, as you can read here – http://www.tennisgrandstand.com/archives/1507– where I lay out some past examples of team tournaments being decided in this format.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga celebrates as he leads France to Olympic team gold in London...what?
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga celebrates as he leads France to Olympic team gold in London...what?

In some recent research I recently conducted on the Olympic tennis competition, there were such tallies that were counted at the 1924 Olympic tennis competition in Paris. The New York Times reported that the U.S. finished the 1924 Olympic tennis competition with 55 points, France with 28 points and Britain with 18, although it makes no mention of how points were awarded and if any “unofficial” medals or awards were distributed.

Here’s how the mythic team competition would have shaken out last week in London.

 

2012 Olympic Tennis Competition (Mythical Team Results)

Men

GOLD: France (15 points)

SILVER: Spain (10 points)

BRONZE: USA (9 points)

 

Women

GOLD: Russia (19 points)

SILVER: USA (16 points)

BRONZE: Germany (9 points)

 

From the 2008 Olympics, there would have been a slight issue in the fact that three teams tied for a bronze medal in the men’s competition – the USA, Spain and Russia all earning eight points, as seen below.

 

2008 Olympic Tennis Competition (Mythical Team Results)

Men

GOLD: France (12 points)

SILVER: Switzerland (9 points)

BRONZE: USA, Spain, Russia (8 points)

 

Women

GOLD: Russia (20 points)

SILVER: USA (12 points)

BRONZE:  China (11 points)

 

Previous mythical Olympic team results can be found from the earlier linked story from 2008 here: http://www.tennisgrandstand.com/archives/1507

 

In the case of two or three-way tie for a team medal, a tie-breaker solution would have to put in place, perhaps total individual medals, most number of gold medals, head-to-head victories, etc. It could be similar to the situation just witnessed at the London Games as U.S. gymnast Ali Raisman was beaten out by a tie-breaker for bronze in the 2012 gymnastics all-around competition when she tied with Russian Aliya Mustafina.

Mixed doubles, new to the Olympic program in 2012, was not figured in these team standings from 2012. The addition of mixed doubles was a celebrated addition to the Olympic program this year at Wimbledon. Perhaps the International Tennis Federation and the International Olympic Committee can work to bring a team format of sorts to the next Olympic Games in Rio for 2016.

 

Olympic Marathon! Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Outlasts Milos Raonic 25-23 In Third Set

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By Randy Walker

 

An Olympic marathon took place Tuesday at Wimbledon but it didn’t involve any nation’s track and field teams.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France and Milos Raonic of Canada played the longest best-of-three-set match – and the longest set ever – in Olympic tennis history as Tsonga edged out a 6-3, 3-6, 25-23 second-round decision.

The match lasted 3 hours and 56 minutes – almost double the amount of time it takes for Olympic marathon runners to complete their 26.2 mile marathon run – in the longest best-of-three set men’s match on record at the Games. The previous record for longest best-of-three set match – and longest set – in Olympic history was set in 1988 when Carling-Bassett-Seguso and Jill Hetherington of Canada defeated Mercedes Paz and Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina 7-6, 5-7, 20-18 in 63 total games in the first round of women’s doubles in Seoul, South Korea.

The previous longest best-of-three-set men’s singles match on record in Olympic history came when Chilean Fernando Gonzalez defeated American Taylor Dent 6-4, 2-6, 16-14 in 3 hours, 25 minutes in the 2004 bronze medal match.

“For me it’s good because this is the only way to write my name in history for the moment,” Tsonga was quoted post-match on Agence France Presse. “With Rafa (Nadal), Roger (Federer) and Novak (Djokovic), even Andy (Murray), it’s tough to go through big tournaments. So I’m really happy. I hope I will have some more (history).”

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

After the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, the International Tennis Federation and the International Olympic Committee changed the men’s singles and doubles format from best-of-five-set matches to best-of-three set matches, except for the gold medal matches.

In best-of-five set matches, Gordon Lowe of Great Britain and Augustos Zerlendis of Greece played the longest match in games in Olympic tennis history – 76 games in Lowe’s 14-12, 8-10, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 win at the 1920 Antwerp Games, in what some media outlets have reported lasting approximately six hours. In matches by time, Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson of Sweden defeated Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra of France 7-6 (6), 4-6, 19-17 in 2008 doubles semifinals in 4 hours, 46 minutes, while in singles, Boris Becker beats Christian Ruud, 1992 Olympic first round 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 in 4 hours 42 minutes.

To read more about all Olympic tennis records anecdotes and results, download the Amazon.com KINDLE ebook OLYMPIC TENNIS: AN HISTORICAL SNAPSHOT available for $2.99 here: http://www.amazon.com/Olympic-Tennis-Historical-Snapshot-ebook/dp/B008EOXW40/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343757296&sr=1-1&keywords=olympic+tennis+randy+walker

A Third Straight Historical Major Men’s Final: Andy Murray vs. Roger Federer Wimbledon Final Gushes With Historic Significance

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By Randy Walker

 

Just when you thought men’s tennis couldn’t get more epic with historical implications.

Andy Murray became the first British man since 1938 to reach the Wimbledon singles final Friday with his 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The Scotsman will attempt to erase 76 years of British futility by becoming their first home-grown champion since Fred Perry won the last of his three titles in 1936 by defeating Roger Federer in Sunday’s “dream” Wimbledon final. The last British man to reach the Wimbledon final was Bunny Austin, who lost 6-1, 6-0, 6-3 in 1938 to Don Budge, who would go on to win the first “Grand Slam” in tennis later that summer at the U.S. Championships.

Federer will be fighting for his own piece of history as he is looking to win his record seventh Wimbledon crown – tying him with Pete Sampras and Willie Renshaw for the all-time lead. A victory for Federer will move the 30-year-old Federer back to the No. 1 ranking for the first time since 2010 and will have him tie and eventually break Sampras’ record for most weeks as the No. 1 ranked player (286 weeks.) Another Wimbledon title will give Federer his 17th major singles title, extending his grapple hold on the record for most Grand Slam men’s singles titles. Just by stepping on the court to play Murray, Federer will be playing in his record-tying eight Wimbledon men’s singles final, tying Renshaw, who played in eight finals from 1881-1890)

The Murray-Federer final is the third-straight major final in the men’s game that will gush of historical implications.

In January, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal waged a titanic battle over five sets, Djokovic emerging victories 5–7, 6–4, 6–2, 6–7(5–7), 7–5 in five hours, 53 minutes in the longest major final ever played. The match was an instant classic and was a last minute add to the cover and within the text of Steve Flink’s new book “THE GREATEST TENNIS MATCHES OF ALL TIME” ($28.95 New Chapter Press, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0942257936?ie=UTF8&tag=newchapre-20&linkCode=shr&camp=213733&creative=393185&creativeASIN=0942257936&ref_=sr_1_1&s=books&keywords=greatest%20tennis%20matches%20of%20all%20time&qid=1341601508&sr=1-1)

In Paris at the French Open final last month, even more history was at stake and being made. Djokovic was attempting to become the first man, and only third ever, to hold all four major singles title at one time, joining Budge and Rod Laver, when he took on Nadal again. Djokovic was also seeking to join Laver, Budge, Nadal, Federer, Perry, Andre Agassi and Roy Emerson as the only men to capture a career Grand Slam. Nadal was seeking to win his seventh French Open singles title, eclipsing the great Bjorn Borg with six titles for the most Roland Garros men’s singles titles of all time. Nadal won his 11th major on that day – tying him with Borg and Laver in fourth place all time behind Federer (16), Sampras (14) and Emerson (12).

Murray leads the head-to-head with Federer 8-7, all the matches being played on hard courts, with Federer winning both match-ups in Grand Slam finals. In the final of 2008 US Open, Murray’s first major final, he lost to Federer 6-2, 7-5, 6-2. He lost to Federer in the Australian Open final in 2010, falling 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (11). He reached the championship match again Down Under in 2011 – his only other major tourmament final appearance – losing to Djokovic 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.

 

Andy Murray
Andy Murray

To read up on Wimbledon and tennis history, check out “The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book” by Bud Collins, available here:http://www.newchaptermedia.com/the-bud-collins-history-of-tennis-an-authoritative-encyclopedia-and-record-book/

 

Federer-Djokovic Advance Into Wimbledon Semifinal Showdown

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By staff and wire reports

 

For the first time, Roger Federer will face Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon.

The world No. 1 and defending champion Djokovic and the six-time Wimbledon champion Federer advanced into a collision course semifinal Wednesday with decisive straight-set quarterfinal wins.

With Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton watching from the Royal Box, Federer earned a record 32nd major tournament semifinal berth and inched closer to a record-tying seventh Wimbledon title with a 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 thrashing of Mikhail Youzhny, who found out just before the match that his wife had given birth to their second child. Federer’s 32ndmajor tournament semifinal broke him from a tie with Jimmy Connors, who reached 31 semifinals at Grand Slam tournaments in his career.

Roger Federer
Roger Federer

Djokovic, playing on Court No. 1, defeated Florian Mayer 6-4, 6-1, 6-4.

Federer has a 14-12 edge in his series with Djokovic. They’ve met in Grand Slam semifinals five times the past two years, with Djokovic winning four of those matches. This meeting, however, will be their first match-up on grass.

“A nice matchup,” Federer said. “Obviously I’m aware that Novak is the defending champion and the world No. 1. That’s not going to make it easy.”

“It’s always a pleasure playing against Roger,” Djokovic said. “Obviously he’s a great champion. He has been so dominant and consistent in these Grand Slams, and he’s really an ultimate challenge on grass courts.”

The other semifinal will bit British hope Andy Murray, looking to become the first Brit to win the men’s singles title at Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936, against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, seeking to become the first French man to win at SW19 since Yvon Petra in 1946.

Tsonga, seeded No. 5, advanced to the semifinals for the second year in a row by defeating Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-6 (6), 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2. Like Murray, the 27-year-old Tsonga is seeking his first major title. The No. 4-seeded Murray escaped from his opponent, David Ferrer, serving for a two-sets-to-love lead and had a set point at 6-5 in the second-set tiebreaker, but came back to win 6-7 (5), 7-6 (6), 6-4, 7-6 (4).

Federer, ranked No. 3, seeks to match the record of seven Wimbledon titles set by William Renshaw in the 1880s and tied by Pete Sampras in 2000. If he wins the title, he’ll reclaim the top ranking from Djokovic and tie Sampras’ record for most weeks at the top.