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Petra Kvitova and Novak Djokovic win Wimbledon 2011 – Mondays with Bob Greene

July 4, 2011 by Bob Greene

STARS

Wimbledon

Men’s singles: Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal 6-4 6-1 1-6 6-3

Women’s singles: Petra Kvitova beat Maria Sharapova 6-3 6-4

Men’s doubles: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau 6-3 6-4 7-6 (2)

Women’s doubles: Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik beat Sabine Lisicki and Samantha Stosur 6-3 6-1

Mixed doubles: Jurgen Melzer and Iveta Benesova beat Mahesh Bhupathi and Elena Vesnina 6-3 6-2

Boys’ singles: Luke Saville beat Liam Broady 2-6 6-4 6-2

Girls’ singles: Ashley Barty beat Irina Khromacheva 7-5 7-6 (3)

Boys’ doubles: George Morgan and Mate Pavic beat Oliver Golding and Jiri Vesely 3-6 6-4 7-5

Wimbledon Championships 2011 Winners Ball — Petra Kvitova and Novak Djokovic - Wimbledon winners 2011

Girls’ doubles: Eugenie Bouchard and Grace Min beat Demi Schuurs and Tang Hao Chen 4-7 6-2 7-5

Men’s Wheelchair doubles: Maikel Scheffers and Ronald Vink beat Stephane Houdet and Michael Jeremiasz 7-5 6-2

Women’s Wheelchair doubles: Esther Vergeer and Sharon Walraven beat Jiske Griffioen and Aniek Van Koot 6-4 3-6 7-5

OTHER

Lukas Rosol beat Evgeny Donskoy 7-5 7-6 (2) to win the Sparkassen Open 2011 in Branschweig, Germany

Carlos Berlocq beat Albert Ramos 6-4 6-3 to win the Sporting Challenger in Turin, Italy

Anna Tatishvili beat Arantxa Rus 6-4 6-3 to win the International Country Club Cuneo 2011 in Cuneo, Italy

SAYING

“I managed to achieve a lifetime goal and I managed to make my dream come true, all in three days’ time.” – Novak Djokovic, who won Wimbledon and gained the world number one ranking.

“I was surprised how I was feeling on the court, because I was focused only on the point and on the game and not on the final.” – Petra Kvitova, after winning Wimbledon.

“I felt like an animal. I wanted to see how it tastes. It tastes good. It came spontaneously, really. I didn’t plan to do it. I didn’t know what to do for my excitement and joy.” – Novak Djokovic, who, after winning his first Wimbledon, reached down, plucked some blades of grass from the court and ate it.

“When you play against these players, and they are playing unbelievable, the normal thing is (to) lose.” – Rafael Nadal, whose 20-mnatch Wimbledon winning streak ended with his loss in the final to Novak Djokovic.

“Well, besides the fact that I lost, I think this is a big step for me, being here in the final. You know, feel like I’m improving.” – Maria Sharapova, who reached her first Grand Slam tournament final since undergoing shoulder surgery in October 2008.

“I’m thrilled for her. She played brave tennis, and she deserved to win. She was by far the better player. I don’t think this is the only time she’ll win here. It’s very exciting. A new star.” – Martina Navratilova, nine-time Wimbledon champion, talking about Petra Kvitova.

“She created offensive opportunities from tough positions on the court. Sometimes it’s just too good.” – Maria Sharapova, talking about Petra Kvitova.

“We’re happy with what we’ve done. We’re not content or satisfied. But we have smiles on our faces when we walk by our trophy case in the morning. How this career has gone has been a storybook for us.” – Bob Bryan, who teamed with his brother Mike to win their record-tying 11^th Grand Slam tournament doubles title.

“(Novak) Djokovic is only 24 and has at least four or five years of top level tennis left in him, so I think we can look forward to many more titles and wins from Serbia’s top player. I am sure he is looking forward to the rest of the season and especially the US Open, where he has a very good record on his preferred surface.” – Bogdan Obradovic, Serbia Davis Cup coach.

“This is the only surface you can really dive because on the others if you dive you go directly to the hospital. If you give to them (the crowd), they give to you. I try to give everything. I try to fight and then they support me.” – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, after losing his semifinal to Novak Djokovic.

“I was controlling the match. Next thing you know, he just continued serving great. But the chances were slim. And then again, he only needed a couple of breaks to end up bringing it home.” – Roger Federer, following his quarterfinal loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

“It’s tough. But I’m giving it my best shot each time. I’m trying my hardest. That’s all you can do.” – Andy Murray, following his third straight Wimbledon semifinal defeat.

“This was definitely not our best day. I think we both envisioned seeing this day going a little bit different.” – Venus Williams, after she and her sister Serena both lost at Wimbledon on the same day.

“I made an effort to get out here and play a couple of tournaments. I just can’t sit here and be disappointed. For the most part, I can just use this as momentum going forward. I can only get better and that can potentially be really scary, because I can only go up from here and I can just do so much more.” – Serena Williams, who failed in her bid to win her third straight Wimbledon singles title.

“I had a chance and I usually take it. That’s why I am where I am. But today it just didn’t go my way. She played well as well, so you just have to give credit to her.” – Caroline Wozniacki, after being upset by Dominika Cibulkova at Wimbledon.

“I cannot be in every place. I cannot be competitive every week of the year. My body needs to rest. … Seriously, is not possible be number one or number two playing Davis Cup every tie, be in all the places, be competitive in all the tournaments. Is not possible.” – Rafael Nadal, complaining about the scheduling of Davis Cup.

SERB POWER

One day after clinching the number one spot in the rankings, Novak Djokovic picked the perfect place to win his first grass court tournament. The Serb dominated Rafael Nadal and ran his 2011 record to 48-1 in winning Wimbledon 6-4 6-1 1-6 6-3. It is Djokovic’s third Grand Slam tournament title and his second this year. His only defeat this year came in the French Open semifinals to Roger Federer. His Wimbledon semifinal victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga guaranteed he would move past Nadal to the top of the rankings despite what might happen in the final. The 24-year-old from Belgrade showed why he’s now number one. “I want to win more Grand Slams,” said Djokovic, who is the first man since Andre Agassi in 1992 to win his first grass title at Wimbledon. “I will not definitely stop here, even though I have achieved (the) two biggest things in my life in three days.”

SIGN OF THE TIME

Having lost both his number one ranking and his Wimbledon title, Rafael Nadal understands the reasons why. The Spaniard has lost five times this year to Novak Djokovic – his only five losses of 2011 – on three different surfaces. “When one player beats you five times it’s because today my game don’t bother him a lot,” Nadal said. “Today probably against me he’s playing better than my level. And find solutions, that’s what I have to try and that’s what I’m going to try. … I only lose matches this year against him. That’s the truth. When I was healthy, I only lost against him. … I understand the sport like this. When one player is better than you, at this moment the only thing you can do is work, try to find solutions, and try to wait a little bit for your time. Last five times (against Djokovic) wasn’t my time. I’m going to wait and I’m going to try a sixth. And if the sixth doesn’t happen, to the seventh. It’s going to be like this. That’s the spirit of the sport.”

STUFF OF CHAMPIONS

When Petra Kvitova beat Maria Sharapova to win the Wimbledon women’s singles, there were two former champions in the Royal Box who had a special interest in the 21-year-old from the Czech Republic. Kvitova became first left-handed woman to win since Martina Navratilova captured her ninth Wimbledon title in 1990. And she is only the third Czech woman to win the title at the All England Club, following Navratilova and Jana Novotna. Both Navratilova and Novotna were in the Royal Box, along with a host of other former champions, and both congratulated the winner after the match. “I cried after I met them,” Kvitova said. Last year, Kvitova lost to eventual champion Serena Williams in the semifinals. “Last year was like I hadn’t many chances to win. Serena played so well,” Kvitova said. “I was young and I didn’t think I can beat her. Today, I felt that I can.”

SWINGING AWAY

American twins Bob and Mike Bryan are continuing their assault on the tennis record book. The 33-year-old brothers won their 11^th Grand Slam tournament doubles title together to tie Australians Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde for the record. “This is a Wimbledon title. This is as special as it gets,” Mike Bryan said. “I always thought we’d play our best at Wimbledon, and we’ve lost three heart-breaking finals. To get on that board again, to have two Wimbledon titles, is really special. And then to equal the Woodies, a team that we idolized, the greatest team in our mind, is unbelievable. I mean to get their title record and get the Grand Slam record, I mean, I’m trying to figure out what’s left. I mean, we’d love to try to get to 12 and do that at the US Open.” The Bryans, who had lost three of their previous four Wimbledon finals, have now won a record 73 doubles titles. “We’ll keep going,” Bob Bryan said. “We see our time out here as I think five or six more years. You look at (Daniel) Nestor. He’s 39, almost turning 40. The guy’s just having a great time still and he’s playing well. I think we’re going to milk it as long as we can.”

SPRINKLES?

A leak in the roof forced six fans to change seats on Wimbledon’s Centre Court. Wimbledon spokesman Johnny Perkins said “there were three small leaks to the permanent roof, not the retractable roof. … The leaks resulted in six people being relocated.” This year’s tournament was plagued by rain, but the retractable roof that was installed before the 2009 tournament ensured that play on the main court continued. Rain began before Sabine Lisicki and Marion Bartoli played in the first women’s quarterfinal match. Heavy at times, the rain pounded the white roof, often drowning out the sound of the racquets hitting the ball. “The rain was pretty intensive for that period, but our maintenance department will investigate and trace the source,” Perkins said.

SHOWING UP

When the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – better known as Prince William and his new wife Kate – showed up at the All England Club to watch Great Britain’s Andy Murray take on Frenchman Richard Gasquet, Murray didn’t know about I until a reporter mentioned it as he was walking onto the court. “If I’d known they were coming, I would have shaved,” Murray said. “I was thinking to myself as I came off I was sweaty and very hairy. I said to them, ‘I’m sorry, I’m a bit sweaty.’ But, yeah, it was really nice.” While compulsory bowing toward the Royal Box was ended a few years back, Murray did it anyway as he left the court following his straight-set victory. “Well, I was obviously very happy after the match. I think that was the right thing to do. I hadn’t planned on doing it before,” he said. “When the Queen came to our match last year we were told she was coming and that we would bow when we went on and off the court. But today we weren’t told anything, so it was just, yeah, sort of off the cuff. Yeah, didn’t think too much about it. If it was funny, that’s fine, but I wasn’t intending it to be funny. It’s obviously great to get the chance to play in front of them. But when you’re playing the match you’re not focusing on that.”

SWISS STANDARD

Roger Federer has dropped to third in the world, but he still leads the tennis world when it comes to endorsements. The Swiss maestro is featured in seven of the 20 most-shared tennis advertisements in a list drawn up by Unruly Media, which calls itself “a global platform for social video advertising.” Topping the list is the one in which Federer does a William Tell by knocking a tin can off a man’s head with his serve. Some have questioned the shot’s authenticity and a coy Federer has stonewalled all queries, insisting a magician never reveals his tricks. Rafael Nadal makes just one appearance on the list – showing up wearing Armani underwear. Novak Djokovic, who won this year’s Wimbledon, made a couple of appearances on the list, on one occasion playing tennis on the wings of a plane. Great Britain’s Andy Murray is also featured in two commercials that make the top 20 list. Maria Sharapova, Li Na and Ana Ivanovic also make it onto to the male-dominated list.

STURDY FIELD

The only grass-court tournament in the United States begins the day after Wimbledon ends. The Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, Rhode Island, USA, is led by John Isner, Tommy Haas, Ivo Karlovic and Ryan Harrison. Also in the field will be 18-year-old Denis Kudla, who was awarded the final wild card. Last year, Kudla reached the US Open junior boys final. Receiving a wild-card entry into the doubles is Jordan Kerr. Making his eighth appearance at Newport, Kerr has won the doubles title five times and reached a career high doubles ranking of 23^rd in the world in August 2008. Also in the field is Frenchman Nicolas Mahut, who lost to Isner in a record-setting match at Wimbledon last year.

A highlight of the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships will be the International Tennis Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, July 9. The latest inductees into the Hall include Andre Agassi in the Recent Player Category and Peachy Kellmeyer in the Contributor Category.

SPANISH PAIN

Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick will lead the United States Davis Cup team when it plays host to Spain in Austin, Texas, USA. In a World Group quarterfinal, Spain will be missing Rafael Nadal, who failed to defend his Wimbledon title when he fell to Novak Djokovic in the final of the grass-court Grand Slam event. Nadal blamed the scheduling by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for his not playing for his country, saying he needed to rest at least 15-20 days after Wimbledon. “I cannot be in every place. I cannot be competitive every week of the year,” Nadal said. “My body needs to rest. … Seriously, it’s not possible be number one or number two playing Davis Cup every tie, be in all the places, be competitive in all the tournaments. … So for that reason I cannot be there. For me it’s tough. But for the ITF, doesn’t matter.” Besides Fish and Roddick, the United States will have the world’s top-ranked doubles team, brothers Bob and Mike Bryan. Spain has named world number 6 David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco, Feliciano Lopez and Marcel Granollers.

Argentina will miss David Nalbandian for its Davis Cup quarterfinal in Buenos Aires against Kazakhstan. A groin injury has sidelined the former Wimbledon finalist. With Nalbandian out, Juan Martin del Potro will lead Argentina along with Eduardo Schwank, Juan Chela and Juan Monaco. Argentine captain Modesto Vazquez called the Nalbandian absence “a serious loss. We were counting on David as a luxury.”

Andy Murray is ending his self-imposed two-year exile from Great Britain’s Davis Cup team and will lead the squad against Luxembourg in a Europe/Africa Zone Group II playoff. Joining Murray on the team will be his older brother Jamie Murray, James Ward and Colin Fleming. The tie will be played at Glasgow, Scotland. “Any team in the world would love to have someone of Andy’s caliber and it’s great for fans at the Braehead Arena to get the chance to see one of the world’s best players live,” said Leon Smith, captain of Great Britain’s squad. Murray, ranked fourth in the world and a semifinalist at Wimbledon, has not played Davis Cup since facing Poland in September 2009. “There will be a few decent matches and I’m looking forward to playing,” Murray said. “Playing back home in Scotland is always something to which I look forward.”

Canada was looking forward to having Milos Raonic lead its Davis Cup team. Canada will have to wait a little longer as Raonic injured his hip when he slipped on slick grass at Wimbledon during a second-round match. Raonic’s absence gives Ecuador a fighting chance in the Americas Zone Group I tie, which will be played in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The winner advances to the World Group playoffs.

SOUTHERN CAL BOUND

The new Wimbledon champion already has a date later this month in southern California. Petra Kvitova will play in the 2011 Mercury Insurance Open Presented by Tri-City Medical Center July 30-August 7 at the La Costa Resort and Spa. “We are very excited to have the new Wimbledon champion play in our tournament,” said Raquel Giscafre, Mercury Insurance Open tournament director. “She is an incredible and talented player to watch and I’m sure tennis fans will enjoy the opportunity to see her play at the La Costa Resort and Spa.” Named the 2010 WTA Newcomer of the Year, Kvitova will be playing in Carlsbad, California, USA, for the first time in her career. She has been a member of the Czech Fed Cup team since 2007. Also scheduled to play are former world number one Kim Clijsters, defending Mercury Insurance Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, Vera Zvonareva, Agnieszka Radwanska, Ana Ivanovic, Daniela Hantuchova, Maria Kirilenko, Flavia Pennetta, Melanie Oudin, Coco Vandeweghe, Julia Goerges, Anna Chakvetadze and Yanina Wickmayer.

SHOUT FOR AUSSIE TENNIS

The spotlight is on Novak Djokovic and Petra Kvitova, but this Wimbledon may be the start of something big for Australia. Bernard Tomic showed that he might be the next great player to come from Down Under, talking of winning a Grand Slam tournament within two years after reaching the last eight at Wimbledon. Then 17-year-old Luke Saville won the Wimbledon boys event and 15-year-old Ashleigh Barty completed an historic double by claiming the junior girls’ title. Never had Australians won both underage tournaments at the All England Club in the same year, and only once, in 1968, had the country been represented in both finals. Only the second Australian to win the Wimbledon junior girls crown, Barty defeated third-seeded Russian Irina Khromacheva in the final. Saville, who became Australia’s first boys champion at Wimbledon since Todd Reid in 2002, came from a set and a break down to defeat Britain’s Liam Broady.

SUPERSTAR

Esther Vergeer has the best record in tennis. The most dominant wheelchair tennis player, Vergeer won her third straight Wimbledon Wheelchair Ladies’ Doubles title, joining Sharon Walraven to defeat Jiske Grif?oen and Aniek Van Koot in the final 6-4, 3-6, 7-5. All four are from the Netherlands. Vergeer has now won 18 Grand Slam tournament doubles titles and her second Wimbledon doubles crown with Walraven. The two have been unbeaten in Grand Slam doubles since losing in the 2010 French Open ?nal.

In the Gentlemen’s Wimbledon Wheelchair Doubles final, the Dutch team of Maikel Scheffers and Ronald Vink downed Frenchmen Stephane Houdet and Michael Jeremiasz 7-5 6-2.

SELECTED

After leading Auburn to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and national college football championships, quarterback Cam Newton was the runaway winner for the Heisman Trophy and later was the first player selected in the National Football League draft. But when the conference athletic directors picked the SEC male athlete of the year, they chose a tennis player, John-Patrick Smith, a four-time All-American at the University of Tennessee. Smith is the first athlete from Tennessee to win the award since quarterback Peyton Manning was chosen in 1998. Smith finished the season ranked 10^th in the country. He was only the second player to be named All-American in singles and doubles every year of his career. Southern California’s Rick Leach did it from 1984-1987.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Braunschweig: Martin Emmrich and Andreas Siljestrom beat Olivier Charroin and Stephane Robert 0-6 6-4 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Cuneo: Mandy Minella and Stefanie Voegele beat Eva Birnerova and Vesna Dolonts 6-3 6-2

Turin: Martin Fischer and Philipp Oswald beat Uladzimir Ignatik and Martin Klizan 6-3 6-4

SURFING

Bastad: http://women.swedishopen.org/

Budapest: www.budapestgrandprix.hu/joomla15/

Newport: www.tennisfame.com/

Pozoblanco: www.tennispozoblanco.com/

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com/

Sopot: www.bnpparibaspolishopen.pl

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$441,500 Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, Newport, Rhode Island, USA, grass

$120,800 ATP Challenger Ciudad de Pozoblanco Open, Pozoblanco, Spain, hard

WOMEN

$220,000 Collector Swedish Open Women, Bastad, Sweden, clay

$220,000 Poli-Farbe Budapest Grand Prix, Budapest, Hungary, clay

DAVIS CUP

World Group

Quarterfinals

Sweden vs. Serbia at Halmstad, Sweden, hard

Argentina vs. Kazakhstan at Buenos Aires, Argentina, clay

United States vs. Spain at Austin, Texas, USA, hard

Germany vs. France at Stuttgart, Germany, clay

Group I

Americas Zone, 2^nd round: Ecuador vs. Canada at Guayaquil, Ecuador, clay; Uruguay vs. Brazil at Montevideo, Uruguay, clay

Asia/Oceania Zone, 2^nd round: China vs. Australia at Beijing, China, hard; Japan vs. Uzbekistan at Kobe, Japan, hard; playoffs: New Zealand vs. Philippines at Taranaki, New Zealand, hard

Europe/Africa Zone, 2^nd Round: Italy vs. Slovenia at Arzachena, Italy, clay; South Africa vs. the Netherlands at Potchefstroom, South Africa, hard; Switzerland vs. Portugal at Berne, Switzerland, hard

Group II

Americas Zone, 2^nd round: Peru vs. Dominican Republic at Lima, Peru, clay; Paraguay vs. Venezuela at Asuncion, Paraguay, clay; playoffs: El Salvador vs. Netherlands Antilles at Santa Tecia, El Salvador, clay; Puerto Rico vs. Haiti at Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, hard

Asia/Oceania Zone, 2^nd round: Korea vs. Pakistan at Gimcheon, Korea, hard; Thailand vs. Indonesia at Nonthaburo, Thailand, hard; playoffs: Syria at Hong Kong, hard; Pacific Oceania vs. Iran at Guam, hard

Europe/Africa Zone: 2^nd round: Great Britain vs. Luxembourg at Glasgow, Scotland, hard; Hungary vs. Belarus at Godollo, Hungary, clay; Bosnia/Herzegovina vs. Estonia at Tuzla, Bosnia/Herzegovina, hard; Denmark vs. Latvia at Fredericksburg, Denmark, clay; playoffs: Ireland vs. Tunisia at Dublin, Ireland, hard; Bulgaria vs. Cyprus at Sofia, Bulgaria, carpet; Lithuania vs. Morocco at Vilnius, clay; Greece vs. Monaco at Thessalonica, Greece, clay

Group III

Africa Zone at Cairo, Egypt, clay (round-robin in four pools; two nations promoted to Europe/Africa Zone Group II for 2012): Algeria, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, Zimbabwe

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$566,000 Mercedes Cup, Stuttgart, Germany, clay

$566,000 SkiStar Swedish Open, Båstad, Sweden, clay

$151,000 BNP Paribas Polish Open, Sopot, Poland, clay

$125,000 ATP Challenger, Bogota, Colombia, clay

$100,000 Comerica Bank Challenger, Aptos, California, USA, hard

WOMEN

$220,000 XXIV SANAI Open, Palermo, Italy, clay

$220,000 Nürnberger Gastein Ladies, Bad Gastein, Austria, clay

Na Li and Rafael Nadal take home Roland Garros 2011 crowns – Mondays with Bob Greene

June 6, 2011 by Bob Greene

STARS

French Open

Men’s singles: Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer 7-5 7-6 (3) 5-7 6-1

Women’s singles: Li Na beat Francesca Schiavone 6-4 7-6 (0)

Men’s doubles: Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor beat Juan Sebastian Cabal and Eduardo Schwank 7-6 (3) 3-6 6-4

Women’s doubles: Lucie Hradecka and Andrea Hlavackova beat Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina 6-4 6-3

Mixed doubles: Casey Dellacqua and Scott Lipsky beat Katarina Srebotnik and Nenad Zimonjic 7-6 (6) 4-6 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Boys’ singles: Bjorn Fratangelo beat Dominic Thiem 3-6 6-3 8-6

Girls’ singles: Ons Jabeur beat Monica Puig 7-6 (8) 6-1

Boys’ doubles: Andres Artunedo Martinavarr and Roberto Carballes Baena beat Mitchell Krueger and Shane Vinsant 5-7 7-6 (5) 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Girls’ doubles: Irina Khromacheva and Maryna Zanevska beat Victoria Kan and Demi Schuurs 6-4 7-5

Men’s wheelchair singles: Maikel Scheffers beat Nicolas Peifer 7-6 (3) 6-3

Women’s wheelchair singles: Esther Vergeer beat Marjolein Buis 6-0 6-2

Men’s wheelchair doubles: Shingo Kunieda and Nicolas Peifer beat Robin Ammerlaan and Stefan Olsson 6-2 6-3

Women’s wheelchair doubles: Esther Vergeer and Sharon Walraven beat Jiske Griffioen and Aniek Van Koot 5-7 6-4 10-5 (match tiebreak)

OTHER

Yuri Schukin beat Flavio Cipolla 6-4 4-6 6-0 to win the UniCredit Czech Open in Prostejov, Czech Republic

SAYING

“I’m very happy with what I have, with who I am. I’m not the best player in the history of tennis. I think I’m among the best. That’s true. That’s enough for me.” – Rafael Nadal, after winning his sixth French Open title, tying him with Bjorn Borg.

“Today is the dream come true.” – Li Na, after becoming China’s first Grand Slam singles champion.

“He plays better against the better ones, and that’s what he showed today. He’s a great champion, on clay, especially.” – Roger Federer, after losing to Rafael Nadal.

“She deserved to win. One has to lose, one has to win. She deserves everything.” – Francesca Schiavone, who lost to Li Na in the Roland Garros women’s singles final.

“The next two weeks is Wimbledon, so I don’t have time to go back to China right now. I go back after Wimbledon, maybe people forget me already. These are tough times you know.” – Li Na, when asked about the reception she will get when she returns to China.

“It’s great for the sport overall. She is a great ambassador, great athlete, great personality, a national hero in China already and the western world is beginning to get to know her and enjoying her as she has great talent on the court and is good fun off the court.” – Stacey Allaster, WTA CEO, on Li Na’s victory.

“It was best five months of my life, my tennis career.” – Novak Djokovic, after Roger Federer ended his winning streak at 43 matches.

“He went for the shots when he needed to. He served really well when he needed to serve well. What happened, happened really. I cannot affect it anymore. In some moments I was lucky, in some moments he was lucky.” – Novak Djokovic, after Roger Federer snapped his 43-match winning streak in the Roland Garros semifinals.

“What I would like to say, and I said it to him at the net, is that his record, although it’s not the best because other players have done better – today’s it’s so physical and professional – what he achieved is unbelievable.” – Roger Federer, after beating Novak Djokovic and snapping the Serb’s 43-match winning streak.

“Rafa is a better clay court player than me. That’s a fact. It’s always been like that since we both started on the tour. His results would show that. I feel like I’ve closed the gap. I think I’m better on clay, a lot better than I was last year. But I still have a way to go to be as good as him.” – Andy Murray, after losing his semifinal to Rafael Nadal.

“The wind blew away some clay as the match went on. Her slice would get lower and lower and it took me a lot of energy to adjust. It did really bother me. In order to dictate the points as I like to, I had to bend a lot and physically I had to make much more effort than usual.” – Marion Bartoli, explaining her women’s semifinal loss to Francesca Schiavone.

“It is amazing to win at the French Open. I hope Tunisia is proud of me.” — Ons Jabeur, who became the first Arab girl to win a Grand Slam tournament title when she captured the girl’s singles.

“I will definitely take all my family, my coach, and – if Lucie wants – I will take her, too, for a great dinner in one of the famous French restaurants. We will just enjoy ourselves, relax a little bit and have a good time.” – Andrea Hlavackova, after teaming with Lucie Hradecka to win the women’s doubles.

“For sure I’ll come to celebrate.” – Lucie Hradecka.

“I was told to stay off my feet totally.” – Andy Murray, who overcame a torn tendon in his right ankle to beat Viktor Troicki for a spot in the semifinals against Rafael Nadal.

“At the end I was feeling a little bit tired. The rallies were too long.” – Alejandro Falla, a qualifier, after losing to Juan Ignacio Chela 4-6 6-2 1-6 7-6 (5) 6-2 in a fourth-round match.

“I’m on grass at Queen’s, which is my favorite surface, I feel fine, and my shoulder has come up fine over the last couple of days in practice. I’ve been battling it for a while and my reasoning (for not playing the French Open) was that I needed to get ready for the grass. Wimbledon is probably one of my best chances of winning another Slam.” – Andy Roddick.

SIXTH TITLE

With a hard-fought 7-5 7-6 (3) 5-7 6-1 victory, Rafael Nadal continued his domination over the man some consider the greatest player of all time while also equaling Bjorn Borg’s record of six men’s singles titles at Roland Garros. Borg won his six titles in eight years while Nadal has done it in seven. It was Nadal’s 10^th Grand Slam tournament title, six fewer than Federer’s men’s record of 16. “Finally I was able to play my best when I needed my best,” Nadal said. “It’s a big personal satisfaction to win this tournament, especially when you start without playing your best.” On the red clay courts at Roland Garros, Nadal is 45-1 for his career. Against Federer, he leads their head-to-head series 17-8, including a 6-2 advantage in Grand Slam tournament finals and a 5-0 edge at the French Open.

SINO VISION

It was more than just a victory when Li Na captured the women’s singles title at Roland Garros. Much more. Li became the first player from Asia – male or female – to capture a Grand Slam tournament singles crown. And, quietly, while no one seemed to be watching, she became the best player on the women’s tour this year. Li is the only woman to reach the title match at both the Australian Open, where she lost to Kim Clijsters, and the French Open. As far as rankings go, which are based on a 12-month scale, she is number four in the world, tying Japan’s Kimiko Date-Krumm for the best by an Asian player. Until Roland Garros, Li had never won a clay-court tournament, and had never advanced past the third round in her previous four French Opens. To win the big trophy, Li beat four consecutive top-10 seeded players, including three-time major champion Maria Sharapova in the semifinals and defending champion Francesca Schiavone in the title match.

Neat fact. When 29-year-old Li Na played 30-year-old Francesca Schiavone for the women’s title at Roland Garros, the match featured the oldest finalists since Chris Evert defeated Martina Navratilova 2-6 6-3 6-3 in 1986 – 25 years ago.

STOPPED

Novak Djokovic was one match away from taking over the number one ranking in the world when his match-winning streak was halted by Roger Federer in the semifinals at Roland Garros. The Serb also could have taken over the top spot if Federer had beaten Rafael Nadal in the title match. As it is, the men’s rankings after Roland Garros look the same as before the year’s second Grand Slam tournament began: Nadal at number one, followed by Djokovic and then Federer. Djokovic had won 41 consecutive matches to begin 2011, including his second Australian Open triumph. Combined with his two Davis Cup victories last December, Djokovic had won 43 consecutive matches since losing to Federer in the semifinals of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London last November. “I don’t regret (anything). What happened, happened really,” Djokovic said after his streak was snapped. “There’s not much to be sorry for. It was the best five months of my life, my tennis career. I cannot complain. It was definitely an incredible period. It had to end somewhere. I knew it was coming. Unfortunately, it came in a bad moment.”

SCANDAL

Daniel Koellerer has become the first tennis player to be banned for life for attempting to fix matches. A former Austrian Davis Cup player who once was ranked as high as 55^th in the world, Koellerer was found guilty of three violations of the sport’s anti-corruption rules, including “contriving or attempting to contrive the outcome of an event,” by the Tennis Integrity Unit, an anti-corruption group. Koellerer, who was also fined USD $100,000, denied the charges and said he may appeal the ban. Nicknamed “Crazy Dani,” Koellerer has twice been suspended by the ATP for bad behavior on court. In 2006, he was banned for six months. That year, he garnered so much ill feeling on the Challenger circuit in South America that 75 of the 80 players signed a petition asking that Koellerer be kicked off the tour. Last August, he was placed on two years’ probation after his personal website listed odds for matches and had links to sites for placing bets.

SPECIAL CHAMPIONS

China wasn’t the only nation to come away from this year’s Roland Garros with its first singles champion. Li Na became the first player from Asia – male or female – to win a Grand Slam tournament singles crown. When Ons Jabeur beat Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig 7-6 (8) 6-1 in the junior girl’s singles final, she became the first girl from the Arab world and Africa to win a junior Grand Slam tournament title. It’s the first time an Arab has accomplished the feat since Ismail El Shafei of Egypt won the 1964 Wimbledon boys’ singles title. Eight years earlier, Tunisia’s Mustapha Belkhodja won the French Open boys’ crown. Jabeur was a finalist at Roland Garros last year. “Last year’s loss helped,” she said. “I didn’t want to go through that again.” The 16-year-old Jabeur was a member of the International Tennis Federation/Grand Slam African 14 & Under Touring Team in 2008 and is currently receiving financial assistance through travel grants. Puig also has received travel grants.

SPOTLIGHTED

Guy Forget was presented the Philippe Chatrier Award for 2011 at the International Tennis Federation’s World Champion’s Dinner held annually in Paris. The French Davis Cup captain for the past 12 years, a former Fed Cup captain and before that a Davis Cup winning player, Forget was cited “For having an influence in both ITF team competitions that extends far beyond his own nation, having a love of his country, and for achievements in, and in support of, Davis Cup and Fed Cup.” Forget is only the third man to have played in the Davis Cup and gone on to captain Davis and Fed Cup winning teams. The other two are Yannick Noah of France and Shamil Tarpischev of Russia. Also being honored were the world number one players Rafael Nadal and Caroline Wozniacki in singles; Mike and Bob Bryan, receiving the Men’s Doubles Award for the seventh time; Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta, Women’s Doubles; Colombia’s Juan Sebastian Gomez sand Russia’s Daria Gavrilova, junior winners; Esther Vergeer, named Women’s Wheelchair Champion for the 11^th consecutive year; and Shingo Kunieda, Men’s Wheelchair Champion.

STOPS PLAY

To avoid further embarrassment, the name of the ball boy who ran onto the court in the middle of a point is classified information. As Viktor Troicki prepared to hit a weak lob from Andy Murray, the youngster ran onto the court, thinking the point was over. While there was no collision with the Serbian player, umpire Pascal Maria had to call for the point to be replayed. Troicki initially seemed annoyed and stared accusingly at the ball boy as the crowd began whistling its displeasure and clearly sympathizing with the clearly upset youngster. Murray won the replayed point and went on to rally from a five-game deficit in the final set to win 4-6 4-6 6-3 6-2 7-5. “I cannot blame him, but still, I was a little bit disappointed,” Troicki said.

SINCE WHEN?

When 17-year-old Bjorn Fratangelo of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, beat Dominic Thiem of Austria 3-6 6-3 8-6, he became the first American to win the Roland Garros boys’ singles title since John McEnroe in 1977. Fratangelo and McEnroe are the only two Americans to win the boys’ crown since the Open era began in 1968. Jennifer Capriati was the last American to win the Roland Garros girls’ singles, and that was in 1989. Fratangelo, who was named after tennis legend Bjorn Borg, won the Easter Bowl and USTA Boys’ 18s National Clay Court Championships last year.

STEPPING ASIDE I

After having his 43-match winning streak snapped, Novak Djokovic pulled out of the Wimbledon warm-up tournament at Queen’s Club in London. “I’ve pulled out from Queen’s and I will take a rest before Wimbledon,” he said. The AEGON Championships at The Queen’s Club also will be without American Mardy Fish (abdominal injury) and Frenchman Richard Gasquet (leg injury). “I am very disappointed that I will not be playing in the AEGON Championships at The Queen’s Club this year,” said Djokovic, who has patellar tendinitis. “It is a great event, I wish the organizers and the fans a fantastic week of tennis and I hope I will be back next year.”

STEPPING ASIDE II

Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the AEGON Classic grass-court tournament in Birmingham, Great Britain. Traditionally, Sharapova used the Birmingham event as her only warm-up tournament before Wimbledon. The 24-year-old Russian, who lost to Li Na in the semifinals at Roland Garros, said she would be unable to play Birmingham because of illness. Also pulling out of the tournament was the other French Open losing semifinalist, Marion Bartoli of France. Bartoli, who played Roland Garros despite being hurt, cited an injury as the reason she will miss Birmingham.

SHARED HAPPINESS

Canada’s Daniel Nestor and Max Mirnyi of Belarus are no strangers to winning double titles in Grand Slam tournaments. It’s just that this time it was their first as a team as they defeated Eduardo Schwank of Argentina and Juan Sebastian Cabal of Colombia 7-6 (3) 3-6 6-4 for the championship. Nestor has now won seven Grand Slam tournament men’s doubles titles, while Mirnyi has five of the big trophies. “We knew on paper we’re capable of playing well together,” Mirnyi said. “Up until you produce a result, you never know.” Cabal and Schwank were playing in their first tournament as a team. Cabal was making his Grand Slam tournament debut and became the first man from Colombia to reach a major final. With a different partner, Schwank reached the semifinals last year at both Wimbledon and the US Open.

SHELF-FILLER

Andrea Hlavackova can finally take that shelf out from under her bed. She teamed with Lucie Hradecka to win the women’s doubles, the first time since the 1990s that a team from the Czech Republic has been in the Grand Slam tournament winner’s circle. “One year my friends got me a shelf with ‘This is for Grand Slam trophies’ written on it,” Hlavackova said. “I just put it under my bed, like what a silly joke. Today I realized I’ll have something to put on it. It’s great. It’s something I will remember and everybody will remember. I wouldn’t exchange it for anything.” It was the first time the unseeded Czech team had been past the quarterfinals in a Grand Slam event. The last Czech to win a Grand Slam title of any kind was Jana Novotna, who partnered Switzerland’s Martina Hingis to the doubles title at the 1998 US Open. The last time an all-Czech team won a Grand Slam tournament women’s doubles title came in 1990 when Novotna teamed with Helena Sukova to win Wimbledon.

SLIP UP

Oops! When Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) made billboard posters to promote the upcoming AEGON International tournament in Eastbourne, Great Britain, it featured a photo of a sandy beach. It may be pretty, but the beach at Eastbourne is pebbles. “Our tides are very strong and would wash sand right away,” said David Elkin, a Tory member of the city council. “We should make do with what we’ve got instead of airbrushing the stones away.” Kate Alexander, a 24-year-old shop worker, said: “We shouldn’t pretend to be something we’re not. The billboards are completely misleading and unnecessary. Personally I prefer sandy beaches, but it’s silly to pretend we have them in Eastbourne.” A spokesman for the LTA said: “The imagery used in this marketing campaign is intended to be fun, and not an exact representation of the beach at Eastbourne. We wanted to create a buzz around the event and it would appear we have done so.” The tournament is played on grass and is a warm-up event for Wimbledon.

SOUND BITES

Chris Evert is returning to television where she will work both as a studio analyst as well as calling matches for ESPN at both Wimbledon and the US Open. The 18-time Grand Slam tournament champion retired from tennis in 1989 after winning 157 singles titles, including three at Wimbledon and a record six at the US Open. She also won seven French Open titles and two Australian Open championships. In 1995 she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. “I am really excited about working again in tennis as an analyst,” Evert said in a statement. “I’ve been away from TV for 10 years because my priority was raising my three boys, and now that they are older it is the right time to join the exceptional tennis team at ESPN.”

STRAIGHT IN

James Blake will return to the scene of his first ATP singles title when he joins the field of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, DC, in July. Tournament director Jeff Newman said if Blake’s ranking is not high enough for a direct entry into the event, he will receive a wild card berth. Blake upset top-seeded Andre Agassi in the semifinals in 2002 and went on to win the first of his 10 ATP singles titles. He reached the final again in 2005, losing to Andy Roddick. Others scheduled to be in the strong field include Mardy Fish, Roddick, Sam Querrey, John Isner, former world number one Lleyton Hewitt and rising Canadian star Milos Raonic. Blake was the top-ranked American in 2006 when he reached a career-high ranking of fourth in the world. In recent years his career has been slowed by injury.

STANDING FOR BOARD

Twenty-two people have been nominated for the 13-member International Tennis Federation (ITF) Board of Directors for 2011-2013. The balloting will be held September 23 at the ITF’s annual general meeting in Bangkok, Thailand. On the ballot are Amando Cervone of Argentina, Tarak Cherif of Tunisia, Dong Kil Cho of Korea, Ismail El Shafei of Egypt, Jean Gachassin of France, Lucy Garvin of the United States, Jack Graham of Canada, Naohiro Kawatei of Japan, Anil Khanna of Inida, Chris Kypriotis of Brazil, Suwat Liptapanlop of Thailand, Juan Margets of Spain, Roman Murashkovsky of Russia, Geoff Pollard of Australia, Stuart Smith of Great Britain, Rene Stammbach of Switzerland, Stefan Tzvetkov of Bulgaria, Ayda Uluc of Turkey, Karin van Bijsterveld of the Netherlands, Jon Vegosen of South Africa and Georg von Waldenfels of Germany. El Shafei, Gachassin, Garvin, Graham, Khanna, Kypriotis, Margets, Murashkovsky, Pollard, Smith and von Waldenfels are incumbent board members. The current president, Francesca Ricci Bitti, is the only candidate for his position and was nominated by 11 national associations.

SIGNED UP

Sam Querrey is returning to the Farmers Classic in July in a bid to win the Los Angeles tournament for the third straight year. Also in the field is 2008 champion Juan Martin del Potro. “To have the champions from our last three years is great for tennis and the Farmers Classic,” said tournament director Bob Kramer. “With Sam’s local ties and vocal fan base here, he always brings a lot of energy to the tournament. Sam and Juan Martin are great champions, and we are eager for them both to return to UCLA.” Last year, Querrey defeated Andy Murray in the final. He is seeking to join Hall of Famers Fred Perry (1932-34) and Don Budge (1935-37) as the only players to three-peat.

SET FOR OLYMPICS

For the fourth straight Olympics, the ATP will award ranking points for players participating in the London Games. As a result of the agreement, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will allow nations to receive up to four entries into the men’s singles and two entries into the men’s doubles, with a maximum number of six men per country on-site. The South African Airways 2012 ATP rankings of June 11, 2012, will be used as the basis for determining the 56 direct entries into the 64-player men’s singles draw, subject to a maximum of four players per country as well as existing eligibility requirements. Six of the remaining eight singles places will be selected by the International Tennis Federation’s Olympic Committee, taking into consideration a player’s singles computer ranking and a geographic distribution of nations entered, as well as two Tripartite Commission Invitations decided by the IOC, National Olympic Committees and the ITF. The tennis competition at the 2012 London Games will be held on the grass courts of Wimbledon.

SAD NEWS

Pauline Betz Addie, who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1965, is dead. Addie, who had Parkinson’s disease, was 91 years old. Addie reached the final in six consecutive US National Championships (now the US Open) from 1941 to 1946, winning four times. She won Wimbledon in 1946. Her career was cut short in 1947 when she was declared a professional for merely exploring the possibilities of creating a professional tour. Barred from major competitions, which were amateur only prior to 1968, Addie began touring the country with fellow female pro Gussie Moran and top male stars including Jack Kramer and Bobby Riggs. She won seven women’s professional championships. Addie was the widow of Bob Addie, a sportswriter for the former Washington Times-Herald, which later became The Washington Post.

SCHOOL FUND

Andre Agassi and a real estate investment firm have teamed up to form an investment fund to finance charter school buildings in a bid to spur the growth of independent public education. The fund, called the Canyon-Agassi Charter School Facilities Fund, plans to finance up to USD $750 million worth of new school construction or remodeling of buildings to accommodate schools in low-income, urban communities across the country. Investors in the fund include Intel Capital, Citigroup and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Charters are publicly funded schools, but are operated autonomously from a local school district and can’t access public financing mechanisms, such as bond issues, to construct buildings. Agassi, who operates an award-winning charter school in a poor area of Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, has long been a champion of charter school education. The Canyon-Agassi fund will use investors’ money to build schools and lease them to charter organizations, which will later have an option to buy the buildings through low-interest, tax-exempt loans once the school becomes stabilized. The fund aims to finance construction of 75 schools, with the first slated to open in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, this fall.

SHARED SUCCESS

Prostejov: Sergei Bubka and Adrian Menedez-Maceiras beat David Marrero and Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo 7-5 6-2

SURFING

Halle: www.gerryweber-open.com/?ref=atp

Copenhagen: http://e-bokssonyericssonopen.dk/

London: www.lta.org.uk/fans-major-events/AEGON-British-Tennis-Series/AEGON-Championships/

Birmingham: www.lta.org.uk/fans-major-events/AEGON-British-Tennis-Series/AEGON-Classic/

Den Bosch: www.unicefopen.nl/

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

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

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$946,840 Gerry Weber Open, Halle, Germany, grass

$895,414 AEGON Championships, London, Great Britain, grass

WOMEN

$220,000 e-Boks Sony Ericsson Open, Copenhagen, Denmark, hard

$220,000 AEGON Classic, Birmingham, Great Britain, grass

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

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

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

WOMEN

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

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

DAVIS CUP

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

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

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

Difficulties with Obtaining Travel Visas an Increasing Problem in Tennis

February 12, 2011 by WTM

By Blair Henley

You may remember the controversy surrounding the United Arab Emirates decision to deny the visa of Israeli tennis pro Shahar Peer in 2009. The move, likely spurred by the UAE’s lack of diplomatic relations with Israel, prevented her entry into their country for the Dubai Tennis Championships that year and created an international uproar.

Peer’s visa issue brought to the forefront some of the behind the scenes work done to ensure tour players can compete internationally without issue. Considering pros often travel for over 35 weeks of the year, there’s much work to be done in obtaining the visas necessary to cross national borders at will.

That’s where Jon Velie comes in. An Oklahoma-based lawyer world renowned for his work in sports immigration law, Velie has represented international athletes ranging from skiers to gymnasts to monster truck drivers. During his 17 years of experience, he’s also become the go-to guy for many women’s tennis professionals.

Though nightmare stories like Peer’s are not the norm, Velie says his job has gotten harder in recent years given what he calls “the negative immigration climate.”

“9/11 started the first wave of more stringent analysis, and the downturn of the economy has been the most recent one,” he said. “That’s what’s fueling more restrictive immigration analysis.”

Velie is currently representing Slovenian veteran and 2011 Australian Open mixed doubles champion Katarina Srebotnik as well the No. 1 Latvian player Liga Dekmeijere, but one of his most notable tennis clients has been 2010 Wimbledon and U.S. Open doubles champion, Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan.

Like many athletes, Shvedova was looking to obtain the P-1 visa necessary for an “internationally recognized” foreign national to compete in the United States for up to five years. While the payoff is great once a player of Shvedova’s caliber obtains a “P” visa, a denial can be disastrous. If an athlete is relegated to using a simple “B” visitor’s visa, she is much more likely to get hassled at the border.

“Often immigration officials think, ‘There is a professional sports visa, so why don’t you have one?’” Velie explained. “If they take that position and keep the player out, she can lose a lot of money and ranking points.”

With a record like Shvedova’s (high rankings of No. 7 in doubles and No. 29 in singles), you’d think it would be relatively simple to document her as an “alien of exceptional ability,” but the process is exceedingly complicated.

“These are very complex visas,” Velie said. “You’ve got to hit all of the check marks, and if you don’t – if you just miss one of them – you don’t get the visa.”

The 31 exhibits Velie and his team compiled to prove Shvedova’s merit as an internationally renowned athlete even included an “expert” letter from Venus Williams, but the highlight of her application was the fact it looked nothing like, well, an application.

Velie formats the evidence and exhibits to look more like an issue of Sports Illustrated than a legal document – a strategy that often results in faster approval than the typical dry cover letter or brief.

“We’re telling a story, whereas most immigration attorneys lay out a table of contents and let the immigration officials try to figure it out,” Velie said of his proprietary Visa Petition process. “Our petitions have color, we’re personifying people, we’re showing how skilled they are and we’re backing it up with experts.”

Imagine sifting through visa paperwork day in and day out, then stumbling across a visa petition with a full-color action shot of the athlete applicant on the cover page. It’s easy to see how that might grab the attention of an immigration official. And with pictures paired with facts and exhibits from beginning to end, interest is created and sustained throughout an otherwise dull document.

Nowhere is the strength of this Visa Petition process more evident than when Velie’s firm receives an inherited case. Athletes and coaches denied a visa the first time around often find success once their information is repackaged with that signature strategy of combining art and sport.

Velie’s success and innovation in the sports immigration world no doubt stem partially from his world-class athletic background. A three-time rugby All-American at the University of California at Berkeley, he went on to coach and play at the international level.

In fact, he secured the first ever “greencard” for a rugby player once the sport went pro in 1995 – a move that kickstarted his work with other athletes. Four years later, he expanded his practice even further with the creation of www.onlinevisas.comand subsequently www.sportsimmigration.com.

With his understanding of universal sports concepts, Velie is able to convey his clients’ strengths much more effectively.

“I find myself as a translator discussing why someone is good at something to somebody that doesn’t necessarily care…is it their backhand, is it their footwork, is it their pace?”

That unique background has been invaluable in helping high-profile players like Shvedova or Srebotnik obtain their visas, but it’s also allowed Velie to create “agent-based petitions” designed to assist foreign college players (among others) who are looking to stay in the U.S. to train, compete and coach after graduation.

“Yaroslava and Katerina, they make millions. Most tennis pros don’t,” he said. “We’ve created an opportunity for a tennis club to be able to hire an international tour player and provide that player a facility in which to work out…it’s very symbiotic.”

Velie extended his connections within the tennis world when he was invited by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) to speak to players during the 2010 U.S. Open. And when asked if he was a tennis fan before he started representing professional players, he admitted that his work has rekindled a childhood love for the game.

“Since I’ve been doing this, I’ve found myself watching the Tennis Channel. I’m glued to it now,” he laughed. “It’s been fun to get to know the athletes, and I really like the tennis community.”

When the WTA rankings came out following the Australian Open, the Top Ten featured women from 10 different countries for the first time. That can only mean good things for Velie and the new crop of international players who will be seeking his help in the future.

Mondays with Bob Greene: Aussie Kim Clijsters and Novak Djokovic Crowned at Australian Open

January 31, 2011 by Bob Greene

STARS

Australian Open

Men’s Singles: Novak Djokovic beat Andy Murray 6-4 6-2 6-3

Women’s Singles: Kim Clijsters beat Li Na 3-6 6-3 6-3

Men’s Doubles: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi 6-3 6-4

Women’s Doubles: Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta beat Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko 2-6 7-5 6-1

Mixed Doubles: Katarina Srebotnik and Daniel Nestor beat Chan Yung-jan and Paul Hanley 6-3 3-6 10-7 (match tiebreak)

/Junior Boys Singles: Jiri Vessely beat Luke Saville 6-0 6-3

Junior Girls Singles: An-Sophie Mestach beat Monica Puig 6-4 6-2

Junior Boys Doubles: Filip Horansky and Jiri Vessely beat Ben Wagland and Andrew Whittington 6-4 6-4

Junior Girls Doubles: An-Sophie Mestach and Demi Schuurs beat Eri Hozumi and Miyu Kato 6-2 6-3

Men’s Wheelchair Singles: Shingo Kunieda beat Stephane Houdet 6-0 6-3

Women’s Wheelchair Singles: Esther Vergeer beat Daniela Di Toro 6-0 6-0

Men’s Wheelchair Doubles: Maikel Scheffers and Shingo Kunieda beat Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Pelfer 6-3 6-3

Women’s Wheelchair Doubles: Esther Vergeer and Sharon Walraven beat Ariek Van Koot and Jiske Griffioen 6-0 6-2

Quad Wheelchair Doubles: Andrew Lapthome and Peter Norfolk beat David Wagner and Nicholas Taylor 6-3 6-4

OTHER

Bastian Knittel beat Daniel Brands 7-6 (4) 7-6 (5) to win the Heilbronn Open in Heilbronn, Germany

SAYINGS

“The last few years, when I was No. 1 or top three, I’ve always been kind of one of the players that could win it (a major). When I was younger, it kind of overwhelmed me a little bit. The pressure or the nerves that I put upon myself got sometimes in the way of what I was trying to do out there and what I had to focus on. I think now that I’m a little bit older … the pressure leaves as soon as I leave through that door. I think I was able to do that throughout this week, too.” – Kim Clijsters, about winning Grand Slam tournaments.

“I look at the tournament as a whole, it was excellent. I don’t think anyone would say that reaching a Slam final is a bad achievement. It’s a very, very good achievement. Obviously right now there’s disappointment because you just lost the match. But when you look back over the tournament, you know, there’s not many people that can say they’ve made Slam finals. So, you know, I’ll be very happy with the way the tournament went. But I would have obviously liked to have gone one step further.” – Andy Murray, after losing to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open men’s singles final.’

“I hope I can push tennis in the Chinese market, I hope more people can participate in the game. The more people you have – it’s like a pyramid – the peak can only get higher if there are more people at the bottom.” – Li Na, after taking the runner-up trophy at the Australian Open.

“If these guys are going to get upset, I’m going to continue to use it.” – Leander Paes, whose use of the word “vamos” apparently upset Argentina’s Juan Monaco and Spain’s Feliciano Lopez in their doubles match. Paes and fellow Indian Mahesh Bhupathi won the second-round encounter.

“I think at the end I was a little nervous. Also in the beginning, first game I was a little nervous, shaking a little. But I had to speak after my match, and I think that was the most difficult part of today.” – An-Sophie Mestach, after winning the junior girls title.

“Obviously it’s a sad situation to see such a great player end her career in this kind of way.” – Kim Clijsters, commenting on the retirement of Justine Henin because of a injured elbow.

“You never want to see player like Justine retire, because she’s great for women’s tennis. Her achievements were great. She has done a lot for women’s tennis. I played her so many times and I never beat her, so that’s probably the biggest memory that I have.” – Vera Zvonareva, on Justine Henin’s retirement.

Serbia's Novak Djokovic kisses the Austr — Novak Djokovic

“That was last year. This is a new year. That’s how I have to look at it.” – Chanda Rubin, when asked about her house burning down on December 29.

“I’ve barely lost matches lately. So I’m happy with where my game is at, with where my condition is at. I’m really excited for what’s to come. This is obviously a bit of a blow. At the same time, I played a good tournament. I have no regrets. I left everything out there. We’ll see what comes next.” – Roger Federer, irked when asked if he felt he couldn’t win major tournaments any more.

SERBIAN NO. 1?

Serbia’s Davis Cup captain Bogdan Obradovic believes Australian Open men’s singles winner Novak Djokovic can become number one in the world this year. “Djokovic has improved in every department and, quite frankly, I expected him to beat (Andy) Murray after the way he played throughout the tournament,” Obradovic told Reuters news agency. “He has become mentally and physically stronger, he is even more accurate with his passing shots than in 2008 and can win points quickly when he needs to. With all that in mind, it will be very difficult to stop him from becoming the world number one this year, if he keeps playing at this level throughout the season.” To become number one, Djokovic would have to surpass top-ranked Rafael Nadal of Spain as well as Switzerland’s Roger Federer. The Serb beat Federer in the semifinals before crushing Great Britain’s Andy Murray 6-4 6-2 6-3 in the title match. “Djokovic has gone to another level,” Obradovic said. “He is a different player and a different person, more confident than ever before in his career.”

SENIOR SWINGER

Goran Ivanisevic is back – at least for one tournament. The former Wimbledon champion is returning to ATP competition at the PBZ Zagreb Indoors this week, partnering Croatia’s top player, Marin Cilic, in doubles. Ivanisevic won Wimbledon in 2001 after gaining entry to the grass-court Grand Slam event with a wild card. Three years later he announced his retirement from the men’s tour at Wimbledon. He recently has been playing on the senior tour, but said he is entering the ATP tournament as a way of promoting the event in his home country.

STAY-HOME MOM?

With her fourth Grand Slam tournament title – her first other than the US Open — Kim Clijsters is becoming a little hesitant about her future. “I do think this is probably my last full season that I’ll be playing,” said Clijsters, who has made it known that she would like to have more children. Still, “I also would like to try and keep going until the (2012 London) Olympics,” she said. “I’ve never played the Olympics, which is little under a year and half. Then we’ll see after that.” Clijsters came from behind to beat China’s Li Na 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the Australian Open final. The Belgian retired in 2007, got married and had a baby. She returned to tennis in 2009 and won her second US Open, a title she successfully defended last September. She said her return to tennis was made with “the Olympics in my mind. I wanted to try to keep going till then,” she said. “I obviously never expected things to be going so well so quickly. I thought it was going to take a little bit more time to get back into the rhythm or get back into my routine of traveling with a family and everything.”

SINO STAR

Call it Laugh Night at the Open. Li Na reached the Australian Open women’s single final, where she lost to Kim Clijsters 3-6 6-3 6-3. But the Chinese player won the respect of all tennis with her strong, penetrating ground game, her bubbling personality and a string of one-liners. Asked about her preparation for her semifinal match, Li cracked up the audience when she said she had trouble sleeping because of her husband’s snoring. Asked what had inspired her when she was down a match point in the second set of her semifinal against top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki, Li replied: “Prize money.” The first person from Asia – male or female – to reach a Grand Slam tournament singles final, Li again starred in the post-match on-court interview after losing to Clijsters. “I’ve made many jokes about my husband, but it doesn’t matter if you are fat or skinny, handsome or ugly, I will always follow you, always love you,” she told him. The 28-year-old Li is the second oldest woman to play in an Australian Open final – trailing Chris Evert, who was 33 when she lost to Steffi Graf in 1988. Her previous best Grand Slam performance was last year’s Australian Open semifinal appearance where she was defeated by Serena Williams 7-6 (4), 7-6 (1). She even took her defeat in the final in stride. “Also for myself, doesn’t matter today if I win or lose because I tried my best at tennis already,” she said.

STRANGE TWIST

Marina Erakovic said she couldn’t play for New Zealand in this week’s Fed Cup competition because she was injured. Since Sacha Jones, New Zealand’s top player, was also injured, the nation withdrew its team from the women’s team competition. But Erakovic entered this weeks’ USD $25,000 International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament in Rancho Santa Fe, California, USA. Asked how Erakovic was too injured to play for her country, but not injured enough to play an ITF event, Tennis New Zealand CEO Steve Johnson said: “We’ve been talking to all of our players over the last several months about selection for the team. Then it transpired she wasn’t going to play and she was going to go to America and she had a bit of an injury so she was withdrawing from the team. With that and with Sacha’s injury, plus with an injury to Katherine Westbury, we had our top three people unavailable for the team, so the decision was made to withdraw reluctantly. The injury wasn’t the key reason she withdrew. It was part of the reason why she withdrew.” Erakovic did withdraw from the Rancho Santa Fe tournament.

STEP ASIDE

It was a distraction that neither Dmitry Tursunov nor his semifinal opponent, Andrej Martin, had encountered on the ATP tour. Rain forced the USD $50,000 Singapore ATP Challenger semifinals to be moved indoors at the Singapore Island Country Club. But one club member, apparently unhappy about losing court time, continued to play tennis with his children on the court next to Tursunov and Martin. “No one has complained,” Kenneth Low, Sports Management Group managing director, said when questioned. “The club members and patrons were very supportive. We asked them (the members) to stop playing and they did. It didn’t occur to them that they should stop.” Tursunov, who was once ranked 20^th in the world but was unseeded in this event, went on to win the tournament, defeating Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic in the final 6-4 6-2.

SPREADING THE CHEER

Tennis is the most international of all sports. This week’s WTA top 10 rankings feature 10 different nationalities for the first time. Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki retains her top ranking, with newly-crowned Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters of Belgium switching places with Russia’s Vera Zvonareva. Reigning French Open champion Francesca Schiavone of Italy rose to a career-high number 4, followed, in order, by Australian Samantha Stosur, American Venus Williams, Australian Open runner-up Li Na of China, Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus and Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska. Israel’s Shahar Peer is ranked 11^th in the world. The men’s top 10 currently includes players from eight different countries: Spain’s world No. 1 Rafael Nadal and compatriots David Ferrer and Fernando Verdasco, plus Roger Federer of Switzerland, Novak Djokovic of Serbia, Sweden’s Robin Soderling, Andy Murray of Great Britain, Czech Tomas Berdych, American Andy Roddick and Russian Mikhail Youzhny.

STANDING TALL

American twins Bob and Mike Bryan won their fifth Australian Open men’s doubles and kept India’s Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi from completing a career Grand Slam. The Bryans, who captured the title 6-3, 6-4, have held the number one ranking in doubles for the past eight years., and have won the US Open men’s doubles three times, and the French Open and Wimbledon once each. This year’s Australian Open title increased their record for most tournament doubles titles in the Open Era to 68, seven better than the old mark held by Australians Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge. Bhupathi and Paes were playing as a team in their first Grand Slam tournament since 2002. The Indian pair was seeking a career Grand Slam, each having won the French Open, US Open and Wimbledon either together or with other partners.

SHE’S PREGNANT?

The Times of India reports that Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias and tennis star Anna Kournikova are expecting their first child. The two have been dating since 2001, although they are famously cagey about their romance, according to website Stuff.co.nz. The web site said Kournikova has lately taken to wearing flowing clothes that cover her figure. It is believed that she is trying to hide a growing baby bump, with the couple said to have recently announced the news to friends and family.

STRUCK DOWN

When the BNP Paribas Open is held March 7-20 in Indian Wells, California, USA, the tournament will feature one of the strongest fields outside Grand Slam tournaments. The top three men and top three women singles players are expected to be on hand. Besides Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Caroline Wozniacki, Vera Zvonareva, and Kim Clijsters, the tournament also will feature its two defending champions, Ivan Ljubicic and Jelena Jankovic, as well as the past six women to win the tournament title. Nadal will be seeking to join Federer, Michael Chang and Jimmy Connors as the only men to have won the Paribas Open three times. Clijsters will be trying to become the first woman to win three Paribas Open titles. The tournament will also feature Hawkeye replay technology and video displays on all match courts, making the event the first to have such technology on eight courts, according to event organizers.

SLOBODAN STILL BOSS

Despite the actions of Novak Djokovic’ father, Slobodan Zivojinovic has been reelected president of the Serbia Tennis Federation (TSS). Zivojinovic held on to his post with a landslide victory in the balloting. A Wimbledon semifinalist in 1985, Zivojinovic became TSS president in 2003 and won his third four-year term after 502 of the 690 delegates voted for him despite some delegates, led by Srdjan Djokovic, boycotting the balloting. “Serbia won the Davis Cup and became world tennis champions despite Zivojinovic and his aides being in charge all these years, not thanks to them,” the senior Djokovic told the session before leading his supporters in a walkout. “You people have nothing to do with Serbia’s recent tennis success; you don’t care how hard our children had to work to get to the top and how much the parents had to sacrifice.” Led by Novak Djokovic, Serbia beat France 3-2 to win its first Davis Cup title.

STEPPING ASIDE

Steven Martens has resigned as player director of Great Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and will become general secretary of the Royal Belgian Football Association. A former Belgian Davis Cup captain, Martens had been was at the LTA for four years and took up the player role in 2008. An LTA statement said Martens had led a “significant change program in the way performance tennis is structured and delivered across the country.” There was no mention of a successor to Martens.

SO DESERVING

Fern Lee “Peachy” Kellmeyer is the newest inductee into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Selected in the contributor category, Kellmeyer will join Andre Agassi at the induction ceremonies into the shrine at Newport, Rhode Island, USA, on July 9. Kellmeyer, who will turn 67 on Feb. 19, was a champion of gender equity six years before Title IX became law. In 1973 she became the first employee and tour director of the Women’s Tennis Association and currently serves as WTA operations executive consultant. During her career she also directed WTA operations and player and tournament relations and was involved with every major policy decision. Thanks in part to her efforts, prize money increased from USD $309,000 in 1973 to USD $86 million in 2010, and the number of tournaments grew from 23 in the United States to 53 in 33 countries. Kellmeyer was a top junior in the late 1950s. In 1959, when she was 15, she played in the US National Championships, which became the US Open in 1968. She played tennis on the men’s varsity team at the University of Miami in the early 1960s, the first woman to do so in Division I. She graduated from Miami in 1966 and received a master’s degree from Florida Atlantic in 1974.

SPANISH WOE

Rafael Nadal believes he suffered a hamstring tear during his Australian Open quarterfinal match against fellow Spaniard David Ferrer. “I know what I have,” Nadal was quoted by wire service EFE as saying in Spanish. “I have nothing important, it is a broke (muscle) fiber. I have the point perfectly located and I know what it is.” Nadal was seeking his fourth consecutive Grand Slam tournament title – a “Rafa Slam” – when he suffered the injury and was upset by Ferrer 6-4 6-2 6-3. “I would prefer (not to) talk a lot about the injury,” Nadal said right after the match. “He played at a very high level and I wasn’t able to compete against him tonight. Seems like I always have problems when I lose, and I don’t want to have this image, no? I tried my best all the time. But it is obvious that I didn’t feel at my best. I had a problem during the match, in the very beginning. After that, the match was almost over.”

SHE’S BACK

Magdalena Maleeva, who retired in 2005, has been named to the Bulgarian Fed Cup team that will compete this coming weekend in the Europe/Africa Zone Group I playoffs in Eilat, Israel. Other members of the squad include Wimbledon semifinalist Tsvetana Pironkova, Elitsa Kostova and Dia Evtimova. “I’m not prepared very well because I have two kids to care for. but I did some training when I played with Boris Becker and (Bulgarian Prime Minister) Boyko Borisov,” Maleeva joked, referring to the charity match during the Zagorka Tennis Cup finals last summer in Sofia, Bulgaria. Once ranked as high as fourth in the world, Maleeva said Dora Rangelova, the captain of the team, persuaded her to participate in Fed Cup. Maleeva, who will turn 36 in April, ended her competitive pro career in 2005. However, in September 2010 she participated in the national championships and won, triggering speculations about an eventual comeback. The top Bulgarian tennis player took part in 41 matches with the Bulgarian Fed Cup team – 26 singles and 15 doubles. Her last Fed Cup appearance was in 2005 when she was the team’s captain.

STAYING THE COURSE

Venus Williams says she has no plans to retire from tennis. The 30-year-old American injured the psoas muscle in her groin during a second-round match against Sandra Zahlavova of the Czech Republic. She fought through the pain and won the match, but then had to retire after the first game of her third-round matchup with Germany’s Andrea Petkovic. “I just obviously couldn’t play,” Williams said. “I mean, just couldn’t move. Just too painful. It’s super disappointing because this is just not how I envisioned my Australian Open being.” Williams has won seven Grand Slam tournaments, including five Wimbledons. The Australian Open was her first tournament since last year’s US Open because of tendinitis in her right knee.

SIGNAGE

When Ekaterina Makarova and Kim Clijsters walked onto court to play their fourth-round Australian Open match, the chair umpire put a stop to things. The umpire, Mariana Alves of Portugal, said the sponsor logo on the front of Makarova’s shirt was too large and instructed the Russian to change the shirt before the match could begin. When Makarova returned to the court, she had moved the logo from the front of her shirt to her right sleeve, where larger logos are permitted. The Grand Slam Rule Book specifies that advertising logos on the front of the shirt cannot exceed four square inches if there is one logo, or two square inches if there are two.

SAYS GO AWAY

A relative of French player Aravane Rezai will be barred from women’s events indefinitely for what the WTA said was a “serious safety matter.” The WTA statement did not identify the relative of give any details of the incident, which apparently happened during the just-concluded Australian Open. “The health and well-being of our players is the number one priority for the WTA,” the statement said. “A serious safety matter has been brought to the WTA’s attention, which has resulted in a family member of Aravane Rezai being indefinitely suspended from all future WTA events pending our investigation.” Citing the player’s privacy, the WTA would give no any further details. A French newspaper, Le Parisien, said Rezai’s father had been involved in an altercation with his daughter’s boyfriend before her first-round match, which she lost. “I’m not trying to make excuses but I had a big problem this morning,” Rezai said after the defeat.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Heilbronn: Jamie Delgado and Jonathan Marray beat Frank Moser and David Skoch 6-1 6-4

SITES TO SURF

Fed Cup: www.fedcup.com

Johannesburg: www.satennisopen.co.za/

Zagreb: www.zagrebindoors.com/

Santiago: www.movistaropen.cl/

Rotterdam: www.abnamrowtt.nl/

San Jose: www.sapopentennis.com

Costa do Sauipe: http://tenisbrasil.uol.com.br/brasilopen/

Paris: www.opengdfsuez.com/

Pattaya City: www.pentanglepromotions.com/pattaya-open-2010.html

Midland: www.DowCorningTennisClassic.com

Cali: www.campestrecali.com

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$486,500 PBZ Zagreb Indoors, Zagreb, Croatia, hard

$442,500 SA Tennis Open, Johannesburg, South Africa, hard

$358,250 Movistar Open, Santiago, Chile, clay

FED CUP

World Group

Australia vs. Italy at Hobart, Australia, hard

Russia vs. France at Moscow, Russia, hard

Slovak Republic vs. Czech Republic at Bratislava, Slovak Republic, hard

Belgium vs. United States at Antwerp, Belgium, hard

World Group II

Estonia vs. Spain at Tallinn, Estonia, hard; Slovenia vs. Germany at Maribor, Slovenia, clay; Serbia vs. Canada at Novi Sad, Serbia, hard; Sweden vs. Ukraine at Helsingborg, Sweden, hard

Group I

Europe/Asia Zone, at Eilat, Israel, hard, round-robin, four pools: Austria, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Switzerland

Americas Zone, at Buenos Aires, Argentina, clay, round-robin, two pools: Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru

Asia/Oceania Zone, at Nonthaburi, Thailand, hard, round-robin, two pools: China, Chinese Taipei, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Republic, Thailand, Uzbekistan

Group II

Asia/Oceania Zone, at Nonthaburi, Thailand, hard, round-robin, two pools: Hong Kong China, Indonesia, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Turkmenistan

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$1,565,000 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, hard

$531,000 SAP Open, San Jose, California, USA, hard

$442,500 Brasil Open, Costa do Sauipe, Brazil, clay

WOMEN

$618,000 Open GDF Suez, Paris, France, hard

$220,000 PTT Pattaya Open, Pattaya City, Thailand, hard

$100,000 Dow Corning Tennis Classic, Midland, Michigan, USA, hard

$100,000 Copa Bionaire, Cali, Colombia, clay

MONDAYS WITH BOB GREENE: NADAL AND SCHIAVONE ARE THE WINNERS OF THE FRENCH OPEN 2010

June 7, 2010 by WTM

STARS

French Open

Men’s singles: Rafael Nadal beat Robin Soderling 6-4 6-2 6-4

Women’s singles: Francesca Schiavone beat Samantha Stosur 6-4 7-6 (2)

Men’s doubles: Nenad Zimonjic and Daniel Nestor beat Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy 7-5 6-2

Women’s doubles: Venus Williams and Serena Williams beat Katarina Srebotnik and Kveta Peschke 6-2 6-3

Mixed doubles: Nenad Zimonjic and Katarina Srebotnik beat Julian Knowle and Yaroslava Shvedova 4-6 7-6 (5) 11-9 (match tiebreak)

Boys singles: Agustin Velotti beat Andrea Collarini 6-4 7-5

Girls singles: Elina Svitolina beat Ons Jabeur 6-2 7-5

Boys doubles: Duilio Beretta and Roberto Quiroz beat Facundo Arguello and Agustin Velotti 6-3 6-2

Girls doubles: Timea Babos and Sloane Stephens beat Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino and Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor 6-2 6-3

Other

Jan Hajek beat Radek Stepanek 6-0 retired to win the Unicredit Czech Open in Prostejov, Czech Republic

SAYINGS

“I love this place with all my heart because it gave me so much joy. Winning here in Paris is ever so special. It’s a huge pleasure. I’m very lucky, and I was very fortunate in life to have had the opportunity of experiencing all this at the age of 24. Never in my wildest dream would I have dreamt of such beautiful presents. Life has been very kind to me.” – Rafael Nadal, after winning his fifth French Open.

“Rafa always plays kind of the same. He has more or less one game, but he does it so well it’s enough to not lose a match on clay for a whole year.” – Robin Soderling, after losing the French Open final to Rafael Nadal.

“I want to go home to Mommy and Daddy. This is my goal for the moment. Usually we do good dinner or good lunch, 10 people, usually. Now I think I have to buy a new house, bigger, for 50 people.” – Francesca Schiavone, explaining her plans after winning Roland Garros.

“Congrats Schiavo! Great to see one of the nicest, funniest, coolest, honest and hard-working girls win the trophy!” – Kim Clijsters, tweeting Francesca Schiavone.

“I am disappointed, not just because I lost, but it has been a big journey and a great two weeks. I guess I wanted the full fairytale, but it didn’t quite happen.” – Samantha Stosur, after losing the final.

“I told her you have to be brave. You have to take risks. You have to go out there and do something special. This is not a little tournament. This is Roland Garros. Something extraordinary is needed.” – Corrado Barazzuti, Italy’s Fed Cup captain who acts as Schiavone’s unofficial coach.

“To be number one in singles and doubles simultaneously is such a great moment, something that I wouldn’t have imagined. It took a lot of hard work and was not easy for us to get to the top, and I hope we can hold onto this accomplishment for a long time.” – Serena Williams.

“It’s really tough when you play one Williams. When you play two, it’s really not an easy win.” – Venus Williams, after she and sister Serena Williams won their fourth consecutive Grand Slam tournament doubles title.

“They all come to an end at some stage. You hope it doesn’t happen, but they do. I mean, it was a great run. Now I’ve got the quarterfinal streak going, I guess.” – Roger Federer, who failed to reach the semifinals of a major for the first time since Roland Garros in 2004.

“We’ve knocked on the door a couple times, semis and final last year. It was a pretty bitter loss to these guys that we beat today, and it was nice to avenge that.” – Daniel Nestor, after he and Nenad Zimonjic won the men’s doubles title.

“I just wanted so much that the adventure could keep going. It’s always difficult to lose, especially in a place I love as much as Roland Garros, without showing your best tennis.” – Justine Henin, after losing to Samantha Stosur.

“I don’t think I played a bad match, so it’s easier to go out this way.” – Roger Federer, after losing to Robin Soderling.

“I made a big mistake. I made him come back into the match with my unforced errors and then he caught the momentum and he was playing really well.” – Novak Djokovic, after losing to Jurgen Melzer in the quarterfinals.

SPANISH GOLD

By recapturing his Roland Garros championship, Rafael Nadal also reclaimed the number one ranking in men’s tennis. The Spaniard crushed Robin Soderling 6-4 6-2 6-4 – it wasn’t as close as the score indicates – in the final of the year’s second Grand Slam tournament. Nadal becomes only the second man in history to win five or more French Opens. Sweden’s Bjorn Borg finished with six Roland Garros titles, but it took him seven tries to win his first five. Nadal’s victory was his fifth in six years as he gained revenge on the man who upset him on the red clay of Paris last year. Nadal’s triumph at Roland Garros completes a 22-match winning streak in which he became the first player to win all three clay-court ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in the same year. He last held the number one ranking on June 29, 2009, when he was surpassed by Roger Federer. That leaves Federer one week shy of equaling Pete Sampras’ all-time record of 286 weeks as number one.

With his seventh career Grand Slam tournament title – one Wimbledon and one Australian Open to go along with his five French Opens – Nadal is the first player to qualify for the season-ending 2010 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, which will be held in London in late November. Only the top eight players will compete for the singles title in the showpiece event.

SUPER SCHIAVONE

When Francesca Schiavone fell to the court, her white outfit covered with red clay, she started a rush to the record books. She turns 30 years old this month, making her the second-oldest player in the Open Era to win a first Grand Slam tournament title. Great Britain’s Ann Jones was 30 years, 8 months when she won Wimbledon in 1969. Not only was Schiavone the first Italian woman ever to win a major, she was the first to reach a major final and the first in the Open Era to reach a semifinal at a Grand Slam tournament. “I can still improve,” Schiavone told Italian reporters earlier in the week. “I can still be more explosive. I can still put more spin on my shots. I can still hit deeper. I can still improve my serve. I’m just beginning.” Like Schiavone, Samantha “Sam” Stosur was also playing in her first major final. And she agreed with her conqueror. “It doesn’t matter what the age. If you’ve got that desire, anyone can do it,” the 26-year-old Australian said. “It proves you don’t have to be a teen-age wunderkind superstar.”

What a difference a year makes. Last year, Schiavone and Stosur met in the first round of the French Open and Stosur won 6-4 6-2. This year’s meeting between the two was the first time in the Open era that both finalists were appearing in a Grand Slam tournament final for the first time.

STRONG DRAW

This year’s finalists – Italy and the United States – won’t have an easy time of it when they play their first-round Fed Cup World Group ties in 2011. Italy will travel to Australia while the United States will play at Belgium. Other first-round matches in the women’s international team event will have France at Russia and the Czech Republic at Slovakia. The World Group II first-round matches next year will have Spain at Estonia, Germany at Slovenia, Canada at Serbia and Ukraine at Sweden. The United States will play host to Italy on November 6-7 for the 2010 Fed Cup championship. In last year’s final, Italy beat the Americans.

SHOWMANSHIP

When Robby Ginepri sprawled onto the red clay chasing a shot in his French Open match, he surprised the crowd by performing a series of pushups. “I felt a little stupid slipping and falling on my face, so I tried to get the crowd back to my side,” Ginepri said of his impromptu exercises. The crowd loved it, but Ginepri was immediately broken by his opponent, Novak Djokovic, and never regained his momentum. “You know, maybe that took a little bit of my focus away doing that. I’ll probably never do pushups again on court,” Ginepri said. It had been a tight match until that point, but Ginepri won only three more games in the match.

SUPREME EFFORT

Serena Williams has joined an elite group of players who have been ranked number one in the world in both singles and doubles. Serena and her sister Venus clinched the number one doubles ranking when they won their French Open semifinal. The Americans went on to capture their second Roland Garros title, defeating Katarina Srebotnik and Kveta Peschke 6-2 6-3. It was their 12^th Grand Slam doubles crown. They became only the third women’s doubles pair to win four major titles in a row. Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver did it in 1983-84, and Gigi Fernandez and Natasha Zvereva did it in 1992-93. By moving atop the rankings in both singles and doubles, Serena becomes the sixth woman to accomplish the feat and the first since Kim Clijsters in 2003. Others in the group are Navratilova, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Martina Hingis and Lindsay Davenport.

SKINNIEST OF MARGINS

Who knew when they won their first-round match 6-2 6-3 that Nenad Zimonjic and Katarina Srebotnik would have so many close shaves before winning the mixed doubles title at Roland Garros. Seeded sixth, the pair played four consecutive match tiebreaks in the five rounds, besting Julian Knowle and Yaroslava Shvedova in the final 4-6 7-6 (5) 11-9 (match tiebreak). “We saved a lot of match points this week and I don’t even know how we won today, so it’s a great feeling,” Zimonjic said. And in their final three matches, they lost the first set before rallying to victory. Zimonjic later added the men’s doubles title to his growing trophy case, giving him seven Grand Slam tournament titles. Srebotnik has won four major titles, all in mixed doubles.

STILL GRACIOUS, STILL SMILING

Roger Federer, his reign as French Open champion ended in the quarterfinals and his spot as the number one player also gone, took a look at his record stretch of reaching 23 consecutive Grand Slam tournament semifinals. “They all come to an end at some stage,” he said of his first failure to reach the final four of a major since losing in the third round at Roland Garros to Gustavo Kuerten in 2004. “It’s been an amazing run. If I could have signed for all those semis in a row, I would have done it right away.”

STEAMED

When the wheels fell off of his game, even the line calls went against Novak Djokovic. The third-seeded Serbian was cruising along with a two-set lead over Jurgen Melzer in the French Open quarterfinals. Djokovic led 2-0 in the third set when the Austrian became his remarkable comeback. Then, with Melzer serving for the match at 5-4 in the fifth set, he was wrong-footed by a Djokovic crosscourt shot. Melzer asked the umpire to inspect the mark. Carlos Bernardes climbed down from the chair, took a close look and ruled the ball was out. “From my side and my perspective, it was looking good,” Djokovic said. “There was no space between the line and the mark, and that means the ball is good. I don’t know why the chair umpire got that decision wrong.” Melzer then served out the upset victory, leaving Djokovic to wonder about the line call.

STILL SWINGING

Lindsay Davenport hasn’t quite called it quits yet. The former number one player will team with fellow American Liezel Huber and play doubles at the Mercury Insurance Open in Carlsbad, California, USA, later this summer. Huber and Davenport reached the doubles quarterfinals at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Davenport won singles titles at the Carlsbad tournament in 1998 and 2004 and won the doubles in 1998 with Natasha Zvereva and 1999 with Corina Morariu. She has not played in a tournament since 2008 when she reached the third round in singles and doubles at the US Open.

SLIPPERY SLOPE

Olympic skier Bode Miller’s quest to play in the US Open is over. “I had no time to prepare, no time to come have a guy hit 1,000 balls at me like I used to do when I was little,” Miller said. “If you don’t do that, you don’t have any reason to have expectations.” Miller won three Alpine skiing medals at the Vancouver Olympics, bringing his career total to five. When he was in high school, he was a state tennis champion in Maine. Miller was attempting to earn a wild-card spot in the US Open qualifying. The United States Tennis Association (USTA), in an effort to put the “Open” in the US Open, is holding a series of qualifying events during the summer with the 16 sectional winners advancing to Atlanta, Georgia, to play for two spots in the US Open qualifying – one in the women’s draw, the other in the men’s draw. Anyone could enter the competition.

SORE

A right hip injury could sideline Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for the grass-court season. The Frenchman injured his hip in his fourth-round French Open match against Mikhail Youzhny. Tsonga retired from the match and underwent scans that confirmed a muscle lesion in his hip. The former Australian Open runner-up is expected to rest “for about 10 days,” according to his agent. Tsonga then will undergo another checkup to determine where he can resume playing.

STARRING

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) presented honors during the ITF World Champions Dinner, held annually during the French Open. The ITF’s highest accolade, the Philippe Chatrier Award, went to three-time Roland Garros champion Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil. Other award recipients were singles champions Roger Federer and Serena Williams; doubles champions Bob and Mike Bryan, and Serena and Venus Williams; junior champions Daniel Berta of Sweden and Kristina Mladenovic of France, and wheelchair champions Shingo Kunieda of Japan and Esther Vergeer of the Netherlands. Vergeer won her award for a record 10^th consecutive year.

SIDELINED

Beijing Olympics singles champion Elena Dementieva could miss Wimbledon because of a calf injury. The Russian retired from her French Open semifinal match against eventual winner Francesca Schiavone after losing the first set 7-6. Dementieva said she first suffered the problem to her left calf in a second-round win over Anabel Medina Garrigues. “It’s very painful to even walk,” the Russian said. “I got it after my second match and I aggravated it. Today it was just a sharp pain. It was a bit too much. I couldn’t really move on the court.”

STRAIGHT IN

Two Great Britain Davis Cup players and three teen-agers have been given wild-card entries into the AEGON Championships being played at The Queen’s Club in London. Great Britain. Two British players – James Ward and Jamie Baker – have been joined by 17-year-old Bernard Tomic of Australia, 18-year-old Ryan Harrison of the United States and 19-year-old Grigor Dimitrov, the 2008 Wimbledon boys champion from Bulgaria. “We always try to use our wild cards to give an opportunity to British players, young international prospects or established players who are returning from illness or injury,” said tournament director Chris Kermode. “We had initially given a wild card to Mario Ancic, who has been out of the game for a long time through illness, but unfortunately he has sustained a back injury and had to pull out.” Others who have had to withdraw from the tournament because of injuries include Fernando Verdasco, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Ernests Gulbis.

SORRY

Former Wimbledon junior girls champion Laura Robson has apologized for calling some of her fellow players “sluts.” In an interview with Vogue magazine, the 16-year-old British player said they needed to be “more discreet.” Now, Robson admits she made a “totally inappropriate, throwaway comment without considering the consequences.” The WTA said Robson did the right thing by apologizing.

SINO HELP

France will help China develop tennis players. According to Jean-Pierre Dartevelle, vice president of the French Tennis Federation (FFT), France will provide training for the Chinese coaches and players, including setting up a training base for Chinese elite players who travel to Europe for practice and competition.

SPONSOR

Oriflame, one of Europe’s fastest growing beauty brands, will become the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s official cosmetics partner beginning in 2011. The company, founded in Sweden in 1967, sells directly through more than 3.3 million “consultants” worldwide. Oriflame has a global presence in more than 60 countries. Under the terms of the two-year agreement, Oriflame will become an official partner of the WTA in Europe, Russia, Commonwealth of Independent States, Middle East and Africa, and will enjoy a significant presence at 26 WTA events in those markets, including the season-ending WTA Tour Championships in Istanbul, Turkey.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Prostejov: Marcel Granollers and Davis Marrero beat Johan Brunstrom and Jean-Julien Rojer 3-6 6-4 10-6 (match tiebreak)

SITES TO SURF

Halle: www.gerryweber-open.com/

Marseille: http://opengdfsuez-marseille.com

Lugano: www.challengerlugano.ch/

Eastbourne: www.lta.org.uk/Watch/AEGON-British-Tennis-Series/AEGON-International/

Den Bosch: www.unicefopen.nl/

Rafael Nadal: www.rafaelnadal.com

Francesca Schiavone: www.schiavonefrancesca.com/

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)