World Tennis Magazine

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Leander Paes

Novak Djokovic, Flavia Pennetta US Open Champions – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

US Open

Men’s Singles: Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-4

Women’s Singles: Flavia Pennetta beat Roberta Vinci 7-6 (4) 6-2

Men’s Doubles: Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut beat Jamie Murray and John Peers 6-4 6-4

Women’s Doubles: Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza beat Casey Dellacqua and Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3 6-3

Mixed Doubles: Martina Hingis and Leander Paes beat Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sam Querrey 6-4 3-6 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Junior Boys Singles: Taylor Fritz beat Tommy Paul 6-2 6-7 (4) 6-2

Junior Girls Singles: Dalma Galfi beat Sofia Kenin 7-5 6-4

Junior Boys Doubles: Felix Auger Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov beat Brandon Holt and Riley Smith 7-5 7-6 (3)

Junior Girls Doubles: Viktoria Kuzmova and Aleksandra Pospelova beat Anna Kalinskaya and Anastasia Potapova 7-5 6-2

Men’s Wheelchair Singles: Shingo Kunieda beat Stephane Houdet 6-7 (4) 6-3 6-2

Women’s Wheelchair Singles: Jordanne Whiley beat Yui Kamiji 6-4 0-6 6-1

Men’s Wheelchair Doubles: Stephane Houdet and Gordon Reid beat Michael Jeremiasz and Nicolas Peifer 6-3 6-1

Women’s Wheelchair Doubles: Marjolein Buis and Sabine Ellerbrock beat Jiske Griffioen and Aniek Van Koot 7-6 (3) 6-1

Quad Wheelchair Singles: Dylan Alcott beat David Wagner 6-1 4-6 7-5

Quad Wheelchair Doubles: Nicholas Taylor and David Wagner beat Dylan Alcott and Andrew Lapthorne 4-6 6-2 10-7 (match tiebreak)

 

OTHER

Laura Siegemund beat Romina Oprandi 7-5 6-3 to win the Engie Open de Biarritz in Biarritz, France

 

SAYING

“It’s been an incredible season. Next to 2011 probably the best season of my life. But I’m enjoying this year more than any previous one because I’m a husband and I’m a father and that makes it even more sweeter.” – Novak Djokovic, after beating Roger Federer to win the US Open men’s singles, his third Grand Slam tournament title of the year.

“I’m really proud of myself. I think I did everything I expected – much more, I can say.” – Flavia Pennetta, US Open women’s singles champion.

“It’s like a dream. I’m in the final, I beat Serena. Sorry, guys, sorry. It’s the best moment of my life.” – Roberta Vinci, after upsetting top-ranked Serena Williams in the quarterfinals.

“Being back in a final is where you want to be. Playing a great champion like Novak is a massive challenge.” – Roger Federer.

“He’s just not going away.’” – Novak Djokovic, when asked if he thought this was 34-year-old Roger Federer’s final hurrah.

“I did win three Grand Slams this year. I won four in a row, which is pretty good. So it’s definitely the positive.” – Serena Williams, following her semifinal loss to Roberta Vinci.

“She’s the number one. Doesn’t matter if she lost to me, for me she’s the very best right now. She’s an incredible player, she won a lot of tournaments, Grand Slams, and for me she’s the number one.” – Roberta Vinci, on Serena Williams.

“It feels like I’m doing it all over again. But I’m not thinking, ‘OK, the last time was 18 years ago.’ What counts for me is right now, today, in this moment. I know I have the support and the trust that I have for her shots and for her game, and it builds up every time we step out together.” – Martina Hingis, after teaming with Sania Mirza to win the US Open women’s doubles title.

 

SUPER SERB

Novak Djokovic overcame a three-hour rain delay, a hostile Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd and Roger Federer to capture his third Grand Slam tournament singles crown of the year and 10th of his career. “We pushed each other to the limit, as we always do,” the top-ranked Djokovic said. The Serbian right-hander added his second US Open title to those he won this year at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. He lost out on a calendar-year Grand Slam when he was upset in the Roland Garros final by Stan Wawrinka. Against Federer is a five-time US Open champion who was appearing in the final at Arthur Ashe Stadium for the first time since 2009. But it was Djokovic who was magnificent, controlling most of the action with deep ground strokes that found the far reaches of the court while Federer’s shots too often sailed wide or long. The 34-year-old Swiss finished the night with 54 unforced errors, 17 more than Djokovic. “Some of them, I could have done better, should have done better,” the second-ranked Federer said. And when the two fought extended battles, it was usually Djokovic who would up winning the point. It was the 42nd time the two – ranked one and two in the world – have met. Their record is deadlocked at 21-21. “I had a wonderful last two weeks,” said Federer, who has won 17 Grand Slam tournament titles, but none since 2012. “I’m very pleased where my game’s at. Being back in the finals is where you want to be. Playing against a great champion like Novak is a massive challenge and I enjoyed it. I thought it was a great match.”

 

SLAM CHAMPION

Flavia Pennetta ended her career in style. The veteran beat her close friend Roberta Vinci in the first all-Italian Grand Slam tournament final in history and captured the US Open women’s singles crown, then announced her retirement from the sport. Both Pennetta and Vinci were surprising finalists as Vinci shocked top-ranked Serena Williams and Pennetta upset second-ranked Simona Halep in the semifinals. Pennetta said she was nine years old when she first played Vinci, and both showed the sell-out crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium a delightful old-style game of spins, placement and variety of speed. After capturing the first-set tiebreak, Pennetta raced out to a 4-0 lead in the second on her way to her first Grand Slam tournament singles title. “It’s a dream come true,” Pennetta said. “When I was young, I was always thinking to be number one and win a Grand Slam. I also wanted to win Rome, but a Grand Slam is maybe a little better. But it’s a dream come true.”

 

STOP AT THE TOP

After she had collected her trophy for winning the US Open women’s singles and had given her on-court thank you speech Flavia Pennetta remembered she had something else to tell the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium. “There’s one more thing I’d like to say,” the 33-year-old Italian said. “It’s the way I would like to say goodbye to tennis.” Later, in her post-match interview, she said that this would not be her last match, but only her last US Open. “I will play until the end of the year,” she said, “but this was my last match here in New York.” Winning her first Grand Slam tournament singles crown was just the icing on the cake, she said. But she still plans on completing her schedule. “I’m supposed to play Wuhan and Beijing,” she said. “Those are the only two I’m supposed to play.” But when asked, she said there was a chance she might play in next year’s Olympic Games. “But for sure this was the last time for New York for me,” Pennetta said. “For sure.”

 

SHOCKER, FOR SURE

Roberta Vinci was known for her stellar doubles play. Tell that to Serena Williams. In one of the biggest upsets in tennis, Vinci knocked off the world’s top-ranked player 2-6 6-4 6-4, snapping Williams’ bid for a calendar-year Grand Slam. “For me it’s an amazing moment. It’s incredible,” said the 32-year-old Vinci, who was playing in a Grand Slam tournament singles semifinal for the first time in her career. “I have so many things in my mind right now. It was an incredible match. I lost the first set, but I still tried to stay aggressive. In the end I was serving and it felt impossible, but I tried to stay focused and not think about the match or Serena’s incredible play. Ranked 43rd in the world going into the year’s final major, Vinci’s victory over Williams also guaranteed the US Open women’s champion would be Italian. In the day’s first semifinal, Vinci’s fellow Italian Flavia Pennetta had upset second-ranked Simona Halep.

 

SUPPORT FROM HOME

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi wanted to be on hand when the first Italian woman won the US Open singles crown. Renzi flew to New York after both Flavia Pennetta and Roberta Vinci pulled off upsets to capture their semifinals. Pennetta beat her Italian Fed Cup teammate to win her first Grand Slam tournament title. Joining the prime minister on his flight to New York were Italian Olympic Committee president Giovanni Malago and Italian Tennis Federation president Angelo Binaghi.  Italian newspapers made the two women finalists their top stories. “We love you,” the Gazzetta dello sport said in a front-page headline The front page of the mainstream daily Corriere della Sera featured photos above the fold of Pennetta and Vinci -next to a headline that read, “’Two normal Italian girls have already made history.” Vinci and Pennetta are both from the southern region of Puglia, located in the heel of boot-shaped Italy.

 

SHARED PRIZE

Teaming with Hall of Famer Martina Hingis, Leander Paes won a record ninth Grand Slam mixed doubles title. The two rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the match tiebreak by winning nine of the next 12 points to defeat Americans Sam Querrey and Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-4 3-6 10-7.  “Martina said something that was quite interesting,” Paes said. “She said you have to have the guts to go after something, and I don’t believe that I personally have the technique or the caliber of talent that Martina has. One thing I do have is the guts. I will go for it. My whole life is about perseverance, just trying to find a way to succeed.” It was the third mixed doubles crown of the year for Paes and Hingis, who also won the Australian Open in January and Wimbledon in July. They are the first team since 1969 and second in the Open Era to capture three of four majors in a calendar year. With the victory, Paes passed his former Indian Davis Cup teammate Mahesh Bhupathi, who has eight mixed titles. Paes trails only Martina Navratilova, who won 10 mixed doubles championships. Paes also has won eight Grand Slam tournament men’s doubles titles.

 

SLAM CHAMPIONS

Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut became the first French team to win the US Open men’s doubles crown at Flushing Meadows, beating Jamie Murray and John Peers in the final. Their victory means they are the ninth different team to win the last nine Grand Slam tournament men’s doubles title. Herbert said Mahut suggested the two play together. “I believe in you,” Herbert recalled Mahut as saying at the time. After winning the year’s final major, Mahut said their success was because of Herbert. “I’ve never seen someone play the last game like this in a Grand Slam final,” Mahut said of Herbert’s volleys as they broke their opponents in the final game of the match. “It was unbelievable.”

 

SECOND TITLE

Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza won their second straight Grand Slam tournament women’s doubles championship, cementing their status as the top doubles team. They beat Casey Dellacqua and Yaroslava Shvedova in the final. Since teaming up, Hingis and Mirza have won five WTA doubles titles, including Wimbledon. For Hingis, it was her second US Open women’s doubles trophy. She also captured the crown in 1998. Hingis now has 20 major titles – five singles, 11 doubles and four mixed doubles. “It’s amazing,” Hingis said. “I would have never thought I could go this far, especially this year, winning five Grand Slam titles – three in mixed doubles, now two in doubles. “It just means so much to me.” Hingis is the first player in the Open Era to sweep the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at Wimbledon and the US Open in the same year.

Mirza now has a total of five Grand Slam titles – two in doubles and three in mixed doubles.

 

SUCCESSFUL TWICE

Zheng Saisai won both singles and doubles at a tournament in Dalian, China. Zheng beat Israel’s Julia Glushko 2-6 6-1 7-5 to capture the singles, then teamed with Zhang Kai-Lin to upset the top-seeded doubles team, Darija Jurak and Chan Chin-Wei, 6-3 6-4. The top seed in the WTA 125K Series event, it was the biggest singles title in Zheng’s career.  The 21-year-old was ranked as high as 61 in the world in May.

 

SINGLES EVENT

Dalma Galfi made history at the US Open when she became the first player from Hungary to win a Grand Slam title. Galfi topped American Sofia Kenin 7-5 6-4 in the Junior Girls title match. Galfi is coached by former Top 10 player Andrea Temesvari. She saved a set point in the opening set, then closed out the battle in straight sets. The 17-year-old Galfi finished the match with nine aces, including one on match point. “I’m just really happy how I did in the last week,” Galfi said. “I think I did a really great job and played really well the whole tournament.

 

STANDING TALL

Known for his tennis, Gardnar Mulloy will receive the French Legion of Honor this week for his naval serviced during World War II. Mulloy, who will celebrate his 102nd birthday in November, served in the navy for four years, rising to the rank of lieutenant and commanding officer of a tank-landing ship. His ship participated in the invasion of southern France in August 1944. He will be the oldest recipient of the award, which was created by Napoleon in 1802. Mulloy is the oldest living member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. He has won 127 national championships and 25 international titles in his 75 years of playing tennis.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Biarritz: Basak Eraydin and Lidziya Marozava beat Reka-Luca Jani and Stephanie Vogt 6-4 6-4

Genova: Guillermo Duran and Horacio Zeballos beat Andrea Arnaboldi and Alessandro Gannessi 7-5 6-4

 

SURFING

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com

Szczecin: www.pekaoszczecinopen.pl/

Quebec City: www.coupebanquenationale.ca/

Tokyo: www.jw-open.jp/

Metz: www.moselle-open.com/

St. Petersburg: www.spbopen.ru/

Kaohsiung: www.oectennis.com/

Guangzhou: www.guangzhouopen.org/

Tokyo: www.toray-ppo.com/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$179,500 Pekao Szczecin Open, Szczecin, Poland, clay

 

WOMEN       

$250,000 Japan Women’s Open, Tokyo, Japan, hard

$250,000 Coupe Banque Nationale, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, hard

 

DAVIS CUP

World Group Semifinals

Great Britain vs. Australia in Glasgow, Scotland, Great Britain, hard

Belgium vs. Argentina in Brussels, Belgium, hard

 

World Group Playoffs

(Winners in World Group in 2016)

India vs. Czech Republic at New Delhi, India, hard

Switzerland vs. Netherlands at Geneva, Switzerland, hard

Russia vs. Italy at Irkutsk, Russia, hard

Uzbekistan vs. United States at Tashkent, Uzbekistan, clay

Colombia vs. Japan at Pereira, Colombia, clay

Dominican Republic vs. Germany at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, hard

Brazil vs. Croatia at Florianopolis, Brazil, clay

Poland vs. Slovakia at Gdynia, Poland, hard

 

Group I

Americas Zone, 1st round playoffs: Barbados vs. Ecuador at St. Michael, Barbados, hard

Asia/Oceania Zone, 2nd round playoffs: Thailand vs. China at Nonthaburi, Thailand, hard

Europe/Africa Zone, 1st round playoff: Denmark vs. Spain at Odense Idraetshal, Denmark, hard; Lithuania vs. Ukraine at Vilnius, Lithuania, hard

 

Group II

Americas Zone, 3rd round playoffs: Chile vs. Venezuela at Santiago, Chile, clay

Asia/Oceania Zone, 3rd round playoffs: Pakistan vs. Chinese Taipei at Izmir, Turkey, hard

Europe/Asia Zone, 3rd round playoffs: Portugal vs. Belarus at Viana do Castelo, Portugal, clay; Bulgaria vs. Hungary at Sofia, Bulgaria, clay

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$1,091,000 St. Petersburg Open, St. Petersburg, Russia, hard

$560,241 Moselle Open, Metz, France, hard

$125,000 OEC Kaohsiung Challenger, hard

 

WOMEN

$881,100 Toray Pan Pacific Open, Tokyo, Japan, hard

$226, 750 Korea Open, Seoul, Korea, hard

$226,750 Guangzhou International Women’s Open, Guangzhou, China, hard

 

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic

Serena Williams, Leander Paes and Max Miryni Highlight U.S. Open Champions – Monday with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

9 September 2013

 

STARS

US Open

Women’s Singles: Serena Williams beat Victoria Azarenka 7-5 6-7 (6) 6-1

Men’s Doubles: Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek beat Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares 6-1 6-3

Women’s Doubles: Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka beat Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua 6-7 (4) 6-1 6-4.

Mixed Doubles: Andrea Hlavackova and Max Mirnyi beat Abigail Spears and Santiago Gonzalez 7-6 (5) 6-3

Boys’ Singles: Borna Coric beat Thanasi Kokkinakis 3-6 6-3 6-1

Girls’ Singles: Ana Konjuh beat Tornado Alicia Black 3-6 6-4 7-6 (6)

Boys’ Doubles: Kamil Majchrzak and Martin Redlicki beat Quentin Halys and Frederico Ferreira Silva 6-3 6-4

Girls’ Doubles: Barbora Krejcikova and Katarina Siniakova beat Belinda Bencic and Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-3 6-4

Men’s Champion Doubles: John McEnroe and Patrick McEnroe beat Michael Chang and Todd Martin 6-4 6-0

Women’s Champion Doubles: Martina Navratilova and Rennae Stubbs beat Chanda Rubin and Iva Majoli 6-2 6-4

Wheelchair Men’s Doubles: Michael Jeremiasz and Maikel Scheffers beat Gustavo Fernandez and Joachim Gerard 6-0 4-6 6-3

Wheelchair Women’s Doubles: Jiske Griffioen and Aniek Van Koot beat Sabine Ellerbrock and Yui Kamiji 6-3 6-4

Wheelchair Quad Singles: Lucas Sithole beat David Wagner 3-6 6-4 6-4

Wheelchair Quad Doubles: Nick Taylor and David Wagner beat Andy Lapthorne and Lucas Sithole 6-0 2-6 6-3

 

OTHER

Dustin Brown beat Filippo Volandri 7-6 (5) 6-3 to win the AON Open Challenger in Genova,Italy

 

SAYING

“I don’t play tennis for the money. I honestly love to play. I love Grand Slams.” – Serena Williams.

“Vika’s such a great opponent, such a great fighter, and that’s why she’s been able to win multiple Grand Slams. That’s why it was never over until match point.” – Serena Williams, after winning her fifth US Open women’s singles title by beating Victoria Azarenka for the second straight year.

“It is a tough loss, but to be in the final and play against the best player – who deserves to win today – it’s incredible. I gave it all today. We showed our hearts. We fought hard.” – Victoria Azarenka, following her loss to Serena Williams in the women’s final.

“I definitely felt the love, so thank you all so much for the support.” – Serena Williams, talking to the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd after the women’s final.

“That’s why you play tennis. It’s to play in front of people like today in the bigger stadium in tennis. And even if I lost today, I was still happy to hear all the cheering and to hear all the crowd like this. I think it’s something quite amazing for me.” – Stanislas Wawrinka, after losing his semifinal match to top-seeded Novak Djokovic.

“I should not be nervous like this because it’s not the first time I have played in the semifinals. But when I walked on the court I felt the court was so big. I felt like it was a football stadium. For Serena it was like a table tennis court. I could not focus.” – Li Na, following her semifinal loss to Serena Williams.

“I got a little nervous, but I was able to close it out finally.” – Serena Williams, after needing seven match points before finally defeating Li Na.

“When you’re playing that well you forget how to lose.” – Martina Navratilova, talking about Rafael Nadal’s winning run since returning from his latest injury.

“It wouldn’t be right to leave here feeling regrets. It has been a great tournament for me. Sure, there is a little bit of a bitter taste in my mouth about losing, but this has been a super and positive week. I played the number two in the world and I had my chances.” – Flavia Pennetta, after her semifinal loss to Victoria Azarenka.

“I lost in straight sets, so that’s disappointing. I would have liked to have gone further. But, look, I can’t complain. If someone told me before the US Open last year I would have been here as defending champion having won Wimbledon and Olympic gold, I would have taken that 100 percent.” – Andy Murray, after being upset by Stanislas Wawrinka in the quarterfinals.

“Every point you have to play. He never miss. He never give you some presents.” – Mikhail Youzhny, explaining his quarterfinal loss to Novak Djokovic.

“I kind of self-destructed, which is very disappointing, especially on a quicker court. Your serve helps you out. You’re going to make the difference somewhere. I just couldn’t do it. It was a frustrating performance today.” – Roger Federer, after being upset by Tommy Robredo.

“Roger is the best player of all times. To beat him in a huge stadium like the US Open and in a Grand Slam, a match of five sets, it’s like a dream.” – Tommy Robredo, following his win over Federer.

“Of course not. I played good, though. I played really good.” – Serena Williams, when asked if her winning performance against Carla Suarez Navarro was close to flawless.

“It’s a never-ending run of history and records and there is always something on the horizon. What makes this sport so fun is there is always the next goal.” – Bob Bryan, after he and brother Mike lost their semifinals and a bid to become only the second men’s doubles team to win a calendar Grand Slam.

 

SERENA RETAINS TITLE

Pushed to three sets, Serena Williams solved the wind and her opponent to win her fifth US Open women’s singles title and her 17th Grand Slam tournament singles crown. It wasn’t easy as Victoria Azarenka, who is ranked second in the world behind Williams, matched her point for point – until the final set. “Victoria, you played unbelievable,” Williams said during the on-court awards ceremony. “What a great match and a great person. It’s an honor to play against you.” At 31 years old, Williams became the oldest woman in the Open Era to win the US Open and the third-oldest Grand Slam tournament women’s winner. It was also a huge payday for the American. The winner collects USD $2.6 million, and because she finished first in the US Open tune-up events, Williams also pocketed a USD $1 million bonus. Williams successfully defended her US Open title and for the second straight year beat Azarenka in the title match. The two have combined to win six of the eight major titles in the past two years.

 

SET FOR MONDAY

Monday’s men’s singles title match will pit the top two players in the world – number one Novak Djokovic and number two Rafael Nadal. The two will be meeting for a tournament title for the 37th time. Nadal leads the series 21-15 and has won five of their last six meetings. But his overall edge was largely built in the first half of the rivalry when he won 14 of their first 18 matches. This summer, Nadal has been brilliant. He missed the US Open last year along with seven months because of a knee injury. But since returning to the tour, Nadal has been almost perfect, posting a 59-3 match record, including 21-0 on hard courts, the surface at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. It will be the third time the two have met in the US Open final, Nadal winning in 2010 and Djokovic the next year.

 

SIDE BY SIDE

It’s becoming habit-forming for Leander Paes, a habit the 40-year-old is perfectly delighted to continue. The Indian right-hander teamed with 36-year-old Radek Stepanek to win his third US Open doubles title and the eighth major title of his career. It was Stepanek’s second Grand Slam tournament doubles crown, winning the 2012 Australian Open with Paes. Playing in their first Grand Slam tournament final, Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares had only two break points in the match and failed to cash in on either. Peya suffered a back injury in the second set and his movement was restricted for the rest of the match.

 

SECOND TITLE

One day after Andrea Hlavackova captured the mixed doubles title with Max Mirnyi, she partnered Lucie Hradecka to the US Open women’s doubles crown. They became the first all-Czech pair to capture America’s premier tournament, beating the Australian duo of Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua 6-7 (4) 6-1 6-4. “It has been amazing,” Hlavackova said. “I cannot believe I won two Grand Slams in two weeks. I want to thank Lucie. She helped me as much as Max did.” The last player to win two US Open titles in the same year was Zimbabwe’s Cara Black in 2008, who teamed with Liezel Huber to win the women’s doubles and Leander Paes to win the mixed. Playing in only their eighth event together, Dellacqua and Barty were runners-up this year at three of the four Grand Slam tournaments: the Australian Open,Wimbledon and the US Open.

 

STOPPED

Brothers Bob and Mike Bryan were going for a calendar-year Grand Slam. Then they ran into Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek in the semifinals of the US Open. The Bryans were trying to become only the second men’s doubles team to win all four major tournaments in a single year. Instead, they fell to Paes and Stepanek 3-6 6-3 6-4. “As competitors, we hate to lose and we knew what was riding on this match and the opportunity of what we could have accomplished,” Bob Bryan said. “And then in one sense it’s a little bit of a relief where you get to kind of exhale for the first time in a few months.” The 35-year-old American identical twins has won 28 consecutive Grand Slam matches and were just two wins away from matching the 1951 feat set by Australians Ken McGregor and Frank Sedgman. “You leave that door a little ajar, I will find my foot through it,” said the 40-year-old Paes. “Once I get my foot through it, I got my body through it. Once I get my body through it, I get him through it.”

 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

Novak Djokovic and Stanislas Wawrinka battled for more than four hours in their semifinal encounter before the world’s top-ranked player finally prevailed. But the well-played match was highlighted by the third game of the fifth set, which lasted 21 minutes and 30 points and featured some brilliant rallies and great shot-making. There were 12 deuces and Wawrinka saved five break points before finally holding with a service winner. The game earned the players several ovations from the appreciative crowd. “These matches is what we live for, what we practice for,” Djokovic said. “All the credit to (Wawrinka) for being so aggressive and playing so well. I’m just fortunate to play my best tennis when I needed to.”

 

SELES HONORED

Monica Seles is the newest member of the US Open Court of Champions. The winner of nine Grand Slam tournaments, including the US Open in 1991 and 1992, Seles spent more than 175 weeks ranked number one in the world and was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009. “I brought back so many memories,” Seles said of being back on the main court at the US Open where she teamed with Chris Evert for an exhibition match. “You could feel the electricity.”

 

STREAKIN’ SERENA

Serena Williams had a – well – Serena-like streak during this year’s US Open at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The world’s top-ranked player showed her dominance by winning 24 consecutive games on her way to the women’s singles title match. Her streak began when she won the last five games against 15th-seeded Sloane Stephens before she “double-bageled” 18th-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro 6-0 6-0. Against her next opponent, fifth-seeded Li Na, Williams won the first seven games before the 2011 French Open champion finally held serve, halting the streak.

Serena’s “double-bagel” of Suarez Navarro was the first in a US Open women’s quarterfinal since Martina Navratilova blanked Manuela Maleeva 6-0 6-0 in 1989.

 

SWISS SHOCK

Roger Federer was seeking his sixth US Open title. Instead, he was surprisingly ousted in the fourth round by Spain’s Tommy Robredo, 7-6 (3) 6-3 6-4. Federer began the year ranked number one in the world. He was ranked seventh when he began the year’s final Grand Slam tournament. The Swiss star made 43 unforced errors and converted just two of 16 break points. “I kind of feel like I beat myself, without taking any credit away from Tommy,” Federer said. It is the first year that Federer has failed to reach a Grand Slam tournament final since 2002 and his earliest US Open exit in 10 years.

 

SIGNS UP

Andy Murray will play Davis Cup when Great Britain meets Croatia in a World Group playoff this week in Umag,Croatia. Also named to the squad were Dan Evans, James Ward and Colin Fleming. Murray didn’t play in April when Evans, Ward, Fleming and Jonathan Marray stunned Russia. The Croatia tie will be played on clay, the first time Great Britain has played on that surface since 2008. Britain and Croatia have played each other only once before in the international team competition, with Britain winning a 2007 World Group playoff 4-1 at Wimbledon.

 

SENTENCED

The father of Australian tennis player Bernard Tomic has been sentenced to eight months in prison for assaulting his son’s training partner. Under Spanish law, John Tomic will not go to prison because he has no criminal record and his sentence is for less than two years. Just prior to the Madrid Open in May, John Tomic head-butted Thomas Drouet, breaking his nose. The father claimed he was acting in self-defense. According to Australian media, John Tomic is likely to be banned from all ATP Tour events. The players association has already assessed the father a one-year ban. Drouet said he was assaulted at aMadridhotel when John Tomic asked him “to step aside for a quiet word.”

 

SO LONG ESTHER

An athlete with what has to be one of the best records in all of sports was given a special farewell at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Esther Vergeer first reached the world number one ranking in wheelchair tennis in 1999. When she retired this past February, she had compiled a 470-singles match winning streak, a string that went back to January 2003. She won four Paralympic gold medals in singles –Sydney in 2000,Athens in 2004,Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012 – and three gold medals in doubles: Sydney, Athens and London. A native of the Netherlands, Vergeer won 21 Grand Slam tournament titles, including six US Opens. In her career, she won more than 1,100 singles and doubles matches.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Genova: Daniele Bracciali and Oliver Marach beat Martin Draganja and Mate Pavic 6-3 2-6 11-9 (match tiebreak)

 

SURFING

Tashkent: www.tashkentopen.uz/

Quebec City: www.challengebell.com

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com

St. Petersburg: www.spbopen.ru

Metz: www.moselle-open.com

Szezecin: www.pekaoszczecinopen.pl

Seoul: www.kdbkoreaopen.com

Guangzhou: www.guangzhouopen.org/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

 

WOMEN

$235,000 Tashkent Open,Tashkent,Uzbekistan, hard

$235,000 Bell Challenge,Quebec City,Quebec,Canada, hard

 

DAVIS CUP

World Group Semifinals

Serbiavs.CanadaatBelgrade,Serbia, clay

CzechRepublicvs.ArgentinaatPrague,Czech Republic, hard

 

World Group Playoffs

(Winners are in 2014 World Group)

Spainvs. Ukraine at Madrid, Spain, clay

Netherlandsvs.AustriaatGroningen,Netherlands, clay

Croatiavs.Great BritainatUmag,Croatia, clay

Switzerlandvs. Ecuadorat Neuchatel, Switzerland, hard

Germanyvs. Brazilat Warsaw, Poland, clay

Belgium vs. Israel at Antwerp, Belgium, clay

Japan vs. Colombia at Tokyo, Japan, hard

 

Group I Second Round Playoff

 

Americas Zone: Dominican Republic vs. Chile at Santo Domingo Este, Dominican Republic, hard; Asia/Oceania Zone: Chinese Taipei vs. Indonesia at Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, hard

 

Group I First Round Playoff

 

Europe/Africa Zone: Slovenia vs. South Africa at Ljubljana, Slovenia, clay

 

Group II Third Round

 

Americas Zone: El Salvador vs. Venezuela at Ciudad Merliot, El Salvador, hard; Asia/Oceania Zone: Philippines vs. New Zealand at Lapu-Lapu City, Philippines, clay; Europe/Africa Zone: Latvia vs. Finland at Riga, Latvia, hard

 

Group III

(Round Robin)

 

Asia/Oceania Zone at Dubai, United Arab Emirates, hard: Cambodia, China-Hong Kong, Iran, Malaysia, Oman, Pacific Oceania, United Arab Emriates, Vietnam

 

Group IV

(Round Robin)

Asia/Oceania Zone at Dubai, United Arab Emirates, hard: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Iraq, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Turkmenistan

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$600,592 St. Petersburg Open, St. Petersburg, Russia, hard

$540,536 Moselle Open, Metz, France, hard
$140,339 Pekao Szczecin Open, Szczecin, Poland, clay

$125,000 Kaohsiung Tennis Challenger, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, hard

 

WOMEN

$500,000 KDB Korea Open, Seoul, Korea, hard

$500,000 GRC Bank Guangzhou International Women’s Open 2013,Guangzhou,China, hard

 

Serena Williams
Serena Williams

Bobby Reynolds Still Chasing Dreams, Giving Back To The Game He Loves

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By Christopher Lancette

Bobby Reynolds

It is a scorching hot summer day in College Park, Maryland and Bobby Reynolds has gone from the raucous crowds supporting his Washington Kastles World Team Tennis matches to the obscurity of pumping iron in a stuffy, pint-sized gym at the site of a 2011 U.S. Open qualifying tournament. He doesn’t know it at the moment but the former world No. 63 is a few days away from earning a return to New York – and a few years away claiming a chance to play Novak Djokovic on center court at Wimbledon.

All Reynolds is thinking about is the next match … and the group of kids who seem to cling to him wherever he goes. He doesn’t pull a W.C. Fields even though he’s working out hard at the end of a long day. The six-foot-tall but down-to-earth professional tennis player answers all kinds of questions from aspiring teenage writers and athletes – treating them all as if they were top-notch pros themselves.

“He really took the time to talk to me,” says high school student Ethan Park. “It’s great to meet someone who plays at that level. He’s one of the best 150 players in the world. He has played in Grand Slams. He’s a nice person, really talks to you. It’s humbling to me that he would take that much time for me and an article I’m writing for a school paper. He loves tennis and he’s not in it for the money.”

Park’s analysis couldn’t be more accurate. Big bucks don’t come easily to most players ranked outside the top 50. Reynolds, though, has managed his income wisely and lived a frugal life on the ATP tour.

Bobby Reynolds (Left) and Ethan Park

Observing and interviewing Reynolds over the past few years, it’s easy to see all the factors that  motivate Reynolds even as he turns 31 this summer but lacks the fame and resume of another man his age who possesses 17 “Grand Slam” titles and enough cash to take care of his family for generations.

Start with his love of the game.

“I love to be out here competing,” Reynolds says. “I love playing tennis for a job. We do get paid but I don’t think the money is what makes us do this work. Ultimately, we play to be in the Grand Slams!”

Reynolds has appeared in the main draw of 17 Grand Slam events but had not won a Major match since 2008. That changed last month when he beat No. 97 Steve Johnson in the first round at Wimbledon – earing the opportunity to play the No. 1-ranked Djokovic. Reynolds fought valiantly but lost in three sets. The win in the previous round, though, continued a 2013 resurgence in which he knocked out five top 100 players in about a three-week span starting in late February.

Bobby Reynolds

“I would say it’s never too late to go after your dreams,” the aging (by tennis standards) veteran says of his goals to keep reaching Grand Slam events and winning matches there. “I never said to myself, ‘Oh, you’re too old.’” (His latest dream came true when his wife Josie gave birth to their first child, Parker Thomas Reynolds.)

Reynolds does recognize his own human limitations: He knows he is not the most skilled player on the ATP tour or in the World Team Tennis league.

“Ninety percent of my game is just staying out there on my feet just battling,” he says. “I don’t have the most talent. I rely on my heart. I know in the back of my mind, I can get to one extra ball.”

He has tracked down a ton of those “extra balls” while playing for the Washington Kastles, winners of two consecutive championship titles. By the end of the 2012 season, Reynolds had closed 19 of the team’s 32 consecutive wins. His numbers will almost certainly go up during the 2013 season that began on July 8.

Coach Murphy Jensen is counting on it.

“His character is the reason we have him as a closer,” Jensen says. “We can count on him. We rely on him going into the final set. We know that he’s going to leave everything on the court and he’s playing for everyone else – not for himself.”

Former Kastles teammate Arina Rodionova is quick to laud Reynolds’ unselfishness, too. She credits much of her success in Washington to the time Reynolds set aside to help her train and improve her strokes.

“Bobby will do everything for anybody on the team,” she says. “He has been like a brother to me. It has been unbelievable the way he has helped me.”

Reynolds readily admits that he is crazy about World Team Tennis and the camaraderie of the Kastles – perhaps even to the detriment of his own potential rise up the rankings. He is at press time ranked No. 137 and has earned 409 points. One of his goals is to return to the top 100, a spot currently held by Lukas Lacko, who has a scant 146 more points.

I love to do this, playing World Team Tennis,” Reynolds says. “If I miss three or four tournaments a year, so what. I love playing for the Kastles. I look forward to these three weeks every year.”

The Massachusetts-born but Georgia-reared journeyman knows it’s important to do what he loves while he still can: Tennis was nearly taken away from him four years ago in perhaps one of the most unexplainable injury in tennis – one he never even felt. It came after lunch at the 2009 French Open.

“I practiced in the morning to get ready for French,” he remembers. “I went to lunch, came back and went to hit a ball. I couldn’t do it. I don’t know what happened. All of a sudden I couldn’t hit the ball. It was a freak accident. A tendon in my left wrist just stopped working. I was at a career-high 63. It was depressing, frustrating.”

The injury sidelined him for the rest of the year and altered the upward trajectory of his career. The injury also gave Reynolds time to reflect – lessons that are still with him today.

“I think everything happens for a reason, good or bad,” he says. “Maybe I won’t make it back to 63 but playing is better than sitting at home on the couch. I understand and appreciate the game. I owe everything to the sport of tennis. It was a lifetime dream to play tennis. It started off just going to college and it has kind of built from there. I never felt like I could be a professional tennis player but I went out there and good things happened. I’ve seen places that I would have never been able to see and that a lot of people can only imagine. I’ve met a lot of people from all over the world, people who make an impact on me and who I have a chance to influence. I owe everything to the game.”

The “influence” part is high atop Reynolds’ motivations. He would like to play for several more years but he knows time is catching up to him.

“It’s going to be hard for me to step away from the game,” he says. “I want to stick with tennis, give back to kids.”

At a Kastles celebration at the end of the 2012 regular season – a scorching hot day in Washington D.C. — Reynolds leaves before the party is over … but not so he can take at least half a day off. Some of the ball kids for the Kastles had asked him to hit with them before the season was over. Off to The Wharf he went.

Kastles’ owner Mark Ein wasn’t surprised by the move.

Mark Ein (left) & Bobby Reynolds

“He’s so selfless, so giving,” Ein says. “Today he’s going to go hit with the ball kids because they asked to hit with him. He hasn’t had a day off in weeks. He’s working so hard and the schedule is so grueling and he’s going to take time to go hit with the ball kids. That’s how much it means to him. The guy has the absolute highest work ethic, the finest character and the most sincere and genuine personality. It’s an incredibly rare package.”

 

Photos By Won-ok Kim

Guga Elected to Hall — Mondays With Bob Greene

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STARS

BNP Paribas at Indian Wells, California, USA
(First Week)

Christina McHale beat third-seeded Petra Kvitova 2-6 6-2 6-3

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez beat fourth-seeded Andy Murray 6-4 6-2

SAYING

“Today I was a shadow of myself. I didn’t feel like I did anything right.” – Jelena Jankovic, after being upset 6-4 6-3 by Jamie Hampton at Indian Wells.

“I have to go away and think about what happened.” – Andy Murray, after losing 6-4 6-2 to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

“I don’t like to be out there for too long if I don’t have to. I like to play tennis and I love grinding it out, but if I have the opportunity to finish it off fast, I like that opportunity as well.” – Caroline Wozniacki, after beating Ekaterina Makarova in just over an hour.

“We didn’t play a beautiful match and there were a lot of unforced errors, but look, it’s the opening match of the tournament for me and I am getting used to the conditions and the court.” – Novak Djokovic, following his victory over Andrey Golubev.

“It’s not easy to be back after a while without competition, but I did really well. I started the match very focused, very aggressive. I’m very happy about almost everything.” – Rafael Nadal, after winning his opening match at Indian Wells.

“It’s always tough to play a same-country player because we know each other a lot. We stay in the national teams so we practice every day and travel all of the time, so it’s very tough. But I was so happy because it’s the first time I beat her.” – Li Na, after beating fellow Chinese Zheng Jie 6-1 6-3.

SUPER GUGA

Gustavo Kuerten (Getty Images)

Gustavo “Guga” Kuerten is the newest member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. A three-time French Open champion, Kuerten is the second Brazilian to be inducted into the Newport, Rhode Island, USA, shrine, joining 1978 Hall of Famer Maria Bueno. Winner of Roland Garros in 1997, 2000 and 2001, Kuerten’s induction was announced in São Paulo, Brazil. Bueno was on hand for the announcement. “I was inspired by lots of great tennis players, like Maria Esther Bueno and Thomas Koch, two of the biggest Brazilian tennis players, and I have also always greatly admired Hall of Famers including (Bjorn) Borg, (John) McEnroe, (Pete) Sampras and (Andre) Agassi,” Kuerten said. “To be honored in the same category as those great players is amazing.” He also reached the French Open quarterfinals in 1999 and 2004, was a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon in 1999, at the US Open in 1999 and 2001, and at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. In 2000, Kuerten became the first South American to finish the year number one in the world in the history of the ATP World Tour rankings since they began in 1973. A panel of international tennis media selected the 35-year-old Kuerten for induction in the Recent Player Category. A 75 percent favorable vote is required for induction. Previous announced inductees in the Class of 2012 include Spanish great Manuel Orantes in the Master Player Category; tennis administrator and promoter Mike Davies in the Contributor Category; and Randy Snow, who was elected posthumously in the Recent Player Category for his accomplishments as a wheelchair tennis player.

STORMY EXIT

There apparently is no such thing as a smooth start for Andy Murray. The Scot hit an unexpected road bump when he was upset 6-4 6-2 by Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in a second-round match in Indian Wells. Ranked fourth in the world, it’s the second straight year he has stumbled in the California desert. Last year he was eliminated by American qualifier Donald Young. “I have to go away and think about what happened,” Murray said after his latest loss. “I played great in practice, was hitting the ball really well. I felt pretty fresh. … It almost felt like playing the match on a clay court. I wasn’t able to hit through the court and I squandered so many chances.”

SICK BAY

At least six players were felled in the first week of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells by a viral infection that has swept through the California desert. Frenchman Gael Monfils pulled out of the tournament because of stomach problems, as did American Vania King. King, who won her first WTA title in Paris last month, had already won two matches, so her withdrawal advanced Angelique Kerber of Germany into the fourth round with the walkover. Earlier, Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber, Italy’s Andreas Seppi, Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova and American Bethanie Mattek-Sands all suffered from stomach bugs. Health officials in the Palm Springs, California, area, said the virus had spread across the Coachella Valley, resulting in symptoms of nausea, vomiting, fever and diarrhea. “It (the virus) is self-limited and lasts between 24 and 48 hours,” the Eisenhower Medical Center said in a statement. “It is transmitted by air and direct contact and not passed via food. … We have seen increases in overall visits to the emergency department by about 15 percent over the past week. We have seen fans and players at the tournament experience these symptoms as well.”

STRONG SHOWING

Leander Paes chalked up another milestone when he captured the 600th doubles win of his career. That came when Paes and his Czech partner Radek Stepanek won their first-round match in Indian Wells, California, USA, by outplaying unseeded Spaniards David Ferrer and Albert Ramos 6-3 6-3. Paes, who will be 39 in June, and Stepanek won the Australian Open doubles in January. The veteran Indian, who turned pro in 1991, has a 600-311 doubles record overall. He won the Indian Wells doubles in 2007 when he teamed with Martin Damm.

STRAIGHT SET SHOCKER

Jelena Jankovic said fatigue played as much in her losing as did the game of her conqueror, American Jamie Hampton. “I am feeling jet-lagged and have allergies here and there,” the 12th-seeded Jankovic said. “I went on court and I expected much more from myself, but it didn’t happen.” Jankovic flew to Indian Wells from Southeast Asia, arriving in the California desert four days before her first match. Once ranked number one in the world, the Serb won the Indian Wells title two years ago. She reached the semifinals in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, before heading to the United States. The 22-year-old Hampton fired three aces in the match and clinched the win when Jankovic pushed a forehand wide.

SET TO MOVE

Johan Kriek is moving again, this time to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he will open a junior tennis academy. A native of South Africa, Kriek won the Australian Open in 1981 and 1982. He moved to Florida and became a United States citizen. He and his wife Daga had a tennis academy for three years in Sarasota, Florida. About 18 months ago they moved their academy to Roanoke, Virginia. Now he plans to move to Charlotte with his family in May. “It’s 100 percent now, we’re coming,” Kriek told The Observer newspaper in Charlotte. “I’ve always liked Charlotte and have some connections there and I think this academy is something the tennis community in Charlotte could really use.” Now 53, Kriek will partner with Charlotte Indoor Tennis Club. He plans on teaching between 24 and 32 students. During his career he posted victories over John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Andre Agassi and Jimmy Connors.

STILL WAITING

John Laffnie de Jager, who captains both the South African Davis Cup and Fed Cup teams, is still waiting for his top players to commit to the international team competition. Both Kevin Anderson and Chani Scheepers have yet to confirm their availability. “I’m still expecting Anderson and Scheepers to come up with positive replies for the respective Davis Cup tie against Slovenia in Soweto and the Euro-Africa Group Two Fed Cup playoffs in Egypt,” de Jager said. A strong incentive exists for both to play, since that could make them eligible to compete in this year’s London Olympics. Ranked 30th in the world, Anderson would almost certainly gain a spot in the Olympics. Scheepers’ situation is not as clear-cut. She would still not have fulfilled the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) requirement to make herself available for Fed Cup in at least two of the past five years. But should Scheepers play in this year’s Fed Cup, she could apply for special dispensation to be included in the Olympics.

SAYING GOODBYE

Ivan Ljubicic is calling it a career. The 32-year-old Croatian right-hander says he will retire from the sport following the Monte Carlo Masters in April. Ljubicic has won 10 titles since turning professional in 1998, and reached a career-high ranking of third in the world in May 2006. Two years ago he won Indian Wells, California, USA, by beating Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick. Ljubicic also was part of Croatia’s Davis Cup-winning team in 2005, and in 2004 he teamed with Mario Ancic to win a bronze medal in doubles at the Athens Olympics.

SIGNED UP

Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will be seeking his first grass court title when he plays the AEGON Championships in London in June. Currently ranked sixth in the world, Tsonga last year lost to Andy Murray in the final. Agreeing to return to Queens Club this year, Tsonga said the event last year was a turning point for him. He went on to reach the semifinals at Wimbledon and the title match at the ATP World Tour Finals at the end of the year. “I had an incredible year in 2011, and it all started there (at Queens Club),” Tsonga said. “I beat Lleyton Hewitt there in 2007 to get into the Top 100 for the first time.”

SCHEDULE SET FOR SERENA

The only World TeamTennis appearance for Serena Williams with the defending champion Washington Kastles will be on July 22 before she heads to the London Olympics. Williams will play in the nation’s capital against the Kansas City Explorers. Venus Williams of the Kastles will take on Martina Hingis of the New York Sportimes on July 23 in Albany, New York, USA, and then will play a home match the next night. Others scheduled to play WTT matches include Lindsay Davenport and John Isner. The eight-team league runs from July 9-28, with the WTT finals scheduled to be held September 14-16 in Charleston, South Carolina, USA.

SURFING

Indian Wells: www.bnpparibasopen.com/
Nassau: www.thebahamasopen.com
Dallas: www.dallastennisclassic.com/
Guadalajara: www.jalisco-open.com/
Miami: www.sonyericssonopen.com
Stockholm: www.kingsoftennis.com
Zurich: www.zurichopen.net

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$4,694,969 BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, California, USA, hard (second week)
$125,000 Dallas Tennis Classic, Dallas, Texas, USA
$100,000 Aeromexico Jalisco Open, Guadalajara, Mexico, hard

WOMEN

$5,536,664 BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, California, USA, hard (second week)
$100,000 The Bahamas Open, Nassau, Bahamas, hard

SENIORS

Kings of Tennis by Index International, Stockholm, Sweden, hard

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$3,973,050 Sony Ericsson Open, Miami, Florida, USA, hard (first week)

WOMEN

$4,828,050 Sony Ericsson Open, Miami, Florida, USA, hard (first week)

SENIORS

BNP Paribas Zurich Open, Zurich, Switzerland, hard

Murray out, Anderson and rain in at Rogers Cup

by

By Christopher Lancette

MONTREAL – South African Ken Anderson put the prestige that came with the name of his No. 4-ranked opponent Andy Murray out of his mind at the Rogers Cup on Tuesday – sending the two-time defending champion home with a 6-3, 6-1 loss.

“I think that’s probably one of the biggest things a lot of players have to deal with when you’re playing the big names of our sport,” the thirty-fifth ranked Anderson. “You really have to try your best to put that outside of your thoughts and really just treat it as another tennis match.  It’s definitely tougher said than done. Going out there, I felt excited and ready for a challenge. … Even though he might not have been playing his best, putting away somebody like that also is pretty tough.”

Anderson broke Murray’s serve early in each set and cruised to a win that took only an hour and change to complete.

Murray looked listless throughout the short match, playing so poorly that it even caught Anderson off guard.

“It was probably not exactly what I was expecting,” said of Murray’s poor performance.  At the same time, I think some of the way I played, the way I served today, I think I did make it pretty tough for him. I felt I came forward very well.  My game moving forward, I executed very well.”

Anderson played superbly, earning what may be considered the biggest win of his career. Murray noted that Anderson’s early breaks did him in.

“He served very well,” Murray said. “Well, that’s the best part of his game.  When he serves well, he’s difficult to break. Then the rest is your game. You can get a bit more confidence if you’re holding service games comfortably.  He was able to play a bit more aggressively maybe than normal today because he got up so early in both sets.  If he serves well, it’s a very fast court, it’s tough to break. He’ll be dangerous.”

Murray isn’t the only highly seeded player to say “au revoir” today. No. 3 doubles seed Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi fell to Tomas Berdych – missing what would have been the match-winning shot by an inch before losing the third-set tiebreaker.

Photo credit © Won-ok Kim

Good chemistry propels Kastles to World Team Tennis title

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By Christopher Lancette

Good chemistry. It’s something that every team in every sport talks about. Ample supplies of the highly sought elixir propels some franchises toward championships while its absence flushes others down the drain.

The Washington Kastles completed a perfect season and won the World Team Tennis championship in the wee hours of the Charleston, South Carolina morning on July 25 because they were swimming in it.

Evidence of good chemistry could be found in every nook and cranny of Washington’s season. On finals night against the St. Louis Aces, Leander Paes followed a Kastles tradition by pretending to shine WTT rookie-of-the-year Arina Rodionova’s shoes after she pulled off a comeback victory in her women’s singles set. (She beat No. 42 Tamira Paszek.) Paes also provided Bobby Reynolds with gulps of energy drinks as he labored to close out the match at about 1 a.m.

The team even quickly forgave coach Murphy Jensen after he cost the Kastles a potentially match-changing point by accidentally tossing a bottle of water on the court as he jumped into the air on what he wrongly thought was a match-ending Reynolds winner.

The Kastles expressed their fondness for Jensen a few nights earlier – signing his bald head in the autograph session following their final regular season victory.

Coach and players alike also genuinely care about team owner Mike Ein.

“We’re all a mix of individuals yet Mark and Murphy have brought us all together,” co-captain Paes said after one of the team’s dramatic home match victories. “This is wonderful. There’s a magical energy about this team.”

“Magic” was a word that came up a lot throughout the Kastles’ run to a 16-0 record. Ein, Jensen and every player used that word repeatedly during the season. I found it to be synonymous for good chemistry and the results it produces.

The main byproduct of that kind of bond is “fun” – and the team that has the most fun playing together is often the team that wins, especially in team tennis. The Kastles were always at their best when they were high-fiving and hugging each other, Jensen was Lambeau leaping into the crowd, Paes was shining shoes, co-captain Rennae Stubbs was shouting encouragement and “Hotrod” Rodionova was dancing on the sideline.

The turning point against the Aces in my mind? Once Rodionova started dancing AND singing along with the music between points of her singles match, she stormed back to win her set.

“I’m so lucky to be on this team because everybody is just amazing,” Rodionova told me in a video interview (watch below) with World Tennis Magazine a few days before the finals. “They helped me out a lot. Everybody is so friendly and we’re having so much fun.”

Ein, a successful entrepreneur, watched his team perform as well as his companies do. He also noted they have a lot in common.

“In my other life, as an investor and builder of companies, we select the best people and the best people that work together,” he told me mid-way through the season. “That’s how we get results. It’s no different here. Last year, we brought in a star player at the end. This year, we decided to have four players that could win a championship on their own.”

Venus and Serena Williams also made contributions to the win count but it was the combination of wily veterans and rookie upstarts that was there from beginning to end.

I sensed before the season started that this Kastles team might gel into special. The impression came on what I thought would be a short phone call with Jensen that turned into an hour-plus chat.

“Tommy Lasorda told me the key to success is to get the team to care about each other and to love each other,” Jensen said, referring to the legendary Los Angeles Dodgers coach.

A grown man talking about the idea of getting pro athletes to love each other? I was intrigued and decided that I would spend more time studying the team this summer than I planned.

Not all was perfect at the beginning. Stubbs and Rodionova had bad body language early on in their doubles work, while the Russian rookie couldn’t find the same rhythm in her singles’ game as she did with her sideline dancing.

“In the beginning, I was scared to death,” she confessed. “It was my first year playing team tennis and I didn’t know what to expect.”

Jensen didn’t flinch when she struggled. Privately and publically, he expressed his faith in her.

“Arina is our hidden jewel,” he said, long before she won WTT rookie-of-the-year honors or the championship match MVP award. “She’s the girl that’s going to make all the difference.”

He was right.

That kind of support was no surprise to Ein.

“There is a beautiful harmony in the way they work off each other,” he said.

Reynolds echoed the sentiment.

“We fight as a team,” he said. “Ultimately, that is the best feeling.”

It’s a feeling – a chemistry – that is so powerful that even professional athletes can’t get enough of it … especially when it’s served with championship trophies.

“I enjoy this more than tour events,” Paes said. “When you do this, you’re doing it for the team and for the whole community. I hope I’m a Kastle for the rest of my life.”

Read more: World Team Tennis gives “gift of a lifetime”

Photocredit ©  Won-ok Kim

World Team Tennis gives “gift of a lifetime”

by

By Christopher Lancette

The Washington Kastles fend off five match points in a super tiebreaker against the New York Sportimes at a recent World Team Tennis match in their jam packed riverfront stadium. The Kastles pull even at 6-6 and the next point is winner take all. Bobby Reynolds cracks a 124 mile-per-hour serve that draws a defensive reply from New York – giving cougar-quick partner Leander Paes the chance to slam an overhead past John McEnroe for the winner.

The crowd goes nuts. Paes lifts Reynolds in the air. Coach Murphy Jensen does a Lambeau leap into the seats.

Eleven-year-old Deena Elrefai loves it. She just witnessed her first pro tennis match, racing out on to the court after the victory and snagging autographs.

“The best part was when the Kastles hit that awesome spike and ended the match,” she says, her brown eyes beaming as she holds up a grapefruit-sized tennis ball full of fresh signatures. She promptly pronounces that Reynolds is her favorite player. “I thought that was so cool.”

Elrefai is far from the only person at the wharf who’s new to team tennis, a nine-team league playing in cities spanning from Sacramento to Boston. The game hooks all kinds of new fans on this night – people like Jeff Buoy, whose voice is a little horse after the dramatic finale.

“You can make noise at World Team Tennis” he shouts. “This is not Wimbledon, where you have to be quiet or they kick you out. That’s huge. This is really well done. I didn’t think it was going to be set up like this.” He and wife En-chi Lin are attending only their second match and affirm they want more tennis in their lives.

“I think it’s really exciting,” Lin says. “It’s not just about the sets you win but the total games. You also get to see a lot of players at once. It’s very efficient. You come out for three hours and see about 10 different players.”

Fans are still buzzing all over the venue while McEnroe is standing on the side of the court contradicting himself.

He said before the match that World Team Tennis is about providing entertainment for the fans and that it deserves a place on the calendar for that reason. He promptly dispatched that gentle façade about 60 seconds after unzipping his tennis bag, getting caught up in the heat of a steamy Washington night that got competitive in a flash.

Losing still disgusts him.

“It hurts when you get old and gray, especially when you taste a win and had it on your racquet,” he says. “The other guys on the on the team got us in position to win.

If it’s about just entertainment, why not phone it in?

“That’s not in my vocabulary,” he says. “I get on a court, I get pumped up. Guys are pulling for you. Everyone gets their money’s worth.”

Martina Hingis didn’t make any calls, either.

“These matches bring out the competitiveness,” the former world No. 1 says. “It’s a challenge out there. A match going back and forth like this, it’s great for the fans. This is all about rooting for your team.”

No pro wants to lose and fans, even newbies, love seeing them slug it out.

Count Avrielle Suleiman among that number.

“I like that the players get really excited,” the first-timer says. “I liked the doubles. Leander was so close to the ball and I felt like it was going to hit him, but he gets it. It’s nerve-racking but in a good kind of way.”

Everton Batista couldn’t agree more.

“This is a different kind of exciting than most sports,” he opines. “It’s more about precision and accuracy. And it’s really neat to see male and female players and different ages playing together.”

Different ages and genders attend matches together, too. Adriene Jordan brought her son Thomas Jordan. She’s an active USTA player who’s now on her first team tennis squad. The younger Jordan is a Tufts University student who didn’t seem overly optimistic he’d care for the match before the event started.

He had a different view by half time.

“It’s pretty entertaining,” he admits. “The doubles was pretty intense, especially the mixed. This is another sporting event I find myself getting into. I’ll come back.”

The match is over but adrenalin is still racing around Kastles Stadium. Jensen is letting his emotions fly.

“This was a magical match for the fans and a magical night for me,” he says. “This may be the best atmosphere I’ve ever seen.”

It’s also a night that’s doing more for tennis than anyone can imagine. Young Deena Elrefai is still wandering around the court taking it all in, the cement just beginning to set on memories that will last a lifetime. Elrefai doesn’t want to go home but she has made a big decision that gives her comfort.

“I think I really want to start playing tennis,” she declares. “I think it could be really fun sport to play.”

Billie Jean King’s face lights up as she finds out about Elrefai’s experience a few days later when the tennis pioneer and Word Team Tennis founder visits the same stadium.

“That makes me feel like we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing,” King says in answer to a question from World Tennis Magazine. “It’s fantastic. One thing we’re trying to do with World Team Tennis is grow the sport. Any time you can give the gift of tennis to anyone, particularly a child, it’s a gift of a lifetime.”

WTM contributor Christopher Lancette writes about life in Washington D.C. for a variety of publications and for his DC Reflections blog.

Photo credit © by Won-ok Kim

Obama family enjoys “normal” night of World Team Tennis in D.C.?

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By Christopher Lancette

If it’s possible for First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha to “sneak” into an event, that’s exactly what they did on July 7. The fans in attendance were so focused on Serena Williams playing women’s doubles for the Washington Kastles in a World Team Tennis match that they missed the Obamas’ entrance.

Once the on-court photographers went telephoto on them, though, the buzz shot across the stadium in southwest Washington. The First Family of Tennis wasn’t doing just a drive-by appearance, either: They stayed until the match was over. Sasha was fired up the most – flashing her “Refuse to Lose” Kastles sign throughout much of the match – leading the team to an easy win over the Boston Lobsters.

I’m not prone to being star-struck as I’ve been interviewing famous people since I was a teenager but the Obamas had me spellbound. I’ve long thought I was the only person in Washington D.C. who had not run across at least one member of the family since it took office. I was starting to take it personally.

I can’t imagine how the family’s appearance didn’t distract Williams and partner Rennae Stubbs but they took care of business and stepped aside. Coach Murphy Jensen and Stubbs also got in a word, saying something that made Mrs. Obama break out in a wide smile. I didn’t get a chance to ask Jensen what he or Stubbs said but I’ve followed him long enough to know he has the gift of gab.

I had a very difficult time concentrating on the match because I was too busy watching the Obamas try to have a normal family night out on the courts. “Normal” probably isn’t a word that applies to the lives of our presidents and their families but I admired the effort the Obamas put into trying to have a low-key evening.

That’s when I got close to crossing a line — but not one on the court.

As Leander Paes and Bobby Reynolds were turning in another stellar men’s doubles performance against Eric Butorac and Jan-Michael Gambill, I edged closer to the attraction behind them – racing out ahead of Malia and Sasha when they left their seats. Turned out they were headed for snow cones. I watched them stand in line just like everyone else instead of having staff bring them their treats or asking the very muscular men surrounding them to clear out the crowd. I began to feel a little uncomfortable with my stalking, as if Chris Hansen might step out any second and shine a TV camera light in my face.

I sheepishly turned to another reporter, Judy Kurtz from The Hill newspaper, and confessed my discomfort. She told me we were fine because we were keeping our distance and not doing anything to intrude. Still, is it normal for a 42-year-old man to scribble down that a girl who just turned 13 on July 4 was wearing orange slip-on shoes and opting for what appeared to be a frozen strawberry-lemon dessert? Or that I joined Kurtz in trying to interview the scooper who sold the Obama sisters the snack? He claimed not to know he had assisted such high-profile clients – a story that sounded even weaker when he claimed he barely noticed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the same spot two nights earlier. I can possibly imagine not recognizing two kids among a gaggle of them but it’s kind of hard to miss a 7’2’’ Hall of Famer.

I retreated past the invisible boundary line as Malia and Sasha got in their first licks and walked back toward mom.

“It’s the family of the president of the United States,” I assured myself. “It’s OK.”

I wondered how tricky life must be for kids living in that kind of a fishbowl. Growing up in the White House didn’t appear to be a picnic for Amy Carter or Chelsea Clinton. Still, Malia and Sasha kept their focus on their friends and appeared to somehow be able to tune out the swirl of attention around them.

They returned to their seats and cheered some more. Williams and Boston’s Coco Vandeweghe promptly lifted their concluding women’s singles set, perhaps seeking to impress the folks in the first row.

For all the fans at Kastles Stadium at The Wharf, it was a special night. For the First Family of Tennis, though, it was a “normal” night out – a treat that was probably every bit as delicious as a strawberry-lemon snow cone.

See more photos of the First Family on our Facebook page. All photos are © by Won-ok Kim.

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Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka’s golden moment

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For the rest of their lives, Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka will share a special bond. The two Swiss, who will play against each other in the round of 16 of Roland Garros Sunday, paired on the same side of the court to achieve one of the ultimate goals of any athlete. Rene Stauffer, in his book ROGER FEDERER: QUEST FOR PERFECTION ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.RogerFedererBook.com) takes readers back to Federer and Wawrinka’s golden moment at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Roger Federer

It did not take long for Federer to experience another bitter defeat. It came at the Olympic Games in Beijing, where Federer hoped to achieve a major goal for his season—and his career—by winning Olympic gold in singles. He was one of the super stars of the Games and facilitated autographs and photograph requests to countless athletes throughout the event. In the quarterfinals, his dreams of winning the singles tournament came to a crushing end when he lost 6-4, 7-6 (2) to American James Blake, a player he had beaten in all eight previous matches.

While Federer’s critics debated his loss to Blake, something unexpected happened. Paired with his young countryman Stanislas Wawrinka, he began a run in the men’s doubles competition. Wawrinka, from the west part of Switzerland who fought his way into the top 10 singles rankings, had won only one of three doubles matches with Federer prior to the Games. They defeated the strong Indian team of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi en route to the semifinals, where they upset the No. 1 seeds and gold-medal favorites Bob and Mike Bryan of the United States. From there, they could not be stopped and defeated Sweden’s Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson in the gold medal match. After the 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-3 victory, the two Swiss embraced each other as Olympic champions. They celebrated doing their unique “fire dance” where Federer warmed his hands by his partner who lay on his back and pretended to be a campfire, to symbolize how hot he was. Compared to the singles gold that Rafael Nadal eventually won, many people looked at Federer and his doubles gold merely as a consolation prize. This was particularly the case in Switzerland, even though cyclist Fabian Cancellara earned the only other gold medal for the country. “How was Christmas back in the days?” wrote a commentator from one of the biggest newspapers in Switzerland. “We were excited like little children for the newest toy but got two pairs of wool socks instead.”

What the doubles victory meant to Federer was immediately seen at his next tournament, the US Open, which started only eight days after the end of the tennis event in Beijing and on the other side of the globe. Federer arrived in New York totally exhausted. For four days, he did not want to move at all. His body refused to work after a brutal summer, a 12-hour time difference and adjusting from the Olympics to the US Open.

“To process Olympic gold is almost harder for me than a Grand Slam title,” he said. “It was an unbelievable moment. Every time I see Stan we both can barely believe it”.

Victoria Azarenka and Novak Djokovic take home Sony Ericsson Open 2011 crowns – Mondays with Bob Greene

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STARS

Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal 4-6 6-3 7-6 (4) to win the men’s singles at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Florida, USA

Victoria Azarenka beat Maria Sharapova 6-1 6-4 to win the Sony Ericsson Open women’s singles at Miami, Florida, USA

SAYING

“It’s the best four months in my life, but it’s only the start of the season. If I want to have that shot at the number one ranking I need to play consistently well throughout the whole year.” – Novak Djokovic.

“I don’t feel invincible. I don’t feel that I can’t lose on the court. What I feel is big confidence. What I feel is that I’m playing best tennis of my life.” – Novak Djokovic, after beating Mardy Fish in the Sony Ericsson Open semifinals.

“He is not losing games. He is crushing us. He’s so confident and he doesn’t give you much out there at all. When he does, he seems to erase it pretty well. He’s moving better than anyone right now, no doubt about it, on a hard court. It’s his playground right now.” – Mardy Fish, on Novak Djokovic.

“I didn’t win any of the big points. None of them. I left a lot of shots out there today. That’s what’s disappointing.” – Mardy Fish, after losing to Novak Djokovic.

“Always the key to playing against Roger is to play very well. Sometimes is not enough. Tonight was enough.” – Rafael Nadal, after beating Roger Federer in the semifinals at Miami.

“It’s still early for us. The season is broken down into four segments, and we’re coming to the end of the first segment. If we’re still number one after the US Open, then we’ll start getting excited.” – Mahesh Bhupathi, noting he and fellow countryman Leander Paes will be number one in doubles when the new rankings come out Monday.

“It was a great two weeks,” Hantuchova said” We had so much fun on and off the court. Aga is a great girl and we are great friends. That’s part of the reason why we play so well together.” – Daniela Hantuchova, after she and Agnieszka Radwanzka won the women’s doubles in Miami.

STREAK CONTINUES

Novak Djokovic has apparently forgotten how to lose. Not even the world’s top-ranked player, Rafael Nadal, could slow down the Serbian Express as Djokovic won the Sony Ericsson Open and remained unbeaten this year, running his record to 24-0, the best start to a season since Ivan Lendl won 25 straight at the start of 1986. Djokovic outlasted Nadal 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the final in Miami for his fourth title of the year, including the Australian Open. “It’s the best four months in my life, but it’s only the start of the season,” Djokovic said. It is the second time the Serb has won the Miami Masters. He captured the event in 2007, and he became only the fourth player – joining Federer, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras – as the only ones to win the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami – the three most important early season events – in the same year. Nadal, who is ranked number one in the world, lost in the final at Miami for the third time. He has never won the hard court tournament. “Maybe I was a little bit more nervous than other days,” Nadal said. “Maybe because I never won here, and this is the third chance.”

SQUEALING DUEL

All the spectators agreed it was a noisy match as Victoria Azarenka clobbered Maria Sharapova to win the Sony Ericsson Open women’s title and the war of shrieks. The finalists are two of the loudest, highest-pitched squealers in the sport. Azarenka, however, had a game to go along with the noise. She neutralized Sharapova’s power, took advantage of her mistakes and won the Miami tournament for the second time. The win capped a great week that saw Azarenka eliminate in straight sets second-ranked Kim Clijsters, third-seeded Vera Zvonareva and the ninth-seeded Sharapova. The victory also came less than two weeks after Azarenka retired from her quarterfinal match at Indian Wells with an injury. There was some debate as to whether she would be able to play the Sony Ericsson Open.

SET FOR FED CUP

Petra Kvitova will lead the Czech Republic Fed Cup team when it takes on Belgium in a semifinal April 16-17. Also on the team named by captain Petr Pala are Lucie Safarova, Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova. The tie will be played on an indoor hard court in Charleroi, Belgium. The Czechs are in their third straight Fed Cup semifinal, having lost to the United States in 2009 and Italy last year. The Belgians, who won the competition in 2001, reached their first semifinal since 2006.

Sony Ericsson Open semifinalist Andrea Petkovic will lead Germany in its Fed Cup playoff against the United States April 16-17 in Stuttgart, Germany. Julia Goerges, Sabine Lisicki and Anna-Lena Groenefeld are also on the German team. Petkovic upset top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki and former world number one Jelena Jankovic as she advanced to the semifinals of the Miami tournament where she lost to Maria Sharapova. The winner of the US-Germany tie will advance to the eight-team World Group for next year’s competition.

STAR POLISH

Serena Williams is set to release her own collection of nail polish with OPI in time for the French Open in May. The tennis star will introduce the Glam Slam! France collection, which will be comprised of four shades. Each color comes with a Shatter polish that provides a broken or shattered effect as it dries. Two years ago, Williams launched her debut clothing collection on television channel HSN and sold out within three hours, which she attributed to the price. Katy Perry and Justin Bieber have also released nail polish collections with OPI.

SPECIAL CITY

This year’s World TeamTennis (WTT) Finals will be held at the Family Circle Tennis Center in Charleston, S.C., a community known as the “Best Tennis Town in America.” The WTT Finals Weekend, July 22-24, is the culmination of three weeks of intense coed team tennis competition featuring some of the biggest names in the sport playing in the WTT Pro League presented by GEICO. The three-day, season-ending event will include conference championship matches as well as the Finals. Last year, the Kansas City Explorers won their first championship and the King Trophy, which is named for WTT co-founder Billie Jean King. The 36th season of the WTT Pro League begins July 4, with the top two teams from each conference advancing to the WTT Finals Weekend.

SETBACK

Aleksandra Wozniak, Canada’s top female player, has suffered yet another setback. The tendinitis that scuttled the second half of her 2010 season has returned. This time it’s a little lower down on the forearm, closer to the wrist. The 23-year-old is on enforced rest and cannot train. There is no timetable for her return. “At this moment, it’s uncertain. She sees a doctor every week, has treatment. They did some strengthening exercises last week, and there was more inflammation. She just wasn’t ready,” Fed Cup captain Sylvain Bruneau said of Wozniack. The tendinitis first appeared while Wozniack was playing in a hard court tournament in California last July.

STANDING TALL

India’s Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes may have won the men’s doubles at the Sony Ericsson Open and ready to take over the number one spot in the rankings, but they know most sports fans back home will be celebrating something else. After all, India won the Cricket World Cup for the first time in 28 years.  “Cricket is a religion back home, and we won’t even get a mention in (Monday’s) press,” Bhupathi said after their 6-7 (5), 6-2, 10-5 (match tiebreak) win over Daniel Nestor and Max Mirnyi. Once ranked number one in the world, Paes and Bhupathi broke up their seven-year partnership and played with other partners for nine years. “There was too much pressure on the partnership and the friendship,” Paes said. “We needed a breather, some oxygen.” In November, they decided to reunite. “A lot of life is timing; a lot of life is about karma,” Paes said.

Daniela Hantuchova and Agnieszka Radwanska won the Sony Ericsson Open women’s doubles, edging Liezel Huber and Nadia Petrova 7-6 (5), 2-6, 10-8 (match tiebreak). “We tried to not think too much about who we were playing. They’re great doubles players,” Hantuchova said of her opponents. “We just tried to focus on what we were doing and it paid off. We stuck to our game, which was being aggressive. It was a close match, but we just kept fighting.” It was the ninth career doubles title for Hantuchova, but her first since Rome in May 2006. Radwanska won her second WTA doubles title.

SNICKERING

Andy Murray pulled off an April Fool’s prank by announcing he was employing his friend Ross Hutchins as his new coach. His Twitter feed had the media in a frenzy trying to verify the action. Murray got the last laugh, though, when he Twittered again, this time saying he picked Hutchins because he needed “another yes-man.”

SPECIAL FUNDRAISING

With Kim Clijsters, Robin Soderling, Vera Zvonareva and Japan’s Kei Nishikori, Kimiko Date-Krumm and Ayumi Morita leading the way, ATP and WTA players raised more than USD $300,000 during a “Tennis for Japan” exhibition during the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Florida, USA. The money will go to the victims of the Japan earthquake and tsunami disasters. Players walked through the Stadium Court stands to collect donations from fans and encouraged the public to show support for the victims. Others – including Caroline Wozniacki, Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, Ai Sugiyama, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic – also recorded video messages of hope supporting the victims. Organizations making contributions included the WTA, ATP, the Grand Slam tournaments, Sony Ericsson, ITF, IMG, SAP, Itau, Fila, adidas and Lagardere. “Tennis is a global sport, and when a tragedy strikes the entire tennis community comes together and responds,” said Miami tournament director Adam Barrett.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal were among the players that took on the Fort Lauderdale Strikers professional soccer team during the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami to raise money for the victims of the Japan earthquake and tsunami. Andy Murray scored a goal for the ATP squad, that was also made up of Richard Gasquet, David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco, Feliciano Lopez, Viktor Troicki, Jurgen Melzer and Marcos Baghdatis, who also scored a goal. The Strikers won the game 4-2. After the match, Djokovic teamed with GR8 Miami to hold a fund-raising dinner and after-party attended by more than 200 supporters. The high-ticket item of the night was a tennis hit with Djokovic, which alone went for more than $5,000.

SPOTLIGHTED

Tennis players Carmen Boland and Anzela Zguna were two of eight inductees into the 2011 Rollins College Sports Hall of Fame. As a member of the Rollins women’s tennis team, class of 1955, Boland was undefeated for four years. After graduation she turned pro and joined the WTA tour. Also honored with the Alumni Achievement Award was professional tennis umpire Lynn L. Welch, a 1978 graduate of Rollins.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Miami (men): Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes beat Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor 6-7 (5) 6-2 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Miami (women): Daniela Hantuchova and Agnieszka Radwanska beat Liezel Huber and Nadia Petrova 7-6 (5) 2-6 10-8 (match tiebreak)

SURFING

Houston: www.mensclaycourt.com/
Charleston: www.familycirclecup.com/
Casablanca: www.frmt.ma/frmt/index.php
Marbella: www.andaluciatennis.com/
Monte Carlo: www.monte-carlorolexmasters.com/
Athens: www.statusathensopen.gr/default.asp?pid=53&la=2
Johannesburg: www.satennis.co.za
Fed Cup: www.fedcup.com

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$562,130 Grand Prix Hassan II, Casablanca, Morocco, clay
$442,520 US Men’s Clay Court Championships, Houston, Texas, USA, clay

WOMEN

$721,000 Family Circle Cup, Charleston, South Carolina, USA, clay
$220,000 Andalucia Tennis Experience, Marbella, Spain, clay

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$3,150,000 Monte Carlo Rolex Masters, Monte Carlo, Monaco, clay
$120,000 Status Athens Open, Athens, Greece, hard
$100,000 Soweto Open, Johannesburg, South Africa, hard

WOMEN

$100,000 Soweto Open, Johannesburg, South Africa, hard

FED CUP

World Group
Semifinals

Russia vs. Italy at Moscow, Russia, hard
Belgium vs. Czech Republic at Charleroi, Belgium, hard

World Group Playoffs

Germany vs. United States at Stuttgart, Germany, clay
Spain vs. France at Lleida, Spain, clay
Slovak Republic vs. Serbia at Bratislava, Slovak Republic, clay
Australia vs. Ukraine at Melbourne, Australia, clay

World Group II Playoffs

Belarus vs. Estonia at Minsk, Belarus, hard; Slovenia vs. Canada at Koper, Slovenia, clay; Switzerland vs. Sweden at Lugano, Switzerland, clay

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

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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.

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 20th 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 11th 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.

SPONSORS

Kia Motors is delighted with his sponsorship of the Australian Open tennis championship, thanks to its very visible signage and the fact its brand ambassador, Kim Clijsters, won the women’s singles. The Korean automaker said the public relations benefits generated by sponsoring the Australian Open are estimated to be worth $700 million. “About a billion people from some 160 countries watched the Australian Open, and Kia’s logo was extensively exposed. We expect that the publicity gained through media exposure would be worth 17 percent more than last year’s $600 million,” the carmaker said in a statement. A Kia official declined to reveal the size of the sponsorship deal, by past press releases by the company said it is a “multi-million dollar sponsorship.” Kia’s sponsorship began in 2002, and in 2008 the firm extended it for five years to 2013. Kia posted better-than-expected earnings last week with its net profit in 2010 reaching 2.25 trillion won – up 55.4 percent from a year earlier.

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: RAFAEL NADAL AND SERENA WILLIAMS TAKE WIMBLEDON CROWN 2010

by

STARS


Wimbledon

Men’s Singles: Rafael Nadal beat Tomas Berdych 6-3 7-5 6-4

Women’s Singles: Serena Williams beat Vera Zvonareva 6-3 6-2

Men’s Doubles: Jurgen Melzer and Philipp Petzschner beat Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau 6-1 7-5 7-5

Women’s Doubles: Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova beat Elena Vesnina and Vera Zvonareva 7-6 (6) 6-2

Mixed Doubles: Leander Paes and Cara Black beat Wesley Moodie and Lisa Raymond 6-4 7-6 (5)

Boys’ Singles: Marton Fucsovics beat Benjamin Mitchell 6-4 6-4

Girls’ Singles: Kristyna Pliskova beat Sachie Ishizu 6-3 4-6 6-4

Boys’ Doubles: Liam Brody and Tom Farquharson beat Lewis Burton and George Morgan 7-6 (4) 6-4

Girls’ Doubles: Sloane Stephens and Timea Babos beat Irina Khromacheva and Elina Svitolina 6-7 (7) 6-2 6-2

Other

Mikhail Kukushkin beat Marcos Daniel 6-2 3-0 retired to win the NORD/LB Open 2010 in Braunschweig, Germany

Simone Bolelli beat Potito Starace 7-6 (7) 6-2 to win the Sporting Challenger in Turin, Italy

Romina Oprandi beat Pauline Parmentier 6-0 6-2 to win the Cuneo ITF event in Cuneo, Italy

DAVIS CUP

Americas Zone Group IV at Panama City, Panama: Barbados and Honduras promoted to Americas Zone Group III in 2011

SAYINGS

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal

“It’s more than a dream for me. It was always my dream to play on this court and today, to play a fourth final for me was amazing. I couldn’t be here last year, but this year I came back and to have this trophy in my hands is more than a dream.” –Rafael Nadal, after winning his second Wimbledon title.

“I hope this gives me a lot of confidence and some extra power to be stronger for next time and who knows what’s going to happen in the next few years.” –Tomas Berdych, after losing the Wimbledon men’s singles final to Rafael Nada.

“I’m happy to win 13. You never know what tomorrow brings. I’m happy to have gotten this far. Who would have thought? It just takes a dream and a little work effort.” – Serena Williams, after winning Wimbledon for the fourth time and her 13th Grand Slam tournament title.

“She can be the greatest ever if she keeps going.” – Billie Jean King, talking about Serena Williams, who is now tied with King with 13 career major titles.

“At the rate she’s going, she certainly may catch me and Chris (Evert) and Helen Wills Moody and who knows, maybe even Steffi (Graf). She’s just head and shoulders above everybody else, and those are pretty broad shoulders she’s got.” – Martina Navratilova, about Serena Williams’ growing total of major titles.

“My opponent’s impeccable performance just shattered my attempts to reverse the match.” – Yen-Hsun Lu, after losing to Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon quarterfinals.

“Some people may ascribe my performance to good luck, but luck only comes when you prepare for it.” – Yen-Hsun Lu.

“I just didn’t get enough balls in today. I let it spiral and didn’t get any balls in. I had a lot of opportunities, a lot of short balls and I seemed to hit each one out. … If there was a shot to miss, I think I missed it.” – Venus Williams, after losing to Tsvetana Pironkova in the quarterfinals.

“She was very consistent, didn’t give me any easy mistakes. I gave her a few too many.” – Kim Clijsters, after losing her quarterfinal match to Vera Zvonareva.

“Honestly, I think no one expected me to play semifinal in Wimbledon and to beat Venus Williams like that. Coming here I really just wanted to play a good game, to maybe win one or two rounds. I still cannot believe that I reached the semifinals. This is truly like a dream to me.” – Tsvetana Pironkova, after beating Venus Williams to advance to the semifinals.

“I didn’t deserve to win today, simple as that. I congratulate my opponent for he was the best player. You know, I have to move on. I hope next time, if I have this opportunity, I’ll play better.” – Novak Djokovic, after losing his semifinal match in straight sets to Tomas Berdych.

“I would have loved to have been around, you know, to come close and hopefully make it an all-Williams final this year. But that won’t be.”—Venus Williams, after losing in the quarterfinals. She and her younger sister Serena met in the Wimbledon final in 2002, 2003, 2008 and 2009.

“I thought it was a dream, I could not imagine this moment happening.” – Yen-Hsun Lu, after upsetting Andy Roddick and becoming the first Asian man to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament since Japan’s Shuzo Matsuoka in 1995.

“I was waiting on someone to get me. No one came. So eventually I just came out. I saw everyone else leave. I thought, ‘OK, time to go.'” – Venus Williams, who was nine minutes late showing up on remote Court 2 for her fourth-round match against Jarmila Groth.

STABILITY FINALLY

It was perhaps fitting that Rafael Nadal won his second straight men’s singles title – he missed last year’s tournament because of injuries – and Serena Williams finished on top of the women’s singles. It brought stability to an otherwise topsy-turvy tournament. This was the year five-time champion Venus Williams lost in the quarterfinals, as did five-time men’s winner Roger Federer. Sisters Venus and Serena, seeking their third straight Wimbledon women’s doubles crown, were sent packing two rounds before the final. Taiwan’s Yen-Hsun Lu became the first Asian man to reach the quarterfinals in a Grand Slam tournament since Japan’s Shuzo Matsuoka did so in 1995. Lu was ranked 82th in the world when he upset last year’s finalist Andy Roddick. Tsvetana Pironkova was ranked 82nd in the world she knocked off Venus Williams. Other familiar faces? The mixed doubles championship was won by Leander Paes and Cara Black. It was their third mixed title, while Paes was earning his sixth career mixed doubles championship and Blacker her fifth.

SUBJECT OF WEIGHT

BBC commentator David Mercer stirred up a heavy round of protest when he said young British player Laura Robson needs to lose what Mercer called “puppy fat.” The 60-year-old broadcaster was forced to apologize on air about his choice of words for the 16-year-old Robson. Mercer was commenting on Robson’s second-round junior girls’ match when he made his comment. It was retracted minutes later, reportedly under pressure from his BBC bosses. The apology apparently has not pacified some who say the original comments could encourage eating disorders in young people.

SCENE FROM THE FUTURE?

When she pulled off one of Wimbledon’s biggest upsets, Tsvetana Pironkova became the first Bulgarian player – man or woman – to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament. “Coming here I just wanted to win one or two rounds,” Pironkova said. Before this Wimbledon, she had never been past the second round of a major. And because of her success, she had problems finding a hotel room in London. “After my second match I left my hotel and there was no place that I could stay because the hotels at this time of the year are very busy,” the 22-year-old said. The president of the Bulgarian Tennis Federation called the Bulgarian Embassy in London and it was able to come up with an apartment in the South Kensington area of the city. Pironkova’s losing semifinalist check of USD $380,150 is more than enough to cover the USD $9,706 required to rent an apartment in such a swanky part of London for a week. Another native of Bulgaria, Manuel Maleeva-Fragniere, was a two-time semifinalist at the US Open in the early 1990s, but she was a Swiss citizen at the time.

SIDELINED

An elbow injury will keep Justine Henin from playing in this year’s US Open. The former world number one fell heavily on her right elbow during her fourth-round Wimbledon loss to fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters. Tests revealed the damage was worse than initially thought. Henin will undergo additional tests in about four weeks that could determine when she might be able to return to the courts. “I took several medical examinations that have revealed a partial ligament fracture of the right elbow,” Henin said on her website. “This injury will keep me away from the courts for a rough period of two months, with the consequence that I have withdrawn from the US Open.”

STAYING HOME

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will miss France’s Davis Cup quarterfinal tie against Spain because of a knee injury. Tsonga had been selected to play singles along with Gael Monfils in this week’s international team competition. Richard Gasquet had been selected as an alternate, but he also has been ruled out because of back pain. Davis Cup captain Guy Forget selected Paul-Henri Mathieu to replace Tsonga and join Monfils, Michael Llodra and Julien Benneteau on the French team.

The Czech Republic will be without Wimbledon runner-up Tomas Berdych when it faces Chile in a quarterfinal Davis Cup match. Berdych, who lost to Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon final, has been replaced by Ivo Minar. The Czech Republic’s second highest ranked player – second only to Berdych – will also miss the tie. Radek Stepanek is out with a left knee injury. Chile will play without its top player, Fernando Gonzalez, who was ruled out for 10 weeks with knee problems. The tie will be played in Coquimbo, Colombia.

STILL IN THE HUNT

Brothers Bob and Mike Bryan are still seeking to break their tie with a pair of Australians for the most doubles titles won on the ATP Tour in the Open Era. The American twins won their 61st men’s doubles title in Madrid, Spain, in May. That tied them with the retired pair of Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde, who will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, this week. The Bryans were upset in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon by 39-year-old Dick Norman of Belgium and Wesley Moodie of South Africa. “Unfortunately we ran up against a couple of big servers, and it really kind of limits what you can do,” Mike Bryan said. “The points are really short and that court is playing really quick and the guys were serving well. We felt like we couldn’t really use our skill against them.” Still, the brothers weren’t too upset over not taking sole possession of the record. “Obviously it would have been good to get it here, but we’re happy that we’re tied with it,” said Bob Bryan. “And if we don’t win another title, at least we’re tied with the Woodies.”

STABLE CONDITION

Former tennis star Jennifer Capriati is in stable condition after being treated for an accidental overdose of prescription medication. Once ranked number one in the world, the 34-year-old Capriati is expected to make a full recovery. She was rushed to a hospital in south Florida, but spokeswoman Lacey Wickline would not say how Capriati was found or who called emergency services. Wickline also declined to identify the medication. Capriati won three Grand Slam tournament singles – two Australian Opens and one French Open – and a gold medal in the 1992 Olympics. She was the youngest semifinalist at the French Open in 1990 when, at the age of 14, she lost to eventual champion Monica Seles.

STRAIGHT TO THE HALL

The shirt and racquet used by Nicolas Mahut in his record-setting Wimbledon match is on display at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. The Frenchman and American John Isner played a record 11 hours, 5 minutes in their first-round Wimbledon match before Isner finally prevailed, winning the fifth set 70-68 after it had been suspended twice because of darkness.

STARTLING STUNNER

When Tsvetana Pironkova knocked off five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams, it was considered one of the biggest upset in the history of the world’s oldest tournament. Pironkova was ranked 82nd in the world and, prior to this year’s Wimbledon, had never advanced past the second round at a Grand Slam tournament. Yet she handed Williams the worst loss the American had ever suffered at the All England Club. In other major upsets at Wimbledon, unseeded Billie Jean Moffitt (King) beat top-seeded Margaret Court in the second round in 1962, qualifier Jelena Dokic crushed top-seeded Martina Hingis 6-2 6-1 in a first-round match in 1999, and Virginia Ruano Pascual, then seeded 83rd, eliminated Hingis 6-4 6-2 in the first round in 2001.

SHOWDOWN AT MSG

Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl will participate in the 2011 BNP Paribas Showdown exhibition matches at New York City’s Madison Square Garden in February. Sampras will play Agassi in a best-of-three-set match and McEnroe and Lendl will battle for one set with the winner being the first to reach eight games. The four players combined to win a total of 37 Grand Slam tournament titles. Sampras and Agassi met in three US Open finals, with Sampras winning each time. McEnroe won the US Open four times and Lendl three times. The two met for the US Open title in 1984, with McEnroe winning, and the next year, when Lendl prevailed.

SPANKED

Sisters Venus and Serena Williams were each fined USD $4,000 at Wimbledon for skipping a news conference after losing their quarterfinal doubles match. Serena said she was “shocked to hear” about the penalty, noting that she and her sister rarely speak to the media after their Grand Slam tournament doubles matches other than the final. The Williams sisters were going after their third straight Wimbledon doubles title when they were upset by Vera Zvonareva and Elena Vesnina. The Russians eventually lost in the championship match, 7-6 (6) 6-2 to American Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan.

SLOW START

At one time Austrian Thomas Muster was on top of the tennis world, ranked number one. That didn’t mean a thing when he returned to the ATP Tour for the first time in years, suffering a first-round loss to Conor Niland of Ireland 6-2 6-1 at the NORD/LB Open in Braunschweig, Germany, an ATP Challenger event. It was Muster’s first match since the French Open in 1999. The 42-year-old Muster, who won the 1995 French Open, struggled throughout his match against Niland, holding serve just once in the entire match and committing six double faults. Muster and his partner Jaan-Frederick Brunken of Germany also lost their first-round doubles match.

SHARING THE STAGE

The WTA Tour and the ATP are going to play two more combined tournaments in 2011. The men and women will share the stage in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA and in Rome, Italy. The Cincinnati tournament begins August 15, while the Italian Open will play its combined event the week of May 9.

STAGE SET

The Fed Cup final between the United States and Italy will be held at San Diego, California, USA. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) announced the site for the event, which will be held November 6-7. San Diego was one of 10 cities bidding to stage the first Fed Cup final to be held in the United States since 2000. The San Diego Sports Arena, where the event will be played, was the site of the 1989 Davis Cup quarterfinal between the United States and France. Last year Italy won the Fed Cup in Reggio Calabria, Italy, beating the United States in the final.

SUBBING

Serena Williams is expected to fill in for Justine Henin in an exhibition match against Kim Clijsters to be held in Brussels, Belgium. Organizers had been hoping to break the record for highest attendance at a tennis match. The old mark is 30,492, set at the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs at the Houston Astrodome. Henin had to withdraw from the exhibition after injuring her right elbow in a match at Wimbledon against her fellow Belgian, Clijsters.

STARRING

Seven great players will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHoF) this coming Saturday. The Induction Ceremony will take place on the grass courts of Bill Talbert Center Court at the ITHoF in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. Elected in the Recent Player category will be Gigi Fernandez and Natasha Zvereva, who won 38 titles together, including 14 Grand Slam tournaments, and Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde, the Australian duo who amassed a record 61 ATP doubles titles, including 11 Grand Slam tournament titles. Elected in the Master Player category is 12-time Grand Slam tournament champion Owen Davidson. Derek Hardwick, past chairman of the British Lawn Tennis Association who was instrumental in the game’s transition to the Open Era, will be inducted posthumously in the Contributor category. Also in the Contributor category is Brad Parks, the pioneering founder of wheelchair tennis. Parks will be the first wheelchair tennis inductee into the famed institution.

SHARING

Venus Williams is making her first visit to the Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education (AAYTE) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. More than 6,500 young people participate in AAYTE’s year-round tennis, education, life skills and leadership development programs at either the Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education Center, schools, recreation centers and faith-based institutions in Philadelphia, Ardmore, Pennsylvania; Norristown, Pennsylvania, and Camden, New Jersey. The program was started by Ashe, a three-time Grand Slam tournament champion, including the first US Open in 1968 and Wimbledon in 1973.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Braunschweig: Leonard Tavares and Simone Vognozzi beat Igor Kunitsyn and Yuri Schukin 7-5

7-6 (9)

Cuneo: Eva Birnerova and Lucie Hradecka beat Sorana Cirstea and Andreja Klepac 3-6 6-4 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Turin: Carlos Berlocq and Frederico Gil beat Daniele Bracciali and Potito Starace 6-3 7-6 (5)

SITES TO SURF

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com

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

Budapest: www.gazdefrancegrandprix.com

Newport: www.tennisfame.com/

Pozoblanco: www.tennispozoblanco.com

Madison Square Garden: www.tennnisshowdown.com

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

ATP

$442,500 Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, Newport, Rhode Island, USA, grass

$105,000 Open Diputacion Ciudad Pozoblanco, Pozoblanco, Spain, hard

WTA

$220,000 GDF SUEZ Grand Prix, Budapest, Hungary, clay

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

DAVIS CUP

World Group Quarterfinals

France vs. Spain at Clermont-Ferrand, France

Russia vs. Argentina at Moscow, Russia

Croatia vs. Serbia at Split, Croatia

Chile vs. Czech Republic at Coquimbo, Chile

Americans Zone Group II Second Round: Venezuela-Peru at Maracaibo, Venezuela; Paraguay-Mexico at Encarnacio, Paraguay

Americas Zone Group II Playoffs: Bolivia-El Salvador at Cochabamba, Bolivia; Guatemala-Netherlands Antilles at Guatemala City, Guatemala

Asia/Oceania Zone Group I First Round Playoffs: Chinese Taipei-Philippines at Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Korea-Uzbekistan at Gimcheon, South Korea

Asia/Oceania Zone Group II Second Round: Indonesia-Thailand at Jakarta, Indonesia; New Zealand-Pakistan at Taranaki, New Zealand

Asia/Oceania Zone Group II Playoffs: Malaysia-Pacific Oceania at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Sri Lanka-Hong Kong, China at Colombo, Sri Lanka

Europe/Africa Zone Group I First Round Playoffs: Belarus-Netherlands at Minsk, Belarus

Europe/Africa Zone Group II Second Round: Ireland-Lithuania at Dublin, Ireland; Slovenia-Bulgaria at Otocec, Slovenia; Cyprus-Portugal at Cruz Quebrada, Portugal; Bosnia and Herzegovina-Estonia at Tallinn, Estonia

Europe/Africa Zone Group II Playoffs: Turkey-Great Britain at Eastbourne, Great Britain; Norway-Monaco at Monte Carlo, Monaco; Egypt-Denmark at Cairo, Egypt; FYR Macedonia-Hungary at Godollo, Hungary

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

ATP

$500,000 Mercedes Cup, Stuttgart, Germany, clay

$500,000 SkiStar Swedish Open, Bastad, Sweden, clay

$133,000 The Baltic Cup, Sopot, Poland, clay

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

WTA

$220,000 XXII SNBAI Open, Palermo, Italy, clay

$220,000 ECM Prague Open, Prague, Czech Republic, clay