legends ball

By: Justin Cohen

• Martina Navratilova will receive the Eugene L. Scott Award by the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum at the 30^th Annual Legends Ball on Friday, September 10 at the Cipriani 42^nd Street in New York City. “I want to thank the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the Scott family for recognizing me with the Eugene L. Scott Award,” said Navratilova. “The honor is especially humbling because of the respect I had for Gene. He was always honest in his praise and criticism, and for me to be recognized for sharing my views, first as a player and now as a commentator on Tennis Channel is truly rewarding and will inspire me to continue to do so in the future.” The Eugene L. Scott Award has been presented annually since 2006 to an individual who embodies Scott’s commitment to communicating honestly and critically about tennis, and who has had a major impact on the tennis world. Previous recipients of the award have been John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Billie Jean King and Arthur Ashe and his wife Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe. “Martina never allowed the status quo to guide her actions on or off the court, which makes her a fitting recipient of the Eugene L. Scott Award,” said Christopher E. Clouser, Chairman of the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum. “Leaders and trailblazers like Martina should be recognized in order to encourage others to follow their own heart.” Throughout her remarkable 30-year professional tennis career, Navratilova won 167 singles and 177 doubles titles, including 59 Grand Slam titles.

  

• In celebration of its 40^th year, the Bank of the West Classic will honor “Four Decades of Champions” prior to the 7:30 p.m. evening semifinal match on Saturday July 31 at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium at Stanford University. Two of the most prestigious past champions who will be honored include Billie Jean King and Andrea Jaeger. King won the inaugural singles tournament in 1971 and went on to capture another three singles titles and four doubles titles at Stanford. Jaeger won the singles title in 1981 and 1982.
• The USTA announced the ten finalists for the 2010 “Best Tennis Town” in America competition, which include, Clearwater, Fla., Delray Beach, Fla., Atlanta, Ga., Rome, Ga., Rosemount, Minn., Snow Hill, N.C., Beaverton, Ore., Charleston, S.C., Richmond, Va. and Manchester Center, Vt. Between April 7 and June 28, 82 towns submitted contest entries and after careful review of each submission by a panel of selected judges, the competition was cut to 10 cities. The winner will be determined by a nationwide online vote at: http://www.besttennistown.com. Voting has already begun and will continue through July 26 at 11:59 p.m. EST. The top three finalists will travel to New York City where the winner will be announced at a special ceremony at the US Open. The winner will leave New York City as the “Best Tennis Town” and receive a check for $100,000 to be used towards community-wide tennis programming or facility improvements. The second and third place finishers will receive $50,000 and $25,000, respectively. The inaugural winner in 2009 was Midland, Mich.
• Tennis Channel will cover nine Olympus US Open Series tournaments this summer leading up to the US Open in New York. Nearly 80 hours of high-definition action from the six-week US Hardcourt Summer Series will be shown. Play-by-play duties will be shared between Emmy-Award winning sportscaster Ted Robinson and former ATP and Princeton University player Leif Shiras. Former World No. 1 Lindsay Davenport, Jimmy Arias, Justin Gimelstob and Corina Morariu will serve as analysts. Australian doubles player Ashley Fisher will report from the sidelines.
• Former World No. 1 and seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Venus Williams’ new book, Come To Win: Business Leaders, Artists, Doctors, and Other Visionaries on How Sports Can Help You Top Your Profession, has reached No. 5 on the New York Times Hardcover Advice and How To bestseller list. The book will appear in the New York Times published list on Sunday, July 25, and continue to be featured in bookstores throughout the country. “Having my book on the New York Times bestseller list is a truly incredible feeling,” said Williams. “I am so grateful to my co-author Kelly Carter, and all of the incredible individuals that participated in this project. It is their stories and advice that I believe can be an inspiration to everyone who reads it.” Since the release of her book, Williams has appeared on Good Morning America, CBS Early Show, CNN, Bloomberg, BET, multiple ESPN shows and has been featured in articles in Essence, the Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press.
• Jim Courier will be introduced as the Tournament Honoree at the upcoming 2010 Farmers Classic, presented by Mercedes-Benz, during a special opening night ceremony on July 26 at the LA Tennis Center on the campus of UCLA. The annual award has been given since 1985 to a person who has greatly influenced the growth of tennis through their playing career and other contributions to the game. Courier won the Farmers Classic in 1997 without dropping a set. “I have had the privilege of participating in the Farmers Classic for many years, and I am humbled to be this year’s Tournament Honoree,” said Courier. “I look forward to spending time with my many Southern California tennis friends and accepting this honor.”
• Martina Navratilova will participate in the 19^th Annual Celebrity Tennis Classic at the Berkeley Tennis Club on Saturday, October 2. Navratilova will also take part that evening in the “Casino Royale” Gala at the Claremont Resort. The tennis legend will share the entire day with Bay Area tennis pros, as well as celebrities from radio, television and sports. Admission for the Celebrity Tennis Classic is $20 per adult and free for children under 10-years-old. The “Casino Royale” Gala is $175 per person.
• Australian network Channel 9 is dropping its rights to covering Wimbledon after nearly 40 years. The network, which will reportedly save $15 million as a result, plans to focus on acquiring more Aussie Rules football. It has yet to be announced which Australian television network will cover Wimbledon starting in 2011.
• 2002 Legg Mason Tennis Classic champion James Blake has accepted a wild card into this year’s tournament. The former champion will be making his first appearance at the Washington, D.C., event since 2006.
• Peter Lundgren, who once coached Roger Federer, will now coach Stanislas Wawrinka. The pair began working together on Monday. “I’m going to try to get Stan to become more aggressive,” said Lundgren.
• Nikolay Davydenko’s brother, Eduardo, is no longer working full-time for the No. 6 player in the world according to Lifesports.ru. Eduardo has decided to focus more of his coaching attention on his 17-year-old son, Philip, who hopes to turn pro someday. Nikolay’s wife, Irina, will take over some of the small coaching duties including ordering practice courts and critiquing his game.
• The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) announced that John Isner was its June Athlete of the Month, along with softball player Alissa Haber.
• John Isner and Nicolas Mahut won the ESPY for the year’s Best Record-Breaking Performance with their 70-68 five set thriller during the first round of Wimbledon. Kim Clijsters won the ESPY for Best Comeback, while Roger Federer and Serena Williams won the Best Male and Female Tennis Player, respectively.
• Radek Stepanek, who is currently ranked No. 29 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, married former WTA Top 10 player Nicole Vaidisova in Prague on Saturday. Media in Czech Republic reported that Vaidisova wore a $50,000 dress and was walked down the aisle by her biological father. Fellow WTA Tour players Iveta Benesova, Klara Zakopalova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova attended the wedding, as well as hockey legend Jaromir Jagr.
• People’s Daily is reporting that Justine Henin is hoping to return to competition on the WTA Tour in the fall in Beijing. “I hope Beijing is her next tournament,” said Carlos Rodriguez, Henin’s longtime coach. “She will definitely be here if she recovers.” Henin recently announced that she would not compete until after the US Open after injuring her elbow during a fall in her fourth round loss to Kim Clijsters at Wimbledon.
• The Fordham Athletic Department announced on Monday that Head Men’s Tennis and Squash Coach Bob Hawthorn has retired from coaching after 54 years of service. “Bob Hawthorn is a Fordham treasure.  His many years of hard work, dedication and love for the University and especially the men’s tennis and squash programs will always be appreciated,” said Frank McLaughlin, Fordham’s Executive Director of Athletics. “Bob is a true Fordham legend.  We are looking forward to taking the strong foundation that Bob has established for the men’s tennis and squash programs and building on it to ensure future success.  We wish Bob and his family much success and happiness.” A graduate of Fordham in 1953, Hawthorn was a standout tennis and squash player for the Rams. Hawthorn, who also coached at Fordham Prep starting in 1958, was inducted into the Fordham Hall of Fame in 1977. The legendary coach will reside in New Rochelle, N.Y., with his wife Eileen.