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SAP Serves New Technology in Istanbul – This Week In Tennis Business with Liz Kobak

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By Liz Kobak

@LizTennis

 

SAP Serves New Technology in Istanbul

In an effort to provide tennis players, coaches and fans with improved analytics, SAP AG recently announced during the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships – Istanbul that it is again partnering with the WTA to unveil its new interactive analytics program under the SAP HANA platform.

This program allows player coaches access to post-match, point-by-point analysis, enabling coaches to hone in on fine details; coaches can also analyze their player’s opponents and strategize matches accordingly. Information is tailored depending on what analysis type is desired.

“An increased understanding of my player and her opponent’s game can give me an edge that could mean the difference between winning and losing,” said Agnieszka Radwanska’s coach Tomasz Wiktorowski. “Access to tailored SAP data is making a real difference to the way coaches work. We can now provide players with more strategic advice, improving their preparation and ultimately on court performance.”

Spectating within Istanbul’s main stadium has become more visually engaging as fans can view unique in-depth statistics on their favorite players. Sinan Erdem Dome’s big flat screen showcases player improvements, comparisons and key statistics on WTA’s best competing in Istanbul.

For more information on SAP’s new technology, visit http://www.wtatennis.com/news/article/3508496/title/sap-launches-new-technology-in-istanbul#sthash.wck63glG.dpuf .

 

Wimbledon, US Open Champ Launches Tennis Academy

Former doubles world No. 1 Mahesh Bhupathi announced on Wednesday that he is creating yet another tennis academy to promote tennis in cricket-loving India.

This is Bhupathi’s first all-encompassing tennis academy in Megapolis, India and 38th overall Mahesh Bhupathi Tennis Academy (MBTA) in his home country.

“It gives me great pleasure to launch our 38th academy in my home city of Pune,” said MBTA Chief Executive and Arjuna Award winner Gaurav Natekar. “This just goes to show that tennis has come a long way and a lot more people are interested in the sport.”

Offered programs include tennis training across various levels for children and adults, corporate packages and private lessons. The academy also includes tennis clinics to increase interest in the sport.

MBTA was founded in 2006 by 12-time Grand Slam champ Mahesh Bhupathi and has inspired young children to train since.

 

USPTA, TGA Promote Business Model, Job Opportunities

The United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) announced recently that it partnered with Teach Grow Achieve Premier Youth Tennis (TGA), unveiling USPTA members with TGA’s business ownership opportunity and school-based activation model. The new partnership aims to grow tennis from the bottom up and gain new business for USPTA Professionals.

Given TGA pioneered a youth sports franchise model making tennis accessible to youth and families through curriculum developed alongside the USTA, USPTA board members recognized that partnering with TGA could fruitfully create new business ownership and job opportunities.

“TGA has developed a new generation model that could change the way we grow the sport of tennis,” said USPTA CEO John Embree. “To be able to provide a proven business model and increase the offering of full and part-time job opportunities to our members is critical for the future of our association and for our sport.”

Interested in learning more about TGA Premier Youth Tennis and its franchise business opportunities? Visit www.franchisetga.com.

 

Wimbledon Champ Murray Playing Mexico Tourney

Shortly after playing in the 2014 Australian Open Championships, Great Britain’s best tennis player Andy Murray vies for his first ever Abierto de Tenis tournament in Mexico.

The Mexican tournament’s Twitter handle recently Tweeted at Murray and Roland Garros Finalist David Ferrer, both of whom are slated to compete. The tournament’s surface has changed from clay to hard court, perhaps inducing 2012 US Open Champion Murray into participating on one of his favorite playing surfaces.

See more tournament details here: http://www.abiertomexicanodetenis.com/.

 

Mercedes-Benz Drives ATP World Tour Finals Sponsorship

ATP officials announced on Monday that luxury German automobile manufacturer Mercedes-Benz has become Barclays ATP World Tour Finals’ Official Car and Platinum Sponsor.

“We are proud to welcome Mercedes-Benz as a sponsor of the prestigious Barclays ATP World Tour Finals,” said ATP Europe CEO and ATP Commercial Director Laurent Delanney. “Staged at the premier entertainment venue in the world, this innovative and premium tournament is the perfect match for Mercedes-Benz.”

Mercedes-Benz’s new S-Class cars are transporting tournament players, officials and VIPs throughout London’s ATP World Tour Finals November 4-11.

 

Liz Kobak won the 2013 USTA National Women’s Open Singles Grass Court Championship. She is a 2010 Columbia University graduate and Northwestern University journalism master’s recipient. She is a former WTA ranked pro and #1 ranked United States junior tennis player who rates her 6-4, 6-1 win on Italian clay over Sara Errani as her best victory.

 

Serena Williams
Serena Williams

Nadal To Play February’s Inaugural Rio Open – This Week In Tennis Business With Liz Kobak

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by Liz Kobak

@LizTennis

Nadal To Play February’s Inaugural Rio Open

EBX Group and IMG Worldwide’s sports and entertainment venture IMX announced on Tuesday that 2013 US Open Champion Rafael Nadal is scheduled to compete in the first annual Rio Open this February.

The World No. 2 plays on South America’s biggest tennis stage Feb. 15-23, 2014. The Open doubles as an ATP World Tour 500 and WTA International event.

“I am looking forward to playing for the first time ever in Rio de Janeiro. It’s very important for South American tennis that we finally have an ATP World Tour 500 event. It’s a great victory for Brazil,” Nadal said. “All around the world, when I play, I can feel the love of the Brazilian people.”

Nadal has won a record eight Roland Garros singles titles and 13 total Grand Slams. Countryman David Ferrer is also competing alongside Beijing Olympics gold medalist Nadal and will seek revenge for his 2013 Roland Garros finals loss.

“Nadal is one of greats of the history of the sport,” said IMX Sports Vice President Marcia Casz. “His commitment to play the Rio Open already states that the event is aiming to be one of the most important of the ATP World Tour and that the Wonderful City of Rio de Janeiro attracts the biggest stars of the planet, especially on the way to the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games.”

Total tournament prize money is $1.5 Million ($1.25 for the ATP and $250,000 for WTA) for the event held on Jockey Club Brasileiro’s eight clay courts, including one stadium. The Rio Open serves fans one food court and village area. Tickets go on sale in November.

US Open Semi-Finalist Ginepri Opens Georgia Tennis Academy

Olde Towne Athletic Club announced on Tuesday that it’s soon home to Ginepri Performance Tennis Academy (GPT).

The tennis performance development academy, located in Marietta, GA, offers tennis and physical training programs that excellent professionals and top level juniors develop. GPT serves to cultivate world class tennis players and teach Atlanta youth who aspire to compete in high school or college. The program comprises high performance group tennis training with individual attention, match play, competitive live-ball drilling and dynamic fitness.

Former US Olympian, Davis Cup Team member and 2005 US Open semi-finalist Robby Ginepri brings 13 years of elite tennis competition experience to GPT.

“I am looking forward to working with our juniors when I am in town and participating in their development and following their progress in the years to come,” said Georgia native and Director of Tennis Programming Robby Ginepri.

For more information on Ginepri Performance Tennis or Olde Towne Athletic Club, please contact Rene Ginepri at 770-578-9901 or rene@otac.net.

IMG Tennis Acquires AAMI Classic

IMG Tennis recently purchased The AAMI Classic, an event that started in 1988 alongside the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club (KLTC) and was formerly owned by Colin Stubs Enterprises.

The Melbourne tennis invitational hosted eight male singles players and celebrated its 25th anniversary this recent January. The AAMI Classic is largely considered the premier warm-up tournament for the calendar year’s first Grand Slam, The Australian Open.

“It is a privilege and honor to follow Colin Stubs as tournament director following his 25 years at the helm,” said IMG Senior Vice President and Australian Tennis Director Brian Cooney. “The KLTC is the most prestigious tennis club in Australia and the perfect location for the tournament. I’m looking forward to putting IMG’s stamp on the event.”

Reigning 2013 champion and former World No.1 Lleyton Hewitt announced that he will defend his crown next year.

Lendl International Junior Tennis Academy Announces 2013 Class

Former World No. 1 and Andy Murray’s coach Ivan Lendl declared his self-entitled International Junior Tennis Academy’s fall 2013 class, including tennis players from seven states and three countries.

The full-time tennis program is based in Hilton Head, SC, where aspiring tennis professionals simultaneously attend Heritage Academy. Lendl’s academy teaching professionals use hands-on coaching that focuses on traditional stroke fundamentals, cutting-edge biomechanics, fitness and mental preparation.

“Our Academy offers an exclusive opportunity to train daily with passionate players from around the world while following a personalized performance plan to reach individual academic and athletic goals,” said Ivan Lendl IJTA Executive Director Rob Castorri.

The new semester began Aug. 19 and includes students from Germany, Mongolia and throughout the United States. For more information about Ivan Lendl IJTA, visit www.LendlTennis.com/info or call 888.936.5327.

Wimbledon Champ Murray Creates Management Company

This year’s Wimbledon champion Andy Murray partnered with his personal tennis manager Simon Fuller to create their new management company.

The London-based company –  called 77 – is inspired by the 77-year long drought before a British man won Wimbledon and July 7, 2013, when Murray made it rain. The company will oversee Murray and elder brother Jamie’s on and off court interests.

Murray’s XIX media consultant Matt Gentry is 77’s new managing director. Former World No. 1 Indian doubles player Mahesh Bhupathi will still oversee Murray’s new business and sales while Ugo Colombini manages Murray’s tournament activity.

“The new company will allow me more freedom and the chance to become more involved in my business affairs,” Murray said. “I’ve got a great team of people around me who I trust, both on and off the court, which in turn allows me to completely focus on my tennis.”

2013 US Open Sets New Milestones

The USTA announced this week many new 2013 US Open attendance and viewership records.

The final Open attendance tally was 713,026 people, ranking fourth-highest ever in US Open attendance. The all-time high combined session attendance of 62,794 was set on Sunday, September 1.

Television viewership of Serena Williams defeating Victoria Azarenka on CBS Sports – a rematch of last year’s US Open women’s final – was the highest in 11 years, with 19.3 Million pairs of eyeballs watching. About 11.7 CBS Sports viewers saw Rafael Nadal capture his second US Open title after defeating Novak Djokovic in Monday’s men’s final.

The official US Open digital properties had record setting growth across the board. More than 419 Million page views were tallied, creating another all-time record and surpassing 2012’s total by 29 percent.

Mobile digital growth rose 64 percent from last year. The Official US Open iPhone App recorded more than 811,000 downloads or increased 110 percent and exceeded 109 million Page views. Tablet usage surpassed 41.7 million page views. In its second year, the Official US Open iPad app saw unprecedented growth with more than 16.9 million page views, 118 percent up from 2012.

US Open Live streaming also saw record engagement. More than 2.9 million live streaming footage hours were viewed on USOpen.org, Tablet and mobile devices.

Given technology continually grows, it is safe to say that these numbers will also rise come next US Open.

BNP Paribas’ The Legends Ball Raises Tennis Hall of Fame Big Bucks

On Friday, September 6, during the US Open’s second week, more than 450 tennis enthusiasts and industry leaders celebrated The Legends Ball presented by BNP Paribas at Cipriani’s 42nd Street, an International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum hosted social event commemorating tennis and honoring the sport’s best contributors.

In its first year under BNP Paribas sponsorship, the 2013 The Legends Ball raised more than $330,000 in net proceeds supporting the Hall of Fame’s mission. The event, hosted annually since 1980, honored the Hall of Fame Class of 2013 – former world No. 1 Martina Hingis and Australian tennis great Thelma Coyne Long. The Ball also featured the Eugene L. Scott Award presentation to Rod Laver and the Joseph F. Cullman Award to ESPN for their undying commitment to tennis.

“We were particularly honored to be the presenting sponsor of this fantastic Legends Ball recognizing the 2013 class of Hall of Famers, and we are delighted that the event was such a success for a cause we so greatly support,” said BNP Paribas North America CEO Jean-Yves Fillion.

 

Liz Kobak won the 2013 USTA National Women’s Open Singles Grass Court Championship. She is a 2010 Columbia University graduate and Northwestern University journalism master’s recipient. She is a former WTA ranked pro and #1 ranked United States junior tennis player who rates her 6-4, 6-1 win on Italian clay over Sara Errani as her best victory.

 

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal

Doubles Star Mahesh Bhupathi Teaming Up With Andy Murray: This Week in Tennis Business with Justin Cohen

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By: Justin Cohen @JustinCohen44

Bhupathi teams with Andy Murray

According to a press release, doubles legend Mahesh Bhupathi’s Globosport and Simon Fuller’s XIX Entertainment have announced a new venture named XIX Globosport to capitalize on the two partners strengths in media, entertainment and tennis. The new partnership has been created to extend relationships and create dynamic new opportunities in developing markets around the world, with the burgeoning sports and entertainment opportunities in India and the Middle East in particular providing an exciting backdrop to the enterprise. The venture’s first client will be World No. 2 Andy Murray and the venture is expected to contract with the respected tennis agent and former ATP professional Ugo Colombini to provide on the ground tennis support and specialist resourcing for the player as he challenges for major honors during the 2013 ATP Calendar. XIX Entertainment has managed Andy Murray since 2007 during which time he has become a national hero and a global sports star, enjoying breakthrough moments including winning Olympic Gold at London 2012 and a historic first Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2012. The new partnership will provide Andy Murray with the global resource, media expertise and strategic skills of Fuller’s XIX Entertainment, and the credibility, drive and specialist tennis skills of Globosport. The new partnership will start with immediate effect.

Davis Cup attendance for Serbia’s victory over United States

The quarterfinal Davis cup tie between the United States and Serbia at the Taco Bell Arena in Boise, Idaho, saw 24,715 fans attend the competition over three days. On Sunday, 8, 612 fans were in attendance to see World No. 1 Novak Djokovic clinch the victory for Serbia with a four-set victory over Sam Querrey. 8,115 tickets were sold for Saturday’s epic doubles match that resulted in team Serbia’s Ilija Bozoljac and Nenad Zimonjic 15-13 fifth set win over top-ranked Bob and Mike Bryan.

Attendance Record at Family Circle Cup in Charleston during Venus/Serena match

On Saturday, April 6 at the WTA Family Circle Cup in Charleston, 9,538 fans packed Billie Jean King Court for the Serena vs. Venus Williams semifinal match, an all-time single-session record. Serena won the match easily, 6-1, 6-2, then went on to win the title by defeating Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic in three-sets in the Sunday afternoon championship match.

Texas Christian University Men’s Tennis edges Georgia in attendance so far in 2013 season

According to Texas Christian University Sports Information Director Mark Cohen, the Horned Frogs men’s tennis team ranks first in the nation in attendance with a total of 6,528 fans (502 per match) so far during the 2013 men’s tennis season. TCU is currently ranked No. 35 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division I rankings. The No. 3 ranked Georgia Bulldogs rank second with an overall attendance of 3,522.

Stuttgart outlines 2015 grass court switch

Construction of grass courts at the MercedesCup in Stuttgart will begin immediately after the conclusion of this year’s ATP World Tour 250 tournament, which takes place from July 6-14. Last month, the ATP Board of Directors approved the MercedesCup’s request to move to a grass court event taking place the week following Roland Garros in the lead up to Wimbledon beginning in 2015. “The future starts now!” said Edwin Weindorfer, theMercedesCup Tournament Director, at a press conference in Stuttgart City Hall, on Monday. “The switch to grass courts opens many interesting perspectives for the MercedesCup and starts a new era of the tournament.” Court No. 18 at the Weissenhof Tennis Club will become the first of five clay courts that will be converted to grass, under the supervision of the ground staff from the All England Club, Wimbledon. The court will be ready for the 2014 tournament, when an exhibition match will be held. Centre Court, ENBW Court and Court No. 12 and No. 13 will be converted to grass courts after the end of the 2014 tournament. It was also announced that prize money will increase in 2015 from 467,800 (EU) to 600,000 (EU). In 2015, the MercedesCup will join the AEGON Championships at Queen’s Club, the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, the AEGON International in Eastbourne, the Topshelf Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport as an ATP World Tour grass court tournament.

USTA to conduct first-ever nationwide DVD open casting call for children to perform at 2013 US Open

The USTA recently announced that it is offering two audition options for the seventh annual US Open casting call, starting with a DVD submission process. A second exclusive opportunity for children who are residents of the borough of Queens, N.Y., will be held at the Queens Theater in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. Winners selected from these auditions will perform “America the Beautiful” live at Arthur Ashe Stadium during night sessions at the 2013 US Open, which we be held August 26-September 9. “This year’s open casting call process is a tremendous opportunity for kids nationwide and youngsters from our neighboring Queens’ communities to showcase their vocal talents,” said Gordon Smith, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, USTA. “We are looking forward to these young performers lighting up the stage and contributing to the overall excitement that makes this tournament so spectacular.” For the first time, children 12 years of age or younger as of September 9, 2013, are being asked to submit a taped audition of themselves performing “America the Beautiful” a cappella on DVD format by May 10. The exclusive open casting call for residents of Queens 12 years of age or younger as of September 9, 2013, will take place at the Queens Theater, June 11, from 2-4 p.m. EDT. Participants there also will be asked to perform “American the Beautiful” a cappella. All DVD audition entries will be reviewed by a panel of judges from the music and entertainment industries. A select number of submissions will be chosen to participate in a call-back audition at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center July 11. At that time, they will be asked to individually perform in front of the judges. The USTA will make its final singer selections in mid-July, and winners will receive a US Open gift bag and tickets to their performance session, where they will sing in front of as many as 24,000 fans in Arthur Ashe Stadium. For more information on the DVD open casting call and Queens open casting call, including the official rules, log on to www.USOpen.org.

Philadelphia Freedoms hosting Battle of the Sexes at Merion Cricket Club on April 19

The Philadelphia Freedoms of Mylan World TeamTennis will be hosting a Battle of the Sexes match on April 19 at the Merion Cricket Club featuring 11-time Grand Slam women’s and mixed doubles champion Lisa Raymond. The former University of Florida standout will lead the women’s team as they take on the men’s squad led by current Freedoms head coach Josh Cohen and Merion Cricket Club Head Tennis Professional Pascal Collard. The match will be played under Mylan World TeamTennis rules and is slated to begin at 7 p.m. EST. Tickets cost only $25 and will include a cash bar and light snacks. To order your tickets, call (215) 667-8132.

USPTA Middle States hosting 2013 Tennis in the Streets in Wilmington, Delaware

On Friday, May 17 from 9:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. EST, at Rodney Square in Wilmington, Del., the USPTA Middle States division will host the 2013 Tennis in the Streets event, which is a 2012 national USPTA award winning event that is a part of “Tennis Across America.” USPTA Delaware District President Jackie Roe is currently looking for volunteers for the event, who will help feed balls, organize lines for the kids and picking up balls where over 700 city kids will be introduced to the game of tennis. For more information or questions, contact Jackie Roe at jrotennis@gmail.com.

Bryan Brothers renew partnership with Prince: This week in tennis business with Justin Cohen

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By Justin Cohen

Bob and Mike Bryan

Bob and Mike Bryan Extend Partnership with Prince

Prince Global, a leading tennis equipment and footwear company, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Active Brands Company, announced recently it has renewed a partnership with record-breaking American doubles team and 2012 US Open Men’s Doubles Champions Mike and Bob Bryan. The Bryan Brothers will continue to use Prince’s EXO3 Rebel 95 racquet and Beast XP string to maximize their performance. In winning their fourth U.S. Open title, the Bryans have won 12 major doubles titles – equaling the all-time record set by John Newcombe and Tony Roche. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. “Prince is committed to strengthening its long-term relationships within the global tennis community and to that end we are excited to have Mike and Bob Bryan continuing to use Prince products to support their game,” said Ken Merritt, Director of Player Development for Prince Global Sports. “They are the best doubles team of their generation and have been long-standing supporters of our brand.” The Bryan Brothers have been using Prince racquets since 2007, helping them win over 40 titles with the brand including the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.

John Embree Named USPTA CEO and Executive Director

The United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) announced late last week that its Board of Directors and Search Committee had hired tennis industry veteran John Embree as the new CEO and Executive Director. Embree will take the administrative reigns from Tim Heckler, who will retire at the end of the year, after 30 years in the position. Embree will begin transitioning into his role as of October 1 and will be relocating to the national office in Houston on November 1. The association conducted a search for the new CEO/Executive Director, and after interviewing several candidates in conjunction with the executive search firm, GSI Executive Search Inc., the USPTA Search Committee offered the position to Embree. The contract was ratified by the USPTA Executive Committee in late August. “I began my tennis odyssey during college as a teaching professional in Virginia. After more than three decades of working in the sport that I began playing at 6 years old, my career has come full circle, back to my foundation as a grassroots advocate. I am thrilled to have been chosen by the Executive Committee to help lead the USPTA in the years to come,” said Embree. “We are pleased to welcome John Embree into the USPTA family. His vast tennis industry expertise, contacts, and company management skills will serve the USPTA well,” said President Tom Daglis. Embree has held a wide variety of influential tennis industry roles for more than 30 years. They include serving as President of Prince Sports, The Americas; President of Balle de Match LLC; and Vice President/General Manager, Racquet Sports Division for Wilson Sporting Goods Co. Most recently, he launched a tennis consulting practice to assist endemic brands, associations and new corporate entities in maximizing their impact in the tennis marketplace. His client list included the USTA, Intercollegiate Tennis Association, Peter Burwash International, Off the Grid Technologies, and Donnay USA. Embree has served on many national USTA Committees, including the USTA Nominating Committee in 2005-2006 and currently as the Vice Chair of USTA Professional Circuits Committee. In addition, he recently served as Presidential appointee of the Board of Directors of USTA Middle States section, is a past member of TIA Board of Directors and Executive Committee, member of the Board of Directors of American College of Sports Medicine Foundation, and past President of the Chicago Tennis Patrons Foundation. One of his proudest achievements in tennis was the creation of the USTA Adult League Tennis program in 1980, when he served as the first USTA Adult League Tennis Administrator for two years. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Washington & Lee University in Lexington, VA, and was inducted into the W&L Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005.

Wagner, Taylor Named 2011-2012 Paralympic Team of the Year by United States Olympic Committee

The United States Quad Doubles Wheelchair Tennis Team of veterans David Wagner and Nick Taylor have been selected by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) as the 2011-2012 Paralympic Team of the Year following their third consecutive Quad Doubles gold medal at the 2012 London Paralympic Games. Wagner and Taylor are the first Quad tennis players, singles or doubles, to be recognized by the USOC for this prestigious honor, since the USOC first established the award for Paralympians in 2009. They are also the first tennis players to receive this honor since Jennifer Capriati won the USOC SportsWoman of the Year award in 2001. This week, Wagner and Taylor will be honored at the 2012 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Assembly dinner alongside Olympians Allyson Felix (Track & Field), Michael Phelps (Swimming), the U.S. Women’s Eight Rowing Team, and Paralympians Raymond Martin (Track & Field), and Jessica Long (Swimming). “I am truly honored to be selected for this award,” said Taylor. “With all the exceptional teams that could have been chosen, it’s exciting to be recognized for our long time dedication and commitment to the sport. This is a great honor not just for David and me, but for American wheelchair tennis.” “I’m so honored to receive this award,” said Wagner. “We have worked so hard to be the best team we can be, and are pleased to represent the United States of America. I’m truly proud to win this award with Nick. It is great for the sport of wheelchair tennis to be recognized in this way by the USOC.” Last year, Wagner, originally from Portland, Ore., and Taylor, from Wichita, Kan., led the United States to the World Team Cup Championship, landing them their seventh World Team Cup title as doubles partners. That summer, they captured their seventh Grand Slam title at the 2011 US Open. Earlier this year, they finished third at the 2012 World Team Cup Championships.

Australian Open to Host Wild Card Playoff in Nanjing, China

The Australian Open will host a regional wild card playoff for entry into the 2013 tournament in Nanjing, China. The male and female winners of the playoff will gain entry to the main draw of the Australian Open, which lists itself as “The Grand Slam of Asia/Pacific.” The Asia/Pacific wildcards were previously decided by nomination. The playoff will not be open to Australian players. The Australian Open also holds a separate wild card tournament in Australia for national players.

Nadal Named “Person of the Year” by Spanish Vanity Fair

Despite having been missing in action from the ATP World Tour scene, Rafael Nadal collected a prestigious honor on Monday in Madrid. The former World No. 1 was presented the “Person of the Year” award by the Spanish edition of Vanity Fair at the Italian Consulate in Madrid. Vanity Fair announced that Nadal was selected for the award due to his all around accomplishments on the court as a professional tennis player, as well as his good works of the Rafa Nadal Foundation. The prize is presented to an individual deemed to exercise the “most influence” on society “in any of its spheres.” Last year’s recipient was Nobel literature laureate Mario Vargas Llosa. During a beautiful acceptance speech, the 7-time French Open champion thanked the magazine and its readers for the award, emphasizing how much their support meant in a challenging time.

Anderson asking for too much money from Tennis South Africa

According to a report from Matt Cronin on TENNIS.com, top-ranked South African player Kevin Anderson is demanding too much money to play Davis Cup says Tennis South Africa Chief Executive Ina Smith. Anderson recently declined playing for his country in Davis Cup against Canada and instead played in the World TeamTennis Finals in Charleston, S.C. Anderson has claimed that Tennis South Africa does not compensate him properly and would not take care of him financially if he became injured and could not play tour events. Smith hopes that Anderson will rejoin the team, but it depends on his demands.

Bhupathi Lashes Out at India’s Tennis Federation after Two-Year Ban

According to The Wall Street Journal of India, multiple Grand Slam Doubles champion Mahesh Bhupathi has lashed out at India’s Tennis Federation, accusing them of “dirty politics” after the federation banned him and doubles partner Rohan Bopanna for two-years. The ban effectively restricts the duo from participating in two editions of the Davis Cup. At a press conference in Mumbai, Bhupathi launched a blistering attack on the “dictatorial” policies of the All India Tennis Federation, singling out its president, Anil Khanna. The 38-year-old’s remarks come days after the federation, the main governing body for tennis in India, did not field the duo for a Davis Cup relegation play-off match against New Zealand on Saturday. Soon after, the sporting federation announced that Bhupathi and Bopanna were ineligible to participate in upcoming editions of the international tournament until June 2014. The World No. 15 in doubles is currently challenging the decision, arguing that the sporting federation is not competent to do so. India’s Tennis Federation has recently accused Bhupathi and Bopanna of violating disciplinary norms ahead of the London Olympics.

Lacoste Partners with OrthoLite

OrthoLite®, the leader of open cell foam insoles, has partnered with fashion icon LACOSTE to enhance their upcoming Sport Active Collection for men’s and women’s footwear available in spring 2013. The new LACOSTE Sport Active Collection evokes everything that’s cool, carefree and even more comfortable about the upcoming spring season, with its fresh preppy styles, retro pastels and bold and 90s inspired shapes. The entire collection will now feature high-performance OrthoLite insoles to ensure comfort in every stylish step. “With almost 80 years of sporting heritage, the brand shares OrthoLite’s vision to offer quality, comfort and high performance footwear products. By including OrthoLite in the collection, LACOSTE will now offer its customers the best in customized technology and comfort, while still being cool and fashionable.” With the inclusion of OrthoLite, the LACOSTE Sport Active Collection will now offer the benefits of breathability, moisture control, anti-microbial properties and long-term cushioning. “We are very excited to announce this partnership with LACOSTE,” said Pamela Gelsomini, OrthoLite President. “With almost 80 years of sporting heritage, the brand shares OrthoLite’s vision to offer quality, comfort and high performance footwear products. By including OrthoLite in the collection, LACOSTE will now offer its customers the best in customized technology and comfort, while still being cool and fashionable.” LACOSTE is a premium lifestyle brand combining sporting elegance with understated French style. Both in daily life and on the sports field, LACOSTE bases its success on the essential values of authenticity, optimism and joie de vivre. LACOSTE currently sponsors many tennis players including John Isner, Richard Gasquet, Milos Raonic and the recently retired former World No. 1 Andy Roddick.

US Open reaches Millions of Fans Worldwide

This year’s US Open was broadcast in 180 countries around the world, to go along with television coverage on CBS Sports, ESPN and Tennis Channel in the United States. The tournament’s official website, USOpen.org, had more than 325 million page views and was accessed by more than 11.7 million visitors throughout the world. It is the fourth consecutive year that the official tournament website for the US Open topped 10 million in unique visitors. Also, more than 2.8 million hours of free live streaming was viewed by fans domestically. The free streaming was available across computers, mobile devices and tablets.

Battle in the Bay Classic set for October 12-14

The 2012 Battle in the Bay Classic, a Division I collegiate tennis tournament hosted by the University of San Francisco Men’s Tennis Team at the California Tennis Club, is set to take place from October 12-14. The event was formed in 2009 by the University of San Francisco men’s tennis head coach Peter Bartlett, assistant coach Pablo Pires de Almeida, and the California Tennis Club Director of Tennis, Steve Jackson. This invitational tournament will feature some of the best college players from the west coast, including some former top Northern California juniors. Players from Duke, USC, Stanford, Pepperdine, Cal, Boise State, USF and other top division-1 tennis programs will be facing off in a tournament format to see who will hold the title as the best singles and doubles players to compete in the Bay Area this year. Main draw singles will be made up of 32 players and 16 teams for doubles. Battle in the Bay Classic is an Intercollegiate Tennis Association sanctioned event that will count for NCAA Division I singles and doubles rankings. It is an opportunity for all players to improve their rankings and a unique experience that will showcase the highest-level collegiate tennis at its very best. The schedule of events include a Sponsor/Player Pro-Am, cocktail reception, Kids Day, exhibition match with former ATP Professional Paul Goldstein and the best college tennis players from the west coast competing. Admission is free and open to the public.

USTA Northern California Section Offering $30 Memberships for Adults through September 30

Through September 30, adults in the Northern California area can join the USTA for just $30 and receive a free US Open hat with their purchase. Using the code NCINTR12, you can take advantage of this wonderful offer. Membership with the USTA enables you to register for leagues and tournaments, take advantage of special discounted tickets to top tennis tournaments including the US Open, receive other special benefits that are only offered to members and so much more.

ATP Doubles Stars Endorse “Lessons From the Wild” Book

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Mahesh Bhupathi with author and sports scientist Shayamal Vallabhjee

NEW YORK – ATP World Tour doubles stars Mahesh Bhupathi, Leander Paes, Max Mirnyi and Aisam Qureshi have all endorsed the new book by their sports and exercise scientist Shayamal Vallabhjee called “Lessons from the Wild.”

“Lessons from the Wild” ($14.95, New Chapter Press, available here on Amazon.com http://m1e.net/c?136411417-5HTaGT5/KqQaI%407089626-NZ6QCpMmA9y8M is a motivational book that draws inspiration from an inconspicuous group of wild animals, drawing a parallel between the animals’ struggles and the human race’s daily challenges. In addition to working with such players as Bhupathi, Paes, Mirnyi and Qureshi, Vallabhjee is a new age entrepreneur and lecturer who also has worked with the Indian and South African Davis Cup teams, the Indian National Cricket Team, the South African High Performance Cricket Team and many business leaders in Africa and Asia.

“The is the first book of its kind and takes simple life lessons like courage, persistence and uses unique animal stories from the wild to exemplify that lesson,” said Vallabhjee. “’Lessons from the Wild’ will make an excellent gift for any person needing some light reading, college students, children and business people looking for alternate motivational sources.”

Lessons and animals that are discussed in the book include fearlessness (the story of the Honey Badger), teamwork (the story of Snow Geese), courage (the story of the Bottlenose Dolphin), independence (the story of the Anaconda), effort (the story of the Beaver) and compassion (the story of the African Elephant) among others.

Bhupathi, the Wimbledon, U.S. and French Open doubles champion, wrote the foreword to the book, saying, “’Lessons from the Wild’ opened my mind to a whole new world — a world were self-belief, preparation, confidence, determination, integrity and trust take on new meaning.”

Said Paes, “As an athlete, the animal instinct is the most important ingredient – the ability to understand your opponent, be in-tune with the elements, recognize an opportunity or push your body and mind beyond its barriers. ‘Lessons from the Wild’ highlights this wild, natural instinct which, when coupled with intelligence, is very potent.”

Said Qureshi, “’Lessons from the Wild’ has surely changed the way I look at animals and their behavior patterns. It has given me a new found respect and admiration for the trials and tribulations they face. It’s a must read for anyone who is trying to find motivation in their lives and seeking inspiration.

Said Mirnyi, “’Lessons from the Wild’ is an all-inspiring account of useful life material. I’m positive that anyone who opens up and reads through these pages will find both useful and very encouraging material throughout the entire book. Shayamal has made a lot of input in my career and I’m sure through this book, he will help you as well.”

Founded in 1987, New Chapter Press (www.NewChapterMedia.com) is also the publisher of “Roger Federer: Quest for Perfection” by Rene Stauffer (www.RogerFedererBook.com), “The Bud Collins History of Tennis” by Bud Collins, “The Education of a Tennis Player” by Rod Laver with Bud Collins, “The Wimbledon Final That Never Was…” by Sidney Wood, “Acing Depression: A Tennis Champion’s Toughest Match” by Cliff Richey and Hilaire Richey Kallendorf (www.CliffRicheyBook.com), “Jan Kodes: A Journey To Glory From Behind The Iron Curtain” by Jan Kodes with Peter Kolar, “Tennis Made Easy” by Kelly Gunterman, “On This Day In Tennis History” by Randy Walker (www.TennisHistoryBook.com), “A Player’s Guide To USTA League Tennis” by Tony Serksnis, “Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games” by Tom Caraccioli and Jerry Caraccioli (www.Boycott1980.com), “The Lennon Prophecy” by Joe Niezgoda (www.TheLennonProphecy.com), “Bone Appetit, Gourmet Cooking For Your Dog” by Susan Anson, “How To Sell Your Screenplay” by Carl Sautter, “The Rules of Neighborhood Poker According To Hoyle” by Stewart Wolpin among others.

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

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STARS

Wimbledon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Petra Kvitova and Novak Djokovic - Wimbledon winners 2011

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

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

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

OTHER

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

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

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

SAYING

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

SERB POWER

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

SIGN OF THE TIME

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

STUFF OF CHAMPIONS

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

SWINGING AWAY

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

SPRINKLES?

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

SHOWING UP

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

 

SWISS STANDARD

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

STURDY FIELD

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

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

SPANISH PAIN

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

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

 

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

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

SOUTHERN CAL BOUND

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

SHOUT FOR AUSSIE TENNIS

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

SUPERSTAR

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

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

SELECTED

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

SHARED PERFORMANCES

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

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

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

SURFING

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

Budapest: www.budapestgrandprix.hu/joomla15/

Newport: www.tennisfame.com/

Pozoblanco: www.tennispozoblanco.com/

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com/

Sopot: www.bnpparibaspolishopen.pl

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

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

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

WOMEN

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

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

DAVIS CUP

World Group

Quarterfinals

Sweden vs. Serbia at Halmstad, Sweden, hard

Argentina vs. Kazakhstan at Buenos Aires, Argentina, clay

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

Germany vs. France at Stuttgart, Germany, clay

Group I

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

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

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

Group II

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

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

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

Group III

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

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

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

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

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

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

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

WOMEN

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

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

 

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

by

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

LEANDER PAES DOUBLES TALK

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By Charles Bricker

When it’s time to compile a list of the top 10 players to interview, based on intelligence and candor, you cannot fail to put doubles maven Leander Paes near the top.

Leander Paes
Leander Paes

Twenty minutes with Paes unfailingly results in some of the most interesting conversation in tennis and any reporter with any smarts will spend time with him in the coming 10 days at the Sony Ericsson Open on Key Biscayne, where he is teaming with Lukas Dlouhy in a quest for a 43rd ATP title. Individually, Paes is No. 6 in the doubles rankings and he and Dlouhy, who won two majors in 2009, are No. 8 in team rankings.

Here’s a sample of Paes-isms:

* The third-set super-tiebreak, along with no-ad scoring, is into its third full year. Is it time for the tour to revisit the concept and perhaps go back to playing regular tennis? “No. The way the game of doubles is scored now is exciting for the fans. For sure, the super-tiebreak gives the lesser teams more of a chance. But I think the system is better for doubles. It gets us more night matches, more matches on the stadium court (because you can predict the matches will be over in approximately one hour and 15 minutes). It’s also getting more top singles players to play doubles, like Rafael Nadal at Indian Wells, and, yes, you are right. It is lengthening the career of doubles players. Exactly right.”

* Paes and Dlouhy had just blown a 9-4 lead in the super-tiebreak of the championship match at the BMW Challenger in Sunrise, Fla. How much longer can you play? “The fact that I can lose a tough match like that and still hate to lose. . .Well, hate is a strong word, but the point is I’m still OK to handle it. I can still take the attitude that sometimes that’s the way the cookie crumbles.”

* Do you accept that the Woodies (Mark Woodforde/Todd Woodbridge) and the Bryan twins are better doubles teams that when you and Mahesh Bhupathi were at the top of your game? “The Woodies definitely. They are much more the complete team. They don’t have any weaknesses. They could play from the baseline or at the net. They could play one up, one back or both back or both at the net.” What about the Bryans? “They are a hell of a team, and the fact that they are twins helps them know what the other is thinking.”

* So, who goes down in history as the greatest doubles team ever? “The Woodies or McEnroe/Fleming. One of those two.” Paes believes that Grand Slam titles is the key. The Bryans have eight, McEnroe/Fleming have nine and the Woodies 11. Bob Bryan has 58 tournament titles, brother Mike 60, McEnroe 71 and the Woodies 61. “For the Bryans to be considered, they have to pass the Woodies in Grand Slam wins.”

* Suppose you could pair up Pete Sampras and Roger Federer as a doubles team, give them a week of practice and then play them in a series of 10 matches against a doubles team that not only was at the top of the rankings but that had been together for years. Is doubles so specialized that two of the greatest tennis players couldn’t beat a couple of guys who could never make a real impact in singles? “Sampras and Federer? They wouldn’t have a chance. Federer could be a great doubles player, but Sampras . . . He wasn’t that good at it. I’ve played him in doubles four times and won every time. Maybe he didn’t care about it that much.”

* Somdev Devverman, the former University of Virginia player from India (current No. 120). . . how good will he be? “No problem top 100, but top 50? Only time will tell. He is a very hard worker. and his maturity is the best weapon he’s got. His mind is very stable and sound. But he needs more weapons — a bigger first serve and he could flatten out his forehand more.”

* Final question. Best Indian restaurant on the ATP tour outside of India? “Ah, Quilon in St. James Court in London. And right here in Fort Lauderdale is Woodlands.” I threw out one of my favorites and got slightly burned. What about 4,550 Miles To Delhi in Nottingham, England? “Not a bad one,” said Paes. “But it has dropped a bit recently.”

Charles Bricker can be reached at nflwriterr@aol.com

MONDAYS WITH BOB GREENE: THE AUSSIE OPEN SUMMARY

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STARS

Australian Open

Men’s singles: Roger Federer beat Andy Murray 6-3 6-4 7-6

Women’s singles: Serena Williams beat Justine Henin 6-4 3-6 6-2

Men’s doubles: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic 6-3 6-7 (5) 6-3

Women’s doubles: Venus Williams and Serena Williams beat Cara Black and Liezel Huber 6-4 6-3

Mixed doubles: Cara Black and Leander Paes beat Ekaterina Makarova and Jaroslav Levinsky 7-5 6-3

Boy’s singles: Tiago Fernandes beat Sean Berman 7-5 6-3

Girl’s singles: Karolina Pliskova beat Laura Robson 6-1 7-6 (5)

Boy’s doubles: Justin Eleveld and Jannick Lupescu beat Kevin Krawietz and Dominik Schulz 6-4 6-4

Girl’s doubles: Jana Cepelova and Chantal Skamlova beat Timea Babos and Gabriela Dabrowski 7-6 (1) 6-2

Men’s wheelchair singles: Shingo Kunieda beat Stephane Houdet 7-6 (3) 2-6 7-5

Women’s wheelchair singles: Korie Homan beat Florence Gravellier 6-2 6-2

Men’s wheelchair doubles: Stephane Houdet and Shingo Kunieda beat Maikel Scheffers and Robin Ammerlaan 6-2 6-2

Women’s wheelchair singles: Florence Gravellier and Aniek van Koot beat Lucy Shuker and Daniela Di Toro 6-3 7-6 (2)

Other

Michael Berrer beat Andrey Golubev 6-3 7-6 (4) to win the Heilbronn Open in Heilbronn, Germany

SAYINGS

“Now I feel, like, obviously I’m being pushed a great deal by the new generation coming up. They’ve made me a better player, because I think this has been one of my finest performances in a long time, or maybe forever.” – Roger Federer, after winning his fourth Australian Open men’s singles title.

“I can cry like Roger. It’s just a shame I can’t play like him.” – Andy Murray, explaining his tears after losing the final. Federer cried at the Australian Open last year after losing to Rafael Nadal.

“I feel like I have things to prove.” – Serena Williams, after winning her fifth Australian Open women’s singles title.

“I’m hungry to win one. I worked really, really hard to try to do it and give myself the opportunity. So far it’s not been good enough. But I’m sure one day it will be. When it comes, maybe because of the two losses, it will be even better.” – Andy Murray, after losing the men’s singles final.

“It’s been a very emotional two weeks for me. I thought it would never happen again. It’s been almost perfect. Just the last step, I couldn’t make it.” – Justine Henin, after losing to Serena Williams.

“I know he’d like to win the first for British tennis since, what is it, 150,000 years?” – Roger Federer, speaking of Andy Murray’s hope to become the first British man to win a Grand Slam tournament singles titles since Fred Perry in 1936.

“They’re still sleeping. They didn’t wake up. Someday they will wake up.” – Li Na, when asked why China has world-class women’s tennis players but few men.

“I thought maybe, if I retire now and come back … you know, Kim (Clijsters) and Justine (Henin) do that, then come back and win slams. Could have been an omen for me.” – Lleyton Hewitt, who underwent hip surgery and will be off the men’s tour until May.

“It’s the one that’s been eluding me. We said it since we started to play together. We talked about it last year. He promised. He made a promise to me we were going to get this one. He’s good at keeping his promises.” – Cara Black, who teamed with Leander Paes to win her first Australian Open title and complete a career mixed doubles Grand Slam.

“’She’s a real champion.’She plays the right shots at the right time.’” – Justine Henin, on Serena Williams.

“I feel good and I am only thinking now of recovering well. My main goal right now is to get ready again and fit to play the upcoming events once I am able to compete.” – Rafael Nadal, who will miss the next four weeks because of a knee injury.

“Play better.” – Venus Williams, when asked how she could beat her sister Serena.

“You don’t need to rub it in. They know.” – Roger Federer, when an on-court interviewer mentioned that he had beaten Lleyton Hewitt 15 straight times.

“My arm is pretty much my livelihood.” – Andy Roddick, who decided to continue his match against Marin Cilic after being assured by the ATP trainer that finishing the match would not cause any long-term damage to his arm.

“We play doubles because we enjoy it and just want to spend more time together. We just love being out there and we love the competition. More than anything, we have fun. We’ll smile and enjoy it… We were talking today about how we wish we played more when we were younger.” – Serena Williams, after she and her sister Venus won the women’s doubles.

“Given the competitive form of Zheng Jie and Li Na, what they have achieved in Melbourne is not surprising to us. Their success shows that Chinese tennis players can find their rightful place in the tennis world.” – Gao Shenyang, a director at China’s sports commission, after Zheng and Li both reached the Australian Open semifinals.

“I have everything bandaged.” – Serena Williams, who had taped her ankles, wrist, thigh and calf.

SWISS GOLD

It was business as usual for Roger Federer. His 6-3 6-4 7-5 victory over Andy Murray was the fourth time the Swiss superstar has won the Australian Open. It increased his men’s record to 16 Grand Slam tournament titles, two more than previous record-holder Pete Sampras. In addition, Federer has reached the semifinals in 22 consecutive tournaments and has played for the title in 17 of his past 18 Grand Slam tournaments, the only blemish being the 2008 Australian Open where he lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Novak Djokovic. He also is moving closer to Sampras’ all-time record for most weeks ranked number one in the world, a mark he would match if he remains in the top spot through the end of the French Open. Federer also becomes the only player who can win all four major men’s singles titles – a calendar year Grand Slam – in 2010. He is the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion, the next two Grand Slam tournaments.

SERENA THE GREAT

There’s something about Serena Williams and the Australian Open. She has never lost a final at Melbourne Park, not in singles or doubles. She won her fourth Australian Open singles title, the first woman in the Open Era to do so, snapping a five-way tie with Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles. Playing in her 41st Grand Slam tournament, Williams was in the title match for the 15th time. Her 12 major titles ties her on the all-time list with Billie Jean King and trailing Court, Graf, Helen Wills Moody, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. Serena also has won 11 women’s doubles Grand Slam tournament titles – all with sister Venus – and two mixed doubles, both with Max Mirnyi. And while she won the Australian Open a year ago, Serena looked at this year’s tournament in a different light. “I don’t come into a tournament trying to defend a title. I come into a tournament trying to win a title. That’s how I look at it,” she said after her win in the semifinals.

Venus and Serena now have four Australian Open women’s doubles titles, having also won in 2001, 2003 and 2009. They have also won one French Open (1999), four Wimbledons (2000, 2002, 2008, 2009) and two US Opens (1999, 2009). Plus the Olympics in 2000 and 2008.

STARS FOR HAITI

Spearheaded by Roger Federer, tennis has raised nearly USD $700,000 for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Top players gathered for a Hit for Haiti fundraiser the day before the Australian Open began, raising around USD $140,000 in gate receipts and public donations. Since then players have donated racquets that are being auctioned off, and tennis organizations – the ATP World Tour, Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, International Tennis Federation and the Grand Slam Committee – have supported the cause by raising the donations to USD $687,000.

STILL CLICKING

The mixed doubles champions have been in the winner’s circle before, but never in Australia for Cara Black. Leander Paes and the Zimbabwean teamed up to down Ekaterina Makarova and Jarosav Levinsky 7-5 6-3 in the final. It was the 11th Grand Slam tournament title for the 36-year-old Paes, tying him with Mahesh Bhupathi as India’s most successful Grand Slam player. For Black, the victory made her the third woman in the Open Era to win a career mixed doubles Grand Slam, joining Martina Navratilova and Daniela Hantuchova. Cara won the French Open in 2002 and Wimbledon in 2004, both with brother Wayne Black, and the US Open in 2008 with Paes. Three other women have accomplished the feat: Doris Hart, Margaret Court and Billie Jean King. Between them, Paes and Black have won 19 Grand Slam tournament doubles titles, including men’s, women’s and mixed.

SINO SUPERSTARS

Li Na and Zheng Jie both reached the final four at the Australian Open, the first time two players from China made it that far at a major. Actually, never before had two Chinese singles players ever been in the second week of a major at the same time. Although they both lost their semifinal matches – Li to eventual champion Serena Williams and Zheng to Justine Henin – the two know they have made a huge impact at home. Called “golden flowers” by Chinese newspapers, Li said, “I mean, was first time two Chinese player same time play semifinal in Grand Slam. Good for both players. Of course, I think also good for China tennis. I think if the children, they saw this time, maybe they have more confident. They think maybe someday they can do also, yeah. I think, how you say, [it] was [an] exciting day.” Her run to the semifinals also made Li the first Chinese player to be ranked in the top 10 in the world.

STASH GROWING

Twins Bob and Mike Bryan keep adding to their Grand Slam tournament stash. The Americans won their fourth Australian Open men’s doubles title by beating Canada’s Daniel Nestor and Serbia’s Nenad Zimonjic 6-3 6-7 (5) 6-3. They also won Down Under in 2006, 1007 and 2009. It was their eighth Grand Slam tournament title overall and they now trail only Australian due Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge, who won 11 Grand Slam tournament crowns.

SUPER IDOL

Three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten is the idol of the 2010 Australian Open junior boys champion. Like Kuerten, Tiago Fernandes is from Brazil and he sometimes practices with his hero. Fernandes, who turned 17 on the eve of the final, wasn’t surprised by his 7-6 6-3 win over Australia’s Sean Berman in the title match. “The weekend before, I was thinking I’d be in the final and be, you know, the champion,” he said. “But it’s a Grand Slam, and I’m really happy to be the champion.” Fernandes attributed his success in part to Guga, as Kuerten is known. “He’s an unbelievable guy – out of the court, inside the court,” Fernandes said. Kuerten retired two years ago.

SISTER SI, SISTER NO

Laura Robson could be excused if she thought she had to play the same player twice in a row. Robson played 17-year-old identical twins Kristyna and Karolina Pliskova in consecutive matches, besting Kristyna 6-3 6-1 in the semifinals of the girls’ singles, then losing the title match to Karolina 6-1 7-6 (5). It was the second straight year Robson has reached the girls’ final at Melbourne Park, only to lose in straight sets. Yet she can go home with her head held high. She played mixed doubles with Andy Murray as they reached the final of the Hopman Cup last month, losing to Spain. Karolina Pliskova was playing in only her second junior tournament since April 2007.

Li Na had the same problem in the women’s singles. Li beat Venus Williams 2-6 7-6 (4) 7-5 in the quarterfinals, then lost to eventual champion Serena Williams in the semifinals, 7-6 (4) 7-6 (1).

SURGERY FOR LLEYTON

It didn’t take long for Lleyton Hewitt to undergo surgery on his right hip. Australia’s top player lost to top-ranked Roger Federer in the fourth round, then underwent surgery. “At least I gave 100 percent and tried to block it out as much as possible,” Hewitt said of his performance at this year’s Australian Open. He said he injured the hip at the Hopman Cup last month and felt “a reasonable amount of pain” while playing in Melbourne. Hewitt said he hopes to play again at Roland Garros. “I’ll be back, ready for the French Open,” he said.

SIDELINED BY INJURY

Rafael Nadal will miss up to four weeks while he recovers from a knee injury that forced him to quit in the third set of his Australian Open quarterfinal match against Andy Murray. Nadal had his right knee checked in Spain and was advised to rest completely for two weeks. He then will undergo two weeks of medical treatment before returning to tournament play. Nadal said the injury was not a recurrence of the tendinitis that sidelined him for periods last year. He was unable to defend his Wimbledon title in 2009 and has not reached a Grand Slam tournament final since he beat Roger Federer in five sets at the 2009 Australian Open. MRI and ultrasound tests show a small tear at the back part of Nadal’s right knee.

STRINGING GAMES

Vera Zvonareva was leading 6-4 4-2 when Victoria Azarenka of Belarus went on a tear. Azarenka ripped off 10 consecutive games to post her first career victory over Zvonareva and reach the Australian Open quarterfinals for the first time. In their four previous meetings, Azarenka had never taken a set off Zvonareva. “I just tried to keep fighting even when I was down,” the seventh-ranked Azarenka said. “I knew I could stay with her. I just had to believe in myself.”

SKIPPING FED CUP

Neither Kim Clijsters nor Justine Henin will play for Belgium in the Fed Cup opening round against Poland. The Belgian tennis federation said Clijsters made it clear that she needs a period to build up training, while Henin said the international team competition comes too early in her return to competitive tennis. That leaves Yanina Wickmayer to lead the Belgian team. Wickmayer, who had to play qualifying to reach the main draw of the Australian Open, was ousted from the year’s first Grand Slam tournament by Henin in the fourth round.

STREAKING

With his Australian Open triumph, Roger Federer has caught up with Andy Roddick. When he won the tournament in Brisbane, Australia, last month, it was the 10th straight year that Roddick has captured an ATP World Tour title, tied for best among active players. Federer’s win at the Australian Open ran his streak to 10 straight years. The two are among the 14 players who have won titles for 10 or more consecutive years since the Open Era began in 1968. The leader is Ivan Lendl, who won at least one tournament for 14 consecutive years. Jimmy Connors is second with 13 years, while Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg are tied at 12 consecutive years. Lleyton Hewitt is also at 10 consecutive years and counting.

SURFACING AGAIN

Mario Ancic is back playing competitive tennis for the first time since May 2009. Once ranked as high as number seven in the world, Ancic has been hobbled by injury and illness over the last few years. The 25-year-old Croatian, who has won three ATP World Tour titles, returned to the tour at the Heilbronn Open, a Challenger event in Heilbronn, Germany. He lost in the first round of singles to Mikhail Kukushkin in three sets, but teamed with Levro Zovko to reach the doubles final, where they lost to brothers Sanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana of Thailand 6-4 7-5.

SANIA SAYS NO

Citing incompatibility, Sania Mirza has ended her engagement to a childhood friend, Sohrab Mirza. “We were friends for five years but found ourselves incompatible during our engagement period,” the 23-year-old Indian tennis player said. “I wish Sohrab the best in life.” Sania’s father, Imran Mirza, said the end of the engagement would not impact the long friendship the two families have shared.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Heilbronn: Sanchai Ratiwatana and Sonchat Ratiwatana beat Mario Ancic and Lovro Zovko 6-4 7-5

SITES TO SURF

Fed Cup: www.fedcup.com

Zagreb: www.zagrebindoors.com/indoors.htm

Johannesburg: www.satennisopen.co.za/

Santiago: www.movistaropen.cl/

San Jose: www.sapopentennis.com/index2.html

Rotterdam: www.abnamrowtt.nl/

Costa do Sauipe: www2.uol.com.br/tenisbrasil/brasilopen/

Paris: www.opengdfsuez.com/

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

Midland: www.dowcorningtennisclassic.com

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

ATP

$572,250 PBZ Zagreb Indoors, Zagreb, Croatia, hard

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

$398,250 Novistar Open, Santiago, Chile, clay

FED CUP

First Round

World Group

Ukraine vs. Italy at Kharkiv, Ukraine, hard

Czech Republic vs. Germany at Brno, Czech Republic, hard

Serbia vs. Russia at Belgrade, Serbia, hard

France vs. United States vat Lievin, France, clay

World Group II

Australia vs. Spain at Adelaide, Australia, hard

Poland vs. Belgium at Bydgoszcz, Poland, hard

Estonia vs. Argentina at Tallinn, Estonia, hard

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

Group I – Europe/Africa

Round-robin at Cruz Quebrada, Portugal (four groups), hard: Austria, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Great Britain, Hungary, Israel, Latvia, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland

Group I – Americas

Round-robin at Lambare, Paraguay, clay: Brazil, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Paraguay, Puerto Rico

Group I – Asia/Oceana

Round-robin at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hard: Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, New Zealand, Thailand, Uzbekistan

Group II – Asia/Oceana

Round-robin at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hard: Hong Kong China, India, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Syria

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

ATP

$1,600,000 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, hard

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

$442,000 Brasil Open, Costa do Sauipe, Brazil, clay

WTA

$700,000 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

MONDAYS WITH BOB GREENE: STARS OF 2009

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STARS OF 2009

Australian Open

Men: Rafael Nadal; Women: Serena Williams

Roland Garros

Men: Roger Federer; Women: Svetlana Kuznetsova

Wimbledon

Men: Roger Federer; Women: Serena Williams

US Open

Men: Juan Martin del Potro; Women: Kim Clijsters

Sony Ericsson Championships

Serena Williams

Barclays ATP World Tour Finals

Nikolay Davydenko

Davis Cup

Spain

Fed Cup

Italy

SAYINGS

“We can attribute the strength and the growth of women’s tennis a great deal to her. She is a superstar.” – Stacey Allaster, WTA Tour chairman and CEO, talking about Serena Williams.

“My goal is to have a better year than ’09 – and to stay healthy, and I think if I can do that, I’ll be fine.” – Serena Williams, looking towards 2010.

“To win my first Roland Garros title, break the all-time Grand Slam record and regain the number one ranking is amazing. It means a lot to me to finish the year again at the top.” – Roger Federer.

“I know I’m going back into the tennis life, where we’re spoiled with limousines and hotel suites, but I know now there are other more important matters. You have to build on the human adventures, not the trophies, not the titles, not the money.” – Justine Henin, saying her time away from tennis allowed her to discover herself.

“Anyone who knows me knows that I love the game of tennis. I play it regularly, watch it frequently, and now look forward to being in Indian Wells every March to host the greatest players in the world.” – Larry Ellison, new owner of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, USA.

“Being captain of the Davis Cup team is difficult but it also makes you proud, and given that there are a lot of people who could do this job, I am thankful for the renewal of this confidence in me.” – Albert Costa, whose contract to captain Spain’s victorious Davis Cup team was extended for another year.

SERENA ATHLETE OF YEAR

Serena Williams
Serena Williams

Serena Williams was named the 2009 Female Athlete of the Year by The Associated Press. The world’s top-ranked player received 66 of 158 votes cast by editors at AP member newspaper in the United States. No other candidate got more than 18 votes. Williams won the Australian Open and Wimbledon singles titles, giving her 11 Grand Slam tournament victories for her career, and she teamed with her older sister Venus to win the women’s doubles titles at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. At the two majors she didn’t win in 2009, Williams lost to the eventual champions, Svetlana Kuznetsova at Roland Garros and Kim Clijsters at the US Open. Serena also won the AP Female Athlete of the Year award in 2002. “I’m just happy and blessed to even be playing seven years later,” she said. “All this is a bonus, really. In 2002, I just was really dominant, and I think in 2009 I just brought that back. I kind of became that player again.”

STELLAR CHAMPIONS

For the fifth time, Roger Federer has been named the International Tennis Federation (ITF) men’s champion. Serena Williams was named the top woman for the second time in her career. Federer regained the world number one ranking from Rafael Nadal as he won his first French Open title and his 15th Grand Slam tournament crown by capturing his sixth Wimbledon title. The Swiss star also reached the final of the other two Grand Slam tournaments, losing to Nadal at the Australian Open and to Juan Martin del Potro at the US Open. “It is an honor for me to be named ITF World Champion for a fifth time. It was an incredible year for me both on and off the court,” said the 28-year-old Federer, who also was married and became the father of twin daughters in 2009.

Serena Williams was also impressive in 2009. She won the Australian Open for the fourth time and her third Wimbledon title, and then finished the year by capturing the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, Qatar. She broke the single-season women’s money record by winning more than USD $6.5 million as she posted a 50-12 match record in singles. Serena led the WTA Tour with 381 aces and also led in percentages of first-service points won and service games won.

Serena also teamed with her sister Venus Williams to be named the women’s doubles World Champions. They won the doubles titles at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open in 2009, running their career total to 10 Grand Slam tournament titles. Serena joins Lindsay Davenport and Martina Hingis as the only players to become singles and doubles world champions in the same year. When Martina Navratilova was dominating both singles and doubles in the 1980s, the ITF did not honor doubles champions.

American twins Bob and Mike Bryan were named the men’s doubles World Champions for the sixth time in seven years.

The award is based on performances at Grand Slam tournaments, tour events, Davis Cup and Fed Cup. The ITF World Champions will receive their awards at the annual ITF World Champions Dinner on June 1 in Paris, France, during the French Open.

SPORTS EVENT MANAGEMENT AWARD

The All England Club received a Gold Award for Sports Event Innovation at the SportBusiness Sports Event Management Awards 2009. The award recognizes the innovation and skills of the people and organizations that make sports events happen. Nigel Rushman, co-chair of the judging panel, said the judges “were extremely impressed” by the All England Club’s entry. “They have earned the right to be considered the best in the world in their area in 2008-9.” Wimbledon unveiled a retractable roof over Centre Court in 2009, allowing play to continue even in inclement weather.

SINGLED OUT

Wild cards entries into the Australian Open have been handed out to Australians Alicia Molik and Bernard Tomic. Olivia Rogowska, a teenager from Melbourne, Australia, was also given a wild card into the women’s singles by tournament organizers. Besides Tomic, who won the Australian Open and US Open junior boys titles in 2009, others given wild cards into the men’s singles were two other Australians, under-18 champion Jason Kubler and Davis Cupper Carsten Ball. Earlier, organizers granted former world number one Justine Henin of Belgium a wild-card entry into the women’s draw.

STICKING AROUND

Albert Costa will be back as captain of Spain’s victorious Davis Cup team. The Spanish tennis federation (RFET) extended Costa’s contract for another year. Costa led his team to victory over the Czech Republic in the 2009 final as Spain became the first team in 11 years to successfully defend its title. Costa, who played Davis Cup for Spain and won the French Open as a player, had been appointed in December 2008 for one year. Spanish federation president Jose Luis Escanuela praised Costa’s “fine work behind the scenes” in winning Spain’s fourth Davis Cup.

SENT INVITATION

Great Britain’s Prince William has been invited to attend the Australian Open. Tennis Australia president Geoff Pollard sent an official invitation to Prince William, urging the second in line to the British throne to be guest of honor at Melbourne Park. The prince will be on a three-day tour of Australia, including a visit to areas devastated by bush fires. “We are very hopeful Prince William will come,” said Australian Open chief Steve Wood. “We have heard he is a bit of a tennis fan and we think he would absolutely love seeing the world’s best players on Rod Laver Arena at Australian Open 2010.”

SANTIAGO-BOUND

Defending champion Fernando Gonzalez of Chile, German Tommy Haas, Argentina’s Juan Monaco and Richard Gasquet of France headline the roster at the 2010 Movistar Open, which begins January 31 in Santiago, Chile. This year’s Movistar Open will be held during the 200th anniversary of Chilean independence and will feature players from Australia, Brazil, Ecuador, France, Argentina, Spain, Italy, Poland, Uruguay and the United States, as well as Chile. Both Haas and Gasquet will be making their first visit to Chile. Monaco was runner-up in 2008 when the tournament was held in Vina del Mar.

SWITCH IN OWNERS

The BNP Paribas Open and the Indian Wells Tennis Garden have a new owner. Larry Ellison, co-founder and CEO of Oracle Corporation, has purchased the tournament and stadium from the previous ownership group, which included several former tennis champions, including Charlie Pasarell, Raymond Moore, Pete Sampras, Chris Evert and Billie Jean King. The BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, USA, is reportedly the best attended tennis tournament in the world after the four Grand Slam events. Pasarell and Moore, who formed PM Sports Management in 1985, will continue to manage the event and the stadium for Ellison’s company, Tennis Ventures LLC. Steve Simon will continue as tournament director and chief operating officer of the facility. Former owner George Mackin has the new title of Director of Sponsorship Marketing.

SIGNED ON

Ana Ivanovic will begin her bid to regain the world number one ranking with a new fitness trainer. The 2008 Roland Garros champion has already begun working with Australian Damian Prasad on a trial basis. Prasad formerly worked with many other players, including Nadia Petrova, Eleni Danilidou, Nicolas Kiefer, Wayne Arthurs and Raemon Sluiter.

Ivanovic also has recently purchased an apartment in an exclusive building being built in New
Belgrade. Her apartment reportedly has an impressive view of New and Old Belgrade and the rivers. Construction is in the final phase and Ana’s parents, Dragana and Miroslav, have already started working on the interior design for their daughter.

STARRING AS KING

Novak Djokovic has stepped up from being the best tennis player in Serbia to becoming king of Yugoslavia. Djokovic will play the king in a new television series about the life of Aleksandar Karadjordjevic (1888-1934), who was the first king of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia as well as the last king of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The 10-episode series will begin filming in March. Novak’s youngest brother, Djordje, will play the young Aleksandar Karadjordjevic.

SELECTED

The best Czech tennis player of 2009 is – drum roll, please – the Czech Republic Davis Cup team. Czech President Vaclav Klaus presented the award to the Davis Cup team, which advanced to the final for the first time in 29 years. It is the first time in the poll’s 17-year history that the award went to a team and not an individual player. Radek Stepanek was named the best male player of the year, while Lucie Safarova received the best female tennis player of the year honor.

SELA, SHAHAR STAR

There was tennis over the Christmas holiday. One tournament was the Israeli championships in Ra’anana, which was won by Dudi Sela and Shahar Peer. Sela won his second Israeli men’s crown and first since 2006, beating Amir Weintraub in the final, while Peer had no problems crushing Julia Glushko in the women’s title match. Peer already has won six national championships, including the last four. “I was looking at the record books and saw that Tova Epstein won eight straight titles, so I’m hoping to break her record in the future,” Peer said.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Australian Open: Men: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan; Women: Serena Williams and Venus Williams; Mixed: Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi

Roland Garros: Men: Lukas Dlouhy and Leander Paes; Women: Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual

Wimbledon: Men: Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic; Women: Serena Williams and Venus Williams; Mixed: Mark Knowles and Anna-Lena Groenefeld

US Open: Men: Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy; Women: Serena Williams and Venus Williams; Mixed: Carly Gullickson and Travis Parrott

London: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan

Doha: Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez

SITES TO SURF

Brisbane: www.brisbaneinternational.com.au/

Chennai: www.aircelchennaiopen.org/

Auckland: www.asbclassic.co.nz/

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

(All money in USD)

ATP

$1,110,250 Qatar Exxon Mobil Open, Doha, Qatar, hard

$484,750 Brisbane International, Brisbane, Australia, hard

$450,000 Aircel Chennai Open, Chennai, India, hard

$125,000 ATP Challenger Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil, hard

WTA

$220,000 Brisbane International, Brisbane, Australia, hard

$220,000 ASB Classic, Auckland, New Zealand, hard