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monte carlo

Stefanos Tsitsipas Talks Tennis In Advance For Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters

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Stefanos Tsitspias is a two-time winner of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, one of the most prestigious tournaments in tennis. He won the title in 2021 and in 2022. Rolex has provided the following question and answer session with Tsitsipas that discusses the watch brand and various topics in tennis, such as Laver Cup, Netflix and more here:

Q: Can you tell us about your relationship with Rolex? When and how it came about, and what it means to you?

Stéfanos Tsitsipás (ST): What Rolex means to me is very different to other people. For me, I never really owned a watch until recently. I was patiently waiting for the day that I could own a beautiful, timeless Rolex. I always had the idea that if I was to get a watch, it would be one of impeccable quality. I stuck by this and years later, I was able to get my first Rolex Daytona watch, which is still to this day one of my favourite watches to wear. I am so glad that I have made it to a point where I could fulfil this dream of mine.

Q: What are your overall thoughts about Rolex’s longstanding support of tennis?

ST: It is a beautiful thing to have Rolex in tennis. Its longstanding support of the sport has been so important. Tennis is a sport that suits Rolex very well. I feel very lucky that they are so involved in the sport that I chose to play as a child. In 1978, Rolex decided to get into tennis, and it was that era where legends and icons of our sport were born and started to dominate but also providing the next generation with idols and inspiration. It’s amazing that Rolex has sponsored all four Grand Slams for so long, along with so many other important events. Hats off to the whole Rolex family for being so passionate about the sport.

Q: For Rolex, the perpetual pursuit of excellence and the promotion of it is key. How relevant is that to your approach to the sport?

ST: Excellence comes from hard work, building on successes and learning from failure. The perpetual quest for excellence is something that I constantly seek. For me, winning titles and silverware contributes to my motivation. It is the reason why I wake up early in the mornings for practice and work hard in my everyday life. I like to enjoy my victories and I think it’s important to celebrate even the smallest ones as they help me embrace all of my successes and hard work.

Q: Which Rolex watches do you have, and do you have any stories about them?

ST: I am fortunate enough to own the Rolex Daytona, Submariner and Cellini. They all have different stories and are special in their own way. 4/7

The Rolex Daytona represents my personality and values me really well. It’s a watch that I can wear both on and off the court. This watch is particularly memorable as it was the first watch that I received from Rolex when I became a Testimonee. It is the watch that is most memorable and the earliest memory that I have of owning the watch that I always dreamt of when growing up.

The Rolex Submariner is a watch that represents my heritage very well as I am someone who grew up by the sea and beautiful beaches. I have always loved exploring and swimming in the ocean so the Submariner is perfect for that. I discovered the Rolex Cellini later but it is just as special and symbolic due to the Greek link. ‘Cellini’ in Greek means moon, and the watch itself has a moon on it. The watch is magnificent; a beautiful timepiece that I fell in love with instantly. As soon as I saw it, I knew that it was the watch that I needed to have. I have been wearing it off the court almost every single day. I find that it also has qualities that are very unique in comparison to other watches and I really like the vintage look that you don’t get every day.

Q: With four of your ATP Titles won on clay, would you consider it your favourite playing surface?

ST: Clay is definitely the surface that I am most dominant on and the one that I can adjust to the best. It is the surface that I grew up playing on. I have spent countless hours practicing and striving for excellence on it. Sliding and running around the court feels very natural to me. Playing with the angles that clay courts have to offer comes very naturally to me as I have spent many hours doing drills focused on that. It is a surface that gives me a lot of joy to play and work hard on.

Q: You are always striving for continuous improvement, what is your next project or focus area on your game as you look to set the highest standards of performance in tennis?

ST: I think there is room for improvement in my mental capacity. My slice has improved tremendously over the past couple of years and I have become very confident in using it as a weapon. That transition has been difficult but I have embraced the challenge and been able to get to the point where it has become a key part of my artillery and skill set. I have also been putting a lot of work into my movement in recent times – in particular, my movement towards and game at the net. Increasingly, I have been approaching the net more but I feel like there are certain opportunities that I can be more successful and efficient by bringing in that old style of tennis and closing in at the net. Although there have been changes in the last couple of years in terms of court speeds, I still feel that my movement is a strength and makes me the player that I am. With regards to weaknesses, we all have weaknesses. I have been very determined to do well across all surfaces and I think that grass courts, in particular, can highlight those weaknesses and areas for improvement. There is nowhere to hide on grass. Every aspect of your game is tested. I’m really pleased how I have been consistently improving across all surfaces and remain determined to show what I am truly capable of.

Q: You made history last year becoming the first Greek player to reach a Grand Slam singles final. Are you driven by records and what does this achievement mean to you?

ST: It is the quality in the volume, that’s what it is.

Q: How would you describe the Laver Cup experience and the team dynamic?

ST: I think that the Laver Cup is so exciting because it is something that we have never seen before in tennis. It is something fresh and very new to the sport. This kind of competition naturally promotes collaboration between the players and ultimately makes us better. It is one of my favourite tournaments to play. I really feel the togetherness and honour to represent the European continent which is something you don’t get to do every day. You feel a large amount of responsibility stepping out on the court and the adrenaline and energy that you feel throughout your body is something that no other competition – except maybe a Grand Slam – can replicate.

Q: You’ve showcased your skills and passion for filmmaking. Is this something you see yourself pursuing once your playing career is over?

ST: Filmmaking is something that I will take even more seriously once my playing career is over. I have always shown a lot of interest in it. I have always been willing to learn and get better at it. I have been lucky enough to receive a lot of advice from experts in the field and this has only encouraged me to pursue it and increase my skills and knowledge.

Filmmaking represents me very well. It represents my ideas about life and allows me to capture the highlights that life has to offer. I feel like an author when I have the camera in my hand. It is a piece of art that I can entirely express myself through in any shape or form whenever I want.

It gives me so many creative ideas unlike anything else in the world – except maybe tennis! There is so much freedom that comes with it and it is such a great feeling when I produce, direct, edit and express my ideas.

Q: As one of the players participating in the Netflix documentary filming – do you prefer to be in front or behind the camera?

ST: I have mixed emotions regarding this. I always wanted to have something like this in tennis and would have probably liked to have been the director of it! However, it’s exciting to be an ‘actor’ in one of the most exciting things happening this year in tennis in terms of the exposure and hopefully bringing new fans and people to the sport. I feel privileged that I am able to showcase my life and tell my story on such a platform. It has been a very intense year with lots of tennis. There have been plenty of ups and downs, good and bad moments so far. I really hope that the end product is a great story, exciting and show some fascinating insights into our sport. The beauty and power of filmmaking is that it provides opportunities to tell stories that have not been told before. This is one of the things that I love about filmmaking.

Q: How do you like to relax and spend time away from the tennis court?

ST: I have been enjoying the sea a lot lately. I have been taking a sailing boat out on the ocean and going around the Greek islands. This is something that I don’t get to do very often but truly enjoy. It makes me really happy. As someone who grew up by the sea, I feel that it is somewhere that I belong. I feel that when I am out at sea, I can confront and get rid of my problems and concerns. It is a beautiful place to be. If you can combine that with friends and family, it is special. Sailing is definitely a hobby of mine and an activity that makes such a positive difference to my mood.

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Surprising Fabio Fognini Snares Monte-Carlo Crown – Mondays with Bob Greene

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Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Fabio Fognini beat Dusan Lajovic 6-3 6-4 to win the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in Monte-Carlo, Monaco

Jay Clark beat Prajnesh Gunnesharan 6-4 6-3 to win the Kunming Open in Anning, China

Tommy Paul beat Tennys Sandgren 6-3 6-4 to win the Elizabeth Moore Sarasota Open in Sarasota, Florida, USA

 

FED CUP

World Group Semifinals

France beat Romania 3-2 at Rouen, France

Australia beat Belarus 3-2 at Brisbane, Australia

 

World Group Playoffs

Czech Republic beat Canada 4-0 at Prostejov, Czech Republic; United States beat Switzerland 3-2 at San Antonio, Texas, USA; Germany beat Latvia 3-1 at Riga, Latvia; Spain beat Belgium 3-2 at Kortrijk, Belgium

 

World Group II Playoffs

Russia beat Italy 4-0 at Moscow, Russia; Japan beat Netherlands 4-0 at Osaka, Japan; Great Britain beat Kazakhstan 3-1 at London, Great Britain; Slovakia beat Brazil 3-1 at Bratislava, Slovakia

Group II, Americas Zone: Peru and Venezuela promoted to Americas Zone Group I in 2020

Group III, Europe/Africa Zone: Finland and Egypt promoted to Europe/Africa Zone II in 2020

 

SAYINGS

“This is a great achievement, but it’s tough to beat Rafa and then play a final.” – Fabio Fognini, who did just that: beat Rafael Nadal in the semifinals at Monte-Carlo before his winning his first Masters 1000 title.

“It was my first time in a final, so a great experience for me. It’s many more positives than negatives this week, so there is no reason to be sad even if I don’t feel as happy as the whole week today. But I know that it’s my best result, and I just hope that I can repeat this result in some other event, as well, in the future.” – Dusan Lajovic, after losing in the Monte-Carlo final.

“I deserved to lose.” – Rafael Nadal, after falling to Fabio Fognini in the semifinals at Monte-Carlo.

“If you told me at the beginning of the week, I will see you on Sunday, I would (have) laughed in your face. I was 6-4, 4-1 down and break point for 5-1, and I hit an ace on the line. But that’s incredible sport. So, I was lucky.” – Fabio Fognini, talking about his first-round win at Monte-Carlo.

“It’s definitely the best match of my career. Not in terms of level of tennis, but definitely by the result.” – Daniil Medvedev, following his Monte-Carlo victory over top-ranked Novak Djokovic.

“If I’m being honest, the favorite is still Rafael Nadal. I’m not the only one that says this. He’s won, I don’t know how many times, and he’s still the favorite every week that we play on this surface.” – Fabio Fognini, noting Rafael Nadal’s clay-court record.

“This is my best ever Fed Cup singles match. It’s an amazing feeling.” – Pauline Parmentier, who won her singles match for France, forcing a decisive doubles match which France won to advance to the Fed Cup final.

“Every match was incredible.” – Julien Benneteau, French Fed Cup captain after his team edged Romania 3-2 to advance to the women’s international team competition final in November.

“I could not have picked two more perfect athletes to compete. Ash and Sam are superstars.” – Alicia Molik, Australian Fed Cup captain after Ashleigh Barty and Samantha Stosur’s doubles win over Belarus put Australia into the Fed Cup final.

“Our dream is to win the Fed Cup again because that’s where we belong. I hope that doesn’t sound too arrogant. I’ve been involved in three finals and lost all of them, hence winning the competition remains one of my career goals.” – Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, after leading Russia to a 4-0 sweep of Italy in Fed Cup.

“I had tears in my eyes even when I was warming up. It was beautiful.” – Lucie Safarova, who won the doubles in her last Fed Cup match for the Czech Republic.

“We’re oldies but goodies.” – Andrea Petkovic, noting that the original four players selected to beat Latvia – herself, Angelique Kerber, Julia Goerges and Anna-Lise Groenefeld – were the same foursome who lost a Fed Cup playoff to Australia seven years ago.

“I’m already in the autumn of my career.” – Mona Barthel, after being told that at age 28 she was the youngest member of Germany’s Fed Cup team.

“Being a tennis player is a wonderful job. Every talented boy should try to become professional, but there is a bad and good side. … It’s great talking about it once you have made it, but there are a thousand ones who did not make it and I like to remind that.” – Boris Becker, on being a professional tennis player.

 

SURPRISING FINAL

It was supposed to be Novak Djokovic against Rafael Nadal, the battle between the world’s top two-ranked players, with Nadal seeking to win the Monte-Carlo Masters tournament for a record 12th time. Instead, Fabio Fognini became the first Italian to win Monte-Carlo in 51 years. “I was born nearby, so this is extraordinary,” the 31-year-old Fognini said after defeating Dusan Lajovic in straight sets. In a way, the title match was anticlimactic. Fognini beat third-ranked Alexander Zverev before ending Nadal’s 18-match win streak in the semifinals. “I started the season rather badly, so this is unbelievable,” Fognini said. “I’m very content with this victory, especially with all of the Italians here today.” The last Italian champion at Monte-Carlo was Nicola Pietrangeli, who won in 1961, 1967 and 1968. Lajovic was playing in his first ATP final, and he had reached the title match without the loss of a set. It took Fognini 44 minutes to change that. But after the Italian broke Lajovic to lead 3-2 in the second, he called for a medical timeout and had his right thigh and a heel taped. It didn’t appear to both him as he closed out his biggest victory on his second match point. “This is something incredible,” Fognini exclaimed. Lajovic was also thrilled with his week despite the loss. “It was my first time in the finals, so a great experience for me,” the Serb said. He also came into Monte-Carlo after being sick the week before. “I was on antibiotics last week. I didn’t know how I’d do,” Lajovic said. He did fantastic, upsetting fourth-seeded Dominic Thiem on his way to the final. “Today was not easy, there was a lot of wind,” Lajovic said. “Fabio is a guy who knows how to play in these conditions. He has great hands, he’s moving really well.”

 

SQUEEKER

Ashleigh Barty won both of her singles, then teamed with Samantha Stosur to capture the doubles and lead Australia into the Fed Cup final for the first time since 1993. The doubles became crucial when Victoria Azarenka crushed Stosur 6-1 6-1 in the reverse singles to knot the best-of-five-matches competition at 2-2. “It was about either we stay and fight for another match or go home,” Azarenka said of her win over Stosur. “So, I was very focused.” Barty proved to be the best of all. She began the two-day competition by beating Azarenka 7-6 (2) 6-3 to pull Australia even at 1-1. Barty began Day Two with a 6-2 6-2 win over Aryna Sabalenka before Azarenka’s victory leveled the tie once again. Barty, however, was not finished, pairing with Stosur to beat Azarenka and Sabalenka 7-5 3-6 6-2. “We knew it was going to be a tough one and we are just so happy with how we played,” Stosur said. “All the girls have worked so hard throughout the year and we really stick together.”

 

SNARES SEMIFINAL

When Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic won the doubles, beating Simona Halep and Monica Niculescu, it put France into the Fed Cup final for the sixth time and ended Romania’s dreams to reach its maiden final. France last won the women’s international team event in 2003 and will go to Australia for the Nov. 9-10 final. Garcia and Mladenovic, both 25 years old, beat the Romanians 5-7 6-3 6-4, closing out the victory on their first match point in front of an enthusiastic home crowd in Rouen, France. The winning pair were playing together for the first since they lost to the Czech Republic in the deciding doubles of the 2016 Fed Cup final. Halep beat Garcia in the day’s first singles match, giving the Romanians a 2-1 lead. But Pauline Parmentier, who had won just one of her eight Fed Cup rubbers, beat Irina Begu 6-3 2-6 6-2 to send the best-of-five-matches tie into the decisive doubles. “I found out I was playing last night,” Parmentier said. “I didn’t sleep very well, and I was awake pretty early, ready to play.”

 

SAYONARA

Two players ended their Fed Cup careers by helping their countries to victory. Lucy Safarova was part of the winning doubles team as the Czech Republic retained its World Group status by crushing Canada 4-0, while Dominika Cibulkova led Slovakia to an unassailable 3-0 lead over Brazil in their World Group II playoff.

A left-hander, Safarova has played Fed Cup for the Czech Republic since 2004 and was the leader in the country’s 2012 and 2014 triumps. “Her contribution has been huge,” Fed Cup captain Petr Pala said of Safarova. “She has helped us win so many close matches and as well as being such a great player, she has always worked so hard for the team.”

Cibulkova won both of her singles matches in Slovakia’s 3-1 win over Brazil, ending her Fed Cup career with a 22-11 singles record. After her second win, a gritty 7-6 (3) 6-0 victory over Beatriz Hadad Maia, there were hugs, kisses and high-fives from teammates. Cibulkova responded by spraying them with bottles of sparkling win and tearfully thanking the crowd for their love and support over the years.

 

STUNNER

Rafael Nadal was heading for his 12th Monte-Carlo title when he ran into Fabio Fognini. The Italian stunned the second-seeded Nadal 6-4 6-2 in the semifinals at Monaco, snapping the left-hander’s 18-match winning streak. Nadal grabbed the first break of serve in the match and led 3-1 before Fognini ripped off 11 of the final 14 games. “I probably played one of the worst matches on clay in 14 years,” Nadal said. “When that happens, you have to lose. And today I deserved to lose because I played against a player that was better than me today.”

 

SHOCKS DJOKOVIC

Controlling play with his backhand, Daniil Medvedev shocked top-ranked Novak Djokovic in the Monte-Carlo quarterfinals, winning 6-3 4-6 6-2 in two hours, 20 minutes. “(Reaching my) first Masters 1000 semifinals, beating number one for the first time in my life. Just amazing,” Medvedev said. With the victory, his first in four career meetings against Djokovic, Medvedev became just the second player to defeat Djokovic in nine Monte-Carlo quarterfinals. David Goffin of Belgium was the first to achieve the feat in 2017. “He’s got a very solid backhand,” Djokovic said of Medvedev. “He doesn’t make many mistakes from the backhand.

“He hits it very low with depth. A windy day like today, conditions are changing every single game. It’s kind of tough to find the rhythm, and he doesn’t give you much rhythm. He improved his movement a lot since last year. He definitely deserves to be where he is.”

 

SKIPS TIE

Angelique Kerber missed Germany’s Fed Cup playoff victory over Latvia because of an illness. The reigning Wimbledon champion has been struggling to recover from a protracted bout of flu. She was told by doctors not to play last weekend. “I am disappointed and sad to miss the Latvia tie,” said Kerber, who is ranked fifth in the world.

 

SCHOOL-BOUND

Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime has more in his future than life on the ATP Tour. “My dad messaged me the other day and said, ‘I have three pieces of advice: Keep working hard, stay the same person and find a school’,” the 18-year-old Auger-Aliassime said. “He wants me to go back to school, so I have to find an online school now. Having these kinds of people around you helps you stay the same person.” After reaching the final in Rio de Janeiro and the semifinals in Miami, Auger-Aliassime has moved into the Top 35 in the rankings. “I’m lucky to have great people around me,” said the Canadian, who became the youngest player to win an ATP Challenger Tour match when he was 14. “They’re always saying the right things and helping me do the right work.”

 

SUSPENDED AGAIN

Joao Souza’s suspension for corruption has been reinstated by the Tennis Integrity Unit. The Brazilian was provisionally suspended on March 29, but was reinstated on April 8 following a successful appeal. However, the TIU says the provisional suspension has been reinstated “following consideration of additional evidence submitted by the TIU. While giving no further reasons for the suspension, the TIU said no more appeals will be accepted. The 30-year-old Souza is currently ranked 422nd in the world. In 2015, he reached a career-high ranking of 69th. That was the year he played in the longest Davis Cup singles match, losing 15-13 in the first set to Argentina’s Leonardo Mayer after 6 hours, 42 minutes.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Anning: Max Purcell and Luke Saville beat David Pel and Hans Podlipnik-Castillo 4-6 7-5 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Monte-Carlo: Nikola Mektic and Franko Skugor beat Robin Haase and Wesley Koolfhof 6-7 (3) 7-6 (3) 11-9 (match tiebreak)

Sarasota: Martin Cuevas and Paolo Lorenzi beat Luke Bambridge and Jonny O’Mara 7-6 (5) 7-6 (6)

 

SURFING

Barcelona: https://www.barcelonaopenbancsabadell.com/es

Budapest: https://teniszjegyek.hu/Jegyvasarlas

Stuttgart: https://www.porsche-tennis.de/

Istanbul: http://istcup.net/

Estoril: http://millenniumestorilopen.com/en/

Munich: https://www.bmwopenbyfwu.de/

Puerta Vallarta: https://www.puertovallartaopen.com/en/

Bordeaux: https://tournoi-primrosebordeaux.com/

Prague: https://www.jtbopen.cz/

Charleston: http://www.ltp-tournaments.com

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

 

MEN

$3,102,730 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain, clay

$662,174 Hungarian Open, Budapest, Hungary, clay

 

WOMEN

$886,077 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Stuttgart, Germany, clay

$250,000 TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Cup, Istanbul, Turkey, clay

$125,000 Kunming Open, Anning, China, clay

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

 

MEN

586,140 Millennium Estoril Open, Estoril, Portugal, clay

586,140 BMW Open by FWU, Munich, Germany, clay

$135,400 Puerta Vallarta Open, Puerta Vallarta, Mexico, hard

114,800 BNP Paribas Primrose, Bordeaux, France, clay

 

WOMEN

$250,000 J&T Banka Prague Open, Prague, Czech Republic, clay

$250,000 Grand Prix De SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem, Rabat, Morocco, clay

$100,000 Live To Play, Charleston, South Carolina, USA, clay

Fabio Fognini
Fabio Fognini

Rafael Nadal Wins Monte Carlo for Record 11th Time – Mondays with Bob Greene

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Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Rafael Nadal beat Kei Nishikori 6-3 6-2 to win the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in Monte Carlo, Monaco

Zheng Saisai beat Wang Yafan 5-7 6-2 6-1 to win the Biyuan Cop Zhengzhou Women’s Tennis Open in Zhengzhou, China

Hugo Dellien beat Facundo Bagnis 2-6 6-4 6-2 to win the 2018 Elizabeth Moore Sarasota Open in Sarasota, Florida, USA

 

FED CUP

World Group

Semifinals

Czech Republic beat Germany 4-1 at Stuttgart, Germany

United States beat France 3-2 at Aix-en-Provence, France

 

Playoffs

Belarus beat Slovakia 3-2 at Minsk, Belarus

Romania beat Switzerland 3-1 at Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Australia beat Netherlands 4-1 at Wollongong, Australia

Belgium beat Italy 4-0 at Genoa, Italy

 

WORLD GROUP II, Playoff

Latvia beat Russia 3-2 at Khanty-Manslysk, Russia; Spain beat Paraguay 3-1 at Cartagena, Murcia, Spain; Canada beat Ukraine 3-2 at Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Japan beat Great Britain 3-1 at Miki, Japan

 

SAYING

“Eleven titles here, it’s unbelievable. It’s something difficult to imagine. The history with this tournament is unique.” – Rafael Nadal, after winning his record-extending 11th Monte-Carlo title.

“Tough day today playing Rafa. He was a little too good today. But I think I’ve been playing well this week, and I think I’m almost there.” – Kei Nishikori, after losing the Monte-Carlo final to Rafael Nadal.

“I feel relieved. It was a very tough tie. It was an outstanding performance from each of the (singles) winners. The tennis was unbelievable.” – Petr Pala, Czech Republic Fed Cup captain.

“Everyone knows that if Petra plays well and she has her rhythm, she is tough to beat. That’s why she has won two Grand Slams and why she has been at the tope of the game for such a long time.” – Angelique Kerber, after losing to Petra Kvitova as the Czech Republic beat Germany in a Fed Cup semifinal.

“Yes, this was my last as Fed Cup captain. There is no changing my mind. I’m going to miss it clearly. We have a beautiful group. I love my team. I love Fed Cup. It’s such an honor with so much passion. But one day you have to move on and I’ve other projects, other dreams, and I have my family.” – Yannick Noah, French Fed Cup captain.

“I had to conquer my Fed Cup losing streak here and get another good win.” – Sloane Stephens, following her win over Kristina Mladenovic as the United States beat France in their Fed Cup semifinal.

“It’s horrendous, it’s terrible.” – Olga Savchuk, Ukraine Fed Cup captain on her team falling back to the zonal group next year.

“There are a lot of things that I need to get better at and improve on. But looking at the overall picture, the overall beginning of this year … first thing is that I’m healthy. I’m not starting from zero, there’s a lot to build from. Personally, that’s important for me.” – Maria Sharapova.

 

STREAK REACHES 11

The King of Clay showed his dominance again, easily winning his 11th Monte Carlo Masters, then talking about his future. “I know the day to say goodbye is closer than 10 years ago. Is something that I am not worried about, but it’s a real thing,” said the Spaniard, who was playing in his first tournament since retiring from an Australian Open quarterfinal in January with a hip injury. “So, I’m just enjoying every day and trying to play with the best attitude possible, to keep being happy playing tennis.” The 31-year-old left-hander crushed Japan’s Kei Nishikori in straight sets to become the first man to win a tournament 11 times in the Open era. His 31st Masters title is also a record, breaking a tie he had with Novak Djokovic. Nadal’s 24th clay court Masters title also was his 76th ATP World Tour crown. By winning, Nadal also retained his world number one ranking. “My legs were very heavy today, playing three sets three days in a row, playing with tough players,” Nishikori said. “It wasn’t easy physically, obviously.”

 

STOPS COMPATRIOT

In a battle of Chinese players, unseeded Zheng Saisai rallied to defeat Wang Yafan to capture the Biyuan Cup Zhengzhou Women’s Tennis Open. Zheng was up a double break in the opening set when Wang went on a tear, winning it 7-5. Zheng wasn’t about to let that happen again as she backed up early breaks in the next two sets while dropping only three more games It was Zheng’s first title since her comeback and her second 125k crown. The 24-year-old champion dropped just one set en route to the final, winning four sets at love. Zheng started the week by beating second-seeded Peng Shuai. Wang lost only one set before falling to Zheng.

Wang didn’t leave Zhengzhou empty-handed. She teamed with Duan Yingying to win the doubles title, stopping Naomi Broady and Yanina Wickmayer in the final.

 

SEIZES SPOT IN FINAL  

US Open champion Sloane Stephens won both of her singles matches and Madison Keyes clinched the victory to sent the United States back to the final and defend its Fed Cup title. The Americans, who defeated France 3-2, will meet the Czech Republic for the title. The Czechs beat Germany 4-1. “’The girls did so well, both today and yesterday,” US captain Kathy Rinaldi said. “We are very fortunate to have such a strong group and now we are looking forward to what is going to be a great final.” Keys, replacing Coco Vandeweghe in the reverse singles, rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the first set and beat France’s Pauline Parmentier 7-6 (4) 6-4 to give the Americans an unbeatable 3-1 lead. The French salvaged some pride when Amandine Hesse and Kristina Mladenovic beat Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Vandeweghe 6-4 3-6 10-6 (match tiebreak) in the doubles. Stephens crushed Mladenovic 6-2 6-0 to put the United States ahead 2-1. “That was a really good one,” Stephens said. “You never anticipate a score line like the way it turned out, but it was really solid.” Sloane began the best-of-five competition by edging Parmentier 7-6 (3) 7-5. Then France knotted the score 1-1 when Mladenovic overcame Vandeweghe 1-6 6-3 6-2. The Americans have beaten France 12 times in their 14 Fed Cup meetings.

 

SIXTH FINAL IN EIGHT YEARS

Petra Kvitova powered her way over former world number one Angelique Kerber 6-2 6-2 as the Czech Republic stopped Germany 4-1 and grabbed a spot in the Fed Cup final for the sixth time in eight years. “I am very relieved,” Kvitova said after her victory over Kerber. “I was getting nervous before this game. … I knew we still needed one point from our last two games and I just did my best.” Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon winner, began the tie by crushing Julia Goerges 6-3 6-2 before Karolina Pliskova beat Kerber 7-5 6-3, giving the Czech Republic a 2-0 lead. But Goerges gave Germany a boost, beating Pliskova 6-4 6-2, setting the stage for Kerber to knot the best-of-five tie. It was not to be. “It will take a while to get over it,” Kerber admitted. “We all know that was a great opportunity for us. Barbora Strycova and Katherina Siniakova won the doubles when Goerges, playing alongside Anna-Lena Groenefeld, retired hurt after the Czechs won the first set 7-5. The Czechs will take on the United States in the final.

 

SET FOR BARCELONA

Novak Djokovic, saying he is pain-free for the first time in two years, will continue his comeback at this week’s Barcelona Open. In his last tournament, Djokovic was beaten by Austria’s Dominic Thiem in the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters. Barcelona will be on the fifth tournament Djokovic has played since Wimbledon last summer. He missed the last half of last year with a right elbow injury.

 

SENIORS DOING IT

Twins Bob and Mike Bryan won their sixth Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters doubles title, stopping Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic in the final. It was the Americans’ 38th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy and their record 116th tour-level team title. Monte-Carlo was the fourth consecutive tournament in which the Bryans reached the final and winning the Miami Open. The brothers have now won multiple titles in each of their past 18 seasons.

 

SICK BAY

Nick Kyrgios is hoping a cortisone injection in his elbow will allow him to get fit enough in time to play the French Open. The injury is forcing the Australian to miss clay court events in Estoril, Portugal, and Madrid, Spain. Kyrgios said he has been suffering the injury since he played Davis Cup against Germany in February. Since then he has played just two events. “I have done everything in my power to overcome this organically through rehabs, rest and treatment, but have still been suffering with pain,” Kyrgios said on Twitter. “I have been unable to ply anywhere near the level I need to be at to compete at the highest levels. I have now taken the advice of my physio and doctors to have a cortisone injection directly into the elbow.”

 

STUTTGART RETURN

For the second straight year, Maria Sharapova will play the Porsche Tennis Classic. Last year the Stuttgart, Germany, event marked her return to tennis after service a 15-month drug ban for use of the illegal mediation meldonium. Sharapova won the event three straight years, 2012-2014. Last year she reached the semifinals, where she lost to Kristina Mladenovic of France. Sharapova is trying to find her winning game before the French Open. Because of her arm problem, the Russian has played just nine matches in 2018. She lost in the first round at Doha in February, withdrew from Dubai and was ousted in the first round at Indian Wells by eventual winner Naomi Osaka of Japan.

 

SCOTTISH START?

There’s a possibility that Andy Murray could begin his comeback in his native Scotland. The former world number one, who underwent hip surgery in January, is considering playing in a new ATP Challenger tournament being played at Glasgow’s Scotstoun Tennis Centre the week of April 28. Murray hasn’t played competitively since Wimbledon last year.

 

SWISS MASTER

Swiss tennis great Roger Federer appears on the cover of Time for the magazine’s annual 100 Most Influential People issue. The 36-year-old has won three of the last five Grand Slam tournaments, including the Australian Open in January. He holds a men’s record 20 Grand Slam tournament titles in February became the oldest player to be ranked number one in the world. The magazine extolls Federer’s accomplishments on and off the court, noting that he has donated more than USD $36 million to help children in six African countries as well as Switzerland. Six other athletes made the list: Kevin Durant of the NBA Golden State Warriors; J.J. Watt of the NFL Houston Texans; Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon, Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim, cricket player Virat Kohli and gymnast Rachael Denhollander.

 

STREAMING US OPEN

E-commerce giant Amazon signed a five-year deal that will mean the US Open will become the first Grand Slam tournament to be broadcast solely online in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The deal with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) begins with this year’s tournament. Matches will be available to be seen live and on demand for members of Amazon Prime Video, it’s internet video service. Amazon will also broadcast 37 ATP World Tour events, including nine Masters tournaments, beginning in 2019.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Monte Carlo: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic 7-6 (5) 6-3

Sarasota: Evan King and Hunter Reese beat Christian Harrison and Peter Polansky 6-1 6-2 

Zhengzhou: Duan Yingying and Wang Yafan beat Naomi Broady and Yanina Wickmayer 7-6 (5) 6-3

 

SURFING

Barcelona: www.barcelonaopenbancsabadell.com/en/

Istanbul: http://istopen.net/

Munich: http://bmwopen.de/tickets/

Estoril: http://millenniumestorilopen.com/en/

Istanbul: www.mobilet.com/bucket-event/teb-paribas-istanbul-cup-1001

Glasgow: www.lta.org.uk/major-events/glasgow/

Prague: www.jtbopen.cz/cs/

Khimki: www.schooltennis.ru

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

 

MEN

2,794,220 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain, clay

$150,000 Kunming Open, Anning, China, clay

 

WOMEN

$816,000 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Stuttgart, Germany, clay

$250,000 TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Cup, Istanbul, Turkey, clay

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

 

MEN

$663,722 Millennium Estoril Open, Estoril, Portugal, clay

$663,722 BMW Open by FWU, Munich, Germany, clay

$610,833 TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open, Istanbul, Turkey, clay

$104,415 Glasgow Trophy, Glasgow, Scotland, Great Britain, hard

$100,000 Seoul Open Challenger, Seoul, Korea, hard

 

WOMEN

$250,000 J&T Banka Prague Open, Prague, Czech Republic, clay

$250,000 Grand Prix De SAR La Princesse Lalla Mergem, Rabat, Morocco, clay

$115,000 Kunming Open, Anning, China, clay

$100,000 Properties Ladies Cup, Khimki, Russia, hard

 

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal

Rafa Nadal Collects Incredible 10th Title In Monte Carlo

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Rafael Nadal beat Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-1 6-3 to win the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters in Monte Carlo, Monaco

Yen-Hsun Yu beat Tatsuma Ito 6-1 7-6 (4) to win the Santaizi Challenger in Taipei, Taiwan

Janko Tipsarevic beat Oscar Otte 6-3 7-6 (9) to win the International Challenger 2017 Qingdao in Qingdao, China

Wang Qiang beat Peng Shuai 3-6 7-6 (3) 1-1, retired, to win the Biyuan Cup Zhengzhou Women’s Tennis Open in Zhengzhou, China

Frances Tiafoe beat Tennys Sandgren 6-3 6-4 to win the Elizabeth Moore Sarasota Open in Sarasota, Florida, USA

 

FED CUP

World Group Semifinals

United States beat Czech Republic 3-2 at Wesley Chapel, Florida, USA

Belarus beat Switzerland 3-2 at Minsk, Belarus

World Group Playoffs

France beat Spain 4-0 at Roanne, France; Belgium beat Russia 3-2 at Moscow, Russia; Germany beat Ukraine 3-2 at Stuttgart, Germany Netherlands beat Slovakia 3-2 at Bratislava, Slovakia

World Group II Playoffs

Italy beat Chinese Taipei 3-1 at Barletta, Italy; Romania beat Great Britain 3-2 at Constanta, Romania; Australia beat Serbia 4-0 at Zrenjanin, Serbia; Canada beat Kazakhstan 3-2 at Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Group II

Europe/Africa Zone round-robin at Siauliai, Lithuania: Slovenia and Sweden promoted to Europe/Africa Zone Group I in 2018; Lithuania and Egypt relegated to Europe/Africa Zone Group III in 2018

 

SAYING

“I feel lucky to keep playing tennis, being healthy all those years, to compete in one of the most beautiful events of the year, without a doubt. Very happy to win another one. For me is a very important day in my career.” – Rafael Nadal, after winning a record 10th Monte Carlo Masters.

“We expected a patriotic crowd for the Romanian team, but we don’t expect abusive language to be used … What he said directed to both Johanna (Konta) and myself is … language that is not appropriate for anyone to speak to any other human. – Anne Keothavong, British Fed Cup captain, on comments made by Romanian Fed Cup captain Ilie Nastase that caused him to be ejected from the tie.

“This is unacceptable behavior by a Fed Cup captain. No player, official, member of the media or fan should have to endure any kind of abuse, and Mr. Nastase will rightly play no further part in this tie.” – David Haggerty, president of the International Tennis Federation.

“I’m happy to confirm Serena is expecting a baby this fall.” – Kelly Bush Novak, a spokeswoman for Serena Williams confirming the pregnancy.

“I don’t know. I don’t know. I’m doing everything that I can to play well.” – Novak Djokovic, when asked why he has been losing matches this year.

“You never win a tennis match by chance – football sometimes, but not tennis – so there is no doubt that Belarus was the better team. It seems to me that in key moments they were a little bit more courageous than we were, and this sport does reward the courageous.” – Heinz Guenthardt, Fed Cup captain of Switzerland’s team that lost its semifinal tie against Belarus.

“We all came together when it mattered most, and that’s what you expect out of a Fed Cup tie. We deserve to be in the finals.” – CoCo Vandeweghe, after leading the United States to a Fed Cup semifinal win over the Czech Republic.

“We were the underdog here. They are much better ranked, but I repeat from Day One: ‘We have to take our chance to win.’ I think the girls believed that.” – Dominique Monami, captain of the Belgium Fed Cup team that beat Russia 3-2.

“I never expected to beat Jo. I certainly didn’t expect to beat him on clay. But I tried not to think he was on the other side of the net. I just focused on what I had to do.” – Adrian Mannarino, after upsetting Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at Monte Carlo.

“I really want to congratulate him. He played a very good match. He was better than me today.” – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, on Adrian Mannarino.

“Today I did everything (right). I was very focused. I was really motivated after yesterday, and I’m really motivated to win this tie.” – Simona Halep, after beating Johanna Konta 6-1 6-3 and leading Romania to a 3-2 Fed Cup win over Great Britain.

 

SAME OLD NASTY

Ilie Nastase has once again lived up to his nickname “Nasty.” Nastase was kicked out of Romania’s Fed Cup tie against Britain for “unsportsmanlike conduct” following comments he made about Serena Williams’ unborn child, to British player Johanna Konta and visiting captain Anne Keothavong as well as aiming abuse at the umpire. “Mr. Nastase was also removed from the grounds due to his serious misconduct,” the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said in a statement. His accreditation was removed and he will play no further part in the tie.”

Nastase, captain of Romania’s Fed Cup team, was overheard at the official draw telling one of his team members about Williams’ baby. “Let’s see what color it has. Chocolate with milk?” he was quoted by Romanian and some British media as saying. At the official pre-match dinner, Nastase put his arm around Keothavong and asked for her room number, which the British captain said made her feel “uncomfortable.” Then, during the first day of play, Nastase was booted from the court by the umpire after a tirade of abuse left Konta in tears, causing play to be suspended briefly. “The ITF has launched an investigation into this matter as well as previous comments made by Mr. Nastase during the week,” the ITF said.

Now 70 years old, Nastase won the US Open in 1972 and the French Open in 1973.

Romania won its World Group II playoff tie, edging Great Britain 3-2. With the loss, Great Britain falls back to Europe/Asia Zone Group I play in 2018.

 

SPANISH SOVEREIGN

Rafael Nadal is back on clay, which means the Spaniard is back grabbing the biggest trophies at the end of tournaments. Nadal crushed fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas to win Monte Carlo for the 10th time – the first time any player has won the same ATP tournament 10 times. Yet, Nadal can duplicate that remarkable feat at Barcelona this week and at the French Open next month. “Is really unbelievable, no?” Nadal said. “Win 10 times in such an important event like Monte Carlo is something difficult to describe the feeling. Yeah, is a little bit of luck; lot of things together should happen to make this 10th title in an event like Monte Carlo.” Against Ramos-Vinolas, Nadal never faced a break point as he won a record 50th clay title and his 70th career crown. “The next step is not Roland Garros,” Nadal said. The next step is Barcelona. That’s the real thing. Today is a good start of the clay court season.”

 

SERENA EXPECTING

Announcing she is pregnant, Serena Williams has stepped away from tennis to await the birth of her first child. Williams has not played since winning the Australian Open in January, her record-breaking Open Era 23rd Grand Slam tournament singles title snapping a tie with Steffi Graf. Margaret Smith Court of Australia has won 24 major titles, but 13 came before the Open Era began in 1968. In December, Williams announced that she and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian were engaged. She announced on Snapchat that she is 20 weeks pregnant, which means she was pregnant when she won in Melbourne, Australia. The 35-year-old Williams withdrew from two hard-court events in Indian Wells, California, and Miami, Florida, citing a knee injury.

The news of her pregnancy also came just before she returned to the number one spot in the WTA rankings. Her stay will be short, however. Angelique Kerber can regain the top spot by reaching the semifinals this week in Stuttgart, Germany. Williams has been ranked number one for 317 weeks, the third longest in the WTA Rankings history behind Stefanie Graff (377) and Martina Navratilova (332).

 

SERB SHOCKER

Novak Djokovic’s 2017 campaign took another step backwards at the Monte Carlo Masters, thanks to David Goffin. The Belgian finally prevailed 6-2 3-6 7-5 on his fifth match point to post his first career victory over Djokovic in six meetings. Goffin trailed 4-2 in the final set before breaking Djokovic in the eighth game, then held in a tight 11th game. In the next game, Djokovic was hit with a time violation for taking too long to serve. “That’s fair from the chair umpire to tell me that I’m taking a little bit too much time,” the Serb said. “It was just in a very awkward moment to give me a warning. It’s just that sometimes there should be maybe a little bit more tolerance and understanding for certain situations like that one, where it was very long point at 6-5 in the third.” After Djokovic saved four match points, he committed a sloppy error to give Goffin a fifth chance. The Belgian hit a deep forehand to Djokovic netted. “I’m really happy with the way I finished the match,” Goffin said. “It was a great feeling, great atmosphere.”

Goffin failed to duplicate that performance in the semifinals, falling easily to Rafael Nadal 6-3 6-1.

 

SET FOR NEW CHAMPION

CoCo Vandeweghe had a hand in all three points as the United States eliminated three-time reigning Fed Cup champions Czech Republic to grab a spot in the final of the international team competition. The Czechs had won five of the last six Fed Cup trophies, but were no match for Vandeweghe, who has now won her last nine Fed Cup matches, including singles and doubles. “It was an amazing day as a team, and it shows that every point counts in this event,” said Vandeweghe, who won both of her singles matches, then teamed with Bethanie Mattek-Sands to capture the decisive doubles match. The victory will send the United States to surprising Belarus in November for the title. It is the first time in seven years that the Americans have reached the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Final.

 

SASNOVICH AND SABALENKA

Two young players – Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Aryna Sabalenka – teamed up to give Belarus a surprising victory over Switzerland and a spot in the Fed Cup final against the United States. Sabalenka, a hard-hitting 18-year-old, downed Viktorija Golubic 6-3 2-6 6-4 to clinch the Belarus semifinal victory. That came after the 23-year-old Sasnovich surprised Timea Bacsinszky 6-2 7-6 (2). Sasnovich is ranked 96th in the world, 74 spots below Switzerland’s top player. “She was better than me today,” Bacsinszky said. “She played amazing and was there at the right moments.” Belarus reached the Fed Cup final without former world number one Victoria Azarenka, who has recently indicated she is close to returning the WTA tour after giving birth to her first child.

 

SIGNS FOR PARIS

A two-time Wimbledon champion is keeping her options open to play this year’s French Open. Petra Kvitova, who has been sidelined since she was cut in  the hand by an intruder in her home, has entered the Paris Grand Slam tournament. “My name will appear on the entry list for Roland Garros .. because, as the entry deadline approached, I had made good progress in my recovery process and I want to give myself every last opportunity to be able to compete at one of my favorite events,” Kvitova wrote on Instagram. “This unfortunately does not mean necessarily that I will be ready to play in Paris, but that I’m doing everything possible to give myself the chance and keep a positive mindset.”

 

SURPRISING WIN

A qualifier reached the third round at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters by upsetting seventh-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-7 (3) 6-2 6-3. Adrian Mannarino used his powerful backhand and surprising forays to the net to post just his second career victory over a Top 10 player. “It is an important victory for me, beating Jo in a big tournament,” Mannarino said. “I’m very satisfied with the match. I had the right attitude.” Tsonga won the first three games of the match and had a 4-1 lead in the tiebreak before winning the opening set before Mannarino forced a tiebreak. Mannarino surged to a 5-0 lead in the second set, then broke Tsonga to move in front 3-1 in the decider. “He played a really good match,” Tsonga said of his conqueror. He’s one of the players who are really giving it their all on the Tour. He’s improving a lot.” Tsonga was playing his first match since the birth of his son, Shugar, last month. The Frenchman also celebrated his 32nd birthday at the clay court tournament.

 

SUPERB MERTENS

Playing brilliantly, Elise Mertens won both of her singles matches and helped capture the doubles, leading Belgium to a surprising win over Russia in their Fed Cup World Group playoff tie staged in Moscow. “It means a lot to me,” a visibly exhausted Mertens said after the clinching doubles win. “If it didn’t I wouldn’t come here.” After the teas finished the opening day knotted 1-1, Mertens gave Belgium a 2-1 lead by defeating Elena Vesnina 6-4 1-6 6-2. Daria Kasatkina pulled Russia level again with her win over Maryna Zanevska, setting up the decisive doubles match. And it was the Belgians who prevailed as Mertens and An-Sophie Mestach beat Vesnina and Kasatkina in straight sets. “I had nothing to lose,” Mertens said. “We came all the way to represent Belgium.”

 

STAYING HOME

Nick Kyrgios won’t begin his clay-court campaign until next month. The 21-year-old Australian, fresh off a brilliant Davis Cup performance against the United States, will begin his French Open preparation at Estoril, Portugal, which begins May 1. While Kyrgios did not give a reason for pulling out of last week’s Monte Carlo Masters, it is believed he is suffering from fatigue.

 

SEXY TENNIS

It definitely was a love match, although it didn’t take place on the court at the Elizabeth Moore Sarasota Open. The first-round match between Frances Tiafoe and Mitchell Krueger was interrupted by loud noises made by a couple enjoying themselves in a nearby condo. The moaning, which could be heard throughout the James T. Driscoll Stadium, caused Krueger to hit a ball in the direction of the noise. One point later, Tiafoe shouted at the couple, “It can’t be that good,” drawing laughter from the crowd, some of whom covered their ears with their hands. Tournament director Tony Driscoll said: “It’s quiet while you’re playing, obviously. You could hear a pin drop and it was, yeah, interesting.” Tiafoe won the match 6-3 6-2. He went on to win the title, stopping fellow American Tennys Sandgren in the final 6-3 6-4.

 

SPECIAL HONOR

Rod Laver will be honored during the 117th Ojai Valley Tennis tournament this week. The native of Australia, who won 11 Grand Slam singles titles, including all four in both 1962 and 1969, will be the tournament’s special guest on Friday at the California club. “To have a player the stature of Rod Laver chosen as our tournament honoree is absolutely a dream come true,” said Mark Weil, an organizer of the event. “A true living legend of the game, we are so excited to honor him this year at the 117th Ojai.” Among others participating in the ceremony will be fellow International Tennis Hall of Famer Tracy Austin and actor Malcolm McDowell.

 

STADIUM PROJECT

The Australian Open will build a 5,000-seat stadium in an effort at keeping the year’s first Grand Slam tournament at its current site. Work on the new facility will begin in 2019 and will be used for basketball, concerts and other sports besides tennis. The Australian Open has been played in Melbourne since 1988, but there have been suggestions in the past few years that the event, known as the “Grand Slam of the Asia Pacific,” be shared with Sydney, Australia, as well as Shanghai, China, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Tim Pallas, Victoria state treasurer, said the Australian Open is staying put in Melbourne. “It is a pretty good facility, but we want the best facility, not only in the nation but in the world,” Pallas said.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Monte Carlo: Rohan Bopanna and Pablo Cuevas beat Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez 6-3 3-6 1-4 (match tiebreak)

Qingdao: Gero Kretschmer and Alexander Satschko beat Andreas Mies and Oscar Otte 2-6 7-6 (3) 10-3 (match tiebreak)

Sarasota: Scott Lipsky and Jurgen Melzer beat Stefan Kozlov and Peter Polansky 6-2 6-4

Taipei: Marco Chiudinelli and Franko Skugor beat Sanchai Ratiwatana and Sonchat Ratiwatana 4-6 6-2 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Zhengzhou: Han Xinyun and Zhu Lin beat Jacqueline Cako and Julia Glushko 7-5 6-1

 

SURFING

Barcelona: www.barcelonaopenbancsabadell.com/es

Budapest: www.huntennis.hu/

Stuttgart: www.porsche-tennis.de/

Istanbul: http://istanbulcup.kozawos.com/

Anning: www.tennis.org.cn

Munich: http://bmwopen.de/

Estoril: http://millenniumestorilopen.com/en/

Istanbul: http://istanbulopen.kozawos.com/

Rabat: http://frmt.ma/frmt/

Prague: www.jtbopen.cz/en/news

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

 

MEN

$2,762,920 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain, clay

$573,209 Gazprom Hungarian Open, Budapest, Hungary, clay

$150,000 Kunming Challenger, Anning, China, clay

 

WOMEN

$710,900 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Stuttgart, Germany, clay

$226,750, TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Cup, Istanbul, Turkey, clay

$100,000 Hotspring Peninsula ITF, Anning, China, clay

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$579,299 BMW Open by FWU, Munich, Germany, clay

$579,299 Millennium Estoril Open, Estoril, Portugal, clay

$533,137 TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open, Istanbul, Turkey, clay

 

WOMEN

$226,750 GP SAR La Princesse Laila Meryem, Rabat, Morocco, clay

$226,750 J&T Banka Prague Open, Prague, Czech Republic, clay

 

Rafa Nadal Monte Carlo 2017
Rafa Nadal Monte Carlo 2017

Rafael Nadal Back In Winner’s Circle With Ninth Monte-Carlo Title – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

 

Rafael Nadal beat Gael Monfils 7-5 5-7 6-0 to win the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters in Monte-Carlo, Monaco

Irina Falconi beat Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-2 2-6 6-4 to win the Claro Open Colsanitas in Bogota, Colombia

Mischa Zverev beat Gerald Melzer 6-4 7-6 (2) to win the Joey Grafton Sarasota Open in Sarasota, Florida, USA

 

FED CUP

WORLD GROUP SEMIFINALS

Czech Republic beats Switzerland 3-2 at Lucerne, Switzerland

France beats Netherlands 3-2 at Trélazé, France

 

WORLD GROUP PLAY-OFFS

(Winners in World Group in 2017)

Belarus beats Russia 3-2 at Moscow, Russia

Spain beat Italy 4-0 at Lleida, Spain

Germany beats Romania 4-1 at Cluj-Napoca, Romania

United States beats Australia 4-0 at Brisbane, Australia

 

WORLD GROUP II PLAY-OFFS

Belgium beats Serbia 3-2 at Belgrade, Serbia; Slovakia beats Canada 3-2 at Bratislava, Slovakia; Chinese Taipei beats Poland 4-1 at Inowroclaw, Poland; Ukraine beats Argentina 4-0 at  Kiev, Ukraine

GROUP II

Asia/Oceania Zone: Philippines promoted to Group I in 2017; Europe/Africa Zone: Bosnia/Herzegovina and Austria promoted to Group I in 2017, Egypt and Finland relegated to Group III in 2017

GROUP III

Europe/Africa Zone: Luxembourg and Norway promoted to Group II in 2017

 

SAYING

“I was able to raise my level yesterday in the second and in the third, and today again in the third (set). That’s something I missed a lot recently. This week I was able to do it.” – Rafael Nadal, after winning the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters for a record ninth time.

“He increased his intensity and changed the way he was playing. I simply couldn’t find an answer.” – Gael Monfils, following his loss to Rafael Nadal at Monte-Carlo.

“It’s the dream of every single player to beat a world number one. For me, it’s definitely a dream come true.” – Jiri Vesely, who upset Novak Djokovic at the Monte-Carlo Masters.

“He can make you go for winners from uncomfortable positions. You have to not allow that to happen.” – Andy Murray, about Rafael Nadal.

“He is still a major player on clay.” Roger Federer, talking about Rafael Nadal.

“I am very proud of my team. We left everything out on the center court and I don’t think there is any question or any doubt in anyone’s mind that we did that. You can’t ask of a team anything more than that.” – Heinz Guenthardt, captain of the Swiss Fed Cup team that lost 3-2 to defending champion Czech Republic.

“It’s difficult to get so close to your goal and then lose. It’s hard to take.” – Paul Haarhuis, captain of the Netherlands Fed Cup team that lost 3-2 to France.

“In Serena and Venus’s case, Olympics is a big goal for them, they have (already) qualified. The U.S. has the luxury, they have a lot of top players, but I think it just really points out that we here in Australia have players who are really committed to our country.” –Alicia Molik, Australian Fed Cup captain commenting on sisters Serena and Venus Williams not playing for the United States.

“The last 24 hours we’ve just been praying constantly for all the families and the children. I knew there’s a lot of people who’ve been killed already. We’re sending over a lot of prayers.” – Irina Falconi, an American who dedicated her first WTA title to her native Ecuador, which suffered an earthquake.

 

SUPER VICTORY

Rafael Nadal’s latest triumph is just confirmation that he has found his game. The Spaniard stopped Gael Monfils to win his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title since 2014. “The victory here confirms that I am better and I am very happy,” Nadal said after his three-set triumph in the final of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. “It is a very, very emotional week for me at a very important event. Monte-Carlo is one of the most important places in my career without a doubt. To win again here after three years is something so special for me.” It was an unprecedented ninth title on the clay at Monte-Carlo. And it was Nadal’s 28th Masters title, equaling the record of top-ranked Novak Djokovic. “I worked hard to have this trophy with me,” Nadal said. “I am enjoying this moment. It is an emotional moment after some tough moments. But that’s part of life. It is part of sport in general.” Monfils had never won a set against Nadal on clay and had lost 11 of their 13 previous matches. This time, however, it was different. The Frenchman matched Nadal winner for winner and, as it turned out, unforced error for unforced error. Actually Monfils came out way in front on the latter, making 51 unforced errors to 36 for Nadal. And where Nadal had four double faults, Monfils double faulted seven times. “We will see how things are in the next six months (but) I have to enjoy this moment,” Nadal said. “Tomorrow I will start to think about Barcelona.”

 

SPECIAL WIN

Excuse Irina Falconi if she got a little emotional after capturing the Claro Open Colsanitas crown. “I’m so happy and I even started to cry a little bit,” Falconi said. “I was overwhelmed with emotions. Just trying to take in every moment and enjoy it.” It was Falconi’s first WTA final and her first title as she became the first American to win the clay court event in Bogota, Colombia. Then there was the earthquake in neighboring Ecuador. Falconi dedicated her victory to her native Ecuador. “My father is there right now, actually,” Falconi said. “He wanted to come here and watch me play, but obviously with the earthquake travel became complicated. First of all, thank God all my family is fine. But I know it’s a very difficult situation for so many people over there.” Trailing 3-4 0-30 in the decisive third set, Falconi broke Soler-Espinosa to pull even, then broke her opponent again to win the title on her third championship point. “This morning I felt nervous, but nerves are always nerves,” she said. “I was talking to my boyfriend about it and what we kept saying was, ‘It’s just another match. Doesn’t matter if it’s a final, doesn’t matter if it’s a Grand Slam, it’s just another match. That’s how I lived it, and that mentality helped me a lot.”

 

SHOCKER

Jiri Vesely finally got to play top-ranked Novak Djokovic. And the 22-year-old Czech came away with the victory. “When I went on court, I was hoping to win a game or to do well,” Vesely said. “But I really had no idea that I really would be able to beat Novak today. I still can’t believe it happened.” The second-round ouster was Djokovic’s earliest tournament loss in three years. In recent months the Serb had won nine of his last 10 tournaments, with the only blemish coming when he retired from a match because of an eye problem. It was Djokovic’s earliest loss in an event since he fell in the second round of the Madrid Open in 2013. Still, Djokovic took the loss in stride. “It’s been a tough four or five months, so I need time to recharge,” he said.

 

SURGICALLY FIT

Roger Federer may have lost at Monte-Carlo, but he says it was a successful return to the ATP World Tour following knee surgery. “It was good to play back-to-back, yesterday and today, good to play 2 hours 10 (minutes) today,” Federer said. “It was nice to play an intense match. I’m happy how the body reacted.” It was Federer’s first tournament since missing more than two months following knee surgery. He was two points from victory while leading 5-4 15-30 in the final set before losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 3-6 6-2 7-5. “In this tournament, (it) really doesn’t matter at all if I missed those chances,” the Swiss star said.

 

STARRING

Four players are the first winners of the 2016 Fed Cup Heart Award. They are Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus, Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine, Hsieh Su-Wei of Chinese Taipei, and Nadia Podoroska of Argentina. The four Heart Award recipients were selected in a public vote on FedCup.com and FedCup.com/es. Ten players were initially selected by a panel consisting of International Tennis Federation (ITF) president David Haggerty and a group of former Fed Cup players and members of the international media. All the winners will receive a check to be donated to their chosen charity. Sasnovich will donate her check to the National Research Center for Paediatric Oncology, Haematology and immunology in Minsk. Bondarenko will give her money to a children’s orphanage in Kryvyi Rig; Hsiesh Su-Wei to the Maria Social Welfare Foundation in Taiwan; and Podoroska to the Comedor Los Conejitos food center in Rosaria. The Fed Cup Heart Award recognizes players who have represented their country with distinction, shown exceptional courage on court and demonstrated outstanding commitment to their team. A total of six players will be recognized this year.

 

STRAIGHT TO THE BANK

Prize money for this year’s French Open will increase by 14 percent, with the total purse for the 2016 tournament at Roland Garros rising to just over 32 million euros (USD $36,110,900). The winners of the men’s and singles’ singles title will each take home USD $2,255,700, an increase of USD $225,570 over last year. “This noticeable increase in prize money at Roland Garros is the final raise mentioned in the four-year plan drawn up for 2013 to 2016,” tournament director Guy Forget said in a statement. “In total, the tournament’s prize money will have increased by a historic 70 percent during this four-year period, with a particular focus on those players who are eliminated in the first week, who have seen their earnings double.”

 

STILL FACES HEARING

Although the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) says players who have tested positive for meldonium could have their bans overturned, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said Maria Sharapova still faces a hearing. The Russian star tested positive of the drug at the Australian Open in January after it was added to WADA’s list of banned substances. WADA now says it has been unable to establish how quickly the drug clears the human body. The ITF isn’t moved. “In light of the recent notice from WADA regarding the process for dealing with cases involving meldonium, the ITF can confirm that the Tennis Anti-Doping Program case involving Maria Sharapova will proceed to a hearing in accordance with WADA’s recommendations,” the ITF said in a statement. “The ITF does not intend to make any further statement until completion of this process due to the confidentiality of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program.”

 

SQUEEZING INTO THE FINAL

The Czech Republic is back in the Fed Cup final for the fifth time in six years. France will play for the title for the first time since 2005. Yet both had to struggle to reach the title round. Karolina Pliskova and Lucie Hradecka had to win the deciding doubles to edge surprising Switzerland. Caroline Garcia won her reverse singles to pull France even with the Netherlands, then teamed with Kristina Mladenovic to win the doubles and a spot in the final. “The key was the depth of our team today,” Czech captain Petr Pala said. “It gave me more opportunities to make the doubles team. It is a great feeling for the camp. The spirit is there, everybody want to win the Cup.” Garcia had lost her first singles match to Kiki Bertens, who won both of her singles, also downing Mladenovic to give the Netherlands a 2-1 lead. “There was a lot of frustration (after Saturday), but then it was as if an energy rose up, a desire to gain my revenge,” Garcia said. “The fact that Amelie (French captain Mauresmo) had confidence in me gave me a lift.”

 

SAYS NO RESPECT

During a heated exchange in a semifinal match at the Monte-Carlo Masters, umpire Damien Dumusois accused Andy Murray of having “zero respect for what I do.” The exchange came after Murray hit at least two balls in the direction of the umpire during his semifinal loss to Rafael Nadal. “That’s enough, Andy,” Dumusois said as Murray approached the chair. “You have zero respect for what I do. So that’s fine, you can disagree, but no respect, I cannot accept that.” Dumusois continued, “I go there, I check the mark, you hit the ball to me. (It is) the second time you do it. You did it again before in the chair, so that’s enough.” In his post-match news conference, Murray acknowledge he had lost his cool. “There were a few things that happened in the match,” Murray said. “You guys were watching. And, yes, you can draw your own conclusions from it.” Nadal beat Murray 2-6 6-4 6-2.

 

STANDING NOT GOOD

A feud with the Italian Tennis Federation will keep Camila Giorgi from competing in the Olympic Games this summer. “The ITF (International Tennis Federation) rules say that players must be “in good standing” with their federation to qualify for the Games. For me, right now Giorgi is not in good standing,” Italian Tennis Federation president Angelo Binaghi said. Giorgi announced last month that she was cutting relations with the federation and would not play on Italy’s Fed Cup team that lost 4-0 to Spain. Because the federation also is the organizer of the Italian Open, Giorgi is expected to miss that event. “It’s not a friendly place for Camila and us,” said Sergio Giorgi, Camila’s father and coach. “Camila needs to be at ease.” Sergio Giorgi also said his daughter is no longer training at a federation facility in Tirrenia, Italy. “They’ve barred us from entering Tirrenia,” he said. Binaghi said he has sent a letter to Sergio seeking 160,000 euros (USD $180,000) for broken contracts. He also said the federation is likely to open disciplinary proceedings against the Giorgis.

 

SEEKING CHANGE

Mary Joe Fernandez believes the Fed Cup format must change if the world’s best players are to find time for the women’s international competition. Although missing its top three players – sisters Serena and Venus Williams and Sloane Stephens – the United States crushed Australia 4-0 in Fed Cup play over the weekend. But the absence of the biggest names has raised questions over whether the tournament can retain its prestige. Fernandez, captain of the American Fed Cup squad, said the format and scheduling of the tournament made it difficult for top players to easily commit. “We didn’t find out we were coming to Australia until the second week of February,” Fernandez said, noting the top players had mapped out their schedules by the start of the year. “It’s not the most convenient thing to do, come to Australia when everyone’s heading to Europe or in the States.” Fernandez said she has expressed her feelings to the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and believes a format more like the men’s Davis Cup could make it “a little bit easier to follow and it will be a lot more convenient for the players.”

 

SAD NEWS

Abe Segal, who teamed with Gordon Forbes in the 1950s and ‘60s to form one of the top doubles teams in the world, has died. When Alex Metreveli and István Gulyás both refused to compete against Segal, a native of South Africa, at Wimbledon in 1964, the International Lawn Tennis Federation passed a resolution prohibiting players from withdrawing from matches except for “health and bereavement.” In 1951, Segal won the Irish Open singles title. He played Davis Cup for South Africa in eight years, compiling a record of 24 wins and 14 losses. After retiring from tennis, Segal became a noted artist.

 

SHARED PEFORMANCES

MEN

Bogota: Lara Arruabarrena and Tatjana Maria beat Gabriela Ce and Andrea Gamiz 6-2 4-6 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Monte-Carlo: Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut beat Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares 4-6 6-0 10-6 (match tiebreak)

Sarasota: Facundo Arguello and Nicolas Kicker beat Marcelo Arevalo and Sergio Galdos 4-6 6-4 10-6 (match tiebreak)

 

SURFING

Barcelona: www.barcelonaopenbancsabadell.com/es

Bucharest: http://brd-nastase-tiriac-trophy.ro/2016/

Stuttgart: www.porsche-tennis.de/

Istanbul: http://istanbulcup.kozawos.com/

Munich: http://bmwopen.de/

Estoril: www.millenniumestorilopen.com/en/

Istanbul: http://istanbulopen.kozawos.com/

Prague: www.jtbopen.cz/en/news

Rabat: http://frmt.ma/frmt/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN

$2,554,850 Barcelona Open BancSabadell, Barcelona, Spain, clay

$586,561 BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy, Bucharest, Romania, clay

 

WOMEN

$731,000 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Stuttgart, Germany, clay

$250,000 TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open, Istanbul, Turkey, clay

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$586,561 Millennium Estoril Open, Estoril, Portugal, clay

$586,561 BMW Open by FWU AG, Munich, Germany, clay

$485,760 TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open, Istanbul, Turkey, clay

 

WOMEN

$250,000 J&T Banka Prague Open, Prague, Czech Republic, clay

$250,000 GP SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem, Rabat, Morocco, clay

 

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal

The Training Secrets of the Stars

by

We’re just a few weeks away from one of the biggest Grand Slam events on the tennis calendar: the French Open, which kicks off in Paris’ Roland Garros from 19th May.

The premier event will see the likes of “King of Clay” Rafael Nadal and reigning French Open champion Maria Sharapova taking to the clay, giving spectators three weeks of jaw-dropping action in the lead up to Wimbledon in late June.

With such an exciting summer to look forward to, these seasoned champions will doubtless be undergoing a rigorous training regime, but their methods of training may be less conventional than just keeping fit. Here are a few secrets of the stars that help them get in shape for these outstanding events.

Brain training

‘Big four’ star Roger Federer was recently seen taking to the courts in Monte Carlo for the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters, helping to ensure he is in peak physical condition for the French Open in May. Federer has not won a French Open in six years, but perhaps if he takes advantage of Monte Carlo’s other delights, he may have more luck – in particular, its thriving casino scene.

Many athletes have enjoyed the benefits of mental training by playing strategic card games such as poker, which require just as much endurance as playing for hours on the clay. Of course, with athletes’ busy schedules, it may be easier to play on the go with online alternatives, but the health benefits have been proven by numerous studies. By applying focus and thinking laterally, players can use these transferable skills on the court to guide them to victory.

Getting your groove on

For World No.1 Serena Williams, the tennis player inside her is just one side of her personality. The other is a strong, fun-loving woman who credits her mum as her inspiration, saying she is a “stronger woman than I am.” In an interview with Fitness Magazine, Williams said: “I think of myself as two different people. There’s the Serena Williams that everyone knows: she can’t make a mistake.

“I’m only that person for three hours a day, when I’m on the court. The rest of the time I’m just Serena. I’m the class clown.” So how exactly does Serena maintain this class clown persona? By none other than getting her groove on with Zumba – the perfect way to burn calories and have a little fun!

Pure, unapologetic, science

Many tennis stars would say their secret is a mix of blood, sweat and tears, but for Andy Murray, there’s one fluid that would make us all blush if we were to discuss it in casual conversation. The World No.3 swears by the science of osmolarity checks – that is, checking the hydration and mineral levels in his urine prior to every game.

Murray swears by a rigorous routine which includes eating a balanced breakfast at the same time every morning, and planning everything in advance. One word of warning for those adjusting their diet however – avoid bananas. The star openly admitted in his autobiography that he considered them nothing more than “pathetic fruit.” Ouch!

 

Serena Williams
Serena Williams

Stan Wawrinka Beats Roger Federer In All-Swiss Final at Monte-Carlo: Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Stanislas Wawrinka beat Roger Federer 4-6 7-6 (5) 6-2 to win the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters in Monte-Carlo, Monaco

Donna Vekic beat Dominika Cibulkova 5-7 7-5 7-6 (4) to win the BMW Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Nick Kyrgios beat Filip Krajinovic 7-6 (10) 6-4 to win the Sarasota Open in Sarasota, Florida, USA

 

FED CUP

World Group

(Semifinals)

Czech Republic beat Italy 4-0 at Ostrava, Czech Republic

Germany beat Australia 3-1 at Brisbane, Australia

 

World Group Playoffs

Russia beat Argentina 4-0 at Sochi, Russia

Canada beat Slovak Republic 3-1 at Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

France beat United States 3-2 at St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Poland beat Spain 3-2 at Barcelona, Spain

 

World Group II Playoffs

Romania beat Serbia 4-1 at Bucharest, Romania

Netherlands beat Japan 3-2 at ’s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands

Sweden beat Thailand 4-0 at Lidkoping, Sweden

Switzerland beat Brazil 4-1 at Catanduva, Brazil

 

SAYING

“I can see that when mentally I’m there and I’m fighting, I can play tennis, I can beat all the players. I did an amazing job.” – Stanislas Wawrinka, after beating Roger Federer in the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters.

“Of course, I’m very happy for Stan. It’s a huge win for him after winning his first Grand Slam this year, also to win his first Masters 1000. To take the opportunities when they’re there, that’s key in a tennis player’s career. So I’m very happy for him.” – Roger Federer, following his loss to Stanislas Wawrinka in Monte-Carlo.

“It’s always special to play Roger. We know it’s always a strange match, especially being in the final here. He’s my best friend on the tour. We respect each other so much. I’m just trying on the court to win the match. Before and after, we are still very good friends. During the match, we just try everything to win. Today I’m really happy to take that one.” – Stanislas Wawrinka.

“I have had to wait 10 years to beat him on clay. It was a long wait but I am pleased with the win and the way I played.” – David Ferrer, after beating Rafael Nadal on the clay in Monte-Carlo.

“I didn’t play the right way. I didn’t play with the right intensity with my forehand. I played too short. I gave him the chance to have the control of the point almost all the time.” – Rafael Nadal.

“I just rest now. I cannot play tennis for some time. How long, I don’t know. It’s really not in my hands anymore. I’m going to rest and see when it can heal 100 percent, then I will be back on the court.” – Novak Djokovic,

“Rafa’s not a machine. Sometimes he can play not so good. Maybe today he didn’t play his best tennis, and I played very good.” – David Ferrer.

“I was frustrated, let’s be honest. I did chuck a ball out of the stadium, I did scream sometimes. I was aggravated to a degree, but not to the extent where I totally lost it.” – Roger Federer, after hitting a ball out of the stadium in frustration during his match with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

“It’s amazing to hit triple digits. It’s a great milestone to say that you have a hundred, to be the first player to hit a hundred titles. Kind of snuck up on us pretty quick. Last few years we’ve been really hot. We always wanted to beat the Woodies’ record of 61. Then trying to clip Todd Woodbridge’s 83 titles. All of a sudden I’m at 99. It will feel a lot better when we do it as a team. We’ve always looked at our career as team titles, doing it together. That’s the huge goal for this year, to do it together.” – Mike Bryan, who won his 100 career doubles title and teamed with his twin brother Bob to capture their 98th crown.

“I think of myself as two different people. There’s the Serena Williams that everyone knows: She’s crazy. She can’t make a mistake. And she’s angry and just not nice, to be honest. I’m only that person for three hours a day, when I’m on the court. The rest of the time I’m just Serena. I’m the class clown.” – Serena Williams, in comments she told Fitness Magazine.

 

SWISS SWITCH

Stanislas Wawrinka has shown that being ahead of Roger Federer in the ATP Tour Rankings is no fluke. The “other Swiss” beat Federer for only the second time in their careers to capture his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title, the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. “When I came here, for me it was more like a test. I knew I was playing good tennis, but I didn’t expect to win because the draw was so strong,” Wawrinka said. Instead, the 29-year-old Wawrinka came on strong in the second half of the final to capture the Monte-Carlo crown to go along with the Australian Open title he won in January. “When you win a match like this, it’s only one or two points, especially in the tiebreak,” Wawrinka said. “But I think I did a great tiebreak. I was serving big and being really aggressive. Then I took the advantage at the beginning of the third set. I saw that he was a little bit tired. Me, I was playing better and better, especially moving better.” Federer, who has never won Monte-Carlo, agreed with Wawrinka. “I think it’s one of those finals that I could have won,” Federer said. “But Stan was tougher at the end. I think he deserved it just a little bit more.” It was the first all-Swiss final on the ATP World Tour in 14 years, and was the fourth time Federer had reached the final at Monte-Carlo and lost, the first three times to Rafael Nadal. “I would have loved to have won a second title (this season) because I’ve come close a few times,” Federer said. “That’s my next objective, that I get to the very end more frequently. But clearly I’m happy that the clay court season started so well for me.”

 

SIDELINED

Fresh off from winning two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events, Novak Djokovic’s season is on hold because of an injury to his right wrist. With his right arm heavily taped, the Serb was visibly hampered in his semifinal loss at the Monte Carlo Masters to Roger Federer. The injury severely hampered Djokovic’s serve and backhand. “I just rest now,” Djokovic said. “I cannot play tennis for some time. How long, I don’t know. It’s really not in my hands anymore.” Ranked second in the world, Djokovic said there was one positive thing about his injury. “The good thing is I don’t need to have a surgery,” he said. “I don’t have any rupture or something like that.” He had complained earlier in the week about the pain, but said he felt better after taking a day off from playing and training. But a long quarterfinal win over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez aggravated the injury. “Long match, long rallies, heavy balls, definitely did not help the state of my arm,” said Djokovic, who was seeking to win his fifth straight Masters title. “The pain was there every single day from 10 days ago. At some stages it was very painful.”

 

STRUGGLING

A back injury and defeat in the Australian Open final has cost Rafael Nadal his confidence. At least that’s what the world’s top-ranked player is saying. “I don’t have to lie to anybody,” Nadal said. “After what happened in Australia it was little bit harder for me to find again the intensity, the confidence, the inside power that I always have.” Although he won a clay court tournament in Rio de Janeiro after the Australian Open, Nadal fell in the third round of the Indian Wells Masters and lost the final of the Miami Masters. Then came the Monte-Carlo Masters where Nadal lost in the quarterfinals to fellow Spaniard David Ferrer. Asked if his back was still bothering him, Nadal said: “No, no, the back is not an excuse. The back is in good shape. The physical performance is fine. No problem about that.” The left-hander vowed: “I’m going to fight to try to find that solution soon.”

 

SUCCESS, FINALLY

It took 10 years, but David Ferrer has finally posted a win over fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal on clay. Ferrer’s 7-6 (1) 6-4 win snapped Nadal’s 30-match clay-court winning streak and came in the quarterfinals in Monte-Carlo. The last time Ferrer beat Nadal on clay was in their first ATP World Tour meeting in Stuttgart, Germany. “I have had to wait 10 years to beat him on clay,” Ferrer said. “It was a long wait but I am pleased with the win and the way I played. I spoke with my coach and we had a clear game plan. But with Rafa, it’s always tough because he doesn’t allow you to follow it. The good thing was I was able to deal with his attacks and stay strong physically for the whole match.” Nadal said he failed to stay with his own game plan. “I didn’t play the right way,” the world’s top-ranked player said. “I didn’t play with the right intensity with my forehand. I played too short. I gave him the chance to have the control of the point almost all the time.” Nadal has won Monte-Carlo eight straight years until he lost to Novak Djokovic in the final last year.

 

SIBLING POWER

The records keep falling for the Bryan brothers. Mike Bryan became the first player to win 100 tour-level doubles titles when he and twin Bob Bryan captured the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, defeating Ivan  Dodig and Marcelo Melo 6-3 3-6 10-8 (match tiebreak). It was the 98th team title for the Americans. It was the fifth title in a row for the Bryans and extended their winning streak to 21 matches. The 35-year-olds have not lost since the Memphis, Tennessee, USA, final in February. The brothers’ goal now is to win 100 titles together. “I will feel a lot better when we do it as a team,” Mike Bryan said. “We’ve always looked at our career as team titles, doing it together. That’s the huge goal for this year, to do it together.” Brother Bob said their goal is to hit the century mark before Roland Garros. “We’ve got two tournaments or three coming up before the French,” Bob Bryan said. “It’s incredible to see what he’s done. I guess I’m knocking on the door. The Californian pair have now won the Monte-Carlo Masters four times and lead with 29 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles together.

 

STAR ARISING

Donna Vekic is out to prove she belongs with the best players on the WTA tour. The 17 year old from Croatia won her first WTA title – the BMW Malaysian Open – by posting her first win over a Top 10 player, Dominika Cibulkova. “I’m so happy – I don’t know what to say, I’m so, so happy,” Vekic said. She was runner-up in her first two WTA finals – at Tashkent in 2012 and Birmingham in 2013. And she was close to losing at Kuala Lumpur as she trailed Cibulkova 7-5 5-4. But Vekic reeled off seven straight games to take the second set and grab a 4-0 lead in the third. Cibulkova, herself a young player on the rise in the rankings, did not go down easily. She staved off three match points at 5-2 and eventually forced a tiebreak. When Vekic closed out the 5-7 7-5 7-6 (4) victory with a forehand winner, she finished the match by winning one more point than her Slovakian opponent, 122 to 121. Vekic also had 11 aces to just two for Cibulkova. At 17 years, 10 months and 23 days old, Vekic is the first player under 18 to win a WTA title since American Vania King captured Bangkok in 2006. “It was a very tough match,” Vekic said. “She played very well throughout the whole match. I was up 5-1 in the third set and she came back out playing insane. So I’m happy I was able to get through in the end.”

 

S’IL VOUS PLAIT

Not surprisingly, the French Open will pay out more this year than ever before. The men’s and women’s champions will each earn 1.65 million euros (USD $2,277,640), an increase of 150,000 euros (USD $207,059) from last year. Gilbert Ysern, tournament director at Roland Garros as well as French Tennis Federation director, said “this notable increase in Roland Garros prize money is part of the plan that was put in place for 2013 until 2017.” In all, total prize money for the clay court Grand Slam tournament increased by 3 million euros (USD $4.1 million) from last year. The biggest increases have come for those losing in the early rounds.

 

SKIPPING PARIS?

Being with his wife when she gives birth is Roger Federer’s top priority. Consequently the Swiss star could possibly miss this year’s French Open. The day before Christmas Federer announced he and his wife Mirka were expecting their third child, although they have not said when. The 32-year-old Federer says he still does not know the due date. “So we’re just waiting,” Federer said. “It’s a priority for me trying to be there, trying to support my wife. I’ve played enough tennis matches. Missing a tournament or missing a match wouldn’t change anything for me.”

 

SHORT PROBLEM

Normally when Rafael Nadal misses his first serve, he just reaches into his pocket for the second ball. At Monte-Carlo, however, he had to get the second ball from a ball person. That’s because of a problem the Spanish ace had with the pockets in his shorts. “The ball comes out of the bottom of them and gets in the way,” the world’s top-ranked player told Teledeporte. “We’ll try to sort it out for the next tournaments, but here it won’t be possible.” Pete Sampras always had just one ball at a time, as does Serena Williams. But Nadal, like many of today’s male players, grabs two balls and puts one in his pocket. “When you have been doing something the same way for so many years, when there is a change you have to think about it and it makes things a bit more difficult,” Nadal said. “But it’s better to do it that way than have the ball popping out of the bottom of your shorts, which is quite uncomfortable.”

 

SIDELINED

Great Britain’s top woman player, Laura Robson, has decided to undergo surgery on her left wrist, meaning she will miss both the French Open and Wimbledon. She was plagued by the left wrist problem throughout this year, playing just one match, and losing that to Kirsten Flipkens 6-3 6-0 in the first round of the Australian Open. She had retired because of the long-standing injury I her opening match against Yanina Wickmayer at a warm-up event in Hobart, Australia. Currently ranked 64th in the world, Robson announced on her Facebook page that she will have the operation, which will be performed by the same Minnesota-based doctor who operated on the wrist of former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro. “I wanted to inform my lovely supporters that I have decided to have minor wrist surgery at the Mayo clinic with one of the best wrist doctors in the world, Dr. Richard Berger,” Robson wrote. “Dr. Berger is very confident that I will be able to return to the tennis court pain free before you even have time to miss me.” The 20-year-old Robson won the Wimbledon girls’ singles title in 2008 and reached a career-high of 27thin the rankings last year.

 

SEEKING A COACH

Andy Murray hopes to have a new coach by next month’s French Open. The 26-year-old Murray won the London Olympics singles gold, the US Open and Wimbledon with Ivan Lendl as his coach. But the two announced their split last month and Murray is seeking a replacement. “The plan is to think exactly what I need over the next week, two weeks,” Murray told BBC Sport. “There’s a lot of factors you need to look at and I would hope I would have someone in place by the French Open, but I don’t want to rush it. I don’t want to get someone just because they’ve won a lot of tournaments or were great players.”

 

SAID WHAT?

No one was more surprised than Donald Young when an umpire assessed him a warning for what he said in a first-round match at the Sarasota ATP Challenger tournament in Sarasota, Florida, USA. What Young muttered after putting a backhand into the net was “son of a biscuit.” After being given the warning for his comment, the former world junior number one told the umpire: “Come on Keith, don’t give me crap for that, man, I said ‘son of a biscuit.’ That’s a problem? That’s a problem now?” Despite the warning, Young won his first-round match, beating Alexander Zverev, a 16-year-old qualifier from Germany. He then beat Zverev’s brother, Mischa, in the next round before losing to Nick Kyrgios of Australia. Kyrgios went on to win the Sarasota tournament, stopping Serbia’s Filip Krajinovic 7-6 (10) 6-4 in the final.

 

SENT PACKING

The men’s tournament in St. Petersburg, Russia, is moving to Tel Aviv, Israel. The ATP Board of Directors, meeting in Monte-Carlo, approved the tournament’s move, and now needs only a final agreement of conditions between the tournament and the ATP World Tour. “After 19 memorable years in St. Petersburg, the time has come for us to take the tournament in a new direction,” said Ruslan Linkov, a tournament representative. “We are very excited about the opportunities that lie in Tel Aviv and look forward to hold a successful event in September.” The tournament will be held at the Israel Tennis Centre at Ramat HaSharon this September and will offer USD $1,000,000 in prize money. It will be the first ATP World Tour event held in Israel since 1996.

 

STALWARTS ALL

Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska, Romania’s Simona Halep, Brazil’s Teliana Pereira and Uzbekistan’s Sabina Sharipova have been named the first four winners of the 2014 Fed Cup Heart Award. The four recipients were decided more than 60,000 fans casting ballots on FedCup.com and FedCup.com/es. The winners will receive a check to be donated to their chosen charity. It is Radwanska’s second career Heart Award for her performance in the World Group and World Group II first-round category. The other three were Zone Group I winners. The Fed Cup Heart Award recognizes players who have represented their country with distinction in Fed Cup competition.

 

STARTING YOUNG

The top eight ranked boys and girls on the 18-and-under International Tennis Federation Junior World Rankings at the end of the year will compete in the ITF Junior Masters, a new event that be held next April at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre in Chengdu, China. According to the ITF announcement, the competition will consist of two knock-out singles events, with each player guaranteed three matches to determine their final finishing position. The Sichuan International Tennis Centre, which was built in 2008, has already hosted a number of international events. The new competition will be played three match courts, including a 6,000-seat stadium court.

 

SPLIT ENDS, TOO?

When Danish star Caroline Wozniacki showed up to caddy for her fiancé Rory McIlroy at a par-3 hit and giggle event prior to The Masters, she had dyed her hair pink. By the final round other the golf major, Wozniacki’s hair was its normal blonde. But returning to her natural color may not have been easy. The tennis star posted on social media: “Does anyone know if semi-permanent hairy dye from the brand Manic Panic washes off completely after a little while?” Gold Digest writer Dan Jenkins wrote on social media: “High-level talk on Augusta National veranda: ‘Exactly what color is Caroline Wozniacki’s hair?’ I’m going with a blend of violet and stupid.”

 

SALUTED

The chairman and CEO of the WTA, Stacey Allaster, is the first person from the tennis industry to be given the Great Wall Friendship Award. The award, established by the Beijing Municipal Government, acknowledges global professionals and experts who have played instrumental roles in facilitating the development of China’s capital. “It is an honor to receive this award, and this is an accomplishment to be shared with the entire China Open team,” Allaster said. “Together we shared a vision to build the China Open into one of the world’s most exciting sports entertainment events in the world. With the success and growth of the China Open, the WTA will host 10 events in China in 2014 as women’s tennis continues to grow and develop within the region.” Since the Great Wall Friendship Award was first given in 1999, 176 honorees from 30 countries have been selected. Of those 176, only three have been from the sports industry: Allaster; Hein Vergruggen of the Netherlands, chairman of the International Olympic Committee Coordination Commission for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games; and American basketball star Stephen Marbury, who now plays for the Beijing Ducks. Besides Allaster, 14 other foreign experts received the Great Wall Friendship Award.

 

SCHOOL TIME

Paul Annacone, an Australian Open doubles champion and coach of both Roger Federer and Pete Sampras; Judy Murray, mother of Andy Murray and Great Britain’s Fed Cup captain, and Patrick McEnroe, USTA Player Development general manager, will be among the keynote speakers at this year’s Tennis Teachers Conference, which will be held in New York City in conjunction with the US Open. The four-day conference, beginning August 22, will bring together the leading tennis teaching professionals and coaches to share best practices. The event offers educational resources, facilitating innovative teaching techniques and creating networking opportunities among the members of the various associations. The conference also will include a series of interactive on-court sessions and presentations.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Kuala Lumpur: Timea Babos and Chan Hao-Ching beat Chan Yung-Jan and Zheng Saisai 6-3 6-4

Monte-Carlo: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo 6-3 3-6 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Sarasota: Marin Draganja and Henri Kontinen beat Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo and Franko Skugor 7-5 5-7 10-6 (match tiebreak)

 

SURFING

Barcelona: www.barcelonaopenbancsabadell.com/

Bucharest: http://brd-nastase-tiriac-trophy.ro/2014/

Stuttgart: www.porsche-tennis.de

Marrakech: www.lallameryemtennis.com/

Ostrava: www.prosperitaopen.cz/

Munich: http://bmwopen.de/

Qeiras: www.portugalopen.pt/

Tunis: www.tct.org.tn/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$2,562,150 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain, clay

$592,239 BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy, Bucharest, Romania, clay

 

WOMEN

$644,900 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Stuttgart, Germany, clay

$250,000 Grand Prix De SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem, Marrakech, Morocco, clay

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$590,148 Portugal Open, Qeiras, Portugal, clay

$590,148 BMW Open by FWU AG, Munich, Germany, clay

$125,000 Tunis Open, Tunis, Tunisia, clay

$117,586 Prosperita Open 2014, Ostrava, Czech Republic, clay

 

WOMEN

$250,000 Portugal Open, Qeiras, Portugal, clay

 

Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka
Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka

Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka
Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka

Marian Vajda On Boris Becker In Monte Carlo: “Boris Didn’t Use Good Tactics Today”

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

 

In Monte Carlo, Marian Vajda accused Boris Becker of not using good tactics.

Before one jumps to conclusion that the co-coaches of Novak Djokovic are in a jealous fight over how to mentor and guide the world No. 2 from Serbia, the accusation came after a second-round match in Monte Carlo on April 19, 1988. It was on this date when Vajda registered one of the best victories of his playing career with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 victory over the then two-time Wimbledon champion.

From the April 19 chapter of my book “On This Day In Tennis History” – now updated and available as a mobile app at www.TennisHistoryApp.com and now also on Kindle here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JQDZ43U/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_MKhutb17548Z5 – Vajda’s upset of Becker in the second round of the Monte Carlo Open from 1988 is documented, as excerpted here:

 

1988 – Marian Vajda of Czechoslovakia, a journeyman professional who gains notoriety as the coach of future world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, registers a major upset of two-time Wimbledon champion and No. 4-ranked Boris Becker of West Germany 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 in the second round of the Monte Carlo Open. Says Vajda, ranked No. 42 in the world, “Boris didn’t (use) good tactics today. I was more patient in the rallies, so I felt better. I felt I could have played the ball 100 times over the net and not miss.” Says Becker, “Marian made my life difficult out there. He played very, very long balls, and I couldn’t get in. It’s much more difficult for me to get ready on clay. You have to be well prepared. You have to have a few matches under your belt. The longer the rallies were, the worse I played. I had bad groundstrokes out there.”

 

Vajda achieved a career-high ranking of No. 34 and won two singles titles in his career. He has been the coach of Djokovic since 2006, but in December of 2013, it was announced that Becker would be joining Djokovic’s coaching team. With Becker in his box, Djokovic was upset in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, falling to Stan Wawrinka in five sets. With Vajda in Djokovic’s corner, the Serb won back-to-back titles in Indian Wells and Key Biscayne, Becker not able to travel due to undergoing hip surgery. Becker has rejoined Djokovic this week in Monte Carlo.

Novak Djokovic and Boris Becker
Novak Djokovic and Boris Becker

Novak Djokovic Ends Rafael Nadal’s Reign In Monte Carlo — Mondays With Bob Greene

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By Bob Greene

STARS

Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal 6-2 7-6 (1) to win the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters in Monte Carlo, Monaco

Alex Kuznetsov beat Wayne Odesnik 6-0 6-2 to win the Sarasota Open in Sarasota, Florida, USA

FED CUP

World Group Semifinals

Italy beat Czech Republic 3-1 at Palermo, Italy
Russia beat Slovak Republic 3-2 at Moscow, Russia

World Group Playoffs

Germany beat Serbia 3-2 at Stuttgart, Germany; Australia beat Switzerland 3-1 at Chiasso-Seseglio, Switzerland; Spain beat Japan 4-0 at Barcelona, Spain; United States beat Sweden 3-2 at Delray Beach, Florida, USA

World Group II Playoffs

Poland beat Belgium 4-1 at Koksijde, Belgium; France beat Kazakhstan 4-1 at Besançon, France; Argentina beat Great Britain 3-1 at Buenos Aires, Argentina; Canada beat Ukraine 3-2 at Kiev, Ukraine

Group II

Europe/Africa Zone at Ulcinj, Montenegro: Latvia and Tunisia promoted to Europe/Africa Zone Group I in 2014

SAYING

Rafael Nadal (L) and Novak Djokovic

“Rafa, thank you for allowing me to win it once. I couldn’t ask for a better start to the clay season.” – Novak Djokovic, after ending Rafael Nadal’s 46-match winning streak at Monte Carlo.

“It is not a tragedy. I lost after eight years without losing here. Today, he was better than me. …. He’s a fantastic player. If you are not at 100 per cent, (it) is very difficult to win against these kinds of players. His game is very complete. To win, I have to play my best and I have to bring him to the limit.” – Rafael Nadal, after losing the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters final to Novak Djokovic.

“To be honest, I wanted to be out there. I told Mary Joe (Fernandez, the USA captain) yesterday I feel good, I feel positive. I pumped myself up and I wanted to be there for the team.” – Venus Williams, after winning the clinching match in the United States Fed Cup victory over Sweden.

“At the end of the day, experience just goes a long way. Venus has been there so many times before. To have her in that clinching match for me was really important.” – Mary Joe Fernandez, USA Fed Cup captain, on having Venus Williams replace Sloane Stephens in the reverse singles against Sweden.

“Today was also fun to play, even though I lost.” – Sofia Arvidsson, following her loss to Serena Williams after upsetting Sloane Stephens on the opening day of the Sweden-United States Fed Cup tie.

“He was extremely good today, and this is also what I call the champion’s luck. The top players are able to do that.” – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, after Rafael Nadal scooped the ball off his ankles for a winning shot down the line.

“I am losing a bit of intensity at some moments. That’s normal after a long time out of competition.” – Rafael Nadal, following his hard-fought 6-2 2-6 6-4 quarterfinal victory over Grigor Dimitrov.

“I made a lot of mistakes – 24 unforced errors is far too many … that’s where half the points went.” – Andy Murray, after being upset by Stanislas Wawrinka at the Monte Carlo Masters.

“I am very happy that I fell down. I forgot the score when I came back, and (something) came back in my head. The crowd helped so much. Sometimes I just really enjoy playing, and it was a great fight.” – Ekaterina Makarova, who helped lead Russia to a its Fed Cup win after taking a medical time out for treatment to her knee and finger she bloodied in a fall.

“She’s amazing. We were joking that she’s like a soldier. She has a bleeding knee and she won such an amazing match – one of the most emotional matches she has won. And then in the doubles she was feeling tired, but she’s a great fighter.” – Elena Vesnina, who teamed with Ekaterina Makarova to win the tie-clinching doubles in Russia’s Fed Cup victory over the Slovak Republic.

“We were a little bit lucky, of course. When you save seven match points, you need a little bit of luck. But we played very well on those points. We still believed in ourselves until the end and it paid off.” – Julien Benneteau, who teamed with Nenad Zimonjic to win the doubles at the Monte Carlo Masters.

“It was unbelievable. They started unbelievable (after the rain break), without missing any shots. Julien had to hit an ace on the second serve at 5-4 and also had an unbelievable return of the first serve to save another match point. It was just amazing to come up as the winners in our first tournament together. They are such champions. We knew they were going to come out strong. They never give up. We really had to play unbelievable to win at the end.” – Nenad Zimonjic, who with Julien Benneteau, won the Monte Carlo Masters doubles by beating brothers Bob and Mike Bryan.

SUPER SERB

Rafael Nadal’s remarkable streak on the red clay at Monte Carlo finally ended after 10 years of triumph. The Spaniard had won 46 consecutive matches before losing in the final to Novak Djokovic. Nadal’s last defeat in the event was to Guillermo Coria 10 years ago. Since then he had won the title eight straight times, an ATP record for one tournament, and had beaten Djokovic in the final last year. The Serb had played a year despite the death of his grandfather during the tournament. And he wasn’t sure he would play this year after twisting his ankle while playing Davis Cup against the United States two weeks ago. “I didn’t know I would be a part of the tournament this year,” Djokovic said. “(It’s) the best decision I ever made in my life.” He dominated Nadal in the opening set, winning the first five games of the match. Nadal took the next two games before Djokovic closed out of the opening set. It was Nadal who led 4-2 in the second set. But Djokovic broke him at love, and then lost only one point in the tiebreaker. Since returning from a knee injury in February, Nadal has reached five consecutive finals, winning three. Djokovic has won three titles this year, including the Australian Open, and 37 in his career. While Nadal owns a 19-15 advantage over Djokovic in their career meetings, the two have split evenly the 16 finals in which they met.

SURGE

It was Ekaterina Makarova to the rescue to lead Russia into the Fed Cup final. The Slovak Republic won the first two singles matches and appeared headed to victory. But after Maria Kirilenko won the opening reverse singles, Makarova replaced Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the lineup and drew Russia even with a 6-3 4-6 6-4 victory over Daniela Hantuchova. It was Makarova’s first career win over the Slovak veteran. That set the stage for the doubles, where Makarova teamed with Elena Vesnina to grab a spot in the final with a 4-6 6-3 6-1 victory over Dominika Cibulkova and Hantuchova. The Russians will take on Italy, which the defending Fed Cup champion Czech Republic, in the final in November.

SISTERS DOING IT

When times got tough, Mary Joe Fernandez turned to the veteran on her roster. And Venus Williams came through with a win to keep the United States in the Fed Cup World Group. Somewhat surprisingly, it was the first time in her Fed Cup career that Venus had clinched a Fed Cup tie for the United States. But it wasn’t easy. She needed eight match points before besting Sweden’s Johanna Larsson 6-3 7-5. “I wasn’t keeping track,” Williams said of the match points. “I was just trying to stay focused on getting the win for the US.” Venus got the call after her younger sister, Serena, easily won her second match of the weekend to pull the Americans in front 2-1 in their best-of-5 competition against Sweden. Sofia Arvidsson had given Sweden its first point when she surprised Sloane Stephens in the opening match. The win improved Venus Williams’ Fed Cup record to 15-2 in singles, and 19-4 overall. Serena improved her Fed Cup singles record to 10-0 with a 6-2 6-1 win over Arvidsson in the first reverse singles match.

STUTTGART WIN

Playing in Stuttgart, Germany’s doubles team pulled out a victory over Serbia to keep the home country in the Fed Cup World Group next year. “I said this morning to Anna, ‘You know we’re going to be so ready for the match if we reach 2-2,’” Germany’s Sabine Lisicki said, referring to Anna-Lena Groenefeld. The pair led from the outset to beat Vesna Dolonc and Aleksandra Krunic 6-2 6-4. With the loss, Serbia falls back to World Group II next year. “It was a perfect doubles,” German coach Barbara Rittner said. “I was very relieved when we won it.”

SERVICE TO FED CUP

Chris Evert is the latest tennis legend to be honored for her Fed Cup dedication by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The International Tennis Hall of Fame member was given a replica Fed Cup trophy by the ITF during the competition between the United States and Sweden. Evert competed in 42 Fed Cup ties, posting a 57-4 record in the international team play. She helped the United States to Fed Cup titles in 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1986 and 1989. “It’s very meaningful,” Evert said after receiving the trophy. “It was a big part of my career, representing the United States. I got to play with great players like Martina Navratilova, Pam Shriver, and Tracy Austin.”

STAR POWER

Although Russia finally won its Fed Cup clash against the Slovak Republic, thanks to Ekaterina Makarova, the fans in Moscow probably were hoping the former players on their bench could take to the court. They included Larissa Savchenko, a former Grand Slam tournament doubles champion, represented the Soviet Union in more Fed Cup ties than any other Russian has since; Elena Likhovtseva, who won 26 matches in a nine-year period; and Anastasia Myskina, who won the French Open in 2004. Also at the competition was Martina Hingis, who now coaches Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, a member of the Russian Fed Cup squad.

SAYS WILL HEAR APPEAL

The Pakistan Tennis Federation says the International Tennis Federation (ITF) has agreed to hear an appeal by Pakistan against the awarding of their Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group II tie to New Zealand. “It is a major breakthrough for us after we got confirmation from the ITF they will be hearing our appeal against the referee’s decision,” PTF secretary Mumtaz Yousuf told reporters. Ruling that the grass court in Yangon, Myanmar, had become unplayable and dangerous, Sri Lankan referee Shita Ajigala disqualified Pakistan and awarded the win to New Zealand. The tie was played in Myanmar after New Zealand refused to visit Pakistan due to security concerns. Pakistan had won the opening singles and was leading in the second when play was halted and New Zealand declared the winner. The appeal will be heard by the ITF’s Board of Directors next month.

STRING OF ERRORS

Andy Murray blamed his own string of errors as a big factor in his 6-1 6-2 loss to Stanislas Wawrinka. Looking frustrated on the court, Murray won only eight points on his own serve in the first set and finished the match with 24 unforced errors. “I started hitting the ball shorter, then he was able to dictate the play,” Murray said. Wawrinka completed the stunning upset in just 58 minutes. With the victory, Wawrinka helped out Swiss countryman Roger Federer. The loss dropped Murray to third in the ATP World Tour Rankings, behind leader Novak Djokovic and Federer. “I need to do a lot of work,” Murray admitted.

SO MUCH MONEY

Whatever you call it – Euros, dollars, pesos, francs – one thing is certain. There will be a lot more money to spread around at this year’s French Open. Roland Garros organizers said the overall total for the tournament will go from USD $24.6 million to USD $28.7 million. This winners this year will pocket USD $1.96 million, compared to USD $1.64 million a year ago. But that’s not all. Players eliminated in the second, third and fourth rounds will receive 25 percent more than they did last year. French Tennis Federation director Gilbert Ysern says his organization “wishes to maintain its effort with regards to players eliminated during the first week.” The tournament begins May 26.

SUB EXTRAORDINARE

Maria Irigoyen was chosen for Argentina’s Fed Cup team to play only doubles. But when Florencia Molinero wasn’t up to her usual form, Irigoyen stepped in and beat Elena Baltacha 7-5 3-6 6-1 to lead her country to a Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group 2 playoff win over Great Britain. Baltacha, who had come back from retirement, also was subbing for another member of her team, Johanna Konta. The two teams split the opening two singles before Paula Ormaechea stopped Britain’s Laura Robson 6-4 4-6 6-2 in a battle of the team’s top players. That left it for Irigoyen, who wore down Baltacha in a baseline battle that lasted a little over 2½ hours. “They were tough defeats, we had lots of chances we didn’t manage to take,” Britain’s captain Judy Murray said. “Bally (Baltacha) played so well in practice all week, and I felt if I needed someone to go out there and deal with the conditions, she’s got such a great Fed Cup record and is a great competitor, I knew she would give everything. It was a risk – she’d not played much competitive tennis in the last six months – she nearly did it and I’m very proud of her.” Great Britain did not have Heather Watson, who is ill. Argentina’s captain Bettina Fulco said it made a difference. “It would have been too difficult for us if Watson had come,” Fulco said.

STOPPING THE BRYANS

Playing together for the first time, Julien Benneteau and Nenad Zimonjic reached the final of the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters only to find two-time defending champions Bob and Mike Bryan waiting for them. It made no difference as Benneteau and Zimonjic defeated the American brothers 4-6 7-6 (4) 14-12 (match tiebreak) to come away with the title. The winners saved seven match points in the rain-interrupted final. The match had been suspended with Benneteau and Zimonjic leading 3-0 in the second set. When play resumed 2½ hours later, it was the Bryans who had all the chances to win. The brothers had their first match point when leading 5-4, deuce in the second set, which Benneteau saved with a second serve ace. In the match tiebreak, they led 9-5, 10-9 and 12-11 before Benneteau and Zimonjic converted their second match point at 13-12.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Monte Carlo: Julien Benneteau and Nenad Zimonjic beat Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan 4-6 7-6 (4) 14-12 (match tiebreak)

Sarasota: Ilija Bozoljac and Somdev Devvarman beat Steve Johnson and Bradley Klahn 6-7 (5) 7-6 (3) 11-9 (match tiebreak)

SURFING

Monte Carlo: www.monte-carlorolexmasters.com

Sarasota: www.sarasotaopen.org/

Fed Cup: www.fedcup.com

Oeiras: www.estorilopen.net/

Munich: http://bmwopen.de

Ostrava: www.prosperitaopen.cz

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK
(All money in USD)

MEN

$3,437,000 Monte Carlo Rolex Masters, Monte Carlo, Monaco, clay
$100,000 Sarasota Open, Sarasota, Florida, USA, clay

FED CUP

World Group Semifinals

Italy vs. Czech Republic at Palermo, Italy, clay
Russia vs. Slovak Republic at Moscow, Russia, clay

World Group Playoffs

Germany vs. Serbia at Stuttgart, Germany, clay; Switzerland vs. Australia at Chiasso-Seseglio, Switzerland, clay; Spain vs. Japan at Barcelona, Spain, clay; United States vs. Sweden at Delray Beach, Florida, USA, hard

World Group II Playoffs

Belgium vs. Poland at Koksijde, Belgium, hard; France vs. Kazakhstan at Besançon, France, hard; Argentina vs. Great Britain at Buenos Aires, Argentina, clay; Ukraine vs. Canada at Kiev, Ukraine, clay

Group II

Europe/Asia Zone at Ulcinj, Montenegro, clay: Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, South Africa, Tunisia

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$537,109 Portugal Open, Oeiras, Portugal, clay
$537,109 BMW Open, Munich, Germany, clay
$125,000 Tunis Open, Tunis, Tunisia, clay
$111,351 Prosperita Open 2013, Ostrava, Czech Republic, clay

WOMEN

$235,000 Portugal Open, Oeiras, Portugal, clay

TOURNAMENTS IN TWO WEEKS

MEN

$4,404,383 Mutua Madrid Open, Madrid, Spain, clay
$125,000 Kunming Challenger, Kunming, China, hard

WOMEN

$5,273,930 Mutua Madrid Open, clay

Will Rafael Nadal’s knees hold up through the clay season?

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There was some consternation when Rafa Nadal announced his busy clay-court schedule leading up to the French Open — four tournaments in five weeks before a week off and then Roland Garros.

I don’t know how many friends and associates of mine wondered out loud if those knees, which have given him so much trouble in his relatively short pro career, would hold up.

Rafael Nadal

But, in fact, he’s been fine because, what people often forget, is that it’s not so much about how many matches you play as how much time you spend on court.

When Nadal goes on court against Spanish amigo David Ferrer today to play the Barcelona final, he will have averaged just one hour and 18 minutes per match this past week, and that’s very little time for clay court tennis.

A week earlier, at Monte Carlo, he logged significantly more court time — an average of one hour and 52 minutes. But, remember, that was his first week of the clay season. His legs were fresh and he was in a good position, physically, to play longer matches. One of those, of course, was the three-set win over Andy Murray in the Monte Carlo semis that went over three hours.

And so he came to Barcelona, the closest thing he has to a home event (just a short flight from his island home on Majorca to the east coast city of Barcelona) and, thinking long-range, he needed to get on and off the court quickly. He has.

Who knows how long he’s going to have to labor with Ferrer, who is a great retriever. But, at this point, it almost doesn’t matter because Nadal is taking next week off before the 1000 tournaments at Madrid and Rome.

Despite the relative quick matches, could he still be worn down before the French, where he will be an enormous favorite? Sure, if he has arduous matches at Madrid and Rome. But on the basis of the form he’s shown this spring, I’d reckon he’s going to have some quickies in the early rounds before being extended.

Certainly four lead-ups before the French is not unusual. In fact, it’s easier today than it was in 1995, when the ATP was playing best-of-5 set finals at Monte Carlo and Rome. That was the year Thomas Muster won 23 straight on clay at Estoril, Barcelona, Monte Carlo and Rome, including a three-hour-plus five-setter with Boris Becker at the Monte Carlo final.

Everything is best-of-three sets now leading up to the French, but you still have a bit of a feeling that Nadal is rolling dice with his physical conditioning. He has learned to cut back on his schedule and reduce the intensity of his training sessions since his succession of leg problems.

And right now he looks fine. Very fine. And he’ll remain just fine as long as he keeps his matches short, regardless of how many lead-up tournaments he plays.

BUD COLLINS: FEDERER MAY BE FALLING LIKE ROMAN EMPIRE

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By Bud Collins

(As seen on Bud Collins website www.BudCollinsTennis.com. Follow him on Twitter @BudCollins)

LONDON – Decline and falling?  Like the Roman Empire?

Maybe.

But one thing is clear. Roger Federer, the man who owned the green room – Centre Court at Wimbledon – will not be the centerpiece Sunday. After seven straight years of believing that this tennis court belonged to him, he was rudely evicted by a guy born in the Czech Republic village of Vallasske Mezerici and lives in Prostejov. Anybody who can spell or pronounce them should get a prize. (Like many other athletes, Tomas Berdych visits his money in Monte Carlo.)

There was no prize, however, for seemingly perpetual champ Federer – at least the one he lusted for: a seventh title.  As his walls came tumbling down the Lord of the Swings had to settle for a quarterfinal finish, as he did at the French Open. Good enough for most, but not the dispossessed Roger, the rajah of every land where tennis is played.

Was this really happening? Has the downer begun? This is his slowest start, after winning the Australian, his only title this year, he has lost eight singles matches.

Roger kept waiting for the Czech to choke.

But he might as well have waited for a bus to Scollay Square.

The Czech, ranked No. 13, had any number of chances to gargle, and was 2-8 in his previous dealings with Federer.  I saw him shiver and quiver to defeat with a two-set and service break lead over Federer at the Australian Open two years ago.

Different Tomas Berdych Wednesday in his 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, triumph lamented by almost everybody in the full-house gathering of 14,971.  It wasn’t exactly hostile territory for 24-year-old Tomas, only once as successful as a quarter-finalist in six previous visits. But Federer had presented such a regal air over the seven years that the clientele thought his empire would continue as long as he wished.

However, on view also was a different Federer, a frustrated guy with countenance often as cloudy as the sky.  Of course the brilliance of his shotmaking was on view – but not enough – and he missed too many shots.

“When I had chances I played poorly,” Federer said.  “It was brutal for me. Every time he had a chance he took it. He played great on the break points. I was uncomfortable.  When you can’t play freely that’s the kind of performance you get.”

And you cash only one of eight break points, while Berdyich collects on four of six.

Ah, break points, those game-changers.  In Berdych’s case, he stayed alive by squashing them at critical moments.  A big guy (6-5) with a big flat forehand he frequently got the better of Federer in crosscourt duels. A winning forehand on the run gave Tomas the vital break to 4-3 in the fourth set.

What an adventure that last set was as Federer kept knocking at the door but couldn’t get in. Tomas held to 2-2 despite four deuces.  His escape to 3-3 was memorable though ragged.  He seemed to be  surrendering to the pressure, double faulting twice, getting buried at 0-40, nevertheless dodging four break points, two deuces – and pierced Federer in the next game of four deuces.

Match game almost slipped away. Berdych said, “It was the toughest to close in all of my career. Against Roger Federer on Centre Court. Pretty tough. But I didn’t lost it” – though blowing the first match point. Federer pushed hard, had a break point, but Berdych pulled his nerves together, coaxed two errors from his foe and sealed it with a forehand winner.

Although Federer copped a bit of a plea, saying his back and right leg bothered him, Berdych ignored it.

His all-time greatness assured, Roger isn’t going to roll over and play dead, or take up bingo. He’s aiming for the 2012 Olympics – to be played at Wimbledon.

It was a wonderful win for the kid out of Valasske Mezirici, but he must contend with Novak Djokovic in tomorrow’s semi. Rafa Nadal, the 2008 champion goes against the great bright hope of Britain, Andy Murray.

Federer’s seven year final round reign is history.  It started in 2003, a first title over Mark Philippoussis, then two over Andy Roddick, followed by two over Nadal, and Roddick again. He lost the 2008 final to Nadal topping by one year Bjorn Borg, 1976 – 81, and an ancient, Willie Renshaw, 1881 – 85.

Eviction isn’t pleasant, but as Bogie said to Ingrid, he’ll always have Wimbledon.

GULBIS TALKS TENNIS

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Ernests Gulbis has been the surprise of the European clay court season.

He has posted an impressive 11-4 clay court record this year, including his standout 2-6, 6-1, 7-5 second round win over Roger Federer in Rome. The Latvian went on to reach the semifinals in Italy, where he was one of two players to take a set from Rafael Nadal on clay this season and seriously challenged the “King of Clay” in a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 loss. In Madrid, he challenged Federer again in the quarterfinals, falling 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. Gulbis also reached the quarterfinals in Barcelona, losing to eventual champion Fernando Verdasco and lost to Stan Wawrinka in the second round of Monte Carlo.

Some are picking Gulbis to continue his run of great play at Roland Garros and perhaps make a run at a final four spot.

Harry Cicma, the host of the TV show “World Tennis with Harry Cicma” on New England Sports Network (NESN), recently had a chance to catch up with Gulbis in this feature from his show.

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3m11fLm-0Y[/pro-player]