Radek Stepanek

Indian Wells: Time for some meaningful tennis – Around the Corner

March 10, 2011 by WTM

By Mike McIntyre

It’s time again for some meaningful tennis. No disrespect to the ATP World Tour level 250 and 500 tournament’s, but the BNP Paribas Masters in Indian Wells represents a return to top-level tennis with all the big names in attendance.

Rafael Nadal claims to be healthy again and the world number one is ready to perform. Defeated a year ago by Ivan Ljubicic in the semi-finals here, Nadal will hopefully be fit enough to play at 100%. After a first round bye he will potentially face a qualifier or Pere Riba from Spain. Either way Rafa should be off to a good start. His first major obstacle could be Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the fourth round and that could be a real special match for tennis fans. The 17th ranked Tsonga is a top-ten player when he is healthy and could give Rafa a tremendous challenge. While he is only 1-5 against Nadal, Tsonga has beaten him on hard courts before and usually gives the Spaniard a good test. With a weaker quarter of the draw, look for the winner of this match to likely advance to the semi-finals.

Abu Dhabi World Tennis Championships — Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal set to compete in Indian Wells

Still in the top-half of the draw, don’t expect defending champion Ivan Ljubicic to last long. Aside from battling some injury issues, the veteran Croatian has the unenviable task of facing Juan Martin Del Potro in the second round. Ljubicic has a first round bye, while Del P will very likely take care of fading veteran Radek Stepanek in his opening match.

The 2009 U.S. Open champion, Del Potro has been playing terrific in recent weeks. Finally recovered from a wrist injury that kept him off the ATP World Tour for the better part of 2010, DelPotro has rebounded nicely in 2011 with two semi-final appearances in a row in San Jose and Memphis followed by a victory at the event in Delray Beach against Janko Tipsarevic.

Del Potro, when healthy, is a top-five player who is capable of beating just about anyone when on his game. In a tennis world where Federer and Nadal have been less than perfect lately, here is a player who can really throw his name into the mix in competing for Grand Slams. Look for him to have a tournament where he truly announces his return to the upper-echelon of the men’s game.

A Del Potro vs. Dolgopolov third round would be fun to watch, as would a potential fourth round battle between Del P and Sweden’s Robin Soderling. I like one of these two players to advance to the finals in fact. I still feel like Soderling has yet to reach his potential.

In the last section of the top-half of the draw we have Andy Murray. What to make of the world’s fifth ranked player? He has a comfortable lead over sixth ranked DavidFerrer in the rankings but what has he done for us lately? He has only played in two events through more than two months of the year and his results were total opposites. He was playing fantastically at the Australian Open before he advanced to the finals and then tanked in three sets toNovak Djokovic. Murray then proceeded to lose in the first round in Rotterdam in early February to Marcos Baghdatis in straight sets. Since then Murray has been absent from the tennis court and that in itself makes me wonder what else is going on with the talented Scot. Perhaps his third straight-sets loss in a Slam final has taken a mental toll on him? His performance here in Indian Wells and then in Miami will go a long way towards determining what direction Murray is headed.

The bottom-half of the draw meanwhile seems to have many more meaningful matches on deck. Second seeded Roger Federer could face Kei Nishikori in the second round and then rising-star Milos Raonic in the fourth round. A Federer vs. Raonic match would be an electric test of old versus the new.

Tomas Berdych has been sleep-walking through this year so far and could face Marin Cilic or Stan Wawrinka in the fourth round. Honestly, I don’t see Berdych ever living up to his so-called potential despite his semi-final results at the French Open and making the finals of Wimbledon in 2010. There are several more mentally strong players on tour with just about as much physical talent as he has that I would bank on.

On the other side of the bottom-half draw we have aging American vet Andy Roddick and soon to be second ranked Novak Djokovic. Both should advance to the quarter-finals although Roddick’s path is less certain. James Blake, John Isner and Richard Gasquet all stand in Roddick’s way.

Djokovic meanwhile shouldn’t face too much opposition with the lights-out way he has been playing. Veteran Lleyton Hewitt and fellow-Serb Viktor Troicki linger in his section but neither is anywhere near matching his level of performance.

I like a Djokovic vs. Federer semi-final in this section of the draw to go along with Nadal and Del Potro in the top half. Who emerges is anyone’s guess but any way you slice it tennis fans worldwide are going to enjoy the next week and a half of tennis in California.

Jan Kodes: Serbs Too Tough For Czechs

September 20, 2010 by WTM

Jan Kodes of the Czech Republic, the 1973 Wimbledon champion and 1970-71 French Open champion, is the author of the new book JAN KODES: A JOURNEY TO GLORY FROM BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN, a one-of-a-kind coffee table book featuring incredible, never-been-published historic photos. The book, featuring many anecdotes and stories about Czech tennis including Martina Navratilova, Ivan Lendl and others, is available for $35.96 on amazon.com here: http://www.amazon.com/Jan-Kodes-Journey-Behind-Curtain/dp/0942257685/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280583452&sr=8-1 Jan also was a singles runner-up at the US Open in 1971 and in 1973.

The “big match” of the last day of the Davis Cup semifinal between the Czech Republic and Serbia in Belgrade was a great match between the two No. 1 players – Tomas Berdych from the Czech Republic and Novak Djokovic of Serbia. Berdych started much better as he gained a lot of confidence from winning the doubles on Saturday and Djokovic still could not find his legs or his timing. At the start, he was not playing his best and losing the longer rallies. Berdych’s game was OK and he looked as though he was going to be the winner through the middle of the second set. However, suddenly Djokovic started to wip his groundstrokes very deeply. His confidence returned and he was hitting several great passing shots and his game turned around. Berdych started to feel the pressure and made few bad volleys. From the third set on, Djokovic dictated the game with his power and finished the match as the Serbian hero!

This made the score 2-2. Radek Stepanek and Janko Tipsarevic stepped on the court for the fifth rubber. Stepanek got off to a very bad start. He could not get into the match at all and lost the first set 6-0. Janko was fresh and played solid from the baseline while Stepanek, who played in doubles the previous day, looked a little tired. He started to take more risks and his game improved. However, the Serb was supported heavily by the home crowd and he was lucky to win the tie-breaker to give him a two-sets to love lead and went on to win in three sets.

It was a big win for Serbia to reach the final of the Davis Cup for the first time. It would have been an excellent effort for the Czechs to reach the final for a second straight year, but it was not to be.

70-68! JOHN ISNER WINS LONGEST TENNIS MATCH OF ALL-TIME

June 24, 2010 by WTM

John Isner of the United States won the longest tennis match ever Thursday, taking the fifth-set of his first-round Wimbledon match with Nicolas Mahut of France 70-68. The final time of match was an incredible 11 hours, 5 minutes.

Isner and Mahut split the first four sets Tuesday, before darkness caused for the match to be delayed. They began the fifth set Wednesday at 2:04 p.m., and play was halted again at 9:10 p.m., because of darkness with the score tied 59-59.

Isner finished with a total of 112 aces and Mahut with 103.

The previous longest match in tennis history was 6 hours, 33 minutes, played between Arnaud Clement and Fabrice Santoro – both of France – in the first round of the 2004 French Open, Santoro winning 6-4, 6-3, 6-7(5), 3-6, 16-14 in a match stretched over two days.

The longest tennis matches of all time now list as follows;

11:05 John Isner def. Nicolas Mahut 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (9), 7-6 (3), 70-68, 2010 Wimbledon first round

6:33 Fabrice Santoro def. Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 3-6, 16-14, 2004 French Open first round

6:31 Vicki Nelson-Dunbar def. Jean Hepner 6-4, 7-6 (13-11), 1984 Virginia Slims of Richmond

6:22 John McEnroe def. Mats Wilander 9-7, 6-2, 15-17, 3-6, 8-6, 1982 Davis Cup quarterfinal

Both players broke the previous record for most aces in a match, set by Ivo Karlovic of Croatia last year when he hit 78 aces in a Davis Cup match against Radek Stepanek.

For all draws, schedules and further Wimbledon news, go to www.Wimbledon.org

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

June 7, 2010 by WTM

STARS

French Open

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Other

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

SAYINGS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SPANISH GOLD

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

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

SUPER SCHIAVONE

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

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

STRONG DRAW

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

SHOWMANSHIP

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

SUPREME EFFORT

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

SKINNIEST OF MARGINS

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

STILL GRACIOUS, STILL SMILING

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

STEAMED

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

STILL SWINGING

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

SLIPPERY SLOPE

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

SORE

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

STARRING

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

SIDELINED

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

STRAIGHT IN

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

SORRY

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

SINO HELP

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

SPONSOR

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

SHARED PERFORMANCES

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

SITES TO SURF

Halle: www.gerryweber-open.com/

Marseille: http://opengdfsuez-marseille.com

Lugano: www.challengerlugano.ch/

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

Den Bosch: www.unicefopen.nl/

Rafael Nadal: www.rafaelnadal.com

Francesca Schiavone: www.schiavonefrancesca.com/

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

ATP

$822,000 Gerry Weber Open, Halle, Germany, grass

$777,300 AEGON Championships, London, Great Britain, grass

$105,000 BSI Challenger Lugano, Lugano, Switzerland, clay

WTA

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

$100,000 Open GDF Suez de Marseille, Marseille, France, clay

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

ATP

$405,000 AEGON International, Eastbourne, Great Britain, grass

$398,000 UNICEF Open, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, grass

WTA

$600,000 AEGON International, Eastbourne, Great Britain, grass

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

LACK OF PASSION FUELED VAIDISOVA RETIREMENT

March 19, 2010 by WTM

By Charles Bricker

Nicole Vaidisova had flung her racket into the red clay, covered her face with her hands in a sort of feigned disbelief, then danced around the Suzanne Lenglen court, blowing kisses to a full stadium — already a fully-grown woman at age 17, on the cusp of greatness and looking very much like someone in love with tennis.

It was only a quarterfinal, but this split-set win over Venus Wiliams at the 2006 French Open was a signature moment in her life, and the way I’d like to remember Vaidisova’s too-short tennis career.

Unfortunately, my sustaining memory of her probably is going to be an uncaring, passionless first-round loss in a $25,000 deep-bush league tournament, where she was beaten 6-2, 6-4 by No. 200-and-something Christina McHale just a couple months ago.

There were no grumpy Vaidisova racket bounces that afternoon and no crumpled Yonexes, and she certainly had destroyed a few of those over the years. There was simply a sense of, “What am I doing here and why am I playing tennis?” It’s a question she won’t have to contemplate any longer.

Her decision to quit the game and marry 31-year-old pro Radek Stepanek probably was made weeks ago, but announced only Tuesday, and I don’t think it’s going to be one of those temporary retirements. Unlike Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters, it’s doubtful she’ll be back because there’s a salient difference among these three women.

Henin and Clijsters love tennis. It doesn’t take much moxie to figure out that whatever affection Nicole once had for playing the game is gone forever, and probably hasn’t been there since she dissolved her coaching relationship with stepfather Alex Kodat two years ago.

Was it one of those classic parent/child coaching disasters? Who can say, aside from Vaidisova and those closest to her, but I doubt it. Kodat is no Jim Pierce. He’s quiet, thoughtful and professorial. There is no doubt he is the one who put in the foundation of Vaidisova’s game and nurtured her to semifinal finishes at Roland Garros and at the 2007 Australian Open.

Their split came at the end of a mysterious slump in 2008 that sent Vaidisova into a rankings freefall, and if there was a defining moment that began this plunge, it was a 6-4, 6-0 loss to Ana Ivanovic in the second round at Dubai, right after Australia.

There followed opening-round losses to Casey Dellacqua at Indian Wells, to Alisa Kleybanova at Key Biscayne, to Gisela Dulko at Berlin, to Ekaterina Makarova at Rome and to Iveta Benesova at the French Open. She lost 10 of 18 matches the remainder of the year, including a first-rounder at the Olympics to Alize Cornet that must have left her particularly dejected.

Maybe, after years of grinding through training, signing autographs, meeting media demands and and being unable to enjoy a more “normal” teenaged life, she lost whatever lust she had for the game, even after banking more than $2.5 million.

Kodat brought her from their home in the Czech Republic to the famed Bollettieri Academy in Bradenton, Fla., when she was 11 and did most of the grooming. When Nicole turned professional at 14 she was well on her way to six-feet tall and with the kind of lower body strength that is essential in tennis. Though she was never going to be among the fastest players on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, those long legs covered a lot of court quickly, and she was a devastating ground stroker off both sides.

As she progressed through the 2007 Aussie Open, on the way to the final four, there was no hint of future despair. “I’m definitely very, very happy and excited,” she said after a win. “It’s the first Grand Slam of the year and you don’t know how you’re going to come back from the off-season. But I’ve had a great start to the year and now I just have to keep improving.”

A year later, there were no more smiles in her press conference. She had once charmed reporters with her love of hockey and how she never learned to skate because she was “afraid of the ice.”

And in January, in her final court appearance in a Futures event just outside Tampa, Fla., she was in a deep funk. At one point in this final loss, McHale raced in for a drop shot and bunted it back. Did it bounce once or twice? Vaidisova watched the return on her side of the net and never made a move to play it, despite no “not up” call from the chair umpire.

There will be those who complain about her “wasted talent,” though that seems a bit unfair. You have to have passion to play this game and she no longer has any for tennis. That’s not wasted. It’s just not there.

Charles Bricker can be reached at nflwriterr@aol.com

STEPANEK FALLS IN SUNRISE CHALLENGER

March 19, 2010 by WTM

By Charles Bricker

It took The Worm about 15 minutes after this upset to change into some fresh clothes, collect his paycheck and, with fiancee Nicole Vaidisova in tow, he hit the road for the 50-mile trip to Key Biscayne, where he’ll begin preparations for something a little more serious — the Sony Ericsson Open, the second ATP 1000 event of the season which begins on Wednesday.

It was surprising how easily Radek Stepanek went down in the final set of this 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 loss to young Argentine Leonardo Mayer at the BMW Challenger in Sunrise, Fl., but he got in two matches, defeating Sergiy Stakhovsky in the first round, and probably feels that’s enough prep for his next stop.

This being a Challenger, his No. 17 ranking isn’t going to be affected. Mayer, however, had a lot more to gain.

First, he’s building back some of the momentum he thought he’d galvanized just before the Australian Open. Second, he pushed into the quarterfinals against burly lefthander Michael Berrer. And third, though he’s only 22, he’s got a career best win.

Asked if he grew up with a favorite Argentine player, he replied, “They’re all my competition now so I’m my own favorite player.”

It was also a very good day for 33-year-old Stefan Koubek, who authenticated his Sunrise wild card with a 6-4, 7-6 (6) win over No. 44 ranked Jeremy Chardy of France, who continues to be one of the enigmas in men’s tennis.

Chardy has as much offense as anyone, hitting his serve and forehands with near frightening velocity, but his service returning is holding back his progress. He’s winning only 14 percent of his return games for the season and that’s not going to get him into the top 20.

Also into the quarters is Santiago Giraldo of Colombia, who defeated Daniel Brands of Germany 6-4, 6-1 and who will next play Benni Becker, who won over Andrey Golubev 6-0, 6-2.

Three other second round matches were scheduled for late Thursday.

Mayer admitted to some early nerves against Stepanek, but “I loosened up and started playing my game.” He went up a break early in the third set and never relinquished it. Stepanek seemed completely nonplused by his unforced errors.

Koubek, whose best tennis days were behind him long ago, is playing primarily for fun now and he certainly had a good time against Chardy, beating him on a fourth match point after failing to close it out at love-40.

Charles Bricker can be reached at nflwriterr@aol.com

WHERE WILL STEPANEK AND VAIDISOVA WED? “MAYBE CUBA” SAYS THE WORM

March 16, 2010 by WTM

By Charles Bricker

Showing no signs of jet lag after a long flight from Indian Wells, Calif., Radek Stepanek strode into the Crowne Plaza hotel here in Sunrise, Fla., and confirmed that he and longtime girl friend Nicole Vaidisova will be married later this year, putting an exclamation point on a wedding report that has been circulating for two months.

No date or month has been set, but this apparently is the end of the tournament trail for former Bollettieri ingenue Vaidisova, who turns 21 on April 23. After reaching the French Open semis in 2006 and the Australian Open semis a year later, Vaidisova’s career has resembled a runaway Toyota.

First rumblings of their impending marriage began after Vaidisova flunked out of a Challenger tournament near Tampa, Fla., on Jan. 18, losing to little known teenager Christina McHale 6-2, 6-4 in a very poor performance. She hasn’t played since and her ranking, once No. 7 (2007) is now 176.

This is the first marriage for both, though it’s the second, and maybe the third, engagement for Stepanek, 31. He was briefly affianced to Martina Hingis before he and Vaidisova became romantically involved in 2007. Then, in what now appears to have been something of a practical joke, Stepanek and Vaidisova took out a marriage license in Manatee County, Fla., not long after they became involved with each other.

Stepanek was asked where the marriage will take place — in Bradenton, where Vaidisova lives near the Bollettieri IMG Academy –or in their home country of the Czech Republic.

“I don’t think you need to know that,” said Stepanek. “Maybe Cuba,” he joked.

Stepanek, nick-named “The Worm” because of his silly post-match celebratory dance, is in Florida to play the Sunrise BMW Challenger after being knocked out early at Indian Wells. He’ll use the tournament to get ready for the Sony Ericsson Open on Key Biscayne, which begins down the road near Miami in a week.

Stepanek is ranked No. 17 and seeded No. 1 in Sunrise. Vaidisova accompanied him to the tournament and they looked relaxed and happy as they walked into the hotel.

Charles Bricker can be reached at nflwriterr@aol.com

STEPANEK UPSET, RODDICK WINS AT SAP OPEN

February 11, 2010 by WTM

By Chris Kane

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Tour veteran Xavier Malisse produced some inspired tennis in ousting No. 3 seed and defending champion Radek Stepanek 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of the SAP Open.

Stepanek, ranked no. 14 in the world, was never able to find a rhythm in the surprisingly one-sided affair that lasted only one hour and 10 minutes.

In the evening session, top-seed Andy Roddick fought off a second-set run by qualifier Ryler DeHeart, winning, 6-1, 7-6 (1). DeHeart lead 3-0 in the second set and served for the set at 5-3, but was unable to convert.

Stepanek became the first defending champion to lose in the SAP Open first round in 20 years. The Czech had started the year solidly by reaching the finals in an attempting to defend his title in Brisbane before losing to Roddick. He lost a tough five-set match in the Australian Open in a difficult first round match up with Ivo Karlovic.

Malisse, once ranked as high as 19th in the world after making the semifinals of Wimbledon in 2002 (where he lost to David Nalbandian), had slipped to No. 107 before stunning Stepanek. It was his first victory over a top 20 player since 2008 when he exacted revenge on Nalbandian in Miami. The 29-year-old Belgian will look to continue his run when he faces American
Michael Russell in the second round.

German Tommy Haas, the No. 4 seed, was also eliminated Wednesday, falling 7-6 6-2 to Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin.

THE SECOND-OLDEST U.S. TOURNAMENT, THE SAP OPEN, HAS STRONG FIELD FOR 2010

February 6, 2010 by WTM

By Chris Kane

On Monday, February 8, the second oldest American tournament, the SAP Open, gets underway at the HP Pavilion in San Jose with three-time winner Andy Roddick headlining the bill in the singles and world No. 1 and Australian Open champs, the Bryan Brothers, set to compete in the doubles.

Pete Sampras, a two time winner of the tournament himself, will also be playing an exhibition match for the third year in a row, taking on Spain’s Fernando Verdasco on Monday evening. Last year Sampras was scheduled to play James Blake but instead played Tommy Haas for the second consecutive year as Blake was forced to withdraw with an injury.

Also returning is Radek Stepanek, the defending champion in both the singles and the doubles, Last year, the Czech made a surprising run, beating No. 1 seed Roddick in the semis on his way to claiming his fourth career title.

In one form or another the SAP Open has been around since 1889 when it was known as the Pacific Coast Championships, making the it second-oldest tournament in the United States behind the precursor to what was to become the US Open. The tournament pre-dates the Australian and French Opens as well making it one of the oldest on the professional tour.

This year’s lineup includes seven of the world’s top 30 ranked players and seven of the top nine U.S. players. Included in that group of Americans is Mardy Fish, who had a spectacular run in last year’s tournament, beating Lleyton Hewitt, John Isner, Juan Martin Del Potro and James Blake consecutively before succumbing to Stepanek in a tough three-set final. Sam Querrey and Taylor Dent will also be competing and the fast surface of the indoor courts at the HP Pavilion is sure to make their brand of power tennis a formidable threat.
Roddick will once again be the top seed and the favorite but the lingering question from the Australian Open is how is his shoulder? In his quarterfinal loss to Marin Cilic, Roddick suffered from a nerve issue in his shoulder, causing numbness in his fingers. That match was played on January 26^th so he will have rested for two weeks before taking the court in San Jose.

TERRELL OWENS CHEERS ON VICTORIOUS RODDICK IN AUSTRALIAN OPENER

January 18, 2010 by WTM

With National Football League star Terrell “TO” Owens cheering him on from his player’s box, Andy Roddick advanced into the second round of the Australian Open Monday with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 win over Dutchmen Thiemo de Bakker.

Interviewed by ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi, Owens said he and Roddick became friends after first meeting at various parties at the Sony Ericsson Open in the past. The Buffalo Bills wide receiver said he decided to come to Australia “at the spur of the moment” after watching Roddick win the title in Brisbane two weeks ago on television. Both Roddick and Owens also follow each other on the social network Twitter.com and often exchange back-and-forth messages.

Roddick may be heading towards a third-round confrontation with fellow American Sam Querrey in the third round. Roddick is placed in the quarter of the draw with No. 4 seed Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina. Roddick and del Potro are placed in the bottom half of the draw that also features No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal and No. 5 seed Andy Murray. Roddick entered the first Grand Slam tournament of the year with a singles title in his pocket – the Brisbane International, won two weeks ago over Radek Stepanek in the final.

Following his interview with Rinaldi, Owens “tweeted” from his profile @terrellowens “Just went on live frm Hisense Arena w/espn analyst Tim Rinaldi! He had on a nice tie by the way! And Roddick is winning!”

ANDY RODDICK TAKES BRISBANE

January 10, 2010 by WTM

Top-seeded Andy Roddick survived a second-set collapse Sunday to win the Brisbane International title, beating defending champion Radek Stepanek after the Czech player double-faulted on match point.

The American’s 7-6 (2), 7-6 (7) victory in the final capped his first tournament in nearly three months due to a 2009 season-ending knee injury.

Roddick nearly let the match slip away. He led 4-0 in the second set before Stepanek came back to take a 6-5 lead, with Roddick needing to hold service to force a tiebreaker.

The Czech player held a set point at 7-6 in the second-set tiebreaker. Roddick won the next two points on serve, then watched Stepanek double-fault to hand him the Brisbane title.

The lopsided tiebreaker loss in the first set seemed to deflate Stepanek. Serving to open the second set, the Czech hit a forehand into the net, double-faulted, mis-hit a backhand and double-faulted again on break point to give Roddick a 1-0 lead.

Roddick led 4-0 before Stepanek broke the American’s powerful serve twice to level the set at 5-5.

The 27-year-old Roddick injured his left knee in October, and the Australian Open warmup in Brisbane was his first tournament back.

Roddick’s win ended Stepanek’s nine-game winning streak at the Brisbane International.

“Radek, I know you won here last year and you were undefeated on this court and for a while I thought it might be your destiny,” Roddick told the crowd at Pat Rafter Arena after his win.

“One thing about you, you get to every ball and never give up the fight— that’s to be applauded.”

It was Roddick’s first career title in Australia—and in his first final Down Under. He has had a frustrating time at the Australian Open, making the semifinal four times in the past seven years, only to be denied a shot at the title.

Roddick said he had to “hold on to the last shred of sanity” to win the match.

“I didn’t expect to come in and win my first tournament after a pretty extended layoff,” Roddick said. “You could focus on the last 20 minutes of stress or look at the whole week … overall I feel pretty good about it.

“It was weird. I don’t think I have squandered a lead where I have been putting in first serves and making approach shots. And in the breakers it was the same deal. I kept making first serves so that was helping me hold on to the last shred of sanity I had.

“But at the end of the day the only thing that will be remembered is the ‘w’ (win).”

Stepanek was happy with his ability to nearly turn the match around.

“To come back from 1-5 down (in the second set) against a player such as Andy with a tremendous serve, it was a great battle,” Stepanek said.

“I never gave up. I was fighting until the last point. I said to myself ‘you are in Brisbane, you won here last year, there is something special here’, but in the end it wasn’t good enough.”

The Brisbane women’s singles champion was decided Saturday when Kim Clijsters beat fellow Belgian Justine Henin 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (6) in a clash of two players back on tour after temporary retirements.

Clijsters, only five tournaments into her own comeback which has already netted the U.S. Open title, saved two match points and then wasted three before clinching the win over Henin, a seven-time Grand Slam title winner playing her first tournament back on tour.

Henin later pulled out of this week’s Sydney International with an upper left leg injury, but expects to be fit for the Australian Open which starts on Jan. 18.

MONDAYS WITH BOB GREENE: STARS OF 2009

December 28, 2009 by WTM

STARS OF 2009

Australian Open

Men: Rafael Nadal; Women: Serena Williams

Roland Garros

Men: Roger Federer; Women: Svetlana Kuznetsova

Wimbledon

Men: Roger Federer; Women: Serena Williams

US Open

Men: Juan Martin del Potro; Women: Kim Clijsters

Sony Ericsson Championships

Serena Williams

Barclays ATP World Tour Finals

Nikolay Davydenko

Davis Cup

Spain

Fed Cup

Italy

SAYINGS

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

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

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

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

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

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

SERENA ATHLETE OF YEAR

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

STELLAR CHAMPIONS

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

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

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

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

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

SPORTS EVENT MANAGEMENT AWARD

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

SINGLED OUT

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

STICKING AROUND

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

SENT INVITATION

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

SANTIAGO-BOUND

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

SWITCH IN OWNERS

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

SIGNED ON

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

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

STARRING AS KING

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

SELECTED

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

SELA, SHAHAR STAR

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

SHARED PERFORMANCES

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

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

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

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

London: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan

Doha: Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez

SITES TO SURF

Brisbane: www.brisbaneinternational.com.au/

Chennai: www.aircelchennaiopen.org/

Auckland: www.asbclassic.co.nz/

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK