rome

Iga Swiatek Wins 28th Straight Match With Second Italian Open Title

May 15, 2022 by Admin

Iga Swiatek defended her women’s title at the Italian Open by defeating Ons Jabeur 6-2, 6-2 and, in the process, extended her amazing win streak to 28 matches.

Swiatek took over as world No. 1 by default with the retirement of the dominant Ash Barty in March and is now seen as just as dominant the Australian was. Swiatek, who was a surprise winner at the French Open in 2020 when she was ranked No. 54, is now the solid favorite to win at Roland Garros for a second time.

“I already know that I did some great stuff this season, so I feel like I can just play freely,” said the 20-year-old Swiatek. “For sure the expectations around are higher, but I never had a problem to cut it off and not to think about it. Also I’m gaining experience at that.”

Swiatek has now won five straight titles during her win streak, including the “Sunshine Double” in the United States at Indian Wells and Miami.

“All these tournaments that I’ve won seem pretty surreal right now,” she said.

Jabeur was on a streak of her own with 11 consecutive wins entering the final after her Madrid Open title last week. However, Swiatek proved too powerful for the Tunisian.

“Iga is the No. 1 for a reason,” Jabeur said. “She’s really the leader here on tour. I personally have a lot to learn from her.”

The last player to win more consecutive matches was Justine Henin, who won 32 straight over 2007 and 2008. The all-time longest streak in the “Open Era” belongs to Martina Navratilova, who had a run of 74 straight wins in 1984.

Swiatek last lost in mid-February in Dubai to Jelena Ostapenko in a third-set tiebreaker. She has won 42 of the last 43 sets she’s played.

Novak Djokovic Wins First 2022 Title In Rome And Looks To Paris

May 15, 2022 by Admin

Novak Djokovic won his first title of the 2022 season at the Italian Open and made the statement that he should not be counted out as a contender for the French Open.

Djokovic, still ranked No. 1 despite missing most of the first half of the season due to his unvaccinated status against the coronavirus, defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-0, 7-6 (5) to win in Rome for a sixth time in his 12^th final in the eternal city.

“I’ve been building my form the last few weeks,” Djokovic said. “It couldn’t be better timing coming into Roland Garros….Perfect scenario for me.”

Djokovic didn’t drop a set all week and won his 1,000th career match over Casper Ruud in the semifinals. The last title Djokovic won was at the Paris Masters trophy in November. He was unable to defend his Australian Open title due to be deported due to his vaccine status.

“This year it was a particular situation. With everything that happened in Australia, it took some time,” Djokovic said. “I found my best shape here. I’m going to Paris with a lot of confidence.”

Djokovic needed only a half hour to win the opening set. Tsitsipas actually served for the second set at 5-3, but was not able to close.

During the trophy ceremony, Djokovic made a special dedication: “Today at 4 (p.m.) when we started this match, my son Stefan, who is 7 years old, was playing his first tennis match. I hope he won. This is for him.”

Statement Win For Nadal In Rome Provides For French Open Confidence

May 21, 2019 by Admin

“He needed this. He wanted this and he had to play his best tennis today to get it.” This is what former world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport said on Tennis Channel as Rafael Nadal finally won his first clay-court title of the year in Rome, defeating world No. 1 Novak Djokovic 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 in the final.

“This was a statement week for Rafa,” she said and there is nothing more true for the 11-time French Open champion as he works to win a 12^th title at Roland Garros. Nadal suffered through the most paltry clay court season of his career, failing to advance past the semifinals in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid. Doubts as to whether the soon-to-be 33-year-old Spaniard would continue to his clay-court dominance persisted until his important win over Djokovic, the reigning Wimbledon, U.S. and Australian Open champion, who beat him by a one-sided margin in Melbourne in January.

Djokovic, the winner in Madrid earlier this month, is still be considered the slight favorite in Paris as he looks to hold all four major singles titles at the same time for the second time in his career, something only done one time in men’s tennis, by the one-and-only Rod Laver, who won calendar-year Grand Slams in 1962 and 1969.

Dominic Thiem, last year’s beaten finalist in Paris, stands on more sturdy feet this year entering Roland Garros and is a trendy tennis betting choice entering the season’s second major championship. He nearly beat Nadal in a U.S. Open epic last September, and beating Roger Federer in the Indian Wells final. He also registered an impressive win over Nadal in Barcelona – beating him in a stadium that is named after him!

Roger Federer will be playing in Paris for the first time in two years and a lot of attention will be focusing on the 2009 French singles champion. Most insiders do not think he can get through the Nadal, Djokovic wall in Paris, which will allow Federer to play more freely without extra pressure, which could result in some surprise overachieving results for the Swiss maestro. Federer won his 101st career title in Miami earlier this season and he could surprisingly add No. 102 in Paris this coming fortnight.

Rafael Nadal Dominates to Win Ninth Time in Rome – Mondays with Bob Greene

May 20, 2019 by Admin

Mondays with Bob Greene

STARS

Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic 6-0 4-6 6-1 to win the Internazionali BNL d’Italia men’s singles in Rome, Italy

Karolina Pliskova beat Johanna Konta 6-3 6-4 to win the Internazionali BNL d’Italia women’s singles in Rome, Italy

Filip Krajinovic beat Arthur De Greef 63 6-1 to win the Neckercup in Heilbronn, Germany

Bernarda Pera beat Anna Blinkova 7-5 7-5 to win the Empire Slovak Open in Trnava, Slovakia

SAYINGS

“What means most to me is this trophy. Rome is one of the most important tournaments of the year. (It’s a big) part of the history of our sport. To be able to win here again is the main thing.” – Rafael Nadal, who won the Internazionali BNL d’Italia for the ninth time.

“The shots that you can win the rally or a point against 99 per cent of players, with him it doesn’t work. It takes an extra shot more.” – Novak Djokovic, after losing to Rafael Nadal.

“Nobody really gave me chance for this tournament – even me.” – Karolina Pliskova, after winning the Italian Open women’s singles.

“There’s rarely really a rhythm to the match. She plays with big shots, quite flat, and big serves. It can feel sometimes you’re fighting an uphill battle. That was the case today.” – Johanna Konta, after losing to Karolina Pliskova.

“I feel like when you win tournaments, things go your way. That’s the way it is. I don’t know what it is, I don’t know how to explain it. … When it’s yours, it’s yours.” – Robert Farah, who teamed with Jean Sebastian Cabal to win the men’s doubles in Rome.

“The funny thing about playing tennis is you always raise the bar, and I think that would be sort of us reaching another team goal, doing something we haven’t done yet.” – Raven Klaasen, who with partner Michael Venus reached the men’s doubles final in Rome.

“I think we improve when we improve our singles, and then we come together and just have fun in doubles.” – Victoria Azarenka, who with teammate Ashleigh Barty won the women’s doubles in Rome.

“Grand Slams to me are like a playground, I have a lot of fun there.” – Naomi Osaka, who has won the last two Grand Slam tournaments.

“I think it’s better to not have a Plan B. … My mental coach says always the Plan B can ruin your Plan A. I think you have to trust in what you have. Right now, since I feel good, since I’m winning lots of matches, there is no doubt no Plan B.” – Karolina Pliskova.

SUCCESS, FINALLY

Rafael Nadal finally won a title in 2019. Not surprisingly, it came on clay. The Spaniard known as the “King of Clay” beat Novak Djokovic in three sets to win a record 34^th ATP Masters 1000 title, the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. “To have the chance to come back and win this trophy after so many years means everything,” Nadal said. “It wasn’t an easy week for me.” It was the ninth time the Spaniard has captured the Rome title. And he did it be demolishing the world’s top-ranked player in the first and third sets. “I’m really glad that I managed to get into the third set, considering the first set where I was blown away from the court,” said Djokovic, who had been tied with Nadal with 33 ATP Masters 1000 titles. “Obviously the third set was not much different from the first. I was just running out of fuel a little bit.” Nadal was perfect in the first set, the first time there has been a 6-0 set in a meeting between the two rivals. And while the Serb was able to win the second set, he again was at Nadal’s mercy in the third. “Just kind of missed that half a step, especially on the backhand side,” Djokovic said. “He used it very well. He’s been playing some terrific tennis throughout the entire week. He was just too strong today.” It’s a perfect setup for Nadal, who will be seeking a record 13^th French Open title when the clay-court major begins on May 26.

STRONG PERFORMANCE

After winning the biggest title of her career, Karolina Pliskova looked into the future and the French Open. “I just hope to take the tennis I was playing here to Paris,” Pliskova said. “For sure there’s going to be a chance for me if I play this way.” After beginning the year by winning the title in Brisbane, Pliskova reached the semifinals of the Australian Open and the Miami Open final. But she came into Rome after losing in the second round of her last two tournaments. “Before the tournament, I was not super confident, not thinking about the final at all,” she said of Rome. “I was just happy with every match which I played. So, it’s a little like a miracle for me.” Pliskova had help from her opponent, Johanna Konta, who double faulted, then slammed a backhand into the net to drop serve to begin the match. Pliskova used a swinging forehand volley to break in the seventh game of the second set. When she converted her third championship point, Pliskova went over to slap hands with her coach, Conchita Martinez, a four-time Rome winner. “She loved clay so she knows exactly what I should do,” Pliskova said of Martinez. “I know she loved this tournament. I think she prayed so I could win today.”

SICK BAY

A right leg injury forced Roger Federer to withdraw from his Italian Open quarterfinal match against Stefanos Tsitsipas. The 37-year-old Swiss had won his first two matches against Joao Sousa and Borna Coric. “Unfortunately, King Roger had to withdraw from the tournament due to an injury to his right leg,” the tournament organizers wrote on Twitter. “We wish him a fast recovery. Thank you for the incredible emotions.” Federer blamed his injury on court conditions. “The lines are wet. Wet playing lines mean you slide. When I slid I hurt myself,” Federer said. The injury comes a little more than a week before the start of Roland Garros where Federer would be seeking his second French Open title. He will go into the year’s second Grand Slam tournament with having played only five matches on clay.

Top-ranked Naomi Osaka said she was “between sad and disappointed” when she had to pull out of the Italian Open before her quarterfinal match because of an injury. “I woke up this morning and I couldn’t really move my thumb,” the 21-year-old Japanese player said. “I can’t move my hand. I can’t move my thumb and I’m not sure I can play my match. I tried to practice and grip my racquet, and I just felt this pain every time I tried to move my hand in different directions.” Osaka, who has won the last two Grand Slam tournament women’s singles titles – the US Open and the Australian Open – did not rule out competing in Roland Garros.

The latest battle between the Williams sisters was wiped out when Serena Williams pulled out of the Italian Open with an injured left knee. It’s the third straight tournament the 37-year-old has had to withdraw due to physical problems. “I must withdraw from the Italian Open due to pain in my left knee,” Serena announced on the WTA website. “I’ll be concentrating on rehab and look forward to seeing you all at the French Open and next year in Rome.” Williams had won her opening match, beating Swedish qualifier Rebecca Peterson, and was scheduled to face her older sister, Venus, in a second-round match.

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova retired from her third-round Italian Open match against Maria Sakkari of Greece with a left calf injury.” The 29-year-old Kvitova was trailing 7-5 5-7 4-0 when she called it quits. “It was a left calf injury, but she is hopeful that it’s nothing serious,” Kvitova’s spokeswoman told Reuters in an email. “(It) was a tough schedule with the rain and two matches on one day in Rome.” Kvitova had beaten Yulia Putintseva 6-0 6-1 earlier in the day, then returned to play Sakkari. Before the Rome tournament, Kvitova had said she was recovering from a recent abdominal injury.

SIDELINED

John Isner won’t be playing Roland Garros this year. The American ended his streak of 24 consecutive Grand Slam tournament appearances when he pulled out of the French Open with an injured left foot. The 34-year-old is, at 11^th in the world, the top-ranked American man. But he has not competed since hurting his foot during the Miami Open final on March 31. Isner had his best Grand Slam tournament performance last year when he reached the Wimbledon semifinals. He has reached the fourth round at Roland Garros three times, including last year, and is one of only two men to push 11-time champion Rafael Nadal to a fifth set on the Paris clay. He is best known for winning the longest match in tennis history, 70-68 in the fifth set against Nicolas Mahut in a first-round match at Wimbledon in 2010. The match lasted more than 11 hours over three days.

SAID YES – PERHAPS

Rafael Nadal has somewhat confirmed rumors that he will marry his longtime girlfriend Maria Francisca Perello later this year. “Anybody handles his private life with different sensitivity, they are very personal moments,” Nadal told Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper. The marriage reportedly will be either in June or in October.

SIR ANDY

Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has been knighted by Prince Charles, more than two years after he was awarded the honor by Queen Elizabeth II. Murray’s knighthood was announced the year after he won his second Wimbledon title, won his second straight Olympics singles crown and finished t4he season ranked number one in the world. But recipients are allowed to choose when to collect their honor, and Murray passed it up because of his hectic schedule and the effect of the knighthood ceremony on his career-threating hip problem. Murray, who turned 32 last week, has since undergone hip surgery and it is still unclear whether he will be able to play Wimbledon this year.

SIGNED

Three rising stars – Christian Garin of Chile, Casper Ruud of Norway and Jaume Munar of Spain, along with veteran Fernando Verdasco of Spain have signed up to play the Swedish Open in Båstad this year. The 22-year-old Garin, who has won two titles this year, failed twice to qualify for Båstad, while Munar and Ruud played each other in the first round last year, with the Norwegian coming from a set down to win. The 35-year-old Verdasco will be making his 12^th appearance in the clay-court tournament, reaching the final in both 2013 and 2016. The Swedish Open will be held July 15-21.

SALUTÉ

One of the newest graduates from Indiana University East is Anastasia Rodionova, who now has a Bachelor Science degree in Business Administration. While she is not the first WTA player to graduate from IU East, Rodionova is the first player to attend the commencement ceremony in person. There are 17 WTA players currently enrolled at the university through an educational agreement between the campus as the Women’s Tennis Benefits Association (WTBA). Other graduates from the school include Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens, Alla Kudryavtseva, Irina Falconi, Katalin Marosi, Sandra Zaniewska and Ivana Lisjak.

SURGERY FOR GIBBS

American Nicole Gibbs will miss Roland Garros while recovering from salivary gland cancer surgery. The 26-year-old wrote on Twitter that her goal is to return to the WTA tour in time for Wimbledon qualifying in late June. An NCAA singles champion while at Stanford, Gibbs is currently ranked 116^th in the world. According to the player, her dentist noticed a growth on the roof of her mouth about a month ago. She said her surgeon is “confident that surgery alone will be sufficient treatment.”

SUSPENDED

Miguel Tobon, a former Davis Cup captain for Colombia, has been handed a one-year suspension and fined USD $20,000 for accepting payoffs in return for tournament wild-card entries. The Tennis Integrity Unit said Tobon was found guilty of “negotiating to sell, or attempting to sell, wild cards for singles and doubles events in Colombia to six individuals” in 2017. He also was ordered to pay USD $6,000 for the money he received from the sale of the wild cards. Tobon has coached some of Colombia’s best payers, including Alejandro Falla and Santiago Giraldo, as well as Nicolas Massu of Chile.

Nigerian Henry Atseye has been provisionally suspended from tennis because of alleged breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program. The 30-year-old is currently 1,928^th in the International Tennis Federation World Tennis rankings. The Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) said the provisional suspension relates to its investigation. No other details were announced.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Heilbronn: Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies beat Andre Begemann and Fabrice Martin 62 6-4

Rome (men): Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah beat Raven Klaasen and Michael Venus 6-1 6-3

Rome (women): Victoria Azarenka and Ashleigh Barty beat Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Demi Schuurs 4-6 6-0 10-3 (match tiebreak)

Trnava: Anna Blinkova and Xenia Knoll beat Cornelia Lister and Renata Voracova 7-5 7-5

SURFING

Geneva: https://banqueericsturdzagenevaopen.com/

Lyon: https://openparc.com/

Nürnberg: http://www.nuernbergercup.de/

Strasbourg: https://www.internationaux-strasbourg.fr/fr

Paris: https://www.rolandgarros.com/fr-fr/

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN

$658,247 Banc Eric Sturdza Geneva Open, Geneva, Switzerland, clay

$658,247 Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon, Lyon, France, clay

WOMEN

$250,000 Nürnberger Versicherungscup, Nürnberg, Germany, clay

$250,000 Internationaux de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France, clay

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN and WOMEN

Roland Garros (French Open), Paris, France, clay (first week)

Rafael Nadal Back to Winning on Clay – Mondays with Bob Greene

May 20, 2018 by Admin

Mondays with Bob Greene

STARS

Rafael Nadal beat Alexander Zverev 6-1 1-6 6-3 to win the Internazionali BNL d’Italia men’s singles in Rome, Italy

Elina Svitolina beat Simona Halep 6-0 6-4 to win the Internazionali BNL d’Italia women’s singles in Rome, Italy

Matthew Ebden beat Vasek Pospisil 7-6 (4) 6-1 to win the Busan Open Challenger in Busan, South Korea

Reilly Opelka beat Gregoire Barrere 6-7 (5) 6-4 7-5 to win the BNP Paribas Primrose in Bordeaux, France

Rudolf Molleker beat Jiri Vesely 4-6 6-4 7-5 to win the Neckarcup in Heilbronn, Germany

Victoria Kuzmova beat Veronica Cepede Royg 6-4 1-6 6-1 to win the Empire Slovak Open in Trnava, Slovakia

SAYING

“It’s amazing to win eight titles in Rome. It’s a difficult event and to have the chance to win again here means a lot. This is the moment to enjoy winning here again.” – Rafael Nadal, after winning the Internazionali BNL d’Italia for the eighth time.

“Rafa is somebody that if you’re not in the match and if you’re not feeling the ball well, you have no chance.” – Alexander Zverev, who lost the Rome final to Rafael Nadal.

“It worked really good today. I was feeling good and I think it was a good match for me.” – Elina Svitolina, following the successful defense of her Internazionali BNL d’Italia title.

“She deserved to win for sure. She didn’t miss. I missed.” – Simona Halep, who lost to Elina Svitolina in the Italian Open final for the second straight year.

“I’m crying now but I’m happy, I’m happy for what I’ve accomplished. I would have liked to do better, but it doesn’t matter that I lost.” – Roberta Vinci, at an on-court ceremony in Rome announcing her retirement from tennis.

“I do not see that as pressure, but as possibility. Without this, I would not have received a wild card for the Neckarcup. I think I have justified the confidence placed in me by winning.” – Rudolf Molleker, a wildcard entry who won not only his first ATP Challenger match but his first title in Heilbronn, Germany.

“Playing against him is always a big challenge. He played well, and it’s always the same against him. When you go down a little bit in level, he’s always there and you are in big trouble.” – Rafael Nadal, after beating Novak Djokovic 7-6 (4) 6-3 in a semifinal in Rome.

“We are a family. I was honored to play with this group.” – Roberta Vinci, commenting on Italy’s Fed Cup team that included Flavia Pennetta, Francesca Schiavone and Sara Errani, each of whom also reached Grand Slam singles finals.

STRONG PERFORMANCE

Oh, what a little rain can do. Rafael Nadal roared back after a rain delay to defeat Alexander Zverev and win his eighth Internazionali BNL d’Italia, a victory that moved him back into the number one ranking. “It’s been an amazing week,” Nadal said, winning on the red clay of Rome for the first time since 2013. It was his 78^th career title, breaking his tie with John McEnroe. Zverev broke Nadal’s serve to begin the match. Nadal broke right back at love and dominated, winning six straight games and the opening set. The second set was a complete reversal. It was the 21-year-old German who won five straight games to level the final at one set apiece. That ended Nadal’s streak of 17 consecutive sets won in clay-court finals. Zverev had the momentum, breaking Nadal again in the third set. But rain began to fall and play was suspended twice for a combined 55 minutes with Zverev leading 3-2. When play resumed, it was all Nadal, who swept through the next four games for the victory. “When it happened, the rain delay, I didn’t feel in that moment that it would help me,” Nadal said. “That’s my feeling. It’s true that, if we analyze it now, of course, we can say that the rain delay helped me. But really, in my opinion, what helped me is that I came back with a clear idea in terms of tactical issues and in terms of decisions that I took after that break.” Zverev didn’t blame the weather for his loss. “There’s nothing I can do about it,” he said of the rain. “Next time I have to find a way to come out better after the rain and play better tennis. He came out way faster and played much more aggressive than I did.”

SVITOLINA SUCCESSFUL

Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina had no problems defending her Internazionali BNL d’Italia title, blasting top-ranked Simona Halep in the final for the second straight year. “It’s like this court is now her home,” Halep said of the winner. “But I didn’t do so badly, reaching the final again.” The Ukrainian has now won the last eight finals she has been in. Svitolina had 18 winners to 14 unforced errors and never faced a break point in the 67-minute contest. “It was a really good match from my side. I think I dominated all the match,” Svitolina said. “I was trying to put lots of pressure on Simona with my game, tried to really take the ball early and to open the court.” Halep finally held serve to begin the second set, then began matching Svitolina’s game. But in the third game, the Ukrainian broke Halep to go up 2-1. From then on, Svitolina played tremendous defense, chasing down every shot Halep provided, and using her well-placed serves to hold the rest of the way. “I hope to be back next year,” Halep said. “Maybe third time is lucky for me.”

SOUTH AMERICAN WINNERS

Colombia’s Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah became the first all-South American team to win a Masters 1000 title when the captured the Internazionali BNL d’Italia crown by stopping Pablo Carreno Busta and Joao Sousa. “This is the title we have been looking for for a long time,” Cabal said. “We’ve been working hard for it. Hard work pays off in the end and we’re really happy about it. This keeps us motivated.” Three of the team’s four wins at Rome came on match tiebreaks, including the final. Carreno Busta and Sousa gained a spot in the doubles draw when American twins Bob and Mike Bryan withdrew because of Bob’s hip injury.

STRONG PAIRING

Playing as a team for the first time, Ashleigh Barty of Australia and Demi Schuurs of the Netherlands wound up as champions. The duo won the women’s doubles at Rome, defeating Czechs Andrea Sestini Hlavackova and Barbora Strycova in the final. “This was a last-minute decision to play together,” Barty said. “I’m very happy that Demi sent me a message and asked me to play. It’s a bonus to get matches, and to come away with a title is a cherry on top.” Despite winning, the two will return to their regular partners at Roland Garros. Barty will play with American CoCo Vandeweghe, while Schuurs will play with Belgium’s Kiki Bertens.

SURPRISE CHAMPION

Germany’s Rudolf Molleker had never won a match on the ATP Challenger before last week. Now the 17-year-old is a champion, defeating Czech Jiri Vesely in the Neckarcup final. “This is not expected,” Molleker admitted. “But I think that at the moment I’m playing very good tennis. … I know I can beat the top players. We’ve seen that. I just need to be more consistent.” Neckarcup was the third main draw at the Challenger level for Molleker.

SHARAPOVA WINS

Maria Sharapova made the most of a chance to trade strokes with Rafael Nadal while practicing in Rome. “I saw he was practicing on the court right before me,” Sharapova said, so the Russian went to Nadal and said, “Would you hit a couple balls with me?” The two engaged in a two-minute rally before Nadal missed a shot. Sharapova said, “That’s it. I’m done,” and raised her arms in triumph. “He probably thought I was really weird,” Sharapova said. “I think he still thinks I’m really weird.”

SERENA SET TO PLAY

Serena Williams will play Roland Garros later this month “to win it,” her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou said. “Can she do it? Serena can achieve anything. After being her coach for six years, I’m even more sure of that statement.” Mouratoglou said. After winning the Australian Open in 2017, Williams left the tour to give birth to a daughter and get married. She returned in March, losing to her sister, Venus, at Indian Wells, then suffering a first-round loss to Naomi Osaka in Miami. “Serena clearly came back too early,” Mouratoglou said. “She was not ready yet, but needed to feel the competition, so she decided to play even though she was far from being at 100 percent. It was a good experience as she realized all the work that needed to be done in order for her to be really ready.” Williams, who has won the clay-court Grand Slam tournament three times – in 2002, 2013 and 2015 – will be seeking a record 24^th major title.

SAYS GOODBYE

Now that her career is over, Roberta Vinci wants to be known for more than her stunning win over Serena Williams at the 2015 US Open. “It’s not only Serena,” Vinci said after retiring following her first-round loss at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome. “I would appreciate it if I were remembered for a bit more of my entire career.” Now 35, Vinci was ranked number one in the world in doubles, won all four Grand Slam tournament doubles titles with her partner Sara Errani, and helped Italy win four Fed Cup titles. Yet even Vinci looks back at that US Open semifinal win with delight. “It was an incredible victory,” she said. “The best victory, of course, of my life and probably also the (fans) can remember me with Serena, the crowd and everything. It was an incredible day.” She then lost the all-Italian US Open final to Flavia Pennetta. Vinci had a playing style all her own, changing pace and spins, using the entire court, sneaking to the net. “I had a difficult and different style of tennis,” Vinci said. “It’s old style. But sometimes it’s tough when you have to stay in good form, you have to run a lot, and you have to think about every single shot. But now I can relax and I don’t think about the slice and drop shots and everything. Next is ice cream, coffee, shopping. No rackets, no tennis.”

SICK BAY

Because he has not fully recovered from knee surgery, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has withdrawn from this week’s Lyon Open as well as Roland Garros later this month. Tsonga was the defending champion in Lyon. He underwent surgery in April. “I’m obviously very disappoint, but I still want to come to Lyon as an ambassador and to Roland Garros as a spectator,” the 33-year-old Frenchman said. Tsonga has not played since reaching the semifinals of the Montpellier International in February.

Also pulling out of the French Open was Canada’s Milos Raonic. “It is with a heavy heart that I am withdrawing from @rolandgarros,” Raonic wrote on Twitter. “I have many great memories there, but I know I need to continue working hard to put myself in the best position when I step out on the court.” Currently ranked 22^nd in the world, Raonic said a knee injury caused his withdrawal. The knee had also caused Raonic to withdraw before his third-round match at Monte Carlo last month.

SKIPPING STRASBOURG

Alize Cornet has pulled out of this week’s Strasbourg International tournament because of a groin injury. She won the event in 2013. “I am very disappointed that I cannot take part in the Strasbourg tournament but unfortunately I have not fully recovered from an adductor muscle injury,” said Cornet, who is ranked 32^nd in the world. “I am going to do everything to be ready for the French Open.”

SWITCHING PARTNERS?

Just a few wins away from being ranked number one in the world, Russians Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova have apparently ended their doubles partnership. Vesnina and Makarova, who first teamed up in 2012, won Madrid and were poised to take over the top spot in the doubles rankings at Rome last week. But they withdrew from Rome and have changed their entries for the French Open women’s doubles. Jelena Ostapenko confirmed she is will be playing with Vesnina at Roland Garros. “I was a little bit surprised when she asked me, but I was surprised in a good way because if she asked me then she thinks I can play good doubles,” Ostapenko said. Vesnina and Makarova won three Grand Slam tournament titles together.

STARTS LE MANS

Tennis isn’t the only sport that enjoys the presence of Rafael Nadal. Organizers say the Spanish star will give the official start to next month’s 86^th edition of the 24-hours of Le Mans endurance auto race. ACO president Pierre Fillon said Nadal’s status as “an exceptional figure in his discipline,” aligned with his characteristics of “talent, fair-play, pugnacity, competitiveness and strategic intelligence” show he exhibits “the fundamental traits” of endurance racing.

SEEKING CARE

The oft-injured Juan Martin del Potro hopes to be ready to play at Roland Garros. The Argentine retired from his third-round Internazionali BNL d-Italia match against David Goffin with a left groin injury. Del Potro said he felt something wrong with his left leg during the first set. After receiving treatment in the second game of the second set, del Potro eventually retired while trailing 6-2 4-5. “I was worried about that so I decided to stop the game at the end of the second set to see the doctor and see what they say,” del Potro said. “I will do all of the exams now and then I will try to make a good decision for the future.”

STRIKING OUT

Karolina Pliskova couldn’t believe that both the umpire and linesperson had missed her shot. Standing at the net, the Czech hit an overhead cross-court that was called out by the linesperson. When Pliskova complained, the umpire got down from her chair, but neither the umpire nor the linesperson could find the ball mark in the clay, although replays later showed the ball was clearly in. Because the ball had been called out and no mark could be found, the original call stood. Pliskova lost the next point to drop her serve. Maria Sakkari then held the next game to close out the 3-6 6-3 7-5 victory. Pliskova approached the chair, faked a handshake, then began smashing the legs of the umpire’s chair with her racquet. Later it was revealed that Pliskova had been fined. The fine was not published by the WTA, but Pliskova’s spokesperson, Michal Hrdlicka of the Czech tennis federation, said the amount was in four figures and that Pliskova would also donate the same amount to charity.

SKIPS SUSPENSION

Despite missing three out-of-competition drug tests in a 12-month span, French player Alize Cornet was cleared of the doping charge by an independent tribunal. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said the decision was made because a doping control officer “did not satisfy all of the requirements” in trying to located the 28-year-old player for what originally was considered a third missed out-of-competition drug test. Missing three tests in a year is considered a doping offense. Currently ranked 32^nd in the world, Alize has been ranked as high as 11^th in 2009. She has won five WTA titles.

SEATED AT WEDDING

Tennis star Serena Williams was among the invitees attending to the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. A long-time friend of the bride, Serena and her husband Alexis Ohanian were at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor for the ceremony. They were joined by her agent, Jill Smoller. Williams later revealed on Instagram that she switched from heels to tennis shoes for the evening reception.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Bordeaux: Bradley Klan and Peter Polansky beat Guillermo Duran and Maximo Gonzalez 6-3 3-6 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Busan: Hsieh Cheng-Peng and Christopher Rungkat beat Ruan Roelofse and John-Patrick Smith 6-4 6-3

Heilbronn: Rameez Junaid and David Pel beat Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies 6-2 2-6 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Rome (men): Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah beat Pablo Carreno Busta and Joao Sousa 3-6 6-4 10-4 (match tiebreak)

Rome (women): Ashleigh Barty and Demi Schuurs beat Andrea Sestini Hlavackov and Barbora Strycova 6-3 6-4

Trnava: Jessica Moore and Galina Voskoboeva beat Xenia Knoll and Anna Smith 6-3 3-6 10-7 (match tiebreak)

SURFING

Geneva: https://banqueericsturdzagenevaopen.com/

Lyon: http://openparc.com

Loughborough: www.lta.org.uk/loughboroughtrophy

Strasbourg: www.internationaux-strasbourg.fr/fr

Nürnberg: www.nuernbergercup.de/

Paris: www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN

$645,033 Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland, clay

$645,033 Open Parc Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Lyon, Lyon, France, clay

WOMEN

$250,000 Nürnberger Versicherungscup 2018, Nürnberg, Germany, clay

$250,000 Internationaux de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France, clay

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

Roland Garros (French Open), Paris, France, clay (First Week)

$101,475 Loughborough Trophy, Loughborough, Great Britain, hard

WOMEN

Roland Garros (French Open), Paris, France, clay (First Week)

Alexander Zverev Topples Novak Djokovic To Win Rome – Mondays with Bob Greene

May 22, 2017 by Admin

Mondays with Bob Greene

STARS

Alexander Zverev beat Novak Djokovic 6-4 6-3 to win the Internazionali BNL d’Italia men’s singles in Rome, Italy

Elina Svitolina beat Simona Halep 4-6 7-5 6-1 to win the Internazionali BNL d’Italia women’s singles in Rome, Italy

Vasek Pospisil beat Go Soeda 6-1 6-2 to win the Busan Open Challenger in Busan, South Korea

Steve Darcis beat Rogerio Dutra Silva 7-6 (2) 4-6 7-5 to win the BNP Paribas Primrose 2017 in Bordeaux, France

Marketa Vondrousova beat Veronica Cepede Royg 7-5 7-6 (3) to win the Empire Slovak Open 2017 in Trnava, Slovakia

SAYING

“If he serves this well and this efficiently, it’s tough to play him on any surface.” – Novak Djokovic, after losing to Alexander Zverev in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia men’s singles final.

“Every single day, everyone is working very hard. They are waiting for these kind of moments when there is a right moment and the right day.” – Elina Svitolina, after winning the women’s singles in Rome.

“I never like to give up during the match. I don’t want to stop the matches. So I just wanted to try to win the second set.” – Simona Halep, who injured her ankle late in the first set of a three-set loss to Elina Svitolina in the Italian Open women’s final.

“I’m just not playing good tennis and I need to try and work out how to turn that around. I believe I will. And I need ideally to do it quickly, because there are some pretty important tournaments coming up.” – Andy Murray, after losing to Fabio Fognini.

“If this is what it takes to rise up again, then I am in it all the way, every day. No words, games, or actions will ever stop me from reaching my own dreams. And I have many.” – Maria Sharapova, after being denied a wild card entry into the French Open.

“It’s a very tough situation in tennis. I mean, you have a big win and the next day there is (Novak) Djokovic or (Juan Martin) del Potro waiting.” – Dominic Thiem, after his quarterfinal victory over Rafael Nadal.

“The start to the year has been magical for me, but I need to recognize that scheduling will be the key to my longevity moving forward.” – Roger Federer, announcing his withdrawal from the French Open to concentrate of getting ready for the grass and hard court seasons.

“Thanks for what tennis gave me: education, discipline, friendship and unforgettable moments.” – Juan Monaco, announcing his retirement.

“He’s a legend of our sport. He’s made a mark in this sport forever. He’s won everything there is to win in tennis.” – Novak Djokovic, talking about his new coach, Andre Agassi.

SIGN OF THE FUTURE?

Is Alexander Zverev the wave of the future? The 20-year-old German won the Italian Open by defeating Novak Djokovic in straight sets, becoming the youngest player to win a Masters 1000 event since Djokovic won in Miami a decade ago when he was 19. “I don’t know what to say,” Zverev admitted during the trophy presentation. “Coming into this week I never thought I could be standing here in the finals or getting this trophy.” The big-serving Zverev never was really challenged as he broke Djokovic in the very first game. In the match, which lasted 1 hour, 21 minutes, Djokovic committed 27 unforced errors to just 14 for Zverev. With the biggest title of his career, Zverev has moved up in the rankings to 10^th in the world. “If I have only half of the career Novak has had, I’ll be fine,” said Zverev, who finished with 16 winners. The German ended the match by breaking Djokovic for the third time. The Serb double faulted to give Zverev a match point, then sailed a backhand long. Zverev is the first player born in the 1990s to win a Masters 1000 title. And he is the fourth German to win a Masters 1000 title, joining Tommy Haas, Boris Becker and Michael Stich.

SVITOLINA TRIUMPHANT

Elina Svitolina outlasted Simona Halep to capture her fourth title of the year and the most prestigious trophy of her career. “Everything just came together and I’m very happy that it’s happened in such a big tournament, the 22-year-old Ukrainian said. Halep, trying to win her second title in as many weeks, ran out to a 5-2 lead in the opening set before rolling her right ankle. A trainer treated her ankle twice and it visibly affected her game, especially in the third set. “Sorry guys for the third set,” Halep told the crowd. “It was a little tough for me to get through, but Elina played great.” Svitolina also required medical treatment midway through the second set as the trainer worked on her left leg. “Hopefully we’ll recover, me and Simona, because we’re struggling a bit physically,” Svitolina said.

STREAK ENDED

Dominic Thiem learned a thing or two when he lost to Rafael Nadal in Barcelona and Madrid. The Austrian put those lessons into action in Rome, shocking the Spanish left-hander 6-4 6-3 in a quarterfinal matchup. “I came in with a very aggressive game style, because I knew that I wanted to have a chance, then I would have to do something different and be more aggressive,” Thiem said. “I knew that if it goes in, everything, maybe I have a chance. If not, maybe I also lose easy.” The loss ended Nadal’s 17-match clay-court winning streak. The left-hander had won three straight tournaments on the red dirt. “Today was one of these days where I really felt the ball great on the racquet,” Thiem said, “and a lot of risky shots went in.” It was Thiem’s second victory in six meetings against Nadal.

SKIPPING PARIS

Roger Federer has decided to skip the clay court circuit entirely and prepare for the upcoming grass season. “I’ve been working really hard, both on and off the court, during the last month, but in order to try and play on the ATP World Tour for many years to come, I feel it’s best to skip the clay court season this year and prepare for the grass and hard court seasons,” the 35-year-old Swiss great said. After missing the last half of last season with an injury, Federer has sparkled this year, winning the Australian Open along with Indian Wells and Miami. “My team and I concluded today that playing just one event on clay was not in the best interest of my tennis and physical preparation for the remainder of the season,” he said.

SHE’S OUT

Despite twice winning the only Grand Slam tournament played on clay, Maria Sharapova will miss this year’s French Open. After a 15-month suspension for failing a drug test, Sharapova doesn’t have a high enough ranking to gain direct entry into either the main draw or the qualifying. So, when French Tennis Federation President Bernard Guidicelli announced the tournament would not give her a wild card, it meant the Russian would miss the two-week event. “I’m very sorry for Maria, very sorry for her fans,” Giudicelli said. “But it’s my responsibility, it’s my mission to protect the game and protect the high standards of the game.” Sharapova received wild card entries into Stuttgart, Madrid and Rome. “Because of my improved ranking after the first three tournaments of my return, I will also be playing the qualifying of Wimbledon in Roehampton and will not be requesting a wild card into the main draw,” Sharapova said.

SQUEAKING BY

Winning their first ATP World Tour doubles title of the year, Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut defeated Ivan Dodig and Marcel Granollers in the Rome final. “It’s good to enjoy being on the court so much, it’s been a while since I felt we were close,” Herbert said. “It’s nice to live this together. From the start to the end, the attitude was very good. We stayed together and were calm all the time.” It was the first title in 10 months for the French pair. And it was a struggle. They saved a match point to win their second-round match over Brian Baker and Nicholas Monroe. The Frenchmen had to stave off four match point to slip past Rohan Bopanna and Pablo Cuevas in the quarterfinals, then won their last two matches in match tiebreaks, stopping brothers Bob and Mike Bryan in the semifinals before downing Dodig and Granollers. It was their eight tour-level doubles title as a team. “Pierre-Hugues really held it for us at the start of the week, and I’ve had my best match in the final, I think,” Mahut said. “It’s a great reward for us.”

STUMBLING AGAIN

The horrible season continues for the world’s top-ranked player. Andy Murray suffered yet another bad defeat. This time it was Italy’s Fabio Fognini who ousted the defending Italian Open champion, 6-2 6-4. That was the fifth of Murray’s unexpected losses this year: Mischa Zverev at the Australian Open, Vasek Pospisil at Indian Wells, Albert Ramos-Vinolas at Monte Carlo, Borna Coric at Madrid, and now Fognini. While admitting he has not been moving well the past couple of weeks, Murray praised Fognini’s play. “He was taking the ball early, hitting the ball close to the lines and dominating most of the points,” Murray said. “The only chance I really got was when he was making errors.”

SICK BAY

Garbiñe Muguruza retired from her semifinal match while trailing eventual champion Elina Svitolina 4-1 in the opening set. Muguruza’s normally solid ground strokes were not in evidence as Svitolina easily broke her Spanish opponent’s serve. After the fifth game, Muguruza called for the trainer. She had a lengthy talk with the tournament doctor before retiring from the match citing a neck injury. “I just want to wish a fast recovery to Garbiñe, she has such a big tournament ahead in Roland Garros, which is very tough as she’s the defending champion,” Svitolina said. “It’s going to be very tough for her and hopefully she will recover quickly.”

SUPER PAIR

Martina Hingis and Chan Yung-Jan are at the top of their game just as they prepare for the French Open. The pair won their fourth title as a team at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, stopping Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina in the final. That ran their victory string to eight straight matches.

SEEKING HELP

Andre Agassi is coming, hopefully to rescue Novak Djokovic’s game. The former world number one said Agassi will coach him at the French Open. “I spoke to Andre the last couple weeks on the phone and we decided to get together in Paris,” Djokovic said. “So, he’s going to be there. We’ll see what (the) future brings. We are both excited to work together and see where it takes us.” According to the Serb, Agassi “will not stay the whole tournament. He’s going to stay only to a certain time, and then we’ll see after that what’s going to happen.” The second-ranked Djokovic split with his longtime coach Marian Vajda, fitness coach Gebhard Phil Gritsch and physiotherapist Miljan Amanovic at the start of the month. Djokovic also was coached by Boris Becker the past three seasons, but they split last year. “Andre is someone that I have tremendous respect for as a person and as a player,” Djokovic said. “He has been through everything that I’m going through. On the court he understands the game amazingly well.”

According to the French sports newspaper, L’Equipe, Sebastien Grosjean will become a part-time coach of Nick Kyrgios. The newspaper reported the 22-year-old Australian will have Grosjean help him at some of the bigger events and during training periods. Grosjean, who once coached Richard Gasquet, is a former Top 10 player. Kyrgios has been without a coach since 2015, but has won three titles and reached the Top 15 since.

SAYONARA

Juan Monaco has retired. “Although it creates me a lot of nostalgia, I am sure I am making the right decision,” said Monaco, who once was ranked as high as 10^th in the world. The 33-year-old Argentine won eight of his nine career titles on clay, including four in 2012. He also won three doubles titles, including Doha in 2015 when he teamed with Rafael Nadal.

SON BORN

Winning the US Open may be only the second-best thing that has happened to Flavia Pennetta. The Grand Slam tournament winner and her husband, ATP player Fabio Fognini, gave birth to a son. Fognini had another big moment during the week, upsetting top-ranked Andy Murray before losing to Alexander Zverev, the eventual winner of the Rome tournament.

SO YOUNG

When Marta Kostyuk won the XIXO Open in Dunakeszi, Hungary, she became the first 14-year-old to win an International Tennis Federation (ITF) Pro Circuit singles title since 2015, when American Claire Liu captured a pro tournament. “I was a little nervous since this was my first ITF final,” the Ukrainian teenager said. Kostyuk beat American Bernarda Pera 6-4 6-3 in the title match and did not drop a set all week. “I am very thankful for the organizers giving me a wild card,” Kostyuk said. “Without that I could not make it.” A number of other players have won tournaments when they were 14, including Hall of Famer Justine Henin, Anna Kournikova and Dinara Safina.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Bordeaux: Purav Raja and Divij Sharan beat Santiago Gonzalez and Artem Sitak 6-4 6-4

Busan: Hsieh Cheng-Peng and Peng Hsieh-Yin beat Sanchai Ratiwatana and Sonchat Ratiwatana 7-5 4-6 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Rome (men): Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut beat Ivan Dodig and Marcel Granollers 4-6 6-4 10-3 (match tiebreak)

Rome (women): Chan Yung-Jan and Martina Hingis beat Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina 7-5 7-6 (4)

Trnava: Naomi Broady and Heather Watson beat Chuang Chia-Jung and Renata Voracova 6-3 6-2

SURFING

Geneva: http://http//banqueericsturdzagenevaopen.com/

Lyon: http://http//openparc.com/

Nürnberg: www.nuernbergercup.de/

Strasbourg: www.internationaux-strasbourg.fr/en

Paris: www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/index.html

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN

$588,203 Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open, Geneva, Switzerland, clay

$588,203 Open Parc Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Lyon, Lyon, France, clay

WOMEN

$226,750 Nürnberger Versicherungs Cup, Nürnberg, Germany, clay

$227,750 Internationaux de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France, clay

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN and WOMEN

French Open, Paris, France, clay (first week)

Andy Murray Shocks Novak Djokovic; Serena Williams Wins In Rome – Mondays with Bob Greene

May 16, 2016 by Admin

Mondays with Bob Greene

STARS

Andy Murray beat Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-3 to win the Internazionali BNL d’Italia men’s singles in Rome, Italy

Serena Williams beat Madison Keys 7-6 (5) 6-3 to win the Internazionali BNL d’Italia women’s singles in Rome, Italy

Sergiy Stakhovsky beat Lu Yen-Hsun 46 6-3 7-6 (7) to win the Le Coq Seoul Open Challenger in Seoul, South Korea

Katerina Siniakova beat Anastasija Sevastova 7-6 (4) 5-7 6-0 to win the Empire Slovak Open 2016 in Trnava, Slovakia

Rogerio Dutra Silva beat Bjorn Fratangelo 6-3 6-1 to win the BNP Paribas Primrose in Bordeaux, France

SAYING

“It’s mostly great players have won this event. So I’m very proud to have my name on the trophy.” – Andy Murray, after winning the Rome Masters.

“Well done, Andy. You did a great job today. You were just too good.” – Novak Djokovic, during the on-court trophy presentation after he lost to Andy Murray.

“It feels great. It’s not like I was playing every week. So that’s kind of how I look at it. But it feels great to win a title, especially on clay.” – Serena Williams, noting she has only played four tournaments since she won her last tournament title nine months ago.

“No matter how many times you play Serena, you always go in and you can just feel her presence. That’s always an extra thing that you have to be worried about during the match. But for me today it really wasn’t so much about how big the tournament was or anything like that. It was really just wanting to go out and do my best and give my best performance.” – Madison Keys, after losing the Rome final to Serena Williams.

“I’m so proud of you. You can get to world number one.” – Serena Williams, talking to Madison Keys after beating her fellow American in the Rome women’s final.

“The finals of a Masters series on clay is something that’s a new experience for me. It’s nice to still be sort of achieving new things and reaching new goals at this stage of my career.” – Andy Murray.

“I actually thought I could really do a good result in Paris. Now, after the last couple of weeks, it’s been more difficult. I see my chances as, you know, as not great.” – Roger Federer, after losing his third-round match in Rome to Dominic Thiem.

“We didn’t play our best at the same time. That’s not typical. Usually one of us is playing well. That helps the team a lot. Two of us are playing well, it usually goes our way.” – Venus Williams, after she and her sister Serena lost their first-round doubles match in Rome.

“We haven’t played doubles in a while. Obviously we would love to play in the Olympics.” – Serena Williams.

“Tennis gives me all that I want and to tennis I would give back all that I have.” – Li Na, who has been named the official global ambassador for her hometown tournament, the WTA Wuhan Open.

“We don’t force anyone to take part in the Olympic Games. We only want people in our team who want to be there and prepared to abide by what that team means.” – Kitty Chiller, Australia’s Olympic chef de mission, warning that the behavior of tennis star Nick Kyrgios us being monitored to judge his suitability for Australia’s team for the Rio Olympics.

SCOT TRIUMPHANT

What a birthday gift Scotland’s Andy Murray gave himself. On his 29^th birthday, Murray defeated Novak Djokovic to win the Rome Masters for only his third career clay court title. The only other British man to win the Italian tournament was Pat Hughes in 1931. Against the world’s top-ranked player, Murray was brilliant. He pressured Djokovic right from the start and grabbed a 3-1 lead to start the match. With an ace down the T, Murray took a 5-2 advantage, then closed out the opening set with a forehand drop-shot winner. With an occasional light rain falling, Djokovic complained to the referee while leading the second set 2-1. Later, he was heard telling the chair umpire, “I don’t want to play anymore,” adding: “My friend, it’s been raining for an hour.” Murray didn’t seem to mind the conditions, and finally broke Djokovic in the fifth game of the second set. After that, Murray seemed to control the action with his big serve, changing speeds and spins on his ground strokes, and winning points at the net. It was the first time in their five career meetings on clay that Murray had come out on top. And Djokovic had to fight fatigue following consecutive draining wins over Rafael Nadal and Kei Nishikori. “It was a week with a lot of emotions, a lot of hours on the court,” Djokovic said. “It wasn’t easy to be fresh today and have the strength to play with Andy. He was just too good today and he deserved it.” Tournament officials presented Murray with a birthday cake during the trophy presentation. He had already given himself a special reason to celebrate.

SERENA TRIUMPHS

When Serena Williams wrapped up her week in Rome with the big trophy, it brought out the record books. It was Serena’s first tournament title in nine months, since Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, last summer. She won her fourth Italian Open crown by stopping Madison Keys in the first all-American clay-court final since Serena won her first French Open crown in 2002, when she beat her older sister Venus. It was the first all-American final on the WTA tour in nearly four years, when Serena beat Coco Vandeweghe in Stanford, California, USA, in 2012. And it was the first all-American final in Rome since Billie Jean King defeated Julie Helman in 1970.

Records aside, Williams won her 13^th title on clay, the most for any active player on the WTA. But the victory didn’t come easy. Keys began by breaking Williams in the opening game of the match, setting the tempo for the first set, which Serena pulled out in a tiebreak 7-5. The world’s top-ranked player then streaked out to a 3-0 lead in the second set, breaking her 21-year-old opponent in the first and third games. Keys wasn’t through, however, as she broke Serena’s serve twice more, including when Williams was serving for the match at 5-2. But if Serena couldn’t serve it out, she showed she had a winning return game. She broke Keys once more to close out her 70^th career title – the fifth woman in history to reach that mark and trail Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf and Margaret Court, all of whom are in the International Tennis Hall of Fame. And while she hit four few winners than Keys, 13-17, Williams had eight fewer errors than her opponent and converted all but one of her six break point chances.

Then, the 2016 women’s champion thrilled the crowd even more by doing her on-court interview in Italian.

SHOULDER PROBLEM

The reigning Australian Open champion, Angelique Kerber, pulled out of this week’s Nuremberg Open because of a shoulder problem. “So sad that I cannot compete in front of my fantastic home crowd,” Kerber tweeted. She has seen a specialist since she lost in the Italian Open, but there is no indication the injury will prevent her from playing at Roland Garros next week.

SKIPPING PARIS

Trying to focus on the grass-court season, Juan Martin del Potro will skip the French Open. Having returned to tennis in February after missing almost a year with his third operation on his wrist, del Potro said he decided “the smartest move is to start my preparation for the grass season.” The 2009 US Open champion has not played at Roland Garros since 2012.

SHORT STAY

Dominic Thiem made sure Roger Federer’s stay at the Rome Masters was brief. The Austria knocked off the Swiss master 7-6 (2) 6-4 in a third-round match. After receiving a first-round bye, Federer said he was surprised to get past his second-round opponent, Alexander Zverev, in straight sets. Rome was only the fourth tournament of the season for Federer, who underwent knee surgery in early February. “My body’s just not ready,” Federer said before turning his thought to Paris and the French Open. “I’m going to have a meeting with my team, talk about options we have, stay in Rome, Paris or go back to Switzerland,” he said. “Should I rest, train, do some more physio? All that stuff needs to be discussed, but I’m so happy I didn’t get hurt this week.” While admitting there was a chance he would not have won if Federer was 100 percent, Thiem said it was still “very nice” to beat the 17-time Grand Slam tournament winner. “When he started, I was 10, 11 years old,” Thiem said. “First of all, it was already very big for me to play against him in Brisbane, and now to beat him, even that he was not 100 percent, it’s very nice for me.”

SICK BAY

A thigh injury forced Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to withdraw from the Rome Masters. The seventh-seeded Frenchman suffered the injury during a training session. “I was sick when I left Madrid for two days, and I came here and I tried to play a little bit to see how it goes,” Tsonga said. “This morning I just stretched a little bit my adductor. I’ll take a rest and try to recover for the next step.” That would be the French Open, which begins its two-week run at Roland Garros on May 22.

SERVING AS AMBASSADOR

Li Na has a new title. The two-time Grand Slam tournament champion has been named global ambassador for her hometown tournament, the WTA Wuhan Open. The 34-year-old is charged with raising the tournament’s profile internationally and grow tennis in Asia. “My hometown Wuhan is where I started my tennis career,” Li said. “Enabling more ordinary people to play and enjoy tennis will extend my tennis career and fulfill the original intention of the Wuhan Open.” Li retired from tennis in 2014 and is expecting her second child. Her daughter turns one year old next month.

SNUBS OLYMPICS

Bernard Tomic says he’s too busy to play in the Rio Olympics this summer, thank you. “With a heavy sense of regret, I have made the difficult decision to not play with the Australian tennis team as they pursue an Olympic medal in Rio,” the 23-year-old Tomic said in a statement. “I have always proudly represented my country in Davis Cup and given my all when wearing the green and gold. But on the basis of my extremely busy playing schedule and my own personal circumstances, I am regrettably unable to commit to this year’s tournament.” Instead of the Olympics, Tomic will play an ATP event in Los Cabos, Mexico. Tomic was not a shoo-in to on the Australian team because of his behavior. He has been heavily criticized after holding the racquet the wrong way when he received a serve on match point in the Madrid Open.

Joining Tomic in Los Cabos will be Austrian Dominic Thiem. At 22, Thiem is the youngest player in the top 20 of the rankings. “There are many reasons” he is not going to play in the Olympics, he said. “Maybe I’m going to explain it another time.” Earlier this year Thiem told Austrian TV he considers Grand Slam tournaments and Masters series tournaments more important that the Olympics in tennis, adding, “Other sports are more important at the Olympics, and that’s OK.”

SHOWDOWN

Will Nick Kyrgios be on Australia’s Olympic team? Tennis Australia (TA) and the Australian Olympic Committee appear headed for a showdown over that possibility. Shortly after Australian Olympic team’s chef de mission Kitty Chiller said Kyrgios needed to improve his behavior to be selected, Tennis Australia backed the 21-year-old player. “It’s unfortunate that he’s been included unfairly in recent discussions on player behavior that have not involved him,” TA president Steve Healy said in a statement. Both Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic were warned by Chiller about their behavior. Kyrgios responded by saying: “If you don’t want two of the best players in Australia to represent your country, so be it.” Kyrgios was given a suspended ban by the ATP last year for an off-color comment he made at a tournament. And he was booed by his home crowd at the Australian Open in January when he had a running battle with the chair umpire. But Healy says Kyrgios has been working hard to rehabilitate himself. “His performances this year have been markedly improved and it’s obvious he’s showing more maturity,” the TA head said. “Nick deserves the opportunity to concentrate on his tennis without any additional distractions.”

SPLITSVILLE

After two years, Andy Murray has ended his working relationship with his coach Amelie Mauresmo. “I’ve learned a lot from Amelie over the past two years,” the Scottish star said in a statement. “She’s been a calming influence in the team and we’ll miss having her around.” With her on his team, Murray has won seven titles and reached two Australian Open finals. But the 28-year-old has not added to his Olympic gold medal and US Open title he won in 2012 as well as capturing Wimbledon in 2013. “Dedicating enough time along with the travel has been a challenge for me,” said Mauresmo, who has not been on the ATM World Tour regularly with Murray since she gave birth to her son Aaron last August. Like Murray, the 36-year-old Mauresmo won Wimbledon – in 2006.

SISTERS STUMBLE

It just wasn’t to be. Playing doubles together for the first time since the US Open in 2014, the Williams sisters – Venus and Serena – lost their first-round match at the Italian Open to Andreja Klepac and Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia 6-1 7-5. Still, the American pair showed flashes of the skills that saw them win 21 titles together, including consecutive Olympic gold medals. Venus – who played and won her opening singles match a few hours before she took to the court for doubles – admitted that fatigue could have played a part in her doubles loss. “I haven’t done that in a long time,” she said. “But I knew what was going to happen going into it. Even if you get tired, you have to try to ignore it. … Hopefully I’ll have that problem for two weeks in the French Open. That would be an awesome problem to have.” The sisters are hoping that their combined singles rankings will gain them direct entry into the 32-team doubles draw at the Rio Olympics.

SALE SIGN

John McEnroe has put his Long Island estate up for sale for USD $14.5 million. Besides having a stretch of white sand beach, the home features eight bedrooms, seven full bathrooms, casual and formal dining areas, library, office, sunroom and a tennis court. Appropriately for the tennis star known for his outburst, “You cannot be serious,” the home is located at 11 Squabble Lane. Despite the asking price, the Hamptons retreat doesn’t crack the current top 10 for single-family home prices in the 11968 ZIP code.

SHARED PEFORMANCES

Bordeaux: Johan Brunstrom and Andreas Siljestrom beat Guillermo Duran and Maximo Gonzalez 6-1 3-6 10-4 (match tiebreak)

Rome (men): Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock 2-6 6-3 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Rome (women): Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza beat Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina 6-1 6-7 (5) 10-3 (match tiebreak)

Seoul: Matt Reed and John-Patrick Smith beat Gong Mao-Xin and Yi Chu-Huan 6-3 7-5

Trnava: Anna Kalinskaya and Tereza Mihalikova beat Evgeniya Rodina and Anastasija Sevastova 6-1 7-6 (4)

SURFING

Geneva: http://banqueericsturdzagenevaopen.com/

Nice: www.opennicecotedazur.com/

Nürnberger: www.nuernberger-versicherungscup.de/en/news/index_eng.html

Strasbourg: www.internationaux-strasbourg.fr/en

Paris: www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/index.html

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN

$564,072 Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open, Geneva, Switzerland, clay

$564,072 Open de Nice Cote d’Azur, Nice, France, clay

WOMEN

$250,000 Nürnberger Versicherungscup, Nürnberger, Germany, clay

$250,000 Internationaux de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France, clay

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN & WOMEN

French Open, Roland Garros, Paris, France (first week)

Novak Djokovic Keeps Winning Streak Alive – Mondays with Bob Greene

May 18, 2015 by Admin

Mondays with Bob Greene

STARS

Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer 6-4 6-3 to win the Internazionali BNL d’Italia men’s singles in Rome, Italy

Maria Sharapova beat Carla Suárez Navarro 4-6 7-5 6-1 to win the Internazionali BNL d’Italia women’s singles in Rome, Italy

Thanasi Kokkinakis beat Thiemo De Bakker 6-4 1-6 7-6 (5) to win the BNP Paribas Primrose in Bordeaux, France

SAYING

“I will keep going as long as I can. I try always to give my best on the court regardless of the tournament or the particular match I am playing. This kind of mindset has got me where I am now … and hopefully it’s gonna take me far in Roland Garros. It is and has been the priority of my career.” – Novak Djokovic, after winning in Rome.

“I know I can play better. Novak was rock solid today, he played great throughout. He made very few unforced errors. He was able to take that opportunity that presented itself. I’m happy, feeling good and healthy.” – Roger Federer, who lost to Novak Djokovic in the Rome final.

“I never felt I was playing very clean until the end of the third set. So it shows that it’s good to hang in there and just stay positive out there.” – Maria Sharapova, after beating Carla Suárez Navarro to win the women’s title in Rome.

“He hit amazing shots in a lot of key moments … He played a lot of good points. I accept (the result), I can only congratulate him.” – Rafael Nadal, after losing to Stan Wawrinka in the quarterfinals at Rome.

“I am ready to accept the challenge. If I go to Roland Garros (and) I lose (and) I don’t play well, life continues. It’s not the end of the world. I won so many times there. … It’s normal that I can lose. Losing is part of life.” – Rafael Nadal, when asked about his chances to win his 10^th French Open title.

“Although we trust each other very much, after Australia we did not have very good results. But we kept calm and trusted one another and today we are celebrating. This victory came at the right time.” – Pablo Cuevas, after teaming with David Marrero to win the men’s doubles in Rome.

“We’ve had big goals for a while now. We started playing together last year and had some big results,” Babos said. “But this year it’s even better. We took three titles already. We’re playing well, we’re really starting to feel each other’s game on the court, and we’re having more fun on the court, too.” – Timea Babos, who with partner Kristina Mladenovic won the women’s title in Rome.

“I’ve played here 100 times and I think I’ve won 30 times. Well, I don’t know the math, but I’ve done really well here. But I love Rome. I love playing in Rome. I have a lot of friends here. I love the tournament director. I just love being here, and pulling out of this tournament is not fun.” – Serena Williams, who withdrew from the Italian Open because of a right elbow injury.

SHOWING WHO’S BOSS

There should be no question that Novak Djokovic will be going into the French Open as a strong favorite to capture his second Grand Slam tournament title of the year. The top-ranked Serb easily downed second-seeded Roger Federer to win his fourth Italian Open crown. Djokovic has yet to win at Roland Garros, but Rafael Nadal, who has dominated the clay court tournament, fell in the quarterfinals at Rome and has yet to win on the terra bateau trail leading up to Paris. Djokovic has won his last 37 matches at the highest-level tournaments and increased this year’s unbeaten string to 22 straight as he captured his fifth title of 2015. “The fact I’ve managed to win that many matches in a row … gives me a reason to believe I can do it again,” he said. Djokovic and Federer traded blows to begin the final, with the Serb breaking his Swiss opponent in the 10^th game to capture the opening set. Djokovic won the first three games of the second set and was never threatened after that. “Novak was rock solid, he played great throughout, made very few unforced errors and was able to the take the opportunities that came his way,” said Federer, who at the last moment decided to play in Rome. “It’s a little bit frustrating, but in general I’m satisfied with my performance. I played a good match, but Novak was just a little bit stronger than me.”

Federer has now reached the Italian Open four times, but has never won. He was beaten by Felix Mantilla in 2003, by Rafael Nadal in a fifth-set tiebreaker in 2006, by Nadal again in 2013, and this year by Djokovic.

SHARAPOVA WINS

After Maria Sharapova figured out the wind, there was very little Carla Suárez Navarro could do. Sharapova looked sluggish in the first set as her Spanish opponent dictated play and came away the winner. In the second set, Suárez Navarro kept fighting back, finally leveling the set a 5-5, just two games from victory. Instead, it was all Sharapova after that, winning the next two games to level the match, then crushing her opponent in the decisive third set. Her 35^th career WTA Tour title also meant Sharapova would move past Simona Halep in the rankings and become second in the world behind Serena Williams. Because she will now be seeded second in the French Open, Sharapova could not possibly face Williams until the final at Roland Garros. Sharapova’s 39^th winner of the day capped her victory over Suárez Navarro. “It wasn’t easy to find a rhythm out there, with the way she plays and the wind. I really had to adjust,” Sharapova said. “But I’m proud I was able to stay in there. In the end I was the fresher one and the more aggressive one, so it’s all a positive.” Despite the loss, Suárez Navarro left Italy feeling good about her game. She beat three Top 10 players during the week, including the second-ranked Simona Halep, the biggest win of the Spaniard’s career. Her run to the final lifted Suárez Navarro to eighth in the world in this week’s WTA rankings.

SURPRISE

Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic are both considered WTA Rising Stars. Tell that the veterans Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza. Babos and Mladenovic surprised the top women’s doubles team in the world to win their third WTA doubles title of the year. “In all of our previous matches we played really good teams, and it was another tough one today, of course,” Mladenovic said. “We played them in Miami and it was a close match there with opportunities, but we didn’t play our best there, which was a little frustrating. So we wanted to do better today.” That they did, breaking Mirza in the first game of the match to take the opening set 604. Then, from 2-3 down in the second set, the winners won four straight games to garner the title. Both Babos and Mladenovic celebrated birthdays this month. “We’re different than the other teams in that way,” Mladenovic said. “We’re the same age and we’ve known each other for a long time. We were born just four days apart, and Timi is my best friend. We spend a lot of time together off the court, and we also complement each other’s game very well.”

SUCCESSFUL

Pablo Cuevas and David Marrero are perfect when they get to the doubles title match. Now they have an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy to share. “It was the first time I was playing in a Masters 1000 final,” Cuevas said, “so I’m very happy for the victory.” The two teamed up to win the Internazionali BNL d’Italia men’s doubles by defeating Marcel Granoller and Marc Lopez. Cuevas is now 5-5 in ATP World Tour doubles finals, while Marrero is 11-11. As a team, they have a 4-10 record in finals. On their way to the final, Cuevas and Marrero beat sixth-seeded Daniel Nestor and Leander Paes in the second round as well as third-seeded Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau in the quarterfinals. Granollers and Lopez were seeded fifth.

SPANIARD SLIPPING

Rafael Nadal will be seeking his 10^th French Open title when the year’s second Grand Slam tournament is played beginning next week. But the left-hander has won only one clay court title this year, that coming at Buenos Aires, Argentina, early in the year. And in recent tournaments, Nadal has lost to Fabio Fognini, Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic. The last time Nadal was beaten so many times on his favorite surface was 12 years ago – in his rookie season. And it will be the first year since year since 2004 that Nadal will go into the French Open without having won a Masters 1000 title. By the time he plays his first match at Roland Garros, nearly three months will have passed since he won his lone title of 2015.

It was Wawrinka who knocked Nadal out of this year’s Italian Open, where he was a seven-time winner. Wawrinka captured the quarterfinal 7-6 (7) 6-2, only his second victory over Nadal in their previous 13 meetings. The only other time Wawrinka beat Nadal was in the final of the Australian Open in 2014. “I didn’t have enough leg in some moments today,” Nadal said. “He played crazy. He hit amazing shots in a lot of moments, and especially important ones. … I am not very happy with the way I played. During the night the ball is bigger, the bounces are not that high. So he has the chance to go for it. And he was on fire.”

STORY OF LI

A movie is being made about Li Na’s life. Chinese filmmaker Peter Ho-Sun Chan’s production company, We Pictures, said the film will be based on Li’s autobiography, “Li Na: My Life,” and will be released in 2016. Li is one of China’s best-known athletes and became the first Asian-born tennis player to win a Grand Slam tournament singles title when she captured the French Open in 2011. “Li Na had an impossible dream and found a way to turn it into reality,” Chan said in a statement. “She broke rules and defied conventions and, against all odds, became a legend.”

SLAMS COURT

Both Italian Open champions – Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova – and finalist Roger Federer complained about the court at the Foro Italico in Rome. Holes appeared on the court and the players escaped twisting an ankle or worst. Djokovic complained after his 6-4 6-4 semifinal win over Spain’s David Ferrer. Several times during the match Djokovic called officials to fill in holes which began appearing near the baseline. “It’s obvious the court is not where it’s supposed to be condition-wise,” Djokovic said. “We had some places where the holes are really deep. … It’s not just for the serve. If you make those holes and you’re sliding and getting into that hole, you can twist your ankle easily.” Sharapova said the court was “definitely not up to the standards the court should be for this type of event, that’s no secret. … There’s definitely a lot of holes out there.” Federer was more upbeat, but still complained. “The problem is, it kind of breaks away, so that’s not ideal,” he said. “When it happens once or twice, three times, you get a bit worried.

STOPPED PLAYING

In the middle of her bid for a third straight Italian Open title, top-ranked Serena Williams withdrew from the clay court event with a right elbow injury. “It actually started a little bit in Madrid last week,” Williams said in announcing her withdrawal. “I wasn’t serving my best. I have to be able to serve and hit my shots with a lot of confidence, and when you’re injured you don’t have that much confidence. It’s so important to have it when you go up against any player out there, whether it’s in my match today or in the final of a Grand Slam. You just really need it.” Williams said it wasn’t easy to withdraw. “I talked with my coach and he said it wouldn’t be very smart for me to play, and that we have to make the right decision for the future, and not for now,” she said. “I told him that I hate quitting, but then he told me this isn’t about quitting, it’s about making the best decision.” Williams said she didn’t want to make the same mistake she made last year just before Roland Garros. “I’m learning from bad decisions in the past, even last year,” she said. “I ended up taking four days off before Paris and practiced just a day or two before the tournament started, and you never want to enter a Grand Slam under those circumstances, especially as a defending champion like I was last year.”

SAYS HE’S EXHAUSTED

Citing fatigue, Andy Murray withdrew from the Internazionali BNL d’Italia just before his third-round match against David Goffin. The Scot had played 10 matches in 12 days, winning his first ATP World Tour clay court title in Munich, Germany, then upsetting Rafael Nadal in the final in Madrid, Spain, six days later. Murray won his first match in Rom, beating Jeremy Chardy, but after feeling flat in practice the next morning, he decided he had to rest. Writing on Twitter, Murray said: “I always feel bad after making decisions like this, but my body is extremely tired and fatigued right now.”

STRAIGHT IN

Louisa Chirico will make her Grand Slam tournament singles main draw debut at this year’s French Open. The 18-year-old American won the Har-Tru USTA Pro Circuit Wild Card Challenge to earn the spot at Roland Garros. Chirico actually tied fellow teenager Katerina Stewart in the wild card challenge. But the rules say that in the event of a tie, the player with the best WTA singles ranking will be awarded the wild card. Chirico is ranked 120^th in the world, while Stewart is ranked 201^st. In 2013, Chirico reached the French Open junior girls final, losing to Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic in three sets. She then reached the semifinals of the Wimbledon juniors, losing again to Bencic, and the quarterfinals of the US Open juniors.

Seventeen-year-old Frances Tiafoe earned the USTA’s French Open men’s main draw wild card berth.

SCHEDULING SNAFU

Players have called for Madrid to reexamine its scheduling policy after Andy Murray and Phillip Kohlschreiber played until 3 a.m. in their second-round match. The two had met in a rain-delayed Monday final in Munich, Germany, then took the court in Madrid beginning at 1:12 a.m. the following day. Murray won 6-4 3-6 6-0. “It was very difficult,” Murray said. “I think me and Philipp both were quite frustrated on the court. I wouldn’t say the level of tennis was particularly good or that it was a very entertaining match. … You aren’t going to get guys playing their best tennis when you’re on court at 3 in the morning.” Murray said officials didn’t talk to the players until around midnight when it was agreed that the match should have been moved to another court. Rafael Nadal said players should not have been put on court at that time once the schedule had gone so long. “It’s not right to start a match at 1 o’clock in the morning,” the Spaniard said. “It’s completely bad news for the players and for the crowd and everybody.”

SEEKING NEW FACILITY

The Italian Open may move away from historic Foro Italico. Running out of room and with ticket demand soaring, local organizers want to move the clay court tournament to a new location near Rome’s main airport. “We can’t fit in here anymore,” Italian tennis federation president Angelo Binaghi said. “The hunger for tennis makes this the biggest sports event in Italy.” The Foro Italico was built under Benito Mussolini in the 1920s and 30s. It has been the site for the Italian Open since 1935. The stadium, which seats 10,500, was inaugurated in 2010. With Rome bidding for the 2024 Olympics, Binaghi suggests building an entirely new tournament venue and national training center near the Leonardo Da Vinci airport, which could also be used for the Games. “It’s great to dream, and link this dream to the 2024 bid, so this tournament can have the (space) that it deserves,” said Carlo Mornati, vice secretary general of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI). The Italian Open is run by both the federation and CONI.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Bordeaux: Thiemo De Bakker and Robin Haase beat Lucas Pouille and Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-3 7-5

Rome (men): Pablo Cuevas and David Marrero beat Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez 6-4 7-5

Rome (women): Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic beat Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza 6-4 6-3

SURFING

Nice: www.opennicecotedazur.com/

Geneva: www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Tournaments/Geneva.aspx

Strasbourg: www.internationaux-strasbourg.fr/

Nürnberg: www.nuernberger-versicherungscup.de/en/news/index_eng.html

Paris: www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/index.html

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$492,033 Open de Nice Côte d’Azur, Nice, France, clay

$492,033 Geneva Open, Geneva, Switzerland, clay

WOMEN

$226,750 Nürnberger Versicherungscup, Nürnberg, Germany, clay

$226,750 Internationaux de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France, clay

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN and WOMEN

Roland Garros, Paris, France, clay (1^st week)

Should Roger Federer And His Fans Worry About His Short Haircut?

May 16, 2013 by Admin

Should Roger Federer and his fans worry about his new short haircut?

The 17-time major singles champion arrived in Rome for the Italian Championships sporting perhaps the shortest haircut he has had in his playing career. Playing with short hair hasn’t always brought out the best for the Swiss maestro, as Rene Stauffer wrote in his book ROGER FEDERER: QUEST FOR PERFECTION ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.RogerFedererBook.com) In the book, Stauffer compares Federer’s short locks from the summer of 2004 to that of the biblical figure Samson. Part of the book chapter “Samson’s Return” is excerpted below.

On August 1, Switzerland’s national holiday and on the second anniversary of the death of Peter Carter, Federer defeated Roddick 7-5, 6-3 in the final of Toronto. He dedicated what was already his eighth tournament victory of the year to Carter—and to “him alone.” Federer’s win also established a new superlative in tennis—he was the first player since Björn Borg in 1979 to win three consecutive tournaments on three different surfaces—grass (Wimbledon), clay (Gstaad) and on hard courts (Toronto). “I hope to be able to have coffee with Borg sometime and have a talk about these series,” Federer said. He proudly pointed out that there were players who reached the No. 1 ranking but lacked titles on certain surfaces, including Boris Becker, who failed to win a title on clay during his career.

Winning the championship was not the only momentous experience for Federer in Toronto—he had his hair cut short. In April, Federer’s flowing mane was reduced by several centimeters, visually giving him a strong resemblance to Peter Lundgren. His hair, now, was considerably shorter, with a layered look. He actually just wanted a trim, Mirka explained, but the hair dresser convinced him to try something new for a change.

Federer’s new look, however, didn’t sit well the “gods of tennis.” His strength seemed to emanate from his hair, like Samson in the Bible. Samson possessed super-human powers but after the Philistines trimmed his flowing locks, his powers diminished. If Federer had known what was going to happen to him during the next few tournaments, he would have been wise to skip his visit to the hair dresser in Toronto.

In Cincinnati, Federer lost in surprising fashion in the first round to Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia, ending his 23-match winning streak. The winning streak was the longest in professional tennis in five years and the loss was Federer’s first in the opening round of a tournament since the French Open in 2003—a stretch of 15 months.

Federer, however, was quick to see the positive side of his early defeat —it gave him more time to prepare for the Olympic Games. The two-time Wimbledon champion was the star of the Swiss Olympic delegation and was considered certain to bring home a medal. He was highly motivated and he talked for months of the importance the trip to Greece was for him. Said Federer, “I’ve been looking forward to this tournament for four years.” He said he dreamed of winning the gold medal and toasting to his victory—and to his partnership with Mirka, which, like the Olympic flame, was ignited under the Olympic flag four years earlier at the Sydney Games. After his disappointing loss to Arnaud DiPasquale of France in the bronze medal match in Sydney, Federer was especially motivated to step on the medal podium. He lived modestly in the Olympic Village—in contrast to many other tennis professionals who preferred hotels. He received the honor of leading the entire Swiss Olympic delegation as the Swiss flag-bearer at the Opening Ceremonies. Yet, like most of the tennis players at the Opening Ceremonies, he stood out in the enormous mass of athletes from all around the world, who sacrificed much through the years for this one chance at glory. While many athletes soaked in the atmosphere of the Opening Ceremonies from the infield of the Olympic stadium, Federer found himself forced to entertain a constant stream of photograph and autograph requests from his fellow Olympic athletes.

The International Tennis Federation was charmed that Federer held the Olympic tournament in such high esteem. Many Olympic followers and representatives from different Olympic sports held the opinion that the highly-paid professional tennis players had no business at the Olympics (tennis had once again became an Olympic sport in 1988) and that they did not take the event as seriously as it deserved to be treated.

In an Olympic tennis competition that featured many surprises, Federer’s second-round loss to the unknown 19-year-old Czech Tomas Berdych was perhaps the most unexpected result. To make matters worse, hours after his devastating 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 loss to the No. 79-ranked Berdych, he was also eliminated from the doubles competition with partner Yves Allegro, losing to India’s Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi.

Federer’s losses were major disappointments not only to himself, but to the Swiss Olympic delegation, which received another medal blow on the same day when its medal-contending judo athlete Sergei Aschwanden, also was eliminated from medal contention. Federer appeared well-composed in the media center—but he was at a loss for an explanation. He said he felt somewhat pressured and was tired after the long season, it was difficult playing against a young player like Berdych whom he didn’t know. A few months later and viewing his Olympic experience with some perspective, he quipped, “At least I carried the flag well in Athens.”

ROGER vs. RAFA XXI

May 15, 2010 by WTM

MADRID—Roger Federer will meet Rafael Nadal in a second consecutive Madrid Masters final after beating David Ferrer of Spain 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 on Saturday.

Nadal came from behind to beat Spanish countryman Nicolas Almagro 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the first semifinal.

Last year, Federer beat then No. 1-ranked Nadal in the final for his second Madrid title.

Federer said he had not expected to wait a year to play Nadal again.

“After playing here last year you figured, maybe the French, Wimbledon or down the stretch in America at the latest we’ll face off again, but it just never ended up happening,” Federer said. “It shows how incredible our last few years have been and I think it’s exciting for tennis and for us obviously that we can face off again.”

Nadal, assured of returning to No. 2 in the rankings with Saturday’s win, is aiming for his second title in Madrid.

Nadal is 14-0 on clay this season, winning titles in Monte Carlo and Rome. He has lost only two sets during that run, and is looking for a record 18th Masters title, including his previous Madrid title in 2005. Nadal and Andre Agassi have won 17 each, with Federer at 16.

“Whatever happens (in the final) I can say that this season has been very good. I’d say it’s been perfect—or nearly perfect,” Nadal said.

Federer, who’d beaten Ferrer in all nine of their previous meetings, served superbly in the first set, losing only two service points and sending 77 percent of his first serves in.

“I served really well—that was some of my best serving in a long time,” Federer said. “I knew on clay I was always going to go through a tougher period as well and that’s what happened in the second set.”

By contrast, Ferrer’s serve was under pressure from the start and the Acapulco champion and Rome runner-up had to save two break points on his second service game.

Although Federer was in control, the Spaniard stayed level, saving a further three break points at 4-4.

However, a forehand winner down the line gave Federer another break point at 5-5 and this time he converted it when Ferrer hit the net before serving for the set.

In the second set the top seed’s serve faltered. Ferrer took the third of three break points to go 3-1 up before holding serve to take the second set.

Both players racked up unforced errors in the third set as neither could make the breakthrough. Eventually Federer carved out a break point with a crosscourt winner followed by a long forehand from Ferrer and the defending champion took the chance before serving for the match.

The second-seeded Nadal made a string of early unforced errors, dropping serve three times in the opening set.

“I made a lot of mistakes in the first set and Almagro was playing really well,” said Nadal. “Because he was attacking me a lot I tried to play safer in the first set—that was a mistake.”

Almagro appeared on course to finally beating Nadal at his sixth attempt as he kept firing forehand winners past him.

“I’ve played at a really high level all week,” said Almagro. “And I had the best clay-court player in the world against the ropes.”

Nadal, a four-time French Open champion, broke back in the second game. Almagro won the next game to love when Nadal hit a backhand into the net, then served to go 4-1 up.

Nadal gave a trademark shout and pump of the fist as he broke back again, although the unseeded Almagro coolly saved two break points at 5-4 to close out the set

DAVID FERRER REACHES FINAL IN ROME

May 1, 2010 by WTM

What a day at the Foro Italico! The 1st match had more twists than a cork-screw! Ferrer didn’t show up for the 1st 6 games which no one expected. But what i did expect eventually started to unfold….unfortunately for the Galactico (person who supports Real Madrid which Verdasco does) he started to run outta gas at the most inopportune time and when that happens, David Ferrer is one of the worst players to face…especially on clay, cos he can make you run more than most! Winning 8 straight games from being down 1-5, he wrestled the match away from Nando with that stretch, to eventually prevail and make it through to his 1st Masters 1000 final!

As for the Rafa/Gulbis match you can only salute Ernests for what was a supreme effort! I gave him no shot and thought Nadal would not loose a set this season on clay. Not only did he loose a set, but Rafa almost lost the match….I think with his performance, the Latvian has given the rest of the locker room belief that Nadal is beatable on this surface.

But getting the win is what Rafa does best…he’s 26-2 in Clay court finals, his only 2 losses coming to Federer (and he was severely jaded in both those encounters in Hamburg and Madrid) those are outrageous numbers!! I just can’t see Ferrer defying the odds tomorrow given his record against his fellow countryman. Nadal will tie Agassi with 17 Masters 1000 titles with a 5th victory in the Eternal City!

FEDERER’S AWOL FOREHAND: ROBBIE KOENIG BLOG FROM ROME

April 27, 2010 by WTM

What’s going on here in the Italian capital? A big upset with Roger Federer being dumped out by Ernests Gulbis. Amazing how Roger’s forehand goes AWOL at times. That’s the barometer when he plays badly! The truth is though, I’m not as surprised as the upset yesterday when Giraldo beat Ferrero….For me that came outta left field!

As for Gulbis, he’s a young man with plenty of talent that hasn’t been utilized until this season. Last year he only won back to back matches at two tournaments – that’s simply unacceptable for someone of his pedigree.

Hats off though to Hernan Gumy( his coach) and to Ernests. First to Gumy for getting the Latvian to work harder and buy into serious off court fitness, and secondly and, perhaps most importantly, to Gulbis for taking the advice on board. This year he’s certainly reaping the rewards bigtime!!!