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Novak Djokovic: Dissecting the mind of the talented Serb

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By Lisa-Marie Burrows

Novak Djokovic via TennisPanoramaNews

World No.2, Novak Djokovic, is the man of the moment after enjoying back-to-back wins on the Asian swing of the Tour in Beijing and Shanghai.  The Serbian player is also closing the gap on current world No.1, Roger Federer, for the top place in the rankings and is hoping to challenge Federer for the year-end No.1 position.  The last remaining tournaments shall be very telling for both players and it will be interesting to see if the two can continue to dominate on Tour or see if another player can push through towards the end of the year.

Djokovic is known for many things: his excellent retrieval skills, his ability to shorten points and play aggressively, his sense of humour and thanks to his winning performance in Beijing – his dancing skills! But what is it that makes the Serbian tick?  How does his mentality fair in times of difficulty?  What has kept him in the top three for such a long amount of time?  Here are some memorable quotes that help to dissect the mind of the talented Serbian player.

Keeping grounded

Alongside his many successes within his career, Novak Djokovic has helped to put Serbia on the map in the world of tennis and his achievements have not gone unnoted in any part of the world.  He has a loyal fan base and often chants of “No-le!” are adoringly recited around the tennis courts in front of their hero, but this has not changed the Serbian superstar and he has continued with his same attitude towards life and his work ethic despite his fame:

“I still have the same daily routine, same approach to my career, to the life that I’m having. I don’t consider myself being in the top of the world, being untouchable or unbeatable. That’s out of the question. I always try to give my 100 per cent on every practice that I have. I always wanted to have the positive mindset in preparing well for every event, for every season. I think that helps me to stay committed and focused on what I need to do. My job is to play tennis, to win matches and try to win as many titles as possible.”  

Searching for the best

The world No.2 is playing in an era against arguably some of the greatest players of all time.  En route to his Grand Slam successes he has had to defeat the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, players who have dominated the top four in recent years and Djokovic has the perfect analogy for beating his current rivals:

“When you’re playing against the best in the world, you have to be on your best game.” 

Which tournament inspired Djokovic?

Growing up, Novak Djokovic has confessed that the first tournament he had ever watched on TV was on the grass courts of Wimbledon and this only ignited his passion further to become a professional tennis player, a winner of Grand Slams and more importantly for him, the champion of Wimbledon, a title which he won in 2011:

“Wimbledon was the first tournament I watched in my life, I think I’m still in my dream.” 

More to achieve

Despite having won 33 titles, five of which are Grand Slams and the only major to elude the Serbian player is the French Open, a title which Djokovic has set his sights on winning one day to complete the career slam alongside Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal:

“Of course I want to win more majors and prove things to myself. It would be unbelievable to complete the Grand Slam. I need to win the French Open, but I think it will take time.” 

Showing his emotions

Djokovic has never hidden his feelings about his game on court or off court and he is a player that wears his heart on his sleeve. It is not difficult to see when he is frustrated as he sometimes relinquishes his anger through a roar or with the smash of the racket, which we saw in the final in Shanghai against Andy Murray. The No.1 Serbian player makes no apologies for his public display of anger:

“We are professional tennis players and we’re big rivals, but in the end we’re humans. We shouldn’t be ashamed of our emotions … I don’t see anything bad in showing your emotions – positive, negative emotions. We can’t just be flat-faced throughout the whole match…”

Respecting his rivals

Having the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and David Ferrer around may have done the former world No.1 good. Their presence on court, their fighting qualities and ability to push the boundaries in tennis may have brought out the best in Djokovic, making him want to fight harder, train rigorously and perform better and the Serbian player during his career has openly admired their achievements and talent on court:

 “Nadal is physically the strongest player on the tour, and mentally he has this incredible ability to stay focused from the first point to the last.” 

Home is where his heart is:

Novak Djokovic has contributed many things to the world of tennis, but he has never forgotten his roots. The words in this final quote show that he is a proud Serbian who is not afraid show his pride and love for his country:

“Well, I do feel that I carry the responsibility of representing my country wherever I am, and this responsibility came with the success that I had in last couple of years, not just myself but the whole group of tennis players that comes from Serbia. And athletes in general are, in this moment, the biggest ambassadors that our country has.”

 “I want to help children in Serbia and around the world so they can realize their dreams.“

Strangeness at the Sony Ericsson Open

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By Thomas Swick

It’s getting quieter here, and not just because Victoria Azarenka is gone. There was no cluster of cars at the Rickenbacker tollbooth this morning; no great multitude waiting impatiently to cross Crandon Boulevard into the tennis center.

Near noon, the desks in the media center were still mostly empty. My neighbor from The Asahi Shimbun left town after the loss of Kei Nishikori.

The day’s schedule, once so crowded with names you could barely read some of them, now has almost as much white space as print. Some wag has placed a battered old tennis ball in the top cup at the water cooler. It sits there like a symbol (rebuke?) of all the balls we’ve watched over the last nine days.

Maria Sharapova beats Caroline Wozniacki at the Sony Ericsson Open (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Fans who arrived early for the Caroline Wozniacki-Maria Sharapova match (probably not Miamians) got a taste of the low-key atmosphere when they walked in the stadium and saw Mardy Fish casually serving aces to a hitting partner. He whacked the last ball high into the stands and then walked toward the tunnel unimpeded. Not a single kid was there to bother him for an autograph.

The match began a little after 1, and Sharapova started and – more important – finished strong, hitting more than five times as many winners as her opponent. Still upset with a call on Sharapova’s ultimately winning serve, Wozniacki shook the victor’s hand but not the chair umpire’s. In her press conference she looked so forbidding – her expression conveying a kind of fuming grief – that a number of reporters (like me) didn’t dare venture a question. The ones she did get, she answered briefly, in an accent that at times sounded vaguely Irish.

Fish came out next, with Argentina’s Juan Monaco. It must feel strange to play a couple hours’ drive from your old home and hear louder support for your opponent who hails from a country that’s thousands of miles away. So strange, perhaps, that it affects your play, as Fish fell easily in straight sets. Kids now stood outside the tunnel with oversized balls but Fish – like every other loser I’ve seen – refused to acknowledge their existence.

There have been a lot of strange things happening here. Roddick beating Federer. The last Argentinian standing being not Del Potro but Monaco. (Think of all the people who bought tickets for the semis imagining they’d see Federer, a few of them, at least, now asking themselves, ‘Who the hell is Monaco?’) The seemingly invincible Azarenka silenced by Bartoli.

I needed some air to clear my head, so I took my daily stroll through the grounds. A young Mexican woman, who’d come with her father, complained about the Argentinian fans, saying she told a group of them, “It’s not a soccer match.”

On Court 3 I found two ball boys and one ball girl playing with a ball. (Nothing odd about that.) On hearing I was a writer, they asked if I’d ever written about the ball kids. I told them I had, yesterday. Then I asked them which players treated them the nicest.

“Ivanovic,” the girl said. “She’s really nice.”

“Djokovic,” the taller of the boys said. “All the Serbians are nice.”

I said I’d heard the French can be difficult. They all nodded their heads, adding that Monfils and Tsonga were exceptions. The tall one said that they’re given a talk before they work a match with Llodra.

“Nadal is nice,” the other ball boy said. “He always says, ‘Gracias.’”

I asked about Federer, but none had had the pleasure. “I’ve done Nadal matches seven times,” the girl said. (This was not their first year; they were veteran ball kids.) “I would trade seven Nadal matches for one Federer match.”

Back in the stadium, I watched Djokovic fail to serve out the match against Ferrer. But, bringing things back to normal, he cruised through the tiebreak. Before stepping into the tunnel, the vanquished Spaniard stopped and signed autographs.

In the last match, Marion Bartoli  and Agnieszka Radwanska rallied strongly in the first set until Bartoli went off with a trainer. She reappeared with her left thigh wrapped. Limping noticeably, she lost the set. It looked as if that would be all. But after struggling to get her serve in, she started rallying as before. At 4-2, Radwanska’s turn to serve, the lights went out and the stadium was plunged in darkness.

Immediately the back-up lights came on, and the booths and exits and scoreboards all emitted an eerie glow. But the court remained in darkness. The players retreated to the locker. Twenty minutes later, when the lights returned, many of the fans had left, and those who’d stayed moved down to the front rows. It was like a night match at the U.S. Open, though without the drama. Radwanska won the next two games and the two women, in full light, exchanged kisses at the net.

Serbian Hats, Middle-Aged Ball Boys, and Unanswered Questions from the Sony Ericsson Open

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By Thomas Swick

At around 1 pm yesterday, Agnieszka Radwanska walked onto the stadium court, placed her heavy bag on her chair, and took out a plastic bag of bottled drinks as if she had just entered her compartment for a long train ride.

It was the express from Warsaw to Krakow, as the young Pole dispatched Venus Williams in straight sets. She was helped by the fact that Williams moved on the court like someone who had just gotten off a red-eye.

I asked Radwanska at her press conference if she had noticed her opponent’s lethargy. “Well, um,” she said, “well, about that, you really have to ask her.” Williams had already had her press conference, so I didn’t have the opportunity to ask her: “Did Radwanska notice that you were tired?”

Williams’ sluggish performance was echoed outside the stadium. Lanes that last week had brimmed with people now carried a wandering straggler or two. The Corona and Ben & Jerry’s stands outside Court 8 stood abandoned.

The bleachers had already been removed from Court 6, giving a view onto a young man standing at the net and having his picture taken by a young woman standing on the baseline. Next door on Court 3, empty bottles of water bubbled a bench, and a white towel curled up in a chair. The circus had left town.

Andy Murray in his win over Janko Tipsarevic (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Or rather, moved into the big top. A good-sized crowd watched Andy Murray take on Janko Tipsarevic on the stadium court. During the third set, as I looked out over the crowd, it occurred to me that tennis is that rare sport (golf another) in which fans frequently dress like players. In baseball, basketball, football, hockey, you get the jersey, but in tennis you often see the whole outfit: cap, shirt, shorts, white socks, sneakers. A sportswriter told me he once saw a guy even wearing a wristband, as if he were ready, in an emergency, to fill in for an injured player.

It also struck me that the Sony Ericsson is probably the only tournament at which Andy Murray hears “Vamos Andy!”

After the match, the food court came to life, as dawdling day session crowds mixed with early-bird night session folks. A young man draped in a Serbian flag walked past wearing what looked like a military hat, minus a brim and with a diagonal crease on the top.

“It’s a sajkaca,” he told me. “It’s a traditional Serbian hat. Some people in villages still wear it. It goes very well with slivovitz.”

Not far away, a man sat at the Corona bar dressed for a match. Which made sense, since he had just worked the Murray-Tipsarevic three-setter. Glen Outlaw was the tournament’s oldest ball boy and, unlike most ball boys, he was quenching his thirst with a Negra Modelo.

He was 52. I asked if players are surprised to see him.

“Sometimes,” he said. He told of working a Nadia Petrova-Maria Kirilenko doubles match and being asked by Petrova if he was a ball boy. “After I said ‘yes,’ she said: ‘I feel bad asking you to get stuff for me.’”

Glen will be working both finals, but not at the net, because there – on the stadium court – you need to kneel, and that was too difficult, at his age, to do for an entire match. Standing was not an option (as it is on the outside courts). “They tell us,” he said: “’You have the ability to influence a match and the responsibility not to.’”

His favorite position was chair side baseline, because “that’s where the players take the towel. It gives you more interaction.” I asked if a player ever said ‘thank you.’ “Some do,” he said. “There was a guy, I can’t remember his name, who said ‘thank you’ every time you gave him a ball.”

The gentleman’s game lives.

Sharapova, Serena, Wozniacki Make Top 10 Most Searched Athletes on Bing: This Week in Tennis Business with Justin Cohen

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Maria Sharapova for WTA's "Strong is Beautiful"

Sharapova, Serena, Wozniacki make Top 10 list among most searched athletes on Bing

Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki all made Bing’s Top 10 list for the most searched athletes in 2011. Sharapova came in at No. 2, while Williams was No. 3 and Wozniacki was No. 5. Other professional athletes on the list included Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant and Brett Favre.

Sue Hunt named USTA Chief Marketing Officer

On Monday, USTA Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer Gordon Smith announced that Sue Hunt had been named as the USTA’s new Chief Marketing Officer. Hunt, who joined the USTA in 2006 as the Senior Director of Marketing, and was promoted to Managing Director of Marketing in 2009, will report directly to Kurt Kamperman, the USTA’s Chief Executive of Community Tennis. Prior to joining the USTA, Hunt held marketing and sales positions at various sports organizations throughout the Greater New York City area. She worked at Proctor & Gamble, Unilever and Kraft before taking on the role as the Director, Integrated Communications with L’Oreal USA in 2000. In 2004, Hunt moved to Colangelo Synergy Marketing, where she served as Group Vice President, managing the Kraft and Unilever brands for the agency before joining the USTA in November 2006. Hunt currently serves on the Board of Directors for Bridgeport Tennis and Education, a Community Tennis Association. Hunt graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. Her husband, Scott Slobin, is a teaching pro at a club in Fairfield, Conn., where the couple lives with their three children.

Boris Becker presents Barclays Ball Kid of the Year award to Lynsey Cover

During last week’s Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 in London, three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker presented 16-year-old Nottingham resident Lynsey Cover with the prestigious Barclays Ball Kid of the Year award. The award is given to the Barclays Ball Kid who demonstrates an exceptionally high level of performance both on and off the court throughout the tournament. Cover was one of 30 kids that took part in the nationwide search for the 2011 Barclays Ball Kid of the Year. “Lynsey is an excellent representative of the Barclays Ball Kids program. She has demonstrated exceptional talent and leadership both on and off the court,” said Mark Magrath, Barclays Ball Kids Head Coach. Children wanting to participate in this opportunity next year should sign up immediately at www.barclaysballkids.com.

Indo-Pak Express end partnership

India’s Rohan Bopanna and Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, better known as the Indo-Pak Express, have decided to end their doubles partnership effective immediately. Bopanna will team with fellow countrymen Mahesh Bhupathi in 2012, while Qureshi will partner with Dutchman Jean-Julien Rojer. “Who I want to play with is my decision…I did have a successful year with Aisam (Qureshi) but now I am starting a new year with Mahesh, and it’s as simple as that,” said Bopanna. Many insiders believe the spilt is a result of the upcoming London Olympics next summer, where India has a good chance of winning a medal in doubles. Leander Paes, who played the recent season with Bhupathi, is expected to team next year with Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic.

Serbian Foreign Minister named Tennis Association President

Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic was just elected as Serbia’s Tennis Association President, taking over for long-serving tennis President Slobodan Zivojinovic. “Our goal is to create a system in which Serbia’s current success will not be just a flash in the pan we will reminisce about in a few decades, but rather a well-oiled mechanism which will keep producing top-level players,” said Jeremic. “I cannot pretend to be a tennis expert of Zivojinovic’s caliber but I am a big tennis fan.” Jeremic named Novak Djokovic’s uncle, Goran, the Serbia Open chairman, as a vice-president.

Luxury Italian Tours to offer Italian Open Tennis Package

Luxury Italian Tours, the boutique luxury tour company, announced that it will offer a special travel tour of Rome in conjunction with the 2012 Italian Open tennis championships. The tour will be offered from May 13-20 and will include tickets to the historic tennis championships where Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova will be defending their titles as well as special VIP and private cultural and culinary activities. Packages include seven nights at luxury hotel in the historic center of Rome with the Spanish Steps, Pantheon and Piazza Navona just steps away, tickets for four sessions at the Internazionali BNL D’Italia at the Foro Italico, including the men’s and women’s quarterfinals and semifinals, and private and professionally guided tours of Ancient Rome and The Vatican including the Sistine Chapel. The packages also include a day excursion to Ostia Antica (Rome’s Pompeii), a half-day visit market visit, a cooking class and lunch, dinners at a private penthouse apartment overlooking Rome and in Trastevere, one of Rome’s oldest neighborhoods, and round-trip airport transfers and to and from the Foro Italico. “Luxury Italian Tours is excited to bring our distinct slice of la dolce vita to our guests during the Italian Open next May,” said Kimberly Minarovich, President and Founder of Luxury Italian Tours. “We are thrilled to offer unique culinary and cultural activities that have been celebrated by our guests for years and now combine it with day and evening matches at the Foro Italico to give tennis fans a full and enriching experience of Rome.” For more information, pricing and for a detailed itinerary, email info@luxuryitaliantours.com. All guests will also receive gifts courtesy of New Chapter Press, the leading publisher of tennis books.

Djokovic named “Ace of the Year” by GQ Magazine

World No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic was named “Ace of the Year” by GQ Magazine in their December issue. In the recent issue, GQ Magazine recognized the best and biggest names in sports, music, film, television and theater.

Federer Ends Season In Style – Mondays With Bob Greene

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STARS

Roger Federer beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3 6-7 (6) 6-3 to win the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London, Great Britain

Daniel Brands beat Matthias Bachinger 7-6 (2) 7-6 (5) to win the IPP Open in Helsinki, Finland

Tamarine Tanasugarn beat Kimiko Date-Krumm 6-2 7-5 to win the 2011 Dunlop World Challenge Tennis Tournament in Toyota, Japan

Roger Federer captures record sixth ATP World Tour Finals

SAYING

“I couldn’t be more happy and I couldn’t be more exhausted because Jo sucked all the last energy out of me today. – Roger Federer, after beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to win his sixth season-ending ATP World Tour Finals title.

“He’s the best player indoors for the moment. He’s maybe the best player ever, because he’s really quick. He’s playing well. That’s it.” – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, reflecting on Roger Federer.

“Now it’s finally sort of reality that I’ve been able to win six World Tour Finals. It’s an amazing feeling. I know it’s one of my greatest accomplishments.” – Roger Federer.

“Maybe I didn’t have really time to relax, but (that) is not the excuse here. He played better than me.” – David Ferrer, following his semifinal loss to Roger Federer.

“I’m shocked every time that I’ve reached so many finals or won against so many players or whatever record it is. It strikes me and makes me obviously very happy and very proud that I’ve been able to do it for so many years at the highest of levels.” – Roger Federer, who continued to better or equal marks in the record book.

“Six weeks ago if you would have asked me if we would have won this, I would have been surprised. But the way we’ve been playing in the fall, I wouldn’t say surprised.” – Daniel Nestor, who teamed with Max Mirnyi to win the ATP World Tour Finals doubles title.

“We feel great to have been able to win the tournament. We’re very excited to have done it without losing a match. We felt that we built confidence throughout the week because we escaped a few very close matches early on in the tournament. Today, towards the end of the match, I felt we both played pretty good.” – Max Mirnyi.

“I mean, all the credit to my opponent, he played a great match. But, you know, I just wasn’t there. It was the worst match I’ve played this season so far definitely. So many unforced errors. I’m not playing well.  That’s a fact.” – Novak Djokovic, after losing to David Ferrer at the ATP World Tour Finals.

“I didn’t play really bad, but he didn’t have one mistake during all the match or two mistakes during all the match. I tried my best, but it seems that wasn’t enough tonight.” – Rafael Nadal, after losing to Roger Federer in the round-robin portion of the ATP World Tour Finals.

“It might seem like a long time but the Australian Open is only six or seven weeks away. I could mess up my preparation for that. The off-season is so important to me and has been for the last few years, to get myself in shape. I would probably do myself more damage playing than not.” – Andy Murray, after pulling out of the ATP World Tour Finals, citing an injury, after losing his first round-robin match.

“I enjoyed still playing at this time of the year when no one else is. We get our own locker rooms back there, our names on our towels. For me, that doesn’t happen every year. A lot of guys have made this (tournament) a lot of times, but I haven’t, and I can appreciate it a lot more. … I know there’s a chance I won’t ever come back to this event, so I wanted to take it all in.” – Mardy Fish, who lost all three of his round-robin matches.

“You have hurt Spaniards, athletes and me. I think it is not fair to discredit the triumphs of Spanish athletes by treating them all as cheaters. The truth is that I am still stunned.” – Emilio Sanchez, responding to Yannick Noah’s assertion that Spanish tennis players take performance drugs.

“I am against all forms of doping, but I’m hypersensitive when it comes to injustice. There are too many cheats winning these days inSpainand elsewhere. At which point is an athlete considered to have doped? When he takes a product that makes him run faster, makes him stronger, helps him recover more quickly? Or when he tests positive? The answer to the question is not the same, depending on the country.” – Yannick Noah.

“I cannot pretend to be a tennis expert of (Slobodan) Zivojinovic’s caliber but I am a big tennis fan and my love for the game has been undiminished since I saw him play against (formerWimbledonchampion) Pat Cash in the Davis Cup inSplit1987.” – Vuk Jeremic, who replaced Zivojinovic as president of the Serbian Tennis Association.

SUPER SWISS

Roger Federer ended the 2011 season in style, capturing his sixth year-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and his third straight tournament. His 6-3 6-7 (6) 6-3 victory over Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga made the 30-year-old Swiss master the oldest player to capture the season-ending championship. By going undefeated and winning all five matches he played, Federer earned USD $1,630,000 and moved past Andy Murray into third place in the ATP rankings. “It feels very special indeed,” said Federer, who ends the year on a 17-match winning streak.  Before heading to London, the right-hander won two other indoor tournaments, the Swiss Indoors Basel and the BNPParibas Masters in Paris. Federer beat Tsonga three times in his last six matches – in the Parisfinal and in a round-robin match in the season finale.

SETTING RECORDS

Roger Federer continues to rewrite the record book. He becomes the first player to win six season-ending tournament titles, also capturing the crown in 2003-04, 2006-07 and 2010. The victory tied Ivan Lendl’s wins at the tournament. Lendl compiled a 39-10 mark, winning five times, while Federer is now 39-7. Pete Sampras also won five season finales. Federer became the fifth player to reach 100 finals in the Open Era, joining Jimmy Connors (163), Lendl (146), John McEnroe (108) and Guillermo Vilas (104). And with his 807th career match win in the final, Federer broke a tie for sixth place with Stefan Edberg. Connors leads with 1,242 match wins, followed by Lendl (1,071), Vilas (923), McEnroe (875) and Andre Agassi (870). It was Federer’s 70th ATP Tour-level trophy. “This definitely is an amazing finish again to the season,” Federer said. “I’ve never finished so strong.”

SUCCESSFUL DUO

Winning the ATP World Tour Finals doubles is old hat for both Max Mirnyi of Belarusand Canada’s Daniel Nestor. Winning it together was a new experience. Playing together for the first time in the season-ending tournament, the two beat Poland’s Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski 7-5 6-3 in the final. Nestor has won the ATP World Tour doubles title four times, with Mark Knowles of the Bahamasin 2007 and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbiain 2008 and 2010. Mirnyi won the year-ending event in 2006 when he teamed with Sweden’s Jonas Bjorkman. It was Nestor’s 75th career doubles title.

STOPPED BY INJURY

A knee injury has forced Ivan Lendl to withdraw from the AEGON Masters Tennis event, a seniors event which will be held this week at Royal Albert Hall in London. Lendl had been scheduled to make his debut at the tournament. “I was looking forward to playing in Londonand seeing many friends who I have not seen in quite some time,” Lendl said. “However, I am equally looking forward getting my knee fixed so that I can resume playing and working at my Academy. Hopefully I can come to Londonnext year and play in this prestigious event.” Now in its 15th year, the tournament will feature John McEnroe, Goran Ivanisevic, Tim Henman, Pat Cash, Mark Philippoussis, Henri Leconte, Fabrice Santoro, Thomas Enqvist and Younes El Aynaoui. Others who will play doubles include Mansour Bahrami, Peter McNamara, Jeremy Bates, Mikael Pernfors and Andrew Castle. The AEGON Masters Tennis is the final event of the year on the ATP Champions Tour. Replacing Lendl in the field will be 1996Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek.

SERBIA’S TENNIS BOSS

Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic is the new president ofSerbia’s Tennis Association (TSS). Jeremic takes over for Slobodan Zivojinovic, who was pushed out of the job with the help of the family of top-ranked Novak Djokovic. In his first action asTSSpresident, Jeremic named Novak’s uncle, Goran Djokovic, as one of theTSSvice presidents. He takes the position formerly held by former Davis Cup coach Radmilo Armenulic, who also stepped down. Srdjan Djokovic, Novak’s father, had argued that Zivojinovic, who had reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 1986, had been inTSSpresident for too long on past merits and had done nothing to boost his son’s career when he was a child and very little to ensure long-term success of Serbia’s players. Zivojinovic won a third four-year term by a landslide in January, but popular support for him kept dwindling. Zivojinovic is a member of the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) Davis Cup committee. “It was a difficult decision to make at a time when tennis became a shining example ofSerbia’s talent and the country grew into one of the game’s superpowers,” Zivojinovic said. While he was president,Serbiaproduced three players who became number one in the world: Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic and Novak Djokovic.

SISTERS CLASH

With both seeing action for the first time since the US Open, Venus Williams defeated her younger sister Serena 6-4 7-6 (5) in an exhibition match inMedellin,Colombia. Venus hadn’t played since she pulled out of the US Open following her first-round victory because of an immune system disease. Serena’s last match was the US Open final, when she lost to Australian Samantha Stosur. The sisters will team up inMilan,Italy, on December 3 to play Italians Francesca Schiavone and Flavia Pennetta in another exhibition. In head-to-head competition, Serena leads Venus 13-10, but exhibitions don’t count.

SHIFTS DAVIS CUP SITE

The Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) has asked the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to reconsider its decision to move the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group II tie againstLebanonout ofPakistanbecause of security concerns.Pakistanwas due to playLebanoninLahorein February, but the ITF announced earlier in the week that the tie had been moved toLebanon. “We’re very disappointed at the ITF’s decision,” said Mumtaz Yousuf, the PTF secretary. “We’ve filed an appeal with them to reconsider their decision as there’s still time for the event.” Yousuf saidLebanonwas ready to play the tie inPakistanbefore the ITF expressed its reservations over security conditions. “We’re disappointed because we were making proper arrangements and we had also kept the ITF informed about our plans,” Yousuf said. “The ITF should’ve come toPakistanto review the arrangements themselves before taking a decision.”Pakistanhas not held a home Davis Cup since theSri Lankacricket team was attacked in March 2009. The ITF moved home Davis Cup ties againstHong Kong, thePhilippines,OmanandNew Zealandbecause of the security situation. But the ITF moved these ties after the opposing teams refused to travel toPakistan. The PTF had also filed compensation claims with the ITF after losing the right to host their Davis Cup ties. In recent months several international teams have competed inPakistan. The country’s top tennis player, Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, lamented that it would be difficult forPakistanto qualify for the main round of the Davis Cup if they always had to play away from home.

SWITCHING PARTNERS

At the end of each year players who specialize in doubles participate in a game of changing partners. This year is no different. Leander Paes and compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi, who were semifinalists in the ATP World Tour Finals, are splitting again. The 38-year-old Paes will start the year partnering Janko Tipsarevic ofSerbia, then will play ATP Tour events with Radek Stepanek of theCzech Republic. Bhupathi will team with Rohan Bopanna on the Tour. Bopanna, who played with Pakistan’s Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi the last two seasons, said, “Hesh and I are looking to play a full schedule this year, something in the region of 24 weeks, the four Grand Slams and the Olympics.” Qureshi will pair with Jean-Julien Rojer for the Australian Open. Qureshi and Bopanna – the Indo-Pak Express – played in the ATP World Tour Finals inLondonwhere they lost all three of their round-robin matches.

SENIOR BATTLE

Thailand’s Tamarine Tanasugarn won the oldest final in WTA history when she beat Kimiko Date-Krumm 6-2 7-5 to capture the Dunlop World Challenge Tennis Tournament inToyota,Japan. Tanasugarn is 34 and her Japanese opponent is 41. By beating Date-Krumm, Tanasugarn raised her ranking closer to the top 100, guaranteeing her a berth in the Australian Open main draw in January. The Thai increased her head-to-head advantage over Date-Krumm to 3-1. Date-Krumm’s only win came at inToyotatwo years ago. While Date-Krumm started her pro career in 1989 and Tanasugarn five years later, the two Asian stars didn’t play each other until 2008. They have met every year since. Date-Krumm returned to the WTA tour in 2008 after a 12-year retirement. She was ranked inside the top 50 earlier this year, but has since dropped to around 100. The two had set the record for oldest combined finalists when they met for the title inOsaka,Japan, last year. Tanasugarn shrugged off this year’s encounter. “There’s nothing special about that as we are getting older,” she said, “and if we meet again, it will be rewritten. I hope to play for two more years, but I have no idea about Date.”

STAN TO DEFEND

Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka will begin 2012 by defending his title at the $450,000 ATP Chennai Open inIndia. Wawrinka, who beatBelgium’s Xavier Malisse for the title this year, will be making his fourth successive appearance in the only ATP event in the southernIndianCityof Chennai. Organizers said Janko Tipsarevic ofSerbia, Nicolas Almagro ofSpain, Marin Cilic ofCroatiaandCanada’s Milos Raonic are also expected to be in the field for the hard court tournament, which begins January 2.

SWITCH IN PLANS

Great Britain’s top-ranked woman player figures she can change her mind about retiring. Elena Baltacha said that if she is winning matches, she would be “silly” to retire after the 2012 Olympics, which will be held inLondon. In August, Baltacha suggested that the London Games would be her final competition. “Obviously I said that after the Olympics I’m going to retire,” the 28-year-old said. “But it depends what’s going to happen. If I still love playing and I feel I can improve and get better, I’d be pretty silly to retire at that point.”

SANIA TELLS ALL

Sania Mirza says she will tell the real story in her soon-to-be-published autobiography. “The book is about a side of me that very few people know,” India’s top female player said. “For the first time the autobiography will tell my point of view about all the controversies, because whenever I’ve tried to talk about it to journalists, they always end up writing their own point of view.” She said the book will talk about playing tennis professionally. “I dwell on my journey in tennis and that could be useful to aspiring tennis players and their families in the future.” Mirza, who is married to Pakistani cricket star Shoaib Malik, recently celebrated her 25th birthday.

SAYS NO TO TAXES

When foreign sports and entertainment figures work in theUnited Kingdom, they must pay a tax. Bloomberg News reported that the tax amounted to USD $105 million in 2009-2010. Two-timeWimbledonchampion Rafael Nadal said last month that he won’t play theWimbledonwarm-up tournament at Queen’s Club next year and instead will play a grass-court event the same week inHalle,Germany. The Spaniard had said he would “lose money” if he played Queen’s, where he has competed in five of the past six years. Roger Draper, chief executive of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), said his group has been lobbying the British government for a tax exemption to be included in the next budget statement in March. Athletes who compete at the 2012 London Olympics have been granted an exemption. “The government (is) taking it seriously and we are very hopeful, but there are no guarantees,” Draper said. The tax law was implemented afterBritain’s tax authority won a landmark case against Andre Agassi in 2006. The American was ordered to pay tax on a portion of the money paid to him by Nike and Head because he endorsed their products atWimbledonand other events inBritain.

SHARED PERFORMANCE

Helsinki:

Martin Emmrich and Andreas Siljestrom beat James Cerretani and Michal Mertinak 6-4 6-4

London:

Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor beat Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski 7-5 6-3

Toyota:

Makoto Ninomiya and Riko Sawayanagi beat Caroline Garcia and Michaella Krajicek, walkover

SURFING

Seville:

www.daviscup.com

Dubai:

www.dubaitennis.com

London:

www.aegonmasterstennis.com

Ankara:

www.atk.org.tr

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

WOMEN

$75,000 14th Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, hard

DAVIS CUP

Final

(December 2-4)

Spain vs. Argentina at Seville, Spain, clay

SENIORS

AEGON Masters Tennis, London, Great Britain, indoor

WEEK OF DECEMBER 19

WOMEN

$50,000 Ankara Cup,Ankara,Turkey, hard