Shamil Tarpischev

STARS

Roger Federer beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1 7-6 (3) to win theBNPParibas Paris Masters in Paris,France

Rajeev Ram beat Jan Hernych 7-5 3-6 7-6 (6) to win the Sparkasse ATP Challenger Val Gardena Südtirol in Ortisei,Italy

Malek Jaziri beat Mischa Zverev 4-6 6-3 6-3 to win the Geneva ATP Challenger in Geneva,Switzerland

Sessil Karatantcheva beat Michelle Larcher de Brito 6-1 7-5 to win the Goldwater Women’s Tennis Classic in Phoenix,Arizona,USA

Carlos Berlocq beat Gastao Elias 6-1 7-6 (3) to win the Copa Topper in Buenos Aires,Argentina

Carlos Moya beat Mariano Zabaleta 6-3 6-4 to win the Royal Guard Champions in Santiago,Chile

WHEELCHAIR

NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters

Mechelen, Belgium

Men:

Stephane Houdet beat Maikel Scheffers 6-4 7-6 (2)

Women:

Esther Vergeer beat Aniek van Koot 6-1 6-2

Quad:

Noam Gershony beat Andrew Lapthorne 0-6 6-3 7-5

SAYING

“I have had some really tough losses this year, but I kept believing the year wasn’t over. I’m not playing to prove anything to anybody. I play for myself, I play forSwitzerland(and) just to enjoy myself.” – Roger Federer, after winning the Paris Masters.

“I knew I needed to play a great match if wanted to win today and I was not able to. I just wish I could have competed more.” – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who lost to Roger Federer in the Paris Masters final.

“I knew going in today that this could be something special, something I could remember. So it’s just another win, but it’s a special one nevertheless, because 800 is definitely a big number.” – Roger Federer, who, by beating Juan Monaco 6-3 7-5 in a quarterfinal match, became the seventh man to win 800 matches in his career.

“Am I concerned with getting it back to where I can play? Not really. But to play at the level that I want to play at? I’m concerned with that, for sure.” – Mardy Fish, who retired from his Paris Masters match with a pulled hamstring injury.

“I already have three kids, so I have a big family and soon it will be very big. It’s very exciting and once they’re here it will be a lot of fun. I always wanted a big family.” – Marcelo Rios, announcing his wife is expecting triplets.

“After winning 14 NEC Masters titles I really feel like this is my tournament as I’ve won it so many times in the Netherlands, so I’ve very happy to win the first one here in Belgium.” – Esther Vergeer, after winning her 434^th consecutive match and her 15^th straight NEC Masters women’s singles.

“It’s so much fun being single. At some point I’ll be mature, but it just hasn’t happened yet. I’m shocked at myself by my inability to settle down and to commit to anything besides tennis and work.” – Venus Williams, saying she’s had no time for anything outside tennis and her business interest.

SET FOR LONDON

The field for the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals was completed when Tomas Berdych of theCzechRepublic, Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and American Mardy Fish qualified. The elite eight-man singles field also includes Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Roger Federer and David Ferrer. Fish is making his debut in the Finals, having enjoyed his strongest season. Berdych made his Finals debut last year, going 1-2 in round-robin play. Tsonga will be making his second career appearance in the season-ending event, having also qualified in 2008.

Eight doubles teams will also battle at the Finals, led by American twins Bob and Mike Bryan, who have clinched the year-ending number one ranking. Other teams qualifying were: Nenad Zimonjic and Michael Llodra, Daniel Nestor and Max Mirnyi, Philipp Petzschner and Jurgen Melzer, Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes, Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau, Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, and Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski.

SWISS MASTER

Roger Federer continued to carve his name into the record books as he won the BNPParibas Paris Masters for the first time. The tournament title was the 69^th of his career and he became just the second player – Andre Agassi is the other – to win both the French Open at Roland Garros and the Paris Masters at Paris-Bercy. He had never before even reach the final of the indoor event. “I’m amazed by how well I played,” Federer said. “I’m really ecstatic to have played so well this week from the first ball to the end. I had many attempts to win Paris-Bercy and for some reasons I had not been able to win it earlier, so it’s a special victory.” Federer did it with a dominating 6-1 7-6 (3) performance over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The Swiss master gave Tsonga limited opportunities after saving two break points in his opening service game. His 18^th Masters title puts him one ahead of Agassi and one behind all-time leader Rafael Nadal.

Federer’s quarterfinal victory over Juan Monaco was the 800^th of his career. Only six other players in the Open Era have won 800 or more matches, topped by Jimmy Connors with 1,242. By winning the title, Federer raised his career total to 802, just four behind Stefan Edberg. The others include Ivan Lendl (1,071), Guillermo Vilas (923), John McEnroe (875) and Agassi (870).

SICK CALL

Continuing the annual trend, there were be several players hurting going into the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Top-ranked Novak Djokovic pulled out of theBNPParibas Paris Masters with a nagging shoulder injury. “Sadly I have to inform you that I have withdrawn from the tournament. I have pushed myself to the limit by playing, and after the match yesterday my shoulder got worse,” Djokovic wrote on his website. “For this reason I have to put my health first and withdraw even though my urges as a professional player are making me want to play until the last drop of energy.” Djokovic recently returned to the tour after a six-week injury layoff. His shoulder began to bother him again when he lost in the semifinals of the Swiss Indoors, only his four defeat of the year. Second-ranked Rafael Nadal had been scheduled to play the Paris Masters, but pulled out before the tournament because of injuries. And Mardy Fish retired with an injury during his third-round match inParis. “I’ll certainly play inLondon. There’s no doubt about that. Even if it’s torn, I’m still going to try to play,” the American said.

SEEING THE END

After helping theCzech Republicwin the Fed Cup, Kveta Peschke said she would no longer play in the international team event. In making the announcement, the 36-year-old Peschke said she will retire from all tennis at the end of 2012. Currently ranked number two in the world in doubles, Peschke teamed with Lucie Hradecka to win the decisive tie as theCzechRepublicedgedRussia3-2 in Fed Cup play. She also won theWimbledonwomen’s doubles in July with Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik.

SUPER MOM

Just because Alicia Molik has retired and is waiting her first child doesn’t mean the Australian is not active on the tennis court. Once ranked eighth in the world, the 30-year-old Molik played in the new Australian National Tennis League competition. Showing a seven-month baby bump, Molik played with caution, limiting her court coverage and exertion. She lost to 17-year-old Caitlin Cridland in two shortened sets, 4-1 4-2. Molik left the WTA tour after a second-round loss in the Australian Open in January. But she still loves to play. “I’ve been hitting pretty much every week since I’ve been pregnant, a couple of times a week and I coach most afternoons,” Molik said. “It feels normal actually, a bit slower and you can’t move around as easily. I guess I’m not as agile on court and I’m cautious not to be.” Molik, who married Tim Sullivan in February, said she probably will not return to the WTA tour as a mother. “I asked them to protect my ranking in case I ever had that desire, just because I could, not because I necessarily wanted to return at the time,” she said. “The door’s always open, but I’ve played for 12 years and it’s quite a rigorous life on tour for nine months a year and I don’t think it would rally serve as stable environment for a newborn traveling around week-to-week and being in a different city week-to-week.”

STRAIGHT TO THE BANK

By showing up inParisand playing, Novak Djokovic pocketed USD $1.6 million. The world’s top-ranked player beat Croatian Ivan Dodig 6-4 6-3, but by showing up he earned the bonus. An ATP rule designed to entice top players to take part in the main events states that, as the number one-ranked player, Djokovic is entitled to a USD $2 million bonus if he plays in all eight Masters tournaments. The bonus drops to USD $1.6 million if he misses one – and to nothing if he misses two. Djokovic skipped the Shanghai Masters because of injury. The Serb dismissed talk that he played inParisonly because of the money. “It was really somehow funny for me to see how people are coming up with that story,” he said. “I even heard that I would get on the court and play a game just to get this money. This is ridiculous.” Djokovic said his shoulder was bothering him when withdrew from his quarterfinal match, giving Jo-Wilfried Tsonga a walkover into the semifinals.

SEEKING WILD CARD

Robby Ginepri and Melanie Oudin are among the seven players – four women and three men – who have been invited to participate in the Kia Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs next month. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) and Tennis Australia have a reciprocal agreement in which men’s and women’s singles main draw wild cards into the 2011 US Open and the 2012 Australian Open are exchanged. Besides Oudin, other competing for the women’s wild card will be Jamie Hampton, Alison Riske and Coco Vandeweghe. Joining Ginepri in the battle for the men’s wild card will be Denis Kudla and Jack Sock. The complete field for the eight-man and eight-woman playoff will be announced as players are confirmed.

SWOLLEN BELLY

The Marcelo Rios household is getting ready to be much bigger. Returning to the ATP Champions Tour after undergoing back surgery, Rios announced he and his wife are expecting triplets. The former world number one already has three daughters. “That (having triplets) is one of the reasons that it has been more difficult to concentrate on tennis,” Rios said inSantiago,Chile, where he is playing in the Royal Guard Champions. “My wife is already 26 weeks pregnant and you have triplets at about 32 weeks, so she’s pretty big right now.” Returning to the senior tour after more than two years away, Rios lost his first match in his hometown to Greg Rusedski. “For sure it’s nice to feel the support from the crowd again,” said Rios. “It’s been a long time that I didn’t play at all and it’s always fun to play inChile. Flying and being away is tough with my family, so being here playing so close to my home is really nice.”

SHAMIL HONORED

Shamil Tarpischev, president of the Russian Tennis Federation, has been presented the 2012 Golden Achievement Award by the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum (ITHF&M). Tarpischev, who has served as president of the Russian Tennis Federation since 1991, has also bee coach and captain of the national team. He is also a member of the International Olympic Committee. The Golden Achievement Award is given jointly by the Hall of Fame and International Tennis Federation (ITF). It is presented annually to an individual who has made important contributions internationally to tennis in the fields of administration, promotion or education, and who has devoted long and outstanding service to the sport. “As a result of Shamil’s leadership, the sport of tennis has grown immensely inRussia, and some of the world’s greatest champions have come from this nation,” ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti said in presenting the award. “From engaging young people in tennis to developing elite champions, to playing an active role in international competitions, including the Fed Cup, Davis Cup and the Olympic Games, to his contributions as a member of the IOC, Shamil’s dedication to the game and ability to enable positive developments in tennis has been immensely beneficial to the sport worldwide. He truly embodies the spirit of the Golden Achievement Award, and we are pleased to recognize his great contributions to the game with this honor.”

SPLITSVILLE

Brazil’s top player, Thomaz Bellucci, has ended his relationship with coach Larri Passos. Since hiring Passos about a year ago, Bellucci has won 25 matches and lost 25 without winning a title. Ranked 36^th in the world, Bellucci said in a statement that he was grateful for all that he learned from Passos but felt it was better to end the partnership. Passos was Gustavo Kuerten’s coach when Kuerten won three French Opens.

Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov has split with his coach, Peter McNamara. The 19-year-old Dimitrov and McNamara were together for 18 months, a period that saw the Bulgarian rise to 52^nd in the world rankings. However the relationship between the two apparently soured in recent months as Dimitrov’s father, Dimitar, played a more visible advisory role in his son’s career. McNamara, who had previously coached fellow Australian Mark Philippoussis, said: “It was a great adventure going from Futures to Grand Slams with Grigor and it was an honor to coach him.” In 2008, Dimitrov won the junior boys title at bothWimbledon and the US Open.

SIDELINED

Embroiled in a disagreement with Novak Djokovic’s family, Slobodan Zivojinovic has resigned as president of the Serbian tennis federation. The decision will be formally announced at a federation meeting later this month. According to a report on Serbian state television, Zivojinovic will be replaced bySerbia’s Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic. AfterSerbiawon the Davis Cup last year, Djokovic’s father said Zivojinovic had done little to help the careers of his son or other Serbian players. Zivojinovic reportedly said he was resigning because of his obligations with the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and its Davis Cup committee.

SHARED PERFORMANCE

Buenos Aires:

Carlos Berlocq and Eduardo Schwank beat Marcel Felder and Jaroslav Pospisil 6-7 (1) 6-4 10-7 (match tiebreak}

Geneva:

Igor Andreev and Evgeny Donskoy beat James Cerretani and Adil Shamasdin 7-6 (1) 7-6 (2)

Ortisei:

Dustin Brown and Lovro Zovko beat Philipp Petzschner and Alexander Waske 6-4 7-6 (4)

Paris:

Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi beat Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut 6-2 6-4

Phoenix:

Jamie Hamilton and Ajla Tomjanovic beat Maria Sanchez and Yasmin Schnack 3-6 6-3 10-6 (match tiebreak)

SURFING

Sao Paulo:

www.challengerfinals.com.br/

Bratislava:

www.slovakopen2011.sk/

London:

www.atpworldtour.com/

Toyota:

www.dunlop-tennis.jp/

Helsinki:

www.ippopen.net/english.html

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$220,000 ATP Challengers Tour Finals,Sao Paulo,Brazil, hard

$117,300 Slovak Open,Bratislava,Slovakia, hard

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$3,040,500 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals,London,Great Britain, hard

$145,000 IPP Open,Helsinki,Finland, hard

WOMEN

$75,000 2011 Dunlop World Challenge Tennis Tournament,Toyota,Japan, carpet