silent auction

By: Justin Cohen

• The French Open could be forced to move away from Paris in a few years due to problems with the infrastructure at Roland Garros. Organizers have been trying to make the tournament site bigger but the public and environmentalists won’t let it happen. A final decision on whether the tournament will stay or go will be discussed during a general assembly of the French Tennis Federation next February. Possible new locations for the tournament could be at Disneyland Paris or Versailles. “It would be heartbreaking to leave Paris but we have to consider it,” said Gilbert Ysern, the Tournament Director of the French Open.

  

• Following the completion of this week’s Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, longtime Tournament Chairman Butch Buchholz will step down after nearly 25 years of service.
• This week’s Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, the 26^th edition, looks to be breaking records already and the tournament just started on Tuesday. Ticket sales are already five percent ahead of last year’s sales, with 21 of 22 sessions already showing an increase in purchases. If this trend continues, more than 300,000 could attend the two week tournament in South Florida.
• SOBeFit and Marta Montenegro collaborated on Monday in Miami with Fernando Gonzalez to hold a silent auction benefiting the victims of the Chile earthquake. Sports memorabilia from Gonzalez, Serena Williams, Jim Courier, Victoria Azarenka, Bob and Mike Bryan, Fernando Gonzalez and former NBA great Alonzo Mourning was up for auction. “I want to thank all of the players who have expressed their concern for my family and me and offered their support after the devastating earthquake in Chile,” said Gonzalez.
• Kim Clijsters has signed a sponsorship deal with Citizen watches. Financial terms of the agreement were not released.
• Pat Cash has been hired by Tennis Australia to work with the country’s top junior players.
• Former No. 1 ranked American Cliff Richey, who was a standout player in the 1970s, has written a new book “ACING DEPRESSION: A Tennis Champion’s Toughest Match” that discusses his life and recovery from clinical depression. The book is co-written by his daughter Hilaire Richey Kallendorf and published by New Chapter Press.
• Former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt has accepted a wild card to play in the US Men’s Clay Court Championships at River Oaks Country Club in Houston from April 5-11. The tournament will mark Hewitt’s return to the ATP World Tour after undergoing surgery for a torn labrum following his fourth-round loss to Roger Federer at the Australian Open in January. “I’m really looking forward to returning to defend my title in Houston,” said Hewitt. “The River Oaks Club is a great place to play and the people there really supportive. I couldn’t think of a better place to come back on to the Tour after an injury.”
• The LA Tennis Open presented by Farmers Insurance Group announced a partnership with the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education. To mark the new partnership, Agassi will play John McEnroe in a special exhibition match at the LA Tennis Center on the campus of UCLA on Saturday, July 24. Proceeds from the match will benefit the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education. “I am excited about and thankful for our ongoing partnership with the LA Tennis Open,” said Agassi. “They’ve been extremely generous and now with the help of my friend John McEnroe, the Foundation can continue to provide the students at Agassi Prep with all that they need to succeed in the classroom and beyond.”
• Tim Henman will return to competitive tennis by competing in the AEGON Masters Tennis event at the Royal Albert Hall in London from November 30-December 5. Henman, who has recently served as a commentator for BBC during Wimbledon, has not played competitively in three years. “Having had a break for two and a half years, I’m really looking forward to playing tennis again,” said Henman.
• The W in Washington D.C. has signed an agreement to become the official player hotel during the 2010 Legg Mason Tennis Championships presented by GEICO. The tournament will take place from July 31 through August 8 at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park. “We are thrilled to be part of the Legg Mason Tournament and have the players actually stay in Washington while they are participating in one of the city’s premiere sporting events,” said Ed Baten, the General Manager of W Washington D.C. “The Legg Mason is a Washington institution, which W Washington D.C. is fast becoming, and we both share a passion for innovation and excellence while giving back to our community. We look forward to a wonderful partnership.”
• Pakistan has appealed against its Davis Cup Asia-Oceania zonal tie being switched to New Zealand because of security concerns. The Pakistan Tennis Federation understands that they can’t host the tie at home because of recent bombings in the area, but would like the tie to be held on a neutral site such as Dubai or in Malaysia.
• Former German Davis Cup star Boris Becker told the Sports Bild that he doesn’t understand why more German players didn’t make themselves available for the Davis Cup first round tie, which they lost to France. “Unfortunately (Captain) Patrick (Kuehnen) always has to field a B team. The Davis Cup is not that important for the players,” said Becker.
• Talking to British press recently, Andy Murray said that there is no reason for the Lawn Tennis Association to only consider big names for the next Davis Cup captain of Great Britain. The statements by Murray could rule out former British great Greg Rusedski as the next captain.
• Speaking to reporters at the recently completed BMW Tennis Championships challenger event in Sunrise, Fla., Radek Stepanek said he wouldn’t rule out a mixed doubles partnership with recently retired fiancé Nicole Vaidisova.
• Maria Sharapova will be sidelined for 3-6 weeks due to an elbow injury.
• Former New York art dealer Laurence Salander, who defrauded many clients including John McEnroe, could be headed to jail for six to 18 years due to his actions.
• Bob and Mike Bryan were featured last Sunday on 60 Minutes. The news program followed the ATP World Tour Doubles Champions around for four months to capture their life on and off the court.