World Tennis Magazine

Unique Tennis Perspectives

Simona Halep

Roger Federer Wins On Clay Again – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Roger Federer beat Pablo Cuevas 6-3 7-6 (11) to win the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open in Istanbul, Turkey

Richard Gasquet beat Nick Kyrgios 6-3 6-2 to win the Millennium Estoril Open in Estoril, Portugal

Karolina Pliskova beat Lucie Hradecka 4-6 7-5 6-3 to win the J&T Banka Prague Open in Prague, Czech Republic

Elina Svitolina beat Timea Babos 7-5 7-6 (3) to win the Grand Prix de SWAR LA Princesse Lalla in Marrakech, Morocco

 

DAVIS CUP

Asia/Oceania Zone Group IV, round-robin, at Isa Town, Bahrain: Pacific Oceania and Singapore advanced to Asia/Oceania Zone Group III play in 2016

 

SAYING

“I picked up confidence and I picked up another title. I feel really good about my game now. It’s been a fitness test and a mental test.” – Roger Federer, after winning the inaugural TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open.

“It was a tough match and Nick put up a fight, he’s a very dangerous, part of the future of the sport.” – Richard Gasquet, complimenting his opponent, Nick Kyrgios.

“I had fun out there today as well. I lost, but that’s why he’s a world-class player. He was way too good for me and I need to get better.” – Nick Kyrgios, following his loss to Richard Gasquet.

“Once I win matches I will have my confidence back. I am training as much as I can with joy. I really want to do well. I want to play well. I want to train well. I want to give my best to try to have good rhythm in my game. I’m feeling well and hitting strong and I just want to enjoy this work. That’s what I’m looking forward to.” – Rafael Nadal, speaking in Madrid, Spain, where he has won the tournament four times.

“We paired for the first time and we clicked right away.” – Dusan Lajovic, after teaming with Radu Albot to win the Istanbul Open for their first doubles title.

“The score doesn’t really mean anything and I had to be focused to the end. I was a bit stressed because I was about to beat the world number two, but finally it was just a big relief and I’m really proud of myself.” – Alizé Cornet, after upsetting Simona Halep in Madrid.

 

SPARKLING PERFORMANCE

It’s been awhile, but Roger Federer now has another clay court title to his glowing resumé. The Swiss great won the inaugural Istanbul Open by stopping Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas, capturing the second-set tiebreak 13-11. It was Federer’s first clay title since 2012, but his 85th career title. “It’s been a tough week with four tough matches,” Federer said. “I am very proud to be the first champion here.” While Federer won Madrid in 2012 on blue clay, Turkey’s first ATP World Tour event was his first crown on traditional red clay since he captured the French Open in 2009. “The tiebreak was crazy,” Federer said after both players suffered mini breaks, squandered chances and made brilliant winners. “There was a good atmosphere and winning 6-3 6-3 would not have been the same thrill. It was tough and Pablo played really well. I tried to stay aggressive.” It at first appeared to be a quick day for Federer, who grabbed a 4-1 lead in just 20 minutes on a court that had been slowed even more by a heavy afternoon shower. Cuevas called for the trainer twice during the second set, complaining about his wrist. When Federer broke Cuevas in the seventh games, the match appeared to be over. But Cuevas shrugged off the injury and played power baseline tennis, breaking back immediately to level the set at 4-4, then saved three break points on his own serve with superb baseline play. “It’s been a while since I won a title on clay,” Federer said.

 

SUCCESSFUL RETURN

Nick Kyrgios was seeking his first ATP World Tour title. Richard Gasquet was trying to regain the success he had once achieved. It was the Frenchman who came out on top at the Estoril Open, winning for the first time in three trips to the final. “I am really happy with the victory,” Gasquet said. “I was more confident and started better. To feel no pain it’s a good thing for me.” It was Gasquet’s first clay court title since Nice in 2010. He had lost two previous Portuguese finals – in 2007 to Novak Djokovic and 2012 to Juan Martin del Potro. “I needed to play a good clay-court match, to make him run,” Gasquet said. “He’s a very good player very powerful with a big forehand and big serve.” Estoril was Gasquet’s first tournament since retiring during his opening match at Indian Wells, California, USA, six weeks ago with a disc problem. He never faced a break point until he led 6-3 5-1. Gasquet’s 12th career title also avenged his loss to Kyrgios last year at Wimbledon. Despite the loss, the Australian was pleased with his week’s effort. “Playing in my first final, there was definitely a bit of pressure out there,” Kyrgios said. “My serve was getting me through matches all week and today I don’t feel I served well. I was pleased with the way I was hitting the ball, but I didn’t take my opportunities.”

 

STOPS FELLOW CZECH

Karolina Pliskova weathered the heavy hitting of Lucie Hradecka to win the all-Czech final at the J&T Banka Prague Open. Hradecka fired 17 aces to out-ace the WTA ace leader – yes, Pliskova has more aces than Serena Williams – but it was Pliskova who captured the three-set battle. After losing the opening set, Pliskova took a 5-2 lead in the second, only to see Hradecka win the next three games. The top-seeded Pliskova took control from there to win her fourth WTA title. “It was very tough to play a Czech girl in the final in front of a Czech crowd,” Pliskova said. “Lucie and I are good friends, we practice a lot together at tournaments and we played Fed Cup together twice, so we know each other pretty well. I didn’t want to beat her, but I had to.” Pliskova finished with eight aces and now leads the WTA with 28 match wins this year. Hradecka is now 0-7 lifetime in WTA finals. “I’m just happy that I stayed calm in the end and I was able to make it today,” Pliskova said.

 

STRETCHING THE OUTCOME

Playing in his first tournament since getting married, Andy Murray had to wait at least an extra day to play for the title. Play at the Munich Open has been repeatedly suspended by rain during the week. All four quarterfinals were washed out Friday, with both quarterfinals and semifinals played on Saturday. Then, following several delays the final got underway before play was once again suspended by heavy rain after only 23 minutes. Murray, who is trying to become the first British man to win a clay court title since Buster Mottram in 1976, and Philipp Kohlschreiber were to resume play on Monday, although rain was in the forecast.

 

STREAKIN’

Serena Williams is in the midst of some impressive streaks. The world’s top-ranked woman has won all 20 of her matches this year and is currently riding a 23-match winning streak, dating back to October 2014. And her 114 consecutive weeks at number one is the third-longest streak at the top of rankings in WTA history. Now, the women’s organization has uncovered another Serena streak. The American is currently on a 46-match winning streak at Premier Mandatory events, a string that dates back more than three years. Serena last lost at a Premier Mandatory level tournament in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open in 2012, when she fell to Caroline Wozniacki. Not counting walkovers, Williams since her last loss has won Madrid in 2012; Miami, Madrid and Beijing in 2013; Miami, Madrid and Beijing in 2014; and Indian Wells and Miami this year.

 

SVITOLINA WINS

Elina Svitolina rallied from behind in both sets to stop Timea Babos and win the WTA’s only tournament in Africa. Babos led 5-2 in the first set and 5-4 in the second. But Svitolina won the last 11 points of the first set, then raced through the second-set tiebreak to win her third title in three trips to a final. She won in Baku in both 2013 and 2014, and has won all three finals in straight sets. Despite losing in the title match, Babos had a very successful trip to Marrakech. She beat fifth-seeded Mona Barthel and third-seeded Flavia Pennetta en route to the final. And she teamed with Kristina Mladenovic to capture the doubles, beating Laura Siegemund and Maryna Zanevska 6-1 7-6 (5). Babos has now won WTA doubles titles, while Mladenovic has won 10. It was their second doubles title as a team, having also won in Dubai earlier this year.

 

SWITCH

Trying to regain his winning form, Rafael Nadal is switching back to his old racquet. The Spaniard changed racquets just before the start of the European clay court season last month. However, he lost to top-ranked Novak Djokovic in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters and was upset by Fabio Fognini at the Barcelona Open. While Nadal wants to continue with his new racquet, he now feels it would be best to make the change at the end of the season. “I’m changing because I’ve been playing for many years with this racquet. I had very little time to play with the other one,” Nadal said. “I know that the other racquet is the right one, and I’ll play well with it in the future, but I had just a few days to prepare with that racquet before Monte Carlo. Even though I played pretty well in Monte Carlo, I know that here we play at altitude and I have less control with the new one. I am going to play with the old one until the end of the season when I have enough time to train with the new prototype and time to adapt to it.”

 

SURPRISE

What a difference a year makes. Twelve months ago Simona Halep reached the final of the Mutua Madrid Open where she fell to Maria Sharapova. This year, Halep faltered in her first match, falling to Alizé Cornet 7-6 (6) 6-3. The Frenchwoman ripped a backhand winner at 6-5 down, then took the opening set moments later when Halep double-faulted. Halep committed a succession of errors to fall behind 4-2 in the second set, a hole from which she was unable to recover. “It went great for me,” Cornet said. “I played really amazing on the center court. … I’m really proud of myself.”

 

SET FOR PARIS

Frances Tiafoe, a 17-year-old from Maryland, has clinched a spot in the men’s main draw at the French Open. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) said Tiafoe captured the wild-card entry into the year’s second Grand Slam tournament by posting the best results among American men at three events played on green clay on the Challenger tour. Tiafoe reached the final at Tallahassee, Florida, after earlier making it to the quarterfinals at Sarasota, Florida, and the semifinals at Savannah, Georgia. As part of a reciprocal agreement with the French tennis federation, the USTA gets one men’s and one women’s wild card for Americans at Roland Garros. The French Open begins May 24 in Paris.

 

SAID WHAT?

After Lukas Rosol apparently bumped into Andy Murray intentionally during their Munich Open quarterfinal, Murray shouted at his Czech opponent, “No one likes you on the tour. Everyone hates you.” The Scot later refused to back down, accusing Rosol of deliberately charging into him. “He walked straight into me for no reason,” Murray said of the incident during a changeover. “If I walked into someone for no reason, I would say sorry. But he did it and then ran to the other end.” Murray complained to the chair umpire, and ATP supervisor Gerry Armstrong was called. “I have had no problems with him before, but a lot of players say he does those sort of things,” Murray said. “It’s just silly. It gives more motivation, and I told him that in the locker room.” Rosol is no stranger to controversy. After his stunning upset of Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2012, Rosol was involved in a shoulder-charging incident that had Nadal complaining about the Czech’s gamesmanship. And the week before Munich, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez failed to shake hands at the net after a match with Rosol in Bucharest, Romania. When he remembered, Rosol snubbed Garcia-Lopez. “His fitness trainer later apologized,” Murray said of the Munich encounter. “I should not have said what I did, but if someone does that and you don’t respond you let them dictate how the match goes. I was told by my father that if you get pushed around, then you stick up for yourself.”

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Estoril: Treat Huey and Scott Lipsky beat Marc Lopez and David Marrero 6-1 6-4

Istanbul: Radu Albot and Dusan Lajovic beat Robert Lindstedt and Jurgen Melzer 6-4 7-6 (2)

Marrakech: Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic beat Laura Siegemund and Maryna Zanevska 6-1 7-6

Prague: Belinda Bencic and Katerina Siniakova beat Kateryna Bondarenko and Eva Hrdinova 6-2 6-2

 

 

SURFING

Munich: http://bmwopen.de/

Madrid: www.madrid-open.com/en

Rome: www.internazionalibnlditalia.com/

Cagnes-sur-Mer: www.opendecagnes.com

Trnava: www.empireslovakopen.sk

Busan: www.busanopen.org/

Bordeaux: www.atp-primrosebordeaux.com/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$465,655 BMW Open by FWU AG, Munich, Germany, clay (rain-delayed final)

$4,550,540 Mutua Madrid Open, Madrid, Spain, clay

$100,000 Busan Open, Busan, South Korea, hard

 

WOMEN

$4,414,030 Mutua Madrid Open, Madrid, Spain, clay

$100,000 Empire Slovak Open 2015, Trnava, Slovakia, clay

$100,000 Open GDF SUEZ de Cagnes-sur-Mer Alpes-Martimes, Cagnes-Sur-Mer, France, clay

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$3,680,920 Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Rome, Italy, clay

$100,000 BNP Paribas Primrose, Bordeaux, France

 

WOMEN

$2,428,490 Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Rome, Italy, clay

 

Roger Federer in Istanbul

Novak Djokovic, Simona Halep Tops At Indian Wells – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer 6-3 6-7 (5) 6-2 to win the BNP Paribas Open men’s singles in Indian Wells, California, USA

Simone Halep beat Jelena Jankovic 2-6 7-5 6-4 to win the BNP Paribas Open women’s singles in Indian Wells, California, USA

Aljaz Bedene beat Tim Smyczek 7-6 (3) 3-6 6-3 to win the Irving Tennis Classic in Irving, Texas, USA

 

SAYING

“I am at the prime of my career. I’m going to try to use every part of this fact to stay where I am and to fight for as many major titles as possible.” – Novak Djokovic, after winning his 50th career ATP World Tour title.

“A lot depends on how well he serves and returns. We usually play in finals, so we are both peaking at the same time.” – Roger Federer, after losing to Novak Djokovic in the Indian Wells final.

“He has been always the ultimate challenge, with (Rafael) Nadal, depending on which surface I get to play. Obviously Nadal on clay is the toughest one to beat, and Roger on the quicker surfaces. But because they have been so dominant over the years and so consistent and so confident on the court, it’s very difficult to get into the mix and start winning titles against them.—Novak Djokovic.

“I was on the practice court and everything was going well, but literally the last two minutes I went for a serve and felt a super sharp pain in my knee. It was like, ‘OK,’ and I served again. I felt it again. I just came off, and it hasn’t been the same since. … If this were any other event I probably wouldn’t have considered it. But I wanted to give 200 percent. It just wasn’t meant to be this year.” – Serena Williams, after withdrawing before her semifinal match at Indian Wells.

“I have another title, my biggest title now, so it’s amazing.” – Simona Halep, after beating Jelena Jankovic to win the Indian Wells women’s singles.

“I got a little bit tentative and that was my big mistake.” – Jelena Jankovic.

“This was one of those matches where I was happy to get through and happy it was over.” – Roger Federer, after beating Andreas Seppi, who had upset Federer at the Australian Open.

“Our tennis careers are quite short, and you don’t want to have regrets that you did not try your best, you did not really push yourself to the limits. You want to try, give everything you have, and then once you quit the sport, then you say, ‘I’ve done everything I could and it’s my time to go and leave it to the youngsters.’” – Jelena Jankovic.

“Bye bye Wayne … Good riddance.” – Andy Murray, in a tweet after Wayne Odesnik was banned for 15 years after testing positive for a range of performance-enhancing drugs.

“She told me I have to teach her the drop shots, I said, ‘Well, you have to teach me the rest, then.’” – Timea Bacsinszky, after losing to Serena Williams.

“She hits a big forehand, especially on the right side, and I can move and finish off the point. She prepares, I finish. That’s pretty cool to me.” – Martina Hingis, who teamed with Sania Mirza to win the women’s doubles in their first tournament together.

“She’s got probably some of the best hands in the world at the net. For me, I need that. I need someone who can finish the balls off where I set them up. And that’s really it. Like I said, on paper everything looks great, but you still have to go out there. Names don’t do anything. You have to go out and win.” – Sania Mirza.

“I lost that match thinking much more positive things than negative ones.” – Rafael Nadal, after losing to Milos Raonic.

“We came out on fire. I was seeing the ball big and was able to dictate play. Then (losing) my service game in the second set was definitely my fault. I played a very sloppy game and then things started going their way and they started playing better. We hit some big shots at the end and were fortunate to get the win.” – Jack Sock, after teaming with Vasek Pospisil to win the men’s doubles at Indian Wells.

“It’s another milestone. It’s really special. This is a (ATP World Tour) Masters 1000, it’s a huge event. It’s our first Masters title. Hopefully we’ll have many more, but definitely a very good feeling.” – Vasek Pospisil.

“I have done everything I wanted to do in tennis. There’s nothing missing, so all I have to do is go out there and do what I do best.” – Serena Williams, in an interview with writer Rebecca Johnson.

 

SUPER SERB

It was a battle, but in the end Novak Djokovic showed once again why he’s ranked number one in the world. The Serbian outlasted Roger Federer to win his fourth title at Indian Wells, California, USA, and his 50th career ATP World Tour crown. With his latest win, the 27-year-old from Serbia now has tied Federer for most titles won at Indian Wells. Federer had won their last two meetings in straight sets, but it was Djokovic who prevailed this time for the second straight year. He also needed three sets to beat Federer in the 2014 final. Federer still holds a slight 20-18 edge in their career battles. “Novak did well to sustain the lead for most of the match,” Federer said. “I think he found an extra gear in the end. Controlled aggression was the key out there.” The two have combined to win eight of the last 12 Indian Wells titles, but this is the first time they have played in consecutive finals. Djokovic broke Federer five times to become the 12th player in Open Era history to win 50 ATP World Tour titles. He snapped a tie with his coach, Boris Becker, who had 49. Federer cautioned people not to write him off. “I have beat him the last couple times,” Federer said. “It is not like I lost 10 in a row.”

 

SIZZLING SIMONA

Racing from sideline to sideline, retrieving seemingly every ball her opponent hit, Simona Halep finally prevailed to win the biggest title of her career. When the battle was over, Halep had outlasted former champion Jelena Jankovic to become the first player to win three WTA titles this year. Ranked third in the world, Halep won four of the final five games to close out the 2-hour, 37-minute marathon. “I don’t know how I won today because I didn’t play my best,” the 23-year-old Romanian said. “But I just wanted to fight till the end. Every match was very important for me, for my mind.” In all five times they have faced each other, Halep and Jankovic have battled for three sets. Jankovic served for the match at 5-4 in the second set. “My opponent Simona was unbelievable,” Jankovic said. “She was running like two dogs, left and right for about three hours and at the end I just couldn’t keep up anymore. She is the younger one and she was too good at the end.”

 

STUNNER

Milos Raonic took another step forward on the path to joining tennis’ Big Four. The Canadian saved three match point and beat Rafael Nadal for the first time, 4-6 7-6 (10) 7-5. “At the moments when I was playing those match points, it didn’t really feel like match points,” the Canadian said. “It was just like another point that I was trying to get through … (I was) just sort of going through the paces at that moment of what do I need to do now, not really signifying it as a match point.” It was the first time Nadal has lost to a Canadian player. Raonic fired 19 aces and saved six of his seven break points faced in the nearly 3-hour battle. He save three match points in the second-set tiebreak. “I feel obviously all sorts of good,” Raonic said. “Obviously there was a lot of ups and downs through that match, and all I could ask of myself was just keep competing and hope to find a way. I got fortunate a few times and it worked out.”

 

SERENA INJURED

A sharp pain in her knee caused Serena Williams to withdraw from her semifinal match against Simona Halep. “I have done everything,” Williams said, explaining she wanted to continue to play at the event she had boycotted for 14 straight years. “I have just pretty much done everything from taping to research. I even did an injection. I’ve never done an injection before. If this were any other event I probably wouldn’t have considered it. But I wanted to give 200 percent. It just wasn’t meant to be this year.” The world’s top-ranked player said the injury isn’t that bad and she hopes to play this week in Miami, Florida, USA. “It’s just a question of a little time,” she said. “It’s not like I need three or four weeks. I really need just a couple of days and everything will settle down. I have a tremendous amount of inflammation in my knee, and it’s going to go away. Unfortunately, I just need a couple of days.” Halep was the last player to beat Williams, in the round-robin portion of the season-ending BNP Paribas WTA Finals in Singapore last year. Williams got her revenge against Halep in the final of that event.

 

SORE BACK

A sore back caused Bernard Tomic to withdraw from the BNP Paribas Open about five hours before he was to play top-ranked Novak Djokovic in a quarterfinal match. When the withdrawal was announce, fans on stadium court jeered. Tomic has never beaten Djokovic in their three career meetings. Earlier in the tournament Tomic had complained of his back and an aching wisdom tooth. He said his back has been bothering him since a tournament in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, in early February. “It’s not easy when you have two parts of the body that are like really in pain,” Tomic said after beating fellow Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis in a fourth-round match. Tomic said he has been advised to rest his back for five or six days.

 

SURPRISING STAT

Milos Raonic has reached the quarterfinal or better at eight of his last 10 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events. Only Roger Federer has done as well in that period.

 

SHOCKER

Indian Wells has been very, very good to Flavia Pennetta. The Italian captured the biggest WTA title of her career at the California tournament last year. And while she didn’t repeat the feat this year, she sent shock waves through the draw when she rallied from a set down to upset Maria Sharapova. After losing the first two points while serving at 2-2 in the second set, Pennetta won 10 of the next 13 games to eliminate the second-ranked Sharapova 3-6 6-3 6-2. And it wasn’t that big of a surprise, really. Pennetta has now beaten Sharapova the last three times the two have played, and all five of their career meetings have gone to three sets. It also was Pennetta’s fifth career win over a Top 2 player, knocking off both Jelena Jankovic and Caroline Wozniacki when they were ranked number one, and Vera Zvonareva and Li Na when they were second in the rankings.

 

SWEET FAREWELL

Even though he lost his final match on the ATP World Tour, Michael Lammer was thrilled. His partner was an old friend, Roger Federer, as they fell in their doubles match to Marcin Matkowski and Nenad Zimonjic in a match tiebreak. “It was a great feeling, great match, great atmosphere on Stadium 2,” Lammer said. “All in all it was really a great last match for me. Playing with Roger was really special, and it was a very nice experience.” Lammer has been friends with Federer since he was 10 years old. Now 32, Lammer was a member of Switzerland’s winning Davis Cup team last year, joining Federer, Stan Wawrinka and another childhood friend, Marco Chiudinelli. Lammer’s only ATP World Tour doubles title came in 2009 when he teamed with Chiudinelli to capture the crown in Gstaad, Switzerland.

 

STOCKING UP

Seeking their fifth consecutive World TeamTennis title, the Washington Kastles are loaded this year. Serena Williams is returning to the Kastles for the first time since 2011, where she will be joining sister Venus Williams and Hall of Famer Martina Hingis. In the WTT draft, the Boston Lobsters had the first pick and took Eugenie Bouchard, last year’s Wimbledon runner-up.

 

SETTING HISTORY

Andy Murray is now the winningest player from Great Britain. His victory over Feliciano Lopez in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open was the 497th match win of his career, one more than Tim Henman. The 27-year-old Scott is now three victories away from becoming the 46th man in the Open Era to reach 500 match wins.

 

STERLING DEBUT

Playing as a team for the first time, Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza collected the top prize. The two bested Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina to win the BNP Paribas Open women’s doubles in Indian Wells. The champions are two of the most successful doubles players on the WTA Tour, Hingis having won 11 Grand Slam tournament doubles titles, two coming in mixed, while all three of Mirza’s Grand Slam trophies are in mixed. Together, they were perfect, not losing more than four games in any set in the fortnight. In the title match, they fell behind Makarova and Vesnina 4-2 in the second set, only to capture the next four games to close out the victory. “Obviously we had partners we played well with, like me last year with Flavia (Pennetta), and changing was a big move,” Hingis said. “I’m very happy it worked out because you never know what to expect.”

 

SUSPENDED AGAIN

Wayne Odesnik has been suspended from tennis for 15 years because of a second doping violation. The Tennis Anti-Doping Programme and the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said urine samples Odesnik submitted in December and January tested positive for multiple banned substances. It was the American’s second doping offense in five years. In a statement, Odesnik said he had “unknowingly ingested a contaminated over-the-counter supplement” was is retiring. The 29-year-old was barred for two years in 2010 after Australian authorities found eight vials of human growth hormone in his luggage at an airport in Brisbane. The ban was reduced to seven months because of “substantial assistance” he provided. “It’s good that he’s off the tour,” Andy Murray said of the suspension.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Indian Wells (men): Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock beat Bolelli and Fognini 6-4 6-7 (3) 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Indian Wells (women): Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza beat Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina 6-3 6-4

Irving: Robert Lindstedt and Sergiy Stakhovsky beat Benjamin Becker and Philipp Petzschner 6-4 6-4

 

SURFING

Miami: www.miamiopen.com/

Le Gosier: http://open-guadeloupe.com/

Raanana: www.ita.one.co.il/

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com

International Tennis Federation: www.itftennis.com

ATP World Tour: www.atpworldtour.com

WTA: www.wtatennis.com

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN AND WOMEN

Miami Open Presented by Itau, Miami, Florida, USA, hard (first week)

 

DAVIS CUP

Group III

Asia/Oceania Zone at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hard: Cambodia, Hong Kong China, Malaysia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkmenistan, Vietnam

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$5,381,235 Miami Open Presented by Itau, Miami, Florida, USA, hard (second week)

$125,000 Electra Israel Open, Raanara, Israel, hard

$100,000 Open International de Tennis de Guadeloupe, Le Gosier, Guadeloupe, hard

 

WOMEN

$5,381,235 Miami Open Presented by Itau, Miami, Florida, USA, hard (second week)

 

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic

Serena Williams Makes Emotional Return To Indian Wells – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

BNP Paribas Open (First Week)

Robin Haase beat seventh-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3 3-6 6-3

Heather Watson beat seventh-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4 6-4

Timea Bacsinszky beat eighth-seeded Ekaterina Makarova 3-6 7-5 6-4

Juan Monaco beat 10th-seeded Marin Cilic 6-4 6-4

Elina Svitolina beat 10th-seeded Lucie Safarova 7-6 (5) 7-5

 

DAVIS CUP

First Round

World Group

Argentina beat Brazil 3-2 at Buenos Aires, Argentina

 

SAYING

“I traveled the world in the last 14 years. I won 18 Slams and I had some great memories around the world. There was just that one memory. It has been worth it coming back and being able to step back out here on the court and create some new memories.” – Serena Williams, ending her 14-year boycott of the Indian Wells, California, USA, tournament.

“Tennis has taken me further than I ever imagined and I can’t wait to get to Newport to share this wonderful honor with my family and friends.” – David Hall, after being elected into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

“Some players do feel great from the beginning, but I’m the kind of player that needs a few matches to get into it.” – Marin Cilic, playing his first match after being sidelined for three months by a right shoulder injury.

“Great performance against a quality opponent, against somebody that was a former Top 10 player and that knows how to play on a big stage. No complaints. Everything was working well from the beginning to the end.” – Novak Djokovic, following his 6-1 6-3 victory over Marcos Baghdatis.

“Last week in Scotland was arguably one of the lowest moments in my tennis career. I felt like I let my team down over there. It was disappointing. I tried my hardest but it wasn’t good enough. I had to put that behind me as hard as that was.” – John Isner, who won the first two sets before losing to James Ward in Great Britain’s first-round Davis Cup win over the United States.

“I admire the fact that even though she’s achieved everything she has, that she still has the passion and desire to keep getting better. From a woman’s perspective, at one point when you’ve achieved so much and you’re so good at what you do, there’s always an option or an easier way. But she’s chosen the toughest way. It takes a lot of work and sacrifice to keep doing what we do.” – Maria Sharapova, showing her respect for top-ranked Serena Williams.

“I really hope I can play well and stay here for a while.” – Ana Ivanovic, the 2008 champion and 2009 finalist, after winning her first match at this year’s BNP Paribas Open.

“Romania is a small country and we don’t have like many top tennis players in this moment. I’m like I can say a star. Everyone is recognizing me on streets everywhere I go in Romania. It’s not easy, but it’s nice. I have to enjoy this moment. It’s the best moment of my life, so I really want to thank them for coming and for supporting me.” – Simon Halep, saying she will continue to live in Romania even though other players have moved away.

 

SHOCKS STAN

Robin Haase had lost all six main draw matches he had played this year. Then came the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, USA, where the Dutchman rediscovered the game that once took him to 33rd in the world rankings. No surprise when Haase beat qualifier Alex Bolt in his first-round match. But he then shocked seventh-seeded Stan Wawrinka 6-3 3-6 6-3 to advance to the third round. It was the first time in seven career meetings that Haase had beaten the 2014 Australian Open winner. Currently ranked 104th in the world, Haase took advantage of Wawrinka’s poor serving. The Swiss star was only successful on 46 percent of his first serves.

 

STUNNER

Great Britain’s Heather Watson turned the tables against Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska. The 22-year-old Watson had never taken a set off the seventh-seeded Radwanska. At Indian Wells, Watson came away the winner 6-4 6-4, her first victory over a player ranked in the Top 10. “I knew I was going to have to play my best, and that’s what I did,” she said. After falling behind 2-4 in the second set, Watson won four straight games to close out the match. “For three years I didn’t win a match here, and then last year I won a couple. And here I’ve won a few more, so hopefully I can keep going.”

 

SERENA RETURNS

Returning to Indian Wells after boycotting the tournament for 14 years, Serena Williams has shown why she’s the world’s top-ranked player. Following an emotional win in her first match, Williams crushed Zarina Diyas 6-2 6-0 in just 53 minutes to blast her way into the fourth round. “This is going in the right direction,” Williams said. “I was able to be a little more consistent today. I feel glad to still be in the tournament.” In her first match, against Monica Niculescu, Williams appeared to be tight. No so against Diyas, who is ranked 32nd in the world. Williams slammed six aces and broke Diyas six times. This is the first tournament Williams has played since winning a sixth Australian Open crown in January, her 19th Grand Slam tournament singles title. She won Indian Wells in 1999 when she was just 17, and again in 2001 when she beat Kim Clijsters in the final. That match followed a controversial walkover when her sister, Venus Williams, pulled out of the semifinal at the last minute with an injury. Serena said she is trying to forget the events of 2001 when she was booed during the final with Clijsters and some fans accused her of rigging matches against her sister.

 

SELECTED FOR HALL

Amelie Mauresmo of France is one of the four newest members of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Joining Mauresmo in the Class of 2015 will be David Hall of Australia, a six-time Paralympic medalist, and tennis industry leader Nancy Jeffett. “I’m honored and humbled to be selected for induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame,” said Mauresmo, a two-time Grand Slam tournament singles winner and now Andy Murray’s coach. “Tennis has been my passion for as long as I can remember. … It’s an extraordinary honor to have my career celebrated alongside the greatest champions of our sport, people who I have admired so greatly all my life.” In 2006, she won both the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

Hall, an Australian, was ranked number one in the world in singles and doubles, winning every major title in the sport. He is the fourth wheelchair player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Earlier this year, he was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame.

Jeffett was elected to the Hall in the Contributor Category. She teamed with Maureen Connolly Brinker to begin the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation (MCBTF). In 1972, she was director of the first women’s professional tournament. She also served as a member of the United States Tennis Association Executive Committee from 1973-1994 and on the International Tennis Federation Fed Cup Committee 1988-1996. Additionally, she served as chairwoman of the Wightman Cup, 1978-1990, and chairwoman of the Federation Cup, 1981-1990.

The three will be inducted into the Hall in ceremonies held July 18 at the ITHoF in Newport, Rhode Island, USA.

 

STUTTER STEP

Marin Cilic’s return to tennis took a step backward at the BNP Paribas Open, thanks to Argentina’s Juan Monaco. The reigning US Open champion, Cilic played his first match of the season after being sidelined by a right shoulder injury. Monaco made sure the Croat’s return was brief, beating Cilic 6-4 6-4. “It’s getting there,” Cilic said of his current form. “I didn’t feel completely painless. I felt that it’s a bit rusty still. I felt that even on the serve I wasn’t able to pop it, to hit it at full speed. So that was giving him a little more opportunity and more freedom in the game as I wasn’t getting too many free points from the serve.” Monaco converted on four of five break opportunities in the 85-minute contest.

 

STILL FIGHTING

Mardy Fish is still fighting – and, despite the score, he’s still winning. The 33-year-old Fish was ranked as high as seventh in the world in 2011. That was before he suffered from heart trouble and anxiety attacks which forced him off the ATP World Tour. After withdrawing from the 2012 US Open, Fish had a panic attack on a plane and had to be taken off the flight. Once home, he went long stretches without leaving his home. Last year, Fish spent time playing semi-pro golf. After practicing for five or six days a week for more than three months, Fish played an ATP-level match for the first time in more than 18 months, losing a third-set tiebreak at the BNP Paribas Open to fellow American Ryan Harrison. “I worked extremely hard to put myself in the best position to not have to worry about things when I was out there,” Fish told reporters after the match. “Because if I was out of shape, or if I didn’t feel well, or if it was going to be a long match or a hot match, or something like that, a lot more things creep into your head.” He also lost his first-round doubles match. But he is planning to play the Miami Open later this month. That is a victory for Mardy Fish.

 

SUCH A TRAGEDY

Romania’s Simona Halep almost pulled out of the Indian Wells tournament. Ranked third in the world, Halep said she almost didn’t come to the tournament because of the suicide of her 29-year-old cousin, Nicica Arghir. “It’s a painful situation for everyone, for me and for my family,” Halep said. “I just wanted to play this tournament because he loved tennis. He played many years tennis. So I just decided to stay here, because I think it was a little bit easier for me to pass this situation. It’s hard to speak about this, and I just want to dedicate this match to him because he loved tennis and he was very talented.” Refusing to say more, Halep said: “I don’t think I want to speak about this. It’s too painful. It’s a big tragedy in my family.”

 

SURFING

Indian Wells: www.bnpparibasopen.com/

Irving: http://irvingtennisclassic.com/

Miami: www.miamiopen.com/

International Tennis Federation: www.itftennis.com

ATP World Tour: www.atpworldtour.com

WTA: www.wtatennis.com

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$5,381,235 BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, USA (second week)

$125,000 Irving Tennis Classic, Irving, Texas, USA, hard

 

WOMEN

$5,219,780 BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, USA (second week)

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN AND WOMEN

Miami Open Presented by Itau, Miami, Florida, USA (first week)

 

Serena Williams
Serena Williams

David Ferrer Captures Rio Open – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Simona Halep beat Karolina Pliskova 6-4 7-6 (4) to win the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

David Ferrer beat Fabio Fognini 6-2 6-3 to win the men’s singles at the Rio Open presented by Claro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Gilles Simon beat Gael Monfils 6-4 1-6 7-6 (4) to win the Open 13 in Marseille, France

Ivo Karlovic beat Donald Young 6-3 6-3 to win the Delray Beach Open by The Venetian @ Las Vegas in Delray Beach, Florida, USA

Sara Errani beat Anna Schmiedlova 7-6 (2) 6-1 to win the women’s singles at the Rio Open presented by Claro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Somdev Devvarman beat Yuki Bhambri 3-6 6-4 6-0 to win the Delhi Open 2015 in New Delhi, India

Farrukh Dustov beat Mirza Basic 6-3 6-4 to win the Wroclaw Open in Wroclaw, Poland

 

SAYING

“I really love this. I’m lost for words.” – Simona Halep, after winning the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

“I’m happy I won here since I won my first tournament in Marseille. I hope it won’t be the last one.” – Gilles Simon, after winning the Open 13 in Marseille, France.

“I’m close, but that’s not my objective. The most important thing for me is to practice well, do things right and improve. And I think when you do things the right way, other things follow.” – Sara Errani, noting she is close to moving back into the Top 10 in the WTA Rankings.

“When you lose in a final, you’re always disappointed. It’s a big week for me. Yesterday I beat Rafa. It’s a big tournament and I’m happy because I put in a lot of work mentally and physically. To be 100 percent against David it is difficult.” – Fabio Fognini, who lost in the Rio Open final one day after upsetting Rafael Nadal.

“I played some very good tennis in the first set. The second set was worse, but I’m so happy I was in the final.” – Anna Schmiedlova, after losing to Sara Errani in the Rio Open final.

“Obviously it’s our first title together, but it was just a matter of time, I guess, as we already played many of the finals last year. We knew that at some point it would come, because we are such good friends and we play amazing tennis together.” – Kristina Mladenovic, when she and Timea Babos won the first doubles title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

“She surprised me a lot. I didn’t know her game and she’s powerful, has an amazing serve and played a great match. It was hard to keep her close in the score and she had match points. In the third, she suffered from cramps because we were playing for so long. I feel sorry for her.” – Sara Errani, after staving off three match points in a 3-6 7-6 (2) 3-0 retired win over Brazilian teenager Beatriz Haddad Maia.

“It’s nice to win a title so close to home. Mike and I had great support all week from the South Florida tennis fans, and it made a difference during this run. – Bob Bryan, who teamed with brother Mike to win in Delray Beach, Florida, USA, for their first doubles title of 2015.

 

SIMONA CAPTURES DUBAI

For the 10th time in her brief career, Simona Halep wrapped up a week with the biggest trophy. This time she bested Karolina Pliskova to win the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Halep won nine straight points to take a 5-3 lead in the opening set, then struggled in the second where she was down an early break. The top seed also missed match points on her serve in both the 10th and 12th games. In the latter, she double-faulted twice in a row. But Halep won the last four points in the tiebreak to grab the win. “I didn’t serve very well, but I did other things OK,” Halep said. Pliskova, who has served the most aces on the WTA Tour this year – now 149 – will move to 12th in the world in the WTA Rankings. She needed treatment on her left hip in the second set. “It’s not serious I think, but it’s just too many matches for me,” Pliskova said.

 

STRONG FINISH

David Ferrer kept his string alive in the final of the Rio Open. The Spaniard beat Fabio Fognini for the eighth straight time in his career to capture his 23rd ATP World Tour singles title. “It was my best match of the tournament and I’m very happy having won two tournaments this season,” the 32-year-old Ferrer said. The winner took just one hour and 23 minutes to steam past Fognini for a record seventh title in Latin America’s “Golden Swing.” He is also a three-time titlist in both Acapulco, Mexico, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Fognini also defeated his Italian opponent in the Argentina Open final last year.

 

SARA STARS IN RIO

Sara Errani beat back the future to win the Rio Open. The Italian star battled past WTA Rising Star Anna Schmiedlova in the final at Rio de Janeiro. Until Rio, Schmiedlova had never been to a WTA quarterfinal before. And she matched Errani almost shot for shot in the first set, holding set point on Errani’s serve at 5-4, and then pushing the set to a tiebreak. “The first set was tough,” Errani admitted. “We played more than an hour. We were both fighting hard in that set. She was playing very well and not giving me anything, really. It was also the first time I played her so I needed some time to find my tactics. I was happy I managed to win that set, and in the second set things started going much more my way. I think I was just physically stronger in the end.” Errani took a 4-0 lead in the second set on her way to the title.  It was the first time Errani has come back from match point down to win a tournament. She saved three match points against Brazilian teenager Beatriz Haddad Maia in the quarterfinals.

 

SHOCKER IN RIO

Italy’s Fabio Fognini shocked Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of the Rio Open, topping the Spaniard 1-6 6-2 7-5 on clay. “Everybody knows he (Nadal) is the best on this surface,” Fognini said. “I don’t have words to describe this moment. I am super happy. It’s the best match I have won so far in my career.” Nadal, on the other hand, didn’t appear to be worried about the rare clay court defeat. The defending Rio Open champion missed much of last year with illness and injury. He has yet to reach a final in three tournaments this year. “I feel my tennis is close, closer than a month ago to the level I want to arrive again,” Nadal said. The Spaniard may have been too tired to play at his best. He played until 3:18 a.m. Saturday morning and was back on court just 17 hours later. “I have to be happy the way I played that first set,” Nadal said. “But I got tired too early today. … But these kinds of things can happen.” Fognini also played a late match the night before the semifinal, but not quite as late as Nadal. The win snapped Nadal’s 52-match win streak in tour-level semifinals on clay, and was just the 25th defeat overall for the Spaniard on the surface. Fognini became the fourth player to beat Nadal on clay in the past year, joining David Ferrer, Novak Djokovic and Nicolas Almagro.

 

SENIOR STAR

When Ivo Karlovic captured the Delray Beach Open, he became the oldest winner on the ATP World Tour since 1989. The 35-year-old Croatian never dropped serve and broke Donald Young three times to take the title in straight sets. That made Karlovic, who turns 36 on February 28, the oldest winner since Jimmy Connors won in Tel Aviv at the age of 37. Karlovic fired 13 aces past the American left-hander and now has six career titles. The champion held all 55 of his service games during the week, saving all 19 break points he faced, including seven from Young.

 

SIMON SUCCESSFUL

Gilles Simon came out on top in the fifth all-French final in Open 13 history. Simon stopped Gael Monfils for the fifth time in their six career meetings to capture his 12th ATP World Tour title. “It was a great week, but a tough one physically,” Simon said. Monfils committed 54 unforced errors, spoiling any chances he had for victory. Still, Monfils came within two points of winning when Simon was serving in the 12th game of the third set. But Simon was the more consistent player in the deciding tiebreak. “I’m disappointed,” said Monfils, who finished with 11 aces and five breaks of serve. “It was a great match and we both played really well.” The 30-year-old Simon now has won more titles than any other French player in the Open Era with the exception of Yannick Noah, who amassed 23 titles during his career.

 

SURPRISE

It was the biggest win of his career as Simone Bolelli of Italy broke the longest losing streak against Top 10 opponents in the Open Era when he shocked sixth-ranked Milos Raonic 6-4 3-6 7-6 (3) at the Open 13 in Marseille, France. Bolelli is now 1-35 lifetime against Top 10 opponents. The second longest losing streak versus Top 10 opponents in the Open Era was 26 straight losses, a mark shared by Nicolas Almagro and Andreas Seppi. It was Raonic’s first opening round loss since October 2014. “There were many close games, but I couldn’t make the most of my chances,” Raonic said. “I served better as the match went on, but he made it through when it mattered the most.”

 

SUSPECTED CHEATER

In 2006, Nick Lindahl reached the junior boys final at the Australian Open. Now he has been charged with corrupt betting offenses after police charged he intentionally lost a tennis match on which friends had placed bets. In making the arrest, New South Wales police said the 26-year-old Australian had purposely lost a match at a 2013 futures tournament at Toowoomba, west of Brisbane. A betting agency detected unusual gambling patterns and reported it to police. Lindahl reached a career-high ATP World Tour ranking of 187 in 2010 when he lost in the first round of US Open qualifying as well as in the first round of main draws of tournaments in Sydney and Brisbane. Lindahl retired in December.

 

STAN BEING HONORED

Stan Smith, president of the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum (ITHoF) and a former Wimbledon champion, will be honored at one of America’s oldest tournaments in April. A former world number one and an All-American while at the University of Southern California, Smith competed at the tournament in Ojai, California, USA, more than 50 years ago. “The highlight of play at The Ojai was getting to play on a private court,” Smith remembered. “the main goal of course was to play on the main Libbey Park courts. That was really special. And the orange juice stand was the other highlight. It’s funny how certain things stand out in your mind.” Smith won Ojai collegiate titles in 1966, ’67 and ’68. He also won Ojai titles in the junior and open divisions as well. He was inducted into the ITHoF in 1987 and became president of the Hall of Fame in 2011.

 

SITE CHANGES, EVENT RETURNS

The St. Petersburg Open is back on the ATP World Tour schedule. Tournament organizers announced the event will be played September 21-27, 2015, at a new venue, the Sibur Arena, which was opened as a world-class basketball arena in 2013. The tournament was originally held at the Petersburg Sports and Concert Complex from 1995 to 2013. Among the St. Petersburg Open champions are Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Marat Safin, Mikhail Youzhny, Andy Murray and Marin Cilic.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Delray Beach: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Raven Klaasen and Leander Paes 6-3 3-6 10-6 (match tiebreak)

Dubai: Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic beat Garbiñe Muguruza and Carla Suárez Navarro 6-3 6-2

Marseille: Marin Draganja and Henri Kontinen beat Colin Fleming and Jonathan Marray 6-4 3k-6 10-8 (match tiebreak)

New Delhi: Egor Gerasimov and Alexander Kudryavtsev beat Riccardo Ghedin and Toshihide Matsui 6-7 (5) 6-4 10-6 (match tiebreak)

Rio (men): Martin Klizan and Philipp Oswald beat Pablo Andujar and Oliver Marach 7-6 (3) 6-4

Rio (women): Ysaline Bonaventure and Rebecca Peterson beat Irina-Camelia Begu and Maria Irigoyen 3-0 retired

Wroclaw: Philipp Petzschner and Tim Puetz beat Frank Dancevic and Andriej Kapas 7-6 (4) 6-3

 

SURFING

Acapulco: www.abiertomexicanodetenis.com/

Buenos Aires: http://argentinaopenatp.com/atp/

Doha: www.qatartennis.org/tournaments/index/64

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com

Monterrey: http://abiertomonterrey.com/2015/

Kuala Lumpur: www.bmwmalaysianopen.com/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$2,503, 810 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, hard

$1,548,755 Abierto Mexicano Telcel, Acapulco, Mexico, hard

$573,750 Argentina Open presentado por Buenos Aires Ciudad, Buenos Aires, Argentina, clay

 

WOMEN

$665,900 Qatar Total Open 2015, Doha, Qatar, hard

$226,750 Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, Acapulco, Mexico, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

WOMEN

 

$426,750 Abierto Monterrey Afirme, Monterrey, Mexico, hard

$226,750 BMW Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hard

 

DAVIS CUP

First Round

World Group

Germany vs. France at Frankfurt, Germany, hard

Great Britain vs. United States at Glasgow, Scotland, hard

Czech Republic vs. Australia at Ostrava, Czech Republic, hard

Kazakhstan vs. Italy at Astana, Kazakhstan, hard

Argentina vs. Brazil at Buenos Aires, Argentina, clay

Serbia vs. Croatia at Kraljevo, Serbia, hard

Canada vs. Japan at Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, hard

Belgium vs. Switzerland at Liége, Belgium, hard

 

Group I

Americas Zone: Barbados vs. Dominican Republic at St. Michael Barbados, hard

Asia/Oceania Zone: Thailand vs. Korea at Nonthaburi, Thailand, hard; New Zealand vs. China at Auckland, New Zealand, hard

Europe/Africa Zone: Russia vs. Denmark at Urengoy, Russia, hard; Sweden vs. Austria at Örebro, Sweden, hard; Slovakia vs. Slovenia at Bratislava, Slovakia, hard; Romania vs. Israel at Sibui, Romania, hard; Poland vs. Lithuania at Plock, Poland, hard

 

Group II

Americas Zone: Venezuela vs. Costa Rica at Caracas, Venezuela; Puerto Rico vs. El Salvador at Humacao, Puerto Rico, hard; Mexico vs. Bolivia at Merida, Mexico, hard; Chile vs. Peru at Santiago, Chile, clay

Asia/Oceania Zone: Chinese Taipei vs. Lebanon at Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, hard; Philippines vs. Sri Lanka at Pasig, Philippines, clay; Indonesia vs. Iran at Palembang, Indonesia, hard; Pakistan vs. Kuwait at Colombo, Sri Lanka, clay

Europe/Africa Zone: Turkey vs. South Africa at Mersin, Turkey, hard; Ireland vs. Belarus at Dublin, Ireland, hard; Portugal vs. Morocco at Cruz Quebrada, Portugal, hard; Monaco vs. Finland at Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Monaco, clay; Zimbabw2e vs. Bosnia/Herzegovina at Harare, Zimbabwe, hard; Hungary vs. Moldova at Gyor, Hungary, hard; Luxembourg vs. Madagascar at Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg, hard; Latvia vs. Bulgaria at Jurmala, Latvia, hard

David Ferrer
David Ferrer

Grigor Dimitrov, Simona Halep, Milos Raonic Named Top Athletes – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

SAYING

“The main thing for me is I am able to work hard in these next weeks. I am sure the level of intensity and level of competition will be helpful for me. I will try to spend as much time on court as possible. Every match that I have the opportunity to play is important.” – Rafael Nadal, who underwent appendectomy surgery in November.

“I did achieve the goals that I specified but I always have this yearning for more, more, more. It doesn’t matter how much I do, I always want more – especially when it comes to my tennis.” – Milos Raonic.

“I was running a tennis academy in Dubai then (in 2005). It was for the first time, after Mirza beat (reigning US Open champion Svetlana) Kuznetsova, when we had more girls than boys registering for tennis lessons and planning to turn pro. That’s what Sania Mirza has done for women’s tennis (in India).” – Zeeshan Ali, former India Davis Cupper.

“You saw the will and desire to be one of the best. He was never a big server, but he was a work horse.” – Yevgeny Kafelnikov, talking about Nikolay Davydenko, who retired in 2014.

“When I was young, with my size, everyone was telling me it was going to be too tough. When I look back, I cannot believe it’s me who did all of this. I couldn’t expect a better career with my size.” – Olivier Rochus, who at 5-foot-6 (1.68m) was named ATP Newcomer of the Year in 2000, won the French Open doubles in 2004, reached a career-high 24th in the singles rankings and served on the ATP Player Council.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Tennis stars have been selected as the 2014 Athlete of the Year in several countries.

A nationwide poll by sports journalists in Bulgaria named Grigor Dimitrov its top athlete. A Wimbledon semifinalist, Dimitrov won three ATP World Tour titles on three different surfaces this year. The 23-year-old right-hander finished the year ranked 11th in the world, a jump of 12 spots in the last 12 months after reaching his first Grand Slam tournament quarterfinals at the Australian Open, then the semifinals at Wimbledon.

French Open finalist Simona Halep captured the award in Romania. She was a comfortable winner in the annual poll conducted by the Romanian daily Gazeta Sporturilor. An aggressive baseliner, Halep reached her first Grand Slam tournament final in Paris and finished the season ranked third in the world on the WTA tour behind Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. At one point, she was ranked number two, the highest ever WTA ranking achieved by a Romanian.

Like Dimitrov, Milos Raonic reached his first Grand Slam tournament semifinal at Wimbledon, becoming the first Canadian to reach a singles semifinals in one of the four major tournaments. And after enjoying his best year, rising to sixth in the world in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Raonic won the Lionel Conacher Award for the second straight year, an honor given annually to the Canadian Press male athlete of the year. Raonic is the only tennis player to win the award, which dates back to 1932.

 

SANIA THE BEST

Sania Mirza is not just India’s top female tennis player. Now she’s also on the cover of Forbes India magazine. An article titled “Sania Mirza – The Queen of her Court” tells of Mirza’s rise to become India’s best female tennis player in history. She won her first senior international trophy when she was just 15 years old, a mixed doubles bronze medal with Leander Paes at the 2002 Asian Games. Mirza turned professional the next year and has since won three Grand Slam tournament mixed doubles titles, become the first Indian woman to win WTA singles and doubles titles, reach the top 50 in singles and surpass USD $1 million in career earnings. She quit singles in 2013 to focus on doubles. This year, she won five WTA doubles titles, the US Open mixed doubles and capped her year by teaming with Cara Black to win the WTA Finals and end 2014 ranked sixth in the world in doubles. Her WTA Finals victory equaled the feat of Vijay Amritraj, the only other Indian to have won a season-ending title.

 

SET FOR BRAZIL OPEN

Two Spaniards – Tommy Robredo and Fernando Verdasco – will compete at the Brazil Open in February. The two will join compatriot Feliciano Lopez, whose participation in the ATP 250 tournament was confirmed earlier this month. Currently ranked 17th in the world, Robredo won the Brazil Open in 2009 and will be making his fifth appearance in the Sao Paulo. It will be the third Brazil Open for Verdasco. The February 9-15 event will be played on clay.

 

STRICTLY TENNIS

Australia’s Bernard Tomic says he has changed his ways and plans to be a force on the men’s tennis circuit. The former party-goer says he has left the flashy cars and party girls behind as he prepares for the 2015 season. “All that stuff is in the past,” Tomic said. “It was all when I was 18-19 years old. I had a lot of stuff thrown my way – money, girls. It’s very easy to get distracted, but now the job is to play tennis and do the job as good as I can.” Tomic is now 22 and says he is more determined than ever to devote himself to tennis. “There’s stuff that can happen that distracts, you that’s life,” the right-hander said. “I’m 22, now is the time for maturity. I have to focus as much as I can on tennis and do the best I can for the next seven or eight years.”

 

SAYING GOODBYE

This year saw a number of players decide to step away from the tennis tours, including two of the best: Li Na and Nikolay Davydenko. And then there was a surprise. Dinara Safina announced her retirement although she hadn’t played in several years.

No goodbye was more emotional than that of Elena Baltacha, who retired from the women’s tour in 2013 and died of liver cancer on May 4, 2014.

A native of Russia, Davydenko at one time was ranked third in the world behind Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Others who retired from the ATP World Tour included Olivier Rochus of Belgium, who teamed with Federer to win the Wimbledon boys’ doubles in 1998; Russia’s Alex Bogomolov Jr.; Marc Gicquel of France; Germany’s Bjorn Phau; Israel’s Andy Ram; Great Britain’s Ross Hutchins; Australia’s Paul Hanley; Kazakhstan’s Evgeny Korolev; South Africa’s Rik de Voest, and Chile’s Paul Capdeville.

Bidding adieu from the WTA tour were Iveta Benesova Melzer of the Czech Republic; Austria’s Yvonne Meusburger; Germany’s Kristina Barrois; Colombia’s Catalina Castaño; Luxembourg’s Anne Kremer; American Mallory Burdette and Australia’s Ashleigh Barty.

Barty could be back. The 18-year-old announced after the US Open that she would take an indefinite break from tennis with no plans to return.

 

 

SURFING

Brisbane: www.brisbaneinternational.com.au/

Doha: www.qatartennis.org/

Chennai: www.aircelchennaiopen.org/2015/

Shenzhen: www.shenzhenopentennis.com/2015/chs/

Auckland (women): www.festivaloftennis.co.nz/asbclassic/

Sydney: www.apiainternational.com.au/

Auckland (men): www.festivaloftennis.co.nz/heinekenopen/

Hobart: www.hobartinternational.com.au/

 

TOURNAMENTS WEEK OF JAN. 5, 2015

(All money in USD)

MEN

$1,195,500 Qatar ExxonMobil Open, Doha, Qatar, hard

$511,825 Brisbane International presented by Suncorp, Brisbane, Australia, hard

$459,140 Aircel Chennai Open, Chennai, India, hard

 

WOMEN

$881,100 Brisbane International presented by Suncorp, Brisbane, Australia, hard

$426,750 Shenzhen Open, Shenzhen, China, hard

$226,750 ASB Classic, Auckland, New Zealand, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS WEEK OF JAN. 12, 2015

(All money in USD)

MEN

$519,395 Heineken Open, Auckland, New Zealand, hard

$494,310 Apia International Sydney, Sydney, Australia, hard

 

WOMEN

$665,900 Apia International Sydney, Sydney, Australia, hard

$226,750 Hobart International, Hobart, Australia, hard

 

Milos Raonic
Milos Raonic

Serena Reigns Supreme After Thrilling WTA Season

by

In a year that saw the four grand slams won by different winners, a sense of normality was restored to the WTA at the end of the season with the knowledge that Serena Williams would finish 2014 as the number one. The 33-year-old might not have had her most successful season in terms of grand slam titles, but this year showed that there is still more to come from the recent game’s most successful women’s player.

But the greatest aspect of the majority of 2014 was its unpredictability. From Li Na’s impressive victory in the Australian Open, Maria Sharapova’s second French Open title in three years, Petra Kvitova adding a second Wimbledon crown to her name, and Williams winning a sixth US Open title – whether you were a just a fan or someone taking a punt with the likes of betfair, 2014 was a fascinating season in the WTA.

With the 2015 campaign now the focus, let’s have a look at how the game’s top players fared this year and how they are looking ahead of the new season.

1: Serena Williams

Undoubtedly one of the toughest seasons in Serena’s career, the joint fourth most successful player in the history of the women’s game ended the year at the top of the sport. After a dismal and often worrying few months, Williams ensured she ended the year on a massive high by winning her sixth US Open and then going on to add the WTA Finals title to her collection. While her year ended with seven tournament wins to her name, Williams could have been forgiven for feeling frustrated not to have got closer to that 20 grand slam titles mark.

Overall, Serena has been number one for 97 consecutive weeks, dating all the way back to 18th February 2013, and it was fitting to see her clean up at the WTA end-of-season awards. But problems with fitness and form during much of the year had threatened her place at the top of the rankings. After early exits in the Australian Open, French Open and then Wimbledon, Serena showed the world she’s still the queen of the game by winning her third consecutive US Open crown after beating Caroline Wozniacki in the final at Flushing Meadows.

2: Maria Sharapova

It wasn’t that long ago when people were saying Maria Sharapova would never win a grand slam title again. Yet 10 years after winning her first grand slam title, Sharapova’s triumphant run in the French Open this year saw the Russian add her fifth major crown to her collection. After a couple of years of injury problems, Sharapova returned to the top of the sport in 2012 by winning her maiden French Open title. And it was at Roland Garros where the 27-year-old peaked again this year, seeing off Simona Halep in the final to win her second French Open in another season that showed she is still one of the best in the world.

The French Open was one of four titles Sharapova won in 2014 but the Russian will be looking for a more consistent showing at grand slams in the new season. Aside from her run in Paris, the fourth round was as far as Sharapova reached in the other three grand slam tournaments during the year. The WTA Tour Championships didn’t go as planned either for Sharapova, with the world number two falling at the round-robin stage and ending the year in disappointing fashion, but the signs are definitely positive for the former world number one heading into 2015.

3: Simona Halep

While she might not have won a grand slam title this season, Simona Halep ended 2014 as perhaps the most consistent player on the tour. In a season she reached a career-high number two in the rankings, Halep ended a breakthrough season third in the rankings and one of the best young players in the world. Starting the year with a best finish at a grand slam being the 2013 US Open fourth round, Halep proved she was a player to be respected with an encouraging run to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.

While her performances in Melbourne were impressive, it was Halep’s displays in the French Open which proved the 23-year-old Romanian is the real deal, beating a string of top-50 players on her way to the final. Defeat in three sets at the hands of Maria Sharapova might have been tough to take but Halep followed her Parisian disappointment by making it to the semi-finals at Wimbledon before an ankle injury played a part in her defeat to Eugenie Bouchard. The US Open might not have been as successful for Halep but the Romanian ended the year by finishing runner-up at the WTA Tour Finals.

4: Petra Kvitova

Since winning Wimbledon in 2011, Petra Kvitova’s career hadn’t really lived up to expectations until this year. With some labelling the Czech Republic star as a one-hit wonder, Kvitova proved her doubters wrong in 2014 when she claimed her second Wimbledon crown and added a second grand slam title to her name. The 24-year-old had started the year with a dismal first-round exit at the Australian Open before an underwhelming run to the third round in the French Open. Kvitova’s season drastically changed at Wimbledon, however, beating Eugenie Bouchard in straight sets to clinch her second title at SW19 and climb up to fourth in the world rankings.

Ending the year with three tournament victories to her name, including the Wimbledon title, Kvitova will still be right to feel a touch frustrated to have not performed better at any of the other three grand slam events. While Serena Williams still reigns supreme at the top of the game, the American is undoubtedly coming to the end of her career. If she could find just a little more consistency throughout the year and not just at her favoured events, Kvitova definitely has all the tools to take Williams’ crown as the world’s best player and 2015 could be a very important year for the two-time grand slam winner.

5: Ana Ivanovic

As has been the case with Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic has had to remind the world that she is a tennis player rather than just a celebrity. After slipping off the map following a number of injury problems, Ivanovic has firmly established herself among the world’s elite after another productive season on the tour. While the 2008 French Open remains Ivanovic’s sole grand slam title, the Serbian star has been one of the most consistent players in the game in 2014, winning four tournaments and climbing back up to fifth in the world rankings.

After a five-year absence, Ivanovic’s form this year saw her earn a return to the WTA Tour Finals. While the 27-year-old couldn’t make it past the round-robin stage, merely making it back into the end-of-season event shows just how far Ivanovic has come over the past 12 months. As with a lot of players in and around the top ten, Ivanovic has every chance of winning a grand slam in 2015. The question now is whether the former world number one can add a second major crown to her collection seven years after winning her one and only grand slam title.

Serena Williams
Serena Williams

Big Loss Spurs Serena Williams To WTA Title – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Serena Williams beat Simona Halep 6-3 6-0 to win the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore in Singapore

Roger Federer beat David Goffin 6-2 6-2 to win the Swiss Indoors Basel in Basel, Switzerland

Andy Murray beat Tommy Robredo 3-6 7-6 (7) 7-6 (8) to win the Valencia Open 500 in Valencia, Spain

Timea Babos beat Oceane Dodin 6-3 4-6 7-5 to win the Internationaux Féminins de la Vienne in Poitiers, France

 

DAVIS CUP

Group 1 Second Round Playoffs, Asia Oceania Zone: New Zealand beat Chinese Taipei 4-1 in Christchurch, New Zealand; Europe/Africa Zone: Sweden beat Latvia 3-2 in Jonkoping, Sweden

 

SAYING

“I didn’t expect to end the year on this note. Like I’ve said this week, I was just happy to even be competing here. At one point I thought my last match would be against Genie (Eugenie Bouchard), and I was happy to win that match. It just makes everything much more sweet and satisfying, especially for me.” – Serena Williams, after beating Simona Halep to win the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore.

“She’s the best. She’s a great player. And she deserves to win the title.” – Simona Halep.

“Knowing she has the ability and capability to play so well, I had to step up my game. I knew I had to play a lot better, so I was expecting to be a much better player than I was in the earlier rounds.” – Serena Williams, noting the difference between her round-robin loss to Simona Halep and her victory in the title match.

“I won’t forget that I beat Serena this week.” – Simona Halep.

“Embarrassing describes the way I played today. Very embarrassing.” – Serena Williams, after losing 6-0 6-2 to Simona Halep in the round-robin portion of the WTA Finals.

“It was my best match of my life. I played unbelievable shots. It means a lot this match. At an important time I played really well, and after today my confidence will be more high.” – Simona Halep, after her round-robin victory over Serena Williams.

“I’m not going to play Paris and London. I’m not competitive enough.” Rafael Nadal, announcing he will undergo season-ending surgery for appendicitis.

“It is always such a treat to be in the final here, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd. It’s why I play tennis, why I play the tournament here in Basel. It will remain very special for me personally.” – Roger Federer, after winning his hometown tournament, the Swiss Indoors Basel, for the sixth time.

“It was a tough match, of course. Here in his hometown, he was in great shape and played too good for me today. At the beginning of the match I was a little bit nervous, especially a final against Roger. It’s not easy to return his serve. That’s why it was a nightmare for me today.” – David Goffin, after losing to Roger Federer in the Swiss Indoors Basel final.

“I know it was an incredible match. The tennis at the end and in the second set was high level. I played well at the right moments.” – Andy Murray, after saving five match points in his win over Tommy Robredo.

“It was an amazing match, and you have to enjoy it. Unfortunately someone has to win and it was decided by a few balls. It is what it is. Now I will be a bit out for a couple of hours, but I guess that when I finish the season next week and I watch today’s match against one of the best players we have right now, I will be very happy.” – Tommy Robredo.

“It’s unbelievable for me. I just want to enjoy the moment. I’m just so surprised and it’s an unbelievable feeling.” – Borna Coric, following his straight-set upset of Rafael Nadal in Basel, Switzerland.

“It is only a number, but it’s a special number.” – Tommy Robredo, after becoming only the seventh active player on the ATP World Tour and the 44th player in the Open Era to win 500 career matches.

“I didn’t want to offend any athlete with my words. I regret that this joke… has garnered so much attention. I don’t think this incident deserves so much fuss.” – Shamil Tarpischev, head of Russian tennis federation, after calling the Williams sister “brothers” and “scary.”

“You know sports are a microcosm of society, so it teaches you how the world still perceives gender inequality. It’s not fun. It’s really sad actually.” – Billie Jean King, in response to some male players complaining about women being paid equal prize money at Grand Slam tournaments.

“I feel like I have so much more to learn still and so much more to improve. Playing against the best in the world today, I got my butt kicked, but I had fun. It actually motivates me to try to get better.” – Eugenie Bouchard, after losing all three of her round-robin matches in her first WTA Finals.

 

SINGAPORE REVENGE

Simona Halep handed Serena Williams the worst defeat of her professional career. Four days later, Williams got her revenge in the title match of the WTA Finals. Halep pulled off the first service break in the finale, going up 2-1. Disgusted with her own play, Williams smashed her racquet on the court, drawing an “abuse of equipment” warning from the umpire. “She was playing so well and I was literally on the side of the court and I just laughed,” Williams said. “I said, ‘Serena, you have nothing to lose. Just relax. And then once I relaxed I just started playing better and kept making my shots.” A relaxed Serena went on a tear, winning the last eight games of the match to capture her fifth WTA Finals crown 6-3 6-0 in the year-ending event’s debut in Singapore. At the age of 33, Williams became the first player to win the season finale three consecutive times since Monica Seles pulled it off in 1992. It also was Serena’s fifth year-end title in four cities, tying her with Steffi Graf for second-most titles in the tournament’s history. Only Martina Navratilova has won more – eight. And Williams also received one of Singapore’s highest honors: the tournament named an orchid after her. “It’s been an unbelievable week,” she said.

In their first meeting in the round-robin portion of the week, Williams matched the record for the fewest games she had won in a completed match as Halep triumphed 6-0 6-2. The last time Serena was held to just two games in a match was in 1998 when she was a 16-year-old newcomer to the tour known as Venus’ little sister. “My forehand was off today,” Williams said after the loss. “It’s obviously gone on an early vacation. My serve was at best at the 10-and-under division of juniors. You got to step up to the plate. She did and I didn’t.” It was the first time the fourth-ranked Halep had beaten a player ranked in the top three in the world. “I have to forget this day, but it will be hard to forget,” Halep said. “I am so happy.”

 

SEASON-ENDING SURGERY

Following a surprising defeat at the Swiss Indoors, Rafael Nadal has decided to undergo a season-ending appendicitis surgery, meaning he will miss the Paris Masters and Barclays ATP Finals in London, England. Nadal announced his decision to undergo surgery after he lost to 17-year-old Borna Coric of Croatia 6-2 7-6 (4) in the quarterfinals in Basel, Switzerland. The Swiss Indoors was only the third tournament Nadal has played in since Wimbledon, when he suffered a wrist injury. Since returning, he lost to Slovakia’s Martin Klizan in Beijing and to fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in Shanghai. The 28-year-old left-hander won his ninth French Open in June. He needed treatment for appendicitis earlier this month in Shanghai and has been treating his ailment with antibiotics before finally deciding to undergo the surgery.

 

SWISS MASTER

By winning the Swiss Indoors Basel for the sixth time in eight years, Roger Federer has narrowed the gap with Novak Djokovic in a battle he never really expected to be fighting. Federer is now less than 500 points behind the Serb in the battle for the year-ending number one ranking. “It would be very special to reclaim number one,” Federer said. “World number one is what it’s all about in our game. With the year I have had and the amount of finals I have played, the level of tennis I have played, I am pleased to see that I have a shot. But having a shot and being there is two separate things.” Federer’s latest title came on a 6-2 6-2 triumph over David Goffin. It was Federer’s 82nd tour-level trophy, his 12th straight match win and improved his ATP World Tour-leading mark in 2014 to 66-10. The Swiss master has won six titles or more at six different tournaments. Federer has won Wimbledon and the Gerry Weber Open seven times each, and has captured six trophies at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, the Western & Southern Open, Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and the Swiss Indoors Basel.

 

SIGNIFICANT STEP

Andy Murray saved five match points and beat Tommy Robredo to win the Valencia Open 500 and take a significant step toward qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. The two battled for three hours, 20 minutes, making it the longest final on the ATP World Tour this year. With the win, Murray is now fifth in the race for the elite eight-man season-ending event that will be played in London, England. “I like playing here,” Murray said of the tournament site, Valencia, Spain. “It’s a nice place to come this time of year. It’s extremely warm outside, which is good for the muscles, the joints and the mind as well. I came to train here earlier in the year. Good food, good weather and good people.” Murray staved off the first two match points in the second-set tiebreak to pull even. The eventual winner squandered a match point of his own in the 10th game of the third set, then fought off three more Robredo match points in the final tiebreak before finally sealing the win with a backhand passing shot. It was Murray’s second Valencia Open title, having also won in 2009, and his 31st overall. Robredo was seeking to become the ninth Spaniard to capture the tournament since it moved to Valencia in 2003.

 

SICK BAY

Rafael Nadal isn’t the only top player who will be missing the Paris Masters because of illness. US Open champion Marin Cilic pulled out of the event with a right arm injury. Also withdrawing from Paris is Ernests Gulbis, who cited a right shoulder injury for his absence.

 

SERVING ACES

Ivo Karlovic served 33 aces in a losing semifinal match against Roger Federer at the Swiss Indoors Basel. That brings him 10 aces shy of 9,000 for his career. Only fellow Croatian Goran Ivanisevic and Andy Roddick have achieved that feat in ATP World Tour history.

 

SPECIAL MILESTONES

Although he lost in the Valencia Open semifinals to Andy Murray, top-seeded David Ferrer became the fourth active player to win 600 matches in his career. A three-time champion in Valencia, Ferrer joined Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Lleyton Hewitt as the only players still competing on the ATP World Tour with 600 career match victories. The Spaniard joined the elite group when he beat Thomaz Bellucci 6-1 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the Valencia, Spain, tournament. “I’m most proud of all the years that I’ve been able to stay among the best players in the world,” said the 32-year-old Ferrer, who has won 21 titles and is currently ranked fifth in the world. “There have been important tournaments that I’ve won, and that I’ve been proud of, but what I’m most proud of is to have been able to maintain this stability for all these years.”

Tommy Robredo also reached a milestone when he won his 500th match at the Valencia Open. He is only the fifth Spaniard in the Open Era to win 500 career matches, joining Rafael Nadal, Manuel Orantes, David Ferrer and Carlos Moya. “If somebody told me I would win 500 matches at the beginning of my career, I would sign up for it,” Robredo said. “Now I will go for 600.” What makes the milestone even more precious is the fact Robredo was out of the game for a 14-month stretch in 2011 and 2012 with a leg injury. Other active players with 500 or more career match victories include Roger Federer, Nadal, Lleyton Hewitt, Ferrer, Novak Djokovic and Tommy Haas. Robredo and two fellow Spaniards – Nadal and Ferrer – are the only active players who have recorded more than 200 match wins on both hard and clay courts. He was ranked a career high fifth in the world in 2006.

 

SHOCKER

He’s called “Baby Djokovic” because of his similarities with the world’s top-ranked player, Novak Djokovic. Borna Coric, a 17-year-old from Croatia, showed the nickname might not be that far off when he stunned Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the quarterfinals of the Swiss Indoors Basel, 6-2 7-6 (4). True, Nadal was having an off-day, but the teenager took advantage with a power game that produced winner after winner. Coric broke Nadal’s serve three times in the opening set, racing out to a 5-0 lead. Ranked 124th in the world, Coric finished the day with six aces and 17 winners. Nadal, on the other hand, had 37 unforced errors. “Believe me, I’m a very nervous person,” said Coric, who entered the tournament on a wild card. “I (was) just trying to keep it inside of me. I didn’t have anything to lose. Because I never played against him, I wasn’t sure what I was going to get. Is he going to kill me or what? So I was under pressure.”

 

SEASON RANKING

Surprisingly, this is only the fourth time Serena Williams has finished a year ranked as the number one player on the WTA tour, and the first time she’s ever accomplished the feat in consecutive years. Being ranked number one at the end of the year for the fourth time ties her with Lindsay Davenport. Steffi Graf did it eight times, Martina Navratilova seven times and Chris Evert five. This also is the first time Williams has held the number one ranking the entire year, a feat that hasn’t been done since Graf did it in 1996.

 

SON FOR NOVAK

Novak Djokovic and his wife, Jelena, have a son. “Stefan, our baby angel, was born!” Djokovic tweeted. “I’m so proud of my beautiful wife Jelena! Thank you so much for your love and support. We love you all!!!!” RTS, Serbia’s state TV, reported that Jelena Djokovic gave birth in Nice, France, on October 21. The couple live in nearby Monte Carlo, Monaco. The two married on July 10, four days after Djokovic won Wimbledon by beating Roger Federer in the final. He said on his website that he intends to play at the Paris Masters this week where he will be defending his title and staff off Federer’s challenge for the year-end number one ranking.

 

SHE’S BACK

Li Na may have retired from playing tennis, but not from the sport itself. The Chinese star opened the WTA Finals in Singapore with a ceremonial first serve. Wearing high heels and a flowing black evening dress, Le hit the serve at the end of the opening ceremony. She had been expected to headline the elite eight-player event before she retired last month.

 

SEMIFINAL COLLAPSE

Maria Sharapova has been ranked number one in the world, but she has never finished the year as the top-ranked player. And she won’t be this year, either. Sharapova had a shot at overtaking Serena Williams to finish the year ranked number one in the world. But she lost her first two round-robin matches at the season-ending WTA Finals, falling to Caroline Wozniacki 7-6 (4) 6-7 (5) 6-2 and to Petra Kvitova 6-3 6-2. Perhaps unbelievably, she still had a chance to reach the semifinals by beating Agnieszka Radwanska in straight sets. Sharapova won the opening set 7-5 and had a 5-1 lead in the second. Three times she was at match point. But when she double-faulted to lose the second set 7-6 (4), any chance of her moving on was gone. “It would’ve been very easy for me to get down on myself,” Sharapova said after winning the third set and beating Radwanska. “I had so many chances being up, having match point, and just saying you know what? I’ve lost two matches. Just so easy to just let it go, but I didn’t. I got the job done. I know I’m not moving forward, but I’m proud of that effort and to finish the year off on this way.”

 

SPARKLING AMONG DIAMONDS

Monica Puig isn’t among the big stars who filled the draw at the season-ending WTA Finals in Singapore. At least not yet. The 21-year-old Puerto Rican was in Singapore, however, as part of a consolation event called the Rising Stars – four players picked in fan voting, two from Asia-Pacific and two from the rest of the world. Puig showed she belonged. She beat each of her three opponents – Zheng Saisai of China; Shelby Rogers of Charleston, South Carolina, USA; and Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan – in the round-robin portion of the competition, then beat Zheng again 6-4 6-3 in the final. “When I found out that I was going to come here, I was just overwhelmed and so overjoyed that I have another chance to bring out my best tennis and compete as hard as I can,” said Puig, who pocketed USD $20,000 for winning the competition.

 

SAYS HE’S SORRY

Russian tennis chief Shamil Tarpischev sent written apologies to both Serena and Venus Williams after he called them the “Williams brothers.” Tarpischev was fined USD $25,000 and suspended from any involvement in the WTA tour for a year for his comments made on a Russian TV show, in which he also said the sisters were “scary” to look at. He said there was no malicious intent and that the quotes were taken out of context. In a statement, the WTA said “his derogatory remarks deserve to be condemned.” Serena said Tarpischev “has reached out to apologize to both myself and my sister,” adding “it was written. No, I did not speak to him.”

 

SENIOR MASTERS

Pat Cash, who won Wimbledon in 1987, and Sergi Bruguera, a two-time French Open champion, will join the all-star line-up in the Statoil Masters Tennis, a senior event that will be held at London’s Royal Albert Hall December 3-7. Cash will meet John McEnroe in an exhibition match. Bruguera will join the ATP Champions Tour field that includes Andy Roddick, Fernando Gonzalez, Tim Henman, Greg Rusedski and Thomas Enqvist. Australian Mark Philippoussis has withdrawn from the event. At 43, Bruguera will be the oldest player in the Champions Tour field.

Besides competing in the ATP Champions Tour event, Roddick, McEnroe and Henman will join Billie Jean King, Kim Clijsters, Sabine Lisicki and Sir Elton John for the Mylan World TeamTennis Smash Hits tennis charity event, which will be held during the evening session on December 7. It is the first time the event will be held outside the United States and will raise money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

 

SEARCHING STILL

The top-ranked doubles team of Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci will have to wait another year if they are to become only the third pair to win all four Grand Slam tournament titles and the WTA Finals. Only the season-ending trophy is missing for the Italians, and this year is no different. They retired from their match against Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik due to a right rib injury suffered by Errani. During a changeover, Errani requested a trainer. She lifted her shirt and revealed an abdominal support brace. After talking with the trainer, she unstrapped the support and retired. Prior to the Singapore tournament, Errani had contracted a cough that led her to pull abdominal muscles. “For us it is a very special tournament and I tried to do everything to be here,” Errani said. “A minimum percent to compete, but I couldn’t do it. It was not improving much and I’m sorry for (Roberta) but I tried and sometimes things happen.” The only teams to have won all four Grand Slam tournament titles and the season-ending WTA Finals during their partnership were Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver and Gigi Fernández and Natasha Zvereva.

 

SEIZING THE MOMENT

Now you see them, now you don’t. Cara Black and Sania Mirza won the WTA Finals doubles title, losing the opening game of the match before crushing the defending champions, Peng Shuai and Hsieh Su-Wei, 6-1 6-0. It was the last match for both teams. “Sania is in the prime of her career at the moment and I just said to her at the US Open that I’m not too sure what I’m going to do next year and how much I’m going to play,” Black said. “I think it was fair for her to tell her to find somebody. I think she’s found a great partner. I wish them all the best.” Mirza will team up with Hsieh next year. It was the first time the team of Peng and Hsieh had lost a final, having won all 12 times they had reached a title match, including this year’s French Open and Wimbledon in 2013. At the age of 35, Black is not sure if she will continue to play in 2015. “I just want to wind down a little bit and see where the next step takes me,” said Black, who won the season-ending event for the third time, but her first since returning to tennis after taking time out to have a child.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Basel: Vasek Pospisil and Nenad Zimonjic beat Marin Dragonja and Henri Kontinen 7-6 (13) 1-6 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Poitiers: Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka beat Katarzyna Piter and Maryna Zanevska 6-1 7-5

Singapore: Cara Black and Sania Mirza beat Hsieh Su-Wei and Peng Shuai 6-1 6-0

Valencia: Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau beat Kevin Anderson and Jeremy Chardy 6-4 6-2

 

SURFING

Paris: http://bnpparibasmasters.billetterie.fft.fr/

 

Sofia: http://sofia-tennis.bg/en/home

Bratislava: www.stz.sk/

Fed Cup: www.fedcup.com

London: www.barclaysatpworldtourfinals.com/en/

Dubai: www.dubaitennis.com

Toyota: www.dunlop-tennis.jp

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$3,679,720 BNP Paribas Masters, Paris, France, hard

 

WOMEN

$750,000 Garanti Koza WTA Tournament of Champions, Sofia, Bulgaria, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$107,675 Ritro Slovak Open, Bratislava, Slovakia, hard

 

FED CUP

Final

Czech Republic vs. Germany in Prague, Czech Republic, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS Week of November 11

 

MEN

$6,500,000 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, London, England, hard

 

WOMEN

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

 

 

TOURNAMENTS Week of November 17

 

MEN

$220,000 Challenger Tour Finals at Sao Paulo, Brazil, clay

 

WOMEN

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

 

DAVIS CUP

World Group Final

France vs. Switzerland at Lille, France, clay

 

Billie Jean King with Serena Williams
Billie Jean King with Serena Williams

Maria Sharapova Wins Her Second At Roland Garros, Rafael Nadal Wins Ninth Title – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

French Open

Men’s singles: Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic 3-6 7-5 6-2 6-4

Women’s singles: Maria Sharapova beat Simona Halep 6-4 6-7 (5) 6-4

Men’s doubles: Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin beat Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez 6-3 7-6 (1)

Women’s doubles: Peng Shuai and Hsieh Su-wei beat Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci 6-4 6-1

Mixed doubles: Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Jean-Julien Rojer beat Julia Goerges and Nenad Zimonjic 4-6 6-2 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Boys singles: Andrey Rublev beat Jaume Antoni Munar Clar 6-2 7-5

Girls singles: Darya Kasatkina beat Ivana Jorovic 6-7 (5) 6-2 6-3

Boys doubles: Benjamin Bonzi and Quentin Halys beat Lucas Miedler and Akira Santillan 6-3 6-3

Girls doubles: Ioana Ducu and Ioana  Loredana Rosca beat Catherine Cartan Bellis and Marketa Vondrousova 6-1 5-7 11-9 (match tiebreak)

Men’s Wheelchair singles: Shingo Kunieda beat Stephane Houdet 6-4 6-1

Women’s Wheelchair singles: Yui Kamiji beat Aniek Van Koot 7-6 (7) 6-4

Men’s Wheelchair doubles: Joachim Gerard and Stephane Houdet beat Gustavo Fernandez and Nicolas Peifer 4-6 6-3 11-9 (match tiebreak)

Women’s Wheelchair doubles: Yui Kamiji and Jordanne Whiley beat Jiske Griffioen and Aniek Van Koot 7-6 (3) 3-6 10-8 (match tiebreak)

 

OTHER

Jiri Vesely beat Norbert Gombos 6-2 6-2 to win the UniCredit Czech Open in Prostejov, Czech Republic

Alexandra Dulgheru beat Johanna Larsson 6-3 7-5 to win the Open Féminin de Marseille in Marseille, France

 

SAYING

“I’m so emotional right now, I don’t know what language to speak – English, Russian or French.” – Maria Sharapova, after winning Roland Garros for the second time in three years.

“Last year was emotional for a few things, this year was emotional for other ones. But for sure if you win Roland Garros it’s always going to be emotional – and always when your age is older. It’s not forever. You will have a few more opportunities, yes, but you never know if you’re going to win it again.” – Rafael Nadal, after winning Roland Garros for the fifth straight year and ninth time in his career.

“It’s not impossible, but it’s very, very difficult to stay with Rafa in this court, throughout the whole match, on the highest level of performance. I started feeling a little bit better, but I wasn’t managing to bring my A game when it was most needed at the end of the fourth (set).” – Novak Djokovic.

“Maybe we just stopped thinking about winning or losing, you know, and just tried to play our tennis.” – Peng Shuai, after teaming with Hsieh Su-wei to win the mixed doubles.

“If somebody had told me that I’d win, at some stage in my career that I’d have more Roland Garros titles than any other Grand Slam, I’d probably go get drunk. Or tell them to get drunk, one or the other. You’re not just born being a natural clay‑court player. OK, maybe if you’re (Rafael) Nadal. But certainly not me. I didn’t grow up on it, didn’t play on it. I just took it upon myself to make myself better on it.” – Maria Sharapova, after beating Simona Halep for the women’s singles title.

“For me, it’s amazing, emotional today. I lost the final of Australia this year, had a problem with my back in the final, was a very hard moment. So today the tennis gave me back what happened in Australia.” – Rafael Nadal.

“It is a day full of emotions for me, for my team, I gave my maximum that I could, with all my power, all my capabilities, but Rafa was a better player on the court and I congratulate him for that.” – Novak Djokovic.

“I played really well today. I’m really happy about this. I think I was OK on court. I did everything I could. It’s really tough to play a first final in your career, but it’s also amazing to be there.” – Simona Halep, who in her first Grand Slam tournament final lost to Maria Sharapova.

“’This is the best moment of my career, almost of my life.” – Edouard Roger-Vasselin, after teaming with Julien Benneteau to become the first French team to win the men’s doubles at Roland Garros in 30 years.

“This trophy, it is not for us this year. But we will return next year, and return again and again, and I hope I will win Roland Garros one day.” – Novak Djokovic.

“I’m not going to celebrate. It’s not enough. I need to reach more now. Now I’m addicted to success, really.” – Ernests Gulbis, after losing in the semifinals to Novak Djokovic.

“You can go out there with all the tactics in the world, but when he’s hitting the ball like that, it’s very difficult to hit the ball where you want to.” – Andy Murray, after losing to Rafael Nadal in the semifinals 6-3 6-2 6-1.

“This is the toughest Grand Slam final I have ever played and all respect to Simona as she played an unbelievable match today.” – Maria Sharapova.

“That I can play at a very high level. I can play the finals without big emotions. Before at the Grand Slams I couldn’t play my best tennis because I felt the pressure, but here I did play my best tennis.” – Simona Halep, when asked what she’s learned about herself at this year’s French Open.

“The thing is, against Simona, I have to play really aggressive, and you have to step into the court so she doesn’t have the time to play her game. Because when she starts opening up the court, she plays super smart, and she really uses the whole court.” – Andrea Petkovic, after losing to Simona Halep in the semifinals.

“She is already in the Top 10 and is a very good player. I think she is going to get even better than she is now.” – Svetlana Kuznetsova, talking about Simona Halep, who beat the 2009 French Open champion in the quarterfinals.

“I never want to say forget about matches like this, but obviously the grass court season starts in a couple of days and I need to switch my mind to that.” – Andy Murray, following his semifinal loss to Rafael Nadal.

“I think when I’m healthy, like I have been now for the last six to nine months, I think I can also decide the outcome of the matches more than I could last year. I’m very excited about my chances for Wimbledon now this time.” – Roger Federer, who has won the most ATP grass-court titles with 13, seven at Wimbledon and six at Halle, Germany.

“Grand Slams is best-of-five (sets and it’s a two-week-long event. It’s all this pressure and expectations. … It’s not easy. Mentally it affects you. You are, up to this point, only a young player who is very talented and swinging through and playing your best tennis. But suddenly, when you have to encounter these mental challenges, then it becomes a different sport. That’s something that in my personal experience and career was a lesson, and it took me some time to understand how to handle it.” – Andy Murray.

“Tennis is not a cheap sport, and outside of the Grand Slams I don’t think there is enough money in regular tournaments. The payout to cover expenses is not even remotely close to the reality of things. The money hasn’t changed much and the cost to fly anywhere has risen to enormous levels. How are we supposed to compete with that with the job we have? Especially now that they’re putting a lot more tournaments in China. It’s crazy. – Coco Vandeweghe, an American ranked 91st in the world.

 

SEÑOR CLAY

For a record fifth straight year and the ninth time in his career, Rafael Nadal hauled away the biggest trophy after his two-week stay on the red clay courts of Roland Garros. “The day was very tough, very humid, and the combination of two weeks of cold with the drastic change of yesterday and today, this was the first day we played in it,” Nadal said after his 3-6 7-5 6-2 6-4 demolition of Novak Djokovic. “It affects us, affected our physical performance, and after one set and a half, we were both tired. It was very important for me to win that second set. Without that second set, I don’t think I would be sitting here with the trophy now.” With the victory, Nadal also kept his number one ranking, with Djokovic still ranked second in the world. Nadal now has won 14 Grand Slam tournament titles, tying him with Pete Sampras and just three behind Roger Federer, the men’s record-holder. Novak, who also lost the Paris final in 2012, still needs to win Roland Garros to become the eighth man to complete a career Grand Slam. This time, he dominated the early stages of the match. But Nadal grew stronger as the match went on and won it when Djokovic, shaken by a shout from the crowd, double-faulted on championship point. The broiling sun and baking heat took its toll on both players. Djokovic appeared to vomit early in the fourth set, while Nadal grabbed his back on a couple of occasions. Both players were teary during the trophy ceremony. Nadal said: “Days like today, all the things I did to be here were more than (worth it).”

 

SHARAPOVA QUEEN AGAIN

Maria Sharapova felt like a survivor – but a survivor with a title. “This is the toughest Grand Slam final I have ever played,” the Russian said after needing three sets to get past Romania’s Simona Halep in the women’s singles championship. Sharapova now has five Grand Slam tournament titles – two at Roland Garros, one each at the other three – but had until now always won in straight sets. And it wasn’t just in the final. Sharapova was taken to the limit in all of her final four matches, beating, in order, Samantha Stosur, Garbiñe Muguruza and Eugenie Bouchard before Halep. It was the first three-set women’s final at Roland Garros in 13 years. Twelve double-faults were not enough to keep Sharapova from winning in Paris for the second time in three years. Neither was the tremendous defense and surprising grit displayed by Halep, who reached her first Grand Slam tournament final. “I wish I could keep the big (trophy) … I might have to steal it,” Sharapova said after posting her 50th win at the only clay-court major. “There is a reason why I haven’t been to one shop while I have been in Paris. It’s because I want this. I haven’t eaten many macaroons, either. It’s because I want this.” Serving at 4-4 in the third set, Halep was distracted when a Sharapova short was called “out” by a linesman, only to be overruled by the umpire. The Romanian ended up losing the final eight consecutive points and the title.

 

SOMETHING FOR THE HOME TEAM

Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin couldn’t have picked a better place to win their first Grand Slam tournament men’s doubles title. The two defeated Spaniards Marc Lopez and Marcel Granollers 6-3 7-6 (1) to become the first French team to capture the Roland Garros men’s doubles crown since Yannick Noah and Henri Leconte did it in 1984. “It was repeated to us. We knew that before,” Roger-Vasselin said of the history. “We took time to discuss the match from the tactical point of view and also the emotion that we would feel.” It was only the third time that Benneteau and Roger-Vasselin had played together in a Grand Slam tournament. Granollers and Lopez were bidding to become the first Spanish team to win the men’s doubles at Roland Garros since Sergio Casal and Emilio Sanchez captured the 1990 crown.

 

STICKING TOGETHER

Peng Shuai of China and Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan proved their top-seeding wasn’t a fluke when they knocked off the second-seeded due of Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci to grab the women’s doubles title. Peng and Shuai also won the women’s doubles at Wimbledon and the WTA Championships last year, while the Italian pair captured the Australian Open in January. It wasn’t even that close. Errani and Vinci raced to a 3-1 lead in the opening set, but would win just two more games the rest of the day. Hsieh and Peng pinned the Italians behind the baseline with a mixture of aggressive returning a series of precise lobs. “I think at the beginning of the match we were like really, really nervous and tight,” Peng said. “I think they also played really good at the start, but then at some point, when we were 3-1 down, I think we started to relax.” It worked.

 

STANDING TOGETHER

Frenchman Jean-Julien Rojer teamed with Germany’s Anna-Lena Groenefeld to win the mixed doubles title at Roland Garros. The two won a 10-7 match tiebreak after splitting the first two sets with Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia and Julia Goerges of Germany. It was Rojer’s first Grand Slam tournament title and a second for Groenefeld, who teamed with Mark Knowles to win the mixed title at Wimbledon in 2009. “I’m very excited and very happy,” Rojer said. “Prior to this I made, I think, four semifinals. But I was never even in the finals before.” Zimonjic is a regular in the mixed doubles final at Paris, winning in 2006 and 2010 and now with four runner-up finishes.

 

STIRRING UP MEMORIES

Romanian tennis fans had more to cheer about this past week than Simone Halep reaching the women’s singles final at Roland Garros. It’s been a long time since Romania was a power in the sport, but Virginia Ruzici won Roland Garros in 1978 and Iva Majoli in 1997, while Ilie Nastase captured the men’s singles in Paris in 1973 and the US Open in 1972. Both Nastase and his doubles partner, Ion Tiriac, have been inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. While Halep put her winning game on display at Roland Garros, even in a losing effort against Maria Sharapova in the final, she brought back memories of the country’s glorious past. At the same time, in southern France, Alexandra Dulgheru of Romania defeated Sweden’s Johanna Larsson 6-3 7-5 to win the Open Féminin de Marseille, an International Tennis Federation (ITF) event.

 

STARTING YOUNG

Russian tennis is only going to get stronger, if the junior events at Roland Garros are any indication. Russians won both junior singles titles with Darya Kasatkina topping top-seeded Ivana Jorovic of Serbia 6-7 (5) 6-2 6-3 in the girls’ final, while Andrey Rublev stopped Spain’s Jaume Antoni Munar Clar 6-2 7-5 in the boys’ title match. Kasatkina put her game on display as she raced out to leads of 3-0 in the second set and 4-0 in the third. “It was my last junior tournament and I’m happy to finish like that,” Kasatkina said. “I’m starting to play pro tournaments. Rublev is the first Russian to win the boys’ title at Roland Garros since Vladimir Korotkov in 1966.

 

SHARING A SIDE

It will be double duty for Roger Federer at the Gerry Weber Open. A six-time singles champion at Halle, Federer will also play doubles at the grass-court Wimbledon warm-up tournament this week. Federer won’t be a shoo-in to win the singles. Also in the draw are Rafael Nadal, Milos Raonic, Kei Nishikori and two former champions from Germany, Tommy Haas and Philipp Kohlschreiber. Federer will team with fellow Swiss Marco Chiudinelli in the doubles.

 

SET FOR LEGENDS

Martina Navratilova will be on-court and on a trophy bearing her name when she competes in the inaugural WTA Legends tournament when it is played in Singapore in October. The Legends event will be held in conjunction with the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore president by SC Global. Not only with the WTA Finals eight-time singles champion and 11-times doubles champion compete, she will help design the newly named Martina Navratilova WTA Finals Doubles Trophy, which will be awarded to the doubles champions. She also will participate in community young programs aimed at inspiring young girls to play sport. “With more doubles titles than any other player in WTA history, it is fitting to create the WTA Finals Doubles Champion trophy to permanently recognize Martina’s contributions and inspire generations to come,” said WTA Chairman and CEO Stacey Allaster.

 

SIGNS NEW COACH

Andy Murray has a new coach as he heads into defending his Wimbledon title. The Scot will be coached by former women’s number one Amelie Mauresmo, who will join Murray at the Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club this week. Murray is also the defending champion at Queen’s Club. “I’m excited by the possibilities of the new partnership and Amelie is someone I have always looked up to and admired,” Murray said on his website, www.andymurray.com. “She’s faced adversity plenty of times in her career, but was an amazing player and won major titles, including Wimbledon. I have a very strong coaching team already in place, but I think Amelie brings with her experience and tactical expertise and will push us all to improve.” Mauresmo replaces Ivan Lendl, who ended his relationship with Murray in March. With Lendl as coach, Murray won two Grand Slam tournament titles and the men’s singles gold medal at the London Olympics in 2012. The 34-year-old Mauresmo is currently France’s Fed Cup captain and coached Marion Bartoli to her first major title at Wimbledon last year.

 

SEXUAL ASSAULT CHARGES

Bob Hewitt, a former member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame and Grand Slam doubles champion, has been indicted on charges of rape and sexual assault. His trial is scheduled to be held in February near Johannesburg, South Africa. Hewitt’s attorney, Alwyn Griebenow, said his client has denied the two charges of rape and one charge of sexual assault of girls he coached in South Africa decades ago. The Australian-born Hewitt won nine Grand Slam men’s doubles titles and six mixed doubles titles in the 1960s and 1970s, playing occasionally with former stars Arthur Ashe and Billie Jean king. His usual doubles partner was South African Frew McMillan, who with Hewitt was inducted into the tennis shrine in 1992. Hewitt also reached the Australian Open men’s singles semifinals three times and won the Davis Cup with South Africa in 1974 after moving there to live. He was stripped of his membership in the International Tennis Hall of Fame after the Newport, Rhode Island-based institution investigated the allegations of sexual abuse against Hewitt.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Marseille: Lourdes Dominguez Lino and Beatriz Garcia-Vidagany beat Yuliya Beygelzimer and Olga Savchuk 6-1 6-2

Prostejov: Andre Begemann and Lukas Rosol beat Peter Polansky and Adil Shamasdin 6-1 6-2

 

SURFING

Halle: www.gerryweber-open.de

London: www.lta.org.uk

Birmingham: www.lta.org.uk/

Caltanissetta: www.atpcaltanissetta.com/

Eastbourne: www.lta.org.uk/

‘s-Hertogenbosch: www.topshelfopen.nl

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$968,182 Gerry Weber Open, Halle, Germany, grass

$968,182 Aegon Championships, London, Great Britain, grass

$145,021 Citta’ di Caltanissetta, Caltanissetta, Italy, clay

 

WOMEN

$644,900 Aegon Classic, Birmingham, Great Britain, grass

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$686,314 Aegon International, Eastbourne, Great Britain, grass

$581,864 Topshelf Open, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, grass

 

WOMEN

$644,900 Aegon International, Eastbourne, Great Britain, grass

$226,750 Topshelf Open, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, grass

 

Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova

Rafael Nadal Wins Madrid Open with Lots of Help – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Rafael Nadal beat Kei Nishikori 2-6 6-4 3-0 retired to win the Mutua Madrid Open men’s singles in Madrid, Spain

Maria Sharapova beat Simona Halep 1-6 6-2 6-3 to win the Mutua Madrid Open women’s singles in Madrid, Spain

Sharon Fichman beat Timea Bacsinszky 6-2 6-2 to win the Open de Cagnes-Sur-Mer Alpes-Maritimes in Cagnes-Sur-Mer, France

 

SAYING

“Winning at home is always more special than winning anywhere. Having the chance to play in front of your home crowd … is unforgettable for me. This city gives me a lot. This is a very important victory for me.” – Rafael Nadal, after winning the Madrid Open.

“It was very sad, especially as I was winning, playing almost the best tennis in my life. But there is some, you know, good side, too. There is a lot of confidence I get from this tournament.” – Kei Nishikori, who retired with an injury in the third set of the Madrid Open final.

“I was just fighting because if I had the chance I was going to be there to take it.” – Rafael Nadal, admitting Kei Nishikori dominated play through the first 15 games of their title match.

“I didn’t have a great first set today, but I knew it wasn’t over until the last point was played.” – Maria Sharapova, who rallied to win the Madrid Open women’s singles by defeating Simona Halep in three sets.

“I played really well all week and I beat top players and I had a very high level of my tennis. Maria is a great player and a great champion. She played really well, and I think she deserved to win this title. The difference I think is the experience. She has more experience than me.” – Simona Halep, after following her loss to Maria Sharapova.

“This is not the way I wanted this week to end.” – Serena Williams, after pulling out of the Madrid Open because of an injured left thigh.

“Now I’m hurting because I’ve lost a really tough match. … Tomorrow I’ll see it another way. I’ll be more positive. .. It hurts me not being able to be in the final tomorrow.” – David Ferrer, after losing his semifinal to Kei Nishikori.

“I was thinking ‘OK, I’m going to play until I’m 30 and then I’m going to quit.’ But then comes the moment when you’re 25 and you wake up one day and it’s like. ‘OK, I cannot go anymore. I cannot suffer.’” – Dinara Safina, announcing she has officially retired from the WTA tour.

 

SLIM WIN WITH HELP

Two games from victory, Kei Nishikori’s back injury resurfaced and Rafael Nadal ended up winning his second straight Mutua Madrid Open. After taking the first set 6-2, Nishikori was up a break in the second and serving at 4-3 when he pulled up clutching his back. Nadal broke Nishikori to pull even as the Japanese 10th seed failed to win another game. At 3-0 in the final set, Nishikori could barely walk to the net to shake hands with the Spanish champion.  “It was my hip and actually everywhere after the second set, my legs were hurting too much, Nishikori said. Nadal took advantage of the injury, capturing his 63rd career title and 44th on clay, just two short of the all-time record of 46 held by Guillermo Vilas. The win also increased Nadal’s record to 27 Masters titles. Even Nadal admitted Nishikori was dominant through the first 15 games of the match. “There was some moments where, I don’t know, I couldn’t find myself,” Nadal said. “It wasn’t that I didn’t want to play or I was missing intensity, I was just mentally blocked. When you’re blocked, you just need a spark to go out there and compete again.” The spark came when Nishikori suffered the injury. “I’m very sorry for Nishikori,” Nadal said. “He’s an unbelievable player that will fight to be in London (at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals). I am sure of that. I really hope that the injury is not too bad and he will be able to compete in Roland Garros.” Nadal was presented with the winner’s trophy by Queen Sofía of Spain. “Even though I think that today I did a not so good first set, I think I did a great tournament,” Nadal said. “This is the reality of the situation.”

With his 63 career titles, Nadal is now sixth on the Open Era list, one behind Pete Sampras and Bjorn Borg.

 

SOARING

Japan’s Kei Nishikori has put the tennis world on notice: Consider him a strong contender for a Grand Slam tournament title. While a back injury cost him the victory at the Madrid Open, the clay court tournament showed that Nishikori is ready to make the next step to the top of the rankings. By reaching his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final, Nishikori is the first Japanese man ever to rank in the Top 10 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and the first Asian male since Thailand’s Paradorn Srichaphan in March 2004. Nishikori secured the ranking with a marathon win over David Ferrer in the semifinals, needing just under three hours and 10 match points to edge his Spanish opponent 7-6 (5) 5-7 6-3. That was Nishikori’s 14th straight win, including a semifinal in Miami where he was forced to pull out prior to the match. The 24-year-old right-hander won his first ATP World Tour clay-court title two weeks ago at the Barcelona Open. The back injury that caused Nishikori to retire in the final also had troubled him in both his quarterfinal and semifinal matches. Still, he came away from the week feeling confident. “It’s going to be very exciting at (Roland Garros) because I’ve never felt like this on clay,” he said. “I’m very confident of whatever I hit going for winners. I can hit from either side – forehand or backhand – so it’s a very good feeling that I have on clay right now.”

 

SHARAPOVA VICTORIOUS

Shaking off a slow start, Maria Sharapova overpowered Simona Halep to win the Madrid Open women’s singles. Sharapova has now posted a 47-3 record on clay since the 2011 French Open, with all three losses administered by Serena Williams. Sharapova held her serve just once in the opening set as she hit four double-faults. But the Russian’s ground strokes began finding the corners and lines, keeping her opponent running from side to side. Sharapova converted both of her break points in the second set to level the match, then was never really challenged in the decisive set. “I don’t know how I pulled it off,” Sharapova said of capturing her 32nd career title and second of 2014. “In the first set I wasn’t doing much to hurt her, and that’s the tennis she’s capable of playing. I knew I had to do some different things after the first set to win this match.” That, she did. Sharapova is a perfect 11-0 on clay courts this year and will rise to seventh in the world on the new WTA Rankings. “I don’t take these moments for granted because I know what it’s like to be out and injured and trying to find your way back just to play tennis,” said Sharapova, who has had her career disrupted several times by injury.

 

SWISS PAIR – AGAIN

Apparently having twins was a winning move for Roger Federer the first time. The Swiss master, who has won numerous titles more than once in his career, had twins again, this time two boys to go with the two girls his wife Mirka gave birth to four years ago. “Twins again … miracle, Federer wrote on his Facebook page when he announced the new additions to his family. Federer’s agent, Tony Godsick, confirmed to The Associated Press that the baby boys – named Leo and Lenny – were born in Zurich, Switzerland. Earlier in the week Federer withdrew from the Madrid Open in order to be with Mirka when she gave birth. Godsick said the 17-time Grand Slam tournament champion intends to enter the French Open, which begins May 25, and could possibly play this week’s ATP World Tour event in Rome, Italy. “Roger has plans to play the French Open, and he’ll take it step-by-step as to what he plays before that,” Godsick said.

 

STOPPING THE BRYANS

Brothers Bob and Mike Bryan ran into a familiar foe – and this time the foe won. Daniel Nester and Nenad Zimonjic beat the American twins to capture the Mutua Madrid Open doubles, their second title since reuniting at the start of the 2014 season. It was the winning pair’s 26th ATP World Tour team title and snapped the Bryans’ 24-match win streak. Nestor, a 41-year-old Canadian, has now won 84 tour-level titles, third best in the Open Era behind Mike Bryan, who has captured 100 titles, and Bob Bryan, who has 98. Zimonjic, a 37-year-old Serbian, won his 51st tour-level title.

 

SERENA OUT

Serena Williams halted her bid for a third straight Madrid Open title when she withdrew from the quarterfinals of the clay court tournament because of a left thigh injury. The American had her thigh heavily bandaged in her earlier matches. Williams was injured during her first-round victory over Belinda Bencic. And while she showed signs of improvement during her following two matches, she announced her withdrawal before she was to take on Petra Kvitova in the quarterfinals. “I have a left thigh injury and, unfortunately, have to withdraw from this year’s Mutua Madrid Open,” Williams said. “It happened during my first round match. It started to get better, but most importantly right now, I just need some time to rest and recover. It’s beyond words. It’s so frustrating. We couldn’t ask for a better tournament and I love it here in Madrid. I love being a champion here.”

Serena continues to pile up the numbers in her career. When she beat Carla Suárez Navarro, Williams became the 11th player in WTA history to reach 650 career match wins – just one behind her older sister, Venus Williams. And Serena continued her brilliant history against Spaniards. She has won her last 29 matches against Spanish players and hasn’t lost since she retired with an arm injury in Berlin against Hall of Famer Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in 1999 – 15 years ago.

 

SPANIARDS STOPPED

Two Spanish players parlayed their wild card entry into the Mutua Madrid Open into a run to the doubles final. That’s when they ran into an unstoppable Italian pair. Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci ended the surprising run of Garbiñe Muguruza and Carla Suárez Navarro 6-4 6-3 to take their third WTA doubles title of the year. “Tonight was a very tough match,” Vinci admitted. “Garbiñe and Carla are tough opponents and they had a great week. This is the second time we have won the title here in Madrid and are glad we could finish the week with another trophy.” The Italians now have 19 WTA doubles titles, including four Grand Slam tournament crowns. Muguruza and Suárez Navarro beat a slew of seeded teams to reach the final, including the top-seeded pair of Hsieh Su-Wei and Peng Shuai.

 

SU-WEI SOARS

In the WTA’s new doubles rankings, Hsieh Su-Wei has joined her partner Peng Shuai as co-world number ones. Earlier this year Peng became the first player from China ever to hold a world number-one ranking in tennis, male or female, singles or doubles. Now Hsieh achieves the same feat for Chinese Taipei. “Reaching number one in the world is a great feeling,” Hsieh said. “We have been working really hard as a team. I was very proud of Peng reached number one earlier this year and now I am happy we can share it.” They are the 10th team ever to become co-world number ones in doubles in the WTA rankings.

 

SOUND WRIST?

Novak Djokovic says he’s ready to return to work. The Serbian right-hander said his right wrist has been pain-free for 10 days and he plans on playing in this week’s Italian Open. “Right now I feel much more confident at the state of my wrist and I know that I’m ready much more to play a match than I was one week ago,” Djokovic said while practicing in Rome with Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka.  When Djokovic lost to Roger Federer in the Monte Carlo Masters semifinals last month, his wrist was heavily taped. “It’s a wiser decision if you try to heal it 100 percent than 50 percent and compromise the next weeks,” Djokovic said. “The second time that it comes back it becomes a chronic injury, which you definitely don’t want to have.  From now on I will be extra careful about my wrist.”

 

SURLY SCENE

It was not the best of days for Fabio Fognini. The Italian’s frustration boiled over after he blew a 4-2 lead in the first set of a three-set loss to Alexandr Dolgopolov in the opening round of the Madrid Open. When he was given a code violation for ball abuse after he slammed a ball out of the stadium, Fognini argued that he should have only received a warning because it was his first offense. But chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani said he gave the player a code violation because he hit the ball out of the stadium. That prompted Fognini to tell Lahyani, “You have to think (with) your mind sometimes. I know that’s difficult for you.” After losing the first set, Fognini smashed his racquet and called for the trainer for a hip injury. But the ATP trainer refused to treat the playing because it was a pre-existing injury. Fognini then turned his ire toward some fans and asked Lahyani to summon security. Later he expressed his displeasure when the umpire agreed with an out call. When the match ended, Fognini had words with Lahyani during the handshake.

 

SAFINA STOPS

Remember Dinara Safina? Well, once ranked number one in the world, Safina has officially announced her retirement from professional tennis. The Russian hasn’t played since nagging back injuries forced her away from the WTA tour three years ago. She won 12 WTA titles, but no Grand Slam tournaments, although she reached the title match at the 2008 French Open, the 2009 Australian Open and the 2009 French Open. Her biggest title came at the inaugural Mutua Madrid Open in 2009. Ironically, her last match was also in Madrid, when she lost in an early round in 2011. Dinara and her brother, Marat Safin, are the only brother-sister to both reach the number-one world ranking.

 

SET FOR PARIS

A former world number one junior, Taylor Townsend will make her Grand Slam tournament main draw debut at Roland Garros in May. The American won the Har-Tru USTA Pro Circuit Wild Card Challenge when she reached the final of the USTA Pro Circuit event in Indian Harbour Beach, Florida, USA. Townsend, a four-time junior Grand Slam tournament champion, won the Florida tournament. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) and the French Tennis Federation have a reciprocal agreement in which wild cards into the 2014 French and US Opens are exchanged. Robby Ginepri, who last competed in the French Open in 2010, won the men’s wild card into the clay-court event.

 

SIGNED UP

Lleyton Hewitt, who won Wimbledon in 2002, Marin Cilic and Ernests Gulbis have signed to play at this year’s AEGON Championships, a Wimbledon warm-up event. They join reigning Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, Tomas Berdych and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the strong field, which also includes Grigor Dimitrov and Alex Dolgopolov. Also entered in the The Queen’s Club tournament are 2010 champion Sam Querrey, 2007 runner-up Nicolas Mahut and Australian Bernard Tomic. Murray is seeking to join Andy Roddick, Hewitt, John McEnroe and Boris Becker as the only four-time winners of the grass-court event.

 

SHOOTING DEATHS

A man fatally shot his wife and two teenage children before setting their house and fire and then shooting himself, according to police in Tampa, Florida, USA. The house where the family lived was owned by former tennis star James Blake. The family was found dead in the burning home. Blake was not believed to be in Florida at the time. Authorities identified the dead as Darrin Campbell, his wife Kimberly Campbell and their teenage children, Megan and Colin. Hillsborough County sheriff’s Col. Donna Lusczynski said investigators don’t know Darrin Campbell’s motive. Blake starred at Harvard before breaking into professional tennis. Ranked as high as fourth in the world in November 2006, Blake retired from the ATP World Tour last year.

 

STEPPING DOWN?

Caroline Wozniacki is hinting that she may soon retire from the WTA tour and begin to have children. Once ranked number one in the world, Wozniacki was quoted by a London magazine as saying she wants to start a family with fiancée Rory McIlroy, one of the world’s top golfers. “I want to be a relatively young mother, and I don’t see it as being too far in the future,” the Danish player was quoted as saying by Lime magazine. “Therefore I have no dream to make my mark. Instead, I enjoy economic freedom my hard work has given me.” The right-hander, who will turn 24 in July and is currently ranked 14th in the world, and McIlroy announced their engagement on January 1 this year.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Cagnes-Sur-Mer: Kiki Bertens and Johanna Larsson beat Tatiana Bua and Daniela Seguel 7-6 (4) 6-4

Madrid (men): Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic beat Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan 6-4 6-2

Madrid (women): Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci beat Garbiñe Muguruza and Carla Suárez Navarro 6-4 6-3

 

SURFING

Bordeaux: www.atp-primrosebordeaux.com/

Rome: www.internazionalibnlditalia.com/

Prague: www.expoprag.cz

Nice: www.opennicecotedazur.com/

Düsseldorf: www.world-team-cup.com/

Nürnberg: www.nuernberger-versicherungscup.de/

Strasbourg: www.internationaux-strasbourg.fr/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$4,000,610 Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Rome, Italy, clay

$117,882 BNP Paribas Primrose, Bordeaux, France, clay

 

WOMEN

$2,328,050 Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Rome, Italy, clay

$100,000 Sparta Prague Open, Prague, Czech Republic, clay

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$668,279 Open de Nice Côte d’Azur, Nice, France, clay

$643,571 Düsseldorf Open, Düsseldorf, Germany, clay

 

WOMEN

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

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

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal

Roger Federer Wins 77th Career Title, His First in 2013 – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

STARS

Roger Federer beat Mikhail Youzhny 6-7 (5) 6-3 6-4 to win the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany

Andy Murray beat Marin Cilic 5-7 7-5 6-3 to win The Aegon Championships in London, Great Britain

Simona Halep beat Andrea Petkovic 6-3 6-3 to win the Nürnberger Versicherungscup in Nürnberg, Germany

Daniela Hantuchova beat Donna Vekic 7-6 (5) 6-4 to win The Aegon Classic in Birmingham, Great Britain

SAYING

Roger Federer returns to the winner’s circle in Halle

“I thought I played well from the start and I really had to fight for it, in the semis against Tommy Haas and in the finals against Mikhail Youzhny. I think I did well today and they are exactly the kind of wins I need at this part of the season.” – Roger Federer, after capturing his first title of the year.

“The difference was that he was better today – he’s been better all his life.” – Mikhail Youzhny, who lost to Roger Federer in the final at Halle.

“He’s one of the best grass court players in the world. Me and Marin, we have played against each other since the juniors and we have had a lot of close matches and tight matches. I was lucky to come through in the end because he was playing great tennis, especially towards the end of the second set and I got a little bit lucky at the end of that set.” – Andy Murray, who beat Marin Cilic to win the title at Queen’s Club.

“It was a great match from both sides, a great level of tennis. Andy showed he is capable of coming back; he’s a great fighter. Congratulations to him for a great week. It was an extremely great week for me. I enjoyed all my matches. It wasn’t easy. I had some tough fights.” – Marin Cilic.

“It feels great to finally get the title. The first week on grass is always really demanding on the body, so I’m proud of how I made it through so many long matches throughout the week. And when I really needed to, I was tough mentally. I’ve been playing here since ’99, I think – it was about time I got the title.” – Daniela Hantuchova, after winning at Birmingham, Great Britain.

“I have mixed emotions right now. I can’t be happy after losing a match, but it was a great week for me and I’m happy I could reach the finals. And I gave it my all today – maybe it wasn’t my best tennis, but it was the best I could do today, and Daniela was just the better player out there.” – Donna Vekic, following her loss to Daniela Hantuchova at Birmingham, Great Britain.

“It is something that right now seems light-years away, something that I am not even thinking about.” – Rafael Nadal, when asked about matching Federer’s record 17 Grand Slam tournament titles.

“Ten years ago I went into Wimbledon with so much pressure, even though I had lost in the first round the year before. In terms of needing to prove my point that I was a legitimate Grand Slam contender, I had incredible pressure. Now, 10 years later, I know Wimbledon, I know Halle, I know my way around and what I need to do to perform well. I’m going in with pressure because I’m defending my title. There’s always pressure because it’s a privilege to play at Wimbledon and I want to do so, so well.” – Roger Federer.

“Always having a title you feel happy, especially one week away from Wimbledon. It’s the first tournament on grass this year and to win it gives us confidence.” – Santiago Gonzalez, after teaming with Scott Lipsky to win the Gerry Weber Open doubles.

“I think it is disappointing for a serve-and-volley player to go down like this. It shows also how easy it is to hit passing shots or returns today.” – Roger Federer, after beating Mischa Zverev 6-0 6-0 in the Gerry Weber Open quarterfinals.

“Andrea beat me in Romania a few years ago and I’m happy I could win against her here today. She played great and the atmosphere was great. It’s an unbelievable feeling to win my first WTA title.” – Simona Halep, who beat Andrea Petkovic in the final of the Nürnberger Versicherungscup.

“There are definitely more positives than negatives. The good thing is Simona made it a little easier for me to get over the loss because she played such an incredible match. She played an almost perfect match, especially after she found her rhythm in the middle of the first set. I wasn’t playing my best tennis, but even if I was playing my best tennis, it would be a very, very tough call.” – Andrea Petkovic.

“There is no one leader. If there is a guy playing better than the other, he doesn’t try to be the leader. Because that is not good. You don’t want to feel that your brother is carrying you.” – Mike Bryan, on how he and brother Bob play winning doubles.

“As twins, you see your twin as an equal. You don’t want to feel like you are dominating. When one of us starts to talk and bosses the other around, that is a negative for us. It is better in big moments, when we don’t say too much.” – Bob Bryan.

“I love playing as many weeks on grass as possible. Yeah, that’s why the Olympics and playing Newport (Rhode Island, USA) last year was so special to me because I could play a bigger chunk of tournaments. I think it’s a unique surface. There are certain players that play really well on it.” – Lleyton Hewitt, who is second only to Roger Federer in number of match wins on grass among active players.

“Happy Father’s Day to our awesome Dad back home in California. He is the reason we fell in love with this game so many years ago.” – Bob Bryan.

STILL WINNING

Halle, Germany, seemed as good a place as any for Roger Federer to return to the winner’s circle. Federer used the grass-court tournament to prepare for his defense of his Wimbledon title by rallying from a set down to beat Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny and capture his first title of 2013. “I have won a lot in my career but not recently,” said Federer, who hadn’t won since August 2012 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. “I am happy it worked for me today.” Youzhny played brilliantly and matched Federer with hammering ground strokes. Federer took home the Gerry Weber Open title for the sixth time after playing for two hours, 2 minutes. It was his 77th career title, tying him with John McEnroe for third place in the career titles list behind Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl. “I was satisfied with my game in the past 10 months,” Federer said. “Maybe people thought I was playing badly. That was not the case. I was playing well but when it mattered the others were just better. Today it worked well.”

STRONG AGAIN

Andy Murray overcame an opening-set groin strain and a strong performance by defending champion Marin Cilic to win his third Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club. In gaining his 27th career singles title, Murray rallied to defeat Cilic 5-7 7-6 6-3. It was his first tournament since he withdrew from the French Open with a back injury. “I worked very hard in the time that I had off to try and get myself in the best shape possible,” Murray said. The winner screamed in agony in the eighth game of the match when his foot slipped on the grass and he strained his groin. He continued to play without treatment. “It was just a bit sore on the groin area, but thankfully it wasn’t too bad,” Murray said. Murray also won the Wimbledon warm-up tournament in 2009 and 2011, and became the sixth player to win Queen’s Club three or more times.

SLOVAKIAN CHAMPION

Daniela Hantuchova was the experienced veteran and ranked higher. She was supposed to win, considering her opponent in the final was 16-year-old Donna Vekic. But even in defeat Vekic showed she could be the face of the future on the WTA tour. “This was my second WTA final and I’m still only 16,” said Vekic, the youngest player in the top 350 in the rankings. “Things have gone fast so far in my career, but I’m hoping when I make my third final I will win it. But it’s been a great week, considering it was my first grass-court event on the WTA Tour. Now I’m really looking forward to Wimbledon” where she will be making her main draw debut. The 30-year-old Hantuchova captured her sixth career title, her first since Pattaya City, Thailand, in February. This was her first win in three grass-court finals, having been runner-up in Eastbourne, Great Britain, in 2004, and Birmingham, Great Britain, in 2011.

SIMONA VICTORIOUS

Playing in the fourth final of her career, Simona Halep finally came away with the big trophy. The Romanian never lost her serve as she bested former top-10 player Andrea Petkovic at the Nürnberger Versicherungscup for her first WTA title. “This is a very nice win for me, and this is a very nice tournament,” Halep said. “I’ll never forget this.” Halep became the eighth Romanian ever to win a WTA title, joining Virginia Ruzici, Irina Spirlea, Ruxandra Drogomir Ilie, Sorana Cirstea, Alexandra Dulgheru, Irina-Camelia Begu and Monica Niculescu. Petkovic entered the tournament as a wild card. Despite the defeat, her confidence is high as she heads to Wimbledon, where she received a wild card into the main draw. “Everybody knows that grass and me haven’t become a love romance yet,” Petkovic said. “But I’m working on it. A few candlelight dinners with the grass and we’ll see.” The German has never made it past the third round at Wimbledon.

SECOND DOUBLE BAGEL

Roger Federer was perfect in his quarterfinal match at the Gerry Weber Open. And it was Mischa Zverev who paid the price. The Swiss master posted only his second career double bagel as he blanked Zverev 6-0 6-0 at the Gerry Weber Open. “It’s not something which is easy to do,” Federer said. “You never go into a match aiming for that score. I was very surprised that it happened, especially on grass.” It took just 39 minutes for Federer to close out his easy win. “I hope he doesn’t take it too badly,” Federer said. “I just had a pretty easy time picking up his serve, and I must have made a ton of returns.” He got his first double bagel against Gaston Gaudio at the 2005 Masters Cup in Shanghai, China, and said the only time he lost a match without winning a game was his first match at the age of 8. Zverev was philosophical about the beating. “I’d rather lost 6-0 6-0 to Roger in a quarterfinal” than to a qualifier in the second round,” Zverev said. “At least there is something to talk about later.”

SHOWING IMPROVEMENT

On her way to the final of the WTA event in Nürnberg, Germany, Andrea Petkovic upset top-seeded Jelena Jankovic. Both players received wild card entries into the tournament. Petkovic had missed months of action due to various injuries. Once ranked in the top 10, she had dropped to 103rd in the world. “I am glad my body has allowed me to play tennis again,” Petkovic said. “It was also mentally important for me to play such a match against a top-20 player.’” Serving for the match at 5-3, Petkovic lost the first three points, falling to a 0-40 deficit. But her Serb opponent produced error after error, giving Petkovic the victory.

SOUTHERN CAL OPEN PARTNER

Tonic by Martina Hingis has been named the Official Clothing Partner of the Southern California Open, a WTA Premier 700 event that will be held July 27-August 4 in Carlsbad, California, USA. The youngest Grand Slam tournament champion of this era and the youngest player to be ranked number one in the world, Hingis will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame next month. She is collaborating with Tonic to create her own signature tennis collection. The pieces were created for the high intensity movements of tennis.

SIGNED UP

Serbia’s top two female players – Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic – along with Italy’s Flavia Pennetta have announced they will be play in the Southern California Open, a major stop on the Emirates Airline US Open Series calendar. Others in the field include reigning Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka and 2012 Wimbledon finalist Agnieszka Radwanska. The 28th edition of the Southern California Open will be played at the La Costa Resort and Spa.

SICK BAY

Gael Monfils has pulled out of Wimbledon for “personal reasons.” The 26-year-old Frenchman has just returned to action after being sidelined with a knee injury. He said he withdrew his request for a Wimbledon wild card because he had to deal with a personal problem that could not be delayed. He didn’t elaborate. Once ranked as high as seventh in the world, Monfils fell to 119th in the ATP rankings before rebounding to 67th following a series of good results.

SPOTS SECURED

Rafael Nadal has already earned a spot in the Barclay’s ATP World Tour Finals, which will be held in London on November 4-11. Since returning from a knee injury that sidelined him for seven months, Nadal has reached the final in all of the nine events he has played, winning seven titles, including a record eighth French Open crown. While Nadal is currently fifth in the world rankings, he is first in the current Race standings and guaranteed a top-eight finish and end-of-season showpiece event. Nadal missed last year’s World Tour Finals due to the knee injury that also forced him out of the London Olympics, the US Open and this year’s Australian Open. He has qualified for the ATP World Tour Finals for nine straight yeas. In 2010, Nadal lost to Roger Federer in the title match.

Also qualifying for the season-ending event are brothers Bob and Mike Bryan, the world’s top-ranked doubles team. The 35-year-old American twins are three-time ATP World Tour Finals champions, winning in 2003-04 and 2009. The Bryans have qualified for the season finale for the 12th consecutive year. They are trying to finish the season ranked number one in the world for a ninth time and fifth consecutive season.

SUSPENDED

Yannick Ebbinghaus of the Netherlands has been suspended for six months and fined USD $10,000 for violating tennis’s betting rules. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said the 23-year-old Ebbinghaus admitted to 67 violations between May 2012 and February 2013. The ITF said he can cut three months off his suspension if he commits no future violations and attends anti-corruption education training. If Ebbinghaus cooperates with the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) in educating others about the ban on betting, half of his fine will be waived. Under tennis rules, players are prohibited from betting on matches.

SISTERS AND SELES

Sisters Venus and Serena Williams will play a doubles exhibition match against Monica Seles and Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard to kick off the Rogers Cup competition in Toronto, Canada. The match will be played August 5 on the opening night of the week-long WTA tournament. A member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Seles will be returning to Toronto for the first time since she was inducted into the Rogers Cup Hall of Fame in 2009. She won the Rogers Cup in 1995 following a two-year absence from the sport after being stabbed by a spectator at a match in Hamburg, Germany. Bouchard won the Wimbledon junior girls singles in 2012. The Williams sisters had received a wild card into the French Open women’s doubles, but withdrew because of an injury suffered by Venus.

STILL REMEMBERED

They remember Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon. Still reaping the fruits of his record 11-hour, 5-minute marathon match against John Isner in 2010, Mahut has been given a wild card into this year’s tournament. Mahut lost the first-round match 70-68 in the fifth set. He currently is ranked 224th in the world and could not have entered the main draw without a wild card. The 31-year-old Mahut teamed with fellow Frenchman Michael Llodra to reach the French Open doubles where they lost to American brothers Bob and Mike Bryan.

SINGLES ACHIEVEMENT

Thanks to four rain delays, it took more than five hours before Sam Querrey was able to wrap up his 200th career singles victory. That came on the American’s 7-6 (11) 5-7 7-6 (5) win over Aljaz Bedene in the second round at the Queen’s Club grass-court tournament in London, Great Britain. Querrey saved a match point at 6-5 before winning the tiebreaker and wrapping up the victory. Bedene fell hard while hitting a cross-court forehand winner. He received medical attention but was not injured.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Birmingham: Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua beat Cara Black and Marina Erakovic 7-5 6-4

Halle: Scott Lipsky and Santiago Gonzalez beat Daniele Bracciali and Jonathan Erlich 6-2 7-6 (3)

London: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares 4-6 7-5 10-3 (match tiebreak)

Nürnberg: Raluca Olaru and Valeria Solovyeva beat Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Kveta Peschke 2-6 7-6 (3) 11-9 (match tiebreak)

SURFING

Eastbourne: www.lta.org.uk/

‘s-Hertogenbosch: www.topshelfopen.nl/

Wimbledon: www.wimbledon.com

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK
(All money in USD)

MEN

$618,000 Aegon International, Eastbourne, Great Britain, grass
$541,600 Topshelf Open, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, grass

WOMEN

$637,000 Aegon International, Eastbourne, Great Britain, grass
$235,000 Topshelf Open, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, grass

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN and WOMEN

The Championships, Wimbledon, Great Britain, grass (first week)