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sony ericsson open

Novak Djokovic beats Rafael Nadal in gold-mine Key Biscayne final

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Maybe it wasn’t a classic, but it was just about everything else you could have hoped for in a Masters 1000 championship match and, if there is a broader tableau, it was visual evidence why men’s tennis right now is three full notches above the women’s game for drama, quality and story lines.

Novak Djokovic’s 26th consecutive victory (he’s 24-0 for the 2011 season) was reduced, as well it should have been, to a third-set tiebreak, which he won with a crackling forehand to the corner, well out of Rafael Nadal’s reach.

The final count in the Sony Ericsson Open final: 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4). Just like the Indian Wells 1000 final, where Rafa won the first set but lost the war.

Novak Djokovic wins the Sony Ericsson Open 2011

Here’s why this match was a gold mine:

  • It further authenticated Djokovic’s position as — at least right now — the best player in tennis, though the rankings on Monday will continue to show Nadal at No. 1 and Nole at No. 2.
  • Unlike the Indian Wells final, where Nadal contributed a boatload of service points with perhaps his worst serving game since his rise to the top of tennis, there were no significant contributions in this match. Djokovic needed to take the points, not have them handed to him, and he did.
  • Tension? More than enough, especially as the two men worked hard in extremely hot, extremely humid conditions down the homestretch of the final set. There were no breaks in the third set, but those last six games, before the tiebreak, you were hanging on every point, looking for one or the other to slip into position for a break point. It never happened.
  • We got three hours and 22 minutes of outstanding tennis from the two best players in the game.
  • The two men, as close as tennis adversaries can be off-court, got primo crowd support from some very noisy and very into-it fans at this second most important tennis tournament in the United States.
  • One last point. This sets up the clay court run-up to the French Open, beginning this week. Although Nadal holds a 9-0 edge over Djokovic on clay, who knows where we go from here. It’s obviously a new day in men’s tennis, and Djokovic has more than enough clay court skills to win Roland Garros. That doesn’t make him an early favorite, but it still presents a fascinating next six weeks.

The tiebreak started haltingly with neither player able to win a service point until Djokovic nosed ahead 4-2 when Rafa’s backhand return came up short and Djokovic immediately forced an error with his first ground stroke of the point.

There’s little doubt in my mind that probably at some moment late in the third set, Nadal was fading physically a bit. Not enough to keep him from racing to net to win a point in the tiebreak, but he just didn’t seem to be reacting as quickly on service returns. By degree, he had lost his quick twitch movement.

He also had abandoned his early game plan of crowding the baseline to take Nole’s services early, which was designed to keep Djokovic from seizing immediate command of the rallies. He was now standing well back of the baseline, even on second serves, and, in the deuce court, he nearly had both feet in the extension of the doubles alley.

That didn’t cause Djokovic one moment of consternation. On match point at 6-4 in the tiebreak, with Nadal protecting his backhand side, Nole went there anyway with his first serve and Rafa could muster only a short return. One sweep of Djokovic’s forehand from well inside the court and it was over.

Statistically, this match was won on second serve returns, where Djokovic rolled up a considerable edge.

Djokovic is taking a week off before playing his hometown tournament. Surprise. That would be Monte Carlo, not Belgrade, though he’ll be in Serbia for that clay court tournament as well. He’ll play four clay events before the French — those two, Madrid and Rome.

Unless he comes down with exhaustion, Nadal also will be at Monte Carlo, then play Barcelona, Madrid and Rome before the French.

This gripper of a final was in sharp contrast to the 6-1, 6-4 women’s final, in which Victoria Azarenka defeated Maria Sharapova.

Women’s tennis right now is searching for a focal point with the Williams sisters gone. Sharapova is doing her part by finally playing closer to her pre-injury standard. But after more than a year, it’s very questionable if she’ll ever return to the form that won three Slams.

Meanwhile, Kim Clljsters is still a solid drawing card, but she’s retiring at the end of the season (again) and she didn’t have a good Key Biscayne tournament.

The men, on the other hand, are at the cusp, it seems, of a new era if Djokovic plays even close to this level for the rest of the year. Nadal is, well, Nadal. Federer can still play elite tennis. And there is Juan Martin Del Potro, who — step by step — is regaining the form that won the U.S. Open a couple years ago.

Rafael Nadal trumps Roger Federer in a quickie in Key Biscayne

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There wasn’t anything arcane about Rafa Nadal’s victorious game plan this evening: Get on Roger Federer’s backhand, stay on his backhand and keep beating the ball to his backhand side until he breaks down completely.

The only real surprise was in how quickly the breakdown was effected. By the sixth game of the 36-minute opening set, the grim look on Federer’s face said this Sony Ericsson Open semifinal might be a quickie.

And it was as Nadal re-asserted his dominance 6-3, 6-2 over the man some think is the greatest player in the annals of tennis.

Rafael Nadal

It’s one thing to walk on court determined to pin Federer to his backhand side. It’s another matter entirely to execute that game plan, but Nadal did it with near perfection.

In the first set, Nadal was 16-2 on serve and all but two of those 18 deliveries went to Federer’s backhand side, and none to his forehand in the deuce court. Nadal didn’t have an ace in this match, but don’t be fooled. He was in complete command of his service.

Federer failed to return six of the 18 service points in the opening set and a few that he did return were so short or were popped up so badly that it left Nadal in complete command of the short rallies.

And, even as he took control, he just kept pounding on Federer’s backhand — not only with services, but with high-bouncing cross-court forehands that repeatedly flummoxed Federer.

Unable to rely on his backhand, Federer tried to make adjustments, but several times as he tried to dodge the backhand side to hit forehands, he mistimed shots or was late setting up and committed costly errors.

He was awful. He had 38 unforced errors and 20 winners. He was less than 50 percent efficient at the net. In the second set he shanked a forehand into the stands. He let a lob that landed on the baseline drift on him and he slammed the overhead into the net. He missed half-volleys he once could make effortlessly. And one of his first serves to the ad court was so wild it landed about an inch or two from the doubles sideline.

He looked, quite frankly, very ordinary.

After watching one of Federer’s worst performances in a Masters Series 1000 tournament, no one could have been surprised on match point when he had a gimme forehand well inside the baseline and laced it into the net.

Nadal, meanwhile, was brilliant on offense and defense and he played highly disciplined tennis. He has in the last two seasons developed an excellent serve down the T on the ad side as a counterpoint to his usual lefty slice to the ad court corner, and he often uses it to keep opponents from cheating to their left to cover the wide serves.

But he wasn’t going down the middle in this match. It wasn’t in the game plan. He was riveted to Federer’s backhand side and that’s where he kept it.

Nadal’s victory sends him into the final Sunday against Novak Djokovic, who kept his 2011 win streak alive with a 6-3, 6-1, rain-interrupted win over Mardy Fish.

This was the 23rd time Nadal has played Federer, and he has now won 15 of those matches as well as seven of the last nine. Moreover, Nadal now holds a 7-3 lead over Federer in Masters 1000 events and, probably most telling in their rivalry, Nadal has won the last three times they’ve met in Grand Slam finals — those three wins on different surfaces (clay, hard and grass).

For Federer, it was another major event without a title. He’s still good enough to reach the final days of big tournaments, but there is a championship drought. He has gone four Slams without a title and has won only one (Cincinnati) of his last 11 Masters 1000 tournaments.

Why Novak Djokovic is the best returner in tennis

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It was the opening point of the fifth game of the Indian Wells semifinal 12 days ago, and here was a quintessential example of why Novak Djokovic is the best returner in tennis.

Roger Federer had hit one of those perfectly placed, half-slice serves about an inch inside the sideline — a ball that does not come back against 99.9 percent of the players on the ATP Tour.

But there was Djokovic, his body already into an extreme lean a split-second after the serve was hit, and his racket so fully extended that he struck the return from beyond the doubles sideline. Not just struck it, but returned it with enough pace that Federer didn’t have a gimme second shot.

Novak Djokovic

Even though Federer’s back-up ground stroke had plenty of pace to the backhand corner, there was Novak, a bit off-balance from a mad dash but with sufficient power in his wrists to lash a cross-court pass for the winner.

David Ferrer? Great service returner. Very quick-twitch feet. Nikolay Davydenko? Superb serve returner. Makes you work for every point. Rafa Nadal? Well, what needs to be said about his returning.

But if you had to pick out just one player who is, today, the best returner in tennis, it’s Djokovic, who is, with very little doubt, also the toughest man to ace on the ATP Tour.

How tough? Federer had just one ace in that Indian Wells semifinal — an unheard of number for the former No. 1 player. One ace in a three-set match in which Federer had 13 service games.

In three matches this year against Djokovic, all losses, Federer has served 39 games for 11 aces.

A lot has been written about Djokovic’s precise serving, his court coverage and his metronomic ground stroking — all key facets of his game. But, for me, the single ingredient that has separated him from the pack in 2011 is his returning.

The inability to get free points off this guy not only makes him a threat to break in almost every opponent’s service game, but there is the added intimidation of his victims.

In the Indian Wells final, Nadal had perhaps the worst serving match since ascending to tennis’ elite — under 50 percent first serves in as he tried to pump up the speed to compensate for Novak’s returning. He lost in three sets.

The art of the service return doesn’t make too many TV sports replay segments, but if you value highly the more significant skills in tennis, you need to spend time watching Nole at work against a top server.

Wednesday at the Sony Ericsson Open, for example, Djokovic held tall, power-serving Kevin Anderson, who had 37 aces for the tournament coming into the match, to just four. And the first was, in fact, a fault which, for some odd reason, Nole refused to challenge.

It’s not just warding off aces that makes him the best returner in the game. Getting a racket on the ball is only one part of the equation, along with getting the ball into play and getting it back deep enough to get into the point. Djokovic has that entire package.

He’s had some matches this year in which he gave up a significant number of aces, but it was to players who are capable of rolling up big numbers on a hot-serving day. Tomas Berdych had nine aces against Nole at Dubai a few weeks ago and Feliciano Lopez had seven in the same tournament.

Two of the biggest servers in the game are Ivo Karlovic and Andy Roddick. Djokovic last played Ivo three years ago and gave up 20 aces, but you could argue that was another Djokovic in another time. The last four times he’s played Roddick, he’s given up 21 aces — well under Roddick’s average.

Great service returning requires fresh legs, even after three hours on court, and it’s amazing to see Nole is this heightened state of fitness, because he’s been going almost non-stop since last season, playing the Davis Cup final against France in the first week of December and then having very little time off to rest before preparing for 2011.

Yet he’s showing no signs of tiring. In these last two tournaments, both ATP 1000s (Indian Wells and Key Biscayne), Djokovic has played 10 matches and been aced just 21 times in 84 service games. That’s one ace every four serving games.

You won’t have any difficulty arguing that he has evolved into the best returner in tennis.

What is the fifth major?

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KEY BISCAYNE — Around this time of year – when the Indian Wells/Key Biscayne “double” takes place — fans, officials, players and media strike up the conversation of what tournament is considered “the fifth major?”

This begs the questions: what makes the majors, the majors?

The four major tennis tournaments that comprise of the “Grand Slam,” were the four tournaments that had the best player fields and thus, over the years, became the most prestigious. What gave the four majors – the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open – the best fields was that those four nations were the four most powerful tennis nations – the United States, Britain, Australia and France being the first four nations to win the Davis Cup. These national championships were usually held just before for just after the Davis Cup matches when each of these respective nations were the Davis Cup champions – or holders – and hosted the Davis Cup Challenge Round (or final) and some preliminary matches leading into the championship round. This guaranteed that a strong field of international players would pepper the tournament fields of these four events. It wasn’t until the 1930s when Australian Jack Crawford nearly swept all four in one year in 1933 and when Don Budge was the first player to turn the trick five years later, that the term “Grand Slam” came into being.

Sony Ericsson Open

It’s tough to consider the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne as a fifth major since they aren’t even the biggest tournaments in the United States. (Perhaps co-ed tournaments in Madrid and Rome should receive consideration). However, certain criteria establish these two premier events ahead of the pack in the discussion of the greatest tournaments on the grandest stages in the game.

Combined Event

The Sony Ericsson Open was the first tournament other than the Grand Slam tournaments to host a combined men’s and women’s event when it began in 1985. The tournament was first played over two weeks – like the other major events – and featured a 128-draw. The Sony Ericsson Open and the BNP Paribas Open, which more recently became a combined event, are now played over a week and half and feature 96-player fields.

Player Field

All healthy top players compete in both the Sony Ericsson Open and the BNP Paribas Open, with the glowing exception of the Venus and Serena Williams, who no longer compete at Indian Wells due to this ugly incident from 2001: http://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/1811. The strong fields, match-ups and daily schedules of play make these events that much more attractive to fans, media and TV viewers.

Prize Money

The Sony Ericsson Open and the BNP Paribas Open have the most prize money of any event in tennis outside of the four major tournaments and the ATP World Tour Finals. Prize money for both events for 2011 sits at $3,645,000. The ATP World Tour Finals will offer $5,070,000 at the end of this year.

Great Venue

Part of the magic of the Sony Ericsson Open is its location – the island paradise of Key Biscayne, in the shadow of Miami, one of the great international cities of the world. The entire scene and vibe of the Sony Ericsson Open reflects the flavor and international feel of Miami and, in opinion, adds to its prestige. Views of the Miami skyline on television – especially those at night showing the night lights – add the aura of the event. The California desert in Indian Wells, while beautiful, relaxing and charming, does not emit the excitement that Miami does and does not measure up in this regard, in my opinion.

Tournament History/Former Champions

The tournament history of the Sony Ericsson Open dates back only to 1985, but with a combined list of veritable “who’s who” of tennis listed a former champions (Ivan Lendl, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, Steffi Graf, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, etc.) Indian Wells has a similar list of stellar champions. Big-name players win big-time events. Fans certainly gravitate more to these events with their attention. I remember Greg Garber from ESPN.com telling me last year that the reason why they staff the Sony Ericsson Open for their website was the tremendous traffic the stories produce – meaning massive interest. This year, Garber told me that their web traffic is already up 100 percent from last year.

Tradition, Trophies, Rituals

Certain sporting events have traditions and rituals that separate it from other events. Take for instance, The Masters golf tournament is full of tradition, including the winner being awarded something very unique – the Green Jacket. Another tradition in golf that comes to mind is the Dinah Shore Golf Classic – one of the majors on the LPGA Tour – where the tournament winner annually jumps into the pond on the 18th green after holing out as the champion. Three of the four major tennis tournaments have “named” trophies (the US Open being the exception. The Sony Ericsson Open used to have a “signature” trophy – a round, bowl-like crystal trophy – but with the change to a new sponsor came a newly-shaped, also nameless trophy. Both tournaments are lacking a bit in this regard, but perhaps the introduction of a signature trophy to be given to the singles champions could be introduced, say “The Larry Ellison Bowl” for the winner of Indian Wells, in honor of its tournament owner, or, in Key Biscayne, perhaps the “Buchholz Trophy” in honor of the event’s founder and brainchild Butch Buchholz.

The Sony Ericsson Open preview – Around the Corner

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By Mike McIntyre

After another dominating performance by Novak Djokovic in Indian Wells, the Masters 1000 level action continues this week in Miami at the Sony Ericsson Open.

Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, who battled for the title in Indian Wells, both have a first round bye along with the other top thirty-one seeds. Good thing too, as the top two players in the world headed straight to Bogota, Columbia to play in an exhibition match on Monday. Nadal gained a small dose of revenge as he won that match 7-6(5), 6-3. Of course that result is meaningless as both players were no-doubt trying to conserve energy for Miami.

Nadal has a tough opening section of the draw in Miami and will face the winner between Kei Nishikori and Jeremy Chardy. Either way I would say this is a tough opening match that could test a tired Nadal. Both Alexandr Dolgopolov and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are also in Nadal’s quadrant of the draw and they could present a threat in the fourth round.

Roger Federer

In the other section of the upper half of the draw are Roger Federer and Andy Roddick who could clash if they both progress through to the quarter-finals. Federer has a decent section to navigate with players like Radek Stepanek, Marcos Baghdatis and Juan Monaco present but not strong enough to threaten him.

Roddick could see Marin Cilic in the third round but the defending champion should be quite capable of winning his first few matches. It is about time that Roddick showed us what he can still do on the ATP World Tour. If he doesn’t come ready to play, the American veteran will likely find himself dropping out of the top ten in the rankings.

No longer even mentioned in the conversation of Grand Slam contenders, Roddick’s attitude is perhaps what needs the most adjustment. Physically his serve and other aspects of his game have not changed very much, however his confrontational nature seems at an all-time high. His verbal abuse towards the chair umpire in his loss to Richard Gasquet in Indian Wells was obnoxious and immature and did not endear himself towards any of the fans that surely wanted to support their country’s most recent slam winner.

In the bottom half of the draw we have a much tougher area of competition. Players like Robin Soderling, Andy Murray, Juan Martin Del Potro, Milos Raonic, Stan Wawrinka and of course Novak Djokovic are all going to be forced to battle within this section.

It will be interesting to see how Raonic reacts to suddenly being seeded and having more expectations placed upon him. He is now considered to be a favorite to move through the opening rounds. An Australian Open rematch against off-season hitting partner David Ferrer looms in the third round.

Soderling or Del Potro will likely advance to face the winner of the above mentioned match in the quarterfinals, while Gasquet and Wawrinka also linger. Look for Del P to continue his return towards the top ten as he showed us in Indian Wells that he is ready to resume his place near the pinnacle of the men’s game. Following his semi-final performance last week he has shot up 39 spots in the rankings to his current spot of no. 51.

In the other quarter, Andy Murray will be hoping to awaken and display some skill for the first time since his straight-sets defeat against Djokovic in Melbourne back in January. The fifth ranked player in the world has failed to win a match since then. His recent inconsistencies should favor big-serving John Isner whom he could face in the third round.

Djokovic should not have to face any serious opposition until the quarter-finals so expect his eighteen game winning streak to make it to at least the big 2-0.

With the tour getting ready to switch to clay courts, enjoy this last big tournament on the pavement.

 

Novak Djokovic to join Kei Nishikori for Japan disaster fund-raiser

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Indian Wells champion Novak Djokovic has gone immediately to South Florida to prepare for the Sony Ericsson Open, which begins Wednesday, and to join with fellow pro Kei Nishikori in orchestrating a fund-raising event for Wednesday night that benefits Japan earthquake/tsunami victims.

The event is being co-hosted by GR8 Miami, but won’t interrupt any top players, who have byes through the first round. Djokovic won’t play until Friday or Saturday.

Before an 8 p.m. dinner Wednesday night, Djokovic will join other ATP players in an exhibition soccer match against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.

Following the dinner, GR8 is putting on an after-party silent auction with donations going to the American Red Cross Japan disaster relief efforts.

“Since we heard about the earthquake and all it’s consequences I wanted to do something to support the victims,” said Djokovic. “I have played last week with messages posted on my knee tape, but this is something different, since we want to raise money for the Red Cross to help people.

Tickets for the dinner can be purchased online at www.GR8Miami.com or by calling 415-225-5764 or 561-706-4276.

Novak Djokovic wears out Rafael Nadal for Indian Wells title

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It was, on the third point of the final set, nothing more complicated than a routine overhead and Rafael Nadal, as you would expect, was there, back foot on the service line, racket cocked and ready to hit an exclamation point.

Novak Djokovic

He whacked it into the net and you no longer had merely strong suspicions that he was going to lose this Indian Wells final. You could have wrapped it right there, despite the fact that there was 30 minutes of tennis left.

I’ve seen Nadal miss overheads from near the baseline, but never something this easy. This one said tired, mentally wasted, ready for 12 days off before the start of the Sony Ericsson Open on Key Biscayne.

But let’s also deliver enormous credit to Novak Djokovic for this 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory. He’s the one who, in large measure, wore Nadal out and, when the dust settled, Nole, who had a day earlier wrested the No. 2 ranking from Roger Federer, was 18-0 for the season with 20 straight wins dating back to last season and looking like the biggest story of 2011.

There was some brilliance in this match, and that was to be expected when you pit the two best players in tennis against each other. But, on balance, it wasn’t a particularly memorable match. It was splotchy and uneven in its execution, probably because these two men are so fabulously able to cover the court. The defense was a lot better than the offense.

How uneven, you ask? After being broken in the opening set, Nadal won 18 straight points on serve into the second set, his streak ending at 30-0 while he was on serve at 2-3 and while, incredibly, he hadn’t gotten a first serve in the entire second set to that point.

He lost that game, despite holding a 40-15 edge, but broke back when Djokovic double-faulted an 88 mph second serve a few inches beyond the T (more unevenness) into the ad court.

At that point, with Nadal on serve at 3-4, there was no suggestion of what was to come, but, in fact, everything for Nadal just declined from there, with the exception of some tough fighting in the final game of the second set, when Rafa parried away five set points, finally going down on the sixth.

A few moments later he was gaffing an overhead into the net and all those flag-waving Spanish fans on the stadium court looked particularly dejected. I suspect they, too, knew this was going to be a losing afternoon.

For Nole, it was only his fifth lost set of the season (Federer, Feliciano Lopez, Tomas Berdych and Ivan Dodig are the other four). I’ve seen his backhand a lot better than he displayed Sunday, but he also served with more authority than usual. His curlers into the deuce court were close to dominating.

And once he recovered from losing 18 straight service points, he reasserted himself from the baseline. You look at his hit pattern for this match and about 80 percent of his shots strike beyond the service line, and most of those within a few feet of the baseline.

I don’t care how good you are off the ground. When you have to return balls that deep, it’s limiting, and Nadal didn’t get anywhere near the usual number of shots at inside-out forehands he usually slashes for winners.

With a few exceptions, he didn’t look in Grand Slam champion form during this Indian Wells. He fought well up until this final and he played his best tennis vs. Juan Martin Del Potro. He’s got some heavy training to do to get back on course.

His game isn’t near 100 percent and, after the poor serving in this match, I’m not sure he’s as fit as some seem to think he is. Still, we’re nearly a couple weeks from Key Biscayne.

No question that Djokovic is the favorite at that next 1000 event, but I think you’ll see a better Nadal as well.

Chris Evert to play mixed doubles with ESPN’s Mike Greenberg in US Open National Playoffs: This Week in Tennis Business with Justin Cohen

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Registrations now open for US Open National Playoffs Sectional Qualifying Tournaments

On Tuesday, the USTA announced that registration opened for all 16 US Open National Playoffs Sectional Qualifying Tournaments. Registration for each of the 16 sectional qualifying tournaments is available at www.usta.com/tennislink. The entry fee for each of the sectional qualifying tournaments is $125 for singles and $150 for each mixed doubles team ($75 per player). All players competing must have a current USTA membership valid through August 29, 2011. Players who are at least 14 years old can register for the singles competition and/or the mixed doubles event, which is brand new to the US Open National Playoffs in 2011. The deadline for each event varies by tournament. “The US Open National Playoffs provides a unique opportunity for tennis players to get closer to the US Open,” said Jon Vegosen, USTA Chairman of the Board and President. “Now in its second year, we expect to attract some of the top talent, including junior players, from communities across the country to compete for this one-of-a-kind experience.” Players may only enter one singles sectional qualifying event per year, but can also play one mixed doubles event. Players can opt to play singles and mixed doubles at different locations. The draw size at each sectional qualifying tournament will be a maximum of 256 for each singles event and a maximum of 128 teams for mixed doubles. Participants can be of any playing level, from aspiring novice to seasoned professional, giving everyone an equal opportunity to advance. The 16 men’s, women’s and mixed doubles champions from each sectional qualifying tournament will advance to the US Open National Playoffs – Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles and Mixed Doubles Championship. All three tournaments will be held in conjunction with the New Haven Open at Yale, an Olympus US Open Series event.  The US Open National Playoffs – Men’s Singles and Women’s Singles Championship will be held August 18-21. The US Open National Playoffs – Mixed Doubles Championship will be held August 24-27. The US Open National Playoffs mixed doubles champions will receive a main draw wild card into the 2011 US Open. The US Open National Playoffs men’s and women’s singles champions again earn a wild card into the US Open Qualifying Tournament, held the week prior to the US Open. As registration opened up on Tuesday morning, Mike Greenberg of ESPN2 and ESPNRadio’s Mike and Mike in the Morning sports talk show announced live on the air that he would be teaming up with former world No. 1 and 18-time Grand Slam singles champion Chris Evert in the mixed doubles tournament. Evert also won three Grand Slam doubles titles. “I know Mike is a big tennis fan and loves the US Open,” said Evert of her mixed doubles partner. “The US Open was the first tournament that sort of started my career and I have great memories of it and I love to support it. We’ll just go out there and have some fun. That’s the main thing.”

Ana Ivanovic

Renée Richards documentary to be featured at Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival

Renée, a documentary exploring the story of Renée Richards, the first transgender tennis player to compete in the women’s draw at the US Open in New York, will be featured at the fifth annual Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival in Lower Manhattan from April 20-May 1. The documentary will feature rare archival footage and interviews with close friends and family members, as well as tennis legends such as Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King and John McEnroe.

Ivanovic parts ways with trainer

Former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic announced that she has split from her trainer Marija Lojanica, who is also a childhood friend from Serbia. Ivanovic made the decision within the last couple days while playing at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif. Lojanica has been on site in Indian Wells but was not seen in Ivanovic’s box during her win over Jelena Jankovic on Tuesday. “We are still friends, but it just was a little bit time for me to consider certain things because we had a little bit of different view of my stage and where I should be at,” said Ivanovic. “I just felt like I needed to get a little bit stronger. I was feeling very weak on the court and I had quite a few injuries. I just want to take a little bit different approach, and gain some more muscles, because my game is so powerful. I felt weak, and that caused a lot of stress on my body.” The 23-year-old Serbian, who won the French Open in 2008, is currently traveling to tournaments with just her hitting partner Olivier Morel and her manager.

Vandeweghe hires fitness trainer

American teenager Coco Vandeweghe has hired, Chuck Williams, as her full-time traveling fitness trainer. Williams has worked with several NBA players and was recommended to her by her Uncle Kiki, a former NBA all-star who most recently coached the New Jersey Nets. “A lot of people were telling me I was out of shape and that was tough for me because I’m a young girl and I was working so hard on and off the court,” said Vandeweghe. “When you are putting in four hours on court and then more off court and not getting results it makes you crazy in the mind. But it wasn’t a constant regimen I was getting and I needed it, especially at the tournaments. I wasn’t eating right and now I have a different workout plan. I’m feeling pretty quick and am staying in rallies longer.” Vandeweghe said she has already lost 10 pounds since she started working with Williams.

Miami main draw wildcards announced

Veteran James Blake, as well as 20-year-old Canadian Milos Raonic, Australian Bernard Tomic and American teenagers Ryan Harrison and Jack Sock have received main draw wildcards for the upcoming Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, which will be played at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park from March 21-April 3. Women’s main draw wildcards were awarded to Dinara Safina, Sorana Cirstea, Sabine Lisicki, Heather Watson, Coco Vandeweghe and Madison Keys.

Tennis players to unite next week in Miami to eliminate poverty in Latin America

In an effort to eliminate extreme poverty in Latin America, Un Techo Para Mi País (UTPMP) will host “Break Point: Let’s win the match against poverty”, an event that will help raise funds to help needy families throughout Latin America. The event will feature tennis stars that will be in Miami already playing in the Sony Ericsson Open. The players who are expected to make appearances include Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco, Feliciano Lopez, David Nalbandian and Juan Martin del Potro. Break Point will be held at the Novecento Brickell on March 22 at 8:30 p.m. UTPMP is a nonprofit Latin American organization that started in Chile over a decade ago by a group of university students moved by the need to eradicate the extreme poverty conditions that affect millions of people in Latin America. They decided to take action by carrying out social inclusion plans and building transitional housing. Since then, UTPMP’s noble mission has reached many corners of Latin America. Today, UTPMP operates in 19 countries including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haití, Honduras, México, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, Uruguay, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela. UTPMP has built over 70,000 transitional houses in 19 Latin American countries. The organization has over 300,000 mobilized young volunteers, who work shoulder to shoulder each year to transform the sad face of poverty.

Federer to play for Switzerland in Davis Cup tie against Portugal in July

World No. 2 Roger Federer announced on his official website that he plans to play for Switzerland against Portugal in his home country in Davis Cup in the Europe/Africa Zone Group I second round from July 8-10. The 16-time Grand Slam singles champion and former world No. 1 made his Swiss Davis Cup debut in 1999 and has since compiled a 37-11 record over 18 ties.

Roddick returning to Queen’s Club this summer with hopes of winning record fifth singles title

American Andy Roddick announced that he will return to Queen’s Club in London from June 6-12 to participate in the AEGON Championships, hoping to win a record fifth singles title at the famed tennis complex. Roddick, who won the singles title at Queen’s Club in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, could potentially face Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic en route to the title, both of whom have already committed to the tournament. “Over the years I’ve had a lot of success at The Queen’s Club, it has real tradition and I love the whole month in London,” said Roddick. “Queen’s has the best grass courts in the world, they play perfectly and so the AEGON Championships is a great way to prepare for Wimbledon.”

Fish to return to Newport in July to defend title

World No. 15 Mardy Fish announced that he will return to Newport, R.I., to defend his title at the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships from July 4-10, which is played on the famous grass courts at the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum. Fish will be making his ninth appearance in Newport. “Newport was a great week for me last year. It was good to see all the work I’d put into training pay off with a title,” said Fish. “The Hall of Fame is a special place to compete and I look forward to returning to the tournament this summer.” In previous appearances in Newport, Fish reached the quarterfinals in 2000, 2002 and 2006, while capturing the doubles title in 2008 with John Isner. “Mardy has clearly worked very hard over the past year, and it’s been great to see his success continue following his Newport victory. He’s always been a strong competitor in Newport and we look forward to welcoming him back to defend his title this summer,” said Mark L. Stenning, CEO of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Gonzalez to return to ATP World Tour at Belgrade event

Fernando Gonzalez, who has been sidelined from the ATP World Tour since injuring his hip at the 2010 US Open, will return to competition at the end of April at the ATP event in Belgrade. The Chilean and his new coach, Horacio Matta, will begin on-court training in the United States in March.

Kuerten honored during famous Rio de Janeiro carnival

Brazilian tennis legend Gustavo Kuerten, a former world No. 1 and three-time French Open singles champion, was recently honored at the famous Rio de Janeiro carnival to celebrate the ten year anniversary of his final Grand Slam title in Paris. As a part of the celebration in front of 75,000 people, Kuerten crossed Sapucaí Avenue on a float designed as the French Open trophy and hit several tennis balls into the crowd.

Nalbandian undergoes surgery for hernia problem and torn adductor muscle

Former Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian underwent surgery last Thursday for a hernia problem and torn adductor muscle and will be sidelined for two months, according to a member of his team. The current world No. 19 re-injured himself during Argentina’s Davis Cup tie last weekend against Romania. Nalbandian is expected to return to the ATP World Tour in time to participate in the Masters 1000 event in Madrid or Rome followed by the French Open in Paris.

Völkl Tennis launches Organix Racquet Technology

Epic Sports International, Inc., a global sports brand management firm and worldwide licensee for Völkl Tennis and Boris Becker Tennis recently announced the launch of their Organix Racquet Technology, a revolutionary product line featuring combinations of high technology carbon nano tubes and organic materials and a cutting edge handle system, designed to enhance power and feel for all players. The Organix product line by Völkl, debuted on March 8th in specialty stores and pro shops worldwide with a suggested retail price between $230 – $250. “Organix is the next generation technology platform which gives Völkl customers a comprehensive, highly technical and superior performing racquet to fully connect the players’ mind, body and racquet,” said Brian Dillman, Vice President and General Manager of Epic Sports International. “We look forward to another year of fast growth and high-level consumer visibility with Völkl on track to be the fastest-growing tennis brand worldwide,” said Dillman.

Gamma Sports adds two new co-polyester strings

Gamma Sports (GAMMA) announced that they have released two new co-polyester strings, Zo Verve and Zo Black Ice, which are designed with a combination of materials that maintain tension and play more consistent than mono-polyester strings. GAMMA Zo Verve has a unique two-part construction consisting of a red high-energy co-polyester core and three diamond-shaped black filaments of high molecular weight polyester providing maximum spin and durability. The result is a string for hard-hitting players who want maximum power, greater spin and deeper more penetrating shots. GAMMA Zo Black Ice is a co-polyester string that offers tremendous ball bite for hard-hitting players looking for consistency, more spin and greater accuracy. “Zo Verve is a blend of stiff and soft materials so it strings tight, maintains tension and plays like a poly but gives the player more power, exceptional spin and control for deeper shots,” said Chuck Vietmeier, Product Manager.

Hawk-Eye to be used at Davis Cup and Fed Cup ties starting this year

The Hawk-Eye system will be used during the Davis Cup quarterfinal matches, as well as the Fed Cup semifinals starting this year according to the International Tennis Federation. The Hawk-Eye technology, which was first used for Davis Cup matches during the Russia vs. Argentina final in 2006, will only be used on hard courts and grass court matches. “The increased use of electronic review at ties reflects the importance of these competitions, and creates added interest and entertainment for spectators,” said Ricci Bitti, President of the International Tennis Federation.

Kazakhstan Davis Cup team robbed in Czech Republic

Despite winning their Davis Cup tie against the Czech Republic 3-2 in Ostrava, Czech Republic, the Kazakhstan team was robbed at their hotel by unknown thieves and had their laptops, cash and other items with a value of $25,000 stolen. The tennis players were not the only ones who were robbed, according to CTK news agency. Czech Tennis Federation officials were also victims to the thieves according to the news agency. Hotel management believes a foreign guest was responsible for the thefts.

Blake and Safina highlight Sony Ericsson Open wildcards

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The 2011 Sony Ericsson Open announced its wildcard entries and this year it features former World No. 4 James Blake and former World No. 1 Dinara Safina. A total of five wildcard slots were granted to the men’s draw and also include Jack Sock, Ryan Harrison, Milos Raonic, and Bernard Tomic. While six were given on the women’s side which feature Heather Watson, Sorana Cirstea, Sabine Lisicki, Madison Keys, and Coco Vandeweghe.

Dinara Safina

Women’s main draw begins on Tuesday, March 22, while the men’s main draw kicks off the following day on Wednesday, March 23. The qualifying rounds will be held Monday and Tuesday, March 21 and 22.

Tickets to the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open are on sale now and can be purchased by phone (305-442-3367) or via internet at www.sonyericssonopen.com. An electrifying two weeks of tennis conclude with the women’s final on Saturday, April 2 and the men’s final on Sunday, April 3.

Blake will make his return to Miami, hoping to improve on his career-best quarterfinal showings in 2006 and 2008. Safina made her last appearance on the purple courts in 2009 as the No. 2 seeded player advancing to the third round. She recorded her career-best finish in 2008 when she advanced to the quarterfinals.

Blake, always a fan favorite, earned his first ATP win in 2002 becoming the fourth African American to win an ATP title in the Open Era. In 2005, Blake grabbed the national spotlight at the U.S. Open when he played a thrilling five-set match in the quarter finals against his idol, Andre Agassi. From there, Blake’s career blossomed tremendously as he reached his career-high of No. 4 in the world in 2006 becoming the first African American to crack the top-10 since his role model, Arthur Ashe.

Safina made her professional debut in 2002. The Russian star recorded a breakout season in 2008 winning a career-best four singles titles. In 2008, she was awarded the WTA Most Improved Player, and was the first player in history to defeat three reigning World No. 1s in the same season (Justine Henin, Maria Sharapova, and Jelena Jankovic). Safina reached a career-high rank of No. 1 in the world in 2009, and joined her brother Marat Safin as the first brother-sister combo to both achieve World No. 1 rankings.

In addition to Blake and Safina the tournament wildcards include many of the Tour’s next generation of tennis stars.

Other men’s highlights include, Ryan Harrison who is a promising 18-year-old American who last year became the first American teenager to beat a top 20 opponent in a Grand Slam since Andy Roddick. At the 2010 U.S. Open, Harrison defeated the 15th seed Ivan Ljubicic in three sets in the first round for his first win in a Grand Slam tournament.

Young Canadian tennis star, Milos Raonic, captured his first ATP World Tour title earlier this year inSan Jose becoming the first from his nation to win an ATP World Tour title in 16 years. Afterwards, Raonic rose to a career-high No. 37.

On the women’s side Romanian Sorana Cirstea reached a career-high rank of No. 23 in 2009 after recording a quarterfinal appearance at the French Open and advancing to the third round at bothWimbledon and the U.S. Open. Cirstea won her first WTA Tour singles title in 2008 at Tashkent.

German Sabine Lisicki has one career WTA Tour singles title to her credit having won in Charlestonin 2009. That year she recorded a career-high singles ranking of 22 in the world. Lisicki will look to better her career-best fourth round finish in Miami in 2008.

The addition of the wildcard entries adds to what is already a Grand Slam quality player field including defending Sony Ericsson Open champ Andy Roddick; 16-time Grand Slam Champion and three-time Sony Ericsson Open winner Roger Federer; reigning Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic; and 2009 Sony Ericsson Open champion Andy Murray.

The women’s field is also loaded with the world’s best players including defending Sony Ericsson Open champion Kim Clijsters; three-time Sony Ericsson Open champion Venus Williams, current World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki; and three-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova.

TV Ratings Down During First Week of Australian Open: This Week in Tennis Business with Justin Cohen

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Agassi to be inducted into International Tennis Hall of Fame in July

Andre Agassi, a former world No. 1 and 8-time Grand Slam singles champion, will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum in Newport, R.I., on July 9, 2011. The ceremony will be held in conjunction with the ATP World Tour Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships. Agassi’s wife, Steffi, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in Newport in 2004. The 40-year-old Las Vegas native held the No. 1 singles ranking for 101 weeks, and is regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, as well as one of the premier athletes of his generation. Agassi achieved a career singles record of 870-274, winning 60 titles, including four at the Australian Open, two at the US Open, and one victory each at the French Open and Wimbledon. Within his 60 tournament wins, he captured 17 Masters 1000 events. In 1990, he won the season-ending ATP World Tour Championships. Agassi earned a Gold Medal at the 1996 Olympics, by taking the Singles title in Atlanta. A member of two winning American Davis Cup teams in 1990 and 1992, Agassi achieved a career record of 30-6 in Davis Cup play for the United States. In 1994, he founded the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education, which is devoted to helping at-risk youth in Las Vegas and its surrounding areas. Since the inception of the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education, $150 million dollars has been raised to benefit the mission of the Foundation, including $92 million from the Grand Slam for Children fundraising event. In 1997, he established the Andre Agassi Boys & Girls Club in Las Vegas, which supports 2,000 children throughout the year and boasts a world class junior tennis team and basketball program. In 2001, Agassi opened the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, a tuition-free public charter school in Las Vegas’ most at-risk neighborhood. The school utilizes advanced technology, smaller class sizes and extended school hours, among other tactics, to combat lowered academic expectations and to foster a sense of hope among this community’s most challenged children. In 2009 and 2010, the school graduated a 100% acceptance rate for higher education. “Andre is a true champion of the game, and we are delighted to honor him for his contributions and achievements with induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame,” said Christopher E. Clouser, Chairman of the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum.

Dinara Safina

More than $1 million in USTA Serves grants awarded to 33 organizations

USTA Serves, the National Charitable Foundation of the United States Tennis Association, announced on Tuesday that it has awarded 33 year-end grants totaling $420,650. The number of program grants awarded in 2010 was 59, totaling $855,150. Combined with scholarship awards, USTA Serves distributed more than $1 million in 2010. The bi-annual granting process, a national initiative of USTA Serves, was developed to provide people with disabilities and disadvantaged, at-risk children in underserved communities the opportunity to learn to play tennis and improve their academic skills in a structured format, and also to help combat obesity by promoting healthy lifestyles. To date, USTA Serves has disbursed more than $10 million to a variety of programs that share those aims. At funded program sites, children between the ages of 5-18 learn about healthy nutrition and lifestyles, responsible citizenship, study skills, and computer literacy. The grant recipients are chosen by a Grant Proposal Review Committee comprised of Foundation Board Members and USTA National staff, with important input from USTA Sections. They are awarded to programs that successfully combine tennis and education and help children pursue their goals and highest dreams by leading healthier lives, succeeding in school and becoming healthier citizens. The current year-end grants include one award supporting the children of deployed military personnel who are at particular risk for emotional and behavioral difficulties, and four adaptive awards granted to organizations that teach people with disabilities the importance of physical activity and life skills. Some of the programs awarded grants included, Abundant Waters, Inc., of New York City, A’s & Aces of New Orleans, Azleway, Inc., of Tyler, Texas, CREATE Tennis Inc., of Washington D.C., Harper for Kids of San Francisco, New York Junior Tennis League, International Rescue Committee Inc., of San Diego, and Zina Garrison All Court Tennis Academy of Houston.

Television ratings down during first week of Australian Open for second consecutive year

For the second consecutive year, the television ratings for Australia’s Channel Seven for the first week of the Australian Open in Melbourne were down. Viewership dropped by 14 to 17 percent from 2010, which was 23 to 29 percent lower than the 2009 tournament. The drop, which wasn’t helped by early round exits by Lleyton Hewitt and Samantha Stosur, was contributed to one-day cricket matches, Oprah’s Australian television special that aired last week and increased competition from digital channels. However, Channel Seven did have better ratings than competitor Channel Nine on five out of seven nights of primetime tennis.

Johan Kriek Tennis Academy moves to Virginia from Florida

Two-time Australian Open singles champion Johan Kriek has moved his tennis academy in Sarasota, Fla. to the Sun Tennis Center in Roanoke, Va. The reason for the relocation to Roanoke is because Kriek’s wife, Daga Mrozek Kriek, played collegiate tennis in the area at Virginia Tech, and his brother is a teaching professional at racquet club close by in Mount Airy, N.C. Students at the Johan Kriek Tennis Academy attend five days a week for an hour and a half a day. Only 16 players are enrolled in the academy, including eight in the group for students ages 7-12 and eight for the older group for ages 13-18. To be a student in the academy you must fork out $1,500 per week.

Serena to appear in Super Bowl ad for Mercedes-Benz

Bloomberg is reporting that Serena Williams will be making a special appearance in a Super Bowl commercial for Mercedes-Benz.

Gasquet hires Grosjean as part-time coach

Richard Gasquet, who is currently ranked No. 33, has hired former French tennis star Sebastien Grosjean as his part-time coach. Grosjean, who currently resides in Boca Raton, Fla., will work with Gasquet for a few weeks a year. Gasquet’s current coach, Eric Deblicker, will continue to coach the young Frenchman full-time.

Safina dumps Etlis as coach

Former world No. 1 Dinara Safina, who lost 6-0, 6-0 to Kim Clijsters in the opening round at the Australian Open, has dropped Gaston Etlis of Argentina has her coach. Safina and Etlis began working together in May of last year. Safina is currently ranked No. 75 in the world.

U.S. Fed Cup team announced for February tie against Belgium

U.S. Fed Cup Captain Mary Joe Fernandez announced on Tuesday that Vania King will join Melanie Oudin, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Liezel Huber on the U.S. Fed Cup team that will travel to Antwerp to take on Belgium from February 5-6 at the Antwerp Sports Palace. Vania King took the roster spot that was expected to be filled by Venus Williams. Williams told Fernandez that she couldn’t play next month due to a hip injury that she sustained during the Australian Open.

ATP Delray Beach International Tennis Championships entry list announced

Former champions Xavier Malisse, Kei Nishikori and Ricardo Mello, as well as former finalists James Blake and Ivo Karlovic have signed up to participate in the 19th annual ATP World Tour Delray Beach International Championships (ITC) at the Delray Beach Stadium & Tennis Center in Delray Beach, Fla., from February 21-27. Other recent players to commit to the event include former world No. 12 Radek Stepanek and Janko Tipsarevic, a 2010 Davis Cup hero for Serbia. Former US Open Champions Andy Roddick and Juan Martin del Potro, as well as world No. 17 Mardy Fish and world No. 20 John Isner are also slated to participate to help give the ITC its best draw in the history of the event. “We can’t wait to see how this one plays out,” said Mark Baron, Tournament Director, who has added a 2011 Porsche 911 Carrera to the $500,000 pool of tournament prize money. “Our group of stars stands out, but the depth of talent in this draw and guys who have had great results is very impressive.” To purchase tickets visit the tournament’s official website at: www.yellowtennisball.com or call (561)330-6000.

Volunteers needed for 2011 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami

Volunteers are needed at the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, one of the most prestigious professional tennis tournaments in the world, for a variety of positions including court ushers, ticket checkers, guest safety, and transportation. The 2011 Sony Ericsson Open, which will take place at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park, will be played from March 21-April 3. Each individual is asked to work a minimum of 45 hours, usually nine five-hour shifts, and can be scheduled around their own work commitments. Volunteers receive one of the best benefit packages in sports which will include a FILA uniform, 10 complimentary tickets for the tournament, sponsor gifts, parking, and meals during their shifts. To get involved, call the volunteer office at (305) 446-2200 or visit the official tournament website at: www.sonyericssonopen.com or email a volunteer representative at: volunteers@sonyericssonopen.com.

WTA Mercury Insurance Open honored by San Diego District Tennis Association

The WTA Tour Mercury Insurance Open was recently honored by the San Diego District Tennis Association as the Tournament of the Year within the Southern California district. The award was presented by SDDTA President Geoff Griffin during the District’s 2011 Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet, which took place last Friday at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club. “We are honored to be named Tournament of the Year by our local district tennis association,” said Raquel Giscafre, Tournament Director of the Mercury Insurance Open Tournament Director, who accepted the award on behalf of the tournament. “The Mercury Insurance Open thanks the SDDTA for not only recognizing our event with this award, but for all of their work in promoting tennis in San Diego.” This year’s Mercury Insurance Open will be played from July 30-August 7 at the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.

Bartoli out for six weeks due to calf tear

World No. 17 Marion Bartoli will be sidelined for six weeks due to a calf tear she sustained during her opening round loss at the Australian Open to Vesna Manasieva. “It felt like an explosion inside my muscle when I pushed off at one point,” said Bartoli. “After that, it was very complicated because I couldn’t use my right leg.” Bartoli ended up having to stay in Melbourne a few extra days because her calf was too swollen to fly.

After ITF Rejection, Buchholz/Davies to Meet with ATP, WTA About new Cup-Format Event

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The future of Davis Cup and the ITF’s iron-fisted hold over it very likely will reach a tipping point not long after the first of the year when the two men at the forefront of changing the Cup format meet with the two most powerful people in professional tennis — Adam Helfant of the ATP and Stacy Allaster of the WTA.

“If the ATP and WTA didn’t have serious interest in what we’re doing, I don’t think they’d be meeting with us,” said Butch Buchholz, the founder and former tournament chairman of the Sony Ericsson Open, which is the most important non-Slam tournament in the world.

Buchholz and former British Davis Cupper Mike Davies have been working for months on a plan to change the interminably long, 11-month-long Cup competition to more of a festival-like 10-day or two-week event which would include both men and women and be far more attractive to the best players.

Buchholz and Davies have gotten thumbs up from a legion of top-20 players, including No. 1 Rafael Nadal and No. 2 Roger Federer, and it now appears as though the ATP and WTA are also very interested in joining the conversation, which could put extreme pressure on the ITF, which owns the Cup tournament, to make changes.

But even if the January meeting produces a unified front in favor of a new format, would the ITF acquiesce?

Davis Cup

“Mike and I were hopeful that the ITF would look at their asset and see if it needs to be changed,” said Buchholz. “They decided they didn’t need change. Their management doesn’t want to change.”

So, what happens if that tipping point is reached, where even with strong backing of both men’s and women’s tours the ITF refuses to alter its format?

“Our meeting with the ITF ended cordially and we accepted their decision,” said Buchholz. “But Mike and I are going forward until someone stops it. If the ATP and WTA get behind this, I don’t know how the ITF will react. My guess is they won’t be happy about it, even though they’ve heard what the players have said. The players want change.”

Obviously, if there is a Buchholz/Davis plan in place, with TV, sponsorship and ATP/WTA backing, the players can simply make the decision to play that event instead of Davis Cup, and that would probably be the end of Davis Cup as we know it.

Under the Davis Cup format, 16 World Group nations begin play in February to get down to eight. They then take four months off and play the quarterfinals in July, right after Wimbledon. The final four play after the U.S. Open in September and the final is in early December. It seems to go on forever, playing havoc with player schedules.

What Buchholz and Davis have conjured is a multi-nation festival that is more like a World Cup or Nations Cup, to be held perhaps over 10 days to two weeks, with both men and women competition, singles and doubles.

There are major issues. How to find time on the calendars of the two pro tours, for example. That has been made more difficult recently by the ATP’s decision to soon knock three weeks off its calendar. However, by changing the Davis Cup (and women’s Fed Cup format), the ATP and WTA will each save three weeks that were formerly reserved for Cup play.

There are other questions. Should the competition be held every year or every other year? How many nations? Where would it be played? All these questions will get a complete airing at the January meeting with the ATP and WTA.

While Helfant and Allaster haven’t directly endorsed the Buchholz/Davis changes, they’ve said enough about the issue to indicate that they’re interested in discussing it, and that’s more than ITF is willing to do.

In fact, if Helfant properly represents his players, he’ll be strongly in favor of a format and/or name change to the competition. As for the WTA, Fed Cup is among the least publicized women’s professional team competition in the world. How can women players lose being placed on a 10-day or two-week world stage with beaucoup television alongside the men?

This format change is being driven by constant player complaints about how Davis Cup interrupts the tour schedule.

Federer didn’t play in either of Switzerland’s two losses this year, and now the Swiss are out of the World Group. Nadal didn’t play in either of Spain’s matches. Andy Roddick, a longtime U.S. fixture, didn’t play this year because he felt it would hinder his tour preparation, though he has consented to play in 2011 for new captain Jim Courier.

Interestingly, Courier, even as he accepted the captaincy, said he also wants to see some serious discussion about changing the Davis Cup format.

The Davis Cup final this year, played earlier this month, was won by Serbia over France and the ratings were probably very good in France. But in the biggest tennis market in the world, the U.S., the ratings were probably very weak.

It’s hard to know exactly how many Americans watched because the cable subscription Tennis Channel, which aired it, has failed to respond to repeated requests for ratings numbers. France vs. Serbia on an NFL Sunday in theU.S.? It’s not difficult to forecast very low ratings.

If a change was made, there would be multiple television organizations at the festival and the U.S., which has rarely been out of the World Group, would be in it — a probable ESPN telecast.

If push comes to shove and the ITF refuses to climb on board the wagon, it becomes a sponsorship bidding war, and Buchholz seems encouraged by his discussions with companies that have deep pockets.

No one is committing to anything financial, of course, until the entire program is in place, and that requires backing from the ATP and WTA. “We’ve talked to television people, who seem to like the concept,” said Buchholz. “And everyone feels it should be both men and women.”

Buchholz and Davies are not anti-ITF. Both played Davis Cup many times and love the team competition that pits country against country. But things have changed over the last 20 years and there is greater pressure on the players to perform on the tours — so much pressure that they’re rethinking how much Davis Cup they can play.

It is the players’ reluctance that is spurring Buchholz and Davies to find a new direction, and they’re adamant.

“We are not going to deviate from what we’re doing because what we’re doing, we believe, is good for tennis,” Buchholz said.

ATP World Tour Extending Off-Season in 2012: This Week in Tennis Business

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By Justin Cohen

Extended Off-Season Starting in 2012

Starting in 2012, the ATP World Tour will make the off-season seven weeks long, which will eliminate two weeks from the tournament season. The calendar change was made possible by removing a free week between the Masters 1000 in Paris Bercy and the ATP World Tour Finals in London and rescheduling four late-season events to earlier in the year. “The health and wellbeing of our players is a tour-wide issue and preserving and extending the playing careers of our top players is critical for the long-term good of the game,” said Adam Helfant, ATP World Tour Executive Chairman and President. Players who are involved in the Davis Cup finals will only have six weeks off since the finals will take place after the ATP World Tour year-end finals. “I think it’s good to have a longer off-season. I definitely think it’s a step in the right direction,” said Roger Federer.

Tennis Channel extends ATP Television Contract through 2015

Tennis Channel has extended its television rights deal with the ATP World Tour through 2015. The five-year contract announced on Tuesday covers 19 tournaments each year, including the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London and all nine Masters 1000 events. The agreement allows the Tennis Channel to show matches on up to three courts at international Masters 1000 tournaments.

BMW to become Official Car of Sony Ericsson Open

BMW has agreed to a three-year partnership with the Sony Ericsson Open making them the tournament’s official car sponsor through 2013. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. “The Sony Ericsson Open is proud to add premium brands like BMW and MINI to our list of tournament partners.  We are the most glamorous event on the ATP and WTA tours with an international following, and it was attractive to the BMW Group to reach these consumers,” said Adam Barrett, Sony Ericsson Open Tournament Director. “BMW’s high quality standards and commitment to excellence make them a perfect fit for our event.”

Roger Federer

USTA going to court against Olympus

According to courthousenews.com, The USTA has filed a claim against Olympus, which sponsors the U.S. Open Series, claiming the company has backed out of its sponsorship agreement a year early due to category conflicts with Panasonic. The USTA is claiming Olympus is trying to back out of sponsoring the 2011 U.S. Open Series because it wants to save the $11.7 million it will cost. The USTA is also claiming Olympus manufactured a dispute with Panasonic to breach Olympus’ exclusive contract for camera products. The USTA says the issues stem from its collaboration this year with CBS, DirecTV and Panasonic to film and broadcast U.S. Open matches in 3D. “Because Panasonic is expressly identified in the Olympus agreement as not being a ‘competitive company’ with regard to Olympus and because the scope of the two sponsorship agreements are markedly different, there is no conflict between the two sponsorships,” the USTA complaint reads. Olympus has apparently pulled of its USTA contract, which runs through 2013. The USTA is seeking $11.65 million for breach of contract, and a declaratory judgment that it did not violate Olympus’ exclusive sponsorship rights.

Federer vs. Nadal exhibition matches to be televised on ESPN2

The December 21 and 22 exhibition matches between Roger Federer and Rafael will be televised on ESPN2, ESPN HD and ESPN3.com. The two indoor hard-court best-of-three set matches will take place in each player’s home country, benefiting his charitable foundation. The first match will take place on Tuesday, December 21 at 2pm EST at the Hallenstadion Arena in Zurich, Switzerland benefiting the Roger Federer Foundation. A day later, they will play again, at La Caja Magica in Madrid, Spain at 1pm EST, with proceeds going to Fundacion Rafael Nadal. Chris Fowler and Patrick McEnroe will provide television commentary for both broadcasts. “Federer and Nadal have rarely played each other on a hard court surface – and never at the US Open – so it will be fun to see their styles in this environment,” said McEnroe. “Being indoors, a quicker surface where the ball doesn’t bounce as high, favors Federer, the more aggressive player.  But he’s five years older than Rafa, so for me it’s more about seeing where he is heading to 2011 than Nadal, who clearly supplanted Roger as No. 1 this year.  I believe Roger can and will still win majors, but every time it’s Nadal who is the man to beat.

USTA Player Development adds New Coaches

The USTA announced the hiring of three new coaches – Jorge Todero as a USTA Lead National Coach, Frederico Rodriguez as a USTA National Coach and Marc Lucero as a USTA Coach. Todero will be based at the USTA Training Center-East at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y., and will report to Jose Higueras, the Director of Coaching for USTA Player Development. Rodriguez will be based at the USTA Training Center Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., while Lucero will be based at the USTA Training Center-West in Carson, Calif. They will both report to Ola Malmqvist, Head of Women’s Tennis, USTA Player Development. Lucero joined the staff on October 4, Todero on November 8, and Rodriguez on November 15. “Jorge, Frederico and Marc are strong additions to our coaching staff, and all three bring different experiences to our program,” said Patrick McEnroe, General Manager of USTA Player Development.

All England Lawn Tennis Club’s Tim Phillips Honored

The International Tennis Hall of Fame and International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced that Tim Phillips CBE, Chairman of the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), is the 2011 recipient of the prestigious Golden Achievement Award. Phillips has served as Chairman of the AELTC since January 2000, and has led the organization and The Championships at Wimbledon through a pivotal period of positive growth and transition. He will retire from the position in December 2010. The Golden Achievement Award is given jointly by the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Tennis Federation. It is presented annually to individuals who have made important contributions internationally to tennis in the fields of administration, promotion or education, and who have devoted long and outstanding service to the sport. Phillips will receive is award on November 27 at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 in London. He will receive is award from Sir James Harvie-Watt, a member of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum and Chair of the Golden Achievement Award Committee.

Barth reappointed Chairman of USTA Davis Cup Committee for 2011-2012

Roy Barth, longtime Director of Tennis at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, has been reappointed Chairman of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Davis Cup Committee for 2011-2012. Jonathan Vegosen, the incoming President of the USTA, made the appointment. Barth will co-chair the combined Davis/Fed Cup/Olympic Committee with Fed Cup Chairwoman, Pam Austin, and Olympic Chairwoman, Barbara Smith. Barth has been a member of the Davis Cup Committee for ten years including as vice-chairman for four years and chairman for two years. He is also a former president of the USTA-South Carolina. Barth has been the Director of Tennis at Kiawah Island Golf Resort since the resort opened in 1976.

Ljubicic to partner with Ivan Lendl at World Tennis Challenge

Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia has signed up to partner with tennis legend Ivan Lendl for the International team at the World Tennis Challenge in Adelaide, Australia. “Lendl is here to win and he is really excited that Ivan has agreed to partner him on the international team,” said Mark Woodford, Tournament Organizer. “The pairing of Ivan and Ivan will surely make the international team the one to beat.” The American team will be made up of John McEnroe and James Blake, while Henri Leconte and Michael Llodra will make up the European team. Pat Cash has signed up to participate as one half of the Australian team.

Safina to play Hobart in 2011

Former World No. 1 and 2009 Australian Open finalist Dinara Safina has signed up to participate in the Moorilla Hobart International in January 2011. Currently ranked No. 63 in the world, Safina will be the biggest name to be competing in the field. “Dinara is a great addition to the line-up and a player of her caliber will certainly be in contention to take out the Moorilla Hobart International,” said Michael Roberts, Tournament Director.

Report: Serena Williams pulls out of 2011 Hopman Cup

A report from Sportsnewsfirst.com.au., says that Serena Williams is pulling out of the 2011 Hopman Cup, where she was scheduled to team with fellow American John Isner. Several pictures were taken of Williams leaving Thursday nights Miami Dolphins game against the Chicago Bears on crutches and a walking boot on her right foot, leaving some to speculate that she is still injured.

Bhupathi and Paes to team up at 2011 Australian Open

Mahesh Bhupathi announced on his Twitter account that he will team with Leander Paes at the 2011 Australian Open. “The Indian Express rolls again at the Aussie Open next year. Our first slam in 9 years.” The duo was one of the most successful Indian duos in the history of the sport from 1997-2002. They won three Grand Slam doubles titles together before a feud had them split as a team. They have made up since and teamed up at Davis Cup this year.

Philippoussis served with Mortgage Default Notice on his home in Sydney

Australia tennis star Mark Philippoussis has been served with mortgage default notice on his home in Sydney, Australia according to media reports. The Aussie allegedly borrowed $1.2 million to buy a house, which is now worth a lot less. Philippoussis, who know plays seniors events, is currently living in the United States.

Marino named Canada’s Player of the Year

19-year-old Rebecca Marino of Vancouver, who moved up 80 spots in the WTA ranking from the start of the season to No. 102, was named Canada’s Player of the Year.

Legends Event in Cayman Islands Raises $63,000

From November 5-7th, the 2010 Legends Championships brought world-class tennis to Cayman, but the associated Pro-Am Tournament made the event a true once-in-a-lifetime experience for six lucky amateurs. The event was organized to support the Cayman Islands Crisis Centre, a non-profit organization dedicated to sheltering victims of domestic and sexual abuse, while advocating a life free of violence for everyone. The event raised $63,000 for the centre.