sorana cirstea

Stosur Stumbles, Serena Scorched — Mondays With Bob Greene

January 23, 2012 by Bob Greene

STARS

Australian Open (First Week)

Kim Clijsters beat fifth-seeded Li Na 4-6 7-6 (6) 6-4

Sorana Cirstea beat sixth-seeded Samantha Stosur 7-6 (2) 6-3

Kei Nishikori beat sixth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 2-6 6-2 6-1 3-6 6-3

Ekaterina Makarova beat seventh-seeded Vera Zvonareva 7-6 (7) 6-1

Alejandro Falla beat eighth-seeded Mardy Fish 7-6 (4) 6-3 7-6 (6)

Zheng Jie beat ninth-seeded Marion Bartoli 6-3 6-3

Richard Gasquet beat ninth-seeded Janko Tipsarevic 6-3 6-3 6-1

Romina Oprandi beat 10th-seeded Francesca Schiavone 6-4 6-3

Tomas Berdych beat 10th-seeded Nicolas Almagro 4-6 7-6 (5) 7-6 (3) 7-6 (2)

SAYING

“Probably the whole country hates me now” – Sorana Cirstea, after beating Australian Sam Stosur, the US Open champion.

“When anyone’s nervous, I think the first thing that goes is your footwork. You don’t move your feet as well. Once that breaks down, it’s easy for other things to start breaking down.” – Samantha Stosur, explaining that she was unable to calm her nerves in her first-round upset loss to Sorana Cirstea.

“She had the pressure. I had nothing to lose.” – Sorana Cirstea, after upsetting Australian favorite Samantha Stosur.

“It’s a miserable, terrible thing being out there compromised like that.” – Andy Roddick, on the right hamstring injury that forced him to pull out of his match against Lleyton Hewitt.

“It gets really tough for us here. The problem is so many people want a piece of you during the Australian Open. It’s got to Lleyton Hewitt over the years, it encumbered Pat Rafter, who never played anything like as well as he did at the US Open, or even Wimbledon, and it’s not really helping Sam.” – Pat Cash, who like the Australian Grand Slam tournament winners never won the Australian Open.

“I mean, it’s ridiculous playing this kind of tournament with this kind of umpires. What is this? What did the ATP do for this? I didn’t understand in that situation, eight-all break point. I mean, (how) can you be that stupid to do that in that moment?” – David Nalbandian, talking about the umpire’s decision to not let him challenge a disputed call in the 16th game of the fifth set against John Isner.

“You wish that you talk about how great they were serving and returning and playing instead of talking about this one stupid call. Unfortunately it might have changed the outcome of the match potentially. We all knew that this is exactly the type of point that needs to be challenged, either from John or from David or from the umpire. We need to see the call. It can’t be that there is no call. So it was just so unfortunate. I felt bad for David, but it was still a great match. I guess the players and the umpires need to get it right in terms of helping each other.” – Roger Federer, president of the ATP Players Council, when asked about the controversy in the David Nalbandian-John Isner match.

“It’s like the ultimate. It’s really, really cool. Five hundred is a lot of matches to play, let alone to win.” – Serena Williams, who reached that milestone at the Australian Open, now trailing only her sister Venus Williams, Belgium’s Kim Clijsters and Thailand’s Tamarine Tanasugarn among active players.

“I think most people expected him to just retire … but he managed to stay. So all the credit for him, and happy birthday.” – Novak Djokovic, paying credit to his opponent, Nicolas Mahut, who although injured completed his match against the world’s top-ranked player. It was Mahut’s 30th birthday.

“I felt like I had the ability to win, but I just didn’t do it.” – Milos Raonic, after losing to veteran Lleyton Hewitt.

“Of course I’d be a liar if I said I don’t care about it, but it’s a little bit in the back of my mind.” – Victoria Azarenka on her chances of reaching number one ranking in women’s tennis.

“My confidence is high, my fitness is good, my play is improving and I’m very positive.” – Caroline Wozniacki, after beating former world number one Jelena Jankovic.

“I can’t do anything.” – Bernard Tomic told his family and friends in his box during his straight-set loss to Roger Federer.

Serena Williams 2012 Australian Open Day 8 — Serena Williams after loss

SERENA BOUNCED

Ekaterina Makarova handed Serena Williams a rare loss at the Australian Open. The Russian left-hander ripped winner after winner, especially down the line, to shock the five-time Australian Open winner. This was only the third loss Williams has suffered since winning her first title Down Under in 2003. The American was on a 17-match winning streak that included her capturing the women’s singles title in 2009 and 2010. Williams missed last year because of an injury. Against Makarova, Williams had problems serving – she had seven double faults – and piled up 37 unforced errors. With the victory, Makarova grabbed a quarterfinal spot at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in her career.

SWEET SATISFACTION

In a rematch of last year’s women’s singles final, defending champion Kim Clijsters still came out on top. The Belgian staved off four match points and an ankle injury to shock French Open champion Li Na 4-6 7-6 (6) 6-4 in a fourth-round match. Li, the first native of Asia to win a Grand Slam tournament singles title, served for the match at 5-4 in the second set. And she held a 6-2 lead in the tiebreak. Each time Clijsters rallied to keep alive her chances of repeating as Australian Open winner. “I said in my mind, ‘keep fighting,’” Clisters said. “You never know what happens on the other side of the court.”

STANDING TALL

Nearly every move Kei Nishikori makes on a tennis court brings another first for Japan. When Nishikori beat Frenchman Julien Benneteau he became the first Japanese male to advance to the fourth round of the Australian Open since the Open era began in 1968. He already is the highest ranking Japanese man in the 40-year history of the ATP rankings at 24th in the world. When he reached the fourth round of the US Open in 2008, the 22-year-old was the first Japanese man to do that since 1937. He then became the first Japanese man to advance to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in 80 years by upsetting sixth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 2-6 6-2 6-1 3-6 6-3. Seeded 24th, Nishikori matches the feats of Ryosuki Nunoi and Jiro Satoh, who reached the last eight of the event in 1932.

SAD SAM

Coming home a Grand Slam tournament champion apparently was too much pressure for Samantha Stosur to handle. The Australian won the US Open in September, but playing in front of her home crowd Stosur was shocked by Sorana Cirstea in a first-round Australian Open match. “I’m probably very close to crying, having a really awful night,” Stosur told a news conference after her defeat. “It’s hard to suppress those emotions when it means so much to you.” The sixth-seeded Stosur was attempting to become the first Australian in 34 years to win the women’s singles title at the year’s first Grand Slam event. The 27-year-old admitted she has been struggling to cope with the pressure. “The whole emotional side of things really took over,” she said. “It never felt like I was able to be loose and free with the way I wanted to play.”

SMASHING RECORD

Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus went on a racquet-smashing binge that lightened his wallet by USD $1,250. That was what the former Australian Open finalist was fined after smashing four racquets during his loss to Stanislas Wawrinka. Trailing his Swiss opponent by two sets, Baghdatis hammered his first racquet into the ground until it crumbled. Then he took three more racquets out of his bag and pummeled the court with them. The destructive binge apparently worked, although briefly, as Baghdatis won the third set before losing the second-round match in four sets. The tournament referee fined the 26-year-old Baghdatis for “abuse of racquets and equipment.”

STUNNED

Two years ago John Isner made it into the record books with his marathon 70-68 fifth set at Wimbledon. He had to go 10-8 in the fifth set to hand David Nalbandian a second-round defeat at the Australian Open, but this one included a controversial call from chair umpire Kader Nouni. In the 17th game, Nalbandian had three break points on Isner’s serve. The American fended off the first two, and on the third hit a serve down the middle that was called out. Nouni, however, overruled the call, saying it was an ace. Because of the crowd noise, Nalbandian didn’t realize the original call had been overruled and he walked to the spot while he got clarification from Nouni. Once he realized the serve had been ruled an ace, Nalbandian challenged the call. Nouni denied the request, insisting Nalbandian had waited too long to make a challenge. Replays showed the original call was correct: Isner’s serve was wide and he should have had a second serve. Instead, he wound up holding for a 9-8 lead, then broke Nalbandian to close out the match. The Argentine was later fined USD $8,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct, the largest fine assessed in the tournament up to that time. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said the fine was for throwing water on an Australian Open staff member following the match. Nalbandian, though, disputed the accusation. “During anti-doping control I was washing my hands and the doctor incredibly accused me of throwing water at him,” the Argentine said. “Two injustices – one inside and another one outside the court. I am going to appeal the sanction.” A tournament official said Nalbandian had up to 10 days after the tournament to lodge an appeal against the fine.

Isner was also assessed a code violation for racquet abuse during the match and was fined USD $800.

SUPER JOHN

When Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback scores a touchdown, he performs a move emulating Clark Kent removing his shirt to reveal his Superman outfit. John Isner is a Panthers fan, so he paid homage to Newton when the tennis player beat David Nalbandian 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6, 10-8 in a controversial second-round Australian Open match. Isner jogged to the middle of the court, turned to fans and performed Newton’s touchdown dance.

SICK CALL

Tennis Hall of Famer Mats Wilander was hospitalized in Australia where he received a blood transfusion following a fall in his Melbourne apartment. A post on the Facebook page for his company, Wilander on Wheels, said the 47-year-old native of Sweden is “healing properly” after lacerating one of his kidneys in the fall. He was released after receiving a blood transfusion but will be unable to play tennis for a month. Wilander, who won the Australian Open three times among his seven Grand Slam tournament singles titles, is hoping to resume hosting a daily highlight show for television channel Eurosport at this year’s Australian Open.

SALES SURGE

Australia is cashing in on Li Na’s highly successful 2011 season when she became the first player born in Asia to reach a Grand Slam tournament final – the Australian Open – and the first to win a Grand Slam tournament singles title, at Roland Garros. The Herald Sun newspaper reported the “Li factor” was behind a 30 percent rise in Australian Open ticket sales in China, and she is expected to boost Chinese tourism to Down Under to double the number of visitors in the next five years. “About 53 million Chinese left their country on a holiday last year,” Tourism and Transport Forum boss John Lee told the newspaper. “Of those, 500,000 came to Australia. That number could double in five years, helped by the Li factor.” Lee said he hoped the Chinese star would win in Melbourne “for the free publicity it would give Australia.”

STEAMED

An ongoing dispute with the French tennis federation is expected to keep Marion Bartoli out of the 2012 Olympics in London. Ranked ninth in the world, Bartoli is France’s top female player. But in order to compete in the Olympics, the International Tennis Federation requires that she be on good terms with her national federation and have made herself available to play in Fed Cup ties twice over the past four years n—conditions Bartoli doesn’t meet. Bartoli has had a long-standing feud with the French federation over her independent coaching set-up with her father and the fact he wouldn’t be allowed to coach her during Fed Cup ties.

SANS CLOTHES

When Caroline Wozniacki was late for a post-match news conference, she had a good reason. She had lost her clothes. “I’m sorry I’m late,” the top-seeded Dane said. “I lost my bag somewhere and I couldn’t find it. Yeah, took me awhile. I thought it would be inappropriate to dress in a towel. … I took a shower and I’m looking for my bag and I couldn’t find it. Thankfully one of the locker room ladies was nice enough to go out and look for it.”

SWITCH STOPPED

When he’s at the Australian Open, Roger Federer almost always plays in Rod Laver Arena. So it was a rare change when they scheduled Federer’s match against Germany’s Andreas Beck to be played in the Hisense Arena. “I was excited,” Federer said of the change of venue. “I wasn’t disappointed to hear that I was going to play there, to be quite honest.” But Beck withdrew with a lower back problem and Federer returned to the center court where he has played all of his matches since 2004. “At Wimbledon and at the French we always go at the second court,” Federer said. “It’s just here and at the US Open where … they have more night sessions and more space for men’s matches on the center court that it’s really difficult for you to be moved out.”

STADE FOR SHADE

The Australian Open is going to have three stadiums with retractable roofs. Denis Napthine, state minister for major projects, and Hugh Delahunty, minister for sport, showed plans for a redeveloped Margaret Court Arena with a retractable roof and increased seating capacity to 7,500. “This fantastic new design is focused on people and creating an active and welcoming space,” Napthine said. “The roof will provide greater shade and rain protection for the public.”

STORK ARRIVAL

Doubles specialist Mahesh Bhupathi of India and his wife, actress Lara Dutta, are the parents of a girl. Bhupathi’s wife, a former Miss Universe, gave birth in Mumbai. Bhupathi tweeted that he got to see the baby via Skype.

The family of three-time Grand Slam tournament champion Lindsay Davenport also has grown. The 2000 Australian Open winner announced on Twitter the arrival of her third child with husband Jon, a baby girl.

SURFING

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia, hard (second week)
$108,000 Heibronn Open, Heibronn, Germany, hard

WOMEN

Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia, hard (second week)

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$515,000 Sud de France, Montpellier, France, hard
$515,000 PBZ Zagreb Indoors, Zagreb, Croatia, hard
$515,000 VTR Open, Viña del Mar, Chile, hard

FED CUP

(First Round)

World Group

Russia vs. Spain at Moscow, Russia, hard
Belgium vs. Serbia at Charleroi, Belgium, hard
Italy vs. Ukraine at Biella, Italy, clay
Germany vs. Czech Republic at Stuttgart, Germany, hard

World Group II

United States vs. Belarus at Worcester, Massachusetts, USA, hard
Japan vs. Slovenia at Hyogo, Japan, hard
Slovak Republic vs. France at Bratislava, Slovak Republic, hard
Switzerland vs. Australia at Fribourg, Switzerland, clay

Group I

Europe/Africa at Eilat, Israel, hard – Pool A: Estonia, Austria, Bulgaria; Pool B: Sweden, Hungary, Greece, Bosnia-Herzegovina; Pool C: Netherlands, Great Britain, Israel, Portugal; Pool D: Poland, Romania, Croatia, Luxembourg

Americas at Curitiba, Brazil, clay – Pool A: Canada, Argentina, Peru, Bahamas; Pool B: Colombia, Paraguay, Brazil, Venezuela, Bolivia

Asia/Oceania at Shenzhen, China, hard – Pool A: China, Uzbekistan, Chinese Taipei; Pool B: Thailand, Kazakhstan, Korea, Indonesia

Upset In Oz Begs The Question – Does Samantha Stosur Believe She Is a Major Champion

January 18, 2012 by Charles Bricker

As Sam Stosur’s 33rd and final unforced error touched down a few inches beyond the baseline, sealing the first upset of the Australian Open, I found myself wandering back to last year’s U.S. Open, where Stosur became the accidental Grand Slam champion of the year.

Oh yes, she played well that day. Maybe even very well, but who can say for sure in a New York final in which, at least in my mind, Serena Williams was about 50 percent fit to go on court.

If Serena had been at 75 percent, Stosur would not have won that match, and she wouldn’t be carrying around the debilitating weight of that victory, either.

One can’t help but wonder if, despite her first and probably only major title, Stosur really believes she’s a Grand Slam champion. She certainly didn’t look it on Day 2 at Melbourne in a 7-6 (2), 6-3 loss to world No. 59 Sorana Cirstea.

Was Serena indeed playing on a still-unhealed foot that day at the Open? To her credit, she didn’t overtly plead any excuses after that loss. However, I’ve got one remark memorized from that post-match press conference.

“Well, I’m here,” she replied when asked directly about her lingering foot problems. “No athlete is ever 100 percent. I’ll just leave it at that.”

As you no doubt know, Williams didn’t play another match the rest of the season and, despite three months to regain at least a semblance of full fitness, she’s playing the Aussie Open hurt, giving a third-round walkover last week in a work-up event to Melbourne. Draw your own conclusions about Williams’ condition for that Open final.

Stosur, meanwhile, has played since her U.S. Open triumph, and had a couple of pretty good matches at the WTA Championships at the end of the 2011 season. But this embarrassing lost to Cirstea leaves her just 8-8 since she became the Accidental Grand Slam Champion.

I have a certain level of empathy with Stosur, as we both live in Tampa. But that wouldn’t keep me from pegging her as one of the great mysteries of women’s tennis.

No one on the WTA Tour, and I think I’ll include Serena here, looks as physically athletic as Stosur. The triceps . . . the biceps . . . the lean but muscled legs. . . It all looks particularly impressive, too, with a thin coat of Melbourne sweat emphasizing the cut lines.

Then there’s the technically perfect Stosur service motion. If you could win tennis matches on cosmetics alone, she’d be No. 1. The problem is that her game doesn’t often enough match how good she looks on court.

It’s easy to be seduced by Stosur’s fluidity, but while I admire fluidity, I’m less interested in that than in results, and as good as that serve looks, mechanically, she’s no ace machine, and her second serve lacks punch, depth and location.

Moreover, she has a very mediocre backhand that doesn’t complement a strong forehand.

Cirstea played this match the way you’d expect from someone 54 spots below in the rankings – going for the lines and playing risky ball. She had early success and Stosur apparently thought she could just push back defensively until Cirstea’s hot streak ran its course.

That’s not a bad strategy, but it needs to be combined with an appropriate amount of aggression, which Stosur did not bring to court. All the air Sam put under her forehands left Cirstea plenty of time to measure and crunch, and she did.

And Cirstea just fed on Stosur’s second serves.

Sam came in to do press after this match and was, as always, quite cordial. But you can see how she’s trying to grapple with the sort of results which are unacceptable for the No. 5 player.

“Part of it is just that heightened expectation of wanting to do well, all that kind of thing,” she said. “I struggled for a couple weeks after the U.S. Open and than finished well at The Championships, had a month off, then trained for a month.”

To what end, Sam? Where did you leave it? In the locker room?

And so, in front of an admiring Melbourne audience, Stosur is one-and-out for the second time in a row, having lost to Francesca Schiavone, a top-20 player, last week at Sydney.

It’s also the second time in her last three majors that she’s gone in the first round, or did you forget the loss at Wimbledon last year to No. 262 Melinda Czink.

Sam Stosur. It would be easy to excuse all this disappointment by suggesting she’s still getting used to success. But she’s closing in on 28 years of age. There is supposed to be a high level of maturity by this time.

Maybe she is just what the rankings say she is — a very fine player who is a clear cut below the best in the game, Grand Slam title or no Grand Slam title.

Charles Bricker can be reached at nflwriterr@aol.com

Blake and Safina highlight Sony Ericsson Open wildcards

March 8, 2011 by WTM

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.

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.

Radwanska Sisters Sign With Lagardere Unlimited: This Week in Tennis Business with Justin Cohen

February 23, 2011 by Justin Cohen

Radwanska sisters sign representation agreements with Lagardere Unlimited

Lagardere Unlimited, the sports industry and entertainment company of the Lagardere group, has signed representation deals with star Polish players, Agnieszka and Urszula Radwanska. Agnieszka is currently ranked No. 10 in the WTA Tour rankings, while her sister Urszula is ranked No. 199. Agnieszka, who reached a career high No. 8 in 2010, returned from an injury layoff in January to reach the quarterfinals at the Australian Open in Melbourne. Urszula, who achieved a career-high WTA ranking of No. 62 in August 2009, is a former No. 1 junior in the world. Lagardere Unlimited Tennis President Ken Meyerson and Daniel Becker will represent the Radwanska sisters. “We have recruited the sisters since their impressive junior careers,” said Meyerson. “We are excited and honored to be working with such decorated players.”

Las Vegas-based sports management company signs world No. 76 Lepchenko

WTA world No. 76 Varvara Lepchenko of Allentown, Pa., has signed with new Las Vegas-based athlete management company, Agent Atleta. Jordan J. Butler of Agent Atleta will represent the 24-year-old, who had the most successful season of her career in 2010 where she defeated Julia Goerges, Melanie Oudin, Sorana Cirstea, and Mirjana Lucic. Lepchenko finished 2010 with fifteen straight wins on the USTA Pro Circuit, including three consecutive titles. Lepchenko has won 10 career ITF titles. “Varvara is a great person and a very talented player who is beginning to hit her stride as a professional,” said Butler. “Given her strong work ethic and inherent drive to succeed, her best years are clearly ahead of her. Agent Atleta is ecstatic to represent Varvara’s career interests.”

Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland returns th — Agnieszka Radwanska

Agassi to receive Garden of Dreams Hero award at Madison Square Garden

Former world No. 1 and eight-time Grand Slam singles champion Andre Agassi will receive the Garden of Dreams Hero award during the BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden on February 28 prior to his match against Pete Sampras. The award, established in 2009, honors one person or organization annually that embodies the spirit and commitment of the Garden of Dreams Foundation, with active, on-going dedication to children facing obstacles. Agassi, an eight-time Grand Slam champion, has been as dedicated off the court working with children as he was winning tournaments on the court. In 1994, he founded the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education, which is devoted to transforming public education in the United States through its school in Las Vegas and by influencing state and national policy. 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. In 2009 and 2010, the school graduated a 100% acceptance rate for higher education. The school currently enrolls approximately 650 pupils K-12. “Making a difference in the lives of children is something we are passionate about, and Andre’s unwavering dedication to children through education, sports and community outreach makes him a legend on and off the court,” said Hank Ratner, President & CEO, Madison Square Garden and Chairman of the Board, Garden of Dreams Foundation. “Andre’s commitment to children has made a difference in thousands of lives and his work epitomizes what Garden of Dreams stands for, which is to make dreams come true for children facing obstacles. We are proud to honor him with the 2011 Garden of Dreams Hero Award.”

Gasquet hires Piatti as new coach, will continue getting advised by Grosjean

Frenchman Richard Gasquet has hired Riccardo Piatti as his new coach according to L’Equipe. In addition, Gasquet will continue to be advised by former Top 10 player Sebastien Grosjean, especially during the upcoming tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami. Piatti is most known for helping Croatian Ivan Ljubicic rise to a career-high No. 3 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings. “Everybody knows Richard’s an excellent player,” said Piatti. “He’s still young and had to live with huge expectations because of his early success. He has to be given time to grow and better manage his emotions.”

Former French Open finalist now coaching Dabul

Argentine Brian Dabul is currently working with 2005 French Open finalist Mariano Puerta as his coach. The partnership is believed to have started in December. Puerta, who was suspended twice for doping following his finals run at Roland Garros, served a nine month suspension in 2003 and 2004, before getting an eight year ban at the end of the 2008 season. The sentence was later reduced on appeal for two years. Puerta returned to play competitive tennis in futures and challengers events in 2007 before retiring after the 2009 season. Dabul, who lost to Roger Federer at the US Open in 2010, is currently ranked No. 89.

ATP and WTA tournaments in Dubai to stay put for at least three more years

Dubai Tournament Director Colm McLoughlin announced that the ATP World Tour and WTA Tour tennis tournaments in Dubai will stay at its current venue for at least the next three years. The stadium court seating capacity at the Dubai Tennis Stadium is currently at 5,000. “When we were in discussions with the WTA and the ATP officials, it was their request that we get a 7,500-seat centre court. So accordingly, we set about trying to get a new location. But at the moment this facility is good enough for both the weeks,” said McLoughlin. The tournament has previously been in discussions to move the tournaments to the tennis center in Dubai Sports City or constructing its own tennis center somewhere else.

WTA ranking points to be awarded to WTA players during 2012 Olympics in London

The ITF and WTA Tour announced that ranking points will be awarded to women who participate in the 2012 Olympics in London, which will be played at Wimbledon. This will be the third successive Olympics where women have received ranking points. Countries are now eligible for up to four entries into singles and two entries into the doubles, with the maximum number players per country raised from four to six. WTA rankings will be used as the basis for determining the 56 direct acceptances in the 64-player singles draw. The ITF’s Olympic Committee will select six of the remaining eight places, and two Tripartite Commission Invitations will be decided by the IOC, National Olympic Committees and the ITF.

Serena pulls out of Nike Clash of Champions exhibition event in Oregon

As expected, Serena Williams has pulled out of the Nike Clash of Champions exhibition event in Eugene, Ore., which is scheduled to be played on March 8, due to a foot injury that has kept her from competing on the WTA Tour since July. Williams will still make a public appearance at the event, acting as a chair umpire. Victoria Azarenka will take Williams’ place and will join Maria Sharapova, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the exhibition event. The 12,000 tickets for the event were sold out in 11 minutes when they went on sale to the public.

Torsten Peschke to be honored as PTR Touring Pro Coach of the Year

Torsten Peschke, a native of Sarasota and husband of WTA doubles star Kveta, will be honored this week as the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) Coach Jim Verdieck Touring Pro Coach of the Year at the 2011 PTR International Tennis Symposium in Hilton Head. Peschke began coaching on the professional tour in 1995 at ITF events with rising Czech star, Kveta Hrdlickova, now better known as Kveta Peschke (they married in 2003). Torsten guided Kveta to a career-best ranking of No. 26 in singles and No. 3 in doubles, along with one WTA singles title and 17 doubles titles. Until 2007, Peschke also ran a successful sports complex in Berlin until he decided to sell it to focus on his pro tour coaching duties.

Sony Ericsson Open and BOMBAY SAPPHIRE team up to host Happy Hour Series

The Sony Ericsson Open and BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Gin have teamed up again to form a spectacular five-event Happy Hour Series taking place at various South Florida locations leading up to the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, which will be played from March 21-April 3. The 2011 Happy Hour Series kicked-off on Thursday, February 17 at the Tarpon Bend Food & Tackle in Coral Gables. Each event will include ticket giveaways to the tournament, as well as provide fans, ages 21 and up, the ultimate BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Cocktail Experience. BOMBAY SAPPHIRE is in its fifth year sponsoring the Sony Ericsson Open. The next Happy Hour Series event is on Friday, February 25 at the Tarpon Bend Food & Tackle in Ft. Lauderdale from 5:00pm-7:00pm. The final three Happy Hour Series events will take place on Friday, March 4 at Novecento Brickell in Miami from 6:00pm-8:00pm, Friday, March 11 at The Clevelander on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach from 7:00pm-9:00pm, and on Friday, March 18 at the Green Street Café in Coconut Grove from 6:00pm-8:00pm.

Sony Ericsson Open individual tickets on sale now

Individual tickets are on sale now for the Sony Ericsson Open, which will be played from March 21-April 3 at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Miami, Fla. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Sony Ericsson Open ticket office at (305) 442-3367 or by emailing the ticket office at tickets@imgworld.com for more information. Secure your seats for the 2011 tournament and watch the best players in the world including Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Andy Roddick, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Kim Clijsters, Caroline Wozniacki and many more.

Ancic retires from tennis at 26, will become lawyer

Former world No. 7 Mario Ancic has retired from the ATP World Tour at the age of 26 due to chronic back problems. “I can’t stand it anymore,” said Ancic. “I have finished my career. I’m forced to quit because nature has decided it’s time. My back can’t withstand the effort of professional tennis,” Ancic, who earned his law degree in April 2008 and is currently working at a law firm in Croatia, won 208 singles matches throughout his career including a first round win over then No. 7 seed Roger Federer in his Grand Slam singles debut at Wimbledon in 2002. Ancic, who won three singles titles and five doubles titles, reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2004 and the quarterfinals at the French Open in 2006. In 2004, Ancic teamed with Ivan Ljubicic to capture the bronze medal in doubles for Croatia at the Olympics in Athens. Ancic, who won more than $4 million in tournament prize money during his career which started in 2001, helped lead Croatia to the Davis Cup title in 2005.

Tsonga to miss France’s Davis Cup tie against Austria with hernia problem

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who is currently ranked No. 17 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, will miss France’s first round Davis Cup tie in Austria from March 4-6 due to a hernia problem. World No. 12 Gael Monfils will also miss the tie for France due to a recent wrist injury.

Roddick pulls out of Delray Beach following title run in Memphis

Andy Roddick, who won his 30thtitle of his career in Memphis on Sunday over 20-year-old Canadian Milos Raonic, pulled out of the ATP Delray Beach International Tennis Championships in South Florida due to flu-like symptoms. Roddick, who was battling illness during his title run in Memphis, met with media to discuss his reasons for withdrawing from the tournament. The former world No. 1 and 2003 US Open singles champion is next scheduled to appear on court for the U.S. Davis Cup team against Chile during the first week of March.

New York Junior Tennis League (NYJTL) receives 2010 USTA/NJTL Chapter of the Year Award

The USTA recently announced that the New York Junior Tennis League (NYJTL) had been selected as one of three community tennis and education-themed organizations in the United States to receive the 2010 USTA/NJTL Chapter of the Year Award. The award recognizes chapters and programs at three different levels, $500,000 and above, $50,000-$500,000, and less than $50,000. The New York Junior Tennis League, which is the largest USTA/NJTL in the United States serving more than 100,000 children between the ages of 6-18 in New York City’s five boroughs, was awarded for the $500,000 and above level. “Changing the lives of young children in New York City has been the mission of NYJTL for 40 years. In keeping with Arthur Ashe’s legacy and dream of introducing the sport of tennis to underserved children and providing them with educational opportunities, NYJTL is extremely honored to receive this award,” said Deborah MacFarlane Antoine, NYJTL President and CEO. St. Paul Urban Tennis was rewarded for the $50,000-$500,000 category, while Hartford RALLY was honored in the less than $50,000 category. All three programs were honored at an awards banquet during the USTA’s annual Community Tennis Development Workshop, which was held from February 11-13.

Houston area teams win World Team Tennis Rec League titles

Two Houston area teams won regional championship titles over the weekend at the 2011 World Team Tennis Rec League National Qualifier at the Copperfield Racquet & Health Club in Houston, Texas. The J.O.C.s of Houston, who play in the 4.0 division, and the Love Breakers, who play in the 4.5 division, each secured spots into the WTT National Finals to be held November 4-6 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif. The Houston regional championship was the first of eight national qualifying events for the WTT Rec League. Championship teams from all eight National Qualifying events, along with Corporate League teams, advance to the WTT National Finals.