sprungli

By Justin Cohen

• According to the Sportsbusiness Journal, Sam Querrey has signed a seven-figure deal with K-Swiss.
• Tommy Haas has been diagnosed with Swine Flu. “I did a test because I suspected that I had swine flu. The test was positive,” Haas told a newspaper on Tuesday. “Of course, it was a shock for me.”
• According to Blick, Roger Federer has hired ATP physio Stephane Vivier to be his traveling physiotherapist.
• The exhibition match in Buenos Aires between Maria Sharapova and Gisela Dulko has been cancelled for “commercial reasons,” according to the organizers.

  

• Following her title at the season ending tour championships in Doha, Qatar, on Sunday, Serena Williams set the record for single season prize money in women’s tennis with $6,545,586 million earned in 2009. Justine Henin held the previous record with just over $5.4 million earned in 2007. Williams has now earned $28.5 million in tournament prize money throughout her career.
• Serena Williams has pulled out of the upcoming Fed Cup final against Italy and will be replaced by Vania King. King will be making her sixth appearance on the United States Fed Cup team.
• Elena Dementieva has been awarded the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s Diamond ACES award for off-court contributions to the sport.
• According to tennisreporters.net, Maria Sharapova is now dating Los Angeles Lakers player Sasha Vujacic.
• Stacey Allaster, the Chairman and CEO of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, announced that tournament withdrawals dropped by more than one third this season due to the WTA Tour’s new scheduling system that has less mandatory tournaments for the players. Allaster said the so-called “roadmap” that was put into place this season has been a “fantastic success.”
• Roger Federer has signed a long-term deal to serve as the global brand ambassador for Swiss chocolate manufacturer, Lindt & Sprungli. “I am Swiss by birth, and since my childhood, I have always been a great fan of Lindt chocolate,” said Federer during a recent press conference to announce the partnership.
• Roger Federer announced that he will play 19 tournaments in 2010 including, Doha, the Australian Open, Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami, Rome, Estoril, Madrid, the French Open, Halle, Wimbledon, Toronto, Cincinnati, the US Open, Shanghai, Basel, Paris and the London World Tour Finals.
• 16-year-old Michelle Larcher de Brito was recently named the 2009 Portuguese Female Athlete of the Year at the 14th Gala do Desporto sponsored by the Confederacao do Desporto de Portugal. Larcher de Brito is currently ranked No. 115 in the WTA Tour rankings.
• In the latest excerpt released from Andre Agassi’s soon-to-be-released autobiography, “Open,” Agassi says he swallowed a pill that his dad gave him that could have been the illegal drug speed. The former World No. 1 already had excerpts released that had him admitting to crystal meth use during 1997 on the ATP Tour.
• The World Anti-Doping Agency has asked the ATP World Tour to investigate Andre Agassi’s claim that he took crystal meth in 1997 and got past a positive drug test by writing a letter to ATP Tour officials. “The ATP can confirm it has received a letter from WADA,” the tour said in a statement e-mailed to the Associated Press on Monday. “When it responds it will do so directly to WADA and not through the media.”
• Marat Safin, Sebastien Grosjean and Michael Llodra have been awarded wild cards for the upcoming Paris Masters 1000. Safin is a three-time champion in Paris, while Grosjean won the event in 2001. This will be Safin’s last tournament as a professional player on the ATP World Tour.
• French Open officials have announced that they will consider moving the French Open to a different site if their expansion project for the tournament grounds is not given an ok by the Paris City Council. Reports from earlier in the fall indicate that a site near Paris Disney would be considered.
• Beginning in early 2010, Under Armour and IMG are combining forces to create “Combine360,” which is the sports equivalent to the SAT. The Combine360 will calculate and record sport-specific ability and mental skill, nutritional level, ability to communicate and other performance disciplines to allow athletes from all over the world to compare scores. “Consistent with Under Armour’s global mission to make all athletes better, IMG Performance is a pioneer in the field of athletic and character development for competitors of all ages,” said Kevin Plank, the CEO and Founder of Under Armour.
• The 2010 Hong Kong Tennis Classic in January at Victoria Park will feature several top WTA Tour players, as well as former ATP Tour grand slam singles champions. Maria Sharapova, Vera Zvonareva and Marat Safin will make up Team Russia. Caroline Wozniacki, Victoria Azarenka and Stefan Edberg will make up Team Europe. Venus Williams, Gisela Dulko and Michael Chang will make up team America and Jie Zheng, Ayumi Morita and Paradorn Srichaphan will make up Team Asia-Pacific. The new team format will feature men’s and women’s singles, as well as mixed doubles over a four day period.
• Juan Carlos Ferrero was the victim of harassment over the telephone in Shanghai, according to Ferrero’s coach. Ferrero received more than 300 phone calls that left him unable to sleep for 48 hours. The incident is being investigated by police.