Switzerland

Like Nick Kyrgios, Roger Federer Also Tanked During A Pro Tennis Match

July 7, 2015 by Admin

Nick Kyrgios of Australia has been a trending topic at Wimbledon of late, due partially to allegations that he thanked a game in his round of 16 match loss to Richard Gasquet. Roger Federer actually had a defense to this behavior from Kyrgios, as can be read here:http://finance.yahoo.com/news/roger-federer-great-defense-20-133800000.html

It is also interesting to note that Federer, himself, tanked during a professional match. The episode is documented in the book “Roger Federer: Quest for Perfection” the book written by Swiss journalist Rene Stauffer, who has covered Federer since he was 15 years old. (The book is available here on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0942257723/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_1naNvb00ZM5CQ) Federer, now seen at the pinnacle of class and distinction on a tennis court, was once fined for violating the “Best Effort” rule as a 17-year-old in a satellite tennis event in Kublis, Switzerland in 1998. The book excerpt is found below.

After appearances in big events in Toulouse and Basel, Federer next competed on the much lower level Swiss satellite circuit—and felt as if he were in a bad movie. He just played before 9,000 spectators against Agassi, one of the all-time greats, in front of a major television audience with all the newspapers writing articles about him. Meanwhile, he just signed with the world’s largest sports agency, International Management Group, and was be¬ing supplied, like Pete Sampras, by brands such as Nike and Wilson. But now he suddenly found himself in the eastern Swiss town of Küblis, in a gloomy tennis stadium in a valley wedged in the Bündner Mountains. There were no spectators, no line judges and no ball boys. He was not facing Andre Agassi, but Armando Brunold, the No. 11 player in Switzerland, whom Federer by now outclassed as the No. 6 player in the country.

The first-round match at the circuit’s first tournament proved to be a cul¬ture shock for Federer and he reacted apathetically. His listlessness didn’t escape tournament referee Claudio Grether. “He simply stood unmotivated and non-nonchalantly on the court and double-faulted twice each game,” Grether explained. After Federer lost to Brunold 7-6, 6-2, Grether imposed a $100 fine against Federer because he violated the “best effort” rule stipulating that professional players must put forth their best efforts in every competition. “I could have disqualified him as well but then he would no longer have been able to compete in the rest of the circuit,” Grether said. Federer silently re¬ceived the verdict. With prize money earnings of only $87, Federer left Küblis with a $13.00 deficit. It would be the only professional tournament he played where he actually lost money.

But Federer learned his lesson. “The fine was justified,” he admitted and he reacted in a way that showed his class. A week later, he won the second tournament on the circuit and went on to win the circuit’s overall points title. His effort paid off and despite his initial setback, he moved past 100 opponents in the world rankings, landing at No. 303. Not bad for somebody who just turned 17.

To read daily anecdotes and anniversaries on Roger Federer, pick up a copy or download the book “The Days of Roger Federer” by Randy Walker here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1937559378/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_oIaNvb00Y0CNS

MONDAYS WITH BOB GREENE: THE AUSSIE OPEN SUMMARY

February 1, 2010 by WTM

STARS

Australian Open

Men’s singles: Roger Federer beat Andy Murray 6-3 6-4 7-6

Women’s singles: Serena Williams beat Justine Henin 6-4 3-6 6-2

Men’s doubles: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic 6-3 6-7 (5) 6-3

Women’s doubles: Venus Williams and Serena Williams beat Cara Black and Liezel Huber 6-4 6-3

Mixed doubles: Cara Black and Leander Paes beat Ekaterina Makarova and Jaroslav Levinsky 7-5 6-3

Boy’s singles: Tiago Fernandes beat Sean Berman 7-5 6-3

Girl’s singles: Karolina Pliskova beat Laura Robson 6-1 7-6 (5)

Boy’s doubles: Justin Eleveld and Jannick Lupescu beat Kevin Krawietz and Dominik Schulz 6-4 6-4

Girl’s doubles: Jana Cepelova and Chantal Skamlova beat Timea Babos and Gabriela Dabrowski 7-6 (1) 6-2

Men’s wheelchair singles: Shingo Kunieda beat Stephane Houdet 7-6 (3) 2-6 7-5

Women’s wheelchair singles: Korie Homan beat Florence Gravellier 6-2 6-2

Men’s wheelchair doubles: Stephane Houdet and Shingo Kunieda beat Maikel Scheffers and Robin Ammerlaan 6-2 6-2

Women’s wheelchair singles: Florence Gravellier and Aniek van Koot beat Lucy Shuker and Daniela Di Toro 6-3 7-6 (2)

Other

Michael Berrer beat Andrey Golubev 6-3 7-6 (4) to win the Heilbronn Open in Heilbronn, Germany

SAYINGS

“Now I feel, like, obviously I’m being pushed a great deal by the new generation coming up. They’ve made me a better player, because I think this has been one of my finest performances in a long time, or maybe forever.” – Roger Federer, after winning his fourth Australian Open men’s singles title.

“I can cry like Roger. It’s just a shame I can’t play like him.” – Andy Murray, explaining his tears after losing the final. Federer cried at the Australian Open last year after losing to Rafael Nadal.

“I feel like I have things to prove.” – Serena Williams, after winning her fifth Australian Open women’s singles title.

“I’m hungry to win one. I worked really, really hard to try to do it and give myself the opportunity. So far it’s not been good enough. But I’m sure one day it will be. When it comes, maybe because of the two losses, it will be even better.” – Andy Murray, after losing the men’s singles final.

“It’s been a very emotional two weeks for me. I thought it would never happen again. It’s been almost perfect. Just the last step, I couldn’t make it.” – Justine Henin, after losing to Serena Williams.

“I know he’d like to win the first for British tennis since, what is it, 150,000 years?” – Roger Federer, speaking of Andy Murray’s hope to become the first British man to win a Grand Slam tournament singles titles since Fred Perry in 1936.

“They’re still sleeping. They didn’t wake up. Someday they will wake up.” – Li Na, when asked why China has world-class women’s tennis players but few men.

“I thought maybe, if I retire now and come back … you know, Kim (Clijsters) and Justine (Henin) do that, then come back and win slams. Could have been an omen for me.” – Lleyton Hewitt, who underwent hip surgery and will be off the men’s tour until May.

“It’s the one that’s been eluding me. We said it since we started to play together. We talked about it last year. He promised. He made a promise to me we were going to get this one. He’s good at keeping his promises.” – Cara Black, who teamed with Leander Paes to win her first Australian Open title and complete a career mixed doubles Grand Slam.

“’She’s a real champion.’She plays the right shots at the right time.’” – Justine Henin, on Serena Williams.

“I feel good and I am only thinking now of recovering well. My main goal right now is to get ready again and fit to play the upcoming events once I am able to compete.” – Rafael Nadal, who will miss the next four weeks because of a knee injury.

“Play better.” – Venus Williams, when asked how she could beat her sister Serena.

“You don’t need to rub it in. They know.” – Roger Federer, when an on-court interviewer mentioned that he had beaten Lleyton Hewitt 15 straight times.

“My arm is pretty much my livelihood.” – Andy Roddick, who decided to continue his match against Marin Cilic after being assured by the ATP trainer that finishing the match would not cause any long-term damage to his arm.

“We play doubles because we enjoy it and just want to spend more time together. We just love being out there and we love the competition. More than anything, we have fun. We’ll smile and enjoy it… We were talking today about how we wish we played more when we were younger.” – Serena Williams, after she and her sister Venus won the women’s doubles.

“Given the competitive form of Zheng Jie and Li Na, what they have achieved in Melbourne is not surprising to us. Their success shows that Chinese tennis players can find their rightful place in the tennis world.” – Gao Shenyang, a director at China’s sports commission, after Zheng and Li both reached the Australian Open semifinals.

“I have everything bandaged.” – Serena Williams, who had taped her ankles, wrist, thigh and calf.

SWISS GOLD

It was business as usual for Roger Federer. His 6-3 6-4 7-5 victory over Andy Murray was the fourth time the Swiss superstar has won the Australian Open. It increased his men’s record to 16 Grand Slam tournament titles, two more than previous record-holder Pete Sampras. In addition, Federer has reached the semifinals in 22 consecutive tournaments and has played for the title in 17 of his past 18 Grand Slam tournaments, the only blemish being the 2008 Australian Open where he lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Novak Djokovic. He also is moving closer to Sampras’ all-time record for most weeks ranked number one in the world, a mark he would match if he remains in the top spot through the end of the French Open. Federer also becomes the only player who can win all four major men’s singles titles – a calendar year Grand Slam – in 2010. He is the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion, the next two Grand Slam tournaments.

SERENA THE GREAT

There’s something about Serena Williams and the Australian Open. She has never lost a final at Melbourne Park, not in singles or doubles. She won her fourth Australian Open singles title, the first woman in the Open Era to do so, snapping a five-way tie with Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles. Playing in her 41^st Grand Slam tournament, Williams was in the title match for the 15^th time. Her 12 major titles ties her on the all-time list with Billie Jean King and trailing Court, Graf, Helen Wills Moody, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. Serena also has won 11 women’s doubles Grand Slam tournament titles – all with sister Venus – and two mixed doubles, both with Max Mirnyi. And while she won the Australian Open a year ago, Serena looked at this year’s tournament in a different light. “I don’t come into a tournament trying to defend a title. I come into a tournament trying to win a title. That’s how I look at it,” she said after her win in the semifinals.

Venus and Serena now have four Australian Open women’s doubles titles, having also won in 2001, 2003 and 2009. They have also won one French Open (1999), four Wimbledons (2000, 2002, 2008, 2009) and two US Opens (1999, 2009). Plus the Olympics in 2000 and 2008.

STARS FOR HAITI

Spearheaded by Roger Federer, tennis has raised nearly USD $700,000 for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Top players gathered for a Hit for Haiti fundraiser the day before the Australian Open began, raising around USD $140,000 in gate receipts and public donations. Since then players have donated racquets that are being auctioned off, and tennis organizations – the ATP World Tour, Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, International Tennis Federation and the Grand Slam Committee – have supported the cause by raising the donations to USD $687,000.

STILL CLICKING

The mixed doubles champions have been in the winner’s circle before, but never in Australia for Cara Black. Leander Paes and the Zimbabwean teamed up to down Ekaterina Makarova and Jarosav Levinsky 7-5 6-3 in the final. It was the 11^th Grand Slam tournament title for the 36-year-old Paes, tying him with Mahesh Bhupathi as India’s most successful Grand Slam player. For Black, the victory made her the third woman in the Open Era to win a career mixed doubles Grand Slam, joining Martina Navratilova and Daniela Hantuchova. Cara won the French Open in 2002 and Wimbledon in 2004, both with brother Wayne Black, and the US Open in 2008 with Paes. Three other women have accomplished the feat: Doris Hart, Margaret Court and Billie Jean King. Between them, Paes and Black have won 19 Grand Slam tournament doubles titles, including men’s, women’s and mixed.

SINO SUPERSTARS

Li Na and Zheng Jie both reached the final four at the Australian Open, the first time two players from China made it that far at a major. Actually, never before had two Chinese singles players ever been in the second week of a major at the same time. Although they both lost their semifinal matches – Li to eventual champion Serena Williams and Zheng to Justine Henin – the two know they have made a huge impact at home. Called “golden flowers” by Chinese newspapers, Li said, “I mean, was first time two Chinese player same time play semifinal in Grand Slam. Good for both players. Of course, I think also good for China tennis. I think if the children, they saw this time, maybe they have more confident. They think maybe someday they can do also, yeah. I think, how you say, [it] was [an] exciting day.” Her run to the semifinals also made Li the first Chinese player to be ranked in the top 10 in the world.

STASH GROWING

Twins Bob and Mike Bryan keep adding to their Grand Slam tournament stash. The Americans won their fourth Australian Open men’s doubles title by beating Canada’s Daniel Nestor and Serbia’s Nenad Zimonjic 6-3 6-7 (5) 6-3. They also won Down Under in 2006, 1007 and 2009. It was their eighth Grand Slam tournament title overall and they now trail only Australian due Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge, who won 11 Grand Slam tournament crowns.

SUPER IDOL

Three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten is the idol of the 2010 Australian Open junior boys champion. Like Kuerten, Tiago Fernandes is from Brazil and he sometimes practices with his hero. Fernandes, who turned 17 on the eve of the final, wasn’t surprised by his 7-6 6-3 win over Australia’s Sean Berman in the title match. “The weekend before, I was thinking I’d be in the final and be, you know, the champion,” he said. “But it’s a Grand Slam, and I’m really happy to be the champion.” Fernandes attributed his success in part to Guga, as Kuerten is known. “He’s an unbelievable guy – out of the court, inside the court,” Fernandes said. Kuerten retired two years ago.

SISTER SI, SISTER NO

Laura Robson could be excused if she thought she had to play the same player twice in a row. Robson played 17-year-old identical twins Kristyna and Karolina Pliskova in consecutive matches, besting Kristyna 6-3 6-1 in the semifinals of the girls’ singles, then losing the title match to Karolina 6-1 7-6 (5). It was the second straight year Robson has reached the girls’ final at Melbourne Park, only to lose in straight sets. Yet she can go home with her head held high. She played mixed doubles with Andy Murray as they reached the final of the Hopman Cup last month, losing to Spain. Karolina Pliskova was playing in only her second junior tournament since April 2007.

Li Na had the same problem in the women’s singles. Li beat Venus Williams 2-6 7-6 (4) 7-5 in the quarterfinals, then lost to eventual champion Serena Williams in the semifinals, 7-6 (4) 7-6 (1).

SURGERY FOR LLEYTON

It didn’t take long for Lleyton Hewitt to undergo surgery on his right hip. Australia’s top player lost to top-ranked Roger Federer in the fourth round, then underwent surgery. “At least I gave 100 percent and tried to block it out as much as possible,” Hewitt said of his performance at this year’s Australian Open. He said he injured the hip at the Hopman Cup last month and felt “a reasonable amount of pain” while playing in Melbourne. Hewitt said he hopes to play again at Roland Garros. “I’ll be back, ready for the French Open,” he said.

SIDELINED BY INJURY

Rafael Nadal will miss up to four weeks while he recovers from a knee injury that forced him to quit in the third set of his Australian Open quarterfinal match against Andy Murray. Nadal had his right knee checked in Spain and was advised to rest completely for two weeks. He then will undergo two weeks of medical treatment before returning to tournament play. Nadal said the injury was not a recurrence of the tendinitis that sidelined him for periods last year. He was unable to defend his Wimbledon title in 2009 and has not reached a Grand Slam tournament final since he beat Roger Federer in five sets at the 2009 Australian Open. MRI and ultrasound tests show a small tear at the back part of Nadal’s right knee.

STRINGING GAMES

Vera Zvonareva was leading 6-4 4-2 when Victoria Azarenka of Belarus went on a tear. Azarenka ripped off 10 consecutive games to post her first career victory over Zvonareva and reach the Australian Open quarterfinals for the first time. In their four previous meetings, Azarenka had never taken a set off Zvonareva. “I just tried to keep fighting even when I was down,” the seventh-ranked Azarenka said. “I knew I could stay with her. I just had to believe in myself.”

SKIPPING FED CUP

Neither Kim Clijsters nor Justine Henin will play for Belgium in the Fed Cup opening round against Poland. The Belgian tennis federation said Clijsters made it clear that she needs a period to build up training, while Henin said the international team competition comes too early in her return to competitive tennis. That leaves Yanina Wickmayer to lead the Belgian team. Wickmayer, who had to play qualifying to reach the main draw of the Australian Open, was ousted from the year’s first Grand Slam tournament by Henin in the fourth round.

STREAKING

With his Australian Open triumph, Roger Federer has caught up with Andy Roddick. When he won the tournament in Brisbane, Australia, last month, it was the 10^th straight year that Roddick has captured an ATP World Tour title, tied for best among active players. Federer’s win at the Australian Open ran his streak to 10 straight years. The two are among the 14 players who have won titles for 10 or more consecutive years since the Open Era began in 1968. The leader is Ivan Lendl, who won at least one tournament for 14 consecutive years. Jimmy Connors is second with 13 years, while Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg are tied at 12 consecutive years. Lleyton Hewitt is also at 10 consecutive years and counting.

SURFACING AGAIN

Mario Ancic is back playing competitive tennis for the first time since May 2009. Once ranked as high as number seven in the world, Ancic has been hobbled by injury and illness over the last few years. The 25-year-old Croatian, who has won three ATP World Tour titles, returned to the tour at the Heilbronn Open, a Challenger event in Heilbronn, Germany. He lost in the first round of singles to Mikhail Kukushkin in three sets, but teamed with Levro Zovko to reach the doubles final, where they lost to brothers Sanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana of Thailand 6-4 7-5.

SANIA SAYS NO

Citing incompatibility, Sania Mirza has ended her engagement to a childhood friend, Sohrab Mirza. “We were friends for five years but found ourselves incompatible during our engagement period,” the 23-year-old Indian tennis player said. “I wish Sohrab the best in life.” Sania’s father, Imran Mirza, said the end of the engagement would not impact the long friendship the two families have shared.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Heilbronn: Sanchai Ratiwatana and Sonchat Ratiwatana beat Mario Ancic and Lovro Zovko 6-4 7-5

SITES TO SURF

Fed Cup: www.fedcup.com

Zagreb: www.zagrebindoors.com/indoors.htm

Johannesburg: www.satennisopen.co.za/

Santiago: www.movistaropen.cl/

San Jose: www.sapopentennis.com/index2.html

Rotterdam: www.abnamrowtt.nl/

Costa do Sauipe: www2.uol.com.br/tenisbrasil/brasilopen/

Paris: www.opengdfsuez.com/

Pattaya City: www.pentanglepromotions.com/pattaya-open.html

Midland: www.dowcorningtennisclassic.com

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

ATP

$572,250 PBZ Zagreb Indoors, Zagreb, Croatia, hard

$442,500 SA Tennis Open, Johannesburg, South Africa, hard

$398,250 Novistar Open, Santiago, Chile, clay

FED CUP

First Round

World Group

Ukraine vs. Italy at Kharkiv, Ukraine, hard

Czech Republic vs. Germany at Brno, Czech Republic, hard

Serbia vs. Russia at Belgrade, Serbia, hard

France vs. United States vat Lievin, France, clay

World Group II

Australia vs. Spain at Adelaide, Australia, hard

Poland vs. Belgium at Bydgoszcz, Poland, hard

Estonia vs. Argentina at Tallinn, Estonia, hard

Slovak Republic vs. China at Bratislava, Slovak Republic, hard

Group I – Europe/Africa

Round-robin at Cruz Quebrada, Portugal (four groups), hard: Austria, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Great Britain, Hungary, Israel, Latvia, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland

Group I – Americas

Round-robin at Lambare, Paraguay, clay: Brazil, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Paraguay, Puerto Rico

Group I – Asia/Oceana

Round-robin at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hard: Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, New Zealand, Thailand, Uzbekistan

Group II – Asia/Oceana

Round-robin at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hard: Hong Kong China, India, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Syria

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

ATP

$1,600,000 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, hard

$531,000 SAP Open, San Jose, California, USA, hard

$442,000 Brasil Open, Costa do Sauipe, Brazil, clay

WTA

$700,000 Open GDF SUEZ, Paris, France, hard

$220,000 PTT Pattaya Open, Pattaya City, Thailand, hard

$100,000 Dow Corning Tennis Classic, Midland, Michigan, USA, hard

ROGER FEDERER: HUMANITARIAN

January 16, 2010 by WTM

Roger Federer is often called the greatest tennis player of all-time, but one other appropriate label is humanitarian. Federer is doing what he can to raise funds to help victims of the earthquake that devastated Haiti on Tuesday.
On Saturday, Federer posted on his Facebook fan page; “Tomorrow at 2pm, with other top players, we are going to have a fun exo at Melbourne Park to help raise monies for relief efforts in Haiti from the devastating Earthquake. Entry fee is a minimum donation of $10. Should be fun and its for a great cause. Hope to see some of you there!
For those who know Federer, it is no surprise that he is taking the initiative to provide humanitarian assistance to this tragedy however he can. In this chapter excerpt from the book THE ROGER FEDERER STORY: QUEST FOR PERFECTION ($24.95, New Chapter Press, www.RogerFedererBook.com), author Rene Stauffer discusses Federer and efforts to support charities and his slipping into the roll as a global ambassador.

The Ambassador

On a Noble Mission

Roger Federer was in Sydney, Australia, when on December 26, 2004, a gigantic earthquake off the island of Sumatra in Indonesia created a tsunami that killed over 200,000 people in the region. Federer was deeply troubled by the tragedy. After flying over the catastrophic area en route to the Qatar Open in Doha only days later, he intensely followed the media coverage of the tsunami on television in his hotel.

“The whole thing really affected him like nothing else before,” said girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec on the phone just days after the tragedy. The couple had finished a vacation in the Maldives only three weeks earlier where they flew out of Colombo, Sri Lanka, one of the most affected areas of the gigantic tidal waves. “We have close acquaintances there but we haven’t been able to reach them for days now,” said Mirka. Roger and Mirka were very connected to the region, having vacationed in the Thai island of Phuket and other areas in the region devastated by the tsunami. A few weeks before the tragedy, Federer won the Thailand Open in Bangkok. “It was a big shock for me,” he wrote on his website. “It’s hard to imagine what the people there are going through.”

In an initial, spontaneous act, Federer transferred 20,000 Swiss francs ($16,000) to a Swiss relief organization. But he felt that he could do more and he wanted to do more. Back in Australia, he committed himself, along with other athletes, to a campaign at Melbourne’s “Nike Town,” where over 100,000 Swiss francs ($80,000) was raised. Nike matched this amount and contributed clothing for victims. On the eve of the Australian Open, Federer declared his willingness to “play any particular match to help the victims.” It wasn’t enough for him just to autograph racquets to be sold at auctions. He himself took the initiative and summoned his fellow players to conduct a unified campaign.

The result was a unique event in professional tennis. Before the tournament in Indian Wells, nine top players played an exhibition event on March 11 to raise money for tsunami victims. Top women players like Kim Clijsters, Elena Dementieva, Amelie Mauresmo and Daniela Hantuchova also participated. Players even collected contributions in cans from fans in the stands—resulting in $18,282.76 alone. The cash collected—as well as money raised from ticket sales for the event—was transferred to tsunami victims via UNICEF. A three-year children’s relief program, the ACE (Assisting Children Everywhere), was also launched at the same event between UNICEF and the ATP. Later in the year before the US Open, Federer was recognized by UNICEF on behalf of the tennis tour for his charitable works. In April of 2006, UNICEF named Federer as a “Goodwill Ambassador” in a ceremony in New York.

What differentiates Federer from many other athletes who are willing to give back to people who are in need is the personal devotion. It’s not enough for him just to send money. He is, as the campaign in Indian Wells demonstrated, also willing to get himself personally involved and invest his precious time to the project.

The Roger Federer Foundation—with headquarters in Bottmingen, Switzerland—was founded on December 24, 2003, shortly after he won his first Grand Slam title and before he was anywhere near financial security. The foundation’s goals were to support needy children and to promote youth sports.

The foundation soon entered into a cooperative partnership with the Imbewu Organization, a South African relief organization with a branch in Switzerland committed to helping disadvantaged children and youth in the New Brighton Township in the South African city of Port Elizabeth. The township is among the poorest and most crowded slums in South Africa, where AIDS, violence and disease account for countless lives. Federer’s foundation makes it possible for 30 children to attend classes in three different schools. The foundation picks up costs for meals, school uniforms and school materials and also finances three full-time social workers.

“I’ve already won so much in my short tennis career. I would like to give something back with my foundation, especially to those that have the least,” Federer said at the time, explaining the purpose of his foundation. He hit upon the idea of South Africa, he said, “because my mother grew up in this country and I’ve always had a close tie to South Africa. South Africa for me is a model state that has overcome hatred and oppression.”

The fact that for Federer, the foundation is a matter of cause and not effect became evident in the way he organized his first visit to the New Brighton Township in the early days of March, 2005. His communications advisor at the time, Thomas Werder, suggested he allow several media representatives to travel with them to events in the township and generate major publicity hits in numerous media outlets. Federer, however, refused. It wasn’t a matter of achieving the greatest possible media coverage under the motto of “do good works and talk about them.” The news of his visit to the township came as a surprise to most of the Swiss media. The small report ran on the visit late in the evening via the Swiss News Agency on March 2, 2005, when most newspapers had very little news space for the event and featured the story as only a news brief.

Accompanying Federer on his township visit was Mirka, his mother and Nicola Arzani of the ATP. “He didn’t want to make a big deal out of it,” Arzani recollected. “I convinced him to at least allow a photographer, a cameraman and a local journalist.” Federer, he said, spent the entire day in New Brighton, played soccer and basketball with students, planted a tree and passed out 2,500 T-shirts with the saying “I’m Tomorrow’s Future” on them. He also visited schools, infirmaries and a girl’s home. Then he ate the traditional Xhosa meal of corn grits with beans with the children who sang and danced for him.

“I wasn’t afraid at all,” he later explained to Mark Mathabane, a South African living in the United States who wrote about the visit in Deuce magazine. “I wanted to see things for myself, to feel what it’s like to live like that. I also wanted to find out how much difference my foundation was making in the lives of the people there.” In November of 2005, Federer’s parents presented the township with a multi-functional sports facility for basketball, netball and soccer.

In 2007, the Roger Federer Foundation was re-launched. New people came on board, like Christophe Schmocker, a very experienced man when it comes to foundations and charities. “The goal is to play in a higher league,” Schmocker said. A new website and new projects were also launched, like Federer’s sponsorship of ten young Swiss athletes from different sports. One of the main goals of the foundation was “to help selected poor countries in the southern hemisphere,” Schmocker explained. For example, the foundation sponsored a school in Ethiopia.

The Wimbledon champion quickly became aware that his position at the top of his sport would accord him the opportunity of becoming a role-model, to become an ambassador and to bring attention to matters that needed attention.

“If you ask me, he is the best tennis ambassador we’ve ever had,” said Arzani. “He’s so easy to work with because he understands perfectly the thing he is responsible for. He’s completely dedicated to whatever it is he’s doing. He does things not just because he has to. He always wants to know exactly why he is doing it, who will profit from it, why a tournament wants to do a particular thing, or why he should be doing a particular thing with the media. He’s very committed to everything that he does.”

“The enthusiasm he has for tennis is incredible,” said Yves Allegro, one of his best friends. “There’s nobody like him. This presents tennis—in fact the entire world—with a unique opportunity.” John McEnroe made almost the same observation in 2005. “Roger cares about tennis. He embraces the responsibility of being ranked No. 1 in the world,” he told Newsday.

When asked by Switzerland’s special UN ambassador for sports, Adolf Ogi, if he was willing to help launch 2005 as the “International Year of Sports and Education” on behalf of the UN, Federer immediately agreed. Together with UN General Secretary Kofi Annan, Federer and Ogi announced this initiative at UN headquarters in New York on November 5, 2004. Almost a year later, Federer submitted an interim report on the project at the Palace of Nations in Geneva. He conducted both appearances with great enthusiasm.

“I am convinced that sports can help overcome disadvantages as well as build bridges between cultures and nations,” Federer posted on his website. “If I can make my modest contribution to this, I certainly will. As ambassador for sport, making a contribution to help others is a very noble mission.” Before Christmas of 2006, he took some time off to visit India in his role as UNICEF ambassador.

The role of ambassador appears to fit Federer well. Mark Miles, the former 16-year CEO of the ATP, couldn’t believe his eyes when Federer and his girlfriend organized a media day in Hong Kong after the US Open in 2004—on their own initiative—to satisfy demands for Federer’s time, as well as to promote the booming tennis movement in Asia.

Federer’s willingness to help also created admiration with the organizers of the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai. They reservedly asked him if he would be willing to dedicate the new Qi Zhong Stadium in person as a lead-in to the 2005 Tennis Masters Cup. Federer willingly accepted. When he arrived in Shanghai for the one day visit after his win in Bangkok, he gave interview after interview and, instead of playing just one set of tennis with organizers and officials on the Centre Court at the facility, he played two sets. He also spent a great deal of time with the organizers, government officials, the media and fans. He even paid a visit to the kitchen after dinner to thank the cooks.

During the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, reporters brought up his pre-event visit to christen the stadium and summarized that no other player would have done what Federer did to pre-promote the event, especially playing more tennis than was required. “My doubles partner wanted to play another set and I said, ‘OK, no problem,’” he said. “We even won both sets. It was fun. It was fun to get a glimpse behind the scenes. In general, it’s not every day that you can spend time with government officials, especially from China.” He also observed that “tennis has given me so much that I’m convinced that I should give something in return. It’s not a must for me but it makes me feel much better. I’m proud to support tennis or sports, and I hope the future No. 1 player will do this as well.”

Lynette Federer enjoyed watching her son grow into his role as an ambassador and first noticed the great change within him when he first became the No. 1 player in the world in 2004. “Roger has become a perfectionist. He’s very exact,” she said in 2004. “It was completely different before. He didn’t take things seriously and was always late. He’s taking his role as No. 1 very seriously.” She said that he stands for values like honesty, candidness, friendliness, team spirit, responsibility, loyalty and integrity.

Federer has been a role model for many fans and ambitious young tennis players for a long time. He has become somebody worth looking up to. He has probably signed more autographs and is more accessible than any No. 1 player ever before. “To make a dream come true for some people,” Federer said once when asked why he was so patient when signing autographs. “When I was a ball boy, I also used to run after all the players in the hallways to get autographs. At home, I would then look the autographs as the catch of the day. I know how it is and I haven’t forgotten that.” One of his customs during tournaments is to invite unknown professionals or juniors to practice with him to give them an experience they’ll never forget.

Federer knows that his opinion carries more weight than others and he uses it responsibly. He is not the type of person who spouts insipid clichés or promotes radical changes. He prefers supporting tennis traditions and conventional issues. He is against abolishing line judges in favor of electronic systems. He is against experiments with new scoring systems, as has been partially implemented in doubles events. He also was against the experiments with more round-robin tournaments, that promptly failed in early 2007. He also defended the rights of smaller tournaments to exist. “I think it’s wrong if everything is just measured according to the Grand Slams because then other tournaments would also be basically meaningless,” he said. But of course, he is aware of the fact that in the end, his own career will be primarily evaluated by how many Grand Slam titles he won and how many weeks he ranked No. 1 in the world.

Federer is not only an ambassador for sports, but also for Europe and especially Switzerland. Despite his close ties to South Africa, he consistently demonstrates how much Switzerland means to him. Representing Switzerland in Davis Cup play and the Olympics is very important to him, but unfortunately, his commitment to Davis Cup has sometimes been sacrificed to attend to priorities in his singles career. He described the moment he led the Swiss Olympic delegation as the flag-bearer at the Opening Ceremonies at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece as one of the proudest of his life.

But above all, Roger Federer is a highly-talented, hard-working tennis ambassador who loves every facet of his sport. He is one who strives to promote his sport at any possible occasion and who knows that through tennis he can provide joy to a great number of people—and maybe make the world a little better place to live.

MURRAY, FEDERER OUT OF DAVIS CUP – WHO WILL BE NEXT STAR TO BEG OFF?

January 5, 2010 by WTM

Andy Murray said this week that he is following the lead of Roger Federer by choosing not to play Davis Cup in Great Britain’s “third-tier” tie against Lithuania in March. Federer, the world No. 1 from Switzerland, has also begged off of Switzerland’s first-round match against two-time defending Spain, led by his top rival and world No. 2 Rafael Nadal.

Public sentiment in Britain have speculated that Murray would not play Davis Cup for his country until the nation is able to find suitable-level teammates for Murray to field a competitive squad. Murray currently ranks No. 4 in the world while the second-best Brit, Alex Bogdanovic, ranks No. 163 and is the only other Brit ranked in the top 200.

Murray said other top players have skipped the competition as well, saying: “I think it’s unfair to single me out. Better players than me have missed Davis Cup matches.”

Federer has traditionally not participated in Davis Cup play until after the U.S. Open, where he has kept Switzerland in the elite 16-team World Group with strong performances in the Qualifying Round.

There is speculation in the tennis world that another high-profile Davis Cup star is also not planning on participating in the competition in 2010 and possibly beyond. Stay tuned to find out if rumors turn into facts.

Federer’s First Season-Ending Championship

November 24, 2009 by WTM

Roger Federer is playing in the ATP World Tour’s season-ending championship for an eighth time in 2009 at the O2 Arena in London. It was in 2002 when Federer first qualified for the ATP World Tour finale as a xx-year-old. Rene Stauffer, the respected Swiss tennis writer, chronicles Federer’s first appearance at the ATP World Tour Finals in this excerpt from his book THE ROGER FEDERER STORY, QUEST FOR PERFECTION ($24.95, New Chapter Press, www.RogerFedererBook.com). This chapter, chapter No. 14, is called “Red Dawn In China.”

Roger Federer’s title in Vienna represented a big step towards qualifying for the Tennis Masters Cup in China. Federer passed Albert Costa, Andy Roddick and Tommy Haas in Champions Race to rank No. 7 after his victory along the banks of the Danube. His ATP ranking, based on the 52-week results, also rose to a career-high No. 7—the career-high ranking that his countryman Jakob Hlasek achieved in 1989. After a quarterfinal finish at the Tennis Masters Series event in Madrid, Federer moved to No. 6 in the rankings—marking the highest ATP ranking ever achieved by a Swiss player. His trip to China was well within reach, but now he wanted to finally win “his” tournament—the Swiss Indoors in Basel. After finishing runner-up the last two years, Federer seemed poised to finally capture his hometown tournament. In the quarterfinals, Federer faced Roddick for the first time in his career and defeated the 19-year-old American 7-6 (5), 6-1 in an exciting match that lasted until midnight. In the semifinals, the brawny David Nalbandian, Federer’s rival from junior days, spoiled Roger’s hometown title dreams, winning a 6-7 (2), 7-5, 6-3 decision after trailing 7-6, 3-1.

The final ATP event of the year is the Tennis Masters Series in Paris, played at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, a majestic entertainment arena located on the north bank of the Seine featuring manicured grass-covered sides on its outside walls. The event usually decides the final qualifiers for the year-end Tennis Masters Cup and 2002 was no different. Federer officially booked his ticket for Shanghai when Tim Henman lost in the third round to Nicolas Escude and Federer straight-setted Tommy Haas to reach the quarterfinals. With his goal achieved, Federer’s quarterfinal with Hewitt lacked the tension of his previous matches, and he lost to the world No. 1 in straight sets.

Federer traveled to Shanghai in November of 2002 as the No. 6 ranked player in the world. At age 21, he was the youngest player in the Tennis Masters Cup field, had nothing to lose as a first-time qualifier and therefore, he was duly relaxed during the event. “Everything after this will be an encore,” he said. The Tennis Masters Cup took place in one of five gigantic exhibition halls that were reminiscent of airplane hangars in the Pudong district of Shanghai, a faceless area between the airport and downtown.

For Federer, his trip to the Tennis Masters Cup in China was unique. “This is no ordinary tournament; it’s an adventure,” he said juggling tennis balls in front of his hotel and parading up and down along the edge of a four-lane main road in a publicity photo shoot for photographers. He was playing in the Far East for the first time and immediately felt comfortable in his new surroundings. He enjoyed the unique atmosphere of the 11,500 square meter Expo-Hall, whose 10,000 spectators turned the place into an electric atmosphere.

The Tennis Masters Cup was the biggest, the most expensive and the most widely-covered professional sports event in China at the time. For most Chinese, tennis was relatively unknown. It was an undiscovered sport that they didn’t yet really understand. Whenever players double-faulted, the spectators would scream. Enthusiastic Chinese journalists would pose the strangest questions in press conferences. “Why are you always smiling, Mistel Fedelel? Because you are in such good shape?” a Chinese reporter asked Federer in broken English. Following another match, French Open Champion Albert Costa was asked by a Chinese scribe, “You always used to eat bananas when changing sides. Why not today? Perhaps because you don’t like Chinese bananas?”

Federer, the Masters rookie who came to China with his mother Lynette and girlfriend Mirka, basked in the preferential treatment accorded to each of the eight participants. “I feel special here with the entire hullabaloo and the many body guards,” he said. “They read your every desire from your lips. It’s fortunate that there are so few players here.” At Shanghai, it became even more clear that Federer possessed a certain star quality and that he wasn’t blinded by the limelight. He loved the attention and flourished in it.

The Tennis Masters Cup is a round-robin event with the eight qualifying players paired in two round-robin groups of four. In his group, Federer ranked Andre Agassi as the favorite and himself and Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain as the leading contenders for the No. 2 position. Federer’s assessment quickly proved to be wrong. Federer beat Ferrero in his opening round-robin match and then defeated Jiri Novak for a 2-0 round robin record. Federer then clinched his round-robin flight when Agassi lost to both Novak and Ferrero. No longer with a chance of making the semifinals, Agassi hastily left China in disappointment, using a hip injury as the reason for his withdrawal.

In the semifinals, Federer faced Hewitt, who already clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking for a second year in a row. The Australian barely qualified for the semifinals and benefited from Carlos Moya winning a three-hour meaningless match over fellow Spaniard Costa, where a Costa victory would have him reach the semifinals rather than Hewitt. Although Federer lost five of the last seven matches with Hewitt, he reasoned his chances of beating him and winning the first big championship of his career were very attainable.

Federer started his semifinal with Hewitt in furious fashion, taking a 3-0 and a 5-2 first-set lead, but Hewitt ran and fought as if his life were at stake. Hewitt fought off five set points and rallied for a 6-5 lead. Serving for the set, Hewitt staved off another five break points, before capturing the first set 7-5. Federer, however, was not ready to surrender. The second set turned into a wild back-and-forth struggle. Hewitt served for the match at 5-4 and held match point, but Federer broke back for 5-5. After holding serve for 6-5, Federer evened the match by breaking Hewitt’s serve, connecting on his fourth set point of the game.

The Chinese fans went wild—out of their seats, screaming and cheering. In the commentary booth high above the stadium, Heinz Günthardt and Stefan Bürer, the Swiss TV commentary team, described the tension and fast-paced action to the audience back in Switzerland, where it was Saturday morning and many people postponed their weekend shopping to watch the dramatic match with their new sports hero.

As the match extended into a third hour, the breaks seemed to fall in favor of Federer. Leading 4-3 in the final set, Federer held two break points to put him in the position to serve for the match. Both opportunities, however, were lost and Hewitt held for 4-4. Hewitt then subsequently broke Federer’s serve the next game to serve for the match at 5-4. The Australian reached his second match point—and shockingly double-faulted. Federer then broke Hewitt’s serve to square the match at 5-5. Serving with new balls in the next game, Federer committed two consecutive double-faults to allow Hewitt to break him back and gained another opportunity to serve for the match. It took Hewitt another four match points before he finally corralled Federer and advanced to the final with an epic 7-5, 5-7, 7-5 victory. Following the match, Hall of Fame journalist Bud Collins walked into the press room and asked his fellow scribes, “Have you ever seen a better match?”

In the craziest match of his career to date, Federer was aware that he let victory escape from his grasp. “I have no one to blame but myself,” he said to a small group of Swiss journalists who traveled to China. “Luck wasn’t on my side. I blew a big opportunity. That hurts.” A vacation in Phuket, Thailand helped heal the wounds.

This Week in Tennis Business: Mercedes-Benz USA signs $35 million deal with US Open

October 28, 2009 by WTM

By: Justin Cohen

The USTA announced on Monday that Mercedes-Benz USA has signed a four-year deal to become the “Official Vehicle of the US Open” starting in 2010. SportsBusinessJournal reports that the deal is worth $35 million. More than 250 players participating in the tournament will receive transportation services from Mercedes-Benz. The partnership includes major media commitments on CBS, ESPN2 and Tennis Channel, as well as significant presence on USOpen.org. “Mercedes-Benz has a world-renowned reputation for excellence and innovation, which make them an ideal fit for the US Open,” said Pierce O’Neil, the Chief Business Officer of the USTA. “As with all of our partners, Mercedes-Benz will play an integral role in the presentation and operation of the 2010 US Open and well into the future.”
The New York Daily News has confirmed that Andre Agassi’s soon to be released autobiography reveals that he used Crystal Meth when he was playing on the ATP World Tour in 1997.
The USTA announced on Tuesday that United States Fed Cup captain Mary Joe Fernandez has named Serena Williams, Melanie Oudin, Liezel Huber and Alexa Glatch to the roster for the finals. The United States will look to win their first title since 2000 when they take on host Italy on November 7-8.
Fabrice Santoro, who played his first Grand Slam singles event in 1989 at the French Open, has confirmed that he is strongly considering playing the 2010 Australian Open so he can become the first player to play in Grand Slams in four decades. “Since a Canadian reporter told me I would be the first to achieve such a feat, I keep on saying to myself that it would be nice, it would be an unusual record,” Santoro said at the ATP tournament in Lyon. “But if I want to be able to play five-set matches in Melbourne, I must not go skiing in December. I won’t make that decision thoughtlessly.”
According to The Observer, more than 500 major health experts have sent a letter to Roger Federer asking him to not participate in the upcoming ATP event in his hometown of Basel because it is sponsored by a tobacco brand. While the EU has banned tobacco advertising at sporting events, Switzerland still allows it at events.
David Nalbandian will return to the ATP World Tour at the Auckland event in January. The former Top 5 player has been out most of the 2009 season following hip surgery.
Pete Sampras defeated Andre Agassi, 3-6, 6-3, 10-8, in an exhibition match in the southern Chinese gambling city of Macau.
Thomas Enqvist has been named captain of the Swedish Davis Cup team.
On Saturday, October 31, Justine Henin will hold her comeback celebration at the Florida-based 6^th Sense Tennis Academy at Mission Inn Resort & Club in Howey-in-the-Hills. Henin and Coach Carlos Rodriguez will hold an open one-hour practice at 9:30 a.m., followed by a 30-minute autograph session and press conference. Following the press conference, there will be tennis demonstrations with Henin and Rodriguez, as well as games and on-court activities with prizes sponsored by Tecnifibre.
Tommy Robredo and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez have been confirmed as the sixth team that will participate at the Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia from January 2 to 9 at the Burswood Dome.
21-year-old Thiemo De Bakker, the highest ranked Dutch player, has signed a representation deal with Lagardere Unlimited. De Bakker is a former ITF junior World No. 1 and Wimbledon junior champion. De Bakker is currently ranked No. 111 in the South African Airways ATP rankings.
Martina Navratilova has signed on to participate in the Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic in Delray Beach, Fla. The event will take place from November 7 to 8 at the Delray Beach Tennis Center. Along with Navratilova and Evert, Lindsay Davenport, Monica Seles, Justin Gimelstob and Vince Spadea are expected to participate in the event. Tennis Hall of Famer Bud Collins will emcee the weekend’s events.
An anti-doping prosecutor, who is investigating US Open semifinalist Yanina Wickmayer’s case, has asked for her to only receive a warning. It is unlikely that Wickmayer will receive a suspension since she allegedly failed to fulfill her whereabouts on three occasions.
Caroline Wozniacki admitted that she retired from her match against Anne Kremer in Luxembourg after leading 7-5, 5-0, because she knew she wouldn’t be able to compete in her next match. Wozniacki has been under a lot of pressure after her sportsmanship move turned into a possible betting scandal. About $2.5 million was wagered on the Wozniacki/Kremer match on Betfair. Sources indicate that Wozniacki’s conversation with her coach/father during a changeover telling her to stop playing before the match ended was quickly posted online and may have prompted lots of money being placed on Kremer to win the match. “I could possibly have finished the match, but felt there was no way I could get ready for the second round on Thursday, so I chose the sporting way and let her go through. She’s also (playing) at home,” Wozniacki told Danish newspaper, Ekstra Bladet.
Tennis Channel has announced that Mayleen Ramey will be the new host of the original tennis-travel series, Destination Tennis. The first episode took place in San Diego and appeared on Tennis Channel on Monday. Other episodes will see Ramey visit Scottsdale, Newport, Vancouver and Buenos Aires.
Brian Woods, the Asheville tennis promoter who brought Ashley Harkleroad to play in the Grand Slam of Asheville, was recently charged with a felony for writing a worthless check to Harkleroad. The $3,500 check to Harkleroad was returned because of insufficient funds. Woods did not mention how much money he lost in the exhibition, but he hopes to work out a deal with the prosecutors.
According to reports from the Charlotte Observer, the company InsideOut Sports & Entertainment, which runs the Outback Champions Series senior tour, is suing the Palisades complex in South Carolina for more than $350,000 in unpaid sponsorship fees and other contract obligations.
The USPTA raised roughly $8,000 in a silent auction during the USPTA’s Tennis Buying Show during the World Conference on Tennis in late September in Marco Island, Fla. Signed racquets by Andre Agassi and Roger Federer were two of the hot items during the auction.
Geoff Pollard has been re-elected as the President of Tennis Australia. He said that he will only serve one more year to help finalize plans for the revamping of Melbourne Park.
Shamil Tarpishchev has been re-elected for another four-year term as the head of the Russian Tennis Federation. Tarpishchev earned 140 of the 143 votes from delegates.

Tennis great Jack Kramer dies at 88: This Week in Tennis Business

September 16, 2009 by WTM

By Justin Cohen

From tennis legend Jack Kramer passing away at the age of 88 to a possible Justine Henin press conference this week to announce her comeback to US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro earning a winner’s paycheck of $1.6 million plus an additional $250,000 for finishing third in the Olympus US Open Series to Serena Williams being fined $10,500 for her outburst during her semifinal loss to Kim Clijsters at the US Open, these stories caught the attention of tennis fans and insiders this week.

Tennis legend and the first executive director of the ATP Tour, Jack Kramer passed away at the age of 88 on Saturday at his Los Angeles home. Kramer, who won Wimbledon in 1947 and the U.S. Championships in 1946 and 1947, was the top ranked player in the world for most of the late 1940’s. “Jack Kramer was truly one of the greats of the game and was instrumental in the growth and development of the sport in so many ways, both on and off the court,” said ATP Executive Chairman and President Adam Helfant. “He was like a father figure to so many in tennis and his wisdom, enthusiasm and advice will be sadly missed. On behalf of everybody at the ATP, I would like to pass on our sincere condolences to his family.”
According to Belgian television station RTBF, former world No. 1 Justine Henin has ordered 14 racquets and may hold a press conference as early as this week to announce her return to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.
By winning the US Open men’s singles title on Monday evening, Juan Martin del Potro earned a winner’s paycheck of $1.6 million plus an additional $250,000 for finishing third in the Olympus US Open Series. Women’s champion Kim Clijsters earned a winner’s paycheck of $1.6 million. Men’s doubles champions Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy and women’s doubles champions Venus and Serena Williams each split a winner’s paycheck of $420,000. Mixed doubles champions Travis Parrott and Carly Gullickson spilt the winner’s paycheck of $150,000.
Serena Williams was fined the maximum $10,000 by the US Open for unsportsmanlike conduct following her tirade during her semifinal loss to Kim Clijsters. Williams was also fined $500 for racquet abuse during her loss. The Grand Slam Committee is currently looking into the incident and could force more fines and a suspension.
Writing on her official website, Serena Williams says, “I want to amend my press statement of yesterday, and want to make it clear as possible – I want to sincerely apologize FIRST to the lines woman, Kim Clijsters, the USTA, and tennis fans everywhere for my inappropriate outburst.” “I’m a woman of great pride, faith and integrity, and I admit when I’m wrong. I need to make it clear to all young people that I handled myself inappropriately and it’s not the way to act — win or lose, good call or bad call in any sport, in any manner. I like to lead by example. We all learn from experiences both good and bad, I will learn and grow from this, and be a better person as a result.”
US Open officials announced that they are ready to start developing plans to build a roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium but the final decision on when and if they actually will build a roof is a little bit away. The estimated cost to build a roof would be around $100 million. “We are substantially farther along the road of consideration than we were six months ago,” said Gordon Smith, Executive Director of the USTA. “It will be some time before there’s any decision made on whether or not to go forward with the roof.”
According to a study by Barclays and Professor Tom Cannon of the University of Liverpool, the British economy has increased by $405 million (UK) because of Andy Murray’s recent rise to No. 2 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings. With Murray’s popularity rising at a fast pace, people are spending lots of money on everything from equipment to advertising to sponsorship. Cannon also mentioned in his study that the $1 billion (UK) spending gap between tennis and golf will soon close.
A LeRoy Neiman watercolor painting of Serena and Venus Williams, that was expected to be sold around $60,000, received no bids during a recent US Open auction in New York. The proceeds of some of the other items benefited USTA Serves, which funds community tennis programs and college scholarships.
Melanie Oudin’s magical run to the quarterfinals at the US Open was a ratings winner for ESPN2. About 2,324,000 viewers tuned in during Oudin’s loss to Caroline Wozniacki. The night before during the Venus Williams vs. Flavia Pennetta match and Rafael Nadal vs. Gael Monfils match, 2,128,000 viewers tuned in to watch.
BackOffice Associates, LLC, has announced that Melanie Oudin has signed a multi-year promotional partnership. BackOffice Associates, LLC, is the world leader in SAP data quality.
The organizers of the Shanghai ATP Masters 1000 presented by Rolex are giving fans the opportunity to vote on which trophy they would like to see presented to the tournament champion. Malaysian manufacturer, Royal Selangor, has created three trophies that fans can vote for on the official tournament website. Each person who votes for the trophy will be signed up for a chance to win a trip to Malaysia to see the trophy being made.
At the recent Legends Ball held at the Cipriani on 42^nd Street in New York City, the following awards were given:
- - Tennis Channel CEO Ken Solomon received the Joseph F. Cullman III award.
  - Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe accepted the Eugene L. Scott award for her husband, the late Arthur Ashe.
  - Martina Navratilova earned the Danzig award.
  - Fred Stolle received the Johnston award.
More than $130,000 was raised during a silent auction at the Legends Ball. $18,000 was raised for a hitting session with Monica Seles, $6,000 for a hitting session with Jim Courier and $15,000 for a men’s and women’s finals travel package to Wimbledon.
Roger Rasheed, coach of Gael Monfils, and Vlado Platenik, coach of Dominika Cibulkova, are spearheading a new organization called, Tour Level Tennis Coaches Association, to support coaches and trainers by offering them benefits, forms of insurance, financial services, job training and mentoring.
On September 11, CNN’s Tony Harris and Natalie Morales of The Today Show on NBC hosted a Breaking the Barriers reception to honor the National Junior Tennis League on the 40^th anniversary of its founding by Arthur Ashe.
Rafael Nadal will not play Davis Cup this weekend for Spain’s semifinal tie against Israel due to an abdominal injury. Juan Carlos Ferrero will take Nadal’s spot on the roster.
Roger Federer is scheduled to compete for Switzerland this weekend during their World Group Playoff match against Italy.
Andy Murray announced that he is fit to participate this weekend in Great Britain’s Davis Cup Zonal tie against Poland.
ATP World Tour CEO Adam Helfant said the tour is looking into an All-Star event for the players that will happen right before the Indian Wells Masters 1000 event. “We’ve talked to our players about it and our players are excited about it and committed to it,” said Helfant.
According to the Melbourne Herald Sun, former Australian tennis star Mark Philippoussis has sold his family house in Australia to pay off an outstanding mortgage. Philippoussis is still being sought out by American tax authorities for $500,000.