Tecau Archives - World Tennis Magazine

Mondays with Bob Greene

STARS

Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer 6-3 6-4 to win the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London, Great Britain

Timea Babos beat Misaki Doi 7-5 6-3 to win the OEC Taipei WTA Challenger in Taipei, Taiwan

Zhang Shuai beat Nao Hibino 6-4 6-1 to win the Ando Securities Open Tokyo 2015 in Tokyo, Japan

SAYING

“Obviously sitting here with this trophy alongside me, I couldn’t ask for a better finish of the season. This season definitely stands out. I can’t say I expected it, not at all. But I always gave my best, and I’m always asking from myself the most.” – Novak Djokovic, after winning the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

“It’s hard to do. It’s hard to play at this pace all the time. Doesn’t need much, you know. We’re talking margins. … You can’t always by on the winning side. Margins are small at the very top. That’s why this year of Novak’s is amazing. … You’ve got to be physically in shape, no injuries whatsoever. Mentally you have to be at your peak at all times. It’s not as easy as it seems sometimes.” – Roger Federer, on Novak Djokovic.

“The tactic against Murray is to play very well. He has all the shots, so the only way to try to damage him is to play with high intensity and be aggressive. I didn’t think I made that many mistakes. I’m very happy. I’m working hard to play matches like this.” – Rafael Nadal, following his round-robin win over Andy Murray.

“Credit to Roger for mixing up the pace, giving me always a different ball. He used the slice and spin very wisely. He served very efficiently. I made a lot of unforced errors. Just handed him the win, especially in the second set.” – Novak Djokovic, after losing to Roger Federer in the round-robin portion of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

“This decision, it’s something that you feel inside. That feeling, it has not arrived yet for me. I want to keep going, as long as I feel good and comfortable, as much as I enjoy it.” – Francesca Schiavone, talking about retiring from the tennis tour.

“This year was a very positive year. My huge breakthrough year in singles was in 2012, when I won my first WTA title, and then the next year and a half was very difficult. But in the last year or two I’ve really been improving. You can see it in the doubles especially, but I’ve been working really hard to get back to a better level again, and this week is definitely a big one for me, winning here.” – Timea Babos, following her victory in Taipei.

SPECTACULAR SEASON

It perhaps was only fitting that Novak Djokovic won the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals for the fourth consecutive year and fifth time in his career. After all, the Serb has dominated men’s tennis this year. He won three of the year’s four Grand Slam tournaments, and reached the final at Roland Garros where he lost to Stanislas Wawrinka. Since losing to Ivo Karlovic in the quarterfinals in Doha at the start of the year, Djokovic reached the final of all 15 tournaments he entered and ended the year with a sparkling win-loss record of 82-6. Three of the losses were to Roger Federer, including one in the round-robin portion of the season-ending event. But when the two met in the final, it was all Djokovic. The 34-year-old Federer made far too many errors in the final, including a double-fault on match point. “I returned more balls back than I did five days ago,” Djokovic said in explaining the different result. Djokovic has now leveled his head-to-head career record with Federer for the first time at 22-22. “Maybe at times I went for too much,” Federer said. “The moments where I should have gone safe, I didn’t, and vice versa. Those are the two regrets I have.”

SUPER SERVING

Big-serving Timea Babos captured the second-biggest title of her career, the OEC Taipei WTA Challenger, by stopping Misaki Doi in the final. Babos pounded 15 aces and staved off five break points in toppling the top-seeded Doi. “She had some opportunities on my serve, which was pretty unusual for me, because all tournament I didn’t lose my serve,” Babos said. “That means I won 52 games in a row serving, which was unbelievable for me. But in the final it was key that I was able to serve well and stay aggressive. It’s never easy to play a lefty, so I’m happy I could play better in the key moments and pull off the match today.”

STRONG PAIR

Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands and Romania’s Horia Tecau won the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals doubles title, beating India’s Rohan Bopanna and Romania’s Florin Mergea in the final. Rojer and Tecau sealed the year-ending world number one doubles ranking when they beat American twins Bob and Mike Bryan in the semifinals. The Wimbledon champions became the first doubles team to win the season finale without losing a set since round-robin play began in 1986.

STICKING AROUND

While two of her Italian teammates have indicated they are close to retirement, Francesca Schiavone is saying, “Wait a minute.” Flavia Pennetta announced her retirement moments after winning the US Open, although now she says she didn’t mean immediately. And veteran Roberta Vinci, who lost to Pennetta in the US Open final, says this will likely be her last season. Schiavone, who won the French Open in 2010, is not ready to join them on the sidelines. At age 35, Schiavone is the third oldest player in the Top 200, behind only Japan’s Kimiko Date-Krumm and American Venus Williams. “It’s so nice to see Venus (six days older than Schiavone), who has my same age, or (Roger) Federer or Serena (Williams), who are one year younger than me still it and still keep going to win,” the Italian said. “This is my inspiration.” Schiavone in January can tie the record for most consecutive appearances in Grand Slam tournaments by a female. Japan’s Ai Sugiyama currently owns the record at 62, from the 1994 Wimbledon to the 2009 US Open. “Yeah, it’s a big one,” Schiavone said. “I’m thinking a lot about my next season. About my ranking, where I have to play, how I have to play. But that is my goal: to find a way to arrive to play Australian Open.”

SECURITY CONCERNS

Andy Murray says he’s not afraid to play the Davis Cup final in Belgium despite security concerns. The final between Great Britain and Belgium will be held in Ghent, just 35 miles from Molenbeek, which has been the focus of a manhunt for suspects involved in the Paris terrorist attacks. “I don’t want to live in fear each time I step on a court,” said Murray. Belgium’s government has raised the terror threat level to three in the country and a soccer match between Spain and Belgium in Brussels has been cancelled. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said it was “continuing with preparations” for the Davis Cup final “with the emphasis on security operations.” British tennis’ governing body, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), said: “The LTA is in regular dialogue with the ITF on event security relating to the Davis Cup final. We are also taking advice from the Foreign Office and will continue to closely monitor the situation. The safety of everyone in the British contingent, including our players and fans, remains our number one priority.”

Besides Murray, others named to Great Britain’s Davis Cup team are James Ward, Kyle Edmund, Jamie Murray and Dominic Inglot. Belgium, whose team includes David Goffin and Steve Darcis, is appearing in its first Davis Cup final in 111 years – when they were beaten by Great Britain.

British captain Leon Smith no longer has the option of naming British’s second-highest ranking player, Aljaz Bedene. The 26-year-old appeal to the ITF has been adjourned until next year, so he is ineligible for the final. Bedene played for Slovenia’s Davis Cup team three times before gaining United Kingdom citizenship in March. A Davis Cup rule prevents players representing a second country, but Bedene is appealing on the grounds that his passport application was lodged before the current rule was adopted at the start of 2015.

STRAIGHT IN

Samantha Crawford of Tamarac, Florida, has earned a wild card spot in the women’s singles main draw at the Australian Open. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) said

Crawford clinched the spot in the first Grand Slam tournament of 2016 by winning a lower-level event in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was the 20-year-old’s first professional singles title. She also won the US Open girls’ title in 2012.

SQUARED OFF

Canadian star Eugenie Bouchard and the United States Tennis Association (USTA) are locked in a legal battle. Bouchard filed a lawsuit against the USTA after she suffered a concussion when she slipped and fell in a physiotherapy room at the US Open in September. The USTA responded with a rebuttal that Bouchard called “aggressive.” In her lawsuit, Bouchard said the room was dark and her fall was due to the presence of a “slippery, foreign and dangerous substance” on the floor. In its 16-page rebuttal, the USTA disputed the claim that the room was dark and maintained the conditions in the room were “open and obvious.” The USTA also said Bouchard “refused offers of medical attention and assistance” after she complained about falling. Instead, the USTA said, she left and, according to the tennis organization, ignored the “protocols, procedures and expectations” of her profession by seeking to use the physiotherapy room on her own. Finally, the USTA said, any claims of “ongoing or permanent” injury are inconsistent with Bouchard’s own “admissions” on social media and “public commentary.” Bouchard’s attorney, Benedict Morelli, said the player has begun practicing again in Florida. “She wasn’t really angry about this,” he said. “She was just upset.”

SCIZZORS, PLEASE

Andy Murray decided to change his look during his round-robin match against Rafael Nadal at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. During a change-over, Murray cut off a chunk of his hair, presumable a lock that was falling into his view and annoying the player. Despite the coiffure change, Nadal won 6-4 6-1.

SIX-DAY EVENT

Four members of the International Tennis Hall of Fame along with Donald Young and Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli will be among the participants at “The World’s Most Exclusive Tennis Pro-Am,” a six-day event that will be held on a private island owned by Richard Branson. The 74-acre compound in the British Virgin Island will be the site as 16 ATP/WTA tour players with 16 amateur teams raise funds for a host of worthy causes supported by the Branson and the professional players, including the National Tennis Foundation. Among those participating in the fourth annual Necker Cup on the billionaire’s own Necker Island will include Boris Becker, Tracy Austin, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Brad Gilbert, Johan Kriek, David Nalbandian, John Peers and Victor Troicki. Tickets for the November 28-December 3 event start at USD $110,000 per couple and includes an invitation to a culminating celebration known as the “End of The World Party.”

SANIA & FRIENDS

Sania Mirza and some of the top players in India will come together this week to promote tennis in the Asian country and inspire young talent in all sports, not just tennis. Among others participating in the exhibition matches at the Sania Mirza Tennis Academy (SMTA) in Hyderabad, India, are Indian doubles specialists Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes, along with Martina Navratilova. Matches are scheduled to be held November 25-27. Mirza took a picture of her, Bhupathi and Paes. Between them the three have won 30 Grand Slam tournament titles. Paes has won eight men’s doubles and nine mixed doubles. Bhupathi has won four men’s doubles and eight mixed, while Mirza, has captured two women’s doubles and three mixed. She currently is ranked number one in the world in doubles on the WTA tour.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

London: Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau beat Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea 6-4 6-3

Taipei: Kanae Hisami and Kotomi Takahata beat Marina Melnikova and Elisa Mertens 6-1 6-2

Tokyo: Shuko Aoyama and Makoto Ninomiya beat Eri Hozumi and Kurumi Nara 3-6 6-2 10-7 (match tiebreak)

SURFING

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com/

Carlsbad: www.cldclassic.com/

São Paulo: www.challengerfinals.com.br/

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$220,000 ATP Challenger Tour Finals, São Paulo, Brazil, clay