World Tennis Magazine
Unique Tennis Perspectives
Bob Stockton is subbing for Justin Cohen this week for THIS WEEK IN TENNIS BUSINESS
* U.S. Davis Cup Captain, USTA General Manager of Player Development and ESPN Commentator Patrick McEnroe will have his book called “Hardcourt Confidential: Tales from Twenty Years in the Pro Tennis Trenches” come out on June 8, 2010. [Read more…] about McENROE BOOK CALLED “HARDCOURT CONFIDENTIAL,” US OPEN NATIONAL PLAYOFFS TO DEBUT: THIS WEEK IN TENNIS BUSINESS
STARS
Elena Dementieva beat Serena Williams 6-3 6-2 to win the Medibank International women’s singles at Sydney, Australia
Marcos Baghdatis beat Richard Gasquet 6-4 7-6 (2) in Sydney, Australia, to win the Medibank International men’s singles
John Isner beat Arnaud Clement 6-3 5-7 7-6 (2) to win the Heineken Open in Auckland, New Zealand
Alona Bondarenko beat Shahar Peer 6-2 6-4 to win the Moorilla Hobart International in Hobart, Australia
SAYINGS
“It doesn’t make me angry, just disappointed a little bit. I think I deserved my place in the draw as the 16th seed and not as a qualifier, but I knew it was going to be this way. I tried to make the best of it, stayed positive and strong mentally. I’m really happy the way I handled everything.” – Yanina Wickmayer, who had to qualify for the Australian Open even though she is ranked 16th in the world.
“When I started in ’89 I remember my father said `OK, it’s good you’re professional, you play the big events and try to play for three, four, five years.’ This is my 22nd year, so never I thought I would be able to play that long at that level.” – Fabrice Santoro, who came out of retirement to play a Grand Slam tournament in a fourth decade.
“I have waited a couple of years for this title and I’m happy I won. I hope it’s not the last for this year.” – Alona Bondarenko, after winning the Moorilla Hobart International.
“This is completely unexpected … amazing. The biggest benefit will be the belief that I can play with these guys at this level. … Winning four matches at this level gives me a huge amount of confidence I can do it in singles as well.” – Marcus Daniell, after teaming with Horia Tecau to win the doubles title in Auckland, New Zealand.
“I was just happy to play in the tournament and have a chance.” – Horia Tecau, who with Marcus Daniell turned their wild-card entry into the Auckland tournament into a doubles title.
“I thought he retired? He asked me to play doubles with him in the US Open. Told me it was his last tournament. Now here he is, he’s unretired for the seventh time!” – John McEnroe, when told Fabrice Santoro was playing in the Australian Open.
“Anti-terrorism security is everywhere in the world, it’s not just in Mumbai because something happened there recently. It happens in Australia, New York, Madrid, London and Paris.” – Leander Paes, making a plea for Commonwealth countries to send teams to the upcoming Commonwealth Games in India.
“The last five, six years the dominance was obvious from (Roger) Federer, (Rafael) Nadal. They’ve been winning all the Grand Slams they’ve played. But now in last two years or so the things are changing a little bit. … You have (Juan Martin) del Potro, (Andy) Murray, (Andy) Roddick, (Nikolay) Davydenko. They’re all in great shape, great form.” – Novak Djokovic, the 2008 Australian Open champion noting there are a number of contenders for this year’s men’s singles title.
“I have seen the pictures on the news and it is just horrific. I want to send my condolences to everyone affected by the earthquake.” –Marcos Baghdatis.
“I don’t think we can fully comprehend the devastation of the earthquake over in Haiti and we just to do our part in helping everyone who is suffering during this difficult time.” – Daniel Nestor.
“It was something I felt I could easily do and I plan on doing it in Australia as well. It makes you realize how lucky you are.” – John Isner, after donating USD $5,000 of his winnings to the Haitian earthquake relief fund.
STARS FOR HAITI
On the eve of the Australian Open, some of the world’s top tennis players put on a fundraiser for earthquake victims in Haiti. The event, called “Hit for Haiti,” raised more than USD $185,000, a figure that is expected to grow. And that doesn’t include the money donated by the players themselves. Roger Federer teamed with Serena Williams, Lleyton Hewitt and Samantha Stosur to play a team composed of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick and Kim Clijsters. In the end, Federer’s Red Team beat the rival Blue Team 7-6 in their one-set match that featured mixed doubles with player substitution. The teams were named for the colors of Haiti’s flag. The fundraiser was Federer’s idea, and he also was master of ceremonies. “It was a fun afternoon for all of us,” the Swiss star told the crowd.” But most important is that we can help Haiti,”
Several players have reached into their pockets for contributions to the earthquake victims. Maria Sharapova, who won the Australian Open in 2008, gave USD $10,000, while American John Isner and Marcos Baghdatis of Cyrus each has donated USD $5,000.
SANTORO’S BACK
Fabrice Santoro made short work of his retirement. The Frenchman is playing in his 70th Grand Slam tournament as he extended his career into a fourth decade. He was 16 when he played in his first major, the 1989 French Open. He retired last year at Roland Garros. But the 37-year-old Santoro said the lure was too strong for one more appearance at the Australian Open, where he reached the quarterfinals in 2006. Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said Santoro has offered to donate his first-round prize money to charity.
SUPER QUALIFIER
After being forced to qualify, Yanina Wickmayer poses a problem for the top players at the Australian Open. Ranked 16th in the world, Wickmayer should have been seeded in the year’s first Grand Slam tournament. But she was ineligible to enter the main draw due to suspension, a ban which has since been lifted by a Danish court and the International Tennis Federation. Wickmayer easily won a main draw spot, crushing Spain’s Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-0 6-0 in the final qualifying round. She could face her two Belgian compatriots in the tournament: Justine Henin in the fourth round and Kim Clijsters in the quarterfinals. “Coming here and starting the qualifiers wasn’t easy for me,” Wickmayer said. “I just tried to take it the positive way.”
Xavier Malisse of Belgium was banned at the same time as Wickmayer, and he, too, had his suspension lifted. And like his female compatriot, Malisse came through qualifying to gain a main draw spot at the Australian Open.
The qualifiers for the women’s singles included 19-year-old Han Xinyun of China, who is making her Australian Open debut.
SEND TEAMS
Tennis star Leander Paes has appealed to New Zealand and other governments to send teams to the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India. Paes is one of a number of Indian athletes charged with promoting the games. He said every possible step will be taken to ensure the safety of athletes as he appealed to the Commonwealth governments to trust the organizer’s security efforts. “There is terrorism all around the world, it’s not just something that we have in India,” Paes said. “There will be high security measures taken at the Commonwealth Games because it’s like an Olympics or Asian Games. I am sure the security will be fantastic.” New Zealand and Australia have both indicated they are satisfied with security arrangements for the games but have said they were constantly monitoring the security situation. [Read more…] about MONDAYS WITH BOB GREENE: STARS FOR HAITI
STARS
Michael Berrer beat Jarkko Nieminen 6-7 (4) 6-4 6-4 to win the Salzburg Indoors in Salzburg, Austria
Konstantin Kravchuk beat Marcel Granollers 1-6 6-3 6-2 to win the Yugra Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia
Pat Rafter beat Stefan Edberg 6-7 (5) 6-4 11-9 (Champions tiebreak) to win the AEGON Masters Tennis in London, United Kingdom
Spain beat Czech Republic 5-0 in Barcelona, Spain, to win the 2009 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas
SAYING
“It may look like routine but I think to win the Davis Cup two years in a row is spectacular. We need to talk about this a lot … we need to remember. It’s important.” – Albert Costa, captain of Spain’s victorious Davis Cup team.
“To finish the second half of the season with this ending is very important and nice, especially after all of the problems I had over those two months. You have to be sure to enjoy these moments when they happen because you don’t know when the next victory will come.” – Rafael Nadal.
“I feel privileged to be Spanish and to have teammates like these.” – Fernando Verdasco, who was half of Spain’s winning doubles team against the Czech Republic.
“I dreamt of this career, I dreamt of winning a Grand Slam title. I lifted trophies in every city in the world and I lived 10 magical and unbelievable years.” – Amelie Mauresmo, announcing her retirement from tennis.
“Amelie was one of the most gifted players we had to play the sport. She had all the shots and it was only fitting she realized her dream and talent by winning Wimbledon. We shared a great rivalry.” – Kim Clijsters.
“Amelie will go down in history as one of the best players of her generation and a terrific ambassador for women’s tennis. Amelie is an extraordinary player, one of the nicest and friendliest personalities on Tour, and a true champion both in tennis and in life.” – Stacey Allaster, WTA Tour chairperson.
“It’s a shame I couldn’t finish today because it was great tennis we were playing. I felt great, there was a great atmosphere and everything was just right. The day was right, the hour right, the moment right. Everything felt right except for my right leg.” – Goran Ivanisevic, who retired from a match against Patrick Rafter when he aggravated an existing hamstring injury.
“It’s not the way you want to win. We were actually having a really good match out there. We both went at it really hard. I was really pumped up and we both wanted to play really well. It was just one of those unfortunate incidents that happen with old men.” – Patrick Rafter.
SPANISH GOLD
Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer were spotless in leading Spain to its second straight Davis Cup title, this time blanking the Czech Republic 5-0 in the final. Nadal and Ferrer both won their two singles matches at the Palau Sant Jordi, and Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco teamed up to win the doubles as Spain became the first nation to retain the title since Sweden in 1998. Since Spain clinched the title with its doubles victory, the Czechs rested their top players in the reverse singles as Nadal beat Jan Hajek 6-3 6-4 and Ferrer beat Lukas Dlouhy 6-4 6-2. Hajek replaced Radek Stepanek and Dlouhy subbed for Tomas Berdych. Spain has now won 18 straight Davis Cup ties at home – a streak stretching back to 1999 – and 20 straight on clay. There have been 23 previous final sweeps, the last being Sweden’s 5-0 victory over the United States in 1997.
SAYING GOODBYE
Amelie Mauresmo has called it a career. The two-time Grand Slam tournament champion retired from tennis, saying she no longer had a burning desire for competition. “I don’t want to train anymore,” the 30-year-old Frenchwoman said. “I had to make a decision, which became evident in the last few months and weeks. When you grew older, it’s more difficult to stay at the top.” In 2006, Mauresmo won both the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Two years earlier, she reached number one in the world for the first time. She finishes this year at number 21. “It’s a bit sad, but this is the right decision,” Mauresmo said. “I was lucky enough to have an exceptional career and to experience very strong feelings on the court.” She played her last match at the US Open, where she lost in the second round to Canada’s Aleksandra Wozniak. Fittingly, Mauresmo’s 25th and last singles title – her first in almost two years – came in Paris this year. She led France to the Fed Cup title in 2003 and won the season-ending WTA Tour Championships in 2005.
SLAPPED WITH FINE, PROBATION
Serena Williams was fined a record USD $82,500 for her tirade against a lineswoman at the US Open. She also could be suspended from the US Open if she has another “major offense” at any Grand Slam tournament in the next two years. Grand Slam administrator Bill Babock said if the world’s top-ranked woman player has another “major offense” at one of the four major tournaments during a two-year “probationary period,” the fine would increase to USD $175,000. Prior to this, the highest fine levied for a Grand Slam tournament offense was USD $48,000 assessed against Jeff Tarango in the 1990s. After the fine and probationary period was announced, Williams said in a statement: “I am thankful that we now have closure on the incident and we can all move forward. I am back in training in preparation for next season and I continue to be grateful for all the support from my fans and the tennis community.” The American earned USD $350,000 by reaching the singles semifinals at the US Open and has won more than USD $6.5 million in prize money in 2009, a single-season record for women’s tennis. Her career prize money tops USD $28 million. Babcock said the highest possible fine that Williams could face – USD $175,000 – was chosen because it is the difference in winnings between reaching the US Open quarterfinals and semifinals. The USTA already fined Williams USD $10,000, the reason she is paying half of USD $165,000 now.
SUPER SENIORS
It was just like old times for Pat Rafter, who teamed up with Stefan Edberg to put on a display of spell-binding serve-and-volley games in the title match of the AEGON Masters Tennis at Royal Albert Hall in London. And at the end, it was Rafter the winner, 6-7 (5) 6-4 11-9 (Champions tiebreak), in a match that showed fans how tennis used to be played. Age may have been a factor as the 36-year-old Australian outlasted his 43-year-old Swedish opponent. “This tournament has been unreal,” Rafter said. “It’s a great venue and I’ve been really excited to play here. At the same time it’s been great to catch up with my old mates again, and if they invite me back here next year I’ll be back.”
SENOR AWARD WINNER
The 2009 Davis Cup Award of Excellence has been presented to Manuel Orantes during a special on-court ceremony at the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group final in Barcelona, Spain. The award was presented to Orantes by the president of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), Francesco Ricci Bitti, and Hall of Famer Manolo Santana. “Manuel has always been one of the great ambassadors of tennis and we are proud to recognize his contributions to the game, and in particular to the Davis Cup, in which he competed for his country for 14 years,” Ricci Bitti said. Orantes was a member of the Spanish Davis Cup team from 1967 to 1980. He was ranked number two in the world in 1973 and won 33 tournaments during his career, including the 1975 US Open when he defeated Jimmy Connors in the final. Past recipients of the Davis Cup Award of Excellence include Neale Fraser, Pierre Darmon, John Newcombe, Santana, Miloslav Mecir, Goran Ivanisevic, Alex Metreveli, Stan Smith and Guillermo Vilas.
STARS IN NEW YORK
It was such a smashing success this year that the Billie Jean King Cup will return to New York City’s Madison Square Garden on March 1, 2010. Sisters Serena and Venus Williams will be joined by US Open champion Kim Clijsters and French Open winner Svetlana Kuznetsova in the second edition of the one-day exhibition. There will be one-set semifinals followed by a three-set final, all with no ad scoring. In this year’s final, Serena beat her sister Venus. Serena won the Australian Open and Wimbledon, meaning the event will feature the winners of all four 2009 Grand Slam tournaments. The event offers USD $1.2 million in prize money.
SUPPORTS ANTI-TERRORISM
Sania Mirza of India has backed an anti-terrorism event held in New Delhi, India’s capital. Mirza was among a bevy of eminent figures from the worlds of sports, arts and civil society who took part in the hour-long ceremony, which was organized by India’s home ministry under the theme “A Nation In Solidarity Against Terror.” The event was held 12 months after a four-day terrorist siege across Mumbai resulted in at least 173 people killed and more than 300 injured. Besides Mirza, others supporting the measure include Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Kahn, Olympic gold medalist shooter Abhinav Bindra and violinist L Subramaniam. At the Australian Open in January, Mirza became the first woman from India to win a Grand Slam tournament title when she teamed with fellow Indian Mahesh Bhupathi to capture the mixed doubles. In 2008, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from a university in the city of Chennai.
SPECIAL HONOR
Gustavo Kuerten, a three-time French Open champion, is the recipient of the Cruz do Merito Desportivo (Cross of Sporting Merit), the highest honor a Brazilian athlete can receive. The 33-year-old Kuerten will receive the medal from Brazilian President Lula Da Silva and sports minister Orlando Silva at the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil. It is the second time Kuerten will receive the award, which is divided into two honors. He first received the medal in 2004, when he returned from representing Brazil at the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
SERENA TO SYDNEY
Serena Williams has confirmed her participation in the Sydney International, a lead-up to the Australian Open. The world’s top-ranked woman will be seeking to defend her Australian Open title in Melbourne, and will begin her warm-up by playing in Sydney. “Serena is a genuine superstar in world sport and we are delighted that she has re-confirmed her commitment,” said Sydney International tournament director Craig Watson.
SIGNED UP
Young American Melanie Oudin will begin her 2010 season at the Hobart International. Ranked 49th in the world, Oudin joins Australians Alicia Molik and Jelena Dokic in the draw. Earlier this year Oudin reached the fourth round at Wimbledon and the quarterfinals at the US Open, and posted victories over two former world number ones, Jelena Jankovic and Maria Sharapova.
SWEENEY REPORT
The most popular sport in Australia is tennis. The latest Sweeney Sport Report showed the Australian public preferred tennis over any other sport with an interest level of 58 percent. Tennis also ranked first in television viewing, third in participation and tied for fifth in attendance in Australia. Sweeney has surveyed Australians’ sporting interests for the last 23 years and publishes the results twice a year.
SET FOR NEWPORT
Former champion Taylor Dent will be returning to Newport, Rhode Island, USA, to compete in the 2010 Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships. The July 5-11 tournament will be played at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, with the semifinals being held on the same day as the ceremonies for the 2010 inductees into the Hall. Dent won Newport in 2002, defeating fellow American James Blake in the final. But that was before he underwent several back operations. He is currently ranked 75th in the world and, as a wild card entry, reached the third round of the US Open in 2009 where he lost to Andy Murray.
SAN JOSE-BOUND
Pete Sampras is heading back to San Jose, California, USA, yet again. SAP Open tournament officials said Sampras will kick off February’s tournament with an exhibition match against Spain’s Fernando Verdasco. The last two years, Sampras has played Tommy Haas in exhibitions at the tournament. Besides Verdasco, others already in the field include Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt, Mardy Fish and Haas.
SWINGING FOR $$$$
The largest annual international team competition in sport, the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas, also is a money winner. According to a report commissioned by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), Davis Cup generates an annual economic impact of USD $184 million. In 2009, the competition had 125 nations contesting 83 individual ties around the world. It also generates around USD $53 million in commercial income for the ITF and participating nations each year. The report, “The Davis Cup Economic Survey,” was produced by London-based independent financial forecasters Fathom Consulting.
SHARED PERFORMANCES
Salzburg: Philipp Marx and Igor Zelenay beat Sanchai Ratiwatana and Sonchat Ratiwatana 6-4 7-5
Khanty-Mansiysk: Marcel Granollers and Gerard Granollers-Pujol beat Evgeny Kirillov and Andrey Kuznetsov 6-3 6-2
SITES TO SURF
Dubai: www.dubaitennis.com
ITF: www.itftennis.com/
TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK
(All money in USD)
WTA
$100,000 Farum ITF, Farum, Denmark, hard
$75,000 Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, hard