STARS
Tamira Paszek beat Angelique Kerber 5-7 6-3 7-5 to win the women’s singles at the AEGON International in Eastbourne, Great Britain
Andy Roddick beat Andreas Seppi 6-3 6-2 to win the AEGON International men’s singles in Eastbourne, Great Britain
David Ferrer beat Philipp Petzschner 6-3 6-4 to win men’s singles in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
Nadia Petrova beat Urzula Radwanska 6-4 6-3 to win the UNICEF Open women’s singles in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
Melanie Oudin beat Jelena Jankovic 6-4 6-2 to win the rain-delayed AEGON Classic in Birmingham, Great Britain
SAYING
“The thing that makes sports great is there is no script. You can draw it up, and it rarely works out the way this week has. I think, as I’ve gotten older, I guess I’ve learned to appreciate this a little bit more … I went from a six-match losing streak to all of a sudden winning a tournament. It is a 180-degree turnaround.” – Andy Roddick, following his title win at Eastbourne.
“I’m very, very happy. I’ve won two times here. This is special for me because grass is maybe my worst surface. On a clay court or hard court, my game is more adapted.” – David Ferrer, after winning at ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
“I must say I’m happy to win today in straight sets. The beginning of the match was a little bit rusty – I lost my serve, even though I was 40-0 up. That put me in a little bit of an uncomfortable situation. But I really controlled my emotions well and broke back to get into the match.” – Nadia Petrova, who won the women’s singles at Eastbourne.
“Nadia was playing amazing today. She served so well and I really couldn’t do much – she didn’t let me play my game. But I was excited to be in my first WTA final and I hope my next final will be coming soon.” – Urzula Radwanska, who, as a qualifier, reached the women’s title match at Eastbourne.
“It was like this came out of nowhere. I’d been working away for a long time, and I was waiting for something to happen and it didn’t. Until now, that is.” – Melanie Oudin, winner her first WTA tournament title at the AEGON Classic.
“If we said anything less than winning it, we’d be stupid. We have a very tough first match, so the focus lies on that. If you look too far ahead in the draw, you’ll stumble on your own shoelaces. We’re focusing on that first match and then hopefully we can get the ball rolling.” – Robert Lindstedt, when asked about his chances at Wimbledon with doubles partner Horia Tecau.
STRONG SHOWING
After a string of disappointments, Andy Roddick added to his career totals by winning the men’s singles title at the AEGON International in Eastbourne. It marked the 12th consecutive year that the 29-year-old American has won at least one tournament. After suffering a first-round defeat at Queen’s Club the week before, Roddick asked for and received a wild card entry into the Eastbourne tournament. He responded by reaching his first final in 16 months. Until now it hasn’t been an easy year for Roddick. He had been sidelined since the US hard court swing with a hamstring injury. When he returned to action in late May, he preceded to loss all three of his round-robin matches in Düsseldorf, Germany, and then his following two opening matches at Roland Garros and Queen’s Club. Roddick’s semifinal win over Steve Darcis was the 600th of his career. He is the 19th player in the Open Era to record 600 match wins, and joins Roger Federer as the only active players to have attained the milestone. Roddick’s last grass court final was the 2009 Wimbledon, when he lost to Federer 16-14 in the fifth set. Before Eastbourne, Roddick had not won a tour-level match since defeating Federer in the third round at Miami, Florida, USA, in March.
SURPRISE
Five times Angelique Kerber reached match point. Five times, Tamira Paszek won the next point. And when they passed out the women’s singles trophies at Eastbourne, Paszek was holding the big one, having beaten her German opponent 5-7 6-3 7-5. The left-handed Kerber had five match points at 5-3 in the final set before Paszek won the next four games. When she won the final point, the 21-year-old Austrian sank to her knees and kissed the grass at Devonshire Park. The winner slipped in the seventh game of the set, causing problems with her right leg. She took a medical time-out to have her right ankle strapped and called the trainer again to massage her calf during a changeover before winning the battle on her third match point. “I was that tired in the third set I could hardly move,” Paszek said. “I just gave all I had left and it just was enough.”
SANCTIONS THREAT LIFTED
David Nalbandian was defaulted in his Queen’s Club final, lost approximately USD $70,000 in prize money and fined, and 150 ranking points after he kicked an on-court advertising board into an official. He has escaped any further punishment from the ATP. “After a review of the incident, the ATP determined that although David’s actions were unacceptable and under ATP rules warranted an automatic default, the injury to the linesman was unintentional. As such, it was decided that the sanctions already levied against David are sufficient in this case.” The Argentine player had faced the prospect of a lengthy ban since had also been accused of throwing water at an official during the Australia Open.
SPANISH POWER
Riding his big serve, David Ferrer of Spain, won a grass-court event, ending a qualifier’s surprising run. Better known for his success on clay, Ferrer bombarded Philipp Petzschner in straight sets at the UNICEF Open. The Spaniard won 78 percent of his first serve points and broke the German three times to wrap up the win in 69 minutes. “The key was with my serve,” Ferrer said. “I served very good all the match. I played my best match of this week. I was more consistent than in my last matches.” Ranked sixth in the world, Ferrer also won at ‘s-Hertogenbosch in 2008. “I think he played a great match. He deserved to win the tournament and he was the best player here,” Petzschner said. “I made too many mistakes today. If I want to beat him, I have to play at my highest level. But I’m happy with the week. I played really good tennis.” When accepting his trophy, Petzschner announced he would donate a portion of his prize money to UNICEF.
STICKING TO RED
The ATP has ruled that blue clay courts will not be permitted at ATP World Tour events next year. “While the blue clay may have offered better visibility on television, there were clearly issues with the quality of the courts in Madrid this year, which were not acceptable at an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament, one of our top events worldwide,” said Brad Drewett, ATP executive chairman and president. “Regardless of color, we must first ensure that courts are safe and fair for players. … At this time it’s clear that further development is required before it can be considered for use at the ATP World Tour level.” Both top-ranked Novak Djokovic and second-ranked Rafael Nadal complained about the court, saying they would not play the event next year if the blue clay court remained. Roger Federer, who won the tournament, didn’t complain.
SISTER TEAM
Sisters Venus and Serena Williams are back at Wimbledon seeking another doubles title. The two are entered in doubles at the All England Club, the first time they have played together since losing in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon two years ago. They have won 12 Grand Slam tournament women’s doubles trophies. The only official doubles match either sister has played since 1020 win in Fed Cup in February, when Venus teamed with Liezel Huber to help the United States beat Belarus.
SERVING
Roger Federer has been reelected to the ATP Player Council by its members. Other returning players on the council include Jarkko Nieminen and Eric Butorac. Serving two-year terms in the category representing the top 50 players by ranking are Kevin Anderson, Federer, Nieminen and Gilles Simon. Elected to represent players ranked 51 to 100 were Robin Haase and Sergiy Stakhovsky, while Butorac and Mahesh Bhupathi will represent the top 100-ranked doubles players. James Cerretani and Andre Sa were elected at-large, Brian Gottfried to represent the alumni and Claudio Pistolesi to represent the coaches. The new ATP Player Council’s first meeting will be in New York prior to the US Open, where the president and vice president will be elected. Federer, who begins his third term on the council, said: “It has been four years of good work with the Player Council in which we have made progress in some areas. There is more to do and I am happy to be back with the council group. It’s great to see some new players step up and I look forward to working with them to continue to grow our sport.”
The outgoing Player Council re-elected Giorgio di Palermo as Player Board representative from the European region. Di Palermo will serve a three-year term starting January 1, 2013. The ATP Board of Directors is comprised of three player representatives, three tournament representatives, and Brad Drewett, the organization’s executive chairman and president.
SHAPE UP
At least members of the All England Club aren’t restricted to only wearing white clothes during the fortnight. Players at the famed grass court Grand Slam tournament must wear predominantly white clothing, unlike the other three major events. But this year dress code guidelines were included in a glossy pamphlet mailed to members of the club. Acceptable dress for gentlemen means a suit or tailored jacket, shirt, tie, trousers and dress shoes, while “’Ladies are expected to dress to a similar standard.” According to the pamphlet, the dress standards will be strictly enforced, and the guidelines were included “’to avoid any embarrassment.”
SENDING TWO TEAMS
India’s tennis association has solved its problem by doubling its doubles teams. The All India Tennis Association (AITA) announced Mahesh Bhupathi and regular partner Rohan Bopanna will play together at the London Olympics. Each had turned down requests by the AITA to partner Leander Paes at the Games. “In the given circumstances, the best option before the AITA is of sending two pairs,” said federation president Anil Khanna. Paes is expected to partner Vishnu Vardhan. “The AITA agrees that this decision is unfair to Paes … but in the given circumstances, which is not 100 percent tennis circumstance, this is the best option,” Khanna said. Paes will also team up with Sania Mirza in mixed doubles at the Olympics, even though Mirza and Bhupathi won the French Open mixed title earlier this month. Also, Khanna warned that the matter is not closed and that the AITA will consider taking action against Bhupathi and Bopanna following the Olympics.
SURPRISE
Qualifier Melanie Oudin won her first WTA tournament when she shocked Jelena Jankovic in the rain-delayed AEGON Classic in Birmingham, Great Britain. The20-year-old American won eight matches to win the Wimbledon warm-up event. With the victory she received a wild card entry into The Championships at the All England Club. With the victory, Oudin became the first player ranked outside the top 200 to win a main tour title since Kim Clijsters captured the US Open in 2009. Jankovic wasn’t the only seeded player surprised by Oudin during the week. The American knocked off 10th-seeded Sorana Cirstea of Romania in the opening round and eighth-seeded Ekaterina Makarova of Russia in the semifinals. Oudin also beat Jankovic in their only previous meeting, at Wimbledon three years ago.
SET FOR OLYMPICS
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has been selected to represent France in the London Olympics. The French Tennis Federation (FFT) also named Gilles Simon, Gael Monfils and Richard Gasquet would compete in the tennis Olympic tennis, which will be held on the grass courts at Wimbledon. Tsonga missed the 2008 Beijing Olympics because of a knee injury. He could be sidelined for Wimbledon because of a badly twisted little finger.
The FFT also announced that a wild card has been requested to allow Alize Cornet to participate in the women’s tournament, while Michael Llodra and Tsonga as well as Julien Benneteau and Gasuet will be the doubles pairings representing France.
STATOIL MASTERS
John McEnroe will defend his title at the Statoil Masters Tennis when the senior tour returns to Royal Albert Hall in London, Great Britain, in December. McEnroe, who won the inaugural tournament in 1997, will be joined in the field by former Wimbledon champions Goran Ivanisevic and Pat Cash. Others who have confirmed they will play include Tim Henman, Mark Philippoussis, Henri Leconte, Mansour Bahrami and Fabrice Santoro.
Statoil has become the title sponsor of the tournament for at least the next three years. The Statoil Masters Tennis is part of the ATP Champions Tour, a circuit of former world number one players, Grand Slam tournament singles finalists and Davis Cup winners.
SOCK TO PLAY
Young American Jack Sock has been given a wild card entry into the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, to be played July 9-15 on the grass courts of the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island. The 19-year-old teamed with Melanie Oudin to win the US Open mixed doubles title in 2011, the same year Sock captured the USTA Boys’ 18 title. This will be Sock’s first appearance in Newport, which is the only grass court tournament on grass courts in North or South America. Others in the field include: defending champion John Isner; the record-setting doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan; Japan’s Kei Nishikori and Canada’s Milos Raonic.
SET FOR FARMERS CLASSIC
Sam Querrey, a two-time winner, fellow Americans Ryan Harrison and James Black; France’s Nicolas Mahut, Russia’s Dmitry Tursunov and Belgium’s Xavier Malisse are among the players initially entered in the draw for the 86th annual Farmers Classic, which will be played July 23-29 in Los Angeles. The tournament features a 28-player singles and 16-team doubles competition.
SPONSORS
The Chinese clothing brand Erke is now the official partner and supplier of sports apparel for all on-court officials at the TEB PNP Paribas WTA Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, both this year and next. Under terms of the deal, Erke will provide clothing for all chair umpires, lines people, ball kids and on-court TV camera Crew at the season finale over the next two years. Additionally, the company will be permitted to develop a premium products line, co-branded with the WTA Championships, specifically for the event, which features the world’s top eight singles players and top four doubles teams. Erke has become increasingly involved in professional tennis in recent years. Since 2009, the company has signed sponsorship agreements with several tennis players, including Belgian Yanina Wickmayer and American Vania King.
The WTA signed a multi-year agreement with California Products Corporation, one of the world’s leading court surface providers. California Products’ Deco Turf and Pleiades brands will become the official court surface of the WTA and of the WTA’s Tennis Festivals in the Asia-Pacific region. The deal marks the third sponsor signed by the WTA in the Asia-Pacific region in the past two years, following partnerships with Jetstar and Peak.
Dubai Duty Free was the presenting sponsor of the WTA’s ninth annual Pre-Wimbledon party, which was held at The Roof Gardens in London. “The WTA have built this event into a major social gathering that attracts the top players, officials, celebrities and media prior to the start of Wimbledon, and we are happy to bring a new dimension to the evening,” said Colm McLoughlin, Dubai Duty Free’s executive vice chairman.
SAD NEWS
Judge Robert J. Kelleher, who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2000, is dead at the age of 99. Kelleher was the oldest serving federal judge in the nation. He was president of the United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) in 1967-68 and helped usher in the Open Era in tennis. Kelleher also served as captain of the United States Davis Cup team in 1962 and 1963, winning the title in 1963. He teamed with his wife Gracyn Wheeler Kelleher to win the Canadian mixed doubles championship in 1947.
SHARED PERFORMANCES
Eastbourne (men): Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins beat Jamie Delgado and Ken Skupski 6-4 6-3
Eastbourne (women): Nuria Llagostera Vives and María José Martinez Sánchez beat Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond 6-4, retired (Huber thigh injury)
‘s-Hertogenbosch (men): Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau beat Juan Sebastian Cabal and Dmitry Tursunov 6-3 7-6 (1)
‘s-Hertogenbosch (women): Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci beat Maria Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova 6-3 3-6 11-9 (match tiebreak)
SURFING
Wimbledon: www.wimbledon.com/
Braunschweig: http://www.nordlb-open.org/
Biella: www.itfbiella.com
TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK
(All money in USD)
MEN and WOMEN
The Championships, Wimbledon, Great Britain, grass (first week)
TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK
MEN
The Championships, Wimbledon, Great Britain, grass (second week)
$134,000 Sparkassen Open, Braunschweig, Germany, clay
WOMEN
The Championships, Wimbledon, Great Britain, grass (second week)
$100,000 XIII Torneo Internazionale Regione Piemonte, Biella, Italy, clay