World Tennis Magazine

Unique Tennis Perspectives

thomas muster

Petra Kvitova captures WTA Championships

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STARS

Petra Kvitova beat Victoria Azarenka 7-5 4-6 6-3 to win the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships in Istanbul, Turkey

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Juan Martin del Potro 6-7 (5) 6-3 6-4 to win the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, Austria

Marin Cilic beat Janko Tipsarevic 6-3 3-6 6-2 to win the St. Petersburg Open in St. Petersburg, Russia

Kimiko Date-Krumm beat Elena Baltacha 7-6 (3) 6-4 to win the Internationaux Féminins de la Vienne in Poitiers, France

Carlos Moya beat Younes El Aynaoui 6-2 7-6 (6) to win the Chengdu Open in Chengdu, China

Petra Kvitova

DAVIS CUP

Americas Zone Group I relegation round:

Columbia beat Mexico 5-0 at Mexico City, Mexico

SAYING

“When I started this season I didn’t have any goals. I just wanted to improve my game. But first Wimbledon, and now the year-end Championships and getting to number two in the world, it’s just a dream. We both played some of our best here in Istanbul today – it was a final, so why not.” – Petra Kvitova, who won the year-ending singles title in Istanbul, Turkey.

“I gave it my all today. The crowd kept me fighting all the way through – they were amazing today and all week. I have no words to describe it. It’s hard to lose, but I’m glad I lost to such a champion who deserved to win. Petra was amazing today. She really did a great job.” – Victoria Azarenka, after losing to Petra Kvitova in the WTA Championships final.

“It was very special because at the end there was the retirement of Thomas Muster, and Goran Ivanisevic, one of my favorite players, was there. It was a great final and it’s going to stay in my memories.” – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, after winning in Vienna.

“I’m sad because I lost but it was a good tournament for me. Jo played much better in the important moments and took his opportunities. He’s difficult to play because he’s very fast and has a good forehand.” – Juan Martin del Potro, following his loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the title match in Vienna.

“It was a very good match at a high level. I managed to push myself into a higher gear in the last set. I was close in my other finals (this year) and I think I learned a little bit from them. Today, that pushed me, and in the third set I played my best tennis of the season.” – Marin Cilic, after beat Janko Tipsarevic in the St. Petersburg Open final.

“In order to beat Marin you need to play a certain style of game, and for me it was really tough. I gave everything I had in the second set and beginning of the third set. I didn’t manage to make a break and after that, I went completely down.” – Janko Tipsarevic, after losing to Marin Cilic.

“The first part of the season is long forgotten. We’ve worked very hard and have learned a lot about our own character. I think the chemistry now is that we really want to play together, and we’ll do anything to make it work. This is a fantastic moment for us right now.” – Liezel Huber, after teaming with Lisa Raymond to win the WTA Championships doubles.

“Istanbul is an absolutely beautiful city. But I think the highlight was the fact that we were able to pack this place for every session, singles and doubles. The crowds have been phenomenal… I have never played a doubles match in front of that many people – you know, even at a Slam, even in a final. That was awesome. I think that they love their tennis here. They’re proving that.” – Lisa Raymond.

“It feels good to get back in the winners’ circle. We haven’t won a title since Wimbledon. Hopefully it bodes well for the rest of the indoor season and hopefully we continue playing well and build toward London.” – Mike Bryan, who teamed with brother Bob to win the Erste Bank Open doubles.
“We’re pretty healthy physically and mentally, and we’re obviously happy to beat two legends out there today. Whenever you beat Danny and Max, you have to play your best tennis.” – Bob Bryan, who with his brother Mike beat Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor in the doubles final.

“It’s a fantastic day for us. We’ve played Alexander and Mikhail about four times in the past 12 months, and all were very close matches, so we knew they would play very well and bring a high level. They’re good tennis players so it was a tough match and we’re happy to get this one.” – Ross Hutchins, who teamed Colin Fleming to win the St. Petersburg Open doubles title.

STRIKE UP THE BAND

Petra Kvitova showed her Wimbledon title wasn’t a fluke. The Czech left-hander captured the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships and moved up to number two in the world rankings. Kvitova beat Victoria Azarenka 7-5 4-6 6-3 to become just the third player to make their debut in the season-ending Championships and leave with the title. Serena Williams did it in 2001 and Maria Sharapova three years later. Kvitova was ranked 34th in the world to begin the year, but has won six titles in 2011, tying top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki as the leader. “It’s unbelievable to play here,” Kvitova said of playing in Istanbul, Turkey. “I didn’t expect that I would be sitting here as a champion. It’s really a big step for me.” She also became the third Czech to win the season finale. Jana Novotna was victorious in 1997, while Martina Navratilova won the event in 1978-79 prior to becoming an American citizen. Kvitova earned USD $1.75 million for posting her fourth straight victory over Azarenka. The 22-year-old Azarenka collected USD $775,000 and raised her ranking to third in the world.

STILL ON TOP

Caroline Wozniacki finished the season as the WTA’s top-ranked player for the second straight year. The Dane, who won six tournaments in 2011, held the number one spot for the entire year with the exception of one week when Belgium’s Kim Clijsters took over. Wozniacki is the ninth longest-serving world number one and joins Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Lindsay Davenport, Justine Henin and Martina Hingis as the only WTA players to be ranked number one in the world for consecutive seasons. “It’s amazing for me to finish the year as world number one once more,” Wozniacki said. “Only very few players have finished a year as number one, and to do it two years in a row is very special. I’m only in the beginning of my career, and to have achieved so much already, it’s a dream come true.”

Liezel Huber will finish the year ranked world number one in doubles for the fourth time in her career. Through the week of January 2, 2012, Huber will have extended her total number of weeks as doubles number one to at least 164, passing former partner Cara Black to move into second place on the all-time list behind Martina Navratilova’s 237 weeks.

Katarina Srebotnik and Kveta Peschke will conclude the season as the WTA’s number one doubles team. The pair won six doubles titles together this year, including Wimbledon for their first Grand Slam tournament title.

STILL IN THE HUNT

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga moved closer to clinching a berth in the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals by rallying to win the Erste Bank Open, defeating Juan Martin del Potro 6-7 (5) 6-3 6-4 in the final at Vienna, Austria. With his latest title, Tsonga moves past Mardy Fish to the seventh spot on the points list. The top eight qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals in London next month. It was Frenchman’s first victory over del Potro in four career meetings. It was the 12th ATP final this season that featured the top two seeds, but only the fifth time the number one seed actually won the title.

SEEKING FED CUP TITLE

Petra Kvitova, fresh off her victory in the year-ending WTA Championships, will lead the Czech Republic when it takes on Russia in the 2011 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group Final on November 5-6. The competition will be held at Olympic Stadium in Moscow. Joining Kvitova will be Lucie Safarova, Lucie Hradecka and Kveta Peschke. The Russian team is composed of Vera Zvonareva, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Maria Kirilenko.

SWINGING IN BALI

The WTA season will wrap up this week with the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions in Bali, Indonesia. The six who qualified for the season-ending event include Marion Bartoli of France, Sabine Lisicki of Germany, Roberta Vinci of Italy, Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain and Nadia Petrova of Russia. Defending champion Ana Ivanovic of Serbia and China’s Peng Shuai have been awarded wild cards, rounding out the field. Lisicki is also returning to Bali after playing in 2009. Making their T of C debuts are Vinci, Peng and Petrova.

SHANGHAI BOUND

Since she had already been eliminated from the season-ending WTA Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki flew to Shanghai, China, to watch her boyfriend, golfer Rory McIlroy, win the Shanghai Masters. The playoff victory gave McIlroy the biggest payday of his career, a check for USD $2 million.

SAYS HE’S RETURNING

American John Isner will return to defend his title at the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships next year. The tournament will be played July 9-15 on the historic grass courts of International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. “Newport was a great week for me this year and I look forward to playing there again next summer,” said Isner. “It’s a great tournament, good fans and it’s a lot of fun to play in a venue with such an important history as the Hall of Fame.” This year, Isner beat Olivier Rochus of Belgium in the final, capturing the title without dropping a set. Isner is best known for winning an epic record-setting match at Wimbledon in 2010, defeating Frenchman Nicolas Mahut in a contest that last 11 hours, 5 minutes and set numerous records, including 113 aces by the winner.

SENIOR CHAMPION

By winning the Chengdu Open, Carlos Moya took over the top spot in the ATP Champions Tour rankings. The Spaniard defeated Younes El Aynaoui in the final 6-2 7-6 (6). Earlier in the Chengdu, China, tournament, Moya knocked off Pete Sampras and Marat Safin. “It’s obviously a good feeling to be number one,” Moya said. “It’s my first year, so having the chance to be number one is great for me. Just being out there and playing against all these familiar faces is such a great feeling in itself.” Sampras captured third place by besting Thomas Enqvist 6-4 6-4. Safin made his debut on the senior circuit.

SWITCH

Alex Bogomolov Jr. is America’s fourth-highest ranked ATP player. But he wants to play Davis Cup for Russia in February. The 28-year-old Bogomolov Jr. was born in Moscow but his family moved to Mexico when he was 9 years old, and to the United States in 1992. He’s currently is 36th in the ATP world rankings, behind fellow Americans Mardy Fish, Andy Roddick and John Isner. Bogomolov Jr., who has never represented the United States in Davis Cup, is the son of a renowned tennis coach in the former Soviet Union who coached Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Andrei Medvedev, among others. “It was my dream (to play for Russia) and I want to finish my career playing for Russia,” said Bogomolov Jr., who has dual citizenship in the United States and Russia. Austria and Russia meet in the first round of Davis Cup on February 10-12.

SAYONARA – FINALLY

Thomas Muster says he is retiring from the men’s tennis tour. Maybe. The 44-year-old Muster lost in straight sets to a teen-age compatriot at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, Austria. “I never had a chance to say goodbye,” Muster told the crowd after his match. “This is such a great goodbye. This is definitely my last appearance on the ATP. It was my last match, it was very exciting to end it in Vienna and very emotional. It was such a send-off. I didn’t know whether to cry or play.” The Austrian never officially retired, but merely stopped playing for 11 years. He then made a return in September 2010, playing lower-level Challenger tournaments and winning just two of 25 matches over 14 months. He was the oldest player to compete on the circuit since 43-year-old Jimmy Connors in 1996.

SAFIN THE POLITICIAN

Former tennis star Marat Safin is running for parliament in Russia. “I am an intelligent guy and I have a lot to bring and a lot of ideas about things and what to do,” Safin said. “I am very committed to it.” The former world number one is up for election to the State Duma on December 4 and could join other Russian sports stars, including gold medalist Svetlana Khorkina, in the lower house of parliament. The 31-year-old Safin retired from the men’s tour in 2009 after winning two Grand Slam tournament titles and reaching the world number one ranking in 2000. In the last couple years Safin has been working for the Russian tennis federation and has become a member of the Russian Olympic committee. He also began playing last week on the ATP Champions Tour at the Chengdu Open in Chengdu, China. Safin participated in the primaries in the Nyzhny Novgorod region, and now awaits the December vote to take one of the 450 seats in the Duma. “I could be the best looking guy in the Duma,” Safin joked. “But that’s only because all the other guys are over 60.”

SUPER GIFT

Gaming pioneer Kirk Kerkorian has given a record USD $18 million to support the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy for at-risk students in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Agassi said the donation will “outlive all of us” as the funds guarantee the charter school’s future in perpetuity. “If it wasn’t for Mr. Kerkorian’s kindness to my family long before I ever hit a tennis ball, I wouldn’t be here today,” Agassi told the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper. “He hasn’t just helped my family, but millions of people in the state of Nevada. For him to now give a gift that assures a future for Agassi Prep is a luxury I’m not sure I ever imagined.” A spokesman said the 16th annual benefit held at a Las Vegas hotel raised an estimated USD $26.1 million, including Kerkorian’s donation. The star-studded benefit concert is the main fundraiser for Agassi’s foundation. According to its website, the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy provides a tuition-free high standard of education through extended school days, small class sizes and advanced technology. The kindergarten through 12th grade school is home to 1,045 students, said Agassi, who added there is a lengthy waiting list. The tennis Hall of Famer said the endowment pays for the school’s mortgage, daily operations and the roughly USD $5,000 per pupil spending beyond annual state funding.

SHOWING OFF STARS

Tennis Channel will continue to show women’s tennis through 2016. The new six-year deal with the WTA keeps at least a dozen Premier-level tournaments on the cable network each season, as well as the season-ending WTA Championships. Tennis Channel has televised WTA tennis since 2004. Under the new agreement, the network will continue to hold US television rights to at least 12 Premier-level tournaments from Australia, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Besides the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships, which is played in Istanbul, Turkey, other events that will televised in 2012 will be played in Brisbane and Sydney, Australia; Paris, France; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Doha, Qatar; Stuttgart, Germany; Rome, Italy; Madrid, Spain; Brussels, Belgium; Eastbourne, England; Tokyo, Japan; Beijing, China, and Moscow, Russia.


SURPRISE

Viewers in Great Britain will be watching the French Open on ITV instead of the BBC. Under a three-year deal, ITV1 will air the men’s and women’s finals from Roland Garros as well as live coverage of two other matches during the two-week tournament. Digital channel ITV4 and ITV.com will show six hours of play each day as well as a highlight show. “It’s the first time that a Grand Slam has been shown live on ITV and with around six hours of coverage over each day of the tournament we’ll be offering viewers more free-to-air coverage of the tournament than ever before,” said Niall Sloane, ITV’s controller of sport. BBC will continue to broadcast Wimbledon until at least 2017.

SIGNED

Christine Frost has been appointed to the new position of chief development officer at the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. She will be responsible for developing donor relationships, leading targeted fundraising campaigns, and advancing the organization’s annual fund, planned giving and membership programs. Frost has more than 20 years of experience in fundraising, strategic planning and marketing. For the past 11 years she has been with Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, most recently serving as associate director, regional development.

STAYING ON

Stacey Allaster has had her contract as chairman and CEO of the WTA extended for an additional five years through 2017. The WTA Board of Directors announced the move during its meeting in Istanbul, Turkey. Since becoming head of the WTA in July 2009, Allaster has led women’s tennis to global expansion, record revenue gains, business success, prize money increases and greater broadcast exposure. With the extension, Allaster will become the second-longest serving CEO in the WTA’s history. “Stacey understands players incredibly well, most importantly when it comes to player health and player marketing,” said Venus Williams, chairman of the Player’s Council. “She has worked effectively with players by working in collaboration with us and our tournament partners to advance our collective interests and those of our fans and partners.”

SHARED PERFORMANCE

Istanbul:

Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond beat Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik 6-4 6-4

Poitiers:

Alize Cornet and Virginie Razzano beat Maria Kondratieva and Sophie Lefevre 6-3 6-2

St. Petersburg:

Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins beat Mikhail Elgin and Alexander Kudryavtsev 6-3 6-7 (5) 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Vienna:

Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor 7-6 (10) 6-3

SURFING

Valencia:


www.valenciaopen500.com/

Basel:


www.swissindoorsbasel.ch/

Bali:


www.commbanktennis.com/

Taipei:


www.taipeiarena.com.tw/

Fed Cup:


www.fedcup.com

Paris:


http://www.fft.fr/bnp-paribas-masters-0

Phoenix:


www.goldwaterwomensclassic.org

Geneva:


http://www.atpgeneva.com/

Ortisei:


http://www.atpvalgardena.it/

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$1,872,387 Valencia Open 500, Valencia, Spain, hard

$1,690,254 Swiss Indoors Basel, Basel, Switzerland, hard

WOMEN

$600,000 Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions, Bali, Indonesia, hard

$100,000 OEC Taipei Ladies Open, Taipei, Taiwan, hard

FED CUP

Championship

Russia vs. Czech Republic at Moscow, Russia, hard

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$3,155,000 BNP Paribas Paris Masters, Paris, France, hard

$90,600 Sparkasse ATP Challenger, Ortisei, Italy, carpet

$90,600 Geneva ATP Challenger, Geneva, Switzerland, hard

$75,000 Copa Topper, Buenos Aires, Argentina, clay

WOMEN

$75,000 Goldwater Women’s Tennis Classic, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

USTA avoids 1996 seeding debacle with Serena Williams seeding

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When it came time for U.S. Open officials to either seed Serena Williams according to her ranking (No. 29) or bump her way up to the top three, my guess is there were some USTA executives who decided the last thing they needed was another 1996 nightmare.

Certainly, 1996 was a factor in the decision to just keep on seeding by the rankings.

Serena Williams

If you weren’t following tennis then or were but have a short memory, it has been just about 15 years to the day that the USTA, Jay Snyder, who was then tournament director, and USTA President Les Snyder decided that the time had come for the U.S. Open to go Wimbledon and not strictly follow the rankings in the seeding.

The result was a pre-tournament uproar. The players cafeteria became the center for one angry meeting after another. French Open champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov, then ranked No. 4, had been reduced to a No. 7 seed and refused to play.

Fifteen Spaniards, including No. 16 ranked Felix Mantilla, who was refused one of the 16 seeds, threatened to leave New York en masse. Mark Miles, who was CEO of the ATP Tour, issued a strong rebuke to the Open: “This is OK for my country club tournament, but not a Grand Slam,” he said.

It didn’t help international relations that two U.S. players got improved seedings — Andre Agassi went from a No. 8 rank to No. 6 seed and Michael Chang, ranked third, was elevated to No. 2.

The player Chang exchanged with in the seeding, Thomas Muster, was livid.

Somehow, the Open went on with the subjective new seeding and the Spanish stayed when Mantilla was given a seeding to replace Kafelnikov, but surely no one at the Open forgot the mess that was created and they haven’t revisited the Wimbledon system since.

Re-seeding just one woman, Williams, is a lot different from a whole new seeding system, but would the WTA have objected? And would there have been a revolt from other women? Those are tough questions to answer right now and, besides, it’s moot because Serena is staying right where she belongs, at the No. 28 seed (she goes one place higher than her ranking because No. 3 Kim Clijsters is out with injury).

It’s too bad former director Snyder took so much heat, because he had a good case to re-seed players. Chang, who was moved up to No. 2, reached the final, where he lost to No. 1 Pete Sampras.

Kafelnikov, though he would in 1999 win the Australian Open and be runner-up the next year, had not in 1996 had a scintillating record on hardcourts. Mantilla, who was bumped out of the seedings altogether initially (there were only 16 seeds then), went out in the second round of the 1996 U.S. Open.

But the issue was more philosophic than logical. As several players pointed out, they spend all year on all surfaces getting their rankings up and, while seeding players by ranking isn’t perfect, it’s probably the most objective way to do it.

You could make a case that Serena Williams should be among the top four seeds, but if you start seeding players on the basis of their overall talent, then do you start taking into account their injuries? If Rafael Nadal, for example, misses 99 percent of the clay court season because of a knee injury and returns in time to play the French, which he has won multiple times, should his seeding be downgraded because he’s not in top form?

On the bottom line, it all becomes too subjective. Again, seeding by ranking is not perfect, but isn’t it the solution which is closest to perfection?

At No. 28, Serena will face the prospect of playing high-seeded players in early rounds, but so what? If she’s going to win the Open, she’s going to have to beat those players at some point. What does it matter, on the bottom line, whether it’s in the third round of the final?

Legg Mason Tennis Classic preview – Around the corner

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The two stops on the ATP World Tour for this week include a 250 level tournament on clay played in Kitzbuhel, Austria as well as a 500 level tournament on hard courts in Washington, D.C.

Legg Mason Tennis Classic

For those serious about training for the final Grand Slam of the year, the Legg Mason Classic is the place to be. Bumped up a couple of years ago from a level 250 event, this year’s edition might appear to be a little thin on top-level talent with the withdrawal of Andy Roddick and with the big guns like Nadal and Federer still taking a bit more time off the tour to rest up for a strong late season push towards the Open.

Thomas Muster

Seeded first in D.C. this year is Frenchman Gael Monfils who will thrill the crowds with his acrobatic style of play. With the top sixteen seeds having a first-round bye, Monfils will open against the winner of Ryan Sweeting and Alex Bogomolov Jr., both of the United States. Also in “Le Monfs” quarter of the draw are Dmitry Tursunov, Michael Llodra and Janko Tipsarevic. Monfils should be able to navigate his way through this section and advance to the semi-finals.

In the next section of the draw, eight seed and defending champion David Nalbandian will try to jump-start his mediocre 2011 season. As we have been accustomed to in recent years, it has been injuries that have derailed the 29 year-old Nalbandian’s progress on the circuit. This year he missed three months between March and June due to a hamstring injury. Having lost in the third round of Queen’s Club (Verdasco) and Wimbledon (Federer), Nalbandian will have the added pressure of defending his winning points from a year ago. In his first match Nalbandian will face the winner of James Blake vs. Tatsuma Ito.

Also in this quarter are big servers John Isner and Kevin Anderson, both of whom are having solid seasons thus far. Isner in particular has been doing well since Wimbledon by winning the grass court event in Newport and then making the finals in Atlanta. Rising American star Ryan Harrison is also in this section of the draw and has made back-to-back semi-finals over the past couple of weeks. We’ll see if he can maintain this level of play and respond to the challenge of a somewhat tougher field that he has faced in LA and Atlanta.

If he’s fully healthy and has been training since Wimbledon, then I’d give Nalbandian a fair chance at making it to the semi’s, but I feel that Isner is probably the man to beat given his recent results and his usual success on the summer hard-court swing. Let’s not count out Harrison either as his confidence is mounting with every event he enters.

The next quarter we look at is a bit more wide-open. You’ve got some talented veterans such as Tommy Haas and Fernando Gonzalez, both of whom are trying to regain their form after long injury layoffs. Marcos Baghdatis, a finalist from a year ago is also present as are Jurgen Melzer, Xavier Malisse and Somdev Devvarman. Good luck picking someone to emerge from this slice of the draw.

Haas still has a long way to go to prove he can mount a successful comeback after missing a full year on the tour. Gonzo has not played much this year either and it does not seem like at 31 years old his body can consistently perform when needed. Baghdatis has proved himself capable at this event but he has not played a hard court event since March. Same story for Melzer, who has been playing a full clay-court schedule since March with the exception of Wimbledon.

My pick here would be either the X-man – Malisse or Devvarman who has played well here in the past with a quarter-final showing in 2008 and a round-of-sixteen finish in 2009.

In the final quarter Mardy Fish is the clear choice to advance deep into the draw due to his exceptional play as of late. The now firmly entrenched number one American player has demonstrated that he is a worthy successor to Andy Roddick at the moment and is playing some of the best tennis of his career. You’d have to say Fish is the tournament favorite given his hot play on the summer swing and there does not appear to be much opposition for him in the early rounds.

He could get Fernando Verdasco in the quarter-finals, but otherwise should dispatch guys like Radek Stepanek and Jarkko Nieminen in the first couple of rounds.

As he did a year ago, Fish is definitely placing himself in the conversation for the next level of contenders at the U.S. Open behind the big names like Djokovic, Nadal and Federer.

Bet-At-Home Cup Kitzbuhel

For those players whose games are more suited for clay, Kitzbuhel offers them a chance at some ranking points they might not be able to attain on the North American hard court swing. The event has not been played since 2009, and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez won the tournament that year.

Seeded first is renowned dirt-baller Juan-Ignacio Chela who constantly surprises me with his resilience on the tour. Just when you think his career is about to implode he’ll turn it around with some strong play. He lost four opening matches in a row from late March to early May, then he made the round of sixteen in Rome, won the World Team Championship in Dusseldorf and then advanced to the quarter-finals of the French Open before falling to Andy Murray. It should be noted however that Chela has lost his opening match of his two previous tournaments, both which have been on clay. Suffice it to say that in a tournament labelled, “bet at home”, I wouldn’t bet on Chela.

Albert Montanes is in the top half of the draw as well and is due for some clay court success, while Fabio Fognini and Marcel Granollers are two other talented clay-court players who could make their way towards the final.

One first round match that certainly caught my attention in the draw was fifth seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber against the former king of clay, Thomas Muster. Yes that’s right, at the ripe old age of 43, Muster continues to pop up at challenger events and ones like this one where he is awarded a wildcard in recognition of his previous contributions to the sport. Obviously being Austrian is what got him in the door here, as his record is 0-9 coming into the event. Someone should really tell this guy about the senior tour where his results might be a little more encouraging.

The bottom half of the draw has second seeded Feliciano Lopez, as well as Ivan Ljubicic and Igor Andreev who are all capable players on this surface.

While it might be a bit hard to understand the merits of playing clay court events during the lead-up to a hard court Grand Slam, there are only so many spots open in Washington and these guys do need to earn a living. Just don’t expect any of the names from Kitzbuhel to factor into contention once they arrive in North America.

 

Djokovic becomes youngest ever men’s champ: On this day in Sony Ericsson Open history

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The Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., is the biggest, most prestigious tennis tournament in the United States next to the US Open. Its history dates back to 1985 and is documented in pages in my book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.TennisHistoryBook.com). The following are events that happened in the history of the tournament – also previously called the Lipton Championships, the NASDAQ-100 Open and the Ericsson Open – as excerpted from the book from April 1.

Novak Djokovic

1989 – Less than two hours after thrilling 5-7, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 win over Yannick Noah in the semifinals of the Lipton Championships in Key Biscayne, Fla., Thomas Muster’s career high goes to a career low as he is hit by a car, tearing ligaments in his left knee and forcing him to default the tournament final to world No. 1 Ivan Lendl. Muster is off the tour for only six months, famously training in a specially-made wheelchair that allows him to hit tennis balls. Oddly, his 44th and final ATP Tour tournament victory comes in 1997 when he returns to the Key Biscayne final and beats Sergi Bruguera for the title.

2000 – Martina Hingis defeats Lindsay Davenport 6-3, 6-2 in 58 minutes to win the singles title at the Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., ending a five-match losing streak to Davenport and stopping Davenport’s 21-match winning streak. Despite the loss, Davenport replaces Hingis as the No. 1 player in the WTA Tour rankings the next day.

2001 – Andre Agassi wins the Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., for the fourth time in his career, defeating fellow American Jan-Michael Gambill 7-6 (7-4), 6-1, 6-0, in the final. It is Agassi’s 48th title of his career

2006 – Svetlana Kuznetsova wins the biggest singles title since winning the 2004 U.S. Open, defeats Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-3 to win the NASDAQ-100 Open women’s singles title in Key Biscayne, Fla. – her sixth career singles title.

2005 – Roger Federer defeats Andre Agassi 6-4, 6-3 in the semifinals of the NASDAQ-100 Open in what ultimately becomes Agassi final appearance in the event.

2007 – Nineteen-year-old Novak Djokovic of Serbia becomes the youngest men’s singles champion in the history of the Sony Ericsson Open, defeating Guillermo Canas of Argentina 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in the championship match in Key Biscayne, Fla.. The title is the first “Masters Series” title for Djokovic, who reached the final at Indian Wells two weeks earlier. Djokovic also wins the title without dropping a set, becoming the first player since Ivan Lendl in 1989 to turn that trick. “Every time you win something or you are the youngest player or you make any record, it certainly feels great,” says Djokovic. “It means that your name is in the history of the sport. I am very proud of that.”

2008 – One year after Serena Williams saves match points to beat Justine Henin in the Sony Ericsson Open final, Williams dominates her Belgian rival 6-2, 6-0 in the tournament’s quarterfinals in Key Biscayne in 1 hour, 20 minutes. The meeting is the 13th and ultimately final meeting between the two rivals as No. 1 ranked Henin announces her surprise retirement six weeks later. Williams’ decisive win – the most lopsided in their series of matches – pushes her ahead in the rivalry by a 7-6 margin. Entering the match, Henin had won the last three meetings – all quarterfinals matches at major tournaments in 2007 at the French, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

Redemption for Thomas Muster: On this day in Sony Ericsson Open history

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The Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., is the biggest, most prestigious tennis tournament in the United States next to the US Open. Its history dates back to 1985 and is documented in pages in my book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.TennisHistoryBook.com). The following are events that happened in the history of the tournament – also previously called the Lipton Championships, the NASDAQ-100 Open and the Ericsson Open – as excerpted from the book from March 30.

Thomas Muster

1997 – Eight years after having to default the final of the Lipton Championships after tearing ligaments in his knee after being hit by a car driven by a drunk driver, Thomas Muster of Austria defeats Spain’s Sergi Bruguera 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-1 to win the Lipton Championships in Key Biscayne, Fla. “It’s very emotional for me because of what happened here eight years ago,” says Muster of the victory, his 44th and ultimately his final ATP tournament title.

2000 – Martina Hingis hands Monica Seles the worst loss of her professional career, defeating the former world No. 1 6-0, 6-0 in 39 minutes in the semifinals of the Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla. Lindsay Davenport edges Sandrine Testud 6-1, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (7) in a much more competitive women’s semifinal match. Seles is hampered by a right ankle sprain that limits her movement and is the major factor in the one-sided match.

2002 – Serena Williams fights off seven second-set points and defeats Jennifer Capriati 7-5, 7-6 (4) in the women’s singles final at the NASDAQ-100 Open in Key Biscayne, Fla.

1996 – Steffi Graf wins her unprecedented fifth title at the Lipton Championships, defeating Chanda Rubin 6-1, 6-3 in 54 minutes in the women’s singles final in Key Biscayne, Fla. The title was Graf’s 97th of her career in her 124th final. Says Rubin of Graf, “Her game is oppressive, and it forces you to go for too much. I came up quite a bit short today, and that kind of was the story to the match.”

2004 – Three-time defending champion Andre Agassi sees his 19-match winning streak at the NASDAQ-100 Open end in a 6-2, 7-6 (2) fourth-round loss to Agustin Calleri of Argentina. Agassi holds five set points in the second set, but is unable to convert to even the match at one-set apiece. Says Agassi, who also misses a chance to win his 800th career ATP match victory. “I missed some chances. I needed to step it up and play to his standard, and I didn’t do that.”

2008 – In an exciting day of women’s tennis at the Sony Ericsson Open, Lindsay Davenport, playing in Key Biscayne for the first time in five years, upsets world No. 2 Ana Ivanovic 6-4, 6-2, while world No. 3 Svetlana Kuznetsova comes from back a 2-5 third-set deficit – and saves a match point – in defeating Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 1-6, 7-5, 6-0. In the early hours of the day – the night before – Jelena Jankovic rallies from a 1-5 deficit in the third set and saves five match points in the final-set tie-break to register a second-round win over Sofia Arvidsson of Swede 6-7 (7), 6-2, 7-6 (9) in a match that concludes at 12:30 am. Says Jankovic, ”I didn’t play well, but I was hanging in there. I really believed in myself. I played one point at a time…I don’t like to lose. No matter what the score is, the match is not over until it is over. I’m a big fighter, and it was very important for my confidence to show that I don’t give up.” Jankovic eventually reaches the final of the tournament, where she is defeated by Serena Williams in a tight three-set final.

Venus Williams beats Serena Williams in historic final – On this day in Sony Ericsson Open history

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The Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., is the biggest, most prestigious tennis tournament in the United States next to the US Open. Its history dates back to 1985 and is documented in pages in my book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.TennisHistoryBook.com). The following are events that happened in the history of the tournament – also previously called the Lipton Championships, the NASDAQ-100 Open and the Ericsson Open – as excerpted from the book from March 28.

1999 – In the first singles final at an important, big tournament in 115 years played between sisters, Venus Williams defeats younger sister Serena Williams 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in the women’s singles final at the Lipton Championships in Key Biscayne, Fla. The match is highlighted by the charismatic father of both finalists – Richard Williams – who holds various signs during the match with such phrases as “Welcome the Williams Show” and “It Couldn’t Have Happened To A Better Family.” The last time the final of a big, important tournament is played between two sisters comes at Wimbledon 1884 when Maud Watson defeats older sister Lillian Watson in the women’s final.

1997 – No. 30 seeded Sergi Bruguera shocks world No. 1 Pete Sampras 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-4 in the semifinals of the Lipton Championships. “It’s one of the best feelings you can have in tennis, to beat the No. 1 in an important match,” says Bruguera. World No. 2 Thomas Muster also advances into the Lipton final, defeating No. 22 Jim Courier 6-3, 6-4.

1998 – Seventeen-year-old Venus Williams defeats 16-year-old Anna Kournikova 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 to win the Lipton Championships in Key Biscayne, Fla. Says Kournikova of her loss, “It’s good that she didn’t really beat me, because I made all the mistakes, right? That gives me some confidence that I could play better. She didn’t beat me. I lost.”

2002 – Serena Williams needs only 50 minutes to defeat older sister Venus Williams 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals of the Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla. Jennifer Capriati needs 2 hours, 8 minutes and saves two match points in defeating Monica Seles 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3) to also advance into the championship match.

1989 – Chris Evert plays a perfect final-set tie-break and escapes the upset-bid of Canada’s Helen Kelesi, defeating the world No. 11 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (0) in the quarterfinals of the Lipton Championships in Key Biscayne, Fla. “I played a perfect tie-breaker and I didn’t play a perfect match,” says Evert. In the early morning hours, world No. 172 Jim Grabb concludes a fourth-round victory over Alberto Mancini, finishing off the Argentine 6-7 (3), 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7(4), 6-4 at 1:50 am.

1996 – Goran Ivanisevic fires 12 aces in his 6-4, 6-3 quarterfinal victory over Michael Chang at the Lipton Championships, then, in his post-match press conference, vows to set a record for number of aces that will “stand for another 200 years until the robots break it.”

2004 – Seventeen-year-old Rafael Nadal of Spain registers the biggest win of his young career, upsetting world No. 1 Roger Federer 6-3, 6-3 in the third round of the NASDAQ-100 Open in Key Biscayne, Fla. Says Nadal, the youngest player in the 2004 NASDAQ-100 field, says “I played almost perfect tennis.” Federer’s loss is only his second in 25 matches in the 2004 season. Says Federer of Nadal, his future top rival, “He hit some really incredible shots, and that’s what youngsters do. I’ve heard a lot about him and saw some of his matches, so this is not a big surprise.”

2008 – Entering the Sony Ericsson Open as the hottest player in men’s tennis with victories at the Australian Open and the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, Calif., No. 3-ranked Novak Djokovic is cooled off in losing his opening round match to qualifier and No. 122-ranked Kevin Anderson of South Africa 7-6, 3-6, 6-4. Anderson, three weeks removed from reaching his first ATP singles final in Las Vegas, wins 13 points in the a row during a stretch in the third set after Djokovic leads 2-0. Says Anderson, “I kept telling myself, ‘I can do this. I’ve just got to believe in myself.’ Even still, just knowing what he’s done and what a great player he is, to have beaten him is a tremendous experience for me.”

Around The Corner: ATP Tour Touches Down in Europe

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By Mike McIntyre

Back over to Europe for three indoor hard court tournaments this week on the ATP World Tour. The big news on the circuit last week was that Roger Federer tied Pete Sampras’ all-time tournament tally with his 64th career win in Stockholm. Only another 45 before he equals Jimmy Connors mark of 109!

This week we have stops in Austria, France and Russia as the season begins to draw to a close.

Bank Austria Tennis Trophy

It’s gimmick time in Vienna as the event has chosen to dust off 43 year-old Thomas Muster with a wild-card into the main draw. The former world number one and French Open champion has been playing a few challenger and futures level events this fall and has a 1-6 record so far in his “comeback.”

Muster opens against enigmatic Ernests Gulbis in the first round. I’m not really too sure what to make of this stunt. Muster is over ten years past being able to play at a high level – why make a return to the tour now?

Mikhail Youzhny

Local Jurgen Melzer gets the number one seed and deservingly so. Not only is he the defending champion at this event, but he has had a terrific 2010 that has seen him reach his first career Grand Slam semi-final and also defeat Rafael Nadal for the first time. Melzer gets a first round bye and could face wild-card James Blake in the second round.

Melzer will likely have to face Philipp Kohlschreiber in his section of the draw, and could also see clay-court guru Nicolas Almagro or veteran Xavier Malisse as well.

In the bottom half, Marcos Baghdatis and second seeded Marin Cilic are lurking. Cilic could really use a strong result to close out his season as it has been one great disappointment for him since a semi-final appearance at the Australian Open back in January.

Open Sud de France

Doesn’t it seem like there is an ATP event in France every couple of weeks? The French must really love their tennis and who can blame them? They have an abundance of players in the top one hundred in the world. Their players also have a variety in their game that makes them among the most enjoyable to watch in the sport.

Look over the qualifying draw and you might be surprised to see an A. Agazzi entered. That would be Andrea Agazzi from Italy…no joke.

The main draw boasts number one seed Nikolay Davydenko who appears to be on his last legs of competitiveness since returning from a wrist injury back in the spring. His long-term hold on a top-ten position has reached its end as he has been unable to put together any type of consistent tennis all season. Davydenko gets a first round bye, which will probably actually hurt his chances.

Defending champion Ivan Ljubicic is in the top-half of the draw along with Frenchman Richard Gasquet who is my pick to win the tournament.

In the bottom half we find many other talented locals such as number two seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gilles Simon and Gael Monfils. Again, what a great time to be a tennis fan in France. David Nalbandian is also present with a wild-card.

St. Petersburg Open

Russia welcomes Mikhail Youzhny as the top seed and a slew of other lesser known players into the field. It is arguably the weakest draw of the three tournaments and does not offer any first round exemptions.

Youzhny won the event way back in 2004 which speaks to his longevity on the tour. In 2009, Sergiy Stakhovsky emerged as the champion and he is back as the second seed this time around.

Viktor Troicki who just won his first ever tour event in Moscow is in the top-half of the draw, while Jeremy Chardy, Janko Tipsarevic and P.H. Mathieu are in the bottom section.

Enjoy the tennis this week everyone.

THOMAS MUSTER ACCEPTS WILD CARD TO PRO EVENT

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By McCarton Ackerman

Former world No. 1 Thomas Muster has accepted singles and doubles wildcards into the main draws of the $125,000 challenger event in Braunschweig, Germany, taking place from June 28th-July 4th.

The 42-year-old Austrian, a winner at Roland Garros in 1995, will be playing his first professional match since officially retiring at the 1999 French Open.

Asked why he decided to take part in the tournament, he explained: “I just love to play. I love the competition. It’s not about garnering world ranking points for me.”

Since retiring, Muster has competed throughout Europe on the ATP Champions Tour and on the U.S.-based Champions Series tennis circuit. He said “wants to show my best tennis and see where it will all take me.”

Muster won over $12 million in prize money in his career and claimed 44 career singles titles.

ANDRES GOMEZ DISCUSSES AGASSI WIG, COACHING AND KIDS

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By Charles Bricker

Did you read in Andre Agassi’s book about his greatest fear in the 1990 French Open final — that his wig would blow off in the middle of the match?

Andres Gomez quickly brushed off that question. “Hey, I had my own problems. I was 30 and playing a 20 year old guy who was talking all tournament about how he was going to take on everybody,” he explained.

Andres Gomez
Andre Agassi congratulates Andres Gomez

You were tickled and I was tickled to read about Agassi’s wig and his fantasy horror that he might have to pick his hairpiece up off the red clay and how he had no idea how he would recover if the relentless French fans taunted and laughed at him the rest of the match.

But there was nothing in this precious Agassi vignette that amused Gomez. He was already an old man by tennis standards and certainly on someone’s list of the best players never to win a major.

He had had an excellent clay court season in 1990, having won Barcelona and Madrid. But he had been beaten earlier in the year by a couple of American prodigies — Pete Sampras in the final at Philadelphia and Agassi in the fourth round at Key Biscayne.

“Nervous? Yes, of course I was nervous,” Gomez relived the moments before the French final. “But I’m nervous before every match. It’s a way to get the adrenalin flowing. Once you step on the court, most of that goes away.”

Andres had whipped through Thomas Muster in straights to reach the final, where, 20 years ago this season, he beat Agassi 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. He can still see the final stroke in his mind’s eye — a lefty’s forehand down the line, a clean winner, off Agassi’s service return. But there was a lot Gomez couldn’t remember.

“You rehearse these moments so many times when you are a child, coming up. OK, this is the last point, match point at Roland Garros. And when it happens, you forget the first few minutes. Really, my first memory is going up into the stands to pick up my son (Juan-Andres), who was in the nursery in the players box. Then, going back on court for the ceremony. Such a great moment.”

Today, Gomez splits time between the U.S. and his native Ecuador, but there’s a lot of American culture in his family. He spends several weeks, including this week, at the Naples, Fla., academy of his longtime friend Emilio Sanchez, with whom he won the 1988 French Open doubles title.

That infant he picked up in the players box is now 22 years old and playing No. 1 singles and doubles for San Diego State. And his second son, 18-year-old Emilio, is training with him and is at No. 633 in the ATP rankings. There are also Alejandro, 15; Rafaela, 12; and Manuela, 9.

His children have no doubt profited by having a former top professional for a father, but coaching your offspring can be bewildering at times. “Sometimes they don’t know who’s talking, the father or the coach,” said Gomez. “Same for me. It’s a fine line. Just being a father is hard enough, but I try to talk to them as much as possible.

“I know how hard it is to become a professional, but for me as a parent, and for my wife, we want to raise them, educate them, then leave whatever they want to do up to them.”

Gomez is still available for the various former champions tours, but at 50 that second career has largely come and gone. “I had 15 years as a pro and another 15 years on the seniors,” he said.

His job now is making sure his five children get out of the nest and into a secure future and trying to bring along the next great Ecuadorian player, which won’t be easy. There are only 13 Ecuadorians on the ATP ranking list, and two of them are Gomez sons. After old pro Nico Lapentti at No. 93, the next Ecuadorian is No. 213.

But if the country never develops another great one, it still has the memory of 1990 — the day that Andre Agassi wigged out and Andres Gomez lit up himself and his nation.

Charles Bricker can be reached at nflwriterr@aol.com

Roger Federer’s Pizza Party

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Roger Federers pizza party
Roger Federer's pizza party

On October 29, 2006, Roger Federer achieved one his major goals as a professional tennis player. As excerpted from the book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.TennisHistoryBook.com), Federer, after seven attempts, hosted a pizza party for ball kids at the Swiss Indoors in his hometown of Basel, Switzerland as he finally won his hometown tournament with a 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (3) final-round win over Fernando Gonzalez of Chile.  “It’s a dream to finally win my home tournament,” said Federer, “This is an exciting moment and one of the nicest titles (out of 44) of my career.” In the on-court trophy ceremony, Federer, a former ball boy at the tournament, told ball kids, “Don’t go away, there’s pizza coming for you later, that’s something I remember from here.” Writes Rene Stauffer in THE ROGER FEDERER STORY, QUEST FOR PERFECTION ($24.95, New Chapter Press, www.RogerFedererBook.com) “He did not forget that years before, he too was a ball kid at the event.”

Federer, who has won the event the last three years and will again play the tournament next week, was unable to play the event in 2004 and 2005 due to injury. The following is another excerpt from THE ROGER FEDERER STORY, QUEST FOR PERFECTION, that describes Federer’s 2004 withdrawal;

By early October, Federer already won ten titles in the 2004 season. His match record stood at 69-6 and there were still four tournaments remaining on his schedule. Two more important ATP records were within reach—most victories in a season (86) and most tournament titles in a season (12), both set in 1995 by the left-handed Austrian clay courter Thomas Muster. But then, the unexpected happened. Federer withdrew from the event in Madrid because he didn’t feel sufficiently rested after his world tour. He preferred to concentrate his energies on winning the event that was as high on his wish-list as the French Open—the Swiss Indoors. At the tournament’s Monday opening presentation in Basel’s town hall, Federer was in a fine mood, upbeat and told all the assembled media how well prepared he was for the week. However, just a few hours later, he was overtaken during a practice session by what must have been the curse of Basel—he suddenly felt an unusual pain in his left thigh. The pain persisted during his practice session on Tuesday. He hastily underwent a magnetic resonance imaging examination, which re­vealed a muscle fiber rupture—an injury common for tennis players. Instead of his long-desired triumph in his hometown, the Swiss Indoors brought him some of the bitterest hours of his career. He showed up at the St. Jakobshalle Tuesday evening—when he was scheduled to make his tourna­ment start—wearing street clothes. He withdrew from the tournament and explained to the media and the public what happened. “I never imagined that it would turn out like this,” he said. “I had made perfect preparations and had a good chance at winning the tournament.”

AGASSI WINS IN OUTBACK CHAMPIONS SERIES DEBUT

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SURPRISE, Ariz., Oct. 9, 2009 – Andre Agassi made a triumphant debut on the Outback Champions Series tennis circuit Friday night, defeating Mikael Pernfors of Sweden 6-2, 7-5 in the opening round of the $150,000 Cancer Treatment Centers of America Tennis Championships at Surprise. Todd Martin also won his opening round match Friday to advance into the semifinals, defeating fellow American Jimmy Arias 6-1, 6-4.

Andre Agassi
Andre Agassi

Agassi’s appearance in Surprise marked his first professional tournament since he ended his ATP career at the 2006 U.S. Open. The Cancer Treatment Centers of America Tennis Championships at Surprise is the seventh and final event on the 2009 Outback Champions Series, the global tennis circuit for champion tennis players age 30 and over.

Agassi opened the match belting a forehand winner off Pernfors’ first serve in a return-of-serve that some observers described as the biggest they have ever seen. Agassi went on to break Pernfors in the first game, but, with uncharacteristic backhand unforced errors, was broken back in the second game. Agassi then broke Pernfors again in the third game of the match and ran away with the first set 6-2. In the second set, Pernfors implemented more off-pace backhand slices and drop shots and broke Agassi for a quick 2-0 lead. Agassi then broke back at love with two return winners and a Pernfors forehand error on break point. Pernfors then broke back again to take a 3-1 lead, but Agassi then regained control of the set, breaking Pernfors again in the fifth and 11th games. Serving for the match, Agassi belted three aces in the final game and launched an explosive match-ending forehand winner to close out the match.

“I was pretty nervous surprisingly when I got out there,” admitted Agassi of his debut match. “I didn’t know how I was going to play. But I just stayed inside myself and got more comfortable out there. I pressed for a few shots when I could and took advantage.”

With his appearance in Surprise, Agassi became the eighth former world No. 1 to compete on the Outback Champions Series, joining Pete Sampras, Jim Courier, Pat Rafter, Stefan Edberg, Mats Wilander, Thomas Muster and John McEnroe.

“This was a blast for me tonight,” said Agassi. “It’s just great being around the guys and having their support. It’s a lot of fun.”

Said Pernfors of Agassi, “He still hits the ball great. I think it is awesome for the tour to have Andre back.”

Agassi is one of only six men in the history of tennis to win all four major singles titles in a career, joining Rod Laver, Don Budge, Roy Emerson, Fred Perry and Roger Federer. He won Wimbledon in 1992, the U.S. Open in 1994 and 1999, the Australian Open in 1995, 2000, 2001 and 2003, and the French Open in 1999. Ranked No. 1 in the world for 101 weeks during his career, Agassi helped the United States win the Davis Cup in 1990, 1992 and 1995 and won 60 career singles titles.

In Saturday’s semifinals, Agassi will face Wayne Ferreira of South Africa during the noon day session. During their ATP careers, Agassi held an 11-0 career record against Ferreira, while losing only one set in their 11 meetings. In the other semifinal Saturday, Martin will face Aaron Krickstein during the 5 pm evening session.

Thursday night, Krickstein registered one of the biggest upsets of the year on the Outback Champions Series, upsetting the top-ranked Courier 7-6 (7-3), 2-6, 10-5 (Champions Tie-Breaker). The win marked Krickstein’s first professional win over Courier.

“We play similar styles and I was able to get off to a good start with strong serving in the first set,” said Krickstein of his win over Courier. “I knew I was hitting the ball well early and I knew it could be a good night especially if I kept serving well.”

Krickstein said he has been playing some great tennis of late and nearly upset Martin in the first round of Charlotte two weeks ago, falling 2-6, 7-6(3), 11-9 (Champions Tie-Breaker). He also attributed his strong play against Courier to the high-elevation conditions of Surprise, which is 1,175 feet above sea level.

“I guess my game is just suited to altitude,” he said. “I always played well in Scottsdale and I had a win on the ATP Tour in Johannesburg so I’ve always been able to deal with it.”

Said Martin of playing Krickstein, “(It) will be tough. Aaron doesn’t play a lot out here (on the Outback Champions Series) but his rhythm isn’t disturbed. He has short strokes and is moving really well. Not that Aaron wasn’t a great mover but he really seems to be moving well these days.”

The order of play and schedule for the remainder of the tournament is as follows;

Saturday, October 10th, 2009
Session #3 – 12:00pm
Men’s Doubles
Followed by
Semifinal #1 – Andre Agassi vs. Wayne Ferreira

Session #4 – 5:00pm
Men’s Doubles
Followed by
Semifinal #2 – Todd Martin vs. Aaron Krickstein

Sunday, October 11th, 2009
Session #5 – 12pm
Third Place Match
Followed by
Championship Match

John McEnroe won the inaugural event in 2008 in Surprise defeating Martin in the final. Ticket, travel and tournament information can be found by visiting www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com.

Pete Sampras won the opening event on the 2009 Outback Champions Series, defeating McEnroe in the final of the Champions Cup Boston in February. McEnroe won the second event of the year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, defeating Courier in the final. Sampras won his second title of the year at the Del Mar Development Champions Cup in Los Cabos, Mexico, defeating Patrick Rafter in the final. Courier won his first title of the 2009 season in April at the Cayman Islands, defeating Arias in the final. Pat Cash successfully defended his title on the grass courts at the Hall of Fame Champions Cup in Newport, R.I. in August, defeating Courier in the final. Courier won his second title of the season in Charlotte in September, defeating Sampras in the final.

Founded in 2005, the Outback Champions Series features some of the biggest names in tennis over the last 25 years, including Agassi, Sampras, McEnroe, Courier and others. To be eligible to compete on the Outback Champions Series, players must have reached at least a major singles final, been ranked in the top five in the world or played singles on a championship Davis Cup team. The Outback Champions Series features seven events on its 2009 schedule with each event featuring $150,000 in prize money as well as Champions Series points that will determine the year-end Champions Rankings No. 1.

InsideOut Sports + Entertainment is a New York City-based independent producer of proprietary events and promotions founded in 2004 by former world No. 1 and Hall of Fame tennis player Jim Courier and former SFX and Clear Channel executive Jon Venison. In 2005, InsideOut launched its signature property, the Outback Champions Series, a collection of tennis events featuring the greatest names in tennis over the age of 30. In addition, InsideOut produces many other successful events including “Legendary Night” exhibitions, charity events, corporate outings and tennis fantasy camps such as the annual “Ultimate Fantasy Camp”. Through 2008, InsideOut Sports + Entertainment events have raised over $4 million for charity. For more information, please log on to www.InsideOutSE.com or www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com.

Mondays With Bob Greene: I think that Justine’s comeback is good news for women’s tennis

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STARS

Albert Montanes won the BCR Open Romania, beating Juan Monaco 7-6 (2) 7-6 (6) in Bucharest, Romania

Kimiko Date-Krumm
Kimiko Date-Krumm

Gael Monfils beat Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-6 (1) 3-6 6-2 to win the Open de Moselle in Metz, France

Kimiko Date Krumm beat Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3 6-3 to win the Hansol Korea Open in Seoul, Korea

Shahar Peer won the Tashkent Open, defeating Akgul Amanmuradova 6-3 6-4 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Arantxa Parra-Santonja beat Alexandra Dulgheru 6-4 6-3 to win the Open GDF Suez de Bretagne in Saint Malo, France

Thomas Enqvist beat Michael Chang 6-4 7-6 (5) to win the Trophee Jean-Luc Lagardere in Paris, France

Jim Courier beat Pete Sampras 2-6 6-4 10-8 (match tiebreak) to win the Breezeplay Championships in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

SAYING

“A flame I thought was extinguished forever suddenly lit up again.” – Justine Henin, announcing her return to tennis one year after she retired while being ranked number one in the world.

“Justine is that rare athlete who decided to step away from the game at the height of her powers and no doubt she will be a force to be reckoned with.” – Stacey Allaster, WTA Tour CEO, on Justin Henin ending her retirement.

“The match reminded me again that in tennis you really don’t know how anything will turn out before you actually play.” – Kimiko Date Krumm, at 38 years, 11 months, 30 days becoming the second oldest player in the Open Era to win a singles title on the WTA Tour.

“When I was on court, I didn’t feel like she was 38. She won five matches in a row this week, four in three sets, more than two and a half hours, and today she was running like it was the first day.” – Anabel Medina Garrigues, after losing to Kimiko Date Krumm in the final of the Hansol Korea Open.

“For a long time people spoke about my lost finals. But now the curse is over.” – Gael Monfils, who ended a four-year title drought with his victory at the Open de Moselle.

“I think that Justine’s comeback is good news for women’s tennis but even better news for Belgium in general. … For tennis it is brilliant that she’s back.” – Kim Clijsters, on the return of Justine Henin.

“When I saw the draw I thought I could beat her. But you never know what she’s going to bring.” – Lucie Safarova, after beating former world number one Ana Ivanovic in a first-round match in Tokyo.

“I’m a little bit disappointed, but sports is like this. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.” – Juan Monaco, after losing the BCR Open Romania to Albert Montanes.

“We’ve played our first two tournaments together in the last two weeks and won them both. It’s a great feeling.” – Tatiana Poutchek, who teamed with Olga Govortsova to win the doubles in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, a week after winning in Guangzhou, China.

“It was a fabulous and glorious end, but he got a bad call late in the fifth set. He didn’t argue it.” – Jack Kramer’s son Bob, talking at his father’s memorial service.

SHE’S BACK

After watching fellow Belgian countrywoman Kim Clijsters win the US Open, another former number one player, Justine Henin, has decided to end her retirement. “The past 15 months I have been able to recharge my physical batteries, mental batteries (and) emotional batteries,” Henin said. Winner of four French Opens, two US Opens and the Australian Open, Henin said she plans to return to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in January in Australia. Henin was 25 years old when she retired in May 2008, saying she no longer had passion for tennis. She now says the passion is back. She will begin her comeback by playing exhibition tournaments in Dubai and Belgium in November and December. “Justine is one of the great champions in the history of women’s tennis and we, along with millions of her fans around the globe, are thrilled with her announcement today,” WTA Tour chief Stacey Allaster said in a statement.

STILL SORE

Rafael Nadal has pulled out of the Thailand Open because of an acute rupture of an abdominal muscle. Nadal admitted the injury contributed to his US Open semifinal loss to eventual champion Juan Martin del Potro. The Spaniard is expected to be sidelined for two to three weeks. Nadal will remain in Spain to receive treatment for the injury.

STAYING HOME

Citing exhaustion, Roger Federer withdrew from the Japan Open and Shanghai ATP Masters. “This will allow me a chance to give my body a chance to rest, rehabilitate and recover from a physically challenging year,” Federer said in a statement. The Swiss star reached the final of all four Grand Slam tournaments this year, winning the French Open for the first time and breaking Pete Sampras’ record by capturing his 15th major title at Wimbledon. He also earned two points in Switzerland’s 3-2 Davis Cup victory over Italy in September.

STAYING THE COURSE

The retirements of Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin were just like taking weekends off if you compare them to Kimiko Date Krumm. Once ranked as high as fourth in the world, Date Krumm was retired for 12 years before returning to the tennis tour. After eight consecutive first-round losses, Date Krumm won not only a match but a Sony Ericsson WTA Tour tournament when she defeated Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3 6-3 in the final of the Korea Open in Seoul. It was her first WTA Tour title since 1996 and, at age 38 years, 11 months and 30 days, the Japanese veteran becomes the second oldest player to win a Tour singles title, behind Billie Jean King. Date Krumm enjoyed success on the ITF women’s circuit before rejoining the WTA Tour. “For the past year I didn’t know if I could compete well on the Tour, but now it looks OK,” Date Krumm said.

SRICHAPHAN RETURNS

Paradorn Srichaphan never retired, he just stopped playing because of injuries. Now, the former ninth-ranked player will play doubles at the Thailand Open this week, his first action since March 2007. “I wanted to come back by using the Thailand Open as my tournament,” said the best player ever to come out of Thailand. “I’m not fit enough for the singles.” Srichaphan, who has won five career titles, underwent surgery on his wrist in Los Angeles in 2007 and again in Bangkok, Thailand, earlier this year. He and countryman Danai Udomchoke received a wild card entry into the Thailand Open.

SAD SENDOFF

Several hundred spectators paid tribute to Hall of Famer Jack Kramer as he was remembered at a memorial service at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. Kramer died on September 12 after a battle with cancer. The 88-year-old is survived by five children and eight grandchildren. US Open tournament director Jim Curley, calling Kramer a pioneer, said: “Every one of us who makes our living in professional tennis owes a debt of gratitude to Jack” Hall of Famer Pam Shriver and Bill Dwyre of the Los Angeles Times served as hosts of the ceremony.

SWITZERLAND-SPAIN TIE

They’ve met in the finals of the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon. Now, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer could battle in the opening round of the 2010 Davis Cup. Spain and Switzerland could face each other in the first round of World Group play next year. The world’s top two players have never faced each other in Davis Cup action since neither played when the two nations met in a first-round tie in 2007, Spain winning 3-2. “I truly enjoy playing for my country but I’ll also have to see where I have my priorities for next season,” Federer said. “Of course, there are the Grand Slams, but there is also number one, which is a bit of a dilemma. Like in the other years, I will see after the Australian Open how I feel and if I play the first round.”

SET FOR HOPMAN

Teen-ager Melanie Oudin and big John Isner both made big splashes at the US Open where they recorded huge upsets. Now they’ll team up to lead the United States challenge at the 2010 Hopman Cup. Oudin is ranked 43rd in the world after her US Open run to the quarterfinals where she upset top 10 player Elena Dementieva and former world number one Maria Sharapova. The 6-foot-9 (2.06 m) Isner used his big serve to upset fellow American Andy Roddick before losing to Roger Federer in the fourth round. Others confirmed for the Hopman Cup, which runs from January 2-9, include Australians Lleyton Hewitt and Samantha Stosur, and Russians Igor Andreev and Dementieva.

STAYING HOME

Serena Williams won’t be playing in Tokyo this week because of injuries. The Australian and Wimbledon champion pulled out of the Pan Pacific Open with problems with her knee and toe. She has not played a singles match since her rant at a lineswoman in her semifinal loss to Kim Clijsters at the US Open. Serena will be the only member of the women’s top 10, including her older sister Venus, not competing in the USD $2 million event.

SPARKLING PLAY

The British duo of Colin Fleming and Ken Skupski finally have a title to go along with the scalps of top doubles teams they have collected. “This is our first (direct) acceptance at ATP World Tour level,” Skupski said, then noted that in the previous three ATP events they’re played they have beaten American twins Bob and Mike Bryan as well as the Brazilian duo of Marcelo Melo and Andre Sa. “So we always knew that we were capable of beating top guys,” he said. At Metz, France, Fleming and Skupski upset the top-seeded team of Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra 2-6 6-4 10-5 (match tiebreak) to win the Open de Moselle. En route to the final, they also knocked off the third-seeded team of Christopher Kas and Rogier Wassen.

SUCCESS FINALLY

When Jim Courier beat Pete Sampras for the first time since the opening round of the 1997 Italian Open, it gave him the title of the $150,000 Breezeplay Championships at The Palisades Country Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. It was Courier’s ninth career title on the Outback Champions Series, the global circuit for champion tennis players age 30 and over. Courier clinched the title when Sampras double-faulted on match point. “I was serving right into the sun on that one and it hurt a little bit,” Sampras said. During their ATP Tour careers, Sampras beat Courier 16 times in their 20 meetings, including the Wimbledon final in 1993.

SURPRISE TREAT

Andre Agassi, making his Outback Champions Series debut, and Mikael Pernfors will clash in the opening round of the 2009 Cancer Treatment Centers of America Tennis Championships to be held October 8-11 in Surprise, Arizona, USA. Agassi will be the eighth former world number one to compete in the Outback Champions Series, a global tennis circuit for champion players age 30 and over. Others competing this year include Mark Philippoussis, Wayne Ferreira, Jim Courier, Todd Martin, Aaron Krickstein and Jimmy Arias. Other former number one players who have competed on the Outback Champions Series include Pete Sampras, Courier, Pat Rafter, Stefan Edberg, Mats Wilander, Thomas Muster and John McEnroe.

STOPPING

Sergio Roitman says he will retire from professional tennis at the conclusion of the Copa Petrobas, an ATP World Tour Challenger tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina. A native of Buenos Aires, Roitman announced his decision at the draw ceremony. “It is a strange moment for me, but the time has come for me to leave professional tennis,” said Roitman. “Physically, I cannot compete at the highest level anymore. I think this is the best place to retire, at a tournament that has given me a lot of pleasure and surrounded by people that have helped me and whom I love very much.” Currently ranked 124th in the world, the 30-year-old Roitman reached a career-high 62 in singles in October 2007. During his 14-year-old career he won two ATP World Tour doubles titles, and achieved high highest doubles ranking of 45th in the world in September 2008.

SERBIAN JAIL

Jelena Dokic’s father has had his 15-month prison sentence confirmed by a Serbian court. The retrial for Damir Dokic was held because the Australian ambassador to Serbia, Clair Birgin, did not testify in person during the original hearing in June. This time she was again represented by a lawyer. In June, Dokic was found guilty of “endangering the security” of Ambassador Birgin as well as unlawful possession of weapons, including a hand grenade. Dokic was arrested after reportedly saying he would blow up Birgin’s car if she didn’t stop negative articles about him from being published in Australia. Now 26 years old, Jelena Dokic was born in the former Yugoslavia and migrated with her family to Australia as a child and represented her adopted country at the 2000 Olympics. She renounced her Australian ties in 2001 and moved back to Serbia, only to return to Australia in 2006.

SERENA SPONSOR

Serena Williams is featured in a lighthearted campaign for Tampax. The Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble Co. said Williams will take on Tampax’s “Mother Nature” character in new magazine print advertising. Company officials said Williams represents the energy, independence and strength of women they want to celebrate. The campaign was in the works before Williams was fined $10,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct during the US Open when she harangued a lineswoman. P&G spokesman David Bernens said: “Clearly she admitted she made a mistake. She apologized. We support her apology.”

SENIOR SPONSOR

The Masters Tennis at Royal Albert Hall in London has a new sponsor. AEGON will become the title sponsor of the senior event that has featured an array of Wimbledon champions, including Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and Pete Sampras. The tournament will be known as the AEGON Masters Tennis as the life assurance and pensions company’s involvement in the sport in Great Britain continues to grow. The new sponsorship means AEGON is involved in British tennis at every level, from grass roots development to the hugely popular senior event. Among those expected to compete this year will be Wimbledon champions Goran Ivanisevic and Stefan Edberg, along with two-time Wimbledon finalist Patrick Rafter.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Bucharest: Frantisek Cermak and Michal Mertinak beat Johan Brunstrom and Jean-Julien Rojer 6-2 6-4

Metz: Colin Fleming and Ken Skupski beat Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra 2-6 6-4 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Seoul: Chan Yung-Jan and Abigail Spears beat Carly Gullickson and Nicole Kriz 6-3 6-4

Tashkent: Olga Govortsova and Tatiana Poutchek beat Vitalia Diatchenko and Ekaterina Dzehalevich 6-2 6-7 (1) 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Saint Malo: Timea Bacsinszky and Tathiana Garbin beat Andreja Klepac and Aurelie Vedy 6-3 retired

SITES TO SURF

Bangkok: www.thailandopen.org

Kuala Lumpur: www.malasianopentennis.com/

Athens: www.vogueathensopen.com

Beijing: www.chinaopen.cn/

Tokyo: http://rakutenopen.rakuten.co.jp/en/index.html

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

ATP

$947,750 Proton Malaysia Open, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hard

$608,500 PTT Thailand Open, Bangkok, Thailand, hard

WTA

$2,000,000 Toray Pan Pacific Open, Tokyo, Japan, hard

$100,000 Vogue Athens Open, Athens, Greece, hard

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

ATP

$3,337,000 China Open, Beijing, China, hard

$1,226,500 Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships, Tokyo, Japan, hard

WTA

$4,500,000 China Open, Beijing, China, hard

$100,000 Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships, Tokyo, Japan, hard

SENIORS

$150,000 Cancer Treatment Centers of America Tennis Championships, Surprise, Arizona, USA