STARS
Spain beat Argentina 3-1 to win the 2011 Davis Cup title in Seville, Spain.
Noppawan Lertcheewakarn beat Kristina Mladenovic 7-5 6-4 to win the 14th Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tim Henman beat Thomas Enqvist 6-3 7-6 (2) to win the AEGON Masters Tennis in London, Great Britain
John McEnroe beat Pat Cash 6-2 6-4 to win the AEGON Masters Legends in London, Great Britain
SAYING
“I’ve never had the chance to secure the winning point of a Davis Cup. In the end it came down to me. It’s a special feeling since you’re playing at home in the last event of the year and it’s to win the Davis Cup and all of the emotion and happiness that comes with being on the court. It’s going to be impossible to repeat.” – Rafael Nadal, who beat Juan Martin del Potro in the first reverse singles to clinch the Davis Cup title forSpain.
“The very little energy I had, I had to put it in the court with the help of the crowd, with the help of my team. I felt that once again I was very close to winning.” – Juan Martin del Potro, after losing the decisive Davis Cup singles match to Rafael Nadal.
“Next year I will not play. Next year is a very complex year. It’s an Olympic year.” – Rafael Nadal, saying he will not play Davis Cup next because of the London Olympics.
“I’m going to think about whether I should stay or not. The first thing is that I need to talk to the president of the Spanish tennis federation (RFET) and then I will make a decision. I’m going to take a week of holiday now and I will think about it. You will hear from me afterwards.” – Albert Costa, saying he may step down as captain ofSpain’s Davis Cup team.
“Spain, playing on clay, as the home team, this is one of the best in history. But we prepared thoroughly and I’m very proud of the team for the effort that they have made. This is what happens in sports. Sometimes you lose, sometimes you win. It was our turn to lose this time but we were very close.” –Tito Vazquez,Argentina’s Davis Cup captain.
“I never thought I’d win another title here. The people here have been fantastic to me. It’s a great place to play tennis and maybe myself and Pat can have a rematch here next year. It means a lot that people still want to watch me play and to win here again is unbelievable.” – John McEnroe, a three-time Wimbledon champion after beating Pat Cash to win his fifth Royal Albert Hall title.
SPAIN REIGNS
Spain won its fifth Davis Cup title as Rafael Nadal came from behind to beat Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro 1-6 6-4 6-1 7-6 (0), giving the Spaniards an unbeatable 3-1 margin. Spainpreviously won the prestigious international team trophy in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2009. Nadal and David Ferrer had won the opening singles before David Nalbandian teamed with Eduardo Schwank to win the doubles, keeping Argentina’s hopes alive. Del Potro won the opening set against Nadal before the world’s second-ranked player dominated on the indoor clay court in Seville, Spain. The win was Nadal’s 20th straight in Davis Cup competition after losing his debut match in 2004. Surprisingly, this was the first time he has played the decisive match in a tie.Argentina lost in the finals for the fourth time, the only team to play and lose that many finals in Davis Cup history without winning. According to the rules, a fifth match was not played. “It’s the perfect end to the season,” Nadal told the crowd after his match. “The atmosphere is really, really unbelievable so thank you very much all the Spanish crowd, all theArgentina crowd that makes this confrontation really really special and unforgettable.”
SENIOR STARS
Tim Henman and John McEnroe captured senior titles at Royal Albert Hall inLondon. Henman won his first title inLondonin his career as he beatSweden’s Thomas Enqvist 6-3 7-6 (2) to capture the AEGON Masters Tennis. The former British number one’s only previous tournament victory in theUnited Kingdomwas at an indoor tournament inBrightonin 2000. While playing on the ATP Tour, Henman reached the semifinals atWimbledonfour times and was runner-up at The Queen’s Club inLondonthree times. The title was Henman’s first on the ATP Champions Tour and came in only this third event.
McEnroe defeated Australian Pat Cash in the Legends’ final, his fifth title at Royal Albert Hall. The Legends event is comprised of an older group of players and was run side-by-side with the ATP Champions tournament. McEnroe lost to Cash in the round-robin portion of the event, but outplayed the Australian in the final.
STUMBLING SISTERS
Italy’s Francesca Schiavone and Flavia Pennetta upset Venus and Serena Williams in an exhibition challenge match inMilan,Italy. Schiavone, who won the French Open in 2010, beat both Williams sisters in singles, downing Venus 7-5 7-3, then stopped Serena 7-3 8-10 8-6 as they played only tiebreakers. Pennetta also beat Venus, 7-6 7-2, but lost to Serena 6-8 7-3 7-3. The Williams sisters, the reigning Olympic champions, rallied to beat the Italian pair in doubles 3-7 8-6 8-6. In her match against Pennetta, Venus Williams broke a strap on her dress and dashed off the court. When she returned in a new outfit, she also brought popcorn to share with her Italian opponent. Between them, the Williams sisters have won 20 singles titles, 12 doubles titles as a team and four mixed doubles titles in Grand Slam tournament play. The Italian pair delighted the crowd in the warm-up by dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
SPANISH COACH
Top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki reportedly has hired Spanish coach Ricardo Sanchez. The Danish tabloid Ekstra Bladet quoted Wozniacki as saying Sanchez is replacing her father, Piotr Wozniacki. The 21-year-old player said it was her father’s suggestion to hire Sanchez. Piotr Wozniacki has been criticized for having his daughter to play too many tournaments and for having her play a hard-court event ahead ofWimbledon, a grass-court tournament. Wozniacki has never won a Grand Slam tournament.
SWITCHING SIDES
American Alex Bogomolov Jr. can play Davis Cup for Russia, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) has ruled. The Moscow-born Bogomolov may be on the Russian team that will take on Austriain the first round of the Davis Cup beginning February 10. Bogomolov, who has dual citizenship, moved to Floridain 1992 and has represented the USAat tournaments since turning pro nine years ago. Currently ranked 34th in the world and the fourth-ranked American, Bogomolov has never played Davis Cup. “The USTA has been a longtime supporter of Alex Bogomolov through direct financial grants as well as coaching and training. We are disappointed with the ruling of the ITF’s Davis Cup Committee, but respect its decision,” the United States Tennis Association (USTA) said in a statement. “We understand Alex’s decision and hope he recognizes the amount of resources and commitment we have provided to him over the years.” Bogomolov moved toMexico with his family when he was 9 and then toFlorida in 1992. His father, Alex Bogomolov, is a renowned tennis coach in the formerSoviet Union.
SIGHTS ON AUSTRALIA
Eight men and eight women, including Melanie Oudin and Robby Ginepri, have been invited to participate in the 2011 Kia Motors Australian Open Wild Card Playoff, which will be held inAtlanta,Georgia, December 16-18. The winners will receive main draw singles wild cards into the 2012 Australian Open. Besides Oudin, who reached the US Open quarterfinals in 2009, other women invited are Coco Vandeweghe, Grace Min, Taylor Townsend, Madison Keys, Jamie Hampton, Gail Brodsky and Alison Riske. Ginepri, who reached the 2005 US Open semifinals, will be joined by Jack Sock, Bobby Reynolds, Denis Kudla, Steve Johnson, Daniel Kosakowski, Rhyne Williams and Jesse Levine. The wild cards are given through a reciprocal agreement between the USTA and Tennis Australia where the two national tennis federations exchange wild cards for the 2011 US Open and the 2012 Australian Open.
STOPPED FOR TESTS
All four singles players in the Davis Cup final were tested for drugs during the international team competition. The International Tennis Federation collected samples fromArgentina’s Juan Martin del Potro and Juan Monaco andSpain’s Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer. The testing was done on Saturday, prior to the doubles competition. The Argentine team also was tested on Thursday, a day before the Davis Cup final began inSeville,Spain.
STRAIGHT IN
Lleyton Hewitt is assured of a spot in next month’s Australian Open. The two-time Grand Slam tournament winner, once the top-ranked player in the world, has received a wild-card spot in the year’s first Grand Slam tournament. Once ranked number one in the world, Hewitt is currently ranked 188th. “Lleyton has had some bad luck with injury recently, which has seen his ranking drop, but he has proved time and time again he can never be discounted, particularly in a big match,” said Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley in announcing the awarding of the wild card.
SINGLED OUT
While Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was busy playing Roger Federer in the final of the ATP World Tour Finals inLondon, burglars were busy robbing Tsonga’s home inGingins,Switzerland, a village close to the French border. The Swiss newspaper Le Matin reported the burglary. An alarm was raised by a neighbor who noticed that one of the villa’s windows had been forced open. It was not reported what was taken.
SEEKING APPEAL
Austria’s Daniel Koellerer is appealing his lifetime ban for attempted match fixing. The 28-year-old went before the Court of Arbitration for Sport inLausanne,Switzerland, where he is appealing the guilty verdicts on three violations which reportedly occurred in 209 and 2010. A verdict is not expected to be announced until early next year.
SIGNED UP
World number one Caroline Wozniacki is returning to the Sydney International tournament for the fourth consecutive year. The 21-year-old Danish star joins US Open champion Samantha Stosur and French Open winner Li Na in the Australian Open warm-up tournament, which will be held January 8-14. Wozniacki won six tournaments this year, reaching the semifinals at both the Australian Open and US Open. Also in the field will beWimbledonchampion Petra Kvitova, who won the season-ending WTA Championships and finished the year ranked second in the world.
STARRING NOVAK
Now that he’s conquered the tennis world, Novak Djokovic is ready to take onHollywood. The Serbian tennis ace will appear alongside Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Expendables 2. Djokovic will have a cameo as a small-town villain in the action sequel. The movie has been filming in Bulgaria.
STANDING ALONE
Roger Federer believes the year-ending ATP World Tour Finals should wrap up with a best-of-five-sets finale. Federer was the lone voice asking for a full best-of-five final when the leading players were polled when the event was called the Tennis Masters Cup inShanghaifour years ago. The final was subsequently scaled down to best-of-three sets for the last four years. Federer, who won this year’s ATP World Tour Finals, won the last two best-of-five year-ending matches in straight sets. The last time the finale went a full five sets,Argentina’s David Nalbandian rallied from a two-set deficit to beat Federer. “I think a match of this importance should be over five sets,” Federer said. “I do care actually. I think it makes for a great year-end.”
SHARED PERFORMANCE
Dubai:
Nina Bratchikova and Darija Jurak beat Akgul Amanmuradova and Alexandra Dulgheru 6-4 3-6 10-6 (match tiebreak)
SURFING
Ankara:
Tyumen:
TOURNAMENTS WEEK OF DECEMBER 19
(All money in USD)
WOMEN
$50,000 Ankara Cup, Ankara, Turkey, hard
WEEK OF DECEMBER 26
WOMEN
$50,000 Siberia Cup,Tyumen,Russia, hard