Bob Larson's Tennis Celebs: October 31st Issue

17.40

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13.77

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52.48

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Bob Larson Tennis Stock Index $89.22
* The index is based on the total value of one share of each stock we report daily.
***
Results
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Cort Larson - Editor
Bob Larson's Daily Tennis is published
Monday through Friday except Holidays
Monday and Thursday in November and December.
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Subscription rates are; $97USD a year,
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Tennis News: October 29th 2008

by mltennis 29. October 2008 04:13

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

BUSINESS NEWS

WTA Tour Championships to be Televised on Tennis Channel and ESPN2

Tennis Channel and ESPN2 will cover the 2008 Sony Ericsson Championships in its entirety Tuesday-Sunday, Nov. 4-9. More than 30 live hours are planned from the event’s inaugural run in Doha, Qatar, almost all of which will be telecast in high definition.
Veteran sportscaster Barry MacKay will call the Sony Ericsson Championships on Tennis Channel, along with analysis from Corina Morariu and, making her debut in the network’s broadcast booth, Lindsay Davenport.
Rounding out the team, former No. 1 Tracy Austin will conduct pre and post-match interviews from the Khalifa International Tennis Complex in Doha.
Cliff Drysdale and Pam Shriver will cover the singles championship on ESPN2.
In doubles competition, the four teams that qualified for the Sony Ericsson Championships compete in a single-elimination semifinal and championship during the last two days of the event.
All singles players have qualified for the 2008 Sony Ericsson Championships. They are Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic, Dinara Safina, Elena Dementieva, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonereva. Likewise, the doubles field is set, with the teams of Cara Black/Liezel Huber, Anabel Medina Garrigues/Virginia Ruano Pascual joined by Kveta Peschke/Rennae Stubbs and Katarina Srebotnik/Ai Sugiyama.
Tennis Channel’s and ESPN2’s 2008 Sony Ericsson Championships Schedule

Tue. Nov. 4 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Round-Robin Action

Tennis Channel

Wed. Nov. 5 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Round-Robin Action

Tennis Channel

Thu. Nov. 6 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Round-Robin Action

Tennis Channel

Fri. Nov. 7 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Round-Robin Action

Tennis Channel

Sat. Nov. 8 5 a.m.-8 a.m.

Doubles Semifinals

Tennis Channel

9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Singles Semifinals

Tennis Channel

Sun. Nov. 9 7 a.m.-8:30 a.m.

Doubles Final

Tennis Channel

12 p.m.-2 p.m.

Singles Final

ESPN2

***
Bryan Brothers Used in Grocery Supermarket Promotions

The National Pork Board, an industry association, used the Bryan brothers in some marketing promotions this summer with some chains in the South and East Coasts leading up to the US Open.
The programs were very successful motivating the supermarkets to promote pork with the brothers, generating incremental pork sales and a lot of interest from consumers.
Negotiations are currently underway with the brothers and the association to possibly utilize their services this year for holiday promotions.
***
Grow Joins Prince as Director for USA Apparel

Robert Grow has joined Prince as Director, USA Apparel. He has been with Athco, Inc., the North American apparel licensee for Wilson Sporting Goods.
As Director, USA Apparel, Grow will manage all USA apparel sales and marketing initiatives reporting directly to John Embree, President, Prince Americas.
Grow served as Director of Tennis Operations at The Boca Grande Club in Boca Grande Florida throughout the 1990's and then as Senior Product Manager of Apparel for Spiele, LLC for six years prior to his most recent role at Athco. He was a ranked junior player who played on the satellite circuit for two years before attending Florida State University.
Grow will be based in Bordentown, New Jersey the global headquarters of Prince Sports, Inc.
***
Federer Agrees to Play Davis Cup Tie in USA

After months of speculation Roger Federer finally issued official confirmation that he will spearhead the Switzerland Davis Cup team in next March's Davis Cup World Group opener against the United States.
The long-time singles world no.1 who won the Olympic doubles gold medal with his Swiss team-mate Stanislaus Wawrinka, has not made himself available for his nation's opening match in the Davis Cup calendar for the last five years.
"I am excited to once again join my fellow Swiss teammates, who I have a great friendship with," said the winner of 13 major singles titles on his official website. "I look forward to what I am sure will be a tough weekend."
Federer, now aged 26, has played in just one tie a year – each time a September staged World Group play-off - for Switzerland since February 2004 when he faced Romania in Bucharest and registered singles wins over Victor Hanescu and Andrei Pavel as well as partnering Yves Allegro to a doubles win over Pavel and Gabriel Trifu.
After making his debut nearly nine years ago against Italy, Federer can boast a 35/11 winning record in 17 ties of Davis Cup play and over the past couple of years has established an extremely close relationship with Swiss captain Severin Luthi who, in the absence of a full-time travelling coach, has been the player's main tennis confidante.
Swiss officials had long been hopeful Federer would face the U.S. because his tournament schedule takes him to California immediately after the Davis Cup for the March 9-22 Indian Wells tournament staged March 9 thru 22. The venue of the tie will be announced within the next six weeks with St. Antonio, Texas, Beaumont, Texas, Birmingham, Alabama and Greenville, South Carolina the main contenders.
We are obviously very pleased that he decided he will be joining the team," Swiss Tennis spokeswoman Sandra Perez said. "That increases our chances. Probably if we were playing the tie in Australia that would have been a little bit more difficult."
The only previous time Switzerland has faced the US on American soil was the 1992 final in Fort Worth when Tom Gorman's dream team of Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, John McEnroe and Pete Sampras prevailed 3-1. Federer figured in Switzerland's win over the States in his home city of Basel in 2001, scoring singles wins over Todd Martin and Jan-Michael Gambill.
***
Del Potro is So Busy He Can’t Take Care of Himself

Juan Del Potro is playing in pain, but with no time to step off of the tennis treadmill and cure a split toenail which has bothered him for months.
The Argentine is fighting for a place in the season-ending Masters Cup as well as focusing on his country's Davis Cup final against Spain in Mar del Plata, Argentina from November 21.
The 20-year-old says he cannot stop to cure his problem until the season of his life is over. "I have no time, and it's still bothering me."
Del Potro, the hottest player this season with four straight titles over the summer and 35 victories from 39 matches dating to July, says doctors tell him he needs his toenail removed and 15 days of rest.
That can only happen after Davis Cup according to the eager 20-year-old ranked ninth in the world. "I have not time to do anything," he said. "I have too many matches to play."

***
Baghdatis, Finished with 2008 is Now Preparing for 2009

Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis is already beginning his off-season physical work, striving to strengthen the muscles in what has proved to be his 2008 downfall –a bad back.
The 2006 Australian Open finalist had to abandon his first-round match at the Paris Masters with the back pain which has forced him out of three of his last four outings.
He is determined to methodically cure the medical problem which is wrecking his game. "I'm reinforcing the muscles around my back. After than, it up to the doctor or the physio to say exactly what type of physical work I should be doing," he said.
"I can't say I'm really happy that this season is over, I only played around 25 matches in all. It's not been easy, that's for sure. "But that's life, this is the way it is. We now have to find solutions and try to work properly in order to avoid any further injuries."
Baghdatis also failed to go the match distance last month in Metz and also in a Challenger in Orleans. "I want to come back very strongly. This is a major disappointment."

***

We Hear—
--that James Blake and Serena Williams will represent the USA in Hopman Cup play January 3-9 in Perth, Australia.
--that the historic Palm Springs Racquet Club could be sold Thursday in a Trustee’s Sale.
--that San Antonio’s Alamodome is not a viable candidate to host the USA-Switzerland Davis Cup tie March 6-8 due to a schedule conflict.
***
THIS WEEK
MEN
Paris
WOMEN
Quebec City
***
NEXT WEEK
MEN
No events scheduled
WOMEN
Doha
***
Bob Larson’s Stock Report
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16.20

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52.42

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Bob Larson Tennis Stock Index $88.24
* The index is based on the total value of one share of each stock we report daily.
***
Results
For complete ATP and WTA results, please see our web site at www.tennisnews.com

Bob Larson - Publisher
Cort Larson - Editor
Bob Larson's Daily Tennis is published
Monday through Friday except Holidays
Monday and Thursday in November and December.
Delivery via e-mail to all countries
Subscription rates are; $97USD a year,
$57USD for Six months, $37USD for Three months.
Bob Larson Tennis
P.O. Box 24256
Edina, MN 55424 USA
952-920-8947 (voice) or 952-920-8940 (fax)
E-mail address bob@tennisnews.com
Visit our website at: www.tennisnews.com

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Tennis News: October 28th 2008

by mltennis 28. October 2008 13:05

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

BUSINESS NEWS

USTA is Receiving Bids to Host Switzerland Davis Cup Tie
By Charles Bricker

Two Texas cities, along with Birmingham, Al., and Greenville, S.C., have submitted letters of intent to the USTA to host the first-round Davis Cup tie against Switzerland, March 6-8, that probably will feature former No. 1 and 13-time Grand Slam titleholder Roger Federer.
Cities have until Friday to submit letters of intent to compete against Birmingham, Greenville, Beaumont and San Antonio, and until Nov. 21 to submit final bids. This Friday, however, is considered by some to be a "soft" deadline. If a particularly advantageous bid comes in after Friday, it's doubtful the USTA wouldn't give it strong consideration.
Minimum bid to host this opening-round tie is $400,000 and with the potential of Andy Roddick, James Blake, Mardy Fish or Sam Querrey for the U.S. facing Federer and his probably singles teammates Stanislas Wawrinka, this could be an easy sellout, even for the 20,000-seat Alamodome in San Antonio -- largest of the four indoor facilities that are currently under consideration.
The other proposed sites are the Ford Center in Beaumont (6,500 seating for concerts); the Bi-Low Arena in Greenville (15,000 for hockey); and the Jefferson Civic Center in Birmingham (17,000).
***
British Davis Cup Tie to be Held in Scotland

The ongoing success story of world no.4 Andy Murray means Britain is taking the Davis Cup to Scotland for only the third time in 109 years with next March's Euro/African Zone Group One tie against the Ukraine being staged in Glasgow.
The Braehead Arena will stage the tie, March 6 thru 8, and the Lawn Tennis Association will be hoping for more success than the last time this venue was used; two years ago for the meeting with Serbia and Montenegro when the team captained by Jeremy Bates lost 3-2.
John Lloyd will now fill the captain's chair and is mindful that Murray was sick throughout the build up to the tie and only figured in the doubles. "Home Davis Cup ties are a fantastic opportunity to get behind the team and we will be looking for plenty of support when we take on Ukraine next year," said Lloyd.
"We last played them in 2006 in Odessa which was my first tie as captain. It was a tough tie and we will certainly not be underestimating them - the support of a passionate crowd in Scotland could well make all the difference.
"2008 was a disappointing year for us particularly when we had worked so hard to get back into the World Group but the focus is now on fighting to get back among the elite nations in 2010 and I can't wait to get started in March."
Paul Bush, Chief Operating Officer of EventScotland, said: "We are really looking forward to welcoming Davis Cup tennis back to Scotland next year. Some 36 years had passed since Scotland last hosted the Davis Cup before we succeeded in bringing the event to Braehead in 2006, so we are delighted to have been able to attract the elite of British tennis back to Scotland within just two years.
"Next year is proving to be a year in which Scotland will host some of the biggest sporting tournaments in the world with top-class rugby, motorsport, golf and now tennis all destined to be part of an impressive calendar of sporting events across the country."
Renfrewshire Council Leader Derek Mackay said: "I am delighted that this important Davis Cup tie is coming to Renfrewshire. Braehead has proved its worth as a venue for the Davis Cup before and it's great to see top class tennis return there. We are committed to encouraging participation in sport at all levels and this high profile match will boost that goal. Attracting international events to Renfrewshire is also good for tourism and good for our economy."
***
Study Finds Line Judges Can Make Mistakes Seeing the Bouncing Ball as Out

The advent of Hawk-Eye and other computerized electronic line calling technology has spawned a fascinating new study at the University of California Davis which has discovered professional tennis players should bear in mind they are far more likely to be successful challenging 'out' calls than those deemed 'in'.
David Whitney, Assistant Professor in UC Davis' Center for the Brain and Mind set in the Central Valley of Northern California, led the study that was this week published in the Current Biology Journal.
Whitney and his research team found the human eye and brain have a tendency to see a bouncing tennis ball landing outside the court rather than inside the line. Consequently umpires and line judges are more likely to make mistakes when deciding whether a ball is out.
Futhermore the researchers maintain these findings can be exploited tactically by tennis players, who can only challenge a decision a limited number of times. The theory maintains players should dispute controversial "out" calls and ignore "in" calls, even if the player thinks the "in" call is wrong.
"The visual system faces a big challenge when trying to code the locations of objects so we can perceive them," said Whitney. "Because players are allowed to continue challenging calls as long as the challenges are correct, players should predominantly challenge those calls that are consistent with the perceptual error revealed here," the scientists said. "Players who make better use of their challenges benefit more."
Basically these findings have emerged from research into how the human visual system monitors a moving object. The eye tends to see a moving object bounce further in the direction of the object's movement. In tennis, there are two kinds of errors, primarily made when a ball is called in or out of play. The ball could bounce in the court but be called out, or bounce out and be called in, the scientists said.
If tennis referees were bias-free they would be equally likely to make each of these two errors. However, the study of line-call errors at Wimbledon found a significant bias for wrong "out" calls.
From more than 4,000 tennis points chosen at random from the past two Wimbledon tournaments, the scientists found 83 incorrect line calls. Of these, 70 fell in to the predicted pattern, indicating that the referees suffered from the human perceptual bias.
***
Last Two Doubles Teams Qualify for Doha

The two doubles pairings of Kveta Peschke (CZE) and Rennae Stubbs (AUS), followed by Katerina Srebotnik (SLO) and Ai Sugiyama (JPN) are the third and fourth doubles teams to qualify for the Sony Ericsson Championships, set to take place at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex in Doha, Qatar, November 4-9, 2008. This completes the doubles line-up for the $4.45m year-end event.

***
Pennetta Skips Quebec to Honor Luzzi

Flavia Pennetta, cancelled plans to fly to Quebec and assuredly earn the right to qualify for Doha, and flew instead, to Arrezo to attend the funeral of departed friend Federico Luzzi who died Saturday of leukemia.
She said she wanted to say goodbye to him and give him one more kiss.

***
Hall of Fame to Honor USTA President Jane Brown Grimes

The International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum will pay tribute to United States Tennis Association (USTA) President Jane Brown Grimes on Thursday, December 11, 2008 at Doubles (located at 783 5^th Avenue) in New York.
Network-TV tennis announcer Mary Carillo will serve as the event’s Mistress of Ceremonies. President of the International Tennis Hall of Fame Tony Trabert is the Honorary Chairman of this special tribute. Joining Carillo and Trabert will be U.S. Davis Cup Captain Patrick McEnroe as a featured speaker. Proceeds from the event will benefit the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Annual Fund.
"The International Tennis Hall of Fame and Museum is pleased to host this recognition dinner and tribute in honor of Jane Brown Grimes as she completes her outstanding term as Chair of the USTA,” said Chris Clouser, Chairman of the International Tennis Hall of Fame Board of Directors.
***
A Frustrated Safin Considers Retiring From Tennis

It was probably more in frustration than fact, but Marat Safin has floated the possibility of retirement after his first-round loss in Paris to Juan Monaco
The 28-year-old Russian, a two-time Grand Slam champion, may actually just be pleased to have ended a another poor season, and could easily turn his remarks on their head after a few days or weeks of reflection.
"I need time to sit down and relax and just enjoy my life without any tennis in a couple of months and then I will see," said the Paris Bercy champion in 2000, 2002 and 2004.
"I will make a decision and see what I want to do. If I feel like I want to continue to play, I will. If not, it will be over."
***
Murray is Playing Great Tennis and Getting Ready to Improve

The rest of men's tennis currently views Andy Murray with trepidation and Sam Querrey, his first round opponent at this week's BNP Paribas Masters, spoke for the rest of the rank-and-file players on the ATP tour when he said the Scot is right now arguably the best player in the world.
Murray arrived in Paris with back to back titles at the Madrid Masters and last week's St. Petersburg Open. He has won 30 of his past 34 matches, 12 straight since losing the US Open final to Roger Federer, and is also on the verge of taking his prize money earning through the $3million mark for the year and $5million for his career.
But the 21 year-old from Dunblane is far from satisfied and intends to begin the 2009 season in even more formidable shape. He has already worked overtime on his physical conditioning with his support team of coach Miles Maclagan, conditioning trainers Matt Little and Jez Green and physio Andy Ireland.
Once the last ball is hit in the upcoming Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, Murray will take the briefest of rests before heading to his training base of Miami and begin his preparation work for another year.
"To get ready for Australia [the next grand-slam tournament, in January], I want to gain another three kilos of strength and muscle," he said. "If I can stay fit and work hard, I hope to have an even better year next year."
Both Murray's Davis Cup captain John Lloyd and his predecessor as British no.1 Tim Henman believe great things are ahead in the next 12 months. ""He is millimeters away from winning a grand slam," insisted Lloyd.”It would not surprise me if he wins one next year. I still think he's two years away from playing his best tennis - which is a scary thought.
"I think he's very much a learner. He's very astute in that he picks up things all the time and he knows what he needs to get that extra step. He's been gradually chipping away at the top three guys - and in a lot of cases beating the top three guys - but he's taking it all on board.
"Winning back to back titles is what the Nadals and the Federers do. You can look at it and think 'Jeez, what a long year' and may be they're not 100% and maybe they're not mentally as fresh as they would like, but they still grind out some titles. I wouldn't say Andy ground out St Petersburg because he won it comfortably, but the point was that he didn't take his foot off after winning Madrid and just went on again to show that there's plenty more left in there.
"He has had a quite remarkable year when you look at it. He's won the titles and made the final of the US Open, quarters at Wimbledon - it's remarkable and it's really exciting to watch it and be around it when he does this stuff."
Henman was equally enthusiastic. "Andy is easily going to win more titles than I did," said the player amassed 11 trophies from a 12 year career, a figure that Murray is already just four behind. "When I was 21, I had just broken into the 100, and look at what Andy is doing now at the same age."
It's great that he has been winning all these titles, but the next step up for Andy is to win a grand slam, and the way that he has been playing recently, I think he is going to give himself plenty of opportunities in the future. I think it's possible that Andy could win more than one grand slam title.
"Andy is physically stronger now, and he's mentally stronger too – there is a calm about him on the court that wasn't there before. There aren't the same emotional ups and downs that we used to see before. That's great to see, and I think that some credit for that should go to the team around him."
***
Bob Bryan’s Shoulder is Major Concern as Paris Begins

Bob Bryan's problem left shoulder could be a worry for Paris as well as Shanghai, with the urgent rehab the main order of the day.
The bros, with five titles in 2008 including the US Open and three Masters Series, hope to finish No. 1 for the season but are under heavy pressure from Wimbledon winners Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic.
The Bryan twins recently lost sponsor Countrywide Financial, the mortgage company taken over by Bank of America in the midst of the current financial crisis.

***

We Hear—
--that the Daytona Beach, Florida, tennis center is seeking a tennis academy to set up shop at the 24-clay court facility.
--that Yoni Erlich's injury may prevent him and Andy Ram from going to Shanghai for the ATP finals and another doubles team gets into the event.
***
THIS WEEK
MEN
Paris
WOMEN
Quebec City
***
NEXT WEEK
MEN
No events scheduled
WOMEN
Doha
***
Bob Larson’s Stock Report
Monday’s Stock Prices

Stock

Last

Change

15.90

-1.90

3.55

-.60

2.10

0.00

12.22

+.12

46.55

-1.24

Bob Larson Tennis Stock Index $80.32
* The index is based on the total value of one share of each stock we report daily.
***
Results
For complete ATP and WTA results, please see our web site at www.tennisnews.com

Bob Larson - Publisher
Cort Larson - Editor
Bob Larson's Daily Tennis is published
Monday through Friday except Holidays
Monday and Thursday in November and December.
Delivery via e-mail to all countries
Subscription rates are; $97USD a year,
$57USD for Six months, $37USD for Three months.
Bob Larson Tennis
P.O. Box 24256
Edina, MN 55424 USA
952-920-8947 (voice) or 952-920-8940 (fax)
E-mail address bob@tennisnews.com
Visit our website at: www.tennisnews.com

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Tennis News: October 27th 2008

by mltennis 27. October 2008 07:46

Monday, October 27, 2008

BUSINESS NEWS

Tennis Australia Elects Board of Directors at Annual General Meeting

Tennis Australia president Geoff Pollard was elected unopposed to the job he has held since 1989.
A new constitution adopted at last year’s Tennis Australia Annual General Meeting ensured a spill of all seven elected board positions (the other two are board appointees).
Geoff Pollard will head up the Tennis Australia Board consisting of eight directors which includes four new faces:
Harold Mitchell - Chairman of Mitchell and Partners; Executive Chairman of Mitchell Communication Group Ltd; the largest media agency in Australia; a former chairman of Museum Victoria; a former chairman of Opera Australia, and a Director of CARE Australia and the Asthma Foundation.
Stephen Healy - a partner of top 10 law firm Gadens Lawyers; Tennis New South Wales president, and a former ATP ranked tennis player.
Graeme Holloway - a tennis player since the age of eight who has represented Tasmania; a member of the Tennis Tasmania Board for five years; a pharmacist and former member and Treasurer of the Australian Pharmacy Examining Council, and a former local councilor. His father, Viv Holloway, was a Tennis Australia life member and long time tennis administrator.
Dr Janet Young - a member of two winning Fed Cup teams who reached the last 16 at Wimbledon and three grand slam doubles semifinals, pairing with Evonne Goolagong. A former head of Women’s Tennis at Tennis Australia; an ex tournament director of the WTA Canberra International; an international coach, and a sports scientist.
Coupled with the returning members, the Board boasts a strong blend of high-level business and tennis experience.
The returning directors are:
Ashley Cooper -one of the driving forces behind the reinvigoration of tennis in Queensland, the new Queensland State Tennis Centre and the Brisbane International. President of Tennis Queensland; a member of the Australian and International Tennis Hall of Fame; a four time Grand Slam winner; a former Davis Cup player, and a Tennis Australia Director since 2004.
Chris Freeman – Chairman Mirvac -United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and Queensland; CEO of Mirvac Development Queensland; adjunct Professor of the University of Queensland, and a Tennis Australia Director (Board appointed) since 2007.
David Stobart – President of Tennis Victoria; Chairman Victorian Government Manufacturing and Industry Consultative Council; Trustee of Melbourne Olympics Parks Trust; a Tennis Australia Director since 2005, and a Victorian Pennant player for more than 30 years.
Scott Tanner – Director of global consultant Bain and Company; Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and a Tennis Australia Director (Board appointed) since 2007.
Under its new constitution Tennis Australia will have a fully independent board by 2012.
***
Birmingham Will Cease to Exist After 2009 Event

Courtesy Edgbaston Priory

Another famous British tournament, much loved to icons of the women's tour such as Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova and even Maria Sharapova, has bitten the dust. The 28 year-old pre-Wimbledon grass court event at Birmingham's Edgaston Priory will cease to exist after next summer.
Representatives of the Edgbaston Priory Club announced they have decided against issuing a tender to host the 2010 Aegon Classic (now named for the new £30 million LTA sponsors) because they would be unable to meet certain new requirements "in a manner that would be acceptable to its members."
It is understood these requirements are basically the construction of a 60-seat players restaurant but basically it means that, with the demise of the Nottingham Open men's event in the week before Wimbledon, there will not be a top flight tennis event staged in Britain anywhere other than London or Eastbourne on the south coast.
Robert Bray, the chief executive of Edgbaston Priory, sadly admitted: "There is not a situation in which we could classify ourselves as an international tournament venue," he said. "Sporting events are becoming larger and there was never a long term plan for the Priory to become the permanent host to such a tournament. We have always been a members club, albeit a large one (of some 3,000 members).
"We believe that Nottingham invested something like £4 million into its infrastructure and Eastbourne more like £6.5 million. There was nothing in the way of dialogue between ourselves and the LTA in terms of facility improvement here. Where does this event go to, I have no idea. As far as I know, the tender has gone to every local authority in the country. It is a great shame that the country's second city does not have an international tennis event, but we simply could not do what was required."
Edgbaston Priory will continue to be part of the LTA set up as one of the leading High Performance Centres and Bray continued: "We intend to play an integral part in the future of British tennis. We are a self-sufficient club, our membership is full, we are financially very viable but we never considered investing the money we make into becoming an international tournament venue. In fact, staging the event is a three-month process and if it does make us any money at all, that is negligible."
***
AIG Likely to Stop Sponsoring USA Davis Cup Teams

The worsening international financial crunch may have claimed a sponsor of the US Davis Cup team, with the ailing AIG worldwide insurance giant reportedly ready to give up support which has lasted a decade.
American media report that sports funding is likely to become a victim of cost-cutting and restructuring. AIG took a government bailout this autumn worth around $85 billion with an additional line of credit available for the company to draw upon.
With that kind of squeeze on, wiping out a tennis sponsorship is just part of the plan. The firm has backed the team since 1999, with the company receiving shirt patches and TV ad time for their sponsorships dollars.
***
Midtown Athletic Clubs Switch to Game-Based Instruction

Midtown Athletic Clubs - the Chicago-based company which owns and operates tennis and athletic clubs in Illinois, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, New York and Quebec – recently overhauled its national tennis curriculum to focus on a ‘Game-based approach’ to tennis instruction. Midtown tapped renowned tennis guru Wayne Elderton of Tennis Canada to spearhead the transition.
The Game-based approach focuses on creating game situations for players and accentuates tactics before technique. Rather than endlessly practicing forehands and backhands to achieve perfect technical form, the Game-based approach promotes strategy and encourages players to think about when to use each specific technique.
Midtown will have a 52 week lesson plan, broken into five sessions and macro cycles, for adults and juniors. This unique “situation” based methodology will allow Midtown members to reap the benefits of learning tactics in conjunction with technique in weekly progressions.
The ITF has been promoting the game-based instruction for the past three years. The strategy with this style is that beginners have fun with their first session and they create a desire to improve their game by taking lessons.

***
Federer Decides to Play Paris

Roger Federer has decided to take a chance on playing in this week's Paris Masters.
Jean-Francois Caujolle, director of the Paris event, confirmed on Monday, that Federer would play.

***
Bollettieri Celebrating 30 Years of Coaching
By Charles Bricker

He’s not retiring, Nick Bollettieri is celebrating 30 of coaching on November 7-8 beginning with a dinner at the Bollettieri IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
There will be golf and tennis clinics on Saturday morning and afternoon with the heavy duty celebrating Saturday night with a dinner at the Ritz Carlton hotel in nearby Sarasota.
"Don't ask me who's going to be there," Bollettieri said. "I don't know anything."
And he really doesn't. His daughter, Danielle, has put this party together, and his job is to ask no questions and just show up, beginning Friday night.
One by one, Nick Bollettieri ran down the list of his most famous pupils, and it's expected that scores of them will be at the party
At one time or another, he's trained or consulted with many of the best players in the game -- Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Monica Seles, the Williams sisters, Maria Sharapova, Boris Becker, current women's No. 1 Jelena Jankovic and former top 10 Brian Gottfried, who was his first student.
Jim Courier? "When he finished all his hard work, he would work some more."
Maria Sharapova? "You couldn't see inside her. Outwardly, she'd smile at you. But inside, on the court, she was meaner than a snake."
Marcelo Rios? "The most talented student I ever worked with and possibly the biggest disappointment."
Mary Pierce: "People really didn't understand how hard she worked."
Boris Becker: "He once said to me, 'Mr. B, when I speak to you I'd better know what I'm talking about.' "
Seles: "Of all the players I've had there were only two that I knew would be great the moment I saw them in their first practice -- Andre and Monica."
There have been some down moments. Several divorces couldn't have been fun. In fact, Bollettieri once cracked that he probably never would retire because he's got a lot of alimony to pay.
There was also the letter he wrote to Agassi in 1993, criticizing Andre's lack of commitment to greatness and announcing he would no longer coach him. "I made one of my gravest misjudgments," Bollettieri later said.
The two men long ago patched up their differences. "I talked to him just last week on the phone," said Bollettieri. "We had a great talk."
If you wanted to, you could have spend hours asking Bollettieri to summarize the men and women he helped to tennis success.
"After 30 years, it's been a hell of a ride," said Bollettieri.
He began his coaching career 30 years ago at The Colony on Longboat Key, Fl., and four years later founded the Bollettieri Academy on 40 acres of largely undeveloped land in the middle of Bradenton, a city on the gulf coast of Florida about 60 miles south of Tampa.
"All I remember about that first day here was planting all the bushes and shrubs and palm trees," said Bollettieri.
"Did I ever think I'd get to this point, 30 years after I started coaching?" Bollettieri asked, rhetorically. "To be truthful, the last six months, since this party was planned, I do go back in my mind and think of the times we've had."
There will undoubtedly be a lot more reminiscing with the Bollettieri Clan and the people he's touched when they celebrate his coaching career in a couple weeks.
***
Gasquet’s Unexpected Withdrawl from Paris Earns Official Reprimand

The rocky relationship between the French tennis authorities and the nation's leading player Richard Gasquet seem to have hit an all-time low after his controversial withdrawal from this week's BNP Paribas Masters Series event at Paris' Bercy Palais de Omnisports.
Tournament directors Jean-Francois Caujolle and Cedric Pioline are used to same of the sport's leading stars annually pulling out of the tournament as their minds are more focused on the upcoming Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai. But the French players are normally loyal to the country's second biggest event.
However Gasquet's commitment to the French cause has seemed dubious since he refused to face Andy Roddick in April's Davis Cup quarter-final in Winston Salem and earned a fierce rebuke from French Federation president Christian Bimes who said: "Our best players are not always determined to win, which is our problem. We have to make the players understand that they need to fight, to make sacrifices."
Consequently Gasquet, for a long time the highest ranked player from his country but now behind both Gilles Simon and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, also made a late withdrawal from the French Open and then refused to spearhead the French Olympic team, preferring instead to prepare for the US Open.
Last week he caused more controversy when He caused controversy in the aftermath of being beaten in the second round of the Lyon Grand Prix. The 15th ranked 22 year-old earned himself another stinging reprimand from French technical director Patrice Dominguez after commenting: "I will be happy once I would be eliminated at the Paris Masters Series".
Now Gasquet, who last year benefited from the BNP Paribas Masters Series event by securing the last qualification spot for Shanghai by virtue of beating Britain's Andy Murray and moving through to the semi-final where he lost to eventual champion David Nalbandian, appears to have earned his wish, citing a pain in his elbow as the reason for not playing.
***
Titles, Not Points, is Now Federer’s Focus

Roger Federer is concentrating on the Shanghai Masters Cup and a resurgence next season against Rafael Nadal after losing No. 1 year-end status to the Spaniard.
But the Swiss is far from discouraged about the turn of events, emphasizing that that chasing ranking points is no longer a major factor in his career.
"That's not what my life's about anymore. It's about winning titles and that's what I'm really excited about," said the 13-time Grand Slam champion with a chance to pull level on the all-time best of Pete Sampras should he win the Australian Open again next January.
"Often you're on the tour and you go week by week and you're like, `Oh my god, I've got quarter-final points to defend from last year', but now when I come into a Grand Slam I don't care if I have 1000 points to defend or 50.
"I know the rankings are still an important factor but really it's about winning titles, being healthy and enjoying the tour."
***
Leukemia Claims Federico Luzzi at 28

Federico Luzzi, the former Italian Davis Cup player whose career peaked when he reached no.92 in the world six years ago but was still playing competitively just a matter of days ago, died on Saturday of a rare form of leukemia.
The 28 year-old Luzzi passed away at a hospital in his hometown of Arezzo but the previous weekend he contested an Italian league match in Sardinia. He complained of feeling dizzy and was forced to leave the court. Still feeling unwell two days later he checked himself into hospital and soon lapsed into a coma.
A minute's silence in memory of the player who appeared four times for his country was held before the finals in Basel, St. Petersburg and Lyon as well as the opening round matches at the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris.
Soon to retire ATP executive chairman Etienne de Villiers had good reason to remember the name of Luzzi, the right hander who could boast victories over such names as 2004 French Open champion Gaston Gaudio, former world no.4 and Masters champion Alex Corretja, Mario Ancic, Fernando Lopez, Dmitry Tursunov, Juan Monaco and Jurgen Melzer, was one of a number of Italian players suspended for gambling on tennis earlier this year.
Luzzi was banned for 200 days and fined $50,000 by the ATP but de Villiers still said: "Losing a young man so tragically in the prime of his life, a son to a loving family and a great sportsman is a terrible blow.
"Federico was hugely respected by his fellow professionals and was one of the most popular players on the tour. Federico will be much missed by all who knew him and the thoughts and the prayers of everyone at the ATP are with his family on this very sad day for tennis."
Luzzi merited a place in the history books of Italian tennis. In 2001, he beat Ville Liukko of Finland 14-12 in the fifth set after 4 hours, 35 minutes -- the longest Davis Cup match ever played by an Italian.
***
Hewitt Creates a Fundraising Auction for Australian Charity

Lleyton Hewitt has found a project to occupy some of his time as he recovers from hip surgery with an expected return to tennis in January prior to the Australian Open.
The 27-year-old and his wife Bec, pregnant with the couple's second child, have set up a month-long fundraising auction with proceeds going to the Cure Our Kids charity, which supports children in the state of New South Wales.
Among items going under the hammer are donations from former No. 1 Hewitt and his television ex-soap star wife. In addition, tennis pals Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer plus Ana Ivanovic and Andre Agassi have also kicked in memorabilia.
Hewitt, who last played at the Beijing Olympics before bowing to the inevitable and undergoing an operation on his hip, said that Nadal was particularly generous.
"He donated the racquet he used to win the 2008 Wimbledon final,"
said Hewitt. "Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi both donated tennis racquets, while Roger Federer gave us the shirt off his own back."
***
After a Rest, Nadal is Ready to Finish the Season

After a week off, Rafael Nadal looks to be ready to resume his final leg of the season as top seed at the Paris Masters that started on Sunday. But Roger Federer may be less of a sure thing after competing this week as his sentimental tennis home of Basel.
Federer has dropped the hint that his Paris participation could be dicey and will certainly be based on a last-minute decision. After reaching the quarter-finals in Basel, Federer repeated that his schedule remains flexible.
The No. 2 returned to action last week in Madrid in something of a surprise after taking three weeks off and saying that his activities would be decided week-by-week.
After playing in Spain he could not miss his hometown date in Basel. But Paris remains an option with the Swiss set to fly to Shanghai to the Masters Cup early in the following week.
Nadal, meanwhile, has Paris, Shanghai and the Davis Cup final in Argentina on his plate. And that's the way he likes it:
"I'm more than calm, I'm happy I'm going to end the year as No. 1. That was my first goal and I’ve made it.
"Now I will try to end the year as best as I can. The first goal has been achieved and the second one is to try and play well in Paris and Shanghai."
***
Blake Has Low-Key Approach to Playing in Shanghai

James Blake is taking his typical low-key attitude towards a possible repeat place in the season-ending Masters Cup next month.
It's been up and down for the American at the year-ender, playing the final against Roger Federer in 2006 but just failing to make the eight-man field a year later.
This month, Blake is again thick in the fight, standing provisional tenth with the final selection due to come down to performances next week at the Paris Bercy Masters.
Blake is unworried by it all, hoping to get to Shanghai but not obsessing, "We'll see what happens. If I get in great, if not, then there's a silver lining of one more week at home and a longer off-season.
"But I'm definitely not making any holiday plans or anything for the week of Shanghai (which begins November 8)."

***

We Hear—
--that Ola Malmquist will be named the USTA Director of Women’s Tennis High Performance to be based in Carson, California. He has been a national coach.
--that Britain’s LTA will announce today that next March's Davis Cup tie v the Ukraine will be played in Scotland (for only the 3rd time in history).

***
THIS WEEK
MEN
Paris
WOMEN
Quebec City
***
NEXT WEEK
MEN
No events scheduled
WOMEN
Doha
***
Bob Larson’s Stock Report
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* The index is based on the total value of one share of each stock we report daily.
***
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Bob Larson's Tennis Celebs: October 23rd Issue

by mltennis 23. October 2008 07:26

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Bob Larson's
TENNIS CELEBS

IN THIS WEEK'S ISSUE...

News
Tennis Shorts
WTA Scheduled To Play
Covers
Sightings
Appearing Soon
Money Mountain
He Said... She Said
Happy Birthday

NEWS

Nadal Clinches Year-End No. 1

Rafael Nadal is guaranteed to finish this season as the No. 1 player in the ATP Rankings, ending Roger Federer's four-year reign. After Federer’s semifinal loss to Andy Murray in Madrid semifinals on Saturday, Nadal is guaranteed to claim the No. 1 year-end position.

***

Pat Rafter's Australian Open Return

Pat Rafter will return to the Australian Open in 2009 to head up a star-studded line-up of tennis legends competing in a revamped competition. The two-time US Open winner and Wimbledon finalist will partner former Optus Australian Davis Cup coach and World No.15 Wally Masur in what promises to be one of the entertainment highlights of week two at the Australian Open. Another highlight of the legends event will be a special ‘magic moment’ encore performance of the Pat Cash/Mats Wilander 1988 final, the first to take place at Melbourne Park. Other big names of the game joining Cash and Wilander include Joachim Nystrom, Guy Forget, Wayne Ferriera and Mansour Bahrami. Also playing are Peter McNamara and Paul McNamee, John Fitzgerald and Wayne Arthurs.

***
Federer is a Conservative Investor

Roger Federer admits he's an interested observer of the world market turmoil and joins the experts in predicting that the economic troubles will take some time to settle. The world No. 1 says he's keeping his eye on more than just the ball these days. "It's not been whole lot of fun for anyone," said the all-time leader in prize money, who achieved $43.29 million this week with his move into the third round at the Madrid Masters.Federer has knocked Pete Sampras from the top of the sport's money tree. "I've followed closely to know what's going on. It seems like the markets may come back a bit now, but I think it will take a while for things to calm down." He adds that he's conservative when it comes to finance, due in part to a Swiss upbringing. "I'm not a big risk-taker off the court. "I've worked so hard and travel so much that I don't want to lose money over problems that I cannot control." He termed the current drama "a challenging time for everyone, adding light-heartedly: "Anyway, I have a big mattress."
***
McDonalds is Out of Bounds for the “New” Monfils

Australian Roger Rasheed, former coach to Lleyton Hewitt, has been imposing some discipline on the tennis of flamboyant Frenchman Gael Monfils. While the new regime did not help the 22-year-old past Andy Murray at the Madrid Masters, the payoff is already starting to become apparent. Last weekend, the No. 15 reached the final in Vienna, where he lost to German Philipp Petzschner. Things truly changing around the Monfils camp also with the addition of a French physiotherapist who doubles as a nutritionist: As a result, McDonald's meals are banned. In addition, acupuncture is also in play as the team work to put the youngster into the best possible match form. Monfils, ranked 18th, showed the results of his new lifestyle as he put out Andy Roddick in Madrid. Monfils says life has changed for the better on court as a result of his new approach to his career. "For the last two months, I've been very serious. It's all changing for me." "Roger's making me more focused on my game and more disciplined. It' is really helping and the results are starting to come. I'm learning how to stay focused and play tough."
***

After Miraculous Recovery, Mirza is Ready to Return to the Tour

Just two months after Sania Mirza's tennis career seemed to be threatened by a wrist injury that meant she was not even able to use a fork, let alone a tennis racket, the Indian 21 year-old is pain free and ready to return to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. After two bouts of surgery, Mirza was reluctant to undergo a third but she has been aided 26-year-old physiotherapist in Delhi who practices the South Korean science of spiral therapy which is based on cell regeneration. She was recommended to try Jatin Chaudhry's treatment by Indian international cricketer Yuvraj Singh and has been amazed by the results. "For an athlete, surgery is one of the worst things, said Mirza who has only managed to register two tour wins since Wimbledon and has not played since being forced to retire at August's Olympic Games in Beijing against Iveta Benesova. "From being completely active, you go to being dependent on someone else for everything and that's really difficult to live with. Yuvi told me that there was this doctor who could cure me in seven to ten days and that telephone call came at a time when I was staring surgery in the face for a second time in six months and thinking 'That's another year of my tennis gone.'" Now Mirza, whose ranking has slipped from a career high of 27 little more than a year ago to her current position precariously just inside the top 100, is certain she will be fit to return to the WTA Tour at the beginning of 2009 if not sooner. She added: "I had seen the best doctors in the world, had surgery and nothing was working. "Sometimes, I couldn't even feel my little finger, the pain was numbing. Yuvi told me that Jatin fixed his shoulder in ten minutes, and that it could work for me too. "When I went to Jatin, he put some 30 to 35 needles on my index finger, and every time he hit the spot I felt an electric current go through me. He left the needles on for 30 minutes and he did this about three or four times a day. " It was very painful, because the more times he did it the more sore the finger felt. After two days he asked me to bend my wrist and I had regained 90% of the movement. Just before I started the treatment I had done an ultra sound and there were cysts in the area. After ten days of treatment, there was no significant scarring tissue, my bones were fine and the two cysts were gone."
***
Modest Murray Says He’s Not Yet on a Level with Henman and Rusedski

Andy Murray may have risen to the career-best fourth ranking also enjoyed by predecessors Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski. But the newest British hope says he's not yet arrived at the level of the previous generation of tennis heroes. "Tim was definitely much, much better than me. Over eight or nine years he was in the top 10, always playing well in Wimbledon, making the semi-finals in all the Grand Slams (save the Australian Open). "I've only passed the semis once, I still have a long way to achieve what he did." But Murray does not totally play down his own hot prospects. "But I've done something that neither of them were able to do," said the first form Britain to win four ATP events in the same season. "I've beaten Federer and Djokovic in the last two tournaments that I've won (Cincinnati and Madrid). I’m having to beat really good players to do it consistently." But, he added with delight, "It’s great to make a little bit of history."
***

Federer Predicts Plenty of Pressure on Nadal in 2009

Roger Federer is calmly plotting strategy in the final weeks of the season, relishing the spectacle of new No. 1 Rafael Nadal trying to defend a mass of points and prestige in 2009.
Nadal claimed the year-end No. 1 ranking on the ATP last weekend when Federer went down to Andy Murray in the Madrid semifinals. But with the pressure now shifted, Federer will be more than ready to make his move towards regaining "his" honor. The pressure-cooker is not over for Nadal - even this season - with the Masters Cup in Shanghai from November 9 followed by a tough road trip across the Pacific to Mar del Plata for a Davis Cup final against Argentina. And then there are titles defenses for eight trophies including the French Open, Wimbledon and three Masters wins. "It all starts at zero next year," said Federer. "Rafa is going to have way more to defend next year than I have. "He's played more than I have and he's got Davis Cup after Shanghai, so we’ll see how he feels next year with all the pressure.
But, he’s done very well and I predict he’s going to be playing very well again. Can he play the whole year through being No. 1 in the world?"
***

Ivanovic Claims She is Unhappy about WTA Player Commitment Rules

Recently, Dinara Safina raised her voice in protest at new player commitment rules being introduced next year on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. Now French Open champion Ana Ivanovic has announced that she is also unhappy about being told where she has to play.
All top 10 players must play 10 of the 20 Premier events, and all must play the $4.5 tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Beijing alongside the men. "The changes were made in the middle of the season and when you’re playing Grand Slams you don’t really want to think about next years schedule," said Ivanovic in Linz. "Many players probably didn’t look deep into it and kind of let it go, and all of a sudden you’re there with the change so it’s a little bit hard. We do have our voice and we have to come together. "We don’t have much opportunity to choose, and at the end of the day it might be that we play more matches than we did in previous years." Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska is incensed that she will be limited to playing just two of the smaller International Series tournaments next year. "After the new rules with the WTA I don’t want to be top 10 because the rules are so bad and everything is for the WTA," she protested. "I hate these rules. I can play just two small tournaments a year."

***

Davydenko is Struggling to Get His Tennis Back Together

As he plays in only his third event since the US Open, Nikolay Davydenko is struggling to get his tennis back together after being "cleared" last month over a suspicious match from 2007.
The Russian No. 6 who is still not qualified for the Masters Cup, has told London's Times that he wants his life back after a 14-month probe by the ATP and anti-corruption officials failed to find any evidence that he lost a match on purpose in August, 2007 in Poland. But the suspicions over the course of the investigation did little to ease his mind, affecting his tennis and possibly killing off some sponsorship deals. "I was reading so much of what was written about me and over 50 per cent of the time I did not recognize myself," he said. "My game has not been so good this year. "Mentally I am already on holiday and ready to prepare for next year, where I will be starting from zero. But I know I can become a very good player again." Suspicions were aroused after up the $7 million was bet online on a match between Davydenko and Argentine Martin Vassallo-Arguello in Sopot, Poland. Davydenko failed to finish due to a foot injury after winning the first set. Davydenko also denied past reports on Russian television that he planned to sue the ATP over the protracted probe.
***

Mauresmo Compares Transition from Juniors to Pro Tour

Introspection about where her own tennis career is going has filled up most of Amelie Mauresmo's thinking time in recent months so the former Australian Open and Wimbledon champion views it as a pleasant diversion to discuss what might become of 14 year debutante Laura Robson. At more than twice Wimbledon junior champion Robson's age, Mauresmo has to delve back into her memory bank to recall what the transition from junior to tennis on the WTA Tour was like and the demands involved. The pair both contest this week's Fortis Championships in Luxembourg and the former world no.1 from France said: "My advice to her is that what drove me throughout the hard times was the passion. "In tough moments, that's what drives you on and makes you a better player and athlete. Then you have to work hard. I never wanted to quit. I just kept going thinking that great things are going to happen." Mauresmo, who has just split from coach Loic Courteau, became the world's top ranked junior at the end of 1996, after winning the girls titles at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon along with the World Super Junior Championships in Japan. "I had this naïve idea that it would be the same in the seniors as it was in the juniors, that it would be easy," she said. "In the juniors, I was doing well without making too much effort. But I found out in that first year in the seniors that there are a lot of players who are strong physically and mentally. It took me a year, maybe even a year and a half, to really adjust. You have some tough losses against players who aren't that special, who just hang in there. It's not that easy." Robson became the youngest British player ever to perform on the WTA Tour today when she faced the Czech Republic's Iveta Benesova and Mauresmo was an interested spectator. She said: "You don't want to lose to a young teenager, the forthcoming star or whatever. I wasn't prepared for that at the beginning. I wasn't ready to fight like a tiger.
"There's no nastiness with players on the senior tour, but we're professional and we're all here to win, and it's not as easy-going as playing in the junior tournaments."
***

Dokic is Clawing Her Way Back to the Big Time

Jelena Dokic was ranked as high as four in the world, but a split from her family - specifically her over-bearing father Damir - led to her career slipping into free fall. She has since made half-hearted attempts and short-lived attempts to come back, but they’ve always come to nothing. Until now. Very quietly, with minimum fuss or publicity, the 25-year old has been going about her business this year. It’s meant starting again right at the bottom, with no ranking and playing $25,000 events instead of the Centre Court at Wimbledon, but her effort and perseverance have paid off. She has won 35 matches and three small tournaments, and now that she has a ranking of 187 that is enough to get her into the qualifying rounds of the Australian Open. She’s also eyeing Auckland or Brisbane, and Hobart. "It’s been good," she said of her 2008 season. "I’ve won a lot of matches this year and gone a couple of steps forward, which is the main thing. I just need to continue working hard and playing as many matches as I can get and just continue to be there when things don’t go well. "Agassi had to do it, and I think Jennifer (Capriati) also had to do it. I feel like I am starting from zero. You lose everything that you had before. The only thing you have to go on is experience. You lose the confidence and the match play and everything, so you really are starting from zero. It’s not easy but I think I’m getting there slowly. It’s been a lot better this year, and I think next year will hopefully be even better. I’m slowly getting into that rhythm again and I think next year should be big for me." How far can she progress? The tour is tough and she still has a lot of catching up to do. But she is optimistic. After failing to qualify at the Generali Linz Ladies she has lapped up every bit of tennis she can, sitting courtside for hours watching the opposition. "I’ve practiced with a couple of girls from the top 10, top 20. There’s work to do but it’s encouraging, and I feel I have the type of game that’s very aggressive and that can be in the top 20 again. I think that’s a realistic goal. It will not be easy for sure, but I don’t think it’s something I cannot achieve."
***
Agassi and Rogers Split Over Idaho Investment
By Charles Bricker

The stunning split of Andre Agassi and his longtime friend and business agent Perry Rogers, which was first revealed here a week ago, is tied directly to the collapse of a multi-million dollar hotel and resort investment deal at Tamarack Village, Idaho, that collapsed earlier this year. Although public statements issued by both Agassi and Rogers on Thursday didn't mention the Idaho fiasco, a source intimately familiar with the deal revealed that the investment Agassi and wife Steffi Graf made in the failed project was a major reason why Agassi and Rogers are no longer professionally associated. It was not known how much money Agassi and Graf invested in the project or how much money they lost, if any, when they pulled out of the project three months ago. In July, Agassi and Graf terminated their involvement in the $600 million dollar recreation/hotel project after construction was halted in the face a federal court suit brought by investment bank Credit Suisse, which claimed Tamarack property owners Jean-Pierre Boespflug and Alfredo Miguel Afif had failed to cover debts on a defaulted $260 million loan. Boespflug and Afif had sought bankruptcy protection, but earlier this week a judge ruled that they were not entitled to relief offered by Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy laws. Tamarack opened in December of 2004, advertising itself as America's "first all-season resort in decades," and began selling property. There were promises of a billion-dollar ski lift, a Robert Trent Jones and a marina. Agassi and Graf envisioned a 300-room high-end hotel when he and Graf announced in 2006 they were getting involved financially. Agassi and Rogers have been the closest of friends since elementary school. "He's been my best friend and it's like we raised each other," Agassi once told a Las Vegas reporter. "We thought about things that we'll always value and fight for. The standard of my life is only a reflection of things we dreamed about as children." Rogers, who also is agent to several very high profile athletes in other sports, was president of Agassi Enterprises and his marquee position in tennis won him election a year and a half ago to the ATP board of directors. A year later, at the 2008 Wimbledon, Rogers was removed from the board by the ATP Players Council, which found him uncommunicative with even the top players in men's tennis. It was about the time of the problems being encountered by the Tamarack project. Rogers said of the split with Agassi: "We've been talking about it for a long time. We made the decision in August, but we didn't want to announce it until after the fundraiser because we didn't want to cause any distractions." The fundraiser was Agassi's Grand Slam for Children, a benefit held Saturday in Las Vegas. "It was getting to where every call I was getting was about business, and Andre and I agreed that it has to be more than this," Rogers said. "Andre and I both feel the same that at the end of the day it's about our friendship first. It's not about the number of zeroes in the bank account but the quality of the friendship." Agassi said in a statement: "It's rare to find someone who shares your hopes and dreams. Working together, Perry and I made our dreams reality. There are few people who can say that, and we both feel incredibly fortunate. Our 27-year-long friendship has endured the stresses and strains of intense business."
***

Rogers Disagrees With Reason for Agassi Breakup
By Charles Bricker

Former Andre Agassi agent Perry Rogers, angered over a report that he and Agassi have ended their business relationship over a failed Idaho real estate enterprise, insisted Wednesday that their split was completely amicable. “The facts couldn’t be more wrong. The reason Andre and I split up was because our friendship was being strained (over business issues),” said Rogers. A very reliable source had said that while the two men remained friends, Agassi had decided to end their business relationship because a proposed recreation and luxury hotel complex in Tamarac, Idaho, in which Agassi had heavily invested, had gone under. Agassi was scheduled to be a major partner in the deal but withdrew his financial and personal backing earlier this year when the owners of the property filed for Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Act. “Overall, we have done really well in real estate. We’ve never had a single negative conversation on Tamarac,” said Rogers. “I’m proud of the fact that two great friends who have done better than we’ve ever thought we could in life made a decision about friendship and not about money or a business deal.”
***

Kuznetsova Gets a New Coach--Morozova

Women's world no.7 Svetlana Kuznetsova has appointed the British-based Russian Olga Morozova as her new coach, thus ending almost a career-long relationship with Spaniard Stefan Ortega. Kuznetsova, now aged 23 but a top ten player since her teens, has appeared to hit a plateau in her career. She looked destined for great things by winning the US Open in 2004 and moved as high as second in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour world rankings two years ago but throughout 2008 has failed to even win a tournament. Conversations about the possibility of working with Morozova, former coach to Olympic gold medalist Elena Dementieva and herself a runner-up at both Wimbledon and the French Open in 1974, began at the Stuttgart tournament earlier this month after Kuznetsova was beaten in the first round by Patty Schnyder. Morozova was a former staff coach with Britain's Lawn Tennis Association and is still based in Berkshire with her husband Viktor Rubanov who coaches Britain's top male junior Marcus Willis at the Win Academy at Bisham Abbey. Nevertheless she spends much of her time either in Moscow or on the women's circuit commentating for Russian television. "It's a bizarre situation and feeling for me to be working with another coach," said Kuznetsova who left her family home in St. Petersburg at the age of 15 to train at the Sanchez-Casal Academy in Spain. "I have really only been with the academy since I went pro however I feel and hope that this will be a successful decision for me moving forward."
Within two years of moving to Barcelona she was the world's no.1 ranked junior and she has always allied the Spanish determination and style to a Russian work ethic. Now she feels the time is right to revert to solely Russian influences with 59 year-old Morozova. Morozova's husband Rubanov confirmed the partnership and said: "It is a surprising job for Olga at this time of her life but a great challenge. Maybe she should still be here at home planting flowers in the garden but she still loves tennis and is happy to be back involved with a very top player." Kuznetsova, whose mother, Galina Tsareva was a six-time world cycling champion and holder of 20 world records, and father, Alexandr Kuznetsov, who coached five Olympic and world cycling champions, has lost in five finals this year while her best performance at a major was the semi-final finish at the French Open where she eventually lost to fellow Russian Dinara Safina. She continued: "I feel that I have got to a stage in my life now that I would like for personal reasons to return to my family in my home land and continue developing my tennis career." The pair are this week working together in Moscow after Kuznetsova's inclusion at the Sony Ericsson WTA Championships in Doha next month was guaranteed even though she is not playing this week in Zurich. Agnieszka Radwanska's second round defeat against Katarina Srebotnik clinched Kuznetsova the sixth qualification spot. "I would very much like to take this opportunity to thank the Sanchez-Casal Academy for all their help and guidance that they have given to me over the years," Kuznetsova said. "They have been inspirational to me during my time there and I owe a lot to them. They also have been very exceptionally supportive over the years on and off the court. I would especially like to thank Emilio Sanchez for his belief in me and making me into the player I am today and also my long time coach Stefan Ortega."
***

Pennetta is Finding Hard Work Pays Off

Flavia Pennetta is having the best season of her career, with her victory over Jelena Jankovic in Zurich her first over a reigning number one. But last year was going so badly, with just one win in seven tournaments leading up to a first round exit at the French Open, that she was ready to quit. Instead, she went to work and after a great deal of patience this year she has been reaping the rewards. "I worked a lot in my preparation before this year with my coach, with my physical trainer, and we made like seven weeks of very hard work. And I think when you do good things in a good way the good results are coming. You don’t know when, but they have to come. "Last year was not good for me at all, and after Roland Garros (2007) I was thinking to stop playing because I was feeling so bad on the court and wasn’t enjoying it anymore. Then I started to work again and went with a sports psychologist and he helped me a lot. I started to believe and play, play, play and everything changed.
Pennetta is based now in Verbier, Switzerland, and that will also help her in her preparation for next season. "I was with a guy tennis player for a long time, three years, and he was (based) in Geneva, so we thought to take a place in the mountains. We took an apartment in Verbier just to enjoy things a little more after we went there one time and it was very relaxing. I went there after Wimbledon also, and Roland Garros. I always go there when I can because it’s very relaxing and nobody is there in that period. "But I hope in the future I can go and ski there a little bit. Actually there are a lot of Italians there, lots, because it’s quite near Torino. It’s very famous in Italy. I spend most of the time there, between there and Barcelona. It is good to go there for preparation (training) because of the altitude and to do some physical work there. So I’m going to be stronger next year."
***
Baghdatis Planning to Begin 2009 Fresh and Healthy

Marcos Baghdatis will try to turn his luck with a return to Australia in January, opting to start the New Year in a new way at a fresh-from-the-box event in Brisbane. Two years - and another tennis lifetime - ago, the Cypriot was the talk of the sport after reaching the Australian Open final against Roger Federer. While the outgoing newcomer naturally didn't win the title, he did make thousands of new friends along the way. But the highs of an unexpected major final were followed by the lows of reality on the ATP, with poor form, a general letdown and later, injury, all taking a toll. Currently ranked 42nd, Baghdatis will be hoping for a change in fortunes during 2009 after being carried off court in October at mid-match in Metz, France, with an agonizing back injury. Baghdatis will be among top draw-cards in Brisbane, a new ATP-WTA event replacing a handful of other Aussie tournaments during the first week of the tennis year. Baghdatis joins a men's field headed by world No. 3 Novak Djokovic, with 2008 Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga playing, along with fellow Frenchmen Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils. The women's field boasts former No. 1 and French Open champion Ana Ivanovic as Serbs hope to scoop the honors.

***

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TENNIS SHORTS

John Austin Finds Tennis Is A Family

As memorable as winning the NCAA doubles title with Bruce Nichols in 1978, and the Wimbledon mixed doubles with his sister, Tracy in 1980, nothing will top the week before Christmas in 2006 for John Austin. That’s when the personable former UCLA star was told he had MS. “It was my Christmas present,” he said good-naturedly. Admitting that his life “has been a quest” ever since the diagnosis, Austin was at UCLA on Saturday October 10^th to participate in an MS fund-raiser that was organized by Chris Ojakian, whose company Ojakian Tennis has the motto--No matter what your tennis goals are, we will get you there.” Since Ojakian’s father, brother and sister, have MS, it’s easy to understand why he organized the activity that included a Friday night red-carpet dinner at the Toluca Lake Tennis Club and the children and adult tennis clinics, as well as the pro-am the next day, at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. “When I talked with Chris, he said there were going to be a lot of pros involved,” Austin, who lives in Arizona, said. “ Truth be known, Ojakian understated what actually happened. Besides John Austin, Tracy Austin Phil and Taylor Dent, Chuck Adams, Derrick Rostagno, Bill Scanlon, Eliot Teltscher, Debbie Graham Shaffer, Katrina Adams, Wayne Bryan and Pam Shriver made the pro-am an all-star affair. Austin concluded, “I was a little bit surprised. I contacted people and they said, ‘If you need help, I’m there.’ That was really cool. I was a little nervous, but it went so well. Chris made a hard thing look easy, (and he is looking forward to doing the fund-raiser again next year). It proves that tennis is a family.”
***

Tennis Stars Delay Their Tennis Briefly for Football

Roger Federer and David Nalbandian were able to momentarily cast aside tennis concerns at the Swiss Indoors in Basel to attend a key European football match at the midway point of the tournament week. With Champions League soccer the sporting passion of million outside of the US, it's no surprise the European and the South American both made the trip just across the street from the St Jakobshalle tennis venue for places in the VIP tribune of the football. Also along to watch, Argentine third seed Juan Del Potro Both top seed Federer and No. 2 Nalbandian each had a vested interest in the outcome, with FC Basel facing Spain's mighty Barcelona featuring Argentine international Lionel Messi and Barca winning easily 5-0.
"I know Messi personally, so I'm sure he can get me a ticket if I asked," Nalbandian said, as if he would not get the same from tennis organizers eager to please their drawcards.

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WTA SCHEDULED TO PLAY

Upcoming schedules as of October 20, 2008
1. Jelena Jankovic - Doha [Sony Ericsson Championships]
2. Dinara Safina - Doha [SEC]
3. Serena Williams - Doha [SEC]
4. Ana Ivanovic - Doha [SEC]
5. Elena Dementieva - Doha [SEC]
6. Maria Sharapova -
7. Svetlana Kuznetsova -
8. Venus Williams -
9. Vera Zvonareva - Quebec City
10. Agnieszka Radwanska -
11. Patty Schnyder -
12. Anna Chakvetadze -
13. Nadia Petrova -
14. Flavia Pennetta -
15. Daniela Hantuchova -
16. Caroline Wozniacki -
17. Marion Bartoli -
18. Victoria Azarenka -
19. Alize Cornet -
20. Dominika Cibulkova -

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COVERS

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A Reminder to Our Readers

We wish to remind our readers that our all-day tennis newswire is available to all tennis fans.
Just go to www.tennisnews.com anytime throughout the day for the latest tennis news. We surf the internet all day and post links to stories in newspapers and electronic media around the world. “We surf the net so you don’t have to."

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SIGHTINGS

Rafa Nadal talks during a press conference on October 23, 2008 in Oviedo. Nadal has been awarded the 2008 Prince of Asturias Award for Sport.

Billie Jean King accepts a Minerva Award at the 2008 Women's Conference at the Long Beach Convention Center on October 22, 2008 in Long Beach, California.

Rafael Nadal playing golf with Sergio Garcia during the pro - am of the Castello Masters Costa Azahar at the Club de Campo del Mediterraneo on October 22, 2008 in Castello, Spain.

Mats Wilander, John McEnroe, Mayor David Dinkins, Thomas Blake attends the Mats Wilander Tennis Golf Classic for the DebRA Foundation at the Westchester Country Club on October 20, 2008 in Rye, New York.

Andy Murray of Great Britain sits amid model ballgirls after his final Madrid Masters tennis tournament match against Gilles Simon of France at the Madrid Arena on October 19, 2008 in Madrid, Spain.

Arantxa Sanchez Vicario former tennis player and Ricky Rubio Spanish National Basketball player watch the game during the 2008 NBA Europe Live Tour on October 17, 2008 at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, Spain.

Send your player sightings to: cort@tennisnews.com

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APPEARING SOON

Oct. 25 - 26, 2008 - Vic Braden, generally considered to be one of the top tennis teachers of all time will be conducting a two-day clinic in New York City’s Roosevelt Island Racquet Club Saturday and Sunday October 25 and 26. Braden will be on court and in the classroom from 9:00 to 3:00 both days.

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MONEY MOUNTAIN

2008 Prize Money Earnings

MEN (October 20)

1 Nadal, Rafael

$6,705,831

2 Federer, Roger

4,682,103

3 Djokovic, Novak

3,915,853

4 Murray, Andy

2,820,008

5 Davydenko, Nikolay

1,570,333

6 Roddick, Andy

1,201,709

7 Ferrer, David

1,146,390

8 Simon, Gilles

1,041,376

9 Del Potro, Juan Martin

1,032,417

10 Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried
985,977

WOMEN (October 20)

1 Williams, Serena

$3,652,173

2 Jankovic, Jelena

2,764,465

3 Ivanovic, Ana

2,642,890

4 Safina, Dinara

2,415,020

5 Williams, Venus

2,407,565

6 Sharapova, Maria

1,937,879

7 Dementieva, Elena

1,585,679

8 Kuznetsova, Svetlana

1,352,369

9 Zvonareva, Vera

1,007,175

10 Radwanska, Agnieszka

986,772

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HE SAID... SHE SAID...

"I've followed closely to know what's going on. It seems like the markets may come back a bit now, but I think it will take a while for things to calm down. I'm not a big risk-taker off the court. I've worked so hard and travel so much that I don't want to lose money over problems that I cannot control." - Roger Federer commenting on the current turmoil in the world market

**********

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

October

Murphy Jensen
30
1968

November

Ken Rosewall
2
1934

Roy Emerson
3
1936

Ana Ivanovic
6
1987

Marc Rosset
7
1970

Mark Philippoussis
7
1976

**********

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Cort Larson - Editor
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Tennis News: October 23rd 2008

by mltennis 23. October 2008 07:09

Thursday, October 23, 2008

How is the Economy Affecting the WTA?
By Charles Bricker

How is the deep economic worldwide crisis affecting the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour? “I haven’t heard from one of our partners saying we have to talk about (renegotiating) our agreements,” says CEO Larry Scott. “We have a number of long-term agreements in place and, yes, I think there could be a bit of a lag factor, but so far I haven’t seen any direct effect.” In the five years of Scott’s tenure as chief executive of the women’s tour and possibly the most powerful figure in women sports, the WTA has grown financially enough that it may be enough to withstand any future hits. The record $88 million deal with Sony Ericsson as lead sponsor runs through Dec. 31, 2010, and Scott has also added Whirlpool and Dubai Duty Free as key sponsors. He may know more about the impact of this financial meltdown by June of next year. “Typically, we start negotiations about extensions about 18 months out,” he said. The WTA has used its increased financial resources to lighten the load on Scott by hiring a complete management team around him. But, Scott added, “We’re very mindful that we have to stay lean. When Scott was hired in 2003, the tour was beyond lean with a near skeleton front office of executives. In five years, here’s the essential team Scott has assembled:
* 2004: He hires attorney David Shoemaker to be chief operating officer and general counsel. Shoemaker has since opened up a WTA office in Beijing, tapping into what Scott calls “the Chinese tennis treasure.”
* 2006: He hires Stacey Allaster, who had been tournament director of the Canadian Open and who had a lot of savvy in marketing, television and sales. “It was absolutely important for me that we have a management team more populated with women,” said Scott. “Stacey has been able to play the role of spokesperson on a lot of women’s issues.”
* 2008: He hires Scott MacLeod as senior vice president for business development. MacLeod had been in the tour’s London office and had a long track record in international sports sales.
* 2008: He hires Peter Johnson to be senior vice president for competition and member relations. He was former deputy director of the Australian Open.
Has the WTA grown too big at the top? “David Stern (ceo of the NBA) told me he has 100 people in China,” Scott said. “That’s more than our worldwide staff.
***
Fan Interest in Doha is Assured

Fears that the local Qatar community would not be interested in the upcoming Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Championships in Doha were proved ill-founded with the news that pre-event ticket sales have exceeded the most optimistic of hopes. Not even the absence of injured Maria Sharapova has affected the event's lure and more than 21,000 tickets and 95% of premium seats have already been sold for the grand finale of the women's touring year to be held from November 4 thru 9 at Doha's Khalifa International Tennis Complex. Ticket sales only began less than a fortnight ago but the expectation of seeing stars such as confirmed year ending world no.1 Jelena Jankovic, her fellow Serb Ana Ivanovic, Olympic gold medalist Elena Dementieva and in all probability both Williams sisters has resulted in nearly all the tickets for Lower and Middle Tribunes being sold out for each of the six competitive days.
The days of a barely half full Staples Center in Los Angeles for the year-ending women's event are now a distant memory and David Shoemaker, Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Chief Operating Officer, General Counsel and Head of Asia Pacific, enthused: "I am delighted that the Sony Ericsson Championships have sold out nearly the entire capacity for the Lower and Middle Tribunes in such a short time. "The speed of sale demonstrates fantastically well that world-class women's tennis and the Sony Ericsson Championships are hugely popular in this region. I'm positive these fans will be thrilled by what promises to be an incredible week in Doha, both on and off the courts." Top level tennis in Doha is nothing new. The ATP event at the beginning of the year, the Qatar Exxon Mobil Open, has been a fixture on the men's tour since 1993. On the WTA Tour the Qatar Total Open began in 2001 and more recently the oil and gas rich Qataris also agreed to bank roll the German Open in Berlin, buying the event from the DTB (German Tennis Federation). Since the January ATP event and February WTA tournament in Doha, won by Andy Murray and Sharapova respectively, the Qatar Tennis Federation have drastically upgraded the Khalifa complex. An additional 3,500 seats have been added along with VIP boxes on the first row of the Center Court. Consequently the stadium capacity has been doubled to 7,000 for each session. In addition lounges have been refurnished and entrances, parking, media facilities, signage in stadium, all completely upgraded. "We are very pleased to feel the warm welcome given to us by the fans and sponsors for the upcoming Sony Ericsson Championships," said tournament director Karim Alami, the former Moroccan Davis Cup player who memorably defeated Pete Sampras in the Doha men's tournament 14 years ago. "This is all proof that we have a great event in our city and we really look forward to seeing a full stadium for the Sony Ericsson Championships."
***
Special Report on Tennis Facility Construction
Part I: USTA stands behind new tennis court grants in 2009
By Liza Horan

While the mainstream press reports that not-for-profit organizations may be threatened by reduced government spending and private donations in 2009, at least one pocket of the U.S. Tennis Association budget seems safe: the $1 million that it plans to give communities to renovate or build public tennis courts. "Our commitment in 2009-$700,000 in grants and another $300,000 in technical and engineering-will be the same as in 2008," says Virgil Christian, director of USTA Community Tennis Development. The nine-person team, based White Plains, N.Y., works with more than 300 communities to help them secure grants through the USTA as well as funding through local government and civic bodies. "We haven't had any projects that have been cancelled so far." Since 2005--when the grant program sprung from the Adopt-A-Court program thanks a $2.3 million investment and the urging of then USTA President Franklin Johnson and community tennis chief Kurt Kamperman-the USTA has awarded $4.7 million to build or improve 1,107 courts. Local governments, civic organizations and private donors contributed $44 million to those projects. In other words, Christian says, "We put in a dollar, they put in 10 dollars. And that's really what we should be doing-building the infrastructure. If there's no place to play, no one is going to play." Educating local officials about the benefits and growth of tennis, and endorsing community tennis plans is vital part of the USTA's work and is a more robust effort than ever before. "We made a big change last year to be more customer service-oriented," Christian says. "A lot of us in the business know the good news and think it happens overnight, but it takes three to four years for the good news to trickle down." Previously the group had simply administered grants, many of which were denied because of incomplete applications or the lack of technical expertise included in a project scope. So, the USTA stepped up to help local groups scope out the concept with engineers and designers, as well as craft a financial plan. It's created closer ties to local activists. Today, for example, the suspense of a city council vote in West Point, Miss., runs more than 1,000 miles straight up to White Plains. Before the council is a bond that would finance a large public works project that includes building a tennis facility. Like any lobbyist, Christian hopes the votes he and local activists are counting on-at least 3-2 in favor of the bond--do come through. If so, it would be the green light for new tennis courts that local activists and the USTA have been working toward for nearly six months. "It's a pretty powerful tool, they say, when the national governing body says, We believe in this project," Christian says of efforts to lobby a mayor's office, advocate on behalf of local parks and tennis leaders, present trends on the growth of tennis, or convince politicos that QuickStart Tennis benefits their citizens in numerous ways. "It helps them raise money and it helps them raise support." For now, the USTA facilities grant work appears safe from economic cutbacks. "Tennis isn't going to be affected as other projects might," says Christian, adding that the feedback from city planners and parks directors casts tennis construction as "reasonable" and "affordable," especially compared to golf courses and aquatic centers. "If there's going to be any drop-off, it's going to be in 2010." Christian is hopeful because the half-sized courts used in QuickStart Tennis are proving popular with parks directors seeking activities for all ages, and planners, who want to use leftover footage. Harrison Tennis Center in Marietta, Ga., for instance, had more extra space beyond their nearly 20 full-sized courts. "They had a little bit of room and asked, What are our options?" Christian says. The answer was adding six 36-foot courts for QuickStart. "The response has been tremendous." Pushing a new product in a down market can make a difference. Time will tell.
Part II of this series, appearing next Thursday, will feature forecasts from tennis court builders.
***
Rogers Disagrees With Reason for Agassi Breakup
By Charles Bricker

Former Andre Agassi agent Perry Rogers, angered over a report that he and Agassi have ended their business relationship over a failed Idaho real estate enterprise, insisted Wednesday that their split was completely amicable. “The facts couldn’t be more wrong. The reason Andre and I split up was because our friendship was being strained (over business issues),” said Rogers. A very reliable source had said that while the two men remained friends, Agassi had decided to end their business relationship because a proposed recreation and luxury hotel complex in Tamarac, Idaho, in which Agassi had heavily invested, had gone under. Agassi was scheduled to be a major partner in the deal but withdrew his financial and personal backing earlier this year when the owners of the property filed for Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Act. “Overall, we have done really well in real estate. We’ve never had a single negative conversation on Tamarac,” said Rogers. “I’m proud of the fact that two great friends who have done better than we’ve ever thought we could in life made a decision about friendship and not about money or a business deal.”
***
After Miraculous Recovery, Mirza is Ready to Return to the Tour

Just two months after Sania Mirza's tennis career seemed to be threatened by a wrist injury that meant she was not even able to use a fork, let alone a tennis racket, the Indian 21 year-old is pain free and ready to return to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. After two bouts of surgery, Mirza was reluctant to undergo a third but she has been aided 26-year-old physiotherapist in Delhi who practices the South Korean science of spiral therapy which is based on cell regeneration. She was recommended to try Jatin Chaudhry's treatment by Indian international cricketer Yuvraj Singh and has been amazed by the results. "For an athlete, surgery is one of the worst things, said Mirza who has only managed to register two tour wins since Wimbledon and has not played since being forced to retire at August's Olympic Games in Beijing against Iveta Benesova. "From being completely active, you go to being dependent on someone else for everything and that's really difficult to live with. Yuvi told me that there was this doctor who could cure me in seven to ten days and that telephone call came at a time when I was staring surgery in the face for a second time in six months and thinking 'That's another year of my tennis gone.'" Now Mirza, whose ranking has slipped from a career high of 27 little more than a year ago to her current position precariously just inside the top 100, is certain she will be fit to return to the WTA Tour at the beginning of 2009 if not sooner. She added: "I had seen the best doctors in the world, had surgery and nothing was working. "Sometimes, I couldn't even feel my little finger, the pain was numbing. Yuvi told me that Jatin fixed his shoulder in ten minutes, and that it could work for me too. "When I went to Jatin, he put some 30 to 35 needles on my index finger, and every time he hit the spot I felt an electric current go through me. He left the needles on for 30 minutes and he did this about three or four times a day. " It was very painful, because the more times he did it the more sore the finger felt. After two days he asked me to bend my wrist and I had regained 90% of the movement. Just before I started the treatment I had done an ultra sound and there were cysts in the area. After ten days of treatment, there was no significant scarring tissue, my bones were fine and the two cysts were gone."
***
Modest Murray Says He’s Not Yet on a Level with Henman and Rusedski

Andy Murray may have risen to the career-best fourth ranking also enjoyed by predecessors Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski. But the newest British hope says he's not yet arrived at the level of the previous generation of tennis heroes. "Tim was definitely much, much better than me. Over eight or nine years he was in the top 10, always playing well in Wimbledon, making the semi-finals in all the Grand Slams (save the Australian Open). "I've only passed the semis once, I still have a long way to achieve what he did." But Murray does not totally play down his own hot prospects. "But I've done something that neither of them were able to do," said the first form Britain to win four ATP events in the same season. "I've beaten Federer and Djokovic in the last two tournaments that I've won (Cincinnati and Madrid). I’m having to beat really good players to do it consistently." But, he added with delight, "It’s great to make a little bit of history."
***
Dokic is Clawing Her Way Back to the Big Time

Jelena Dokic was ranked as high as four in the world, but a split from her family - specifically her over-bearing father Damir - led to her career slipping into free fall. She has since made half-hearted attempts and short-lived attempts to come back, but they’ve always come to nothing. Until now. Very quietly, with minimum fuss or publicity, the 25-year old has been going about her business this year. It’s meant starting again right at the bottom, with no ranking and playing $25,000 events instead of the Centre Court at Wimbledon, but her effort and perseverance have paid off. She has won 35 matches and three small tournaments, and now that she has a ranking of 187 that is enough to get her into the qualifying rounds of the Australian Open. She’s also eyeing Auckland or Brisbane, and Hobart. "It’s been good," she said of her 2008 season. "I’ve won a lot of matches this year and gone a couple of steps forward, which is the main thing. I just need to continue working hard and playing as many matches as I can get and just continue to be there when things don’t go well. "Agassi had to do it, and I think Jennifer (Capriati) also had to do it. I feel like I am starting from zero. You lose everything that you had before. The only thing you have to go on is experience. You lose the confidence and the match play and everything, so you really are starting from zero. It’s not easy but I think I’m getting there slowly. It’s been a lot better this year, and I think next year will hopefully be even better. I’m slowly getting into that rhythm again and I think next year should be big for me." How far can she progress? The tour is tough and she still has a lot of catching up to do. But she is optimistic. After failing to qualify at the Generali Linz Ladies she has lapped up every bit of tennis she can, sitting courtside for hours watching the opposition. "I’ve practiced with a couple of girls from the top 10, top 20. There’s work to do but it’s encouraging, and I feel I have the type of game that’s very aggressive and that can be in the top 20 again. I think that’s a realistic goal. It will not be easy for sure, but I don’t think it’s something I cannot achieve."
***
Tennis Stars Delay Their Tennis Briefly for Football

Roger Federer and David Nalbandian were able to momentarily cast aside tennis concerns at the Swiss Indoors in Basel to attend a key European football match at the midway point of the tournament week. With Champions League soccer the sporting passion of million outside of the US, it's no surprise the European and the South American both made the trip just across the street from the St Jakobshalle tennis venue for places in the VIP tribune of the football. Also along to watch, Argentine third seed Juan Del Potro Both top seed Federer and No. 2 Nalbandian each had a vested interest in the outcome, with FC Basel facing Spain's mighty Barcelona featuring Argentine international Lionel Messi and Barca winning easily 5-0.
"I know Messi personally, so I'm sure he can get me a ticket if I asked," Nalbandian said, as if he would not get the same from tennis organizers eager to please their drawcards.
***
Becker Withdraws From Dallas

It was announced that Boris Becker has withdrawn from competing in The Stanford Championships this week at Southern Methodist University due to a back injury. Becker, scheduled to make his debut on the Outback Champions Series circuit, will be replaced in the field by former U.S. Davis Cup player Justin Gimelstob. "I am disappointed that I will be unable to play in Dallas due to a back injury,” said Becker. “I went to my doctor in Munich for treatment on Monday and it was fine but the long flight to the States Tuesday made it worse and after trying to hit for 30 minutes today it was clear that I would be unable to play tomorrow night. I am sorry I won't be able to play this week as I was looking forward to playing in Dallas very much but I hope to play in an Outback Champions Series tournament soon."

***

We Hear—
--that USTA national coach Martin Van Daalen was another national coach who was let go recently by the USTA.

***
THIS WEEK
MEN
Basel
Lyon
St. Petersburg
WOMEN
Linz
Luxembourg
***
NEXT WEEK
MEN
Paris
WOMEN
Quebec City
***
Bob Larson’s Stock Report
Wednesday’s Stock Prices

Stock

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Change

18.30

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4.15

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13.00

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