<a href="/blog/post/2009/06/30/Daily-Tennis-News-June-30th.aspx" class="taggedlink">Daily Tennis News: June 30th

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Daily Tennis News: June 29th

by mltennis 29. June 2009 04:37

Monday, June 29, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

The Djokovic Family Has an Abundance of Opportunities, But Might Lose Some

The Djokovic family is close to losing one of the big chunks of land they got in Serbia to build tennis academies. The reason is not starting any kind of works in Kragujevac, the first city that gave land to them.
According to the contract, the Djokovic family is obliged to invest 9.000.000 Euros and finish all works by the end of 2011, but they haven’t moved a single finger so far. Since that is one of the most attractive locations in the city park, some members of the municipal government voiced doubts as to their real intentions.
“If they do not do everything according to contract, they will lose rights to that land, valued at 14 millions Euros. In that case, they would have to compensate all losses to the city,” explained a member of the city government.
The Djokovic family has one chance more, to start work and invest 1.5 million Euros in next five months. There are rumors that their problem is too many projects at the same time. They plan to buy the stadium where the ATP tournament Serbia Open was held in May, and to build another academy on the other side of Belgrade. The original plan was to take 26 million Euros credit to build courts, hotel, private university and marina on the bank of the Sava River but the global financial crisis has damaged their plans.
***
Judy Murray Leaves LTA to Set Up Tennis Club in Scotland

As Wimbledon moves into its second week, Andy Murray may be the name of everyone lips not just in British tennis but across the nation as a whole. Meanwhile his mother Judy, unquestionably a high profile tennis parent but one whose input is always positive, is the latest to walk through the exit door of the Lawn Tennis Association.
Mrs Murray has decided to leave her twin roles with the LTA; as Talent and Performance Manager for Scotland as well as acting as a respected advisor to the apparently always changing Tennis Leadership Team at the National Training Centre in Roehampton.
Instead she has plans to develop her own European-style community tennis club in Scotland with an integrated junior academy at the heart of a comprehensive development programme. However what Judy needs is the funds to realize such plans and she is currently actively seeking a development partner.
Murray explained: “I’m keen to develop a tennis hub in Central Scotland where the focus of the plan is to get more people, particularly juniors, competing and playing tennis more regularly within a stimulating and fun environment. We would aim to offer the right mix of facilities, coaches and activity resources to attract families and individuals of all ages and levels.
“A number of initial sites have been identified around Stirling but we are keen to expand our search for potential sites and partners in Scotland.”
After two years in her current roles, the split from the LTA is far from acrimonious and chief executive Roger Draper has already provided strong support for the concept. Murray also intends to work closely with other tennis and community agencies.
Draper maintained: “The model Judy is driving forward is undoubtedly the right approach to raise the profile and participation levels of tennis in Scotland and is indeed one that could be replicated throughout Britain. There is surely no-one better placed and more able to harness and capitalise on the energy and interest generated through the worldwide success of her sons Andy and Jamie.”
David Marshall, Chief Executive Officer, Tennis Scotland said, “Scottish tennis certainly needs further ongoing investment and we are very keen to help leverage Judy’s vision and expertise to deliver better tennis provision for all.”
Assisting Judy and the LTA with developing the project is Phillip Sandilands, the LTA’s former Director of Facilities and now Director of sports consultancy TrioPlus.
***
Davenport Gives Birth to a Daughter

IMG front line agent Tony Godsick is very much involved in family matters at this year’s Wimbledon. For this fortnight his prime role is to ensure everything runs smoothly in Roger Federer’s camp and that involves see the tournament favorite’s new wife Mirka has everything she needs as the birth of the couple’s first child moves ever closer.
But Godsick took time out from that role to announce another of his charges, former Wimbledon ladies champion Lindsay Davenport has given birth to her second child, a daughter Lauren Andrus.
The new arrival for Lindsay and her husband Jon Leach was born Saturday June 27 at 11:04 a.m. Pacific time in Newport Beach, California and is a sister to two year-old Jagger Jonathan.
Godsick, husband to former top tenner Mary Jo Fernandez and himself a father of two said: “"Lindsay and Lauren are doing great, and Jonny and the other man of the family, Jagger, Lauren's brother, are ecstatic.”

***
LTA’s Draper Reports Tennis is on the Upswing in Great Britain

Roger Draper, chief executive of the Lawn Tennis Association and once again the point person when it comes to public ridicule after, Andy Murray aside, yet another abject failure by British singles players at Wimbledon, insists things are not as bleak as they might seem.
And Draper insists one reason for only one out of ten other British players reaching the second round of the singles competition and none getting to the third, has nothing to do with the perceived cosseted existence handed out by the cash rich LTA.
Alex Bogdanovic has been the recipient of successive wild cards into the Wimbledon main draws at both singles and doubles which have netted him more than £100,000 in prize money. But in attempts he has never managed to win a singles match.
“I don’t believe we spoil our players,” said Draper. “We are very fortunate to have the resources to invest in players from a young age, a network of high-performance centres as well as offering world-class facilities. We have made some tough calls on players who have stepped out of line and we will continue to do so.”
And Draper is adamant that better times are coming for British players. He said: “There has already been marked progress in the women’s game and I am expecting significant progress in the men’s by 2012. Our target is 10 players (doubles and singles) in the top 100 by 2012.
“We have often had good juniors. The struggle has been transitioning them into the professional game. This is our greatest challenge and is why we have coaches working hard on bringing these players through.”
Draper maintains employing expensive foreigners such as Paul Annacone and Steven Martens, as well as Brad Gilbert and Carl Maes who have subsequently left, has been the right policy?
“The knowledge and experience of all our top coaches is vital to ensure we bring the talent through,” he said. “We also have a lot of young talented British coaches who are benefiting from working with them and I hope they will become the top coaches of the future.
***
America’s Newest Star is Totally American

The latest hope to emerge for US women's tennis has branded herself 100 percent American despite her typically French surname.
"Yes, my last name, Oudin, is French. But I'm totally American, for sure," said 17-year-old Wimbledon qualifier Melanie Oudin, whose only connection to Europe might be the smattering of French spoken by her father.
The youngster continues her tennis dream with a fourth-round date against Polish 11th seed Agnieszka Radwanska as the No. 124 Oudin plays in only her second Grand Slam main draw,
The home-schooled player from Atlanta with a twin sister currently attending high school said that her family tree doesn't contain much of a Gallic heritage despite her name. "My dad is not exactly French, but my ancestors are," she explained.
Besides her opponents, Oudin's biggest problem on court seems to be getting chair umpires - especially in Anglo-Saxon countries - to properly say her name.
"Usually they don't pronounce it correctly, it's taken them so long to get it right. I don't even try to tell them any more," she said.
***
The New Wimbledon Roof is Not Getting Much Use

The multi-million-dollar - and so far unused - Wimbledon roof has faded away as a talking point for players, with the high-tech new structure unlikely to get much use during a relatively sunny fortnight.
As luck would have it, the three-year project was completed just in time for some of the best weather of the last three or four editions.
Andy Roddick says players are not speculating about how might be first to actually play a match with the translucent structure shut.
"That conversation would be kind of a short one," said the no-nonsense American. "There's a roof. If it rains, it closes.
Beyond that, we might as well guess what color socks someone is wearing.
"I think the common joke has been that they haven't had to use it yet. All this money and the weather's been nice."
Andy Murray was wondering for a few minutes if he might be the first to get the honor as some dark clouds and some light drops rolled in during his third-round defeat of Serb Viktor Troicki.
But they were only temporary. "It would have been a nice bit of history, I guess, (to play) the first match to play under the roof,"
said the third seed.
"I wasn't that worried by it, I enjoy playing indoors. Once it started to come down, a little bit heavier, it was sort of 5-3 in the third set. So, obviously wanted to finish it before the rain came." said the straight-set winner.
***
Evert Joins the Anti-Grunting Crusade

Tennis legend Chris Evert has joined the anti-grunting crusade as the elder tennis generation tries to figure out what all the noise on court is about.
"Steffi Graf hit the ball a ton and she didn't grunt," said the American, visiting Sydney with golfer husband Greg Norman, "There were a lot of players, hard-hitting players, and you never heard a peep out of them."
The three-time Wimbledon champion has not appeared at the All England Club this year, but has stilled joined in with former rival Martina Navratilova is criticizing the increasing decibel level.
"It is distracting when you are hearing this and I think the grunts are getting louder and more shrill now with the current players," she said. "The next time you watch say, a Maria Sharapova, the grunting is consistent except all of a sudden when she has a set up to hit a winner."
Evert added that the distracting grunt comes "before they hit the shot."
"That's the first thing you hear and you are thrown off guard as a player. Before you know the ball gets past you."
Navratilova, who won Wimbledon nine times, has labeled today's grunting as a form of cheating, saying it should be banned.
***
Tsonga Says Karlovic is Much More Than Merely a Giant Serve

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga lost to Ivo Karlovic in Wimbledon and then stood in his defense. The accusation was that the tallest tennis player (2.08 m) in the world has only one quality – killer serve.
“If that is a truth, we would have a bunch of tall people winning only with serve,” said Tsonga. “Karlovic has the best serve in the world, but good volley and forehand also.”
Karlovic is used to such kind of doubts in his tennis skills. “I like when people think that way. It makes me genial. If I was able to do everything with only one shot that is really something special,” joked Karlovic who might play Federer in Wimbledon quarterfinal, but before must see off Fernando Verdasco.
By the way, Karlovic hasn’t been broken for 105 games or 19 sets on grass this year. He set an ATP Tour record of 55 aces in Paris and blew away Tsonga with 46 in four sets.

***

Interesting Speculation About Women’s Tennis Now

There are quite a few people around who believe the women’s game lacks appeal now, especially with the rivalry between the top three or four men grabbing everyone’s attention. That’s one reason. Another is the lack of a solid No. 1, although Dinara Safina - after surprising many by getting to the top - now looks increasingly comfortable there. But having so many different No. 1 players over the last year, isn’t good is it? Ana Ivanovic thinks it is.
"I think for players it's great, because they know that they can beat anyone they play against," she said. "You know, they just go on the court and, you know, try to play the best they can. Everyone knows they have chances. You know, in everyone's career you have little slumps and you have little ups and downs. I think at the moment no one was, you know, probably consistent enough to be so dominant on position No. 1. But I think that's great for woman's tennis, and it makes us work hard, you know, try to use the chances we have, you know, try to make ourselves one of the ones that can be dominant at that position."
***
Jankovic Was Having Health Problems on Court with Oudin

There is often drama when Jelena Jankovic is around. There is no player more prone to injury and sickness, and her third round match against Melanie Oudin was no exception.
After edging the first set in a tiebreaker she called the trainer - and almost an ambulance!
"Conditions were quite tough. It was very warm out there. But that was not, you know, my problem," she said. "After the first set I felt really dizzy, and I thought that I was just gonna end up in the hospital. I started to shake. I was losing my - how you say - consciousness. I didn't know. I was really gonna lose it, you know, to fall down and just, you know, probably go... call the ambulance and leave the court.
But I came back. Like I started to feel a little bit better. But, you know, I was feeling quite weak. No power. I wasn't the same player. I didn't have the power in the shots. I felt really tired and exhausted out there. It was very difficult for me to play in these kind of circumstances. That made me, as well, quite nervous.
"I was like a ghost, you know, white in the face. Really, I didn't know where I was. The physio came out and she asked me, ‘Do you know like what is your name?’ I just saw blurry. I didn't know. It was really strange feeling. I was scared and I started to cry in this kind of situation."
***
Murray is Thawing. . . Somewhat

Andy Murray has often been looked upon as dull. And that’s on a good day. Sour, grumpy, uncommunicative, dour ... the list goes on. But that isn’t the whole picture.
He is growing more at ease with his celebrity and more recently he’s been known to smile and even make a joke or two. A reflection of his often hidden sense can be found with his entourage, who have to pay ‘penalties’ and do bizarre things as a result.
"We play football, and whoever loses the game has to do whatever the forfeit is," said Murray. "But one of the parts of the forfeit is that when you lose, you know. My fitness trainer was walking around with a cricket helmet on yesterday. If someone asked you what it's for, you're not allowed to tell them that you've lost a bet. You just have to say that you like it and whatnot.
Yeah, I mean, we play for different stuff every week. But the locker room attendant has given us some cricket pads and cricket helmet, cricket bat, so it's kind of Ashes-themed forfeits.
For the uninitiated, the Ashes is a series of cricket matches played between England and Australia.
***
Fish Isn’t Sure if Wimbledon Courts are Ready for Serve and Volley

It’s been well documented that the grass at Wimbledon has got slower and slower over recent years. Serve and volley has all but been eliminated, and some players are now unsure just how they are supposed to play on it. Like Mardy Fish.
"You know, against someone like Novak (Djokovic) or against someone like Andy Murray a couple weeks ago in Queen's, I'm just not sure how I'm supposed to play those guys on grass anymore," he said after losing to Djokovic.
"You know, am I supposed to serve and volley and try to get away with serving really well and get a cheap break here or there, because, you know, they're serving good, too, or am I supposed to stay back? You know, it's kind of a what are you supposed to do on the grass nowadays. Are you supposed to play it maybe like a US Open-type court, you know, a faster hard court? But it's almost slower than that.
"It's trying to figure out exactly how you're supposed to play it, a guy like me. I think the balls have a huge thing to do with it. They're so heavy. I mean, you know, I'm usually right around the 128, 132-ish area on my first serve for the most part. I think I probably hit one serve 130 today."

***
PBI returns to Las Ventanas in Los Cabos

Peter Burwash International, (PBI) has renewed its partnership with Las Ventanas al Paraiso, a Rosewood Resort in Los Cabos, Mexico, one of the world's most luxurious destinations. PBI originally began its association with Las Ventanas when the resort opened in 1997. In 2005, the resort's general manager decided to take a different direction and hired a local professional. Recently Las Ventanas signed a contract to return PBI to the resort.

***

Ricky's Notes
By Ricky Dimon

Michael Llodra, who retired in the first set of his second-round match at Wimbledon against Tommy Haas, called the grass courts "catastrophic" and said some were playing slower than the red clay of Roland Garros. "The courts are catastrophic. There are bad bounces. It's only the second day and court two is already damaged. I don't know how they are going to be at the end. Year after year, the courts are getting worse. The Centre Court and Court 1 there (at Roland Garros), when they are dry, are much faster.". . . The Queen has cleared her June 5 schedule of all official engagements and will be at Wimbledon for the men's singles final if Andy Murray is in it. If it happens it will be the first time she has made the trip to Centre Court since she watched Virginia Wade win the women’s title in 1977. . . Mats Wilander did not like Murray's chances at the beginning of Wimbledon. "Roger (Federer) will easily win Wimbledon," Wilander was quoted as saying early last week in L'Equipe. "The only threat he may have to struggle against is Tsonga. On Centre Court, in five sets, Andy has zero chance. He's not aggressive enough; there is nothing he can do to bother Roger on grass.". . . Jesse Levine, who reached the third round of Wimbledon, has been training with Sergeant Major Keith Williams for the past nine weeks. Levine plans on spending some time in San Diego later this year to do some training with the Marines. . . According to Levine's mom Brenda, "The USTA said they don't want him (Jesse) playing any Challengers this summer, just ATP Tour matches. They see that he's growing up and becoming a man. It's a man's game out there and he's getting there."
WTA Tour President Stacey Allaster and Chief Operating Officer David Shoemaker will take over on an interim basis for departing CEO Larry Scott. Both Allaster and Shoemaker are Canadians. Shoemaker is also a candidate to become Scott's full-time successor. . . Scott is not advocating for women to play five-set matches at Grand Slams, but he says they would be prepared for it if necessary. "It's something I have discussed and have discussed with the players during the equal prize money debate. If it was determined the women should play five sets, or were asked to play five sets, players would support that.". . . When asked about the same issue, former men's champ Lleyton Hewitt said, "I don't think a lot of them would last five sets.". . . Michael Stich, who won Wimbledon in 1991, created a bit of a controversy last week when he argued that female tennis players are there to "sell sex" rather than achieve on-court success. He also said that grunting "sounds disgusting, ugly, unsexy.". . . Elena Dementieva's mom remains her full-time coach, but Dementieva has also been working with Andrei Cherkasov in recent weeks. Cherkasov was with Dementieva in Eastbourne and is also present at Wimbledon.
The ATP and Digitaria announced last week announced the launch of an ATP Digital Platform and new ATPWorldTour.com website to grow consumer interest in the ATP World Tour. Digitaria is a leading digital marketing and technology firm. "Digital continues to be a major focus area and we are committed to delivering against the overall strategy to engage with fans around the world in meaningful ways," said Phil Anderton, ATP Chief Marketing Officer. . . Agustin Calleri announced his retirement immediately after losing his Wimbledon opener last week. The 32-year-old Argentine's last match was a 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 loss to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. . . Scott Oudsema is ending his effort of trying to make it on the pro tour and will become a volunteer assistant coach for the University of Michigan. A Michigan native, Oudsema reached a career-high ranking of No. 255 back in 2007. . . Spain's tennis association is blasting the Lawn Tennis Association's ability to produce British talent. Registro de Profesional Tenis, which claims much of the credit for the strength of the sport in Spain, argues that the LTA's investment in the British game has been targeted in the wrong areas. "The only thing they are very good at is failing to produce," an RPT statement said. . . Ryan Harrison and NCAA singles champion Devin Britton will be the hitting partners for the United States Davis Cup team for the tie against Croatia in July. Captain Patrick McEnroe made the announcement last week. Britton and Harrison will train with the team during the week and will be on the bench with the players throughout the quarterfinal tie. . . Tommy Haas will not play in Germany's Davis Cup tie against Spain. A resurgent Haas says a return to clay could be too much for his injury-prone body. . . Richard Gasquet's hearing for his cocaine case is scheduled for today (Monday, June 29). Gasquet maintains he is innocent, but he could face a suspension up to two years.
Roger Federer was among those who reflected on the death of Michael Jackson last week. "Obviously, I love his music," the Swiss said. "It's a very sad moment in the music world. He touched many people, same for me. But I'll obviously still listen to his music for many more years to come.". . . Says Federer of playing Ivo Karlovic: "This is no lack of respect for Karlovic, but it’s not a tennis match really. Sometimes it’s a bit of luck, a bad decision at the wrong time, what can you do?" Federer and Karlovic could meet in the quarterfinals. . . Rafael Nadal recently bought a holiday villa in Ibiza. Nadal's residence is being built in the San Jose region of Ibiza, an island off the coast of Spain. . . Nadal's parents publically confirmed rumors that have been going on for weeks about a split. Sebastian and Ana Maria Nadal have confirmed that they are divorcing. . . Speculating is running rampant that Nadal will be forced into early retirement by his knee tendinitis. Sean Corvin, a health and fitness educator for Premier Training, recently claimed that Nadal has the knees of a 33-year-old. . . The Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, D.C., which was upgraded to a 500-point event this season, announced a stellar field last week. Headlining the entry list are defending champ Juan Martin Del Potro, Andy Roddick, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gael Monfils, and Lleyton Hewitt. . . American Robby Ginepri was awarded a wild card into next month's ATP event in Indianapolis…No more notes….Ricky
***

We Hear---
--that Peter McNamara, who reached a high of No.7 in the world, and won 19 doubles titles including Wimbledon and the Australian Open, has joined the Paris-based Mouratoglou Tennis Academy, where he will coach a future new member of the Elite Team. Players associated with the academy include former Australian Open runner-up Marcos Baghdatis and promising teenager Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. McNamara will be playing at Wimbledon this week with regular partner Paul MacNamee.
***
THIS WEEK
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***
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Daily Tennis News: June 26th

by mltennis 26. June 2009 04:58

Friday, June 26, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

Some Grunters Are Gone, But the Issue Remains

Regardless of the Wimbledon exits of serial shriekers Maria Sharapova and Michelle Larcher de Brito, grunting continues to be the major issue on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s disciplinary agenda.
So far ‘gruntometers’ or decibel registering sound monitors have been widespread around the All England Club and Victoria Azarenka, another one louder member of the women’s tour, had her grunt repeatedly mocked and imitated by the crowd during her second round win over Romania’s Ioana Raluca Olaru.
In a couple of days the issue will cease to be a problem for Larry Scott when he vacates his position of Chief Executive Officer with the WTA Tour and takes up his duties on American’s west coast with the Pac-10.
However he revealed the levels of concern that exist amongst those fellow executives he will leave behind. “Up till now – this may change – it's been more of an issue about the presentation of the sport, and it hasn't really been a competition issue," said Scott. "We are looking at it, and have started a process of looking at it more carefully."
Scott acknowledged that historically grunting only became an issue during the Wimbledon fortnight but things have changed following Martina Navratilova’s impassioned speech at the International Tennis Federation’s World Champion’s Dinner in Paris and subsequent claims that the habit is tantamount to cheating.
“This year it's expanded,” he continued. “At Roland Garros, we started hearing about this and reading about it in a way we hadn't before outside Wimbledon.
“There are rules in place. Nothing needs to be reinvented if you wanted to start doing something. There are hindrance rules. Chair umpires are empowered to issue warnings, point penalties if there is a feeling that it is gamesmanship affecting play. It's just being monitored a little bit more closely right now.”
***
Scott Leaves WTA Next Week Without a Permanent Replacement

WTA CEO Larry Scott is leaving the organization at the end of this month, but a replacement for him has still not been found. Various applicants are being interviewed during the Wimbledon fortnight, and a short-list will be interviewed again in New York.
"We've got a search committee," said Scott. "I've been participating on that search committee with some board members. We've hired a world leading executive recruiting unit, Korn/Ferry, to lead the process. They're at speed. It's going well. Our board doesn't feel in a particular rush in that even though I'm leaving at the end of this month, we have a very strong and solid management team in place.
"David Shoemaker and Stacey Allaster, my two top deputies, are going to be co-heads of the tour for this interim period. I don't expect for it to last very long. Everyone is working hard. No one is going to rush the process. But you'll hear news when there's news to announce. There's no defined timetable we're working against."
***
ATP to Have Tournament in Kuala Lumpur in September

The ATP is to stage a new tournament in Kuala Lumpur. The Malaysian Open will be a World Tour 250 event and take place September 26 to October 4, in direct competition to the Thailand Open in Bangkok. It will offer nearly $950,000 in prize money, feature a 28 draw and take place in the 16,000 seat Putra Stadium.
Kuala Lumpur has announced Fernando Verdasco, Nikolay Davydenko, Fernando Gonzalez, Robin Soderling, Kei Nishikori, Gael Monfils and David Ferrer. Soderling, who lost to Roger Federer in the Roland Garros final, made his final decision in dramatic fashion in a late telephone call from Wimbledon which arrived during a speech at the Friday press conference by Malaysia's prime minister.
It is the fifth of the autumn Asian swing and will double-up with Bangkok held the same week. While Bangkok, which offers $600,000 in prize money, has so far only revealed that Rafael Nadal and 2008 champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will compete in that tournament,
Events in Tokyo and Beijing and the Shanghai Masters 1000 follow.
"There is great demand for cities to host ATP events and in particular within the Asian region," said ATP International head Brad Drewett. "Asian tennis fans have demonstrated that they are among the best in the world and we are excited that tennis fans across Malaysia now have the opportunity to see some of the world's best players battling it out in the heart of Kuala Lumpur."
Kuala Lumpur was the setting for two years of the WTA Tour’s Wismilak International after it was moved from Surabaya, Indonesia, due to political unrest. That event was then moved to Bali and renamed this year as the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions. That event will be staged as a second tier end-of-season Championships, featuring players who have won International Series events this season. Qualifiers so far include Caroline Wozniacki, Tamarine Tanasugarn, Marion Bartoli, together with others such as Venus Williams, Jelena Jankovic and Elena Dementieva, who would play in Bali if they fail to qualify for the Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha.
A WTA event is being planned in Kuala Lumpur for next year, although on a smaller scale to the ATP tournament.
***
Wimbledon Scheduling Surprises French Open Champion Kuznetsova

Svetlana Kuznetsova is the French Open champion, but Wimbledon has not put her on the major showcourts so far this year. Typically, she doesn’t allow it to bother her.
"I'm fine to put me wherever they want to put me," she said. "They don't have to put me Centre Court. But with the schedule, this is little bit weird thing. If you look at the schedule, it's not about only me. It's about Dinara plays on court No. 2, Venus plays on court No. 1, and girls who's not very high seeded they play Centre. I respect them. They're great players, for sure. But this is what's weird for me, what's their strategy was of the plan of making the schedule. This is what surprised me a little bit.
"But, you know, in Wimbledon you have to expect anything. So this is Wimbledon. That's why it's special for everybody. It's special for me, as well. That's why I like it, because it's unpredictable."
***
Wimbledon’s Roof Has Been Used This Year

Wimbledon now has The Roof, but everyone thinks it hasn’t been used yet at the 2009 Championships. But yes it has.
While it hasn’t rained so far, the All England Club put the retractable roof into good use on Tuesday to block out the sun for VIPs in the Royal Box. Temperatures soared to 33C (91.4F) so they brought the roof out a few feet to provide some shade. They do the same thing at the Australian Open.
"The roof was totally effective and we are very happy that its first use went so successfully," a spokesman told the Daily Mirror. "Due to soaring temperatures on the Centre Court it was essential. The roof was designed for rain and bad light but it's proved it has more than one use. It was money well-spent."
Ninety people received medical attention from St John’s Ambulance Service for heat-related illness, such as sunstroke and dehydration, on Tuesday, but possible heavy showers are forecast for Friday.
***
Staying Close to Tournament Has Its Drawbacks for Kuznetsova

It’s all very well staying in Wimbledon Village and being a short distance from the locker room with no London traffic to deal with. But there are not the shops there that you find in the city, and that can be bad news for people with money to spend but no opportunity to do it. Like Svetlana Kuznetsova.
"I was very excited they put me first actually, because I wanted to try to finish quick and I want to go shopping," she said after her second round victory. "Because staying in the Village, it's great. Close to the court, but there's not much to do. So I'm getting very bored in the afternoons after my matches and practices. I want to go shopping and see London. Not tourism though, because you get tired. I need just two, three hours to spend some cash.
"I just like to buy clothes, to buy things. Also this year I was so terrible. I was maybe too focused on my tennis work then I didn't buy any presents for nobody. I mean, if I want to buy present, I buy present. It's not problem for me. Like for my hitting partner I say, I won this, so you get the present. But my mom had a birthday, I didn't buy anything, my good friend had a birthday, I didn't buy. I'm like, yeah, yeah, I'm giving you a present soon. I am working on it. I look embarrassed, so I need to go and get some presents."
***
Ivanovic Returns to the adidas Team

Ana Ivanovic thought she needed a one-on-one coach instead of the adidas team she had been working with, and she tried working with Craig Kardon. But now she’s back with the adidas team and is very satisfied with that.
”I thought at that moment that a different way of thinking will help me to refresh my game”, she explained her move of last autumn. ”I also thought that having a regular coach will also be better for me, especially since someone else would be able to help me against Adidas players. After all Sven could not work with me every day and every match.”
"Yes, I've been back with adidas program last couple of weeks. Seeing Sven (Groenefeld), it's really good," she said. "I think from all the coaches, he knows my game the best. We spend couple years working together. We went through a lot together, so he knows not only my game but also he can tell in my face expression how I'm feeling. It really feels good to have someone in the crowd that I can look to and, you know, he can just, you know, be supportive. It already means a lot to me, and it makes me calm.
"I felt like I wanted maybe full-time coach, but obviously now I'm really, really happy to be back with the program. And I feel it's working well for me. Obviously now they have Darren Cahill. He is very experienced coach. He just tells me everything how it is. And he doesn't try to, you know, make me feel good or anything. If I'm not doing something right, he's gonna tell me straightaway. So in that way I feel I can apply it straightaway and I can straightaway be more positive and work on certain things. And it gives me confidence because I know exactly what I'm doing right and what I'm not."
***
Tricky is Allergic to Grass

Ivan Lendl once said that grass is for cows only. Viktor Troicki has a different problem.
“I am allergic to grass”, admitted Serbian player who will challenge Andy Murray in third round on Wimbledon. “Here and on all other grass tournament. Simply there is something in air that bothers me.”
Of course, problem is not that serious, but it is not that easy for seed 30 to breathe in London. He has enough opportunities, though, to get used to grass, since his base is in Halle, the host of the only ATP grass court tournament outside of Britain.

***
Lack of Sponsors at Kuznetsova’s Door Doesn’t Bother Her

Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic are the glamour girls of the WTA. Svetlana Kuznetsova has enjoyed at least as much success, but the sponsors have never lined up at her door. She says it used to bother her, but not now.
"Well, you know, it's not my problem to think about it," said the French Open champion. "My problem is to get my best results I can, and this is it. I'm happy who I am and I'm happy the way I am. I am enjoying myself on the court, and for me it's most important thing. What they get, I never look at another basket, you know, I look at my basket. I don't know what they get, so.... I'm all right. Maybe I used to care more, but that's when I was younger. But why should I? Why should I look at somebody's house or somebody else's garden? I'm happy with what I have. If I want to have more, I just have to play better. This is for me the key."
**
Does Ivanovic Have a Special Friend?

There was a rumor during Australian Open that Ana Ivanovic broke with Fernando Verdasco because of a few pictures of her with Adam Scott on Gold Coast beach.
No one ever confirmed it, but since then lot of gossip put Serbian golden girl in the same sentence with the famous golfer.
Scott was spotted during both Ana’s matches in Wimbledon, he was watching her wins from the stands, but when she was questioned about him, there was no straight answer.
“That is strictly private question”, refused the most beautiful tennis player to clarify if Australian heartthrob is only a friend or something more. She learned her lesson, since she never refused to say what is going on in her private life before.

***
Murray Receives a Royal “Well Done”

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth is not known for her love of tennis. The last time she attended The Championships was in 1977, when Virginia Wade became the last British winner there. But someone must have whispered in the Royal Ear and mentioned a certain lanky Scot who is doing rather well. So she sent him a letter congratulating him on winning - well, Queen’s. Murray revealed the Royal good wishes on Twitter.
"I will definitely hold on to it," he said. "She said well done at Queen's and she hopes I do well."
A Palace spokesman confirmed she wrote to Murray, saying, "The Queen sent a private message congratulating him on becoming the first Briton to win the tournament at Queen's in 71 years."
***

We Hear---
--that the shortcomings of British tennis, Andy Murray aside, has once again been highlighted by the fact that none of the other ten contestants in the men’s and ladies singles managed to reach the third round. But the already wealthy Lawn Tennis Association can expect an increase into their bank account next year. Because of the Centre Court’s roof building project and the construction of the new No.2 Court, the Championships surplus handed over annually to the LTA for the funding of ‘bettering British tennis’ has been approximately £25 million for the last couple of years. Next year that figure is expected to rise again in excess of £30 million.
***
THIS WEEK
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WOMEN
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Bob Larson's Tennis Celebs: June 25th Issue

by mltennis 26. June 2009 04:56

Thursday, June 25, 2009

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

Williams Reveals a New Side of Her

Serena Williams has never been content ‘only’ to play tennis, win majors and be number one in the world. There’s been fashion, acting - now there’s script writing.
"I'm writing my script. You'll be excited to know I wrote three parts already," she said after her second round win at Wimbledon. "I call it 'my treatment,' so I'm working on my treatment now. It's definitely for TV. I don't know how good I would be at writing a movie. But I just love to write. Hopefully it will be good. It's a mixture between some of my favorite shows, like Desperate Housewives, and Sex and the City, and actually Family Guy (an animated TV show). It's kind of those put together in one, if you can imagine.
"I have my agent with William Morris Agency. This is a real blessing. What I was told to do is just kind of write down my ideas. See, I've always been a writer, like a storyteller writer, not exactly a script writer. That's what I was told to do, just write my story, you know, just the first episode, just to get them the idea. And then I would turn it in and someone will put it into treatment format. So that way they'll put it into a script, but it would be my writing."
***

Sharapova is Philosophical About Her Tennis Life

It’s taking time and that’s the way it’s going to be, and Maria Sharapova is ready to take her latest setback in her stride. Her second round capitulation to Gisela Dulko was a clear indication that after shoulder surgery the former champion is still struggling to recover the form that once made her a leading favorite at any tournament she played.
"I’ll just move forward," she said. "You know, this is not an overnight process. It's gonna take time, as much time as it needs, as much time as I need on the court, you know, to get everything together. As much time as it needs, I'm ready for it. You know, I had so many easy balls, and I just made unforced errors from those. I don't really know if that's because I haven't played. You know, when I've had those situations before those balls would be pieces of cake, and today they weren't. But it's okay."
So how close does she feel she is to getting back to where she was?
"I don't know. I don't really know. I mean, I'd honestly tell you if I knew. It's just one of those questions where I don't really have an answer. You think of those injuries as basically preventing you from playing your sport, but if you look at the bigger picture there are many things that can happen that can limit you to doing things in life or even having a life.
"So at the end of the day, if you put things into perspective, when you get injured, yes, my career is a huge part of my life, and that's what I do on a daily basis. So is it frustrating when that goes away for a while? Absolutely. But if you have a good head on your shoulders, you also know that there's a life to live. And if you stay positive, everything's gonna be all right, no matter what -- no matter how bad the injury is. You know, the losses are tough. More here than at any other tournament. But, you know, it puts some perspective into your life. It's all right. You know, I have many more years ahead of me."
***

Federer’s Wife Skipped his Wednesday Match

Mum-to-be Mirka Vavrinec was a no-show for husband Roger Federer's second-round Wimbledon win, with the second seed damping down speculation that her due date is approaching. Observers noted that the former player was missing from the Federer box, a relatively rare occurrence.
"She's just not feeling, 100 percent," said Federer, who has steadfastly refused to say when the summer baby is due. "She only felt 95 percent so we decided it's better if she takes it easy instead of sitting in the sun maybe, feeling worse the next day.
"It's important for her to rest. She's already feeling better, which is good."
Federer said later his wife spent the day at their accommodations with a girlfriend. But he knocked back more guesses on when his child will be born.
"You can speculate as much as you want," he told one persistent Italian questioner.
***

Becker Plans to Move to Wimbledon

Three-time champion Boris Becker is planning to quit his base in Switzerland and has his eye on a $9 million dollar, seven-bedroom house within a lob of Wimbledon's centre court.
London media report that the BBC commentator for the Championships has been renting the new mansion for $22,800 per month and waiting for the price to drop.
The property is set within an acre of green. The price when completed last December was $9.7 million, but Becker is expecting further price decreases in the current economic climate.
"Wimbledon will become my new home. My property is right next to the car park and I can see the indoor practice hall from my garden. I'm also 100 steps from Centre Court. Ideal," he told the Daily Mail.
The potential move will be a British homecoming for the 41-year-old tournament king from two decades ago, who recently married 32-year old Dutch model Lilly Kerssenberg. Becker will transfer from his low-tax base in Zug, Switzerland.
But as a foreign national, his accountants will be able to lift most of his UK tax burden also. The German said that his move is a sure thing despite not yet purchasing his dream property.
***

Serena Doesn’t Know the Wimbledon Eating Rules

Serena Williams is not amused. She has upset “Those In Charge” at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club by eating where she shouldn’t be eating. So she had a grumble about it on her website.
"I am well considering the new rule for the locker room," she wrote. "I am an athlete as you all know. So, my diet is very important & clearly during a tournament. Before a match, I eat in the locker room. This is a part of my routine. However, yesterday I was informed that I could no longer eat in the locker room. Wow, really I thought to myself as I continued eating & of course the lady reminded me of the new rule.
Again, I was in shock. I am a member of the All England Club. As I am looking around the locker room a bit upset I must admit, I notice someone placing bananas & health bars into a basket for the other players & myself. Now, if I am not mistaking fruit & health bars are considered food. I mean like, really you eat those "food" items. Why have food in a room if we aren't allowed to eat in the locker room. This rule is unfair and new. There was no warning that this new rule would be implemented. I do not agree with this rule. Like, do they really expect me or any other player to actually walk outside all the way to the player's lounge. That is time not spent well & I value my time, especially the day of a match. Plus, I totally dislike rules that do NOT make sense."
Actually, according to a Club spokesman, the rule is not new as Serena thinks, but one that has been in place for nearly 10 years in order to keep the place clean and tidy instead of littered with pizza boxes and fish and chip wrappers. The proper place to eat is, surprise, the Player Restaurant, but it appears to be a place that Serena rarely ventures. Which might explain why, as she admitted after her first round match, she doesn’t know who most of the players are.
***

What’s the best thing about Wimbledon for Venus Williams?

"Oh, my gosh. I suppose returning as the champion on that set day as a favorite, you know, for the next 50 weeks or so you know what day you're playing. There's no mystery to it. It's a real honor. I love that," she said on the eve of defending her title. "When you walk on the court, it's all business. There's no moments to enjoy until you have the win. You know, that's how it is in sports. You focus, focus, focus, and then when it's done, you enjoy it.
"I remember the first time I played on grass, I think I just wanted to dive. That was the highlight, I guess, trying to dive. I don't remember if I did or not. But when you grow up, you see all the players diving, and you think, I want a part of that. So that's the first thing you want when you're little."
Although she’s 30 next year, Venus has no thoughts on quitting the game for a while yet. There’s a big incentive for her to keep going.
"Yeah, I want to play the Olympics here. It's really not that far off. It's just, what, three years. So I definitely would love to be playing the Olympics here and representing, going for more golds. It's my favorite."

**********

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TENNIS SHORTS

Jankovic Denies Story Claiming Possible Retirement

Jelena Jankovic got angry at a Serbian tabloid. They invented a story that former No1 is on the brink of retirement because of poor results.
“I was totally misinterpreted after my first round loss in Eastbourne”, Jankovic said. ”I only said that due to bad results I lost motivation. In sport, as in life, there are moments when you are more or less motivated, but all of it is passing phases. I believe that I am on a good road to show my best face and that there are several years ahead of playing and proving my qualities.
Jankovic dropped from first to sixth place on WTA rankings this year and admitted problems with motivation in big matches.

***

Wozniacki Knows How to Celebrate in Eastbourne

Caroline Wozniacki just loves Eastbourne. And no wonder. She’s been successful there for years, and there are fringe benefits.
"I love coming back," she said after beating Ekaterina Makarova. "Actually it’s my fifth time here. I played three times the junior exhibition tournament that used to be here. I won that twice I think, and one time I was in the finals. Then quarterfinals last year in the main event and this year I’m in the semifinals.
"I love coming back. It’s such a nice atmosphere. And they have the best ice cream shop right around the corner, and every year we go there and it’s really great. They have those cups where they mix them, and my favorite one is called Casablanca. It’s chocolate and vanilla and caramel and it’s really good.
"If I win, I let myself have one. If I don’t, I don’t think I deserve it, so I have to keep winning. With Agnieszka and Urszula Radwanska, we’ve been at the ice cream store a few times. We’re making bets with each other about something, and then the one who wins gets a free ice cream. We bet on how long it takes to go from here to the hotel, small funny things."
***

Federer Joins the Throngs on Facebook

There are all kinds of people on Facebook, some of them very famous. One is them is Roger Federer. But does he really post there, or - like secretaries who reply to letters on behalf of the star - does someone else do it under his name?
"I mean, obviously I have a person who helps me doing it, because I can't go all the time on it. But I try to update it, you know, as frequently as I can. It's a fun thing, really, you know, that's been a lot of pleasure lately. Yeah, it's amazing how the fan base grows quickly, you know. So many fantastic fans, not only on Facebook. I think we're close to two million fans over there, and 250,000 fans on my own website. So it's been nice, and I like to interact. They mean a lot to me, you know, that they support me so much - maybe not only by Internet, but also the stadium, I can feel that. It's a way to thank them."

**********

WTA SCHEDULED TO PLAY

Player Scheduled to play
1. Dinara Safina Portoroz
2. Serena Williams Stanford
3. Venus Williams Stanford
4. Elena Dementieva Stanford
5. Svetlana Kuznetsova
6. Jelena Jankovic Stanford
7. Vera Zvonareva Istanbul
8. Victoria Azarenka
9. Caroline Wozniacki Bastad
10. Nadia Petrova Stanford
11. Marion Bartoli Stanford
12. Ana Ivanovic
13. Dominika Cibulkova Bastad, Prague, Stanford
14. Agnieszka Radwanska Stanford
15. Flavia Pennetta Bastad, Palermo
16. Zheng Jie
17. Amélie Mauresmo
18. Li Na Stanford
19. Samantha Stosur Stanford
20. Anabel Medina Garrigues Bastad, Portoroz, Istanbul

*********

COVERS

**********

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."

**********

SIGHTINGS

Send your player sightings to: cort@tennisnews.com

**********

APPEARING SOON

**********

MONEY MOUNTAIN

2009 Prize Money Earnings

MEN (June 15)

1 Nadal, Rafael

$4,248,648

2 Federer, Roger

3,478,676

3 Murray, Andy

2,112,886

4 Djokovic, Novak

1,931,918

5 Roddick, Andy

1,230,452

6 Del Potro, Juan Martin

1,180,233

7 Soderling, Robin

995,568

8 Verdasco, Fernando

862,744

9 Gonzalez, Fernando

858,501

10 Robredo, Tommy

786,573

WOMEN (June 22)

1
Safina, Dinara
$2,837,020

2
Kuznetsova, Svetlana
$2,245,150

3
Williams, Serena
$2,243,841

4
Azarenka, Victoria
$1,563,697

5
Zvonareva, Vera
$1,189,148

6
Wozniacki, Caroline
$965,984

7
Williams, Venus
$902,181

8
Dementieva, Elena
$709,235

9
Stosur, Samantha
$632,357

10
Ivanovic, Ana
$571,312

**********

HE SAID... SHE SAID...

"I'm writing my script. You'll be excited to know I wrote three parts already. I call it 'my treatment,' so I'm working on my treatment now. It's definitely for TV. I don't know how good I would be at writing a movie. But I just love to write. Hopefully it will be good. It's a mixture between some of my favorite shows, like Desperate Housewives, and Sex and the City, and actually Family Guy (an animated TV show). It's kind of those put together in one, if you can imagine." - Serena Williams speaking about her off court activities..

**********

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

June

MaliVai Washington
20
1969

Betty Stove
24
1945

Mikhail Youzhny
25
1982

Svetlana Kuznetsova
26
1985

July

Pam Shriver
4
1962

Henri Leconte
4
1963

Ai Sugiyama
5
1975

Amelie Mauresmo
5
1979

Jie Zheng
5
1983

Max Mirnyi
6
1977

Todd Martin
8
1970

Virginia Wade
10
1945

Margaret Court
16
1942

Mikael Pernfors
16
1963

**********

Bob Larson - Publisher
Cort Larson - Editor
Bob Larson's Tennis Celebs is published weekly.
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Bob Larson Tennis
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Daily Tennis News: June 25th

by mltennis 25. June 2009 05:06

Thursday, June 25, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

WTA Tour is Financially Sound Now But Aware of Possible Future Problems

Outgoing WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott is leaving an organization that is financially strong now, but with most companies suffering a downturn the Tour is sitting on a time bomb as funding could be withdrawn at any time. But Scott believes that tennis can handle the recession better than most because of its global nature.
"No doubt this economic crisis we're going through is having major impacts on global sport. Tennis is certainly not immune," he said. "Tennis is in the fortunate position, however, of being global on the one hand, and secondly being very diversified now in terms of our revenue streams. The globality is important, because we're not a sport completely dependent on the U.S. financial sector or U.S. auto sector for sponsors. The diversity of revenue is a very important point in that, while six years ago sponsorship, title sponsorship, was a make-or-break issue for the WTA, it isn't today.
"But no one has their head in the sand. Everyone is realistic that these are tough times. I'll essentially be inheriting some of those issues when I go to the PAC-10 as well. No one is immune to it, but I feel very confident that the base for women's tennis is very strong because of the multiple major revenue streams we have and the fact that our revenues aren't just coming from one country or region."
There are tournaments that are suffering financially and they have asked the Tour for assistance, but Scott is putting a brave face on.
"So far what we've seen has been heartening. When I visited tournaments and I've seen their results, we haven't had tournaments that have had to go without title sponsors. Attendance number have held up well. I mean, everyone's business is off. I won't sit here and suggest that tennis is immune or that our tournaments are immune in any way. But I think if I look back on the first six months of 2009, our tournaments are genuinely pleased with how tennis has held up, how their fans have held up, how their sponsors have held up.
"I think the big question is what's going to happen in the next six months. Are we seeing light at the end of the tunnel? Are companies going to become more optimistic and bullish about the future and start opening up investment again, or is it going to be tough to renew deals?
We are taking this very seriously. We have commissioned a big accounting firm, Deloitte Touche, to do a study we commissioned a few months ago. They are looking at the books of all of our tournaments. We are monitoring it very carefully. Our board is going to be looking at some numbers here at Wimbledon, then at our meetings at the US Open. We are paying careful attention so we stay out in front of any possible issues. But knock wood, so far we aren't seeing major impacts."
***
Great Britain Getting Concerned About Lack of Top British Tennis Stars

Britain’s continued inability to produce a top flight tennis player apart from Wimbledon third seed Andy Murray threatens to have serious financial consequences for the Lawn Tennis Association as the national government’s Sports Minister, Gerry Sutcliffe insists he is “tired of excuses.”
Sutcliffe of course is not alone in being exasperated at the lack of return for the huge government investment into tennis that resulted in nine of the 11 British singles players meeting their demise in Wimbledon’s opening round.
"If the results don't come, reducing the money is something that has to be looked at," announced an unhappy Sutcliffe. “Two players out of 11 into the second round at Wimbledon is not acceptable.
"Tennis gets £25m from Wimbledon, £30m from AEGON (as part of a five-year sponsorship deal) and £27m from Sport England, public money that goes into grassroots.
“I'm getting tired of the excuses, we need to find a way now to be successful. In UK Sport's world-class performance, no compromise approach, if people don't perform, they don't get the money."
Sutcliffe was clearly drawing comparisons with sports like track cycling which gave Britain a pile of Olympic medals in Beijing last August. “If you look at the Olympics last year, look what UK Sport are doing - we put funding in and we have world-class performances,” he continued.
“Why is it that we can't have the tennis players like they have in Spain and Russia? They have people coming through all the time."
The LTA were understandably on the defensive after such a disappointing show from their players and Paul Annacone, Head of Men’s Tennis, intimated the charitable gifts of eight successive wild cards to Alex Bogdanovic will cease in 2010.
Bogdanovic has profited by more than £100,000 from the wild cards but has never won a singles match in the main draw. “He knows the clock's ticking fast and, for Wimbledon, maybe has stopped for him,” said Annacone.
Nevertheless the American who once coached Pete Sampras to Grand Slam triumphs remains mystified why Bogdanovic, whose ranking once peaked at 105 but now stands at 191, cannot make the most of his talents.
Former Wimbledon semi-finalist Roger Taylor once likened Bogdanovic’s backhand to that of Rod Laver and Brad Gilbert was hugely enthusiastic about the left-hander’s potential during the six months they spent working together before the former coach of Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick left the LTA last year.
Annacone described Bogdanovic as "one of the most puzzling guys I've been around" and also revealed the LTA may stop funding the Londoner if he does not make progress during the second half of the year.
But he said: “"If you got any of the tennis experts around the world to go and watch Alex hit a ball for an hour, they would agree there are very few people better than him. So that begs the question, what's the problem? I wish there was a magic pill that he could take or we could give him to address that problem.
"Physically he has no problems striking a tennis ball, it's the combination of physical training and the mental training that has let him down. This is the first time in my three years I have seen him do all his physical and mental work."
***
Britain Beefs Up Study of Corruption in Sport

Just as another suspicious case of internet betting patterns broke at Wimbledon, Rick Parry, formerly chief executive of one of England’s most successful and prestigious football clubs, has been appointed by the British government to head an enquiry into corruption in sport.
The first round match between 30^th seed Jurgen Melzer of Austria and the 109^th ranked South African Wayne Odesnik has prompted an unusual amount of betting activity. Normally no more than £10,000 would be wagered on a match between two such low profile contestants but £650,000 was placed before play and another £400,000 once the match was underway.
Betfair, the company that alerted authorities to the much debated Nikolay Davydenko v Martin Arguello Vassallo in Sopot nearly two years ago, suspended all business on the match and were rapidly followed by other online bookmakers Ladbrokes and Paddy Power. A report was immediately made to the Tennis Integrity Unit.
Parry will head a 12 man committee to make the report within six months into how all sports, not just tennis, can foil the match fixers.
Tennis has proved prone to accusations of match-fixing, particularly as the sport spreads east into new markets, such as Russia, China and India, known to be vulnerable to corruption. The authorities have what they call a “watch list” of between six and 12 players - including Russians, Argentineans, Italians and Spaniards - who would be under scrutiny because of past involvement in matches where suspicious betting occurred.
However the Tennis Integrity Unit, set up last year under the direction of all of the sport’s governing bodies, has so far failed to find anyone guilty of corruption.
***
Williams Reveals a New Side of Her

Serena Williams has never been content ‘only’ to play tennis, win majors and be number one in the world. There’s been fashion, acting - now there’s script writing.
"I'm writing my script. You'll be excited to know I wrote three parts already," she said after her second round win at Wimbledon. "I call it 'my treatment,' so I'm working on my treatment now. It's definitely for TV. I don't know how good I would be at writing a movie. But I just love to write. Hopefully it will be good. It's a mixture between some of my favorite shows, like Desperate Housewives, and Sex and the City, and actually Family Guy (an animated TV show). It's kind of those put together in one, if you can imagine.
"I have my agent with William Morris Agency. This is a real blessing. What I was told to do is just kind of write down my ideas. See, I've always been a writer, like a storyteller writer, not exactly a script writer. That's what I was told to do, just write my story, you know, just the first episode, just to get them the idea. And then I would turn it in and someone will put it into treatment format. So that way they'll put it into a script, but it would be my writing."
***
Federer Eager to Test Wimbledon’s New Roof

Roger Federer has had his fair share of having to endure rain breaks at Wimbledon (the 2008 final, anyone?), but he says it’s just part of what makes Wimbledon what it is. Or was, because now there’s ‘The Roof’, and he’s looking forward to playing under it.
"There will always be a right time for those kind of things, you know. But I guess it would be nice to start off a match, you know, right away under the roof instead of going off and coming back on. But that belongs to Wimbledon. You know, I've done it so many times. I don't get bothered by it. But I'm definitely looking forward to my first time under the roof. I don't know if it's gonna be this year. But I'll stick around and get an opportunity. We'll see."
***
Federer Addresses Fixed Tennis Matches

Roger Federer has revealed that there are more suspected instances of fixed matches than reach the media. As president of the Player Council he is, of course, fully aware of any such instances, and he admits it is difficult to control.
"We don't talk about it in the locker room, but it's happened more frequently than we talk about it," he said. "You know, if it's happening or not, we are suspecting. We're not sure. But, of course, it has no place, you know, in tennis, those kind of things.
"But it's hard to control. I'm sure the ATP and the ITF, we're trying our best, you know, to catch those guys - if there are any out there. I think we should have, you know, massive bans on those who get caught so they get really scared of doing it. We talk about it in the Player Council, Player Board.
Those are things definitely we're trying to fight, you know. We have a good setup, so we can't avoid that there are some funny results sometimes here and there. You know, that doesn't mean it's really happening. I've never been approached. I never knew it existed until a few years ago when all of a sudden I heard about it. So I've been shocked, you know, to hear it. Well, we always hope, you know, that the players also want the best for the sport. That's, at the end of the day, what it comes down to."
***
Sharapova is Philosophical About Her Tennis Life

It’s taking time and that’s the way it’s going to be, and Maria Sharapova is ready to take her latest setback in her stride. Her second round capitulation to Gisela Dulko was a clear indication that after shoulder surgery the former champion is still struggling to recover the form that once made her a leading favorite at any tournament she played.
"I’ll just move forward," she said. "You know, this is not an overnight process. It's gonna take time, as much time as it needs, as much time as I need on the court, you know, to get everything together. As much time as it needs, I'm ready for it. You know, I had so many easy balls, and I just made unforced errors from those. I don't really know if that's because I haven't played. You know, when I've had those situations before those balls would be pieces of cake, and today they weren't. But it's okay."
So how close does she feel she is to getting back to where she was?
"I don't know. I don't really know. I mean, I'd honestly tell you if I knew. It's just one of those questions where I don't really have an answer. You think of those injuries as basically preventing you from playing your sport, but if you look at the bigger picture there are many things that can happen that can limit you to doing things in life or even having a life.
"So at the end of the day, if you put things into perspective, when you get injured, yes, my career is a huge part of my life, and that's what I do on a daily basis. So is it frustrating when that goes away for a while? Absolutely. But if you have a good head on your shoulders, you also know that there's a life to live. And if you stay positive, everything's gonna be all right, no matter what -- no matter how bad the injury is. You know, the losses are tough. More here than at any other tournament. But, you know, it puts some perspective into your life. It's all right. You know, I have many more years ahead of me."
***
Federer Joins the Throngs on Facebook

There are all kinds of people on Facebook, some of them very famous. One is them is Roger Federer. But does he really post there, or - like secretaries who reply to letters on behalf of the star - does someone else do it under his name?
"I mean, obviously I have a person who helps me doing it, because I can't go all the time on it. But I try to update it, you know, as frequently as I can. It's a fun thing, really, you know, that's been a lot of pleasure lately. Yeah, it's amazing how the fan base grows quickly, you know. So many fantastic fans, not only on Facebook. I think we're close to two million fans over there, and 250,000 fans on my own website. So it's been nice, and I like to interact. They mean a lot to me, you know, that they support me so much - maybe not only by Internet, but also the stadium, I can feel that. It's a way to thank them."
***
Being at Roland Garros Brought Back Many Memories to Graf

Return to Roland Garros brought back nice memories to Steffi Graf. Her romance with Andre Agassi started on Paris clay ten years ago.
“I will never forget it”, said the German who retired two months later. “Andre and I were on a thousand tournaments at the same time, but had never spoken. That happened for the first time that spring in Miami when we shared the court in practice. The same happened in Roland Garros and everything started there.”
Her career was finished unexpectedly quickly.
“I felt so tired from so much travel. I already knew that one day, when my career is finished, I would like to live relaxed life and be an ordinary mother. My biggest trophy nowadays is to watch (my son) Jaden Gil playing baseball with his father at the weekends. I have never been at a tournament since I finished my career until now.”
Steffi was in Paris to hand a trophy to the women’s champion.
“I felt very sorry for Dinara Safina, because she suffered so much during whole final. I have been in similar situation very often. No one can escape pressure. I tried to think about things that were pleasant, like being on vacations on the beach. Sometimes that worked, sometimes no.”
***
Historic Florida Tennis Venue is Closed

Miami’s historic Flamingo Park is closed with a chain and padlock preventing people from entering to play tennis on the courts that hosted the Orange Bowl, Sunshine Cup and Continental Players Cup in the 1940s all the way to the 1990s.
No notice is posted whether it will reopen in the future.

***
Federer’s Wife Skipped his Wednesday Match

Mum-to-be Mirka Vavrinec was a no-show for husband Roger Federer's second-round Wimbledon win, with the second seed damping down speculation that her due date is approaching. Observers noted that the former player was missing from the Federer box, a relatively rare occurrence.
"She's just not feeling, 100 percent," said Federer, who has steadfastly refused to say when the summer baby is due. "She only felt 95 percent so we decided it's better if she takes it easy instead of sitting in the sun maybe, feeling worse the next day.
"It's important for her to rest. She's already feeling better, which is good."
Federer said later his wife spent the day at their accommodations with a girlfriend. But he knocked back more guesses on when his child will be born.
"You can speculate as much as you want," he told one persistent Italian questioner.
***

We Hear---
--that total value of all professional tour sponsorships amounts to $581 million this year.
***
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Daily Tennis News: June 24th

by mltennis 24. June 2009 06:25

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

‘Racket Up, America!’ Offers Chance to Win $1 Million

A unique promotion by the tennis industry will be launched next month designed to create awareness of tennis while helping to stimulate retail sales. The prize is a trip to the 2010 US Open plus a chance to win $1 million.
The promotion, called “Racket Up, America!,” is open to anyone who buys a new tennis racket—of any brand, and at any US retailer—from July 15 through Sept. 30, 2009. Consumers register their racket purchase at playtennis.com/million—and they’re immediately entered to win.
The winner will have one serve to win $1 million in New York’s Madison Square Garden on March 1, at the BNP Paribas Showdown during Tennis Night in America, plus a trip to the 2010 US Open finals. 20 runner up prizes of tennis equipment valued at $500 each will also be awarded.
***
All England Club Unhappy With Construction Workmanship of Millennium Building

If the construction of the much heralded £100 million new Centre Court roof of the newly opened this year No.3 Court is any to go by, construction projects always run smoothly and perfectly on schedule at the All England Club. However all is not well with the Millennium Building completed nine years ago and a £4.6 million High Court writ has been filed.
The All England Club is suing architects Building Design Partnership (BDP) and sub contractors FB Ellmer for ‘defective design and poor workmanship’ throughout the structure that houses facilities for players, club members and officials as well as the International Media Centre.
As part of the action, legal and consultancy costs are believed to come to a figure close to $600,000. However the architects claimed Ellmer failed to select appropriate materials and install weather seals.
Defects have been detailed in 45 page writ. They include: three-quarters of the windows in the building having condensation or internal misting, ‘warped and twisted’ untreated timber, distorted handrails, daylight visible through timber joints, rain penetrating though doors and windows that have bowed. In addition there are complaints about a general scruffy nature of the building’s appearance after only nine years.
Gallifordf Try, who apart from the being the main contractors of the Millennium Building also constructed the roof, is not named in the action. In addition they have been appointed to renovate the Millennium Building and have tendered a £4 million estimate.
BDP is preparing to contest the claim and has filed a response calling it ‘an abuse of process’, maintaining the All England Club failed to address the defects in a proper fashion. They also insist that any reward of damages is reduced to reflect the delay in investigating the defects to a building completed nearly a decade ago.
In March 2004 BDP agreed to pay £56,000 for repairs and therefore insist the All England Club should have known then about potential for further claims.
***
Murray Unhappy With British Tennis Development

Andy Murray, a consistent critic of the strength of depth in British tennis, has issued a blunt warning of ‘things must get better’ after he was only one of two home survivors of out 11 hopefuls that started the first round of singles.
Serial first round loser Alex Bogdanovic, who has now collected more than £100,000 over eight years of collecting wild cards into the singles, doubles and mixed doubles events, made his usual exit along with women’s no.1 Anne Keothavong, Katie O’Brien, Mel South, Georgie Stoop, Josh Goodall, Daniel Evans, James Ward and reigning junior champion Laura Robson.
Apart from Murray, the only survivor was 106^th ranked woman Elena Baltacha. Had she lost it would have been collectively the worst performance by British players in the Wimbledon Open era.
The men’s third seed whose commitment to future British Davis Cup campaigns after missing two of the last three ties, said. “It's not acceptable. It's disappointing and the depth needs to get way better.”
Three years ago new LTA chief executive Roger Draper insisted there would be an upturn in British tennis fortunes but apart from the sensational rise of Murray, this has not been the case in the men’s game.
At the time of going to press Draper was deep in discussion with his coaching executives Steve Martens and Paul Annacone who are both paid high salaries with a brief to raise the standard of British tennis.
But Bogdanovic, once expelled from the LTA for a lack of effort, does not seem too worried by yet another failure after losing in straight sets to 20^th seed Tomas Berdych.
When asked how he felt about having the worst record in the men’s singles draw 25 year-old Bogdanovic said: “I'm not really concerned. I go out there every year trying to win my match and do my best. It doesn't matter if I lose eight times or ten times.”
Bogdanovic did not manage to win a solitary break point against Berdych but said: “Every year I'm making progress. I'm getting better and stronger. This is giving me confidence just to keep working hard and keep believing that I can get myself back in the top 100 where I believe I deserve to be.”
***
Safin’s Final Curtain is Approaching

It’s over for Marat Safin. No more Wimbledon, but that’s something he isn’t going to be too concerned about. His final match, a first round defeat on a surface he strongly dislikes, provided an opportunity to review his career.
"Well, many things happened in my career. A lot of things," he said. "The life was pretty intense, so I can't complain. A lot of things were happening like day to day. A lot of changes, a lot of difficult situations, a lot of fun situations. But I think I've managed to do pretty well in my career, the way the level is going, and I made some right decisions.
"Unfortunately, I was a little bit unlucky with my injuries. That's the only thing that I regret, but I cannot do anything about it. But also I make a couple of great comebacks. But eventually just the knee injury was really tough to come back from. Didn't manage.
“Managed only to get into top 20. Well, last couple of weeks. That's it. But it took quite a long time to play tennis without any pain.... it made me a little bit slower than I used to be before. And, of course, it's tough to play against the big guys. Of course it's tough to play against any guys, compete against them, because everybody is running, everybody is fast, everybody is shooting left and right, and you have to be hundred percent. When you're injured with the knees, something with the legs, it's not easy to recover."
There is one outstanding aspect of his career that he is proud of. "I managed to get ... in a semifinal in all four Grand Slams, I think there's not so many of us. Nalbandian, me. I think Hewitt didn't even make it. Roddick. So it makes it special. But thanks to Wimbledon I have this achievement."
***
Bollettieri Has Suggestion for Handling Grunting

Nick Bollettieri, whose academy has produced some of the loudest women players in the game, has called for mid-match sanctions against noted noisemakers at Wimbledon.
While disassociating himself of his methods from the decibel arms race which has reached new highs in the women's game with the arrival of 109 db Portuguese teenager Michelle Larcher de Brito - a level slightly lower than a jet taking off - the 77-year-old trainer has put forth his dramatic solution to the problem.
"A series of graduating penalties - loss of point, loss of game, loss of match - could, and should, be employed," he wrote in Britain's Independent.
Bollettieri has trained several generations of number one players, with Monica Seles, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams, all noted for grunting.
The American coach said however, that Larcher de Brito had elevated the issue "from a whisper to a roar".
Bollettieri suggests that perhaps sound-measuring gear can be employed in the future to keep the noise down. The whole issue is currently being given quiet consideration by tennis authorities.
***
Jankovic to Begin Working with Chip Hooper

Chip Hooper, former No17 from USA, got the task to improve grass court abilities of Jelena Jankovic, the World champion for 2008.
“He was with me in Eastbourne, he is with me here too”, explained Jelena.” He is helping me with serve, volley and slice. I need that kind of help very much and that is the reason for Hooper’s coming to Eastbourne.”
But unlike in Eastbourne, where Jelena’s regular coach Ricardo Sanchez was not spotted, he is in Wimbledon. Jankovic said in Madrid, a month ago, that major change in her coaching staff is imminent, then added that something must be done after French Open, but so far nothing happened.
“I need time to see how my work with Hooper will go. I cannot say anything about my coaches, since I don’t make decisions by myself. Hooper is here to help me, since I have enough room for progress. Though I was first in the world, there are details in my game that could be improved,” underlined current No. 6.
***
Ivanovic Says She is on Fire

Ana Ivanovic is on the fire again. She saved two match points against Hradecka, 57, 62, 86, in her Wimbledon opening round woke up her desire for success.
“This is a win that can bring me back on the way to the top,” said Ivanovic who was top seed on last year Wimbledon, only to be relegated to number 13 now. “Not only because I won, but because of the way I won. I have a feeling that I found the fire in my stomach that was missing for months.”
Two interesting points according to her official web site – Ana and Serena Williams are the only top 30 players that never lost opening round of Grand Slam and this is the third Wimbledon tournament in row that she won after being down match point.
***
Becker Plans to Move to Wimbledon

Three-time champion Boris Becker is planning to quit his base in Switzerland and has his eye on a $9 million dollar, seven-bedroom house within a lob of Wimbledon's centre court.
London media report that the BBC commentator for the Championships has been renting the new mansion for $22,800 per month and waiting for the price to drop.
The property is set within an acre of green. The price when completed last December was $9.7 million, but Becker is expecting further price decreases in the current economic climate.
"Wimbledon will become my new home. My property is right next to the car park and I can see the indoor practice hall from my garden. I'm also 100 steps from Centre Court. Ideal," he told the Daily Mail.
The potential move will be a British homecoming for the 41-year-old tournament king from two decades ago, who recently married 32-year old Dutch model Lilly Kerssenberg. Becker will transfer from his low-tax base in Zug, Switzerland.
But as a foreign national, his accountants will be able to lift most of his UK tax burden also. The German said that his move is a sure thing despite not yet purchasing his dream property.
***
Jankovic Thinks She Has Her Tennis Life Figured Out

Jelena Jankovic has, by her own admission, been struggling recently with her motivation. But she says that attitude is usually short-lived.
"I think I'm more enthusiastic," she said after her first round win at Wimbledon. "And I'm more positive, as well. You have to look on the bright side, as well. There is, you know, periods where you're gonna be down and you're gonna be up. Life in general it happens like this. And especially for an athlete, you know, we have our lows and highs, especially when it comes to motivation. And now in this moment I'm just trying to get my energy up on the court and just get, you know, that fighting spirit from the first point. You know, run after those balls and give my best and really give my maximum from the first point, not play with 20% or play halfway what I can. I'm trying to get to that mode. This is the way I play great tennis and, you know, I win a lot of matches."
It is also important to sometimes get away from the game, as she did recently by attending the Cannes Film Festival.
"Yeah, it's nice, sometimes to get your mind off of tennis, you know, think about something else, do other activities. But it's important to have the right balance. You know, you cannot go over the limit doing other things that are not your job, that are not your priority. My priority is, of course, my tennis, and then there are other things that I enjoy, as well, that make me happy. It's important to be happy in life. If you are only tennis, tennis, tennis all day long, after a while you might say, I cannot do this anymore. That's why it's important to do, as well, other things that keep you satisfied. Then when you go on court, you're more happy and you feel more relaxed, as well."
***
Roddick Likes the New Wimbledon Roof

Andy Roddick has played on Centre Court and liked what he saw of the new roof. Or, more accurately, what he didn’t see.
"To be honest, you don't notice it that much," he said. "I hadn't seen it before I walked out. I think they did a good job. It's not this big, imposing thing. I think they did a good job of kind of blending it in with the original surroundings. From court level when we're playing, it still looks like the same old court with the big scoreboards on the sides. Not much has changed from a player's perspective. I'm sure it will be different once it's closed. Yeah, it was fine."
***
Serena Doesn’t Know the Wimbledon Eating Rules

Serena Williams is not amused. She has upset “Those In Charge” at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club by eating where she shouldn’t be eating. So she had a grumble about it on her website.
"I am well considering the new rule for the locker room," she wrote. "I am an athlete as you all know. So, my diet is very important & clearly during a tournament. Before a match, I eat in the locker room. This is a part of my routine. However, yesterday I was informed that I could no longer eat in the locker room. Wow, really I thought to myself as I continued eating & of course the lady reminded me of the new rule.
Again, I was in shock. I am a member of the All England Club. As I am looking around the locker room a bit upset I must admit, I notice someone placing bananas & health bars into a basket for the other players & myself. Now, if I am not mistaking fruit & health bars are considered food. I mean like, really you eat those "food" items. Why have food in a room if we aren't allowed to eat in the locker room. This rule is unfair and new. There was no warning that this new rule would be implemented. I do not agree with this rule. Like, do they really expect me or any other player to actually walk outside all the way to the player's lounge. That is time not spent well & I value my time, especially the day of a match. Plus, I totally dislike rules that do NOT make sense."
Actually, according to a Club spokesman, the rule is not new as Serena thinks, but one that has been in place for nearly 10 years in order to keep the place clean and tidy instead of littered with pizza boxes and fish and chip wrappers. The proper place to eat is, surprise, the Player Restaurant, but it appears to be a place that Serena rarely ventures. Which might explain why, as she admitted after her first round match, she doesn’t know who most of the players are.
***
Dokic Analyzed Her 2009 Since Australian Open

She lost because she thinks she has some kind of virus that has made her feel dizzy for a few days, but that doesn’t disguise the fact that Jelena Dokic is struggling to follow-up her stunning run to the Australian Open quarterfinals in January. Things have gone far from smoothly since then, and she is still bitterly disappointed at having to pull out of her match at Roland Garros after she had led Elena Dementieva by a set and a break. Apart from that injury problem, which also kept her out of Eastbourne last week, she knows where her problem lays. With herself.
"I think I made a major mistake with my schedule after the Australian Open," she admitted after losing to Tatjana Malek. "I think I just played the wrong tournaments. I didn't play enough of them. Sometimes you're worried about not playing too much. But there are players that are, you know, in the top 10 already (who) played 30, 40 matches this year, and I haven't played even close to that. Or even more, 50 matches.
"So I think I made a huge mistake with my schedule. Coming into Roland Garros I only played four events, and I think that's nowhere near enough. Going to Australia to play on a grass court in the middle of April for Fed Cup I think hurt me a lot and I couldn't play so many clay court events. Couldn't get into the next two following the Fed Cup and couldn't play the week of the Fed Cup, so I think that really hurt me.
"Yeah, I guess I really need to go back and figure stuff out now, you know, maybe try to play some more doubles and just try to get some more matches and get some consistency. I think I've lost that a little bit since the Australian Open, and I think not playing enough matches doesn't help. So, yeah, hopefully I can just kind of turn it around now before the US Open."
After all the controversy there has been in the past she is anxious that her comments about playing Fed Cup should not be construed as meaning she doesn’t want to play for Australia.
"I love to play for Australia. I made myself available for Fed Cup, since I've played for Australia. Yeah, I mean, maybe sometimes you need to focus on yourself. So, I don't know. Didn't help, obviously, but what's done is done. There's no blames. I mean, I don't blame anyone. I don't make excuses. You know, it's my fault if I lose or win. I don't make any excuses. But, yeah, it hasn't been easy since then."
Jelena Dokic is struggling a bit these days, but she’s enjoying the game more than when she was ranked four in the world.
"I don't think I enjoyed it when I was younger," she said. "It was a completely different kind of pressure when I was younger. Obviously had other stuff going on off the court so I couldn't enjoy it as much. I played the quarterfinal, semifinal here two years back to back. I don't think I even knew how big that was. I don't think I knew how to enjoy it.
"You know, the Australian Open, when I did well this year, it was a completely different kind of experience. And now, you know, it's not easy to lose a match like today, but I will be disappointed a little bit. But, you know, I still enjoy tennis. You cannot play well every day. That's the whole point of this sport. And you get a chance every week. Every week is a new opportunity to do well. And, you know, if I'm able to come back and be in the top 30 or top 20 or top 10, great. You know, if not, I will know that I've tried. I can't change what has happened and what will happen, but I will try my best, you know, until the rest of my career and see how well I can do."
There were stories recently that Jelena Dokic had returned to Serbia to visit her father in jail, even though she was practicing for hours on end at the time. So here’s the bottom line, once and for all.
"Once again, I've said it a million times: I have absolutely nothing at all to do with him. So I don't see why people would think that I would reunite with my dad when every single question I answer is about me not doing that. There were reports I was there during Eastbourne, and I was practicing three times a day at Eastbourne in front of players and people. I don't understand where all these articles come from. But it's okay.
"Now and forever, there is nothing, no way that I would ever reunite with him or ever have a relationship with him, so... This is the last sentence ever you guys will hear from me, and that's the way it is."
***

We Hear---
-- that three times former Wimbledon champion John McEnroe is furious he does not have access to the player locker room this year. He needs a competitor’s badge for access and doesn’t’ t have one because he is not able to play in the men’s over 45’s doubles due to the demands of television commentary work.
***
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***
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
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Daily Tennis News: June 23rd

by mltennis 23. June 2009 06:47

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

LTA Suffering Through Internal Security Leaks

Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association, whose recent turnover of staff would make one of Wall Street’s financial houses more than a little envious, is considering calling in London’s Metropolitan Police to begin an investigation after a number of embarrassing security leaks.
The root of the problem appears to be a series of anonymous emails that have been sent to media sources which accurately detail high level information including alleged large financial bonuses paid to executive staff when a supposed pay freeze was in place at the LTA’s National Training Centre at Roehampton.
Currently LTA president Derek Howarth and Communications and Marketing Director Bruce Philipps are debating whether to make the issue a police matter. The biggest point of discussion is whether they consider the information was stolen from the offices at Roehampton or obtained by a computer hacker.
Most high level departures from the LTA have a clause written into their contract guaranteeing a ‘leaving fee’ on the understanding that at no time will they divulge reasons for leaving or any view of the leadership team that remains. Such departing members are thought to include Brad Gilbert, former USTA Head of Coaching Bill Mountford, Head of Finance Paul Clipson and Coaching Education expert Gary Stewart.
Another is Carl Maes who left his role of Head of Women’s Tennis at the LTA several months ago for ‘family and domestic reasons’ in his homeland of Belgium. Maes has subsequently returned to travelling as coach to Belgian player Kirsten Flipkens and has also resumed international media work that has seen him make several visits back to Britain.
***
Grunting Continues at Wimbledon, Although a Slight Bit Softer

As the world’s media converged on an outside court on Day One of Wimbledon armed with an array of decibel monitoring machines or ‘gruntometers’, Michelle Larcher de Brito was noticeably quieter in her opening match after last month’s outcry at the French Open.
But the 16 year-old Portuguese girl who is the latest of Nick Bollettieri’s pupils to cause much debate but the noise she creates on court, is adamant that if the stress levels raise so may the volume and she is not frightened about the consequences.
Grunting is on the agenda of the Grand Slam Committee that meets at the All England Club next week and although no rule change can be enforced immediately, there is a distinct feeling in many departments of world tennis who feel fines should be imposed for the serial grunters.
“Nobody can tell me to stop grunting,” insisted Larcher de Brito after her opening win against Czech qualifier Klara Zakopalova. “Tennis is an individual sport, and I'm an individual player. If they have to fine me, go ahead, because I'd rather get fined than lose a match because I had to stop grunting.
“If the matches are going to be tougher obviously I'm going to start grunting. I'm just here for myself. I'm not here really to be quiet for anybody. I'm here to play. I'm here to win. That's it. If people don't like my grunting, they can always leave.”
She also feels she has been treated unfairly since Martina Navratilova spotlighted the issue during a speech at the International Tennis Federation’s World Champion’s Dinner during the French Open. “I think it's a bit unfair because I don't think anybody's looked at the bigger picture,” added Larcher de Brito.
***
Nadal’s Doctor Predicts Full Recovery by US Open

Ángel Ruiz Cotorro, doctor of Rafael Nadal, has not the slightest doubt that world number one will be 100 percent for the US Open.
“Rafa had tendonitis in knees for some time, the situation is a bit better now, but that was not enough for Wimbledon. With rest and recovery, he will be ready in three to four weeks for tournaments.”
Nadal finished grass court season without playing a single shot on official tournaments, unlike last year when he was unbeaten and won Queens and Wimbledon.
“A fortnight of big efforts would be too much for him”, explained Cotorro. “Grass is very demanding surface and he is aware that this was the best for him.” The Spanish doctor added that he wished Rafa had gone on holiday earlier.
“The same move, but few weeks before, would be the best thing for him. But big clay court tournaments are crammed at that time of year. He hadn’t time to rest. But when he steps on the court next time, he will be like new.”
Nadal should be ready for Masters 1000 events in Montreal and Cincinnati, which gives him enough time to be 100 percent for Flushing Meadows.
***
Guess What Robson Thought About Before Taking Court 2 at Wimbledon?

Laura Robson was about to play the biggest match of her life, to make her Wimbledon main draw debut and to become the first to play on Wimbledon’s newest showcourt against the former world number five Daniela Hantuchova. So, what was going through her mind just before the match? Tactics, the enormity of the occasion, how the crowd would react, how different it would be from her last match at the All England Club when she won the junior title? No, none of the above.
"I was kind of thinking about what the towels were going to look like this year. They're really nice," she said. "But before I went on I was completely fine. I wasn't nervous at all. I was just doing my warm-up and everything, feeling pretty good."
And her verdict on Court 2, on the site of the old Court 13?
"It was really nice. I was like the first one that got to play on it. It was pretty good. It's quite deep. When you see it from just outside it just looks like a normal stadium, but it really goes quite deep. But it's really, really nice, yeah, and the court was really good. Because last year, by the time I played matches it was second week, so the courts aren't as good."
***
Dokic Has Two Coaches Helping Her at Wimbledon

Jelena Dokic has an some extra help in her corner as the 2000 semi-finalist plays at Wimbledon for the first time in five years. Helping her own coach will be Aussie Roger Rasheed, whose regular client, Frenchman Gael Monfils, is out with a wrist injury.
"It's been good to have other help and opinions and it's been great to have him on court," Dokic told Australian media.
The 26-year-old will test the back injury which caused a tearful exit at the French Open after winning a set against Elena Dementieva.
Dokic has spent the last weeks rehabbing the back which let her down in the Roland Garros second round. She last played Wimbledon in 2004, losing in the first round.
Her first goal: get past German qualifier Tatjana Malek. "The first match is the key and if I can win the first match, already it's a success.
She is hoping to win a match in her third consecutive major after making a return to the upper levels of the sport at with an Australian Open quarter-final in January. "It's been pretty good after a five-year absence," she said.
***
Hantuchova Comments on Playing the Young Robson

Daniela Hantuchova was in an awkward position, facing crowd favorite Laura Robson. But she enjoyed the experience, and liked what she saw. Herself, in fact.
"Obviously she's got talent," said Hantuchova after her three-set victory. "I mean, she seems like a very nice girl. You know, it's important now that she has the right people around her. You know, it's still a long way for her to go, but definitely she's got a potential. And it's important she just keeps working, you know, on the right things and goes the right direction.
"Actually, she reminded me a lot of myself (at 15). You know, she's got a great feel in the hands. She's not afraid to do whatever she feels like on the court. Obviously, now it's much easier for her because she has nothing to lose and she can just swing at the ball. So I was thinking, gosh, that felt so good when I was at her age. Yeah, at some points of the match, I was like, Oh, I think I'm playing myself. So, yeah, it was nice to see."

***
A Philosophical James Blake Looks at the Major Experience

James Blake reached the final at Queen’s and expected to do better than lose in the first round at Wimbledon. But he did. He could be excused if he felt sorry for himself, but he still managed to appreciate what a privileged position he is in. He’s in a place he never expected to be and where countless others wish they were.
"Yeah, because it's something where if you don't know what it feels like, you're always just kind of dreaming. But you just don't - you're never even close. If you never had the talent, you know, you accept it pretty quickly. I was actually pretty accepting of that when I was about 14 or 15 years old. Probably still under five feet. I was pretty accepting I was never going to be a pro athlete. I was going to go to college and have a normal 9:00 to 5:00 job most likely.
"Before you know it, I had this opportunity. Then it rushes to your head all the dreams you had when you were nine and ten years old. Before you know it, you're playing on Arthur Ashe Stadium and your dreams are coming true. For me, I wouldn't trade that for anything. I know how lucky I am. I know how many people would do absolutely anything in the world to have a career where they're seeded at Grand Slams, they've won titles, they're doing all the things I'm able to do.
"I know I'm not allowed to complain to my friends, but they know how tough it is when I have these losses. It's just something that we all deal with. I mean, every single one of us, because there's 127 people that are going to go home from this tournament a loser. Every one of us is going to wish they were the one holding up the trophy. Every week that's tough to deal with. (But) It's part of our job. You know, there's a million perks to our job, but there's a few downsides. Losing is definitely one of them."
***
Federer Describes the Excitement of Being First on at Centre Court

He absolutely loves it - being at Wimbledon, a place he can almost call home. Roger Federer did what he always does on the first day, beginning play on Centre Court, although not this time as defending champion.
"It's a very privileged spot, you know, Monday, 1: 00 p.m., so of course I feel honored," he said. "I know that Rafa deserves it obviously more than I do this year. But somebody had to do it, so I'm very happy that they chose me, of course. Yeah, gets your heart beating, that's for sure. Just that first moment walking out, you know, visualizing what's gonna come walking down the corridor. Warming up for the first time here at Wimbledon, it's just sometimes not an easy thing to do. But it's a fun thing. It's what you dream about.
"I think it's already excitement when actually matches start at 12:00 or when the gates open at 10:00, it is, or 10:30. So when the people start coming into the grounds, it's just very special moments, you know. Obviously also the one when the first players walk out on Centre Court. It's just like the atmosphere out on Centre Court, you know, it's so different to Paris, for instance, or so different to what we just went through, the whole clay court season. It's just such a - it's just different, you know. You've got to live through it to really be able to talk about it."
And the roof?
"You know, I've played in different Wimbledon Centre Court stadiums in the past few years now. Ones that didn't have a roof, ones that had the roof. I've been through all of those, but this one felt very much at home again. It felt great. It looks good, too, I think."
***
Sharapova is Pensive About Rejoining the Tour

Maria Sharapova is not the player she once was - not yet. And she still doesn’t know when the real Maria is going to be back.
"Uhm, you know, I think (will) definitely (take) time," she said after her first round win at Wimbledon. "I don't know how long, I don't know how long till everything comes together. You know, you look forward to the daily challenges that come your way. And, uhm, I think everything is gonna take time. It's funny because sometimes I'll be in the middle of the match and I'll find myself thinking, like, the progression of the shoulder, how it's feeling. Obviously that's because I haven't played in so long and because the shoulder has, you know, just been the focus in so many areas on a daily basis for the last couple of years. I think it's also just a matter of forgetting about it and just playing."
***
Remaining Davis Cup Tie Venues Announced

Belgium, Chile, Serbia and South Africa have now submitted their choice of venues for the 2009 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group Play-offs on 18-20 September, and the full list of venues is now confirmed.
Serbia will return to the Belgrade Arena for its tie against Uzbekistan on indoor hard court, while South Africa has chosen Ellis Park in Johannesburg to take on India, also on indoor hard court. Belgium will face Ukraine on an indoor clay court in Charleroi, while Chile will take on Austria on clay outdoors in Rancagua. All chosen venues are subject to a successful site visit by the ITF.
The following is a full list of September’s play-off ties:
Chile v Austria Medialuna Monumental of Rancagua, Rancagua clay (outdoors)
Belgium v Ukraine Spiroudome de Charleroi, Charleroi clay (indoors)
Brazil v Ecuador Ginasio Gigantinho, Porto Alegre clay (indoors)
Netherlands v France MECC, Maastricht clay (indoors)
South Africa v India Ellis Park Indoor Arena, Johannesburg hard (indoors)
Serbia v Uzbekistan Belgrade Arena, Belgrade hard (indoors)
Sweden v Romania Idrottens Hus, Helsingborg hard (indoors)
Italy v Switzerland Centro Sportivo, Genoa clay (outdoors)
***
When You’re in the Draw at Wimbledon You Have a Lot of Friends

It’s that time of year when tennis players find they have dozens of friends - all wanting tickets to Wimbledon! Australia’s Rennae Stubbs, who is at Wimbledon for the 20th straight year (although she didn’t play one year because of injury) knows all about that.
"It's amazing how many friends we players have once Wimbledon pops around. Every day, you'll see the players go to this desk and try and get whatever they can to help out their friends and family who are in town. The best part about the day was getting home to the apartment that I am renting in the Village, as most players do, with my doubles partner and friend, Sam Stosur.
Sam, who is not only a pretty good player, is a really good cook! She spent the day before marinating chicken and tonight we got to eat it. She calls it her chicken surprise! It's actually unbelievable, taught to her by her mum and dad.
She did herself proud, as me, Dave (Taylor) her coach and friends chowed down on chicken marinated in lemon and oil and, well, it's a surprise, so I don't know what else."
***
Djokovic Won But He Lost

Novak Djokovic may have won the first round in Wimbledon, but he lost the heart of John McEnroe.
“He doesn’t play aggressively enough. He doesn’t show enough conviction that he is able to win big tournaments, he is not on the level he showed last year when he won Australian Open. He does not play to win, he plays not to lose. It is visible that he is under pressure,” attacked Big Mac.
Djokovic agreed after win against Benneteau: “Well, this is maybe a little problem that I had lately. I have maybe played too defensive, not just on grass courts, even in the French Open. I think it is a mental thing a little bit. I would agree that I played a little bit defensive and I should move on, because I think I have quite good volley and good server that I can use.”

***
Blake Calls for More Rest for Players on the Tour

James Blake has called for less tennis and more rest after crashing out of Wimbledon. The Queen's finalist of little more than a week ago on grass has his doubts about the wisdom of the current ATP calendar.
"Fewer Masters, possibly," Blake said when asked if cutting the number of required Tour elite events could be a solution. "I know how important those tournaments are to the Tour. But I think we need possibly fewer tournaments and a real off season.
"You look at how all the other sports, the major sports, they get months off, not one month.
"In a sport where you need to be training, there's no real pre-season," said the American team sports fan. "We're at a Slam three weeks into the year (Australian Open), so you can't warm up into a year.
"You don't have 20 or 30 games of pre-season like in baseball."
Blake was speaking in the wake of the injury withdrawal at the weekend of defending champion Rafael Nadal, victim of knee tendinitis which has forced him home to rest for an unspecified period of time.
And he said that the forced march had taken a toll even on a prime physical specimen like the muscular Nadal. "He's only 23, but he's basically been on tour since he was about 16 years old. I'm probably not supposed to say anything about the schedule or about the ATP in that way, but it's just tough for guys.
"There are not really not many ways to mess with the schedule, to take tournaments away - but it would definitely help the players' careers be a little bit longer.
"I've been on the Player Council. I know how difficult those meetings are, how much the tournaments want to hold on to their spots. But for the players' longevity, something should be done."
***

We Hear---
--that Paradorn Srichaphan is visiting Wimbledon with his wife, the former Miss Universe Natalie Glebova, and telling friends he intends to play the Thailand Open in September.
***
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Daily Tennis News: June 22nd

by mltennis 22. June 2009 04:55

Monday, June 22, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

Federer to Play Opening Match at Wimbledon Today

Following the withdrawal of Rafael Nadal, a decision has been made to play the bottom half of the Gentlemen's and Ladies' singles on Monday 22 June. Therefore, the opening match on Centre Court will be Roger Federer v Yen-Hsun Lu.

***
India Appeals Punishment of Australia

India has appealed what they consider to be an insufficient punishment handed out to Australia by the International Tennis Federation after Australia refused to play their Davis Cup tie in Chennai on security grounds last month. The matter will be discussed at a board meeting on July 15. Australia were fined $10,000 and must play their next tie away, regardless of the draw. The fine was less than many expected, and the country could also have been banned from the competition for a year.
"The AITA (All India Tennis Association) has appealed to the ITF board of directors against the decision of the Davis Cup committee imposing just a fine of $10,000," said an Indian tennis official. "A higher penalty should be imposed, otherwise it will give the impression they were correct in not coming to India and that is a concern."
***
Federer Insists he is Disappointed Over Nadal Withdrawal

Although Serena Williams suggested there would be widespread celebration amongst the ranks of men players that Rafael Nadal’s troublesome knees eventually rendered him unable to defend his Wimbledon title, Roger Federer insists his only emotion is disappointment that his great rival has been forced to head home to Majorca.
So there was most certainly no mention of partying or even a little relief from Federer when it came to discussing the absence of his nemesis. “It's unfortunate and I'm sad for Rafa because it must have been a very difficult decision to make” insisted the five times Wimbledon champion in his most diplomatic of tones. “Obviously it’s very disappointing for the tournament and also for myself. I'd love to play him. He's my main rival.
“We've had some wonderful matches over the years, especially the one here last year which is the one that obviously stands out. So it’s sad we cannot potentially repeat. It just shows me how lucky I've been that I haven't been injured over all those years.”
Federer maintains the prospect of finally bettering Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam title is also not paramount in his mind as he sets out on a fortnight that could result in him recapturing the world no.1 spot if he ends up champion.
“Initially the focus is on the first round and the first point but [primarily] I’m trying to regain my Wimbledon crown,” he maintained. “That stands over trying to beat Pete's record right now.
“Once I hopefully come down to the semi finals or final in ten or12 days, then probably that's also going to start creeping into my mind. But right now I’m just looking to win Wimbledon again which would be a dream come true.”
***
Player Accused of Gross Racial Insult

Former Australian Open champion Brydan Klein has apparently talked himself into trouble after being accused on making a racist remark to a black South African opponent during the qualifying rounds of a Wimbledon build up tournament.
Klein was trying to win a place in the main draw of the AEGON International at Eastbourne when he allegedly called Raven Klaasen a "kaffir”; an Afrikaans term commonplace in the long since banished days of apartheid but now illegal in South Africa and regarded as a gross racial insult.
Apparently the chair umpire did not understand the gravity of the incident but Klaasen, who has represented his country at Davis Cup, was clearly mortified by the verbal attack from his 19 year old opponent and after the match informed his coach Stefan de Kock.
The ATP rules say that in the event of this sort of thing happening, the match should be stopped at once," de Kock said. "I spoke to the match supervisor who instead chose to allow the match to go on.
"What about the victim? Who is there to help him? The truth is Klein is still playing in that tournament and he should not even be there."
Post-match protests have already resulted in Klein being suspended from the Australian Institute of Sport Pro Tour pending an investigation. Tennis Australia voiced extreme disappointment at Klein's conduct and would not rule out the possibility of further sanctions. The International Tennis Federation has also announced they will study the matter.
Though only aged 19, Klein has already established some of a notorious reputation. Klein was fined $1527 for audible abuse during his second-round Australian Open loss to Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka in January.
***
What’s the best thing about Wimbledon for Venus Williams?

"Oh, my gosh. I suppose returning as the champion on that set day as a favorite, you know, for the next 50 weeks or so you know what day you're playing. There's no mystery to it. It's a real honor. I love that," she said on the eve of defending her title. "When you walk on the court, it's all business. There's no moments to enjoy until you have the win. You know, that's how it is in sports. You focus, focus, focus, and then when it's done, you enjoy it.
"I remember the first time I played on grass, I think I just wanted to dive. That was the highlight, I guess, trying to dive. I don't remember if I did or not. But when you grow up, you see all the players diving, and you think, I want a part of that. So that's the first thing you want when you're little."
Although she’s 30 next year, Venus has no thoughts on quitting the game for a while yet. There’s a big incentive for her to keep going.
"Yeah, I want to play the Olympics here. It's really not that far off. It's just, what, three years. So I definitely would love to be playing the Olympics here and representing, going for more golds. It's my favorite."
***
Sharapova Philosophizes About The Game of Tennis

She was away from the game for a long time and it’s clear she’s still only feeling her way back. And while she was resting her injured shoulder, Maria Sharapova missed all kinds of things.
"There are many things I missed about the game," she said before her opening match at Wimbledon. "There's so many little things that go into the preparation of a single tennis match and the few hours afterwards. I miss(ed) the whole process of it. I mean, if it's the hour before the match where, you know, you're in the locker room and you have time to yourself, you know, you're putting on your dress and you see the screen and you know that in an hour you're going to be on that court in front of that crowd.
To the ten minutes before where you're with your team and you're getting pumped for the match, (and) the second you go on the court and you hear the crowd and you hear the people, and you're in that environment again.
Then the competitiveness of each match and, uhm, pulling through tough situations in the match, or, you know, when you're up trying to close it out. Yeah, I mean, I missed many things of the game. I could go on and on."
***
What is Federer’s Main Focus?

Roger Federer is in line to beat Pete Sampras’ record of majors won, but that isn’t his main motivation as the fortnight begins. So what is his main focus?
"The focus is on the first round and the first point, you know. But trying to regain my Wimbledon crown, I guess, so that stands over trying to beat, you know, Pete's record right now," he said. "But I guess once I come down to the semifinals or finals, hopefully, you know, in like 10, 12 days, then hopefully that's also gonna start creeping into my mind. But right now, just trying to regain my Wimbledon crown. It would be a dream come true, of course."
It was the same in Paris, when he was trying to equal the Sampras record of 14 wins in a major.
"It was just trying to win my first Paris, you know. Then obviously if it happens at the same time, you know, now that I was able to tie sort of let's say Agassi's or Laver's, those four different majors, or the 14 of Sampras, it was maybe very fitting that it all happened at once, you know. But I didn't particularly enter the French trying to tie Pete's record again. I was just trying to win my first Roland Garros, you know. It's a very different approach. I think when you're down lower, you know, you have eight, nine majors maybe and you're trying to get up there, this is when you're maybe forcing it more. You're trying to say, ‘All right, I need to get a few to pick it up there.’
And, believe it or not, Federer doesn’t feel any real pressure as he goes for yet another record. To him it’s just a matter of time.
"Since I’ve been very close, I knew I had kind of some time on my side. I knew if things fell into place that I was gonna win more majors, you know. So same thing here. I don't feel any pressure having to beat Pete's record right now this week, but I know that things are looking good for me."
***
Federer Looking Forward to Playing Under the New Roof

Wimbledon built a roof, so the weather forecast for the next week at least is no rain. But if it does rain and the roof is closed, and if Roger Federer is scheduled to play under cover, it’s something he is looking forward to.
"I'd love to play, yeah, sure, indoors," he said. "I've played in Halle, in Germany, indoor grass sort of because they've also got the sliding roof, and it worked very well. They even had to once close it during the finals. We stayed on court, they shut the roof, and we continued on. Then the big rain came. The atmosphere, you know, remained great. Even got a bit more, you know, intense, the whole thing. I'm sure it's gonna be really, really nice (at Wimbledon). I went to see Centre Court the other day. You know, it didn't lose anything of the whole history part. It still remains the best court in the world. I'm excited to going out there on Monday."
***
Prince Planning Big Wimbledon Promotion in Manhattan

If you are in New York City, you can be a part of Wimbledon. Prince, a partner of the All England Tennis Club and official global licensee of the Wimbledon brand of tennis racquets and sports bags, is helping to give fans a taste of all the tournament has to offer. Starting Monday, June 22, the global tennis equipment leader will take part in the "HSBC presents Wimbledon 2009 at Rockefeller Center" which will feature a week of complimentary activities and events, including live daily screenings of matches and free tennis for the public on Manhattan’s only grass court.
All week, players will have the chance to take to the grass court with any of the new racquets from Prince’s groundbreaking EXO3 line. For those looking for a little more instruction, certified Prince tennis professionals will host free on-court clinics during designated times. Regardless of skill level, the Prince teaching pro will provide an authentic on-court Wimbledon experience.
In addition to taking to the grass court in Rockefeller Center, Prince is giving those who are on-site, as well as those unable to attend, the chance to come away a winner.
Plus other on site activities such as Wii Tennis, live match screenings and complimentary strawberries and cream, Prince will be giving fans both in Rockefeller Center, and on-line at www.princetennis.com, the chance to guess the number Prince tennis balls housed in a larger-than-life container. The person closest to guessing the exact number of tennis balls in the container, without going over, will receive a special Prince prize package including a new EXO3 racquet, premium racquet bag and an autographed racquet from Maria Sharapova.
***
London Bookies Don’t Expect Murray to Win Singles Title

One of the few groups in Britain not getting carried away by Andy Murray's Wimbledon campaign are London bookmakers, who stand to lose several million sterling if he lifts the Wimbledon title in a fortnight.
The world No. 3 Scot has been backed by up to 3 million sterling ($4.8 million at one firm alone, with bookies almost choking on their strawberries as support grows.
For Ladbrokes of London, a Murray title win would be the worst possible financial scenario.
"Murray has been giving us sleepless nights for months - a victory for him doesn't bear thinking about," said a spokesman. "If he wins in a fortnight's time we might as well give up the game and go strawberry picking."
The last Briton to win Wimbledon was Fred Perry in 1936.
With the withdrawal of injured Rafael Nadal, Murray's chances have been thrust even more to the fore, with some already dreaming of a Roger Federer-Murray final.
Murray and 8/11 favorite Federer are the best backed competitors at SW19, and stand 11/10 to meet in the final. "Some of the serious punters have had large bets on Federer since Nadal pulled out," added the spokesman.
"But all the patriotic tenners and twenties are on Murray. He will be the worst result in tennis betting history."
Murray holds 1/100 odds to dispatch American Robert Kendrick in his opening match and 1/6 not to drop a set.
***
Murray Well Aware of Impact of Nadal Withdrawal

With his game now the toast of Britain and his role as a title contender rising after the injury pullout of Rafael Nadal, the least Andy Murray could do would be to manage the occasional smile.
That’s the opinion of television commentator and former junior champion Anabel Croft, who suggests that Murray drop his sad Scot look and show a bit of joy.
Even when the world No. 3 won his first grass title at Queen's club at the weekend, the celebration of joy was understated at best.
"I think he's still got a long way to go in that department to try to get the public 100 percent behind him, to adore him," Croft told London's Daily Mail. "At the Queen's final the audience was still very mixed.
"A lot of them would have been quite happy if (James) Blake had won."
And Croft added that Team Murray needs to do some work on the player's public persona. "When he went of a walk around the court with the trophy, people were leaving.
"He maybe needs to be himself and smile more. I think he's learned a lot in the last year. It's about growing up and being confident and just being a bit chirpier."
But even an outwardly grumpy demeanor can't dent Murray's possible title chances at Wimbledon. "Murray could win it. Winning at Queen's was the perfect preparation, he's so tough mentally - even though he's yet to prove it over five sets."
***
Sluiter is Taking His Comeback Very Seriously

Raemon Sluiter, as of Saturday the lowest ranked ATP finalist of all time, desperately wants to succeed in his comeback. Last week’s No. 866, who made a gigantic leap to 329 after reaching the final in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, recently drove all the way from his hometown Rotterdam to Halle (over 300 km), for an outside chance to gain entry to the qualifying event of the German ATP tournament. Not surprisingly, the Dutchman’s ranking wasn’t nearly high enough to make the cut.
“When I came there, people were laughing to my face,” Sluiter said. “‘We’ve already got 30 players ranked higher than you’, they told me. Turned out I came there for nothing, but these are the risks you have to take. Anyway, I think this just proves how much I want to succeed. Going to Halle, I knew there was only a small chance I would get in, but still…”
“Of course in the car ride back you feel a little bit of a loser. I mean, I played in the main draw there in the past, but this is how things are at the moment.”
Sluiter feels he is well ahead of schedule in his comeback, after his run at the Ordina Open last week. His goal was to play future events from March until mid-September, hoping to make the step to the Challenger tour in the fall. With a wildcard into next month’s Scheveningen Challenger, the 31-year-old might already leave the futures circuit behind entirely.
Sluiter, who reached a career high No. 46, initially retired in February 2008, but returned to professional tennis in March this year. In 's-Hertogenbosch, he reached his fourth career ATP final, but after losing to Benjamin Becker, he remains title less.
***
Benjamin Becker is ‘Not a Bad Guy’

Up until last week, Benjamin Becker was best known for ending Andre Agassi’s career at the 2006 US Open. The German – who is not related to Boris - was then called ‘the man who shot Bambi’. In ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Becker again stood in the way of a fairytale ending, by defeating surprise finalist and local favorite Raemon Sluiter, en route to winning his first ATP title.
“I’m not a bad guy,” Becker apologized in his post-match press conference. “My job is to win tennis matches, I’m not trying to shoot Bambi or whatever,” he laughed. “I’m actually a nice guy.”
Becker says he is more proud of winning an ATP title, than beating Agassi in his last match. “The Agassi match was obviously different. At that time it was probably my biggest match. I was new on the Tour, Agassi was one of my idols and I always fantasized when I was a kid about playing Agassi. I would rank (winning this tournament) higher to be honest, because to win an ATP title, it’s s something you work for and something you also dream about. And to achieve it you need to win five matches, so you have to play a consistent week, instead of just one match.”
***

Ricky's Notes
By Ricky Dimon

Said Rafael Nadal of his decision to withdraw from Wimbledon: "When I start a tournament like Wimbledon, it is to try to win. And my feeling right now is I’m not ready to play to win." Nadal lost consecutive exhibition matches to Lleyton Hewitt and Stanislas Wawrinka last week at the Hurlingham Club in south London as he unsuccessfully tested his tendinitis-stricken knees. . . No. 5 seed Juan Martin Del Potro assumed Nadal's place at the top of the draw, where he will now take on Arnaud Clement. No. 17 seed James Blake moved into Del Potro's spot against Andreas Seppi, Nicolas Kiefer became the 33rd seed and jumped into Blake's place against Fabrice Santoro, and lucky loser Thiago Alves entered the main draw in Kiefer's position against Andrei Pavel. . . Tommy Haas got seeded at Wimbledon when Gael Monfils pulled out. Then as a result of the tournament's seeding formula, the German earned the No. 24 seed. . . An injury to Alexander Waske forced the German doubles duo of Waske and Michael Kohlmann to withdraw from Wimbledon. They were replaced in the field by David Martin and Jean-Claude Scherrer. . . Marcos Baghdatis, who retired from a match last week in 's-Hergotenbosch with a knee injury, pulled out of Wimbledon. He was replaced in the draw by Karol Beck. . . John Isner, who missed the French Open due to mononucleosis, is also out of Wimbledon. "I missed the cut by two people," said the 6'10'' American. "Since I didn't get into the main draw right away, I could have gone over and tried to get in through qualifying. But I haven't had any practice, especially on grass, so I just had to bag it. With no practice, I wouldn't have stood much of a chance."
Roger Federer says he is disappointed that Nadal is unable to take part in Wimbledon. "It's unfortunate," he admitted. "I'm sad for him because it must have been a very difficult decision to make. I'd love to play him. He's my main rival. We've had some wonderful matches over the years, and especially the one here last year was the one that obviously stands out.". . . Andy Murray on Nadal's absence from Wimbledon: "It's a shame he won't be here because he's my favorite player. You want the defending champion in the tournament. He's also one of the best players ever and it would have been nice to play him here. But I'm not the only one; the fans will miss him as well. He's always a great draw at any tournament.". . . Commentator Darren Cahill questioned Nadal's injury after the world No. 1 withdrew from Wimbledon. "I think to me, just a gathering from the press conference here, it seems to be a little more mental than physical and he just knows that he's hit a wall at the moment," Cahill said. "And with the knee problems he has, he's not getting any better. So I think it's quite a lot psychological and not so much physical, to be quite honest.". . . Taylor Dent is both elated and confident after qualifying for the Wimbledon main draw. "There is nothing to describe how I feel," said the previously-retired American, who beat Prakash Amritraj in the final round of qualifying. "The closest I got to Wimbledon was when I drove past there the other day.... If I hit my first serve and my forehand well, I’ll be a nightmare to play."
Jelena Dokic is ready for Wimbledon after being forced to retire from a French Open match against Elena Dementieva due to a back injury. Dokic showed no signs of the injury during a weekend practice session at the All-England Club under the watchful eye of Australian Roger Rasheed, Gael Monfils' coach. . . Michelle Larcher de Brito won the exhibition event in Liverpool last week, defeating Britain's Laura Robson in the final. Robson fell and sustained a minor knee injury during the match, but continued. . . Marion Bartoli is still in Wimbledon despite retiring from her Eastbourne semifinal against Virginie Razzano with a thigh injury. "If it is a strain then there is not much chance I can play next week," Bartoli said in a post-match press conference. "The doctors can't yet say what the diagnosis is because it is too soon after my retirement so I need to wait until tomorrow and see." Bartoli refused to shake hands with Razzano after she retired. . . Judging from a recent interview at Wimbledon, Venus Williams' career isn't close to over. "I want to play the Olympics here," Williams said of the 2012 London games. "It's really not that far off. It's just, what, three years. So I definitely would love to be playing the Olympics here and representing, going for more golds."
The ATP fined Australian Brydan Klein 10,000 Euros for directing a racial slur at South African opponent Raven Klassen during a qualifying match in Eastbourne. Tennis Australian also announced that it would suspend Klein from its Institute of Sport Pro Tour Program. . . The Delray Beach City Commission approved a Champions Tour event when it reached a contract agreement with sponsor Match Point, the company also responsible for bringing the ATP World Tour's International Tennis Championships to Delray Beach. . . Nikolay Davydenko, currently the top-ranked Russian, will miss his country's Davis Cup quarterfinal tie against Israel next month. . . Leonardo Mayer was announced as a surprise replacement for David Nalbandian on Argentina's Davis Cup quarterfinal squad. Mayer will join Juan Martin Del Potro, Juan Monaco, and Jose Acasuso in the 2008 runner-up nation's tie against the Czech Republic. . . Wimbledon is reportedly on high alert for match-fixing in the wake of a controversial match between Oscar Hernandez and Daniel Koellerer last week at the Ordina Open. A British newspaper is reporting that between six and 12 players in the men's singles draw are on a "watch list" for possible gambling. . . John Roddick was hired last week as the men's tennis coach for Oklahoma University. John is the older brother of world No. 6 Andy Roddick.
***

We Hear---
--that former world #1 Kim Clijsters has confirmed that she will once again be sponsored by Babolat on her return to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour later this year.
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Daily Tennis News: July 19th

by mltennis 19. June 2009 10:33

Friday, June 19, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

Nadal Played an Exhibition Match and Lost to Hewitt

Rafael Nadal’s hopes of successfully defending his Wimbledon title took a massive knock as his first practice match in more than a month at London’s Hurlingham Club against Lleyton Hewitt ended in disappointment.
Nadal seemed far from content as he lost out 6-4,6-3 to Hewitt just four days before he is due to walk out as Wimbledon champion in the traditional first match on Centre Court next Monday. Last week he maintained it was doubtful whether he would play at the Championships if he is not 100% fit.
The world no.1 appeared thoroughly dejected after the one hour 20 minutes long match with Hewitt and is clearly mindful he will become only the fourth player in the modern era not to defend his title if he declares himself unable to play.
“Today was as close to reality as I could get," said Nadal who is due to play Switzerland’s Stanislaus Wawrinka at Hurlingham today but after the draw is made for the Championships. "It was a real test. I will come back and play again and then make my decision about playing at Wimbledon or not."
However coach and uncle Toni Nadal adopted a pessimistic air. "Rafa is having difficulties bending and it seems his treatments aren't enough," he said. “At the moment it's very difficult to play at Wimbledon. I don't know, we have to wait."
Nadal has practiced for three hours after arriving in London on Tuesday and then began a practice set with Andy Murray on Wednesday at Aarongi Park but things came to a premature end after just seven games because gusting wind made play virtually impossible.
Before leaving Spain, Nadal underwent intense examination and concerted rehabilitation in Barcelona where he had been diagnosed with tendinitis in both patellar tendons as well as a small amount of fluid on the kneecaps.
Bjorn Borg, the last man to win back to back French Open and Wimbledon titles before Nadal managed the feat last year is now doubtful of the Spaniard’s chances. “The defeat against Robin Soderling at the French Open took him many, many days to get over,” stressed Borg. “Nadal is saying he has got an injury, but he has to be fit at Wimbledon if he wants to go all the way, and I do not think he will go all the way this year."
John Newcombe, Stan Smith and Goran Ivanisevic are the only other men who have been unable to defend their Wimbledon titles in modern times.
Newcombe of Australia was not allowed to chase a third consecutive title in 1972 because he had signed up to a rival tour while Smith of the United States was victim of a players' boycott the following year. Ivanisevic succumbed to a shoulder injury in 2002, a year after his emotional five-set victory over Australia's Pat Rafter.
***
Monfils is Forced to Withdraw From Wimbledon

Gael Monfils, the extrovert Frenchman who was seeded 14^th for Wimbledon after reaching the quarter finals at the French Open has been forced to withdraw from the Championships for the second year running.
The 22 year-old Frenchman injured a wrist as he slipped on the Queen’s Club grass during his opening match last week. Ironically he was not expected to play at Roland Garros because of a long standing knee problem but managed to win his way through four rounds including an impressive victory over sixth seed Andy Roddick.
Monfils, who returned to France for treatment after his Queen’s exit, admitted defeat in his bid to be fit after consultation with coach Roger Rasheed. His place in the 128 draw went to a lucky loser from qualifying.
He reached the third round at Wimbledon twice, in 2005 and 2007 but missed last year's tournament with a shoulder injury.
***
The Men Favorites at Wimbledon
By Charles Bricker

It's unlikely that the 2009 Wimbledon will be as shocking as the convoluted French Open that concluded a fortnight ago, but it also no longer appears to be a two-man tournament between Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer.
First, there is uncertainty about Nadal's gimpy knees and, while he could look sharp enough in first week, the larger question is how well that patellar tendonitis is going to stay under control if he reaches the fourth round.
Next, there is Federer, whose game remains in a slight but perceptible decline, even with his 14th Grand Slam title at Paris over a field conveniently devoid of Nadal, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic.
And that brings us to Murray, who rides into Wimbledon with a title at Queen’s. That was hardly the toughest field he's ever faced in a pre-Slam event, but that shouldn't diminish the confidence factor he'll take into Wimbledon.
As for Djokovic, he's shown he can play on grass, having reached the semis at Wimbledon in 2007, but he was a washout in the third round a year ago, where he caved in while Marat Safin played one of his best matches in recent years -- a performance he's not likely to repeat in this final year of his career.
How Wimbledon unfolds in the final days depends a lot on the draw, which takes place today and which should be up on the internet by about 8 a.m. Eastern time. Neither Nadal (top) nor Federer (bottom) want Murray in their half of the draw. They'd rather have Djokovic.
Running down the suspects:
1. RAFAEL NADAL
He's 44-5 for the year with no grass court matches and five titles (Australian Open, Indian Wells, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Rome). A week ago there was concern that he could play Wimbledon and, of course, it's always possible he'll yet pull out. But he put in three hours on the practice courts on Wednesday and another couple days like that and he'll be ready to roll. Has his psyche been damaged by his loss to Robin Soderling at the French? Not likely. He knew how bad his knees were in Paris, though he never made an issue of it. He also knows what he's capable of on grass and he's won five of his last six matches against Federer. Grass is no longer nearly the different surface it once was, which is why so many players whose success once centered on clay are now doing well on faster courts.
2. ROGER FEDERER
He's 33-6 for the year with no grass court matches and two titles (Madrid and Roland Garros). He got a lot done at Paris, winning his 14th major and his first on clay, and he came from behind to win two five-set matches, which was important because he had lost 11 of his previous 17 matches that went to a deciding set. But he never had to play an elite opponent down the stretch. Yes, the title was a confidence booster, but it shouldn't convince anyone that he's narrowed the gap on Nadal and Murray.
2. ANDY MURRAY
He's 40-6 for the year and 5-0 on grass with four titles (Doha, Rotterdam, Key Biscayne and Queens). What about the "pressure" of becoming the first British man to win Wimbledon since the 1930s? His personality feels less pressure here than Tim Henman, and Henman four times reached the Wimbledon semis. A year ago, Murray got to the Wimbledon quarters with a comeback five-setter against then No. 10 Richard Gasquet. He's a stronger player now, especially physically, and he's beaten Federer four straight -- coming from a set down to win three of them. None were in Slams, but Murray is no longer an immature player feeling his way in the Slams. He's a serious threat at Wimbledon.
3. ROGER FEDERER
He's 33-6 for the year with no grass court matches and two titles (Madrid and Roland Garros). He got a lot done at Paris, winning his 14th major and his first on clay, and he came from behind to win two five-set matches, which was important because he had lost 11 of his previous 17 matches that went to a deciding set. But he never had to play an elite opponent down the stretch. Yes, the title was a confidence booster, but it shouldn't convince anyone that he's narrowed the gap on Nadal and Murray.
4. ANDY RODDICK
He's 33-8 for the year, 3-1 on grass after retiring in the opening set to James Blake at Queens with an ankle turn. This doesn't look like a serious injury and if he's 100 percent or nearly 100 percent fit, things could fall into place for him. Though he has only one title (Memphis), he is playing, on balance, his best tennis since his run with Brad Gilbert as coach.
5. NOVAK DJOKOVIC
He's 43-13 for the year, 4-1 on grass and has two titles (Dubai, Belgrade). A very strange year for him. Mediocre results to start the year, blaming it on a change in rackets. Then he picked it up with consecutive runner-up finishes at Key Biscayne, Monte Carlo and Rome, before winning Belgrade. Just as it looked as if he was going to be a major player at the French, he was put out by Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the third round. He then had four undistinguished wins at Halle on grass before losing to Tommy Haas in the final. Your guess is as good as anyone's about his chances at Wimbledon.
Charles Bricker can be reached at bricker@tennisnews.com
***
Wozniacki Knows How to Celebrate in Eastbourne

Caroline Wozniacki just loves Eastbourne. And no wonder. She’s been successful there for years, and there are fringe benefits.
"I love coming back," she said after beating Ekaterina Makarova. "Actually it’s my fifth time here. I played three times the junior exhibition tournament that used to be here. I won that twice I think, and one time I was in the finals. Then quarterfinals last year in the main event and this year I’m in the semifinals.
"I love coming back. It’s such a nice atmosphere. And they have the best ice cream shop right around the corner, and every year we go there and it’s really great. They have those cups where they mix them, and my favorite one is called Casablanca. It’s chocolate and vanilla and caramel and it’s really good.
"If I win, I let myself have one. If I don’t, I don’t think I deserve it, so I have to keep winning. With Agnieszka and Urszula Radwanska, we’ve been at the ice cream store a few times. We’re making bets with each other about something, and then the one who wins gets a free ice cream. We bet on how long it takes to go from here to the hotel, small funny things."
***
Playing in Eastbourne is a First for the Men

Eastbourne is a new experience for the men, after their usual pre-Wimbledon event was moved from Nottingham. And the move has proved to be popular with many players, including tour veteran Fabrice Santoro.
"I’m enjoying the court, and everything here," he said. "I heard about Eastbourne for many years from the ladies, the French girls, and I said okay. There are not many tournaments I didn’t play in my career and every time there is a new tournament in the calendar I try to pick it up. I like for sure to play the French Open and the French tournaments because of the atmosphere and the crowd. I love Wimbledon, the Australian Open, I love to play in Dubai, Monte Carlo."
But there is a place he has never been, despite such a lengthy career. "There is one place I never played and I plan to go this year. It’s Tokyo. I’ve never been to Japan. When I started the last year of my career in January I’d never been in South Africa and had never been in Japan. So I went to South Africa, to Johannesburg, to play a tournament in April, and I want to go to Tokyo in October."

***
Italy to Host USA in Fed Cup Final in Reggio Calabria

Italy will stage November's Fed Cup final against the United States on clay courts in Reggio Calabria. The city, which is on the southern tip of Italy, will host the event outdoors on clay at the Rocco Polimeni club on November 7 and 8. The stadium accommodates 5,000 spectators. Confirmation of the choice of venue is subject to a site visit by the International Tennis Federation.
Italy has recently established a surprisingly fine record in Fed Cup competition, ending Russia’s three-year unbeaten record in the competition to advance to the final for the third time in four years. It will be the first final they have played at home.
Italy won its first Fed Cup title in 2006, defeating Belgium 3-2 in a dramatic final doubles rubber. Italy was the first team to win the Fed Cup without playing a tie at home during the competition since the home-and-away format was adopted in 1995. Italy is one of four nations to have competed in every Fed Cup.
***
Del Potro Continues to Show his Potential

Juan Martin del Potro for the first time in his career will be No 1 in Argentina Davis Cup team, but his captain believes that Roland Garros semifinalist is on the way to even bigger No 1.
“Delpo showed in Paris that he can be number one in World”, said Tito Vasquez, head of Argentine team, when announcing his players for Davis Cup quarterfinals in Czech city of Ostrava from July 10-12. “His progress in last few months is very important. Just like Federer did.”
Del Potro lost to the Swiss maestro in the last two big tournaments semis. He was beaten easily in Madrid, but he lead twice in Paris, though at the end the best player in history prevailed.
David Nalbandian will be absent due to surgery on his hip last month. Vasquez nominated Del Potro, Juan Monaco, Jose Acasuso and Leonardo Mayer.

***
Jankovic Denies Story Claiming Possible Retirement

Jelena Jankovic got angry at a Serbian tabloid. They invented a story that former No1 is on the brink of retirement because of poor results.
“I was totally misinterpreted after my first round loss in Eastbourne”, Jankovic said. ”I only said that due to bad results I lost motivation. In sport, as in life, there are moments when you are more or less motivated, but all of it is passing phases. I believe that I am on a good road to show my best face and that there are several years ahead of playing and proving my qualities.
Jankovic dropped from first to sixth place on WTA rankings this year and admitted problems with motivation in big matches.

***
Sluiter Sets ATP Record

Not only has Raemon Sluiter won his first three matches back on ATP-level since he initially retired in February 2008, the 31-year-old Dutchman has set a record in doing so. By reaching the semifinals at the Ordina Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Sluiter has become the lowest ranked ATP semifinalist ever. His ranking currently sits at No. 866, while he enjoyed a career high of No. 46 in 2003.
Sluiter took over the record from Sweden's Joachim Johansson, who reached the semifinals in Stockholm as No. 690 in 2006.
Sluiter will play Ivan Navarro of Spain in the semifinals in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. The 27-year-old Spaniard has never reached an ATP final in his career so far.
***
Ivan Navarro is a Good Old Serve-and-Volley Player

If you thought Feliciano Lopez and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez were the only two Spaniards who prefer faster surfaces, you are mistaken. Say hello to Ivan Navarro, a 27-year-old from Alicante who has reached his first ATP semifinal on grass in ‘s-Hertogenbosch playing nothing but serve-and-volley tennis. Navarro beat not only last year’s finalist Marc Gicquel in the second round, he took out defending champion David Ferrer in the quarterfinals as well.
“It was really difficult to play Ferrer, because he is a good friend, but I felt I had a good chance to win, because on grass I have more chances,” Navarro said. The No. 81 said he had started playing serve-and-volley tennis ‘about six or seven years ago, maybe longer’. He does so on all surfaces.
“Long time ago was one year was really bad for me, and I was feeling nothing playing from the baseline, and my coach say ‘come on, last chance, why don’t you try?’, Navarro reflected. “Always from 13, 14 years old I have good serve. So when I was playing on hard court I always play serve-and-volley. But on clay, always I play three meters behind and do top spin, you know? The first week that I did it, I lost first round but then second week I did my first final in futures and then third week I won the tournament. So we talked and said, this is the way (laughs).”
Navarro has twice reached an ATP Tour semifinal in his career before, both times coming at the clay event in Valencia. “In Spain they say ‘the third, you can get it’. So I hope now I can reach the final.” Navarro will play Raemon Sluiter in the semis.
***
Wickmayer Instantly Fell in Love with Grass. . . Almost

Yanina Wickmayer seems to be an exception to the rule that you need to get used to playing on grass courts for a few years, before you learn how to deal with the unique conditions and get to enjoy playing on it. Wickmayer played her first professional matches on grass last year, and she instantly liked the surface.
“The first two days last year I immediately felt good on it,” the 19-year-old Belgian said. “I really like to play on grass. It’s something really special because the grass season is so short, so I try to enjoy every moment on this surface.”
Wickmayer reached the final of her first WTA event on grass at Birmingham in 2008. Last week, she reached the quarterfinals there, losing in three sets to Maria Sharapova. She advanced to the Saturday finals at ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
“My game is really suited to this surface, because I serve well and hit hard. It gives me a lot of confidence.”
But still, did Wickmayer really fall in love with grass the moment she stepped on it?
“Well, I played juniors at Wimbledon, where I lost the first round. I remember I played really bad, so that’s why I like to say that I started to play on grass last year. Back in juniors I felt grass was not for me, but I’ve already proven otherwise. It’s maybe my best surface now.”
***

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We Hear---
--that Diadora is about to change ownership.
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