Thursday, July 30, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

Adecco Sponsors Clijsters

Adecco Group, a provider of Human Resources solutions, announced it has become an official sponsor of Kim Clijsters.
Patrick De Maeseneire, ceo of the Adecco Group, said: "We are delighted to sponsor the comeback of such a great personality as Kim Clijsters. The support of athletes around the world has a long-lasting tradition at Adecco. It embodies our values of helping passionate people to achieve their aims in the world of work and life."
Adecco provides training and education to help Paralympics and Olympic athletes around the world in making the difficult transition from elite sport to a new career by placing them with companies around the world.
***
Paszek is Being Investigated About Possible Doping Violations

The Austrian anti-doping agency NADA Austria has requested that Tamira Paszek be suspended while an investigation is carried out into whether a medical procedure she took for a back injury violated doping regulations.
The 18-year old, who anyway is unable to play at present due to the injury, retired against Virginie Razzano during her opening round match at Wimbledon. She later underwent blood enrichment treatment, when blood is extracted, treated and then re-injected, but then realized after speaking with a reporter that the procedure had broken anti-doping rules. She then promptly informed the authorities.

***
Nadal’s Return to the Tour in Montreal is Not Certain

Rafa Nadal's optimism that he will be fit to return to competitive tennis at Montreal's Rogers Cup, starting a week from Monday, seems to have taken something of a downturn.
The former world no.1, sidelined by tendonitis in both knees since his surprise exit from the French Open two months ago, had penciled in the Canadian leg of the ATP Tour's Masters 1000 series as the stage for his comeback. But he now insists sense must prevail.
Nadal has been tentatively practicing for ten days in his native Majorca but speaking in an interview screened on the leading Spanish television news channel TVE he adopted a distinct air of caution as he said: "I have to force my knees and just see how far I can go."
He believes more aggressive and physical practice sessions are necessary to determine the extent in recovery in the knees. The tests he underwent in Barcelona under his doctor Angel Ruiz-Cotorro could only determine so much, he needs to exert himself on court.
"The truth is I feel good," said the 23 year-old. "But also I have to wait to see how I continue to recover because I have only been back in training for a week and a half and you always feel better anemically.
"You start with lots of hope but again the real test would be to see how I go when I really push my knees. I think that is going to happen in upcoming days so I hope it’s all good."
Nadal's overriding aim is to be back fully functional for the US Open, the one major title he has yet to win. "I'm mentally ready to return now," he insisted.
***
Keothavong is Finished for 2009

Britain's leading woman player Anne Keothavong will not play again this year after suffering the second serious knee injury of her career.
The 25 year old who earlier this year ended a couple of barren decades without a British woman in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour top 50, suffered damage to the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus of the left knee while playing doubles in the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford.
Keothavong, who was playing with Japan's Ayumi Morita, twisted her knee as she tried to avoid running into a fence. She underwent a scan and will now fly home to London.
"I will have to rehab for the rest of the season," said Keothavong who was reduced to tears in the Wimbledon interview room after her first round exit. "Of course I am disappointed to be out for so long but I will continue to work with my team and look forward to coming back next season."
Keothavong also suffered serious knee ligament damage five years ago and was sidelined for eight months.
***
Federer’s Motivation is to be Watched

There has been much talk about how becoming a father will affect Roger Federer’s motivation, and how much of his focus will be diverted away from tennis. But there is something else which might affect him, and that is his triumph at Roland Garros, where he finally clinched the title at his 11th attempt to complete a career Grand Slam.
Mats Wilander, who now works as a TV commentator as well as playing on the ATP Champions Tour, knows all about that. He had the same problem trying to win the US Open. When he did in 1988, at the same time ascending to the world No.1 ranking, he had nothing left to fight for and his motivation plummeted.
"I think winning the US Open final in 1988 against (Ivan) Lendl stands out as my best tennis memory," said Wilander, who won three of the four majors that year. "I had watched Bjorn Borg win the French Open and win Wimbledon but never be able to win the US Open, so us Swedes thought it was the hardest Grand Slam to win. So to beat Lendl in ’88 after having lost to him in ’87 and to win playing a really tactical game and hitting shots that I wouldn’t usually hit, that was incredible.
"The first 24 hours after winning the US Open took quite some time to recover from. It wasn’t that easy and it didn’t just go away in one day. It was deflation - you pump up the balloon so much and eventually it just exploded. I still loved to play tennis afterwards but I did feel like there was something just a little bit different when I was playing. I was hitting shots that didn’t have a purpose and that was very difficult for me to handle because up to the US Open finals in ’88, every ball I hit had a purpose. To then suddenly to start hitting shots for no reason was tough and it ended up being very deflating to my character on the court."
However, Wilander believes that Federer will not suffer the same kind of reaction to achieving his career goal, and if proof were needed of that then you need look no further than the Swiss maestro’s performance in overcoming an heroic effort by Andy Roddick in a classic Wimbledon final.
"I think if Federer keeps playing the way he is now he’s going to run away so far that nobody will ever catch him in terms of Grand Slam titles," said Wilander. "Of course he has to stay physically healthy, but he has introduced a new, stronger mindset to his game. Suddenly it’s more fun to play tennis for him. Roger has taken the sport to a different level."
***
Federer has Strong Incentive to Win Davis Cup

Roger Federer is expected to play in Switzerland's vital Davis Cup playoff against Italy in September, according to a member of his coaching team who says that Federer has twice expressed to him an interest in playing.
"Nothing is definite yet, but there's a good chance that our best players will be there," said Severin Luethi to Switzerland daily Le Matin. "I have to talk with him at the end of the week."
The close proximity of the tie to Switzerland is obviously a factor, as is Federer’s desire to be on a Davis Cup winning team. With all four majors under his belt, and an Olympic gold medal (albeit in doubles, with friend and Davis Cup teammate Stanislas Wawrinka), a Davis Cup win is the only item now missing from his list of career achievements.
The tie will take place on clay in Genoa shortly after the US Open, from September 18-20, and Switzerland needs to win in order to stay in the elite 16-team group that has a chance to win the title next year.
***
Another Successful Year on the World TeamTennis Tour
By Charles Bricker

And so ends another World TeamTennis season and a chance to hit and occasionally giggle for a number of international stars, who have lent their names but not necessarily their best efforts to this post-Wimbledon fun league.
It's a tribute to the respect and admiration they have for Billie Jean King, founder of WTT, that the Williams sisters, Andre Agassi, the Bryan twins and Maria Sharapova participate in this 14-match season, which has been more the province of the obscure and near-obscure, such as Vania King, Nathan Healey and Tripp Phillips.
But having a big-time name doesn't mean success in the WTT. Following her runner-up success at Wimbledon, Venus Williams was only 9-12 in 21 WTT games (the WTT measures games won and lost, not individual matches). In her individual efforts, Venus lost to 17-year-old Sloane Stephens 5-3 (WTT plays 5-game sets) and a few matches later won only 10 points in a 5-1 loss to Angela Haynes.
Kim Clijsters, roundly expected to rejoin the top-10 not too long after junking retirement to return to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, was only 10-7 (.588). Sharapova: 5-4 (.556). Sam Querrey: 8-10 (.444), Andre Agassi: 5-10 (.333). The star-quality players playing star-quality tennis in the WTT were Wimbledon champion Serena Williams at 16-11 (.593), Nadia Petrova at 10-6 (.625) and Bob and Mike Bryan in men's doubles at 20-11 (.645).
Nor did having a name player produce great team results, primarily because many of the marquee players weren't available for the full WTT season. Clijsters and Querrey played on a St. Louis team that won five, lost nine and finished in last place in its conference. They were only part-time players.
The Bryan twins were on the roster at Kansas City, which was 6-8 for fourth place out of five teams. Venus and Agassi's Philadelphia team was 4-10 for 4th place. And Petrova and Serena were on a Washington roster that was only 7-7 in the regular season, a third-place finish.
Interestingly, the Washington team reached the playoffs and won the WTT championship without either Petrova or Williams, who were not available.
This was the 34th WTT season and, with its team format and multi-colored courts, it remains a popular three-week post-Wimbledon tennis experience for fans in the 10 WTT venues. The name players bring fans into the arenas, even if they're still coming down from an emotional few weeks on the regular WTA Tour.
Charles Bricker can be reached at bricker@tennisnews.com

***
Djokovic Claims Vajda Will Remain on his Team

Every now and again rumors appear that the days of Marian Vajda in staying on Novak Djokovic’s team are running out. It is easy to explain: Djokovic has dropped in ATP rankings, his game is below last year’s success and he has not won a big title in 2009.
But, the Australian Open 2008 champion disagrees: “Marian will always be part of my team. We have worked through so many things; he is good for me, both on and off the court. We are thinking about including some new people, maybe for US Open series, but I would not like to speak about names.” Djokovic is not worried about his drop to No 4, behind Federer, Nadal and Murray.
“Difference is not that wide. Tennis is more interesting now then in days when Federer and Nadal were winning everything. It is not that important whether I will be third or fourth at the end of the year. The most important thing for me will be to play again as in the beginning of 2008, or as on clay this year,” says Djokovic forgetting his flop in Roland Garros.
Up to a week before the Paris major, he was great on clay. A couple times he was very competitive with Nadal, but nothing can compare with his Madrid performance when Novak lost three match point in a 4.5 hour-long marathon semifinal.
“That match squeezed me completely. I was very frustrated after because I had never been so close on beating Rafa on clay. Early setback in Paris was logical effect.”
Djokovic spoke about the possibility of recording a rap song with Ivo Karlovic. “That was our joke during Wimbledon. I know how much Ivo likes music, he is my friend. I know that he recorded several songs. Who knows, we might end recording something. I am always open for any kind of fun.”
***
Davydenko is Relieved to Avoid Davis Cup Pressure

Russia failed to enter Davis Cup semifinal losing unexpectedly in Israel, but not everyone thinks that is the end of the world.
“I am not disappointed, but happy,“ says Nikolay Davydenko, Russian No1, who didn’t travel to Israel. “ Now, I will not have to prepare for semifinal after US Open. Look, I did everything with national team all these years. I haven’t retired from Davis Cup, I only asked to miss tie in Israel. Every match in Davis Cup drain enormous energy from players. You play two matches in five sets and you are dead. I can not play tournaments for two weeks after Davis Cup. Sometimes, you have to think about yourself.
Davydenko is in Umag. He won Hamburg last week. “It is not easy to adapt on change of climate. Everything is different. There was never more then 20 degrees Celsius in Hamburg and there was rain almost every day. Here is very hot.”
He thinks that Croatia has good chances to beat Czechs in Davis Cup semifinal. “I think  clay is good surface for Croats. No one in Czech team is a claycourter. Cilic is good, Karlovic too.”
***
Safina’s Coach Says Coaching Women is Not Easy

Zeljko Krajan, a Croatian coach who has had crucial importance in Dinara Safina’s surge to the top, says that working in women’s tennis is much more difficult then in men’s.
“With men that is only a job. You come, you work and you go. With women it is much more emotional and with it come much more spending of nerves and time”, explains Krajan who started to work with the Russian in the first half of last year when she was a mediocre player. He admits that his work is not done yet. The biggest problem remains in her head.
“I will be satisfied when I make the most of Safina’s talent. There is a lot to be improved. She is not born a winner like the Williams sisters, who won Grand Slams when 18. She is not made a winner like Sharapova who was trained all her life to be a champion. Dinara was not surrounded with 20 people who worked on her mental strength and there are the roots of her problems now.” 
“The bill to be paid is very high. Safina was very easily beaten in all three Grand Slam final so far. I hope that those defeats will not break her. In last Roland Garros final she made so high pressure on herself, that it was impossible to reach to her.”
Krajan is 100 percent in Safina corner, but he doesn’t exclude a move to another tennis world. “I would like to work in men’s tennis. I never saw myself in WTA Tour before my assignment with Dinara. Problem is that boys don’t trust coaches from woman tennis, so I would probably have to start with juniors.”

***

We hear---
--- that Adam Peterson, former coach of Lindsay Davenport, has been hired as a USTA national coach at its Carson, California national training facility
***
THIS WEEK
MEN
Gstaad
Los Angeles
Umag
WOMEN
Istanbul
Stanford
***
NEXT WEEK
MEN
Washington, DC
WOMEN
Carson
***
Bob Larson’s Stock Report
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54.39

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Bob Larson Tennis Stock Index $90.43
* The index is based on the total value of one share of each stock we report daily.
***
Results
For complete ATP and WTA results, please see our web site at www.tennisnews.com

Bob Larson - Publisher
Cort Larson - Editor
Bob Larson's Daily Tennis is published 
Monday through Friday except Holidays           
Monday and Thursday in November and December.
Delivery via e-mail to all countries
Subscription rates are; $97USD a year, 
$57USD for Six months, $37USD for Three months.
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E-mail address bob@tennisnews.com
Visit our website at: www.tennisnews.com

(c)  Copyright 2009. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

Tennis Stars Frequently Have a “Hideout”

Tennis in the 21^st century is obviously a global business and top players have long sought to have bases dotted around the world in continents other than their home. Patrick Rafter spent much of his off-time in Bermuda. When Lleyton Hewitt was world no.1 he had a European bolt hole in Belgium. Nowadays Roger Federer regards Dubai as Mission Control Centre when it comes to tennis preparation and Andy Murray is currently ensconced in his Miami apartment in readiness for the US hard court season.
Now that most homely of tennis men, Rafael Nadal also has something other than an unfamiliar hotel room to rest and recuperate if the need presents itself on the western side of the Atlantic Ocean. The world no.2, who recently has been promoted as the face of the Balearic Islands (Majorca, Ibiza, Minorca and Formentera) in an expensive new campaign to win tourists, has invested in a Caribbean getaway and closed negotiations on a multi-million-dollar waterfront residence in the Dominican Republic.
All the amenities Nadal could ask for are on hand. Needless to say there are excellent tennis courts at the residential complex of Playa Nueva Romana. But the sea fishing is excellent and there is an 18 hole golf course along with 1,200 luxury homes, a marina and a five-star hotel on the 620 acre development. In addition, Playa Nueva Romana is only 45 minutes from the island’s international airport at Santo Domingo.
But Nadal has remained true to his Spanish roots. The 620-acre development, built in coconut groves, may be promoted by Bahia Principe but the investors to the tune of more than $180 million are the Pinero Group who are acknowledged as one of the most important Spanish companies in the industry at the international level with more than 35 years' experience in the tourism market and have recently been involved in a much heralded complex in Jamaica.
At the time it was reported that the Piñero Group’s resort at Pear Tree Bottom near Runaway Bay was an excellent model for environmental protection and sustainable development on the island.
Soltour, whose main business centers on the development and sale of tourist packages to various vacation destinations, is recognized as one of the most successful tour operators in Spain, Portugal and Russia.
Bahia Principe Clubs & Resorts' all-inclusive five-star hotels are located in recognized vacation destinations such as Mayan Riviera, Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Tenerife.
***
Is This the Last Year of Clay at Umag?

This might be the last year of clay at Umag. Slavko Rasberger, tournament director since first edition in 1990, announced the possibility of surface change next year. Reason is logical: Croatian player are much better on hard courts and it is very tough for Rasberger to secure their presence.
“I will try to persuade people from ATP Tour to allow change to hard courts. At that case Ivo Karlovic would play and Ivan Ljubicic will come again,” reported Rasberger. “Our players are the most important for us. I did everything in my domain to attract Karlovic and Marin Cilic this year, but it was in vain.”
Umag (with Swedish Bastad) is the last stop on European clay before the whole caravan moves to North America to play on hard courts.
Lack of Croatians stars on Croatian Open is an every-year problem. Rasberger has been accused of giving more appearances money to foreign players, but he disagrees: “I heard rumors that two years ago I gave Novak Djokovic three times more than Ivan Ljubicic, but in fact, Ljubicic got double than Djokovic. There is no tournament in this world where Croatian player can get more than here.”
This year’s rumor is that Djokovic was offered $150,000 to play singles, but he declined in order to focus on much bigger hard court tournaments in US, and played in doubles with middle brother Marko only. Allegedly, Marin Cilic, current Croatian No1 and world 15, was offered $60.000.
***
Djokovic is Big Star in Umag

Even though he played only in doubles with brother Marko, Novak Djokovic is, without any doubt, the main star in Umag. Appearance of the fourth world ranking attracted huge following. Djokovic responded: 
“Umag is like my second home, this tournament is always unique opportunity for gathering of whole family. Besides, Croatian players are my good friends. They are great guys, I am best with Mario Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic. I am very sorry that Mario has health problems again. With Ljubicic I shared same coach, Italian Piatti, for two years.” This was the first tournament for Djokovic since Wimbledon.
“I have been on holiday 20 days, I have not been resting that long for 5-6 years,” said Djokovic who will play his first tournament in singles in Montreal in ten days. The best Serbian player is convinced that Croats are on way to win second Davis Cup title. They will host Czech in semifinal with possible final against Spain.
“I see you at least in final. You don't have Ljubicic and Ancic in team this year (like in 2005, when Croatia won first title), but there are Marin Cilic, who improved enormously, and Ivo Karlovic, probably the toughest opponent today. I see Cilic in top five in two or three years.”
Djokovic showed satisfaction with plans to change surface in hard courts. “Mr. Rasberger told to me that he has already spoken with several players. I know that clay is here tradition for 20 years, but if you want top players, you have to change surface.”
***
The World Wonders What Fatherhood Will Do For Federer

Opinions are split on whether fatherhood will enhance or hinder Roger Federer’s attempts to extend his collection of Grand Slam titles beyond the world no.1’s current record of 15.
Federer's wife, Mirka, gave birth to twin girls, Charlene Riva and Myla Rose six days ago and since then the 27 year-old is understood to have split his time between helping out with the two new additions to his family and getting onto the practice court to prepare for upcoming tournaments in North America although there is still no confirmation of whether he will play the Rogers Cup, Canada’s leg of the ATP World Tour’s Masters 1000 Series beginning a week from Monday.
Pete Sampras, the man whose record Federer beat at Wimbledon and a close friend of the Swiss, is adamant Federer will go on to other triumphs. However Sampras did not win another major after his wife Bridgette gave birth to the couple’s first son Christian. Indeed he did not even play a major after becoming a father two months on from his last US Open triumph in 2002.
Sampras, who travelled to Wimbledon to watch Federer break his record and had a few quiet moments with the champion, said: "I don't see Roger changing diapers at four in the morning. I don't think it will affect his career. It's a life changer for him but he is focused on his tennis and he's got the help from his wife and his parents and whoever else."
However history suggests that fathers do not become Grand Slam champions. In recent times Andre Agassi was the most high profile daddy to be win a major when he took the last of his eight major crowns and became Australian Open champion in January 2003, 14 months after the birth of his son Jaden Gil.
The only other fathers to win majors in recent times were current Spanish Davis Cup captain Albert Costa who won the 2002 French Open just over a year after the arrival of his twin daughters Claudia and Alma, Yevgeny Kafelnikov at the Australian Open in 1999 and Petr Korda whose daughter Jessica was nearly five when he won the 1998 title in Melbourne.
Pat Cash’s first son Daniel was born a year before he won Wimbledon in 1987 and he maintained: “Becoming a dad is one of the great things in anyone’s life but for me it did not make being a top flight tennis player any easier,” said Cash who never won another major.
“Levels of importance change in the house, suddenly the be all and end all is not being in tip top condition by the time you walk out on court. Sleep patterns certainly get altered unless you take a completely selfish approach and shut yourself away.”
***
Ivanovic’s UNICEF T-Shirts Are Now on Sale

Ana Ivanovic's limited edition adidas/UNICEF t-shirts, all profits of which will benefit UNICEF's "School Without Violence" program, have gone on sale in adidas stores and special UNICEF kiosks in Serbia.
“This is a great idea and a very useful campaign,” said Ivanovic. “Not only will we raise money for the UNICEF ‘School without Violence’ campaign and help its application in schools around Serbia, but we will also raise awareness of the importance of UNICEF’s work on promoting the rights of children. The shirts are amazingly designed and I love wearing them."
The t-shirts, which come in girls', women's and unisex designs, will be available for purchase via Ana's website shortly. An announcement will be made when they are definitively ready for purchase.
The “School without Violence” began as a result of increased concerns over violence among and against children and young people in Serbia over the last few years. Ana has made several donations to the program. The goal of the program is to help create a safe and supportive learning environment for children’s work and development. It is designed not only for students, teachers and employees in schools, but also for families and the entire community.
***
Sharapova Reveals Contents of Her Jewelry Box

Maria Sharapova has opened up her jewelry box for the August issue of In Style magazine, revealing to interviewer Marion Fasel that as well as shopping in places such as Tiffany’s she is quite happy to shop for items in flea markets too.
The feature shows off some of the Russian superstar's favorite new and vintage jewelry, including a large aquamarine gem from India that was a gift from a friend, and Frank Gehry-designed diamond earrings that Sharapova will wear at the upcoming US Open. Want some? They’re on sale at Tiffany for $850.

***
Rezai Returns to Istanbul

Two years ago, Istanbul is where it all really began for Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai, as she reached her first Tour final with wins over Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova, before injury halted her run as she battled Elena Dementieva in the final. Now she’s back there again. Players usually arrive at tournaments by plane, but this time Aravane decided to do things differently.
“My family is here with me - actually, we all came here from France by car. We came in a family-sized van. There were five of us so we needed something big,” she revealed in a blog. “It took two and a half days. After we left France we went through Italy and took a boat to Greece, then came over to Turkey. Greece was beautiful. We stayed there for two days and I just adored it. We were right next to the sea. I loved Italy too. I was just there two weeks ago for a tournament in Palermo, where I lost to Flavia Pennetta in the quarterfinals.
“There was a concert last night for the tournament's opening ceremony. The singer who performed, Hadise, was in the Eurovision Song Contest this year. She sang very well! I thought she was great. The ceremony, the food and the location - which was at the Archaeological Museum of Istanbul - were perfect. It's rare you see an event this good at a tournament. I really enjoyed it.”
***
U.S. Names Boys’ and Girls’ Teams for World Junior Tennis Finals

The USTA announced the top American juniors who will represent the United States in the World Junior Tennis Competition Finals.  The event features 32 teams (16 boys’ teams and 16 girls’ teams) composed of players 14-and-under from 23 nations across the world.  The U.S. captured both titles last year; the boys will look to become the first back-to-back winners since the U.S. won in 2002 and 2003, while the girls will seek their third straight title.
The World Junior Tennis Competition Finals will be held August 3-8 in Prostejov, Czech Republic. 

World Junior Tennis - Boys

Joseph Di Giulio, Newport Beach, Calif.

Nikko Madregallejo, Duarte, Calif.

Mackenzie McDonald, Piedmont, Calif.

      Coach: Andres Pedroso

World Junior Tennis - Girls

Brooke Austin, Indianapolis

Victoria Duval, Bradenton, Fla.

Sachia Vickery, Miramar, Fla.

      Coach: Kathy Rinaldi

***
Petrova Visits Hospital Patients at Stanford

Nadia Petrova, the fifth-seed at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford this week, visited the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford University on Tuesday. She started in the Hospital’s Playroom where children can go to do arts and crafts projects, read or play with toys, and helped the kids with some art projects, autographed tennis balls and handed out stuffed Bank of the West bears.
After that, she toured several patients’ rooms handing out bears and signing autographs. It made a pleasant break from routine for the Russian, who said, “I enjoy it. I like to meet the kids and have a little fun.”

***

We hear---
--- that French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova has pulled out of next week's tournament in Carson because of a foot injury.
---Rafael Nadal is aiming to make his comeback in Montreal after missing the grass court season with tendonitis.
---that British no.1  Anne Keothavong is fearful for her tennis future.  The 25 year-old Londoner who missed almost a year of tennis after injuring knee ligaments in 2004 is to undergo a scan today after colliding with a fence during her Stanford doubles match alongside Ayumi Morita of Japan. “Busted my knee, got a scan in the morning but think I know already,” she reported on her Twitter page.
***
THIS WEEK
MEN
Gstaad
Los Angeles
Umag
WOMEN
Istanbul
Stanford
***
NEXT WEEK
MEN
Washington, DC
WOMEN
Carson
***
Bob Larson’s Stock Report
Tuesday Stock Prices

Stock

Last

Change

Adidas

20.49

-.31

Amer Sports

4.60

0.00

Head

0.20

0.00

K-Swiss

10.40

+.06

Nike

52.91

+.54

Bob Larson Tennis Stock Index $88.60
* The index is based on the total value of one share of each stock we report daily.
***
Results
For complete ATP and WTA results, please see our web site at www.tennisnews.com

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

(c)  Copyright 2009. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

ITF Announces Committee Appointments

The following are some of the appointments made by the ITF Committee and Commission at the Board of Directors meeting held during the ITF AGM in Madrid recently.
Davis Cup Committee
Chairman: Mr Juan Margets (Spain)
Mr Armando Cervone (Argentina)
Mr Tom Gullikson (United States)
Mr Geoff Pollard (Australia)
Mr Charles Trippe (Great Britain)
Mr Arnaud Boetsch (France - Observer)
Mr Sergey Leoniouk (Russia - Observer)
Fed Cup Committee
Chairman: Mr Georg von Waldenfels (Germany)
Ms Jane Brown-Grimes (United States)
Mr Aleksei Selivanenko (Russia)
Mr Luc Vandaele (Belgium)
Mr Michele Brunetti (Italy)
Mrs Francoise Durr  (France - Observer)
Ms Ann Jones (Great Britain - Observer)
Olympic Committee
Chairman: Mr Francesco Ricci Bitti (ITA / ITF President)
Junior Competitions Committee
Chairman: Mrs Lucy Garvin (United States)
Seniors Committee
Chairman: Mr Roman Murashkovsky (Russia)
Wheelchair  Tennis Committee
Chairman: Mr Chris Kypriotis (Brazil)
ITF Womens Circuit Committee
Chairman: Mr Anil Khanna (India)
Rules of Tennis Committee
Chairman: Mr Geoff Pollard (Australia)
***
Mayotte Named USTA National Coach

The USTA announced that Tim Mayotte has been hired as a USTA National Coach. In this role, Mayotte will facilitate coaching and training programs while working with players in the USTA Player Development program. He will be based at the USTA Training Center Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., and will report to Jay Berger, Director of Men’s Tennis, USTA Player Development. 
“Tim was the consummate professional as a player and now has channeled his passion and energy for the game into coaching,” said Patrick McEnroe, General Manager, Player Development.  “We are very excited about having Tim join our staff, and he will be a great addition to the USTA Player Development team.”
Mayotte, of Springfield, Mass., has coached for many years in Manhattan and recently coached the Boston Lobsters in World TeamTennis.
***
Bryan Brothers Sign Endorsement Agreement with Luxilon Strings

Bob and Mike Bryan have signed up to use Luxilon Big Banger ALU Power Rough 125 strings. The company, whose product is distributed by Wilson Sporting goods parent Amer Sports, is based in Antwerp, Belgium, and is the brand is the official string of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.
“Everyone at Luxilon is thrilled to have Mike and Bob on our team,” Nico Van Malderen, President of Luxilon said. “Luxilon has proven to be a key ingredient for Tour players’ success and we are proud to offer the #1 doubles team a superior product.”
Although the strings have a link with Wilson, the 31-year old twins will continue to play with Prince 03 Speedport Black racquets.

***
Ivanovic Likes the WTA Scheduling of Events

Ana Ivanovic is very satisfied with scheduling of WTA Tour. “I feel refreshed after an enjoyable holiday. I think it is a great idea to have this mid-season break, as part of the Roadmap, and it has given me time to rest and reflect on my game. More importantly, of course, it has allowed me to get fit again after my injury.”
World 11 suffered problems with micro-tear in her left thigh muscle in Wimbledon’s forth round against Venus Williams. She retired after first game of second set, but her recovery was faster then expected immediately after an injury.
“Wimbledon seems like a long time ago. I did some fitness work during my holiday in Scotland and I've been training this week in Spain. I am now on my way to America for what should be a six-week stay at least. I will play tournaments in LA, Cincinnati, Toronto and then the US Open.”
Ivanovic used her holiday to hang out with her boyfriend, golf pro Adam Scott, in Scotland where he played a tournament. After that she moved to Spanish island Mallorca, where she owns property and started preparations with her staff. She plans to catch up with Darren Cahill, former coach of Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi, in Carson.
“It's quite some time since I played three tournaments in three weeks and it's definitely a challenge physically, but I am up to it for sure. Actually, someone told me that the last time I played three tournaments in three weeks was three years ago, when I won the US Open Series. That was nice to hear!”
Ana is very satisfied with her form before new challenges. “Having a short break from tennis like this gives me even more hunger to compete. I really can't wait to get back on the court, so I am very much looking forward to the Los Angeles tournament starting next week.”
***
Lloyd Gives up on British Tennis

David Lloyd, one of Britain’s most successful self-made multi-millionaires who is also a former Davis Cup captain and player who reached the final in 1978 and contested Wimbledons and was a major factor in the emergence of Tim Henman as a world star, has reluctantly turned his back on British tennis.
The 61 year-old, whose fortune was nine months ago estimated to be in excess of £50 million ($80 million), has repeatedly canvassed for the job of leading the Lawn Tennis Association but is also a long term critic of the current administration under chief executive Roger Draper and predecessor John Crowther.
“I've never given up on anything in my life, but I cannot stay in tennis in Britain,” lamented Lloyd. “This is the saddest decision I have had to make, but what is happening is a real disgrace.”
Lloyd launched another attack on the LTA last week, maintaining he would run British tennis for nothing. However finance is the root of the rift he now views as impossible to repair. Three youth academies at Reed's School in Cobham, Surrey that produced Henman, Redbridge in Essex and Next Generation Club in Glasgow are all under the Lloyd banner.
He has been requested a sum of £350,000 from the LTA to make the academies self sufficient but the final offer from the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton was only £270,000. Clearly there is potential in the Lloyd ranks; last weekend, Andrew Bettles, a Reed's pupil, won the Safina Cup in the Czech Republic without dropping a set while Evan Hoyt, at the age 14, is regarded as one of the world's leading players in his age group.
Lloyd accepts that he has received £1.4million in funding from the LTA in the past three years but it seems the sticking block of  £80,000 is final and he insists: “I am sorry to all those who feel I have let them down, but it is impossible to work in these circumstances.
The root of Lloyd’s problem appears to be potential salaries for coaches to work with young players. Given the financial parameters he would only be able to employ from the Youth Training Scheme and this sort of coach would be insufficiently qualified.  “They won't produce players and I'm not going to do it,” said Lloyd, elder brother of Britain’s current Davis Cup Captain John.
He insists that no business in the world, and he has run and dealt with many, works in the same way as the LTA. He continued: “The current LTA rules and regulations are impossible to work in. It is like having a communist state in a capitalist world. Each area of Britain is different and has to be treated differently.
“Talent is a very special thing and when you recognize a talent the boundaries must be limitless and whatever you need to invest to help that talent reach its maturity cannot be constrained “Think about it, not one player who has made anything of himself in the past 20 years has come through the LTA system, not Tim Henman, not Greg Rusedski and not Andy Murray.
“So what is it that makes them so sure they know everything? In the end, I couldn't beat them, it is impossible to beat them. The only way it will change is if the British public rises up, realizes what is happening and gets rid of them.”
***
Djokovic’s Feet Are on European Clay But His Mind is on US Open Series

Novak Djokovic plays on clay court in Umag this week, but his mind is already on hard courts in USA. Novak picked his middle brother Marko to push his career in Umag, but he is not wasting his practice time on red clay. His brain is already on hard courts.
Eldest Djokovic and Ivan Ljubicic, best Croatian player in Umag, requested from tournament to lie down one hard court, the same as in US Open series, to get ready for American swing of ATP Tour. There is no doubt that as Umag tournament will progress, more players will move on that court to use opportunity to enjoy this beautiful Adriatic city and work on their hard court skills.
Marko Djokovic is 17, but not short on successes in doubles. Paired with fellow Serbian Darko Madjarovski, he made one of biggest surprises in many years beating Wimbledon champions Nenad Zimonjic and Daniel Nestor in Belgrade in May. Marko debuted in singles top flight last autumn Bangkok in September, but due to illness played only one match this season. He lost to Slovak Hrbaty in Belgrade.
For Novak Djokovic, Umag will be only first contact with top tennis after Wimbledon. He hasn’t entered singles competition, and he will play first tournament in Montreal in ten days.
***
Ivanovic is Featured in Vogue Magazine

Ana Ivanovic is the subject of a six-page feature in the August issue of Vogue magazine, which has gone on sale in the United States. She was photographed on the Deauville boardwalk in Normandy, France in a cobalt Eres bathing suit by renowned photographer Norman Jean Roy earlier this year. As well as photos, the magazine includes an in-depth feature written by journalist Rebecca Johnson, who spent time with Ana during the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami in March.
The article on Ivanovic is part of a feature in which the magazine takes a close look at five remarkable women ranging in age from a tennis player in their 20’s (Ana) to a screenwriter in her 40’s to an underwater explorer in her 60’s in an attempt to find out what they have learned about life, love and fashion at every age.

***
International Juniors Preparing for Major Event

This week’s Borotra Cup (boys) and Helvetie Cup (girls) 16 & under team events are acting as the European qualifying events for the Junior Davis Cup and Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Finals in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
Twenty-eight nations have entered both events. The Borotra Cup qualifying rounds are taking place at four venues on July 29-31, with the final round held in Le Touquet, France on August 3-5.
The Helvetie Cup qualifying rounds are also taking place at four venues on August 29-31, with the final round held in Leysin, Switzerland on August. Six nations will qualify for both the Junior Davis and Fed Cup Finals to be held in San Luis Potosi on September 29 – October 4.
***
Stanford Has Successful Kids Day

Four hundred children attended Kids Day at Stanford on Monday. The elementary school age youth came from around the Bay Area and all received transportation to and from the tournament as well as admittance to the first match of the day.
The event was sponsored by USTA Norcal and Round Table Pizza. The group participated in Kids Town Hall, an interactive panel and Q&A session consisting of twelve panelists with a variety of sports-related backgrounds. The discussion centered on the obstacles panelists overcame to achieve success and the important role sports played in their lives. The panel included three competitors in this year’s doubles draw, Carly Gullickson, Laura Granville, and Jill Craybas.
Other panelists included retired Oakland Raider Jim Otto, former San Francisco 49er Bryant Young and Don Johnson, former number one doubles player on the tour, as well  as two Oakland residents, age eleven and nine, who provided a younger perspective.

***

We hear---
--- that the second of Ana Ivanovic's special US Open Series commercials is now available for viewing/download. The 30-second advert concentrates on Ana's superstition of never stepping on the lines of the court between points.
***
THIS WEEK
MEN
Gstaad
Los Angeles
Umag
WOMEN
Istanbul
Stanford
***
NEXT WEEK
MEN
Washington, DC
WOMEN
Carson
***
Bob Larson’s Stock Report
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* The index is based on the total value of one share of each stock we report daily.
***
Results
For complete ATP and WTA results, please see our web site at www.tennisnews.com

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

(c)  Copyright 2009. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis

Monday, July 27, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

Ginepri Takes Early Lead in US Open Series

The 2009 US Open Series, now in its sixth season, began last week with unseeded Robby Ginepri winning the title at the Indianapolis Tennis Championships in an all-American final against No. 3 seed Sam Querrey 6-2, 6-4.
Ginepri now takes the early lead in the US Open Series Bonus Challenge, in which the men's and women's winners will compete for $1 million in bonus prize money at the 2009 US Open.
The Series continues this week with men in Los Angeles while women begin their season in Stanford.

***
Lagardere Signs Ouanna

Lagardere Unlimited, the independent French concern that now boasts Andy Roddick amongst its roster as well as a number of home-based players including the soon-to-return Richard Gasquet, have announced another new capture in the shape of Josselin Ouanna who served notice of intent at this year’s French Open  ousting former World No. 1 Marat Safin.
The 23 year-old Frenchman, a junior contemporary of 2008 Australian Open finalist and current world no.7 Jo Wilfried Tsonga and as well as 13^th ranked Gael Monfils, is only finally making his mark of the world scene after injury sidelined him for nearly two years between 2005 and 2007.
“I’ve improved at my own pace,” insists the once very shy Ouanna. “But I know what it takes. Perhaps I had less self confidence than Jo or Gael, and of course my injuries did not help.
“It wasn’t easy seeing my friends winning matches on television but in the end it certainly motivated me to try and go to meet them at the top.”
Currently coached by the duo of Jerome Potier and Laurent Raymond, much is expected from the 6ft 4ins tall right hander from Tours who has based himself largely on clay this year, the highlight being the 7-6, 7-6(, 4-6, 3-6, 10-8 win over Safin. Fernando Gonzalez eventually halted Ouanna’s progress at Roland Garros and last week’s first outing on North American hard court ended in a straight sets first round exit at the hands of America’s John Isner at Indianapolis
However Ouanna’s ranking has risen from a year opening 154^th spot to a current career high of 110.
Lagardere is a pure media group (books, press, broadcast, digital, travel retail and press distribution, sports trading and sports rights), and is among the world leaders in the sector. Lagardere holds a 7.5% stake in EADS, over which it exercises joint control.
***
Pratt Joins Tennis Australia Coaching Staff

Former world No. 35 tennis player, Nicole Pratt, has been appointed the National Women’s Coach at Tennis Australia. In her new role Pratt willl work with assigned athletes in the AIS Pro Tour Program and Fed Cup Team. She will also work with other national coaches in transitioning athletes from the National Academies onto the WTA Tour.
The former Fed Cup representative and two time Olympian is thrilled about making the transition from player to coach. “I am extremely excited to be able to give back to the sport that has been such a huge part of my life,” Pratt said.
“My aim is to build upon the current success of our female athletes by providing cutting edge coaching and training expertise. My goal is to stay committed to open communication and to be a mentor/role model to our next generation of players."
The former Australian No. 1 is currently coaching Jessica Moore and has previously worked with Casey Dellacqua. Pratt retired from professional tennis last year and received Tour Player Service Awards in 1999, 2000 and 2004. She was elected to Tour Players' Council and is also a WTA board member serving as a player representative.
***
Sharapova Establishes Scholarship Foundation for Belarusian Students

In a joint initiative with the United Nations Development Program, Maria Sharapova has launched a foundation to distribute scholarships among first-year students at Belarusian State University throughout the 2009-2010 academic year. The $3,500 scholarships will be open to Belarus residents attending BSU, who come from areas formally recognized as affected by the Chernobyl nuclear accident. Sharapova's father and pregnant mother fled Homyel, a town 80 miles north of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, shortly after the accident in April 1986. She was born in a Siberian city months later.
The Maria Sharapova Foundation scholarships will be distributed to non-fee-paying and fee-paying students, according to the BSU press office. Recipients should actively participate in public, research and volunteer activities, and should have a high average grade in their general education school diplomas. The scholarships can be extended every semester based on reviews of the student's academic performance. The program is expected to have an initial run of four years, with funds totaling $210,000.
"It has always been my dream of to contribute to the recovery of a region where I have a personal connection," Sharapova said. "Enabling talented young people to pursue higher education is part of a broader effort to build a brighter future for the region."
In February 2007 Sharapova, who serves as a Goodwill Ambassador to the UN Development Program, donated $100,000 for eight Chernobyl relief projects in Belarus and Ukraine. The projects, carried out by the UNDP in cooperation with local authorities and NGOs, focused on better computer access and the reconstruction of sports facilities and hospitals in the countries' worst-affected areas.
"UNDP is honored to count Maria Sharapova among its Goodwill Ambassadors," said Kemal Dervis, UNDP Administrator. "Her engagement helps to convey a message of optimism to young people in a once-blighted region where a return to normal life is now a realistic prospect."
***
The World Waits for Federer, Nadal and Sharapova to Return to the Tours

Reports from Switzerland suggest that world no.1 Roger Federer has been splitting his time between new his duties of fatherhood after the arrival last Friday of twin daughters Charlene and Myla and practicing on hard court for his upcoming attempt at stretching his collection of Grand Slam titles to 16 and winning a sixth consecutive US Open.
But there is no word as to when Federer will begin his competitive build up and organizers of the Rogers Cup, the Canadian leg of the ATP World Tour’s Masters 1000 Series that begins in Montreal on August 8, are as much in the dark as anybody.
Rogers Cup tournament director Eugene Lapierre remains hopeful. "I think most people figure we won’t have him here,” said Lapierre. "But until he tells us directly, we’ll think there’s still a chance.”
The signs remain good that deposed world no.1 Rafael Nadal will be fit to make his comeback after missing Wimbledon because of tendonitis in both knees. After a week of practice in Majorca, Nadal is showing no ill effect and Lapierre is confident.  “We are delighted that Rafa has confirmed that he is going to play," he reported.
Meantime Maria Sharapova has confirmed she will play this week’s Bank of the West Classic in Stanford before contesting the Los Angeles Women’s Tennis Championships next week (August 3 thru 9) on the hard courts of The Home Depot Center on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson.
"It's so nice to be back home. I love this time of year because I feel like all the tournaments are fairly close," said Sharapova. “"California is my second home. My coach Michael Joyce lives here. I have many friends and supporters here. I feel like I can get everyone tickets and everyone can watch me play 30 minutes away rather than having to travel all the way to Europe or somewhere like that. It makes it a lot easier for them." 
***
The Eternal Question Continues as to Who is Number One in Women’s Tennis

Eternal question when world No1 Dinara Safina is involved – whether she deserves tennis crown without a major title – popped up after her Portoroz win on Sunday evening.
“Of course I deserve it,” Safina adamantly said. “WTA rankings don't lie. I have not bought points, I earned them. My No 1 is a result of my good games, it is not my fault that other player can't make it. I played three Grand Slam finals and one semifinal and I think that justifies my first place.”
But, the problem is that Serena Williams won three major titles in same period. The American said several times that biggest trophies are what counts the most when the tag the world best player is given.
“I don't want to comment it,” reacted Safina. “There is only one thing that I would like to say. Contrary to her, I play all my matches to the end. Even when I was beaten up, like in Wimbledon, I fight to the end. She often knows to give up after loss of first set, which is not in fair play spirit.”
***
Nalbandian Sets Retirement Target

David Nalbandian plans to play three years more. “I am 27 now and my idea is to play by 30. I will fight to stay in top five," reported the former No. 3. “Tennis players quit tennis because of mental stress and not for fitness reasons. Look at cases of Sabatini and Coria. This is not going to happen to me." Nalbandian is satisfied with the outcome of his hip operation, although it was done on May the 13th.
“I knew it might end bad, but I never had any doubts. I played two years with pain, I won important tournaments on one leg. I could not walk.” Lot of people think that King David deserved higher ranking of three.
“I could do that, I could do this, there is always half empty glass. There is only one No. 1 in this world, only one No.2 too. There was never a player from Argentina on No. 1, so why they point to me? In nine years as a professional, I spent seven years in top ten. No one achieve that in my country.“
***
Dementieva Does Some San Francisco Sightseeing Before Getting Down to Tennis

Elena Dementieva took time for some sightseeing before getting down to work at the Bank of the West Classic. Played at Stanford University, not too far from San Francisco, the Russian No.3 seed jumped at the chance to visit the city and take in the Coit Tower, the Golden Gate Bridge and the famous Lombard Street, known as the crookedest street in the world.

***
Sharapova’s Mind is Ready to Return to the Tour, But the Body?

Things haven’t gone too well for Maria Sharapova since she returned from shoulder surgery in Warsaw. Even being away for two or three weeks can disrupt your rhythm make it difficult to catch up again. Sharapova didn’t play from August until May! It hasn’t been a complete disaster, with a quarterfinal at Roland Garros and a semi in Birmingham, but it isn’t what she has been used to. Still, she knows there is no easy way, and the answer is to just keep playing matches.
"There's no better way to get into shape as a tennis player than playing tennis," she said at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford. "I can do all the running or Pilates I want, work myself until I'm blue in the face, but when you go on court for the first time after months on end, your body isn't used to the whole thing.
“Now it's a matter of forgetting what I went through and to get on court and try to do the right thing over and over. These tournaments are going to be crucial. As far as results, I'd like to be champion because that feels pretty darn good and I want that feeling back, but I'm not saying that in the next month and half I will or won't be."
***
Congratulations to—

Houston’s Tennis Express for being named Babolat’s Tennis Dealer of the Year!

***
Ricky's Notes
By Ricky Dimon

Croatia has declared Monday a national day of mourning, so there will be no tennis at the Croatia Open. At least six people died in train crash on Friday on the way from Zagreb to Split. . .Richard Gasquet is being sued for defamation by the woman who allegedly brought him into contact with cocaine via a kiss. The woman, known only as "Pamela," said, "I am not a drug addict or an easy woman who goes gaga when she sees a star." Her lawyer said of Gasquet's defense: "If you presented such a defense in a normal court of law you would be laughed at.". . . The city of Hamburg failed to fulfill its promise of providing last week's event in Hamburg with 200,000 Euros. City officials had pledged to provide that amount after the tournament lost its title sponsor, Bet-at-Home.com; a loss that cost the event an estimated 450,000 Euros. . . Andy Murray got his driver's license last week, passing his first test while making "just two minor faults," according to a post on his Twitter account. Murray is now training in Miami in preparation for the upcoming Masters Series events in Montreal and Cincinnati. . . The USTA has announced that it will host its 2010 Australian Open wild card playoffs in Atlanta in early December. One man and one woman will earn direct entry into the main draw of next season's first major event. . .  Marat Safin is upset with former coach Mats Wilander, now a Eurosport commentator who recently blasted Safin's sister, Dinara Safina, for lackluster performances in major finals. "It's embarrassing to look at," Wilander said of Safina's ability to handle pressure. "I think it's so fantastically bad that someone had to say something." Responded Safin: "He should keep quiet. He is only a commentator and he should show my family more respect."
Albert Montanes was the only directly-entered player in the main draw of this week's ATP event in Gstaad who pulled out. Montanes was replaced in the field by Flavio Cipolla. . . Janko Tipsarevic, Nicolas Devilder and Steve Darcis withdrew from the Croatia Open. They were replaced by Daniel Gimeno-Traver, Simon Greul and Nicolas Massu. Pablo Cuevas earned a special exemption into the main draw as a result of his semifinal run in Hamburg. . . Frank Dancevic and Robby Ginepri earned special exemptions into this week's LA Tennis Open thanks to their performances in Indianapolis. Dancevic reached the semifinals and Ginepri won the title. . . The LA Tennis Open held an eight-man round-robin tiebreaker event over the weekend to determine the wild card spots in the main draw. Chris Guccione defeated Donald Young in the final to gain direct entry. . . Fernando Gonzalez, Radek Stepanek, and Arnaud Clement withdrew from the LA event. Marcos Baghdatis, Vince Spadea, and John Isner took their spots in the main draw.
World TeamTennis handed out punishments last week for an incident between the New York Sportimes and the Washington Kastles. Sportimes player John McEnroe and coach Chuck Adams were fined, as was Sportimes player Robert Kendrick, who hit a serve at Kastles player Leander Paes. Olga Puchkova of the Kastles was also fined for leaving the bench to take part in the ensuing confrontation. . . The Kastles won their first World TeamTennis title on Sunday, defeating the Springfield Lasers. Puchkova clinched the match with a victory in women's singles over Vania King, the MVP of the league. . . David Nalbandian and Mario Ancic have pulled out of the US Open. Nalbandian is still recovering from hip surgery and Ancic is not yet fit after a bout with mononucleosis. They will be replaced in the main draw by Ivan Navarro and Karol Beck. . . Andy Roddick will return to action at next week in Washington, D.C. for his first appearance since injuring his hip in the Wimbledon final. Roddick said via a Twitter post: "keep getting asked when my next tourney will be.... i will see all of u in washington in two weeks.". . . Isner, the 2007 runner-up to Roddick in Washington, DC, was awarded the first wild card into the Legg Mason main draw.
Kim Clijsters completed her debut World TeamTennis season last Wednesday by leading the St. Louis Aces to a win over the Philadelphia Freedoms. Clijsters was also given a wild card into the upcoming US Open as she begins her comeback to tennis. Her most recent appearance in a major came at the 2007 Australian Open. . . Sania Mirza was too busy winning last week, so she will not be in the singles event this week in Stanford. Mirza won an ITF Challenger title in Lexington on Sunday, so she was too late to enter Stanford qualifying. She had been offered a wild card, but she could not accept it because she had already used three allowed wild cards already this season (for Dubai, Indian Wells, and Miami). . . Li Na injured her right knee while participating in preliminaries for China's National Games in Shandong. She is in doubt for the upcoming US Open, but her husband and coach, Jiang Shan, says she will undergo further tests before a final decision. . . Austria's Tamira Paszek is being investigated by national anti-doping authorities after a medical treatment for a back injury reportedly violated doping regulations. Paszek has told the anti-doping agency, NADA, that she was unaware her specific treatment was possibly illegal. No more notes,
Ricky

***

We hear---
--- that one of the candidates to join the board of Tennis Canada in the imminent elections is Larry Jurovich, the present Director of Coach Education at the Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association.
***
THIS WEEK
MEN
Gstaad
Los Angeles
Umag
WOMEN
Istanbul
Stanford
***
NEXT WEEK
MEN
Washington, DC
WOMEN
Carson
***
Bob Larson’s Stock Report
Friday Stock Prices

Stock

Last

Change

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+.35

Amer Sports

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Head

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52.17

+1.03

Bob Larson Tennis Stock Index $88.15
* The index is based on the total value of one share of each stock we report daily.
***
Results
For complete ATP and WTA results, please see our web site at www.tennisnews.com

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

(c)  Copyright 2009. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis

Friday, July 24, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

The Federers Have Twin Girls

The world was left wondering for months and months when the Federer offspring was due. Now we know. July 23rd. And, never one to do anything half-hearted, he and his wife Mirka are the proud parents of twin girls.
"I have some exciting news to share with you," Federer's Facebook page said on Friday. "Late last night, in Switzerland, Mirka and I became proud parents of twin girls. We named them Myla Rose and Charlene Riva and they are both healthy, and along with their mother they are doing great. This is the best day of our lives."
The couple, who married in April, met at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where the then Miroslava Vavrinec was also competing for Switzerland. Nicknamed Mirka, she emigrated with her family to Switzerland from Slovenia as a young child, and she went on to compete on the WTA Tour before injury forced her into an early retirement.

***
USTA Names Chicago Facilities as USTA Midwest Training Center Network

The USTA announced facilities and programs in the Chicago area as the locations of a network of USTA Regional Training Centers as it continues its expanded efforts to develop future American tennis champions.  The Midtown Tennis Club, Score Fitness and Tennis Club and the CARE Academy, which offers programming at the Lincolnshire and Libertyville Tennis Clubs, will comprise the Chicago Midwest Training Center Network. 
The Midtown Tennis Club is located in the heart of Chicago’s Lincoln Park and is the largest indoor tennis facility in the world.  The facility has 18 hard courts. The Midtown Tennis Club was founded in 1969 by former USTA President Alan Schwartz. 
The Score Tennis and Fitness Center is located just outside of Chicago in Countryside, Ill.  The indoor facility has eight hard courts and since 1982 has been a top training center for a number of nationally ranked junior players.  The center is under the direction of Paul McDonald.
The CARE Academy program is under the direction of Mark Bey and is designed for elite junior tennis players.  Since 1995, the program has sent 68 players onto NCAA Division I varsity tennis teams.  The CARE Academy conducts classes at both the Libertyville Club and the Lincolnshire Club, which combine to provide 12 outdoor courts and six indoor courts. 
***
Sharapova is Ready to Get into The Pro Tour Wars

For the most part, the last 12 months have been a competitive non-event for former world no.1 Maria Sharapova. The rotator cuff tendon tear she suffered in her right shoulder in April 2008 that finally required surgery five months later has meant the winner of three Grand Slam titles has only contested four singles events since losing early at Montreal in the Rogers Cup almost a year ago.
A semi-final in the low key pre-Wimbledon grass court event at Birmingham’s Edgbaston Priory and quarter finals on clay at the French Open and Warsaw are the highpoints of a period Sharapova will want to forget tennis-wise. But mentally rejuvenated by three wins for the Newport Beach Breakers in World Team Tennis, Sharapova now feels both physically and mentally ready to reclaim the female tennis spotlight.
Sharapova is scheduled to play in the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford, starting next Monday (July 27) before heading down the California coast to effectively her hometown tournament, the Los Angeles Women’s Tennis Championships presented by Herbal Life.
After taking a week off she will cross the border to Canada to again contest the Rogers Cup which this year is the turn of Toronto events and next it’s New York for a sixth tilt at the US Open that she won in 2006.
"I am 100%," reported the 22 year-old multi-millionaire. “My shoulder feels really good. I'm looking forward to playing matches. Going out there, playing, performing.  That's what I didn't do.
"In a few weeks it will be a whole year, basically since I hurt my arm really bad.  So just enjoying being out there and really with every match working on getting myself better and, you know, playing.  Just playing tennis."
After the disappointment of suffering a round two exit at Wimbledon for the second straight year, Sharapova headed back to Arizona where she has done the majority of the rehabilitation work on her shoulder. She has remodelled her serve and continues to do strengthening exercises that will probably be a daily routine for the remainder of her playing career.
“It's not something that you just stop when it feels good,” insisted Sharapova whose Sony Ericsson WTA Tour ranking dropped outside the world’s top 100 but is now back up to 61.  “You have to keep working on it. You have to keep getting it stronger.
“For the rest of my career I'll be doing shoulder exercises.  It won't be as fun as I want it to be. It's all a routine.  But you know what, everyone has to do it.  Everyone has injuries.  It's part of the game.  If you want to be back out there, you've got to work hard, not just through tennis, but many other things."
The immediate aim is to gather sufficient ranking points in the next three tournaments to figure amongst the 32 seeds for the US Open which works directly off the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour computer – at Wimbledon the All England Club seeded their 2004 Wimbledon winner 24^th which was a distinctly charitable 36 spots above her tournament entry rank of No. 60.
“It's not that none of these tournaments are going to be tough," maintained Sharapova. "I feel like a lot of the upcoming matches are going to be tough.  I'm still getting the rustiness kind of away from me. But absolutely, I'm gonna take each tournament and just try to build on that and build on my game and build on the confidence in my arm that I can do it over and over."
***
Tipsarevic Dumfounded by Betting Suspicions

Janko Tipsarevic was in state of shock when he found out that his defeat in Stuttgart last week against Spaniard Oscar Hernandez was declared suspicious by two bookmakers companies.
“I checked with ATP Tour and Stuttgart tournament and got the same answer, they don’t know anything about it,” said Tipsarevic. “It is a shame that your name can be put in any negative context and no one will be responsible.”
“William Hill” and “Bet Fair”, two companies involved, decided to delay payment to winners of bet on Hernandez because of too big money bet on his win in two sets against Tipsarevic (6:4, 6:4).
Even though the Serbian is lower ranked, he was, according to betting companies, favored to win. He disagrees. “My problem is shoulder injury since Wimbledon and that is a reason for three defeats in row,” says world No 70. ”I had not recovered yet, but I had to play some matches in German Bundes league because of earlier commitment. Maybe that was a reason for big bets against me, because some people might have known about my problem. My only mistake was to play in Stuttgart and Hamburg injured. I pulled out of Umag next week and I hope that I will be ready for Montreal.”
This is not the first time for Tipsarevic to experience problems with betting. “Three years ago I was under investigation after I retired against Hewitt in Australia. Of course, there was nothing in whole story, but what bothers me the most is that this situation puts a blemish on my career. I don’t wont people to ask me on the street if I fixed score on court, like happened today in Belgrade.”
***
Ljubicic Finished His Training Where He Can Get It

Ivan Ljubicic, former No 3 and Davis Cup winner, finished his preparations for Umag ATP Tournament – on a parking lot.
“My wish was to run on athletics track of Rijeka stadium, but it was locked up. We went to alternative field, but very soon security guy told me that I have to move,” explained the best Croatian tennis player since Goran Ivanisevic. He was born in Bosnia, he resides in Monte Carlo, but chose Rijeka as residence when in Croatia.  
Ljubicic took whole situation with humor. “Luckily, there was not too many cars on parking lot, so we decided to finish work there,” added the Croatian who is recovering from ankle injury and hopes to return to ATP Tour next week in Umag.

***
Adidas Asks the Public to Select Bryan Brothers Apparel

Fans will have the opportunity to vote for which adidas clothes four-time LA Tennis Open doubles champions Bob and Mike Bryan will wear in their opening round match of the 2009 tournament. adidas has made two different sets of clothing available to the Bryans, and fans can log in now to www.LATennisOpen.com to cast their votes for which shirt and shorts combination the twins should wear on court.
"It's pretty cool that the fans will get the chance to help us figure out what to wear. If we play well in these clothes, we may never change and we'll have our fans to thank," said Bob, with Mike adding, "We've had a great partnership with adidas, as has the tournament in LA, so to do something like this with both of them is really cool. We can't really go wrong with either option, but we're definitely curious to see what the fans choose for us."
The Bryans have won the LA title in their previous two appearances, in 2006 and 2007, and will bring an eight match winning streak into the 2009 event. They missed the 2008 tournament to play the Beijing Olympics, where they claimed the bronze medal. Overall, they are 20-6 all-time in LA, having also won titles in 2001 and 2004.
***
There was Arnie’s Army for Golf; Now it is Sam Querrey’s Samurai

Lleyton Hewitt’s group of supporters are well-known for their boisterous support of the Aussie both at Davis Cup and the majors. Fewer know that American Sam Querrey has his own group of fans, known as the Samurai, and they flew all the way from Santa Barbara, California, to Indiana to spread their spirit courtside at the Indianapolis Tennis Championships, as well as throughout the city.
They were invited by Tournament Director Kevin Martin, who thought their enthusiasm in the stands would add extra flavor to the tournament, and Querrey appreciated the gesture, saying, "I thank the Indianapolis Tennis Championships to bring them to cheer me up this week. I hope to go deep in the tournament so they can have a lot to cheer about."
Querrey and five of the Samurai went to Scotty’s Brewhouse on Tuesday night to serve food and entertain the guests at the popular downtown restaurant. While Querrey jumped behind the bar to pour drinks, his friends went around the plaza handing out Samurai headbands and asking trivia questions about the 21-year-old tennis star. Correct answers earned the winners an "I Saw Sam" t-shirt.
"I think that the fans are more excited to see them than me," said Querrey. "They are a few of my best buddies from back home and they had this idea to create the Samurais. When I play close from home they always come to cheer me up. They are a lot of fun to watch."
A handful of lucky patrons walked away with tickets to Thursday Samurai Night and to Sunday’s final at the ATP World Tour 250 tournament. Querrey and the Samurai also took photos and signed autographs for fans, making it a special 25th wedding anniversary celebration for one family in attendance.
***
Ginepri Helps to Start Indianapolis Baseball Game

American Robby Ginepri, who won the Indianapolis Tennis Championships in 2005, was a special guest Wednesday at the Triple-A baseball game between the Indianapolis Indians and Durham Bulls at Victory Field in Indianapolis, Indiana. The American was invited to throw out the games' first pitch, but instead of pitching a baseball he used his racquet and a tennis ball to serve to the Indians catcher.
Although the umpire called balls on both of Ginepri's 'serves', the American was satisfied with his performance. "It was very close from a strike," said Ginepri. "It is quite different to have to serve at a catcher's glove. The target is just very small. I still had a lot of fun out there."

***

We hear---
--- that Reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon doubles champions Venus and Serena Williams have entered the doubles draw at the 2009 Bank of the West Classic being held July 27 - August 2 at the Taube Family Tennis Center on the campus of Stanford University.
***
THIS WEEK
MEN
Hamburg
Indianapolis
WOMEN
Portoroz
Bad Gastein
***
NEXT WEEK
MEN
Gstaad
Los Angeles
Umag
Warsaw
WOMEN
Istanbul
Stanford
***
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Bob Larson Tennis Stock Index $86.86
* The index is based on the total value of one share of each stock we report daily.
***
Results
For complete ATP and WTA results, please see our web site at www.tennisnews.com

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

(c)  Copyright 2009. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis

Thursday, July 23, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

Federer, Nadal and Roddick Headline 2009 US Open Men’s Field

Such is the power of US Open money that when the USTA announced the player field of next month’s US Open August 31 to September 13, all top 102 men have entered.
Both the men’s and women’s US Open singles champions will earn $1.6 million with the ability to earn an additional $1 million in bonus prize money (for a total $2.6 million potential payout) based on their performances in the US Open Series. 
Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo of Spain, ranked No. 102, was the last player accepted directly into the men’s field of 128 (Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina and Andrei Pavel of Romania used protected rankings to gain direct entry).  Sixteen more players will gain entry through the US Open Qualifying Tournament, August 25-28, while the remaining eight spots are wild cards awarded by the USTA.
***
Davidson Joins Houston Racquet Club

Owen Davidson, one of the legendary generation of Australians who has distinguished himself as both a player and coach, has joined the Giammalva Racquet Club in Houston, Texas.
Former world no. 28 Sammy Giammalva, the owner and manager of the club actually located in Spring, Texas and complete with 20 floodlit courts, a fitness centre and its own restaurant, is clearly delighted to announce the addition of somebody who collected 13 grand slam doubles titles to his staff.
"Owen will help us with our high performance junior training, our adult academy, member tennis trips around the world and with corporate outings and recruitments," said Giammalva. "He will also be available for private and group lessons."
‘Davo’, as he was universally known, is one of the very few players ever to win a calendar year grand slam in mixed doubles, partnering with Lesley Turner Bowrey in the Australian and Billie Jean King in the French, Wimbledon and U.S. Open in 1967.
In fact the 65 year old from Melbourne managed to win eight grand slam mixed doubles titles alongside BJK. His best grand slam singles result was at Wimbledon in 1966, when he reached the semifinals, losing out in five set to eventual champion Manolo Santana. He is also the 1972 Australian Open and the 1973 US Open men's doubles champion, partnering John Newcombe and Ken Rosewall.
After moving into coaching, Davidson was the head professional at Wimbledon’s All-England Club and the national British coach from 1967 to 1971. Then he became Tennis Director at the John Newcombe Tennis Ranch in New Braunfels for nine years.
***
Draper to Coach Future Queensland Tennis Stars

Scott Draper, one of the few professional athletes to achieve success in two sports switching from tennis to golf in 2005, has accepted a coaching position at the National Academy in Brisbane.
Draper is returning to his first love and will train the future tennis elite in his new role as National Coach at the Queensland Tennis Centre at Tennyson.
Draper represented Australia in the Davis Cup, winning the prestigious Queen's Club ATP event and teaming up with Samantha Stosur to win the 2005 Australian Open Mixed Doubles Championship.
His tennis career spanned over 12 years, winning 120 professional matches and achieving a singles career high ranking of 42 on the ATP World Tour. 
He was ranked No. 5 in the junior double rankings after winning the Wimbledon junior doubles title in 1992 and he coached former No.1 Lleyton Hewitt during the Australian Open in 2007.
***
Thailand Honoring Tennis Star

Roger Federer has won six Wimbledons, 15 majors in all, and he doesn’t have one. Noppawan Lertcheewakarn has just a Wimbledon junior title, and she does have one. A diplomatic passport.
While some might think that such documents should be given only to the elite, the Thai government is anxious to make the most of any rare international success that comes the country’s way, and the 17-year old has been feted wherever she has gone since arriving home from the All England Club.
Following countless TV appearances and interviews and a meeting with the Prime Minister, she will be escorted to the passport office by the foreign minister's secretary next Tuesday to apply for the red diplomatic passport, and the Foreign Minister himself will preside over the official presentation ceremony the following day and hand her the passport himself.
According to the Bangkok Post, it is an about-turn for the Minister, who was one of the anti-government protesters who helped close down Bangkok’s international airport late last year, after he had previously insisted that it would be inappropriate to give a diplomatic passport to a sports professional.
***
Murray Plays in a Local Tennis Event to Help His Hometown

Andy Murray may be the world’s third ranked player and a sporting superstar in Britain but that does not prevent the 22 year-old from remembering actually where his roots lie. So to the amazement of the 200 spectators who arrived at Eastbourne’s Devonshire Park to watch Day 3 of the the AEGON Summer County Cup, or County Week as its long been known in British circles, the man who was contesting the Wimbledon semi final just 20 days earlier turned up to play one of the world’s most archaic tennis events.
Never mind £100 million retractable roofs or Hawk-Eye. There are no umpires or line judges at County Week. Players are expected to make their own calls in the spirit of fair play. Plus there are no ball kids; it’s a question of the server gathering the balls himself after opponents have retrieved them and knocked them back. It’s all doubles and each player is expected to contest three matches a day.
The North of Scotland team has long been dear to the Murray family; Andy’s mother Judy represented the team in 15 County Weeks. But things had not been going well in the first three days of the competition as relegation loomed and injuries became a problem.
Reinforcements were needed and although Jamie Murray had arrived after losing at doubles in the first round of the Poznan Porsche Open challenger event in Poland, there was still a gap on the team. Murray family cell phones went to work and up stepped the world no.3. “I had heard that the team was struggling a bit with injuries, and so I spoke to the captain and said I could help them out if they needed me," Murray said.
“I know pretty much all these guys from junior days. I don't get to see them too often these days, a lot of them are coaches now and when Jamie said they needed us, I wasn't doing anything so it was an easy decision to come and play.”
Andy partnered Owen Hadden, a ten-year veteran, an ex Scottish junior singles champion and former field hockey international who now works in finance. Not surprisingly the pair won all three of their matches but still North of Scotland suffered a 5-4 defeat to Hertfordshire.
Nevertheless Ian Conway, the North of Scotland president, was pleased with his coup. "We didn't treat Andy like a superstar," Conway said. "He had to buy his own lunch, of course, and he had to call his own lines – when was the last time he did that? Andy knows all these guys, these are the people that he learnt to play the game with."
***
Sampras to Play in Charlotte Senior Event

Pete Sampras will lead the field of champions returning to The Palisades Country Club in Charlotte to compete in the $150,000 Breezeplay Championships at The Palisades, to be held September 24-27. The tournament is the sixth of eight events on the 2009 Outback Champions Series, the global tennis circuit for champion tennis players age 30 and over.
Joining Sampras to compete on the hard court stadium court at The Palisades will be defending champion Jim Courier, Hall of Famer Mats Wilander and three-time finalist Todd Martin. The Breezeplay Championships at The Palisades will be played over four days with the winner earning $60,000.
Sampras will be competing in Charlotte for a second time after capturing the title in 2007. The seven-time Wimbledon champion and owner of 14 major singles titles won the title in Charlotte two years ago defeating Todd Martin 6-3, 6-4 in the championship match.
Earlier this year, Sampras won Outback Champions Series events in Boston and Los Cabos, Mexico. He will be seeking his sixth career Outback Champions Series event in Charlotte after joining the global champions tennis circuit in 2007.
***
Correction:
Lendl Launches Tennis and Golf Academy in Florida
In yesterday’s Daily Tennis News we should have reported Ivan Lendl's Champions Academy (ILCA) is located in Bradenton, Florida.

***

We hear---
--- after winning her three matches in World TeamTennis competition in Newport Beach, California, Maria Sharapova said she is ready to return to the WTA tour.
***
THIS WEEK
MEN
Hamburg
Indianapolis
WOMEN
Portoroz
Bad Gastein
***
NEXT WEEK
MEN
Gstaad
Los Angeles
Umag
Warsaw
WOMEN
Istanbul
Stanford
***
Bob Larson’s Stock Report
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-.54

Bob Larson Tennis Stock Index $86.55
* The index is based on the total value of one share of each stock we report daily.
***
Results
For complete ATP and WTA results, please see our web site at www.tennisnews.com

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

(c)  Copyright 2009. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

Australian Open Gets a Major Sponsor

The Australian Open was in need of a financial boost after losing it’s second largest sponsor Garnier and it came from the beleaguered world of banking as Australian bank ANZ  signed a three-year pact to serve as the year’s opening Grand Slam’s associate sponsor.
The agreement begins with next year’s event which runs January 18 thru 31 and clearly comes as a huge relief to Tennis Australia. Earlier this year GE Money also announced they would no longer be sponsoring the biggest annual sporting event in the Southern Hemisphere.
"ANZ is a truly iconic Australian brand which will only further enhance the reputation and standing of the Australian Open," said Tennis Australia Chief Executive Steve Wood.
"We are very proud to have such a highly-respected Australian company make such a major commitment to our event. Their global headquarters is right here in Melbourne and their historical association with this city dates back more than 170 years.
“ANZ is one of the largest companies in Australia and among the top 50 banks in the world. It is fair to say that the biggest January sporting event in the world just got a little bit bigger with this news."
The French owned cosmetics firm Garnier, part of the L'Oreal Group, was second only to title sponsor Kia in the list of Australian Open sponsors, announced the end of their five year agreement in May. It is believed the long standing deal was worth nearly A$ 10 million ($ US 7.76 million).
The Australian Open's 2009 sponsorship portfolio was worth an estimated A$ 35 million ($US26.16). It has been headed since 2001 by Korean car manufacturer Kia, which remains committed until at least 2013. Lacoste and Rolex both signed lucrative multi-year contracts last year.
***
Cincinnati to Have Show Business Opening Night

Cincinnati’s own Nick Lachey will be the feature performer at a new Opening Night Celebration to kick off the Cincinnati tournament.
Lachey will anchor the new event by singing the national anthem prior to the first main draw match of the tournament which is slated to include former world No. 1 Kim Clijsters. 
“This year, the women’s event has been significantly upgraded and we’re bringing a new format to tennis fans in the Midwest by having the best in the sport play back-to-back,” said tournament director Bruce Flory. “This event on Monday night is our way of highlighting those improvements and kicking off what will be two great weeks of tennis.”
Prior to Lachey and Clijsters, Team Lachey, the choir hand-picked by Lachey and the winner of NBC’s Clash of the Choirs in 2007, will also hit Center Court to perform together.
The Kings Firecrackers, a jumping-rope team which has performed for crowds at sporting events around the country will also perform.
***
USTA and IBM Renew Their US Open Agreement

The USTA has announced that IBM has renewed its technology sponsorship of and business relationship with the US Open, the highest-attended annual sporting event in the world. IBM will continue as the "Official Information Technology Solution Provider" of the US Open and also will continue as one of six USTA Corporate Champions. The multi-year deal continues through 2012, and will make IBM a 20-plus-year sponsor of the US Open.
IBM will continue to provide innovative technology for all aspects of the US Open, including the development of USOpen.org. These technologies will be provided in a much greener fashion, as IBM will be able to reduce energy consumption by nearly half by utilizing fewer servers while increasing overall productivity.
Last year, the USTA and IBM introduced several new features to USOpen.org, including enhancements to the customizable myUSOpen.org, building the USOpen.org widget, and creating avenues for interactive content including the US Open Fanbook. In 2009, IBM will partner with the USTA to introduce an assortment of new enhancements, including an iPhone application, a new dynamic media console, more comprehensive interactive tools and mobile features.
***
Nadal Gingerly Returns to the Tennis Court

Restrained optimism without too much elation was the mood that emanated from Rafael Nadal after the deposed French Open and Wimbledon champion tentatively hit tennis balls for the first time in 31 days.
Nadal, beaten at Roland Garros for the first time in his career and then forced to miss the defence of both his Wimbledon and Queen’s Club titles because of tendonitis in both knees, completed a 75 minute practice session on a hard court in his home town of Manacor in Majorca.
The 23 year-old’s proposed competitive return at the Rogers Cup, Canada’s leg of the ATP World Tour’s Masters 1000 series in Montreal, is still three weeks away. Clearly he was not getting too carried away after getting on court for the first time in a month since deciding on the grass of London’s Hurlingham Club that his knees were not up to the rigors of Wimbledon.
But he said: “"It was just a small dose of contact without too much force, just enough to see how I am feeling. We still have to be cautious and in a week and a half we will know more. But I am pleased."
Nadal’s uncle and coach Toni was close at hand to monitor the reaction and the former world no.1, who practised without the tell-tale support bandages below each knee cap,  continued: “I’m very happy to be back training, get to touch a racket again and do what I love doing the most.”
Since pulling out of Wimbledon and subsequently losing his world no.1 ranking, Nadal has spent much of his time at home although he has made regular visits to Barcelona for extensive tests on his knees and treatment from doctor Angel Ruiz-Cotorro.
The first practice session was right on schedule and speaking on his own website RafaelNadal.com he concluded: “I still have to be very careful and I think within the next week and a half we will know more. Nevertheless, I’m still very happy.”
***
Even Tour Players Can Run Low on Spending Money

Success can come at a price, as Kateryna Bondarenko discovered last week in Prague. Because she and sister Alona reached the doubles final, and because that final was rained off on Saturday, she was unable to get home for her boyfriend’s birthday celebrations. And, the extended trip meant the sisters ran low on money!
"For dinner last night we were going to get sushi, but we didn't bring enough money with us," she revealed in a blog. "So we went to the grocery store and bought some stuff. It's probably good we didn't go out to eat because we're on a little diet! Today we got room service for dinner again. Maybe tomorrow after a winning doubles final we'll go out somewhere to celebrate."
There was another problem. As revealed earlier in Business News, the sisters bought dogs when they were in Paris. Alona has had no problem with her Yorkshire terrier, but Kateryna’s Chihuahua? That’s another story.
"She bit my sister's boyfriend's hand and it was bleeding, and he taped his hand... She's a little bit out of control! I'm not sure if this is the first time she has been doing this... maybe the second week. She's just trying to have some fun but it's not as fun for everyone else!!"
But it wasn’t all problems. The girls had fun too. "People from the Ukrainian embassy here invited us to visit them and go sightseeing in Prague a little bit. So we went and spent time with them all, talked about life as usual and saw a lot of the old city. We went to the Prague Castle - it was very nice. There's a church and houses next to it and it just looks amazing. The view from the top is unbelievable, you can see the whole city. There's another castle nearby too, and it used to be in a different country. It was my first time seeing any of this so I enjoyed it a lot!"
***
Los Angeles County to Celebrate “Jack Kramer Day”

On a motion by Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will honor legendary tennis champion Jack Kramer at its July 21^st meeting. 
The youngest Davis Cup final round player ever, Jack Kramer was ranked in the U.S. Top Ten five times and was ranked No. 1 in the world in 1946 and 1947, when he won a remarkable 23 of 24 tournaments.  He won ten majors and 13 United States singles and doubles championships.  In 1954, holding the title of world’s professional tennis champion for seven consecutive years, Kramer began his work promoting tennis events -- the Los Angeles Tennis Open was known as the Jack Kramer Open -- the only World Tour event to be named for a player. 
He was selected by the Associated Press as one of the top ten tennis players of the 20th century and was a world-renowned television commentator, and in 1968, he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.  The legendary Wilson tennis racket that bore his fabled name was the all-time selling tennis racket with more than 30,000,000 copies sold worldwide, over a span of 50 years.
He currently works with young players with the USTA National Junior Tennis League Program and the Pacific Southwest Youth Tennis Foundation.  Having been featured on the covers of Time and Newsweek magazines, he won the prestigious Sullivan Award, the USTA’s “Spirit of American Tennis” award, and the International Tennis Federation’s Philippe Chatrier award. 

***

We hear that—
---Chase Hodges, the men’s coach at Drake University in Des Moines, has resigned to take a similar assignment at Georgia State University.
***
THIS WEEK
MEN
Hamburg
Indianapolis
WOMEN
Portoroz
Bad Gastein
***
NEXT WEEK
MEN
Gstaad
Los Angeles
Umag
Warsaw
WOMEN
Istanbul
Stanford
***
Bob Larson’s Stock Report
Monday Stock Prices

Stock

Last

Change

Adidas

19.75

+.64

Amer Sports

4.60

0.00

Head

0.20

0.00

K-Swiss

10.59

+.42

Nike

52.83

+.39

Bob Larson Tennis Stock Index $87.97
* The index is based on the total value of one share of each stock we report daily.
***
Results
For complete ATP and WTA results, please see our web site at www.tennisnews.com

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

(c)  Copyright 2009. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis

Monday, July 20, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

ITF Annual General Meeting Held in Madrid

The ITF Annual General Meeting (AGM) has elected a new Board of Directors to serve from 2009 to 2011. Six of the existing members were re-elected: Juan Margets (Spain), Ismail El Shafei (Egypt), Franklin Johnson (United States), Anil Khanna (India), Geoff Pollard (Australia), and Georg Von Waldenfels (Germany).
They were joined by six new members: Jacques Dupre (France), Lucy Garvin (United States), Jack Graham (Canada), Chris Kypriotis (Brazil), Roman Murashovsky (Russia) and Stuart Smith (Great Britain). David Jude (Great Britain) was also confirmed as ITF Honorary Treasurer.
Two important changes to Davis Cup regulations, approved by the AGM, were an amendment to the requirements to host a Davis Cup Final that narrows the choice by the host nation to major cities as well as the reconfiguration of the Europe/Africa Zone below Group II into Europe Group III and Africa Group III.
Twelve people were honored for Awards for Services to the Game: John Alexander (Australia), Anna Dmitrieva (Russia), Anne-Lise Frank (United States), Rustam Inoyatov (Uzbekistan), Eiichi Kawatei (Japan), Azmi Kumova (Turkey), David Lambert (Bermuda), Lorne Main (Canada), Tzipi Obziler (Israel), Akhtar Toorawa (Mauritania), Frank van Fraayenhoven (Netherlands) and Charlotte Ferrari (France).
In addition, American Julia Levering was made an ITF Honorary Life Counselor, the first woman so honored.
More than 300 delegates, partners and staff from 96 nations attended the meeting held over two-and-a-half days in Madrid, hosted by the Spanish Tennis Federation.
***
LTA’s Smith Offered Job to Replace Hutchins

Leon Smith’s coaching credentials largely center around his work with Andy Murray when the current world no.3 matured from the age of 11 to 17. Smith has never coached a player on the ATP World Tour and has no other top flight experience but he has been offered the job of Head of British Men’s Tennis by the Lawn Tennis Association.
Smith, like Murray a Scot. but based at the LTA’s National Training Centre in Roehampton for the last year in his role of developing the talent of players under the age of 18, would effectively be the replacement for Paul Hutchins.  The 64 year-old former British Davis Cup captain and father of Britain’s leading doubles player, Ross was informed he would be relieved of his duties last December.
If Smith does take the role, and it is believed he has asked for time to consider the offer, he will effectively be in charge of Paul Annacone who initially turned down the job himself because he did not want to be tied to a task that would demand more than the 20 weeks of employment he agreed with LTA chief executive Roger Draper.
Smith would be immediately answerable to Steve Martens, the Belgian who was appointed the LTA’s Player Director last year. The job would involve daily liaison with players and their coaching set-ups. Smith would be expected to chart their future course and establish the ground rules, training patterns, schedules and level of funding support that the next batch of young British players will receive from the governing body.
***
It is a Different Hamburg Event This Year

Now rather than being a Masters 1000 series event in May, Hamburg is rated as one of the 11 stops on ATP World Tour’s 500 series and has a prize fund of 1,115,000 Euros. Recently it lost title sponsor bet-at-home after a local court ruled against use of the internet betting company.
Michael Stich may be 40 years old and only an occasional contestant on the world’s two senior tennis circuits but the 1991 Wimbledon champion has one big thing in his favor that allows him to take a wild card entry into the doubles competition of the German Open in Hamburg; he is the event’s new tournament director.
Twelve years after announcing his retirement from the ATP Tour, following Wimbledon in 1997, Stich will team up with Moscow-born but German-based Mischa Zverev in the Rothenbaum-based event that was the centre of last summer’s protracted lawsuit.
Stich and Zverev have been regular practice partners for some time and the German, who also won the 1992 Wimbledon doubles title alongside John McEnroe and the same took an Olympic gold in doubles alongside Boris Becker in Barcelona, explained: “For the past five years I have been training in Hamburg with Mischa and at some point we had the idea to play doubles in a tournament together.”
Zverev, the son of a former Soviet Union Davis Cup player who moved to Germany at the age of three, is currently ranked the world’s 67^th best doubles player, 20 places lower than his singles ranking which has been bolstered by quarter final appearances in the two most recent German tournaments in Halle and last week in Stuttgart.
Just a couple of months ago Zverev went unbeaten in four matches alongside Nicolas Kiefer in the World Team Cup on red clay in Dusseldorf and then switching to grass, the pair reached the semi-final in Halle before being forced withdraw because Kiefer was injured. In January he made the Brisbane final in combination with Spain’s Fernando Verdasco before losing to the French pairing of Marc Giquel and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Zverev is clearly motivated by the prospect of playing with somebody who was a champion when he was still an infant. "It was always my dream to play doubles with someone of Michael’s quality," said Zverev. "I am certain we can go through a couple of rounds."
The pair open up at the Rothenbaum with a tough first round encounter against Simon Aspelin of Sweden and Australia’s Paul Hanley. If successful they are likely to face the top seeded Poles, Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski.
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Federer Honored in His Hometown

Roger Federer has been lauded throughout the world, but it is nicer still when such things happen in your home town. That’s what happened last week, when he was named ‘Ehrespalebaerglemer’, an award given to outstanding citizens of Basel – Federer’s home town. Around 200-300 fans, friends and family members attended the ceremony on Thursday as a plaque was unveiled in Federer’s honor. The plaque in the historic city center sits alongside those honoring other local heroes.
“It's a nice honor for me to receive the plaque and I will walk past it, I am sure, just a few more times,” said Federer. “It's going to be a proud moment, maybe also to show my kids in the future.”
The 27 year old is at home in Switzerland as he and wife, Mirka, await the birth of their first child. He is due to return to the ATP World Tour at the Roger Cup in Montreal, beginning August 8.

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Hewitt and Stosur Agree to Play Next Hopman Cup

Lleyton Hewitt has committed once again to the Hyundai Hopman Cup, and will partner Samantha Stosur in the ITF-sanctioned mixed team competition in Perth next January.
Earlier this year Hewitt played alongside Perth’s Casey Dellacqua, but her nerves at playing in front of her home-town supporters, combined with Hewitt suffering from a freak ear infection after swimming in the hotel pool, thwarting the host country’s ambitions.
That continued a long period of frustration for the Aussies, who have claimed the title just once in the event’s 21-year history. The country’s only success came back in 1999, when Mark Philippoussis combined with Jelena Dokic to beat Sweden's Asa Carlsson and Jonas Bjorkman in the final.
The 2010 staging of the event might be an opportunity to break the drought, with Hewitt demonstrating with his recent performances, most notably at Wimbledon, that he is back close to his best following hip surgery last season, and Stosur combining her status as a top five doubles player with her climb into the top 20 in singles.
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Fireworks at a TeamTennis Match

World TeamTennis is supposed to be fun, but the fur was flying between the New York Sportimes and Washington Kastles last Thursday night, resulting in a suspension and fine for Sportimes coach Chuck Adams.
He is banned from attending his team’s next match in Kansas City after he went onto court to challenge Leander Paes after a shot from the Indian hit Sportimes player Robert Kendrick. The Sportimes team were warned for unsportsmanlike conduct after both Adams and New York player John McEnroe encroached upon Washington’s side of the court (memories of Martina Hingis at Roland Garros, anyone?), and four points later Kendrick retaliated by hitting a serve that connected with Paes. That brought protests from Kastles players Olga Puchkova and Rennae Stubbs, which drew code violations for both players and a point penalty.
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Ricky's Notes
By Ricky Dimon

Andy Roddick pulled out of this week's Indianapolis Tennis Championships with the hip flexor that has sidelined him since his loss to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final. "The reason we waited so long is to give myself a shot to be ready to play," Roddick said. "I just don't feel like I was 100 percent ready to compete in a tournament yet.". . . Tournament organizers immediately offered James Blake a wild card to take Roddick's place, but were unsuccessful in their last-minute attempt. Blake reportedly wanted the same appearance fee as Roddick. "We couldn’t meet his expectations (financially)," explained tournament director Kevin Martin said. "It just wasn’t going to happen. I couldn’t do it.". . . In addition to Roddick, four other directly-entered players withdrew from the Indianapolis event. That allowed Robby Ginepri to gain direct entry into the main draw, after which Ginepri's wild card was awarded to NCAA singles champion Devin Britton. . . Jeff Tarango, 40, returned to ATP action in an attempt to qualify for the Indianapolis main draw. Tarango had not played a professional singles match since February of 2002 and last played a doubles tournament in September of 2008 (on the Futures Tour). . .Fernando Verdasco withdrew from Hamburg citing a calf injury that forced him to retire from his last week's quarterfinal match against Juan Monaco in Bastad. Gael Monfils, Tomas Berdych, Albert Montanes, and Simone Bolelli joined Verdasco on the Hamburg withdrawal list.
Andre Agassi and the Philadelphia Freedoms lost their World TeamTennis match to the Newport Beach Breakers last Friday night. Agassi fell in men's singles and men's doubles, but won his mixed doubles match with Lisa Raymond. . .Tommy Haas says he would consider a return to Davis Cup action for his native Germany. "For me to play I must feel fit and believe that I can win two points for Germany," said Haas. "If I can help the team, I'm ready." A resurgent Haas, who reached the Wimbledon semifinals, last played Davis Cup in a 2007 semifinal tie. . . Creators of the HBO drama series "Entourage" say they want to cast Andy Murray in a guest role. "We were all watching the US Open and it was insane when he talked about 'Entourage,'" noted creator Doug Ellin. "We've all become big fans and are always supporting him. When Andy said that this was his favorite show and he was so pleased to see the guys there, that meant a lot to us."
The fate of the Chennai Open could be in the balance as talks to renew a deal between the two hosts, Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA) and IMG, stalled last week. The TNTA, however, is confident it can host the tournament even if IMG pulls out as a result of the monetary disagreement. "We have committed sponsors who bring in 60 percent of the total cost and to fetch the remaining 40 per cent would not be that difficult," a top TNTA official said. . .A match last week at Stuttgart's MercedesCup between Oscar Hernandez and Janko Tipsarevic has been referred to the sport's Gambling Commission and to the Tennis Integrity Unit for investigation. "Unusual" amounts of money were wagered on Hernandez and Betfair reported "extreme movements." Hernandez won 6-4, 6-4. . . David Nalbandian, who had hip surgery in April, expects to begin training within weeks. "Everything is going very well," he explained. "Now I'm doing swimming, gymnastics, cycling. . . I would have to practice for a full month without feeling discomfort and then start playing matches.". . . Up-and-coming Dutchman Thiemo de Bakker has parted ways with Coach John van Lottum.
Li Na, along with her husband, recently graduated from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology, a leading university in central China. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism. . . Gael Monfils and Tatiana Golovin took part in the first leg of the "Stars of Poker" tour, which was held on Friday in Nice, France. . . Fields for the upcoming Pilot Pen Tennis event in New Haven, the sixth of seven U.S. Open Series tournaments, were announced over the weekend. Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki headlines the women's field, while world No. 7 Gilles Simon is the top player entered on the men's side. . . Serena Williams won the award for 2008's Best Female Tennis Player at the ESPYs last week. Federer took home the men's honor for the fifth straight year. The 2008 Wimbledon final between Federer and Rafael Nadal was edged out by the Steelers-Cardinals Super Bowl for the best game of the year.  No more notes,
Ricky

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We hear that—
---Organizers of the ATP World Tour Valencia Open 500 event due to be played in November have launched a competition on social networking site Facebook in which fans will be able to choose the color of the court.
---IFM Sports Marketing Surveys has revealed that Wilson received almost 130 hours of coverage on the two main show courts of the Wimbledon championships in 2009, with HEAD and Babolat runners-up in terms of exposure.
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THIS WEEK
MEN
Hamburg
Indianapolis
WOMEN
Portoroz
Bad Gastein
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NEXT WEEK
MEN
Gstaad
Los Angeles
Umag
Warsaw
WOMEN
Istanbul
Stanford
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