Monday, August 17, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

Jankovic Shares First Place in US Open Series Women’s Standings While Del Potro Takes Over First Place in Men’s Standings

No. 5 seed Jelena Jankovic captured her first career US Open Series tournament title and moved into a first-place tie atop the US Open Series Bonus Challenge Women’s Standings with a 6-4, 6-2 victory against No. 1 seed Dinara Safina in Sunday’s final at Cincinnati. Jankovic earns 100 total points, and, with two weeks remaining, is tied with Flavia Pennetta of Italy. 
On the men’s side, Andy Murray collected his second career US Open Series tournament title with a 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 6-1 win over No. 6 seed Juan Martin Del Potro in Sunday’s final in Montreal. With the victory, the No. 3 seed Murray earns 100 total points to move into third place in the men’s standings, behind new leader Juan Martin Del Potro and Sam Querrey. 
The men's and women's winners of the Olympus US Open Series will compete for $1 million in bonus prize money at the 2009 US Open. The Olympus US Open Series Bonus Challenge leaders after Week 4 are as follows:
Next on the US Open Series:  The men will compete in Cincinnati, while the women head to Toronto. CBS Sports will broadcast the men’s final on Sunday beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET. ESPN2 will provide 22 hours of total coverage, including the women’s final on Sunday beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET. Tennis Channel will provide more than 23 hours of coverage beginning Tuesday.
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WTA Tour Names Shoemaker as President

The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour has announced the appointment of David Shoemaker as its new president, succeeding Stacey Allaster, who was recently appointed chairman and ceo of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. He was previously the Tour’s chief operating officer, general counsel and head of the Asia-Pacific Region.
In his new role, in addition to continuing to oversee the Tour’s Asian operations, Shoemaker will be responsible for the overall day-to-day operations and business affairs of the Tour; tournament and player relations; strategic expansion of the sport in key growth markets; international television and digital media rights distribution; and the Tour’s year-end Championships.
As the Head of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s Asia-Pacific Operations, Shoemaker opened the Tour’s Beijing headquarters in July 2008 where he has been responsible for defining and executing the strategy and growing the Tours presence in the region. In his new role as President, Shoemaker will relocate by end of year to the Tour’s corporate headquarters in St. Petersburg, Florida and report to Allaster.
A native of Ottawa, Canada, Shoemaker joined the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in 2004 as General Counsel, and less than two years later he was promoted to Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel. Shoemaker added the title of Head of Asia-Pacific region and relocated to the Tour’s Beijing headquarters in July 2008. Since opening the Tour’s China office, Shoemaker’s accomplishments include a successful negotiation of a four-year agreement with state-owned and controlled China Central Television (CCTV) for the broadcast of Sony Ericsson WTA Tour tennis in mainland China, reaching 335 million households - the first agreement of its kind for the Tour. One of Shoemaker’s first undertakings will be finding his replacement for the Head of the Tour’s Asia-Pacific Operations.
***
Montreal Has Record Ticket Sales

Tennis in Canada remains big business and last week’s male segment of the Rogers Cup in Montreal became the the first one-week tennis tournament to sell more than 200,000 tickets.
This year’s event, won by Britain’s Andy Murray, eclipsed its 2007 mark of 185,252 by selling 200,077 tickets for the event at the Uniprix Stadium. Tournament director Eugene Lapierre enthused: “A world record for a one-week event, we're very, very proud of that. The appearances of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal really gave us a boost at the start of the event.”
Attendance records were broken in ten of the tournament’s 13 sessions and so far more than 3,230 tickets have been sold for the 2010 event when Montreal will host the world’s top women as it stages the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour event.
Things will change in 2011 Lapierre when the women's and men's tournaments that have traditionally interchanged between Montreal and Toronto with one staged the week before the other. In two years time the two events will start running at the same time, one in each city.
Lapierre insisted the change will give broadcasters a wider selection of matches involving top players, creating a jump in television ratings. “This would not change very much here or in Toronto,” he said. “But if you turn the TV on then you'll be in front of a mixed tournament.
***
Russian Tennis Federation Seeking Governmental Support

The economic crisis could seriously affect the future of Russian tennis, according to head of Russian Tennis Federation Shamil Tarpischev.
"We already have some problems because of the crisis. Youth and youthful squads mainly provided by small and medium-sized businesses have a lot of problems with money. The most affected are the youngest players aged 12-14 years who simply do not have money to go to tournaments and this can really impact their results," – added Tarpischev.
His fears are quite reasonable: by July 2008, young Russian tennis players won 120 victories in various competitions. Now that figure dropped to 88. According to Russian tennis experts if such situation continues, Russia will start to lose its reserve.
The problem might be partly resolved if the Russian government decides to provide the Tennis Federation with extra-budgetary assistance. Such negotiations, according to Russian press, have already started.
The annual budget of the US Tennis Federation is $225 million, France - $US210 million. The Indian Federation this year has allocated 1 billion for the development of tennis in the country. I think that our achievements allow us to hope for $45 million", - summarizes Tarpischev.
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Murray Ready to Win US Open

Most of those who have been watching Andy Murray mature into a potential Grand Slam champion from the feisty youngster that came marching to the sound of his own drum out of Dunblane have long insisted that the first major he would win would almost certainly be the US Open.
The 22 year-old is a New York fan. He feels energized by simply walking the streets of Manhattan, he thrives on the brash atmosphere of Flushing Meadows, even since before winning the US Open boys title in 2004 he has felt at home on the Deco Turf. And now, after winning his fourth Masters 1000 title (at Montreal) and moving up to no.2 in the world rankings, he will head for his favorite tournament as the most likely contender.
First, of course, there is the small matter of defending the title he won a year ago in Cincinnati, but after becoming the first British player to win the Canadian title in 128 years with a 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 6-1 win over Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro, he is getting the taste for rewriting history.
“If I were ranked one, two, three or four, whatever, I’d still go ahead to New York thinking I had a chance of winning the title,” said the Scot.  “I feel like I’ve got a good chance of doing well at the US Open, but each week is a different week and I’m not going to get too far ahead of myself.”
The statistics rack up impressively for Murray. This year he is 16-1 on North American cement after also winning the Sony Ericsson Open title in Miami and reaching the BNP Paribas Open final in Indian Wells. The only man to have beaten him since the French Open was Andy Roddick in Wimbledon’s semi-finals and his 2009 prize fund is now nudging the $US 3 million mark.
With Roger Federer understandably focused on domesticity after the arrival of his twin daughters and Rafa Nadal gingerly feeling his way back after the much chronicled knee problems, Murray is very much the man of the moment and possesses a 50-7 record this year.
The boost of splitting Federer and Nadal in the rankings almost outweighs the fact his haul of singles titles now stands at 13, five of them coming this year.  “I love winning tournaments, it’s great,” said Murray. “Every player will tell you the same thing. But I’ve never been to No 2 in the world before. That’s new to me. I’ve won [four] Masters Series now, so it still feels great, but the No 2, maybe because it’s something different, that means maybe a little bit more. I put it [the ranking] to the back of my mind. I’ll enjoy that for the next couple of days.”
"I was obviously very happy I managed to get to No.2 and sometimes when something great happens, it's kind of quite nice to just take it all in. When I beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semi-final to move up a place, I covered my face because you have cameramen sticking their lenses right in your nose and I wanted to just spend those first few moments by myself, taking it all in.
"It wasn't a feeling of relief that I'd got to No.2. I think that comes more when you win a tournament or maybe make it to No.1 because that's sort of the end goal really.
"You put a lot of pressure on yourself to do it. I was just very happy and excited that I had managed it."
"For four years Rafa and Roger have been No.1 and No.2. They are probably the two best of all time, so it's pretty special to get between them. This is the biggest step I've made so far. I played consistently well this year. Bar winning a Grand Slam, I've done enough to justify being No.2.
"Getting closer to hopefully one day becoming world No.1 is one of my goals. Just one more place left to go now."
***
Pierce’s Training is for a Purpose

Mary Pierce has confirmed that she aiming to make a comeback to the game after an absence of nearly three years.
The 34-year old suffered a serious left knee injury while playing Vera Zvonareva in Linz in October 2006, damaging the anterior cruciate ligament. But she has been training hard at the Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida and is clearly serious about rejoining the tour.
“I feel like I’m hitting it as well as I ever have,” she said on Nickstennispicks.com. “Playing professionally is something I still want to do and something that I think I still can do.”
Perhaps she can do, but why would she want to? She has won two majors, the 1995 Australian Open and 2000 Roland Garros plus a further 16 singles titles, 10 doubles crowns, been ranked as high as three in the world in both singles and doubles, and she’s banked nearly $10 million in prize money.
“I just love competing at the highest level,” she said. “(And) I’ve had people come up to me and tell me that I’ve inspired them, which is hard for me to comprehend, but hopefully I’ve made some kind of difference. To me, that’s the greatest accomplishment I could have done.”
The Academy’s Director of Tennis Performance, Yutaka Nakamura, has been very impressed with the effort that Pierce has made to achieve her goal.  “She’s almost a perfect student,” he said. “She never skips a workout. To make this kind of comeback, it’s going to be about heart, but she has it.”
***
Clijsters Could Win the US Open

French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova has tipped Kim Clijsters as a possible winner of the upcoming US Open, after losing to the Belgian in the third round of the Western & Southern Financial Group Women’s Open in Cincinnati last week.
"I think she has good chances," said Kuznetsova. "She plays good and she won the U.S. Open once (2005) so I think she knows how to do it. She is the same as she was before (her retirement). She moves well. You can see she hasn't been all the time on the tour but she was playing great. I don't know if you remember when she was out with the wrist injury (in 2004), she (came back and) won Indian Wells and Miami back-to-back."
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Bryan Brothers Planning on More Than Just Tennis in New York

The Bryan twins, Bob and Mike, have chosen the ATP website to announce their debut album in association with singer/songwriter David Baron. It’s called Let It Rip and it’s due for release on September 1st. The brothers have already shown off their talents at several tournaments on the ATP World tour, including San Jose, Delray Beach, Houston and at Wimbledon.
With the release date coinciding with the start of the US Open it was a no-brainer for the trio to perform some of the songs from the album at Flushing Meadow, and they plan to appear on the Festival stage at the Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day on August 29th. The next day they’ll be in Manhattan performing at The Mercury Lounge.
The line-up will be Bob Bryan on bass and keyboards, Mike Bryan on drums, with their friend David Baron taking on the vocals as well as playing piano and guitar.
"Music has always been a big part of our lives," Bob told the ATP World Tour. "We’ve spent countless hours jamming in hotel rooms all over the world and it’s been our dream to do a real record. We’ve had a blast making this album and we hope to share our passion for music with our fans."
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Ivanovic’s UNICEF T-Shirts Now Available for Purchase

As previously announced in Daily Tennis News Business News, Ana Ivanovic has teamed up with adidas to launch limited edition t-shirts in aid of UNICEF, for which she is an ambassador. And as promised, the garments are now available to buy via the Shop link on Ana's website, www.anaivanovic.com. The shirts are being sold by her partner, The Tennis Warehouse, and 100 per cent of profits from the sale of the t-shirts will benefit UNICEF's ‘School Without Violence’ program.
"This is a great idea and a very useful campaign," said Ana. "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."
Everyone who voted for their favorite designs on www.anastyle.com – the two most popular designs in each category have been manufactured – was entered into a free prize draw to win one of five shirts signed by Ana.
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, and Ana has made several donations to the scheme, and often promotes it when in Serbia. 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.
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IN MEMORIAM

Robert Jordan
Robert Jordan, 83, of suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania died recently after an extended illness.
Besides being a long-time advocate for tennis as an official, fundraiser, tournament organizer, he initially coached his two daughters, Barbara and Kathy. Both went on to play professionally, winning Grand Slam championships. Barbara won the Australian Open singles championship in 1979 while Kathy won a career grand slam in doubles.
He also wrote a book, "Tennis for Winners."
Services: A memorial service is planned for 1 p.m. Aug. 22 at the Bacchi-Courtney Funeral Home in Bridgeport. A reception will follow at the Radnor Hotel in Radnor.
***
Nancy Reed
Nancy Reed, 76, Winter Park, Florida died recently of liver cancer.
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and raised in Bethesda, Maryland, Reed won 98 USTA gold balls and won a number of ITF women’s titles including the World Doubles 75 title last year, plus she won a number of world singles titles in the 1990s. She was ranked number 1 in singles and doubles in every senior age group except one.
She was a member of the national champion Rollins College in 1951 and went on to get a masters degree from George Washington University.
She was a pro at the Winter Park Tennis Center and gave lessons until recently
Reed is survived by several nieces and nephews.
***
Lynn Imergoot
Former Washington University in St. Louis women’s coach, Lynn Imergoot passed away on Friday, July 24, from injuries sustained in a car accident in New York. Imergoot, 60, retired from coaching in 2005 and spent a total of 37 years at the school.
A four-time University Athletic Association (UAA) Coach of the Year, Imergoot built the Bears' program from ground level to a national contender. In 30 seasons (1975-2005) as head coach of the Bears, she tabulated a career record of 435-164 (.726). Imergoot, the first head coach in the program's history, guided Washington University to seven NCAA Division Tournament appearances.
She is survived by two children: Douglas (31) and Jennifer (28), and her sister Amy Kossak.
***
Ricky's Notes
By Ricky Dimon

David Nalbandian, Mardy Fish, Dmitry Tursunov, Richard Gasquet, Albert Montanes, and Fabrice Santoro were the directly-entered players who withdrew from this week's Masters Series Cincinnati. . . Florent Serra was the last alternate to get into the main draw as a result of the withdrawals. . . John Isner, who got a wild card into Cincinnati, has also been awarded a wild card into next week's Pilot Pen Tennis tournament in New Haven. Taylor Dent also has a New Haven wild card, while the final two recipients have not yet been announced. . . Rafael Nadal seemed satisfied with his performance in Montreal, his first appearance since the French Open. "After two months out of competition it's tough to play at that level," Nadal explained. "I needed to concentrate more than usual. The knees were very good. I have to be happy with the tournament." When asked if he would be 100 percent for the upcoming U.S. Open, Nadal said, "We'll see.". . . Roger Federer, for one, was impressed by the top eight players in the world all reaching the quarterfinals of the same event for the first time ever (it happened last week in Montreal). "It’s definitely a special occasion," Federer said. "It just shows the top guys now are really consistent and they’re showing up at the big events.  It’s nice it finally happened."
Federer hopes Nadal is back to stay after the Spaniard's layoff with knee tendonitis. "I hope now he can stay on tour and not get injured again," Federer said last week in Montreal. "I think Rafa has done actually pretty well considering how hard his game is and how many matches he's played for so many years.". . . Jonathan Stark, once ranked No. 1 in the world in doubles, will be inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame next month. Stark attended high school in Oregon, at South Medford High. . . Novak Djokovic has hired Todd Martin to join his coaching staff. Marian Vajda will remain Djokovic's main coach in a situation not unlike that of Andy Murray, who works with both Miles Maclagan and Alex Corretja. . . Australian Open junior champion Yuki Bhambri, who missed both the French Open and Wimbledon with an ankle injury, has been training in recent weeks at Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida. "This was a good time to come to the academy," Bhambri explained. "I got a chance to hit with Tommy Haas and Radek Stepanek for a while. Even a short session with them is quite useful for me." The 17-year-old from India will be ready for the upcoming U.S. Open. . . Ryan Sweeting was fined $1,500 by tournament officials for verbal abuse of a chair umpire during a 6-4, 6-3 loss to Philip Bester at a recent Challenger event in Vancouver.
Sebastien Grosjean will have tests done on his injured shoulder next week in Paris. The 31-year-old Frenchman hopes to return for the ATP event in Metz, which will take place in mid-September. Grosjean has played in just two ATP events this season, and he retired from his opening match both times. . . Update via Twitter from oft-injured American Amer Delic: "I will be back in Champaign, IL this semester to finish my studies and also rehab my knee injury. Plan to be back on tour in 2010." Delic formerly played collegiate tennis at the University of Illinois. . . David Nalbandian will miss the rest of the season due to hip surgery, but he remains optimistic. "We finished with the first stage of rehabilitation and I am thinking about training hard," Nalbandian assured. . . Marcos Baghdatis pulled out from last week's Challenger event in Binghamton, apparently upset with a schedule that would have had him playing Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon. The official reason for his withdrawal was a knee injury. . . Chris Guccione also withdrew from Binghamton, citing a problem with his Achilles. Both Baghdatis and Guccione were able to play Cincinnati qualifying. Baghdatis lost to Robert Kendrick, then Guccione beat Kendrick to book a spot in the main draw. . . After losing in the Montreal doubles semifinals, Daniel Nestor said of his sore left elbow: "It's good, much better than I thought it would be. A week ago I thought I'd need surgery. It's all about the U.S. Open and getting ready, and I'm sure I'll be ready." Nestor and partner Nenad Zimonjic are playing this week in Cincinnati. . . Carlos Berlocq will be playing for the first time since January at this week's Challenger event in Trani, Italy. The Argentine has been sidelined with a wrist injury.
Canada's Marie-Eve Pellitier won a four-woman playoff to earn a wild card into Toronto qualifying. The 27-year-old Pellitier, however, lost her first qualifying match to Sania Mirza. . . Tennis Canada stripped the country's top-ranked junior, Katarena Paliivets, of her wild card into last week's four-woman pre-qualifying event in Toronto. Paliivets' hosts at Hollyburn Country Club kicked her out shortly after Paliivets arrival, citing unruly behavior. Paliivets' parents, enraged, immediately e-mailed Tennis Canada, arguing that the 17-year-old was merely "rude by refusing to eat fish at the dinner.''. . . Sabine Lisicki, suffering from a shoulder injury, posted an update on her Twitter page late last week: "It is getting better but not as fast as I thought it would. I’m not going to play Toronto. I’ll do rehab and see a shoulder specialist to be ready for the Us Open! I’ll do everything I can.". . . Casey Dellacqua is recovering slowly from shoulder surgery, which she had back in February. ''Unfortunately I'm not going to be ready for the US Open, so I'm going to play some lower-level tournaments later in the year, probably around October," Dellacqua posted on her website. . . Shahar Peer and Maria Kirilenko have requested wild cards for next week's event in New Haven. No official announcement has yet been made by tournament officials.
That’s all, no more notes,   Ricky

***

We Hear---
--- that Marcelo Rios has revealed what might have been behind his six-match losing streak on the ATP Champions Tour - he has been distracted after discovering that he is to become a father for the third time. The Chilean former world No.1 already has two daughters.
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THIS WEEK
MEN
Cincinnati
WOMEN
Toronto
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NEXT WEEK
MEN
New Haven
WOMEN
New Haven
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Bob Larson’s Stock Report
Thursday Stock Prices

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Last

Change

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+.21

Amer Sports

4.60

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Head

0.20

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K-Swiss

10.35

0.00

Nike

57.81

+.29

Bob Larson Tennis Stock Index $95.65
* The index is based on the total value of one share of each stock we report daily.
***
Results
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Friday, August 14, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

$10 Million Upgrade Planned For Cincinnati Venue

The USTA and Cincinnati’s Tennis for Charity announced the two organizations will finance a $10 million dollar upgrade to the Lindner Family Tennis Center, site of Cincinnati’s Western & Southern Financial Group Masters and Women’s Open.
The project calls for the construction of a 52,000 square-feet West Building at the Lindner Family Tennis Center to add space for players, media and fans. The building will be approximately twice as high as the current structure, rising 85 feet above ground level and 97 feet above the court level. Construction will begin   immediately following the 2009 event, and the new building will be ready in time for the 2010 event (to be held August 7-22).
This project marks the first major undertaking since the USTA became the majority partner in the Cincinnati event last year.
Major elements of the new West Building upgrade include:
Expanded and improved locker rooms for players and coaches, improved players lounge and dining facilities. Also in the plans are expanded media facilities and additional luxury suites, covered loge-level seats and additional seats at center court.
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Changes Announced to Davis Cup Calendar

Croatia, the Czech Republic, Israel and defending champion Spain have still to contest this year’s Davis Cup semi-finals but the major dates are in place for the 2010 competition.
The draw for the 2010 Davis Cup will take place at the Geneva headquarters of the competition’s title sponsors BNP Paribas on Wednesday, September 23 and as part of an agreement between the ITF and ATP, the Davis Cup has established fixed dates in the men’s calendar until 2013.
Next year the World Group first round  will take place March 5 thru 7 which is again immediately before the two opening Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami.  Then the World Group Quarter finals will be played the weekend after Wimbledon (July 9-11). The World Group Semi finals and World Group Play-offs similarly follow the US Open (September 17-19).
World Group First round – March 5-7
World Group Quarterfinals – July 9-11
World Group Semifinals and World Group Play-offs – September 17-19
World Group Final – 3-5 December
The effective end of the tennis calendar next year will come on December 3-5 with the World Group Final.
On a more minor level, next year will see rule changes to the composition of Europe/Africa Groups Three and Four.  Nations not qualified to compete in World Group, Group One nor Group Two of the Europe/Africa Zone will be divided geographically into one of two new groups: Europe Group Three or Africa Group Three. There will be no Group Four in this zone from 2010.
Two nations from Europe Group Three and two nations from Africa Group Three will be promoted to the following year’s Europe/Africa Group Two.
Paul Smith, ITF Executive Director of Davis Cup and Fed Cup said, “Splitting Group Three into a European group and an African group will mean cost savings for nations to participate in these events and that travel and visa issues will be reduced thereby encouraging an increased number of entries and should also lead to more nations applying to host these new Continental events.”
The same agreement saw the introduction of ATP ranking points in the Davis Cup World Group this year.
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Clijsters Rejoins the Tour Wearing Fila

Fila announced that Kim Clijsters has begun her comeback to professional tennis wearing Fila apparel and footwear.
A Fila spokesman said that she is one of many stars over the years who have worn the brand. She joins James Blake who recently began wearing Fila.

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Event Planned Just Before the US Open

For two weeks the US Open will demand center stage in the tennis vista but just up the coast on the Hamptons, Andre Agassi will be the focus of attention before the year’s concluding Grand Slam event begins.
The former world no.1 and winner of all four major titles will be honored the day before the Open (August 30) in a special exhibition staged at the new Ross Tennis Center on 18 Goodfriend Drive in East Hampton.
When Agassi was a long-haired, denim and pastel clad youth icon more than 20 years ago, he and his peers such as Jim Courier and David Wheaton used to prepare for the Open under their initial coach and mentor Nick Bollettieri on the Hamptons.
Bollettieri will be on hand to host the event while former French Open doubles champion Murphy Jensen and an as yet unnamed other major champion will take part. High profile Hamptons residents actor Alec Baldwin and Housewives of New York stars LuAnn de Lesseps, Ramona and Mario Singer and Jill Zarin will play in a celebrity mixed doubles.
Proceeds benefit the Ross Scholarships and programs.
***
Edberg and Rusedski to Meet in Senior Finals

Serve and volley tennis may be a much lamented commodity on the main ATP World Tour but it is alive, well and producing the big results on the senior ATP Champions Tour with former world no.1 Stefan Edberg and British-import Greg Rusedski contesting the Vale Do Lobo Grand Champions CGD final on Portugal’s Algarve.
The event is a magnet to British holidaymakers who annually flock to the southern coast of Portugal so a final between a British player and a two-time Wimbledon champion is the perfect combination for the organisers.
Rusedski, 36 years old in less than a month, contemplated a return to the main tour in January and is still looking for his first title on the ATP Champions Tour. The big serving left-hander was a comfortable winner against defending champion and tournament favourite Marcelo Rios while Edberg, now aged 43 but looking as fit as ever, overcame the annoyance of a thigh strain to beat Brazil’s Fernando Meligeni.
Edberg won the pair’s only meeting on the main tour in Wimbledon’s first round 16 years ago and Rusedski exacted revenge last December at London’s Royal Albert Hall in the BlackRock Masters. But despite playing only twice, the pair know each other well and practised together regularly when Edberg was a London-resident during his pomp.
"It’s always nice to see Stefan," said Rusedski, who will become a father for the second time in October. "I practiced with him for many years but he’s been living in Sweden the last few years so we haven’t had the chance. He’s a gentleman and a great player and I’m looking forward to playing him in the final."
***
Fatherhood Can Have Pluses and Minuses With Twins

Their kids might be twins, but they are not identical. Not yet, anyway, and that is something of a relief to Roger Federer and wife Mirka, as the world No.1 told the New York Times.
"I was thinking that they’re going to be playing tricks on us like crazy," said Federer. "But they don’t look the same at the moment. I thought right away I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference, but you know, one is a bit lighter than the other one, so it’s not automatically the same right away. I can tell them apart very easily now, and Mirka, too."
The media were not the only ones pondering whether fatherhood would blunt Federer’s competitive juices as he became consumed with more personal matters than hitting a tennis ball and chasing ever more titles. Federer did too, as he and Mirka prepared for the arrival of twins. They discovered what they were in for way back at the Australian Open, but kept the secret among just a few friends and family. But instead of being distracted, Federer revealed that the imminent arrival of his offspring meant he tried even harder to achieve what he could, while he could.
"I really thought it was going to do the opposite effect," he said. "That I was going to be feeling under pressure, because I’d be feeling like I better win some more Slams before the babies came, and then apparently it’s so hard to win Slams. Maybe there was just this little extra, (like) at 30-all or at 30-40 against Tommy Haas at the French Open. Maybe all those little things come into play, because so many things are happening, and in tennis, defeat and victory are so close to each other. Sometimes those little things can give you a little lift without you knowing it."
***
Life on the Pro Tour Has a Variety of Opportunities

Pretty much every player is very careful about their diet these days, especially during competition. You’ll always find lots of pasta and chicken being served up in the player lounge. But Bethanie Mattek-Sands had something different on her mind one evening this week while she competes at Cincinnati. Just across the road from the player hotel is a Waffle House, a chain that resembles the diners of old that are now an endangered species. Pete Sampras has a soft spot for them. So does Bethanie, as she revealed in a blog for the WTA.
"The Waffle House was great last night. Actually two other players, two Polish girls, came in too, which was nice! I got seven eggs and 10 pieces of extra crispy bacon, you know the kind that is so crispy and it just dissolves. I had a stomach ache afterwards, (but) yes, but it was worth it! A few years ago I was playing lots of night matches here and we went to the Waffle House every night, it became a tradition! It's so humid here, I can probably get away with a few extra calories!"
She also took the opportunity to join Tathiana Garbin and Alla Kudryavtseva in visiting Kings Island, a massive amusement park just across the road from the courts.
"Apparently they have the longest and fastest ride in the world," she wrote. "I like roller coasters. I can only handle one per hour, though. I'm not one of those people who will run from ride to ride. I need a breather! I'd be throwing up everywhere, it wouldn't be pretty!"
It hasn’t all been fun, though. Many people have cats or dogs as pets. Agnieszka Radwanska even had a couple of pet rats. Bethanie had a horse, but it died in tragic fashion while she was in Cincinnati.
"My husband got her for me, but two nights ago we learned she had died. She was actually attacked by a mountain lion! We kept her at a ranch a few miles away from our home, out in the sticks. Her name was Katie. She was something else. I cried when I found out. I had good memories."

***

We Hear---
--- that Serena Williams’ autobiographical book titled ‘On the Line’ will be released at the beginning of the US Open, August 31.
--that Maria Sharapova will take a break after the US Open and then travel to Asia to play the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo which begins September 27, before moving on to compete in the China Open in Beijing.
--that only 20,000 of the available 250,000 tickets for the ATP World Tour Finals (previously the Masters Cup) remain unsold for the event, to be held in London between  November 22-29.
***
THIS WEEK 
MEN
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WOMEN
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***
NEXT WEEK
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***
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+.29

Bob Larson Tennis Stock Index $95.65
* 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, August 13, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

Major Professional Tour Announcement Coming Today

The tennis media have been invited to a major tennis tour announcement today in Cincinnati.

Making the announcement of an expected dual Mens Masters 1000/Womens Premier Mandatory date on the calendar joining big twin tour events Indian Wells and Key Biscayne will be Bruce Flory, tournament director, Cincinnati event, Lucy Garvin, president, United States Tennis Association, part owner of the event, Stacey Allaster, president, Sony Ericsson WTA Tour and Mark Young, ceo/Americas, ATP World Tour.

***
ITF Holds Education Session for Junior Players

The third edition of the ITF/Tennis Europe Educational Forum took place during the European Junior Championships in Pilzen, Czech Republic, with 130 players from 36 countries in attendance, joined by 36 national team coaches.
The forum is designed to help players to prepare for certain aspects of life as a tennis player, both as juniors and beyond. The two and a half hour meeting saw a variety of topics covered. Tennis Europe’s Manager of Junior Tennis, Stephanie Kamberi, opened proceedings with an introduction to the role of the International tennis Federation, and that of Tennis Europe.
Dr. Iva Klimesova then followed with a presentation on the importance of nutrition for sport. Tennis journalist Marco Keller ended the agenda with a light-hearted session on media training and interview techniques.
***
Davis Cup Preparations Announced

Austria and South Africa have both named their squads for next month’s Davis Cup World Group Play-off ties, which take place September 18-20 alongside the World Group semifinals between Spain and Israel, and Croatia and Czech Republic. The other nations have until September 8 to nominate their teams.
Jurgen Melzer will head an unchanged Austrian team against Chile on clay in Rancagua, and he is supported by Stefan Koubek, Alexander Peya and Julian Knowle.
South Africa has named a squad of five players, from which it will choose four to play India on an indoor hardcourt in Johannesburg. Wesley Moodie is expected to resume his successful doubles partnership with Jeff Coetzee, while the other three players named in the squad are Rik de Voest, Izak van der Merwe and Raven Klaasen. South Africa’s highest-ranked singles player Kevin Anderson has said he is not available for the tie.
***
King Honored by the President of the United States

Billie Jean King joined President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House on Wednesday to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor.
"Through her example and advocacy, Billie Jean Moffitt King has advanced the struggle for greater gender equality around the world. In an age of male-dominated sports, her pioneering journey took her from Long Beach, California, to the lawns of the All England Club and the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Her athletic acumen is matched only by her unwavering defense of equal rights. With Billie Jean King pushing us, the road ahead will be smoother for women, the future will be brighter for LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) Americans, and our nation's commitment to equality will be stronger for all. We honor... what she did to broaden the reach of the game, to change how women athletes and women everywhere view themselves, and to give everyone - including my two daughters - a chance to compete both on the court and in life."
Others recognized at the ceremony included scientist Stephen Hawking, Senator Edward Kennedy, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and actor Sidney Poitier. "These outstanding men and women represent an incredible diversity of backgrounds," said President Obama. "Their tremendous accomplishments span fields from science to sports, from fine arts to foreign affairs. Yet they share one overarching trait: Each has been an agent of change. Each saw an imperfect world and set about improving it, often overcoming great obstacles along the way.
***
Verdasco Working on Changing His Slumping 2009

Fernando Verdasco started 2009 in stunning form, causing many to believe he possessed the potential to augment the big four of Nadal, Federer, Djokovic and Murray into a quintet at the peak of the game. Things haven’t exactly turned out that way with the Spaniard doesn’t even get a place in the top ten but he has paid a return visit to the inspirational launch pad of his exemplary form.
At the Australian Open, where he reached the semi-final and a played probably the classic encounter of the year so far against Rafael Nadal, Verdasco exuded strength, fitness and an inner belief that he had worked hard to achieve under the former support team of Andre Agassi; coach Darren Cahill and fitness trainer Gil Reyes.
Verdasco has not progressed further than a quarter-final in any tournament since his impressive run at Melbourne Park and after being Spain’s Davis Cup hero in their tie win over Argentina last December, he suffered the ignominy of losing a five setter on home clay against Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber in Puerto Banus last month.
Since Wimbledon that Davis Cup tie and the Swedish clay court event in Bastad have been Verdasco’s only competitive outings and he has used his hiatus to journey back to Las Vegas and put in some hard work under the tutelage of Cahill and Reyes.
Verdasco has made his playing return this week in Montreal and he once again revealed the confidence which has been engendered in his mind. "I was working really hard in Vegas for that,” said the Madrid-based 25 year-old. “I could not get better advice than I do from Darren and Gil. For me they take things to another level and make me realize how important it is to prepare properly for the tournaments.”
Agassi himself often crops up as a hitting partner across the net and Verdasco continued: “In Vegas we have our routine. I always start with doing a lot of fitness and then changing and doing more tennis at the end. I'm ready to play good and I hope I will play as good as I play in January but my mind doesn't change.
"In Australia, everybody was in the tournament also. The important thing was that I was feeling so strong and I was very confident in my game. And that makes you see only what you need to do. You don't think about the other player."
***
Fish and Blake to Play in December Charity Event

Two top American tennis stars will face off when Mardy Fish plays James Blake in a tennis exhibition on Saturday, December 12, 2009, 2:30 p.m. at Grand Harbor Golf & Beach Club in Vero Beach, Florida.  The exhibition is part of Mardy’s Tennis and Jake’s Music Fest, an annual event that benefits the Mardy Fish Foundation. Fish and Blake will play best of three sets, with the third being a superset tiebreak.  A doubles match will follow. 
Mardy’s Tennis & Jake’s Music Fest is a two-day event consisting of a unique combination of tennis, music, and a barbeque luncheon. 
On Friday, December 11, the Event begins with a Kids’ Tennis Clinic at Grand Harbor Golf & Beach Club at 4:00 pm.  Also on Friday December, 11 a concert hosted by country music star Jake Owen will be held at Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center at 8:00 p.m.  The barbeque luncheon is on Saturday, December 12, at 12:30 p.m. and will include a live and silent auction, drinks and a barbeque-style lunch.  The event concludes with the tennis exhibition at Grand Harbor Golf & Beach Club beginning at 2:30 p.m. 
***
Smith Honored by National Public Parks Tennis Association

Stan Smith, tennis hall of famer, was the recipient of the 2009 Gene Scott Renaissance award, at the 83rd National Public Parks National Championships held July 25 - August 2 at the Lexington County Tennis Center in Lexington, South Carolina. Also honored at the event was Mary Chris Satterthwaite, Columbia, South Carolina  who won the Gerry Perry Sportsmanship Award
At the annual board meeting of the National Public Parks Tennis Association, new members Lucy Garvin, USTA President, and Jorge Andrew of Lexington, South Carolina were introduced.
Reelected as officers of the NPPTA for 2009-10 were President Ken McAllister of Austin, Texas, Vice-President Ron Melvin of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Secretary Mary Thompson of Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Treasurer Scott Hanover of Kansas City, Missouri. Other board members in attendance were Marcia Bach of Bloomington, Minnesota, Gerry Perry of Springfield, Missouri, Myra Rowan of St. Louis, Missouri, Dan Santorum of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina and Alan Schwartz, Past President of the USTA from Chicago.
Next year's 84th National Public Parks Tennis Championships will be held August 2-8 in St. Louis where the first event was held in 1923.
***
Tennis Fans to See Clijsters on TV

During Thursday’s coverage of the Cincinnati tournament Tennis Channel will offer Kim Clijsters’ first televised WTA Tour event since her return from retirement.  The network will be live at 5 p.m. ET with Venus Williams vs. Flavia Pennetta, followed by Clijsters’ match with Svetlana Kuznetsova.

***

We Hear---
--- that Novak Djokovic, sensing a need to jump charge his game to resume his pursuit of the leading trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, is considering employing another coach in addition to his long standing mentor Marian Vajda and fitness trainer Gebhard Phil-Gritsch. 
---that Mary Pierce is training in Florida in preparation for a comeback. Winner of the 1995 Australian Open and at Roland Garros in 2000, the 34-year old has not played since injuring her left knee while playing Vera Zvonareva in October 2006 at Linz.
***
THIS WEEK 
MEN
Montreal
WOMEN
Cincinnati
***
NEXT WEEK
MEN
Cincinnati
WOMEN
Toronto
***
Bob Larson’s Stock Report
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Last

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Adidas

22.48

-.12

Amer Sports

4.60

0.00

Head

0.20

0.00

K-Swiss

10.35

-.31

Nike

57.52

+.73

Bob Larson Tennis Stock Index $95.15
* 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

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

PTR & HEAD Celebrate 30 Year Partnership

Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) and HEAD are recognizing 30 years of business partnership.  HEAD has renewed its sponsorship agreement as an approved racquet and bag of PTR to 2013, which will mark 30 years together.
HEAD, a leading global manufacturer of technology driven premium sports equipment, will receive prominent exposure in PTR advertising and trade show exhibition space. The
relationship is one of the longest sponsorships in tennis history.  PTR members receive discounted prices on HEAD racquets and bags, and can receive exclusive racquet contracts through PTR’s Team HEAD Program.
PTR is the largest global organization of tennis teaching professionals with more than 13,500 members in 122 countries.
***
Nike to Launch John McEnroe Collection for Fall 2009

A new clothing line is to be issued by Nike, called the John McEnroe Collection for Fall 2009. The collection includes warm-up jackets, shorts, pants and shoes.
The must-have for many will be a t-shirt bearing the legend ‘You Cannot Be Serious,’ referring back to one of his most famous altercations with officials at Wimbledon.

***
ITF Launches Chinese Language Version of E-Learning Website

The ITF Junior Tennis School has launched a Chinese language version of its e-learning website: www.itfjuniortennisschool.com. Up until now the players, parents, coaches and tennis officials have been able to access the 17 modules in English, French or Spanish.
Almost 18 months after its initial launch, the website has over 5,000 registered members from 142 countries. Currently just under one per cent of these members are from China, but a dramatic increase in numbers is expected when Chinese players and coaches can access the website in their own language. The e-learning website, along with the educational forums which are the other part of the ITF Junior Tennis School, aims to educate junior players and their support team members about all aspects of a tennis career.
***
Junior Davis Cup and Fed Cup Qualifiers are Announced

The complete list of qualifiers for the 2009 Junior Davis Cup and Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Finals is now known after the recent completion of the European qualifying rounds. Six boy’s and girl’s teams from Europe now join the list of qualifiers heading to San Luis Potosi, Mexico, September 29 –  October 4.
Le Touquet, France served as the qualifying competition for the boy’s event. The French team were the winners, defeating Czech Republic in the final to top the European group. Slovak Republic, Spain, Poland and Great Britain complete the European qualifiers.
Russia overcame Slovak Republic in the final of the girl’s qualifying competition which was held in Leysin, Switzerland. The other qualifiers are Germany, Ukraine, Croatia and Belarus.
The full list of qualifiers for the Finals is as follows:
Junior Davis Cup: Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Chile, Czech Republic, France, Great Britain, India, Korea, Mexico (qualified as hosts), Morocco, Poland, Slovak Republic, Spain, USA, Uzbekistan.
Junior Fed Cup: Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Canada, China, Croatia, Egypt, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico (qualified as hosts), Peru, Russia, Slovak Republic, Tunisia, Ukraine.
***
Surgery Has Slowed Nishikori’s Ascent

Kei Nishikori, the Japanese teenager who many expected to be a top 20 player by the end of this year, has undergone arm surgery and is a definite non-starter for the US Open.
Nishikori has not played since early March, missing both the French Open and Wimbledon, and after establishing a career high ranking of 56 in February, he now stands at 102. After reaching the round of 16 at last year’s US Open, his ranking is expected to take a much more alarming drop in the near future.
Therefore his manager at IMG, Olivier van Lindook is now in the process of arranging a protected ranking which would allow Nishikori to participate in most of the big tournaments in the first half of next year.
The 2008 ATP Tour newcomer of the year, initially sustained the arm injury at the season-opening Brisbane International in January. He visited highly regarded sports surgeon Dr David W. Altchek in New York.
Altchek, the former North American Medical Director for the ATP World Tour and Team Physician for the U.S. Davis Cup tennis team, who is revered for the work he has done in helping numerous baseball pitchers, diagnosed Nishikori with a minor stress fracture in his elbow that required extensive rest and therapy. Nishikori was told to refrain from swinging a racket for two to three months.
The pain in the elbow, however, continued to exist. As a result, Dr. Altchek and Dr. Yasuhiko Saito from the Nihon University Hospital in Tokyo, who is Nishikori’s doctor in Japan, decided the best option was microscopic surgery to remove a minor bone spur.
Dr. Saito performed the procedure in Tokyo last week, and Kei is expected to be back on the court and to resume rehabilitation and practice at the IMG/Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida in about four to six weeks.
***
Safin Comes to the Defence of His Sister

Marat Safin’s passion for his own tennis seems to have died a lamentable death but the soon to retire Russian can still be provoked into some fervent sibling support of his regularly criticized sister, WTA Tour world no.1 Dinara Safina.
Safin is not deaf to the constant barbs fired by Serena Williams amongst others who maintain Safina is not the rightful world no.1 as she has yet to win a major title and has produced three grossly sub-standard performances in her major finals to date; the 2008 and ’09 French Opens as well as this year’s Australian Open.
After maintaining a distinct distance from his younger sister for much of the time on the world tennis circuit, Safin has now come out forcibly on her side.
“She's a hard worker,” he insisted. “So for her, everything is like a battle. She wants it. She wants it badly. She spends so much time on court. I think she is more professional than all the players together.
“Nobody believed that she was going to be No. 1 in the world. Nobody believed that she was going to be top 10 even two, three years ago. So look where she is right now. A lot of people they giving her trouble, okay, she's No. 1 in the world but she never won a Grand Slam.
“So it's a little bit tough on her. But she's there. She's fighting. She's trying. I'm really proud of her and the fact that she's holding up herself even though that's somebody can be really rough on her. She's there.”
***
Nadal Reveals His Performance Strategy

Return to number 1 is not on the top of the Rafael Nadal priority list, at least for the time being.
“I am not rushing anywhere”, accented former tennis king in Montreal, where he plays the first tournament since he was dethroned by Roger Federer more then a month ago. “My aim is to work hard as usual. I have spent five years on ATP Tour, I have lot of titles and experience, I am very calm. I know that if I train hard, like I did in the past, everything will work fine for me. I don’t know if that will take three or two weeks, or one month. My only wish is to be competitive and win important things.”
Nadal is defending his Canadian title this week, but he doesn’t put pressure on himself.
“Playing well, that is the only objective in Montreal”, explained the Spaniard who had a bye in the first round of singles. “That is the reason I asked to play doubles. I needed to get some rhythm, I wanted to play before my singles opening.”
Nadal has won all majors except US Open. It looks that he will have to wait at least one year more.
“It is impossible for me to think about US Open now,” he says honestly, “I cannot speak about winning a major, when I speak about returning in the shape and recovering from injury. When I solve these problems and feel confident on the court again, when I win a few games and play much better, then I will think about winning US Open.”
***
Life is Better for Karlovic Now

Few years ago Ivo Karlovic was the outcast of Croatian Davis Cup team. Not satisfied with getting less money then Ivan Ljubicic and Mario Ancic, the tallest top tennis player (2.08 m) of all time rejected calls to play for his national side on several occasions. The situation has completely changed this year. Karlovic is one of pillars of the Croatian advance to semifinals.
“The win against James Blake in quarterfinal is one of my biggest successes in my whole career,” admits Karlovic who is leading in number of aces (688) on ATP Tour this year. “To win in five sets in the first rubber of Davis Cup in front of my home crowd, it is very hard to beat that feeling.”
With NBA height, the tennis road for Karlovic hasn’t always been piece of cake. “I was told once that my #14 on ATP rankings is worth two majors. It wasn’t easy always, but this way I appreciate it more,” says the current #30.
He emerged from tennis obscurity in Wimbledon 2003, when he defeated defending champion Lleyton Hewitt in first round. This summer Wimbledon again was a turning point for Karlovic: he reached a major quarterfinal for the first time in his life.
He has had to fight prejudices all his career. First one is that he is one shot man; with service and nothing more.
“I always had good volleys and I can play well from the baseline. Because of my height people think that my service is the easiest thing, but they don’t know how much I have to practice,” disagrees the Croat. “People think that with my build I don’t stand a chance on clay, but I can play on all surfaces. I like to attack, I like serve and volley tennis. When growing up, I watched Becker, Edberg, Sampras, Ivanisevic. Today tennis misses that kind of aggressive players.”
Where his service is concerned Karlovic is not humble. “Statistics in last few years show that I am the best server in the world and I am feeling that way.”
***
IN MEMORIAM

Dick Arnold Loses Battle with Leukemia
Long-time USTA volunteer, Dick Arnold of Waukesha, Wisconsin, passed away on July 25.
Arnold was president of the USTA Midwest Section 1992-93 and later served as a USTA  Director-at-Large on the Board of Directors, a member of the Executive Committee, and a member of several committees. 
Arnold’s list of honors include: USTA/Midwest Section Hall of Fame inductee in 2005; USTA/Midwest Section Frank Dowling Award for his contributions to tennis officiating in 2005; dedication of a four-court addition to the 12-court Woyahn Tennis Complex in his honor in 1997 in recognition of 40 years of contributions to the promotion and growth of tennis in the Waukesha community; USTA/Midwest Section Stanley Malless Award in 1983; USTA/Midwest Section Mel Bergman Award in 1992; Wisconsin High School Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame in 1981; and the Wisconsin Tennis Association Bill Letwin Award.

***

We hear---
--- that Andy Murray can overtake Rafael Nadal and claim the No. 2 ranking if he wins the Montreal Masters, or if he reaches the final and Nadal loses in the semifinals.
***
THIS WEEK 
MEN
Montreal
WOMEN
Cincinnati
***
NEXT WEEK
MEN
Cincinnati
WOMEN
Toronto
***
Bob Larson’s Stock Report
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Adidas

22.60

-.90

Amer Sports

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Head

0.20

0.00

K-Swiss

10.66

+.22

Nike

56.79

-.35

Bob Larson Tennis Stock Index $94.85
* 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, August 11, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

Federer Denies Any Disrespect to Roddick at Wimbledon Trophy Ceremonies

Roger Federer has returned to the tennis circuit with wife Mirka and identical twin daughters Charlene and Myla in tow but one of the first tasks for the world no.1 when he arrived in Montreal was to clear up the situation of perceived arrogance and disrespect for Wimbledon final victim Andy Roddick by wearing a jacket embossed with the number 15 as he received the trophy.
Federer, who broke Pete Sampras’s record of 14 majors singles titles with his five set win over Roddick, maintained he had no part in the planning of the attire worn to receive the All England Club’s trophy from the Duke of Kent.
And he is shocked to hear the adverse reaction to his fashion statement. “I was quite surprised to hear that," Federer said. "In Paris, I wore a jacket with a huge 14 [signifying his 14^th major win at the French Open] on the back for the press conference after the final. But nobody wrote about it."
"I actually didn't have the jacket with me. I didn't even know Nike did one. I won and a guy walks out and says 'look, if you want to wear this jacket, it's got a 15 on it.' I was like 'that's kind of cool.' So I look at the jacket and I can't find it, it's so small. Then I look and it's on the back at the side. If it would have been a huge 15 on the back like in Paris, I wouldn't have worn it for the trophy ceremony.
"It would never have occurred to people that I wore it except that Sue Barker [interviewing for British television] asked me about it on Centre Court. She made a big deal out of it and I think that's why people then thought it was classless or and a bit arrogant, especially towards Andy. But it's got nothing to do with that. I was just very proud to have won the tournament."
Federer was clearly more content talking about the two new arrivals to his family and he revealed the painstaking planning of his first trans-Atlantic flight as a father. Flying at a lower altitude was discussed to protect the two baby girls
“Even though I heard they could do it on NetJets, “ Federer said, “I thought, ‘if that’s the case then I think we’re pushing it a bit too much with the babies flying so soon.’ But I’ve heard stories of babies flying after three days, after one week – sometimes you don’t have a choice. Of course, we did have a choice and we did make sure that we’d only fly when the babies were healthy, and that Mirka was doing fine because some said people said she was the one who could be the problem, not the kids.
“We have a doctor on standby here in Montreal, someone in Cincy and someone in New York. And we have a baby nurse traveling with us. So we’re well organized.”
Federer admitted he did not touch a racket for ten days but then practiced on a specially laid Deco Turf surface at a tennis club in Zurich. And he has revealed he will go into competition ten pounds lighter in weight than when he last played in North America, in Miami in March.
***
Keothavong Goes to Old Reliable for Knee Surgery

British no.1 Anne Keothavong, whose career hung in the balance five years ago following right knee surgery, faces six months of similar concern after undergoing an operation to her left knee in London.
Keothavong has put an optimistic estimate of six months before she can start playing again after once more putting her tennis future in the hands of surgeon Jonathan Webb, a former English rugby union international, who has operated on many British tennis stars.
The 25 year-old Londoner snapped the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee colliding with a fence during a doubles match at Stanford two weeks ago. She immediately realized the gravity of the situation but insisted on flying home so Webb could address the injury.
“Jonathan was the surgeon who operated on my right knee back in 2004, and so he was one to repeat the same process on my left knee," said Keothavong. “I just wanted the op to happen as soon as possible so I could get on with the rehab and have something to focus on. But I’ve had to wait for the swelling to go down before this as research has shown you get better results in the long run.
"It wasn't even an option to see someone else about it as he did a good job with my right knee, which gives me confidence, he has a great reputation as a knee surgeon and he's a very likeable man. Jonathan is also a former sportsman himself, having represented England many times in rugby union, so he understands athletes."
Earlier this year Keothavong entered the world’s top 50 for the first time after a nine year professional career and at Warsaw, immediately before the French Open, first British woman to reach the semifinals of a WTA clay court event since Jo Durie reached the semis of Roland Garros 26 years previously.
Recalling the injury, Keothavong added: “I knew straight away when I twisted my knee that I had snapped my ACL but it all happened so quickly. I chased down a short angled shot in our doubles match and was sprinting at full speed at a lower angle to retrieve it.”
***
World Junior Champions Determined

The Spanish boys’ team and USA girls’ team have claimed victory at the World Junior Tennis Finals held in Prostejov, Czech Republic. Seventh seeds Spain defeated fifth seeds Portugal to lift the boys’ trophy, while second seeds USA beat fifth seeds Czech Republic to claim their third successive girls’ title.
The boys’ final between Spain and Portugal was decided after the two singles rubbers, after Carlos Benito defeated Portugal’s Rodolfo Pereira in the opening match and Albert Alcaraz then beat Frederico Silva. Spain’s last victory came in 2000, when Rafael Nadal was part of the team. The bronze medal was won by Japan, who fought off tough competition from the host nation to win the deciding doubles and take third place on the podium.
The USA girls’ team struggled as they faced the host nation, with Czech Aneta Dvorakova opening the proceedings with victory over Victoria Duval. Sachia Vickery then leveled the tie with a three-set win over Petra Rohanova to force a deciding doubles, and the United States went on to clinch the deciding doubles with Duval and Vickery taking the visitors to a record breaking third successive title in Prostejov.
In the third-place play-off, Japan claimed its second bronze medal of the competition with a 2-1 victory over top seeds Russia.
***
Stosur Ready to Take Her Place in Tour’s Top 10

She’s played five finals and lost them all, the latest reversal coming against Flavia Pennetta at the LA Open last weekend. But Samantha Stosur’s coach, David Taylor, insists the Aussie, now at a career high 17 in the rankings, isn’t suffering from ‘Finalist’s Block’.
“I think she was working so much on controlling her emotion and not becoming tight, that she possibly forgot about doing what she really needed to assert herself,” Melbourne’s The Age reported Taylor as saying. “If she wants to win a tournament she can go and play a weaker tournament, but she's playing the very best tournaments and she'll continue to do that.
“So it weighs on her mind that, yeah, she hasn't crossed the line, but she's actually made the breakthrough, I think, in the fact that she's always in the latter stages of tournaments, she's had that second week of a grand slam (Roland Garros semifinal this year), and she's had the wins to justify the ranking. Top 10 is within her reach now, that's for sure. She's Australia's next top 10 player. We've only had three in 20 years and Sam will be our next one. The only thing that will stop that is health.”

***
Wilson to be Official Stringer of the US Open

The Wilson stringing team will be back at the 2009 US Open to string the racquets of the best players in the world as they strive to become the US Open champion. To celebrate, the company will be conducting demonstration events for the Baiardo stringing machine at numerous locations in New York. Stringers are invited to experience the difference Baiardo machines have already made for pro stringers at the US Open, the Australian Open and many more pro tour events.
For the 4th consecutive year, Wilson is the official stringer of the US Open, where they will string nearly 3,000 racquets for all players entered in the event including the stars from the main draw, doubles, mixed doubles, juniors, wheelchair, and senior draws. As well as providing quality product and racquet expertise to the world’s best tennis players, Wilson learns from those players and gains insight to develop products the player truly requires.
***
Ivanovic Hopes Her Service Problem is a Thing of the Past

The shorter the swing, the better the service; that is new strategy of Ana Ivanovic when opening ball is concerned. Tired of double faults in first round match in Cincinnati against American teenager Melanie Oudin, Ivanovic decided to change her movement.
The outcome was impressive, Ivanovic not only won second and third set by 6-1; she cut her double faults tally from six in first set lost by 6-2, to three in remaining two sets.
"Hopefully I found what is going to give me the most power and most consistency," she said. "I just tried it in practice the other day and it felt pretty good straightaway, so hopefully it will stay that way."
Ivanovic has had problems with serving this whole year. She started in Australia with her wavering ball-toss end kept on leaving the impression that sometimes she is not sure where her ball will finish; in court or on the fence.
"I am just taking some pressure off and the serve feels a lot better," she said in Cincinnati." Actually it's faster than it was so I'm pretty happy about that. The former French Open champion admits that it is not easy to solve a problem with psychological roots.
“I started changing it and I started making a big issue out of it. The more I thought about it, the more pressure I put on myself trying to hit the perfect serve. Instead of just relaxing... it went down the pipe pretty far.”
Satisfied with improvement in Cincinnati opening, Ivanovic joked: "I'm so confused right now it doesn't matter. In the past two months, I changed it five or six times, trying to figure out what feels most natural.”
***
Sanchez’s Tennis Life Has Turned Around

Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez enjoys the best year on WTA Tour in her life, she reached career high #37 in June, but not everything in her life was so nice.
A Spaniard, one of very few women that very often go to the net, stopped playing in 2004, when she had lost her baby. She wasn’t ready to return to the tour for the next two years. She was in total crisis.
“My time out of tennis, served as a way to evaluate life without tennis. When I returned, I knew what I wanted”, explains Martinez Sanchez who is #43 now. She will celebrate her 27th birthday tomorrow.
“I want to keep on working hard and to reach top 25 by the end of this year”, says Maria Jose who won first two titles of her career in this year (Bastad and Bogota). Though she united both best Spanish women in her family name Martinez Sanchez, she knows that all comparison finishes there.
“What Conchita and Arantxa did is very difficult to match.”
***
Prince Launches Clever Marketing Promotion

How much do you know about Prince? The company is giving fans around the world the chance to show their tennis knowledge by launching a multi-pronged social media, mobile and event marketing campaign prior to, and through, the 2009 US Open.
The campaign, centered around a dedicated URL (www.DoYouKnowPrince.com), is based on trivia questions available in English and Spanish, quizzing fans about the performance equipment leader, its ground-breaking new EXO3 racquet line and the year’s last Grand Slam event.
By participating in the trivia challenge, fans will be recognized by the brand with select fans eligible to receive complimentary Prince equipment. In addition, select participants will have the opportunity to obtain information on local product demo events, a “gift with purchase” program and be clued in to an exclusive event to be held in New York City just prior to the start of the US Open.

***

We hear---
--- that Spain’s Carlos Moya has withdrawn from the US Open with a foot injury.
***
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Monday, August 10, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

Canada Solves Pro Tour Scheduling Problem

Canada is currently limited to two major tennis events, the male and female tournaments that both go under the banner of the Rogers Cup. Traditionally over three decades they have been staggered with the men playing one week and the women they next with Montreal and Toronto the staging cities.
In two years time, to answer the call for more ATP World Tour/Sony Ericsson WTA Tour combined events, Tennis Canada is planning to stage the two events in the same week. But television will be the shared stage rather than either the Stade Uniprix at Jarry Park in Montreal and Rexall Centre at York University in Toronto.
Tennis Canada believes the two cities have always shown too much support for top flight international tennis for one to have a fallow year while the inaugurated event is staged at the other. So plans have been laid for a ‘virtually-combined' tournament,’ meaning the two well-attended and financially lucrative events will maintain a level of independence.
After much negotiation, the rival Masters 1000 series and women’s $2 million event that make up the Western and Southern Financial Group-backed tournament in Cincinnati has secured the coveted date two weeks before the U.S. Open for its new mixed event in 2011.
Therefore Canadian officials opted not to continue with two separate weeks if it meant stretching one of their tournaments back to four weeks before Flushing Meadows. That would have weakened player fields because it is too early for European players, the dominant force in tennis today, to come over to North America. So, Tennis Canada latched onto new scheme for a date three weeks before the U.S. Open.
So television broadcasters will be able to flip between Montreal and Toronto, accommodating the trend to more combined events while still permitting Tennis Canada to stage its huge revenue-generating tournaments in its two biggest markets.
“We'll stagger some starts, you can't schedule both Roger Federer and Serena Williams in separate cities both at 1 p.m.,” said Tennis Canada president Michael Downey. “We've talked to all the TV carriers and they're going to be going back and forth, operating on the basis of ‘okay, what's the best match?' It's going to make the broadcasts more powerful.”
It is hoped this will boost ratings, one of the ways Downey thinks Tennis Canada can compensate for the loss of its second week on the calendar. “There would be no impact on stadium ticket sales in each city and little effect on sponsorship,” he said about the events, which bring in about 75 per cent of the organization's revenues. “The big win for us is that the Rogers deal extended into the virtually combined event in 2011, so our title sponsor bought into the concept. That set the stage for other sponsors seeing the value of having the events in the same week.”
The man who will be faced with overcoming the logistical problems, tournament director Eugene Lapierre is motivated by the challenge. “It would bring another dimension,” he said. “We'll have a winner in each place. It's like two 32-player draws.”
***
ITF’s Doping Appeals Don’t Seem to Bother Gasquet

Richard Gasquet remains unconcerned about the appeal lodged by the International Tennis Federation against an independent doping tribunal’s decision to exonerate him from drug charges. The 23 year-old Frenchman may have put his return date back to August 23 when he intends to play the Pilot Pen Championships in New Haven but he remains confident Court of Arbitration for Sport will agree with the tribunal that maintained "he took cocaine inadvertently".
Gasquet is concentrating on working his way back to full playing fitness after not competing for more than four months, has allowed his agent Nicolas Lamperin to act as his spokesman over the appeal lodged late last week by the ITF and the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA).
“Richard Gasquet has noted the appeal by the ITF and is convinced the Court of Arbitration for Sport will confirm he did not deliberately take cocaine," said Lamperin, a well known employee of the International Management Group.
No date has been set for the hearing but CAS insist the appeal will be made within four months. Lamperin continued: “The appeal does not ban athletes from competing. Therefore, while waiting for the new hearing, Richard will continue to prepare for his return to competition in the next few weeks."
Gasquet has also received support from the French Tennis Federation (FFT) and a spokesman at Roland Garros maintained he was "surprised" by the ITF's decision to appeal against the tribunal's ruling.
***
Murray Sees Opportunity to Climb to #2 in ATP Rankings

Andy Murray is in position to take advantage of Rafael Nadal’s lack of confidence and 10 weeks out of competition, and if the Spaniard fails to defend his title at the Montreal Masters and loses early after not playing since the middle weekend at Roland Garros, then the Scot could overtake him and claim the No.2 ranking. As usual, Murray is anxious to play down the maybe’s and what if’s.
"It really doesn't feel any different to me but I'm in a good position to challenge for the number two ranking," he acknowledged. "I'll have to play well and I have a tricky draw, but I would love to get the ranking. But there is still a lot of tennis to be played before I could get there, and if you get caught up in the rankings you start to lose matches and start hoping that other guys lose. If I win my own matches, the rankings will take care of themselves."
***
Nadal and His Team are Realistic About His Recovery

Maybe it’s an indication that Rafael Nadal and his team don’t expect him to get far in Montreal this week as the Spaniard plays his first competitive match since losing in the fourth round of the French Open to Robin Soderling. His coach and uncle, Toni, is not there with him. Certainly, Nadal continues to talk down his chances of making an impact, not only this week but at the US Open which is still three weeks away.
"I don't know how many weeks I'm going to need,” he said on the eve of the Montreal Masters. “I will work hard to be ready in as few weeks as possible. After suffering an injury and being outside of competition, you have to be sure you are 100 per cent. It (the US Open) is coming fast and I don't have a big preparation. I will do what I can.
"I'm talking only about being fit and recovering from my injury 100 per cent. When that happens and I feel confident on court and have some matches under my belt and am playing much better then I'll think about playing with my best condition at the US Open. My only goal now is to train hard and play well here in Montreal. I know it will be almost impossible."
Nadal withdrew from both Queen’s and Wimbledon with tendonitis in both knees, surrendering his No.1 ranking to Roger Federer.
***
Wimbledon Has Always Been Magical to Clijsters

It brought her back to tennis, and it’s still the tournament she most wants to win; Wimbledon.
"It's always been Wimbledon. I've always had that feeling when I got there, it was 'Oh my God, wow'. As a young girl when I played juniors there, that was one of my biggest dreams, and one that I was living, Wimbledon," Kim Clijsters revealed before taking to the courts at the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open in Cincinnati for her comeback after more than two years away from the game that saw her rise to world No.1 and claim a US Open title.
"I am very happy that I won the US Open because I think my personality suits me there. I always loved the interaction with the crowd and the noise and the music. But Wimbledon is definitely one that, if you can have (one major) on your CV, then that's the one.”
The Belgian had no plans to return to the Tour before the invitation came from the All England Club for her to compete alongside Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi and Tim Henman to test the new roof. The idea obviously appealed to her, but she also knew that if she was going to accept the invitation then there were to be no half measures. If she was going to play on that Sunday in May then she had to give of her best.
"Obviously when you hear Wimbledon and get invited to do that, I didn't want to disrespect them, to be on that court and be out of shape,” she said. "I wasn't in the shape that I am now, but I (knew I) was working towards something. You don't want to disrespect the Wimbledon name."
***
Djokovic Hopes to Pick Up Where He Left Off

Novak Djokovic is back in action. He will play in Montreal this week, his first tournament in singles after Wimbledon. He played doubles only, in Umag. “I was two weeks on vacation, which is probably the longest period without tennis obligations in the middle of the season, since I’ve been playing tennis professionally. The first part of the holiday I spent with my girlfriend Jelena visiting many interesting places on the Côte d'Azur. Those were quite active 7-10 days, we visited many coastal towns and enjoyed the summer idyll.
Djokovic follows all sports and big competition where Serbian sportsmen have lot of success. But he was wise enough to avoid possible problems with local fans. “We followed water polo live from Umag against Croatia, and celebrated their great achievement. Of course, we didn’t want to watch the match from the mainland and maybe have conflict with our rival fans because of cheering, so we watched from a boat! After the great victory, we started yelling, jumping and drowning in the open sea.
He is not completely satisfied with his on-court achievements this season. “In short, unsuccessful title defense in Australia, and fantastic results from Miami to Paris and then quite turbulent season on grass. There were a lot of oscillations on and off court, but it is all a part of the career of a professional tennis player, and it is important to draw lessons and continue with your head up. Tennis is a cruel sport because you have to be ready to accept the fact that there is a possibility to lose a match at almost every tournament you take part. This is a great mental struggle, from which one should come out motivated for the next challenges.”
***
The Spanish Davis Cup Venue Choice is Smooth vs. Croatia’s Choice

Rafael Nadal is still struggling with his calendar after problems with knee, but the Spanish Tennis Federation is confident that he will be available for Davis Cup semifinal against Israel (September 18.-20). “We are 99 percent certain that Rafa will play in the semifinal”, said a Spanish Federation official. “He is in Montreal this week and he will be with his team as always when the time comes. Of course, first he must be picked by Albert Costa, our Davis Cup captain. ”
The Spanish federation chose Murcia to host Israel. La Torre Golf Resort is chosen for this match. “There will be added makeshift seats for 12.500 spectators.”
Unlike in Spain where everything has been decided when Davis Cup organization is concerned, in Croatia, the other semifinal hosting nation, there have been a lot of problems up to this weekend.
The Federation picked Porec, little coastal city, where first two rounds were played, against Chile and US. But, to the surprise of Croats, ITF refused this decision with motivation that the venue is too small (4,500 spectators). The ITF wants bigger stands and bigger city, but Croatian Federation got the biggest financial offer from Porec. They explain; if Porec was good for US, why not for Czechs. Finally, ITF agreed with this and Croatia will host Davis Cup tie for the third time this year in Porec.
***
Ivanovic is Determined to Return to the Top of the WTA Tour

Two years ago Ana Ivanovic was a champion in Los Angeles. Last week she was a third round loser, but former No1 doesn’t believe that her glory days are over. “I am not lost for tennis yet. I am very disappointed after defeat in LA, but I need some more time and I am sure that I will play top tennis again.”
Ana is aware that the second year is always much tougher then the year of breakthrough. She won the French Open and was on the top of the world rankings last year, but she is without a title this year.
“I must be patient. It is one thing to get to the top and completely different to stay there for a long time. I am sure that I can get back to the top. I have already started to work on it but I have not reached my playing level from period before the injury.”
Ivanovic retired in Wimbledon’s fourth round against Venus Williams. Last week’s tournament in Los Angeles was her first outing since Wimbledon. “After retirement in the match with Venus I didn’t practice at all. I had a month break and I feel great now. Unlike periods when I practiced twice a day, I had opportunity to refresh myself completely and get tennis hungry. I had passed a difficult road in the last couple of months, but that gave more strength to me. I am sure that I am going in the right direction.”
In the meantime Ana has been nominated for a prestigious Jefferson National Community Service Award. The 21-year-old is listed in the Outstanding Public Service by an Athlete category, presented by All Stars Helping Kids, a national non-profit organization founded by NFL Hall-of-Famer Ronnie Lott.
Ana, who is a UNICEF ambassador for Serbia and is the current WTA Humanitarian of the Year, is nominated due to her devotion to charitable causes.
All Stars Helping Kids was founded by NFL Hall-of-Famer Ronnie Lott in 1989 with the goal of promoting a safe, healthy, rigorous learning environment for disadvantaged kids in low-income communities.
The Jefferson Awards for Public Service is a prestigious national recognition system honoring community and public service in America. The Jefferson Awards were established in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, U.S. Senator Robert Taft, Jr. and Sam Beard to establish a Nobel Prize for public service. Today, their primary purpose is to serve as a "Call to Action for Volunteers" in local communities.
***

Ricky's Notes
By Ricky Dimon

The struggle currently befalling Australian tennis has not been lost on Lleyton Hewitt, who is the only Aussie in the Top 100 of the men's rankings. "We're struggling even a little more than America," said Hewitt. "It's been a battle. The Australian Open is one of the most exciting months of the year. We were one of the first countries to have a Grand Slam, to play Davis Cup. It is important that we have a whole group of whole new guys coming through, and hopefully we're able to do it soon.". . . Sam Querrey's "Samurai" fan club issued a written apology via e-mail to Tommy Haas after Haas was upset with the group's behavior during Querrey's semifinal win in Los Angeles. The "Samurai" it insisted it cheered only for Querrey and not when Haas made errors, but it also invited Haas to a "beer summit" at the upcoming U.S. Open, in the spirit of the one recently held at the White House. . . Stanislas Wawrinka and girlfriend Ilham Vuilloud are expecting a baby in February of 2010, the couple announced over the weekend. Vuilloud is a presenter on TSR, Swiss television.
Li Na has pulled out of this week's women's event in Cincinnati as well as the upcoming Toronto tournament. She has been dealing with a right knee injury. . . Sabine Lisicki withdrew from Cincinnati with a right shoulder problem. Lisicki posted on her Twitter page that she was flying to her home in Florida to recuperate. . . The abdominal injury Mardy Fish suffered in Davis Cup play against Croatia forced him out of a quarterfinal match in Los Angeles and severely limited him in a loss to Philipp Petzschner in his Washington opener. Now it has led to Fish's withdrawal from this week's Masters Series event in Montreal. "It's obviously frustrating to be injured," Fish said after losing to Petzschner. "I thought in practice I could do pretty much everything, and it's just not the case.". . . Joining Fish on the Montreal withdrawal list are David Nalbandian, Robin Soderling, James Blake, Richard Gasquet, Albert Montanes, Fabrice Santoro, Mario Ancic, and Jose Acasuso. . . Soderling pulled out with an elbow injury after the main draw ceremony had already occurred, so he had to be replaced by a lucky loser. Andrey Golubev, the No. 3 seed in qualifying, got the spot. . . John Isner got a special exemption into the Montreal main draw as a result of reaching the Legg Mason Classic semifinals last week in Washington, D.C. . . . While Isner was practicing with Rainer Schuettler in Washington, Isner's coach Craig Boynton, a director at Saddlebrook Tennis Academy in Tampa, invited Schuettler and Schuettler's coach to train there during the week in between Cincinnati and the U.S. Open. Schuettler said he would accept the offer unless he decides to go down to Miami.
Jurgen Melzer spent last week in Rome and then Vienna in between events in Umag and Montreal. With Melzer in Montreal will be hitting partner Ingo Neumuller and trainer Jan Velthuis. However, his coach, Joakim Nystrom, will be absent as the Swede's wife is expecting a baby this month. . . Melzer was named to Austria's Davis Cup team for next month's relegation playoffs against Chile. Melzer joins Stefan Koubek, Alexander Peya, and Julian Knowle on the Austrian team, while Daniel Koellerer was bypassed. . . Richard Gasquet has split with coach Guillaume Peyre and is back with former coach Eric Deblicker. Gasquet is currently training in southern France with Deblicker and fellow Frenchman Arnaud Clement. A return at New Haven in two weeks has been targeted by Gasquet. . . German Mischa Zverev is contemplating a move to his base in Monte-Carlo, Monaco, where he was training last week. "The conditions are simply better here than they are in Hamburg," he blogged. "Also my girlfriend lives here and it would be nicer for us to be closer together.". . . Juan Carlos Ferrero, 29, vows to keep playing as long as his outstanding form continues. "I don't know how many years," he said last week in Washington. "It's difficult to play 15 or something. If I keep playing at the level of this year, next year for sure. Then, we'll see." Ferrero, ranked 29th and climbing, hinted that he will continue his career if he finishes 2009 inside the Top 20.
David Nalbandian, still recovering from hip surgery, says he will focus on Davis Cup upon his return to tennis. "I'm a man of Davis Cup," said the Argentine. "The pressure, the court, everything is so special. This is my priority.". . . Frenchman David Guez was defaulted from a Challenger match last week in Brazil. Commentators reported that Guez threatened to kill chair umpire Paula Capulo. . . Argentine Diego Hartfield returned to practice last week after tearing knee ligaments earlier this season. Hartfield has not played since February. . . Jarkko Nieminen, sidelined with a wrist injury, could be close to a return. Nieminen has been working especially on his two-handed backhand while training in Copenhagen. "If the wrist's rehab continues as well as until now, I should be able to start competing in New Haven, the week before US Open," the Finn blogged. "I'm really looking forward to playing tournaments again. I have practiced well on the court and worked a lot physically and mentally. Now my wrist just has to get used to the backhand again."
That’s all; no more notes,
Ricky

***

We hear---
--- that Thomas Muster is stepping in to replace the injured Mats Wilander in the Algarve senior event.
***
THIS WEEK 
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***
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***
Results
For complete ATP and WTA results, please see our web site at www.tennisnews.com

Bob Larson - Publisher
Cort Larson - Editor
Bob Larson's Daily Tennis is published 
Monday through Friday except Holidays           
Monday and Thursday in November and December.
Delivery via e-mail to all countries
Subscription rates are; $97USD a year, 
$57USD for Six months, $37USD for Three months.
Bob Larson Tennis
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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, August 7, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

ITF Appeals Gasquet Doping Decision

Numerous were the looks of sheer amazement as Richard Gasquet was exonerated by an independent doping tribunal last month after being charged with using cocaine and now the International Tennis Federation has lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the decision.
Gasquet tested positive for cocaine after pulling out injured from the Sony Ericsson Open in March, the year’s second leg of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 series. In July, while provisionally suspended from all competition, he appeared before the independent tribunal in London while the Wimbledon Championships were played nearby.
The 23 year-old Frenchman claimed that he had picked up traces of cocaine after kissing a girl named ‘Pamela’ in a Miami nightclub. After two days of hearings the independent tribunal panel of three lawyers, accepted his plea of "no significant fault or negligence".
Ultimately the tribunal decreed Gasquet had inadvertently consumed no more than "a grain of salt" of the drug, and a long ban would be an injustice. The former top 10 player and a Wimbledon Open semifinalist, was therefore handed two and a half month retroactive ban.
A brief statement issued by the ITF from their headquarters in Roehampton, London read: "The ITF can confirm that, jointly with WADA (the World Anti-doping Agency), it has appealed to CAS (the Court of Arbitration for Sport) the decision of the Independent Tribunal in the case of Richard Gasquet. The ITF will make no further comment at this time."
The ITF, which had originally called for a two year suspension, had said Gasquet's sample from the ATP event in Miami contained benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine banned in-competition under WADA's 2009 List of Prohibited Substance.
Gasquet, ranked no. 7 in the world two years ago and this week placed 37^th  after more than four months of inactivity, missed the French Open and Wimbledon this year as a result of his initial suspension that came into force when his A and B samples showed positive. He is expected to return in next week’s Rogers Cup in Montreal.
That isn’t all. The woman at the center of the case, the mysterious Pamela, has announced that she is to take legal action against Gasquet for besmirching her name when he offered his defense.
Five-time Grand Slam champion Martina Hingis also tested positive for cocaine, after losing at Wimbledon in 2007, and was banned for two years. Hingis denied taking the drug but did not appeal the ruling and immediately announced her retirement when the test result was revealed in November 2007. She is eligible to resume her career after the ban ends on Sept. 30, her 29th birthday.
***
John Newcombe Tennis Ranch Named a USTA Certified Regional Training Center

The USTA announced that the John Newcombe Tennis Ranch in New Braunfels, Texas, has been named as a USTA Certified Regional Training Center as part of its continuing expanded efforts to develop future American tennis champions.  The John Newcombe Tennis Ranch joins the Austin Tennis Academy, which was named as a USTA Certified Regional Training Center in May, creating a Regional Training Center network to better serve the junior tennis community in the Texas Section.
In addition to continuing their already existing programs, the USTA Certified Regional Training Centers will also host USTA Player Development camps for players, ages 10-14, in their respective regions. These players will be selected in conjunction with the USTA National coaching staff and their respective USTA Section Coaching Commission. The Centers will also help identify talent in players as young as 6-years-old, run programs using the QuickStart* format and host QuickStart tournaments for players 8-and-under and 10-and-under.  
The camps will be staffed by the top coaches at the USTA Certified Regional Training Centers with assistance from the USTA national coaching staff. The coaches at the USTA Certified Regional Training Centers will also work in conjunction with the USTA Coaching Education program by working with and training the top coaches in their region and USTA Section.  Additionally, the coaches will attend training sessions at USTA National Training Centers.
***
Clijsters is Ready to Resume Her Competitive Tennis Career

The wait is almost over. Kim Clijsters is in Cincinnati and ready to resume her career at the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open after more than two years away from the game. Her last competitive match was in losing to Julia Vakulenko in Warsaw at the beginning of May 2007. In her absence from the Tour she has married, had a daughter, and dealt with the death of her father, but the practice she put in after being invited to play in the exhibition match to test Wimbledon’s new roof resurrected her desire to compete. Some matches for the St. Louis Aces in the World Team Tennis league provided more light-hearted preparation, and now the real work is about to begin. Getting ready provided a challenge, as she explained recently.
"When I started playing tennis again my strokes were there very quickly, but physically it was harder,” she said. “In my mind I know how I wanted to move, when I had to run forward or when I had to take a step backwards, but my mind and body weren't really connecting the same way. I really had to tell myself that I had to start from zero and take it one step at a time and try not to look too far ahead, try not to look at negative things. Now, luckily, it feels like it (retirement) never happened. Now I feel like I'm back in good shape."
The hardest part was getting her serve right, she said. "The timing has to be perfect - bending your legs, rotating your hips, your shoulders, hitting the ball at the right moment. Everything has to be so correct and precise."
***
Jankovic is Preparing for a Good Second Half of the Season

Jelena Jankovic’s trademark is her mom Snezana. Always a companion from the times when Serbian was Under 14, probably the most famous tennis mother is now absent.
“My dad is traveling with me this week”, explains Jelena. “He was with me in Florida and in Stanford, and he'll be with me here and in Cincinnati next week, too. He's really helping me out. It's nice to have my dad here because he rarely comes to tournaments. He always stays at home. I know it's difficult for him to watch my matches. My mom is back at home recovering from surgery, and she's doing much, much better. I'm so happy she's doing well. Hopefully she'll be able to come to New York to watch me play. She'll need to be at 100% though - it's tough for parents to watch their kids' matches!
The best WTA player for last year reached the quarterfinal last week in Stanford. She is having forced break this week. “I'm in California right now! I'm not able to compete in LA because of the calendar changes this year, but I'm training here this week. I'm really enjoying my time here and looking forward to the rest of the summer tournaments. Little by little, I'm hoping to start looking like the player who finished No.1 in the world last year.
After under par results in the first half of the season, Jelena believes that better days are in front of her.
“After Wimbledon I took two weeks off from tennis. I really wanted to clear my mind and recharge my batteries, so I would be nice and fresh for the second half of the season. I wanted to forget what happened in the first half. I was feeling really burnt out. I didn't even touch my racquet. It must have worked, because I'm already feeling much better now! The first time I stepped back onto the court I could feel it. I was light on my feet and happy to run after every ball. That's what I hoped for, that the will and desire would be back. The smile is back too. I'm more disciplined on and off the court, my eating is better, and I can't wait to continue like this.”
There is no better place for Jelena then that where everything started for her a decade ago. “After the break, I went to Bollettieri's in Florida for about 10 days and trained in the heat. It was so hard, but really worth it. I needed those conditions to prepare for my upcoming tournaments. My first tournament back was in Stanford last week and I feel like I was playing really well. I had fun playing those matches. I had a tough loss against Bartoli in the quarterfinals, but I definitely had my chances. I even had two match points. There were some really bad calls that went against me, and a few shots I'd hit the line but have to replay the point. What is done is done, though. I need to think about getting better now, and the first set I played in that match was probably my best set so far this year, so that's encouraging. I did a lot of things right, I just need to work on cleaning up the other areas of my game. There's no better time to do it other than right now, with my favorite tournaments coming up. I love playing the summer hard court tournaments. They suit my game and my personality.”

***

We hear---
--- that Boris Becker is set to become a father again with his new wife Sharlely 'Lilly' Kerssenberg confirmed by her grandmother as being pregnant.
--that James Blake will wear his new range of Fila tennis clothing, Thomas Reynolds Collection, at the US Open. He will preview the line at various New York venues on August 15.
***
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***
Results
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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, 
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Visit our website at: www.tennisnews.com

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

Thursday, August 6, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

Montreal Will be a Financial Success

Despite long term concerns over whether world no.1 Roger Federer and reigning champion Rafael Nadal would be contesting this year’s Rogers Cup in Montreal, the Canadian leg of the ATP World Tour’s Masters 1000 series that swings into action next week, is a guaranteed financial success.
Tournament director Eugène Lapierre happily reported: “We are headed towards another record year with regards to ticket sales.”
There is still no firm news on whether Federer will be in Montreal after the birth of his twin daughters Charlene and Myla a fortnight ago although his official website still insists the Canadian tournament is the next firm date on the French Open and Wimbledon champion’s schedule as he prepares to pitch for a sixth successive US Open title.
Nadal has confirmed he will end a two and a half month injury-induced break from tournament play and is expected to arrive in the city later today. 
Meantime tournament organizers are expecting added interest in the big name player, and therefore have announced a large video screen will be installed on National Bank Court, which is the 4,325-seat secondary stadium court adjacent to the Uniprix Stadium's Centre Court that offers 11,437 permanent seats.
Tickets to watch the final on the big screen in National Bank Court will go on sale at the ticket office on site at Uniprix Stadium beginning August 8 at $20 apiece.
Lapierre explained: “We are trying to offer our clients what they want — a place to watch the final on site where they can take advantage of our facilities. There will be entertainment offered on site and we will try to create a party-like atmosphere on our secondary court."
***
Los Angeles ATP Event Had a Financial Setback

The future of the long-running LA Open is in doubt after the financial crisis led to a lack of sponsorship and an operating loss for the event this year.
"We are optimistic that things will change," said tournament director Bob Kramer, who is currently without a title sponsor. "This is probably only the third time in about 20 years that the tournament hasn't been profitable, so we can be patient. Hopefully 2010 will provide a recovery. If not, we are prepared to probably go one more cycle to be back in a position where we can be continuing to generate revenues. If we aren't able to figure this out or if the economy doesn't turn around, I think we will probably have (only) two more bites at the apple to right the ship."
The tournament failed to turn a profit after actually having money to burn, after the more than $1 million set aside to lure marquee names failed to attract any takers. Not one top-20 player showed. So instead of ‘putting the money aside for a rainy day,’ the tournament wanting to maintain a high level of entertainment for the spectators brought in former champions Pete Sampras, Michael Chang, Jim Courier and Stefan Edberg to play some exhibition matches.
***
Florida Tennis Real Estate Development on Hold
By Charles Bricker

And the economy dooms another big tennis project, a massive 20-court complex at an upscale Florida gated community with the very well-known name of Peter Fleming involved.
"At this time, the project is on hold for two reasons," a spokeswoman at Heritage Key in Kissimmee, Fl., said Wednesday. "First, the economy, and second, because Peter has backed out of it."
Whatever Fleming's original financial commitment, it wasn't enough to help sell the project, which had planned to be not just an academy for aspiring professionals, but a tournament site as well -- which would have meant seating for a few thousand at the stadium court.
Fleming, who won 50 doubles titles with John McEnroe and who is roundly believed to be one-half of tennis' greatest doubles team, is an expatriate American based in London, but this project was probably going to increase his face time in the United States.
The academy was to be called Power Tennis. "Unmatched blend of competitive and recreational play with a unique array of peak performance, health and fitness," said the brochure when the plan was announced a year ago.
"Whether your goals include the pro tour or simply to reduce aches and pains or increase energy levels, our programs may significantly help you improve your quality of life as well as your tennis game."
There's no way of knowing whether the project will ever get a restart until the economy gets back on its feet.
***
Safina First to Qualify for WTA Tour Championships

Dinara Safina still might not be Serena Williams’ idea of the world’s top ranked female player and the Russian would appear to require a major title to silence her critics but the 23 year-old is the first to qualify for this year’s calendar ending Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Championships.
For the second year running, the world’s top eight singles players and top four doubles teams will assemble October 27 thru November 1 at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex in Doha, Qatar to contests the Championships that boast a prize fund $4.45 million.
It will be the second time Safina, world no.1 since April 20, has appeared in the Championships and the Muscovite, who in 2009 has won titles at Rome, Madrid and most recently in Portoroz in Austria to take her career collection to 12, will be wanting to do better than last year when she lost all three of her round robin group matches.
“Qualifying for the year-end Sony Ericsson Championships is one of the goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year,” maintained Safina, runner up at both the Australian and French Opens.  “I’ve accomplished a lot of milestones this season and am thrilled to be the first to qualify for the Championships. I look forward to returning to Doha and competing again for the Sony Ericsson Championships title.”
Safina currently has accrued 6,881 points this year in her march to Doha. Australian Open and Wimbledon champion Serena Williams is second with 6,077 while French Open winner Svetlana Kuznetsova is third with 4,262. On current standings, Victoria Azarenka and Caroline Wozniacki are to set to qualify for their first ever Championships while recent world no.1’s Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic seem likely to miss out.
***
Molik Planning to Return to the Tour

Alicia Molik has confirmed that she is planning a return to tennis after an absence of a year, and she will take her first tentative steps to competing again at a modest $25,000 Pro Circuit event in Darwin, Australia next month.
Her plan then is to step up to playing doubles in some $50,000 events in North America. The 28-year old has not played since losing to Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez in the first round of the Beijing Olympics last August. With just four wins in 14 matches in 2008, she then retired for a second time, having failed to make an impact upon her return from a first retirement caused by an inner ear infection.
"She’s hoping to (play Darwin), that’s the plan, but she’s just playing it by ear, seeing how she goes, how she’s feeling and will then go from there," said her agent, Alice Estcourt of Octagon.
While there has been no word yet from Molik herself as she vacations in New Zealand, former pro Scott Draper understands why she wants to have another shot at the game she was originally forced to quit in 2005 soon after she had climbed to eight in the world.
"I’m assuming she’s had enough of living the quiet life," he said. "She did have the problems when she was getting to the top of her career and I’m sure there’s an element of unfinished business, just feeling like she wants to have another crack and not have any regrets when she’s older. I hope she does great, she certainly deserves it."
***
For Nadal Not Everything Has Been Bad During his Recuperation

Rafael Nadal has not been Number 1 since Wimbledon but he found solace in words of Number 1 from another sport.
“Cristiano Ronaldo said to me that for him I am still Number 1,” and the Spaniard is very satisfied with the compliments from the world highest paid soccer player from Portugal. Real Madrid paid almost $135 millions to Manchester United for Ronaldo this summer.
Though one of his uncles played for Barcelona, Nadal never hides that he is a fan of Real Madrid.
“I congratulated Cristiano for his move to Madrid. We know each other few years, keeping our contact regularly. He is very nice with me, writing many times to me. He was phenomenal after Federer won Wimbledon a month ago. He sent me a message saying that I am still No1 for him. That was the first message that I received. When he signed for Madrid, I congratulated to him.”
Nadal will return to ATP Tour next week in Montreal after two months of recuperating his knees. He practices at full strength now, and the first casualty is golf.
“It is terrible. Since I resumed tennis practice 100 percent, my swing got faster and my last days on golf course have been disastrous. When I don’t play tennis on regular basis, my golf improves. But, as soon as I return to racket, I am awful with golf clubs.” 
***
Jankovic Used the Summer Break to Change her Diet

Some WTA players use the summer break to improve shots, change tactics or lift weights, but Jelena Jankovic is another type of player. She used four weeks between Wimbledon and Stanford to change her diet.
“One thing that has been quite different is my eating. I used to like drinking so much Coke. I have such a sweet tooth. I had to have chocolate every day. I had to!
Luckily for me, I have a good metabolism, so it didn't really bother my weight much, but when it comes to having energy and eating the right things, it wasn't good at all. I've now stopped drinking Coke - I haven't had any since Wimbledon! Instead of that, it's water, maybe lemonade. I've stopped eating the sweets, too.
Her satisfaction with this change grows every moment. “People have been telling me I look fitter now. I was thinking why, and it's because I cut those things out. . . Everyone has something they like that isn't good for them, and I was one of those people. I would sometimes eat hamburgers. . . Here in California I like those In & Out Burgers. . . Now since my break I've changed completely though.
I want to pay attention to all of these little things. Eating right, sleeping right, training right and knowing my limits; eventually they all make a huge difference.”

***

We hear---
--- that Jelena Dokic is recovering from mononucleosis and is practicing in Florida, with plans to return to the WTA Tour at the pre-US Open event in New Haven.
--that after winning her first round match at Carson, Vania King visited a Los Angeles Dodgers game and sang the national anthem to begin the game.
***
THIS WEEK
MEN
Washington, DC
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Los Angeles
***
NEXT WEEK
MEN
Montreal
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-.52

Bob Larson Tennis Stock Index $95.87
* 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

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

Dell Says This Washington DC Event Has Strongest Field

At the age of 71, Donald Dell is one of the patriarchs of professional tennis and one of his most cherished offspring is the Legg Mason Tennis Classic which once again is being battled out at Washington DC’s William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center.
Throughout the tournament’s 41 year history, Dell has made sure that many of the game’s greats have come to play at the capital of the United States; Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl and Andre Agassi. But the tournament founder is insistent this year’s strength in depth is the best he has ever known.
Crediting the quality to the ATP changes for 2009 which have designated the Legg Mason Tennis Classic a World Tour 500 event and therefore one of the top 20 tournaments in the calendar (outside the four majors), Dell maintained: “This is the strongest field that we've ever had since I've been involved in the tournament, since 1969."
There has been an increase in both ranking points and prize money, with the overall fund going up from $US 600,000 to $US 1.4 million this year. There is also far more television time on ESPN2 and the Tennis Channel.
Profits from the event, played at co-founder Ashe’s insistence in a public park, have always been handed back to local charities and so far that figure is close to $US 15 million. Since the tournament's inception, it has aided the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps at-risk youth in the DC area through academic support and tennis lessons.
As Washington top seed, Wimbledon runner up Andy Roddick is set to make his first competitive outing since losing to Roger Federer at the All England Club more than a month ago this evening when he faces Germany’s Benjamin Becker. "The future is very strong," concluded Dell. "This is tremendous for the tennis fan in Washington."
***
Wilson Signs an Up-and-comer

Following in the footsteps of his idol Roger Federer, 17 Year old Filip Krajinovic from Serbia has signed a long term deal with Wilson.
Filip continues to climb steadily up the ATP Tour rankings. After an extremely successful junior season last year, reaching as high as 6 on the ITF Junior Circuit, Krajinovic is currently ranked at a career high 407 on the ATP Tour. Most recently, he reached the finals of two USTA Pro Circuit Futures Events in Rochester, NY and Shingle Springs Calif . He has also found success at the ITF Pro Circuit Challenger level reaching the quarterfinals of the Bucaramanga Challenger and the semifinals of the Knoxville Challenger.
Krajinovic lives and trains with the Elite Group at the Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida and is often compared to Agassi for his aggressive style of play.
***
Sharapova is Slowly Continuing Her Climb up the Rankings

The world of tennis was forced to wait and wait for the return of Maria Sharapova. Now comes the admission that more patience is necessary because the stunning service action which took her to the world no.1 spot at the age of 18 and won three Grand Slam titles may never return.
Michael Joyce, who now fills the role of exclusive coach in the Sharapova ranks since the Californian-based Russian’s father Yuri ceased to travel with her, admits the protracted shoulder problems and the aftermath of surgery last fall means that the service action had to be severely remodelled.
Now, after three months back on the road as Sharapova plays her sixth tournament since returning to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour at Carson, Joyce has admitted the rigors the pair have been through in a bid to make the 22 year-old competitive again.
Joyce said: "Maria’s serve was a huge weapon for her and it's difficult to make a change like this. But right now her arm isn't ready to serve the way she did before the surgery and maybe it never will be. That's why we've made the adjustment.”
The hypothesis was to shorten her service motion and eliminate extra movement with her arm and shoulder. Joyce continued: “It's a tough thing for an athlete at Maria's level to do, to make a big change like this to something that had been second nature.
“She used to have a very loose, long, drawn-out motion. She had a tough serve, but her arm was going in a lot of directions. We don't have many choices at this point. We'll see what happens down the road."
Sharapova’s world ranking currently stands at 61, an improvement of 65 places since she made her playing return on the red clay of Warsaw in mid-May. Since reaching the quarter finals of that event, she has also got to the last eight of the French Open and last week at Stanford. She also made the semi-finals of the smaller English pre-Wimbledon grass court event at Edgbaston in Birmingham.
Last week’s 6-2, 6-2 Stanford exit at the hands of Venus Williams came after an impressive win over world no.10 Nadia Petrova at the loss of only three games. Talking about her shoulder and her serve, Sharapova said: “Is it where I want it to be? No. Is there still work to do? Yes. It's going to be an ongoing thing for sure."
***
Nadal Finds it is Difficult to do Nothing

Rafael Nadal learned the hard side of tennis life. A player who had been on a winning spree between early 2008 and 2009, a player who went in any tournament with only one idea, to win, lacks part of his self-confidence before returning to the ATP Tour after a two-month break because of his knee problems.
“I am aware that I go to Montreal and Cincinnati to lose,” announced the Spaniard who lost in the middle of Roland Garros, missed Wimbledon and lost his No1 ranking in the process. ”I am not sure about my level on first tournament; I am not sure even if I will have pain again.” 
If he lost (for the time being) his winning lust, he didn’t lose his sense of humor.
“I have spent more time on the couch then ever. I am a very active person, I like to do different things all the time, but I was told that this time I have to stay still in order to spare my knees.”
The only allowed activity was not that attractive; “I had to spend hours on different machines for recuperation every day and that is not pleasant. I have a new problem now. I want to take them with me to the US and it is not easy to explain to US Customs what these machines are for.”
***
Cash Will Defend His Newport Title

It was way back in 1987 that Australia’s Pat Cash made a name for himself by winning Wimbledon and then celebrating by climbing into the players guest box to embrace his entourage. But if you thought he hasn’t won a grasscourt title since then, think again.
This month he will be defending his crown when the Outback Champions Series rolls up at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I. Cash will be playing alongside Jim Courier (who he beat in the 2008 final), Mats Wilander, Mark Philippoussis, Todd Martin, Wayne Ferreira, Mikael Pernfors and Jimmy Arias. The Hall Of Fame Champions Cup is the fifth of eight events on the 2009 Outback Champions Series, the global tennis circuit for champion tennis players age 30 and over. The tournament will be an eight-player, single-knock-out event with the winner earning $60,000.
Cash admits his chances of retaining his title are slim as he has had less time to prepare this year.
"I never have time for myself somehow," said the 44-year old. "I am opening up a few tennis academies around the world – in Thailand and several in the Caribbean in the next few years. I have been lucky to be invited to play, commentate and write for the Sunday Times (UK) at the Grand Slams. I've been busy promoting the ATP Finals which have moved to London this year. (I’m involved in) various charities and my kids also fill my diary up nicely."
With the tournament taking place at a venue that honors the greatest in the game, it was natural that he was asked for his take on the endless debate about who the best player of all time is.
"It’s a fun talking point but crazy really as every era has different things to deal with," he said. "(Rod) Laver and his opponents played with small wooden rackets and had to time the ball perfectly to create power. He grabbed 11 major singles titles and don't forget he was banned from amateur tennis for six years until it went professional. I would think he would have won at least five or six more, likely 10, in those years as they were his peak years. With 20 plus Grand Slams, it would be hard to argue against him.
There’s no denying (Pete) Sampras was unbeatable at his best. Rackets and strings have made a huge difference of course."
***
Will Roddick Do an Ivanisevic?

Goran Ivanisevic, like Andy Roddick, knows what it feels like to lose three Wimbledon finals. The popular Croatian eventually won at his fourth attempt, beating Pat Rafter in a cliff-hanger 2001 final. Interestingly, Ivanisevic could face Rafter again, for the first time since that final, when they both compete in The Masters Tennis event in London in December.
Ivanisevic has painful memories of his three failures, especially when he had chances to take a two sets to love lead against Pete Sampras, just as Roddick had against Roger Federer this year.
"Losing that final was the worst feeling I ever had on a tennis court," said Ivanisevic. "I had two set points against Sampras for two-sets-to-love, and there was a shaky line-call. If we had Hawk-Eye back then I could have been leading by two-sets-to-love and that would have been so different. It took me three years to recover. I only recovered when I won it in 2001.
"It was exactly the same for Roddick against Federer as it was for me against Sampras. This year’s final was the best match I have ever seen Roddick play. He served so well, he played so well and if he had made that backhand volley in the second set tiebreak, who knows what would have happened. He had 6-5 in that tiebreak, and then he missed that backhand volley. He’s going to dream about that shot every night until the day that he wins the title."
Ivanisevic is confident that Roddick can still win it.
"He is a good player and he can still win Wimbledon - if I could do it, so can he. When I arrived at Wimbledon in 2001 I was 29 and just happy to have a wild card. I always thought, even then, that I had a chance with my serve, with my game, and look what happened. He is younger than I was, he still has some years left, but it could take him three years to recover from that backhand volley. Maybe two years because unlike me he had already won a Grand Slam title! But he can still do it."

***

We hear---
--- that Rafael Nadal, still to return to competitive tennis after missing ten weeks of competitive tennis with knee problems, has insisted he will be part of the trophy-defending Spanish team that faces Israel in the Davis Cup semi-final September 18-20. 
--that Maria Sharapova will be taking part in the 14th annual Arthur Ashe Kids' Day at the US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Saturday, August 29th.
***
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57.54

+.92

Bob Larson Tennis Stock Index $95.24
* The index is based on the total value of one share of each stock we report daily.
***
Results
For complete ATP and WTA results, please see our web site at www.tennisnews.com

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

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

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

Zurich Men’s Event to Replace WTA Tour Stop

There is no longer any women’s tennis at the Sportshalle after the Zurich Open became a victim of the WTA’s slimmed-down Tour this year. But top-class tennis returns to the Swiss city next March with the BNP Paribas Zurich Open.
Part of the ATP Champions Tour, the event will feature 2001 Wimbledon Champion Goran Ivanisevic, former World No.1’s Yevgeny Kafelnikov, John McEnroe and Stefan Edberg, and flamboyant Frenchman Henri Leconte. Three more players will be added to the field before the tournament takes place March 9-13.
The Zurich event will follow an unprecedented format with the eight former World Number Ones, Grand Slam Champions and Davis Cup winners competing against each other alongside a junior tournament featuring eight of the world’s best junior players. On the final day, tennis’ past and future champions will unite to play side-by-side in a doubles tournament where teams comprising one legend and one junior will do battle against one another.
The event is being billed as: 'Where Champions Meet Talents'. Tournament Director Catrin Mohwald Hufnagel is excited about how the Zurich Open is taking shape, saying, "We want to make this tournament into a completely unparalleled event. We want to bring together tennis at the highest level with a unique challenge for some of the world’s most talented youngsters. The challenge is to make the public fall in love with this tournament’s unique format. Although this is a big task, we think it is far from impossible. Where else in the world can you see on the same draw-sheet the names of the tennis Champions of old alongside those of the young pretenders to their throne."
***
It’s Official: Nadal Will Play Montreal

As far as Rafael Nadal is concerned, the man really in the know is uncle and coach Toni. So when he says that the world no.2 will categorically be in Montreal ready and willing to finally make his competitive comeback and contest next week’s Rogers Cup, then take it as a definite.
Ever since Rafa last played competitively, losing his first ever match at the French Open to Robin Soderling on May 31, Uncle Toni has been a constant force in reminding his nephew that there is no point in aggravating the tendonitis in each knees. When Rafa tried his fitness workouts at Hurlingham Club in a bid to prove his ability to begin the defence of his Wimbledon titles three days later, it was Uncle Toni who sat in the players box stone faced but constantly shaking his head in a negative manner.
Now Uncle Toni has made the briefest of statements to the Spanish sporting broadcaster Radio Marca but it is one of two pieces of news that tournament director Eugene Lapierre has been waiting to hear. The fact that there was a rider to the most positive update on the Rogers Cup defending champion so far, is probably only natural.
There is good news for us, Rafael will play in Montreal," Toni Nadal told Radio Marca. "He's been training, but not pushing very hard. I imagine he won't be in very good condition.”
Nadal’s main priority is just to get back onto a match court in time to sufficiently prepare for the US Open which remains the only one of the sport’s four major titles he has yet to win.
“To see what form he's in, we'll have to see how he copes in a proper match," continued Uncle Toni. "There is no particular objective at present. The challenge is to get back into form and to be in good shape for the US Open."
As yet there has been no definite news on whether world no.1 Roger Federer will leave wife Mirka and their twin daughters at home in Switzerland to contest the Canadian leg on the ATP World Tour’s Masters 1000 Series
***
Hewitt Sees Balance of Year Good for Him

There is a distinct resurgence to Lleyton Hewitt’s game this summer. His Wimbledon showing, as eliminated fifth seed Juan Martin del Potro and then tested eventual runner-up Andy Roddick over five gruelling sets, was evidence the 28 year-old is fit and firing after his hip surgery last fall and he is on the verge of returning to the world’s top 40 after giving Donald Young a lesson in Washington DC’s Legg Mason Tennis Classic.
Now the former world no.1, whose world ranking dipped down to the 90’s in March, will play in Canada for the first time in two years after being handed a wild card by tournament director Eugene Lapierre into the Rogers Cup which will be played at Montreal’s Uniprix Stadium next week (August 10 thru 16).
Three Canadians;111th-ranked Frank Dancevic (ranked 111) , 226th-ranked Peter Polansky and 502nd-ranked Frédéric Niemeyer, are the other initial  main-draw wild card recipients.
In addition Germany’s Benjamin Becker will replace Fabrice Santoro in this year’s main draw, the soon to retire Frenchman opting out because of personal reasons. "We are proud to able to count on a player who is so well known to tennis fans in Quebec and Canada," said Lapierre. "Our objective has always been to ensure that not only the best players, but also the most entertaining players come to our tournament every year. In addition to being a crowd favorite in Montreal, Hewitt showed that he was at the top of his game at Wimbledon a few weeks ago."
Hewitt has never vied for the Rogers Cup silverware in eight previous attempts. The furthest he ever progressed was the quarter final in his last appearance in 2007 when he progressed to the quarter final before losing out to Roger Federer.
The Australian maintained: “I’ve got no points to defend the rest of the year, so it’s important to make a stand the next few weeks, especially at the Masters 1000s, in Montreal and Cincinnati.
“It took a lot of physical and mental strength to come back. But I’ve had a good run at the French and then at Wimbledon, where I beat del Potro and lost a tight one to Roddick.”
Pierre-Ludovic Duclos, Bruno Agostinelli, Milos Raonic and Vasek Pospisil received wild cards into the qualifying rounds which begin on Saturday.
***
Ljubicic is a Tennis Realist

Ivan Ljubicic is 30 and he does not make plans longer then six months.
“Everything depends on my injuries”, explains Croat who was No 3 on ATP rankings three years ago. ”My ranking is 57 now. If I am healthy and play 24-25 tournaments per year, I will improve. If I drop to 200, I will quit.”
He plans to start next year stronger. “I will play more this autumn and start new season more aggressively, because I want to free summer from too much tournaments.” He will strike out long travels.
“I will not go to Asia, because I don’t want to miss family for more then two weeks. I will play Cincinnati and my wife and baby will come to New York”
***
Davydenko Doesn’t Hold Back

Nikolay Davydenko won back to back titles in Hamburg and Umag, returned to top ten, but he knows his limits. “I will never win a major”, he said after receiving 16th trophy of his career in Umag on Sunday.
Russian No1 was a real media hit with his honest answers. “I don’t play tennis to spend money, but my wife is a big spender. That is why I have to try hard to be good tennis player.”
Though he was accused of illegal betting few years ago and later absolved, he said that he never bets, nor plays poker. “I like to make money, not to lose. I know some who tried to play poker, but it had not turned well.”
Winning Umag title was great consolation for failure with fishing rod. “I caught only one fish, no bigger then my iphone. My biggest catch had been in Mauritius, a ten kilos barracuda”, boasted. Davydenko.

***
World Junior Competition is Underway in Czech Republic

France’s boys team and Russia’s girls team top the seedings for the 19th World Junior Tennis Finals, which are being played this week on the clay courts at TK Prostejov in Czech Republic. For the 11th consecutive year, the club is hosting the official ITF team competition finals for boys and girls aged 14 & under. Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick, Nicole Vaidisova and Amelie Mauresmo are among the current stars who once played World Junior Tennis.
From a total of 89 countries, 16 boys and 16 girls teams have fought their way through regional qualifying competitions for a chance to compete in Prostejov and vie for a place in Saturday’s final.
The United States returns to defend its titles in both events. It rates among the favorites to claim this year’s competition and with it the accolade of being the first country to win consecutive titles in the girls and boys events. In the boys competition, France earns top seeding following its recent victory in the European Summer Cup. It will look to go one better this year after losing to the United States in last year’s final. Australia, the 2007 champion, is seeded number two, while the United States and Argentina complete the top four seeds.
Russia is hoping to reclaim the title it won in 1999 and 2000 in the girls’ competition. Last year’s champion, the United States is the number two seed, with Ukraine and Czech Republic seeded fourth and fifth respectively. Number three seed and Asian champions, China, is looking to put itself on the map with its first World Junior Tennis title.
***
Safina Repeats Her Feelings About WTA Rankings

She must be tired of it by now, but the question keeps on coming. How can you justify being No.1, Dinara Safina, when you haven’t won a major. It happened again as she prepared this week to defend her title in Los Angeles. Serena Williams, currently the holder of three of the four majors, has been particularly critical, but Safina has a message for her and anyone else that questions her status as the best player in the world. Take it up with the authorities, not her.
"Ranking is ranking. I didn't do the ranking system," said Safina. "If she (Serena) has some questions she can give those questions to the WTA, who is doing the ranking system. It's just the result of how you play the whole year, not just the four Grand Slams. I've been playing the whole year and I've been having great results all through the Grand Slams. If she has some questions she can go to the WTA."
She also had a similar response to Jelena Jankovic’s comment last week that to be No.1 you have to be able to beat the Williams sisters. For the record, Safina is 1-6 against Serena and 1-3 against Venus.
"The ranking system is not only if you beat Serena Williams and Venus Williams. It's based on how you play the whole year, and what is their record," she retorted. It has nothing to do with what your record is against them."
***
Bartoli Ready to Make a Move to the Top Five

Marion Bartoli has set her sights on a place in the top five after beating Venus Williams to claim the biggest title of her career at Stanford.
"If I keep playing like this I will have a good chance to do well at the US Open, and then (if I) keep the same level throughout the year then I can be in the top five," said Bartoli, who is currently ranked 12 and achieved a career-high ranking of 9 in October 2007.
"I know what to do on the big points, I know what my strengths are, and I improved my weaknesses as well. I've also improved my movement a lot and physically to be able to hang in there against these types of players it's important to me mentally."

***
Roddick Ready to Move on After Wimbledon

Andy Roddick has drawn universal praise for his gritty performance in the Wimbledon final where he stretched Roger Federer to the limit before conceding the four hour 16-minute battle 16-14 in the fifth. He even admits, as most players do not, to reading the papers and appreciating what was written. But he is anxious to point out that his success this year hasn’t revolved around that one match.
"(Like everyone else) I'm having difficulty separating Wimbledon from the rest of the year," said Roddick before playing his first match since that final at the Washington Classic where he is seeded No.1 "Everyone's focusing on that but I feel like I've been doing a lot of the things I applied at Wimbledon from January forward.
"Mentally, I've grown up on the court. I don't get too up or too down, which I used to be guilty of a lot earlier in my career. I'm just going to keep an even keel. (The Wimbledon final was) heartbreaking for me, but at the same time not a lot of people get a chance to play for that title. That was not lost on me. Was it the greatest loss I've had as far as afterward? Yeah, that hurt. But at the same time it's still a pretty good existence to play matches like that. I don't sit back and cry in my Cheerios."
***
Sometimes the Players in the Finals Can be a Surprise

When you buy a ticket for the final you might expect you’re paying to watch the best match of the week between what have proved to be the best two players of the week. But, despite the ticket costing more dollars, Euros, pounds or yen, many end up disappointed. That isn’t really surprising though, because by the end of the week the players are often tired, and when they are playing in a final the nerves play a far bigger part than they do in a first round battle.
An extreme case occurred in Istanbul on Sunday, when Russia’s Vera Dushevina crushed Lucie Hradecka in just 41 minutes, allowing the Czech just one game. There wasn’t even a doubles final to keep the crowd in their seats and offer at least a little more value for money, as that was played on Saturday. Not that Dushevina probably cared too much. It was the first title of her career at the age of 22, and even her opponent had some consolation as she had taken the doubles title the day before with partner Renata Voracova.
***
Clearing the Thought

In yesterday’s Daily Tennis News we wrote that Marion Bartoli has had great success with her long rackets which are made by Roman Prokes of New York.
We should have said that her long Prince rackets are customized by Prokes.
We are sorry for any misunderstanding we might have caused.

***

We hear---
--- that David Marshall, director of tennis at Sea Colony Resort in Delaware, one of the top tennis resorts in the US, has resigned to devote time to his other tennis interests.
***
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