Friday, September 4, 2009
BUSINESS NEWS
Carson Tournament to Move to La Costa
Women’s tennis is to return to La Costa resort at Carlsbad, San Diego County after a two year absence as one of three newly positioned events on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour 2010 calendar.
The early August event is moving down the California coast from the Los Angeles suburb of Carson after the leading sports management group Octagon bought out co-owners AEG who own Home Depot Centre where the event had been played since shifting from Manhattan Beach seven years ago.
This year the Carson event had no title sponsor and Dan Beckerman, chief operating officer of AEG maintained the outlook was bleak. “There didn't seem to be many prospects on the horizon,” said Beckerman who maintained it was problematical attracting top players to a big attraction in the Los Angeles area.
AEG made it clear to all prospective buyers that they wanted to offload the event they purchased from IMG, and Octagon possessed an option to buy the next event which became available on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. Several other parties were understood to be interested but Octagon’s position in the business held sway.
Now the La Costa tournament, due to begin on August 2 as part of next year’s US Open Series, will offer $700,000 in prize money and figure in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s premier level. Unconfirmed reports are saying Octagon would like to acquire the Indianapolis ATP event and move it to La Costa, thus making a two-week event, but the logistics of making such a move are very difficult.
Long-time La Costa tournament director Raquel Giscafre will return as tournament director and assisted by Octagon’s Dick Dell.
Women’s tennis had been a tradition at La Costa for 24 years but the tournament was closed after being bought out by the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour two years ago as part of the Roadmap plan to slim down the calendar and supposedly put less stress on the leading players.
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Is Ivanovic Pulling Out of Tennis?
Wave of articles in world press that Ana Ivanovic is temporally pulling out of tennis forced the former #1 to explain her immediate plans.
“I feel like I haven't had a proper break in such a long time. Now I think the best thing to do is to take a week or two off, to totally switch off from tennis, and come back refreshed for my next tournament, which is in Tokyo at the end of the month. After that I will play in Beijing: they're two big tournaments, so there is still a lot to play for. It would be great to end the season on a high note, going into next year.”
Early elimination from the last major in 2009 still bothers Ivanovic who never lost an opening match of a major until this week.
“It's no secret that this is the most difficult time of my career so far. Losing in the first round of the US Open hurt a great deal, I can tell you that. I feel mentally exhausted. This season has been very difficult in terms of my health and form: even though I'm in great shape in terms of my stamina and speed, I've been picking up so many small injuries. Just when I felt like I was close to getting back into my rhythm, I would feel pain in a new place, and then I'd feel like I'm starting all over again.”
Health problems, no matter how small they were, had an influence on her results this year.
“It's obviously affected my confidence and I've overanalyzed it too, and let if affect me far too much - not just the injuries, but my desire to get back to the top.”
There is one important business move for Ivanovic at the end of this year. Her lucrative Adidas contract expires this winter and she will have to do her best to persuade big companies that she is still contender for top prizes.
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Paszek Faced Possible Doping Charges
Tamira Paszek has escaped punishment for inadvertently breaking anti-doping rules as she received treatment for a back injury. Following a first round retirement at Wimbledon the Austrian underwent treatment that involved blood being drawn from her body to be enriched, before then being re-injected. She was unaware that the treatment broke the rules, but after a journalist pointed out her error she immediately reported the matter. The Austrian anti-doping agency has ruled that although rules were broken she was not to blame and she can resume playing once she is fit to do so.
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The Great Britain vs Poland Davis Cup Tie is More Than Just Tennis on Court
The upcoming Britain v Poland Davis Cup tie, already contentious after British captain John Lloyd admitted he is keeping a close eye on the opposition’s line-up to ensure there is no rule-breaking, has been plunged into even more controversy.
Now Nick Brown, formerly a British Davis Cup player and currently the Technical Consultant of the Polish Tennis Federation, has been told not to attend the tie.
Brown, who also captained Britain’s Fed Cup team for five years until 2003, is in his third year of working for the Poles and is employed on a on a part time basis. Still based in England, he also coaches 11 of Britain’s top junior players.
However Brown, who played in five ties between 1989 and 1991, has been told to stay away from the tie to be played indoors at the 5,000 seater Liverpool Arena and not to contact any of the Polish players. If he does not agree to the Lawn Tennis Association’s request then he has been informed that the funding he receives for the coaching the juniors, including Beth and Amy Askew who are the British Under 12 and Under 14 Girl champions, will be withdrawn.
The LTA is clearly determined to preserve the British team’s position and avoid relegation to the depths of the Davis Cup’s third tier Euro African Zone Group Two for the first time in 15 years.
Captain Lloyd this week named a five man squad for the tie; Andy Murray, doubles specialist Ross Hutchins, teenager Daniel Evans and Josh Goodall who lost both his singles rubbers in his debut against the Ukraine six months ago. Ken Skupski, the Liverpudlian doubles player is also named but unlikely to be part of the official foursome.
Poland has not included their highest ranked player Lukasz Kubot in their team but did name the crack doubles partnership Maruisz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski lost in the first round of the US Open despite being the competition’s sixth seeds.
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Serbia Davis Cup Action Without Djokovic Against Uzbekistan?
There is a possibility that Serbia’s player, Novak Djokovic will not take part in the Davis Cup tie with Uzbekistan. This tie is scheduled from September 18 to 20 in the Belgrade "Arena" that has a capacity of nearly 20,000 seats.
The reason for Djokovic's possible absence is that Uzbekistan is not considered to be a tough competitor for Serbia in the World group play-off, so he can use that period of the season, after the last major in 2009 for rest.
Serbia, beside Djokovic, has two more players in top 100 in single, Viktor Troicki at 31 and Janko Tipsarevic at 64 plus one of the best double players in the world, Nenad Zimonjic. Also, there is possibility that Serbia's best junior, Filip Krajinovic, will play against Uzbekistan.
This is Serbia's second year in the World Group and for the second year it faces a play-off to retain its status after falling to Spain in this year's first round. Uzbekistan has never competed in the World Group.
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Changes in the WTA 2010 Calendar
The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour has announced its calendar for the 2010 season, which features three new tournaments located in the United States, Denmark and Malaysia.
Besides moving Carson to San Diego, a new International Series event will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark the same week, in addition to a new International Series tournament in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysia Classic, which begins on February 22nd.
The Tour now includes 24 events in Europe, 15 events in the Americas and 18 events in the Asia-Pacific region. Seventeen combined events include Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Beijing, Sydney, Moscow, Eastbourne, New Haven, Brisbane, s’Hertogenbosch, Estoril, Memphis and Acapulco, along with the four majors. Seven back-to-back men/women events include Dubai, Tokyo, Rome, Cincinnati, Canada, Auckland, and Bastad.
Additionally, in 2011 Rome, Cincinnati and Canada will all be combined men/women events.
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Dementieva Said Oudin Won Their Match, She Didn’t Lose
Serena Williams is well known for failing to give credit to her opponent when she loses, always blaming her own shortcomings rather than praising what her opponent did well. Contrast that to what a very disappointed Elena Dementieva said after she was upset in the second round of the US Open by 17-year old Melanie Oudin.
"I think she played really well. She was very positive and going for the shots, going for the winners. I feel she had a very good attitude today in the court. You know, I think she's very talented. I feel she has a great variety. She can go for the slice, dropshot, and forehand winners, also. Today she was definitely in the court trying to hit down the line. I think she has a very solid game. I think she moves really well. You know, the footwork is really great. She was really fighting for every point, playing everything back ... she's very patient on the court. She's just waiting for the moment to attack the ball. So even with she's not very tall, but still, you know, she's very athletic."
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Oudin Names Henin as Her Inspiration
The vast majority of the women on the WTA Tour stand around 6’ or so. You wouldn’t exactly call her Mini Melanie, but 17-year old Oudin is a lot shorter than most of her opponents. Actually, she is within a quarter-inch of Justine Henin, so it is little wonder that she has viewed the Belgian former world No.1 as an inspiration as she has set American tennis alight this summer with victory over Jelena Jankovic at Wimbledon and Elena Dementieva at the US Open.
"Yes. Well, that's the first thing, is that she proved that you don't have to be six foot something to be No. 1 in the world," said Oudin. "But also, the way she plays, the way she moves, the way she uses all different shots and uses the entire court with her dropshot and her angles. I mean, her one handed backhand is so good. I don't have a one hander, but it's still okay. I don't know. I just really like the way she plays. She figures out a way to take down these players that overpower her with her variety and her movement."
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Safina Expects to Have Plenty of Energy for the Late Rounds at the Open
Dinara Safina is spending a lot of time on court at this US Open, struggling to beat what most would describe as modest opposition. But she is unconcerned that she might be expending too much energy and will have little left if she reaches the final stages of the tournament.
"During the off season, it was much tougher," she said after taking three sets to beat Kristina Barrois. "You know, I would finish the day at 9:00 in the evening, and next morning at 9:00 in the morning I have already to be on the court and giving my 100% and I had even less time to recover. That's why we have a base that we build everything to be ready for any situation during the tournament. Actually, I do feel fine. Not really that I played a lot in this summer. I played only final in Cincinnati, so I had enough room to recover. So I better use some energy now."
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Clijsters Sees Depth in the Women’s Tour
Kim Clijsters has had the opportunity to stand back from the Tour and look at it with a fresh perspective upon her return. So is there depth in the women’s game these days, as the WTA would like us all to believe?
"Uhm, yes and no," she said. "I think it's still a bit early for me to say after three weeks how the depth is in women's tennis. On the other hand, having seen a lot of the results lately, I do think that a lot of girls can beat a lot of top players. But I think the consistency is what's lacking. I think the consistency is what makes you a top 10 player these days. You know, we can all play tennis. We can all hit the ball hard. There's a lot better athletes out there these days in the lower ranked category.
"But it's just a matter of consistency. It's the biggest key. That's what sets you apart from being a top 10 player or a top 50 or a top 100 player. Like I said, you know, we've seen in the last few weeks, we've seen Serena lose in Cincinnati early, you know, Venus. That's something you kind of didn't really see a few years ago, but it can happen. That doesn't mean that Venus and Serena are playing worse than they used to. I think the girls they get in front of them are extra motivated. The wind blows harder when you're on top. That's definitely the key, I think, when you're up there. Young girls, they want to beat you badly. That's how I used to be when I was, you know, coming up a few years ago."
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Witten Feels He has Earned His Way to the Open
Jesse Witten has done the hard yards this year to earn his place in the third round of the US Open and a match-up against world No.4 Novak Djokovic. What he had to go through earlier in the season couldn’t have provided a greater contrast to what he is experiencing at Flushing Meadows.
"I've completed the spectrum, I think, this year," he said. "Beginning of the year I was playing futures events where it's a total purse of $10,000. The winner gets $1,200 or something and it's a long week. You have no ball kids. You don't change balls, so the balls get this big. We're in some places that you probably have never heard of. Mansfield, Texas. Brownsville. I don't even remember them, because half the time I didn't really want to know. I mean, there's a lot of little places that you don't get any recognition. I mean, it's tough. You just have to go out there and put the time in and get through it so you can get to here.
"It's easier to play out here actually. You have fans and you have something to kind of play for. When you're out there, there is a couple of people watching and it's all on you. You have to kind of motivate yourself to get through it, even though you don't want to be there and you don't really want to put in that time.
Here, I have the fans. You have a big setting. You have people that love tennis and love USA tennis. Definitely makes it easier, and you get amped up to play."
Things were tough at the start of the season, and he thought he might have to consider a different career.
"I lost my sponsor who was helping me with expenses. It's expensive to travel the world and play tennis, especially if you're not playing this level tournament and if you're not winning every match. So I was there. I was looking at it hard. That's when I was fortunate to I played a couple more tournaments and started winning them. I won a few and got on a roll, and it just kept building. I figured I was going to give it six months at first, and then I was going to play through the end of the year when I started winning some more. I guess after this year we'll have to see where everything is at."
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We Hear---
--that the former NFL football player that died yesterday in car accident was John Stephens, Sloane’s father.
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Publisher’s Note
Some sections of Daily Tennis News will not be published September 7 so our employees can celebrate Labor Day.
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