Tuesday, September 8, 2009
BUSINESS NEWS
ITF Announces 2010 Fed Cup Venues
The ITF has confirmed the full list of proposed venues for the first round of the 2010 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group and World Group II, to be played the weekend of February 6-7.
Six of the eight first round ties will take place in Eastern Europe. Ukraine makes its debut in the World Group at home in Kharkiv to 2009 finalists Italy, while its opponents in this year’s final, USA, will travel to France. Czech Republic plays its fourth consecutive tie in Brno while Serbia has selected Belgrade for its first-ever World Group tie. Poland and Estonia both mark their first appearances in World Group II with home ties. Poland has chosen the northern town of Bydgoszcz to host Belgium while Estonia, which has won its last eight ties, will play in Tallinn against Argentina. The ties will take place at the following venues, subject to final confirmation by the ITF.
World Group
Ukraine v Italy: Palace of Sports "Lokomotiv", Kharkiv - hard (indoors)
Czech Republic v Germany: Brno Exhibition Centre, Brno - surface to be confirmed
Serbia v Russia: Belgrade, - surface to be confirmed
France v United States: to be announced before October 5.
World Group II
Australia v Spain: to be decided by September 14.
Poland v Belgium: Hala Sportowo, Widowiskowa "Luczniczka" Bydgoszcz - carpet (indoors)
Estonia v Argentina: Tere Sport Tennis Club, Tallinn - hard (indoors)
Slovak Republic v China, PR: Sibamac Arena, Bratislava - hard (indoors)
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Murray About to Switch to adidas
Back when Andy Murray won the US Open junior title in 2005 he wore adidas clothing for nothing. Now he is set to sign for the sportswear giants in a $10 million a year deal that could oust his long-time rival Novak Djokovic from the German company’s roster.
The economic downturn has meant all the major companies have had to reassess the investment in expensive endorsements in stars in a variety of sports. But adidas’ long-term close relationship with one of its’ premier sporting icons David Beckham seems to have paved the way for a deal with Murray.
There are only a few months remaining in Murray’s three year agreement to wear Fred Perry sportswear and he is known to have become frustrated that no footwear contract is in place. In the last two majors he has worn Nike shoes at Wimbledon and is currently shod in adidas at the US Open.
Meanwhile Djokovic’s current deal with adidas is about to expire and the Serb is believed to come second to Murray in the company’s wish list while Nike is more than content with having Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on their books.
When 19 Entertainment, who also handles the business affairs of soccer star Beckham, were appointed by Murray in succession to Patricio Apey’s Ace Group at the beginning of the year, one of the prime tasks was to negotiate a much more lucrative clothing deal.
Two other companies, believed to be Fred Perry and K-Swiss, also have tenders in with 19 Entertainment but adidas, who enjoyed a long term relationship with Tim Henman, Murray’s predecessor as Britain’s marquee player, is certainly in pole position.
Meanwhile Murray is expected to team up with another adidas player, Britain’s promising youngster and former Wimbledon junior champion Laura Robson in January’s Hopman Cup, the international team event played in Perth prior to the Australian Open. Murray has followed Robson's progress with enthusiasm and the pair have hit together at the Lawn Tennis Association’s National Training Centre in Roehampton. Asked about their friendship, Robson said: 'We're not besties but we do chat.'
For the last couple of years Murray has played the year opening ATP World Tour event in Doha, Qatar before heading for Australia.
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Hewitt Splits With Roche
Lleyton Hewitt was a predecessor to Roger Federer in terms of winning Wimbledon and the US Open titles and holding the world no.1 ranking, and now he has followed the actions of the imperious Swiss by telling Tony Roche that his employment as coach has run its course.
Although Hewitt insists the split is 100% amicable, 64 year-old Roche is now totally free to work for as many weeks as he likes in his new role as high profile coach at the Mouratoglou Academy just outside Paris.
Roche's reluctance to travel full time with 28 year-old Hewitt has always meant his official two-year union with his fellow Australian was restricted to mostly training blocks in Sydney and long-distance consultation. Federer maintained a lack of communication caused his split with Roche in May, 2007. Hewitt, who has not been back to his home country since the beginning of the year, just feels the distance between the pair became unworkable.
“Week in, week out, I just feel like it's hard just coming to the Grand Slams and working with someone different all the time," maintained Hewitt who insisted he will still have a telephone relationship with Roche who has previously coached US Open champions such as Ivan Lendl and Patrick Rafter.
“Rochey and I get along super. We know each other so well. I've got so much respect him and it's hard. But I haven't been back to Australia all year either and I guess we haven't been able to do the weeks that we sort of have been able to do in the past.”
Nathan Healey, a 29 year-old junior playing contemporary of Hewitt’s whose career peaked with a ranking of 159 in the world two and a half years ago and has only played one Challenger and one Futures event this year, both of them in the United States, filled the coaching seat in Hewitt’s players box at Flushing Meadows before his demise to Federer in the third round.
The pair were occasional doubles partner in their respective youths and Hewitt said, “Nathan is a positive guy, He's spent a lot of time around Rochey as well at the Davis Cup ties. We get along extremely well, which is a huge bonus."
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Midland, Michigan Voted America's "Best Tennis Town"
The town of Midland, Michigan has been named the winner of the USTA’s “Best Tennis Town” search, the first-ever initiative designed to identify and reward the American communities—from small, rural towns to large, urban metro areas and everywhere in between—that best exemplify the passion, excitement, spirit and impact that tennis brings to the local level.
The announcement was made Sunday night during a special ceremony at Arthur Ashe Stadium during the 2009 US Open competition at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. As America’s “Best Tennis Town,” Midland—which garnered the most votes during the nationwide, online balloting period from July 16 to July 26—will receive a $100,000 grant from the USTA to be used for community-wide tennis programming or facility enhancements.
Representatives from the top three vote-getting communities in contention for “Best Tennis Town”—Midland; Ojai, California, and Independence, Kansas—were all in attendance. The city of Ojai, the first runner-up to Midland, will take home a $50,000 community tennis grant from the USTA, and second runner-up Independence will receive a $25,000 USTA grant for their local tennis programs.
With a population of 41,685, Midland has more than 10,000 local players who take to their community courts every year. The Midland Community Tennis Center also hosts more than 20 tennis tournaments throughout the year.
Midland beat out a total of 56 cities in the USTA’s nationwide search to identify America’s “Best Tennis Town.” The national competition began in May, when tennis communities from all over the country submitted their entries for consideration on www.besttennistown.com between May 1 and July 1, 2009.
The other seven towns selected received an honorable mention and $2,000 worth of tennis equipment. Those towns included: Baton Rouge, La., Cary, No Car; Grand Junction, Colo; Hickory, No Car; Las Vegas, Nev; Springfield, Mo; and Tempe, Arizona.
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Sharapova Feels Good About Her Progress in Coming Back
It has taken a while, and there’s been a few ups and downs since Maria Sharapova returned to the tour at Warsaw in May, but now she feels she’s finally get to where she wants to be. She’s still a work in progress, though.
“I certainly think I'm playing a lot better than I was when I first got back,” she said. “You know, I feel like the belief in the game, the confidence is coming back. I think the one thing that I learned is, you know, when you find yourself in the middle of the match, you kind of -- I don't know, your shot selection goes -- well, went haywire. And I think I've been able to get that back. That was the beauty of playing so many matches this summer, is I really felt like when every match, I learned from each situation. I was down, I was up. I had some easy matches, I had three-setters. I played some good players. That's certainly going to help me - if not here, then for the future, for next year.”
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Hantuchova Likes Her Arrangement with adidas
With adidas, you get more than just the shoes and clothing. You get coaches of the highest level thrown in too. That’s quite a deal, as Daniela Hantuchova is finding out after switching from Nike shortly before the US Open.
“I'm excited. It's a brand that I always admired for many, many years. It feels very refreshing, the stuff, and outfits they're doing is very feminine and very glamorous. So I'm really proud to be part of them now,” she said. “(I like) Everything. The shoes obviously are the key, because as an athlete it's important to have the right shoe. You know, they have great stuff. Yeah, like I say, I'm very, very happy.”
And now she is part of the adidas team, she can draw upon the expertise of coaches such as Darren Cahill, Sven Groeneveld and Gil Reyes. “Yes, also that's part of the deal, which I'm very, very excited, obviously. The names they've got on there, it's pretty overwhelming. So, you know, just having that kind of support behind me I think definitely gives me so much more confidence. Just the advantage that I can use them any time I need to and use the knowledge that those guys have. I mean, it's just pretty amazing, so I'm very proud to be part of that team, as well.”
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Jankovic Made Hasty Return to Belgrade
Instead in New York, fighting for the last major title of the year, Jelena Jankovic is at home in Belgrade. Unexpected twist of destiny forced her to catch first flight over the Atlantic.
“I started the US Open really well and was pretty excited about my chances, but the day before my second round match I got very bad news, that my grandmother passed away. I was very sad. I didn't even feel like going on the court. Mentally, I wasn't there. I was a shadow of myself”, explained Jankovic what happened to her in last few days.
Her family wanted to hide tragic news, but it was impossible. “My mother came to New York to watch me play and my father was already here, so I had everyone here supporting me, and it was great. But my mom left the day before my match to be with my grandmother. Today was the funeral. My whole family was there” she said on Sunday.
Jelena was very sad.
“She was my only grandmother. I was very close to her and loved her a lot. She always told me she liked my red tennis dress, that it was the color of happiness and luck. I wanted her to be happy and I wanted to do well at the US Open, so I wore it. I was hoping it would bring luck to both of us. But unfortunately it didn't help this time. She dedicated her whole life to family, to all of us. She was an unbelievable person, beautiful on the inside and out. She was always supporting me and watching me play. Hopefully she was proud of me. I was calling every day to see how she was doing. I was praying every day she would be okay. This is especially hard on my mom... she was her mom. My mom is recovering from surgery herself and it's not easy for her.
Racquets and yellow balls are not in Jelena’s focus right now.
“I'm going to take some days off from tennis to just be there with my family. We're all very sad but we're trying to stay as positive as possible. I'm not thinking about tennis at the moment. I have some time before I play my next tournament so I want to heal from this and go from there. When something like this happens, tennis seems like just a game. There are more important things.”
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Dent Appreciates Being Able to Get Back on Court
After three bouts of back surgery and spending most of a year lying in bed, Taylor Dent shouldn’t be playing tennis at any level. But instead he found himself in the third round of the US Open after battling more than four hours to win a five-setter against Ivan Navarro. Not only didn’t he expect a few months ago to be competing at such a high level, there was a time he mentally gave up any idea that he would ever play again.
“(That was) When I kind of bit the bullet and decided to go with the fusion surgery. I didn't do it to play tennis. The doctors told me that I would not be playing tennis if I did that surgery,” he revealed. “So at that stage, it was just kind of like, ‘Okay, well, these are the cards I'm dealt. Let's not mope and whine about it. I have to have this surgery to lead an active lifestyle. No problem.”
“First one didn't go well. Second one ended up going well. The doctors said it healed up very well. You should try to hit some balls. I got too excited. I definitely got too excited. My eyes lit up. I got out on the court later that day. That was probably the toughest moment for me, just to see how far I had lost, how much I'd lost. I sat down after two minutes of hitting, and I'm just like, phew. That's kind of when I had the talk with myself, Do I even want to do this? I have lost everything. I'm getting winded after 30 seconds of hitting balls up and down the court. I'm hitting the ball terrible. I have no confidence. I haven't even hit serves yet, which is the biggest part of my game.
“So that's when I just said, Look, you can't be selfish and you can't be naive about this tournament. You have to play professional sports again. Nobody gets this opportunity. A select few get this opportunity. You would be an idiot to push it back.”
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Safina Wants the Year to End Soon
She might be on top of the world, the No.1 player, but Dinara Safina is impatient for the season to end.
"Just playing, playing, playing, playing, playing, and not realizes -- let's say at least sometimes just to work on something. Really, I'm just I don't have even time for myself to relax and to calm down," she said. "I mean, I really looking forward for the, you know, to have the off-season, because at least I know that I'm gonna be in one place - I mean, first I'll have a rest, and then I'll have five weeks that I can stay in one place.
"I mean, that's a positive thing that I'm playing. Okay, here disappointing I lost. But basically every tournament I play till the end. So this is a positive. I prefer to have this than I was having last year. But somehow I still not used to it, and I guess I need a little bit some time to realize how it is and definitely, you know, next year I think I'll be more experienced and I'll plan better the schedule, I guess. This is the thing."
And the Russian admitted that the pressure of being the target of everyone she plays wanting to shoot down the No. 1 has been a problem. She can’t play in a relaxed frame of mind, knowing she’s the best in the world. At least according to the rankings.
"It's not happening too often this year. I don't know. I go to the court with so much that I want to win, and I put so much tension in it that I just, I guess, not to lose, and that's why I'm not playing relaxed, instead of just going out there and just play, let it go. I mean, I can't control when I lose. But, come on, do your things. But I'm in too much not to lose a match. It's blocking me."
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All in All, Hewitt is Happy with His 2009 Performance
He might have lost to Roger Federer, for the 13th time, but Lleyton Hewitt is happy with where his game is and the progress he has made throughout this season after returning from hip surgery.
"This year has sort of been more of a rebuilding year, I guess, trying to get the matches and get the match toughness under my belt," he said. "First four or five months is always going to be tough after the surgery. You're never going to expect miracles straightaway. I've been able to battle through. I've laid it all on the line, especially the last two majors, and played extremely well. It's taken a couple of the best players in the world to beat me.
"I was pretty happy the way I played today. I'm pretty happy the way that I played the last couple of weeks. Yeah, Wimbledon I played extremely well. Disappointing, because the draw could have been slightly more favorable, I could have gone deeper in tournament. I'm more fit. You know, when the body is feeling closer to 100%, then it's easy to go out there and compete. I did all the hard work after I had surgery the end of last year to get back and put myself in a position like this. Part of making those sacrifices to come back and do it all again, you know, you're going to lose your ranking and you're going to have to come up and play the higher seeds earlier in the tournaments. That's all part of it. But, yeah, I feel like I'm on the right track to getting back to where I want to be."
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Oudin is Surprising Players
When Melanie Oudin upset Jelena Jankovic at Wimbledon the Serb was less than complimentary, saying that she had lacked a weapon. Those words now seem very foolish after the 17-year old followed up her US Open win over Elena Dementieva with victory over Maria Sharapova. Her latest victim saw things a different way to Jankovic.
"Shocking. Shocking that she said that," said Sharapova when told of JJ’s comments. "I think she has a great amount of potential considering at her age to get to the fourth round of the US Open and to beat Elena and come out and play three sets against me and come out with a win and still have an opportunity to go further in the tournament. Considering she's really young, I certainly think she has a great future ahead of her. She moves really well. She has a pretty good forehand as well. It's pretty solid and deep. She's a good competitor."
As for lack of a weapon? Melanie says it might not necessarily be the way she plays. but the way she thinks. "I think the biggest weapon can be mental toughness," said the American. "It doesn't have to be a stroke or a shot or anything like that. If you're mentally tough out there, then you can beat anyone. I think that's what I really did well today and I've done in my past matches. I'm so focused and I fight super hard. So it's not going to be easy to beat me or I'm not going to back down at all."
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Witten Got Cut by Nike, Then He Proceeds to Win
Talk about bad timing! Jesse Witten has had the attention of the world on him as he battled from nowhere through qualifying to the third round of the US Open before bowing out to Novak Djokovic. But the day before he began his inspiring journey he received a setback.
"I have racquets. I got Wilson. I've had them since I was 13, 14. They've helped me out tremendously. (But) I was with Nike and actually right the week before I got here, actually the day before qualifying started, I got cut, because well, my contract was up, so I knew it was kind of coming with the times. A lot of people kind of got cut back. That never feels very good. But, I mean, it makes me try to prove to some people that I could wear some clothes."
After being dismissed by Nike he played at the Open with a $10 shirt bought at the mall. No doubt his agent is working on a new deal - but it might not be with Nike!
Witten said that one of the best things about playing main draw at the US Open was getting his laundry done for free. It’s a very long time since Roger Federer was in Witten’s position, but he remembers how welcome the perks were once he started climbing the rankings.
"Oh, yeah, we all go through the same things, you know. I mean, if you can make the break, you know, it's maybe free lunch or whatever it is, you know. Instead of just having three practice balls you get six. You're like it's a big deal. It's exciting, you know. It's nice being part of the elite players. And especially at Grand Slams, you know, still sometimes you have to go very far to practice, you know, all the way off campus sometimes. It's nice when all of a sudden you can practice on the front courts. You don't have to walk anymore so far."
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Sports Marketing Help Wanted
Daily Tennis News, The World’s Digital Daily Tennis Newspaper is seeking some sports marketing assistance for a new project. This is perfect for a free lancer or someone who can devote a modest number of hours over the next four to six weeks. For information, contact bob@tennisnews.com or Bob Larson, 952 920 8947.
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Ricky's Notes
By Ricky Dimon
Hyung-Taik-Lee, 33, will retire from tennis at the end of this season and open a "Hyung-Taik Lee Academy" in his native Korea (starting in September). "I want to pour all my effort into bringing up young talented tennis players," said Lee. "I am very proud of starting my academy in my hometown. While I moved around the world on the tour, I really felt that Koreans could be world class tennis players. My goal is to train players who can make it into the Top 100.". . . Simone Bolelli was officially named to Italy's Davis Cup team on Monday for an upcoming playoff tie against Switzerland. Bolelli had been suspended for skipping a previous tie with Latvia. He joins Fabio Fognini, Andreas Seppi and Potito Starace on the Italian team set to face Switzerland. . . The 2010 version of the annual Kooyong Classic tune-up for the Australian Open already boasts Novak Djokovic, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Fernando Verdasco, Fernando Gonzalez, Robin Soderling, Tommy Haas and Marco Baghdatis. A spot is being held for Roger Federer, but Federer has not yet confirmed his participation.
Former British star Greg Rusedski said last week on Sky Sports that he found the complaints that the ATP Tour favors Roger Federer to be valid. Rusedski noted Federer's schedule at the U.S. Open, where he played his second-round match on Wednesday. . . Hip-hop singer Jay-Z designed a T-shirt with an image of Arthur Ashe that is being sold during the U.S. Open to benefit charity. The shirt is part of his Rocawear clothing line and commemorates the USTA National Junior Tennis and Learning network's 40th anniversary. Ashe co-founded the NJTL network in 1969. . . Cablevision customers, including more than 3 million in New York, were blacked out from watching the John Isner vs. Andy Roddick third-round U.S. Open thriller on Saturday evening because Tennis Channel has not made its signal available despite what Cablevision insists is a contractual obligation to do so. Tennis Channel has cited Cablevision's failure to provide 30 days notice after signing on with the National Cable Television Cooperative. . . Isner's loss to Fernando Verdasco in the fourth round means there will be no American men in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open. It is the first in the history of the tournament that last eight of the men's singles competition will be without an American. . . Junior player Sloane Stephens of the U.S.A. will attend her father's funeral on Tuesday in Louisiana and fly directly back to the U.S. Open to resume competition. Former NFL player John Stephens, 43, was killed in a car accident last week.
Tamira Paszek will not be banned for a medical treatment she received for a back injury. The disciplinary committee of Austria's anti-doping agency decided last Thursday that the treatment was illegal, but that Paszek could not be blamed for it. . . USTA spokesperson Chris Widmaier says Dinara Safina deserves an apology for having her match moved from Arthur Ashe Stadium to Louis Armstrong on Saturday night. "We owe her an apology. We should have informed her earlier." Safina was informed at 9:10 and moved as a result of a surprising long day session. . . Anastasia Myskina could be contemplating a return to the WTA Tour. "It's hard to predict anything, but the first steps have been made," Myskins explained recently. "I'm working out at the gym again and I've asked my coach in Germany to send me several rackets. Maybe I should really try [to come back] but when I think about how exhausting it's gonna be my enthusiasm disappears... Anyway, time will tell.". . . The WTA lost only one title sponsor in 2009 according to tour head Stacey Allaster. "Our players are delivering, the fans and sponsors, and what a time for it to come particularly during these tough economic times," Allaster said from the U.S. Open.
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IN MEMORIUM
Edward Fernberger, 86, of Rydal, Pennsylvania, a long-time advocate and a tennis-tournament director for 30 years, died of pneumonia Aug. 24.
In 1962, Mr. Fernberger and his wife, Marilyn Friedman Fernberger, chaired the U.S. Amateur Indoor Tennis Tournament in the field house at St. Joseph's College. By 1969, the event had become the men's U.S. Pro Indoor Tennis Championships at the Spectrum.
A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Sept. 20 at Germantown Friends Meeting, 47 W. Coulter St. Memorial donations may be made to the Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education Center, 4842 Ridge Ave., Philadelphia 19129.
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We Hear---
--that Nick Bollettieri has been asked by the United States government to travel to Kabul and give an inspirational speech to the American troops stationed in Afghanistan. Earlier this year the former paratrooper gave a similar address to cadets at the US Military Academy at West Point.
-- that Rafael Nadal finally received his ITF World Champion trophy from ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti in New York after being unable to attend the Champions Dinner during Roland Garros.
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