Thursday, October 15, 2009

WORLD NEWS

---

Birmingham to Host Tournament in 2010

Edgbaston Priory, one of Britain’s traditional settings for pre-Wimbledon grass court warm-ups for 27 years and a favored venue for such icons as Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova and Maria Sharapova, has been given a reprieve on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour calendar for at least one year.
The women’s tour will be rolling onto the Birmingham lawns again next June, the week after the French Open and a fortnight before the action commences at the All England Club, for the second AEGON Classic after Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association agreed a one-year deal, with a view to the Edgbaston club improving facilities in the hope of securing a longer contract.
With this short term deal in place, the LTA, the club and Birmingham City Council will now stage discussions to determine how things will move forward.
Robert Bray, Edgbaston Priory’s chief executive said: "We have a long tradition of hosting international tennis and we are delighted to have reached an agreement with the LTA. We are at an exciting stage of the development of Edgbaston Priory and we look forward to exploring further with the LTA and the City Council the ways in which we can provide a suitable venue for future events."
The sentiments were amplified by Mike Whitby, Leader of Birmingham City Council who said: "We are delighted that the AEGON Classic will remain in Birmingham next year, and that the city will once again welcome international tennis stars.
“The event brings a wide range of visitors from the region and beyond, providing an economic benefit and an important legacy of inspiring young people to engage with sport and become more active. The City Council will, therefore, continue to work with both the LTA and the Edgbaston Priory Club to secure the long-term future of the event in the city."
It was thought the LTA were planning to relocate the event to another venue, most likely Nottingham which lost its’ place on the ATP World Tour calendar to Eastbourne.
Roger Draper, the LTA’s chief executive said: “The British Tennis Series events are a key opportunity for people to see top international tennis in Britain and we are delighted to be taking the AEGON Classic back to Edgbaston Priory and Birmingham in 2010.”
***
Czech Republic’s Minar Will Not be Available for Davis Cup Final

The likes of Radek Stepanek and Tomas Berdych are getting very excited about the Czech Republic’s first appearance in a Davis Cup final since 1980 but the nation must do it without Ivo Minar who was handed an eight month suspension by the International Tennis Federation after being found guilty of taking a banned substance.
Minar, the Prague-born 25 year-old who figured in the quarter final win over last year’s beaten finalists Argentina, was tested positive for the banned stimulant methylhexanamine after providing a urine sample at that Davis Cup tie in Ostrava after his straight sets loss to Juan Martin Del Potro.
As well as being hit by the ban, Minar has been forced to return all prize money he earned at Stuttgart, Hamburg and Gstaad during July while the sample was undergoing analysis at the World Anti Doping Agency’s laboratory in Montreal. The 73^rd ranked player also loses all the ranking points he collected at these three tournaments.
Methylhexanamine is a prohibited substance under 2009 WADA rules and is therefore also prohibited under the Tennis Anti-Doping Program. Minar maintained the outlawed stimulant unknowingly entered his body because he took a nutritional supplement product called "Tight! Xtreme"
"The ITF accepted Mr. Minar’s account of the background to his positive test," the ITF said in a statement. "Under the Tennis Anti-Doping Program, however, it is a player’s strict personal duty to ensure that no Prohibited Substance enters his or her body, whether as an ingredient in a nutritional supplement or otherwise."
***
Evert’s Event is Scheduled for Next Month

Chris Evert’s annual Pro-Celebrity event will take place again this year at the Delray Beach Tennis Center and the Boca Raton Resort & Club from November 6th to 8th.
Since it began in 1989, shortly after Evert retired, the event has raised nearly $18 million that has been used to campaign against drug abuse and child neglect in Florida.
As well as pro-celebrity tennis, the event includes a cocktail party, the chance to play against Evert and others, and a pro-celebrity gala. Among those taking part this year are actress Elisabeth Shue, singer Natalie Cole, and retired players Lindsay Davenport, Monica Seles and Justin Gimelstob.
***
Sydney to Attract Major Names for 2010 Australian Open Warm-Up

Serena Williams will top the draw at the Sydney International in January in her only warm-up so far announced for the Australian Open. Also appearing with the world No.1 will be defending champion Elena Dementieva and Victoria Azarenka. It is also expected that Kim Clijsters, who won the title in her last appearance there in 2007, will compete there, along with fellow-Belgian and un-retiree Justine Henin, who is undefeated there in her last three appearances, in 2004, 2006 and 2008. Lleyton Hewitt will be a top attraction in the men’s draw, with Gael Monfils also playing.

***
Agassi Sees Murray at the Top of the Heap Next

Andre Agassi has tipped Andy Murray to replace what he considers are fading stars Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at the top of the game.
"Now we have possibly the changing of the guard," Agassi told reporters in Hong Kong in a phone call to promote an exhibition match he will play against Pete Sampras in Macau on October 25th. "You have those top two who are now losing ground to the likes of Djokovic and Murray and Del Potro."
Although he still believes that Federer can deliver for a while longer, despite achieving all that he needs to in the game and with the distraction of a family, Agassi believes the injury problems suffered by Nadal means that his threat in the future could be limited.
"If you're struggling with your knee, it tends to be recurring and not to be easy to do, so I got to believe he'll struggle with it probably for his career," Agassi said. And the man to take his place among the young players already snapping at the heels of the top two?
"From a talent standpoint, Murray is a person who should win multiple Slams," said Agassi. "When I look at his game compared to the other players, he has what it takes to win and to win against anybody on any surface
***
Nadal says it is not difficult to define remaining 2009 priorities

“It is easier for me to think about winning Davis Cup than returning to #1”, explains the man who was so dominant in first five months of this season, before injuries struck.
“Practically speaking, Davis Cup final is my main objective in this year. It is in reach of my hands if everything is done well and I will focus on it as of now.”
Spain plays against Czech Republic in Barcelona in the beginning of December and are overwhelming favorites for the forth title. Since Nadal didn’t play in last year’s final in Argentina, it is understandable that he wouldn’t like to miss another title.
But Davis Cup is not the only opportunity for Nadal to finish this year with a bang. With Federer’s absence from Shanghai Masters 1000, Rafa is in a position to cut in half the  Swiss’ advantage of little more then 2,000 points on the top of the rankings and with help of luck in the rest of season return to first spot.
“It is very difficult to achieve that without health,” said Nadal who is not ready to commit to chasing points. “My injury is healed, I can play quite normally, but I still lack flexibility. I need more time, I need to enter the court without fear of new injury. I need to think only how to win.”
Nadal is aware that it is not possible to hunt for #1 and keep freshness and health for Davis Cup final and hence his decision to focus on the latter.

***

We Hear---
--that Melanie Oudin is becoming a popular target to recruit for fundraisers this winter. Her latest invitation is for a December 4 event at her own training club in suburban Atlanta. She will be appearing along with Mardy Fish and John Isner, plus Bob and Mike Bryan and a yet to be named opponent for her.
***
THIS WEEK
MEN
Shanghai
WOMEN
Linz
Osaka
***
NEXT WEEK
MEN
Moscow
Stockholm
WOMEN
Luxemburg
Moscow
***
Bob Larson’s Stock Report
Tuesday Stock Prices

Stock

Last

Change

Adidas

26.65

+1.39

Amer Sports

6.15

0.00

Head

1.09

0.00

K-Swiss

9.08

+.10

Nike

64.90

+1.22

Bob Larson Tennis Stock Index $107.87
* 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, October 14, 2009

WORLD NEWS

---

Barcelona to Host Davis Cup Final

Barcelona has won the battle to stage this year’s Davis Cup final as reigning champion Spain hosts the Czech Republic in its bid to win the trophy for the fourth time in ten years.
However there are already security fears for the venue of Palau Sant Jordi as King Juan Carlos and other members of the Spanish royal family are certain to attend the event staged December 4-6 as the percentage of the population now demanding an independent state of Catalonia currently stands at an all time high.
Earlier this month more than 100 towns in Catalonia voted to hold referenda proposing independence from Spain, an attempt to press national leaders to heed their views. Consequently mass demonstrations are expected to coincide with the final.
Madrid did not mount a bid to stage the final because the capital city’s executives were too focused on their ultimately unsuccessful Olympic bid. Valencia was a possibility but there were financial issues and both Malaga and Tenerife stressed an interest only for the International Tennis Federation to kill their hopes by demanding an indoor venue with a capacity of more than 10,000.
The Palau Sant Jordi seats 17,000 and has a significant part in Spain’s recent tennis history. The 2000 final, Spain’s first title victory despite contesting the competition since 1921, marked a momentous if bad tempered win over Australia.
Spain’s current captain Albert Costa was part of that team and a Barcelona resident. With the tie almost certain to be played on red clay, the Spanish team is likely to be picked from the quintet of Rafael Nadal, Fernando Verdasco, Juan Carlos Ferrero, David Ferrer and Feliciano Lopez, none of who hail from Catalonia.
***
China Continues to Make Strides in Becoming a Tennis Nation

China has worked hard to gain some stature in the tennis world. The city of Shanghai paid handsomely to secure the Tennis Masters Cup for five years out seven and now has a place on the Masters 1000 calendar. After staging last year’s Olympic Games, Beijing is now an important stop on both the men’s and women’s tour. In addition China now has three women in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s top 50 at singles and seven in the top 150 at doubles.
Surveys suggest 130 million Chinese are now watch tennis, 5 million actually play the sport and the construction of tennis courts is said to multiply 15% a year. However a top flight male contestant remains a pipedream although Shao-Xuan Zeng gave reason for optimism.
The world no.396 who is also the Chinese no.1 scored probably his nation’s most important victory on the ATP World Tour when he beat Israel’s Dudi Sela, ranked 352 places higher, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the opening round of the Shanghai Masters 1000. “The difference in ranking, first of all, makes people feel maybe I will be easily defeated, but this may not be the case in the real court,” said Zeng.
“Chinese players don’t have a lot of opportunity to attend top-level competitions, so I have to thank the organizers for giving us the chance to have a match together with the top players, no matter whether we win or lose. This will be very helpful for us to find our problems and also to make progress. For me, each and every match is very important indeed.”
***
Djokovic is Aware and Concerned About the Length of the ATP Calendar

Novak Djokovic, a member of the illustrious trio that also includes Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal that doesn’t only sit at the top of tennis’ world rankings but also represents the interests of their fellow contestants as the leading lights of the ATP World Tour’s Player Council, revealed that moves are afoot to address the issue of a dangerously long season.
As Andy Roddick today flies home from Shanghai, awaiting a full examination of the knee he injured in his opening match at the seventh Masters 1000 Series event of the year and ever more convinced his claim this week that something needs to be done about the length of the calendar, Djokovic saw the need to speak.
Djokovic has already engaged in primary discussions with the ATP’s Executive Chairman and President Adam Helfant last week in Beijing and again in Shanghai. The 22 year-old Serb can understand the concerns of both the players and tournament organisers as he was integral to negotiations as his family set up their own event in Belgrade earlier this year. So he was perfectly placed to announce the leading players will stage initial discussions when they gather at the Barclays ATP World Tour Championships at London’s 02 Arena next month.
"The top players will meet in London and then we will broaden it out to address everyone at the Australian Open in January," Djokovic said. "We will work on doing something that is comfortable to both the players and the tournaments in the future. The tournaments still understand their job and their obligations better than we understand their job – and vice versa. But the players now are more united than ever.”
Djokovic, like many of the leading players, is clearly more comfortable speaking to Helfant about such issues than he was with the previous incumbent of the job, Etienne de Villiers.
The Serb continued: "The current leadership of the ATP is willing to do a lot of things for the players. We have already talked about it at the US Open and we have to dedicate the whole half-a-day meeting to this, because it's a very sensitive task. It affects both players and tournaments. We can't expect just to shorten the season by a month or two, because that would hurt certain tournaments.
"We have to make a compromise. The ATP is an association of tournaments and players together. The bottom line is that you don't want to have injured players. The schedule, in my opinion, is too long, but we have to go step by step and try to solve it."
Despite his injury, Roddick admitted he had also engaged in satisfactory discussions with the new tour hierarchy and intimated the appointment of Helfant was a marked improvement.
“Who knows what will come of it but, to be fair, there has been some new leadership this year that's stuck with picking up the pieces of the mistakes of the last,” said Roddick. “It's probably an unenviable one at best. So I don't think my frustrations are directly towards the leadership that's there now.
“It’s more just with the way it is and getting the point across that there does probably need to be something changed.”
***
Verdasco Skips Surgery and Hopes Rest Will Heal his Foot

Fernando Verdasco has revealed he opted against undergoing foot surgery following the US Open and will now play on for the problem in his bid to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Championships at London’s 02 Arena and then help Spain to retain the Davis Cup.
The world no.9 from Madrid missed Spain’s semi-final win against Israel as he planned to undergo the minor operation as well as rest an abdominal strain he suffered playing in New York. But after consultation with his doctors, he decided instead to simply rest.
“The plans changed and I didn’t go for the surgery,” said Verdasco. “Now we think I will be able to play until the end of the year and then assess the problem. Hopefully it will just heal on its own.”
However Verdasco will not be taking things easy. He plans to jet across the Atlantic to Las Vegas for a week’s physical training with Gil Reyes before contesting the Valencia event and the final Masters 1000 series tournament of the year in Paris.
Before the Australian Open he will spend more concerted time working alongside Reyes and while picking up on some coaching expertise from Darren Cahill. And Verdasco has another task in mind. “I am spending so much time in Vegas and see Gil and Darren as so important to my improvement that I think I will buy a condo or house out there,” he revealed.
***
“That” US Open Judge Will Not be in Doha

A potentially embarrassing encounter has been avoided as the Japanese line judge who was the target of Serena Williams’ fierce verbal assault at the climax of the US Open semi-final will not be working at the upcoming Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Championships in Doha.
However mystery surrounds the situation. Both the ITF, who controlled the officials at Flushing Meadows, and the WTA Tour refuse to divulge the same of the official. And while several umpires were privately stating she had been told by the tournament organizers that her services were not required in Doha, the party line coming from the WTA Tour was she had been invited to attend and declined.
Technically the Qatar Tennis Federation selects the umpires for all events in Doha. However the decision on who to nominate as linespersons rests with WTA Tour.
Serena Williams is still awaiting judgment on whether she will be fined more than the initial $10,500 penalty inflicted just after the US Open for her outburst. Bill Babcock, the Grand Slam coordinator has spent most of his time over the last three weeks at the ITF’s Roehampton headquarters assessing all the available evidence and his options include suspending the world no.1 and defending champion from January’s Australian Open.
***
Court to Celebrate Anniversary at 2010 Australian Open

She already has a court named after her, and now Margaret Court will celebrate the 40th anniversary of her historic win at the Australian Open with an on-court ceremony during the 2010 event, as well as being a guest of honor at the Australian Open Legends Lunch. She will also present the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup to the winner of the women’s final.
Other Australians to be honored during the tournament include Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde, who will be inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame during a special ceremony on Australia Day. The pair won 11 major doubles titles together as well as an Olympic Gold medal. Woodbridge has recently taken on the role of Davis Cup captain, as well as working with Tennis Australia to grow the game and find new potential champions.

***
Women’s Sports Celebrate Anniversary

Billie Jean King and the Women’s Sports Foundation held their 30th annual salute to women in sports on October 13th at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. Sports broadcasters Bob Costas and Mary Carillo hosted the event in an evening honoring women in sports. Those receiving special awards included legendary golfer and philanthropist Annika Sorenstam, Chairman of NBC Universal Sports & Olympics Dick Ebersol and Pat Summit-University of Tennessee head women's basketball coach and all-time winningest coach in NCAA history.
In addition to Billie Jean King who is the founder of the Women's Sports Foundation, other tennis celebrities in attendance included American tennis' new rising female star Melanie Oudin, and Australian doubles specialist Rennae Stubbs. On the red carpet Oudin said that she is still "adjusting" to being recognized and is currently spending some time at home in Georgia.
***
Del Potro is Modest About his Future

Whilst everyone sees in him the next mega star, Juan Martin Del Potro thinks that there are much brighter lights in the ATP sky.
“It is good to feel like star, a little star, because much bigger stars are Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray,” says the US Open champion. “I am still the same person as before winning in New York. I do same stuff like I used to do. I admit that I might be bigger figure in Argentina, but if you want to be a superstar, you have to win more majors.”
With good result in Shanghai Masters 1000, the #5 from Argentina could threaten the top men, but he declines to get involved in ATP new order talks.
“I don’t think too much about rankings. My only wish it to improve my game and try to beat top four players, because if I make it, I will advance on rankings.”
Delpo was disappointed in his first outing after his US Open win. He was beaten in first round of Tokyo last week.
"I didn't feel 100 per cent," he said after his loss to #189 Frenchman Roger-Vasselin. “I had a little bit of jet-lag and a stomach problems but that's not the reason I lost. The other guy played good tennis and took his opportunities. Everyone can lose. It happens.”

***

We Hear---
--that Tatiana Golovin, the 21 year-old whose career peaked when she achieved the world no.12 ranking 20 months ago but has not played competitively since March 2008 because of arthritic problems, is about to announce her forced retirement at the age of 21.
-- After launching a Chinese version of their website, the Sony Ericsson WTA will have a Spanish version up by the end of the year with a Russian version to follow in 2010.
--that Elke Clijsters, the younger sister of US Open champion Kim and herself a former WTA Tour player, has given birth to a son Cruz Leo in Belgium.
--that Alexandra Stevenson has been hitting with one of the coaches at the All England Club in Wimbledon.
***
THIS WEEK
MEN
Shanghai
WOMEN
Linz
Osaka
***
NEXT WEEK
MEN
Moscow
Stockholm
WOMEN
Luxemburg
Moscow
***
Bob Larson’s Stock Report
Tuesday Stock Prices

Stock

Last

Change

Adidas

25.56

-.19

Amer Sports

6.15

+.28

Head

1.09

+.42

K-Swiss

8.98

+.24

Nike

63.68

+.43

Bob Larson Tennis Stock Index $105.46
* 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, October 13, 2009

WORLD NEWS

---

Henin Receives Australian Open Wildcard

To the amazement of nobody following her comeback announcement last month, Justine Henin has been awarded a wild card entry into January’s Australian Open.
Craig Tiley, the Aussie Open tournament director revealed Henin, champion in 2004, will be awarded direct entry into the event that begins at Melbourne Park on January 18, even though she will have no world ranking at the time and is only expected to have played one warm up tournament.
"I spoke to Justine's team over the weekend and was happy to grant her request for a wildcard into the Australian Open," said Tiley. "She is the ultimate competitor, the winner of seven Grand Slam titles, and we are looking forward to welcoming her back to the Australian Open.”
Henin quit tennis in May, 2008 but is expected to return at the Brisbane International which begins on January 3. "I know Justine will not have made the decision to come out of retirement lightly and have no doubt she will be in great shape and prepared to compete against the world's best," said Tiley.
***
Roddick Talking Louder and Stronger About a Shorter Tour Calendar

Andy Roddick has made an impassioned plea for the leadership of the ATP World Tour, be it the executives such as Adam Helfant or the Players Council’s leading triumvirate of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, to finally the address the punishing length of the tournament calendar.
Roddick is insistent the rank and file of the playing fraternity feel the same as he does; that the tour is getting longer rather than shorter with each year that passes and therefore causing a growing number of injuries.  And his language on the subject was so strong that the dreaded word ‘strike’ even entered his thinking.
“That is the last thing that anyone wants to do but you get pushed against a wall,” said the American who is this week contesting the Shanghai Masters 1000. “I don’t think any of us wants to do that, because even more so than feeling a responsibility to the powers that be in tennis, we feel a responsibility to the fans and we don’t want to alienate them. I think that’s why we’ve put up with it as long as we have.”
Roddick is mindful that the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour is working hard to make their calendar more player friendly. The ladies can take it easy from November 2 onwards, giving them almost two months to rest before the new campaign starts in Australia in January. But the men will go on for a further three weeks, with the Davis Cup final between Spain and the Czech Republic beyond that in December.
He continued “"It's ridiculous that you have a professional sport that doesn't have a legitimate off-season to rest, get healthy, and then train. I just feel sooner or later that common sense has to prevail.
"I can tell you that six weeks is simply not enough time to recover from the excesses of a season. We played almost 11 months, we have a solid block of mandated events, we have to play four of the 500 [the number of ranking points on offer] tournaments, the demands are getting harder.
“Heck, I’d just like a couple of weeks in a year when I could overdose on burritos, but I have to watch what I do probably more closely than most players, I train like a dog and when I’m out there, I kill myself to win.”
***
Nadal Agrees with Roddick

Rafael Nadal has added his protest to continuing complaints from Andy Roddick concerning the length of the season, with matches scheduled from January right into December.
"It's impossible to play from January 1 to December 5, no sport can do it," said Nadal, who will be part of Spain’s Davis Cup team when the final is played in Barcelona in December. "I don't know what the solution is, but it must be changed and soon."
The WTA has introduced a shorter season, which end on November 8th with the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions in Bali and the Fed Cup final between Italy and the United States.
***
Del Potro is Trying to Get His Feet on the Ground

US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro, looking to get his game back on track sufficiently to challenge for the year ending world no.3 spot behind Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, has admitted that the emotional rigors of winning his first Grand Slam title were negligible compared to facing up to his new found fame back home in Argentina.
The 21 year-old is naturally shy and the ordeal of addressing approximately half the population of his home town Tandil that turned out on the streets to welcome him on his return from New York, was a massive ordeal.
"I felt like a president," admitted Del Potro as he prepared for the year’s seventh Masters 1000 event in Shanghai. "I felt nervous. It felt like the whole of my city was listening to me. That was hard, being alone in front of the crowd and speaking to everyone.
"It was an unbelievable moment, coming back to Argentina, to my home town and seeing my parents, my family, my friends and all my city out in the streets with me. It was like a dream. It was a very heart-warming moment, one I will never forget."
Del Potro will meet either Jurgen Melzer of Austria or France’s Jeremy Chardy in the second round of the Shanghai event after being awarded a first round bye as third seed. He will be looking to improve on last week’s performance in Tokyo when, playing his first match since the US Open, he lost out tamely to 189^th ranked Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France.
“I need more experience coping with situations like this," Del Potro said. "Maybe Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal know much better than me what it's like after winning a Grand Slam, but I don't have experience of that. I just want to play here and try to do my best. If I win, so much the better. If I lose, I'll go home and try to relax again and to practice. And when I finish the season, I need a vacation to be in good shape for next year."
***
Federer Commits to Abu Dhabi Holiday Event

While he still has to commit to his usual Australian Open warm-up event, the Kooyong Classic, Roger Federer has been named as one of the star attractions at the Capitala World Tennis Championships, an exhibition event to be staged in Abu Dhabi on December 31st, and January 1st and 2nd.
Also competing at the International Tennis Complex at Zayed Sports City are Rafael Nadal, Fernando Verdasco, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Nikolay Davydenko and Robin Soderling.

***
Hewitt Endorses a Change in Australian Tennis Leadership

In a screeching U turn Lleyton Hewitt has forgotten his well publicized differences with Paul McNamee and endorsed his challenge for Tennis Australia's presidency while insisting it’s time the present incumbent Geoff Pollard stands down for the good of the sport.
Tennis Australia’s chief executive Steve Wood and player development director Craig Tiley were also targets for Hewitt’s criticism as he said: “Some people may find this surprising coming from me but I strongly believe that change is needed. Paul McNamee, I believe, has the attributes needed to change things around.”
Hewitt is in Shanghai contesting this week’s Masters 1000 event but his thoughts seem focused on what is happening back home. Writing on his personal blog he maintained Pollard, in position since succeeding Brian Tobin in 1989, has overstayed his welcome.
"Geoff has been in this position for 20 years and I for one have to question his strength and passion at this crucial time, when he has been the person in charge whilst the sport has been declining into its current position," Hewitt said.
"I get on well personally with Geoff and he has been present in his role at some memorable moments in my career such as the US Open 2001, Wimbledon 2002, Davis Cup wins and when I first became world No 1.”
Hewitt is concerned about the state of Australian tennis and the fact few youngsters seem to be emerging from the current set up.
“In my opinion tennis in Australia and the way it is being administered needs addressing, as we are falling behind many other nations in the world, as well as other sports in our own country," Hewitt said.
"Five years ago there was a change of personnel and many hoped things may get better, however talking with other players, former players and many people who have been involved in tennis for a long time, it sounds like it is getting worse.
"I know my management have been continually frustrated in presenting ideas and proposals to help market and grow the game, only to be told one thing and then something completely different occurring.
"The current administration appear excellent at talking things up, wanting complete total control of tennis in Australia and trying to be a Fortune 500 company.
"But the loser at the moment is the game of tennis and that is what is continually being discussed within the tennis community."
***
Nadal Analyzes His Last Match

With only four games won in Beijing semifinal against Marin Cilic, Rafael Nadal was not disappointed with defeat only. There was something worse.
“Every one can lose, but not this way. Mentally I was not in the game,” lamented the Spaniard without using his 22 days-long break after injury as an excuse. ”I did too many things bad. Cilic played too fast from the beginning, served incredibly, but the biggest problem for me was in my head. Even when I had a small opportunity in the second set, I couldn’t use it.”
Nadal thinks that Cilic and Del Potro are players for next generation of champions. 
“They are young and playing well. It’s not only because they are tall. To play these big matches you need more confidence. I need to bring more confidence to pass test like this and I must play better next time. When I make it the first time it will be much easier next time. I will try to be there every week and then finally I will get my goal, in Paris, in London, next year. If I want to continue to improve I should play more finals.”
***
Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions Gets First Qualifiers

Yanina Wickmayer and Anabel Medina Garrigues are the first two players to qualify for the inaugural Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions, a season-ending Championships for the Tour’s top International tournament winners.
Set to make its debut in Bali, Indonesia from November 4-8, 2009, the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions will feature top Tour players and next generation champions competing in an innovative 12 woman round robin singles format (four groups of three players), and offer both $600,000 in prize money and an opportunity to earn a $1 million bonus. To win the bonus, a player must win three International Series events, and the Tournament of Champions.
Belgian teenager Wickmayer has had a breakthrough season on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, highlighted by winning her first tour title at the Estoril Open. She followed that effort with her best major performance to date by reaching the semifinals of the US Open, where she lost to Caroline Wozniacki. On the heels of her US Open results, Wickmayer made her debut in the Top 25 when she reached a career-high World No. 22 the week of September 14, 2009. Currently ranked No.24, she is the second youngest player ranked inside the Top 30 (second to Wozniacki).
Medina Garrigues has had one of the best seasons of her 13-year professional career which included winning the title in Fes, Morocco, an International Series event that established her eligibility for the Tournament of Champions. Following her win in Fes, the 27-year-old Spaniard reached a career-best ranking of World No.16. Additionally, Medina Garrigues was a finalist at the Korea Open in Seoul.
***

Ricky's Notes
By Ricky Dimon

James Blake and Coach Brian Barker have parted ways after a 17-year run. Blake is finishing 2009 under the guidance of Kelly Jones, who has worked previously with fellow Americans Mardy Fish and John Isner. "It's not like we're ending our relationship," Blake said of Barker, who encouraged his player to make a change. "We're still good friends, which will never change.". . . AskMen.com released its Top 49 Most Influential Men of 2009 list last week, and two tennis players made an appearance. Roger Federer came in at No. 8, while Andy Roddick registered at No. 35. . . Barcelona was chosen over Valencia on Saturday to host the Davis Cup final between Spain and the Czech Republic. The ITF has already approved Barcelona, which hosted Spain's first Davis Cup title in 2000. . . Next year's BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California will hold its fourth annual Challenge tournament, to which any and all amateurs can apply. Winners of the men's and women's Challenge events will get wild cards into the Pre-Qualifiers, where they have the chance to play against ATP and WTA players.

Fish, David Nalbandian, Sam Querrey, Dmitry Tursunov, and Fabrice Santoro joined Federer and Andy Murray on the Shanghai Masters withdrawal list. Of those first five players, Santoro is the only one who is not out for the season. . . Mikhail Youzhny was eligible for a special exemption spot in the Shanghai main draw due to his runner-up finish in Tokyo, but he declined. That allowed John Isner, the top alternate, to gain direct entry. . . Juan Martin Del Potro, perhaps too expensive for some smaller tournaments due to his U.S. Open victory, will not defend his title in Auckland, New Zealand. Tournament director Richard Palmer says he is still hoping to secure several Top 20 players for the January 2010 event. . . Andre Agassi reached the final of his debut tournament in the Outback Champions Series before falling to Todd Martin 6-3, 7-5 on Sunday. Agassi defeated Mikael Pernfors and Wayne Ferreira on Friday and Saturday, respectively. . . Blake and Gael Monfils have confirmed their participation in next year's Brisbane International. The Australian Open tune-up event will be held the first week of the season, January 3-10.
Kristof Vliegen has pulled out of the upcoming Stockholm Open and is expected to miss the rest of the season. A bad back has sidelined Vliegen ever since he played in the ATP event in Bastad three months ago. . . Chris Guccione was diagnosed with an Achilles tear last week and he may not be able to even practice until December. "I'm not going to do anything until I'm pain free, because I don't want it to get worse again," Guccione explained. "I'll take it easy for a few weeks just doing a bit of gym work and staying off my foot.". . . Jarkko Nieminen has not played since the U.S. Open due to a terrible virus, but he is returning this week at a Challenger event in Denmark. "Last Saturday (October 3) was the first day I felt better," Nieminen posted in a blog entry last week. "I hit for about 20 minutes and walked in a park for a while. I have felt better every day since then.". . . Doctors are reporting that Querrey came within one millimeter of severing a nerve in his right arm, which could have ended his tennis career. Querrey fell through a glass table two weeks ago in Bangkok and will miss the rest of the season.

WTA Chief Executive Stacey Allaster now says that the decision on possible further punishment for Serena Williams, stemming from her U.S. Open outburst, will come sometime before the end of the season. A ruling had previously been expected within the next two weeks. . . Melanie Oudin finished runner-up in the U.S. Olympic Committee vote for female September Athlete of the Month. Kristin Armstrong, a cyclist who won her last event international competition before retirement, finished ahead of Oudin, who reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open.
Damir Dokic, father of Jelena Dokic, is in the midst of a hunger strike as he serves a 15-month jail sentence for threatening to blow up the Australian ambassador to Serbia. Dokic recently wrote a will leaving his $5 million-estate in Serbia to the Serbian Orthodox Church. . . Dominika Cibulkova returned to the practice courts last week for the first time since missing the U.S. Open with a rib injury, but she has withdrawn from this week's tournament in Linz. "Everything went well and without pain," she reported. "I don't want to say it's absolutely fine, though, because you never know with injuries." Cibulkova is aiming for a return at the upcoming WTA event in Moscow. . . Gisela Dulko joined Cibulkova on the Linz withdrawal list due to a left adductor strain.

***

We Hear---
--that Damir Dokic, the jailed father of Jelena, has begun a hunger strike in protest of the decision to uphold his 15-month prison sentence for threatening the Australian ambassador.
-- that US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro is the ‘reserve’ player for the Kooyong Classic exhibition event, held in Melbourne immediately before the Australian Open. The Argentine has been signed up to play if Roger Federer decides not to compete, or if another entrant is unable to play.
***
THIS WEEK
MEN
Shanghai
WOMEN
Linz
Osaka
***
NEXT WEEK
MEN
Moscow
Stockholm
WOMEN
Luxemburg
Moscow
***
Bob Larson’s Stock Report
Friday Stock Prices

Stock

Last

Change

Adidas

25.75

+.35

Amer Sports

5.87

0.00

Head

0.67

+.05

K-Swiss

8.74

-.16

Nike

63.25

-.77

Bob Larson Tennis Stock Index $104.28
* The index is based on the total value of one share of each stock we report daily.
***
Results
For complete ATP and WTA results, please see our web site at www.tennisnews.com

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

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

Friday, October 9, 2009

WORLD NEWS

---

Mauresmo Considering Her Future; Retirement is a Possibility

Amelie Mauresmo, former world No.1 and winner of both the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2006, may have played her last match. The 30-year old has not competed since losing to Aleksandra Wozniak in the second round of the US Open, and after recently withdrawing from Tokyo and Beijing she has also decided not to play in Linz and Luxembourg while she contemplates her future.
“Since my return from the US Open I tried to practice, but I haven't found the thirst to compete,” she revealed on her website. “I won't rush into things or force the issue. I'll give myself time to think, in order to make a decision as for the rest of my career.”
Although she has threatened to quit before, most notably after Wimbledon 2007 and following a loss to Tamarine Tanasugarn in Doha in early 2008, Mauresmo has always rediscovered her motivation. But the winner of 25 singles, three doubles titles and over $15 million in prize money has never felt entirely comfortable since going through a career crisis in 2007.
That was the result of her difficulty in recovering form after undergoing an emergency appendectomy in March of that year, which forced her to miss two months of the season. An adductor strain and general disillusionment led to her missing another nine weeks, including the US Open, that summer. Having ended 2006 at No.3, she finished 2007 at 18 and last year at 24. She is currently ranked 20.
***
Nadal Worries About Lack of Unity on Spain Davis Cup Squad

Rafael Nadal is angry. Not because of his results or shape after injury. No, this time the reason for his anger is vocal differences of other Spanish Davis Cup mates in supporting different cities for hosting final against Czech Republic.
“I don’t say no for Barcelona nor yes for Valencia; neither I say no for Valencia nor yes for Barcelona. If we go on saying everyone opinion, we will not be a team. Players should dedicate to play not to making choices,” criticized Nadal compatriots.
First to argue was Fernando Verdasco who said that “he is not going to support Barcelona, because this city already hosted one final.”
Feliciano Lopez added that “it is pity that Madrid is out of race, because it deserves final.”
Both, Verdasco and Lopez are from Madrid. Juan Carlos Ferrero is from Valencia and he gave his vote to this city.
“This is not good for team, it looks to me that Fernando and Feliciano made their private war for Madrid. It looks that the rest of us don’t like Madrid,” protested Nadal who is from island Mallorca.
Spanish Federation should make choice tomorrow with Barcelona and Valencia the only candidates.
***
Serena Williams Wants to Attend Fed Cup Finals as a Player or a Fan

As long as she’s still standing, Serena Williams will be at the Fed Cup final against Italy, to be played in the Italian city of Reggio Calabria on November 7th and 8th. Although she hasn’t exactly said that she’ll play.
I definitely want to get there,” she said. “Again it's just hard to see how my body will be after Doha – if I'm walking or if I'm in a wheelchair. But if I'm in a wheelchair we have great people like Melanie (Oudin) who I think can really do a job, and Liezel Huber, who is number one in doubles. We have a really good team and quite frankly they got there without me, but I'd really like to go and support."

***
USPTA Announces New National Board of Directors for 2010-11

The United States Professional Tennis Association installed its new national board of directors that will serve the association until September 2011. Officers include a new president, vice presidents and immediate past president. The new board took office during the USPTA World Conference on Tennis, Sept. 21-26.
The new USPTA board of directors includes:
President Tom Daglis, director of tennis and fitness operations at the Lakewood Country Club in Rockville, Md.
First Vice President Randy Mattingley, director of tennis at The Clubs of Kingwood in Kingwood, Texas
Vice President Mark Fairchilds, director of tennis at Modesto Fitness and Racket Club in Modesto, Calif.
Vice President Jack Groppel, Ph.D., vice chairman and co-founder of the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, Fla.
Immediate Past President Harry Gilbert, director of tennis at Ginn Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast, Fla.
New board member and Vice President Bunny Bruning, tennis director of Wakonda Club in Des Moines, Iowa and teaching professional at 7 Flags Fitness & Racquet Club in Clive, Iowa
New board member and Vice President Chuck Gill, director of tennis at the Ibis Golf and Country Club in West Palm Beach, Fla.
New board member and Vice President Jim Loehr, Ed.D., chairman, CEO and co-founder of the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, Fla.

***

We Hear---
--that BEST has signed Sloane Stevens to a four-year management contract for a guaranteed $250,000 a year.
--that  Anna Kournikova and Tommy Haas will join up with Andy Roddick, Lindsay Davenport and Liezel Huber for the Advanta WTT Smash Hits event to be held December 8th at the Louisiana State University campus in Baton Rouge. The charity event, hosted by Billie Jean King and Sir Elton John, will be played under Billie Jean’s World TeamTennis format.
--that  Ken Rosewall has been elected to the Sport Australia Hall Of Fame. Now 75, he won the first of his eight majors at the age of 18 and the eighth at 37, with his last of his 32 titles coming at the age of 43.
***
Editors Note
The next issue of Daily Tennis News will be Tuesday, October 13, as we celebrate Columbus Day on Monday, October 12.
***
THIS WEEK
MEN
Beijing
Tokyo
WOMEN
Beijing
***
NEXT WEEK
MEN
Shanghai
WOMEN
Linz
Osaka
***
Bob Larson’s Stock Report
Thursday Stock Prices

Stock

Last

Change

Adidas

25.40

-.35

Amer Sports

5.87

-.03

Head

0.62

+.16

K-Swiss

8.90

+.30

Nike

64.02

+.60

Bob Larson Tennis Stock Index $104.81
* 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, October 8, 2009

WORLD NEWS

---

Pseudoephedrine Back On Banned Substance List for 2010

Starting in January, tennis players looking for ways to treat a cold might be in for a surprise. The World Anti-Doping Agency recently announced that pseudoephedrine, a commonly used sinus/nasal decongestant, has been put back on the banned substance list for in-competition use during the 2010 season.
The ban on this stimulant was lifted in 2003, but since 2004, has been placed on the list of substances in the World Anti-Doping Agency's Monitoring Program. According to the WADA, "Results from the Monitoring Program over the past five years have shown a sustained increase in urinary concentrations of pseudoephedrine. There is clear evidence of abuse in some sports and some regions, which show clusters of samples with high pseudoephedrine concentrations many times in excess of concentrations normally found." As a result of these findings, the WADA has reintroduced pseudoephedrine in their 2010 Prohibited List.
Tennis players who use pseudoephedrine for valid therapeutic purposes during competition will qualify for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE), in which a doctor will determine if such stimulant use is necessary. Urinary concentrations of pseudoephedrine at 150 micrograms (or below) are currently deemed acceptable within the WADA's Monitoring Program.
***
Murray Withdraws from Shanghai

Andy Murray has put his world no.3 ranking at risk by his decision to pull out of next week’s Masters 1000 series event in Shanghai because the 22 year-old Scot is still concerned by the tendonitis in his left wrist that has rendered him inactive since representing Britain in the Davis Cup nearly three weeks ago.
Last year the penultimate Masters series event of the calendar was held in Madrid and Murray walked away with the spoils, overcoming Roger Federer in the semi-final and then beating Gilles Simon for the title. Meanwhile Novak Djokovic, lost in his second match and therefore could make up significant points on the player that has stood above him in the rankings since May.
Murray puts far more importance on being sufficiently recovered from the pain he first experienced playing in Cincinnati to contend for the Barclays ATP World Tour Championships at London’s 02 Arena. The plan at the moment is for him to return at the beginning of November in Valencia meaning he will have gone six weeks without hitting a competitive ball.
The Scot underwent repeated fitness assessments at the Lawn Tennis Association’s National Training Centre in Roehampton this week but in consultation with the wrist specialist he used when ruled out of the French Open and Wimbledon in 2007, he made his apologies to the Shanghai organizers who had already been denied the services of Federer.
In a letter to the Shanghai tournament directors Michael Luevano and Leon Sun, Murray wrote: “I apologize for the inconvenience that my withdrawal may cause but I trust you understand, the situation is beyond my control and I would much rather participate in the tournament than be in the current position regarding my health.”
A statement on his website AndyMurray.com said:” website read: "Due to medical advice Andy will not be travelling to China. He has decided to give his wrist extra time to recover and is likely to return for the Valencia Open.”
Just a day earlier Andy Roddick again complained about the length of the men’s calendar and maintained it is a reason for persistent injuries. “Everyone acts surprised when that happens, but I think the fact that we play all the time and all the sudden something happens, it’s not that surprising,” said Roddick. “It would benefit tennis to not be so short-sighted and give people time to miss the sport.”
***
Watson Expected to Sign with IMG

IMG seems to have predictably won the tussle to sign up Britain’s US Open junior champion Heather Watson and expect the 17 year-old to sign on the dotted line within the next few days.
Guernsey-born Watson, who has attended the IMG-owned Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida for the last five years. She is currently back in Britain contesting the $50,000 Challenger event in Barnstaple, Devon and began her campaign impressively with a 7-6, 6-2 win over the tournament’s second seed Mel South (also of Britain) who is ranked 539 places higher than 681^st placed Watson.
Octagon, who manage Britain’s other promising youngster Laura Robson who won the junior Wimbledon title last year and got to the final of this year’s Australian Open girls event, and British based concerns such as Ace Group were interested in managing Watson. However the player’s father Ian said: “If it all goes to plan, she will sign with IMG when she gets back to Florida.”
“Nick Bollettieri has got a network unsurpassed, especially in America but worldwide in tennis and IMG are the biggest management agents. “They can open tournament doors for Heather because some tournaments are not easy to get in and, if you can’t get into them, you can’t win them. Lots of doors will be opened as soon as she signs with IMG and, of course, in Europe and the UK given her standing now the Lawn Tennis Association are opening those doors.”
***
Ivanovic Will Play Brisbane

Ana Ivanovic, who has abandoned the remainder of the season to rest and recuperate after a run of results that produced just three wins in her five tournaments since Wimbledon, will return to the tour at the Brisbane International in the first week of January. She will join Kim Clijsters, Andy Roddick, Gael Monfils and James Blake at the biggest of the Australian Open warm-up events.
Justine Henin may also make her comeback to the tour at Brisbane in her first event since retiring in May 2008, although Auckland in the same week is still an option. "It is Justine who will decide. It will probably be Brisbane," said Coach Carlos Rodriguez as saying, according to the Belga news agency.
***
Davis Cup Final to be Valencia or Barcelona

The venue for Spain’s Davis Cup final against Czech Republic has been narrowed down to either Valencia or Barcelona, after the ITF refused bids to stage the tie in Malaga or Tenerife on the grounds that they were open-air stadiums. Malaga also failed to satisfy the requirement for a stadium with at least 12,000 seats. The Spanish Federation, which has heeded the players demands that it not be staged in Madrid because of altitude concerns, will announce its decision on Saturday.

***
Djokovic Laments Playing a Countryman and a Friend

It is never easy to play a countryman or a friend and let alone both in the same person. That was experience of Novak Djokovic after his win against Viktor Troicki in the 2nd round of China Open in Beijing “We grow up together, we are from the same country, same city. He is really my best friend in the tournament. It’s not easy to play against my friends. I approached confident and I was aware of his style. I hope this variety could stay and live on in the coming matches,” explained the Serbian.
Djokovic is well known by his art of playing every point differently. Tennis is not a power sport for him, but strategic game. He plans to use this talent to attack top players  next year.
“It’s important to have variety of shots to play against the opponents. My strategy was working. I was right. I know I need to change the strategy. Your approach needs to change year after year in the tournament. I’ve made changes that kept my mind off the court. In the late stage of the year, I was not happy with my performances in the Grand Slams, losing to top guys. I dropped the ranking and they played very well. I can’t give credit to that. It’s good for tennis to have a group of good players in the major events. As for my case, I have to step up more in the later events like Davis Cup in order to claim higher points for the rankings next year.”
The issue of a new racket was very strong in the beginning of the year. After three years with Wilson, Djokovic turned to Head.
“Racquet change was a big decision, but I gained the momentum. There are still some differences between the old one and the new one. But I think it’s faster to play than the last year. There are still adjustments needed to be made. I’m not saying I can’t get used to the new racquet. It’s just the matter of performance I need to cope with. So far I am happy with my consistency. I think I couldn’t have done more,” added Djokovic who will play Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in the Beijing quarterfinals.

***

We Hear---
--that Australia’s Casey Dellacqua, who has not played since undergoing shoulder surgery in February, is planning to return to action at a small event in Esperance, West Australia, later this month.
***
THIS WEEK
MEN
Beijing
Tokyo
WOMEN
Beijing
***
NEXT WEEK
MEN
Shanghai
WOMEN
Linz
Osaka
***
Bob Larson’s Stock Report
Wednesday Stock Prices

Stock

Last

Change

Adidas

25.75

-.65

Amer Sports

5.90

0.00

Head

0.50

0.00

K-Swiss

8.50

+.14

Nike

63.09

+.25

Bob Larson Tennis Stock Index $104.39
* 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, October 7, 2009

WORLD NEWS

---

Serena Williams Will be Ranked Number One Next Week

She’s back where she believes she belongs, at No.1, after Serena Williams recaptured the top spot with a straight sets win over Ekaterina Makarova in the second round of the China Open.
“It feels pretty good,” she said. “I'm really excited, I guess. I don't want to put too much pressure on myself, but I mean, I'm obviously happy to be there because I feel like I've been working so hard all year, and I'm just happy to be back. I think I've earned it. I've won two Grand Slams. I wish I had gotten more, but you know I'm just excited to have those two this year. It's great.
“I think I got pretty deep in the other ones, but if you don't win, it doesn't count whether you get deep or not. I've just been playing really consistent throughout the year. Especially in the beginning of the year, I did well. Then I got sidelined a little bit by injury, but I kept fighting. I kept showing up and doing the best that I could do. Sometimes, it was a first round loss, but I really tried, and I think at the end of the day, that's what matters.”

***
Wozniacki is Upset With the WTA Tour and the China Open

US Open finalist up Caroline Wozniacki is unhappy with the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour along with the scheduling committee of the China Open who scheduled her first match in Beijing for Sunday after she reported suffering from a virus.
The 20 year-old Dane, now ranked fifth in the world and normally one of the most happy-go-lucky players on the women’s scene, took the WTA Tour to task for its perceived lack of cooperation. She maintained the Tour failed to represent her best interests and called the decision to make her play when unwell "very disappointing."
Wozniacki lost her first round match in Beijing 6-7,7-6,6-0 to Spain’s Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez. Writing on her website www.carolinewozniacki.dk, she said: "In Beijing, I still was not feeling close to 100%, so I asked the tournament director and WTA for a Monday start (instead of playing my first round on Sunday), but it was very frustrating to learn on Saturday that I was scheduled to play my first match on Sunday.
"I really needed every hour of rest to get over this virus and ready for my first match, but the WTA or tournament director did not seem to care at all and take this into consideration. The WTA Tour is supposed to be a players union, but I certainly don’t think they represented my best interest this week in Beijing and it was very disappointing."
***
Federer’s Fragrance Company is Going Out of Business

RF, Roger Federer’s line of fragrances that have been on the market for six years without causing much of a concern for the established brands, has gone out of business.
The Swiss magazine Bilanz reported that RF Cosmetics had gone into liquidation. Later company officials confirmed that statement.
The world no.1 decided to diversify into the fragrance and cosmetic market in 2003 during his hiatus from IMG management. His then girlfriend and now wife, Mirka Vavrinec, was in charge of his business interests away from the tennis court and RF produced products such as aftershave, shower gel and deodorant.
With a fortune estimated to be spiraling towards the $50 million mark, Federer will not be too concerned about this business failure but his major rival Rafael Nadal may be affected.
A year ago the Mallorcan was signed up as the global ambassador the Lanvin line of fragrances. "L'Homme Sport", reportedly formulated with Nadal as a ‘fragrance’ consultant, was launched earlier this year with a selling price  of $95 a bottle.
***
Agassi to Debut on Senior Tour This Week

Andre Agassi will make his highly anticipated Outback Champions Series debut when he takes on Mikael Pernfors Friday night in the opening round of the 2009 Cancer Treatment Centers of America Tennis Championships at Surprise, Ariz.
Agassi and Pernfors will play their quarterfinal match the evening of October 9. Mark Philippoussis and Wayne Ferreira will open up tournament play on Thursday evening, Rounding out the field in Surprise are Jim Courier, Todd Martin, Aaron Krickstein and Jimmy Arias.
The Cancer Treatment Centers of America Championships at Surprise runs Thursday through Sunday and will feature a field of eight champion players competing in a single knock-out format event for $150,000 in prize money and ranking points that determine the year-end No. 1 ranked player on the Outback Champions Series.

***
Rusedski Signs to Play London Masters Event

Greg Rusedski will attempt to win his first ATP Champions Tour title on British soil after signing up to appear in the AEGON Masters Tennis tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London, December 1-6.
Cedric Pioline also confirmed his plans to play, so that he will attempt to defend his title. The eight-man singles field will be completed by the 1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash and ATP Champions Tour debutant, Younes El Aynoui of Morocco.
For Rusedski, the chance to take on Pioline, El Aynoui and Cash as well as his 1997 US Open final nemesis Pat Rafter, Goran Ivanisevic, Mark Philippoussis and Stefan Edberg was too good to resist.
The AEGON Masters Tennis runs from the 1st to the 6th of December at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The tournament uses a round-robin format, with all players playing at least three matches each. Each day of the tournament, except the final Sunday, features two sessions - an afternoon session starting at 1pm and an evening session starting at 7.30pm. All sessions will feature a combination of singles and doubles matches. The event is the final tournament in 2009 on the ATP Champions Tour - a circuit of former World Number One tennis players, Grand Slam singles finalists and Davis Cup winners. Each event can also invite two wild cards of their choice.
***
Roddick Again Complains About the Long Tour

Andy Roddick is never too happy immediately after a defeat, and his straight-sets loss to Lukasz Kubot in his opening match at the China Open had him sounding off at the ATP calendar, which he says does not give the top players enough time to rest and recover.
“Serena Williams, their tour championships are in two weeks, so that's good. Ours are not,” he said. “It is, it's a tough task. I certainly have not been shy about saying that at a certain point, something's gotta give. There's got to be some time to get yourself right physically and mentally. Right now, that's just not the case, and you're seeing it with Roger and Murray being out in Tokyo and Rafael had a four-month deal. Everyone acts surprised when that happens, but it really, I think the fact that we play all the time and all of a sudden something happens, it's really not that surprising.”
***
Jankovic Still Has Her Sights on the Tour Championships

Jelena Jankovic lost a Beijing battle for entering the WTA Championships, but not the war. She will go on. Her loss to Shuai Peng was especially disappointing, after she served for the match in the second set but couldn’t close it out.
“For me, the good thing is I have one week in between because I lost early here, I still have 10 days or 12 days to recover. Then I am playing in Moscow, and then we’ll see. Right now I am No. 8 in the race, so it all depends on how the other girls behind me do.”
As of this year there is reserve solution for the players who don’t make Doha. Bali is hosting tournament for the rest of top girls, outside of top eight who will play in WTA Championships. But for Jelena that is not an option.
“I don’t think I’ll be going to Bali if I don’t make it to Doha. My goal is to go there. I feel like I belong there, and my goal is to compete with the best players in the world, so that is what I would like to try, but unfortunately, you cannot control injuries. You know something is happening at a bad time, you cannot give your best. You try really hard to be out there and to hit the ball as hard as you can, but you think you’ll be all right, but your arm is giving up, and it’s giving you a hard time. You could probably all see that during the match.”
After retirement in Tokyo final last Saturday, Beijing defeat against a girl she beat six times is another blow for Serbian girl.
“Yeah, it’s very disappointing. For me, it’s really not the right time to get injured, especially now because it’s the end of the year with a few more tournaments to play, especially I plan to get in the championships. For me there’s one more tournament to play, and this one was really important for me, especially I was the champion. I love to play here in China. I have a lot of fans here, but unfortunately my arm couldn’t hold up. I couldn’t really hit the ball as hard as I can hit. I played half the pace. I tried the best that I could, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough.”
When Jelena won Chinese title last year, she enjoyed presence of her mother. This time Snezana Jankovic wasn’t in Beijing.
“I love having my mom around, but unfortunately there were some other things that were more important in this moment, so she was staying at home because my grandmother died just during the U.S. Open, so I don’t think it’s the right time for her to travel. I am here with my dad, and I like having my dad as well here. None of this affected me on the court. The most important thing in this moment is to get healthy and so I can enjoy my games very much.”

***

We Hear---
--that Sarasota, Florida’s Colony Beach Hotel and Resort hotel operations is preparing to file for chapter 11.
***
THIS WEEK
MEN
Beijing
Tokyo
WOMEN
Beijing
***
NEXT WEEK
MEN
Shanghai
WOMEN
Linz
Osaka
***
Bob Larson’s Stock Report
Tuesday Stock Prices

Stock

Last

Change

Adidas

26.40

+.50

Amer Sports

5.90

+.03

Head

0.50

0.00

K-Swiss

8.50

+.14

Nike

63.09

+.25

Bob Larson Tennis Stock Index $104.39
* 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, October 6, 2009

WORLD NEWS

---

Australian Open Begins 2010 Trend to Higher Prize Monies

Regardless of the world’s economic downturn and the several issues with sponsors, next January’s Australian Open will set a the trend for its’ three far wealthier Grand Slam cousins by increasing prize money for 2010
When the men’s and women’s champions hoist their trophies on high at Melbourne Park they might also notice a 4.1% increase on the checks that were presented to Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams this year.
Equal prize money has been a fact at the year’s opening major since 2001 when the two singles champions each collected $Aus450,000. Nine years on next January’s winner will collect pocket $Aus1.86 million (£1.16m or $US1.76m) for winning the season's opening major.
The overall prize fund for the fortnight long event which features night finals for both the men’s and women’s singles will be $Aus24,094,000 but Tournament Director Craig Tiley is confident the winners will earn their money.  "In this time of economic uncertainty, the Australian Open holds strong as an important international brand in the world of sport and business," he said.
"Research has shown the event annually brings more than A$240 million into the domestic economy, and this year we enjoyed record-breaking attendance, viewing audiences, media coverage and internet hits."
Tiley was enthused by the events of the US Open last month and continued: “So much has changed on the international tennis landscape. I think the respective title races will be more open than they have been in years.
"[Juan Martin] Del Potro's win in New York has blown the men's event wide open and [Kim] Clijsters' effort, combined with [Justine] Henin's comeback, has had a similar effect on the women's."
There will be a number of changes at Melbourne Park next year including an enlargement of the entertainment area, a 30 minute earlier starting time for night sessions, and a tennis film festival.
A celebration of the 40th anniversary of Margaret Court's grand slam will take center  stage while there are plans for Pat Rafter and Goran Ivanisevic to play a re-run of the classic 2001 Wimbledon final.
Next year’s inductees into The Australian Tennis Hall of Fame will be the doubles team of Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde.
***
Tennis Emirates Starts Tennis Season

Tennis Emirates, the national governing body of all tennis in the United Arab Emirates, officially launched the 2009/10 tennis season which also marks the first day of a new tennis strategy of the association to revamp participation and activities all around the country. Included in the launch was the unveiling of its new logo and the introduction of various initiatives including membership program, national ranking and grassroots initiatives.
Dr. Abdullah Al Nuaimi, Secretary General of Tennis Emirates, (pictured in the center of photo) explained the key strategic elements for the months to come: "First and foremost, we need to know who is doing what in tennis in the UAE therefore from today onwards we are requesting all players, coaches, officials and all private and government institutions providing services to the tennis community to join the membership program. Application forms will be available on our website www.uae-tennis.com for download or direct processing and payment through credit cards.
“Secondly, Tennis Emirates is committed to roll out several grassroot tennis initiatives which will include the creation of national training centers for juniors in the different Emirates, linking school tennis programs to afternoon programs in established local clubs, and encourage new players to try our sport and join programs such as the ITF endorsed "Play&Stay". Some of these programs will then be carried out through our affiliated institutions and academies.
“The new competition schedule is based on five (5) circuits for juniors and adults: the 8, 9, and 10 "School Circuit", the 12 & 14 "Development Circuit", the 16 & 18 "Junior Circuit", the "Open Men's and Women's Circuit" and a "Veterans Circuit" for ladies over 30 and men over 40 & 50.”
Slah Bramly, Technical Director of Tennis Emirates, (pictured on the left) explained that "all circuits aim to encourage players to participate in singles and doubles, as this will automatically support the basic Team Tennis formats of the ITF, the Davis Cup and Fed Cup events, which consists of combined singles and doubles competitions."
All open tournaments sanctioned by Tennis Emirates will count automatically towards the UAE National Tennis Ranking. Its results in singles and doubles will count towards a combined national ranking with the top 8 ranked players qualifying for the season ending Masters. All junior events will award points for the national ranking and trophies for the winners while all adult categories will offer minimum prize money and ranking points. "Our aim is to organize at least 40 national competitions this season along with the international ITF junior events and veterans tournaments which are traditionally organized by the federation," said Bramly. "Hopefully by the end of the first season we have a national tennis ranking with more than 1,000 ranked players and competitions taking place in all Emirates."
The administration of membership program, national tennis ranking and the competition schedule will be managed by Eric Gottschalk, (pictured on the right) long time supporter of Tennis Emirates and now CEO of MEDIAPRO Middle East, our strategic marketing partner, which is also in charge of setting up a national sponsorship program to open new revenue streams for the association desperately needed to support the grassroot programs and the development of talent in the country.
“Our first activity will be the hosting the 8th Dubai ITF Junior Tennis Championship, this time hosted at the Aviation Club from October 19-24. More than 44 countries have already registered for the competition, which is part of the world junior tennis tour organized by the ITF. The Dubai event has always attracted the best international 18 and under junior players and has already received 95 boys and 44 girls entries for this grade IV event," said Bramly.
***
Spanish Men Want to Skip Madrid’s Altitude

Madrid is out of run for hosting Davis Cup final against Czechs this December, but not only for this year.
“I don’t think that Madrid will ever host Davis Cup”, said Miguel Diaz, head of Madrid Tennis with overwhelming resignation. “We want to have final, but political interests impeded. Madrid lost bid to host 2016 Olympic Games few days ago and has not been able to enter another fight.”
All Madrid problems with Davis Cup are connected with height. With 650 meters above sea, ball flies faster and none of Spanish clay courts kings likes this advantage to fast servers.
That is the reason Rafael Nadal blasted this year Madrid Open after loss to Roger Federer, that was the reason for all Spanish players to hum when Madrid was chosen for last year semifinal against US.
“We solved all economical problems; we offered a million Euros asked by Federation and 200,000 extra, but Davis Cup Captain Albert Costa told me yesterday that preference of all players is to play on sea level,” added the president of Madrid Tennis. “Only Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez agreed with Madrid proposal, but that was not the collective feeling.”
This, thinks Diaz, means that Spanish capital will not see Davis Cup soon.
“Madrid will not ask for other matches except final, and we will never be able to solve sea level problem. I don’t understand this, since our players are every day more and more successful on fast surfaces. Whenever again we play Karlovic, Roddick or Del Potro, issue of sea level will rise.”
The city for Davis Cup final will be chosen on Saturday. There are four candidates – Barcelona, Valencia, Malaga and Tenerife.
***
Australia and Russia Are Victorious in Junior Team Tennis

Australia won the Junior Davis Cup, with Russia taking the honors in the Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas held recently in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. The event began with 16 boys teams and 16 girls teams from 28 nations around the world, who had all come through tough qualifying rounds for the chance to compete. Teams were split into round robin groups of four, with the winners of each group progressing to the semifinals and then the final.
Junior Davis Cup top seeds, France, were eliminated when Great Britain claimed a deciding doubles victory in the semifinals after the countries had shared the two singles matches, while Australia enjoyed a clean sweep against Czech Republic. The final was decided by a 6-1 7-5 win in the doubles after the singles had been split.
In the Junior Fed Cup, Russia eased past Japan in the semifinals, while Germany struggled to overcome Slovakia, only clinching victory in the third set of the doubles. Russia then took both singles in the final, in contrasting fashion. The first match ended 8-6 in the third, while the second saw a 6-0 6-0 whitewash.
***
Murray is a Top World Player, but Not a British Hero

Andy Murray may have recently climbed to two in the world and put himself on the line in an ultimately fruitless Davis Cup tie against Poland, playing when it would have been wiser to rest a wrist injury.
But he still has problems being adopted as a real British hero, as ‘Grinning’ Greg Rusedski and ‘Gentleman’ Tim Henman were. He isn’t quite as grumpy as he used to be, but he undeniably lacks charisma. It hasn’t helped that Henman, never a friend of the media, has been known to warn Murray of the ‘Rottweilers’ of Fleet Street. It didn’t help when Murray, a Scot, joked that he would support anyone against England. That simply provided welcome cannon fodder for the tabloids.
"No wonder he has put the barriers up," Henman told The Scotsman newspaper. "The press want more of your personality, and when you give it to them, they shoot themselves in the foot. The press can be a distraction, and I didn't want any distractions. I was smart enough to know that there was a right answer and there was an honest answer, and I was probably guilty, if that's the right word, of giving the right answer sometimes. That was my defense mechanism. That was me trying to deflect attention. Then you are called a boring twat, but it was never a popularity contest for me."
Henman always avoided paying any attention to the media while he was engaged in trying to be the first Brit since Fred Perry to win Wimbledon, but as a commentator for the BBC there since he retired he has felt the full force of what is written and said during the two weeks.
"It's mad, just an absolute circus," he said. "It emphasizes to me what a good job I did of concentrating on the important things. When I was the center of attention, I never read the newspapers, I wouldn't listen to the commentators, but when you are working for the BBC there is no avoiding it. Some of the stuff you read in the papers is rubbish, just off the charts. It's mind-boggling."

***

We Hear---
--that Australia has chosen Adelaide as the venue for its Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group II First Round tie against Spain. The tie will be played on  February 6-7, 2010 on hardcourt.
--that Andy Murray has undergone further examinations from his wrist specialist and has delayed a decision on whether to travel to Shanghai for next week's Masters 1000 Series event for another 24 hours. His management company 19 Entertainment maintain the world no.3's chances are currently 50-50.
--that Chinese wild card Zhang Shuai, ranked 226, is the lowest ranked player ever to defeat a world No.1 after her victory over Dinara Safina at the China Open. The previous record was held by Julie Coin of France, who was ranked 188 when she beat Ana Ivanovic at the 2008 US Open.
***
THIS WEEK
MEN
Beijing
Tokyo
WOMEN
Beijing
***
NEXT WEEK
MEN
Shanghai
WOMEN
Linz
Osaka
***
Bob Larson’s Stock Report
Friday Stock Prices

Stock

Last

Change

Adidas

25.63

-.13

Amer Sports

4.36

-.24

Head

0.49

+.03

K-Swiss

8.30

+.04

Nike

62.02

-.48

Bob Larson Tennis Stock Index $100.80
* The index is based on the total value of one share of each stock we report daily.
***
Results
For complete ATP and WTA results, please see our web site at www.tennisnews.com

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

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

Monday, October 5, 2009

WORLD NEWS

---

Serena Williams Wants Tour #1 Ranking

Serena Williams did, after a cooling down period, accept that she acted badly in abusing a linesperson during her US Open semifinal, which resulted in a point penalty and her exit from the competition. Now she appears to be ready to accept her fate, as the ITF decides whether to extend her punishment beyond the record $10,000 already imposed.
“I know there's talk of investigation, (so) I don't think it's appropriate for me to comment while the case is still going on. It is what it is,” she said after winning her opening match at the China Open. Then she appeared to suggest that her action was only caused by her competitive spirit and that should count in her favor. “I am really excited to be a tennis player. I obviously have such an amazing passion - it's enabled me to have 20-something grand slam titles. I love fighting for every point, for everything.” she added.
And, having talked about deserving the No.1 ranking more than Dinara Safina, now she is in a position to regain the top spot she is laid-back about that as well.
“You know it's definitely on my radar, but honestly I have to make sure I am doing the best that I can, whatever that is. I would love to be number one, but I also want to pay the price to be number one. It will come eventually, if not, I'll just keep trying.”
***
Nadal Disappointed About Olympics 2016

Rafael Nadal was naturally disappointed that Madrid finished second in the contest to stage the 2016 Olympics, narrowly losing out to Rio de Janeiro as they had to London in their bid to stage the Games in 2012.
“Yeah, it was tough for us, being in the finals,” he said in the 2008 Olympic city of Beijing. “We pushed hard for 2012 and then 2016. I think Madrid did a very good job. It’s tough for Spain, for Madrid, for lot of people that worked very hard for a long time. But I think that London and Madrid are too close, that’s my feeling. They had to change the continent, that’s what I think.
“I don’t know if 2020 we are going to be candidates, but my feeling is we are close. If we continue to push hard, I don’t want to say, but my feeling is that Madrid is going to finish organizing the games, that’s my feeling. I hope so.”
***
Djokovic Wants to Continue Working with Martin

Novak Djokovic is to continue working with Todd Martin, believing their three-week partnership through the period of the US Open was a success.
"It was a great two weeks, three weeks, we had with Todd Martin," the Serb said in Beijing, where he won a bronze medal last year. "He's actually the person that we need in our team in order to improve some elements in my game. In this level it's only about the details, I think, in the game and the mental state as well. He has experience and used to be a top five player, used to play the best players in the world and beat the best players in the world. To have him on the team would be great thing for me, a good step forward.
“But I'm not going to stop working with Marian Vajda. I'm going to work with Marian part time and Todd part time. Marian is a person that helped me a lot in my career and in my life. We have a special relationship and it's not just a coach-player thing."

***
London to Have An Australian Influence

This year’s AEGON Masters, the newly sponsored end to the ATP Tour of Champions at London’s Royal Albert Hall, has a very Australian look with three of the eight singles contestants being Patrick Rafter, Pat Cash and Mark Philippoussis.
As his 32^nd birthday will only just have been celebrated, Philippoussis’s inclusion promotes another question mark over what exactly constitutes senior tennis but the former Wimbledon and US Open finalist has not competed on the main ATP World Tour since 2006.
Philippoussis also needs to earn money after Pepper Home Loans are reported to be seeking repayment on more than $1 million. “Tennis is one of those sports where if you don't play, you don't get paid," said Philippoussis recently. "Paying bills and no money coming in has been tough for a number of years, but everyone has to go through that."
However Philippoussis is not letting his money worries taint his excitement at contesting the event that runs December 1 thru 6.  He played a charity exhibition match against Britain’s Tim Henman at the event three years ago and said: “I really can’t wait to play at the Royal Albert Hall again. It is one of the prettiest tennis venues I have ever seen, it really is gorgeous. It’s perfect in terms of how close the crowd is to you when you’re playing and the atmosphere that creates.” 
“I get goosebumps every time I go to the UK because of the British crowds that are incredible. They have such a great appreciation for tennis. I’ve always enjoyed a lot of support from them and I hope they are looking forward to seeing me again. I certainly can’t wait.”
***
Ivanovic Wants to Forget 2009 and Prepare for 2010

On the tennis court 2009 has been a year Ana Ivanovic wants to forget in a hurry and the former world no.1 has announced an early close to her competitive year. The Serb cited an upper respiratory tract infection for pulling out of this week’s China Open in Beijing and decided it was best to now take a break, get well, overhaul her game and get ready for the start of next year.
She admits: “It is very tough to switch off and have a proper break over the past year or so, partly because of these physical problems. Actually, I don't think I can remember the last time I had a proper holiday: I was always doing some kind of fitness or recovery work during my holidays, and that meant that I wasn't able to switch off from tennis. I guess I just want it so badly.”
Currently placed 11th on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour rankings and likely to drop lower before the end of the year, hasn’t reached the business end of a tournament since losing to Vera Zvonareva in the Indian Wells final in March. She had a four month coaching partnership with Craig Kardon, split with her long term fitness advisor Scott Byrnes and was forced to remodel her service action to avoid shoulder problems similar to those which forced Maria Sharapova out of the game for nearly nine months.
In a statement issued by her agent Gavin Versi and released on her website, Ivanovic said: “I guess having to withdraw from Beijing is an appropriate ending to a very disappointing season. This trip to Asia has been a big disappointment and I have struggled with my health pretty much since I arrived. I am sorry to my supporters who were hoping to see me play here in Beijing. It's very disappointing for me as well, to come here, see the amazing facility they have and not have the energy to be able to step onto court. I can only look forward to coming back here next year.
“It's especially disappointing because I was hoping to be able to see some improvements before the season ended. I have gone through a lot of training and physical changes over the past few months, which have mostly remained private until now... My body is quite fragile at the moment, because I over-trained during the first part of the year. This was, I think, what caused me to have many small injuries this season.
“Instead of being patient and accepting that my best form was almost impossible due to physical limitations, I was always over-thinking things, and I never dealt with it very well. The season was a continuation of going from one disappointment to another. If I had dealt better with these setbacks, I would have had a lot more success.”
Sven Groeneveld has been a constant mentor to Ivanovic throughout her career and recently she has worked with the adidas player program, in particular utilizing the coaching expertise of Darren Cahill and fitness techniques of Gil Reyes. She hopes to announce a new full time fitness coach in the near future.
“I've learnt so much this year,” she continued. “It's a bit little bit like a few years ago, when I was ranked around No.14 for almost an entire year, and many people were asking me, "When are you going to reach the top 10?" Within a year I was there, and within two years I was No.1. Sometimes you have to go through these experiences in order to become a better player.
"Despite my disappointments, there is not a single doubt in my mind that I will reach the top again and win Grand Slams. One other positive to come out of all this is that I realized what a great team I have around me: they never doubted me, they supported me so well and did everything they could to assist me. I am very grateful to them all: my family, coaches and management.”
***
Ancic is Returning to His Number 1 Career

Mario Ancic put his lawyer career on hold. Wimbledon semifinalist 2004, who finished University last year and spent last couple of months assisting in law firm, finally took racket in his hands again.
“I hope that, if everything is OK, I will return to the Tour in January”, announced Ancic yesterday that his problem with mononucleosis are over. “I am still waiting for last analysis, but I expect positive results and permission of doctors to start practicing. I will not hurry, I will miss Australian Open and return on court in some January challengers in Europe.”
The Croatian returned from US last week. He went over there not only to be examined by specialist for glandular fever, but to give lesson in Harvard, too.
“Topic was doping and betting in tennis and it was open not only for sport law students, but for everyone who was interested in it. I had 45 minutes opening and answered questions after. As examples for doping I used Richard Gasquet and Mariano Puerta cases. For betting I used Di Mauro and Montcourt cases. They have been suspended for several months for few Euros bets. On the other side is Davydenko, who was under suspicion for much more serious accusations, but nothing was proven,” explained Ancic, aware that he will change courts for the time being.
“I will freeze my working in office and start preparations for next season. There is tennis advantage again but I will return to law later”. He is only 25, but mononucleosis stole three years from him. He became ill in 2007, and he is fighting the same illness since then. Every now and again mononucleosis returns. Ancic was #7 in 2006, his ranking now is #73. He played first three months of this year regularly but illness returned later.
***
Dementieva Loves Returning to Beijing

For most players, winning a major is the highlight of their career. For others it might be becoming number one. But for Elena Dementieva her ultimate goal was winning the Olympics. She came desperately close in Sydney in 2000, losing to Venus Williams in the final. Athens in 2004 was a disaster as she lost in the first round to Alicia Molik. But then came Beijing in 2008, and the Russian made it all the way to the gold medal with victory over Dinara Safina in the final. Now Dementieva is back in Beijing for the first time since that emotional medal ceremony, and she loves it.
"Every time I come to the locker room I feel like goose bumps on my skin," she said before her opening match at the China Open. "It's very emotional to come back here. I remember everything about one year ago. It was like yesterday, so fresh all memories from the Olympics. I just feel very excited being here one more time."
***
Sugiyama is Leaving the Tour, but Not Tennis

Ai Sugiyama has played her last match, suitably a doubles final on home ground in Tokyo. Now she is going to take a short break but she isn’t leaving tennis, as she announced on a blog for the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.
"One hundred percent I’m staying in tennis, she wrote. "I will take a break first and then think about coaching. I already have my tennis academy, which I opened in Chigasaki 11 years ago, so I'll be spending time there helping the juniors. I want to keep challenging myself, in any way. Not only in tennis. I want to do the things that I have never been able to do. And of course I want to have a family. And I want to buy a dog! I want a French bull. If it's a boy I am going to call it Tiger, if it's a girl it will be Rebecca, or Becky."
After a remarkable career that spanned nearly 20 years, she was asked which was her most memorable match. Better make that a memorable day!
"The most memorable day in my career was in Scottsdale in 2003, when I had to play four matches in one day because of rain. Singles semifinal and final and doubles semifinal and final. I won all four matches and spent six hours and 40 minutes on court. I beat Kim in the final of the singles and then we teamed up and won the doubles together."
***
Some Parts of Britain are Making a Fuss Over LTA’s Food Budget

Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association is viewed with a mixture of envy and derision around the world. Many other federation’s are jealous of the Brit’s cash wealth from a GBP25 million a year cash injection from Wimbledon’s profits but comfort themselves in the knowledge it does not directly translate into successful players. However the latest revelation from the LTA’s National Training Centre in Roehampton is astonishing; in the last year £500,000 was spent in the last year subsidizing cheap or free meals for players, staff and visitors.
The figure was revealed at a routine meeting between the LTA’s council and country representatives at the GBP40 million NTC, situated only a couple of miles away from Wimbledon. To give it some perspective, it is five times the annual budget of the Lithuanian Tennis Union, which will host Great Britain's recently relegated Davis Cup team in next year’s Euro/African Zone Group Two.
When the NTC was opened two years ago, one of the prime aims was to encourage healthy eating among young players who were using the training facilities at Roehampton. The canteen serves fresh and healthy produce for free to players, coaches and those who attend training camps from the regions.
Approximately 300 meals a day are currently being served and much of Britain’s tennis fraternity who are not actually working or training at Roehampton are known to drop in for breakfast, lunch, dinner or even a cup of numerous exotic teas and coffees that are available.
An LTA spokesman admitted that the canteen was running at an annual GBP500,000 net loss. "We are serving three meals a day, seven days a week because the place is busy and we have full-time staff working in the canteen rather than contractors, which is more cost-effective," he said.
“A decision was made to subsidize it when we moved here because we are in a relatively isolated location where it is not easy to reach places for eating. If we were located in central London there would not be such a need.”
***
Nadal Getting Philosophical About His Future

Rafael Nadal has not enjoyed the best of seasons, with knee and abdominal muscle injuries keeping him off the court, losing him titles and the No.1 ranking. For years there have been those who have questioned his entertaining but punishing method of play, believing it was only a matter of time before his body rebelled and maybe even broke down completely. But Rafa dismisses their comments and says he has no plans to change anything.
"A lot of people have a lot of opinions," he said in Beijing, where he is to play his first match since losing to Juan Martin Del Potro in the semifinals of the US Open.
"There's a lot of talk, but you know what, I started being professional tennis player at 16 years old. So that's probably not the best time to start when your body is not completely done. I have had seven years under my belt already- I think that's a very long career already, no? Lots of players start at 21 and finish at 29. I've played the last five years without going out of number one or number two, except one week this year, so if you're not fit and your body is not in good conditions its impossible to be five years in the top two.
"Everybody said that in 2005, and we are in 2009 and I'm still at the same number. I always work hard to be okay, and that's what I'm going to do all my career, and yeah, I have aggressive style of game, but I think no one can choose what style to play. I do all in my hands to play my best tennis, sure I would love to serve like Karlovic and volley like Federer, but my game is another. I'm happy with my game.
“With my game I have a very good career right now. If I play 3 more years 3 more years. . . 1 more year, 1 more year. . . 10 more years, 10 more years. . . but it’s impossible to say right now that I’m going to change the style of the game."
***
Ricky's Notes
By Ricky Dimon
Danish veteran Kristian Pless retired from tennis last week. The 28-year-old Pless was once ranked No. 1 in juniors in 1999 and reached a career-high of No. 65 in the world in 2002. . . Fernando Verdasco has decided to put off necessary foot surgery until the offseason. "My focus is to qualify for the World Finals and help Spain win the Davis Cup," said Verdasco, who is expected to be sidelined for three weeks following the procedure. . . Verdasco and Rafael Nadal were among those disappointed by Madrid's loss to Rio De Janeiro in the 2016 Summer Olympics vote last week. "I'm sad about the decision," Verdasco said. "I'm from Madrid and I wish I could have the chance to play my last Olympic Games at home." . . . Gustavo Kuerten was in Copenhagen for the ceremony to announce the 2016 host city. "Winning in the race for the 2016 Olympics means a lot," said the Brazilian. "Much more than any tournament I've won, any Grand Slam. Nothing matches this."
Sam Querrey, Mardy Fish, and Dmitry Tursunov were the directly-entered players who withdrew from this week's China Open. Their absence allowed Ivan Ljubicic, Jose Acasuso, and Marcos Daniel to get into the main draw. . . Tommy Haas, Andreas Seppi, and Jarkko Nieminen joined Roger Federer and Andy Murray on the withdrawal list at the Japan Open. The final pullout gave Thomaz Bellucci, previously seeded No. 1 in qualifying, direct entry into the main draw. Bellucci's departure allowed Ernests Gulbis to take an alternate spot in qualifying, and he capitalized on it with two victories. . . Nursing a shoulder injury, Haas is currently in Florida spending time with his father. He hopes to return at the Masters Series event in Shanghai. . . In an October 1 blog entry, Nieminen said he had been sick for 10 straight days and the problem could be swine flu. "After pulling out from Metz my goal was to get back in good form for Bangkok, then after pulling out from there, to get fit for Tokyo," Nieminen explained. "Now I just want to be healthy. Nothing else matters.". . . Tournament director Richard Krajicek announced last Wednesday that Nadal and Novak Djokovic confirmed their participation in next year's World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam. The ATP 500 event, in which Nadal finished runner-up this season, will be held February 8-14.
Joachim Johansson will make a decision on his playing future at the conclusion of this month's Stockholm Open. "It will put me in the position where I can choose if I want to continue playing or not," said the oft-injured Swede, who returned last week in Kuala Lumpur. Johansson was once No. 9 in the world back in 2005 before physical problems derailed his career. . . Austrian postal services said last week that they will issue a stamp honoring Federer starting in February. The 65-centime stamp will feature Federer winning this year's French Open. . . Romania, led by Victor Hanescu and Sorana Cirstea, on Thursday became the fourth country to confirm its participation in next season's Hopman Cup. Germany (Philipp Kohlschreiber and Sabine Lisicki) followed suit on Sunday. The January 2-9 team competition now boasts Romania, Australia, Russia, and the United States. . . Australia defeated Great Britain 2-1 in the Junior Davis Cup final on Sunday in Mexico. . . James Blake announced last Thursday that he will host a charity event with Andy Roddick in New York on December 1. Proceeds from the tennis exhibition will benefit the Thomas Blake Sr. Memorial Research Fund, named after Blake's late father and aimed at the early detection and screening of cancer.
It was announced last week that U.S. Open quarterfinalist Melanie Oudin is the first player officially entered into next year's Family Circle Cup. The WTA event will be held April 10-18 in Charleston, South Carolina. . . Martina Hingis' two-year ban for alleged cocaine use was lifted last Wednesday. Hingis again denied having ever used cocaine and insisted that she is not considering a comeback. . . Gisela Dulko (left adductor strain) and Virginie Razzano (left calf strain) joined Ana Ivanovic on the withdrawal list from this week's China Open in Beijing. Serena Williams, who pulled out of Tokyo last week, is playing in Beijing but said she is "definitely not 100 percent.". . .. Svetlana Kuznetsova has qualified for the year-end Sony Ericsson Championships. She is the fifth player to earn a spot in the eight-woman field, joining Williams, Dinara Safina, Elena Dementieva, and Caroline Wozniacki. . . Serena Williams faces a possible two-major suspension for her outburst in the semifinals of the U.S. Open. The ITF is expected to make a ruling in two weeks.

***

We Hear---
--that Sam Warburg announced his retirement from the ATP Tour. "Some people are cut out for the tour, and some aren't," said the 26-year-old American. "It involves a lot of time alone, a lot of traveling, and the ability to channel everything else out. It's not conducive to a happy lifestyle."
***
THIS WEEK
MEN
Beijing
Tokyo
WOMEN
Beijing
***
NEXT WEEK
MEN
Shanghai
WOMEN
Linz
Osaka
***
Bob Larson’s Stock Report
Friday Stock Prices

Stock

Last

Change

Adidas

25.63

-.13

Amer Sports

4.36

-.24

Head

0.49

+.03

K-Swiss

8.30

+.04

Nike

62.02

-.48

Bob Larson Tennis Stock Index $100.80
* The index is based on the total value of one share of each stock we report daily.
***
Results
For complete ATP and WTA results, please see our web site at www.tennisnews.com

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

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

Friday, October 2, 2009

WORLD NEWS

---

Belgian Players Facing Doping Charges

US Open semi-finalist Yanina Wickmayer and her fellow Belgian Xavier Malisse have both broken the firmly laid down World Anti-Doping Agency drug testing code and could be banned from competition.
Much to the annoyance of leading players such as Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray among others, the rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) clearly state that world class competitive athletes from all affiliated sports inform authorities of their whereabouts between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. each day for a three-month period.
Any transgression of the rules becomes the responsibility of the player’s home federation and both Wickmayer and Malisse have been ordered to appear in Belgium for violating the commission's whereabouts policy.
According to reports Wickmayer, the 19 year-old who shot up from 50^th to 22^nd place on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour rankings because of her Flushing Meadows exploits, has failed to comply with the ruling three times in the last 18 months. She has not played competitively since the US Open, which ended nearly three weeks ago.
Malisse, primarily based in Florida for the majority of his career after attending the Bollettieri Academy in Bradenton, broke the rule twice and went one step further by missing a pre-arranged doping test altogether.
Although currently domiciled in Sarasota, 29 year-old Malisse who is ranked 153 in the world but stood as high as 19^th spot seven years ago before a succession of injuries blighted his career, will be the first to meet with the Flemish Doping Tribunal in Brussels next Thursday, October 8 and will have the platform to explain his absences and why he ignored the rule. Wickmayer is set to appear a fortnight later on October 22, two days after her 20^th birthday.
In Wickmayer’s case, repeated telephone calls reportedly went unanswered. Her spokesman Rudi Kuyl insisted the teenager did not miss a doping control but conceded she may not have fulfilled all WADA’s requirements on giving notice of her whereabouts for out of competition testing. "Yanina will indeed have to appear but it is all based on a misunderstanding," insisted Kuyl.
***
Lagardere Unlimited Signs Collegiate Tennis Champion Mallory Cecil

Lagardere Unlimited announced it has entered into a new, multi-year management representation agreement with American Collegiate Tennis Champion Mallory Cecil.
Cecil, only 19-years-old and originally from Spartanburg, South Carolina, played on the Duke University Women's Varsity Tennis Team in the Spring of 2009. As a first semester Freshman, Cecil became the seventh Freshman player (and 14th overall) in history in the NCAA Division 1, and the first player ever in the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference), to capture the NCAA Division I Singles Championships and NCAA Division I Team Championships in the same year. Cecil also finished the 2009 season as the #1 ranked singles player in NCAA Division 1 standings, and shortly following this Cecil decided to turn professional in the summer of 2009.
***
Nadal is Hoping for Madrid’s Success in Bidding for Olympic Host

Rafael Nadal is, not surprisingly, a keen supporter of Madrid’s bid to stage the 2016 Olympics, a tough call for the city when the 2012 event is already to be held in Europe. A winning candidate is to be announced today by the Olympic Organizing Committee in Copenhagen, with Chicago, Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro also bidding to host the event. Rafa would like to be in Denmark to boost the bid, but unfortunately business calls.
“It is very sad for me not being able to go to Copenhagen,” he said before flying to Beijing to play in the China Open. “I have to continue with my tennis schedule which makes it impossible for me to go to Denmark. Nevertheless, I will still support Madrid’s Olympic bid spiritually and I take this opportunity to thank Madrid’s mayor and the sport’s secretary of defense for always counting on me to support this project. I know what a great job they’ve done and I know we deserve to win.”
While Rafa will be missing for Madrid, Chicago’s bid is being supported by the presence of President Barack Obama, who no doubt noticed that Britain’s Prime Minister Tony Blair flew to Singapore and played a vital role in winning the 2012 bid for London from under the nose of favorites Paris.
***
Rios Has Spinal Surgery Again

Marcelo Rios, the only male #1 in history who never won a major, had to undergo another spine operation earlier this week. The same injury forced him into retirement in 2004 at the age of 28.
The Chilean was under such severe pain that he could not lift the slightest weight. His operation lasted four hours, and he will be able to resume playing on the veteran’s circuit at the beginning of next year. Rios also plans to join the coaching staff of Chile’s Davis Cup team when he is fully recovered.
His spine problems culminated in 2003 when he was operated three times in the US, but unfortunately the happy end was missing. His problems went on and a year later he was forced to see another surgeon. Rios never hides that he blames the doctor who had operated him six years ago for his continuing suffering. He is convinced that he was allowed too fast to return to practice.
After several years of full retirement, Rios returned to courts playing veteran tournaments in Brazil and Portugal in 2009 and an exhibition with Andy Roddick. He was #1 in 1998 when he reached the only major final in his career. He lost in Melbourne against Czech Petr Korda.
***
Nadal to Resume Tour Competition

Rafael Nadal will return to action at the China Open, which begins in Beijing on Saturday.
The Spaniard has not played since losing to eventual champion Juan Martin Del Potro in the semifinals of the US Open, thus missing Spain’s Davis Cup win over Israel. But his abdominal strain is now healed, according to a statement on his website, which states, “Based on the medical tests done in Barcelona, Rafa Nadal will return to competition next week. After long hours of tedious exams, it was concluded that Rafa is physically fit for competition.”
Nadal, who will top a field that includes Novak Djokovic and Andy Roddick, also intends to compete in Shanghai, Paris and the ATP World Tour Finals in London, before closing out his season with the Davis Cup final against Czech Republic.
***
Dokic to Serve Prison Sentence

Following a retrial a Serbian court has confirmed a 15-month prison sentence for Damir Dokic, the father of women’s world no.80 Jelena who is currently playing a Challenger event in Athens, on charges that he threatened the Australian ambassador to Serbia.
The retrial was necessary because Belgrade-based Ambassador Claire Birgin did not testify in person during the original hearing in June and was represented by a lawyer. As the same circumstances existed at the retrial, Dokic’s lawyer Bosiljka Djukic immediately insisted the new ruling was illegal and launched another appeal.
Dokic, aged 50, had arrived at the court in Ruma, a town about 50 kms northwest of Belgrade, under police escort. Four months ago he was found guilty of "endangering the security" of Birgin in Belgrade and unlawful possession of weapons, including a hand grenade, which were impounded during a police search of his home.
He had been arrested in May after reportedly saying he would blow up Birgin's car by aiming a rocket launcher if she didn't stop negative articles about him from being published in Australia.
***
New Directors Announced for International Tennis Hall of Fame

The International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum has announced the election of ten new members to the Board of Directors. The new directors were all elected at the Hall of Fame's Annual Meeting held on September 11, 2009 in New York City.
The new directors are Jeanne Moutossamy-Ashe of New York, N.Y., photographer and wife of the late Arthur Ashe; Robert L. Bunnen, Jr. of Atlanta, Ga. and Chevy Chase, Md., founder of Bunnen Financial Management LLC; Juan Carlos Cappello of New York, N.Y., chairman and managing partner of Contemporanea LLC; Carlos Fleming of Cleveland, Ohio, executive vice president at IMG; Dianne E. Hayes of Boston and Falmouth, Mass., director of global entertainment and sports marketing for Reebok International Ltd.
Kevin Kane of Memphis, Tenn., president and CEO of the Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau; E. Ramone Segree of New York, N.Y., vice president for institutional advancement and foundation executive director for CUNY/LaGuardia Community College; Lee Sessions of Amelia Island, Fla., a returning board member and financial sector executive; Vinayak Singh of New York, N.Y., president of International Strategy & Investment Group (ISI); and Lady Marion Weatherstone of Darien, Conn. In addition, Bill Phillips was named a Life Trustee.

***

We Hear---
--that the 2009 USTA Middle States Hall of Fame induction Oct. 23, in Pittsburgh will honor Brian Earley, Don Johnson, Peggy Michel and Whitney Snyder.
***
THIS WEEK
MEN
Bangkok
WOMEN
Tokyo
***
NEXT WEEK
MEN
Beijing
Tokyo
WOMEN
Beijing
***
Bob Larson’s Stock Report
Thursday Stock Prices

Stock

Last

Change

Adidas

25.26

-1.39

Amer Sports

4.60

0.00

Head

0.46

+.06

K-Swiss

8.26

-.53

Nike

62.50

-2.20

Bob Larson Tennis Stock Index $101.58
* 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, October 1, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

---

Murray is Planning his 2009 Playing Schedule Very Carefully

As expected Andy Murray’s problems with inflamed tendons in his left wrist have forced the world no.3 to pull out of next week’s Rakuten Japan Tennis Championships in Tokyo and the Scot’s participation in the upcoming Shanghai ATP Masters 1000 the following week remains uncertain.
Although MRI scans have shown 22 year-old Murray is suffering no long-term damage to his non-racket arm, he is determined not to endanger his chances of contesting either the calendar ending ATP World Tour Championships at London’s 02 Arena or next January’s Australian Open where he is determined to mount a concerted campaign to win his first major title.
Since playing three rubbers in as many days for the British Davis Cup team in their Euro African Zone Group One playoff with Poland nearly two weeks ago, Murray has been making regular visits to the London Harley Street specialist that guided the recovery to the far more serious wrist injury that kept him out of the French Open and Wimbledon in 2007.
Using his official website (AndyMurray.com) to announce the news of him not playing Tokyo, a statement from his management company 19 Entertainment read: “Unfortunately Andy Murray has had to withdraw from the Tokyo event. Andy is disappointed not to be competing in Japan but on the basis of medical advice, he has decided to give his left wrist further time to recover.
“His injury is improving on a daily basis and Andy is very close to resuming full training. The wrist will be assessed again this weekend.”
Murray has previously made his long term aims clear and does not want this nagging injury to effect them in any way. He was quoted recently as saying: “"There's a big tournament in London at the end of the year and I want to make sure I'm fit for that.”
After the Davis Cup tie he also said: “"The pain's bearable but I need to decide what to do next. It's such a short turnaround at the end of the year, and the preparations for Australia have to be very good because of the conditions so I need to decide when I can fit in a long break.
"Whether that's 14 days or longer, you just have to be careful with wrists and not keep playing when there's something wrong because the problem doesn't go away."
***
Sharapova to Play in South American Tour Next Month

Most years there are many who view Maria Sharapova’s off-season playing excursions as unnecessary and merely money making exercises. But the former no.1 and three times major champion is now making up for lost playing time after being forced to miss almost nine months with shoulder issues and sees a South American tour as the perfect way to maintain her competitive rehabilitation while her rivals are resting and regrouping.
So Sharapova and Gisela Dulko, the Argentine who knocked her out of this year’s Wimbledon and rates as another of tennis’ glamour queens, will play a three city South American tour between November 29 and December 4.
Conservative estimates say that Sharapova could earn roughly $1million from the tour which begins on November 29 in Sao Paulo, Brazil before switching to Santiago Chile on December 2 and then on to Dulko’s home town of Buenos Aires December 4.
"Maria is very excited about playing this Tour," said Max Eisenbud, IMG Senior Vice President, who manages Sharapova. "She is aware of her large fan base in the region and she’s looking forward to meeting her supporters and seeing and experiencing these amazing countries for the first time."
Sharapova went on a similar three city tour of Japan four years ago and reportedly wants to an off-season trip an annual event, primarily targeting cities and countries where she hasn’t played.
***
Santoro is Facing the End of His Playing Career

Fabrice Santoro has just a few more tournaments to play until he brings down the curtain on a remarkable 21 year career at Bercy in Paris - the same location that will also mark the end of Marat Safin’s career. But while Safin has long made no secret of the fact that he is counting the days until he can go off and do other things with the result that his commitment during his final season has often been questioned, Santoro insists he has remained focused. On court anyway.
"I have four tournaments to go and I want to do well," he said in Bangkok. "My desire is still just as strong on the court, but it's off the court where it's not the same. I don't train as much as I used to. I'd rather spend time with friends or at home than go to the gym. But I still go out to try and win every match. On the court there is no difference at all in my attitude."

***
Agassi Hosted Successful Fundraiser in Las Vegas

No tennis player has done more than Andre Agassi to raise money for good causes, with his college preparatory academy so far assisting around 600 underprivileged children gain a better life through education. Last weekend a fundraising concert that featured comedian Dane Cook, singer Brian McKnight and rock band Daughtry drew in not only a fantastic $8 million, but a gift of $7.5 million.
The gift came from the Nevada-based Engelstad Family Foundation, which announced that it is donating that sum over the next five years to set up an organization named Sponsor Our Students Campaign at Agassi Prep.
"I am blown away by the tremendous support we have gotten this year at the Grand Slam," Agassi. "From the incredible group of artists who gave their time and talents to the generosity of the Engelstad Family Foundation and all of our supporters, this is a shining moment for us. I am also proud to be introducing our new name, logo and Website, which will more effectively spread the word about our educational mission."
***
WTA Tour’s Hero Program Coming to a Close

Five finalists in the 2009 Heroes Among Us Program have been announced by the WTA Tour. They were selected by a panel of judges based on their leadership and commitment to serving as role models and mentors to young women in their communities. The winner, based on fan votes, will receive a prize package for two to attend the Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, including tickets to the final, roundtrip airline tickets, accommodation, transportation, behind-the-scenes access at the tournament and tickets to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Year-End Party.
The Heroes Among Us program follows in the footsteps of the Tour’s global partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to raise awareness of gender equality issues and create leadership opportunities for women. Venus Williams, along with fellow Tour players Vera Zvonareva, Tatiana Golovin and Zheng Jie and Tour founder Billie Jean King, serve as UNESCO Promoters of Gender Equality to help raise awareness about issues of importance to women worldwide, and to create leadership opportunities for women through the funding of programs in Cameroon, Liberia, Dominican Republic, China, Jordan and the United States.
The finalists, selected by an advisory panel including Venus Williams; Stacy Allaster, Chairman and CEO of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour and S. Gulser Corat, UNESCO Director of the Division for Gender Equality, are:
Tony Brock is the Director of the Safe Passage Tennis Program, a tennis program for underprivileged boys and girls, ages 8?18. Brock works tirelessly to help underprivileged children recognize their dreams by encouraging them on and off the court.
Ella Brown-Hughes, a single parent of five children, operates a shelter for homeless families in her community. Brown-Hughes provides training and education to the homeless by offering opportunities to receive a GED or on-the-job training. She also offers life education classes that teach skills such as how to manage money or how to dress for success.
Suniti Marathe has been a high school teacher in India for over 20 years and is dedicated to promoting literacy in her community. She operates a children’s library in her home to provide the underprivileged youth in her village with the opportunity to read and write.
Jill Massie-Braun, a recent survivor of breast cancer, is a cheerleading and gymnastics coach who has spent her life working with women and girls to help them realize their dreams and ambitions. In addition to her work in athletics, Massie-Braun is an advocate for children and families living with autism and has helped promote an understanding of autism by educating the local school system on the rights and needs of autistic kids.
Maureen Rankine, diagnosed with a neuromuscular disorder called Myasthenia Gravis, has dedicated her life to helping others. Rankine started three non-profit tennis groups, Tennis Against Breast Cancer, the Montego Bay Tennis Program and the Association of Minority Tennis Pros, to encourage youth to strive for success both in tennis and in life.
Voting for the Heroes Among Us award recipient is taking place now through October 4. To cast a vote for the winner, fans can visit http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/heroesamongus.
***
Ivanisevic Reminisces Over His Pro Career

Goran Ivanisevic, the only wild card Wimbledon champion (he was #125 at the time and could not make main draw), had to cut short his career, but he has never felt nostalgia for old times.
“I play on veteran circuit, I won a few, but that is uncomparable with professional tennis,” underlines the 38 year-old Ivanisevic. “I play 6-7 tournaments per year, enjoy companionship of old friends and that is enough. I had played 17 years in top flight and if someone would tell me now that I have to get up at seven o’clock every morning and to work seven or eight hours daily, I would answer that I would prefer to stand in front of firing squad.”
There have been a lot of ups and downs in Ivanisevic’s career. He chooses two highlights. “One is winning Wimbledon in 2001. I didn’t want to finish career without Grand Slam title. Another is opening ceremony of Barcelona Olympics in 1992. I carried Croatian flag only a year after Croatia became independent state. At the end I won two bronze medals.”
For biggest disappointment he chooses rankings. “I have never been #1. I think I deserved it”.

***

We Hear---
--that Mark Philippoussis will make his tour debut in the ATP Champions Tour in London in December.
***
THIS WEEK
MEN
Bangkok
WOMEN
Tokyo
***
NEXT WEEK
MEN
Beijing
Tokyo
WOMEN
Beijing
***
Bob Larson’s Stock Report
Wednesday Stock Prices

Stock

Last

Change

Adidas

26.65

+.50

Amer Sports

4.60

0.00

Head

0.40

0.00

K-Swiss

8.79

-.26

Nike

64.70

+4.61

Bob Larson Tennis Stock Index $105.14
* 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