Thursday, September 18, 2008
Bob Larson's
TENNIS CELEBS
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IN THIS WEEK'S ISSUE...
News
Tennis Shorts
WTA Scheduled To Play
Covers
Sightings
Appearing Soon
Money Mountain
He Said... She Said
Happy Birthday
NEWS
Spain Trying to Psych US Davis Cup Team
Spain is playing mind games with the visiting US as both coach and top player minimize the chances for a home victory on clay at this week's Davis Cup semifinals. High altitude in Madrid on a court laid inside a bullring will equalize the tie, according to Spanish captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario. And Nadal himself, who won Paris Wimbledon and Olympic titles in the space of three months, told local media: "It's true that I've had three or four days to rest at home. " But I'm not 100 percent recovered. It has been a non-stop year and it's normal that you deflate a bit." No. 1 Nadal added that he is most looking forward to a break until he begins the final indoor run of the ATP season back in Madrid in mid-October. "After that, I hope to take a real break," said the 22-year-old. The defending champion US takes a team-full of substitutes into the tie, a repeat of the 2004 final in Seville where the hoists rolled the North American visitors. The US got a revenge win in the quarter-finals last year in North Carolina. Andy Roddick heads the squad but will be backed up in singles by debutant Sam Querrey, with Mardy Fish putting his late September wedding plans to one side as he comes on in place of injured doubles ace Bob Bryan. James Blake pulled out due to lack of results on clay and general lethargy on court. " We are the underdogs. Someone is going to have to pull off some big wins to get this one," said US captain Patrick McEnroe. "But we are here because we think we can win."
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Sharapova’s Rehab is Coming Along Nicely
By Charles Bricker
If all goes well, and reports are that her rehabilitation is right on schedule, Maria Sharapova will re-emerge on the women's tennis trail the second week in January at an exhibition event in Hong Kong, then move directly on to defend her title at the Australian Open. Sharapova has been in Phoenix for the last month and will continue there with well-known fitness trainer Brett Fischer, who is working to strengthen the area around the torn rotator cuff in her right shoulder. No surgery is indicated and Sharapova's doctors are describing the tear as "very moderate." She hasn't been on court since she retired from a second-round match with Ai Sugiyama at the Canadian Open in early August. "She's just very relieved that the problem has finally been diagnosed," said her agent, Max Eisenbud. Doctors have traced the original rotator cuff tear back to a match against Tatiana Golovin in 2006, when she hit an ace up the T that resulted in the slightest of tears, and from there it slowly worsened until significantly more damage was done at Indian Wells this year in a match against Alona Bondarenko. Incredibly, the problem went undiagnosed for months. Sharapova continued trying to play, but she was unconsciously changing the location of her service toss in order to not feel any pain. "The first serve wasn't too bad because she throws the ball more out in front," said Eisenbud. "But on the second serve, she couldn't get her arm close to her head. Basically, they were saying they see the same thing with baseball pitchers who tear rotator cuffs. They unconsciously change their mechanics to avoid the pain. " At the French Open, Sharapova had 43 double faults in four matches, 17 in a first-round win over Evgenia Rodina. " Missing the U.S. Open and the Olympics was really tough for her," said Eisenbud. But she's resolved not to try to work through the pain. She's not coming back until the problem is corrected.
What is Ahead for the ATP?
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British Davis Cup Captain Lloyd Hopes Murray Brothers’ Truce Holds This Week
Concerned Davis Cup Captain John Lloyd is hoping that an apparent truce between the feuding Murray brothers holds during this week's Davis Cup relegation tie at Wimbledon against Austria. US Open finalist Andy and elder brother Jamie have been at odds on and off during 2008, with their latest spat over the absence of Jamie from the US Open final in New York won by Roger Federer over Andy.
"It's my job to be aware of potential tensions," said British captain John Lloyd. "I'm delighted to have everyone fit and ready to go as a team. "From my own experience of playing Davis Cup with my brother, David, I know tensions can arise between brothers. Hopefully, I can make the atmosphere fun this coming week," he told London's Mail on Sunday. The rift had threatened the stability of a team which relies almost 100 percent on the brothers ahead of a minor cast of supporting characters. It first flared in February when Jamie complained that Andy should have played in a losing tie against Argentina. Observers at the Beijing Olympic say the siblings were steaming as they played doubles together at the Beijing Olympics. "I was very concerned about the apparent differences between them. I was surprised as anyone not to see Jamie sitting in the box (at the Open)., admitted Lloyd"
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Donald Young to play Andy Roddick at Advanta WTT Smash Hits
Donald Young will battle Andy Roddick at Advanta World TeamTennis Smash Hits on Sunday, October 12 at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Ga. Young is the latest addition to the lineup of the annual charity event hosted by Billie Jean King and Elton John. Other players participating in Smash Hits are Martina Navratilova and Anna Kournikova. The players will form two teams, with one team captained by John and the other by King. John, an avid tennis fan, opens up the afternoon in a celebrity doubles event. The 16th annual event raises money for the fight against HIV and AIDS and will benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the Atlanta AIDS Partnership Fund. Advanta WTT Smash Hits has raised more than $8.5 million since 1993.
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Becker Doesn’t Like the Grunting on Court
The fire-siren screech from Serena Williams in the heat of battle is off-putting in the extreme to Boris Becker. The all-round tennis commentator has said that he fins the decibel level on court at some WTA matches more than sufficient, adding that players need to tone it down. "I'm amazed whenever I watch Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova," the three-time Wimbledon champion and current Swiss businessman told German media. "I can't help thinking it's bad for their vocal chords. It can't be healthy and it can't go on," he added. And with Teutonic finality, Becker laid down his law: "Grunting serves no athletic purpose and should be banned. " Williams was most lately heard in full throat at the US Open where she defeated Jelena Jankovic for the title this month. Sharapova, whose screech has been measured at 100 decibels - about the same as a light aircraft according to some scientists - is presumably resting her vocal chords as well as her right shoulder until the start of 2009. Becker, always thought of as a ladies man, said that the grunting has a sexual overtone which he finds unattractive. "It's symptomatic of all that's gone wrong with tennis," said Becker, who added: "You hear them grunt more than you'd like.
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Bryan Twins Will Move From California to Texas
Undeterred by the recent ravages of Hurricane Ike, U.S. Open doubles champions Bob and Mike Bryan are planning to relocate their homes from California to Central Texas. The 30-year-old twins, who have now amassed six Grand Slam titles and are the world's top doubles team, last week toured 20 properties at Horseshoe Bay, a resort community south of Marble Falls on the shores of Lake Lyndon Baines Johnson. They said they hope to make a decision after they face Spain in the Davis Cup semi-final later this week in Madrid. "We love the lakes," said Bob Bryan. "It was quiet. It was beautiful." Mike added: "It's got everything you need to train. " The brothers traveled around Central Texas making appearances for charity and play in the Tennis Classic of Austin at the World of Tennis. The exhibition match, which also included Austin resident Andy Roddick and Davis Cup teammate Sam Querrey, benefited the Children of Fallen Soldiers.
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Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic Date Set
Chris Evert will be hosting the 19th annual Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic, when the event is held November 1 and 2 at the Delray Beach Tennis Center. Among the stars scheduled to join Chris Evert and compete in the two days of tennis action are tennis greats Jim Courier, Jana Novotna, Lindsay Davenport, Murphy Jensen and Vince Spadea. They will be joined by television stars Scott Foley (“The Unit”), Alan Thicke (“Growing Pains”), Maeve Quinlan (“South of Nowhere”), comedian and film star Jon Lovitz (“Saturday Night Live”), musician Gavin Rossdale and golfing legend Greg Norman. The tennis competition is scheduled for 11 a.m. on both Saturday, Nov. 1, and Sunday, Nov. 2, at the Delray Beach Tennis Center. To date, the Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro-Celebrity has raised more than $16.8 million to fight drug abuse and assist neglected and abused children in Florida.
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Australia’s Smeets Gets Passport Allowing Him to Play on Australian Davis Cup Team
Desperate Australian Davis Cup selectors got some relief from the government as Dutch-born No. 147 Robert Smeets was finally given the passport which will allow him to play Davis Cup this week for his adopted country. He arrived in Chile Sunday. With Lleyton Hewitt a fading force as he recovers from keyhole hip surgery and the rest of the Australian game in tatters, the once-powerful tennis nation will face a near-impossible task against Chile next week on clay in South America.
Smeets, 22, has lived almost half his life in Australia but until the last few days had somehow never secured his document, believed to be due to his inability as a traveling tennis professional to live the required number of months annually in Australia. He qualified into the US Open, losing in the first round to Mardy Fish.
Australian Captain John Fitzgerald is going in with few hopes against Chile, fielding a squad led by No. 80 Chris Guccione. Such is the plight of the Aussies that the remainder of the team is made up experienced Peter Luczak and near-unknown rookies Carsten Ball and Sam Groth, with Smeets now thrown into the mix.
Smeets has only one career ATP victory but played with wildcards at the French Open and in New York.
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Four Banned Italian Players to Sue for Invasion of Privacy
The ATP's anti-corruption campaign appears to have hit another snag just a few days after Russian Nikolay Davydenko was cleared of any wrong-doing in what had been billed as a suspicious 2007 match. To add to the legal troubles of the beleaguered sanctioning body - set to lose its top official when Etienne de Villiers resigns at the end of the year - four Italian players who received bans and fines for online betting are taking their grievances to court. Ready to make a case against their punishments are Potito Starace, Daniele Bracciali, Federico Luzzi and Giorgio Galimberti, all banned from six weeks to more than six months in a flurry of punishments handed down over three months dating to last December.
"A Miami law studio will defend us for violation of privacy," Galimberti told Milan's La Gazzetta dello Sport. "The site on which we bet a few Euros didn't have the right to reveal that data because it was prior to the agreement made with the various sporting associations (over online betting by players). "None of the players were accused of betting on their own matches, merely making small regular wagers on other ATP contests. They will also sue the online site which turned over their wagering records to ATP investigators. The fifth Italian who received sanctions, Alessio di Mauro, who was slapped with a nine month ban from November, 2007, is not in on the American legal action.
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Jose Higueras Named Director of Coaching for USTA Elite Player Development
The USTA announced that Jose Higueras has been named Director of Coaching for USTA Elite Player Development. Higueras will oversee all of the program’s men’s and women’s coaching efforts and will work at the USTA Training Centers in Boca Raton, Fla., and Carson, Calif. as well as Palm Springs, Calif., where Higueras lives. He will report to Patrick McEnroe, General Manager, Elite Player Development. He fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Eliot Teltscher who resigned in 2006. Higueras, 55, won 16 ATP singles titles and was ranked as high as No. 6 in the world during his 16 year professional career. Following his retirement, Higueras made the transition from professional player to professional coach. He helped Michael Chang win a French Open title at age 17, helped Jim Courier on his way to seven majors titles and has also worked with Pete Sampras, Carlos Moya, Todd Martin, Jennifer Capriati and most recently Robby Ginepri and Roger Federer. “Jose is one of the greatest minds in coaching today,” said McEnroe. “His understanding of the sport is unrivaled, and his familiarity with American tennis makes him an invaluable asset and important addition to our staff as we continue to develop the skills of the brightest young talents in tennis.” Hgueras will work with McEnroe to develop an overall strategic approach to best identify and develop future American champions.
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Edberg to Join Senior Tour
Six-time major winner Stefan Edberg will make his debut on the BlackRock Tour of Champions on Thursday in Paris when he plays Thomas Muster. Eberg will be playing his first competitive match for 12 years at the Lagardère Paris Racing Club, and Muster is a man he will be looking forward to playing against. Between 1986 and 1996 the pair met 10 times, and Edberg won every one, including four victories on clay. The Swede will also have to find a way past home favorites Henri Leconte and Guy Forget in the group stage of the event. If he reaches the final he could set up a possible battle against fellow Swede and owner of seven major titles Mats Wilander, who will be making his first appearance of 2008 on the BlackRock Tour of Champions. Group B will also see Wilander take on two-time defending Champion Sergi Bruguera, former French Open finalist Mikael Pernfors and Frenchman Cedric Pioline. “I retired from the ATP circuit 12 years ago and had often been asked to play on the BlackRock Tour of Champions, but I had always said 'no' in the past,” said Edberg. “But this time I decided to say ‘yes’. Paris is a beautiful city and I am looking forward to seeing and playing against some of my old rivals."All the players in each group will play each other over the first three days, and the players finishing top of each group will meet each other in the final. Those finishing second in each group will contest the 3rd/4th place play-off. After Paris, the Tour will move on to Luxembourg September 25-28.
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Dementieva Qualifies for Tour Championships
Elena Dementieva has joined Jelena Jankovic, Serena Williams, Dinara Safina and Ana Ivanovic in qualifying for the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships, where the world’s top eight singles players and top four doubles teams from the 2008 season are to compete for the Championships title in Doha, Qatar, from November 4-9, 2008. Dementieva, a semifinalist at the 2008 US Open and the new Olympic gold medalist in singles, is currently ranked No.5 in the rankings with 2,855 points. With five players having secured their ticket to Doha, only three more spots remain up for grabs in the singles draw of the prestigious year-end event. Currently Maria Sharapova sits in sixth spot with 2,515 points, followed by Venus Williams with 2,106 points and Svetlana Kuznetsova with 2,022 points.
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TENNIS SHORTS
Margets of Spain Honored in Madrid
The International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced that Miguel Margets, Captain of the Spanish Fed Cup Team, is the recipient of the 2008 Fed Cup Award of Excellence. Presentation of the Fed Cup Award of Excellence was made on Sunday, September 14 in Madrid, during the Fed Cup World Group Final presented by BNP Paribas and contested between Spain and Russia.Margets was recognized for having captained Spanish Fed Cup teams since 1993 with a record of 36 and 12 with four championships. The Fed Cup Award of Excellence was inaugurated by the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Tennis Federation in 2001. The Fed Cup Award of Excellence is presented to a person who represents the ideals and spirit of the Fed Cup competition and must be a member of a past or present Fed Cup team. Past recipients of the Fed Cup Award of Excellence are Spain’s Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario and Conchita Martinez in 2001; Great Britain’s Virginia Wade in 2002; Larisa Savchenko of Latvia in 2003; Olga Morozova of Russia in 2004; Françoise “Frankie” Durr of France in 2005; Sabine Appelmans of Belgium in 2006; and Lea Pericoli of Italy in 2007.
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Clouser Named Chairman of Hall of Fame & Museum
Christopher E. Clouser has been named the new Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum. Clouser succeeds Hardwick Simmons, who served as Chairman for the past four years. Clouser, a member of the Hall’s Associate Board since 2001, joined the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors in 2004. In 2005, he was elected Chairman of the Hall of Fame’s Executive Committee. Clouser is currently Chairman of Griffin International Companies, whose principal offices are in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Shenzhen, China. Griffin International is a leading supplier, manufacturer, importer and marketer of a wide variety of consumer goods and electronic products.
In addition, Clouser is the former Chairman of ATP Properties and past Chairman of the ATP Foundation.
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Vandeweghe Gets New Travel Coach
By Charlie Bricker
Former Lindsay Davenport coach Adam Peterson has been hired as traveling coach to 16-year-old Coco Vandeweghe, who won the U.S. Open juniors to become the No. 1 American teenaged prospect.Robert Van't Hof, who had been working in Southern California with Vandeweghe since April, will continue as a coaching consultant, but he's not interested in traveling. Van't Hof, the former ATP pro, had squired Davenport through her formative years in the 1990s and was instrumental in developing her game. He and Peterson are close friends and associates.It's apparently another excellent fit for Vandeweghe, who prefers thoughtful tutorials on court instead of hard-driven shouters. Her junior triumph at the Open doesn't net her any ranking points. She is at No. 511 this week. But her breakthrough and her physical presence (she's 6-foot tall) marked her as the American junior with the most upside.She'll play a series of Challengers in Mexico and the U.S., finishing up in San Diego in early December.
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Van der Meer and Head Inducted into Hall of Fame
Dennis Van der Meer and Howard Head, the first two inductees into the “Tennis Industry Hall of Fame,” were honored in New York City during the US Open.
“We’ve set the bar very high with our inaugural inductees into the Tennis Industry Hall of Fame,” said Dave Haggerty, president of the Tennis Industry Association (TIA), at the reception at the Grand Hyatt in New York on Aug. 24.Van der Meer, born in 1933 in what is now Namibia in southern Africa, founded the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR), based in Hilton Head Island, S.C., in 1976 to certify tennis teaching professionals. Often lauded as “the greatest tennis teacher in the world,” having personally taught tens of thousands of recreational players and thousands of tennis teachers, Van der Meer’s influence in the game has touched millions of players. He also has coached world-class players on both the women’s and men’s professional tours.Howard Head, who was born in 1914 and died in 1991, first transformed the ski industry in the late 1940s when he designed a new type of ski that combined metal, plastic and plywood that was more durable, lighter and easier to turn. He founded the Head Ski Co., which later became Head Sports and diversified into tennis, producing a metal racquet in 1969. He then joined Prince Manufacturing, where he first helped to redesign and improve a tennis ball machine, then later designed and patented a racquet with a 20 percent larger head, which enlarged the sweetspot and made the game easier for millions of players. The Tennis Industry Hall of Fame recognizes those individuals who have made a significant impact to the sport, from the 1960s to the present. Nominations are made in four categories: inventors, founders, innovators and contributors.
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WTA SCHEDULED TO PLAY
Upcoming schedules as of September 15, 2008
1. Serena Williams - Stuttgart, Moscow
2. Jelena Jankovic - Beijing, Stuttgart, Moscow, Zurich
3. Ana Ivanovic - Beijing, Zurich
4. Elena Dementieva - Stuttgart, Moscow
5. Dinara Safina - Beijing, Stuttgart, Moscow
6. Maria Sharapova - Zurich
7. Svetlana Kuznetsova - Beijing, Stuttgart, Moscow
8. Venus Williams - Stuttgart, Moscow, Zurich
9. Vera Zvonareva - Beijing, Stuttgart, Moscow, Zurich
10. Agnieszka Radwanska - Beijing, Stuttgart, Moscow, Zurich
11. Patty Schnyder - Stuttgart, Zurich
12. Daniela Hantuchova - Beijing, Stuttgart, Moscow
13. Anna Chakvetadze - Beijing, Moscow, Zurich
14. Marion Bartoli - Stuttgart, Moscow, Zurich
15. Victoria Azarenka - Seoul, Stuttgart, Moscow, Zurich
16. Flavia Pennetta - Beijing, Stuttgart, Moscow, Zurich
17. Caroline Wozniacki - Beijing, Tokyo [JO], Moscow, Zurich
18. Alize Cornet - Beijing, Stuttgart, Moscow, Zurich
19. Agnes Szavay - Beijing, Stuttgart, Moscow, Zurich
20. Nadia Petrova - Stuttgart, Moscow, Zurich
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COVERS
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A Reminder to Our Readers
We wish to remind our readers that our all-day tennis newswire is available to all tennis fans.
Just go to www.tennisnews.com anytime throughout the day for the latest tennis news. We surf the internet all day and post links to stories in newspapers and electronic media around the world. “We surf the net so you don’t have to."
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SIGHTINGS
Send your player sightings to: cort@tennisnews.com
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APPEARING SOON
Sept. 27, 2008 Bob and Mike Bryan host the Bryan Brothers' All Star Tennis Smash at Sherwood Country Club in Westlake Village, CA. Also appearing are; Andre Agassi, Sam Querrey, James, Blake, John Isner, Mardy Fish and Lindsay Davenport. More information at www.bryanbrosfoundation.org.
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MONEY MOUNTAIN
2008 Prize Money Earnings
MEN (September 15)
1 Nadal, Rafael
$6,583,074
2 Federer, Roger
4,561,341
3 Djokovic, Novak
3,831,382
4 Murray, Andy
2,334,965
5 Davydenko, Nikolay
1,521,606
6 Ferrer, David
1,095,268
7 Roddick, Andy
1,047,237
8 Wawrinka, Stanislas
918,781
9 Del Potro, Juan Martin
889,333
10 Blake, James
850,081
WOMEN (September 15)
1
Williams, Serena
$3,641,548
2
Ivanovic, Ana
2,563,675
3
Jankovic, Jelena
2,333,760
4
Williams, Venus
2,272,130
5
Safina, Dinara
2,145,920
6
Sharapova, Maria
1,937,879
7
Dementieva, Elena
1,482,994
8
Kuznetsova, Svetlana
1,160,684
9
Radwanska, Agnieszka
925,779
10
Zvonareva, Vera
822,855
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HE SAID... SHE SAID...
"I'm amazed whenever I watch Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. I can't help thinking it's bad for their vocal chords. It can't be healthy and it can't go on. Grunting serves no athletic purpose and should be banned." - Boris Becker talking about his take on grunting in tennis.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY
September
Tomas Berdych
17
1985
Virginia Ruano Pascual
21
1973
Mark Woodforde
23
1965
Juan Martin del Potro
23
1988
Serena Williams
26
1981
Kimiko Date
28
1970
Martina Hingis
30
1980
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Bob Larson - Publisher
Cort Larson - Editor
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