Wednesday, February 18, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

Federer Withdraws From USA Davis Cup Tie and Dubai

The Davis Cup tie between the US and Switzerland took a major prestige hit as Roger Federer withdrew with a back injury which he wants to get right before the Masters 1000 events next month at Indian Wells and Miami.
USTA officials will be breathing a sigh of relief with the March 6-8 tie in Alabama already sold out. Federer will also skip next week's Barclays Championships in Dubai to try and cure his lingering back trouble.
"I'm disappointed to announce that I am withdrawing from both Dubai and the Davis Cup tie in the United States," the No. 2 told his website. "After injuring my back last fall, I did not have enough time to strengthen it completely.
"As a precautionary measure, I will use the next few weeks to make sure the back injury is fully rehabilitated and I am ready for the rest of the 2009 season.
"This was a hard decision to make as I am missing not only one of my favorite events on tour in Dubai but I am also missing out on an opportunity to help my country try and move on to the next round of Davis Cup."
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Wall Street Journal Withdraws Dubai Sponsorship

In a sign of the commercial upheaval that the UAE’s refusal to issue a visa to Israel’s Shahar Peer may cause, Reuters has reported that the Wall Street Journal's European edition has withdrawn its sponsorship of the Barclay’s Dubai Tennis Championships.
"The Wall Street Journal's editorial philosophy is free markets and free people, and this action runs counter to the Journal's editorial direction," the paper said in a statement.
Advertising banners for the Wall Street Journal were removed from the site on Wednesday.
The tournament has defended the decision not to issue a visa to Peer, which is in direct contradiction of WTA rules, on security grounds, stating that her presence would trigger protests. That certainly indicates that Andy Ram, who is intending to play in the doubles of the ATP event next week, will also be denied a visa.
The ATP will need to decide within the next one or two days whether their event should go ahead, before players begin arriving in the Emirates. ATP board member Justin Gimelstob is said to be on his way to Dubai to face the matter head on. It would appear that the only way the tournament could go ahead is if the ATP accepts that security is the key factor.
However, WTA chief Larry Scott has said that nothing justifies their action, and that if they do not back down then he would not hesitate to remove the tournament from the 2010 schedule, despite the financial implications.
"I had hoped in this day and age that sporting principles would be recognized as separate from politics and this is a big step back," Scott told Reuters in an interview. "It's a big step back for the region and a reality check for everyone that political influences will try to be imposed on sports from time to time.
"It's a lesson learned within the world of tennis and I think beyond as other sporting organizations are certainly going to pay attention to this and proceed accordingly."
"If (Dubai does not back down), I'm sure there would be significant financial implications (for us) but from my perspective, this can't happen again regardless of any economic impact. It just can't happen again."

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Tennis Channel Cancels Dubai Coverage

Tennis Channel announced it regrets to inform its viewers and tennis fans that it is canceling its upcoming coverage of the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships in Dubai, U.A.E, originally scheduled for this weekend. 
“Unfortunately the event will exclude a single player who has been blocked from entering the country due to her nationality.  This is despite her having qualified for the competition via her on-court performance and current ranking.  Tennis Channel recognizes that this exclusion has been made by state authorities and neither the tour nor tournament directors themselves. 
“However we also honor the role and proud tradition that tennis has always played as a driving force for inclusion both on and off the courts.  Preventing an otherwise qualified athlete from competing on the basis of anything other than merit has no place in tennis or any other sport, and has the unfortunate result of undermining the credibility of the very nature of competition itself.”

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Tennis Australia Names its Davis Cup Squad

Lleyton Hewitt will lead Australia’s Davis Cup campaign against Thailand in Bangkok March 6-8, backed up by Chris Guccione, Carsten Ball and teenager Brydan Klein. Klein has been picked ahead of 15-year old Bernard Tomic, who has been involved in controversy with Tennis Australia and the ITF after walking off court during a match in Perth.
"We've picked a good team that I think is capable of winning in Thailand.  Lleyton, Chris and Carsten have done a lot of work over the summer and are all sharp and ready," said Captain John Fitzgerald.
Klein, now 206, is poised for a move into the Top 200 on the ATP just a few weeks ago by winning a pair of lower-level local titles this month in Australia.
Australia and Thailand met last year in Townsville with Australia winning 5-0. Danai Udomchoke, ranked 160, will lead the Thai side in the Asia-Oceania playoff.
Coach Darren Cahill, who is standing aside for business and personal reasons, has been replaced by Wally Masur.

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Great Britain’s Lloyd is Zeroing in on his Davis Cup Squad Lineup

John Lloyd has never been a man who likes upsetting people but the British Davis Cup captain has been forced to give Jamie Murray the hard word in leaving the elder half of Scotland's brother act out of the upcoming tie against the Ukraine.
Lloyd admitted he made a mistake naming two specialist doubles players in last September's World Group play-off tie against Austria at Wimbledon that saw Britain suffer a disheartening defeat. He acknowledged having to make a straight choice between Jamie Murray and Ross Hutchins. It was the more experienced and higher ranked player who suffered the cut.
"Choosing between two quality doubles players was always going to be tough," said Lloyd who largely based his decision on recent form although it also seems that Andy Murray would rather play doubles alongside his good friend Hutchins than with his elder brother.
The two Murrays had something of a family spat last year at the Olympics and since then the relationship has been a little strained. Hutchins trained with the younger Murray in Florida last December while the elder brother stayed back in London, playing in the BlackRock Masters at the Royal Albert Hall and sampling the social life.
Clearly Murray suffered teething problems in the playing relationship with his new regular partner Dusan Vemic of Serbia and Lloyd continued: "I've been studying the players since the last tie in September and feel that Ross has been playing the better tennis over the last four or five months so he gets the nod this time. Jamie is a very talented doubles player and has always thrived in the Davis Cup environment and I have no doubt that he will feature in the team in the future."
Before this week's event in Memphis, Jamie suffered four successive first round exits and at the Australian Open, where he suffered early elimination alongside his former partner Eric Butorac, he admitted: "I certainly have not been winning too many matches lately. Once you start to doubt yourself on court, then you are going to struggle a bit."
Next week Lloyd will finalize his team to play the Ukraine in the Euro/Africa Zone Group One tie when he stages a six-man play-off at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton. Josh Goodall, Alex Slabinsky, James Ward, Dan Evans and Colin Fleming have been joined in the best-of-five-set tournament by Chris Eaton after Jamie Baker pulled out with an injury. "With Andy and Ross in the team, it is up to the guys in the play-offs to step up and show that they are ready to play for Great Britain," said Lloyd.
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Rusedski Ends His Plan to Play the Tour and Davis Cup

Greg Rusedski's projected comeback at the age of 35 has ended before it even started. The ice cold reaction of both Tournament Directors and British Davis Cup captain of John Lloyd has convinced the Canadian-born left hander to stay in retirement.
Rusedski offered his services to Lloyd for the upcoming Euro/African Zone Group One tie against the Ukraine but was told he was not required. Then he drew a blank with requests for wild cards into the Rotterdam and Marseille tournaments.
It's not happening ever again, I'm done," said Rusedski. "Sometimes it's better to let things go and so you can quote me on this. I'm not coming back ever again. I'm happy to be officially retired and I can't wait for this thing to be over."
A good showing in December's BlackRock Masters senior event in London convinced Rusedski that he still possessed the ability to play on the main ATP Tour and regain his place in the British Davis Cup team from which he retired nearly two years ago.
“I thought I could benefit the team, so I took the plunge and called John. He could have given me the opportunity – but he decided to go with the youngsters. I have to respect that. We will see what happens in this tie. I'm not going to be part of it now, which is fine, but one of these young guys needs to step up."
Rusedski was willing to participate in next week's play-offs to decide who will support Murray in the tie. "John knew I would test myself in any way he liked," said the London-based ex-player who will now content himself with being an Ambassador for the Lawn Tennis Association, Britain's Junior Davis Cup captain and assorted television work. "I would have played [low-ranked] Challenger events, or Futures, to prove myself ready. I would've gone in any direction I needed to. But I respect the fact that these young players are working every day and I would've been a short-term solution.
"I'm realistic. I'm not anywhere near the top 20. And [Rafael] Nadal and [Roger] Federer and Murray are obviously in another league. I can't play with those guys any more. I'm not delusional. But I can still compete with top 100 guys."
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Jelena Jankovic needs time to get going, she says, but then watch out

"I am a player who needs to play a lot of matches to get a rhythm," she said at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships. "I feel like I become like a machine when I play a lot. I don’t need to think. Everything comes automatically when I am playing a lot. I’m just getting that kind of rhythm and know I have a lot of confidence. Like in Australia, I didn’t have any matches before so it was very hard for me to read the ball, I didn’t see it very well I was late on every shot. My whole concept of the game was lost. I was struggling out there. Now I am getting back. I am getting better and better but I still have a lot of improvement to work on."
The Serbian lost in the first round in Brisbane and, as world number one, got no further than the quarter-finals at the Australian Open, where she lost to Dinara Safina.
“For some reason I had a tough time moving there. I felt very slow in Australia. If I am not moving well and getting behind the ball It is very tough for me to compete. I have been working on my footwork, on my movement and on my reactions in general. I felt in slow motion. It was a complete disaster for me. It is a very uncomfortable feeling when you feel like that. That is something I have to get better and I was already doing much better in Paris. I guess when you don’t compete for a while your hand-eye coordination and reactions suffer.
"You can play a lot of sparring matches. You train for hours and hours. But practice and a real match is a completely different story. The atmosphere, the tension, the pressure of playing big points. Everything is different. That’s why I need to play and play to get into that rhythm again. I feel that I am on the right track. I am very much better than I was in Australia so that’s a positive thing."

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