Thursday, February 26, 2008
Bob Larson's
TENNIS CELEBS
© Copyright 2009. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis
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
Ram’s Appearance Causes No Problems in Dubai
Andy Ram’s controversial appearance at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships that almost brought the sport to a halt last week ended in an anti-climax.
The Israeli doubles player who was only allowed a visa to enter Dubai after enormous pressure was exerted upon the United Arab Emirates government, lost in his opening match alongside Kevin Ullyett to the duo of David Ferrer and Marat Safin.
High security surrounded the outside court at Dubai’s Aviation Club; spectators were not allowed to carry cameras or mobile phones and even bottles of water were banned. But there was no sign of any protests against Ram’s presence amongst the 200-strong crowd.
Despite the 6-3,3-6,10-8 exit, Ram was insistent: “It was a different experience for me but I’ve enjoyed my stay here very much. To me it doesn’t matter where I am playing but everywhere I went bodyguards were watching me 24/7.”
Ram was even given his own personal locker room and he continued: “Obviously it was history with me being the Israeli coming to play sport in Dubai. I fought for something and coming here was something really big. It showed we should not involve sport with politics.”
The 28 year-old who now sets off to play for Israel on Davis Cup duty in Malmo against Sweden behind locker doors with no spectators as a security measure. “This is something really bad and there’s nothing I can do about it,” he said. “It’s really disturbing me a lot. It’s wrong.”
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Roddick Will Miss Federer in USA-Switzerland Davis Cup Tie
Andy Roddick is disappointed that Roger Federer won't be on the court when Switzerland travel to Alabama for next week's Davis Cup first-round tie.
The Swiss, who put in a brief appearance at the player party at this week's Dubai event which he is also skipping, is out as he tries to deal with a lingering back problem.
The intended appearance of the world No. 2 was one of the main reasons that the tie in the tennis backwater sold out in around an hour. The USTA suddenly found a few hundred extra seats which it also put up for grabs.
"There was going to be a lot of hype around it, probably the biggest since I've played here in the US," said Andy Roddick, back in his usual position as team leader with backup from James Blake and the Bryan brothers.
"And that's probably including the final. I was disappointed. I think you're disappointed for the 16,000 fans who bought tickets right away.
"But "I assure you, Davis Cup is not like any other tennis match. It will still be a good time. We'll still be there."
Roddick said the untrampled corner of America would surely be excited no matter who played. "I think we've had our most successful Davis Cup ties when we've taken it to a place that's gonna get really excited about it."
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Dokic Enhancing Her Bid For Improving by Training at Bollettieri Academy
A month after recapturing the tennis hearts of Australia, Jelena Dokic has stepped up her bid to return to the world’s top 20 by working out at the IMG Nick Bollettieri Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
The former World No. 4, who has suffered from depression, a succession of domestic traumas in her family and an alarming loss in physical condition that saw an alarming gain in weight, began the Australian Open ranked 187th in the world but her passage to the quarter finals saw her rise to 80th spot.
"To come after a three‑year layoff and to be in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam straight-aways really gives you a lot confidence," Dokic said. "When I get my match fitness back to my 100 percent and physically and still mentally to improve and get stronger, I think — we see there's a lot of seeds falling. Maybe I can have a chance to do even better at a Grand Slam."
So after making a return for Australia in the Fed Cup and qualifying in Memphis before losing in the first round to top seed Caroline Wozniacki, she headed for the strict physical regime of Bradenton. And she was welcomed with open arms by the man that has produced numerous champions from within the Academy’s boundaries.
"It is absolutely wonderful to see Jelena Dokic back out on the court playing well, because she is an asset to the women’s game," Bollettieri said. "Don’t be surprised to see Jelena moving up the rankings even higher throughout the rest of 2009."
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Murray Contemplates His Future
Andy Murray, the current form player of men's game who this week is bidding for a clean sweep of the Arabian Gulf tennis riches at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, is not contemplating life for several years to come without the constant threat of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer at the pinnacle of the ATP World Tour.
After winning the year opening Capitala World Championship exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi and following up a week later with a successful defense of the ExxonMobil Qatar Open in Doha, Murray has proved himself very much a man of the desert.
The absence of three times champion Federer, 2006 winner Nadal and last year's champion Andy Roddick, makes Murray the hot favorite to win again with the major threat being world no.3 Novak Djokovic who will have to acclimatize after flying in from Marseille's semi-finals.
But Murray is taking nothing for granted, either this week or looking further into the future. Nadal is missing to rest his troublesome knees while Federer revealed he is suffering from back problems.
Murray believes both are some temporary problems. "Everyone thought Rafa's knees were an issue 18 months ago," said the Scot. "Then all of a sudden he's won a ridiculous amount of matches and become no.1 in the world.
"Roger's motivation is obviously to the Slams. So perhaps his performances have dropped a bit in smaller tournaments, but in the big tournaments he's still been awesome. They're two of the best players of all time so to get in front of them and be no.1 would be an unbelievable achievement."
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Federer is Not in the Draw in Dubai, But he is There
He might not be playing at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships this week, but Roger Federer is in Dubai to give a speech about how to be successful in business.
He made an appearance at an exclusive event ‘Meet and Greet’ by Jura, for whom he is a Brand Ambassador for the Swiss coffee machine manufacturer. Federer took part in a panel discussion and shared his tips on what it takes to stay on top, even when the going gets tough.
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Santoro Says This is His Final Season
Frenchman Fabrice Santoro has confirmed this will be his final season, and there will doubtless be many sad moments as he goes around the world playing for the last time at places he has competed at for more than half his life.
The Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships means more to him than most, as he was in the final the first year the tournament was held, in 1993, when he lost to Karel Novacek.
Ten years later he went one better and won the title under remarkable circumstances, arriving from hospital after falling sick and with zero expectations. Yet he was able to defeat Younes El Aynaoui for the title.
"Yeah, yeah, it's kind of normal for me to come here in February, since 17 years," said Santoro. "But I'll be 37 at the end of the year, and I think it's time to maybe try to do something else. Even if I love my job, I have to take a decision one day.
"I'll be back to Dubai. Not as a player probably, but I'll be back to Dubai. (But now) every city, every week, is special for me, because when I land in the city, I say, it's the last check in, as a player. But I was very lucky. I've been doing this for 21 years, and I feel very lucky. When I started, I never thought I could do it for more than ten years."
Of all the cities he has visited over his long career, which will he miss the most?
"I will miss this week, I will miss Dubai. I will miss Melbourne. I will miss actually all four Grand Slams, and playing in front of the French crowd. Yeah."
And what will he do after he finally hangs up his racquets?
"Doing something else means sleeping in my bed first. Something that's normal for you, but not for me. Then, I will see. I have started to think about it. Nothing is fixed yet, but every day I'm thinking about it. I can play one part probably in tennis and one part, I hope outside of tennis, to keep one foot in tennis, and also to see if I'm able to do something out of tennis, it's a good challenge for me."
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Safin to Retire at End of Season
Marat Safin is remaining true to his decision to quit tennis at the end of the season.
"I'm still sticking to my plan, this is going to be the last season," said the Russian after going out in the first round at the Barclays Championships in Dubai. "I won't change my mind."
Safin said he hopes to not only win one final title but also wrap up at the last event of the regular season at Paris Bercy in November, which he has won three times. "That’s a tournament where I play the best tennis and where I won the Davis Cup.
"I would love to say bye bye there."
The 29-year-old says he remains ready to fight through to the end of 2009. "I'm motivated, I'm trying to keep my body in shape and looking forward for some good results throughout the year.
"I think it's much easier to do something great when you are less stressed and less and you have less expectations on yourself."
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TENNIS SHORTS
Fernando Velasco Named PTR Male Player of the Year
Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) presented its annual awards last week during the 2009 PTR International Tennis Symposium at Van der Meer Shipyard Racquet Club on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
Fernando Velasco, General Manager and Director of Tennis of the Circle C Tennis Club in Austin, Texas, was named PTR Male Player of the Year. Velasco is currently ranked #1 in Texas and #20 in the National USTA65 and over Singles.
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Tracy Austin Named Special Consultant for USTA Player Development
The USTA announced that tennis Hall-of-Famer and two-time US Open Champion Tracy Austin will serve as a special consultant for USTA Player Development. Austin will assist in the coaching of female players at the USTA’s West Coast Training Center in Carson, Calif., and will report to Patrick McEnroe, General Manager, USTA Player Development.
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PTR Presents Annual Awards
Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) presented its annual awards this week during the 2009 PTR International Tennis Symposium on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Some of those honored were;
PTR Professional of the Year - Ken DeHart, San Jose, Ca
Touring Pro Coach of the Year- Leo Alonso, Buenos Aires
College Coach of the Year - Bryan Shelton, Alpharetta, Ga
High School Coach of the Year - Michael Kypriss, Hollywood, Fl
Public Facility of the Year - Bass-Rudd Center, Louisville, Ky
Private Facility of the Year - Pacific AC, Redwood City, Ca.
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WTA SCHEDULED TO PLAY
Upcoming schedules as of February 23, 2009
1. Serena Williams - Miami
2. Dinara Safina - Indian Wells, Miami
3. Jelena Jankovic - Indian Wells, Miami
4. Elena Dementieva - Indian Wells, Miami
5. Venus Williams - Miami
6. Vera Zvonareva - Indian Wells, Miami
7. Ana Ivanovic - Indian Wells, Miami
8. Svetlana Kuznetsova - Indian Wells, Miami
9. Nadia Petrova - Indian Wells, Miami
10. Agnieszka Radwanska - Monterrey, Indian Wells, Miami
11. Victoria Azarenka - Indian Wells, Miami
12. Alize Cornet - Indian Wells, Miami
13. Caroline Wozniacki - Indian Wells, Miami
14. Marion Bartoli - Monterrey, Indian Wells, Miami
15. Flavia Pennetta - Monterrey, Indian Wells, Miami
16. Patty Schnyder - Indian Wells, Miami
17. Dominika Cibulkova - Indian Wells, Miami
18. Zheng Jie - Monterrey, Indian Wells, Miami
19. Amelie Mauresmo - Indian Wells, Miami
20. Kaia Kanepi - Indian Wells, Miami
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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
March 2 - Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic in the BNP Paribas Showdown for the Billie Jean King Cup at Madison Square Garden.
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MONEY MOUNTAIN
2009 Prize Money Earnings
MEN (February 23)
1 Nadal, Rafael
$1,570,335
2 Federer, Roger
724,800
3 Roddick, Andy
668,473
4 Murray, Andy
606,937
5 Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried
390,704
6 Stepanek, Radek
352,433
7 Verdasco, Fernando
311,490
8 Robredo, Tommy
304,655
9 Del Potro, Juan Martin
241,136
10 Cilic, Marin
225,429
WOMEN (February 23)
1
Williams, Serena
$1,666,697
2
Safina, Dinara
749,578
3
Williams, Venus
525,822
4
Dementieva, Elena
483,008
5
Zvonareva, Vera
338,413
6
Razzano, Virginie
233,504
7
Bartoli, Marion
168,642
8
Kuznetsova, Svetlana
155,284
9
Hantuchova, Daniela
153,432
10
Mauresmo, Amelie
152,227
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HE SAID... SHE SAID...
“It was a different experience for me but I’ve enjoyed my stay here very much. To me it doesn’t matter where I am playing but everywhere I went bodyguards were watching me 24/7.” - Andy Ram at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY
February
Na Li
26
1982
Ivo Karlovic
28
1979
Jelena Jankovic
28
1985
March
Jose Higueras
1
1953
Kevin Curren
2
1958
Nicole Pratt
5
1973
Anna Chakvetadze
5
1987
Ivan Lendl
7
1960
Barbara Schett
10
1976
Thomas Enqvist
13
1974
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Bob Larson - Publisher
Cort Larson - Editor
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