Friday, June 26, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

Some Grunters Are Gone, But the Issue Remains

Regardless of the Wimbledon exits of serial shriekers Maria Sharapova and Michelle Larcher de Brito, grunting continues to be the major issue on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s disciplinary agenda.
So far ‘gruntometers’ or decibel registering sound monitors have been widespread around the All England Club and Victoria Azarenka, another one louder member of the women’s tour, had her grunt repeatedly mocked and imitated by the crowd during her second round win over Romania’s Ioana Raluca Olaru.
In a couple of days the issue will cease to be a problem for Larry Scott when he vacates his position of Chief Executive Officer with the WTA Tour and takes up his duties on American’s west coast with the Pac-10.
However he revealed the levels of concern that exist amongst those fellow executives he will leave behind. “Up till now – this may change – it's been more of an issue about the presentation of the sport, and it hasn't really been a competition issue," said Scott. "We are looking at it, and have started a process of looking at it more carefully."
Scott acknowledged that historically grunting only became an issue during the Wimbledon fortnight but things have changed following Martina Navratilova’s impassioned speech at the International Tennis Federation’s World Champion’s Dinner in Paris and subsequent claims that the habit is tantamount to cheating.
“This year it's expanded,” he continued. “At Roland Garros, we started hearing about this and reading about it in a way we hadn't before outside Wimbledon.
“There are rules in place.  Nothing needs to be reinvented if you wanted to start doing something.  There are hindrance rules.  Chair umpires are empowered to issue warnings, point penalties if there is a feeling that it is gamesmanship affecting play. It's just being monitored a little bit more closely right now.”
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Scott Leaves WTA Next Week Without a Permanent Replacement

WTA CEO Larry Scott is leaving the organization at the end of this month, but a replacement for him has still not been found. Various applicants are being interviewed during the Wimbledon fortnight, and a short-list will be interviewed again in New York.
"We've got a search committee," said Scott. "I've been participating on that search committee with some board members. We've hired a world leading executive recruiting unit, Korn/Ferry, to lead the process. They're at speed. It's going well. Our board doesn't feel in a particular rush in that even though I'm leaving at the end of this month, we have a very strong and solid management team in place.
"David Shoemaker and Stacey Allaster, my two top deputies, are going to be co-heads of the tour for this interim period. I don't expect for it to last very long. Everyone is working hard. No one is going to rush the process. But you'll hear news when there's news to announce. There's no defined timetable we're working against."
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ATP to Have Tournament in Kuala Lumpur in September

The ATP is to stage a new tournament in Kuala Lumpur. The Malaysian Open will be a World Tour 250 event and take place September 26 to October 4, in direct competition to the Thailand Open in Bangkok. It will offer nearly $950,000 in prize money, feature a 28 draw and take place in the 16,000 seat Putra Stadium. 
Kuala Lumpur has announced Fernando Verdasco, Nikolay Davydenko, Fernando Gonzalez, Robin Soderling, Kei Nishikori, Gael Monfils and David Ferrer. Soderling, who lost to Roger Federer in the Roland Garros final, made his final decision in dramatic fashion in a late telephone call from Wimbledon which arrived during a speech at the Friday press conference by Malaysia's prime minister.
It is the fifth of the autumn Asian swing and will double-up with Bangkok held the same week. While Bangkok, which offers $600,000 in prize money, has so far only revealed that Rafael Nadal and 2008 champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will compete in that tournament,
Events in Tokyo and Beijing and the Shanghai Masters 1000 follow.
"There is great demand for cities to host ATP events and in particular within the Asian region," said ATP International head Brad Drewett. "Asian tennis fans have demonstrated that they are among the best in the world and we are excited that tennis fans across Malaysia now have the opportunity to see some of the world's best players battling it out in the heart of Kuala Lumpur."
Kuala Lumpur was the setting for two years of the WTA Tour’s Wismilak International after it was moved from Surabaya, Indonesia, due to political unrest. That event was then moved to Bali and renamed this year as the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions. That event will be staged as a second tier end-of-season Championships, featuring players who have won International Series events this season. Qualifiers so far include Caroline Wozniacki, Tamarine Tanasugarn, Marion Bartoli, together with others such as Venus Williams, Jelena Jankovic and Elena Dementieva, who would play in Bali if they fail to qualify for the Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha.
A WTA event is being planned in Kuala Lumpur for next year, although on a smaller scale to the ATP tournament.
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Wimbledon Scheduling Surprises French Open Champion Kuznetsova

Svetlana Kuznetsova is the French Open champion, but Wimbledon has not put her on the major showcourts so far this year. Typically, she doesn’t allow it to bother her.
"I'm fine to put me wherever they want to put me," she said. "They don't have to put me Centre Court. But with the schedule, this is little bit weird thing. If you look at the schedule, it's not about only me. It's about Dinara plays on court No. 2, Venus plays on court No. 1, and girls who's not very high seeded they play Centre. I respect them. They're great players, for sure. But this is what's weird for me, what's their strategy was of the plan of making the schedule. This is what surprised me a little bit.
"But, you know, in Wimbledon you have to expect anything. So this is Wimbledon. That's why it's special for everybody. It's special for me, as well. That's why I like it, because it's unpredictable."
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Wimbledon’s Roof Has Been Used This Year

Wimbledon now has The Roof, but everyone thinks it hasn’t been used yet at the 2009 Championships. But yes it has.
While it hasn’t rained so far, the All England Club put the retractable roof into good use on Tuesday to block out the sun for VIPs in the Royal Box. Temperatures soared to 33C (91.4F) so they brought the roof out a few feet to provide some shade. They do the same thing at the Australian Open.
"The roof was totally effective and we are very happy that its first use went so successfully," a spokesman told the Daily Mirror. "Due to soaring temperatures on the Centre Court it was essential. The roof was designed for rain and bad light but it's proved it has more than one use. It was money well-spent."
Ninety people received medical attention from St John’s Ambulance Service for heat-related illness, such as sunstroke and dehydration, on Tuesday, but possible heavy showers are forecast for Friday.
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Staying Close to Tournament Has Its Drawbacks for Kuznetsova

It’s all very well staying in Wimbledon Village and being a short distance from the locker room with no London traffic to deal with. But there are not the shops there that you find in the city, and that can be bad news for people with money to spend but no opportunity to do it. Like Svetlana Kuznetsova.
"I was very excited they put me first actually, because I wanted to try to finish quick and I want to go shopping," she said after her second round victory. "Because staying in the Village, it's great. Close to the court, but there's not much to do. So I'm getting very bored in the afternoons after my matches and practices. I want to go shopping and see London. Not tourism though, because you get tired. I need just two, three hours to spend some cash.
"I just like to buy clothes, to buy things. Also this year I was so terrible. I was maybe too focused on my tennis work then I didn't buy any presents for nobody. I mean, if I want to buy present, I buy present. It's not problem for me. Like for my hitting partner I say, I won this, so you get the present. But my mom had a birthday, I didn't buy anything, my good friend had a birthday, I didn't buy. I'm like, yeah, yeah, I'm giving you a present soon. I am working on it. I look embarrassed, so I need to go and get some presents."
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Ivanovic Returns to the adidas Team

Ana Ivanovic thought she needed a one-on-one coach instead of the adidas team she had been working with, and she tried working with Craig Kardon. But now she’s back with the adidas team and is very satisfied with that.
”I thought at that moment that a different way of thinking will help me to refresh my game”, she explained her move of last autumn. ”I also thought that having a regular coach will also be better for me, especially since someone else would be able to help me against Adidas players. After all Sven could not work with me every day and every match.”
"Yes, I've been back with adidas program last couple of weeks. Seeing Sven (Groenefeld), it's really good," she said. "I think from all the coaches, he knows my game the best. We spend couple years working together. We went through a lot together, so he knows not only my game but also he can tell in my face expression how I'm feeling. It really feels good to have someone in the crowd that I can look to and, you know, he can just, you know, be supportive. It already means a lot to me, and it makes me calm.
"I felt like I wanted maybe full-time coach, but obviously now I'm really, really happy to be back with the program. And I feel it's working well for me. Obviously now they have Darren Cahill. He is very experienced coach. He just tells me everything how it is. And he doesn't try to, you know, make me feel good or anything. If I'm not doing something right, he's gonna tell me straightaway. So in that way I feel I can apply it straightaway and I can straightaway be more positive and work on certain things. And it gives me confidence because I know exactly what I'm doing right and what I'm not."
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Tricky is Allergic to Grass

Ivan Lendl once said that grass is for cows only. Viktor Troicki has a different problem.
“I am allergic to grass”, admitted Serbian player who will challenge Andy Murray in third round on Wimbledon. “Here and on all other grass tournament. Simply there is something in air that bothers me.”
Of course, problem is not that serious, but it is not that easy for seed 30 to breathe in London. He has enough opportunities, though, to get used to grass, since his base is in Halle, the host of the only ATP grass court tournament outside of Britain.

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Lack of Sponsors at Kuznetsova’s Door Doesn’t Bother Her

Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic are the glamour girls of the WTA. Svetlana Kuznetsova has enjoyed at least as much success, but the sponsors have never lined up at her door. She says it used to bother her, but not now.
"Well, you know, it's not my problem to think about it," said the French Open champion. "My problem is to get my best results I can, and this is it. I'm happy who I am and I'm happy the way I am. I am enjoying myself on the court, and for me it's most important thing. What they get, I never look at another basket, you know, I look at my basket. I don't know what they get, so.... I'm all right. Maybe I used to care more, but that's when I was younger. But why should I? Why should I look at somebody's house or somebody else's garden? I'm happy with what I have. If I want to have more, I just have to play better. This is for me the key."
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Does Ivanovic Have a Special Friend?

There was a rumor during Australian Open that Ana Ivanovic broke with Fernando Verdasco because of a few pictures of her with Adam Scott on Gold Coast beach.
No one ever confirmed it, but since then lot of gossip put Serbian golden girl in the same sentence with the famous golfer.
Scott was spotted during both Ana’s matches in Wimbledon, he was watching her wins from the stands, but when she was questioned about him, there was no straight answer.
“That is strictly private question”, refused the most beautiful tennis player to clarify if Australian heartthrob is only a friend or something more. She learned her lesson, since she never refused to say what is going on in her private life before.

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Murray Receives a Royal “Well Done”

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth is not known for her love of tennis. The last time she attended The Championships was in 1977, when Virginia Wade became the last British winner there. But someone must have whispered in the Royal Ear and mentioned a certain lanky Scot who is doing rather well. So she sent him a letter congratulating him on winning - well, Queen’s. Murray revealed the Royal good wishes on Twitter.
"I will definitely hold on to it," he said. "She said well done at Queen's and she hopes I do well."
A Palace spokesman confirmed she wrote to Murray, saying, "The Queen sent a private message congratulating him on becoming the first Briton to win the tournament at Queen's in 71 years."
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We Hear---
--that the shortcomings of British tennis, Andy Murray aside, has once again been highlighted by the fact that none of the other ten contestants in the men’s and ladies singles managed to reach the third round. But the already wealthy Lawn Tennis Association can expect an increase into their bank account next year. Because of the Centre Court’s roof building project and the construction of the new No.2 Court, the Championships surplus handed over annually to the LTA for the funding of ‘bettering British tennis’ has been approximately £25 million for the last couple of years. Next year that figure is expected to rise again in excess of £30 million.
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