Monday, June 29, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

The Djokovic Family Has an Abundance of Opportunities, But Might Lose Some

The Djokovic family is close to losing one of the big chunks of land they got in Serbia to build tennis academies. The reason is not starting any kind of works in Kragujevac, the first city that gave land to them.
According to the contract, the Djokovic family is obliged to invest 9.000.000 Euros and finish all works by the end of 2011, but they haven’t moved a single finger so far. Since that is one of the most attractive locations in the city park, some members of the municipal government voiced doubts as to their real intentions.
“If they do not do everything according to contract, they will lose rights to that land, valued at 14 millions Euros. In that case, they would have to compensate all losses to the city,” explained a member of the city government.
The Djokovic family has one chance more, to start work and invest 1.5 million Euros in next five months. There are rumors that their problem is too many projects at the same time. They plan to buy the stadium where the ATP tournament Serbia Open was held in May, and to build another academy on the other side of Belgrade. The original plan was to take 26 million Euros credit to build courts, hotel, private university and marina on the bank of the Sava River but the global financial crisis has damaged their plans.
***
Judy Murray Leaves LTA to Set Up Tennis Club in Scotland

As Wimbledon moves into its second week, Andy Murray may be the name of everyone lips not just in British tennis but across the nation as a whole. Meanwhile his mother Judy, unquestionably a high profile tennis parent but one whose input is always positive, is the latest to walk through the exit door of the Lawn Tennis Association.
Mrs Murray has decided to leave her twin roles with the LTA; as Talent and Performance Manager for Scotland as well as acting as a respected advisor to the apparently always changing Tennis Leadership Team at the National Training Centre in Roehampton.
Instead she has plans to develop her own European-style community tennis club in Scotland with an integrated junior academy at the heart of a comprehensive development programme. However what Judy needs is the funds to realize such plans and she is currently actively seeking a development partner.
Murray explained: “I’m keen to develop a tennis hub in Central Scotland where the focus of the plan is to get more people, particularly juniors, competing and playing tennis more regularly within a stimulating and fun environment.  We would aim to offer the right mix of facilities, coaches and activity resources to attract families and individuals of all ages and levels.
“A number of initial sites have been identified around Stirling but we are keen to expand our search for potential sites and partners in Scotland.”
After two years in her current roles, the split from the LTA is far from acrimonious and chief executive Roger Draper has already provided strong support for the concept. Murray also intends to work closely with other tennis and community agencies.
Draper maintained: “The model Judy is driving forward is undoubtedly the right approach to raise the profile and participation levels of tennis in Scotland and is indeed one that could be replicated throughout Britain.  There is surely no-one better placed and more able to harness and capitalise on the energy and interest generated through the worldwide success of her sons Andy and Jamie.”
David Marshall, Chief Executive Officer, Tennis Scotland said, “Scottish tennis certainly needs further ongoing investment and we are very keen to help leverage Judy’s vision and expertise to deliver better tennis provision for all.”
Assisting Judy and the LTA with developing the project is Phillip Sandilands, the LTA’s former Director of Facilities and now Director of sports consultancy TrioPlus. 
***
Davenport Gives Birth to a Daughter

IMG front line agent Tony Godsick is very much involved in family matters at this year’s Wimbledon. For this fortnight his prime role is to ensure everything runs smoothly in Roger Federer’s camp and that involves see the tournament favorite’s new wife Mirka has everything she needs as the birth of the couple’s first child moves ever closer.
But Godsick took time out from that role to announce another of his charges, former Wimbledon ladies champion Lindsay Davenport has given birth to her second child, a daughter Lauren Andrus.
The new arrival for Lindsay and her husband Jon Leach was born Saturday June 27 at 11:04 a.m. Pacific time in Newport Beach, California and is a sister to two year-old Jagger Jonathan.
Godsick, husband to former top tenner Mary Jo Fernandez and himself a father of two said: “"Lindsay and Lauren are doing great, and Jonny and the other man of the family, Jagger, Lauren's brother, are ecstatic.”

***
LTA’s Draper Reports Tennis is on the Upswing in Great Britain

Roger Draper, chief executive of the Lawn Tennis Association and once again the point person when it comes to public ridicule after, Andy Murray aside, yet another abject failure by British singles players at Wimbledon, insists things are not as bleak as they might seem.
And Draper insists one reason for only one out of ten other British players reaching the second round of the singles competition and none getting to the third, has nothing to do with the perceived cosseted existence handed out by the cash rich LTA.
Alex Bogdanovic has been the recipient of successive wild cards into the Wimbledon main draws at both singles and doubles which have netted him more than £100,000 in prize money. But in attempts he has never managed to win a singles match.
“I don’t believe we spoil our players,” said Draper. “We are very fortunate to have the resources to invest in players from a young age, a network of high-performance centres as well as offering world-class facilities. We have made some tough calls on players who have stepped out of line and we will continue to do so.”
And Draper is adamant that better times are coming for British players. He said: “There has already been marked progress in the women’s game and I am expecting significant progress in the men’s by 2012. Our target is 10 players (doubles and singles) in the top 100 by 2012.
“We have often had good juniors. The struggle has been transitioning them into the professional game. This is our greatest challenge and is why we have coaches working hard on bringing these players through.”
Draper maintains employing expensive foreigners such as Paul Annacone and Steven Martens, as well as Brad Gilbert and Carl Maes who have subsequently left, has been the right policy?
“The knowledge and experience of all our top coaches is vital to ensure we bring the talent through,” he said. “We also have a lot of young talented British coaches who are benefiting from working with them and I hope they will become the top coaches of the future.
***
America’s Newest Star is Totally American

The latest hope to emerge for US women's tennis has branded herself 100 percent American despite her typically French surname.
"Yes, my last name, Oudin, is French.  But I'm totally American, for sure," said 17-year-old Wimbledon qualifier Melanie Oudin, whose only connection to Europe might be the smattering of French spoken by her father.
The youngster continues her tennis dream with a fourth-round date against Polish 11th seed Agnieszka Radwanska as the No. 124 Oudin plays in only her second Grand Slam main draw,
The home-schooled player from Atlanta with a twin sister currently attending high school said that her family tree doesn't contain much of a Gallic heritage despite her name. "My dad is not exactly French, but my ancestors are," she explained.
Besides her opponents, Oudin's biggest problem on court seems to be getting chair umpires - especially in Anglo-Saxon countries - to properly say her name.
"Usually they don't pronounce it correctly, it's taken them so long to get it right.  I don't even try to tell them any more," she said.
***
The New Wimbledon Roof is Not Getting Much Use

The multi-million-dollar - and so far unused - Wimbledon roof has faded away as a talking point for players, with the high-tech new structure unlikely to get much use during a relatively sunny fortnight.
As luck would have it, the three-year project was completed just in time for some of the best weather of the last three or four editions.
Andy Roddick says players are not speculating about how might be first to actually play a match with the translucent structure shut.
"That conversation would be kind of a short one," said the no-nonsense American. "There's a roof.  If it rains, it closes.
Beyond that, we might as well guess what color socks someone is wearing.
"I think the common joke has been that they haven't had to use it yet.  All this money and the weather's been nice."
Andy Murray was wondering for a few minutes if he might be the first to get the honor as some dark clouds and some light drops rolled in during his third-round defeat of Serb Viktor Troicki.
But they were only temporary. "It would have been a nice bit of history, I guess, (to play) the first match to play under the roof,"
said the third seed.
"I wasn't that worried by it, I enjoy playing indoors. Once it started to come down, a little bit heavier, it was sort of 5-3 in the third set.  So, obviously wanted to finish it before the rain came." said the straight-set winner.
***
Evert Joins the Anti-Grunting Crusade

Tennis legend Chris Evert has joined the anti-grunting crusade as the elder tennis generation tries to figure out what all the noise on court is about.
"Steffi Graf hit the ball a ton and she didn't grunt," said the American, visiting Sydney with golfer husband Greg Norman, "There were a lot of players, hard-hitting players, and you never heard a peep out of them."
The three-time Wimbledon champion has not appeared at the All England Club this year, but has stilled joined in with former rival Martina Navratilova is criticizing the increasing decibel level.
"It is distracting when you are hearing this and I think the grunts are getting louder and more shrill now with the current players," she said. "The next time you watch say, a Maria Sharapova, the grunting is consistent except all of a sudden when she has a set up to hit a winner."
Evert added that the distracting grunt comes "before they hit the shot."
"That's the first thing you hear and you are thrown off guard as a player. Before you know the ball gets past you."
Navratilova, who won Wimbledon nine times, has labeled today's grunting as a form of cheating, saying it should be banned.
***
Tsonga Says Karlovic is Much More Than Merely a Giant Serve

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga lost to Ivo Karlovic in Wimbledon and then stood in his defense. The accusation was that the tallest tennis player (2.08 m) in the world has only one quality – killer serve.
“If that is a truth, we would have a bunch of tall people winning only with serve,” said Tsonga. “Karlovic has the best serve in the world, but good volley and forehand also.”
Karlovic is used to such kind of doubts in his tennis skills. “I like when people think that way. It makes me genial. If I was able to do everything with only one shot that is really something special,” joked Karlovic who might play Federer in Wimbledon quarterfinal, but before must see off Fernando Verdasco.
By the way, Karlovic hasn’t been broken for 105 games or 19 sets on grass this year. He set an ATP Tour record of 55 aces in Paris and blew away Tsonga with 46 in four sets.

***

Interesting Speculation About Women’s Tennis Now

There are quite a few people around who believe the women’s game lacks appeal now, especially with the rivalry between the top three or four men grabbing everyone’s attention. That’s one reason. Another is the lack of a solid No. 1, although Dinara Safina - after surprising many by getting to the top - now looks increasingly comfortable there. But having so many different No. 1 players over the last year, isn’t good is it? Ana Ivanovic thinks it is.
"I think for players it's great, because they know that they can beat anyone they play against," she said. "You know, they just go on the court and, you know, try to play the best they can. Everyone knows they have chances. You know, in everyone's career you have little slumps and you have little ups and downs. I think at the moment no one was, you know, probably consistent enough to be so dominant on position No. 1. But I think that's great for woman's tennis, and it makes us work hard, you know, try to use the chances we have, you know, try to make ourselves one of the ones that can be dominant at that position."
***
Jankovic Was Having Health Problems on Court with Oudin

There is often drama when Jelena Jankovic is around. There is no player more prone to injury and sickness, and her third round match against Melanie Oudin was no exception.
After edging the first set in a tiebreaker she called the trainer - and almost an ambulance!
"Conditions were quite tough. It was very warm out there. But that was not, you know, my problem," she said. "After the first set I felt really dizzy, and I thought that I was just gonna end up in the hospital. I started to shake. I was losing my - how you say - consciousness. I didn't know. I was really gonna lose it, you know, to fall down and just, you know, probably go... call the ambulance and leave the court.
But I came back. Like I started to feel a little bit better. But, you know, I was feeling quite weak. No power. I wasn't the same player. I didn't have the power in the shots. I felt really tired and exhausted out there. It was very difficult for me to play in these kind of circumstances. That made me, as well, quite nervous.
"I was like a ghost, you know, white in the face. Really, I didn't know where I was. The physio came out and she asked me, ‘Do you know like what is your name?’ I just saw blurry. I didn't know. It was really strange feeling. I was scared and I started to cry in this kind of situation."
***
Murray is Thawing. . . Somewhat

Andy Murray has often been looked upon as dull. And that’s on a good day. Sour, grumpy, uncommunicative, dour ... the list goes on. But that isn’t the whole picture.
He is growing more at ease with his celebrity and more recently he’s been known to smile and even make a joke or two. A reflection of his often hidden sense can be found with his entourage, who have to pay ‘penalties’ and do bizarre things as a result.
"We play football, and whoever loses the game has to do whatever the forfeit is," said Murray. "But one of the parts of the forfeit is that when you lose, you know. My fitness trainer was walking around with a cricket helmet on yesterday. If someone asked you what it's for, you're not allowed to tell them that you've lost a bet. You just have to say that you like it and whatnot.
Yeah, I mean, we play for different stuff every week. But the locker room attendant has given us some cricket pads and cricket helmet, cricket bat, so it's kind of Ashes-themed forfeits.
For the uninitiated, the Ashes is a series of cricket matches played between England and Australia.
***
Fish Isn’t Sure if Wimbledon Courts are Ready for Serve and Volley

It’s been well documented that the grass at Wimbledon has got slower and slower over recent years. Serve and volley has all but been eliminated, and some players are now unsure just how they are supposed to play on it. Like Mardy Fish.
"You know, against someone like Novak (Djokovic) or against someone like Andy Murray a couple weeks ago in Queen's, I'm just not sure how I'm supposed to play those guys on grass anymore," he said after losing to Djokovic.
"You know, am I supposed to serve and volley and try to get away with serving really well and get a cheap break here or there, because, you know, they're serving good, too, or am I supposed to stay back? You know, it's kind of a what are you supposed to do on the grass nowadays. Are you supposed to play it maybe like a US Open-type court, you know, a faster hard court? But it's almost slower than that.
"It's trying to figure out exactly how you're supposed to play it, a guy like me. I think the balls have a huge thing to do with it. They're so heavy. I mean, you know, I'm usually right around the 128, 132-ish area on my first serve for the most part. I think I probably hit one serve 130 today."

***
PBI returns to Las Ventanas in Los Cabos

Peter Burwash International, (PBI) has renewed its partnership with Las Ventanas al Paraiso, a Rosewood Resort in Los Cabos, Mexico, one of the world's most luxurious destinations. PBI originally began its association with Las Ventanas when the resort opened in 1997. In 2005, the resort's general manager decided to take a different direction and hired a local professional.  Recently Las Ventanas signed a contract to return PBI to the resort.

***

Ricky's Notes
By Ricky Dimon

Michael Llodra, who retired in the first set of his second-round match at Wimbledon against Tommy Haas, called the grass courts "catastrophic" and said some were playing slower than the red clay of Roland Garros. "The courts are catastrophic. There are bad bounces. It's only the second day and court two is already damaged. I don't know how they are going to be at the end. Year after year, the courts are getting worse. The Centre Court and Court 1 there (at Roland Garros), when they are dry, are much faster.". . . The Queen has cleared her June 5 schedule of all official engagements and will be at Wimbledon for the men's singles final if Andy Murray is in it. If it happens it will be the first time she has made the trip to Centre Court since she watched Virginia Wade win the women’s title in 1977. . . Mats Wilander did not like Murray's chances at the beginning of Wimbledon. "Roger (Federer) will easily win Wimbledon," Wilander was quoted as saying early last week in L'Equipe. "The only threat he may have to struggle against is Tsonga. On Centre Court, in five sets, Andy has zero chance. He's not aggressive enough; there is nothing he can do to bother Roger on grass.". . . Jesse Levine, who reached the third round of Wimbledon, has been training with Sergeant Major Keith Williams for the past nine weeks. Levine plans on spending some time in San Diego later this year to do some training with the Marines. . . According to Levine's mom Brenda, "The USTA said they don't want him (Jesse) playing any Challengers this summer, just ATP Tour matches. They see that he's growing up and becoming a man. It's a man's game out there and he's getting there."
WTA Tour President Stacey Allaster and Chief Operating Officer David Shoemaker will take over on an interim basis for departing CEO Larry Scott. Both Allaster and Shoemaker are Canadians. Shoemaker is also a candidate to become Scott's full-time successor. . . Scott is not advocating for women to play five-set matches at Grand Slams, but he says they would be prepared for it if necessary. "It's something I have discussed and have discussed with the players during the equal prize money debate. If it was determined the women should play five sets, or were asked to play five sets, players would support that.". . . When asked about the same issue, former men's champ Lleyton Hewitt said, "I don't think a lot of them would last five sets.". . . Michael Stich, who won Wimbledon in 1991, created a bit of a controversy last week when he argued that female tennis players are there to "sell sex" rather than achieve on-court success. He also said that grunting "sounds disgusting, ugly, unsexy.". . . Elena Dementieva's mom remains her full-time coach, but Dementieva has also been working with Andrei Cherkasov in recent weeks. Cherkasov was with Dementieva in Eastbourne and is also present at Wimbledon.
The ATP and Digitaria announced last week announced the launch of an ATP Digital Platform and new ATPWorldTour.com website to grow consumer interest in the ATP World Tour. Digitaria is a leading digital marketing and technology firm. "Digital continues to be a major focus area and we are committed to delivering against the overall strategy to engage with fans around the world in meaningful ways," said Phil Anderton, ATP Chief Marketing Officer. . . Agustin Calleri announced his retirement immediately after losing his Wimbledon opener last week. The 32-year-old Argentine's last match was a 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 loss to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. . . Scott Oudsema is ending his effort of trying to make it on the pro tour and will become a volunteer assistant coach for the University of Michigan. A Michigan native, Oudsema reached a career-high ranking of No. 255 back in 2007. . . Spain's tennis association is blasting the Lawn Tennis Association's ability to produce British talent. Registro de Profesional Tenis, which claims much of the credit for the strength of the sport in Spain, argues that the LTA's investment in the British game has been targeted in the wrong areas. "The only thing they are very good at is failing to produce," an RPT statement said. . . Ryan Harrison and NCAA singles champion Devin Britton will be the hitting partners for the United States Davis Cup team for the tie against Croatia in July. Captain Patrick McEnroe made the announcement last week. Britton and Harrison will train with the team during the week and will be on the bench with the players throughout the quarterfinal tie. . . Tommy Haas will not play in Germany's Davis Cup tie against Spain. A resurgent Haas says a return to clay could be too much for his injury-prone body. . . Richard Gasquet's hearing for his cocaine case is scheduled for today (Monday, June 29). Gasquet maintains he is innocent, but he could face a suspension up to two years.
Roger Federer was among those who reflected on the death of Michael Jackson last week. "Obviously, I love his music," the Swiss said. "It's a very sad moment in the music world. He touched many people, same for me. But I'll obviously still listen to his music for many more years to come.". . . Says Federer of playing Ivo Karlovic: "This is no lack of respect for Karlovic, but it’s not a tennis match really. Sometimes it’s a bit of luck, a bad decision at the wrong time, what can you do?" Federer and Karlovic could meet in the quarterfinals. . . Rafael Nadal recently bought a holiday villa in Ibiza. Nadal's residence is being built in the San Jose region of Ibiza, an island off the coast of Spain. . . Nadal's parents publically confirmed rumors that have been going on for weeks about a split. Sebastian and Ana Maria Nadal have confirmed that they are divorcing. . . Speculating is running rampant that Nadal will be forced into early retirement by his knee tendinitis. Sean Corvin, a health and fitness educator for Premier Training, recently claimed that Nadal has the knees of a 33-year-old. . . The Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, D.C., which was upgraded to a 500-point event this season, announced a stellar field last week. Headlining the entry list are defending champ Juan Martin Del Potro, Andy Roddick, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gael Monfils, and Lleyton Hewitt. . . American Robby Ginepri was awarded a wild card into next month's ATP event in Indianapolis…No more notes….Ricky
***

We Hear---
--that Peter McNamara, who reached a high of No.7 in the world, and won 19 doubles titles including Wimbledon and the Australian Open, has joined the Paris-based Mouratoglou Tennis Academy, where he will coach a future new member of the Elite Team. Players associated with the academy include former Australian Open runner-up Marcos Baghdatis and promising teenager Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. McNamara will be playing at Wimbledon this week with regular partner Paul MacNamee.
***
THIS WEEK
MEN
Wimbledon
WOMEN
Wimbledon
***
NEXT WEEK
MEN
Davis Cup
Newport
WOMEN
Bastad
Budapest
***
Bob Larson’s Stock Report
Friday Stock Prices

Stock

Last

Change

Adidas

19.25

+.16

0.00

4.95

0.00

Head

0.38

0.00

K-Swiss

8.50

+.24

Nike

50.84

-.44

Bob Larson Tennis Stock Index $83.92
* 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