Wednesday, July 1, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

Criticisms Abound About the Use of the Wimbledon Roof

Tennis was the word on everyone in Britain’s lips and Andy Murray had taken his profile to whole new levels but the debate raged on whether the All England Club had stood by the initially declared protocol over the use of their £100 million Centre Court roof or succumbed to the orders of television.
Certainly Murray’s fourth round tussle over five sets against Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka, that ended as Wimbledon’s latest ever match finish at 10.38pm, earned a British television audience in excess of 12.6 million and despite issues such as spectators missing last trains home, was viewed as one of the great sporting occasions in recent years.
Paul Davies, the BBC’s head of Tennis production, declined to make any comment on whether his company, who have a long standing rights agreement with the All England Club, put any pressure on the tournament organizers who have always maintained Wimbledon is ‘an outdoor event’ and that the roof would only be used in the weather dictated.
No rain fell in SW19 after the afternoon shower that originally caused the roof to be shut during competition for the first time as top women’s seed Dinara Safina overcame former champion Amelie Mauresmo. Seeing perfect afternoon conditions outside, Murray was surprised as anyone that the roof remained close for his match.
Ian Ritchie, chief executive of the All England Club explained: “If they had been playing with the roof open, it would have been hot and humid. I think we will look at whether there is something we could have done differently, but as far as I am concerned I would rather focus on an unbelievable match.”
The club insists they took heed of a bulletin issued by the London Metrological Office at 6.01pm, which was hardly definitive. It read: “There is a 70% of a locally heavy shower over the next hour with a risk of a thunderstorm.”
Two days earlier, despite more than a few spots of first set rain, the roof remained open with Murray’s match against Viktor Troicki in full swing and the BBC telecast well underway. Just a couple of miles away in West London, roads were rendered impassable and closed for safety reasons after a storm cause flash flooding.
The All England Club said that the Centre Court temperature was 24C throughout the match, much cooler than the record heat outside, while humidity was a stable 50 per cent, lower than outside. However Murray complained that the humidity levels were far higher than he had ever experienced and levels of perspiration rose accordingly.
His insistence is backed up by a respected expert in the matter. Steve Haake of Sheffield Hallam University’s department of sports engineering, a consultant to the International Tennis Federation, said: “Andy has a point. When you play outside, there is usually a breeze of some sort, no matter how hot it is. That is a version of what the weather men call the wind chill factor, helping sweat to evaporate. You don’t get that in a carefully controlled environment where the air is not moving and the sweat has nowhere to go.”
Professor Haake calculates that the cooler air on court probably slowed Murray’s serve by at least 1mph, possibly more, giving Wawrinka an extra 5/100ths of a second to react. He added Murray’s finely honed instincts meant that he probably detected even minute changes in racket and ball performance.
“We have conducted blind tests on top tennis players and they can tell immediately even the smallest changes to rackets and strings,” said Haake. “The problem here is not that Murray or the All England Club are wrong. They are both right and it is perceptions that are proving to be the difficulty.”
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Gasquet at an ITF Cocaine Hearing

Almost a year to the day Richard Gasquet was the centre of attention as he played out a memorable five setter against Andy Murray at Wimbledon, the Frenchman was back in London…but not for tennis.
Gasquet, the former world no. 7 was taken to a secret London location for a hearing of the International Tennis Federation after testing positive for cocaine last month.
The six-person panel will have a fortnight to deliberate on the evidence before coming to a verdict that could lead to Gasquet receiving a two-year ban if he is found guilty of knowingly taking the banned substance.
Gasquet, who has denied any wrongdoing since the positive test at a tournament in Miami, intended to raise in his defense a hair test he undertook on 7 May which he attests did not discover any trace of cocaine
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Querrey Finds a Comfortable Fit With Zappos.com

Sam Querrey, the 4th highest ranked US player on the ATP tour, has renewed his 1-year sponsorship deal with Zappos.com, the premiere online destination for shoes and apparel.
Sam doesn’t seem to mind being the Zappos.com athletic sponsorship test case. “It's nice being the only player to be sponsored by Zappos.com,” he says. It feels like the entire company is behind me, as if I'm the priority. It's sort of like I am Michael Jordan with Nike. Most people are sponsored strictly by tennis companies, so it is pretty cool to have a sponsor that doesn't fit that mold.”
Last year, Sam had the opportunity to visit the Zappos.com headquarters in Henderson, Nevada (just outside Las Vegas), and loved it. He recalls, “It was the most unique office I've ever visited. It reminded me of Google's atmosphere.”
Michelle Thomas, Marketing Manager for Zappos.com, says that advertising in tennis simply “makes sense,” considering the similar audiences and demographics. Why Sam Querrey? “Sam is an up and coming tennis player who has the potential to do great things both on the court and off,” says Michelle. “We feel that he is a great extension to our culture. He’s a player with a great sense of humor and a big heart!”
Zappos.com also sponsored this year's Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, as well as the Tennis Channel’s Bag Check segment, featuring Sam Querrey, among others.
Zappos.com doesn’t have any current plans to sponsor other tennis players, but hasn't ruled it out for the future.
***
Becker Fires His English Aide

Boris Becker’s public image, tarnished several years ago by the broom cupboard episode in London’s Nobu Restaurant, could take another massive hit after an acrimonious split with one of his most trusted English aides.
Stuart Wilson had been the man at Becker’s side in Britain for 25 years, even before the German won Wimbledon as a 17 year-old in 1985.  He was once employed by Becker’s mentor Ion Tiriac and went on to work for several leading manufacturers and tournaments while always remaining the former world no.1’s point person whenever he made any of his numerous trips to London.
Ironically Becker is now on the verge of buying a multi-million pounds home just yards from the gates of the All England Club but will not be using Wilson in the negotiations. A dispute over an expenses claim of £4,500 resulted in Becker dispensing of Wilson’s services in a curt email.  Reportedly the three times champion was not happy about the whereabouts of the money in question.
Wilson who has suffered ill health for the last couple of years and is now hobbling around Wimbledon whenever able with a broken back after several vertebrae operations, does not have sufficient financial resources to take legal action against Becker whose management team refused to make any comment.
***
Venus Williams Reflects on When Her Career Will End

Venus Williams has been reflecting on both the beginning and the end of her career. First, the beginning, when she made her debut against Shaun Stafford at Oakland back in 1994.
"Oh, yeah, I remember a lot about that night," she said. "I got to the tennis and I left my clothes on the bed in the hotel. So that wasn't the best start. But it was great times then. I had a lot of positive feedback growing up that I would be a winner and that I would win tournaments. So from a young age when, you know, your coaches tell you that, you believe it. So I was kind of brainwashed in a good way.
"You know, I wasn't nervous after the warm-up. I remember thinking I wasn't very good at lobs. I've since improved. I remember thinking in the warm-up like, I wonder if I'll be able to put the lobs up for her. That was like one of my biggest fears."
Didn’t matter. She won the match, and went on to lose to Arantza Sanchez-Vicario in three sets in round two. And the end? It ain’t coming anytime soon.
"Well, we've (she and Serena) talked about playing the 2012 Olympics. We've talked about playing doubles in the 2016, because we hope it goes to Chicago. That's pretty much where our timeline is heading. So somewhere in between."
***
Lisicki Likes Grass and Wants More

She lost, but it was to the world No.1 so there’s no shame in that. In the process, Sabine Lisicki is happy with what she has achieved.
"I think I learned how to play on grass actually. I know that I can play on grass now and that I don't have to be afraid to come back next year and play all the grass court tournaments. I'm actually really looking forward to it, because I really enjoyed my time being here. You know, I think it will be a good year next year, as well."

***
Dementieva and Safina Have a Connection

Elena Dementieva is in her second successive Wimbledon semifinal. Two Russians, two Americans in the last four. There’s obviously a family connection with Serena and Venus Williams, but there is also between Dementieva and Dinara Safina, although of a different kind. Elena used to be coached by Dinara’s mother, in the early days.
"Right, she was my first coach when I started to play tennis. Just a few years. But it was, you know, my first tennis lesson, so I would never forget this one," she said. Now she has her own mother as coach, and likes it that way.
"For me, I think that to have my mom with me all the time it's the biggest support. I just feel very lucky to have her with me all the time. She's been coaching me for such a long time, and she knows me better than anyone else. She knows exactly what I need.
It doesn't mean that I don’t have anyone else to help me. You know, I have lots of people who are helping me during the season, but she's the one who I feel the most comfortable with to travel and to stay during the tournament. I think it's all personal, you know.
Sometimes I think it's very difficult to stay 24/7 together, you know, to know what is a good moment to be a coach, what is a good moment to be a mom only. I don't know why, but we work pretty good together for all these years. You know, just for me it feels great to be together with her."
***
Bryans Looking Forward to Davis Cup Action

“We are not on a revenge mission”, announced the Bryan brothers to Croatian press ten days before a Davis Cup quarterfinal tie in coastal Porec. The best doubles team in the world is still bothered by a defeat by Croatian team four years go in Los Angeles.
“That is definitely a deep wound”, admitted Bob Bryan. “We had a dream team, Agassi entered at the last moment and everybody thought that we shall win for sure. But, Ljubicic played as a Superman. The court was so slow with high bounce, ideal for him.” 
This time there will not be Ljubicic and Ancic, but American will not feel as favorites.
“Even without them, Croatia has a very strong team. Marin Cilic is about to enter top ten, Ivo Karlovic plays Wimbledon quarterfinal, Zovko is good in doubles… Though Croatia won twice on fast surfaces against the US, their choice is clay.
“Whenever we play in Europe, it is always clay. We are aware that that is our worst surface,” said the Bryans who are used to have tough task when abroad. 
***
Jankovic’s Spirits Bounced Back After Wimbledon Loss

It didn’t take long time to Jelena Jankovic to find comfort for early exit from Wimbledon. The former No1 left London immediately after a loss to US teenager Melanie Oudin and went to Montenegro where her boyfriend, water polo star Mladjan Janovic is preparing for World Championships in Rome.
They spent couple of days in Kolasin, a small city in mountains, where they visited ancient Orthodox church, known for a legend that there are hidden there tiny remains of Christ’s cross. 
They met during Olympics in Beijing and love flourished immediately. Janovic was even suspended from his club this spring with accusation that he spends more time with Jelena then on practice. 
“I never believed in love at the first sight, but exactly that happened to me”, said Jelena after.

***

Defending Against the Karlovic Serve is a New Experience

Fernando Verdasco felt like “playing some other sport, not tennis” when he played Ivo Karlovic in the Wimbledon fourth round.
“His first serve percentage is unbelievable,” said the Spaniard who was victim of 35 aces and 227 km per hour serves. Karlovic won 94 percent of first serves in. “Losing a break to him is as losing a set. No survivors.”
The biggest problem with a tall Croat serve is the angle of trajectory. “It is like the ball is coming from a tree or a second floor,” describes Nebojsa Djordjevic, former doubles pro from Serbia who practiced with Karlovic before. “No one is used to that angle.”

***
Davis Cup Teams Named

The team nominations have been announced for the Davis Cup quarterfinals,
to be played July 10-12.

CZECH REPUBLIC v ARGENTINA
Venue: CEZ Arena, Ostrava (hard - indoors)
Czech Republic
Tomas Berdych
Radek Stepanek
Ivo Minar
Lukas Dlouhy
Captain: Jaroslav Navratil
Argentina
Juan Martin del Potro
Jose Acasuso
Leonardo Mayer
Juan Monaco
Captain: Tito Vazquez
CROATIA v USA
Venue: Sportska Dvorana « Zatika », Porec (clay - indoors)
Croatia
Marin Cilic
Ivo Karlovic
Roko Karanusic
Lovro Zovko
Captain: Goran Prpic
USA
Andy Roddick
James Blake
Bob Bryan
Mike Bryan
Captain: Patrick McEnroe
ISRAEL v RUSSIA
Venue: Nokia Stadium, Tel Aviv (hard – indoors)
Israel
Dudi Sela
Harel Levy
Jonathan Erlich
Andy Ram
Captain: Eyal Ran
Russia
Dmitry Tursunov
Marat Safin
Igor Andreev
Mikhail Youzhny
Captain: Shamil Tarpischev
SPAIN v GERMANY
Venue: Plaza de Toros de Puerto Banus, Marbella (clay - outdoors)
Spain
Fernando Verdasco
Tommy Robredo
David Ferrer
Feliciano Lopez
Captain: Albert Costa
Germany
Philipp Kohlschreiber
Nicolas Kiefer
Mischa Zverev
Andreas Beck
Captain: Patrick Kuhnen

***

We Hear---
--that Kyle Spencer, the collegiate national assistant coach of the year at Baylor University, will be named the head men’s coach at the University of Maryland.
***
THIS WEEK
MEN
Wimbledon
WOMEN
Wimbledon
***
NEXT WEEK
MEN
Davis Cup
Newport
WOMEN
Bastad
Budapest
***
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***
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