Monday, September 28, 2009

BUSINESS NEWS

Tennis Australia Received Board Nominations

Two nominations have been received for the Tennis Australia presidency which will be decided by a members’ vote at the Annual General Meeting October 26.
Tennis New South Wales has nominated current President Geoff Pollard while Tennis West has nominated former Australian Open Tournament Director Paul McNamee.
There are also three board director positions up for election –two delegate and one independent. Three nominations have been received for the two delegate positions, namely David Stobbart from Victoria, Ashley Cooper from Queensland and Bill Cossey from South Australia.
There are two nominations for the independent director position –Victoria’s Dr Janet Young and Ashley Cooper from Queensland.
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Srichaphan Returns to The Tour This Week—in Doubles

Nearly three years after making his last appearance on the ATP World Tour, Thailand’s Paradorn Srichaphan is this week set to become the latest big name to follow the recent vogue of comebacks when he plays the Thailand Open in his hometown of Bangkok.
Srichaphan, once ranked no.9 in the world at singles and winner of five tour singles titles but forced out by a wrist injury that has required two separate operations, intends to take a wild card into the Bangkok doubles event alongside his compatriot Danai Udomchoke.
Now one of the most prominent Thai celebrities after becoming the first Asian player to enter the world’s top ten and married to former Miss Universe Natalie Glebova, 30 year-old Srichaphan said: “I wanted to come back by using the Thailand Open as my tournament but I'm not fit enough for the singles."
Rumors have been abundant in Thailand that Srichaphan was about to announce his retirement from tennis and then attempt a competitive career in motorbike racing but he clearly still has aspirations with a racket in his hand. It was his fame that resulted in the Bangkok tournament being set up back in 2003.
Srichaphan has not played on the ATP World Tour since losing to Peru’s Luis Horna in Miami during March 2007 and his last singles win was at the beginning of that year against Italy’s Simone Bolelli in Chennai.
Tournament director Allon Khakshouri was clearly delighted that Srichaphan was willing to boost the event which last week was hit by the withdrawals of both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Srichaphan and Udomchoke have been drawn to face Germany’s Michael Kohlmann and Alexander Peya of Austria, and the national tennis hero said: “It will be good for me and will also give tennis fans the chance to watch Thai players."
Udomchoke will play Robbie Ginepri while wild card Kittipong Wachiramanowong will face another American John Isner in the first round.
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British Tennis Appears to be Moving in a Positive Direction

The ups and downs of British tennis are back in a positive direction a week after the Lawn Tennis Association chief executive Roger Draper and his Player Director Steve Martens were widely questioned following the Davis Cup relegation to the competition’s third tier.
For the first time in more than a decade Britain now have three female players in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles top 100 after Elena Baltacha and Katie O’Brien joined the injured Anne Keothavong.
Meanwhile although world no.3 Andy Murray is the only British male singles player inside the world’s top 180, there is now a gang of doubles performers within the top 100.
The British duo of Ken Skupski and Colin Fleming (both not selected for action against the Poles in Liverpool) issued captain John Lloyd a timely reminder by winning their first ATP World Tour 250 title in Metz by defeating the French top seeds and former Wimbledon champions Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra. Meanwhile Jamie Murray and Jamie Delgado won the doubles title at the Ljubljana Challenger in Slovenia and Murray returns to top 100 after a two month absence.
Baltacha overcame O’Brien to win the title in an all British final at the $75,000 Challenger event in Shrewsbury, England. Baltacha subsequently moved to a career high of 93 on the rankings while O’Brien moved up to 98. Keothavong who faces nine months out as she struggles to recover from an anterior cruciate ligament injury stands at 77.
“We get a lot of help and support thanks to the LTA and AEGON and it's part of the reason why we're able to achieve things like this,” insisted Baltacha. “These are not piddly tournaments, they are very strong. I feel like I've improved so much that now I know what I'm capable of and I know I can be a real danger.”
Scotland’s Fleming, who turned his back on pro tennis for three years to attend Stirling University, has entered the men’s doubles rankings at 79 while his playing partner, Skupski has also attained a career-high ranking moving up to 76. The elder of the two Murray brothers, ranked a career high 27 in January, is back upwardly mobile at 97.
“Winning the first ATP Tour event we've had direct acceptances into the main draw is a great feeling,” enthused Fleming. Skupski added: “Making it into the top 100 is a landmark achievement for the both of us.”
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Serbia’s Tipsarevic Looks to USA Davis Cup Tie With Confidence

There is not the slightest dilemma for Janko Tipsarevic when surface for the first round 2010 Davis Cup tie between Serbia and US is concerned.
“It would be total madness if we don’t play on clay” said Tipsarevic. Though only 25, he is very experienced in national team competition; his debut in Davis Cup was 10 years ago. He knows that Andy Roddick can be very dangerous every where, but the rest of the visiting team in singles is not that convincing.
“We have to cash in on our home team advantage and choose the best surface. Bryan brothers are very good double and anyone who will play with Zimonjic must be on very high level. But, Americans don’t have a very strong second player on any surface, let alone on clay. I lost to Fish in Madrid but that tournament was played almost indoors and that was my worst match in whole year. Blake is in downfall, Ginepri is not good on clay.”
Analyzing the rest of the ties, Tipsarevic thinks that Spain is not overwhelming favorite against Switzerland.
“Federer can beat Nadal and Wawrinka other Spanish players.” 
Tipsarevic is #55 now. He parted ways with Spanish coach Jose Perlas recently “My younger brother Veljko will be my coach now, “ he explained. His brother is without coaching experience, therefore he will more like companion.
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The City of Tucson Renames Tennis Center to Honor Jim Reffkin

Tucson’s Randolph Tennis Center has been renamed the Jim Reffkin Tennis Center to honor Jim Reffkin, the director of tennis for the past 34 years. The official dedication ceremony took place on Saturday, September 26^th with Tucson mayor, Parks & Recreation Officials, City Council Members and Gootter Foundation Members were in attendance as the new signage was unveiled.

Some highlights of Reffkin’s career include being named United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) National Pro of the Year, National President of USPTA, president of United States Tennis Association (USTA) Southwest Section, inducted into the USTA Southwest Section Hall of Fame and recipient of the Education Merit Award from the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
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Reflecting his creative mind, Reffkin was named the first chairman and has been a long time member of National USTA Tennis Innovation Committee.
Responding to the honor of having the tennis center named after him, Reffkin told Daily Tennis News, “Just think, and I’m still alive!”
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King Reflects on Life’s Big Moment

Despite winning an incredible 39 major titles, including doubles, Billie Jean King has revealed to London’s Sunday Times that a recent experience stands out most as a highlight of her career.
“I have had several great moments on and off the court,” she said. “However, I would have to say being awarded the Medal of Freedom by the president of the United States, Barack Obama, just a few weeks ago is hard to top. I have such high hopes for America’s future under his leadership, so it didn’t matter to me that he made a few numerical mistakes in his speech about the titles I’d won. To be honest, he wasn’t even in the ball park but I thought it was adorable.”
It is not surprising to learn that her favorite tournament was Wimbledon, and she still makes a point of finding time for some private reflection whenever she returns there.
“I was 17 years old when I first set eyes on the manicured grass in 1961 and it was an overwhelming moment,” she said. “Every year when I return to the All England Club I always take a moment to sit by Centre Court before the crowds pour in and reflect on the sport that I love so much.”
The women’s game is where it is today largely because of the crusading she and others did in the 1970’s. She of course loves the way the game has grown to become the leading women’s international sport, but she does feel that something is missing now compared to those early pioneering days.
“The basic lack of the unity that existed in my playing days. Too many players just seem to think about themselves. Honestly, I wish there were two separate seasons; one for individual competitions and another for players to compete on a team. Today’s players need to get to know each other better and one of the great things about the world of sport is the unity of team spirit.”
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Ricky's Notes
By Ricky Dimon

Just 16 months after being in intensive care with the rare blood disorder idiopathic thromobocytopenic purpura (ITP), 23-year-old Scot Jamie Baker has won back-to-back Futures titles. After prevailing in Thailand earlier this month, Baker won a title on Sunday in Darwin, Australia. . . Andre Agassi announced last week that he will play in the Cancer Treatment Centers of America Tennis Championships in Surprise, Arizona. Featuring retired tennis pros, the four-day event runs from October 8-11. . . Comedian Dane Cook and musicians Chris Daughtry, Tim McGraw, and Brian McKnight headlined a benefit concert on Saturday night in Las Vegas for the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy. Agassi hosted the concert. . . Sergio Roitman will retire from professional tennis at the end of this week's Challenger tournament in Buenos Aires. Roitman, a 30-year-old Argentine, made the announcement at Saturday's draw ceremony. . . After losing in the first round of his final tournament last week in Bucharest, Andrei Pavel played Goran Ivanisevic in a farewell exhibition match later in the week. Pavel led 5-4 when it was stopped in order to save time for a ceremony.
Mardy Fish and Dmitry Tursunov have withdrawn from all upcoming tournaments and neither man is expected to play again this season. Fish has been dealing with a hip injury, while Tursunov underwent successful ankle surgery earlier this month and will be sidelined up to six months. . . Kristof Vliegen, who has not played since mid-July due to a bad back, could be nearing a return. "I will be back on court for training in a few days," Vliegen posted in a blog entry last week. "I need to be careful and patient. I will tell more you in the next days.". . . David Nalbandian will make his first appearance since May hip surgery at an exhibition event in Buenos Aires in December. Nalbandian will be joined by Fernando Gonzalez, Marat Safin, Marcos Baghdatis, Carlos Moya, and Juan Monaco.
Joining Rafael Nadal as directly-entered players who pulled out from this week's Thailand Open were Dudi Sela, Jarkko Nieminen and Julien Benneteau. . . "I'm still very sick," Nieminen wrote in a September 25 blog entry. "I don't remember the last time I've had a virus as hard as this. Just trying to get better now and hoping to be able to play in Tokyo.". . . The withdrawals of Nadal and Sela allowed John Isner to grab the No. 8 seed for what will be his first ATP tournament as a seeded player. . . Tursunov, Vliegen, and Florent Serra were entered in this week's Kuala Lumpur event, but subsequently pulled out. That gave Victor Crivoi, Denis Istomin, and Karol Beck entry into the main draw. . . Oft-injured Swede Joachim Johansson received a wild card into the Kuala Lumpur main draw. The 27-year-old has not played an ATP tournament this entire season and last appeared in a Challenger event back in May.
Roger Federer is undecided on his status for Switzerland's 2010 opening-round Davis Cup tie at Spain. "I truly enjoy playing for my country, but I'll also have to see where I have my priorities for next season," Federer said after the draw was made. "If I want to play Davis Cup all the time, I might have to leave out some Masters 1000 tournaments. Like in the other years, I will see after the Australian Open how I feel and if I play the first round.". . . Greg Rusedski, currently Britain's junior Davis Cup captain, has openly criticized the British team but still appears to be a top candidate to replace John Lloyd as captain. Commentating during Britain's losing tie against Poland, Rusedski said that Dan Evans was disregarding Lloyd's advice at changeovers. . . It was announced last Friday that U.S. Open breakout stars Isner and Melanie Oudin will make up the United States Hopman Cup team in 2010. The event begins on January 2 in Perth, Australia.
Serena Williams withdrew from this week's tournament in Tokyo citing knee and toe injuries. Dominika Cibulkova (rib) and Amelie Mauresmo (stomach) also pulled out. . . Li Na and Alize Cornet played a 20-deuce game in their first-round match in Tokyo on Sunday. Li won the game and the match. . . "Just seen the surgeon who's given me the go ahead to stand on the tennis court next week and hit some balls," said Anne Keothavong via a Twitter post early last week. Keothavong had knee surgery on August 11. . . Dinara Safina on the No. 1 ranking: "If someone steals it from me, I will shake their hand and say 'well done,' but I won't give it up easily. I plan to bring my best tennis again and give 100 percent to keep it.". . . Tatiana Golovin, who has not played for eight months due to a back injury, is not ruling out a comeback. "Tennis is my life and I'm not going to abandon it so quickly," Golovin said in a weekend interview. "I hope to resume training and prepare with confidence for next season."

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We Hear---
--that Rafael Nadal is back home in Majorca after taking a brief holiday in Monte Carlo,  but his torn abdominal muscle is still far from healed and after withdrawing from this week’s event in Bangkok, his participation in the upcoming Masters 1000 event in Shanghai is extremely doubtful.
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THIS WEEK
MEN
Bangkok
WOMEN
Tokyo
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NEXT WEEK
MEN
Beijing
Tokyo
WOMEN
Beijing
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+.44

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