Thursday, October 22, 2009

WORLD NEWS

British Executive Leaves IMG

With the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at London’s 02 Arena barely a month away, the man who recently secured a five year deal for IMG to sell and deliver corporate hospitality packages has left the company.
Peter Worth has left his post as the London-based Senior Vice President of IMG with immediate effect. He had rejoined the company two years ago when IMG acquired Quintus for a reputed 10,000 million pounds sterling, the sports and entertainment company that amongst other things owned the rights to the AEGON Masters which serves as the climax for the ATP Tour of Champions staged annually at the Royal Albert Hall.
Worth, a former agent for Bjorn Borg during his Wimbledon and French Open winning years, initially spent 11 years with IMG where he was also head of the European Sponsorship Division before branching out on his own and setting up Quintus.
A close friend of IMG International president Ian Todd, Worth also bought the pre-Wimbledon senior event The Fortis Tennis Classic at London’s Hurlingham Club and the Boodles Legends Tennis Classic at Cheshire’s Mottram Hall under the company banner.
Relations between Worth and IMG owner Theodore (Teddy) J. Forstmann are believed to have become strained over recent months.
Another IMG departure is Lawrence Frankopan, the London-based tennis client manager who has recently been working with the challenging duo of Bernard Tomic and Jelena Dokic. Frankopan had spent seven years with IMG and had previously been based in Barcelona and Miami.
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Nalbandian Making Plans to Return to the Tour

David Nalbandian will resume his career in Auckland in January before competing the following week at the Australian Open. This is an interesting choice since he could be defending his title in Sydney the same week.
The 27-year old has not played since losing to Paul Capdeville in the first round of the Estoril Open in early May, this was shortly after he defaulted a quarterfinal showdown with Rafael Nadal in Barcelona. He then underwent hip surgery on May 13 in Spain.
Half a year after his operation, the former Wimbledon finalist sees light at the end of the tunnel. “My idea is to return on tournaments at the best possible shape. I want to start the last period of my career at the best level,” says the 27 year-old Argentine.
He is now #20, but he will start at a protected ranking of #14. “I will play exhibition in Argentina in December to check my hip, then I will go to Australia. My priorities in 2010 are Davis Cup and tournaments,” says Nalbandian who was #3 at the peak of his career.
Disappointment after failure in last year’s Davis Cup final against Spain in Argentina is still very strong in his memory. “We have very powerful team now; with Juan Martin Del Potro we are strong at all four singles to win at home and away.”
He is delighted with Del Potro’s US Open win. “This is very good not only for him, but for the tennis in Argentina too. This will inspire new generations.”
Nalbandian has joined critics of the long ATP Tour season. “There are too much tournaments, this is like butcher shop. Comes time when it is impossible for body to endure so much playing. The best example is Rafael Nadal, who at 23 has ruined knees.”
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Sampras Predicts Big Things for Andy Murray

Pete Sampras is still backing Andy Murray to join that elite club of Grand Slam champions next year, even though the 22 year-old Scot was surprisingly beaten to membership by Argentina’s Juan Martin Del Potro at the US Open and has spent the last month on the injured list.
Sampras applauded Murray’s playing style and the way he manages his game, not rushing back into action after suffering wrist problems playing through the American summer and then representing Great Britain three days in succession in the Davis Cup match against Poland.
“He plays a game that takes a lot of work on the body and I know he works hard off the court but I think if he is smart with his injuries and recovers and doesn't play and make them worse, he will be fine," Sampras said. "When it comes down to next year in Australia he will be fit and ready to go.
"Obviously he is trying to win his first major and he has come pretty close this year and he can taste it. He is in a fishbowl in the UK with all the expectations and pressure, it is not easy to deal with but he is a great player and he is on the verge of really being a dominant player.
"He is up there and he is in his early twenties so he has many years to improve and learn and he will break through and win a couple of majors."
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Stosur is Adjusting her Career Plans

Samantha Stosur has taken up the option of playing the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions in Bali a week after she competes in the doubles event of the Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha.
That is part of her grand plan to earn a place in the top 10 after this week reaching a career-high 13 following victory over Francesca Schiavone in Osaka, a win that earned her a first career title.
"Now it's top 10 - that's obvious - but depending on how I finish in Bali, I could maybe be a little closer and then next year if I get a good start I can maybe have a good shot," she said, referring to her next career target. "I don't know how long I'll take to do it. I haven't set a date, but every day I'm going to work towards getting there."
Another part of the plan will be to cut down on her doubles. The former No.1 will not play with Rennae Stubbs, her partner in Doha, beyond this year as she concentrates her on her singles ambitions.
"Stubbsie and I have talked about this and we're not going to team up after this year," she revealed. "At the start of the year, when I said singles was my priority and I had to make some changes, I think I proved to myself that was a smart move. I'm starting to reap the benefits. Next year, I've got to do the same. I'll still play doubles, but not as much and possibly not with a regular partner, so I'm not letting anyone down if I can't play a certain week."
Stosur, though, is committed to beginning next season partnering Lleyton Hewitt at the Hopman Cup, rather than gathering ranking points the same week in Brisbane.

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We Hear---
--that Steve Wood, the Tennis Australia chief executive who shouldered much of the criticism from Lleyton Hewitt’s broadside attack against Tennis Australia last week, has signed a new four year contract just two weeks before the potentially stormy annual general meeting which could see Geoff Pollard ousted after 20 years as president.
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THIS WEEK
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Doha
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