Steven has been playing at a high level in tennis since the age of 14. He has played numerous world junior events as well as Futures and Satellite events on the ITF Tours. Additionally, Steven has played a lot of club tennis in France and Germany. As well as playing at a very high level Steven has also been coaching tennis since the age of 16. Thus, bringing real hands on knowledge to The Tennis Times.
It seems like Serena Williams is trying to become a rapper! According to TMZ, Williams had some fun laying down a couple of rap tracks last year at a studio called B Major Music Group in Florida. The studio is owned by Ravens offensive lineman Bryant McKinnie, who is apparently close friends with the Williams sisters.
Let us know what you think of the track.
I think its pretty terrible!
Prince Sports Inc has filed for bankruptcy protection in the USA for around $100 million. This is a big hit for Prince and they blamed declining demand and increased competition over the past five years.
Prince, the exclusive licensee of the All England Club for Wimbledon-branded rackets, racket bags and accessories, was bought in 2007 by Providence, Rhode Island-based buyout fund Nautic Partners LLC.
Prince today said its subsidiaries outside the U.S., including those based in Europe, Taiwan and China, are not subject to the proceedings and “are expected to operate in ordinary course.”
What is being humorously referred to as “smurf” clay is debuting at the Madrid Open this week amid a smattering of critiques from players. It will be the first time this tournament has featured the blue-colored clay instead of the more traditional red surface. While it has garnered moderate approval from
Roger Federer, Andy Murray, and Maria Sharapova, it has been criticized by world champion Raphael Nadal. Nadal, the 2005 Madrid Open winner and 10 time Grand Slam champion, will no longer be donning the knee brace he has worn since the latest flareup of his recurring tendinitis. He is the local favorite to win the tournament.
Nadal, who is considered by many to be the world’s best clay player, thinks that the sudden switch to blue clay could adversely affect his training for the French Open, as well as the rest of clay court season. He had surprisingly harsh words on the subject, saying that the only person who would benefit from it was the tournament owner, billionaire and former Romanian ATP player Ion Tiriac. Other criticism came from top-ranked Novak Djokovic, who says that the court alters a player’s perception of how the ball will bounce.
Interestingly, though the court material was produced in the exact same way as the red court, at least one player, 23rd ranked Canadian player Milos Raonic, has cited increased slickness and decreased bounce. If this is true, it will factor in to an already changed game pace, accelerated by the thin air of Madrid’s elevated altitude.
The Madrid Open is the only tournament in in Europe that features both men and women. It is played inside the Caja Magica, one of the more astonishing pieces of architecture in sports. The corresponding City of Tennis is Madrid features three indoor/outdoor courts that can seat 20,000 spectators. While no one is quite sure what exactly triggered the push for a clay color change by owner Tiriac, organizers say the new color will allow viewers to better follow the ball. It is certainly a noteworthy addition to the clay court season, though spectators may miss the now customary sight of Raphael Nadal staining his apparel with red clay streaks.
Here is what Victoria Azarenka will be wearing at the 2012 French Open at Roland Garros. This Nike dress is going to look amazing up against the clay backdrop.
Fabio Fognini was the runner-up at the BRD Nastaste Tiriac Trophy Tournament. Here is Fabio posing after the match.
Steve Johnson is a collegiate player who seems unstoppable at the moment. Johnson is from USC and has been able to amass 59 consecutive match wins.
Johnson, a senior who has competed on the ATP tour when not in school, says he stayed at USC for his senior year to help the Trojans to their fourth straight team title. “He is, for sure, a top-100 player,” USC coach Peter Smith told the LA Times. After that, it’s up to him.”
Milos Raonic, at the Rexall Centre, for a behind-the-scenes of his photo shoot wearing Lacoste for Harry Rosen.
Ivan Ljubicic talks about his career and why he chose to Monte Carlo as his last ever ATP Tour tournament.
We were the first to show off Roger Federer in a new coffee ad. Here is the actual Jura ad!
Wimbledon has just announced an increase in the total prizemoney for 2012. Total Wimbledon prizemoney will be £16.1m, an increase of 10% on 2011 (£14.6m).
The increases also extend to all rounds of the qualifying events (+21%), while per diems rise by 17% from £170 to £200 for a main draw player and £85 to £100 in qualifying.
The Men’s and Ladies’ Singles Champions will each receive £1,150,000, an increase of £50,000 (4.5%) on 2011. In overall terms, this means that 93% of all singles players will receive an increase in prize money of least 13%, while the remaining 7% will earn a minimum of £75,000.
Philip Brook, Chairman of the All England Club and The Championships, said “Wimbledon continues to be successful and we are delighted to share that success with the players by increasing total prize money by 10%, the largest increase since 1993. At the same time, we appreciate the need to help players meet the rising costs associated with professional tennis so the majority of the record £1.5m increase will be distributed to those who are knocked out in the early rounds of The Championships.”
Here is a great interview with Andy Murray at the Monte Carlo Masters 2012. Andy talks about his family, competition and training. Andy doesnt normally do long interviews, so its great to see him relaxing and answering questions out of the professional jargon.
Daniel Guccione, Li Tu and Thanasi Kokkinakis will be representing Australia at the Junior Davis Cup 2012 this week. Here is their preview video.
Maria Kirilenko was forced from the Russian Fed Cup lineup because she re-injured her leg. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova played in Maria’s place, but lost against both Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic. Serbia won the tie 3-2 with Jankovic sweeping Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-1, 6-4, in the clinching match.
Naiktha Bains, Isabelle Wallace and Zoe Hives are representing Australia this week in the Junior Fed Cup 2012. Here is a quick preview video from the Australian Team.
Tomorrow is set to be an amazing Monte Carlo Masters Final. The final will see Novak Djokovic playing Rafael Nadal. It has been very windy in Monte Carlo and it seemed as though Djokovic was struggling today with the conditions. Nadal however, seemed to have a great time on the clay.
I think tomorrow its going to be a very tough time for Djokovic! I think Nadal will win in straight sets.
Novak Djokovic is just hanging in during his semifinal match currently underway at the Monte Carlo Country Club. Djokovic lost the first set 6-4 and is current 3-0 in the second set, even though Tomas Berdych has had break points in both of Djokovic’s service games.
It is very blustery conditions in Monte Carlo and the court surface has given the players a lot of trouble in this match and previously in the week.
Its going to be very interesting to see if Djokovic can come back.
Casey Dellacqua gets interviewed by Australian Fed Cup team mate Samantha Stosur. Currently, the Australian team is getting ready for their Fed Cup tie with Germany.
Roger Federer recently produced a new exciting TV commercial and enjoyed lots of coffees… World premiere: 24 April
Can you guess the company?
