http://tennisassist.com Peter Tramacchi and Michael Maidens discuss Pete’s take on the Australian Open 2010 Mens Final Between Roger Federer and Andy Murray. Pete was court side and talks about the atmosphere, the missed opportunity of Andy Murray and the tactics and strategies unfolding by both Andy Murray and Roger Federer.
Roger Federer Australian Open 2010 Mens Singles Winner
Can you say cheese! Newly crowned US Open mens singles champion Juan Martin del Potro has become the fifth player to qualify for the end of year Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. He has joined Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic for the event which takes place at the O2 in London from 22-29 November.
Roger Federer became the first tennis player to reach $50 million in career prize money with his first-round win at the U.S. Open tennis championship. The 28-year-old Swiss, who is guaranteed at least $31,000 by advancing in New York, is seeking his sixth straight U.S. Open title and 16th Grand Slam championship.
Here is a quick breakdown of the US Open prizemoney is for 2009:
| PLAYER | BASE PRIZE MONEY | POTENTIAL PAYOUT WITH BONUS |
| Winners | $ 1,200,000 | $ 2,200,000 |
| Runners-Up | $ 600,000 | $1,100,000 |
| Semifinalists | $ 280,000 | $ 530,000 |
| Quarterfinalists | $ 140,000 | $ 265,000 |
| Round of 16 | $ 72,000 | $ 142,000 |
| Third Round | $ 42,000 | $ 82,000 |
| Second Round | $ 26,500 | $ 51,500 |
| First Round | $ 16,500 | $ 31,500 |
| TOTAL | $ 12,144,000 | $ 14,769,000 |
Andy Murray has entered the debate over the value of the tennis world rankings by questioning the Williams sisters’ interest in tournaments outside the grand slams.
The rise of Russian Dinara Safina to No 1 has raised the question of whether it is justifiable for a player without a grand slam title to be on top. Serena Williams has won three of the last four grand slam women’s singles titles, however she only stands at No. 2 in the WTA Tour standings. Men’s world No. 2 Murray, who has also still yet to win one of the four top tournaments in tennis, believes there would be little merit in raising the points on offer at the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open just to ensure the winners of those events have a better chance of topping the rankings.
Murray understands why the issue is being discussed, and why there are varying views, but he is convinced the ranking systems as they stand have plenty of merit.
The Scot said:
“Do you not agree that it’s important for the top players like Serena to turn up at the other big events? “Tennis (has) an 11-month calendar. If you have ranking points which are too small for Serena to turn up at some of the smaller events, then all of a sudden the whole calendar is completely pointless and she can turn up — which is probably what she wants to do — at the four slams and play, and then not play for the rest of the year. And I think you have to be rewarded for consistency, and her consistency in slams is great, but in the other tournaments I don’t think it is.”
It has been reported that Rafael Nadal has purchased a new beachside house in the exclusive residential complex Playa Nueva Romana in the Dominican Republic.
The community will have “1,200 luxury homes, a marina, a five-star hotel, and an 18-hole golf course. This new development represents an investment of more than US$180 million and covers an area of 620 acres of coconut groves, just 45 minutes from Santo Domingo’s international airport.”
We can now confirm that Ana Ivanovic is dating Australian golfing sensation Adam Scott. The pair met at the start of the year in Australia and have been spending more and more time together ever since.
Scott recently pulled out of the Tiger Woods AT&T National to head over to Wimbledon and watch Ana play.
The relationship is still yet to come out officially in the public domain, but in this case it has been confirmed by several close sources.
Im sitting in my living room at the moment watching Marin Cilic and Sam Querrey play in the second round of Wimledon 2009, and thinking that it was only a couple of years ago when I saw both these top players playing in the junior event.
I find it funny how the average person who watches tennis really only knows and likes the top players. I wish there would a lot more tennis on tv especially here in the UK and home back in Australia, but I wish they provided more of an acknowledgement to the lower level players and even juniors at these major events and any other event for that matter.
I honestly am really not sure what The Tennis Times will eventually turn in to, but im very keen to provide as much coverage as possible about the players you have never heard of.
Always perfectly balanced
If you have never seen Fabrice Santoro, aka “the Magician” play tennis, run, do not walk, to anywhere you can find him because he’s retiring soon. Eastbourne is one of the oldest women’s events and always attracts a top-class field, and this year the LTA has moved the much lower-profile men’s event from Nottingham down to join it. Andreev is the top seed. The chance to see Santoro play in an intimate setting is the hidden gem. Today, he was playing the US’s Robert Kendrick, one of those beanpoles that come out of the woodwork with the switch from clay to grass. And there’s Santoro with every characteristic you don’t expect to add up to a good player on grass: relatively short (5 foot 10), two-handed on both sides, a spin artist. Kendrick’s grass credentials aren’t bad. He reached the quarter-final at Newport in 2005, the same year he had a two-set lead at Wimbledon over eventual finalist Nadal – then lost the third set tie-break before losing 6-7 3-6 7-6 7-5 6-4. Santoro, who like Navratilova is perfectly balanced no matter where he is on court or what position he’s had to adopt to hit the ball, proceeded to carve him up like a nice Sunday roast in some of the most entertaining play you’ll ever see anywhere. Final score: Tomorrow, Santoro plays Ginepri – more of the same kind of classic match-up you used to get in the old days.
Tennis ads have become a lot of fun lately and this one from Nike is no different.
Both Tommy Haas and Andy Murray had great weekend the pair each won their respective tournaments.
Tommy Haas, ranked 41 in the world, came into the Gerry Weber Open with a wild card and scored a major upset over Novak Djokovic in the finals on Sunday: 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-1. This was the first German singles victory in nine years in Halle, and Haas’s first singles title (and final appearance) since Memphis, 2007.
Andy Murray beat up James Blake in straight sets on his “home” turf of London: 7-5, 6-4. He becomes Great Britain’s first Queen’s Club singles champion in 71 years – since Bunny Austin beat Sin-Khie Kho of China in 1938.
