Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley has announced that Serena Williams has officially withdrawn from the 2011 tournament.
Williams has cited a foot injury for the withdrawal. It is the 2nd consecutive Grand Slam tournament that Williams will miss, and the loss of 2000 ranking points will cost her her place in the top 10 rankings.
She said she had additional surgery last month and couldn’t risk returning before the injury had properly healed.
“As I recently learned, pushing myself back into my intense training too early only caused me further injury and damage,” Williams said. “While I desperately want to be back on the court and competing in the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, it is imperative for my health that I continue to work with my doctors to ensure my foot heals properly.
“This decision, though heavy on my heart, is the right one. I am praying for a healthy recovery and I promise my Aussie fans and my fans around the world that I will be back better than ever as soon as I can be.”
Lleyton Hewitt has announced that Tony Roche will become his new coach for 2011. Roche previously coached Hewitt between July 2007 and August 2009 and was last month re-appointed Australian Davis Cup coach under new captain Pat Rafter.
“I’m really looking forward to working with both guys and feel that if I can keep the body performing then I can climb back up the ranks again,” said Hewitt, who has slid to No.55 in the rankings.
“I have been discussing this with Rochey for a few months now prior to him accepting the job as Australian Davis Cup coach, and when he asked me about taking that role with Pat, I thought that would work in well with what we were planning for myself.”
Do you think with the help of Tony Roche that Lleyton Hewitt will be able to lift his game and challenge for Grand Slam titles again?
Roger Federer has lashed out against some big allegations that he gave inside information about his matches so the president of his management company could place bets … saying the whole thing is “100% not true.”
TMZ broke the story that Agate Printing, Inc. filed a lawsuit against IMG and its owner, Ted Forstmann, claiming Federer gave Forstmann information about a match he played in at the 2007 French Open … and Forstmann later used the information to make a $40,000 wager on Roger.
At a press conference in China, Roger stated: “It’s disappointing that someone’s throwing my name around. I would never do such a thing.”
Federer continued, “My fans know that, the people who know me … I have nothing to hide. I’m sorry for those who think there is something to the story. But there’s nothing.”
Each year The ATP World Tour sees the winners from tennis’ major tournaments battling it out to be crowned the ultimate champion- earning the sport’s most prestigious title and a large cash prize. With a prize fund of £2,227,500 going to the winner of this year’s finals, we’ve investigated exactly how much have the world’s best players have gathered in prize money over the years. Here are the top ten ATP earners in tennis, based on ATP prize money won in their career to date:
1. Roger Federer – ATP earnings to date: $57,439,704
Currently ranking 3rd in the world, but ranked number one for 285 weeks of his career; the 29 year old Swiss is currently the ATP World Tour’s top earner and has been firmly making his mark in tennis since 1998 when he became the number one junior player in the world. Since then he has won 63 singles titles, been the first player to win 15 Grand Slam singles titles, finished as ATP World Tour Champion four times and reached all four Grand Slam titles in 2009; thus completing his Career Grand Slam. Roger Federer is already qualified for the ATP World Tour Finals this year.
2. Pete Sampras – Total ATP earnings: $43,280,489
A former world number one tennis player for a record-breaking 286 weeks; US-born but Greek-blooded Pete Sampras had racked up 64 singles titles at the close of an impressive 15-year tennis career in 2002. Known for his smooth style, he became the youngest men’s champion at the age of 19 when he won the US Open in 1990, went on to win 14 of the 18 Grand Slam singles finals he played and won five ATP World Tour Finals. All this means he is frequently regarded as one of greatest players of all time.
3. Rafael Nadal – ATP earnings to date: $33,755,902
Currently the world number one, the 24-year old Spanish Rafael was only 15 when he won his first ATP match in 2002 and has since gone on to win 42 singles titles. Famously coached by his uncle as a left-handed player, he has used this advantage to win nine Grand Slam singles titles, a record 18 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments and has completed the Career Golden Slam by winning all four Grand Slams as well as an Olympic Gold Medal. Currently qualified for the 2010 ATP World Tour Finals, he is set to work his way up in the top 10 ATP earner’s list.
4. Andre Agassi – Total ATP earnings: $31,152,975
A retired and former world number one tennis player for 101 weeks of his career, this charismatic American appeared on the scene as a 16-year old in 1986 and won his first Grand Slam, Wimbledon, in 1992. He was the only player in history to win a Career Super Slam by winning all four Grand Slams, an Olympic Singles Gold Medal and the ATP World Tour Finals. In total, Andre has also won eight Grand Slam singles tournaments and taken home 60 singles titles before injuries forced him to retire in 2006 after an impressive 17 year career.
5. Boris Becker – Total ATP earnings: $25,080,956
With a number one ranking for 12 weeks of his 16-year career, the ginger German famously became the youngest player ever to win Wimbledon at the age of 17 in 1985, entering the tournament as an unseeded player. He went on to win 49 singles titles in total, of which six Grand Slams and three ATP World Tour Finals before retiring from professional tennis in 1999. His impressive career meant that in 2003 he was inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
6. Yevgeny Kafelnikov – Total ATP earnings: $23,883,797
After making his debut in 1992, Yevgeny was the first ever Russian to become the world’s number one in tennis or any other sport, spending only six weeks of his career at the top in 1999. In total he won 26 singles titles including two Grand Slams and an Olympic Gold Medal, as well as four Grand Slam doubles titles. Early on in his career, he was named as the ATP most improved player of the year in 1994 when he climbed 93 places in one year. He retired from professional tennis in 2003 after finishing with his lowest ATP ranking since 1993.
7. Ivan Lendl – Total ATP earnings: $21,262,417
One of the most dominant players of the 80’s, the Czechoslovakia-born, US citizen started his professional career in 1978 and remained a top competitor into the early 90’s before retiring in 1994 due to a bad back. During his 17-year pro career he was ranked as the world number one for 270 weeks and captured no less than 94 singles titles, of which eight were Grand Slams and five were ATP Tour Finals wins. He also took home six doubles titles. When he retired in 1994, he was the highest prize money earner of his time.
8. Stefan Edberg – Total ATP earnings: $20,630,941
Another ex-world number one, Swedish Stefan famously battled it out with Boris Becker during the 80’s and 90’s and is known for his serve-and-volley style. After an impressive junior start, he came to the scene in 1983 and in his career spent a total of 72 weeks at the number one ranking. He also won a total of 42 singles titles, of which six were Grand Slams and one was an ATP World Tour Finals win. His doubles career is impressive too, winning 18 doubles pro titles of which three were Grand Slams. He retired from professional tennis in 1996.
9. Goran Ivanisevic – Total ATP earnings: $19,876,579 Best known for being the only person to win the men’s singles Wimbledon title as a wildcard entry in 2001, this Croatian tennis player has a career high ranking of world number two. He first came on the scene in 1988 and made his first real impact when beating Boris Becker in 1990 during the first round of the French Open men’s singles. In total he won 22 singles titles of which 1 was a Grand Slam title, before retiring from the game in 2004.
10. Michael Chang – Total ATP earnings: $19,145,632
After coming on the scene in 1988; US player Michael Chang famously became the youngest ever male player to win a Grand Slam singles title (his only one) at the French Open in 1989, aged 17. His junior career had already seen him set numerous ‘youngest-ever ‘records, setting the scene for 34 singles titles in his adult career. Although he only ever reached a number two world ranking, he remained in the top ten ATP world rankings for several years of his career and after retiring in 2003, was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2008.
The ATP World Tour Finals will take place this year from 21st -28th November in London’s O2 Arena, making it easy for Brits to see Raphael Nadal, Roger Federer and six other current tennis pros battling it out in the year’s most exciting tennis tournament. ATP Tour Finals tickets are sure to sell out so if you want to catch some of the action visit GetMeIn.com.
Gillette posted a video on YouTube at the start of the week, which showcased a trick shot by Roger Federer. Obviously the question of whether it is real or fake has been brought up, and Gillette has this to say about that.
All we’ll say at the moment is we’ll leave the ‘real or fake’ debate up to the viewers, but the evidence is there to see. Roger’s skill and ability is incredible (that’s why he’s a Gillette ambassador!) so of course it was filmed in one take during a shoot for Gillette Fusion’s partnership with the British Skin Foundation.
The video went viral after being posted on Monday. It has more than 3 million views it just four days, an incredble testament of how powerful the internet is. Take a look for yourself!
Dunlop has just launched their updated website and it looks a lot better than previous versions. The new Dunlop site showcases their team and all the rackets, accessories, baggage that Dunlop has for tennis.
Im a really big fan of the full browser experience and its great to see that Dunlop has adopted social media with the inclusion of their Twitter, Facebook and YouTube profiles. Im also loving the new player profile, but they are going to have to change the design again when they add more players to their roster.
Its great to see Dunlop back and taking tennis more seriously. Maybe not they can drop me an email and sponsor our site!
It has been announced that Channel 9 in Australia will not be renewing their rights to cover The Wimbledon Championships next year.
Covering the year’s third Grand Slam for 40 years, Channel 9 has decided to focus its attention on more popular sports.
“Unfortunately it hasn’t rated well in recent years and we think that money is now better invested on other sporting properties,” said a spokesperson for Channel 9.
We arent too sure at the moment if this means either Channel 10, Channel 7 or the ABC, will be trying to secure the rights for the Wimbledon Championships 2011.
According to a Swedish newspaper (Svenska Dagbladet) Thomas Johansson has been asked to come out of retirement to play Sweden’s Davis Cup playoffs against Italy in September.
“It’s tempting, but I don’t know if my body can go five sets,” said Johansson, but did add he was “training hard.”
Injuries and retirements have led Sweden to make a habit of luring back former players. Both Joachim Johansson and Andrea Vinciguerra have recently served on the squad, and former captain Mats Wilander even made an unsuccessful pitch to long-retired Stefan Edberg a couple of years ago.
First we had Rafael Nadal in a Shakira video and now we have Gael Monfils and Novak Djokovic guest starring in French electro artist Martin Solveig’s new music video “Hello”. The track is part of his forthcoming album, Smash.
This video, shot mainly in Court Philippe Chatrier involves both Monfils and Djokovic putting their acting chops to work.
It has been reported that authroities are assessing irregular betting on a first-round match between Richard Bloomfield and Christophe Rochus at the Hall of Fame grass-court tournament in Newport, R.I.
Betfair reported that $1.5 million was wagered on the match, in which Bloomfield won 7-6 6-3.
Bloomfield, ranked No. 552, was rated even money against his 160th-ranked Belgian opponent. In the hours before the match, the odds on Bloomfield winning shortened to 1-4. After he won the first set, the odds shorted to 1-8.
“If people are willing to risk 4 pounds to win one, that is indicative of a substantial gamble,” Betfair spokesman Tony Calvin said.
Notification of the irregular betting pattern was made to the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU), an independent body created by the sport’s governing bodies to lead the fight against corruption.
It is standard procedure for the betting industry to share irregular activity on its markets with the TIU.
“It is not operational policy of the TIU to make any comment about an investigation that it may or may not be involved in,” TIU spokesman Mark Harrison told the AP.
Harrison was responding to a report in Britain’s Daily Mail on Friday that an investigation was to be launched into the betting on the Bloomfield-Rochus match.
The 27-year-old Bloomfield was caught up in a betting controversy in 2006, when his 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Argentina’s Carlos Berlocq in the first round at Wimbledon was investigated following irregular patterns.
No conclusion was reached by authorities about the match. There is no suggestion Bloomfield is implicated in the irregular betting surrounding his victory over Rochus on Tuesday.
Congratulations to Rafael Nadal who is Wimbledon Mens Singles champion for 2010!
Rafael Nadal is again the Mens singles champion at Wimbledon. Nadal defeated Tomas Berdych 6-3 7-5 6-4. Nadal played some very solid tennis today, but Berdych just looked a little over-awed and didn’t play his best tennis today.
Nadal is now tied with Fred Perry, Ken Rosewall, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl and Andre Agassi on the all-time Grand Slam list with his eight major titles. However, if I was a betting man I would put my money on Nadal to move to nine Grand Slam titles at this years US Open.
Nicolas Mahut has started to notice back in France he is getting recognised in the streets. “People on the street congratulate me,” he said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, less than a week after he played in — but lost — the longest match in tennis history. “This is weird. Because for me, it’s still painful and disappointing.”
“About the loss, people are thinking further than win and loss. It’s more than that,” he said of the well-wishers who are more interested in his place in history than he is — for now, at least. “I need time. It’s still really painful for me. But I think after a few weeks I will feel like we did something special, John and I.”
Isner lost his second-round match in straight sets, then returned to the United States to throw out the first pitch at a New York Yankees game and read a Top Ten list on CBS’ “Late Show with David Letterman.” Mahut said he has done interviews for newspapers and TV shows in France, and French Sports Minister Roselyne Bachelot called to set up a meeting.
Mahut said the International Tennis Hall of Fame asked for a racket and shirt that he wore in the match; he will donate the well-worn equipment when he goes to the Newport, R.I., museum for next week’s Hall of Fame Championships.
Rafael Nadal has been fined $2,000 by Wimbledon officials for receiving coaching during his third-round match. The match was against Philipp Petzschner in which Nadal was down 2 sets to 1. Typical!
Nadal was given a code violation by French umpire Cedric Mourier for allegedly receiving advice from his coach, uncle Toni Nadal, during his five-set win over Philipp Petzschener on Saturday.
Both Nadals said Toni had only been giving the player encouragement. The fine was announced Monday. Nadal said, “The rules are the rules.”
It has been reported that Jennifer Capriati has been rushed to hospital from a suspected accidental overdose. Her spokesperson said that Jennifer had accidentally overdosed on prescription medicine’s.
The call came from a hotel in Riviera Beach, FL. Of course the gossip site TMZ was first on the report and Stefano Capriati told them she was recovering well.
Thoughts go out to the Capriati family. Let’s hope Jennifer recovers quickly and gets the help she needs.
After losing her second round match at Wimbledon, Svetlana Kuznetsova refused to shake hands with Anastasia Rodionova. Radionova who is now an Australian citizen defeated Kuznetsova 6-2 2-6 6-4.
Radionova is known for on-court theatrics and tactics. During the match Radionova questioned a huge amount of line calls and even went for a medical break due to a back injury. I think the back injury was just a load of crap! Back in 2007 in Cincinnati she was defaulted from a match for unsportsmanlike conduct in a similar situation. Seems like most players on tour havent forgot about this just yet!
Anastasia Rodionova’s comments on the match:
I don’t know what happened, I guess Svetlana was disappointed. It doesn’t really bother me. I go out there and try my best, every single match that I play.
I’m happy that I won the match and I’m looking forward to my next round. I played really well and I served really well. I felt really good on the court. It can’t even compare to my first round.
And what about suggestions the injury was not as severe as she claimed?
I strained a muscle a bit on my hip at the beginning of the second set. I’m fine. I have a bit of history there and I wanted to make sure it was nothing serious.
