Things have gone from bad to worst for Dinara Safina (ever since she became number 1 in the world). Safina was hammered by Marion Bartoli 6-0 6-1 at the Hobart International. Safina is trying to recover her form after a serious back injury.
Bartoli called Safina a “very tough opponent” in what she thought was a “really great match.”
Im a little tired of tennis players being nice to each other in press conferences. Safina just didnt turn up yet again! Why doesnt she spend longer on her recovery and less time on tour?
Roger Federer has said this is one of his best shots ever. Federer wowed the crowd — and perhaps himself — with a between-the-legs winner against Thomas Schoorel at the Qatar Open on Tuesday.
It was Federer’s first match of the season, which he won 7-6 (3), 6-3. Not a bad way to kick off 2011.
“It’s one of the best shots again of my career, one I’m going to look back on and smile, of course,” Federer said. “It was quite fantastic.”
The 21-year-old Schoorel, playing only his second ATP-level match, managed a smile as the crowd applauded. Schoorel went on to hold his serve, but Federer sealed the win in the next game.
Viktor Troicki was an amazingly player last year and increased his ranking to the number 28 spot in the world. Troicki also became a hero when his country won the Davis Cup for the very first time. Viktor Troicki has announced that he has signed a new clothing sponsorship deal with Adidas for the 2011 season.
This is a great achievement for Troicki who is now sponsored by what I think as the top tennis clothing brand at the moment.
It was great see Australia win their first match of the 2011 Hopman Cup. However, Im getting a little bit tired of seeing the same players year after year after year. Is this because Australian tennis isnt producing quality youngsters or is it because the organisers are just trying to fill as many seats as possible and not blood young players into the limelight?
The top 100-ranked men in the world and top 98 women are scheduled to play at next month’s Australian Open, giving the first Grand Slam of the year one of its best-ever fields.
Top-ranked Rafael Nadal will attempt to win his fourth straight major, while defending champion and No. 2 Roger Federer is chasing his fifth Australian Open title.
Women’s No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki will attempt to win her first Grand Slam title, while two-time champion and 2010 winner Serena Williams is the notable omission from the top 100 due to a foot injury.
The Australian Open is scheduled for Jan. 17-30 at Melbourne Park.
The 104 direct acceptances into the men’s draw include U.S. Open-winner Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina and Dmitry Tursunov of Russia, both with injury-protected rankings.
The women’s draw includes 107 direct acceptances, minus Elena Dementieva of Russia, who retired at the end of the season, and No. 37 Agnes Szavay of Hungary, who is injured.
“To have the top 104 players in the world in the men’s main draw is incredible and shows the high esteem with which the Australian Open is held in world tennis,” tournament director Craig Tiley said in a statement Saturday.
“The women’s field also has every available top player in the world. The players vote with their feet and they are doing it again.”
The men’s field will be completed by 16 qualifiers and eight wild cards, while the women’s field has 12 qualifiers and eight wild cards to be added.
This morning I read a very interesting article over on the BBC website about the state of British tennis. I thought I would embed the whole article here for everyone to read. It would be great to hear your thoughts on the matter, and is this only happening in British tennis or are their other countries also not performing?
Another year, another £60m outlay. More promises, more plans.
And the usual answers to the standard questions: “We’re heading in the right direction… give us time…”
Groundhog day at the National Tennis Centre, the unfailingly spotless home of the Lawn Tennis Association, where the annual accounts of the governing body were revealed on Wednesday accompanied by the annual plea for patience.
£59m was earned during 2010, up almost £3m on last year, with the majority coming, as usual, from the generous folk up the road at Wimbledon.
At 17, Bolton’s George Morgan is among the crop of current British hopefuls
Expenditure included £10m on business support, £3m on commercial, £16m on competitions and events, £13m on growth and development and another £13m on talent. £60m in total, a loss of just under £1m.The LTA, defending the expenditure, says definite progress is being made.
The number of adults playing weekly is up above 500,000 for the first time, the number of juniors regularly competing is above 41,000 and the number of juniors “on track” for a professional career is also up (31 in 2010 compared with 26 last year).
There are new sponsorship deals, more indoor courts, and the long-awaited surge of tennis equipment and educational tools into primary schools.
A healthy crop of junior talent – “more depth than before” according to chief executive Roger Draper – backs up a successful year for several British women, especially the inspiring Elena Baltacha, 55 in the world, and the promising Heather Watson whose transition from the junior ranks appears to be going impressively to plan (175 in the world already).
But the ranking figures on the men’s side continue to let the side down. If progress is being made in so many areas (and it clearly is) how can this simple rankings fact be explained: In 2006, there were nine British men inside the top 300 and three inside the top 100. In 2010 there are only three inside 300 and just Andy Murray inside 100?
Over four years, since the arrival of the current regime at the top of the LTA, men’s tennis – including the Davis Cup team – has unquestionably gone backwards.
April’s Davis Cup defeat in Lithuania was an all-time low – the lack of talent beneath Andy Murray cruelly exposed – and led to the “departure” of captain John Lloyd. It also signalled the end for coach Paul Annacone, who finally left the organisation in September to coach Roger Federer. The era of celebrity coaches at the NTC had come to an end.
Like Brad Gilbert and Peter Lundgren before them, Lloyd and Annacone were on extremely healthy contracts. A vast amount of money has left British tennis in the past three years to resolve these deals. Money well spent? Yes, says Draper, brushing aside the rankings history.
But how many indoor courts could have been built with just a fraction of the cash dished to the celebrity quartet?
Unsurprisingly, this matter wasn’t discussed during the speeches at the AGM. Contract pay-offs must appear somewhere within the balance sheet, we just don’t know where. Perhaps under “developing and supporting talent”.
As the speeches continued, and they tend to drone on at these kind of functions, I decided to escape to the indoor courts. On the way, a pit stop at the canteen for a famous LTA coffee and a hello to a few familiar faces.
James Ward, the British number two, had just come off court with his coach, and fellow Arsenal fanatic, Greg Rusedski.
Ward, 201 in the world, will probably be the number one player in the Davis Cup team when Tunisia visit in March so this is a big season ahead for the Londoner.
He’s got a wild card into the Sydney International at the start of the year – a great chance to win a couple of matches at ATP level and take that ranking upwards!
Good to see Jamie Baker too. More injury trouble in 2010 for the unluckiest man in British tennis but he keeps at it, keeps believing. He’s back at futures level for the time being so good luck to him as he grinds his way back.
And so to the courts where, I must confess, I watched some tennis to back up the optimism of the men in suits.
Seventeen-year-old George Morgan from Bolton, fresh from winning the prestigious Orange Bowl in Florida last week, was playing Nottingham 15-year-old Luke Bambridge. I’m told they’re among the hardest workers in the British junior ranks. The coaches love their attitude.
What impressed me most about their session, supervised by coaches Colin Beecher and Magnus Tideman, was the general positivity of the play. Always aggressive, always with an eye for stepping in, moving through the ball and up the court.
This was refreshing to see. Most of the junior tennis I’ve seen at the NTC over the years has been “up and down” – solid baseline stuff, nothing spectacular, a distinct shortage of collective “weapons”.
Morgan has a monster backhand and Bambridge does damage with his forehand; a couple of useful serves too; good feel for an approach shot.
As Davis Cup captain Leon Smith looked on, I couldn’t help wondering whether this was a sign of a new attacking ethos. Smith pointed out that for all the talk of slower courts and lack of net play in the modern game, rallies still only last an average of 4-6 shots. It’s all about taking opportunities and pouncing on chances when they appear. Good to hear.
Smith now heads up the coaching team on the men’s side and, along with Beecher and other committed LTA staffers, has seen the celebrity coaching era come and go. Now is the time to invest in British coaches, the bedrock of the sport in this country.
As Tony Nadal said on 5 Live the other night, there is no miracle cure or proven scientific solution to coaching tennis players. Whatever people may say, Smith and Beecher have as good a shot as Gilbert and Annacone of producing champions. And they’re a damn sight cheaper.
Tideman, the Swede, will be coaching Morgan this season as he takes the first few steps out of the junior ranks and into the big wide world of the senior game. A big job.
This crucial transition period can make or break a player but the LTA are keener than ever not to rush these kids. Patience will be the key. At least with Kyle Edmund, Liam Broady and Oliver Golding, Morgan spearheads an impressive crop of British juniors. Good luck to them all next season.
On the adjacent courts, a few 10-year-olds from the Aegon Future Stars programme were merrily hitting away.
I love the innocence of these kids. The racquets always look way too big, the angle of the serve makes it look trigonometrically impossible to clear to the net.
Good luck to them (keep at it!), although this radio commentator politely invites a colleague to take over before little Boris makes his Wimbledon debut!
They may not make it, they may not even be playing in a couple of years, but it’s always invigorating to watch young kids playing sport. And, make no mistake, there were some classy touches from Cameron Kerr (Renfrewshire), Kai Maxted (Sussex) and Boris Ivanyuzhenkov (London).
Martina Navratilova has been released from hospital, she spent three days after her fluid-filled lungs forced her to abandon her attempt to climb Africa’s highest mountain.
The 54-year-old tennis great was carried down Mount Kilimanjaro on a stretcher Thursday night and Friday morning. Navratilova said she knew by Wednesday she wouldn’t be able to reach the summit of the 19,340-foot mountain in Tanzania.
“I didn’t feel badly, I just couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t get a full breath of air,” Navratilova said shortly her release from the Nairobi hospital, where she was treated for high-altitude pulmonary edema. “Nothing hurt, and for an athlete that’s weird. Nothing hurt but I (couldn’t) go on.”
Wilson are about to introduce four unique new string offerings for 2011:
For players with arm discomfort (like tennis elbow), new Shock Shield string has a gel filled core which helps reduce shock and vibration. The construction eases tension for comfort and control. The string works in combination with the new Shock Shield Hybrid grip, as well as Shock Shield vibration dampener, made with IsoZorb Gel for maximum comfort.
For those looking for a durable synthetic gut, Red Alert is Wilson’s newest offering. With a slightly textured surface, Red Alert provides increased bite and the high molecular weight nylon coating creates durability more than 2 times the comparable synthetic gut string. The company says that the triangular shaped monofilament wraps create a crisp feel on every shot.
The newest member of the NXT family, NXT Control combines polyester and nylon fiber bundles with polyurethane. The polyester fibers offer control while the nylon fiber provides power. Polyurethane bonds the fibers together and offers the shock absorption and comfort that NXT strings are known for.
The new SGX 16 is composed of a high energy core surrounded by bi-directional X-bands for a soft and comfortable feel. Available in a variety of colors (lime pictured here), the traditional synthetic gut suits all playing styles and abilities.
Roger Federer is on all the packaging, but he doesnt use the string himself. Federer uses Wilson Champion’s Choice (a hybrid 16 g. 1/2 set Wilson Natural Gut and 1/2 set Luxilon ALU Power Rough that runs around $29 bucks a set– pricey for string breakers on a budget).
Prices coming soon on the Wilson newbies. Learn more at Wilson or find the string soon at Tennis-Warehouse.
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?
Professional tennis players seem to do a lot more charity work compared to other sports. Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova played at a charity event recent, but they couldn’t believe it when Elton John hit an amazing lob with easy.
In boring news, the WTA has launched a new logo. The new mark is designed to serve as a distinctive and modern reminder of the captivating athleticism and excitement that has driven the international popularity and growth of women’s professional tennis and placed it firmly at the nexus of sport and entertainment. However, that is just complete crap and its just a basic logo!
It seems like Maria Sharapova is now engaged to Los Angeles Lakers guard Sasha Vjuacic. The agent for Sharapova confirmed the news in an e-mail to The Associated Press.
Vujacic said he proposed on the one-year anniversary of their first meeting at a friend’s barbecue.
The two have been dating for almost a year. They were first seen together at a U2 concert in L.A. last November. A wedding date has not been set.
Only a year of dating, possibly that is rushing things a bit Maria!
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.”
Being a professional tennis player is all about what you do on the practice court. Often there isn’t much shown of how the top players practice, but here is a great video that might give you a bit of an insight.
WTA players featured include: Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, Sam Stosur, Caroline Wozniacki, Vera Zvonareva, Maria Kirilenko, Victoria Azarenka, Gisela Dulko, Flavia Pennetta, Jelena Jankovic, Kaia Kanepi, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Andrea Petkovic, Yanina Wickmayer, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Vera Dushevina, Alicja Rosolska, Ekaterina Makarova & Sara Errani.
Sometimes I find tennis events very unprofessional. I recently came across this video of the Malaysian Open ATP Tour event draw, the draw seemed like it was conducted in a shopping mall with the present having to read everything off cue cards (even the players names).
Im a firm believer in only doing something if its done right and in this case they probably should have just done the draw behind closed doors or at least in a conference room.
Ana Ivanovic recently visited Tokyo and she had the time to do a little press with the WTA and run a kids coaching clinic (sponsored by Yonex) during the Toray Pan Pacific Open. Im liking the start of the video where Ana was filmed walking across the Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo (its like a game of Where’s Wally).
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.
The top 100-ranked men in the world and top 98 women are scheduled to play at next month’s Australian Open, giving the first Grand Slam of the year one of its best-ever fields.
Martina Hingis has married French equestrian Thibault Hutin during a private ceremony in Paris.
The new SGX 16 is composed of a high energy core surrounded by bi-directional X-bands for a soft and comfortable feel. Available in a variety of colors (lime pictured here), the traditional synthetic gut suits all playing styles and abilities.
