James Blake and Ryan Sweeting have been commenting about how it is unfair to compare USA players in the past with the current players. The media have been harsh towards the lack of results and compare them to Agassi, Sampras, Chang, Courier, etc.
“It could be a little bit unfair,” James Blake told the Memphis Daily News. “But it’s part of what you let yourself in for when you’re on the ATP tour. Guys like (Sam) Querrey and Donald Young are starting to deal with it, guys like Ryan Harrison and Jack Sock, will be dealing with it. I dealt with it, Andy [Roddick] dealt with it, and I know early on Andy got a little frustrated. But you know the questions are going to be part of any press conference. So you just give your stock answer and go on.”
This all makes very interesting reading. It will be interesting to see if Djokovic can continue to rise. He needs a really good 2012 to pass Roger on this table!
It was yet another fustrating day in New York at the US Open 2011. Day 10 was rained out, but there was at least 10 minutes of play. In those 10 minutes the worlds top players started their fourth round matches, but they weren’t very happy with tournament referee Brian Earley.
Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Andy Roddick vented their frustrations at having to play on slipper courts!
“We don’t want to go on court if it is raining,” Nadal told ESPN.
“If I have to go on court, I go on court, but I think it’s not fair.”
Murray stated:
“It’s dangerous. The lines get really slippy. Players want to play more than anyone, but not when it’s dangerous,” he said.
Roger Federer has commented about how the tennis has been growing and how most players dont like combined events.
Speaking from a players perspective they like combined events because it is a lot more fun to have all the players in one place. However, its not great because there are simply too many players. Its hard to get practice courts, hospitality, etc.
The 2011 Rogers Cup player list for the Mens draw has been released and here it is. As you can see all the top players in the world will be attending and there are only a few missing out of the top 48 in the world!
Liezel Huber has been talking out to CNN about the state of South African tennis. Huber has been a top doubles player in the world for many years and she was basically forced to move to the USA from South Africa to improve her game at the age of 15.
“In South Africa I don’t think they are looking at it as a business. That’s kind of what hurts the most,” she said. “When Wes Moodie and I won Wimbledon doubles titles in 2005, I actually thought it would change tennis in South Africa. Nothing changed. Maybe there’s more important things to spend money on, maybe tennis is not important. Maybe it’s more important for the government to build schools. I’m not there so I’m not sure why tennis is not getting funding. But it shows.”
Huber recently went back to South Africa to hold a clinic but was very disappointed with the talent.
South African tennis really needs to step up their game and get the top players to really try to give back to get more kids involved at the grass roots of the game.
The official acceptance list for the 2011 Rogers Cup in Toronto, Canada, has been announced and the field is amazing!
ENTRY LIST – MAIN DRAW ROGERS CUP TORONTO
(Rankings listed are as of Monday, July 4)
1. WOZNIACKI, Caroline DEN 1
2. CLIJSTERS, Kim BEL 2
3. ZVONAREVA, Vera RUS 3
4. AZARENKA, Victoria BLR 4
5. SHARAPOVA, Maria RUS 5
6. LI, Na CHN 6
7. KVITOVA, Petra CZE 7
8. SCHIAVONE, Francesca ITA 8
9. BARTOLI, Marion FRA 9
10. STOSUR, Samatha AUS 10
11. PETKOVIC, Andrea GER 11
12. KUZNETSOVA, Svetlana RUS 12
13. PAVLYUCHENKOVA, Anastasia RUS 13
14. RADWANSKA, Agnieszka POL 14
15. JANKOVIC, Jelena SRB 15
16. GOERGES, Julia GER 16
17. PENG, Shuai CHN 17
18. IVANOVIC, Ana SRB 18
19. WICKMAYER, Yanina BEL 19
20. CIBULKOVA, Dominika SVK 20
21. PENNETTA, Flavia ITA 21
22. HANTUCHOVA, Daniela SVK 22
23. PEER, Shahar ISR 23
24. KIRILENKO, Maria RUS 24
25. VINCI, Roberta ITA 25
26. GAJDOSOVA, Jarmila AUS 29
27. SAFAROVA, Lucie CZE 30
28. MATTEK-SANDS, Bethanie USA 31
29. PETROVA, Nadia RUS 32
30. VESNINA, Elena RUS 33
31. WILLIAMS, Venus USA 34
32. ERRANI, Sara ITA 35
33. ZAKOPALOVA, Klara CZE 36
34. BONDARENKO, Alona * UKR 36
35. DULKO, Gisela ARG 37
36. DULGHERU, Alexandra ROU 38
37. MAKAROVA, Ekaterina RUS 40
38. HRADECKA, Lucie CZE 42
39. WILLIAMS, Serena USA 175
40. Qualifiée / Qualifier
41. Qualifiée / Qualifier
42. Qualifiée / Qualifier
43. Qualifiée / Qualifier
44. Qualifiée / Qualifier
45. Qualifiée / Qualifier
46. Qualifiée / Qualifier
47. Qualifiée / Qualifier
48. Qualifiée / Qualifier
49. Qualifiée / Qualifier
50. Qualifiée / Qualifier
51. Qualifiée / Qualifier
52. Laissez-passer / Wild Card
53. Laissez-passer / Wild Card
54. Laissez-passer / Wild Card
55. Exemption spéciale / Special Exempt
56. Exemption spéciale / Special Exempt
* Classement protégé / Protected ranking
ENTRY LIST – MAIN DRAW ROGERS CUP MONTREAL
(Rankings listed are as of Monday, July 4)
1. DJOKOVIC, Novak SRB 1
2. NADAL, Rafael ESP 2
3. FEDERER, Roger SUI 3
4. MURRAY, Andy GBR 4
5. SODERLING, Robin SWE 5
6. FERRER, David ESP 6
7. MONFILS, Gael FRA 7
8. FISH, Mardy USA 8
9. BERDYCH, Tomas CZE 9
10. RODDICK, Andy USA 10
11. GASQUET, Richard FRA 11
12. MELZER, Jurgen AUT 12
13. ALMAGRO, Nicolas ESP 13
14. TSONGA, Jo-Wilfried FRA 14
15. WAWRINKA, Stanislas SUI 15
16. TROICKI, Viktor SRB 16
17. YOUZHNY, Mikhail RUS 17
18. SIMON, Gilles FRA 18
19. DEL POTRO, Juan Martin ARG 19
20. MAYER, Florian GER 20
21. HAAS, Tommy GER 20*
22. NALBANDIAN, David ARG 21
23. CHELA, Juan Ignacio ARG 22
24. VERDASCO, Fernando ESP 23
25. BAGHDATIS, Marcos CYP 24
26. DOLGOPOLOV, Alexandr UKR 25
27. FERRERO, Juan Carlos ESP 26*
28. RAONIC, Milos CAN 26
29. CILIC, Marin CRO 27
30. LLODRA, Michael FRA 28
31. TIPSAREVIC, Janko SRB 29
32. DAVYDENKO, Nikolay RUS 30
33. LJUBICIC, Ivan CRO 32
34. ROBREDO, Tommy ESP 33
35. BELLUCCI, Thomaz BRA 34
36. ANDERSON, Kevin RSA 35
37. SEPPI, Andreas ITA 36
38. GARCIA-LOPEZ, Guillermo ESP 37
39. FOGNINI, Fabio ITA 38
40. MALISSE, Xavier BEL 39
41. MONTANES, Albert ESP 40
42. DODIG, Ivan CRO 41
43. KOHLSCHREIBER, Philipp GER 42
44. MONACO, Juan ARG 43
45. QUERREY, Sam USA 48
46. QUALIFIER/QUALIFIÉ
47. QUALIFIER/QUALIFIÉ
48. QUALIFIER/QUALIFIÉ
49. QUALIFIER/QUALIFIÉ
50. QUALIFIER/QUALIFIÉ
51. QUALIFIER/QUALIFIÉ
52. QUALIFIER/QUALIFIÉ
53. WILCARD/LAISSEZ-PASSER
54. WILCARD/LAISSEZ-PASSER
55. WILCARD/LAISSEZ-PASSER
56. WILCARD/LAISSEZ-PASSER
It was all glamour at the Pre-Wimbledon Party of 2011. The women stars of the game got dressed up and this year it was particuarly interesting with each of the players wearing an outfit that was designed by a British designer. Let’s take a look at some of the girls who headlined the show.
Jelena Jankovic wore a Vivienne Westwood dress
Ana Ivanovic wore a Matthew Williamson dress
Maria Sharapova wore an all Alexander McQueen ensemble.
Serena Williams wore a Burberry gown.
Betanie Mattek-Sands surprised everyone with a dress made by one of Lady Gaga’s designers
Caroline Wozniacki wore a Stella McCartney dress and who also designs her on-court dresses as well.
Other players who were at the party include Li Na (wore Giles Deacon); Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (wore David Koma); Andrea Petkovic (wore Richard Nicoll); Heather Watson (wore Mulberry); and Laura Robson (wore Temperley). Nicholas Kirkwood provided shoes for the occasion.
Twitter is already a huge medium for players to reach their fans online. Twitter provides a little personal touch and allows players and the general public to communicate in a simple way. I have been wondering for a while now, which players are actually already using Twitter!
Every year at Wimbledon there is a pre tournament players party and this year is no different. We came across a great picture of Ana Ivanovic with Virgin boss Richard Branson. Im wondering if Branson actually knows who she is or just another tactical publicity stunt.
It seems to have been the season for chaning coaches and management companies. Here is a list created by tennis.com which shows a quick breakdown of what has been happening around the place.
Jelena Jankovic
Jankovic hopped onto the International Management Group (IMG) bandwagon on January 1, joining Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal, among others, on the sports marketing giant’s star-studded client list. She will be represented by the company’s London office. The former world No. 1 was previously signed to Virginia-based Octagon.
Andy Murray
Several management companies were vying to sign the U.S. Open finalist, currently ranked No. 4 in the world. Creative Artists Agency (CAA) Sports, Lagardere Group, IMG, and Simon Fuller’s 19 Entertainment (think American Idol fame) were all suiting the 21-year-old Murray whose endorsement earnings could reach nine figures (one outlet reported his earnings potential as $200 million). Eventually, Murray left Ace Group and signed on with CAA, whose sports division also represents David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ana Ivanovic
After the breakup of her four-month courtship with fellow pro Fernando Verdasco, Ivanovic also ended her coaching relationship with Sven Groeneveld just prior to the start of the Australian Open. While Groeneveld was not acting in an official coaching capacity, he was seen in Melbourne courtside with his former charge during practice sessions.
The world No. 8, who dropped three spots in the rankings after her third-round loss at the Australian Open, announced on Wednesday that she will be working with Craig Kardon on a trial basis, starting next week in Dubai.
Andy Roddick
A leaner Roddick made the semifinals in Oz before falling in straight sets to Roger Federer. In addition to the 15-pound weight loss, much credit for Roddick’s impressive run was given to his new coach, veteran Larry Stefanki, who joined the American’s team late last season.
Peng Shuai
China’s Peng has begun working with Frenchman Tarik Benhabiles, who previously coached Richard Gasquet, Tatiana Golovin, Andy Roddick and most recently, Benjamin Becker.
Daniela Hantuchova and Tamira Paszek
Austrian phenom Paszek has parted ways with Lari Passos, the former coach of Gustavo Kuerten, and is now being coached by Angel Gimenez of the Sanchez-Casal Academy in Barcelona. Gimenez had recently been coaching Daniela Hantuchova, but the Slovak began working with former ATP Tour player Albert Portas in November.
Yanina Wickmayer
The 19-year-old Wickmayer, an heir-apparent to the Belgian tennis throne who is currently ranked No. 76, is under the tutelage of Carlos Rodriguez, who was Justine Henin’s lifelong coach.
Have you ever wondered what some of the worlds best tennis players looked like when they were younger. Well over at the Tennis Warehouse forum they have come up with some brilliant pics.
Pictures include Stefan Edberg, Mats Wilander, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and more.
A question that seems to get asked all the time is “how much does it costs to be a professional tennis player”? I personally have played all over the world but on tour all of the time and Ive never been good with money, so I thought I would discuss what players on the pro tour have to pay for.
Cost/Expenses breakdown:
Travel expenses and also Hotel costs
Racquets
Strings
Re-strings
Gear, shoes, etc
Training facilities
Food
Possible additions include:
Coach
Trainer
PR or agent
I know that most players on tour are sponsored by large clothing and racquet suppliers, but you still need to be in the top 200 in the world to have this full subsidised. However, at tournament you are always paying for re-strings and food costs. Some tournaments have subsidies for training facilities, hotels at the tournament and food.
The big killer is the travel between tournaments. I know a player who used to be in the top 10 in the world for Doubles and one year he spent $100,000 on flights alone. Planning your tournament schedule is very important when playing on tour. Additionally, you have to think about travel, accommodation, training and food in between tournaments.
Finally you might have additions such as Coaches, Trainers and PR or agents. Coaches and Trainers normally get a wage, plus you have to pay for their travel and accommodation, etc.
Of course these prices will change dramatically depending upon what tour you are on and what prizemoney tournaments you are playing.
Professional on the ATP or WTA tour = $200,000 per year (est.)
Challenger tour = $70,000 per year
ITF tour = $40,000 per year
All these amounts above are just complete estimates, but im sure you could do it cheap. Plus the longer you are on tour, the more you know about planning the right schedule, keeping costs low, etc.
If you put this in perspective saying that your a professional player just outside the top 100, but you constantly get into Grand Slams. If you play all 4 Grand Slams in one year and only win 1 round at each event, then you will receive $25,000 per Grand Slam, thus $100,000 per year. Hence, if you play well and get to the 2nd round of every Grand Slam, then you are able to possibly cover half of your costs per year. Normally, the average player on tour will play around 25 tournaments per year. You do the math!
Verdict – To make good money playing tennis you need to be inside the top 50 players in the world. If you can do this then you have a good chance of being a millionaire. If you are around the 50-150 mark then if you are able to keep control of your costs, then you could make a good living from tennis and travel the world at the same time. However, if you are below the 150 mark making money from tennis is going to be a little difficult. There is only so long you can hang around the 150 mark or low and make just enough money to live off.
Over at the DamnGoodList they have profiled the top 25 female tennis players. The list features so big names and some ladies who are still yet to actually make their mark on tour. Take a look and let us know what you think.
Players include:
Elena Dementieva
Tatiana Golovin
Sania Mirza
Marta Domachowska
and more..
We have previously reported about the relationship between Ana Ivanovic and Fernando Verdasco and this time they have been out and about together.
It is good to see Ana and Fernando are just being open about their relationship. Ana has to be one of the best looking female tennis players on tour and Fernando is just Spanish. Staytuned for more photos and more information in the coming months as the Paps start to follow them. Oh and by the way they were watching Real Madrid play against Real Union.
French Open champion Ana Ivanovic and Polish number one Agnieszka Radwanska have called on their fellow players to band together and fight new rules that limit where they can play in 2009.
Although part of the WTA’s new Roadmap is designed to reduce the number of tournaments and shorten the season, it also dictates that top 10 players must compete in at least 10 of the 20 Premier events — previously known as Tier 1 and 2 tournaments — and the four grand slams.
All of the top 10 players must play the tournaments held at Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Beijing.
“We do have our voice and we have to come together,” Ivanovic said at the Linz Open. “The changes were made in the middle of the season and when you’re playing grand slams you don’t really want to think about next year’s schedule.
There have been a lot of rumours lately about who is dating who, and I could stop there so here is another one. Move over Ivanovic and Verdasco and Sharapova here is Marat Safin getting some action.
Although Marat is in too much pain to play tennis at the moment (pulling out of the Madrid Masters) he seem to be doing ok with the ladies still off the court. It appears that Marat is now seeing Nastya Osipova and Russian pop singer. Nice result Marat.
From January, they will be denied the miserly per diem of $42 a match awarded for fetching balls, handling the sweat-laden towels and, perhaps, verbal serves from surly stars.
In place will be a gift package from the Open sponsors, although Tennis Australia was adamant it would match and possibly exceed what the kids could normally expect to earn in pocket-money.
The $20 daily allowance has been cut to an $8 snack package – about the cost of a sandwich in the player and media restaurant last year – but will also receive a lunch-pack that will compensate for the reduction, a spokesman said.
Liezel Huber has been talking out to CNN about the state of South African tennis. Huber has been a top doubles player in the world for many years and she was basically forced to move to the USA from South Africa to improve her game at the age of 15.
So here is our official WTA and ATP Tour players Twitter List! (if you know of any players we have missed please let us know 
