Chinese brand ANTA has officially released their new dress which Jelena Jankovic will be wearing throughout the 2009 French Open starting in just over a day. It is going to be very interesting to see how this dress looks in real life away from all the special affects in this picture above.
Vera Zvonareva has been named a “Promoter of Gender Equality” as part of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s partnership with UNESCO.
Here’s what the world No.6 Russian said about the honor:
I think that the UNESCO-Sony Ericsson WTA Tour partnership is incredibly important and this is a role that I value highly and will work extremely hard in helping young girls and women all around the world to gain better opportunities to succeed in whatever they wish to do. In particular I very much believe in the importance and value of education and the rights of all women and girls to have equal access to it.
Other WTA players that already have that role are Venus Williams, Tatiana Golovin and Zheng Jie, as well as Tour founder Billie Jean King, who was named “Global Mentor for Gender Equality” in November last year.
There has been a lot of talk about two young girls from the USA who have been called the next Serena and Venus Williams. Their names are Regina and Maya Pitts and they are 8 and 5 respectively at the moment. Recently they were on the Ellen show and received tickets to go and watch Wimbledon. I just thought I would embed the video of them on Ellen and also a video of Regina playing. It would be great to hear everyones thoughts.
Serena Williams still rates herself as the best player in the world even though she has been toppled from the top spot by Russia’s Dinara Safina. “We all know who the real number one is,” Williams told a news conference at the Italian Open on Monday. “Quite frankly, I’m the best in the world.”
Williams then went on to face Patty Schnyder in her opening match in Rome, which she lost 6-2, 2-6, 6-1. The World No.2 has now entered a 3-match losing streak dating back to her final loss in Miami to Victoria Azarenka, followed by an opening round loss in Marbella and now this loss to the Swiss.
What does this teach you? Don’t open your mouth when you cant back it up on court. I should have some compassion for Serena because I do think she is just the best player in the world, but this is just over the top and I’m quietly glad she lost.
Dinara Safina is now officially the womens world number one tennis player. On Monday Dinara Safina has now joined the group of world number one tennis players. Dinara and Marat as the only brother and sister combination to have every been both world number one.
Safina is still yet to win a Grand Slam title but she has twice reached the final. Dinara Safina is the 19th woman to top the rankings since they were introduced in 1975.
Safina won four titles last year, but lost to Serena Williams at the Australian Open this year, who she replaced as world number one.
It is good to see however that Dinara is still in search of more and more titles.
“He has two Grand Slams,” Safina said of her brother in a video posted on the WTA’s Web site. “He’s still much better than me, so I have to catch him.”
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.
Slovakian glamour girl, Daniela Hantuchova, is the latest to confirm her attendance at the Brisbane International in January.
The world number 19 was a semifinalist at the Australian Open in 2008 and broke into the top 10 when she reached number 5 in August 2002.
She will be joined by French Open Champion Ana Ivanovic and reigning Australian Women’s Hardcourt Champion Na Li in the women’s draw.
The men’s draw boasts Novak Djokovic, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Marcos Baghdatis, Gael Monfils, Richard Gasquet and Mardy Fish with the player cut off date, for the tournament ,on the 21 November.
Daniela Hantuchova said “I am really excited about returning to Australia and playing a strong field in the lead up to the Grand Slam.
“I took home some really nice memories last year. It was something very special for me.
“With my preparation this year and the quality field at the Brisbane International, I will be even more ready.
“I love Australia and have played in tournaments there since 2001. I am looking forward to playing in this new event and challenging some high quality players in the lead up to the Australian Open.”
The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour has released the official 2008 season-ending tennis rankings.
Jelena Jankovic has ended the tennis year as the number one tennis player in the world, followed by Serena Williams, Dinara Safina, Elena Dementieva, and Ana Ivanovic.
2007 POINTS DROPPED ON NOVEMBER 10: Madrid (SEC)
1. Jelena Jankovic – Serbia – 4710
2. Serena Williams – United States – 3866
3. Dinara Safina – Russia – 3817
4. Elena Dementieva – Russia – 3663
5. Ana Ivanovic – Serbia – 3457
6. Venus Williams – United States – 3272
7. Vera Zvonareva – Russia – 2952
8. Svetlana Kuznetsova – Russia – 2726
9. Maria Sharapova – Russia – 2515
10. Agnieszka Radwanska – Poland – 2286
11. Nadia Petrova – Russia – 1976
12. Caroline Wozniacki – Denmark – 1678
13. Flavia Pennetta – Italy – 1670
14. Patty Schnyder – Switzerland – 1590
15. Victoria Azarenka – Belarus – 1494
16. Alize Cornet – France – 1492
17. Marion Bartoli – France – 1410
18. Anna Chakvetadze – Russia – 1363
19. Dominika Cibulkova – Slovakia – 1337
20. Katarina Srebotnik – Slovakia – 1272
SONY ERICSSON WTA TOUR RANKINGS
The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Rankings is the worldwide computer ranking for women’s professional tennis.
The ranking system is a 52-week, cumulative system in which the number of Tournament results that comprise a player’s ranking is capped at 17 Tournament results for Singles and 11 Tournament results for Doubles.
The results used to determine a player’s ranking are the Tournaments yielding the player’s highest Ranking points over the past 52 weeks.
Martina Hingis has been a player at the top of the women’s game since she was only 16. Currently the star in serving her two year suspension for having cocaine in her system during Wimbledon back in 2007. Hingis claims she’s completely retired with no chance of returning after her sentence is served out.
She still proclaims her innocence, saying she has no idea how the banned substance entered her system, but gave up the court battle after losing her appeal in front of the International Tennis Federation in December 2007. Her suspension will last through October of 2009 and by then, she will be 29, not an age when she wants to start a third comeback.
The new Brisbane International tennis tournament which starts on the 4th January, has announced their ground passes will only be AUD $9.90.
Tournament Director Steve Ayles said today, “We are very excited to be bringing international tennis back to the people of Queensland, and giving them the opportunity to see some of the best tennis players in the world for just $9.90.
“The ground pass, which is available for each day of the event, gives access to two undercover show courts and all the outdoor courts, as well as a carnival atmosphere and fun, family entertainment.
“We have already announced three of the biggest stars of the game, all 2008 Australian Open finalists – champion Novak Djokovic and runners up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Ana Ivanovic – will headline the event, and we are looking forward to more top player announcements over the next few weeks.
Tickets go on sale through Ticketek on Thursday October 9, with single session tickets for centre-court starting at just $24.90.
“The Brisbane International, the first event at the amazing new State Tennis Centre, will put Brisbane on the map of the world’s sporting calendar in January,” Ayles said. “And the $9.90 ground pass gives everyone the chance to be part of the action.”
The Brisbane International will take place at the State Tennis Centre in Tennyson from Sunday 4 January to Sunday 11 January.
Tickets will be on sale through Ticketek from Thursday October 9 and can be purchased online at www.ticketek.com.au or 1300 888 104. Ticket prices and corporate package information is available on: www.brisbaneinternational.com.au
Serena Williams has lost in the second round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, which will see Jelena Jankovic now be the number one player in the world. Li Na was the lady who beat Williams in the second round 0-6 6-1 6-4.
Previously, we wrote about Carlos Rodriguez and his thoughts on the state of womens tennis, and it seems he has a point with already four players holding the number 1 ranking this year: Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams.
Here is a great way of viewing the top 10 players history. This graph shows ranking postion. You can see the great progresss of Andy Murray, Where Nadal bumped Federer off the number 1 spot and Djokovic staying at number 3 the whol time in this graph. Click on the graph to follow the link.
Look at the fantastic struggle for the number 1 spot in the womens graphs !!
The womens graph is much closer andthe number 1 position is continually changing. It appears Jankovic was number 1 for about 1 week.
Something looks strange about this graph.. Why? There should be a graph always at number 1 position. There does not appear to be a number 1 player before April ? I will contact coretennis and update this article when we get an answer.
This graph shows the exact points over time. It is intersting to see how far apart some of the ranking positions are from each other. There is a consistent large gap between 3 and 4 position. I wonder how long Nadal can hold the number 1 position !!
The Women’s Tennis Association is fighting a losing battle to keep Sony Ericsson as its title sponsor after the mobile-telephone company issued a profits warning last month.
The joint-venture company made the WTA the richest property in women’s sport in 2005 when it signed a £47m deal. With two years to run, sources say negotiations would ordinarily be in progress with regard to extending the contract but the WTA has privately conceded that it has almost no chance of persuading Sony Ericsson to renew.
This could make for a good sponsorship opportunity for another major global brand, possibly Nokia, Motorola, or even LG. Im interested to see what happens in this battle and who ends up taking control of the naming rights to the professional womens tennis tour.
Name: Venus Williams
Country: USA
Birthdate: June 17, 1980
Birthplace: Lynwood, California, USA
Residence: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA
Plays: Right Handed (Double Handed Backhand)
Highest Singles Ranking: 1 (February 25, 2002)
Highest Doubles Ranking: 5 (October 11, 1999)
Scouting: As we all know Venus is the older of the two Williams sisters. Venus has been one of the most influential female tennis players in history. Between Venus and her sister Serena they have made womens tennis a lot competitive and exciting.
Venus has a very solid all-round game. One of her key strengths is her movement around court. Venus is a very agile and fast mover around court and with a very potent forehand and backhand to match. Under pressure Venus tends to break down in two key areas, her second serve and forehand. Her backhand is very consistent and can also hurt you on short balls. Players need to look to take advantage of her second serve and move forward into the court. When playing big points from the back of the court make Venus hit as many forehands as possible and if coming to net on her forehand make sure you cover the line, because that is her favourite passing shot.
Name: Serena Williams
Country: USA
Birthdate: September 26, 1981
Birthplace: Saginaw, Michigan, USA
Residence: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA
Plays: Right Handed (Double Handed Backhand)
Highest Singles Ranking: 1 (July 8, 2002)
Highest Doubles Ranking: 5 (October 11, 1999)
Website: www.serenawilliams.com
Winner US Open 2008
Scouting: Serena is one of the greatest women tennis players of all time. She has been at the peak of the sport for nearly a decade. Between Serena and her sister Venus they have nearly completely changed womens tennis for the better. Womens tennis is a lot stronger, faster and more exciting since they came on to the scene.
Serena has a very powerful all-round game which consists of strong ground strokes mixed with a powerful serve. Her serve is very compact and tends not to break down. Both forehand and backhands are equally powerful and dangerous. Serena is quite good at moving forward into the court but still doesn’t have the volleys to play a lot from the net. This is really the key weakness in her game. However, that being said she is very hungry to win, but some days in lower level tournaments she just doesn’t come out to play and tend to slip. When it comes Grand Slam time however wait to see her in the closing rounds.
The Williams sisters are back to tennis back on the top of the world. Venus won the Womens Singles Final and of course played her sister in the final. Additionally, both sisters teamed up to win the doubles final. This brings be back to the same old debate, where is the state of womens tennis? Currently, with the Williams sisters not focusing on tennis that much in the past few years, it reallys makes me wonder that the states of womens tennis is back in a poor state. I realise that there are a lot more players on higher rankings than the sisters, but in this case I dont think rankings have a relevance at all. Can someone progress the level of womens tennis to match them? Will Justine Henin realise that she retired in too much of a haste? Who can really challenger them and who can become so dominant in the womens games, as much as Roger Federer and Nadal are in the mens game?
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