Tennis archive

Flamboyant Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is the first to admit he still has some work to do if he is to overhaul the world's best tennis players.

But after joining forces with Australian coach Roger Rasheed, Tsonga is confident he has the right tools to break through for a maiden grand slam triumph next year.

Tsonga struggled against the top-four players this year, losing all five of his encounters with Novak Djokovic, both of his matches against Andy Murray, and his one and only clash with Rafael Nadal. His lone match against Roger Federer was a walkover in Tsonga's favour.

The world No.8 will use Perth's Hopman Cup as his launch pad into next month's Australian Open. And Tsonga hopes the nous of Rasheed will help lift his game to another level in 2013.

"We have quite the same mentality," Tsonga said after training in Perth's 35C heat on Thursday.

"He's a hard worker and, for sure, he will give me the spirit.

"For the moment, (my major goal) is to win a major, to try to beat some top guys because, this year, I didn't beat them.

"I feel like, for the moment, I'm far.

"But I feel like I've got a lot of energy and I'll do my best to join them.

"To reach the sun, you have to pass the moon. So I will try to be the No.1."

Tsonga, 27, reached the Australian Open final in 2008 as an unseeded player before losing to Djokovic in four sets.

Rasheed, who has previously coached Australia's Lleyton Hewitt and France's Gael Monfils, said he was excited to be in charge of one of the tour's most exciting and talented players.

And after being forced to end his own playing career at the age of 24 due to a chronic back injury, Rasheed is desperate to taste the ultimate success as a coach.

"I want to win, maybe more than he (Tsonga) does. I don't know," Rasheed said.

"My tennis life was cut short, so I feel like I'm playing through the player almost.

"So it's a pretty good player to play through, like the other couple I've had.

"He has got a lot of weapons. He's got the ability to create winners, and from opportunities that a lot of other players can't.

"He's got that ability to take over a tennis match and come and impact you out of nowhere."

Tsonga has joined forces with world No.87 Mathilde Johansson for the $1 million mixed-teams Hopman Cup at Perth Arena, starting on Saturday.




Tsonga eyes 2013 grand slam tennis glory

American Venus Williams gave her comeback hopes a boost with a win at the Hopman Cup in Perth on Sunday.

Williams beat the 60th-ranked Chanelle Scheepers in three sets to help the United States post a 2-1 win over South Africa in their Group B tie at the mixed teams tournament.

Although Kevin Anderson levelled the tie for South Africa with an upset win with over fellow big man John Isner in the men's singles, the Americans prevailed in straight sets in the deciding mixed doubles.

Williams, playing for the first time since October and just 24 hours after arriving in Australia, made a slow start against Scheepers but steadied to win 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.

The seven-time Grand Slam singles winner has climbed the rankings this year as she recovered from a major setback due to illness in 2011.

Williams has not won a Grand Slam singles title since her 2008 success at Wimbledon. She slipped to 134th in the rankings last year after suffering from Sjögren's Syndrome, a systemic autoimmune disease.

However, the 32-year-old has enjoyed much better fortunes this year.

She won her first singles title since 2010 in Luxembourg, teamed with sister Serena to win gold in the doubles at the London Olympics and finished the season ranked 24th in the world.

Speaking after hitting 44 winners in disposing of Scheepers, Williams said this year was a great platform for the coming 12 months.

"Last year was so awesome for me, winning a tournament and getting to the Olympics and getting a gold," she said. "I was extremely happy last year and moved up quite a few spots.

"This year is just about building on it and continuing to play deep into the draws and put myself in positions to play well deep into the tournaments."

Williams, who had to come from a set down against Scheepers, said she still believed she could be a force in the Grand Slams.

"I always feel that way," she said. "That's how you have to feel, you have to be positive.

"I try to be positive and tell myself I'm the best now. It doesn't happen every time but you've got to have that mind frame."

Anderson, ranked 37th, upset the 14th-ranked Isner 7-6 (7/0), 7-6 (7/5).

The Americans dominated the mixed doubles to win 6-3, 6-2.

Meanwhile, Germany's Andrea Petkovic has withdrawn from the tournament after injuring her right knee during her singles match on Saturday.





Tennis: Venus Williams leads US to victory over S Africa - Channel NewsAsia

Former world No. 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova crashed out of the ASB Classic this afternoon at the hands of Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens.

Bertens, ranked 63 in the world, recovered from dropping the first set in a tiebreak to take out a 2hr 33min three-set marathon 6-7 (5), 6-2, 7-5.

Kuznetsova's departure is potentially good news for Kiwi No. 1 Marina Erakovic, who is bracketed in the same quarter of the draw.

The 2011 champion, Hungarian Greta Arn, will be back on centre court tomorrow against top seed Agnieszka Radwanska after picking up the final main draw berth thanks to a spot of good fortune.

Arn lost her final round qualifying match to Thai player Nudnida Laungnam. However the withdrawal through injury of Frenchwoman Kristini Mladenovic handed Arn a lifeline when hers was the lucky name drawn at random from the four final round qualifying losers.

Auckland's blustery weather was a major factor as teenaged Canadian wildcard Eugenie Bouchard literally blew out of the tournament.

Bouchard was defeated in straight sets by Russian veteran Elena Vesnina.

Both players struggled mightily on serve, each recording just one hold in the opening ten games of the first set.

The wind affected the ball toss so markedly that at one point Bouchard came up with a clean miss when attempting to serve, and she never recovered her composure.

American prospect Christina McHale was the first seeded player to exit, losing in straight sets to Frenchwoman Pauline Parmentier on an outside court.

Standing at just 1.72m and weighing 56kg, Agnieszka Radwanska is one of the smallest players on the women's tennis tour and plays a game to match.

Float like a butterfly, sting like a butterfly, some might say, after witnessing her carefully-placed, lightly-hit winners.

But the world No 4 and ASB Classic top seed comes with a big reputation and, on the evidence of today, is the player to beat this week.

The Pole easily dispatched 2011 champion Greta Arn, who won passage to the main draw as a lucky loser, 6-2 6-2 as she unloaded some of the weapons in her arsenal.

They included guile, deft touches, an unorthodox off-forehand and an imitation of a brick wall as she gets every ball back and works her opponent around the court.

It made for some long rallies as she slugged it out with Arn on centre court at Stanley St but long rallies is what Radwanska specialises in as she frustrates rather than devastates.

"I think this is my style," she said. "To be honest, I don't really work on that, I was just born to play like that. With my body, I can't serve 200km/h so I think I have to mix up everything and try to do something else, not just powerful shots.

"I really felt good on court but there were a lot of tight, long games. The score looks easy but the match was not that easy. I had to fight for every ball to the end of the match."

Radwanska's side of the draw has opened up with the surprise defeats of defending champion and fourth seed Zheng Jie and fifth seed Sorana Cirstea. She takes on Romania's Simona Halep in tomorrow's second round, an opponent she has beaten on both occasions they have met.

Cirstea withdrew from her first-round match with Heather Watson today with a viral illness after losing the first set 6-3.

It meant three of the tournament's eight seeds had already departed, but Yaroslava Shvedova (6) and Mona Barthel (8) both won their matches comfortably later in the day. Second seed Julia Goerges is due on court tonight.

They will all be weary of Radwanska, however.

"I came here to win," Radwanska said. "Everything is good so far. Why not take this trophy?"





Tennis: Radwanska floats into second round - Sport - NZ Herald News

The world number one was tested by the powerful German as she progressed from the night session match in the Australian Open warm-up tournament.

The big-hitting Lisicki blasted her fastest serve at 194km/h as she pinned her opponent back on her own delivery, but crucially she committed 36 unforced errors.

Azarenka will next take on qualifier Ksenia Pervak from Kazakhstan in the quarter-finals, with third seed Serena Williams her likely opponent in the last four.

"I'm such a picky person that I probably never will be satisfied," Azarenka told reporters.

"That's a good thing because I have a lot more matches to play and I can always improve. But it was pretty good. I felt like the things that I've been working on are there. I'm getting into the competitive groove and I'm happy where I'm at right now."

Azarenka faces a challenge to her top ranking from world No. 2 Maria Sharapova and No. 3 Serena Williams when the Australian Open begins at Melbourne Park on January 14.

"I actually don't really look at defending anything - I'm just looking to win," she said.

"I'm going to have the same mindset for as long as I'm playing. That's what I'm looking forward to - improving my game as I always do and match those big challenges, the big players.

"At the beginning of the year, you're obviously hungry to play. The atmosphere here in Australia brings out the best in me. The motivation is always extraordinary. I really like it here."

There was a relatively comfortable win for top seed Li Na at WTA Shenzhen, meanwhile, as the Chinese player beat Julia Cohen of the USA 6-3 6-4 in their second-round encounter.

WTA Brisbane results

1-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) beat Sabine Lisicki (Germany) 6-3 6-3

4-Angelique Kerber (Germany) beat Monica Puig (Puerto Rico) 3-6 6-4 7-6(7)

Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) beat Jarmila Gajdosova (Australia) 1-6 6-1 6-4

Sloane Stephens (U.S.) beat Sofia Arvidsson (Sweden) 6-3 6-4

WTA Shenzhen results

1-Li Na (China) beat Julia Cohen (U.S.) 6-3 6-4

2-Marion Bartoli (France) beat Stefanie Voegele (Switzerland) 7-5 6-4

Zhou Yimiao (China) beat Chang Kai-Chen (Taiwan) 4-6 6-2 7-6(3)






Tennis - Azarenka wins through in Brisbane - Yahoo! Eurosport UK

HE'S a professional tennis player who's travelled the world but during a Hopman Cup break in Perth all Tommy Haas wanted to do was hold a koala.

"Obviously they have quite some good claws," he said after the encounter at the iconic Kings Park lookout.

"It's very nice, a very overwhelming feeling.

"I've been to Australia so many times now and never even gotten that close to a koala before and to experience that was something I always wanted, and it's a really cool experience."

Karen the koala weighs about 10kg but Haas said he didn't feel the weight because she held on to him so strongly.

"I have a two-year-old daughter, and I think she weighs about the same, but I have to do all the holding," he joked.

During his Perth visit, Haas has been spending some time away from his hotel and the tennis courts by seeing The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey at the cinema and visiting the city's famous Cottesloe beach.

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"It was one of the hottest days that we went so we didn't stay too long but we had a nice lunch at the Blue Duck," he said.

But the German joked that holding a koala coincidentally with the same name as his younger sister was a highlight of his time in Perth.

"My daughter will be very excited to see these pictures so I'm psyched about that," he said.




Koala wows German tennis star Haas in WA | Tennis | Fox Sports

LIKE a dose of Kryptonite, clay has crippled the hopes of Australian tennis players for decades.

Now Davis Cup winner Todd Woodbridge believes eight new Italian clay courts at Melbourne Park could help unearth a tennis superman capable of giving Australia its first French Open champion in more than 50 years.

Woodbridge isn't promising overnight miracles and admits the benefits of Tennis Australia's (TA) concerted claycourt push probably won't be seen for another 12 to 15 years.

"There's no guarantees, but it gives kids a much better opportunity. It gives them a better chance," Woodbridge told AAP.

A chance that a generation of Australian youngsters haven't really had for a quarter of a century.

Of the world's current top 100 men, 80 grew up in Europe or South America, where clay is the dominant surface, as did 79 of the women's top 100. This is no coincidence, according to TA's head of men's tennis who laments the demise of clay courts in Australia.

"We actually learnt to slide and to defend on a slippery surface. The kids of the last 25 years haven't had that," Woodbridge said.

"Clay, especially this Italian surface, is a crucially important part of the development pathway.

"The Europeans don't play all year on it - they play indoors in the winter - but they get this grounding that teaches them offensive and defensive play.

"And Australian players have not been particularly good at offensive play for a long, long time.

"We were serve-volleyers, we were aggressive, we were net-rushers. We were that type of player.

"When the surfaces changed, just towards the end of my career, and became so much slower, it became so much harder to come forward.

"The balls got slower, the speed got slower and the bounce got higher and we were still teaching on a low-bouncing court.

"The modern game, tennis is always played on a slow, high-bouncing court.

"So we need to get the kids onto those types of surfaces and teach them.

"I don't think culturally the Australian mentality is going to change. I think it's always good for us to have a point of difference by being aggressive.

"But playing more on clay allows us now to have rallies that are five, six or seven shots and more rather than two or three shots - because Australians pull the trigger too quickly."

In addition of the $366 million initiative at Melbourne Park - home of this month's Australian Open - Brisbane is housed with four Italian courts, Sydney two and TA and councils across the country are working towards introducing a whole lot more.

Woodbridge said the advancement gives Australia's elite youngsters - and any others who pick up a racquet - a fighting chance against the rest of the world.

"We actually learnt to slide and to defend on a slippery surface. The kids of the last 25 years haven't had that," he said.

"This now really allows the opportunity to get kids into proper camp situations to spend a serious period of time to work on their games before going to Europe at a younger age.

"So often in our history of tours in Australia, even from my time, we went to Europe and we spent the first four to six weeks actually finding our feet on clay, getting used to it, starting to play decent and then the season was just about over.

"So when we send away kids who are 12 to 14 now, they can have a period of two or three weeks on a claycourt base, go to Europe and actually start on an even playing field.

"So that itself is huge.

"But also the development of athletes and the amount that they need to play and get into their bodies at a young age, playing on clay is so much better than playing on hard courts.

"We've proven that you don't get the back stress fractures, the knee issues. All of the major joints don't take as much of a hammering as they do on a hard court."

In addition to establishing a claycourt base in Munich, TA has also assigned former junior French Open champion Carlos Cuadrado to the National Academy in Brisbane.

The last Australians to win the French Open were Rod Laver back in his professional grand slam season of 1969 and Margaret Court in 1973.

While Woodbridge can see 2010 runner-up and three-times semi-finalist Samantha Stosur contending again this year, he accepts it will likely be another decade or more before an Australian man challenges for the title at Roland Garros.

"If you look at our stocks, we've got some young guys who can play well on clay - Jason Kubler and James Duckworth," he said.

"Are they future French Open champions? Probably not. So you're looking at another generation away.

"Ten-year-olds are the ones that are going to get the full advantage of this.

"That's the reality. When you start something in tennis, that's how long it really takes."



Cookies must be enabled. | The Australian

The US Open champion eased into the final when opponent Kei Nishikori retired injured in the second set.

After his win Murray threw his unequivocal support behind the crackdown on time-wasting in tennis, because he believes it will turn the sport into even more of a survival of the fittest.

The top-seeded Scot and Bulgaria's Dimitrov will contest the Brisbane title on Sunday amid widespread controversy over the strict enforcement of a rule that had been virtually ignored for years.

Dimitrov will aim to usurp the defending champion after a 6-3 5-7 7-6 triumph against Marcos Baghdatis that was notable for the Cypriot being penalised for a time violation in the deciding tiebreaker.

The Association of Tennis Professionals is trying to speed up matches and an automatic fault was called against Baghdatis when he exceeded the time limit at 2-2 in the tiebreaker.

Baghdatis was clearly agitated by the call at such a crucial juncture and Dimitrov won the decider 7-5 to reach his first tour final and earn a clash with Murray.

The Briton made a sluggish start to his semi-final but rallied to lead Nishikori 6-4 2-0 when the Japanese number one withdrew because of a knee injury.

Murray said the crackdown on time wasting had stemmed from Novak Djokovic's win over Rafael Nadal in their gruelling 2012 Australian Open final that lasted almost six hours.

"I'm for them being more strict with the time, but I think they maybe should have increased the time allowed first, because 25 seconds goes by pretty quick," Murray said.

"We were told the reason for them changing the rule is because of the Aussie Open final last year, which I think everyone agrees was a classic match.

"Right now, that match is getting shown whenever there is a delay or someone has pulled out or something, so it's not like the TV hated the match and they're never going to show it again," he added.

"I also think tennis has changed since the time rule began between points. The rallies are much, much longer, so therefore it takes longer to recover.

"I like that there is a time violation in there. I think it'll be good, but I think starting off with 25 seconds at the beginning was a bit too much, because players just aren't used to playing at that pace.

"It's a huge advantage for the returner, not for the server, because the returner can just get to the line and just stand there and say he's ready whereas the server, 99 percent of the players bounce the ball three or four times before their serve.

"That's when guys are getting the penalties, when they're actually bouncing. I got one the other day whilst I was bouncing a ball.

"I like the idea behind it. I just think they could have adjusted the time in between the points a little bit."

The U.S. Open and Olympic champion claimed 30 seconds would have been a more realistic limit, but denied umpires should take into consideration the length of a rally or stage of the match.

"I think it's wrong that people say they have to give a bit of leeway if there is a long point," Murray added.

"I don't agree with that. I think that's when the person who is physically stronger gains an advantage. They should be recovering in a certain amount of time, but I just think they should have adjusted the time slightly.

"All it takes is a shoelace to come undone and you're out of time. Guys have been getting warnings when they change their racquet for breaking a string or whatever. That's also not right."

Dimitrov had no issue with the rule and believed Baghdatis lost rhythm after the umpire's intervention.

"I think it's good," he said. "Let's not forget that the players voted for that, so I guess it's if they want it to be there, it's there. It's kind of their call."

The 21-year-old is contesting his first ATP final at the beginning of what he hopes will be a breakthrough year.

Nicknamed 'Baby Federer' because of the similarity in style and natural ability to 17-times major winner Roger Federer, the Bulgarian denied the comparison had become a burden.

"Weighing me down?" Dimitrov replied.

"What for? No, not at all. Total opposite. People can judge anyway, right? Again, Roger is Roger. I am me.

"I haven't won a title yet - even though I'm in the final. I'm on a roll and that's fun."

Semi-final results

1-Andy Murray (Britain) beat 5-Kei Nishikori (Japan) 6-4 2-0 (Nishikori retired)

Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) beat Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus) 6-3 5-7 7-6(5)




Tennis - Murray into final amid Brisbane controversy - Yahoo! Eurosport UK

Serena Williams proved the break between seasons hasn't hurt her momentum, capturing her 47th career title with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Saturday in the Brisbane International final.

Williams has won 35 of her past 36 matches, including titles at Wimbledon, the Olympics, the U.S. Open, the season-ending WTA championships and now the first event of 2013.

She already has won the Australian Open five times, and with the season's first major a little more than a week away, she's in good shape to add another title in Melbourne.

The Brisbane final was all over in 50 minutes with Williams dictating terms from the first break of serve in the sixth game.

"I always feel like I don't know how to play tennis when I play against you," Pavlyuchenkova told Williams at the trophy presentation.

The pair had traveled together on a training trip to Mauritius in the offseason but didn't really hit against each other at the time.

"But this was true what I said," the No. 36-ranked Pavlyuchenkova, who has won three WTA titles and more than $2.8 million in prize money, later said of her post-match assessment. "When she's on fire, well, I feel like there is not much I can do. I mean, she's a great player and she deserves to win."

Williams said she's been concentrating on being calm and composed, and has started to feel "serene" when she's in her zone on court. She's been feeling that way a lot in her comeback since a first-round loss at the French Open, her earliest exit from a Grand Slam.

"I was looking at a lot of old matches on YouTube, and I feel like right now I'm playing some of my best tennis," the 15-time major winner said. "I feel like I want to do better and play better still."

Pavlyuchenkova's post-match comment, she said, was "a great compliment and a great honor for someone of her caliber to feel that way."

In a tournament featuring eight of the world's top 10 female players, not one match in Brisbane featured two seeded players due to a series of injuries and upsets. Second-ranked Maria Sharapova withdrew due to an injured collarbone, and Pavlyuchenkova ousted a pair of top-10 players: 2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in the second round and fourth-seeded Angelique Kerber in the quarterfinals.

Williams missed a chance to extend her 11-1 record against top-ranked Victoria Azarenka when the 23-year-old Belarusian withdrew a half hour before their scheduled semifinal Friday night due to an infected toe on her right foot. Azarenka was more concerned about being ready for the Australian Open.

The night off obviously didn't bother Williams, who went on a roll during a seven-game run from the middle of the first set until Pavlyuchenkova finally held serve in the fourth game of the second.

The 31-year-old Williams can regain the No. 1 ranking if she wins the Australian Open. If she does, she'll be the oldest woman to hold the top spot on the WTA tour. Chris Evert set the mark in November 1985, aged 30 years, 11 months and three days.

Williams' surge up the rankings started after the French Open, and also coincided with her starting to work with Patrick Mauratoglou's academy in Paris.

She attributes her comeback to "spending a lot more time on the tennis court, I think, and doing a lot of things I love."

"Everything just came together with the right timing with me wanting to do better, with me wanting to work hard, (Mauratoglou) being there and having everything to work hard, and having the same mind frame of playing matches for the way I like to play," Williams said. "So I think life is about timing, and it was just good timing."

In the men's draw, defending champion Andy Murray advanced to the final when fifth-seeded Kei Nishikori retired with an injured left knee while trailing 6-4, 2-0 in their semifinal earlier Saturday.

The Olympic and U.S. Open champion will next meet 21-year-old Grigor Dimitrov, who is starting to live up to his billing as a star-in-the-making by reaching his first ATP Tour final with a 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (5) victory over Marcos Baghdatis.



Serena wins Brisbane title, Murray into final - Tennis- NBC Sports

Andy Murray said he had finally learned the habit of being aggressive -- and curbing his tendency to self-destruct -- after making the perfect start to his season in Brisbane.

The Scot, who will seek his second straight Grand Slam title at next week's Australian Open, said a new mentality had helped him through some sticky moments during Sunday's Brisbane International final against Grigor Dimitrov.

Murray was rocked by a whirlwind start by the Bulgarian, who was playing his first ATP final, but the Scot quickly steadied himself and came back from 4-1 down to clinch the first set on a tie-break.

The world number three then recovered from going a break down in the second set to take it 7-6 (7/0), 6-4 for his 25th career title.

"I think today was a good example of some of the stuff I worked on in previous years or matches," Murray said.

"Like today I got off to not the best start and he was playing very aggressive, and I think by the end of the first set I had turned the tables and I was the one make him do a lot of running.

"I think that's something that not just in the off-season I worked on... it's a change of mentality really, and that doesn't happen in a few weeks. It's taken time to believe that that's the right thing to do, to be aggressive.

"That was what I worked on in December, and I worked on it for the majority of last year as well. Did it well today."

Murray will enter next week's Australian Open as one of the favourites, alongside holder Novak Djokovic, after winning his first Slam at last year's US Open. Their task has been eased by Rafael Nadal's withdrawal through illness.

Murray, 25, who believes his breakthrough at Flushing Meadows has made him more relaxed as a player, also said he was now better at controlling the angry bursts of frustration which have often flared during his matches.

"I think it depends how much it affects you in terms of duration of time," he said.

"I mean, if it's one point, and you get annoyed for 15 seconds afterwards and you can get back to playing the next point with good intensity, then it's fine.

"When I was younger it used to last quite a long time and it would take me a while to get back into (the match).

"Today, I started the match off badly and came back into it. I had lost serve in the second set and broke back straightaway and won three games in a row to win the match."

He added: "Sometimes you're maybe looking to play perfect tennis all the time. That's never going to happen. It's something you need to accept."

A new attitude may be helpful in Melbourne, where Ivan Lendl-coached Murray was a set up and then two sets all against Djokovic in the semi-finals before losing in five.

The Serb then displayed almost incredible mental toughness in the final, when he outlasted Nadal in a nearly six-hour epic which went down as the longest Grand Slam decider of all time.

Murray tearfully dedicated Sunday's win to "one of my best friends", telling him "you're going to get through it". His former doubles partner Ross Hutchins later revealed he has Hodgkins lymphoma, a form of cancer.



Tennis star Murray finds champion's mentality - FRANCE 24

TENNIS legend Martina Navratilova says Samantha Stosur needs to relax to save her Australian summer.

And Martina Hingis says it's not surprising Stosur is struggling physically so soon after undergoing minor ankle surgery in November.

The trouble is, Stosur says she already feels relaxed and has no issues with her ankle.

Something, though, is amiss and Stosur has less than a week to get her game in order before the Australian Open gets underway on Monday.

While Stosur accepts she was "underdone" in her first-round loss in Brisbane last week, Australia's only Open seed and world No.9 insisted she wasn't far away in her three-set first-round loss to Jie Zheng in Sydney on Monday.

"I feel a lot more sure about myself," Stosur said.

"I don't feel that huge amount of frustration or weight on my shoulders or anything like that. I have to say I feel really good out there.

"I couldn't have said that last year here at this point. I do feel like I'm handling it better. I don't feel the same kind of overwhelming stress being out on court.

"It's just a matter of trying to play better."

Navratilova believes Stosur's troubles are a combination of her rivals no longer fearing her power-serving game and the 28-year-old not being able to execute on the big points.

"She has got a risky game," said the former world No.1.

"It should be safer than it is.

"But when she gets a little nervous, she just hasn't been able to put it together.

"And I think the girls now are onto her serve, they kind of know what is coming and they have gotten used to it so it's not as much of a surprise.

"She has got the skills. If she can just relax and perhaps lower the expectations, take the pressure off - but it's tricky.

"I know when I played and the crowd was really on my side, it was almost counter-productive because you miss a shot and you're already disappointed and the crowd goes 'ahhh' and it just exponentially gets worse.

"You feel the pressure so much more because the crowd wants her to do so well.

"But hopefully she can shake some of it off and play the kind of tennis she is capable of." At times in her loss to Jie - herself no mug having reached the Australian Open and Wimbledon semi-finals - Stosur appeared unable to fully commit to some shots - something Hingis said was normal given the Australian's circumstances.

"She also had some ankle surgery so it's not so easy. I had a couple of those myself and sometimes you just hold back when actually you should just run further and stretch further," Hingis said.

"I think it's very difficult when you don't feel 100 per cent physically to produce your best tennis.

"You can train as much as you want but, in a match, it's a little bit different. You can't hold back in today's tennis anymore."

But Stosur is refusing to offer excuses.

"Look, to be honest, my ankle feels good at the moment," she said.

"Physically ... I still felt like I was up to it."






Cookies must be enabled | Herald Sun

The 2013 tennis season may only be in its fledgling stages but already the heat is well and truly on for those preparing for the year's first major.

As the great and good on the men's and women's circuits fine tune their game ahead of the Australian Open that starts in Melbourne on Monday, they are having to contend with stifling temperatures in Sydney.

According to the Australia Bureau of Meteorology, Monday was the hottest day in the country since records began over 100 years ago with an average temperature of 40.3 degrees.

Officials in New South Wales have warned of a "catastrophic" fire threat as strong winds combine with the heat to increase the danger of bushfires spreading out of control.

Read: Murray inspired by friend with cancer

Players had to battle heat that reached 41.4 deg in Sydney, with world No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska claiming it was "too hot" to play and that officials should have halted proceedings under their extreme heat policy.

But the Pole, along with the other players scheduled on Tuesday, battled through the searing sunshine with the help of regular breaks, ice towels and gallons of liquid. "I think this is too hot to play tennis," Radwanska told reporters at a press conference. "Even for players, for ball kids, for even the people sitting out there, I think it's just too hot."

One saving grace for Radwanska was her quick 6-4 6-3 victory over Japan's Kimiko Date-Krumm which meant she was only on court for 68 minutes.

Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova battled through to a 7-6 1-6 6-2 victory over former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, though both players benefited from a heat break before contesting the deciding set.

Kuznetsova told reporters: "I think it shows you one more time how tough the tennis is right now. How players have to be fit to play in the hot conditions, the windy conditions. We're like iron women almost.

"It was very hot out there. In the second set the heat definitely disturbed me a lot. But the break really helped me before the third set."

The 2011 French Open champion, Li Na of China, was quoted as saying by AFP that she felt like she was "playing in a sauna."

Germany's Angelique Kerber triumphed 6-2 7-5 over Russian qualifier Galina Voskoboeva who took a medical time out because of the extreme heat.

Kerber: "It was unbelievably hot. Usually I practice before my matches, 30 to 35 minutes, today it was just 10 or 15 minutes because I couldn't play more. It's tough to play in these conditions.

"I was trying to focus on the next point and not thinking about the heat, the sun and the weather. The whole match was tough from the first point. I'm happy I won in two sets."

Temperatures were due to cool off for Wednesday's play but by the end of the week the thermometer will be back up to 37 degrees in Melbourne, according to Jenny Harrison from the CNN Weather Center.

She told CNN's World Sport show: "We do see this every couple of years but this is record-breaking heat. Monday has been confirmed as the hottest day across Australia since records began.

"It looks as if Tuesday, once we get the stats in, could be the hottest day and outdo Monday.

"What has happened in the last few hours is a front has come through across the south east of Australia. In literally an hour the temperature in Sydney has dropped more than 10 degrees.

"Melbourne is cooler than that as the front went through there first. But in Melbourne by the end of the week the temperature is going to rise again, getting well above average."



Tennis stars feel the heat in Sydney - CNN-com

He's not done himself yet, but Roger Federer admits Novak Djokovic is primed to achieve a grand slam feat at the Australian Open that not even the great Swiss can boast.

Having wrestled back the top ranking from Federer in November, Djokovic will try to become the first man in the 45-year professional era to land a hat-trick of Open crowns when the biggest and richest event on the Australian sporting calendar starts on Monday. "It's a huge challenge,'' said Djokovic after rounding out his build-up with victory over Tommy Haas at the Hopman Cup in Perth.

"I love the Australian Open. That court brings back the best memories of my career.

"I like the hard court, I like the conditions and I'm going to go for the trophy of course. I have high ambitions.''

Djokovic can also join Federer and Andre Agassi as the only men to win four Australian Open titles after thwarting Federer's own quest for a historic three in a row in the 2008 semi-finals and then downing Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to claim his maiden major in Melbourne.

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Five years on and the second-ranked Federer hopes to turn the tables, but says Djokovic remains the man to beat.

"Novak is the favourite going into Australia. He's been the best hardcourt player in the world for the last couple of years,'' said Federer.

"Andy Murray is playing great and only going to get stronger in the next couple of years.

"Unfortunately Rafa (Nadal) is not going to be there.'' With Nadal not sufficiently fit to contest the Open after missing the second half of last season with knee tendinitis, the onus is on Federer to try to prevent Djokovic and Murray from completing a changing of the guard at the head of men's tennis in 2013.

Not since November 2003 have neither Federer nor Nadal occupied a top-two place in the world rankings.

At the height of their rule, the pair of grand slam gluttons shared 21 of 22 majors between 2005 and 2010.

Now Djokovic and Murray - two 25-year-olds born a week apart - are threatening to end their golden era of dominance.

If Murray can follow up his US Open triumph with back-to-back grand slam successes, the Scot will be within striking distance of Federer's No.2 rankings spot - and the changeover could come as early as next month.

Murray's spectacular 2012 also featured an Olympic final revenge over Federer at the All England Club just a month after losing the Wimbledon decider to the Swiss Master.

Now he is hoping to go one better than defeats in the 2010 and 2011 Australian Open title matches and said he was feeling more relaxed than ever before.

But a certain 31-year-old Swiss father-of-two isn't ready to yield to his youthful rivals just yet.

"I love the pressure of playing and, with the new generation coming up, I have to work harder to stay at the top with the best,'' Federer said.

"Everyone has to fade away eventually, but I'm not 89 yet.''




Fed tips Djokovic for Aus Open triple | Tennis | Fox Sports

It took a year for the ages by Novak Djokovic and then a breakdown of Rafael Nadal's knees to wean sports fans off the rivalry between Nadal and all-time Grand Slam singles champ Roger Federer. With Nadal now sidelined and Federer still lethal but pushing 32 years of age, we might be ready for the Next Big Thing in tennis rivalries: Andy Murray versus Novak Djokovic.

Goodness knows we've had enough dress rehearsals, at least one of which was nothing short of disastrous for Murray. That one took place at the tournament where they might next meet, the upcoming Australian Open.

Djokovic mauled Murray in that 2011 final, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. Although we all saw what Djokovic went on to do that year (three Grand Slam titles and a 70-6 record), in the immediate aftermath it looked like nothing so much as a horrific whipping. And it sent Murray into a massive tailspin from which he didn't really recover until well into the clay-court season.

A lot has happened since then to wipe away the unpleasant aftertaste of that beatdown in Melbourne. The men met again in the semifinals of the Australian Open last year, and the result was far more competitive -- an exhausting, tense 7-5 in-the-fifth win for Djokovic. And then -- of course -- Murray made his big breakthrough as a Grand Slam champion at Djokovic's expense in the U.S. Open final last September.

This rivalry has matured. Now if only Federer would be gracious enough to get out of the way and let the two men have at each other, we could enjoy a rivalry just as, if not more, compelling than the two previous ones: Federer versus Nadal and Djokovic versus Nadal. Here's why:

Unlike Federer and Nadal, Murray and Djokovic are true contemporaries. They also feel a special affinity for each other, based on shared experience and age. They were born seven days apart in May 1987 (it was a heckuva week for tennis) and became friends when they met at a 12-and-under tournament in the south of France. Each of them had to wait patiently for his time to come because of the roadblocks erected in succession and ultimately jointly by Federer and Nadal.

The head-to-head between Murray and Djokovic is 10-7 in favor of Djokovic, which is much closer than Nadal's 18-10 edge on Federer. Djokovic won the first four times the men met, but since then, only Murray has won as many as three in a row, and that just one time -- immediately after absorbing those first four losses to Djokovic (the record is 6-4 to Djokovic if you toss out those first seven meetings).

Granted, Nadal and Djokovic had a good little rivalry going there, and the H2H is pretty close (19-14 in favor of Nadal). But it's also been a seesaw affair with big swings, like Djokovic's seven straight wins beginning in early 2011. Before Djokovic's magnificent 2011, Nadal dominated the rivalry, 16-7.

Stylistically, Federer versus Nadal is hard to beat. But Murray versus Djokovic is more intriguing than Djokovic versus Nadal, simply because Murray brings a measure of improvisation and creativity that the other two lack. With Murray, you match not just spectacular bombs and gets, but wits. And at no sacrifice of the stamina and punching ability that have become prerequisites to Grand Slam success.

Reflecting on the state of the rivalry last fall, Murray told newsmen: "Our matches at Dubai and Miami were not that close, but all of the other ones could have gone either way, including the one at the Olympics (Murray won that semifinal). At the U.S. Open and the Australian Open they were so close. I wouldn't say either one of us has had especially the upper hand this year. They have been incredibly physical matches; very, very tough."

You can expect more of the same now that Murray is a legitimate member of the big four -- should one or the other find a workaround when it comes to that fella Federer.

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A MILESTONE moment in Australian tennis has been achieved, with Bernard Tomic winning his first ATP tour title.

Tomic's win in Sydney last night capped a marvellous day for Australian tennis, with dual grand slam winner Lleyton Hewitt earlier securing the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne.

Two Australians winning on home soil on the same day will be long celebrated and cherished. And it comes two days before the first major of the year – the Australian Open.

Coincidently Tomic’s 6-3 6-7(2-7) 6-2 victory over Kevin Anderson in 1 hour and 55 minutes meant he was the first Australian to win the Sydney International since Hewitt in 2005.

And he did it before Australian tennis royalty. Eight-times grand slam champion Ken Rosewall, whose name adorns the Sydney centre court, presented the trophy to Tomic while seven-time grand slam champion John Newcombe was a guest commentator on the match for the Seven Network. Tomic kissed the court after winning on his first match point, before taking off his shirt and throwing it into the crowd. He then walked around shirtless, sweaty and triumphant.

“I don’t know where to start its such an amazing feeling. It’s a great honour to win my first title here so thank you Sydney,’’ he said, admitting he was choking back tears.

“ finally got one of these trophies – it took a while but thanks to my team for being by my side.

“Thank you Mr Rosewall for letting me play in front of you. It was an honour for me to do that.

“And good luck to you Kevin. I hope you have a great tournament in Melbourne (Australian Open).’’

But Anderson, who was trying to become the first South African to win in Sydney, had the last laugh.

“We guys got the better of you in cricket so we’ll leave it at that,’’ Anderson said tongue in cheek.

The three-set final had some magnificent moments.

Tomic served two aces in the first game of the opening set and two in the last to win it 6-3. Anderson increased his aggression, holding three of his service games to love in the second set and win the tiebreaker 7-6 (7-2).

It was edge-of-your-seat stuff in the third, including a 23-shot rally in the opening game for Tomic to come back from 30-0 down and hold. Then Anderson sent down 204kmh and 210kmh serves to stop break points on his serve in the fourth game.

He served another two aces to save break points in the eighth game but an uncharacteristic double-fault gave Tomic the lead 5-3 allowing him to serve for the match. And he did.

Tomic’s name now joins an illustrious list of locals on the Sydney trophy – a virtual who’s who of Australia’s Davis Cup stars with players like Hewitt, John Fitzgerald, John Alexander, Phil Dent, Geoff Masters, Mal Anderson and Tony Roche.

Not only is Tomic the youngest player in the world top 100 – by six months from American Ryan Harrison – he is the first 20-year-old to win Sydney since Roger Federer in 2002.

His ranking will be knocking at the door of the top 40, when he heads to Melbourne tomorrow.

The latest ATP rankings list will be published on Monday and should show the Australian at No.43.

That’s 21 places higher from where he started a week ago on Ken Rosewall Arena.

Novak Djokovic's bid for an unprecedented third straight Australian Open title started sweetly with a straight-sets win over Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu at Melbourne Park on Monday.

The world No.1, seeking to claim his fourth Open title and become the first man in the professional era to claim a hat-trick of them, won 6-2 6-4 7-5 against the world No.60.

It took the champion Serb's winning streak at Melbourne Park to 15 matches and his overall Australian Open win-loss record to 33-5.

His previous match in Rod Laver Arena was last year's five-set thriller against Rafael Nadal, in which Djokovic needed a fraction less than six hours to triumph.

On Monday he took well under two hours to beat Mathieu, showing impressive mobility and shot-making when required without being stretched too hard.

"It's great to be back in Australia playing on this court," Djokovic said.

"This is by far the most successful court I have played on in my grand slam career, I have great memories of 12 months ago."

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The Serb will meet young American hope Ryan Harrison in the second round, after the 20-year-old beat Colombian Santiago Giraldo 2-6 6-4 7-5 6-4 on Monday.

Other men's winners on the first day included the No.5 seed Tomas Berdych, a quarter-finalist in each of the past two years, who powered his way past perennial grand slam victim Michael Russell 6-3 7-5 6-3.

Russell, a 34-year-old American journeyman, made it 22 first-round losses at a major in 27 attempts.

No.22 seed Fernando Verdasco, who lost a five-setter to Australia's Bernard Tomic in last year's opening round, survived a tough clash with another youngster, Belgian 22-year-old David Goffin, 6-3 3-6 4-6 6-3 6-4.

Japan's Kei Nishikori, the 16th seed and a quarter-finalist last year, overcame a slow start to beat Romanian Victor Hanescu 6-7(5-7) 6-3 6-1 6-3.

Swiss No.2 Stanislas Wawrinka, the 15th seed, beat German qualifier Cedrik-Marcel Stebe 6-2 6-4 6-3.

Spaniard Nicolas Almagro, the 10th seed, had to endure a fierce fight from American qualifier Steve Johnson before prevailing 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-2 6-7(6-8) 6-2 on his fifth match point.






Djokovic begins title defence in style | Tennis | Fox Sports

Playing his first Grand Slam match as a major winner, Andy Murray looked quite comfortable in his return to the Australian Open.

Murray beat Robin Haase of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 in the opening round at Melbourne Park on Tuesday.

Asked what it felt like to play after his triumph at the U.S. Open, where he became the first British man since 1936 to win a major title, the third-ranked Murray said: "I can try and focus on the second part of my career now." The 25-year-old Murray seemed more at ease and relaxed than he has been in previous trips to the season's first major.

"It was a good start, nice to win in straight sets," he said. "It was the hottest day we've had for a while so the court was playing much quicker."

After a record heat wave early last week, the last few days in Melbourne have been cool. The temperature was heading toward 84 degrees when Murray was on Rod Laver Arena.

It's been 12 months since Murray started working with eight-time major winner Ivan Lendl, and he attributes much of the success in his breakthrough 2012 to his partnership with his new coach.

It's relaxed "in front of the cameras, yeah," Murray joked. "Behind closed doors he works me very hard.

"We've had a very good relationship so far. He's very honest, very open. He doesn't lie to you, he tells you exactly how it is and that's exactly what I needed."

Federer opens with easy win

Roger Federer opened the campaign for his 18th Grand Slam title by beating Benoit Paire 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 in the first round of the Australian Open on Tuesday. The No. 2-seeded Federer dictated the match, sending his 23-year-old French opponent chasing balls around center court.

Down 3-0 in the third set, Paire tumbled and skidded into the net as he tried and failed to reach a shot.

Federer, 31, is bidding for his fifth Australian Open title.

The Swiss star landed in the same half of the draw as No. 3 Andy Murray, meaning they could potentially meet in the semifinals. Federer could face a final against top-ranked Novak Djokovic, who is aiming for a third consecutive Australian Open title.

Tsonga cruises into second round

Former finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga cruised to a 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 win over fellow Frenchman Michael Llodra in a first-round match Tuesday at the Australian Open.

Serving for the match, Tsonga hit a backhand drop half-volley at the net, then powered a forehand to the open court on match point to advance to the second round at Melbourne Park.
Tsonga, seeded seventh, had his best result in a Grand Slam when he made the final of the 2008 Australian Open, losing to Novak Djokovic in the title match.

Del Potro breezes into Round 2

Former U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro has advanced to the second round of the Australian Open with a 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 win over French qualifier Adrian Mannarino.

The sixth-seeded del Potro, who beat Rafael Nadal in the 2009 U.S. Open semifinals and Roger Federer in the final, had a strong 2012 with four titles in five finals after recovering from the right wrist injury that kept him on the sidelines for most of 2010.








Men: Murray, Federer breeze through Round 1 - Tennis- NBC Sports

Serve, return, winner. Serve, return, error. Fault, double fault. Ace. Grunt.

Snore.

For those of us who aren't tennis fanatics, the Australian Open, let's face it, is dull. If you walk by a suburban tennis court one day, you might actually see some artistry – a player who (gasp!) finesses a point, using a drop shot, a lob or an angle. But at the professional level it's just bash and smash. Speed, power and a big serve is practically all it takes to win a Grand Slam these days, and a bland personality seems to help out as well.

So if you're an insomniac, we say steer clear of prescription medication. Just turn the TV on to Channel Seven and watch these guys play instead.

6. Pick any anonymous eastern European

What do get when you mix a Cibulkova with a Makarova, then throw in a Pavlyuchenkova, a Rybarikova and a Hlavocakova? The answer, of course, is the Australian Open – a spectacle rich in earnest baseliners from Bratislava, who spent their childhoods working hard in the gym and on the courts. Lovely people when you get to know them, probably, but how can we do that when they grace our courts once a year, only to get poleaxed by a top-four seed?

5. Jelena Janković

If at first you don't succeed, block, block again. Politely known as a "counterpuncher", former world No.1 Jelena Janković may win a lot of games but she very rarely hits a winner. This ponytailed product of Serbia just hits the ball back again and again, and then hits the ball back some more. It's a bit like watching a metronome, but without as many laughs.

4. John Isner

Responsible for the longest match in history – an 11-hour Wimbledon serve-athon with 216 aces and a couple of rallies – he is the six-foot-nine-inch embodiment of everything that's wrong with tennis. Without that huge serve, Isner would never be No.13 in the world. He mightn't even be No.300.

3. David Ferrer

They say that persistence pays, and it would seem that they are correct. Persistence has earned David Ferrer over $17 million so far in his career, despite a game style that will never win a Grand Slam. Still to win a match against Roger Federer, after no less than 15 tries, the Spanish world No.5 is nicknamed "The Vulture", thanks to a habit of accumulating rankings points in smaller tournaments that the top four tend to avoid. Also known "The Wall", his game basically consists of chasing down every single ball, until his opponents get so bored that they make a mistake. Ferrer is often confused with another monotonous Spanish baseliner, Juan Carlos Ferrero. Even, we suspect, by his mum.

2. Samantha Stosur

Okay, Sam's Australian, so humble apologies all around. But let's put away the flag for the moment and try to see past the green and gold. Does she really put on much of a show? On the court, it's just kick-serves and top-spin forehands: big, thumping "muscle" shots that require about as much finesse as a piece of toast. And off the court, we get interviews like this.

Q: What is the first thing you do after a match?
A: Go to the gym.

Q: What was your craziest night on the tour?
A: I don’t really have crazy nights or go out late, so I don’t know what to say.

Q: What is your most stupid nickname?
A: Generally I get called "Sam" or "Sammy".

1. Nikolay Davydenko

From The Terminator to I, Robot, soulless, powerful cyborgs are a staple of science fiction. But you can also see one at the tennis. A quick, technically sound and super-consistent baseliner who hasn't smiled for at least 10 years, Russia's Davydenko is a good player on every surface and an entertaining player on none. Once accused of match-fixing - and subsequently exonerated - he has about as much personality as a stapler, but isn't quite as likeable.




The most boring players in tennis - News - BigPond Sport