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Spanish fifth seed Tommy Robredo won the Croatia Open on Sunday by easily defeating Fabio Fognini 6-0 6-3, the victory ending the colourful Italian's 13-match winning streak.
Fognini, who had been looking to pick up a third title in three weeks after victories in Stuttgart and Hamburg, ran out of steam after needing to save three match points in his semi-final win over Gael Monfils on Saturday.
Robredo, in his semi, had overcame second seed Andreas Seppi of Italy 6-3 2-6 6-4.
"I would like to thank my opponent Fabio who was excellent," said 31-year-old Robredo after receiving the trophy from Croatian President Ivo Josipovic.
"I'm extremely happy to be here today in Umag, that I have have won this tournament.
"I'm proud of my whole team who have been at my side in good and bad times," added the world No.28.
Fognini, 26, ranked 19 in the world 19, had 31 unforced errors.
"I would like to apologise to the fans that I could not give more in the final. I was simply too tired from other matches," he said.
Fognini had battled hard to reach the decider, prevailing 6-0 3-6 7-6 (7-3) over Monfils in a match full of momentum swings and turnarounds.
Read more: Robredo wins Croatia Open tennis
Fognini, who had been looking to pick up a third title in three weeks after victories in Stuttgart and Hamburg, ran out of steam after needing to save three match points in his semi-final win over Gael Monfils on Saturday.
Robredo, in his semi, had overcame second seed Andreas Seppi of Italy 6-3 2-6 6-4.
"I would like to thank my opponent Fabio who was excellent," said 31-year-old Robredo after receiving the trophy from Croatian President Ivo Josipovic.
"I'm extremely happy to be here today in Umag, that I have have won this tournament.
"I'm proud of my whole team who have been at my side in good and bad times," added the world No.28.
Fognini, 26, ranked 19 in the world 19, had 31 unforced errors.
"I would like to apologise to the fans that I could not give more in the final. I was simply too tired from other matches," he said.
Fognini had battled hard to reach the decider, prevailing 6-0 3-6 7-6 (7-3) over Monfils in a match full of momentum swings and turnarounds.
Read more: Robredo wins Croatia Open tennis
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Australia's Sam Groth has won his first ATP tour match since 2009 with a 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 victory over Denis Kudla at the Citi Open in Washington.
Groth's triumph over American wildcard Kudla was his first in the main draw of an ATP event since a three-set victory over Brazilian Ricardo Mello at Newport over three years ago.
The 25-year-old Australian's reward is a second round clash against Canadian fourth-seed Milos Raonic, who received a bye through the opening stage of the ATP 500 event.
In a top day for Australia, Marinko Matosevic eliminated former world number four James Blake 6-2 7-6 (8-6).
The pair exchanged breaks early in the first set before Matosevic broke the American's serve in the fifth and seventh games to win the opening set comfortably.
Despite losing his serve early in the second set, Blake rallied to earn a tiebreaker but Matosevic was too good, serving out the contest on his second match point.
The United States did manage to get one back over the Aussies with veteran Mardy Fish recovering from losing the first set to overcome Matthew Ebden 2-6 6-1 6-3.
In other first round results, Belgium's Xavier Malisse rallied to defeat USA's Rajeev Ram 4-6 6-3 6-2 and former world number eight Radek Stepanek accounted for American wildcard Steve Johnson 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.
German Tobias Kamke continued the trend of players recovering from a first-set deficit to knock out Lithuania's Ricardas Berankis 3-6 6-3 6-2 while Slovakia's Lukas Lacko also worked his way back to defeat Colombian Alejandro Falla 1-6 6-4 6-4.
Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin breezed past Colombia's Santiago Giraldo 6-3 6-4 while Chinese Taipei's Yen-Hsun Lu suffered a similar fate 6-4 6-4 at the hands of Belgium's David Goffin and Indian qualifier Somdev Devvarman had no trouble disposing of American lucky loser Rhyne Williams 7-5 6-1.
Aussie Groth breaks win drought - Tennis - Sportal Australia
Groth's triumph over American wildcard Kudla was his first in the main draw of an ATP event since a three-set victory over Brazilian Ricardo Mello at Newport over three years ago.
The 25-year-old Australian's reward is a second round clash against Canadian fourth-seed Milos Raonic, who received a bye through the opening stage of the ATP 500 event.
In a top day for Australia, Marinko Matosevic eliminated former world number four James Blake 6-2 7-6 (8-6).
The pair exchanged breaks early in the first set before Matosevic broke the American's serve in the fifth and seventh games to win the opening set comfortably.
Despite losing his serve early in the second set, Blake rallied to earn a tiebreaker but Matosevic was too good, serving out the contest on his second match point.
The United States did manage to get one back over the Aussies with veteran Mardy Fish recovering from losing the first set to overcome Matthew Ebden 2-6 6-1 6-3.
In other first round results, Belgium's Xavier Malisse rallied to defeat USA's Rajeev Ram 4-6 6-3 6-2 and former world number eight Radek Stepanek accounted for American wildcard Steve Johnson 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.
German Tobias Kamke continued the trend of players recovering from a first-set deficit to knock out Lithuania's Ricardas Berankis 3-6 6-3 6-2 while Slovakia's Lukas Lacko also worked his way back to defeat Colombian Alejandro Falla 1-6 6-4 6-4.
Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin breezed past Colombia's Santiago Giraldo 6-3 6-4 while Chinese Taipei's Yen-Hsun Lu suffered a similar fate 6-4 6-4 at the hands of Belgium's David Goffin and Indian qualifier Somdev Devvarman had no trouble disposing of American lucky loser Rhyne Williams 7-5 6-1.
Aussie Groth breaks win drought - Tennis - Sportal Australia
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If this were Wimbledon, ESPN’s cameras would have cut to Vladimir and Lucy Kudla each time their son Denis lunged in vain at a serve that blasted past him like a lightning bolt from Zeus.
But it was Washington’s Citi Open, instead, with no player guest boxes on the 2,500-seat grandstand court of the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center. So Kudla’s parents looked on Monday from an unobtrusive corner of the bleachers, with Lucy sitting about six rows up and Vladmir perched on the row just above her.
“Denis has told us that players are as sensitive as animals,” Vladmir explained before the first-round match. “They can see, out of the side of their head, how their team, their family and their friends are acting.”
That’s why whatever concern his parents felt was imperceptible as Kudla was pummeled by 20 aces en route to a 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 defeat at the hands of Samuel Groth, a 6-foot-4 Australian qualifier credited with the fastest serve ever clocked, at 163 mph.
“You keep smiling,” Vladimir Kudla said. “Whatever moves you make, make them so he knows we are still confident and we adore him no matter what happens.”
The role of tennis parent is among the more difficult in the sport. While fully invested in the outcome, emotionally and financially, tennis parents are powerless to help. And at the top ranks of the game, the role is often performed badly.
Arlington’s Kudla, 20, is among the lucky ones.
He started playing tennis at 7 mainly because his elder brother, Nikita, played. But his parents recognized his natural gift and found him proper coaching — first in Burke and then, as he progressed, at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park.
“We don’t have a clue how to play tennis,” said Vladimir, an architect. “Thank God I didn’t start to teach him!”
At every stage, Denis was the one demanding more.
His mother got permission to pick him up from elementary school one hour early so they could race from Fairfax to College Park, where she’d wait through his two-hour practices, drive him home while he slept, then wake him for dinner and homework.
In ninth grade Denis started home-schooling, commuting on his own to practice in College Park via Metro, lugging two racket bags bigger than he was and changing trains twice during rush hour.
“The schedule he had was ridiculous,” said Nikita, 25. “But he loved every minute. The only time he got nervous was when our father told him that if he didn’t keep doing well in school, he’d had to give up tennis.”
Southern Cal was among the schools eyeing him, but Kudla chose to turn pro at 16 with his parents’ blessing.
Lucy Kudla explains that she dreamed, as a child, of being a ballet dancer. She started lessons in her native Ukraine at 5. Her coaches said she had promise, but her mother wouldn’t hear of it.
“Still it’s a passion,” Lucy said. “As soon as I hear music, I’m dancing in my mind.”
It was her way of explaining how she felt about Denis’s decision to turn pro while his friends prepared for college.
“I could see that Denis had a dream since he was little,” Lucy said. “So for me — it’s me. It’s like I’m dancing.”
If Kudla’s match against Groth was a variation on dance, Kudla was Fred Astaire, performing with a variety of steps, while Groth was slam-dancing.
There was no speed gun on the Grandstand Court, but Groth blasted one serve so hard that the electronic scoreboard flickered off when the ball hit the back fence.
Asked to guess the speed, Kudla said, “They were numbers I didn’t want to see.”
As Groth unloaded, Kudla varied the pace, deliberating hitting softer to coax errors from the Aussie.
“Smart shot,” Vladimir said when Kudla tried a lob that sailed just long. “A good idea.”
As the match unfolded, Kudla’s rooting section in the stands expanded.
It included John Callahan, 56, who lived on the same cul de sac when the Kudlas lived in Fairfax. For years he endured the “Thwack! Thwack!” of tennis balls bouncing off the plywood that Denis tacked to the family garage. It invariably started up just as Callahan returned from his early shift and laid down for a nap.
“The whole neighborhood heard it!’ Callahan said with a chuckle. He sported a Lacoste shirt, along with Denis Kudla, who’s sponsored by the company, and every other Kudla on the grounds.
The extended family also included Frank Salazar, the JTCC coach who developed him. It included friends from Arlington, strangers who knew only that he was an American and others who simply felt that the combustible Groth, who flung his racket in disgust after one double fault, simply wasn’t as likable.
The first set, settled by a tiebreak, turned on a single point.
After Kudla was broken for the first time in the match early in the second set, things unraveled quickly.
“What is the point to play tennis in front of people?” Vladimir mused as his son stepped up to serve, trailing 2-4. “The drama. You cannot save your kid from that. You cannot save your kid from being upset, or even from being humiliated.
“If that’s what your kid wants to do, you just keep quiet. He’ll figure it out.
Kudla was broken again, which put the match in the Aussie’s hands.
Groth served out the victory and unleashed a triumphant roar as the Kudlas looked on.
A man they didn’t know came over. “You have a terrific son!” he said.
He was followed by another. “He’s doing just fine,” the man offered with a smile.
Said Vladimir: “You decide you want to be a professional tennis player, pain follows. My heart is bleeding. But he’ll figure it out.”
Citi Open tennis: Denis Kudla loses, and his parents suffer quietly - The Washington Post
But it was Washington’s Citi Open, instead, with no player guest boxes on the 2,500-seat grandstand court of the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center. So Kudla’s parents looked on Monday from an unobtrusive corner of the bleachers, with Lucy sitting about six rows up and Vladmir perched on the row just above her.
“Denis has told us that players are as sensitive as animals,” Vladmir explained before the first-round match. “They can see, out of the side of their head, how their team, their family and their friends are acting.”
That’s why whatever concern his parents felt was imperceptible as Kudla was pummeled by 20 aces en route to a 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 defeat at the hands of Samuel Groth, a 6-foot-4 Australian qualifier credited with the fastest serve ever clocked, at 163 mph.
“You keep smiling,” Vladimir Kudla said. “Whatever moves you make, make them so he knows we are still confident and we adore him no matter what happens.”
The role of tennis parent is among the more difficult in the sport. While fully invested in the outcome, emotionally and financially, tennis parents are powerless to help. And at the top ranks of the game, the role is often performed badly.
Arlington’s Kudla, 20, is among the lucky ones.
He started playing tennis at 7 mainly because his elder brother, Nikita, played. But his parents recognized his natural gift and found him proper coaching — first in Burke and then, as he progressed, at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park.
“We don’t have a clue how to play tennis,” said Vladimir, an architect. “Thank God I didn’t start to teach him!”
At every stage, Denis was the one demanding more.
His mother got permission to pick him up from elementary school one hour early so they could race from Fairfax to College Park, where she’d wait through his two-hour practices, drive him home while he slept, then wake him for dinner and homework.
In ninth grade Denis started home-schooling, commuting on his own to practice in College Park via Metro, lugging two racket bags bigger than he was and changing trains twice during rush hour.
“The schedule he had was ridiculous,” said Nikita, 25. “But he loved every minute. The only time he got nervous was when our father told him that if he didn’t keep doing well in school, he’d had to give up tennis.”
Southern Cal was among the schools eyeing him, but Kudla chose to turn pro at 16 with his parents’ blessing.
Lucy Kudla explains that she dreamed, as a child, of being a ballet dancer. She started lessons in her native Ukraine at 5. Her coaches said she had promise, but her mother wouldn’t hear of it.
“Still it’s a passion,” Lucy said. “As soon as I hear music, I’m dancing in my mind.”
It was her way of explaining how she felt about Denis’s decision to turn pro while his friends prepared for college.
“I could see that Denis had a dream since he was little,” Lucy said. “So for me — it’s me. It’s like I’m dancing.”
If Kudla’s match against Groth was a variation on dance, Kudla was Fred Astaire, performing with a variety of steps, while Groth was slam-dancing.
There was no speed gun on the Grandstand Court, but Groth blasted one serve so hard that the electronic scoreboard flickered off when the ball hit the back fence.
Asked to guess the speed, Kudla said, “They were numbers I didn’t want to see.”
As Groth unloaded, Kudla varied the pace, deliberating hitting softer to coax errors from the Aussie.
“Smart shot,” Vladimir said when Kudla tried a lob that sailed just long. “A good idea.”
As the match unfolded, Kudla’s rooting section in the stands expanded.
It included John Callahan, 56, who lived on the same cul de sac when the Kudlas lived in Fairfax. For years he endured the “Thwack! Thwack!” of tennis balls bouncing off the plywood that Denis tacked to the family garage. It invariably started up just as Callahan returned from his early shift and laid down for a nap.
“The whole neighborhood heard it!’ Callahan said with a chuckle. He sported a Lacoste shirt, along with Denis Kudla, who’s sponsored by the company, and every other Kudla on the grounds.
The extended family also included Frank Salazar, the JTCC coach who developed him. It included friends from Arlington, strangers who knew only that he was an American and others who simply felt that the combustible Groth, who flung his racket in disgust after one double fault, simply wasn’t as likable.
The first set, settled by a tiebreak, turned on a single point.
After Kudla was broken for the first time in the match early in the second set, things unraveled quickly.
“What is the point to play tennis in front of people?” Vladimir mused as his son stepped up to serve, trailing 2-4. “The drama. You cannot save your kid from that. You cannot save your kid from being upset, or even from being humiliated.
“If that’s what your kid wants to do, you just keep quiet. He’ll figure it out.
Kudla was broken again, which put the match in the Aussie’s hands.
Groth served out the victory and unleashed a triumphant roar as the Kudlas looked on.
A man they didn’t know came over. “You have a terrific son!” he said.
He was followed by another. “He’s doing just fine,” the man offered with a smile.
Said Vladimir: “You decide you want to be a professional tennis player, pain follows. My heart is bleeding. But he’ll figure it out.”
Citi Open tennis: Denis Kudla loses, and his parents suffer quietly - The Washington Post
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In this social media age, professional athletes continue to embrace various platforms such as Facebook and Twitter as a means to share information with their fans.
Tennis pros such as Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal are among the most followed players on Twitter worldwide.
But this easy means of two-way communication is not always a good experience. Many who compete on both the ATP and WTA tours continue to find themselves the recipient of negative comments on their personal social media accounts solely based on their recent results, and the issue of "cyber bullying" is a growing problem. Tennis, however, is international, and players, and those who vent hate against them, change locations week after week. Can the sport itself do any more to prevent such abuse from happening?
Probably not, says attorney Jeff Fannell, who in addition to having 12 years of experience in sports law also serves as deputy director and professor for St. John's University International & Comparative Sports Law program. With tennis players essentially being independent contractors who choose to have personal social media accounts, the tours themselves do not have any real legal obligation to increase monitoring more than they already do.
"No one has to have a Facebook account or to be on Twitter," Fannell said. "Those are individual decisions that are made. Not that they are wrong at all. But that is an individual decision. There are many players who choose not to be involved on social media at all.
"If a player does go on social media what comes with it unfortunately is you are going to have some good and you are going to have some bad. I don't see how the governing bodies have any obligation to police it. They are free to do so if they desire, but I don't see that they have any obligation for something that is purely voluntary on the part of the individual player."
While unhappy fans sometimes feel the need to shake a virtual fist after a player loses, often the bulk of the incidents come from online bettors, many from overseas, who make daily wagers on players worldwide. The abuse ranges from negative comments, to insults and even to threats of physical harm.
Wimbledon was no exception.
Angelique Kerber of Germany, after she lost early in the first week, received multiple death threats on her Facebook account. The WTA is investigating the incident. U.S. Fed Cup team member Varvara Lepchenko also found a similar message on her Facebook page telling her that if she didn't lose her first-round match in London, she wouldn't live.
"I obviously ignored it," Lepchenko said via email. "I used to pay more attention to those things. Now I don't really care."
When asked if she has heard of similar experiences from other players, Lepchenko said, "I've heard comments, but we always laugh at some of them because they are just hopeless bettors that have no idea how hard we work or that there is actually life besides sitting in front of the live scores and hoping for someone to lose or win. I feel pity for these people."
For its part, the WTA does provide social media education to all of its players, including what steps to take if they feel they are the victims of online abuse. The WTA also monitors and reports incidents, including to the proper authorities if necessary.
Sometimes, the abuse is too much to take. Rebecca Marino of Canada cited repeated cyber bullying as the main reason she retired from tennis at age 22 earlier this year.
Monitoring social media is often up to players
How players deal with online harassment is often a personal choice. Wimbledon champion Andy Murray uses humor when responding directly to those who berate him on Twitter. Others choose to simply ignore negative messages entirely.
Because of their busy schedules, some pros choose to have a manager or publicist oversee their social media accounts. Though this provides a layer of protection from unwanted messages, this reliance on someone else can also backfire.
Michael Russell learned this the hard way after it appeared the American had posted an angry tirade on his Facebook page aimed at two-time major winner Lleyton Hewitt after both men competed at the ATP event in Newport, Rhode Island.
A day later, Russell apologized and said it was his publicist, and not Russell himself, who posted the rant calling Hewitt a "douche bag" and a "racist."
"To be 100% clear about recent statements on my Facebook page regarding Lleyton Hewitt, unfortunately, my publicist posted those statements," said Russell, who accepted responsibility for the incident. "From here on out, I will monitor my page very carefully, making sure all statements made on it are mine."
Can or should tours do more?
Robin Haase of the Netherlands recently said on Dutch TV that he asked the ATP Tour to intervene more often if a player receives hateful or threatening messages. Haase said he receives daily insults. Sometimes he can laugh about it. But not always.
"I hope you are very ill and I hope you drop dead tomorrow come over every week," said Haase. "What are these people doing, I think."
The ATP declined to comment about Haase, but did say in a statement that players are encouraged to report threats or suspicious social media postings, which are then investigated by internal security.
While there hasn't yet been a reported case of an online abuser making a physical, in-person attack against a player similar to the Monica Seles incident in Hamburg 20 years ago, the possibility remains. Only then might changes to current social media monitoring by the tours occur according to Fannell.
"I think most associations and leagues take player safety seriously and take all reasonable measures to protect players. What is reasonable may change if the circumstances change, and certainly knowledge of cyber-threats against a player alters the calculus," Fannell said.
Players will continue to have the support and resources from
Tennis pros such as Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal are among the most followed players on Twitter worldwide.
But this easy means of two-way communication is not always a good experience. Many who compete on both the ATP and WTA tours continue to find themselves the recipient of negative comments on their personal social media accounts solely based on their recent results, and the issue of "cyber bullying" is a growing problem. Tennis, however, is international, and players, and those who vent hate against them, change locations week after week. Can the sport itself do any more to prevent such abuse from happening?
Probably not, says attorney Jeff Fannell, who in addition to having 12 years of experience in sports law also serves as deputy director and professor for St. John's University International & Comparative Sports Law program. With tennis players essentially being independent contractors who choose to have personal social media accounts, the tours themselves do not have any real legal obligation to increase monitoring more than they already do.
"No one has to have a Facebook account or to be on Twitter," Fannell said. "Those are individual decisions that are made. Not that they are wrong at all. But that is an individual decision. There are many players who choose not to be involved on social media at all.
"If a player does go on social media what comes with it unfortunately is you are going to have some good and you are going to have some bad. I don't see how the governing bodies have any obligation to police it. They are free to do so if they desire, but I don't see that they have any obligation for something that is purely voluntary on the part of the individual player."
While unhappy fans sometimes feel the need to shake a virtual fist after a player loses, often the bulk of the incidents come from online bettors, many from overseas, who make daily wagers on players worldwide. The abuse ranges from negative comments, to insults and even to threats of physical harm.
Wimbledon was no exception.
Angelique Kerber of Germany, after she lost early in the first week, received multiple death threats on her Facebook account. The WTA is investigating the incident. U.S. Fed Cup team member Varvara Lepchenko also found a similar message on her Facebook page telling her that if she didn't lose her first-round match in London, she wouldn't live.
"I obviously ignored it," Lepchenko said via email. "I used to pay more attention to those things. Now I don't really care."
When asked if she has heard of similar experiences from other players, Lepchenko said, "I've heard comments, but we always laugh at some of them because they are just hopeless bettors that have no idea how hard we work or that there is actually life besides sitting in front of the live scores and hoping for someone to lose or win. I feel pity for these people."
For its part, the WTA does provide social media education to all of its players, including what steps to take if they feel they are the victims of online abuse. The WTA also monitors and reports incidents, including to the proper authorities if necessary.
Sometimes, the abuse is too much to take. Rebecca Marino of Canada cited repeated cyber bullying as the main reason she retired from tennis at age 22 earlier this year.
Monitoring social media is often up to players
How players deal with online harassment is often a personal choice. Wimbledon champion Andy Murray uses humor when responding directly to those who berate him on Twitter. Others choose to simply ignore negative messages entirely.
Because of their busy schedules, some pros choose to have a manager or publicist oversee their social media accounts. Though this provides a layer of protection from unwanted messages, this reliance on someone else can also backfire.
Michael Russell learned this the hard way after it appeared the American had posted an angry tirade on his Facebook page aimed at two-time major winner Lleyton Hewitt after both men competed at the ATP event in Newport, Rhode Island.
A day later, Russell apologized and said it was his publicist, and not Russell himself, who posted the rant calling Hewitt a "douche bag" and a "racist."
"To be 100% clear about recent statements on my Facebook page regarding Lleyton Hewitt, unfortunately, my publicist posted those statements," said Russell, who accepted responsibility for the incident. "From here on out, I will monitor my page very carefully, making sure all statements made on it are mine."
Can or should tours do more?
Robin Haase of the Netherlands recently said on Dutch TV that he asked the ATP Tour to intervene more often if a player receives hateful or threatening messages. Haase said he receives daily insults. Sometimes he can laugh about it. But not always.
"I hope you are very ill and I hope you drop dead tomorrow come over every week," said Haase. "What are these people doing, I think."
The ATP declined to comment about Haase, but did say in a statement that players are encouraged to report threats or suspicious social media postings, which are then investigated by internal security.
While there hasn't yet been a reported case of an online abuser making a physical, in-person attack against a player similar to the Monica Seles incident in Hamburg 20 years ago, the possibility remains. Only then might changes to current social media monitoring by the tours occur according to Fannell.
"I think most associations and leagues take player safety seriously and take all reasonable measures to protect players. What is reasonable may change if the circumstances change, and certainly knowledge of cyber-threats against a player alters the calculus," Fannell said.
Players will continue to have the support and resources from
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2006/12/07
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After a near six-year absence, former world No. 1 Martina Hingis is back on the WTA Tour.
But Hingis, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion, insists her return will only be in doubles and not singles.
The 32-year-old Hingis began her second comeback to the tour Wednesday, teaming with Daniela Hantuchova for a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Julia Goerges and Darija Jurak in the Southern California Open.
Hingis has retired twice previously, the first time in early 2003 at 22 and the last time in November 2007.
"I always had it in the back of my head in the last six years," said Hingis, who has been coaching for the last two years. "Now, being so much closer to it, being closer to the game, closer to the matches, I was like let's try it again and see if I can have a great time."
Her last WTA match was a second-round loss to China's Peng Shuai at an event in Beijing in September 2007.
But recent comments made by current tennis commentator Lindsay Davenport, the three-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1 ranked player, that Hingis was using the doubles comeback to launch a full-fledge return to singles later this fall, has fueled rampant speculation.
All of which the "Swiss Miss" swatted away like a weak second serve.
"It's a different world," said Hingis, a recent inductee into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. "Even Team Tennis now, it's brutal. It's only one set, but still like the next day I wake up and you have to put so much more effort into it. Playing tournaments, that's the easy part. It's all the grind behind it, behind the scenes that people don't see. The six straight hours of training. At 17, everything seemed to be so easy. Now. I'm almost twice the age."
Hingis just completed her second season of playing Team Tennis, leading the Washington Kastles to the championship and earning her second consecutive MVP award, all of which has her ready for her next return.
"It's kind of weird just to play doubles," Hingis said. "Team Tennis always gets you in great shape. Being the MVP, that helps, I guess, the confidence. I played a lot more the last two years than I did in the first three years when I stopped."
Hingis' schedule after the Southern California Open includes two more warm-up tournaments at Toronto and Cincinnati before playing the U.S. Open, all with Hantuchova.
"I don't have any expectations," Hingis said. "Obviously, I wouldn't put myself in this position if I didn't feel fine enough to be able compete at this level. We'll see. Team Tennis, it was good enough. Will it be good enough in this world? It's another question."
Hingis, who won 43 career singles titles, was also an accomplished doubles player with nine Grand Slam titles, including a calendar-year Grand Slam in 1998, and 37 doubles titles overall.
A chronic ankle injury forced Hingis into her first retirement in 2003 and she was sidelined three years before she launched her first comeback in 2006.
But her return fell far short of the standard set by the woman who held the No. 1 spot for 209 weeks, fourth longest in WTA history. Hingis was nothing close to the player who was the youngest Grand Slam singles winner at 16 years, three months when she captured the Australian Open in 1997 and later became the youngest female player to ascend to the No. 1 ranking.
Hingis ended her first comeback under a cloud of controversy after she revealed in November 2007 that she tested positive for cocaine after losing in the third round at Wimbledon that year. Although Hingis professed her innocence, she said she was retiring rather than fighting the charges.
tennis-com - Hingis wins in tour return, says comeback in doubles only
But Hingis, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion, insists her return will only be in doubles and not singles.
The 32-year-old Hingis began her second comeback to the tour Wednesday, teaming with Daniela Hantuchova for a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Julia Goerges and Darija Jurak in the Southern California Open.
Hingis has retired twice previously, the first time in early 2003 at 22 and the last time in November 2007.
"I always had it in the back of my head in the last six years," said Hingis, who has been coaching for the last two years. "Now, being so much closer to it, being closer to the game, closer to the matches, I was like let's try it again and see if I can have a great time."
Her last WTA match was a second-round loss to China's Peng Shuai at an event in Beijing in September 2007.
But recent comments made by current tennis commentator Lindsay Davenport, the three-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1 ranked player, that Hingis was using the doubles comeback to launch a full-fledge return to singles later this fall, has fueled rampant speculation.
All of which the "Swiss Miss" swatted away like a weak second serve.
"It's a different world," said Hingis, a recent inductee into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. "Even Team Tennis now, it's brutal. It's only one set, but still like the next day I wake up and you have to put so much more effort into it. Playing tournaments, that's the easy part. It's all the grind behind it, behind the scenes that people don't see. The six straight hours of training. At 17, everything seemed to be so easy. Now. I'm almost twice the age."
Hingis just completed her second season of playing Team Tennis, leading the Washington Kastles to the championship and earning her second consecutive MVP award, all of which has her ready for her next return.
"It's kind of weird just to play doubles," Hingis said. "Team Tennis always gets you in great shape. Being the MVP, that helps, I guess, the confidence. I played a lot more the last two years than I did in the first three years when I stopped."
Hingis' schedule after the Southern California Open includes two more warm-up tournaments at Toronto and Cincinnati before playing the U.S. Open, all with Hantuchova.
"I don't have any expectations," Hingis said. "Obviously, I wouldn't put myself in this position if I didn't feel fine enough to be able compete at this level. We'll see. Team Tennis, it was good enough. Will it be good enough in this world? It's another question."
Hingis, who won 43 career singles titles, was also an accomplished doubles player with nine Grand Slam titles, including a calendar-year Grand Slam in 1998, and 37 doubles titles overall.
A chronic ankle injury forced Hingis into her first retirement in 2003 and she was sidelined three years before she launched her first comeback in 2006.
But her return fell far short of the standard set by the woman who held the No. 1 spot for 209 weeks, fourth longest in WTA history. Hingis was nothing close to the player who was the youngest Grand Slam singles winner at 16 years, three months when she captured the Australian Open in 1997 and later became the youngest female player to ascend to the No. 1 ranking.
Hingis ended her first comeback under a cloud of controversy after she revealed in November 2007 that she tested positive for cocaine after losing in the third round at Wimbledon that year. Although Hingis professed her innocence, she said she was retiring rather than fighting the charges.
tennis-com - Hingis wins in tour return, says comeback in doubles only
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Andy Murray admits that try as he might, he cannot keep the excitement and anticipation of his upcoming US Open title defence out of his mind at the Montreal Masters.
The second-seeded Scot said on Sunday that the anticipation of returning to Flushing Meadows is exciting.
"I want to try and do well here, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking of the Open," he said in the run-up to the Canadian event, his first time on a hardcourt since March and his first opportunity to play since winning Wimbledon a month ago.
"Over the past few years I've not been good at staying focused (on the tournament at hand)," he said. "I've always looked ahead to the Slams and not played my best at the Masters. I've been inconsistent in the build-up to the majors."
Murray, seeded second behind Wimbledon finalist Novak Djokovic, will have to keep his wits about him as he starts in Montreal in the second round after the bye handed to the leading eight seeds.
The world number two Scot starts against either Bulgarian talent Grigor Dimitrov or Spaniard Marcel Granollers, winner of the Kitzbuehel clay title.
Murray owns a pair of Canadian titles, claiming the event in 2009 and 2010 before Djokovic swept the next two.
The 26-year-old Scot admitted that he is not expecting great things in his opening match.
"When you've not played for a few weeks you always get a bit nervous before the first match. I feel good about the last couple of months, but I'm still not expecting to go out there and play great tennis.
"I'll have to try and find a way to go through the first one. It will be a very difficult match. I'll have to be patient with myself and not expect too much. I'll have to fight for every point.
"If I can do that I'll give myself a chance at winning, but it won't be an easy start for me."
With the tournament missing two-time champion Roger Federer due to a back injury, Murray and top seed Djokovic would be expected to fight for the title, along with fourth seed Rafael Nadal who will also be making his summer hardcourt start after a Wimbledon first-round defeat in June,
Djokovic, ever the showman, entertained a crowd who had filled centre court to watch a practice session. When showers forced partner Nicolas Almagro off court, Djokovic gamely borrowed an umbrella from a courtside fan and proceeded to carefully dance through a few shots with a sparring partner.
The Serb then corralled a young fan onto court as the weather cleared a bit for a few minutes of "hitting". He posed for a photograph with the youngster and finally got on with training as the court dried out.
Djokovic's opening opponent will be determined on Monday when Australian Bernard Tomic and Germany's Florian Mayer meet in the first round.
Tennis: Murray admits US Open excitement building | GlobalPost
The second-seeded Scot said on Sunday that the anticipation of returning to Flushing Meadows is exciting.
"I want to try and do well here, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking of the Open," he said in the run-up to the Canadian event, his first time on a hardcourt since March and his first opportunity to play since winning Wimbledon a month ago.
"Over the past few years I've not been good at staying focused (on the tournament at hand)," he said. "I've always looked ahead to the Slams and not played my best at the Masters. I've been inconsistent in the build-up to the majors."
Murray, seeded second behind Wimbledon finalist Novak Djokovic, will have to keep his wits about him as he starts in Montreal in the second round after the bye handed to the leading eight seeds.
The world number two Scot starts against either Bulgarian talent Grigor Dimitrov or Spaniard Marcel Granollers, winner of the Kitzbuehel clay title.
Murray owns a pair of Canadian titles, claiming the event in 2009 and 2010 before Djokovic swept the next two.
The 26-year-old Scot admitted that he is not expecting great things in his opening match.
"When you've not played for a few weeks you always get a bit nervous before the first match. I feel good about the last couple of months, but I'm still not expecting to go out there and play great tennis.
"I'll have to try and find a way to go through the first one. It will be a very difficult match. I'll have to be patient with myself and not expect too much. I'll have to fight for every point.
"If I can do that I'll give myself a chance at winning, but it won't be an easy start for me."
With the tournament missing two-time champion Roger Federer due to a back injury, Murray and top seed Djokovic would be expected to fight for the title, along with fourth seed Rafael Nadal who will also be making his summer hardcourt start after a Wimbledon first-round defeat in June,
Djokovic, ever the showman, entertained a crowd who had filled centre court to watch a practice session. When showers forced partner Nicolas Almagro off court, Djokovic gamely borrowed an umbrella from a courtside fan and proceeded to carefully dance through a few shots with a sparring partner.
The Serb then corralled a young fan onto court as the weather cleared a bit for a few minutes of "hitting". He posed for a photograph with the youngster and finally got on with training as the court dried out.
Djokovic's opening opponent will be determined on Monday when Australian Bernard Tomic and Germany's Florian Mayer meet in the first round.
Tennis: Murray admits US Open excitement building | GlobalPost
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Sloane Stephens may be the next great American hope in tennis. But at the Rogers Cup on Monday, the 20-year-old was just hoping to advance to the second round.
Stephens, who defeated Kristina Mladenovic of France 6-2, 7-6 (5), did not play her best tennis. But a week after losing in the first round to world No. 88 Olga Puchkova in Washington, the 17th-ranked Florida native will take any win she can — especially with the U.S. Open around the corner.
“I have never played here before, so definitely totally new atmosphere for me, totally new conditions,” she said. “But definitely happy to get a win.”
The hard-hitting Stephens dominated her opponent early on, jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the first set. But Mladenovic made the match interesting in the second set, going to the net more and volleying balls and forcing Stephens to hit more shots. At times, it seemed like Stephens played well enough to win. At others, it seemed like she was rusty.
Prior to her brief appearance in Washington last week, Stephens had barely picked up a racket since reaching the quarter-finals in Wimbledon. She said the downtime spent in Hawaii was necessary, mostly because she had been dealing with an abdominal injury that had caused problems with her serve.
Now healthy, she is trying to prepare for the U.S. Open later in the month.
“I just needed to play a lot more, needed to play a lot more sets, just needed to get back into it,” she said of last week’s loss in Washington. “I was still like in vacation mode and needed to get back ready. It’s business time again.”
Stephens, who defeated Serena Williams to advance to the quarter-finals at the Australian Open earlier in the year, has a 12-3 record in Grand Slam events. But she is only 12-12 in other tournaments, a fact that did not seem to bother her.
“Everyone says it like it’s a bad thing,” she told reporters in Washington, “but I’m like, ‘Isn’t (performing well in Grand Slams) the point?’ “
When asked if the pressure to perform at the U.S. Open is difficult for a young American player following in the footsteps of Serena and Venus Williams, Stephens said it is something that she simply has to deal with.
“Yeah, I think obviously most of the attention I get is pretty positive, because people want to see me do well and I’m American,” she said. “That’s awesome, but I mean there is a little downfall with that too because there is a lot of pressure and I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, I have to win’ and things like that.
“You kind of just have to deal with it and keep playing and playing hard. You can imagine what (Andy) Murray deals with in England and Serena has dealt with for so many years. It’s definitely tough, but people have done it before.”
Next American tennis hope learning from ups and downs
Stephens, who defeated Kristina Mladenovic of France 6-2, 7-6 (5), did not play her best tennis. But a week after losing in the first round to world No. 88 Olga Puchkova in Washington, the 17th-ranked Florida native will take any win she can — especially with the U.S. Open around the corner.
“I have never played here before, so definitely totally new atmosphere for me, totally new conditions,” she said. “But definitely happy to get a win.”
The hard-hitting Stephens dominated her opponent early on, jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the first set. But Mladenovic made the match interesting in the second set, going to the net more and volleying balls and forcing Stephens to hit more shots. At times, it seemed like Stephens played well enough to win. At others, it seemed like she was rusty.
Prior to her brief appearance in Washington last week, Stephens had barely picked up a racket since reaching the quarter-finals in Wimbledon. She said the downtime spent in Hawaii was necessary, mostly because she had been dealing with an abdominal injury that had caused problems with her serve.
Now healthy, she is trying to prepare for the U.S. Open later in the month.
“I just needed to play a lot more, needed to play a lot more sets, just needed to get back into it,” she said of last week’s loss in Washington. “I was still like in vacation mode and needed to get back ready. It’s business time again.”
Stephens, who defeated Serena Williams to advance to the quarter-finals at the Australian Open earlier in the year, has a 12-3 record in Grand Slam events. But she is only 12-12 in other tournaments, a fact that did not seem to bother her.
“Everyone says it like it’s a bad thing,” she told reporters in Washington, “but I’m like, ‘Isn’t (performing well in Grand Slams) the point?’ “
When asked if the pressure to perform at the U.S. Open is difficult for a young American player following in the footsteps of Serena and Venus Williams, Stephens said it is something that she simply has to deal with.
“Yeah, I think obviously most of the attention I get is pretty positive, because people want to see me do well and I’m American,” she said. “That’s awesome, but I mean there is a little downfall with that too because there is a lot of pressure and I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, I have to win’ and things like that.
“You kind of just have to deal with it and keep playing and playing hard. You can imagine what (Andy) Murray deals with in England and Serena has dealt with for so many years. It’s definitely tough, but people have done it before.”
Next American tennis hope learning from ups and downs
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A fit and fresh looking Djokovic, who was beaten by Andy Murray to the All England Club crown, showed little signs of rust from a lack of recent match practice as he took just 56 minutes to advance on a warm Montreal evening.
The Serbian, renowned for his sense of humour and reputation as an entertainer, then celebrated his victory with some impromptu dancing in the centre of the main arena, much to the delight of the fans who had stayed late to watch him.
"It's the first game (for me) since Wimbledon, I had four weeks off ... but it was a great performance," a smiling Djokovic said in a courtside interview once he had ended his crowd-pleasing antics.
The return of the two-time defending champion after a month off had followed Nadal's first competitive match since his shock first round exit at Wimbledon.
It proved to be a successful, yet tense, one for Nadal as he and his doubles partner Pablo Andujar saved two match points before they beat Spanish compatriots David Ferrer and Feliciano Lopez 6-7(2) 6-1 12-10.
The second day's play, however, belonged to the understated locals, including three wildcard entries who stunned their more highly fancied opponents as they basked in the home support.
World number 71 Vasek Pospisil produced the biggest upset when he surged to an unlikely first round win over in-form American John Isner.
Pospisil came from a set and a break down to claim a 5-7 7-6(5) 7-6(4) victory in bright and sunny conditions, thrilling a parochial home crowd who cheered his every winner.
Isner, who won the Atlanta title two weeks ago before being beaten by Juan Martin Del Potro in the Washington final last week, was left wondering how he had failed to get the job down.
"I should've won the match," Isner said. "I should've won the second set and I also should've won the third set but I didn't. This was a match I let slip away."
Frank Dancevic, another local wildcard, also rallied to beat Taiwan's Lu Yen-Hsun in three sets while Felip Peliwo became the fourth Canadian to reach the last 32 when Finland's Jarko Nieminen retired with a pulled hamstring trailing 3-1 in the deciding set.
Canada's top ranked player Milos Raonic then completed a memorable day for the hosts with a 6-3 4-6 7-5 triumph over Jeremy Chardy of France to become the fifth local into the second round.
"I'm really proud and happy for the (Canadian) guys who have been winning yesterday and today. It's really great to see," the world number 13 Raonic said.
Earlier world number 18 Jerzy Janowicz battled some internal demons before winning an error-strewn opening match on centre court against Frenchman Julien Benneteau.
Italian Fabio Fognini continued his impressive form with a three-set defeat of Marcos Baghdatis while 12th seed Gilles Simon and 14th seed Nicolas Almagro lost to former world number three Nikolay Davydenko and Czech Radek Stepanek respectively.
Tennis - Djokovic returns to court with easy win in Montreal - Yahoo! Eurosport UK
The Serbian, renowned for his sense of humour and reputation as an entertainer, then celebrated his victory with some impromptu dancing in the centre of the main arena, much to the delight of the fans who had stayed late to watch him.
"It's the first game (for me) since Wimbledon, I had four weeks off ... but it was a great performance," a smiling Djokovic said in a courtside interview once he had ended his crowd-pleasing antics.
The return of the two-time defending champion after a month off had followed Nadal's first competitive match since his shock first round exit at Wimbledon.
It proved to be a successful, yet tense, one for Nadal as he and his doubles partner Pablo Andujar saved two match points before they beat Spanish compatriots David Ferrer and Feliciano Lopez 6-7(2) 6-1 12-10.
The second day's play, however, belonged to the understated locals, including three wildcard entries who stunned their more highly fancied opponents as they basked in the home support.
World number 71 Vasek Pospisil produced the biggest upset when he surged to an unlikely first round win over in-form American John Isner.
Pospisil came from a set and a break down to claim a 5-7 7-6(5) 7-6(4) victory in bright and sunny conditions, thrilling a parochial home crowd who cheered his every winner.
Isner, who won the Atlanta title two weeks ago before being beaten by Juan Martin Del Potro in the Washington final last week, was left wondering how he had failed to get the job down.
"I should've won the match," Isner said. "I should've won the second set and I also should've won the third set but I didn't. This was a match I let slip away."
Frank Dancevic, another local wildcard, also rallied to beat Taiwan's Lu Yen-Hsun in three sets while Felip Peliwo became the fourth Canadian to reach the last 32 when Finland's Jarko Nieminen retired with a pulled hamstring trailing 3-1 in the deciding set.
Canada's top ranked player Milos Raonic then completed a memorable day for the hosts with a 6-3 4-6 7-5 triumph over Jeremy Chardy of France to become the fifth local into the second round.
"I'm really proud and happy for the (Canadian) guys who have been winning yesterday and today. It's really great to see," the world number 13 Raonic said.
Earlier world number 18 Jerzy Janowicz battled some internal demons before winning an error-strewn opening match on centre court against Frenchman Julien Benneteau.
Italian Fabio Fognini continued his impressive form with a three-set defeat of Marcos Baghdatis while 12th seed Gilles Simon and 14th seed Nicolas Almagro lost to former world number three Nikolay Davydenko and Czech Radek Stepanek respectively.
Tennis - Djokovic returns to court with easy win in Montreal - Yahoo! Eurosport UK
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World number one Djokovic had to come from a set down to beat a free-spirited Denis Istomin under the centre court lights.
The Serbian was out of sorts at the beginning of his second match as Istomin went for his shots and found the lines with some scintillating tennis.
Djokovic, however, recovered and produced some of his own magic in the second set before he celebrated a hard fought 2-6 6-4 6-4 victory by thrilling the late night crowd with another dancing routine on the centre court, this time wearing a 1970s styled wig.
Djokovic's quarter-final opponent will be French number one Richard Gasquet, who similarly staged a comeback to send Japan's Kei Nishikori home.
Nadal, back in action for the first time since Wimbledon, was given a tough workout by Poland's Jerzy Janowicz but survived to win 7-6 6-4.
Janowicz served for the set and led 3-0 in the second but was unable to capitalise on his chances.
"It was a very good victory against a very difficult opponent," Nadal said.
"He played a little up and down but I'm pleased with the way I played ... It's a great victory for me."
Nadal's next opponent is Australian qualifier Marinko Matosevic, who celebrated his 28th birthday with a 7-6(7) 6-7(10) 6-3 victory over Benoit Paire of France.
Canada's challenge in the tournament reached heights not seen by the locals in over 20 years when 11th seed Milos Raonic joined his 71st ranked compatriot, wildcard Vasek Pospisil, in the last eight.
Raonic ended Juan Martin Del Potro's impressive recent run with a 7-5 6-4 victory while Pospisil chalked up his first ever win over a top 10 player when he held his nerve in a thrilling deciding tiebreak to shock Czech fifth seed Tomas Berdych.
Pospisil had already beaten in-form American John Isner and another Czech in Radek Stepanek to reach the third round.
He will meet another experienced campaigner, Russia's resurgent former world number three Nikolay Davydenko, in his debut Masters series quarter-final.
Tennis - Djokovic and Nadal battle into Montreal quarters - Yahoo! Eurosport UK
The Serbian was out of sorts at the beginning of his second match as Istomin went for his shots and found the lines with some scintillating tennis.
Djokovic, however, recovered and produced some of his own magic in the second set before he celebrated a hard fought 2-6 6-4 6-4 victory by thrilling the late night crowd with another dancing routine on the centre court, this time wearing a 1970s styled wig.
Djokovic's quarter-final opponent will be French number one Richard Gasquet, who similarly staged a comeback to send Japan's Kei Nishikori home.
Nadal, back in action for the first time since Wimbledon, was given a tough workout by Poland's Jerzy Janowicz but survived to win 7-6 6-4.
Janowicz served for the set and led 3-0 in the second but was unable to capitalise on his chances.
"It was a very good victory against a very difficult opponent," Nadal said.
"He played a little up and down but I'm pleased with the way I played ... It's a great victory for me."
Nadal's next opponent is Australian qualifier Marinko Matosevic, who celebrated his 28th birthday with a 7-6(7) 6-7(10) 6-3 victory over Benoit Paire of France.
Canada's challenge in the tournament reached heights not seen by the locals in over 20 years when 11th seed Milos Raonic joined his 71st ranked compatriot, wildcard Vasek Pospisil, in the last eight.
Raonic ended Juan Martin Del Potro's impressive recent run with a 7-5 6-4 victory while Pospisil chalked up his first ever win over a top 10 player when he held his nerve in a thrilling deciding tiebreak to shock Czech fifth seed Tomas Berdych.
Pospisil had already beaten in-form American John Isner and another Czech in Radek Stepanek to reach the third round.
He will meet another experienced campaigner, Russia's resurgent former world number three Nikolay Davydenko, in his debut Masters series quarter-final.
Tennis - Djokovic and Nadal battle into Montreal quarters - Yahoo! Eurosport UK
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In the midst of one of the most dominant seasons of her tennis career, Serena Williams breezed through Toronto without dropping a set all week and claimed her third Rogers Cup title, the 54th WTA Tour title of her career.
The super-fit U.S world No.1 twirled around, beaming and waving up to the fans in victory, as she has at so many tournaments across the world. The top-seeded Williams made quick work of world No.27 Sorana Cirstea, 6-2, 6-0. The lop-sided match had the young Romanian player in tears as she accepted the second-place $213,000 (all currency U.S.) cheque after a career-changing week in which she pulled off four monster upsets on her way to the final.
Serena Williams captures her third Rogers Cup tennis title - The Globe and Mail
The super-fit U.S world No.1 twirled around, beaming and waving up to the fans in victory, as she has at so many tournaments across the world. The top-seeded Williams made quick work of world No.27 Sorana Cirstea, 6-2, 6-0. The lop-sided match had the young Romanian player in tears as she accepted the second-place $213,000 (all currency U.S.) cheque after a career-changing week in which she pulled off four monster upsets on her way to the final.
Serena Williams captures her third Rogers Cup tennis title - The Globe and Mail
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A free tennis event in Dundee at the weekend could unearth a future Scottish champion, a councillor hopes.
Dawson Park will be one of four Scottish venues in the Great British Tennis Weekend, at which people are being invited to play on open courts.
Organised by the Lawn Tennis Association the event is a chance for people to get involved in the sport from 10am-2pm on Saturday and Sunday. There is no need to book and equipment will be provided free of charge.
Broughty Ferry councillor Kevin Cordell said: “I am really pleased to see that Dawson Park will be one of only four parks in Scotland involved in this exciting initiative.
“I think everyone is agreed that watching Andy Murray during the summer was inspirational and his success is a just reward for his hard work and industry over the years.”
It was recently announced that Dundee City Council is serving up its first investment of a £40,000 tennis action plan to which Mr Cordell said Dawson Park is integral. Cardio tennis sessions are also on offer at the weekend.
Cardio tennis is a group fitness class set on the court and open to all people of all ages and abilities. For more information about the activities on offer visit LTA - allplay tennis - Getting more people playing tennis, more often.
Dawson Park will be one of four Scottish venues in the Great British Tennis Weekend, at which people are being invited to play on open courts.
Organised by the Lawn Tennis Association the event is a chance for people to get involved in the sport from 10am-2pm on Saturday and Sunday. There is no need to book and equipment will be provided free of charge.
Broughty Ferry councillor Kevin Cordell said: “I am really pleased to see that Dawson Park will be one of only four parks in Scotland involved in this exciting initiative.
“I think everyone is agreed that watching Andy Murray during the summer was inspirational and his success is a just reward for his hard work and industry over the years.”
It was recently announced that Dundee City Council is serving up its first investment of a £40,000 tennis action plan to which Mr Cordell said Dawson Park is integral. Cardio tennis sessions are also on offer at the weekend.
Cardio tennis is a group fitness class set on the court and open to all people of all ages and abilities. For more information about the activities on offer visit LTA - allplay tennis - Getting more people playing tennis, more often.
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Brian Baker, who is working his way back from a knee injury sustained at the Australian Open, is one of eight players to get wild-card entries into the men’s singles draw for the U.S. Open tennis tournament.
Ryan Harrison, a member of the U.S. team at the 2012 London Olympics, also received an at-large spot, along with Bradley Klahn, who was the 2010 college tennis champion as a sophomore at Stanford University; fellow Americans Rhyne Williams, Collin Altamirano and Rajeev Ram; Australia’s James Duckworth; and France’s Guillaume Rufin.
Baker, 28, tore the lateral meniscus in his right knee during a second-round match in Melbourne in January. It was the latest injury for Baker, who had climbed to 52nd in the world rankings in 2012 after five major operations, including three hip procedures, sidelined him from professional tennis for almost six years.
Baker, No. 185 in the latest world rankings, returned to competitive play during last week’s U.S. Tennis Association Pro Circuit Challenger event in Aptos, California, and has reached the second round of this week’s Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.
The U.S. Open, the last of the sport’s four annual major championships, is scheduled for Aug. 26 to Sept. 9 at the National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York.
Brian Baker Among Eight U.S. Open Tennis Wild Cards After Injury - Bloomberg
Ryan Harrison, a member of the U.S. team at the 2012 London Olympics, also received an at-large spot, along with Bradley Klahn, who was the 2010 college tennis champion as a sophomore at Stanford University; fellow Americans Rhyne Williams, Collin Altamirano and Rajeev Ram; Australia’s James Duckworth; and France’s Guillaume Rufin.
Baker, 28, tore the lateral meniscus in his right knee during a second-round match in Melbourne in January. It was the latest injury for Baker, who had climbed to 52nd in the world rankings in 2012 after five major operations, including three hip procedures, sidelined him from professional tennis for almost six years.
Baker, No. 185 in the latest world rankings, returned to competitive play during last week’s U.S. Tennis Association Pro Circuit Challenger event in Aptos, California, and has reached the second round of this week’s Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.
The U.S. Open, the last of the sport’s four annual major championships, is scheduled for Aug. 26 to Sept. 9 at the National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York.
Brian Baker Among Eight U.S. Open Tennis Wild Cards After Injury - Bloomberg
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The Frenchwoman made the announcement after losing 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 to Simona Halep in the second round of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.
Bartoli, who beat Sabine Lisicki in the final at the All England Club last month to claim her first grand slam title, said in quotes reported on wtatennis-com: "That was actually the last match of my career. Sorry.
"It's time for me to retire and call it a career. I feel it's time for me to walk away actually."
Bartoli blamed a succession of injuries for her decision to call it a day - citing in particular an Achilles problem which was troubling her on the hardcourts.
"My body just can't do it anymore," she said. "I've already been through a lot of injuries since the beginning of the year. I've been on the tour for so long, and I really pushed through and left it all during that Wimbledon.
"I really felt I gave all the energy I have left in my body. I made my dream a reality and it will stay with me forever, but now my body just can't cope with everything.
"I have pain everywhere after 45 minutes or an hour of play. I've been doing this for so long, and body-wise I just can't do it anymore."
Bartoli said she had played through the pain to realise her childhood dream of winning Wimbledon this summer.
She said: "When you dream about something for so long and you've been on tour for many, many, many years and you've been through ups and downs and highs and lows and already a lot of injuries since the beginning of the year, my body was really starting to fall apart, and I was able to keep it together, go through a lot of pain throughout Wimbledon, and still make it happen.
"That was probably the last little bit of something that was left inside me."
Asked what she plans to do next, she said: "There are so many things to do in life rather than playing tennis, so I'm sure I'll find something. I just need a bit of time to settle down.
"There is some excitement as a tennis player. There is a lot of excitement as a woman. There is a lot of excitement as a wife. There is a lot of excitement as a mother. There is a lot of excitement to come up.
"Obviously I'm excited to live my future, but I will have time to think about it in the months, years to come."
Bartoli was introduced to the sport by her father Walter, who remained as her coach for almost her entire career, giving up his job as a doctor to do so.
Noted for her individual style, she won the junior US Open title in 2001 and broke into the WTA top 100 two years later.
She won her first senior title in 2006 in Auckland and cracked the top 10 the following year.
In 2011 she reached the semi-finals of the French Open, but it was this summer - when she claimed the Wimbledon title without dropping a set - that she achieved her crowning glory.
She also achieved a record in doing so, winning her first grand slam title at the 47th attempt - surpassing the previous high of 45, set by Jana Novotna.
Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli retires from tennis - Telegraph
Bartoli, who beat Sabine Lisicki in the final at the All England Club last month to claim her first grand slam title, said in quotes reported on wtatennis-com: "That was actually the last match of my career. Sorry.
"It's time for me to retire and call it a career. I feel it's time for me to walk away actually."
Bartoli blamed a succession of injuries for her decision to call it a day - citing in particular an Achilles problem which was troubling her on the hardcourts.
"My body just can't do it anymore," she said. "I've already been through a lot of injuries since the beginning of the year. I've been on the tour for so long, and I really pushed through and left it all during that Wimbledon.
"I really felt I gave all the energy I have left in my body. I made my dream a reality and it will stay with me forever, but now my body just can't cope with everything.
"I have pain everywhere after 45 minutes or an hour of play. I've been doing this for so long, and body-wise I just can't do it anymore."
Bartoli said she had played through the pain to realise her childhood dream of winning Wimbledon this summer.
She said: "When you dream about something for so long and you've been on tour for many, many, many years and you've been through ups and downs and highs and lows and already a lot of injuries since the beginning of the year, my body was really starting to fall apart, and I was able to keep it together, go through a lot of pain throughout Wimbledon, and still make it happen.
"That was probably the last little bit of something that was left inside me."
Asked what she plans to do next, she said: "There are so many things to do in life rather than playing tennis, so I'm sure I'll find something. I just need a bit of time to settle down.
"There is some excitement as a tennis player. There is a lot of excitement as a woman. There is a lot of excitement as a wife. There is a lot of excitement as a mother. There is a lot of excitement to come up.
"Obviously I'm excited to live my future, but I will have time to think about it in the months, years to come."
Bartoli was introduced to the sport by her father Walter, who remained as her coach for almost her entire career, giving up his job as a doctor to do so.
Noted for her individual style, she won the junior US Open title in 2001 and broke into the WTA top 100 two years later.
She won her first senior title in 2006 in Auckland and cracked the top 10 the following year.
In 2011 she reached the semi-finals of the French Open, but it was this summer - when she claimed the Wimbledon title without dropping a set - that she achieved her crowning glory.
She also achieved a record in doing so, winning her first grand slam title at the 47th attempt - surpassing the previous high of 45, set by Jana Novotna.
Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli retires from tennis - Telegraph
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Top seed Serena Williams stayed the course at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters on Thursday, pounding out a 6-4, 6-1 defeat of Mona Barthel.
The American beat her 32nd-ranked German in dominating style in a night game to reach the quarter-finals of the hardcourt tournament.
Williams is playing the event for the fifth time, with her best showing to date being a semi-final berth in 2006.
Read more: Tennis: Williams advances to quarters | Inquirer Sports
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The American beat her 32nd-ranked German in dominating style in a night game to reach the quarter-finals of the hardcourt tournament.
Williams is playing the event for the fifth time, with her best showing to date being a semi-final berth in 2006.
Read more: Tennis: Williams advances to quarters | Inquirer Sports
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The world's top two tennis players, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, both suffered shock defeats, while Rafael Nadal stormed back to beat long-time rival Roger Federer at the Cincinnati Masters.
Number three Nadal booked a spot in the semi-finals by rallying past Federer, with the Swiss player saving four match points in a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 loss.
The pair have met a total of 31 times, with Nadal winning 21 of those.
"My movement got better, with more intensity," said Nadal, undefeated on hardcourts in 2013. "I put in more balls on the return, and controlled the baseline, something that didn't happen the first set and a half.
"The match was very close. I played some good points in important moments."
Federer suffered only his second loss in the last five editions in Cincinnati.
"Credit to him for hanging in and getting back some tough shots," said five-time champion Federer, who will fall to seventh in the world as a result of his defeat.
"I have some disappointment, I could have played better late in the second and early in the third.
"But my tactics were working most of the time. I served well for most of the match, but when I didn't he was able to step it up."
World number one Djokovic fell 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 7-5 to unseeded John Isner as the Serb's attempt to set another tennis record ended in defeat.
Had Djokovic beaten the American he would have kept alive a bid to become the first player to complete what the ATP Tour has dubbed the 'Career Golden Masters' by winning all nine World Tour Masters titles.
Two-time champion Murray was eliminated 6-3, 6-4 by Tomas Berdych, leaving the Scot to head for New York and his US Open title defence, beginning August 26, with plenty to work on.
The second seed fired 10 aces but was betrayed as he missed on all four of his break points. Berdych has now beaten Murray twice this season after beating him in Madrid on clay.
"The court was lively today. It was bouncing pretty high and it was quite tough to control the ball. I made too many errors," said Murray. "The first couple of rounds, I was able to hit the ball quite flat and wasn't kind of flying on me; today it was happening a little bit. "I need to make sure I'm not making too many mistakes going into the US Open."
Isner set up a Saturday semi with 2009 US Open winner Juan Martin del Potro, who beat qualifier Dmitry Tursunov 6-4, 3-6, 6-1. Del Potro said he won despite dealing with pain in his left wrist. The Argentine missed much of the 2010 season with a wrist problems and remains cautious.
"Yes, it bothers me a little bit, but not too much," said the 2009 US Open champion.
"I'm trying to play slices and different shots before the US Open to see how different I can play against the top guys."
Del Potro needed one and three-quarter hours to get past veteran Russian Tursunov, with the Argentine hammering 15 aces and breaking three times. Del Potro reached the semi-finals in 2012 where he lost to Djokovic.
The women's quarter-final matches were dominated by world number one Serena Williams, who raced through a 16-minute opening set en route to an easy 6-0, 6-4 win against Romanian Simona Halep.
Williams next plays holder Li Na, after the Chinese fifth seed advanced a day earlier when Agnieszka Radwanska withdrew to attend the funeral of her grandfather in Poland.
Former world number one Jelena Jankovic beat Italy's Roberta Vinci 6-0, 6-4 to reach a fifth semi-final this season.
She will next play second seed Victoria Azarenka, who eliminated Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) in a night match.
The win was only the third in nine meetings for Azarenka against Wozniacki.
Tennis: Top seeds crash out of Cincinnati Masters - Channel NewsAsia
Number three Nadal booked a spot in the semi-finals by rallying past Federer, with the Swiss player saving four match points in a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 loss.
The pair have met a total of 31 times, with Nadal winning 21 of those.
"My movement got better, with more intensity," said Nadal, undefeated on hardcourts in 2013. "I put in more balls on the return, and controlled the baseline, something that didn't happen the first set and a half.
"The match was very close. I played some good points in important moments."
Federer suffered only his second loss in the last five editions in Cincinnati.
"Credit to him for hanging in and getting back some tough shots," said five-time champion Federer, who will fall to seventh in the world as a result of his defeat.
"I have some disappointment, I could have played better late in the second and early in the third.
"But my tactics were working most of the time. I served well for most of the match, but when I didn't he was able to step it up."
World number one Djokovic fell 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 7-5 to unseeded John Isner as the Serb's attempt to set another tennis record ended in defeat.
Had Djokovic beaten the American he would have kept alive a bid to become the first player to complete what the ATP Tour has dubbed the 'Career Golden Masters' by winning all nine World Tour Masters titles.
Two-time champion Murray was eliminated 6-3, 6-4 by Tomas Berdych, leaving the Scot to head for New York and his US Open title defence, beginning August 26, with plenty to work on.
The second seed fired 10 aces but was betrayed as he missed on all four of his break points. Berdych has now beaten Murray twice this season after beating him in Madrid on clay.
"The court was lively today. It was bouncing pretty high and it was quite tough to control the ball. I made too many errors," said Murray. "The first couple of rounds, I was able to hit the ball quite flat and wasn't kind of flying on me; today it was happening a little bit. "I need to make sure I'm not making too many mistakes going into the US Open."
Isner set up a Saturday semi with 2009 US Open winner Juan Martin del Potro, who beat qualifier Dmitry Tursunov 6-4, 3-6, 6-1. Del Potro said he won despite dealing with pain in his left wrist. The Argentine missed much of the 2010 season with a wrist problems and remains cautious.
"Yes, it bothers me a little bit, but not too much," said the 2009 US Open champion.
"I'm trying to play slices and different shots before the US Open to see how different I can play against the top guys."
Del Potro needed one and three-quarter hours to get past veteran Russian Tursunov, with the Argentine hammering 15 aces and breaking three times. Del Potro reached the semi-finals in 2012 where he lost to Djokovic.
The women's quarter-final matches were dominated by world number one Serena Williams, who raced through a 16-minute opening set en route to an easy 6-0, 6-4 win against Romanian Simona Halep.
Williams next plays holder Li Na, after the Chinese fifth seed advanced a day earlier when Agnieszka Radwanska withdrew to attend the funeral of her grandfather in Poland.
Former world number one Jelena Jankovic beat Italy's Roberta Vinci 6-0, 6-4 to reach a fifth semi-final this season.
She will next play second seed Victoria Azarenka, who eliminated Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) in a night match.
The win was only the third in nine meetings for Azarenka against Wozniacki.
Tennis: Top seeds crash out of Cincinnati Masters - Channel NewsAsia
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The vintage rematch ended with Rafael Nadal pumping his arms after a final forehand. He was a little bit better than old nemesis Roger Federer once again.
Nadal advanced to the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 win over Federer on Friday night, a vintage rematch that reinforced their head-to-head standings for now.
Nadal improved to 21-10 against his top rival, including wins all of their three matches this year. A close match came down to a few points, and Nadal got most of them.
"Always the emotion's out there when we play each other," Nadal said.
Their first meeting in Cincinnati highlighted a day of upsets in the men's bracket. No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 2 Andy Murray lost in the quarterfinals. No. 1 Serena Williams moved on in the women's bracket.
Nadal moves on, too, playing Tomas Berdych in the semifinals.
It's been a summer of resurgence for the 27-year-old Spaniard. He missed the end of last season with a knee injury, but has gotten into one of the best stretches this season. He takes a career-best 51-3 mark into the semifinal, including a 14-1 against Top 10 opponents.
It's been a rough summer for Federer, who was beaten by a player ranked 116th in the world at Wimbledon. And that was just the start. The 32-year-old Swiss star kept getting upset and struggled with a sore back.
Federer hoped that his week in Cincinnati would help him repair his game. He's won the tournament an unprecedented five times. As the week went along, his game got noticeably better, leaving him optimistic about the U.S. Open.
"I can definitely take more things away from this week than I could for the last sort of three months," Federer said. "So I'm happy about that. That sets it up nicely for me for New York, I think."
Their match was as good as any in the tournament.
Federer got the first break to go up 6-5 in the opening set and finished it off with a crosscourt backhand. Nadal got his first break of the match to win the second set. He broke Federer again in the second game of the third set to take control.
They moved each other around, hit the lines and lobbed over each other's heads, making one exquisite shot after another while bringing fans to their feet.
Federer fought off four match points before Nadal put it away.
"Could have won tonight, should have won tonight, who knows?" Federer said. "But at the end, I think Rafa's confidence and the way he's playing at the moment got him through."
While Federer and Nadal rekindled a famous rivalry, the top-ranked player had another disappointment on Cincinnati's fast, blue courts. It's the only place that Djokovic can't win.
Top-ranked American John Isner ended his attempt to make ATP history on Friday, prevailing 7-6 (5), 3-6, 7-5.
Djokovic has never won in Cincinnati, where he's lost in the finals four times, including last year to Federer. All he needs to do is hoist the winner's trophy one time in Cincinnati to become the first player to win all nine ATP Masters events.
Wait until next year. Again.
"It's disappointing that I played this way," Djokovic said. "For me, it's very disappointing."
Isner reached the semifinals in Cincinnati for the first time, knocking off a No. 1 for only the second time in his career. His other No. 1 upset? He beat Djokovic at Indians Wells in the semifinals last year.
"A fantastic win for me," Isner said. "Certainly one of my greatest memories as a tennis player."
He'll play seventh-seeded Juan Martin del Potro, who advanced Friday by beating qualifier Dmitry Tursunov 6-4, 3-6, 6-1. Del Potro, who has a sore wrist and knee, is in the semifinals for the second straight year.
Soon after Djokovic got knocked out, Murray was gone, too. He failed to convert a break point while losing 6-3, 6-4 to Berdych, who also beat him in the quarterfinals at Madrid.
In the women's draw, Williams needed only 64 minutes to beat Simona Halep 6-0, 6-4. She'll play Li Na, who advanced to the semifinals automatically when No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska withdrew to attend her grandfather's funeral.
Like Djokovic, Williams has never won in Cincinnati, which has become one of her goals. She struggles with the conditions on court and wasn't happy with her overall level of play on Friday.
"I have quite a few things on my tennis bucket list," Williams said. "This obviously is one of them. But I like to believe if it doesn't happen this year, I always have another chance."
Fourteenth-seeded Jelena Jankovic beat 12th-seeded Roberta Vinci 6-0, 6-4 to reach the semifinals for the third time. She won the tournament in 2009 and lost the title match to Maria Sharapova in 2011.
"I love playing here in Cincinnati because I have great results in the past," said Jankovic, who fought off eight of nine break points in the second set. "So that always helps. I mean, I was a finalist and a champion before, so you always love coming back to places where you can win."
She'll play No. 2 Victoria Azarenka, who beat Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 7-6 (5) in the final match Friday night. Azarenka had to withdraw at Toronto last week because of a sore lower back, but reached the semifinals in Cincinnati for the first time.
tennis-com - Nadal outlasts Federer in three-set Cincinnati quarterfinal
Nadal advanced to the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 win over Federer on Friday night, a vintage rematch that reinforced their head-to-head standings for now.
Nadal improved to 21-10 against his top rival, including wins all of their three matches this year. A close match came down to a few points, and Nadal got most of them.
"Always the emotion's out there when we play each other," Nadal said.
Their first meeting in Cincinnati highlighted a day of upsets in the men's bracket. No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 2 Andy Murray lost in the quarterfinals. No. 1 Serena Williams moved on in the women's bracket.
Nadal moves on, too, playing Tomas Berdych in the semifinals.
It's been a summer of resurgence for the 27-year-old Spaniard. He missed the end of last season with a knee injury, but has gotten into one of the best stretches this season. He takes a career-best 51-3 mark into the semifinal, including a 14-1 against Top 10 opponents.
It's been a rough summer for Federer, who was beaten by a player ranked 116th in the world at Wimbledon. And that was just the start. The 32-year-old Swiss star kept getting upset and struggled with a sore back.
Federer hoped that his week in Cincinnati would help him repair his game. He's won the tournament an unprecedented five times. As the week went along, his game got noticeably better, leaving him optimistic about the U.S. Open.
"I can definitely take more things away from this week than I could for the last sort of three months," Federer said. "So I'm happy about that. That sets it up nicely for me for New York, I think."
Their match was as good as any in the tournament.
Federer got the first break to go up 6-5 in the opening set and finished it off with a crosscourt backhand. Nadal got his first break of the match to win the second set. He broke Federer again in the second game of the third set to take control.
They moved each other around, hit the lines and lobbed over each other's heads, making one exquisite shot after another while bringing fans to their feet.
Federer fought off four match points before Nadal put it away.
"Could have won tonight, should have won tonight, who knows?" Federer said. "But at the end, I think Rafa's confidence and the way he's playing at the moment got him through."
While Federer and Nadal rekindled a famous rivalry, the top-ranked player had another disappointment on Cincinnati's fast, blue courts. It's the only place that Djokovic can't win.
Top-ranked American John Isner ended his attempt to make ATP history on Friday, prevailing 7-6 (5), 3-6, 7-5.
Djokovic has never won in Cincinnati, where he's lost in the finals four times, including last year to Federer. All he needs to do is hoist the winner's trophy one time in Cincinnati to become the first player to win all nine ATP Masters events.
Wait until next year. Again.
"It's disappointing that I played this way," Djokovic said. "For me, it's very disappointing."
Isner reached the semifinals in Cincinnati for the first time, knocking off a No. 1 for only the second time in his career. His other No. 1 upset? He beat Djokovic at Indians Wells in the semifinals last year.
"A fantastic win for me," Isner said. "Certainly one of my greatest memories as a tennis player."
He'll play seventh-seeded Juan Martin del Potro, who advanced Friday by beating qualifier Dmitry Tursunov 6-4, 3-6, 6-1. Del Potro, who has a sore wrist and knee, is in the semifinals for the second straight year.
Soon after Djokovic got knocked out, Murray was gone, too. He failed to convert a break point while losing 6-3, 6-4 to Berdych, who also beat him in the quarterfinals at Madrid.
In the women's draw, Williams needed only 64 minutes to beat Simona Halep 6-0, 6-4. She'll play Li Na, who advanced to the semifinals automatically when No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska withdrew to attend her grandfather's funeral.
Like Djokovic, Williams has never won in Cincinnati, which has become one of her goals. She struggles with the conditions on court and wasn't happy with her overall level of play on Friday.
"I have quite a few things on my tennis bucket list," Williams said. "This obviously is one of them. But I like to believe if it doesn't happen this year, I always have another chance."
Fourteenth-seeded Jelena Jankovic beat 12th-seeded Roberta Vinci 6-0, 6-4 to reach the semifinals for the third time. She won the tournament in 2009 and lost the title match to Maria Sharapova in 2011.
"I love playing here in Cincinnati because I have great results in the past," said Jankovic, who fought off eight of nine break points in the second set. "So that always helps. I mean, I was a finalist and a champion before, so you always love coming back to places where you can win."
She'll play No. 2 Victoria Azarenka, who beat Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 7-6 (5) in the final match Friday night. Azarenka had to withdraw at Toronto last week because of a sore lower back, but reached the semifinals in Cincinnati for the first time.
tennis-com - Nadal outlasts Federer in three-set Cincinnati quarterfinal
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For two hours and 30 minutes, Azarenka and Williams engaged in a seesaw centre court battle before the second ranked Belarusian finally clinched the victory, winning a nervy tie-break 8-6 to stop the American from ticking one 'to do' item off her 'bucket list'.
In a career that has generated 54 singles titles, including 16 grand slams, Williams had won just about everything there is to win in her sport - but not Cincinnati, one of the WTA Tour's most prestigious tournaments.
Cincinnati will remain a hole on her resume for at least another year after Azarenka answered the challenge claiming just her third win in 15 tries against the 31-year-old American.
Tennis - Azarenka overcomes Serena Williams for Cincinnati title - Yahoo! Eurosport UK
In a career that has generated 54 singles titles, including 16 grand slams, Williams had won just about everything there is to win in her sport - but not Cincinnati, one of the WTA Tour's most prestigious tournaments.
Cincinnati will remain a hole on her resume for at least another year after Azarenka answered the challenge claiming just her third win in 15 tries against the 31-year-old American.
Tennis - Azarenka overcomes Serena Williams for Cincinnati title - Yahoo! Eurosport UK
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A 71-year-old tennis lineswoman arrested on a murder charge as she prepared to officiate at the U.S. Open but later cleared of bludgeoning her husband to death has filed suit against the Los Angeles police and others, her lawyer said on Monday.
Lois Goodman was arrested last August in New York on a felony murder warrant on accusations of killing her 80-year-old husband by hitting him with a coffee cup, Alan Goodman, at the couple's home in the Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles in April 2012.
The charges against Goodman, who is well-known in tennis circles and had worked at the annual U.S. Open Tennis Championships tournament for at least the past 10 years, were ultimately dismissed in November.
Prosecutors at the time gave little public information to explain why they dropped the case. A Los Angeles County District Attorney's spokeswoman said at the time only that "additional information" had come forward.
In her federal lawsuit, officially registered in federal court in Los Angeles on Monday against the police, coroner and four individual police officers, Goodman claims false arrest and malicious prosecution.
Paraded out of a New York hotel in handcuffs in front of media, jailed and suspended from work as a referee, Goodman came under intense scrutiny for four months before she was finally cleared.
Her lawyer, Robert Sheahen, said Goodman's husband died in a tragic accidental fall, and her subsequent arrest caused her to suffer humiliation, physical pain from confinement in jail and damage to her career.
"She loves tennis, she loves her job. This was devastating to the tennis world. It's a very small world," Sheahen told Reuters by phone.
In the 21-page complaint, Sheahen said his client, in addition to suffering the loss of her spouse of nearly 50 years, had a truncated grieving period due to the arrest and being thrown into a "veritable dungeon" while incarcerated at Rikers Island, causing both emotional and physical distress.
Goodman also said the Los Angeles police intentionally lied to the media, claiming she was having an affair as well as online relationships with two U.S. Open officials.
Goodman's daughter, Joan, told the New York Post that her mother was anxious about making a comeback to the prestigious tennis event scheduled to begin August 26, adding that her mother is "grateful she has her job and wants to be able to do it without distraction."
U.S. Open tennis official sues Los Angeles police for false arrest | Reuters
Lois Goodman was arrested last August in New York on a felony murder warrant on accusations of killing her 80-year-old husband by hitting him with a coffee cup, Alan Goodman, at the couple's home in the Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles in April 2012.
The charges against Goodman, who is well-known in tennis circles and had worked at the annual U.S. Open Tennis Championships tournament for at least the past 10 years, were ultimately dismissed in November.
Prosecutors at the time gave little public information to explain why they dropped the case. A Los Angeles County District Attorney's spokeswoman said at the time only that "additional information" had come forward.
In her federal lawsuit, officially registered in federal court in Los Angeles on Monday against the police, coroner and four individual police officers, Goodman claims false arrest and malicious prosecution.
Paraded out of a New York hotel in handcuffs in front of media, jailed and suspended from work as a referee, Goodman came under intense scrutiny for four months before she was finally cleared.
Her lawyer, Robert Sheahen, said Goodman's husband died in a tragic accidental fall, and her subsequent arrest caused her to suffer humiliation, physical pain from confinement in jail and damage to her career.
"She loves tennis, she loves her job. This was devastating to the tennis world. It's a very small world," Sheahen told Reuters by phone.
In the 21-page complaint, Sheahen said his client, in addition to suffering the loss of her spouse of nearly 50 years, had a truncated grieving period due to the arrest and being thrown into a "veritable dungeon" while incarcerated at Rikers Island, causing both emotional and physical distress.
Goodman also said the Los Angeles police intentionally lied to the media, claiming she was having an affair as well as online relationships with two U.S. Open officials.
Goodman's daughter, Joan, told the New York Post that her mother was anxious about making a comeback to the prestigious tennis event scheduled to begin August 26, adding that her mother is "grateful she has her job and wants to be able to do it without distraction."
U.S. Open tennis official sues Los Angeles police for false arrest | Reuters
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Australian tennis trio Casey Dellacqua, Olivia Rogowska and Matt Reid have won through to the second round of US Open qualifying in New York.
The three were among a dozen Australians hoping to join former champions Samantha Stosur and Lleyton Hewitt, along with Bernard Tomic, Marinko Matosevic and men's wildcard James Duckworth in the main draw.
The season's final grand slam event gets underway on Monday.
Dellacqua beat American Chieh-Yu Hsu 6-3 6-2 in the first round of qualifying at Flushing Meadows, while Rogowska outclassed Australian-born eighth seed Johanna Konta of Britian 7-5 6-4. In the men's qualifying event, Reid defeated German Andreas Beck 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 - but fellow Australians Matthew Ebden, Sam Groth and Matthew Barton both lost in the first round.
Australian Open junior champion Nick Kyrgios will face Greg Jones in an all-Australian first-round qualifying match, while Monique Adamczak, Sacha Jones, Storm Sanders and sisters Anastasia and Arina Rodionova also open their campaigns on Thursday.
Aussie tennis trio win US Open qualifiers
The three were among a dozen Australians hoping to join former champions Samantha Stosur and Lleyton Hewitt, along with Bernard Tomic, Marinko Matosevic and men's wildcard James Duckworth in the main draw.
The season's final grand slam event gets underway on Monday.
Dellacqua beat American Chieh-Yu Hsu 6-3 6-2 in the first round of qualifying at Flushing Meadows, while Rogowska outclassed Australian-born eighth seed Johanna Konta of Britian 7-5 6-4. In the men's qualifying event, Reid defeated German Andreas Beck 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 - but fellow Australians Matthew Ebden, Sam Groth and Matthew Barton both lost in the first round.
Australian Open junior champion Nick Kyrgios will face Greg Jones in an all-Australian first-round qualifying match, while Monique Adamczak, Sacha Jones, Storm Sanders and sisters Anastasia and Arina Rodionova also open their campaigns on Thursday.
Aussie tennis trio win US Open qualifiers
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Troicki says he will trust the Court of Arbitration for Sport to recognize "a clear mistake from the on-site doping control officer."
The 2010 Davis Cup winner says he declined to give blood at the Monte Carlo Masters in April because he felt ill.
Troicki insists the doping control officer advised he could "skip the test if I wrote an explanation letter" to the International Tennis Federation.
The ITF suspended Troicki on Thursday after its tribunal said his explanation "did not constitute compelling justification."
Troicki says of the doping control officer, "once she found out that she didn't follow the procedures, she turned her back on me."
Read more: Serbian tennis player Victor Troicki appeals 18-month ban for avoiding blood-doping test | Fox News