Tennis archive

Rafael Nadal has continued his excellent form and won his ninth title out of his last 11 finals by beating John Isner 7-6, 7-6 in the Cincinnati Open final. The victory means that he has overtaken Andy Murray as the world No. 2 on the ATP Rankings. However, Nadal has said that he thinks Murray will find it easier to win a second US Open this year than his first victory 12 months ago.

In a recent interview Nadal said, “When you come back in a tournament that you already won, my feeling is it’s not a big, big difference. The only thing that is different and will help is you did it in the past, and when you did it one time in the past, it’s easier to do it again, because you know that you can do it. That’s all.”

At present Nadal is second favourite to win the US Open with odds of 3/1. Novak Djokovic is favourite with odds of 2/1 and Any Murray is third with odds of 13/4.

MONDAY, AUG. 26

10:30-11 a.m.: Live at the U.S. Open (Tennis Channel)

11 a.m.-7 p.m.: 1st round (Tennis Channel)

1-7 p.m.: 1st round (ESPN2)

7-11 p.m.: Primetime at the U.S. Open: 1st round (ESPN2)

11 p.m.-6 a.m.: U.S. Open Tonight (Tennis Channel)

TUESDAY, AUG. 27

6-10:30 a.m.: Breakfast at the U.S. Open (Tennis Channel)

10:30-11 a.m.: Live at the U.S. Open (Tennis Channel)

11 a.m.-7 p.m.: 1st round (Tennis Channel)

1-7 p.m.: 1st round (ESPN2)

7-11 p.m.: Primetime at the U.S. Open: 1st round (ESPN2)

11 p.m.-6 a.m.: U.S. Open Tonight (Tennis Channel)

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 28

6-10:30 a.m.: Breakfast at the U.S. Open (Tennis Channel)

10:30-11 a.m.: Live at the U.S. Open (Tennis Channel

11 a.m.-7 p.m.: Men's 1st round/Women's 2nd round (Tennis Channel)

1-7 p.m.: Men's 1st round/Women's 2nd round (ESPN2)

7 p.m.-11 p.m.: Primetime at the U.S. Open: 2nd round (ESPN2)

11 p.m.-6 a.m.: U.S. Open Tonight (Tennis Channel)

THURSDAY, AUG. 29

6-10:30 a.m.: Breakfast at the U.S. Open (Tennis Channel)

10:30-11 a.m.: Live at the U.S. Open (Tennis Channel)

11 a.m.-7 p.m.: 2nd round (Tennis Channel)

1-7 p.m.: 2nd round (ESPN2)

7 p.m.-11 p.m.: Primetime at the U.S. Open: 2nd round (ESPN2)

11 p.m.-6 a.m.: U.S. Open Tonight (Tennis Channel)

FRIDAY, AUG. 30

6-10:30 a.m.: Breakfast at the U.S. Open (Tennis Channel)

10:30-11 a.m.: Live at the U.S. Open (Tennis Channel)

11 a.m.-7 p.m.: Men's 2nd round/Women's 3rd round (Tennis Channel)

1-7 p.m.: Men's 2nd round/Women's 3rd round (ESPN2)

7 p.m.-11 p.m.: Primetime: Men's 2nd round/Women's 3rd round (ESPN2)

11 p.m.-6 a.m.: U.S. Open Tonight (Tennis Channel)

SATURDAY, AUG. 31

6 a.m.-11 a.m.: Breakfast at the U.S. Open (Tennis Channel)

10-11 a.m.: Today at the U.S. Open (CBS Sports Network)

11 a.m.-6 p.m.: 3rd round (CBS/CBS Sports Network)

7 p.m.-11 p.m.: 3rd round (Tennis Channel)

11 p.m.-6 a.m.: U.S. Open (Tonight Tennis Channel)

SUNDAY, SEPT. 1

6-11 a.m.: Breakfast at the U.S. Open (Tennis Channel)

10-11 a.m.: Today at the U.S. Open (CBS Sports Network)

11 a.m.-6 p.m.: Men's 3rd round/Women's Round of 16 (Ch. 2/CBS Sports Network)

7-11 p.m.: Men's 3rd round/Women's Round of 16 (Tennis Channel)

11 p.m.-6 a.m:. U.S. Open Tonight (Tennis Channel)

MONDAY, SEPT. 2

6-11 a.m.: Breakfast at the U.S. Open (Tennis Channel)

10-11 a.m.: Today at the U.S. Open (CBS Sports Network)

11 a.m.-6 p.m.: Round of 16 (Ch. 2/CBS Sports Network)

7 p.m.-11 p.m.: Primetime at the U.S. Open: Round of 16 (ESPN2)

11 p.m.-6 a.m.: U.S. Open Tonight (Tennis Channel)

TUESDAY, SEPT. 3

6-10:30 a.m.: Breakfast at the U.S. Open (Tennis Channel)

10:30-11 a.m.: Live at the U.S. Open (Tennis Channel)

11 a.m.-7 p.m.: Men's Round of 16/Women's Quarterfinals (ESPN2)

11 a.m.-7 p.m.: Men's Round of 16/Various doubles matches (Tennis Channel)

7 p.m.-11 p.m.: Primetime: Men's Round of 16/Women's Quarterfinal (ESPN)

11 p.m.-6 a.m.: U.S. Open Tonight (Tennis Channel)

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 4

6-10:30 a.m.: Breakfast at the U.S. Open (Tennis Channel)

10:30-11 a.m.: Live at the U.S. Open (Tennis Channel)

11 a.m.-7 p.m.: Doubles/Juniors (Tennis Channel)

Noon-7 p.m.: Quarterfinals (ESPN2)

7 p.m.-11 p.m.: Primetime at the U.S. Open: Quarterfinals (ESPN2)

11 p.m.-6 a.m.: U.S. Open Tonight (Tennis Channel)

THURSDAY, SEPT. 5

6-10:30 a.m.: Breakfast at the U.S. Open (Tennis Channel)

10:30-11 a.m.: Live at the U.S. Open (Tennis Channel)

11 a.m.-7 p.m.: Doubles/Juniors (Tennis Channel)

Noon-6 p.m:. Men's Quarterfinal (ESPN2)

8-11 p.m.: Primetime at the U.S. Open: Men's Quarterfinal (ESPN)

11 p.m.-6 a.m.: U.S. Open Tonight (Tennis Channel)

FRIDAY, SEPT. 6

6-11 a.m.: Breakfast at the U.S. Open (Tennis Channel)

12:30-6 p.m.: Mixed Doubles Final/Women's Singles Semifinals (Ch. 2)

7 p.m.-7 a.m.: U.S. Open Daily Match Encores (Tennis Channel)

Sept. 7 7-11 a.m.: U.S. Open Daily Match Encores (Tennis Channel)

Noon-6 p.m.: Men's Singles Semifinals/Women's Doubles Final (Ch. 2)

6-8 p.m. U.S. Open Daily Match Encores (Tennis Channel)

9:30 p.m.-3:30 a.m. U.S. Open Daily Match Encores (Tennis Channel)

SATURDAY, SEPT. 8

6:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: U.S. Open Daily Match Encores (Tennis Channel)

12:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m.: Men's Doubles Final (ESPN2)

4:30-7 p.m.: Women's Singles Final (Ch. 2)

8:30-9:30 p.m.: SportsCenter at the U.S. Open (ESPN2)

9:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m.: U.S. Open Daily Match Encores (Tennis Channel)

Sept. 9 9 a.m.-5 p.m.: U.S. Open Daily Match Encores (Tennis Channel)

5-8 p.m.: Men's Singles Final (Ch. 2)

The contrasts used to be one of the most attractive elements of tennis.

Pete Sampras standing at the net, Andre Agassi at the baseline trying to get the ball past his greatest rival.

Chris Evert, dainty but cruelly clever in the backcourt, against Martina Navratilova, who moved forward, fast as a whip, knocking a volley that Evert lunged at or just missed, eliciting a squeak of frustration from Evert.

Or John McEnroe, dancing on his toes, back and forth as Bjorn Borg stood at the back of the court and calculated the correct angle at which to whiz the ball past his rival — only to have McEnroe, with a flick of the wrist, gently drop the ball over the net, just in the spot where Borg couldn't reach it.

Billie Jean King still volunteers to coach players and teach them to serve and volley. She urged Serena and Venus Williams to learn that most difficult part of the game but couldn't persuade either of them.

As the U.S. Open tennis tournament, the final major of the year, begins Monday, it's more likely viewers will see an American man win — a longshot — than see more than a handful of serve-and-volley points.

That part of the game is gone, possibly forever.

"I don't think it's ever coming back, I really don't," said Sampras, who won 14 Grand Slam events, second only to Roger Federer. "It's difficult to learn to do, and it's hard to be successful with it at first, and kids and coaches don't like failure....

"You have to be a good athlete, have great hands and great feet. The shot itself is pretty easy, but you need good touch and an intuition as to where the ball is going to go. You need to know when to run slow, run fast. All that stuff has to be learned."

Lindsay Davenport, who won three Grand Slam events, agreed with Sampras. "Yes," she said, "that part of the game is gone and probably for good. I guess you should never say never, but I'd say never."

Davenport, as did Sampras and as have many players over the last decade, said technology is part of the reason.

"Improvements in strings, in rackets, it's taken some of the purity out of the game," Davenport said. "You need such great technique, precise footwork, great anticipation and good form that holds up under pressure. So many things go into serve and volley, and players aren't being taught to be so precise. They don't need to be.

"With the strings we have now, you can hit bad shots from the baseline and the ball still goes in. I find myself shaking my head sometimes wondering how a ball landed in."

McEnroe, considered by many to have been the best in the game at volleying, echoed Davenport. "The better rackets is one thing, the strings; the courts are slower in general.

"If you've noticed, the U.S. Open courts play fairly quickly. It would be a perfect court for someone like Sampras or [Stefan] Edberg or myself to be able to do their thing on the quicker court.

"When I'm asked this question, it always makes me think back to when Wimbledon was all about serve and volley and Pete was winning, Boris [Becker] and Goran Ivanisevic.

"All of a sudden, the game became a baseline game, and Lleyton Hewitt was playing David Nalbandian. I would have bet everything, my house, that you would never see that type of tennis in the men's game where all the players are staying back. I would have lost my house.

"I think ideally the best tennis is when you have two different styles going at it. People enjoy that more."

A couple of weeks ago, Li Na, seeded sixth at the Open, played top-ranked Serena Williams in Cincinnati. Before the match, Li told Pam Shriver, "I'm going to serve and volley. I'm going to try something different."

Williams won; Li served and volleyed fewer than 10 times.

"The key point is to keep people off balance," McEnroe said. "I'm not even suggesting someone like John Isner, who has a huge serve, has to do it on every point. But try it sometimes. What about like one or two points? When you serve that big, it's just amazing to see someone not come in after it.

"Sampras, even though he was a measly 6-1, was so good at it. He got people totally out of rhythm and totally uncomfortable and did his thing."

Cliff Drysdale, a former top-10 player and broadcaster for ESPN, said we've seen the last of the traditional serve-and-volley game. "You'll have the occasional player who uses the serve to get in as a changeup," he said, mentioning Federer as being good at that.

"You've got guys like Rafael Nadal, and against his returns, there is no prospect of being able to serve and volley. We've got some big guys out there like John Isner, Kevin Anderson, Milos Raonic who can serve, but that doesn't mean they can volley.

"But be careful what you wish for. In my day, courts were so bad we'd do it just to try and end the point before we got a bad bounce. But really, it's hard to do, it takes a lot of practice, it's not coached.

"It's too bad because you always want variety."

Dennis Novikov, who played at UCLA before turning pro last year, said no coach had even suggested he learn to serve and volley.

"With the rackets and strings now making the game so much more physical and faster, it's hard to come to the net," Novikov said. "I was never taught it. I don't think it will come back, ever."

Serve and folly. That's what it should be called now. Because, as Sampras said, serve and volley? "That's extinct."




What's happened to serve and volley in tennis? - latimes-com

There is always noise at the United States Open comparing men and women in terms of prize money.

The criticism focuses on equal pay for an unequal product, but that conversation has always been extremely unfair to the WTA Tour.

Men and women are different in size, shape and strength, and that difference needs to be celebrated rather than used as a tool to support one tour over the other.

Mining the data of hundreds of pages of IBM statistics from the 2012 Open helps connect the dots on the fundamental difference between men and women on a tennis court: it all begins with the power of the serve.

How hard you hit your serve has a domino effect on how the rest of the point develops and highlights the greatest difference between the two tours.

In the 2012 Open, John Isner hit the fastest serve of the tournament, at 144 miles per hour, in his four-set victory over Jarkko Nieminen in the second round. That serve was 19 miles an hour faster than Serena Williams’s 125-m.p.h. serve in the women’s final against Victoria Azarenka, which was the fastest hit by any woman for the tournament.

Four men hit a serve faster than 140 m.p.h. for the tournament, and 69 of the 94 players who were analyzed for serve speed had a serve faster than Williams’s 125-m.p.h. delivery.

Five women of the 82 analyzed hit a serve of at least 120 m.p.h., whereas only five men failed to reach that speed in their fastest delivery.

Milos Raonic led the men’s event at the Open in 2012 in aces, with 103 in four matches, averaging 13.5 aces per set. Williams led the women’s event with 63 aces in 15 sets for an average of 4.2 per set. It is tough to compare the men’s and women’s games when there is really no comparison.

With so much else so similar around the court between men and women, the raw serving power to begin the point is the dominant theme. Only 20 women reached double figures in aces for the tournament, although it must be factored in that they were playing best-of-three-sets matches instead of best-of-five. Still, 10 aces are not a lot, and 67 men were able to pull that off.

Because the serve is not quite as venomous on the women’s tour, it makes sense that the return games would flourish. The women’s tour always gets heat because its players can’t hold serve as much, but that holds little weight because they don’t have an Isner or a Raonic fireball to rely on. Imagine giving players on the ATP Tour only one serve, which would automatically drop serve speeds, and you would start to see the men having substantial difficulty holding serve as well.

While the men dominate the serving statistics, it’s the women who outperform in the returning area. Angelique Kerber led the women with 89 percent returns made last year, and 47 women made at least 75 percent of their returns. The men were vastly inferior in this area, with only eight players making at least 75 percent of their returns. The power dictates this result.

Williams hit 28 return winners last year (from 388 return points), which was the same number as Djokovic and Murray combined to hit from 1,426 return points. Maria Sharapova was second behind Williams in return winners with 25, which was one more than four quarterfinalists in Federer (6), David Ferrer (6), Janko Tipsarevic (6) and Juan Martín del Potro (4) hit combined.

That flows to return points won: 35 women won at least 40 percent of their return points against the first serve, but only two men could achieve that. Against second serves, 52 women won at least 55 percent of their return points, while only 16 men could say the same. This all naturally adds up to more breaks of serve on the WTA Tour: 13 women won at least 50 percent of their opponents’ service games. No man came close to that, and only Novak Djokovic, who was first at 45 percent, was even in the discussion. All the rest of the men couldn’t crack 40 percent.

The baseline is another area where the women’s game stands tall against the men.

Williams was first for the women in winners from the baseline, with 218 from 15 sets, for an average of 14.5 winners per set. Murray led the men’s event with 267 winners from 26 sets, for an average of 10.2 winners per set. It’s hard to find fault with the women’s game when the numbers directly contradict the argument.

Everything that makes the women’s tour different from the men’s flows back to just how much influence on the game the power of the first serve has. Understanding this fundamental difference will let us appreciate the subtleties each version of the sport has to offer.


straightsets-blogs-nytimes-com/2013/08/26/celebrating-difference-between-mens-and-womens-tennis/?_r=0

EVEN after an epic six-hour battle to beat Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open 2012, Novak Djokovic wouldn't allow himself a whole chocolate bar.

Djokovic is so dedicated to his diet that when he craved chocolate after his win, he ate only one square and left the rest.

The world's number one tennis player this month released a book in which he thoroughly details the extreme sacrifices he makes in pursuit of physical excellence.

Serve To Win, the 14-day Gluten-Free Plan for Physical and Mental Excellence explains how Djokovic attributes his career success to the gluten-free diet he converted to three years ago.

Tomic wins five set epic

He says that he was a "different man" within 18 months of overhauling his eating habits.

"My life changed because I had begun to eat the right foods for my body, in the way that my body demanded," he says in the book. The 26-year-old's recipe for success involves avoiding gluten and dairy, and limiting sugar.

Djokovic's diet is based on vegetables, beans, white meat, fish, fruit, nuts, seeds, chickpeas, lentils and healthy oils.

He says a prayer before each meal to remind him to appreciate food, eats mindfully - without distractions - and buys organic when possible.

"Every morning I wake up ... I drink a glass of water and do my stretching, maybe mixed with some yoga or tai chi, for 20 minutes. I eat a breakfast perfectly calibrated to my body for the day ahead - the same breakfast almost every day of my life," he writes.

Earlier in Djokovic's career he was known for collapsing during tournaments. He now believes his poor health was due to his gluten intolerance.

As well as insights into his lifestyle, Serve To Win details Djokovic's training routine, his tennis career and his childhood in war-torn Serbia.



Djokovic's diet:

Day One

Breakfast: Water first thing out of bed; two tablespoons of honey; muesli (including organic gluten-free rolled oats, cranberries, raisins, pumpkin or sunflower seeds and almonds)

Mid-morning snack (if needed): Gluten-free bread or crackers with avocado and tuna

Lunch: Mixed-greens salad, gluten-free pasta primavera (including rice pasta, summer squash, courgettes, asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes and optional vegan cheese)

Mid-afternoon snack: Apple with cashew butter; melon

Dinner: Kale caesar salad (kale, fennel, quinoa and pine nuts) plus dressing (including anchovies or sardines); minestrone soup; salmon fillets (skin on) with roasted tomatoes and marinade

Day Two

Breakfast: Water first thing out of bed; two tablespoons of honey; banana with cashew butter; fruit

Mid-morning snack (if needed): Gluten-free toast with almond butter and honey

Lunch: Mixed-greens salad, spicy soba noodle salad (including gluten-free soba noodles, red bell pepper, rocket, cashews and basil leaves, plus spicy vinaigrette)

Mid-afternoon snack: Fruit and nut bar; fruit

Dinner: Tuna niçoise salad (green beans, cannellini beans, rocket, tuna, red pepper, tomatoes and canned chickpeas), tomato soup, roasted tomatoes

Day three

Breakfast: Water first thing out of bed; two tablespoons of honey; gluten-free oats with cashew butter and bananas; fruit

Mid-morning snack (if needed): Home-made hummus (including chickpeas and gluten-free soy sauce) with apples/crudités

Lunch: Mixed-greens salad, gluten-free pasta with power pesto (including rice pasta, walnuts and basil leaves)

Mid-afternoon snack: Avocado with gluten-free crackers; fruit

Dinner: Fresh mixed-greens salad with avocado and homemade dressing; carrot and ginger soup; whole lemon-roasted chicken.





Novak Djokovic credits strict diet for tennis success | News-com.au

The U.S. Open kicks off this week with players competing for a record $34.3 million in prize money, up 37% over last year. The men’s and women’s singles champion will each pocket $2.6 million compared to $1.9 million for the 2012 winners Andy Murray and Serena Williams. It is a massive haul for two weeks work, but just a fraction of what the top players can make off the court from endorsements and appearances.

The 10 highest-paid tennis players in the world made a combined $60 million in prize money between June 2012 and June 2013, but they generated more than three times that much from endorsements, exhibitions and appearance fees. Leading the way is Roger Federer, who earned $71.5 million during that time, including $6.5 million in prize money. Federer is a marketer’s dream. He has been at the top of the sport for a decade. He is handsome, graceful and has not sniffed any controversies of note during his career. He is European, but speaks English (and several other languages) perfectly. Federer also plays a sport that runs practically year-round, which keeps his name and image front of mind for many.

Nike is Federer’s biggest partner paying more than $10 million annually. “Nike has done an excellent job of using Federer in its advertising,” says David Schwab, head of Octagon’s First Call unit, which helps companies pair celebrities with marketing campaigns. Schwab points to the campaigns around Federer’s record-breaking achievements (check out one of those ad spots here).

Other Federer endorsement deals include Wilson, Credit Suisse, Rolex Mercedes-Benz and more. His latest agreement is a five-year pact with Moet & Chandon that is worth more than $30 million. Federer’s bank account got a big boost in December through an exhibition tour of South America. It was his first trip to the continent professionally and he earned $14 million for six matches across three cities (for more, see “How Rodger Federer Makes $71 Million A Year“).

Tennis’ golden girl, Maria Sharapova, ranks No. 2 with earnings of $29 million as the highest-paid female athlete in the world nine years running. Sharapova’s endorsement windfall arrived after she won Wimbledon in 2004 as a 17 year old. She added Porsche in April to an endorsement portfolio that includes Nike, Head, Samsung Electronics, Tag Heuer and Evian.

Sharapova launched a candy business, Sugarpova, last year and plans to sell accessories under the Sugarpova brand starting this fall. The world’s third ranked player dropped out of the Open last week due to a shoulder injury, but her candy company got some attention when reports surfaced she was considering legally changing her name to Sugarpova–a move she ultimately decided against.

In Pictures: The World’s Highest-Paid Tennis Players

The No. 1 men’s player in the world, Novak Djokovic, ranks third among the top earners with $26.9 million. Djokovic has dominated men’s tennis since the start of 2011. He has reached the finals of nine of the last dozen Grand Slam tournaments, including five victories. He won a record $12.6 million in prize money in 2011 and topped the figure in 2012 with $12.8 million.

Djokovic can command as much as a $1 million for an exhibition, but he still badly trails his rivals Federer and Rafael Nadal (No. 4 on our list with $26.4 million) when it comes to endorsements. Djokovic and his clothing sponsor Sergio Tacchini parted ways last year and the 26-year-old Serb signed a new clothing deal with Japan’s Uniqlo. He added a shoe deal with Adidas in 2013, and his other sponsors are Head and Audemars Piguet.

Companies love to sponsor popular tennis players because of the global nature of the sport. Players crisscross the globe during tennis season giving sponsors exposure in dozens of countries. This is not the case for the top players in baseball or football, which are mostly American games. “In other regions of the world, tennis is a top three or four sport,” says Schwab. “But in the U.S. it is overshadowed by the four major sports.”

A look at the top earners illustrates the international flavor of tennis. The top 10 hail from 10 different countries with No. 5 Serena Williams ($20.5 million) the only American. Japan’s top player, Kei Nishikori, has reached only one Grand Slam quarterfinal (2012 Australian Open), in his career. But he pocketed $1.5 million in prize money and another $9 million off the court, mainly from his 10 sponsors that include Uniqlo, Adidas, Wilson and Tag Heuer. Nishikori, 23, ranks No. 10 on our list (see How Rising Star Kei Nishikori Made $10 Million This Year).

Not every tennis pro is living the life of luxury. Endorsement money drops off quickly beyond the elite players. Players outside the top 100 struggle to break even thanks to limited sponsor money, as well as travel and training expenses that eat up any prize money.


Federer, Sharapova Dominate 2013 List Of The World's Top-Earning Tennis Players - Forbes

He waited a lot longer than he expected but Andy Murray finally began his U.S. Open defence on Wednesday with an emphatic straight-sets victory that lit up an otherwise gloomy day at Flushing Meadows.

A quirky schedule combined with persistent rain left Murray waiting until almost 10PM ET (0200 GMT) on the third night before he finally started his first-round match against Frenchman Michael Llodra.

With his patience beginning to wear thin, the Scotsman was in a hurry to make up for lost time in his first match back at Arthur Ashe Stadium since he won his first grand slam title 12 months ago.

He whipped Llodra 6-2 6-4 6-3 in just over 90 minutes with a brilliant display of shotmaking that left the New York crowd wanting more on a day when dozens of matches were postponed because of foul weather.

"It was more kind of going back onto that court again... obviously I have great memories here from last year," Murray said.

"I didn't necessarily feel like I had much time to enjoy last year because I was so relieved. I was also a little bit in disbelief, as well.

"To actually be out there and play a night match in front of a big crowd was really nice. I performed well. It was good."

Of the remaining matches that were completed, Venus Williams was the biggest casualty, sent packing following a 6-3 2-6 7-6(5) loss to China's Zheng Jie after the pair had slugged it out for more than three hours.

Once the undisputed Queen of Flushing, the 33-year-old American's best days now seem behind her after she crashed to her third successive second-round defeat at the U.S. National Tennis Center.

She did at least provide a memorable reminder of her fighting qualities as she clawed her way back and pushed the match into a deciding tiebreak only to falter at the death with successive errors.

"I just dug myself into so many holes the whole match." she said. "I just fought as hard as I could to get out of them, but sometimes it wasn't enough."

FORMER CHAMPIONS

Two other former champions, Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro and Australia's Lleyton Hewitt, fared better, surviving tough battles to set up a second-round clash.

Del Potro, the winner in 2009, beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 6-3 6-7(5) 6-4 7-6(7) while Hewitt, who won in 2001, wore down American qualifier Brian Baker 6-3 4-6 6-3 6-4.

In the women's draw, Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska, the third seed, easily defeated Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor of Spain 6-0 7-5 while China's Li Na just beat the first rain falls to dispose of Sweden's Sofia Arvidsson 6-2 6-2.

"I was a little bit happy because at least I'm done for my job today," said Li.

Around four hours of play was lost on the day because of showers that sent players and spectators scampering for cover then continued to drizzle.

Another downpour in the afternoon prompted officials to postpone 28 matches until Thursday, including the second round match featuring Serena Williams, in order to complete the men's first round, which is played over three days at the U.S. Open.

The first round did not finish until after midnight when Ivo Karlovic sent James Blake into retirement with a 6-7(2) 3-6 6-4 7-6(2) 7-6(2) win on Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Blake, a former world number four, announced on Monday he was quitting after his involvement in the tournament ended.

FICKLE WEATHER

New York's fickle weather has been a major talking point at the last grand slam of the season for years with each of the last five men's finals spilling into a third week because of rain delays.

The problem has been exacerbated because of the tournament's controversial scheduling.

Apart from playing the men's first round over three days, the U.S. Open was previously the only grand slam where both singles semi-finals and finals were played on successive days, leaving no room for catch-up if rain falls on the last weekend.

Tournament organisers changed the schedule this year to provide a day off between the semi-finals and final, but remain powerless to combat Mother Nature because they have no roof unlike the other grand slam events.

For years, U.S. Tennis Association officials balked at the idea of building one because of the cost of covering Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest tennis stadium in the world.

But they have finally relented, announcing two weeks ago they would commence a massive renovation program, which would include a retractable roof, but not until 2016 at the earliest.


Murray cruises while Venus exits U.S. Open - Tennis | The Star Online

Top-seeded Serena Williams overcame a slow start for a 6-3 6-0 victory over Galina Voskoboeva. "I'll have to think about it and see what I can do better, but it was okay," she said.

The first set was dicey at times and took 44 minutes to close out. Chasing a ball at the net while receiving at 5-3, Williams slipped and fell on her backside. But she got to the ball and saved game point. Two points later, she closed out the set. The second set took only 27 minutes.

Fourth seed Sara Errani's eyes filled with tears when describing how she felt during her 6-3 6-1 loss to her Italian friend and team-mate, Flavia Pennetta. "I don't want to play. I don't want to stay out there on the court," she said.

Errani came into the US Open with the highest seeding ever for an Italian woman at a major and said the pressure of the high seeding and the high expectations that comes with that is getting to her. "I don't know why, but I'm not enjoying going on the courts, and that is the worst thing a player can have," she said. "Because if you go there and you fight and you lose, not my problem. But the problem is, if you go there and you are not fighting. That is my best thing that I always had as my good thing. And I have to find a way."

Pennetta took control of this match by breaking Errani's serve in the first game, then never looked back. She finished with 33 winners to 12 for Errani, who made the semi-finals here last year after reaching the final in the French Open.

"We have to find the solution, because I think these things happens to everybody when you feel on the top and the people playing against you have no pressure and you have a lot of pressure," Errani said.

There were no such problems for second seed Victoria Azarenka in her 6-3 6-1 win over Aleksandra Wozniak which took her just over an hour.

Equally quick was Caroline Wozniacki who blew away South Africa's Chanelle Scheepers 6-1 6-2.

Eighth seed Angelique Kerber withstood a tough fight from teenager Eugenie Bouchard but won 6-4 2-6 6-3. Kerber, who has spent the last year in the top 10, says she embraces the expectations that come with the ranking. "Of course I feel the pressure, but right now I'm not thinking about this," she said. "I just try to give my best and play my tennis and feel good."

Elsewhere in early play around Flushing Meadows, Errani's doubles partner, Roberta Vinci, defeated Lucie Safarova 4-6 6-1 6-2, while this year's Wimbledon runner-up, Sabine Lisicki defeated Paula Ormaechea6-2 6-3.

Other winners included Jelena Jankovic, Kaia Kanepi, Alize Cornet and Svetlana Kuznetsova, who, besides Williams, is the only player left in the women's field to have won the US Open.



Serena Williams through, tearful Erani out | Tennis News | ESPN.co.uk

Former world No.1 Martina Hingis, who had her grand slam comeback after six years of retirement cut short on Friday with two doubles defeats, is still not planning a return to the singles ranks.

"Give me a break," Hingis said. "No, I haven't given any more thought to it. I have a hard enough time covering half of the court."

The 32-year-old Swiss winner of five grand slam singles titles suffered first-round losses in women's doubles and mixed doubles at the US Open.

Hingis and Slovakian partner Daniela Hantuchova lost to Italian top-seeded defending champions Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci 6-3 7-5, with Hingis double-faulting away the final points.

"The draw didn't help to play the champion number one seeds," Hingis said. "They had to play well against us but definitely not an easy challenge the first grand slam back in it.

"Definitely we had our chances. We have to take them, too."

In a later match, Sweden's Robert Lindstedt and Taiwan's Chan Yung-Jan beat wildcard entrants Hingis and India's Mahesh Bhupathi 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-5) in the mixed doubles.

"I wish I was winning. It would help to win some matches for confidence," Hingis said. "Maybe hardcourt is not the easiest one to come back to, playing eight weeks in a row. My body is screaming, 'What are you doing to me?'."

Hingis, the 1997 US Open singles champion, helped the Washington Kastles repeat as World TeamTennis champions last month and then joined Hantuchova for WTA tune-up matches ahead of the Open, contributing to her poor ending against the Italians.

"My calf was killing me and I couldn't get up on my serve," Hingis said. "Not having played in the grand slams in six years didn't help either. I played a lot and my body is not used to it."

But Hingis did not feel she was uncompetitive, only perhaps rusty from her long layoff.

"Being away for six years doesn't help," she said. "I didn't have any problems with the speed of the game. Errani is number five in the world and I was rallying with her at the net."

But coming back was not a feel-good endeavour for Hingis.

"I always play tennis to win matches and tournaments," she said. "We've been close. Sometimes it would help to win one of those."

Her next chances will come in WTA events at Tokyo and Beijing in September.

"Let's take it one at a time right now," Hingis said. "I will be happy not to have to play for a few days."


Hingis' double loss in tennis return

Grand slam king Roger Federer showed off his fitness by sprinting into the round of 16 at the U.S. Open on Saturday, beating Adrian Mannarino 6-3 6-0 6-2 to turn out the lights on Day Six of the tournament.

Playing the closing contest of Saturday's night programme, Federer ran through games as though he had a taxi cab waiting outside the stadium with the meter running and hurtled past the unseeded Frenchman in 81 minutes. The one-sided victory moved Federer, the greatest grand slam men's title winner of them all with 17, into a fourth-round clash with Spain's Tommy Robredo, who earlier beat British qualifier Dan Evans.

The 32-year-old Swiss has won all 10 of his previous matches against Robredo.

Federer might not want to get ahead of himself, no matter how quickly he moves past opponents, but it was hard not to notice that he was now one step away from a potential quarter-final showdown with rival Rafa Nadal.

"Tonight was one of these nights, I was able to play a really great match," Federer said. "I'm very pleased about the outcome.

"I was able to really use my serve well, because it was breezy tonight again so I was able to use the wind a bit better. Maybe I had a bit more variation than him that allowed me more margin in my game.

"Once I had the first set I was able to play with the lead, which makes things a little more easy as well."

It got so easy for Federer that he yielded just 11 points to the Frenchman in the second set. In the match, the Swiss slashed 34 winners to eight for his 25-year-old opponent.

Federer showed absolutely no signs of the back issues that have limited him at times in 2013, a year that has seen him win just one tournament title and his U.S. Open seeding slip to seventh, his lowest mark in a decade.

A second-round elimination at Wimbledon led some to question whether the Swiss master was slowing down.

The masterclass he gave on centre court of the National Tennis Center seemed to allay those concerns.

At one stage, Federer was playing at such a pace the local broadcaster was unable to get through their commercials before the players were back on court and fans watching on television rejoined the match in the middle of the next game.


Tennis-Federer races into fourth round of U.S. Open | Reuters

In a historic flop for American men's tennis, no player reached the fourth round of the US Open, or any Grand Slam this year, with the loss of last man standing Tim Smyczek in New York.

Spain's Marcel Granollers beat the 109th-ranked US wildcard 6-4 4-6 0-6 6-3 7-5 after three hours and 24 minutes to reach the last 16 and complete a humiliating and unprecedented Open-era Grand Slam wipeout for American men.

"I really wanted to win for you guys," Smyczek told Grandstand supporters. "I just came up a little short."

It came on the heels of no US man reaching the third round at Wimbledon for the first time since 1912 and last month, which produced the first week in rankings history without a top-20 US player.

While US boys once dreamed of being the next Jimmy Connors or Andre Agassi, American tennis has been reduced to trying to pilfer the next potential Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods from rival sports to try to reverse the fall from grace.

"We're been trying to encourage some of the kids that were going to play basketball or American football to get out on a tennis court," said former world No.1 and seven-time Grand Slam singles winner John McEnroe.

"We need truly great athletes, need to try to nab some of the kids playing some other sports."

And with a growing challenge from Asia and Eastern Europe, there is a far tougher global landscape than decades past for who those who accept the task of trying to win the first US men's Grand Slam singles title since Andy Roddick captured the 2003 US Open.

"We need better athletes and we need them to push each other," said former US Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe. "The rest of the world is playing tennis now. The reality is that it's tougher to get there.

"Within the next few years you will see a lot more numbers coming through. Whether we can find those ones that get to the promised land, nobody has the answer to that."

And the biggest US women's stars of the past two decades, Serena and Venus Williams, developed outside the US junior system.

While major US network television coverage beyond the Grand Slams and pre-US Open events in limited, some form of American football is shown all year long.

Toss in such popular sports as basketball, baseball and US stock car racing and add the growth of soccer and golf and US tennis is fighting for talent without Grand Slam champion role models to offer.

Added to that is the dwindling number of US events.

There were 26 ATP events in 1980 but there will be only 11 in 2014. Tournaments left Los Angeles, San Jose and other markets for more sponsor money in Asia and Latin America.

US tennis could find gems from other nations as well, such as 15-year-old Macedonian-born American Stefan Kozlov, who made his ATP debut in July.

US tennis also might have to look to the basketball ranks, as it did to some degree with Isner, for giants who can dominate by blasting powerful serves.

"We have two choices. We either get better athletes or we go with guys that are 7 feet and serve like 150 mph," John McEnroe said.

Bob Harper, fitness expert and trainer on a TV reality weight-loss show, notes that new technology is more popular than many sport and lures potential sportsmen into possible obesity.

"Our children are consuming more calories with the fast food nation that is killing the American diet," Harper said. "Kids are spending up to seven hours a day in front of some sort of computer device, playing video games, smartphones, sitting in front of their television. We have to get our kids out more."

The US Tennis Association is backing a new initiative with child-sized courts and racquets for the 10-and-under crowd, building 5,000 kid-sized courts by 2017 and funding youth programs from about $125 million in US Open profits.

Read more: US men in tennis slam humiliation

As Tim Smyczek laboured valiantly on Sunday night to stay alive in the US Open in New York's Flushing Meadows, a cry went out in the half-empty, but noisy and jingoistic stands: "You are our last hope!" It ignited a chant of "USA! USA!" and spurred Smyczek for a bit longer in his third-round match, but he finally ran out of gas and lost 5-7 in the fifth set. With that he became the last of the 15 American men in the main draw who fell short of the quarterfinals.

As autumn creeps into America, sportscasters and tennis fans are agonizing about the fall of US tennis and wondering how it will get past the winter. Just how much of a freezing funk has American tennis gotten into you want to know? The country which produced Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, and Pete Sampras among scores of top 100 players does not have don't have a single man in the round of 16 — forget the quarterfinal — at their own Grand Slam for the first time since the tournament started in 1881!

More depressing numbers for America: There isn't a single American man in the top ten, and there are only three in the top 50. An American has not won a Grand Slam on the men's side in ten years. In 1983, the top 10 American men were all ranked among the top 17 of the ATP rankings. Thirty years later, the top American man is ranked No. 17 (John Isner) and the 10th-ranked US player is a lowly No. 116 in the world.

Things have gotten particularly bad in the last five-six years: America hasn't had ten men in the top 100 at this point of the season for six straight years. In contrast, American men had more than one player in the top 10 in 17 out of 19 years leading up to 2007. From 1989-2003, American men combined to win 28 Grand Slam singles titles. Connors and McEnroe dominated the 80s, Sampras, Agassi, and Courier the 90s.

Roddick hung in for the much of the 2000s, but could win only one Grand Slam before retiring this year. "Without Andy Roddick to put lipstick on the pig, things are looking quite bleak at the moment," Tennis Now noted dourly, advising fans to "cue up those classic Agassi or McEnroe highlights and try not to get too upset," because although "the empire has crumbled, but we've still got the memories."

Americans, especially tennis fans, can be intensely patriotic. The sport, particularly Davis Cup, generates more nationalism compared to American football or basketball, where competition is largely domestic and inter-state or inter-club. This correspondent was witness to the greatest outpouring of nationalistic emotion on a tennis court when the United States took on India a Davis Cup tie in Winston-Salem in 2001, the first big sporting event in US after 9/11. It made even the strong-hearted Leander Paes go weak in the knees.

But last month, when Somdev Devvarman took on American John Isner at the Washington CitiBank Open, there were as many people cheering the Indian as the American. The stadium was also only partly full, attesting to the decline of popularity of tennis.

Experts say among the reasons for the decline is the rise of competing alternative sports with stars of greater appeal - think Tiger Woods and gold.

"The economic reality of sport is that when there are many competing alternatives for a young athlete's time, attention, and imagination, they get pulled in many directions but ultimately may choose the sport with the more visibility and sex appeal. Right now in America, tennis isn't winning that battle," according to Patrick Rishe, of the Walker School of Business at Webster University, who first wrote about the decline of American tennis in 2011.

Woods, Rishe wrote, raised the profile of golf in America single-handedly because of his supreme greatness coupled with achieving such heights at such a young age and being the first dominant African-American star of his sport. The prospect of a "Tiger-like effect" on the American tennis scene hasn't been on the horizon despite an occasional James Blake or Donald Young.

By the way, Smyczek lost to Marcel Granollers of Spain, the new tennis superpower.



At US Open, American tennis reaches new low - The Times of India

From an ace on the first point to a stinging return on the last, Serena Williams was close to perfect in the U.S. Open quarterfinals.

The score said it all Tuesday night: 6-0, 6-0.

Yes, Williams is looking better and better with each match at the year’s last Grand Slam tournament. With two more wins — no matter the exact scores — she'll earn a fifth title at Flushing Meadows and 17th major championship overall.

The No. 1-ranked and No. 1-seeded Williams shut out 18th-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain, the first ‘‘double bagel’’ in a quarterfinal at Flushing Meadows since 1989, when 18-time major title winner Martina Navratilova did it to Manuela Maleeva.

‘‘When you play against Serena,’’ Suarez Navarro said, ‘‘you know these things can happen.’’

Williams won 53 of 71 points and dominated pretty much every statistical category. The first set took all of 19 minutes. The second was slower, lasting 33 minutes, but no less lopsided.

Williams was asked whether she'd describe her performance as close to flawless.

‘‘Of course not,’’ the defending champion said with a laugh. ‘‘I played good, though. I played really good. I was just more focused than anything. You know, I like to believe there is room for improvement.’’

That might be bad news for her opponent in Friday’s semifinals, 2011 French Open champion Li Na of China.

Asked in an on-court interview if her game is peaking, Williams replied: ‘‘No. Not yet. I hope not. I'm just trying to do the best that I can.’’

Through five matches, Williams has dropped a total of 13 games so far. For comparison’s sake, know this: Suarez Navarro lost more games than that in her previous match alone, 15, while eliminating No. 8 Angelique Kerber.

That victory, and her seeding, should have demonstrated that Suarez Navarro is quite capable of playing well, too.

But not on this evening. Not against Williams, who is 65-4 with eight titles in 2013.

Going back to the start of Wimbledon last year, the 31-year-old American is 96-5 with 13 trophies, including from three of the past five Grand Slam tournaments plus the London Olympics.

‘‘The conditions were so tough, so it definitely was not her best tennis today,’’ Williams said about Suarez Navarro, who was playing in her third career major quarterfinal Tuesday, which happened to be her 25th birthday.

Tough conditions, huh? That swirling wind in Arthur Ashe Stadium sure did not appear to bother Williams one bit. She wound up with a 20-3 edge in winners. She made fewer unforced errors, 12-9. She won 23 of 26 points on first serves.

‘‘I've been playing here for, like, 50 years,’’ Williams said with a laugh. ‘‘I've kind of gotten used to the conditions. Even though it’s difficult to play each year, I'm getting a little bit better with it.’’

When Williams did face a break point for the first time, 42 minutes and 11 games into the match, she came up with a big serve and raced forward for a simple putaway that she punctuated with a yell.

Moments later came a second break chance, but even with Williams stumbling to the court, Suarez Navarro dumped the ball into the net.

It was that kind of night.

‘‘She’s the best player in the sport,’’ Suarez Navarro said. ‘‘When you look at the draw, you don’t want to see Serena there.’’

Before the match, picturing in her mind what it might be like to step out in the largest arena in Grand Slam tennis, under the lights at night, against Williams, Suarez Navarro came up with a couple of possible scenarios.

‘‘I imagined a movie in which I won. I also imagined a movie in which I played well, but she ended up winning,’’ she said. ‘‘I was dreaming so many things.’’

After their quick-as-can-be match, defending men’s champion Andy Murray went into Ashe and encountered some problems along the way to a 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 victory over 65th-ranked Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan in the fourth round.

Ahead 5-3 in the opening tiebreaker, Murray dropped four points in a row. Serving for the second set at 5-1, Murray hit a volley-lob that Istomin tracked down and, back to the net, sent back with a between-the-legs shot. What should have been an easy tap-in winner became a flubbed volley, and Murray put his hand to his face. But he wound up taking that game, and was on his way to improving to 30-2 over his last five Grand Slam tournaments.

Next for Murray is a quarterfinal against No. 9 Stanislas Wawrinka. A day after his Swiss Davis Cup teammate and friend, Roger Federer, lost, Wawrinka reached the round of eight at the U.S. Open for the second time by beating No. 5 Tomas Berdych, the 2010 Wimbledon runner-up, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (6), 6-2 in Louis Armstrong Stadium at night.

In the afternoon, top-seeded Novak Djokovic won 45 of 53 service points while eliminating 43rd-ranked Marcel Granollers 6-3, 6-0, 6-0 in a grand total of only 79 minutes.

Djokovic, who won the 2011 U.S. Open and lost in last year’s final to Murray, reached his 18th consecutive major quarterfinal.

Now comes a match against 21st-seeded Mikhail Youzhny, who was two points from defeat but came back to edge two-time major champion Lleyton Hewitt 6-3, 3-6, 6-7 (3), 6-4, 7-5.

All eight men’s quarterfinalists are from Europe: Serbia’s Djokovic, Britain’s Murray, Switzerland’s Wawrinka, Russia’s Youzhny on one half of the draw, and Spain’s Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer and Tommy Robredo, along with France’s Richard Gasquet on the other half.

Earlier Tuesday, the fifth-seeded Li needed nearly 2½ hours to get past 24th-seeded Ekaterina Makarova of Russia 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-2.

On three occasions, Li went up a break in the second set, nearing eventual victory each time, but could not finish things. She then was up 3-0 in the tiebreaker before faltering. Still, she recovered well and closed the match by taking the last four games, then joked that she would grab a bag of chips and enjoy watching Williams against Suarez Navarro.

Regardless of who she'd face next, L

It's as though Rafael Nadal never left.

If anything, he's playing better than ever.

A year after skipping the U.S. Open because of a bad knee, Nadal powered his way back to the semifinals at Flushing Meadows, overwhelming 19th-seeded Tommy Robredo 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 on Wednesday night. "I think I played my best match at the U.S. Open this year. Great to be able to play your best match in the quarterfinals," Nadal said. "Playing a little better every day is a great feeling."

The second-seeded Nadal improved to 20-0 on hard courts in 2013, part of an overall record of 58-3 with nine titles, including his record eighth championship at the French Open in June. At the next Grand Slam tournament, though, Nadal flopped, exiting in the first round at Wimbledon.

That surprising defeat, against a guy ranked 135th, came on June 24. Feels like eons ago. Nadal hasn't lost a match to anyone since. His 12 major trophies include the 2010 U.S. Open, and he has reached at least the semifinals the past five times he entered the tournament. Nadal did not come to New York in 2012, part of about a seven-month absence due mainly to a left knee problem.

On Saturday, Nadal will face No. 8 Richard Gasquet, who edged No. 4 David Ferrer 6-3, 6-1, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3.

That one took nearly 3½ hours, and was filled with plenty of ebbs and flows, allowing Gasquet to reach his first major semifinal in six years.

Nadal, meanwhile, was never challenged even the slightest bit by Robredo, who was coming off a fourth-round upset of 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer. That stunning result scuttled the possibility of a Nadal-Federer showdown, which would have been the rivals' 32nd meeting on tour, but first at the U.S. Open.

Robredo had been 0-10 against Federer before finally beating him Monday. Perhaps that allowed Robredo to enter Wednesday believing he'd have a chance against Nadal, despite an 0-6 mark in their previous matches.

So much for that. This one lasted 1 hour, 40 minutes, and it really was over after 22 minutes. That's how long it took Nadal to dominate the first set, not only winning every game but also 24 of 29 points, including all seven that lasted 10 strokes or more.

"He was up very quick," said Robredo, who is 0-7 in Grand Slam quarterfinals, "and then there was nothing else to do. He was too good."

It took Robredo 39 minutes to finally win a game, the ninth of the match, and some fans stood to applaud, probably hoping for a more competitive evening of tennis. At the changeover moments later, the videoboards in Arthur Ashe Stadium showed Donald Trump in his suite, and the cheers turned to boos.

With loud grunts, Nadal announced his violent, uppercut forehands, and they cut through the 20 mph wind, thick with spin, landing right near lines.

Through two sets, Nadal compiled a 19-2 edge in winners -- the final tally was 28-10 -- and that forehand of his also forced Robredo into plenty of errors. Actually, every aspect of Nadal's game worked.

One backhand lob was curled so well, Robredo tossed his racket up in the air toward the ball, knowing he had no chance of reaching the perfectly placed shot. Nadal never faced a break point, and through five matches so far in New York this year, he has not lost serve once, a run of 67 games.

Nadal played at the French Open and Wimbledon with tape below his left knee, but not at the U.S. Open. He looks healthy as can be, covering the court well and tracking down shot after shot by his opponents.

Now Nadal becomes Gasquet's problem. They've played 10 times on tour, and Nadal has won all 10.

"Last time I beat him, I was 13," Gasquet said, referring to a junior match he looked up on YouTube. "It was a long time ago."

When Nadal was told about that, he smiled broadly.

"Yeah, I think I lost 6-4 in the third," Nadal said. "Yeah, I remember."

The other two men's quarterfinals are Thursday, with No. 1 Novak Djokovic against No. 21 Mikhail Youzhny, and No. 3 Andy Murray against No. 9 Stanislas Wawrinka. Murray beat Djokovic in last year's U.S. Open final.

In the women's semifinals Friday, No. 1 Serena Williams faces No. 5 Li Na, and No. 2 Victoria Azarenka plays unseeded Flavia Pennetta.

Azarenka and Pennetta won their quarterfinals Wednesday.

Azarenka, a two-time Australian Open champion and last year's runner-up to Williams at Flushing Meadows, eliminated 48th-ranked Daniela Hantuchova 6-2, 6-3.

The 83rd-ranked Pennetta, who missed the 2012 U.S. Open because of right wrist surgery, reached her first Grand Slam semifinal with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over 10th-seeded Roberta Vinci.

Pennetta spoke Wednesday about sitting at her parents' place in Italy, watching on TV as the U.S. Open went on without her. She was asked whether, at the time, she could have imagined playing at this level 12 months later.

"I hoped so. It's what I hoped for at the start of this year, to be honest. It didn't happen as easily or as quickly as I'd hoped," she said. "But I definitely hoped."

Nadal, too, was far away when the 2012 tournament took place, at home on the Spanish island of Mallorca.

He was concerned about how long it would take his knee to recover, how long it would take for him to play well.

And between then and now, he worked with Toni Nadal, his uncle and coach, on improving his hard-court game.

Things seem to be going to plan so far.

During a TV interview during the match, Toni Nadal said it "was necessary" to change the way Rafael plays on hard courts.

"Rafael has problems in his knees, and we talked about playing more aggressive and more near the baseline," Uncle Toni said. "At the moment, (it's) going good."



Nadal, Gasquet, Azarenka, Pannetta advance to US Open semifinals - Tennis - CBSSports-com

September 5, 2013 – Everyone expects a Swiss player in the men’s semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament. But not Stanislas Wawrinka. The ninth ranked player defeated Andy Murray (3) of Great Britain in straight sets to reach his first ever Grand Slam semi-final, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.

Wawrinka hit 45 winners, Murray only 15. Murray became increasingly unraveled as the match progressed. He is known for getting visibily angry with himself when he misses a shot or doesn’t play well. It got a little out of hand as he yelled, gestured, rolled his eyes, and at one point crushed his tennis racket on the court and again on the sidelines, making a true spectacle of himself.

Wawrinka’s countryman and good friend, Roger Federer, who lost in the fourth round, congratulated Wawrinka by text message after his win.

“Today, for sure, it’s my moment,” Wawrinka said.

Although Murray looked like he’d never recover emotionally from his defeat, by the time he reached the post-match news conference he was philosophical about the loss. “If someone told me before the U.S. Open last year I would have been here as defending champion having won Wimbledon and Olympic gold, I would have taken that 100%. So I’m disappointed, but the year as a whole has been a good one,” said Murray.

Wawrinka will play Novak Djokovic in the semi-final. Djokovic had to work a little harder than he had in previous matches against the tough Mikhail Youzhny (21) of Russia. Youzhny is the only player to win a set against Djokovic in the entire tournament. He had the Serb on the run in the third set and the thrilled crowd got behind Youzhny. But it woke Djokovic up and fired him up. Djokovic quickly broke service and never looked back. The final was 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-0. Youzhny had some fine moments of play during breathtaking rallies with Djokovic, but the Russian couldn’t derail Djokovic.

In the other semi-final, it will be Rafael Nadal (2) of Spain versus Richard Gasquet (8) of France. Most fans hope to see a Djokovic vs. Nadal final, but their challengers are playing the best tennis of their lives.

The other big surprise of the day was in men’s doubles. Twin brothers Bob and Mike Bryan of the U.S. needed to win in New York to take all four Grand Slams in a calendar year. But their winning streak ended with a semifinal loss to Leander Paes of India and Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic. The Bryan brothers had won four straight Grand Slam titles in 2012 and 2013 and 28 straight matches in all. They also won an Olympic gold medal in 2012.

Read more: U.S Open tennis 2013: Wawrinka beats Murray, Djokovic in semis | Washington Times Communities
Follow us: @wtcommunities on Twitter

The father of Australian tennis player Bernard Tomic has been sentenced to eight months in prison for assaulting his son's training partner before the Madrid Open in May.

John Tomic head-butted Thomas Drouet, who suffered a broken nose.

John Tomic claimed he was acting in self-defence.

Under Spanish law, John Tomic will not go to prison because he has no criminal record and his sentence is for less than two years.

Australian media has reported that he is likely to be banned from all Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tournaments following his conviction.

The ATP had already banned him pending the outcome of the court case and said on Friday that its initial 12 month suspension from the tour remained in place, but that there was no change to their position at this time.

Mr Drouet, 30, from Monaco, welcomed the sentencing as "good news".

"He should never be allowed to attend matches again," he told Australian media.

Last month a court in Madrid heard how Mr Drouet, who had been a member of Bernard Tomic's team for seven months, had complained about John Tomic.

He was assaulted at a hotel in Madrid when John Tomic asked him "to step aside for a quiet word".

Mr Drouet said that he was expecting to receive an apology, but instead John Tomic spat in his face and head-butted him.

He suffered a broken nose, bruised vertebrae and had to have corrective surgery.

Bernard Tomic, 20, is ranked at number 52 in the world by the ATP.

One of the highlights of his career so far was a quarter-final appearance at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships.

In November he was fined and put on a 12-month good-behaviour bond after twice being stopped by police for driving offences near his Gold Coast home.



BBC News - Tennis star Bernard Tomic's father guilty of assault

The game that will be talked about for years and years required 198 strokes, 30 points, and 21 minutes to decide. Entire sets have taken less.

It might be easy to conclude that Novak Djokovic won his tense, topsy-turvy U.S. Open semifinal against Stanislas Wawrinka despite dropping that epic third game of the fifth set. The truth is that the 2011 champion emerged with a 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory in four hours, nine minutes on Saturday at least in part because of the one that got away.

“Even though I lost that game, I felt like, ‘OK, he’s getting a little bit more tired, and maybe this is my chance to step in,’ ” Djokovic said. “And that’s what I (did).” The No. 1-seeded Djokovic will play No. 2 Rafael Nadal on Monday. It’s their record 37th match against each other and sixth Grand Slam final — third for the championship at Flushing Meadows since 2010. Nadal was a 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-2 winner over No. 8 Richard Gasquet of France in Saturday’s second semifinal, which was far less competitive than the first.

Indeed, the tennis and theatrics at 1-all in the last set alone of Djokovic-Wawrinka were so compelling that the game was interrupted twice by standing ovations.

By then, Wawrinka’s strained right thigh had been taped after a medical timeout in the fourth set (he would be seized by cramps during his post-match news conference). Still, he managed to erase five break points and navigate 12 deuces until finally delivering a 123-m.p.h. service winner to hold for a 2-1 edge. He stepped gingerly to the sideline, plopped down in his chair and smiled. That grin remained in place throughout the two-minute changeover. If the ninth-seeded Wawrinka was enjoying the moment, perhaps feeling a tad relieved, Djokovic was ever more determined. He responded by taking the next three games, propelling himself to a fourth consecutive title match at Flushing Meadows and fifth since 2007.

“I was already quite tired,” said Wawrinka, who won the same number of points in the match as Djokovic, 165. “I was already quite dead physically.”

During his on-court interview, Djokovic took the microphone and posed a question: “How long was that game?”

He was told the answer, repeated it, then chuckled.

“Well, I was thinking — I guess everybody was thinking — ‘Whoever wins this game is going to win the match,’“ the six-time major champion told the crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium. “After he won the game, I thought to myself, ‘OK, I guess I have to fight against those odds.’“

The current version of Djokovic, the one who recently published a book about diet and fitness, is nothing if not dogged, able to withstand even the most dire of circumstances. It’s why he managed to set aside match points and come back to beat Roger Federer in the 2010 and 2011 U.S. Open semifinals. It’s why he was able to beat Nadal in a 2012 Australian Open final that lasted nearly six hours. It’s why he was able to win the longest Wimbledon semifinal in history.

“At the end, he pushed me,” Wawrinka said. “Pushed me far, far, far.”

Nothing quite that dramatic occurred when 12-time major champion Nadal played Gasquet, who was in his first Grand Slam semifinal since 2007. The most newsworthy moment of their match came right at the one-hour mark, when Nadal let a forehand drift long to get broken and make it 2-all in the second set. That allowed Gasquet to become the first player to break Nadal’s serve in the entire tournament, ending a run of 73 holds.

There were five other break points for Gasquet, but Nadal saved each while stretching his hard-court record in 2013 to 21-0. A year after missing the U.S. Open because of a bad left knee, Nadal is looking as fit and as impressive as ever.

“I don’t know if it’s a victory to (break) his serve. I’m not sure about it. I think it’s better to win one set or more,” said Gasquet, now 0-11 against Nadal.

In the past, the U.S. Open was the only Grand Slam tournament to schedule the men’s semifinals Saturday and the final Sunday, instead of having a day of rest in between. This year, the tournament scrapped that plan and built in an extra 24 hours.

As it is, Djokovic said he “didn’t find it very fair” that he needed to play at noon Saturday after finishing his quarter-final at about 11 p.m. Thursday. Nadal and Gasquet played their quarter-finals Wednesday.

“I didn’t find any logic in that, to be honest,” Djokovic said. “But, again, there are some other, I guess, influences that have more power than players, and this has to be changed.”

On Sunday, while Nadal and Djokovic rest and prepare, No. 1 Serena Williams will face No. 2 Victoria Azarenka for the women’s championship. It’s the first time both U.S. Open singles finals are 1-2 matchups since 1996.

Nadal is 21-15 against Djokovic, but said when they play it “becomes a very difficult match for both of us.”

Nadal said he’d rather face a less formidable foe, because wanting to play someone as good as Djokovic would be “stupid.”

Djokovic, meanwhile, called trying to beat Nadal “the biggest challenge that you can have in our sport now.”

Dealing with Djokovic and his sliding, arm-stretching defence is no day at the beach, either.

Wearing white sunscreen slathered across his cheeks and nose on a sunny afternoon, Wawrinka produced a performance that was fairly similar to the net-rushing surprise he pulled off against defending champion Andy Murray in the quarter-finals. Wawrinka could sense jitters early from Djokovic, who acknowledged afterward he was nervous.

That seemed odd, because Djokovic was playing in his 14th consecutive Grand Slam semifinal, the second-longest streak in history, and 21st overall. Wawrinka — long in the shadow of Roger Federer, his Swiss Olympic teammate and good friend — was in his first. And yet it was Djokovic who double-faulted four times as part of his 14 unforced errors in the first set, while getting broken three times.

Djokovic was fraying at the edges. He hit a b

Serena Williams repeated as US Open women's champion by holding off a battling Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 7-5 6-7(6) 6-1 in a windblown final at Arthur Ashe Stadium today.

Williams bounded in a series of joyous jumping jack leaps after Azarenka's backhand sailed long on the second match point of a thrilling, two-hour 45-minute final that earned her a fifth US Open singles title that took her total to 17 grand slams.

The big-hitting American, who turns 32 later this month, became the oldest US Open women's winner since tennis turned professional 45 years ago, eclipsing Australian Margaret Court, who was 31 years and 55 days when she won the title in 1973.

The triumph moved Williams to within one grand slam singles crown of Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova for a tie for fourth place on the all-time list behind Court (24), Steffi Graf (22) and Helen Wills Moody (19).

It had looked like it was going to be plain sailing for Williams after she won a difficult first set, boosted by a late break in the 11th game for a 6-5 lead and then served out a love game before racing to a 4-1 second-set lead.

Williams, who earlier looked confounded by the gusty wind that affected service tosses and the direction of bounces off groundstrokes and was muttering to herself between points, finally settled into a rhythm in the second set.

"The wind was unbelievable," said the champion. "And it just got worse and worse and it never let up. But at this point you have to play under any circumstance."

She claimed the 4-1 lead after Azarenka double-faulted three times in the fifth and her US Open repeat looked a certainty as she begun to find her range on her imposing service game that saw her serve broken only twice in six previous matches. But Azarenka was not ready to capitulate.

"I think it was raising from the first point, the tension, the battle, the determination," the second seed said about the quality of the match.

"It was really kind of like boiling the water. It felt from every point, it was rising the level."

'Great match'

The Belarusian showed her fight and took advantage of a string of Williams errors to break right back for 4-2 and rode that momentum.

Twice Williams served for the match, at 5-4 and again at 6-5, but Azarenka rose up to break the American's serve and force a tiebreaker.

Williams took a 3-1 lead but Azarenka won five of the next six points to seize a 6-4 advantage and sent the match to a third set when Williams belted a backhand long to lose it 8-6.

"I think I got a little uptight," Williams said about squandering her chances. "I wasn't playing smart tennis. (But) you have to keep fighting for everything."

The third set stayed on serve until the fourth game when another double fault, her seventh of the match, sank Azarenka and handed Williams a 3-1 lead.

With the stadium crowd roaring their support for the home favorite, the American broke Azarenka two games later for good measure to make it 5-1 before she claimed victory when the Belarusian sent a backhand long on the second match point.

Williams blasted 36 winners in the match against 17 for Azarenka, and blasted nine aces against just two for the Belarusian, who won an impressive 10 of 15 points at the net when she stepped up the pressure on Williams.

"Victoria, you played unbelievable," said Williams at the trophy ceremony.

"What a great match and what a great person. Vika is such a great opponent, she's such a great fighter. It was never over until match point," added Williams.

The top seed collected the $2.6 million top prize and pocketed an addition $1 million bonus for having won the U.S. Open run-up series of tournaments.

Azarenka said she had been beaten by the better player.

"It is a tough loss. But the best player deserves the win today. I gave it all again this year," said Azarenka, who lost 7-5 in the third set to Williams in last year's final.

"We gave it everything we got."

In the men's doubles final, Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek were convincing winners over Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares.

The India-Czech pairing of Paes and Stepanek dominated the title match to record a 6-1 6-3 victory over their Austria-Brazil rivals.

Paes, 40, won his third US Open doubles title and eighth major doubles title of his career. It was Stepanek's second major doubles win after claiming the 2012 Australian Open with Paes.

Stepanek, 34, said the win enabled them to qualify for an important goal.

"There is one thing we would like to achieve, and that's winning the world championships at the end of the year, because that's the trophy which is missing in Leander's showcase," the Czech said.

Croatia made a clean sweep of the junior singles titles when Borna Coric and Ana Konjuh posted victories at Flushing Meadows.

The fourth-seeded Coric beat Australia's Thanasi Kokkinakis 3-6 6-3 6-1 in the boys' final before second-seeded Konjuh beat US wildcard Tornado Black 3-6 6-4 7-6(6).

Coric, 16, said the US Open would be his last junior tournament.

"I've won the slam" he said about his victory. "That was the goal at the beginning of the year."

Coric has been named to Croatia's Davis Cup team for the tie next week against Britain at Umag.



Serena Williams beats Azarenka in US Open final - Tennis News | TVNZ

Rafael Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 on Monday to win his second U.S. Open title. Here are three thoughts after the 27-year-old Spaniard collected his 13th Grand Slam title while improving to 22-0 on hard courts and 60-3 overall this year

Read More: Rafael Nadal defeats Novak Djokovic to win second U.S. Open title - Tennis - Jon Wertheim - SI-com

Rafael Nadal’s US Open final victory over Novak Djokovic is a testament to a never-say die attitude that is unparalleled in sport.

Many fans and pundits were concerned that, while not exactly ‘finished’, Rafael Nadal’s six-month lay-off with an apparently chronic recurring knee injury would diminish his physical capabilities. Even Nadal, who has more belief than most, admitted to having his own nagging doubts.

It seemed like those knees could no longer withstand the impact of his all-action game in hardcourt Grand Slams, that Nadal would continue to dominate on the soft clay of Paris but had little chance of even progressing beyond the early rounds on grass or artificial surfaces.

This theory seemed to be vindicated by indifferent Wimbledon performances, with shock exits to lower-ranked players such as Lukas Rosol and Steve Darcis seeing him fail dismally at consecutive tournaments in West London.

I certainly thought Nadal would become a French Open specialist, the tennis equivalent of a professional cyclist with a particular interest in one of the Grand Tours but who only acts as a rouleur for the others.

But those physical capabilities – which undoubtedly make Nadal one of the greatest tennis players of all time – clearly still remain, for the most part.

In addition to his natural game suiting clay, the injuries and the passing of time mean Nadal’s recovery takes longer between the major tournaments.

His recent Wimbledon failures can be accounted for by the very quick turnaround time from the French Open – at only a fortnight, that gives any Roland Garros finalist just one week to rest and just one week (if that) to get acquainted with the grass of Hertogenbosch or Eastbourne before the big one starts. To play at Queen’s or Halle, Rafa would barely have time to draw a bath after hoisting the Coupe des Mousquetaires. And he would need to do just that to get enough of a feel for the green stuff before SW18.

The likes of Roger Federer and Andy Murray are able to make the turnaround because they are grass-court naturals, while Murray rarely lasts that long in Paris anyway; Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, has the physical flexibility and endurance to get through such a challenge. He is also more naturally adept on the grass, while Nadal has arguably won his two previous Wimbledon titles in spite of his tendencies towards the red dirt.

The gaps between the other Grand Slams, by contrast, vary from six weeks between Wimbledon and the US Open to over four months between Australia and Paris. More than adequate time to rest, recover and prepare.

That French-Wimbledon turnaround is tough enough for anyone, but it is unmanageable for a man whose knees have taken such a battering through endless high-impact points. It is a sad irony that Nadal’s very strength – the incessant, remorseless, physical and mental resilience at every point – is also something of a weakness in this case, that his excellence at brutal baseline battles should yield the physical toll that makes him unlikely to win Wimbledon again, certainly not after going all the way in Paris.

But that determination, that warrior spirit, has seen Rafa come back from a potentially career-ending injury to play some of his best tennis, at close to peak fitness, in an incredible era of men’s tennis.

It is quite remarkable and, while he may not be the greatest technical player of all time – the likes of Federer and even semi-final conquest Richard Gasquet boast superior racquet skills – he is quite probably the greatest physical and mental specimen the sport has seen.

In the era of Djokovic, whose powers of resilience and ability to withstand pain border on the psychotic, that is some compliment.

And at just 27, Nadal is arguably just entering his technical and tactical peak. The Majorcan has plenty of time to win five Grand Slam tournaments that would take him past the 17 that make Roger Federer the greatest of all time. It would take a fool to bet against him.


Why Nadal is the greatest competitor in tennis history | Tramlines - Yahoo! Eurosport UK