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The first day of the CIF Southern Section Individuals girls' tennis tournament can be a long one.
Sage Hill School senior Liana Korber had to check in at Corona del Mar High at 7:30 a.m. Monday. The check-in time was 90 minutes later for doubles teams, including Korber's senior teammates Kimberly Brown and Lauren Hsu, as well as the Newport Harbor team of seniors Megan Bathen and Kaitlyn Cosenza.
But, at this tournament, a long day definitely is a good thing.
All Newport-Mesa representatives made it deep into the afternoon, advancing to the third round before falling. And, though there are no Newport-Mesa girls' players who advanced past the regional stage for the second straight year, all five of these seniors felt a sense of accomplishment in the tennis they played Monday.
Korber, the Academy League singles champion and league MVP, was making her first appearance at CIF Individuals. She made it worthwhile, dispatching Jessie Hamada of El Segundo, 6-1, 6-2, before outlasting Laura Huwe of Santa Margarita, 4-6, 7-5, 10-4, in a marathon match.
Serving at 5-5 in the second set against Huwe, Korber saved four break points to hold serve. She then broke Huwe's serve at love to set up the deciding super-tiebreaker, where she surged ahead.
Korber would later fall in the third round to BYU-bound Tesoro senior Mayci Jones, 6-1, 6-2. Jones was the No. 2-seeded singles player at the CdM regional.
"It was actually kind of fun," Korber said of playing Jones. "She's so good, it didn't make me nervous at all. I lost the first couple of games pretty fast, because I was just dinking it back and she was just crushing it. Then I finally was just like, 'OK, I'm going to go for it and hit through my shots, fight back a little harder.' My goal was to get a game each set, and I got more than that, so I feel pretty good about that.
"This has been the most amazing season, especially personally. To finally make it into CIF Individuals rounded it out really well. It was a good way to end, with today. I won two rounds. I don't think I could have asked for a whole lot more."
Hsu and Brown, who were Lightning team captains this year along with Korber, also had a big day. They beat Chloe Mills and Rita Schrestha of Archer, 6-1, 6-0, before topping Alex Wartenberg and Sara Mijali of Capistrano Valley, 6-1, 6-4, in the second round. Mills is the daughter of former "Knots Landing" actress Donna Mills, who was in attendance at CdM.
Hsu and Brown then fell to the top-seeded team of Cassidy Spearman and Jessica Perez of Dana Hills, 6-1, 6-1.
But the Sage seniors, who were the league doubles champions and, along with Korber, helped the Lightning win their first league title in five years, walked away satisfied. This was also their first CIF Individuals appearance.
"Even though the score didn't show it, I feel like we held our own," Brown said after the last match against Dana Hills. "We got it to deuce a lot … This was a good way to end the season."
Newport Harbor's Bathen was the only local who had been here before, qualifying the last two years with graduate Mindy Wheeler. She and Cosenza also got to the third round Monday.
They topped Amelia Green and Kristi Hong of Windward, 6-2, 6-4, before getting past Chloe Mansour and Dominque Willette of Laguna Beach, 7-5, 6-2.
Bathen and Cosenza then fell to Mikey Barthelmass and Alex Valenstein of Laguna Hills, 6-1, 6-2, in one of the last matches on court in the late afternoon. Barthelmass and Valenstein, the Sea View League champions, also defeated Bathen and Wheeler last year, but this was the first time Bathen had won more than one round in her three years at CIF Individuals.
With the Sailors' girls team season over, Bathen and Cosenza had been practicing with the Newport boys' team the past two weeks in preparation for Individuals.
"They've kept a great attitude," Newport Harbor Coach Kristen Case said. "They've come out everyday excited to be out there with the boys. It's fun to see a different ball, and they've come out and seen a bigger, heavier ball. I think that's helped them improve the last couple of weeks. They've just continued with that same mindset of, 'Let's stay focused, let's stay hungry to improve and let's have fun with this.' I think the combination of those three things has really helped them prepare for today. I'm so proud of them, for everything they've accomplished this season and for them playing at their best today."
Their last set against Laguna Hills was also closer than the final score would indicate. They received vocal support from many of their Newport Harbor teammates, who gathered near the side of the corner court to watch the match.
Bathen and Cosenza were integral parts of Sailors teams that won the Sunset League and advanced to the CIF Southern Section Division 2 title match their sophomore and junior years. Like their Sage counterparts, they ended their high school careers swinging.
"We could have just gone out there and [gone through] the motions [against Laguna Hills]," Bathen said. "The score does not represent how hard we worked. This is a very good team. The way that we stuck in there and kept our head in it after a long day, I think that represents our whole season. It just shows how badly we wanted to finish off with a bang."
Tennis seniors go out swinging - Daily Pilot
Sage Hill School senior Liana Korber had to check in at Corona del Mar High at 7:30 a.m. Monday. The check-in time was 90 minutes later for doubles teams, including Korber's senior teammates Kimberly Brown and Lauren Hsu, as well as the Newport Harbor team of seniors Megan Bathen and Kaitlyn Cosenza.
But, at this tournament, a long day definitely is a good thing.
All Newport-Mesa representatives made it deep into the afternoon, advancing to the third round before falling. And, though there are no Newport-Mesa girls' players who advanced past the regional stage for the second straight year, all five of these seniors felt a sense of accomplishment in the tennis they played Monday.
Korber, the Academy League singles champion and league MVP, was making her first appearance at CIF Individuals. She made it worthwhile, dispatching Jessie Hamada of El Segundo, 6-1, 6-2, before outlasting Laura Huwe of Santa Margarita, 4-6, 7-5, 10-4, in a marathon match.
Serving at 5-5 in the second set against Huwe, Korber saved four break points to hold serve. She then broke Huwe's serve at love to set up the deciding super-tiebreaker, where she surged ahead.
Korber would later fall in the third round to BYU-bound Tesoro senior Mayci Jones, 6-1, 6-2. Jones was the No. 2-seeded singles player at the CdM regional.
"It was actually kind of fun," Korber said of playing Jones. "She's so good, it didn't make me nervous at all. I lost the first couple of games pretty fast, because I was just dinking it back and she was just crushing it. Then I finally was just like, 'OK, I'm going to go for it and hit through my shots, fight back a little harder.' My goal was to get a game each set, and I got more than that, so I feel pretty good about that.
"This has been the most amazing season, especially personally. To finally make it into CIF Individuals rounded it out really well. It was a good way to end, with today. I won two rounds. I don't think I could have asked for a whole lot more."
Hsu and Brown, who were Lightning team captains this year along with Korber, also had a big day. They beat Chloe Mills and Rita Schrestha of Archer, 6-1, 6-0, before topping Alex Wartenberg and Sara Mijali of Capistrano Valley, 6-1, 6-4, in the second round. Mills is the daughter of former "Knots Landing" actress Donna Mills, who was in attendance at CdM.
Hsu and Brown then fell to the top-seeded team of Cassidy Spearman and Jessica Perez of Dana Hills, 6-1, 6-1.
But the Sage seniors, who were the league doubles champions and, along with Korber, helped the Lightning win their first league title in five years, walked away satisfied. This was also their first CIF Individuals appearance.
"Even though the score didn't show it, I feel like we held our own," Brown said after the last match against Dana Hills. "We got it to deuce a lot … This was a good way to end the season."
Newport Harbor's Bathen was the only local who had been here before, qualifying the last two years with graduate Mindy Wheeler. She and Cosenza also got to the third round Monday.
They topped Amelia Green and Kristi Hong of Windward, 6-2, 6-4, before getting past Chloe Mansour and Dominque Willette of Laguna Beach, 7-5, 6-2.
Bathen and Cosenza then fell to Mikey Barthelmass and Alex Valenstein of Laguna Hills, 6-1, 6-2, in one of the last matches on court in the late afternoon. Barthelmass and Valenstein, the Sea View League champions, also defeated Bathen and Wheeler last year, but this was the first time Bathen had won more than one round in her three years at CIF Individuals.
With the Sailors' girls team season over, Bathen and Cosenza had been practicing with the Newport boys' team the past two weeks in preparation for Individuals.
"They've kept a great attitude," Newport Harbor Coach Kristen Case said. "They've come out everyday excited to be out there with the boys. It's fun to see a different ball, and they've come out and seen a bigger, heavier ball. I think that's helped them improve the last couple of weeks. They've just continued with that same mindset of, 'Let's stay focused, let's stay hungry to improve and let's have fun with this.' I think the combination of those three things has really helped them prepare for today. I'm so proud of them, for everything they've accomplished this season and for them playing at their best today."
Their last set against Laguna Hills was also closer than the final score would indicate. They received vocal support from many of their Newport Harbor teammates, who gathered near the side of the corner court to watch the match.
Bathen and Cosenza were integral parts of Sailors teams that won the Sunset League and advanced to the CIF Southern Section Division 2 title match their sophomore and junior years. Like their Sage counterparts, they ended their high school careers swinging.
"We could have just gone out there and [gone through] the motions [against Laguna Hills]," Bathen said. "The score does not represent how hard we worked. This is a very good team. The way that we stuck in there and kept our head in it after a long day, I think that represents our whole season. It just shows how badly we wanted to finish off with a bang."
Tennis seniors go out swinging - Daily Pilot
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2006/12/07
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It will be the first time the world number two has missed the event in Florida, which he has won twice, since 1999.
Federer, who from next year will be exempt from ATP World Tour Masters 1000 commitments due to the milestones he has reached during his career, can now pick and choose which events he attends.
The Swiss will also skip Monte Carlo and his home tournament in Basel, an event at which he used to ball boy.
The 31-year-old will, naturally, play at all four Grand Slam events - in Melbourne, Paris, Wimbledon and New York.
Federer's 2013 schedule:
Australian Open, Melbourne
ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Rotterdam
Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Dubai
BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells
Mutua Madrid Open, Madrid
Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Rome
Roland Garros, Paris
Gerry Weber Open, Halle
Wimbledon. London
Rogers Cup, Montreal
Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati
US Open, New York
Shanghai Rolex Masters, Shanghai
BNP Masters, Paris
Tennis - Federer to miss Miami Masters in 2013 - Yahoo! Eurosport UK
Federer, who from next year will be exempt from ATP World Tour Masters 1000 commitments due to the milestones he has reached during his career, can now pick and choose which events he attends.
The Swiss will also skip Monte Carlo and his home tournament in Basel, an event at which he used to ball boy.
The 31-year-old will, naturally, play at all four Grand Slam events - in Melbourne, Paris, Wimbledon and New York.
Federer's 2013 schedule:
Australian Open, Melbourne
ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Rotterdam
Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Dubai
BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells
Mutua Madrid Open, Madrid
Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Rome
Roland Garros, Paris
Gerry Weber Open, Halle
Wimbledon. London
Rogers Cup, Montreal
Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati
US Open, New York
Shanghai Rolex Masters, Shanghai
BNP Masters, Paris
Tennis - Federer to miss Miami Masters in 2013 - Yahoo! Eurosport UK
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2006/12/07
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29893
Jeff Wyshner , the women’s tennis coach at Wake Forest, announced Wednesday the signing of five-star recruits Samantha Asch , Luisa Fernandez and Kimmy Guerin. All three are among the nation’s top 60 in the junior rankings.
Asch (Princeton, N.J.) has been ranked as high as No. 14 by the Tennis Recruiting Network and has been No. 1 in the USTA Middle States Section’s 18-U rankings since she was 14. Fernandez (Pittsford, N.Y.) peaked in the USTA rankings at No. 37 and is rated the fourth-best recruit in the state of New York. And Guerin (Weston, Conn.) is ranked No. 2 in the New England Region by the Tennis Recruiting Network and has a 77-0 record as a high-school player.
Deacons sign elite tennis class - Winston-Salem Journal: Tennis
Asch (Princeton, N.J.) has been ranked as high as No. 14 by the Tennis Recruiting Network and has been No. 1 in the USTA Middle States Section’s 18-U rankings since she was 14. Fernandez (Pittsford, N.Y.) peaked in the USTA rankings at No. 37 and is rated the fourth-best recruit in the state of New York. And Guerin (Weston, Conn.) is ranked No. 2 in the New England Region by the Tennis Recruiting Network and has a 77-0 record as a high-school player.
Deacons sign elite tennis class - Winston-Salem Journal: Tennis
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Some routines will not change for Gardnar Mulloy on his birthday Thursday. He will still have a healthy breakfast of juice and cereal, drive his car around the block to check out the neighborhood, walk his Belgian sheepdog Shaggy and watch some Thanksgiving Day football. He might even have to remind one of his two cats, which his wife named Sharapova, that just because she is special doesn’t mean she runs the house.
Of course, when you are turning 99 years old, and have seen the world from the beaches of North Africa, Anzio, Salerno and France (as a landing ship tank commander), to the grass courts of Wimbledon and Forest Hills, you are entitled to a few privileges.
“He is unique,” says his wife, Jacqueline, who knows something about royalty and often accompanies Mulloy on the evening walks. “When I first met him, I thought him very self-confident and was a bit frightened at how the world was his. But he is very human, very kind, very generous and forgiving.”
Mulloy, ever the keen observer and often a critic, may debate some of his wife’s more tender terms just as he has had to adjust to balance issues, walking with a cane after playing into his early nineties (“those days are gone forever”) and chiding himself as an “old man.”
Asked whether he had ever thought of leaving the cozy home he built over 60 years ago on Northwest Ninth Avenue for a newer, fully air-conditioned retirement facility, he says flatly, “no. The house is paid for, I’m living here, I’ve got a big yard, and a dog, and a wife and two friends, and that’s enough.”
More than a few friends. As the oldest living member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame (one of the nine halls of fame to have enshrined him), Mulloy is still toasted annually on his birthday by family and friends on Fisher Island, where he served as the tennis director for many years. Even former court rivals like Dick Savitt, who still seldom gives an inch on procedures, acknowledges “he had it all.”
“He’s one of the best athletes ever,” Savitt added recently in a telephone interview from his Manhattan office. “So fast, so graceful, a very tough competitor. And with all that, he was one of the great looking guys ever.”
Eddie Dibbs, one of the Miami area’s most tenacious tennis products and a former top 10 pro, fondly recalls Mulloy’s kindness. “I used to practice with him when I was a kid,” Dibbs said. “He was one of the few guys who would practice with me. He was tough as nails back then.”
Mulloy’s days as “The Silver Fox” are over. But his long-term memory is as sharp as ever, interestingly pegged more to matches he lost than those that put him among the world’s top players, including a Wimbledon doubles title in 1957 at age 43.
Consider this recollection of his 1950 five-set loss to Herb Flam in the semifinals of the national championships at Forest Hills, after he led two sets to one: “It was my serve in the fifth set and my ad. I came to the net and he tried to pass me, and I had a forehand volley and I hit it. Immediately, I’d figured I won the point and turned around to go back to the baseline. Then I heard the scream of the spectators in the stadium, and I thought they were cheering me for winning the point. But he scrambled and hit the ball over the net and fell when he did. And he broke my serve and won the match.”
Read more here: Tennis legend Gardnar Mulloy has plenty to be thankful for - Tennis - MiamiHerald-com
Of course, when you are turning 99 years old, and have seen the world from the beaches of North Africa, Anzio, Salerno and France (as a landing ship tank commander), to the grass courts of Wimbledon and Forest Hills, you are entitled to a few privileges.
“He is unique,” says his wife, Jacqueline, who knows something about royalty and often accompanies Mulloy on the evening walks. “When I first met him, I thought him very self-confident and was a bit frightened at how the world was his. But he is very human, very kind, very generous and forgiving.”
Mulloy, ever the keen observer and often a critic, may debate some of his wife’s more tender terms just as he has had to adjust to balance issues, walking with a cane after playing into his early nineties (“those days are gone forever”) and chiding himself as an “old man.”
Asked whether he had ever thought of leaving the cozy home he built over 60 years ago on Northwest Ninth Avenue for a newer, fully air-conditioned retirement facility, he says flatly, “no. The house is paid for, I’m living here, I’ve got a big yard, and a dog, and a wife and two friends, and that’s enough.”
More than a few friends. As the oldest living member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame (one of the nine halls of fame to have enshrined him), Mulloy is still toasted annually on his birthday by family and friends on Fisher Island, where he served as the tennis director for many years. Even former court rivals like Dick Savitt, who still seldom gives an inch on procedures, acknowledges “he had it all.”
“He’s one of the best athletes ever,” Savitt added recently in a telephone interview from his Manhattan office. “So fast, so graceful, a very tough competitor. And with all that, he was one of the great looking guys ever.”
Eddie Dibbs, one of the Miami area’s most tenacious tennis products and a former top 10 pro, fondly recalls Mulloy’s kindness. “I used to practice with him when I was a kid,” Dibbs said. “He was one of the few guys who would practice with me. He was tough as nails back then.”
Mulloy’s days as “The Silver Fox” are over. But his long-term memory is as sharp as ever, interestingly pegged more to matches he lost than those that put him among the world’s top players, including a Wimbledon doubles title in 1957 at age 43.
Consider this recollection of his 1950 five-set loss to Herb Flam in the semifinals of the national championships at Forest Hills, after he led two sets to one: “It was my serve in the fifth set and my ad. I came to the net and he tried to pass me, and I had a forehand volley and I hit it. Immediately, I’d figured I won the point and turned around to go back to the baseline. Then I heard the scream of the spectators in the stadium, and I thought they were cheering me for winning the point. But he scrambled and hit the ball over the net and fell when he did. And he broke my serve and won the match.”
Read more here: Tennis legend Gardnar Mulloy has plenty to be thankful for - Tennis - MiamiHerald-com
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Hong Kong will gets its first elite tennis in more than a decade since the ATP circuit left town, when the city hosts one of a series of exhibitions around the world next March 4 on the inaugural World Tennis Day.
Lining up on court at the AsiaWorld convention complex not far from the Special Administrative Region's island Chep Lap Kok airport will be current WTA players Li Na, China's former Roland Garros champion, and ex-number one Caroline Wozniacki.
The men's programme will pit veteran stagers Ivan Lendl against John McEnroe in a revival of an ATP rivallry from three decades ago.
The Asian matches will take place the same night as a similar event at Madison Square Garden in New York as part of the first annual “World Tennis Day". In that event, Serena Williams will play Victoria Azarenka and Rafael Nadal will take on Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro.
American organisers of the initiative have hopes of adding other exhibitions on the day in other parts of the world.
“With five successful years of the BNP Paribas Showdown in New York, the time is right to expand this to a global event with the World Tennis Day platform,” said global event producer Jerry Solomon, Lendl's former manager.
“The popularity of tennis in Asia made it natural for us to pursue an event in this region. Hong Kong is proving to be a fantastic partner. I'm excited to see this group of four players who will put on a great show.
"Lendl, McEnroe and Wozniacki have each played for us in New York in front of crowds of over 17,000 at Madison Square Garden and we now welcome Li Na to the group for the first time. The AsiaWorld-Arena will be the place to be on March 4.”
"For me it is always exciting to play in Asia,” said Li. “I hope to have the crowd support in this match. It will be a great night for tennis, and hopefully it gets more people playing the game.”
The women's participants will have to sprint across the Pacific when their match is done, with the Indian Wells Masters beginning that same week in the Californian desert.
Lendl, winner of 94 titles ATP titles and the world's top-ranked player for 270 weeks, currently coaches Andy Murray.
He also won a Hong Kong ATP title 32 years ago and three straight exhibition events in the city from 1990-92.
"I've always enjoyed playing in Hong Kong. It's a place with a lot of good memories including one of my first ever wins on the pro tour. I will look forward to playing John.
That pair met 36 times over 12 years on the ATP, with Lendl holding a 21-15 advantage.
Hong Kong to rediscover tennis in March | Tennistalk
Lining up on court at the AsiaWorld convention complex not far from the Special Administrative Region's island Chep Lap Kok airport will be current WTA players Li Na, China's former Roland Garros champion, and ex-number one Caroline Wozniacki.
The men's programme will pit veteran stagers Ivan Lendl against John McEnroe in a revival of an ATP rivallry from three decades ago.
The Asian matches will take place the same night as a similar event at Madison Square Garden in New York as part of the first annual “World Tennis Day". In that event, Serena Williams will play Victoria Azarenka and Rafael Nadal will take on Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro.
American organisers of the initiative have hopes of adding other exhibitions on the day in other parts of the world.
“With five successful years of the BNP Paribas Showdown in New York, the time is right to expand this to a global event with the World Tennis Day platform,” said global event producer Jerry Solomon, Lendl's former manager.
“The popularity of tennis in Asia made it natural for us to pursue an event in this region. Hong Kong is proving to be a fantastic partner. I'm excited to see this group of four players who will put on a great show.
"Lendl, McEnroe and Wozniacki have each played for us in New York in front of crowds of over 17,000 at Madison Square Garden and we now welcome Li Na to the group for the first time. The AsiaWorld-Arena will be the place to be on March 4.”
"For me it is always exciting to play in Asia,” said Li. “I hope to have the crowd support in this match. It will be a great night for tennis, and hopefully it gets more people playing the game.”
The women's participants will have to sprint across the Pacific when their match is done, with the Indian Wells Masters beginning that same week in the Californian desert.
Lendl, winner of 94 titles ATP titles and the world's top-ranked player for 270 weeks, currently coaches Andy Murray.
He also won a Hong Kong ATP title 32 years ago and three straight exhibition events in the city from 1990-92.
"I've always enjoyed playing in Hong Kong. It's a place with a lot of good memories including one of my first ever wins on the pro tour. I will look forward to playing John.
That pair met 36 times over 12 years on the ATP, with Lendl holding a 21-15 advantage.
Hong Kong to rediscover tennis in March | Tennistalk
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2006/12/07
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A former tennis coach in France has been convicted and sentenced to eight years in prison for raping young players attending the academy he used to run in Saint-Tropez.
The court in Lyon also barred Regis de Camaret from working in tennis for life.
The case began with a book by a former ranked player who described years of abuse by Camaret, now 70. Several other women later came forward with accusations that Camaret raped or sexually abused them when they trained in the 1980s and 1990s. The statute of limitations had run out for most of the accusers.
Former No. 3-ranked player Nathalie Tauziat testified on his behalf at the trial.
Camaret has said that the atmosphere at his academy was "conducive to flings," the Sipa news agency reported.
The court in Lyon also barred Regis de Camaret from working in tennis for life.
The case began with a book by a former ranked player who described years of abuse by Camaret, now 70. Several other women later came forward with accusations that Camaret raped or sexually abused them when they trained in the 1980s and 1990s. The statute of limitations had run out for most of the accusers.
Former No. 3-ranked player Nathalie Tauziat testified on his behalf at the trial.
Camaret has said that the atmosphere at his academy was "conducive to flings," the Sipa news agency reported.
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David Nalbandian tells Clarin that Argentina still has a good enough team to be able to win its first Davis Cup. This year, Argentina lost at home to the Czech Republic in the semifinals. The stalwart Nalbandian was unable to compete due to injury, and top player Juan Martin del Potro was too hurt to play the deciding match on Sunday.
Argentina finished as Davis Cup runner-up in 1981, 2006, 2008, and 2011. The South American nation opens its 2012 campaign at Germany. Del Potro has said that he won’t play the tie, while Nalbandian says he’s always available.
“We have to win the Davis Cup once and for all,” Nalbandian said. “I think [we can win it all]. Argentina has very good players in this [current group], but the best was when we were four players in the top 10.”
tennis-com - Nalbandian: Argentina can still win Davis Cup
Argentina finished as Davis Cup runner-up in 1981, 2006, 2008, and 2011. The South American nation opens its 2012 campaign at Germany. Del Potro has said that he won’t play the tie, while Nalbandian says he’s always available.
“We have to win the Davis Cup once and for all,” Nalbandian said. “I think [we can win it all]. Argentina has very good players in this [current group], but the best was when we were four players in the top 10.”
tennis-com - Nalbandian: Argentina can still win Davis Cup
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Ambassadors Preparatory Academy is playing host to a fun day of tennis Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
The school’s United States Tennis Association QuickStart Tennis Play Day will help introduce the lifetime sport to local children ages 6-12.
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., with the cost only being $2 a player.
“We want to expose the children of Galveston and surrounding communities to the game of tennis in a fun and non-competitive way,” said Larry Thomas, Ambassadors Preparatory Academy’s tennis coach and a United States Professional Tennis Association teaching pro since 1983.
“Anyone who wants to come can come, whether they have a racquet or not. It should be a fun day.”
Barbara Sasser, one of Galveston’s top tennis promoters and instructors, will join Thomas in teaching the game’s fundamentals to the youngsters, beginners on up.
The tennis facility at the school, located at 5001 Ave. U, features four 36-foot courts built for USTA QuickStart and more specifically the 10-and-under age bracket.
“We just want the kids to come out and have fun,” Thomas said, noting racquets will be made available to those who do not have one.
Special prizes will be awarded throughout the program, in conjunction with the USTA-Texas Section.
For information, call Ambassadors Preparatory Academy at 409-762-1115 or Thomas at 832-452-1464.
Gator Raid
Dickinson High School’s Anna Novak won the girls’ “A” singles title at the Babe Reich Pasadena Independent School District Fall Tennis Tournament.
Novak won three rounds while giving up just two games total, including a 10-1 finals victory over Texas City’s Rebecca Fracek.
College Bound?
High school tennis players wanting to play collegiate tennis may want to consider College Showcase Weekend at the John Newcombe Tennis Ranch in New Braunfels on Dec. 14-16.
The weekend is set aside to help potential college players showcase their talent and interact with coaches from such universities as Trinity, Texas Lutheran, St. Edward’s, Incarnate Word and many other Division II and III programs.
Newk’s College Showcase, open to all players, will feature point, set and match play, team tennis format in both singles and doubles, fitness sessions, live ball drills, and question and answer sessions, as well as meals and accommodations on-site.
The player package is $175.
For information and to find out what other coaches and colleges will be attending, e-mail reservations(at)newktennis-com or call Julie at 830-625-9105.
New Chief In Town
Santa Fe High School has a new tennis coach, Lindsey Turner.
Turner has been with the Indians’ coaching staff for five years, but is coaching tennis for the first time, replacing Amy Eckhoff, who is now the head volleyball coach at her alma mater, Hawley High School.
Before joining Santa Fe, where she is also the junior varsity volleyball coach, Turner coached at Somerville High School, where she was the assistant tennis coach for three years.
Turner’s assistant tennis coach will be the legendary Anna Marie Milligan.
Staying Put At 19
The Friendswood Mustangs concluded the fall team tennis season with a commendable No. 19 state ranking in Class 4A.
Just A Reminder
Those wanting to learn the game of tennis in just three weeks can do so by taking advantage of the “Tennis In No Time” program at the Galveston Health & Racquet Club.
A new nine-hour session – six 1½-hour classes on consecutive Tuesdays and Thursdays – taught by John Brown and Pat Schlankey begins Tuesday, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Members and non-members alike can sign up. The cost is $49.
For information, call the Racquet Club at 409-744-3651.
Tip Of The Day
There is no game clock in tennis, so take your time in between points.
By rule, you have 25 seconds to get the next point started.
But, at the same time, do not abuse the time limit and make the match linger on more than it already does.
Tennis academy invites all to learn game
The school’s United States Tennis Association QuickStart Tennis Play Day will help introduce the lifetime sport to local children ages 6-12.
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., with the cost only being $2 a player.
“We want to expose the children of Galveston and surrounding communities to the game of tennis in a fun and non-competitive way,” said Larry Thomas, Ambassadors Preparatory Academy’s tennis coach and a United States Professional Tennis Association teaching pro since 1983.
“Anyone who wants to come can come, whether they have a racquet or not. It should be a fun day.”
Barbara Sasser, one of Galveston’s top tennis promoters and instructors, will join Thomas in teaching the game’s fundamentals to the youngsters, beginners on up.
The tennis facility at the school, located at 5001 Ave. U, features four 36-foot courts built for USTA QuickStart and more specifically the 10-and-under age bracket.
“We just want the kids to come out and have fun,” Thomas said, noting racquets will be made available to those who do not have one.
Special prizes will be awarded throughout the program, in conjunction with the USTA-Texas Section.
For information, call Ambassadors Preparatory Academy at 409-762-1115 or Thomas at 832-452-1464.
Gator Raid
Dickinson High School’s Anna Novak won the girls’ “A” singles title at the Babe Reich Pasadena Independent School District Fall Tennis Tournament.
Novak won three rounds while giving up just two games total, including a 10-1 finals victory over Texas City’s Rebecca Fracek.
College Bound?
High school tennis players wanting to play collegiate tennis may want to consider College Showcase Weekend at the John Newcombe Tennis Ranch in New Braunfels on Dec. 14-16.
The weekend is set aside to help potential college players showcase their talent and interact with coaches from such universities as Trinity, Texas Lutheran, St. Edward’s, Incarnate Word and many other Division II and III programs.
Newk’s College Showcase, open to all players, will feature point, set and match play, team tennis format in both singles and doubles, fitness sessions, live ball drills, and question and answer sessions, as well as meals and accommodations on-site.
The player package is $175.
For information and to find out what other coaches and colleges will be attending, e-mail reservations(at)newktennis-com or call Julie at 830-625-9105.
New Chief In Town
Santa Fe High School has a new tennis coach, Lindsey Turner.
Turner has been with the Indians’ coaching staff for five years, but is coaching tennis for the first time, replacing Amy Eckhoff, who is now the head volleyball coach at her alma mater, Hawley High School.
Before joining Santa Fe, where she is also the junior varsity volleyball coach, Turner coached at Somerville High School, where she was the assistant tennis coach for three years.
Turner’s assistant tennis coach will be the legendary Anna Marie Milligan.
Staying Put At 19
The Friendswood Mustangs concluded the fall team tennis season with a commendable No. 19 state ranking in Class 4A.
Just A Reminder
Those wanting to learn the game of tennis in just three weeks can do so by taking advantage of the “Tennis In No Time” program at the Galveston Health & Racquet Club.
A new nine-hour session – six 1½-hour classes on consecutive Tuesdays and Thursdays – taught by John Brown and Pat Schlankey begins Tuesday, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Members and non-members alike can sign up. The cost is $49.
For information, call the Racquet Club at 409-744-3651.
Tip Of The Day
There is no game clock in tennis, so take your time in between points.
By rule, you have 25 seconds to get the next point started.
But, at the same time, do not abuse the time limit and make the match linger on more than it already does.
Tennis academy invites all to learn game
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The Swede has been suffering from the illness, more commonly known as glandular fever, since the summer of 2011 and his fight against the fatiguing disease is beginning to take its toll on him.
"The hope, the hopelessness, then the hope again, then the hopelessness - that really kills me,” Soderling told ESPN.
“I feel really good, then I start to practice, and then I think maybe in a couple of months I can come back and I really believe it. Then I do a bit too much and wake up one morning not feeling well again.”
Soderling, 28, has not played for a year and a half and he admits his motivation to return to the professional arena is waning.
"In the past couple of months I had my best weeks and days, which gives me the hope, but I get setbacks and feel worse again," he added.
"Overall it's getting better but I'm not as desperate to come back any more tomorrow. I will give it a shot, of course, but I learned to live with the thought that maybe it will not be possible.
"Whatever happens, I will feel I did all I could."
The two-times French Open finalist recently became a father after his long-term partner Jenni Mostrom gave birth to their daughter Olivia, at least giving Soderling some perspective on his struggles.
"For the first time in my life I'm not putting myself first, which is a very strange feeling," he said.
"It's also nice. All my life I've been focusing on tennis, training, getting results.
"I feel I have at least five more years in me. But I still have a lot of things to be thankful for. The (mono) could have happened when I was 18 or 20. I was 27. Up to now I've had a good career."
Tennis - Soderling unsure of future in tennis - Yahoo! Eurosport UK
"The hope, the hopelessness, then the hope again, then the hopelessness - that really kills me,” Soderling told ESPN.
“I feel really good, then I start to practice, and then I think maybe in a couple of months I can come back and I really believe it. Then I do a bit too much and wake up one morning not feeling well again.”
Soderling, 28, has not played for a year and a half and he admits his motivation to return to the professional arena is waning.
"In the past couple of months I had my best weeks and days, which gives me the hope, but I get setbacks and feel worse again," he added.
"Overall it's getting better but I'm not as desperate to come back any more tomorrow. I will give it a shot, of course, but I learned to live with the thought that maybe it will not be possible.
"Whatever happens, I will feel I did all I could."
The two-times French Open finalist recently became a father after his long-term partner Jenni Mostrom gave birth to their daughter Olivia, at least giving Soderling some perspective on his struggles.
"For the first time in my life I'm not putting myself first, which is a very strange feeling," he said.
"It's also nice. All my life I've been focusing on tennis, training, getting results.
"I feel I have at least five more years in me. But I still have a lot of things to be thankful for. The (mono) could have happened when I was 18 or 20. I was 27. Up to now I've had a good career."
Tennis - Soderling unsure of future in tennis - Yahoo! Eurosport UK
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Former world No 2 Tommy Haas, who has climbed from outside the top 200 to a ranking of 21 this year, will continue his remarkable comeback at January's Heineken Open.
The addition of Haas and fellow German Philipp Kohlschreiber, the 2008 Heineken Open champion, were announced today as the Heineken Open's full field was revealed.
Sam Querrey, who was a finalist in 2009, and former world No 8 Jurgen Melzer will also feature, taking the number of top 30 players for next year's tournament to seven.
Querrey, who will be making his fourth visit to Auckland, collected one of the biggest wins of his career last month when he knocked over Novak Djokovic at the Paris Masters.
Haas was recently named ATP comeback player of the year for his remarkable climb up the world rankings and Kohlschreiber has had his best season yet.
After making the semifinals in Auckland, Kohlschreiber went on to his fourth tour title in Munich, made the quarter-finals at Wimbledon and reached a career high ranking of 16.
Former world No 7 Mardy Fish, who has been struggling with a heart complaint, has had to withdraw from the tournament for health reasons but the ranking cutoff for direct entries will still be 61.
Heineken Open tournament director Karl Budge is excited about the number of players coming to Auckland who are in some of the best form of their careers, including defending champion David Ferrer.
"Tommy is showing, like Ferrer and [Roger] Federer, that age is no barrier,'' Budge said.
"To get to 21 in the world is a great feat. And Kohlschreiber has had his best year on tour reaching number 16 in the world. He comes back for his ninth Heineken Open playing his best tennis yet.
"I don't need to say much more about Ferrer beyond stating that he won more titles than any other player on tour this year with a career-best seven.''
Budge pointed out that, when you add Melzer to the mix, you might start to think the older brigade will have a mortgage on next year's title.
"However, I suspect that the world's top newcomer Martin Klizan and the Paris Masters giant killer Jerzy Janowicz will add plenty of young fire to the contest.''
Haas, who was a finalist in Auckland in 1999 and has since gone on to win 13 titles and make four grand slam semifinals, will be the tournament's third seed.
World No 5 Ferrer will be top seed, followed by Kohlschreiber (20), Haas (21), Querrey (22), Poland's Janowicz (26), Austria's Melzer (29) and ATP newcomer of the year Klizan of Slovakia (30).
Also announced today was Brazil's Thomaz Bellucci who sits just outside the top 30 at 33 in the world. He will be playing in Auckland for the fifth time.
Top 10 ranked players who will play at the Heineken Open from January 7-12: David Ferrer (5), Philipp Kohlschreiber (20), Tommy Haas (21), Sam Querrey (22), Jerzy Janowicz (26), Jurgen Melzer (29), Martin Klizan (30), Thomaz Bellucci (33), David Goffin (46), Benoit Paire (47).
Tennis: Seven top 30 players confirmed for Heineken Open - Sport - NZ Herald News
The addition of Haas and fellow German Philipp Kohlschreiber, the 2008 Heineken Open champion, were announced today as the Heineken Open's full field was revealed.
Sam Querrey, who was a finalist in 2009, and former world No 8 Jurgen Melzer will also feature, taking the number of top 30 players for next year's tournament to seven.
Querrey, who will be making his fourth visit to Auckland, collected one of the biggest wins of his career last month when he knocked over Novak Djokovic at the Paris Masters.
Haas was recently named ATP comeback player of the year for his remarkable climb up the world rankings and Kohlschreiber has had his best season yet.
After making the semifinals in Auckland, Kohlschreiber went on to his fourth tour title in Munich, made the quarter-finals at Wimbledon and reached a career high ranking of 16.
Former world No 7 Mardy Fish, who has been struggling with a heart complaint, has had to withdraw from the tournament for health reasons but the ranking cutoff for direct entries will still be 61.
Heineken Open tournament director Karl Budge is excited about the number of players coming to Auckland who are in some of the best form of their careers, including defending champion David Ferrer.
"Tommy is showing, like Ferrer and [Roger] Federer, that age is no barrier,'' Budge said.
"To get to 21 in the world is a great feat. And Kohlschreiber has had his best year on tour reaching number 16 in the world. He comes back for his ninth Heineken Open playing his best tennis yet.
"I don't need to say much more about Ferrer beyond stating that he won more titles than any other player on tour this year with a career-best seven.''
Budge pointed out that, when you add Melzer to the mix, you might start to think the older brigade will have a mortgage on next year's title.
"However, I suspect that the world's top newcomer Martin Klizan and the Paris Masters giant killer Jerzy Janowicz will add plenty of young fire to the contest.''
Haas, who was a finalist in Auckland in 1999 and has since gone on to win 13 titles and make four grand slam semifinals, will be the tournament's third seed.
World No 5 Ferrer will be top seed, followed by Kohlschreiber (20), Haas (21), Querrey (22), Poland's Janowicz (26), Austria's Melzer (29) and ATP newcomer of the year Klizan of Slovakia (30).
Also announced today was Brazil's Thomaz Bellucci who sits just outside the top 30 at 33 in the world. He will be playing in Auckland for the fifth time.
Top 10 ranked players who will play at the Heineken Open from January 7-12: David Ferrer (5), Philipp Kohlschreiber (20), Tommy Haas (21), Sam Querrey (22), Jerzy Janowicz (26), Jurgen Melzer (29), Martin Klizan (30), Thomaz Bellucci (33), David Goffin (46), Benoit Paire (47).
Tennis: Seven top 30 players confirmed for Heineken Open - Sport - NZ Herald News
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Former world number one, Serena Williams, has revealed that she was panic-stricken when she lost the second set against Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska in the final of this year’s Wimbledon Championships at the All England Club in London.
The American started as the hot favourite against the then world number three in that match. Radwanska was suffering from health problems and she even cancelled her practice session one day before the final, as her condition did now her to exercise.
The Polish player, who had reached final of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career, showed courage and but couldn't get off to a decent start in the crunch game. The youngster started poorly, managing to win only one game in the entire set and losing it 1-6. However, she bounced back in the second one and succeeded in winning it 7-5.
That was the moment when Serena was hit by a panic attack, as the momentum had shifted at her opponent’s side. The American super star was also featuring in her first Major final after a gap of two years. The veteran captured Wimbledon title in 2010 but then she met an accident and almost reached death bed.
Serena said of her feeling after losing the second set, “Then after that I thought, ‘I’m never going to win another Grand Slam, I’m going to be stuck at 13 for the rest of my life. I should have been happy the last time I won Wimbledon, and then when I was in the hospital I thought I wouldn’t even play tennis again, so to have that opportunity from going from that low, from the bottom to the top, it was probably the highlight of my year.”
However, one of the most dominant players of the 21st century so far used her experience to down Radwanska 6-2 in the final set and captured her fifth Wimbledon title, taking her total Grand Slam winning count to 14.
One reason of this panic attack on Serena was her upset loss at the French Open. The American player was the hot favourite at the second Grand Slam of the season but was stunned in the first round by a low ranked local player, Virginie Razzano.
The American added, “I just am a player and I know I’m good at tennis. And I get nervous, I get apprehensive, I have all those feelings. I do (hide them). I’m a good actress.”
Wimbledon triumph gave a boost to Serena and she captured Olympics Gold Medal and US Open title later in the year.
Serena Williams reveals she panicked during Wimbledon Final
The American started as the hot favourite against the then world number three in that match. Radwanska was suffering from health problems and she even cancelled her practice session one day before the final, as her condition did now her to exercise.
The Polish player, who had reached final of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career, showed courage and but couldn't get off to a decent start in the crunch game. The youngster started poorly, managing to win only one game in the entire set and losing it 1-6. However, she bounced back in the second one and succeeded in winning it 7-5.
That was the moment when Serena was hit by a panic attack, as the momentum had shifted at her opponent’s side. The American super star was also featuring in her first Major final after a gap of two years. The veteran captured Wimbledon title in 2010 but then she met an accident and almost reached death bed.
Serena said of her feeling after losing the second set, “Then after that I thought, ‘I’m never going to win another Grand Slam, I’m going to be stuck at 13 for the rest of my life. I should have been happy the last time I won Wimbledon, and then when I was in the hospital I thought I wouldn’t even play tennis again, so to have that opportunity from going from that low, from the bottom to the top, it was probably the highlight of my year.”
However, one of the most dominant players of the 21st century so far used her experience to down Radwanska 6-2 in the final set and captured her fifth Wimbledon title, taking her total Grand Slam winning count to 14.
One reason of this panic attack on Serena was her upset loss at the French Open. The American player was the hot favourite at the second Grand Slam of the season but was stunned in the first round by a low ranked local player, Virginie Razzano.
The American added, “I just am a player and I know I’m good at tennis. And I get nervous, I get apprehensive, I have all those feelings. I do (hide them). I’m a good actress.”
Wimbledon triumph gave a boost to Serena and she captured Olympics Gold Medal and US Open title later in the year.
Serena Williams reveals she panicked during Wimbledon Final
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The initial press releases have arrived from the SAP Open, the annual men's tennis tournament in San Jose, but without the usual sense of anticipation from hard-core followers. Professional tennis in California now comes attached with interminable regret.
It was disturbing enough to hear that this tournament has been purchased by interests in Rio de Janeiro and will shut down for good after next year's event (Feb. 11-17). Now comes word that the annual Los Angeles tournament, carrying just as much history and tradition, will be moving to Bogota, Colombia, after one last go-round at UCLA in July.
This means that California will be down to a single men's tournament over the course of the ATP's lengthy tour. It's a beauty, the prestigious Indian Wells event in March, but that's hardly a breezy road trip for fans in the Bay Area or large sections of Southern California.
With American superstars becoming nonexistent, and attendance declining at both events, the San Jose and L.A. tournaments are at the lowest level ("250" designation) when it comes to rankings points and prize money, as opposed to the 500 events and such World Tour Masters 1,000s as Indian Wells, Rome, Madrid and Cincinnati.
As a result, there's no compelling reason for the big names to make the trip. Andy Murray earned his first pro title in San Jose (2006) and won again the following year, but Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have not competed in the Bay Area or Los Angeles. With the sport enjoying rampant popularity worldwide, it's hardly a surprise to see Brazil, Colombia or any other tennis-hungry nation step in.
The Northern California event dates back to 1889, when it was known as the Pacific Coast Championships, in Monterey. The list of winners reads like the penthouse level of the Hall of Fame, and the L.A. event dates back to Bill Tilden's victory in 1927, with a similar list of winners including Ellsworth Vines, Fred Perry, Don Budge, Pancho Gonzales and Rod Laver.
Enjoy the memories. That's about all we'll have left.
Read more: Men's tennis endangered in California - SFGate
It was disturbing enough to hear that this tournament has been purchased by interests in Rio de Janeiro and will shut down for good after next year's event (Feb. 11-17). Now comes word that the annual Los Angeles tournament, carrying just as much history and tradition, will be moving to Bogota, Colombia, after one last go-round at UCLA in July.
This means that California will be down to a single men's tournament over the course of the ATP's lengthy tour. It's a beauty, the prestigious Indian Wells event in March, but that's hardly a breezy road trip for fans in the Bay Area or large sections of Southern California.
With American superstars becoming nonexistent, and attendance declining at both events, the San Jose and L.A. tournaments are at the lowest level ("250" designation) when it comes to rankings points and prize money, as opposed to the 500 events and such World Tour Masters 1,000s as Indian Wells, Rome, Madrid and Cincinnati.
As a result, there's no compelling reason for the big names to make the trip. Andy Murray earned his first pro title in San Jose (2006) and won again the following year, but Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have not competed in the Bay Area or Los Angeles. With the sport enjoying rampant popularity worldwide, it's hardly a surprise to see Brazil, Colombia or any other tennis-hungry nation step in.
The Northern California event dates back to 1889, when it was known as the Pacific Coast Championships, in Monterey. The list of winners reads like the penthouse level of the Hall of Fame, and the L.A. event dates back to Bill Tilden's victory in 1927, with a similar list of winners including Ellsworth Vines, Fred Perry, Don Budge, Pancho Gonzales and Rod Laver.
Enjoy the memories. That's about all we'll have left.
Read more: Men's tennis endangered in California - SFGate
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Maria Sharapova has her sights set high for her tennis ranking. The Russian professional tennis player is currently ranked number two in the world, but she says she doesn't expect that to last long.
"Obviously, the goal is always to shoot for top spot and that's always where you want to be and stay," Sharapova says, according to the Associated Press. "It's one thing to reach the No. 1 ranking, another to keep it."
She continues, "But what's most important and the main goal is to win as many matches as you can and then the rankings takes care of itself. To get to No. 1 the only thing to do is to work hard and you have to treat every match, no matter what it is, the same. That's what we all do."
Sharapova was first ranked number one in the world on Aug. 22, 2005, and earned that ranking for the firth time earlier this year on June 11. As of Nov. 26, however, she was ranked number two. Sharapova is currently in Milan, where she'll play with another former top-ranked tennis champion, Ana Ivanovic, against Italian athletes Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci in singles and doubles.
Maria Sharapova plans to regain top spot in tennis rankings - Zap2it
"Obviously, the goal is always to shoot for top spot and that's always where you want to be and stay," Sharapova says, according to the Associated Press. "It's one thing to reach the No. 1 ranking, another to keep it."
She continues, "But what's most important and the main goal is to win as many matches as you can and then the rankings takes care of itself. To get to No. 1 the only thing to do is to work hard and you have to treat every match, no matter what it is, the same. That's what we all do."
Sharapova was first ranked number one in the world on Aug. 22, 2005, and earned that ranking for the firth time earlier this year on June 11. As of Nov. 26, however, she was ranked number two. Sharapova is currently in Milan, where she'll play with another former top-ranked tennis champion, Ana Ivanovic, against Italian athletes Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci in singles and doubles.
Maria Sharapova plans to regain top spot in tennis rankings - Zap2it
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Recently retired Andy Roddick beat third-ranked Andy Murray 6-2, 6-3 on Saturday in the Miami Tennis Cup exhibition event. Roddick will play 11th-ranked Nicolas Almagro of Spain in the final Sunday. Almagro advanced with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over 14th-ranked John Isner.
Murray, trailing 2-5 in the first set, surrendered his serve in the eighth game when he sailed a backhand crosscourt wide. In the second set, Murray saved two break points from down 0-40, but couldn't convert the third to give Roddick a 5-3 lead. At 15-0, Roddick double-faulted twice in a row, but went on to win the final three points of the match with a service winner and two forehand winners.
''If we had gone three sets I would've had a full body cramp and it would've been awkward for all of you,'' said Roddick, who kept a running dialogue with the crowd. ''There's no comeback (to tennis for me).
''Andy was nice to me tonight.''
Roddick has put on almost two kilograms (four pounds) since retiring following the U.S. Open. He says he's content in retirement and is playing a lot of golf.
''I don't miss the travel at all,'' Roddick said. ''It's nice coming here and seeing familiar faces. I still enjoy hitting tennis balls, but I haven't lost that part of it. I haven't lost any of the innocent parts of tennis. I just do it in front of less people.'' Murray, the Olympic gold medalist and U.S. Open champion, wasn't surprised that Roddick won.
''Andy hasn't hit that many balls the last few months,'' Murray said. ''Maybe his timing was a little bit off, but he still hits the ball very well. It was only a few months ago he was making a decent run at the U.S. Open.''
Roddick has beaten Almagro both times they met in straight sets and both meetings were on hard courts. They met here at Crandon Park in the 2010 Miami Masters quarterfinals and the 2011 Shanghai Masters in the round of 16.
Andy Roddick beats Andy Murray in Miami Tennis Cup - News | FOX Sports on MSN
Murray, trailing 2-5 in the first set, surrendered his serve in the eighth game when he sailed a backhand crosscourt wide. In the second set, Murray saved two break points from down 0-40, but couldn't convert the third to give Roddick a 5-3 lead. At 15-0, Roddick double-faulted twice in a row, but went on to win the final three points of the match with a service winner and two forehand winners.
''If we had gone three sets I would've had a full body cramp and it would've been awkward for all of you,'' said Roddick, who kept a running dialogue with the crowd. ''There's no comeback (to tennis for me).
''Andy was nice to me tonight.''
Roddick has put on almost two kilograms (four pounds) since retiring following the U.S. Open. He says he's content in retirement and is playing a lot of golf.
''I don't miss the travel at all,'' Roddick said. ''It's nice coming here and seeing familiar faces. I still enjoy hitting tennis balls, but I haven't lost that part of it. I haven't lost any of the innocent parts of tennis. I just do it in front of less people.'' Murray, the Olympic gold medalist and U.S. Open champion, wasn't surprised that Roddick won.
''Andy hasn't hit that many balls the last few months,'' Murray said. ''Maybe his timing was a little bit off, but he still hits the ball very well. It was only a few months ago he was making a decent run at the U.S. Open.''
Roddick has beaten Almagro both times they met in straight sets and both meetings were on hard courts. They met here at Crandon Park in the 2010 Miami Masters quarterfinals and the 2011 Shanghai Masters in the round of 16.
Andy Roddick beats Andy Murray in Miami Tennis Cup - News | FOX Sports on MSN
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UKRAINIAN tennis player Sergei Bubka revealed he cheated death after falling from a fourth-floor apartment in Paris last month.
Bubka, son of pole vault legend Sergei Bubka, admitted he was lucky to be alive, having suffered multiple fractures in a horrifying fall in the French capital's plush 16th arrondissement.
"The circumstances leading to the fall were all so unlucky, but since the accident I feel I have been really lucky," Bubka said on the ATP's website.
"I was lucky to be alive and not have damaged anything major.
"I was lucky my friends found me and took me to a great hospital where they took great care of me."
Bubka was attending a friend's party when the accident happened.
After getting locked inside a bathroom he leaned to look outside a window, hoping to reach the next room, but lost his footing and crashed to the ground.
Bubka, the world No. 186, underwent nine hours of surgery after the fall.
Read more: Tennis professional Sergei Bubka survives four-storey fall | News-com.au
Bubka, son of pole vault legend Sergei Bubka, admitted he was lucky to be alive, having suffered multiple fractures in a horrifying fall in the French capital's plush 16th arrondissement.
"The circumstances leading to the fall were all so unlucky, but since the accident I feel I have been really lucky," Bubka said on the ATP's website.
"I was lucky to be alive and not have damaged anything major.
"I was lucky my friends found me and took me to a great hospital where they took great care of me."
Bubka was attending a friend's party when the accident happened.
After getting locked inside a bathroom he leaned to look outside a window, hoping to reach the next room, but lost his footing and crashed to the ground.
Bubka, the world No. 186, underwent nine hours of surgery after the fall.
Read more: Tennis professional Sergei Bubka survives four-storey fall | News-com.au
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"After many years it was time to move to another stage in my life, I retire from professional tennis," a statement in Spanish on the 33-year-old's Twitter account said.
He quits the game having won six ATP Tour singles titles and three doubles' titles in a sometimes controversial career spanning 14 years. Unsurprisingly for an Argentine, all his successes came on clay.
Chela reached a career-high singles world ranking of 15 in August 2004, off the back of reaching the quarter-finals of the French Open in the same year.
He also made it to the last eight at Rolland Garros in 2011 and reached the same stage at the 2007 US Open. He quits the pro circuit ranked 176 in the world.
Compatriot and sometime doubles partner Gisela Dulko, who herself retired last month, led the tributes.
"Congratulations on your great career Juan! Welcome to the club!" said Dulko on her Twitter account.
Chela courted controversy in early 2005, when he was fined for spitting at Lleyton Hewitt during an ill-tempered third round match at the Australian Open.
Tennis - Chela retires from professional tennis - Yahoo! Eurosport UK
He quits the game having won six ATP Tour singles titles and three doubles' titles in a sometimes controversial career spanning 14 years. Unsurprisingly for an Argentine, all his successes came on clay.
Chela reached a career-high singles world ranking of 15 in August 2004, off the back of reaching the quarter-finals of the French Open in the same year.
He also made it to the last eight at Rolland Garros in 2011 and reached the same stage at the 2007 US Open. He quits the pro circuit ranked 176 in the world.
Compatriot and sometime doubles partner Gisela Dulko, who herself retired last month, led the tributes.
"Congratulations on your great career Juan! Welcome to the club!" said Dulko on her Twitter account.
Chela courted controversy in early 2005, when he was fined for spitting at Lleyton Hewitt during an ill-tempered third round match at the Australian Open.
Tennis - Chela retires from professional tennis - Yahoo! Eurosport UK
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You're likely acquainted with the bubble skilled young athletes enter. Focus beyond belief. Distance from peers. Significant exclusion from school.
All that narrow education is more acute in tennis. Even the adolescent Lebron James needed teammates. Tennis has no spirit of collaboration, only singular competition -- more ruthlessly democratic and merit-based than any sport on the planet. John Lucas, an All-American in basketball and tennis who played 14 seasons in the NBA, was once asked which sport was harder. "Tennis," he said, "because you have to take the shot every time. You can't pass."
But if tennis' credo of self-reliance has its benefits, there's also a downside. As Alexis de Tocqueville wrote in Democracy in America, "Thus not only does democracy make every man forget his ancestors, but it hides his descendants and separates his contemporaries from him; it throws him back forever upon himself alone and threatens in the end to confine him entirely within the solitude of his own heart."
Existing as a solo act might be proficient inside the lines of a tennis court, but as Lucas also noted, "basketball might make you a better person because you learn to work with people."
So as tennis players age, how do they learn? Recently a quartet of prominent American players - Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Todd Martin -- competed against one another one evening in San Jose, California. It was part of the PowerShares Series, a traveling road show of 12 events played this past October and November. Agassi, Courier and Martin are each 42 years old. McEnroe is 53. If not quite at their competitive zenith, each still plays fine tennis.
More interesting, though, is the way each is involved in matters of education. While seeking to apply lessons learned from tennis, each has also gained some of the education that wasn't covered in those years of toil and focus.
Agassi's latest venture is BILT by Agassi and Reyes -- exercise equipment modeled after the tools created by his long-time trainer, Gil Reyes. Agassi also remains heavily engaged in the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, a Las Vegas charter school.
Martin has started Todd Martin Tennis and last month acquired a TGA Premier Youth Tennis franchise. Part of TGA's approach is to bring tennis into more schools, a sharp fit for Martin's methodical and rigorous approach to the game.
It's been more than two years since McEnroe launched his own tennis academy, a venture he admits is deceptively complicated. "I thought more kids would come, but it's not that simple," he said. "Then, when you explain the game to them, there's a lot more to it than just how you hit a forehand." Picture McEnroe's brilliant game -- a nuanced but logical mix of footwork and eyes, pace, spin and direction.
Then there is the case of Courier. Of these four, none has traveled further from what he was. In the early '90s, Courier's racquet spoke loudly and rapidly. The first American man to reach the number one ranking after McEnroe was not Agassi or Pete Sampras. It was Courier.
But if the competitive grind was, in Courier's words, "simplicity," other matters proved more complex. The surrounding aspects of life at the top -- the commercial demands of sponsors, media et al -- were activities he seemed to tolerate more than relish. To be sure, Courier was candid, but not always one to suffer fools gladly.
Then came an awakening. Within months of retiring in 2000, Courier started work as an analyst with TNT and began to see the sport from a different end of the periscope. His education continued even more when he formed InsideOut Sports & Entertainment, the company that puts on events such as the PowerShares Series.
"You have to understand the 360 degree view of the sport," said Courier in San Jose shortly after conducting a clinic. Having undergone his own education as an entrepreneur and promoter, Courier believes aspiring pros would benefit greatly from inspecting ever corner of what goes on at a tournament -- from the TV truck and the media room to the transportation office. Asked what he would have done had he been told to explore these parts of the tournament, Courier concedes that, "Myopia is a job requirement for an athlete, but I think this education should be a condition for joining the tour. I wanted more than anything to be on the tour. If that's what it took to be part of it, I would have done it. A player needs to be a little more empathetic for all the parts and pieces that come together to help him play."
Joel Drucker: The Education of a Tennis Player
All that narrow education is more acute in tennis. Even the adolescent Lebron James needed teammates. Tennis has no spirit of collaboration, only singular competition -- more ruthlessly democratic and merit-based than any sport on the planet. John Lucas, an All-American in basketball and tennis who played 14 seasons in the NBA, was once asked which sport was harder. "Tennis," he said, "because you have to take the shot every time. You can't pass."
But if tennis' credo of self-reliance has its benefits, there's also a downside. As Alexis de Tocqueville wrote in Democracy in America, "Thus not only does democracy make every man forget his ancestors, but it hides his descendants and separates his contemporaries from him; it throws him back forever upon himself alone and threatens in the end to confine him entirely within the solitude of his own heart."
Existing as a solo act might be proficient inside the lines of a tennis court, but as Lucas also noted, "basketball might make you a better person because you learn to work with people."
So as tennis players age, how do they learn? Recently a quartet of prominent American players - Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Todd Martin -- competed against one another one evening in San Jose, California. It was part of the PowerShares Series, a traveling road show of 12 events played this past October and November. Agassi, Courier and Martin are each 42 years old. McEnroe is 53. If not quite at their competitive zenith, each still plays fine tennis.
More interesting, though, is the way each is involved in matters of education. While seeking to apply lessons learned from tennis, each has also gained some of the education that wasn't covered in those years of toil and focus.
Agassi's latest venture is BILT by Agassi and Reyes -- exercise equipment modeled after the tools created by his long-time trainer, Gil Reyes. Agassi also remains heavily engaged in the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, a Las Vegas charter school.
Martin has started Todd Martin Tennis and last month acquired a TGA Premier Youth Tennis franchise. Part of TGA's approach is to bring tennis into more schools, a sharp fit for Martin's methodical and rigorous approach to the game.
It's been more than two years since McEnroe launched his own tennis academy, a venture he admits is deceptively complicated. "I thought more kids would come, but it's not that simple," he said. "Then, when you explain the game to them, there's a lot more to it than just how you hit a forehand." Picture McEnroe's brilliant game -- a nuanced but logical mix of footwork and eyes, pace, spin and direction.
Then there is the case of Courier. Of these four, none has traveled further from what he was. In the early '90s, Courier's racquet spoke loudly and rapidly. The first American man to reach the number one ranking after McEnroe was not Agassi or Pete Sampras. It was Courier.
But if the competitive grind was, in Courier's words, "simplicity," other matters proved more complex. The surrounding aspects of life at the top -- the commercial demands of sponsors, media et al -- were activities he seemed to tolerate more than relish. To be sure, Courier was candid, but not always one to suffer fools gladly.
Then came an awakening. Within months of retiring in 2000, Courier started work as an analyst with TNT and began to see the sport from a different end of the periscope. His education continued even more when he formed InsideOut Sports & Entertainment, the company that puts on events such as the PowerShares Series.
"You have to understand the 360 degree view of the sport," said Courier in San Jose shortly after conducting a clinic. Having undergone his own education as an entrepreneur and promoter, Courier believes aspiring pros would benefit greatly from inspecting ever corner of what goes on at a tournament -- from the TV truck and the media room to the transportation office. Asked what he would have done had he been told to explore these parts of the tournament, Courier concedes that, "Myopia is a job requirement for an athlete, but I think this education should be a condition for joining the tour. I wanted more than anything to be on the tour. If that's what it took to be part of it, I would have done it. A player needs to be a little more empathetic for all the parts and pieces that come together to help him play."
Joel Drucker: The Education of a Tennis Player
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John McEnroe arrives in London on the day that the man he beat in the final of last year’s Statoil Masters Tennis Legends tournament - Pat Cash - starts his 2012 campaign against Mats Wilander.
While McEnroe gets his campaign underway on Thursday, Cash and Wilander open the tournament at 1pm local time on Wednesday.
Cash and McEnroe could meet in the final again after avoiding each other in the round-robin stages. McEnroe has drawn Jeremy Bates and Ivan Lendl while Cash and Wilander are in with Henri Leconte. The top player in each group will meet in Sunday’s final. Between them, the six players have won 23 Grand Slam singles titles.
Over the years, Cash and Wilander faced each other nine times, with Cash leading their head-to-head 5-4. Their most memorable clash came in the final of the Australian Open in 1988. Cash was attempting to become the first home winner of the tournament since Mark Edmondson 12 years earlier, but he was defeated 6-3, 6-7, 3-6, 6-1, 8-6 in the final.
In the younger ATP Champions Tour event, Tim Henman and Goran Ivanisevic have been drawn together and will face each other on Saturday night as part of the Winter Whites Gala in aid of the charity Centrepoint. Henman, the defending champion, will meet the man he beat in last year’s final on Wednesday - Thomas Enqvist.
In the other group, Wimbledon runner-up Mark Philippoussis, former World No.1 Carlos Moya, who is making his debut at the event, and Frenchman Fabrice Santoro will battle it out for a final place. Philippoussis and Santoro will clash on Wednesday afternoon with Moya playing his first match on Thursday.
In doubles action on Wednesday, Ivanisevic and Bates take on Ferreira and Leconte in the afternoon, with Mansour Bahrami and Andrew Castle up against Peter McNamara and Santoro in the evening.
While McEnroe gets his campaign underway on Thursday, Cash and Wilander open the tournament at 1pm local time on Wednesday.
Cash and McEnroe could meet in the final again after avoiding each other in the round-robin stages. McEnroe has drawn Jeremy Bates and Ivan Lendl while Cash and Wilander are in with Henri Leconte. The top player in each group will meet in Sunday’s final. Between them, the six players have won 23 Grand Slam singles titles.
Over the years, Cash and Wilander faced each other nine times, with Cash leading their head-to-head 5-4. Their most memorable clash came in the final of the Australian Open in 1988. Cash was attempting to become the first home winner of the tournament since Mark Edmondson 12 years earlier, but he was defeated 6-3, 6-7, 3-6, 6-1, 8-6 in the final.
In the younger ATP Champions Tour event, Tim Henman and Goran Ivanisevic have been drawn together and will face each other on Saturday night as part of the Winter Whites Gala in aid of the charity Centrepoint. Henman, the defending champion, will meet the man he beat in last year’s final on Wednesday - Thomas Enqvist.
In the other group, Wimbledon runner-up Mark Philippoussis, former World No.1 Carlos Moya, who is making his debut at the event, and Frenchman Fabrice Santoro will battle it out for a final place. Philippoussis and Santoro will clash on Wednesday afternoon with Moya playing his first match on Thursday.
In doubles action on Wednesday, Ivanisevic and Bates take on Ferreira and Leconte in the afternoon, with Mansour Bahrami and Andrew Castle up against Peter McNamara and Santoro in the evening.
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World tennis No 4 and French Open winner, Rafal Nadal, has been out of action with a knee injury since Wimbledon in June.
He has already admitted that he is unlikely to play again this year, so what has he been up to?
Huffington Post UK Sport caught up with the 26-year-old tennis ace.
When will we see you on the tennis court again?
"I'm very happy that my knee has improved, especially with how it has come on in recent weeks. The most important thing is how I return and not when. Obviously, I want to return as soon as possible, but I will do it when I’ve one hundred percent recovered."
You're part of Team PokerStars’ now but how did you start playing poker?
"I started with friends, like almost everyone. At the end of the day, it’s a way of being with a group of friends, to laugh, to have fun with them. That’s how I started, spending afternoons and nights together, laughing and playing."
Do you think there are similarities between tennis and poker?
"Yes, poker is a game where you have to stay focused at all times, because if you lose focus rivals may have an advantage over you, as happens in tennis."
"Well, I like being surrounded by my friends enjoying myself and I think this sums up poker. You can spend a pleasant evening with friends playing poker. As I said in the previous answer, I'm a competitive person and poker is not just a game of luck, but one in which you take control of a situation if you know how to play well. It's a game that I practise and I have to keep improving. As you know, I'm "new" in this and have only been at it a couple of months, but I want to become a competitive player in poker."
How would you consider the fourth set at Roland Garros in the final against Djokovic as an important moment in your career?
"This set was important in that it won me my seventh Roland Garros. This is one of the most important accomplishments of my career to have made history. In this case, becoming the player who has won the most Roland Garros, and also by the fact that, after a series of defeats in the Grand Slam against the same player, in this case against Novak, to turn around a situation that I had started to reverse with victories in Monte Carlo and Rome. All that was missing was to end it with a Slam final. Maybe the fourth set was even more valuable after what happened in the third."
Was the 2008 final at Wimbledon the best game you've played?
"I don’t know. So they say. I do not know if it's the best game I've ever played, but it is one of the games I remember with most emotion, that's for sure. For all that it meant for me to win Wimbledon, and how it developed the game, it was a game within which virtually everything that could happen happened. First it was about control, with two sets up. Then we had to stop several times by rain. I had match points in the fourth set, some more clear than others, in which Roger hit some amazing shots. Of course there was the fact that I had lost the last two Wimbledon finals against Federer. All this made this victory even more special, besides being the first Grand Slam winning outside on clay. Therefore, yes, it is one of the most important moments of my career."
Was the defeat against Lukas Rosol in Wimbledon the worst moment in your career?
"Not at all. The defeats happen. A defeat is almost never your worst moment. Normally, the worst are injury or low moments than you can have. That defeat was coming off the back of a spectacular season. My knee was very badly affected after Roland Garros. I got a little depleted. Regardless of what might have happened to my knee, it was a defeat in the second round. I do not like to lose ever, but hey, maybe defeats are more painful in a final. Like in Australia this year, for example, when I lost against Djokovic, after fighting six hours, or when I lost at Wimbledon in 2007 against Federer in five sets also. I think in this situation it is more painful because you are closer to your ultimate goal, which is winning."
Do you see yourself being fit and ready to return to action in the Australian Open?
"We'll see. My priority when I return is to have my knee fully recovered, and if my knee is 100% ready to play in Australia, I'll be there."
Why are you such a staunch Real Madrid fan, rather than being a fan of your local team?
"Well, I follow Mallorca. Actually, I have been involved with the club for a while, whether directly or indirectly, but it’s a team that I have always followed. My uncle (Miguel Angel) played many years with them and it’s a club I love. Being a big fan of Real Madrid runs in the family. Since I was tiny, I’ve been a Madrid fan; I grew up with it at home with my father."
How did you feel seeing your friends, colleagues, rivals playing tennis while you've been injured and couldn’t play?
"It’s a part of my career. I think I had eight or nine spectacular years that I couldn’t even have imagined in my wildest dreams. I'm happy with everything that has happened and now this is something I‘ve had to face. You have to accept it and work with the best attitude to recover as soon as possible. I'll try to get back as soon as possible with the same enthusiasm and desire to play."
Rafael Nadal, World Tennis Number 4 And French Open Champion, On Wimbledon, Injury And Real Madrid
He has already admitted that he is unlikely to play again this year, so what has he been up to?
Huffington Post UK Sport caught up with the 26-year-old tennis ace.
When will we see you on the tennis court again?
"I'm very happy that my knee has improved, especially with how it has come on in recent weeks. The most important thing is how I return and not when. Obviously, I want to return as soon as possible, but I will do it when I’ve one hundred percent recovered."
You're part of Team PokerStars’ now but how did you start playing poker?
"I started with friends, like almost everyone. At the end of the day, it’s a way of being with a group of friends, to laugh, to have fun with them. That’s how I started, spending afternoons and nights together, laughing and playing."
Do you think there are similarities between tennis and poker?
"Yes, poker is a game where you have to stay focused at all times, because if you lose focus rivals may have an advantage over you, as happens in tennis."
"Well, I like being surrounded by my friends enjoying myself and I think this sums up poker. You can spend a pleasant evening with friends playing poker. As I said in the previous answer, I'm a competitive person and poker is not just a game of luck, but one in which you take control of a situation if you know how to play well. It's a game that I practise and I have to keep improving. As you know, I'm "new" in this and have only been at it a couple of months, but I want to become a competitive player in poker."
How would you consider the fourth set at Roland Garros in the final against Djokovic as an important moment in your career?
"This set was important in that it won me my seventh Roland Garros. This is one of the most important accomplishments of my career to have made history. In this case, becoming the player who has won the most Roland Garros, and also by the fact that, after a series of defeats in the Grand Slam against the same player, in this case against Novak, to turn around a situation that I had started to reverse with victories in Monte Carlo and Rome. All that was missing was to end it with a Slam final. Maybe the fourth set was even more valuable after what happened in the third."
Was the 2008 final at Wimbledon the best game you've played?
"I don’t know. So they say. I do not know if it's the best game I've ever played, but it is one of the games I remember with most emotion, that's for sure. For all that it meant for me to win Wimbledon, and how it developed the game, it was a game within which virtually everything that could happen happened. First it was about control, with two sets up. Then we had to stop several times by rain. I had match points in the fourth set, some more clear than others, in which Roger hit some amazing shots. Of course there was the fact that I had lost the last two Wimbledon finals against Federer. All this made this victory even more special, besides being the first Grand Slam winning outside on clay. Therefore, yes, it is one of the most important moments of my career."
Was the defeat against Lukas Rosol in Wimbledon the worst moment in your career?
"Not at all. The defeats happen. A defeat is almost never your worst moment. Normally, the worst are injury or low moments than you can have. That defeat was coming off the back of a spectacular season. My knee was very badly affected after Roland Garros. I got a little depleted. Regardless of what might have happened to my knee, it was a defeat in the second round. I do not like to lose ever, but hey, maybe defeats are more painful in a final. Like in Australia this year, for example, when I lost against Djokovic, after fighting six hours, or when I lost at Wimbledon in 2007 against Federer in five sets also. I think in this situation it is more painful because you are closer to your ultimate goal, which is winning."
Do you see yourself being fit and ready to return to action in the Australian Open?
"We'll see. My priority when I return is to have my knee fully recovered, and if my knee is 100% ready to play in Australia, I'll be there."
Why are you such a staunch Real Madrid fan, rather than being a fan of your local team?
"Well, I follow Mallorca. Actually, I have been involved with the club for a while, whether directly or indirectly, but it’s a team that I have always followed. My uncle (Miguel Angel) played many years with them and it’s a club I love. Being a big fan of Real Madrid runs in the family. Since I was tiny, I’ve been a Madrid fan; I grew up with it at home with my father."
How did you feel seeing your friends, colleagues, rivals playing tennis while you've been injured and couldn’t play?
"It’s a part of my career. I think I had eight or nine spectacular years that I couldn’t even have imagined in my wildest dreams. I'm happy with everything that has happened and now this is something I‘ve had to face. You have to accept it and work with the best attitude to recover as soon as possible. I'll try to get back as soon as possible with the same enthusiasm and desire to play."
Rafael Nadal, World Tennis Number 4 And French Open Champion, On Wimbledon, Injury And Real Madrid
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Dixon, 8, is a third-generation tennis player. Not only does Doege play but also her mother, Dixon’s grandmother. The 66-year-old was at an out-of-town tournament Sunday.
The Dixons were among several hundred who participated in the inaugural Ryan Harrison Invitational Sunday at the Centenary Gold Dome. The event was organized by A.T.L.A.S (Adult Tennis League and Social) Tennis, a not-for-profit group that offers tournaments and education to players of all ages and skill levels. Harrison, ranked 68th in the world, is from Shreveport, as is his brother Christian, also a professional tennis player.
The weekend included a dinner Saturday night and a tennis tournament, kids clinic and exhibition on Sunday. Part of the profits from the weekend will be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project, an organization that helps meet the needs of injured service members. At the Saturday night event, about $20,000 was presented to the organization, said Taylor Green, the event’s sponsorship director.
“Ryan Harrison is from here and there some legacy here at Centenary,” he said. “We had an idea to get a group of professionals to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Program.”
After discussions with Harrison, the event was planned. In addition to the Harrison brothers, other pro tennis players joined in: Ryan Sweeting, Scott Lipsky, and gold medalists and current U.S. Open men’s doubles champions Mike and Bob Bryan.
“I appreciate everyone coming out today,” Harrison said from the court after his match against Sweeting. “I want to keep this going.”
Green said the local tennis scene in the area has grown into its own community. With more than 1,000 people on their mailing list, planners hope that the event becomes a yearly philanthropic gathering.
“This sport is really a social environment,” he said. “So for the novice, it’s an opportunity to meet people and give back to the community.”
At the tennis courts next to the Gold Dome on Sunday, Adam Young and his wife, Lucy, watched their four daughters get tips from Harrison. While the girls, a set of 7-year-old triplets and a 4-year-old, could be taking ballet classes, tennis is something that is going to last them for their rest of their lives, Adam Young said.
The daughters have been taking tennis lessons since they were able to hold a racket.
“Tennis (is a sport) you can play for the rest of your life,” he said. “And the community here has great junior instructors.”
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