Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:51:01 -0400 http://tennis.topbuzz.com/ Tennis Topbuzz http://tennis.topbuzz.com/images//themes/tennis/images/tennis-topbuzz.jpg http://tennis.topbuzz.com/ davidyee@yahoo.com http://tennis.topbuzz.com/a-28.html Always so cool, so consistent, so in control of his emotions and his matches, Roger Federer amazingly let the U.S. Open championship slip from his grasp. Two points from victory against inexperienced, unheralded Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina, two points from a sixth consecutive title at Flushing Meadows and a record-extending 16th Grand Slam title overall, Federer, quite simply, fell apart Monday. He railed at the chair umpire. His legs grew weary. His double-faults mounted. He could not figure out a way to stop the 6-foot-6 del Potro from pounding forehand after forehand past him. In a result as shocking for who lost as how it happened, the sixth-seeded del Potro came back to win his first Grand Slam title by upsetting the No. 1-seeded Federer 3-6, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2. “Maybe I look back and have some regrets about it,” said Federer, never before beaten by anyone other than Rafael Nadal in a major final. “But, you know, you can’t have them all and can’t always play your best.” He had won 40 consecutive matches at Flushing Meadows. He had won 33 of his previous 34 Grand Slam matches. And he has made the final at 17 of the past 18 Grand Slam tournaments, 21 overall. Del Potro? This was the 20-year-old’s first Grand Slam final, and he was 0-6 against Federer until now. But after handing Nadal the most lopsided loss of his Grand Slam career in the semifinals Sunday, del Potro came back the next day and rattled Federer. “I would like to congratulate Juan Martin on an unbelievable tournament. I had a great one myself, too,” Federer said, “but he was the best.” That’s some compliment. Somehow, del Potro never seemed intimidated by the setting or the man many consider the greatest tennis player in history. The usually unflappable Federer argued with chair umpire Jake Garner during a changeover, using a profanity and saying, “Don’t tell me to be quiet, OK? When I want to talk, I talk.” He also got steamed while up a set and serving at 5-4 in the second. Del Potro tried a forehand passing shot that was called wide, but he challenged, and the replay system showed he was right. Federer kept glancing at the mark the shot left on the blue court, even into the next game, and del Potro wound up stealing the set. “That one cost me the match, eventually,” Federer said. Del Potro, meanwhile, managed to have the time of his young life, high-fiving front-row fans after winning one point, and reveling in the soccer-style serenades of “Ole!” ringing through the stadium. “When I would have a dream, it was to win the U.S. Open, and the other one is to be like Roger. One is done,” del Potro said during the on-court ceremony. Then, addressing Federer directly, del Potro added: “I need to improve a lot to be like you. I’d like to congratulate you for fighting ‘til the last point.” The 4-hour, 6-minute match was the first U.S. Open final to go five sets since 1999, and there were no early signs to indicate it would be this competitive—much less end with del Potro down on his back, chest heaving, tears welling, a Grand Slam trophy soon to be in his arms. He is the fifth-youngest U.S. Open champion and the first man from Argentina to win the event since Guillermo Vilas in 1977. Vilas was in the stands Monday, sitting one row behind Jack Nicklaus. One simple indication of the difference in age and status of the two finalists: The 28-year-old Federer’s guest box was full, with pals such as rock-star couple Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale and Vogue editor Anna Wintour seated alongside Federer’s parents, wife and agent. Only three of the 15 available seats were occupied in del Potro’s box. Federer took a 3-0 lead in 15 minutes, winning one point by racing about 5 feet wide of the doubles alley for a defensive backhand, then sprinting the other way for a cross-court forehand passing winner that he celebrated by yelling and shaking his fists. He even took time to watch a replay on a stadium video screen. Not quite the “Did he really just do that?!” sort of trick shot Federer pulled off against Novak Djokovic in the semifinals—a back-to-the-net, between-the-legs, cross-court passing winner to get to match point—but pretty spectacular, nonetheless. But del Potro eventually got going, swinging more freely and taking full advantage of Federer’s serving woes: 11 double-faults and a first-serve percentage of only 50. Used to traveling without a full-time coach, Federer generally is quite adept at making mid-match adjustments and dealing with opponents’ switches in strategy. But it was del Potro who realized he needed to put full belief in the strength of his 100 mph forehands and not worry about too much else. That tactic worked, and Federer never found a way to counter it, losing leads in the second set and the fourth set. He was up 5-4 in the fourth, and at 15-30 on del Potro’s serve, Federer needed only two more points to become the first man since Bill Tilden in 1920-25 to win the American Grand Slam tournament six years in a row. Del Potro held steady there, and Federer would never come that close again. While hardly a household name, del Potro was not an unknown in the tennis world. He burst onto the scene a year ago with a 23-match winning streak and four tournament titles in a row on hard courts, the surface used at Flushing Meadows. There also was a bit of a harbinger for this back when del Potro presented problems for Federer in the French Open semifinals in June, taking a 2-1 lead in sets before frittering that away. Federer went on to win the title at Roland Garros, his first there, to complete a career Grand Slam and tie Pete Sampras’ career record of 14 major championships. Federer then broke that mark by collecting No. 15 at Wimbledon. Thanks to del Potro, Federer will have to wait for No. 16. From mid-May until Monday, Federer had been 32-1 with four titles from five tournaments. Aside from the on-court success, Federer’s 2009 included getting married and becoming a father—of twins, no less. Quite a year. Still, one can’t help but ponder this: No man has won even three straight major tournaments in a season—much less all four—since Rod Laver’s true Grand Slam in 1969. Federer came close this year, his French Open and Wimbledon titles bookended by a five-set loss to Nadal in the Australian Open final and a five-set loss to del Potro in the U.S. Open final. This U.S. Open was Federer’s first Grand Slam event since his daughters were born, and he spoke proudly of quickly learning to change diapers and getting used to sleeping less. “Right now, I’m just tired,” he said after his loss. “I want to get a rest.” Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:51:01 -0400 http://tennis.topbuzz.com/a-27.html Kim Clijsters cradled the baby in one hand, the trophy in the other. The joy of motherhood. The joy of winning the U.S. Open. Clijsters made history Sunday night, capping a comeback from two years out of tennis to become the first unseeded woman to win the Open—and the first mom to win a major since 1980—with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over No. 9 Caroline Wozniacki. When it was over, Clijsters collapsed to the ground and started crying— tears of joy, probably mixed in with a little bit of shock, too. Her 18-month-old daughter, Jada, watched from a suite with a pacifier in her mouth, but later came down to the court to take part in the celebration. Guess what mommy got for you, sweetie! A Grand Slam title. “It was not really our plan,” Clijsters said. “I just wanted to start these three tournaments and get back into the rhythm of playing tennis and get used to the surroundings again.” Talk about your quick transitions. It was all quite a different scene from the night before, when Clijsters’ semifinal win over Serena Williams was decided on a point penalty, and the 26-year-old Belgian stood behind the baseline, looking bewildered as Williams ran over to shake her hand. Williams’ tirade may have been the talk of the U.S. Open. But Clijsters was the winner. This was her second U.S. Open title, the other coming in 2005—her last appearance at Flushing Meadows and before a spate of nagging injuries eventually drove her out of the sport and led her to start a family. Some might have called this the mother of all upsets, but by the time she reached the final, against the resilient but still-learning 19-year-old from Denmark, it was hard to view it that way. Clijsters beat both Williams sisters and two players seeded in the teens. She matched Venus and Serena power shot for power shot and showed she could play Wozniacki’s patient game—and play it better. This one was nothing like the Williams match—before it turned sour—which was filled with short, hard-hitting rallies in which Clijsters moved one of tennis’ best players at will and made her hit shots from places she normally doesn’t. Instead, it was a waiting game, and when Clijsters fell behind 4-2 in the first set, she showed she was willing to play it. A 29-shot rally here, a 25-shot rally there. Drop shots and lobs. Clijsters did that. Went for more, too, and finished with two more winners than unforced errors (36-34)—a good ratio on any day—and 26 more winners than Wozniacki. After getting back on serve, Clijsters held off two break points at 5-5, then broke Wozniacki for the fourth time to win the first set. The second set was easier and before they knew it, Jada was on the court posing for photographers. Clijsters didn’t even have a ranking coming into this tournament because she hadn’t played enough tournaments to get on the list. She’ll come in at around No. 20 when the new rankings are released this week, but probably won’t try to improve on that right away. “It’s the greatest feeling in the world being a mother,” she said. “I just can’t wait to spend next the few weeks with her and have her routine schedule at home again.” Her victory came over the first Danish player to reach a Grand Slam final, though Wozniacki’s greater claim to fame is that she has won more matches on tour this year than anyone. She played like a winner over two weeks in Flushing Meadows, including that 6-2, 6-2 victory that ended the magical run of 17-year-old Melanie Oudin, whose rapid rise was the story of the tournament for the first 10 days. Oudin left, then the Williams imbroglio took over. Clijsters made her headlines, too. The mother-on-a-comeback story was a winner all the way. Beneath the surface of all these stories might also be a referendum on the state of women’s tennis. If an unseeded mother who has been away from the game for two years can beat five top-20 players and win the U.S. Open, maybe the talent pool isn’t so deep. In fact, stories circulated recently that former No. 1 Justine Henin might be making a comeback, too. Could Evonne Goolagong Cawley be far behind? She was the last mother to win one of these Grand Slams, back in 1980 at Wimbledon. Clijsters last major title isn’t that sort of ancient history. It was only four years ago that she climbed into the stands and tightrope-walked across the railings to celebrate her first U.S. Open title. Same scene this time but with a few new players. There was her husband, American Brian Lynch, with whom she shared a long, sweet kiss. Then there was Jada, clapping her hands with that binky in her mouth. “We tried to plan her nap time a little later today so she could be here,” Clijsters said. Looks like she’s getting the hang of that motherhood thing, too. Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:35:59 -0400 http://tennis.topbuzz.com/a-26.html Roger Federer won his record 15th Grand Slam title Sunday, outlasting Andy Roddick for his sixth Wimbledon championship in a marathon match that went to 16-14 in the fifth set. Federer served a career-high 50 aces and overcame the resilient American 5-7, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 16-14 to break the record of major titles he shared with Pete Sampras and enhance his reputation as perhaps the greatest player in history. The match finally ended after more than four hours when Federer broke for the first time all day, with Roddick hitting an errant forehand. Federer jumped high in celebration, punched the air and whacked the net with his racket. Roddick tossed his racket to the side and the two men shared a hug at the net. Federer held up the trophy, kissed it and brought it close to his chest. Watching from the front row of the Royal Box was Sampras, a seven-time Wimbledon champion who flew in from California, his first appearance at the All England Club since playing on this court for the last time in 2002. Also on hand were Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver. “It’s not really one of those goals you set as a little boy, but man, it’s been quite a career and quite a month,” Federer said. “It feels amazing, but this is not why I’m playing tennis to break all sort of different records. But it’s definitely one of the greatest ones to have.” Turning to Sampras, Federer said: “Thanks very much for coming. I know it’s a long way, but you’re a member, man, we like to see you here. It’s such a pleasure to play in front of such greats legends.” Roddick said: “Sorry, Pete, I tried to hold him off.” Federer also reclaimed the No. 1 ranking he lost last year to Rafael Nadal, the man who beat him in the epic 2008 final but missed this year’s tournament because of knee problems. Federer is the third player to win six Wimbledon championships—Sampras and William Renshaw each won seven. This was the longest men’s Grand Slam final in history at 77 games— breaking the previous record of 71 from 1927 in Australia. It was also the longest fifth set in a men’s Grand Slam final in history, surpassing the 20 games from 1927 in France. “It was a crazy match with an unbelievable end and my head’s still spinning,” Federer said. “But it’s an unbelievable moment in my career.” Sun, 5 Jul 2009 15:00:09 -0400 http://tennis.topbuzz.com/a-25.html Daniel Nestor of Canada and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia won their second straight Wimbledon men’s doubles title Saturday, beating top-seeded American twins Bob and Mike Bryan 7-6 (7), 6-7 (3), 7-6 (3), 6-3. “It’s a great accomplishment,” Nestor said. “One of the first things I noticed was our name on the board, on the big plaque. Now we get it twice. It’s obviously going to be special to come back next year and see that.” Nestor and Zimonjic were playing in their third Grand Slam final together. Besides winning the Wimbledon title last year, they lost in the 2008 French Open final. This year’s final was the first time that Nestor and Zimonjic have played the Bryan brothers in a Grand Slam tournament. “It’s great to be able to play them on a big stage and be able to beat them,” Nestor said. The Bryan brothers, who have won seven major titles together, entered the match on Centre Court without having dropped a set at the All England Club this year. Despite holding serve throughout the first three sets, the brothers were broken in the second game of the fourth set and Nestor and Zimonjic held the rest of the way. “I haven’t lost serve in doubles or mixed in probably 2 1/2 years,” Bob Bryan said. “I didn’t make my first serves and they made some good returns. But you can’t make any excuses.” The difference was the way Nestor and Zimonjic held serve, Bob Bryan said. “It’s a game of inches and when you’re playing two guys who are serving close to 130 (mph), and you’re not getting a lot of sniffs on your return, it’s a dice roll,” Bob Bryan said. “They were the better team today and I have to give them a lot of credit.” Sun, 5 Jul 2009 13:45:58 -0400 http://tennis.topbuzz.com/a-24.html Serena Williams continued to add to her world's-best Grand Slam tally Saturday, beating Venus Williams in straight sets, 76(3) 62, in the Wimbledon final for the 11th major singles title of her career. The first set went completely on serve through the tie-break, with the No.3-seeded Venus the only one coming close to a break, holding double break point in No.2 seed Serena's fourth service game. In the tie-break it was Serena who came through though, racing out to a 6-2 lead and after barely missing a forehand winner on her first set point, pulling off a spectacular backhand lob winner on her second to tuck the opening set away, 7-3. The first four games of the second set went to the server too but from there an inspired Serena went on a tear while Venus seemed to lose her way, and the younger one reeled off four games in a row - including two breaks of serve, and an entertaining final game in which Venus saved three match points before succumbing - to win Grand Slam singles title No.11, her third Wimbledon. "It feels so amazing. I feel so blessed," Serena said to Sue Barker in her on-court interview. "I can't believe I'm holding this trophy. It's named for Venus. It hasn't settled in that I won yet. I'm so excited. Thanks to everyone for their support. I'm honored to be out here. I'm already looking forward to the doubles." "Today she was too good, she had an answer for everything. She played the best tennis today," Venus said. "I'm still smiling though, I don't think the loss has set in yet! I've had so many great times here. I love what I do and most of all I love playing these finals. I'll see you all again next year, of course." Serena becomes the first player in women's tennis history to save match point en route to a Grand Slam singles title three times, having done so at the 2003 Australian Open (against Kim Clijsters in the semifinals), the 2005 Australian Open (against Maria Sharapova in the semifinals) and right here at 2009 Wimbledon (saving a match point down 5-4 in the third set en route to a 67(4) 75 86 win over Elena Dementieva in the semifinals). Serena and Venus were both playing in their 14th Grand Slam singles finals, with Serena improving to 11-3 and Venus falling to 7-7. Venus had won 34 consecutive sets at Wimbledon, a stretch dating back to her 62 36 75 win over Japan's Akiko Morigami in the third round in 2007. Venus has won Wimbledon five times before, in 2000, 2001, 2005 and the last two years; Serena has the 2002, 2003 and 2009 titles. The only other players in the last 10 years to win here are Maria Sharapova (2004) and Amélie Mauresmo (2006). Sun, 5 Jul 2009 13:40:04 -0400 http://tennis.topbuzz.com/a-23.html She was the only blemish in Dinara Safina's 20-1 record since her April 20 ascension to the world No.1 ranking, and on Saturday Svetlana Kuznetsova was a thorn in her side once more, except this time on a much, much bigger stage. Kuznetsova beat her Russian compatriot at Roland Garros in straight sets for her second Grand Slam singles title. In Safina's first tournament as No.1 in late April, she made the final of Stuttgart, only to be dispatched in straight sets by Kuznetsova. She went on a tear from there, winning 16 straight matches - the longest winning streak on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour this year, and including a revenge win over Kuznetsova in the final of Rome. But their back-and-forth wouldn't be over just yet. Kuznetsova was building her own momentum at Roland Garros. She powered through her first three foes in straight sets then beat a trio of fellow seeds - Agnieszka Radwanska, Serena Williams and Samantha Stosur - in three sets, each time dropping the middle set before coming back to win the third. In the final, a No.7-seeded Kuznetsova was just sharper than No.1 seed Safina, who hit seven double faults and lost her serve six times. Kuznetsova was cool, calm and collected, and after a tight first set and tight start to the second set, she burned through four games in a row to complete a 64 62 title victory. "I came on the court and just played the match. Whether it's first or last match, I just do my best," Kuznetsova said. "I definitely have a lot of emotions right now but I'm controlling them. But the most important thing happened - I finally won here. My favorite tournaments are the US Open and here. It's very big for me." Kuznetsova's first Grand Slam singles title came at the US Open in 2004. She also has runner-up finishes here in 2006 and at the US Open in 2007, both to the now-retired Justine Henin. Her win over Safina in the final was her sixth career win over a No.1, having done it twice over Amélie Mauresmo, twice over Henin and now twice over Safina. She has been as No.2 herself. "I put so much pressure on myself because I really wanted to win. And I just didn't handle it," said Safina, now 0-3 in Grand Slam singles finals. "I was a little desperate on the court. I didn't do the things I needed to do. I didn't stay tough mentally. Against Sveta you need to be aggressive but I was passive. I lost myself. But there are so many matches in life. This was just a bad match." "She's an amazing athlete. She works very hard. One day she'll make it here," Kuznetsova said on Safina. "I respect her a lot. But she plays with too much pressure. I play just to have fun and enjoy it. It was the same when I went on court at the US Open. I thought, 'Everything's great. I'm doing the thing I love. It's my passion. It's my job. This is it.'" Russia truly began its domination of women's tennis in 2004, when three of the four major titles went to Russians, and two had all-Russian finals (Anastasia Myskina beat Elena Dementieva at the French Open and Kuznetsova beat Dementieva at the US Open). This will be the third all-Russian Grand Slam final. Sat, 6 Jun 2009 13:22:00 -0400 http://tennis.topbuzz.com/a-22.html TP World Tour No. 2 Roger Federer ended his title drought in style on Sunday with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over rival and reigning ATP World Tour Champion Rafael Nadal in the final of the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay-court tennis tournament. Four-time former Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Champion Federer earned 1000 South African Airways 2009 ATP Rankings points towards his bid to qualify for the season finale for a seventh time, while Nadal – who is virtually assured of his participation at the O2 Arena in London - received 600 points and €270,000. The 27-year-old Federer clinched his first ATP World Tour title since winning his hometown title in Basel (d. Nalbandian) in October 2008. The Swiss was contesting his 80th tour-level final and improved to a 58-22 lifetime mark after capturing his 15th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy. Andre Agassi holds the all-time record with 17 of the coveted shields, while Nadal is tied with Federer on 15. Federer will now turn his attention to winning a first Roland Garros title and believes the confidence from this win will give him an advantage going into the clay-court Grand Slam: “I am very happy that I remained positive and I got the win I needed badly because I have had some rather bad losses this year in terms of the way I played but I think that everything is falling into place and I felt it coming the last few weeks so it is the right time to get a victory like this.” Mon, 18 May 2009 01:26:15 -0400 http://tennis.topbuzz.com/a-21.html It seemed so far away a few days ago but after making it through the diffuclt times Anabel Medina Garrigues only picked up more steam, and on Saturday the Spaniard steamrolled Ekaterina Makarova in 60 minutes for the ninth Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title of her career. Medina Garrigues, seeded No.1 at the Grand Prix de SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem, held on the red clay courts of Fès, Morocco, began her campaign quickly with a 61 61 first round win over Camille Pin, but was nearly sent packing in her second round match, as Klara Zakopalova held three match points while leading 61 65; Medina Garrigues would save them all and win, 16 76(1) 63, before recording a tight 76(5) 76(5) quarterfinal win over Lourdes Domínguez Lino. In the semifinals, she had won the first set, 6-0, when Melinda Czink retired with gastrointestinal illness, propelling her into the final. Makarova, seeded No.6, wasn't troubled much en route to her first career singles final on the Tour, being pushed past 6-4 in a set just once and rolling over No.2 seed Alisa Kleybanova in the semifinals, 62 61. But she met her match in the final; Medina Garrigues only let three games go to deuce and she won them all, a quick break of serve in the 11th game being the Russian's breadstick. Medina Garrigues' experience in Fès was a near-repeat of what happened last year, when she saved match point in the early rounds against the tricky Sesil Karatantcheva and eventually made it to the final. But last year she finished a runner-up, losing to Argentina's Gisela Dulko in an extremely close two-setter. Now she emerges with her ninth career singles title on the Tour, having claimed Palermo four times (2001, 2004, 2005, 2006), Strasbourg three times (2005, 2007, 2008) and Canberra once (2006). She is now 9-5 in finals. The Spaniard, who came into Fès ranked a career-high No.18 in the world, is projected to rise to a new career-high of No.16 with the result, flirting with the world's Top 15. Makarova's best results on the Tour before this week were quarterfinals at Eastbourne, Forest Hills and Seoul, all last year. Kleybanova also had her best finish, her best prior results also being three quarterfinals last year, at Antwerp, here in Fès and in Eastbourne. They continued their best-ever weeks by winning the doubles title, both taking away their first Tour titles of any kind. The No.2 seeds, they saved four match points during an 18-16 match tie-break quarterfinal win then went on to win another match tie-break in the final, beating No.1 seeds Sorana Cirstea and Maria Kirilenko for the title, 63 26 108. Sat, 2 May 2009 19:43:36 -0400 http://tennis.topbuzz.com/a-20.html Argentine Guillermo Coria, a former World No. 3 and Roland Garros finalist, has announced his retirement from professional tennis. "I don't have the same desire to play tennis. I am happy with my family,” the 27-year-old Coria told Argentina’s Radio Continental. “I made my best effort at tennis.” Coria finished in the Top 10 from 2003-05, but struggled to maintain his form in recent years. He dropped to No. 116 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings in 2006, and after missing the following season with a right shoulder problem, managed to post just two match wins upon his return in 2008. Coria made his sole appearance this season in March at the ATP Challenger tournament in Bangkok, resulting in a straight-sets loss to Israeli Harel Levy. “In 2005 I began to feel less and less like competing,” said Coria in a statement on the Argentine Tennis Association website. “My passion just wasn't the same and it's impossible to do things well when it's like that. In this sport, you have to be at 100 percent.” The Argentine won nine clay-court titles in 20 tour finals since turning pro in 2000, his last triumph coming in 2005 at Umag (d. Moya). He reached the finals at all three clay-court ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments, highlighted by the title wins in 2003 at Hamburg (d. Calleri) and 2004 at Monte-Carlo (d. Schuettler). Shortly after seeing a career-best 31-match winning streak on clay come to an end against Roger Federer in the 2004 Hamburg final, Coria entered Roland Garros as the favourite to win the clay-court Slam. He held two match points against countryman Gaston Gaudio in the championship match before falling in an 8-6 fifth set. He peaked at No. 3 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings on May 3, 2004, and qualified for the elite eight-man Tennis Masters Cup from 2003-05. He joined countryman David Nalbandian as the first players from Argentina to finish in the Top 10 for three straight years since Jose-Luis Clerc accomplished the feat in the early ‘80s. “I’m very happy with the decision I’ve taken, since I have new projects and I will be able to spend more time with my family,” Coria said. Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:01:03 -0400 http://tennis.topbuzz.com/a-19.html Maria Sharapova's reputation as one of the most glamorous women in sports has led the tennis superstar to a number of magazine covers and several product endorsements and ads. Now it's landed her in her own hour-long reality program, as she will be featured in ESPN's primetime news magazine E:60's Maria Sharapova & Matthew Stafford: Extreme Makeover. The program pairs Sharapova up with Matthew Stafford, the University of Georgia quarterback who was the No.1 pick in this weekend's NFL Draft. Over the course of the program, Sharapova is challanged to give Stafford a complete makeover ahead of his cover shoot for ESPN the Magazine. ESPN's E:60 correspondent Rachel Nichols went behind the scenes in Los Angeles for a humorous and candid report on the makeover, which includes Stafford arriving at the shoot looking more like a disheveled college student than a future pro quarterback set to earn millions of dollars. Maintaining that his hair is off-limits, Stafford's makeover at the hands of Sharapova turns out to be much more than he bargains for, as he receives a great deal of fashion advice from the Russian tennis star. ESPN's E:60 is a weekly investigative journalism newsmagazine show. Airing since October 2007, the show covers stories that relate to both American and international sports. E:60's Maria Sharapova & Matthew Stafford: Extreme Makeover will premeire on Tuesday, April 28 at 7 PM EST. Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:29:05 -0400 http://tennis.topbuzz.com/a-18.html The All England Lawn Tennis Club unveiled its new retractable roof on Tuesday, ushering in a new era at The Championships that will allow for play to continue on Wimbledon’s famed Centre Court regardless of rain or poor lighting. Both played factors in last year’s Championship match between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer that spanned more than seven hours including rain delays, and concluded at 9:15pm. The translucent roof takes up to 10 minutes to fully close, and another 20 minutes is needed for the air-management system to stabilise the internal environment to ensure proper playing conditions. The new floodlights further assist in recreating an ‘outdoor’ atmosphere, while making it possible for matches to continue into the night. An all-star line-up of Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Kim Clijsters and Tim Henman will test the new roof and air-management system with live tennis in front of a capacity crowd of 15,000 at the Centre Court Celebration on May 17th. Ian Ritchie, Chief Executive of the All England Club, said: “The new Centre Court roof project has been a sophisticated engineering feat. Much of the testing is complete and we are now making final adjustments ahead of the Centre Court Celebration event on 17 May. That event is an important part of the testing procedure and will enable us to see how both the roof and air-management system actually perform under live conditions with a capacity crowd.” Also Tuesday, the All England Club announced an increase in its prize money levels for the 2009 Championships. The singles champion will earn £850,000, an increase of £100,000 from last year’s winner’s check. Total prize money for this year’s Championships, which begins June 22nd, has risen by 6.2 per cent to £12,550,000. 2009 Wimbledon Prize Money (in £) Singles Doubles Winner 850,000 230,000 Final 425,000 115,000 SF 212,500 57,500 QF 106,250 30,000 4th Rd. 53,250 -- 3rd Rd. 29,250 16,000 2nd Rd. 17,750 9,000 1st Rd. 10,750 5,520 Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:57:34 -0400 http://tennis.topbuzz.com/a-17.html Not many would find inspiration in a loss, but on the Spanish red clay Roberta Vinci did just that, bouncing back from a tough quarterfinal defeat to Jelena Jankovic in Marbella to go all the way to the title in Barcelona this week, beating finals veteran Maria Kirilenko for her second Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title. Vinci, one of the few players on the Tour who consistently comes into the net but also a strong clay court player - her first title came on the red clay of Bogotá, Colombia two years ago - pushed Jankovic to the limit in Marbella, saving four match points and pushing the Serb to a tie-break in the third set before finally succumbing to her. In Barcelona, Vinci blew through her first three rounds in straight sets - including a 61 62 drubbing of the tournament's second seed Flavia Pennetta in the second round - then rallied from 60 42 down against Francesca Schiavone in the semifinals to reach the final. She had little trouble against No.6 seed Kirilenko, beating the defending champion in just an hour and 11 minutes, 60 64. "I am so happy!" Vinci said. "It's such a great feeling to win again. It has been a long time since I played well. I felt good after Marbella - I had a good match against Jankovic and it gave me confidence coming here to Barcelona." Vinci's win over Pennetta - ranked No.14 in the world - went down as her sixth career Top 20 victory. But seeing as she had won two of their previous four meetings, that feat may not have been as impressive as her win over Schiavone - she was 0-3 against her countrywoman going into their semifinal match. Since winning her last title in Seoul in the fall, Kirilenko had a rough go of things, winning just four of 14 matches - none consecutively - and seeing her ranking drop almost 10 places. But it almost came together for her once again, as she won four matches - including over two of Spain's best, María José Martínez Sánchez and Carla Suárez Navarro - before the run came to an Italian end. It was a week of surprises at the Barcelona Ladies Open, which was in its third year as a Tour event. None of the Top 4 seeds made it to their quarterfinal slots, with No.3 seed Anabel Medina Garrigues withdrawing before her first match due to an abdominal strain, No.1 and No.4 seeds Alizé Cornet and Kaia Kanepi falling first round and No.2 seed Pennetta losing in the second round. No.7 and No.8 seeds Sara Errani and Sorana Cirstea lost before the quarterfinals too. In the doubles, Nuria Llagostera Vives and Martínez Sánchez fulfilled their expectations as top seeds nicely, beating all comers - including the unseeded pairing of Cirstea and Andreja Klepac in the final - to take home their third title of the year, their fourth overall. They have won titles at Bogotá once (2009) and Acapulco twice (2008, 2009). They now each have eight Tour doubles titles. Sun, 19 Apr 2009 13:40:29 -0400 http://tennis.topbuzz.com/a-16.html Reigning ATP World Tour Champion Rafael Nadal captured his fifth straight Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters title on Sunday with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 victory over third seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia in two hours and 44 minutes to extend his winning streak to 27 matches at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay-court tournament. The top-seeded Spaniard won his third ATP World Tour title of the 2009 ATP World Tour season and is the first player to win an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament five consecutive years and at 22 years of age he joins Roger Federer with 14 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles, second only to Andre Agassi’s record haul of 17. Nadal is also the first ATP World Tour No. 1 to win the Monte-Carlo title since Ivan Lendl in 1988 (d. Jaite) and received €434,000 in prize money and 1000 South African Airways 2009 ATP Rankings points for his fifth straight triumph. Nadal, who was appearing in his 43rd ATP World Tour level final, has now won 34 trophies putting him alongside Michael Chang in a tie for No. 15 place on the Open Era title list. He is now 23-1 lifetime in clay-court finals, with his only loss coming at Hamburg in May 2007 to Swiss Roger Federer. He has also won 43 straight matches on clay in the month of April since 8 April 2005. In an eagerly-awaited encounter, the 16th between the ATP World Tour No. 1 and No. 3-ranked players, Djokovic made three groundstroke errors in the first game that Nadal took advantage of by gaining a service break with a cross-court backhand winner on approach to the net. Djokovic responded by rushing Nadal into two forehand and one backhand error to get back on level terms at 1-1. Appearing in his eighth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final, Djokovic secured the first service hold of the match with a smash winner and well-placed ace down the middle for the third game. Nadal fought off one break point at 1-2, 30-40 as Djokovic hit a crosscourt forehand into the net off a short rally, but could not conjure up a suitable response to a Djokovic drop shot on the Serbian’s second break point opportunity. Nadal then reeled off five straight games with service breaks in the fifth, seventh and ninth games to take the opening set in 63 minutes. Djokovic received treatment for a lower back injury after saving four of five break points in the seventh game. Djokovic highlighted just why he is returning to top form by resisting a barrage of powerful groundstrokes from Nadal in the first game of the second set to secure a service break after a lengthy rally ended with a smash winner from Djokovic. The 21-year-old Serbian went on to extend his lead to 4-1 courtesy of a second service break with a backhand volley winner on approach to the net. Nadal kept battling hard but conceded his first set since his 2006 final win against Federer, when Djokovic hit two consecutive aces to wrap up the 42-minute second set. In a key first game of the third set, Nadal first recovered from a 0-30 deficit and then saved three break points – completing a 16-minute opening game with a forehand crosscourt winner. Djokovic opened up a 40-15 lead on serve in the second game, but saw that cut back by a forehand hit long and a double fault. Two further game points came and went before Nadal claimed a 2-0 lead when a Djokovic forehand hit the net tape and landed wide. Djokovic immediately hit a tennis ball out of the Monte-Carlo Country Club grounds, as a result he received a code violation from the chair umpire. The World No. 3 regained his composure and won the third game after Nadal hit two groundstrokes out on successive points. After 41 minutes of play in the third set Nadal flexed his muscles and won four straight games – dropping just three points – to wrap up victory in two hours and 44 minutes. Nadal is now just one Monte-Carlo title away from equalling England’s Reggie Doherty’s six titles (1897-99, 1902-04) at the Monte-Carlo Country Club, won at the dawn of the 103-year-old championship. The Spaniard has a 29-1 career record at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay-court tournament, with his only loss coming in 2003 to Guillermo Coria. The Mallorcan, who has ranked No. 1 since 18 August 2008, improved to 29-3 on the 2009 ATP World Tour season with other championship successes coming at the Australian Open (d. Federer) in January and at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells (d. Murray) in March. Djokovic was appearing in his first Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters final, having retired due to dizziness in the second set of his 2008 semi-final against Federer. The Monte-Carlo has a 8-4 tournament record. He was awarded €203,000 as runner-up and received 600 South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking points. “I think I've played a very good match, actually one of the best I have played against him on this surface,” said Djokovic. “It's really unfortunate that in certain moments I didn't play the way I was supposed to play, with a little bit more patience. I went for too much. He used his strength and his experience playing in the big matches and just waited wisely for his chances, then he used them.” Djokovic dropped to 26-9 on the 2009 ATP World Tour season after he appeared in his 20th ATP World Tour final (12-8). This year he won his 12th ATP World Tour title at Dubai (d. Ferrer) and also finished runner-up at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami (l. to Murray). “We are coming back again to the story of believing in yourself,” said Djokovic of believing he could beat Nadal. “I think there is where the key of playing him. You just have to be focused every single point because you have a player on the other side of the net that doesn't really give you any points. I mean, you could see him [at] 5-1 in the third set, he played like it’s 5-all. He really doesn't care about the result. He just wants to give his best every single point. That's why he's very unique and that's why he's the best now.” His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco attended the 103rd edition of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, which had a record attendance of 123,00 spectators during the week. Sun, 19 Apr 2009 13:26:18 -0400 http://tennis.topbuzz.com/a-15.html Second-seeded Klaudia Jans and Alicja Rosolska of Poland won the doubles title at the inaugural Andalucía Tennis Experience, taking out top-seeded Spaniards Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual in the final, 63 63. Jans collected her first Tour title of any kind; Rosolska had won one Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title before, also in doubles, with Latvia's Liga Dekmeijere last season at another clay court event in Viña del Mar. Medina Garrigues and Ruano Pascual are one of the top doubles teams around: among their four titles together is last year's Roland Garros crown. "I'm very happy with today's result. This was my fifth final and my second final of the year but I never won a doubles title on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, so today was a dream come true," Jans beamed. "We knew it would be tough to beat the Spanish team. They are a very good team but somehow we were quite confident. Our game has been improving and we knew we can do it." "This is the biggest success for us as a team," Rosolska said. "It is the first final we won together. We have been in a few finals before but this feels great. We came on the court knowing we had nothing to lose and we stayed focused the entire match. We played well and we did it!" PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL, USA - The unseeded pairing of Chinese Taipei's Chuang Chia-Jung and India's Sania Mirza were victorious in the doubles at The MPS Group Championships, upsetting No.1 seeds Kveta Peschke and Lisa Raymond in a competitive match tie-break final, 63 46 107. Both Chuang and Mirza had captured doubles titles on the Tour with other partners previously but this was the Asian pairing's first triumph together. "This was our second tournament together, so we have had a lot more match practice together," Mirza said. "Kveta and Lisa have been playing for a long time and they're really experienced, and we're really happy to have beaten them. We just played the big points better at the end. I think that was the difference." On their way to the title, Chuang and Mirza also upset fourth-seeded Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Nadia Petrova in the second round. Chuang now has 11 Tour doubles titles to her name; Mirza has eight. The second seeds, Peng Shuai and Yan Zi, were bounced in the quarters by Dekmeijere and Angela Haynes. Third-seeded Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko withdrew before their quarterfinal match because of a right forearm strain that Kateryna suffered in singles action. Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:22:34 -0400 http://tennis.topbuzz.com/a-14.html It didn't come easy but Jelena Jankovic won her first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title of the season at the inaugural Andalucía Tennis Experience, surviving a marathon in the quarterfinals and taking out Spain's Top 2 in the semis and final to wrap up the glorious return-to-form week. Jankovic, who was the second seed behind Serena Williams at the event, was coming off a disappointing start to the season, including losing her No.1 ranking after an early loss at the Australian Open and dropping her opening matches at Indian Wells and Miami. On the red clay of Marbella she turned things around, cruising through her first two matches of the week then winning three straight marathons to take the title, battling for over two hours to beat Roberta Vinci in the quarterfinals, 36 63 76(6), and Spanish No.1 Anabel Medina Garrigues in the semifinals, 75 62. Carla Suárez Navarro, Spain's No.2, had made her way into her first Tour final on the other half of the draw, beating Williams' conqueror - Czech Klara Zakopalova - along the way. She gave Jankovic mighty resistance with her gritty slow court game, extending rallies with her glamorous groundstrokes and tireless retrieving. But the world No.4 wouldn't lose her cool, even after going down a break early in the third set, taking the match - and the title - by a see-saw 63 36 63 scoreline. This was Jankovic's 10th career singles title on the Tour, and half of those have come on clay, beginning with her first ever title at Budapest in 2004. She has also collected large titles on the dirt at Charleston (2007) and Rome (2007 and 2008). Suárez Navarro continued to show the kind of promise she displayed in surprise runs to the quarterfinals of two of her first four Grand Slam events played, at Roland Garros last year (where she fell to Jankovic) and the Australian Open earlier this year (where she shocked Venus Williams in the early rounds). World No.1 Serena Williams' defeat to the No.95-ranked Zakopalova was a tough encore to her loss to Victoria Azarenka in the final of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami a few days earlier, where she was also hindered by a nagging leg injury. Zakopalova got her second and best career Top 10 win, having beaten a No.7-ranked Monica Seles in the early rounds of the Australian Open in 2003. Another player making noise was Sorana Cirstea, who was 0-6 on the season before Marbella, but made it all the way to the semifinals as the No.7 seed before falling to Suárez Navarro in three sets. The Romanian rising star upset No.3 seed Kaia Kanepi in a nail-biter in the quarterfinals, 7-5 in the third set. Poland's Klaudia Jans and Alicja Rosolska won the doubles title, going against their No.2 seeding and taking out No.1 seeds Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual in the final, 63 63. Jans collected her first Tour title of any kind; Rosolska had won one Tour title before, also in doubles, with Latvia's Liga Dekmeijere last season at another clay court event in Viña del Mar. Medina Garrigues and Ruano Pascual are one of the top doubles teams around: among their four titles together is last year's Roland Garros crown. "I'm very happy with today's result. This was my fifth final and my second final of the year but I never won a doubles title on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, so today was a dream come true," Jans beamed. "We knew it would be tough to beat the Spanish team. They are a very good team but somehow we were quite confident. Our game has been improving and we knew we can do it." "This is the biggest success for us as a team," Rosolska said. "It is the first final we won together. We have been in a few finals before but this feels great. We came on the court knowing we had nothing to lose and we stayed focused the entire match. We played well and we did it!" Sun, 12 Apr 2009 14:41:57 -0400 http://tennis.topbuzz.com/a-13.html Victoria Azarenka capped an unforgettable fortnight on Saturday, surprising Serena Williams to win her third and by far biggest Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title at the Sony Ericsson Open. Azarenka, who won her first two singles titles on the Tour earlier this season at International-level events in Brisbane and Memphis, cracked the world's Top 10 after making the semifinals of the equally-big BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells two weeks ago, although the seeds were already made for Miami, and she weighed in at No.11. That No.11 seeding didn't stop her from going all the way to her biggest career final, however, as she lost a total of only 16 games to her first four opponents then defeated No.8 seed and former Sony Ericsson Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in a marathon two-hour, 41-minute semifinal, 63 26 75. On the other side of the draw, Williams - ranked and seeded No.1, and a five-time champion at the prestigious tournament - was struggling, winning tight three-setters against Chinese stars Zheng Jie and Li Na in the fourth round and quarterfinals, then edging a No.5-seeded Venus Williams in a much-anticipated semifinal, 64 36 63. And although the American had a 2-0 record against Azarenka it was somewhat misleading: in their most recent meeting, in the fourth round of the Australian Open earlier this year, Azarenka had won the first set before retiring due to dizziness and illness midway through the second set. The stars were in line for Azarenka on Saturday, as the Belarusian pounded her huge groundstrokes deep up the middle and into the corners, while Williams - who was nursing a leg injury - just couldn't keep up. The first set was tighter than the score indicated but the second set was a rout; Azarenka's racquet went flying and she screamed in surprise after completing a shock 63 61 championship win. "It was such an honor to play Serena, she's just the greatest player for me," Azarenka said in near-disbelief during the trophy presentation. "Serena's a great champion. I love the way she plays and the way she is. I really wanted another chance to play her because in Australia we unfortunately couldn't finish. "I was so nervous in the last game. I couldn't believe I had match point. I was thinking, 'If I win this point, I don't even know what would happen next.' And then I double faulted. I'm just happy I could close it out in the end." Check out on-court and off-court photos straight from the Sony Ericsson Open in the Photo Gallery presented by Dubai Duty Free. Azarenka becomes the sixth teenage champion in the Sony Ericsson Open's history, joining an impressive list that includes Tour legends Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Venus Williams and Gabriela Sabatini. "This is really big. I would say it was the biggest moment in my career. I always wanted to get here, but I never thought I would. I guess my really wanting it made it happen. I've improved everything since last year. I just started believing in myself a little more, that I can win these matches and these tournaments." Williams was trying to become the first woman ever to win six singles titles in Miami. She is currently tied with Germany's Steffi Graf with five. "Even when I was down match point I thought I could still win; I didn't really know how, but I thought it was a possibility," Williams said. "I think she has really, really improved. I actually look forward to playing her again so I can do better. I'm not that bummed because I feel like there's next week and next year, then there's the year after and the year after. I definitely have it in me to try to tie that record, and then ultimately beat it." Like Indian Wells was two weeks earlier, Miami had its fair share of upsets, with the only Top 8 seeds reaching their expected quarterfinal slots being the Williams sisters and Kuznetsova. Jelena Jankovic lost in the second round to Gisela Dulko, while Dinara Safina, Vera Zvonareva and Ana Ivanovic all went out in the third round (to Samantha Stosur, Li and Agnes Szavay). Elena Dementieva was ousted in the fourth round by Caroline Wozniacki. Azarenka's win over Williams in the final, her first over a world No.1, was a fitting ending to the upset-filled fortnight. Mon, 6 Apr 2009 15:16:15 -0400 http://tennis.topbuzz.com/a-12.html ATP World Tour No. 4 Andy Murray won his third ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tennis tournament with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over No. 3 Novak Djokovic to become the first British champion at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami on Sunday. Victory for Murray earns the Scot 1000 South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking points, boosting his chances of qualifying for the elite eight-man field at the year-end Barclays ATP World Tour Finals – to be held at London’s 02 Arena. The result also moves Murray to within 170 points of the third-ranked Djokovic going into the European clay-court circuit - where Murray will drop just 520 points between ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo and Roland Garros, while Djokovic will lose 2,800 points in the same span. “I think any time you win a tournament, obviously it gives you confidence,” said Murray. “The Masters 1000s have always been after the slams, they're tough tournaments to win. Like all of your wins, it contributes to your confidence going into the slams.” Djokovic was looking to become the fifth player in the tournament’s 25-year history to win the Sony Ericsson Open title at least twice, after previously triumphing in 2007 with victory over qualifier Guillermo Canas. The Serb had earned his place in the final with a hard-fought three-set victory over World No. 2 Roger Federer in the semi-finals, while Murray had battled past Rafael Nadal’s conqueror – Juan Martin del Potro. In the two 21-year-olds' seventh meeting in Sunday’s final, Murray enjoyed a fast start to the match – immediately breaking his Serbian opponent to lead 1-0 as Djokovic miscued a forehand. With Djokovic struggling to settle into an early rhythm on his attacking play, Murray took full advantage of the Serb's unforced errors - while keeping his own game tight - and broke for a second time to lead 3-0 when Djokovic netted a drive volley. A love hold from Murray, who is just one week older than Djokovic, saw the Scot move into a 4-0 lead – reflecting a strong serving display that saw him drop just three points on serve in the first set. Djokovic served well to register on the scoreboard at 4-1, but Murray’s confidence continued to grow – as did his array of winners, including a slam dunk and an angled backhand pass off a powerful Djokovic forehand to move into a 5-1 lead. Djokovic saved one set point in the seventh game as he dug deep to hold for 2-5, before Murray confidently served out the set as he closed down the net to put away a forehand volley. Djokovic’s unforced error count continued to rise and the Serb was immediately under pressure at the start of the second set. Another backhand cross-court pass – a shot Murray used to great effect in the encounter – earned the Scot two break point chances at 15/40. Djokovic held on for deuce, and saved another break point chance later with a cutting forehand volley, but his hard work was undone as he double faulted to hand Murray a fourth opportunity. The Dunblane native took his chance as he rifled a forehand cross-court past the net-rushing Djokovic to lead 1-0. With the temperatures soaring on Stadium, a physically-struggling Djokovic consulted the trainer before stepping out to receive serve at 0-1. The Serb came out with more attacking impetus and a forehand winner earned him two break-back point chances at 15/40. A rare unforced error from Murray saw him net a forehand volley to bring Djokovic back level at 1-1 in the second set. In a complete role reversal from the first set, Murray’s standard of play dropped and the mounting unforced errors came from his racquet – while Djokovic made a marked improvement and reined in his errors. Three successive unforced errors from Murray saw Djokovic break to lead 3-1 and the Serb won his fourth straight game – after saving break point – as he held for 4-1. A lengthy sixth game saw Murray work hard for his second game of the set, saving two break points on the way. In a key ninth game, Djokovic served to level the match and an ace brought up set point for the right-hander at 40/30. Murray stepped up to the plate though with a well-hit backhand return to force the error from Djokovic. The Serb later squandered a second opportunity with a double fault and was made to pay the price as Murray went on to earn a break point chance, which he converted as Djokovic’s shot landed just wide of the sideline. A shift in momentum saw the fired-up Murray hold for 5-5 before creating three break point chances on Djokovic’s serve as he chased down a smash and his chopped forehand skimmed the net cord. A struggling Djokovic was then slow into the net and caught out by Murray’s passing shot at his feet to surrender his serve and trail 5-6. A 42nd unforced error from Djokovic saw Murray earn two match points at 40/15 in the next game and he secured victory as Djokovic placed a forehand volley long after one hour and 42 minutes. “Yet again, I was, I think, the biggest enemy to myself. I was struggling again and adjusting to the heat,” admitted Djokovic, who also struggled with the heat in his Australian Open title defense, when he was forced to retire ill against Andy Roddick in the quarter-finals. “I was really impatient at the start. Made a huge number of unforced errors, and he was just playing very solid and waiting for his chances and serving quite well, moving all over the court quite good. Then I managed to come back second set. I didn't play smart on the 5-3. I had two set points, and I could have served a bit better. He made some good returns on the first set point. On the other set point, double fault. Generally, I'm not really satisfied with the way I played today." Victory for Murray cut Djokovic’s head-to-head lead to 4-3, with the Scot now having won their past three encounters – including a straight-sets victory in the final of ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Cincinnati last season. Murray is the first player this season to win three ATP World Tour titles. He captured the Doha title (d. Federer in SF, Roddick in F) in the first week of the season and won his 10th title in Rotterdam the following month, when he defeated World No. 1 Rafael Nadal. Two weeks ago he finished runner-up to Nadal in the final of ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells. The only blemish on the Scot’s record in 2009 is a fourth-round exit at the Australian Open where, as a pre-tournament favorite, he was ousted by eventual semi-finalist Fernando Verdasco in five sets. Murray has the joint-best match-wins record on the ATP World Tour this season with a 26-2 win-loss record. Andy Roddick, who lost to Roger Federer in the quarter-finals this week, stands at 26-5. Since reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals (l. to Nadal) last July, Murray has compiled a sizzling 57-7 match record - the best mark on the ATP World Tour (Nadal is 50-7) in that stretch. He was contesting his fourth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final in the past five Masters 1000 tournaments and captured his first two titles at Cincinnati and Madrid (d. Simon). Murray attributed his great success to his improved fitness, saying: “Just gives you more confidence going into the matches knowing you're in good shape. I think just mentally it makes a difference. Even if you're struggling, you know your opponent is going to be feeling the same, as well, whereas before sometimes you could get tired and look over at the other side and the opponent seems fine. A match like today, there's obviously points - I mean, it was hot out there - a few long rallies and stuff I would be a little bit out of breath. I could look down the court and see him struggling, as well.” “I think physically he's moving much better all over the court,” said Djokovic of Murray’s improvement. “The balls he wasn't getting before he is now. The switch of defensive to offensive tennis in the points - he is really good, one of the best in the world. I think that makes him a much better player than he used to be.” Djokovic was bidding for his fifth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title, and his second ATP World Tour crown of the season after winning his 12th career trophy at Dubai (d. Ferrer) last month. He dropped to a 12-7 lifetime mark in ATP World Tour finals. Having reached the quarter-finals or better at six straight events, Djokovic has compiled a 22-8 match record on the season. Mon, 6 Apr 2009 15:12:46 -0400 http://tennis.topbuzz.com/a-11.html Seven-time Grand Slam champion and former world No.1 Justine Henin will reemerge from retirement this year, but not to come back to the courts. According to Belgian newspaper Le Soir, Henin is set to participate in two major programs on Belgium's RTBF channel. Beginning in May, Henin is reportedly going to star in a program entitled De Twaalf Werken van Justine Henin (The 12 Works of Justine Henin). The show revolves around Henin completing 12 personal challenges. The tasks include training with her favorite Belgian soccer team, RSC Anderlecht, taking to the catwalk for a fashion show, and cooking a complex meal. And Henin's television debut doesn't stop there. In early June Henin will also start hosting a music show that revolves around Belgian-Italian singer Lara Fabian. Additionally, Henin is rumored to have an upcoming guest role on the highly popular soap opera Plus Belle la Vie. She will play herself on the program. On May 14 2008, at 25 years old and ranked No.1 in the world, Henin abruptly announced her immediate retirement from the professional tennis circuit. Throughout her tennis career Henin won 41 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour titles and over $19 million in prize money. She was recently awarded triple honors at Belgium's Sports Gala, the country's most prestigious sporting occasion. Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:41:21 -0400 http://tennis.topbuzz.com/a-10.html Did you know that an estimated one in eight American women will be affected by breast cancer in their lifetime? Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, and tennis superstar Maria Sharapova today announced, the Company's "Pink" campaign, which will help raise awareness of breast cancer. Canon has created a special "bundle," including a PowerShot SD1100 IS Digital ELPH camera in pink melody, a SELPHY CP760 Compact Photo Printer, also in pink melody, a pink ribbon charm and a mammogram reminder magnet, provided by the American Cancer Society (the Society). The Company's "Pink" campaign celebrates Canon U.S.A.'s 10-year support of the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. For the month of October, Canon U.S.A. will contribute $150,000 to the American Cancer Society in recognition of breast cancer awareness month, which will benefit the Society's breast cancer awareness, research, patient service and advocacy programs. "Breast cancer is an important issue that affects too many women and it is critical to generate awareness, educate people about this disease and the importance of early detection and yearly mammograms," said Maria Sharapova. "I am proud to partner with Canon on this cause." "We are proud to be a 10-year supporter of the American Cancer Society, working together on such an important cause," said Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A. "The Society's commitment and dedication to fighting cancer through prevention, research, education and service is unparalleled." To learn more about Canon U.S.A.'s continued commitment to fighting breast cancer, visit www.usa.canon.com. To purchase a bundle kit of your own, while supplies last, visit the Web site at www.canonestore.com/pink. For additional information about breast cancer, visit www.cancer.org. Wed, 1 Oct 2008 13:11:36 -0400 http://tennis.topbuzz.com/a-9.html He has been variously described as vulnerable, beatable and, in extreme cases, finished. All season long, going back to the Australian Open, Roger Federer has taken it in and refused to make excuses. The mononucleosis virus that infested him is gone, but the effects clearly lingered well into the summer. Something was missing: His elegant, well-oiled movement, the crackling volleys, the sizzle on his forehand, the scintillation of his serve. On Monday evening, the vintage champion returned. Like Carl Sandburg's "Fog," he rolled in on little cat feet; his footwork was extraordinary. His running forehand was again a velvet hammer, his volleys sang and his serve was sometimes impossible to read. Federer throttled 21-year-old Andy Murray 6-2, 7-5 6-2 to win his fifth consecutive U.S. Open title, something that was last achieved 84 years ago by Bill Tilden. It was over in 1 hour, 51 minutes -- 13 minutes shorter than the two-set women's final -- the sporting equivalent of a bloodless coup. Spectators Jorge Posada and Johan Santana, even Tom Brokaw and Tony Bennett, surely, were never better than this. And when his last overhead could not be returned, Federer fell to his knees, screaming with joy. He pitched forward, rolled over to his back, struggled to locate his box, then fell back, covering his face with his hands. When he took them away, the score hadn't changed. He had won first Grand Slam in the last major of the year. "I would have been disappointed losing today," Federer said. "You feel you missed an entire year, being so close and yet so far, because semis and finals don't help me a whole lot anymore in my career. That's why this is huge -- this is massive, really. "It's a different type of flavor, this one, no doubt." And what did Murray tell Federer when he congratulated him at net? "I said that I agreed with everyone that he's had a terrible year," Murray said, drawing laughter. "I told him that he had a phenomenal year, regardless of what anyone said." The victory salvaged what has been Federer's most difficult season. He lost to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals in Melbourne, then watched him win the first Grand Slam of his career. Federer lost in the finals of Roland Garros and Wimbledon to Rafael Nadal, then saw him wrest away his No. 1 ranking. This title doesn't change any of that, but it will be immensely satisfying, nevertheless. Federer, who came into the season thinking he might equal or break Pete Sampras' all-time record of 14 major titles, now finds himself just one behind. At the age of 27, he is the first man to win five successive titles at two different Grand Slams. "It's been a tough summer," Federer said. "The French Open loss was brutal. Wimbledon, I was proud to be part of such a great match, but at the same time it just sort of made me sad, not having won that epic match. I lost quite a few matches I should never have lost. "To bounce back, straightaway, after losing the No. 1 ranking, is the best scenario ever." Murray won the boys singles title here in 2004, the same year Federer won his first title in New York, beating Lleyton Hewitt in a straight-sets annihilation that included two bagels. This wasn't quite as bad, but considering Murray's skills and his semifinal victory over Nadal, it was efficiently emphatic. "I'm disappointed right now," Murray said. "Wish I'd done a few things differently." Murray, who had won two of three previous matches with Federer, was working against the heavy weather of history. The last British man to win a Grand Slam title was Fred Perry, here, in 1936. Thanks to Hurricane Hanna, this was the first U.S. Open men's final to get pushed to Monday in 21 years, when Ivan Lendl defeated Mats Wilander. Federer benefited from the deluge, receiving 28 more hours of rest than Murray, who was forced to complete his semifinal match on Sunday. Federer came out for the match focused and firing. His serve was so surgically precise that he won the opening game by hitting only two balls from the baseline. Federer's footwork has long been overlooked and he has rarely been praised as the terrific defensive player he is. And yet, his break of Murray in the sixth game could be traced back to defense. Federer made a superb get, ranging far to his right. Not only did he get to the ball, but he hit it deep enough to force an errant forehand from Murray. That made it 4-2 and led to a capture of the first set in only 26 minutes. "I didn't feel like I was [previously] moving that well," Federer said. "On hard courts, my coordination was missing a little bit. Here, as the tournament went on, I felt I was moving better and better. That also gave me a lot of confidence being able to know I could play defense and offense." The match may have pivoted on a single point in the second set, with Federer serving at 2-all. Murray raced out to a love-40 lead before Federer saved the first break point. At 15-40, Federer hit a forehand that appeared long, but wasn't called by the linesman. A few strokes later, Federer hit a forehand winner to make it 30-40. A subsequent replay showed the ball to be well long, but because Murray didn't challenge the call immediately, the point remained Federer's. If it had been called out as it should have been, Murray would have earned a break and the complexion of the match might have changed dramatically. "It was tough at the time," Murray said. "I mean, partly my fault, I didn't challenge the call." Should a player have to challenge, just to get the correct call -- or should the system be tweaked to make all calls? "No," Murray said. "I think it works pretty well. Sometimes in a point it's rough to stop the point when you're in it, just to have a look." As it was, Federer broke Murray at 5-6, lacing a running forehand down the line as Murray stood frozen at net. The third set wasn't even remotely close. On court, Murray called Federer the greatest player ever. Afterward, he provided evidence. "I was watching on the TV against [Igor] Andreev," Murray said. "They said when he wins the first set, he's won 144 matches and lost four. In the big tournaments, he never has early losses. He's been so dominant in terms of ranking." Federer reiterated what has become his mantra in recent months -- in the constant face of doubters -- that he never lost faith in his ability to win the major tournaments. "I don't think it got to me, but I was aware of it," Federer said. "I'm a bit disappointed. Sometimes to a point a bit annoyed because all sorts of crazy people started writing to me, telling me I need some help, either mentally or physically. It's just a pain. Mon, 8 Sep 2008 23:40:18 -0400 http://tennis.topbuzz.com/a-8.html Rafael Nadal ended Roger Federer’s dream of a record-breaking sixth consecutive Wimbledon mens’ singles title tonight with victory in an epic final. The Swiss maestro battled back from two sets down and twice saved match point before the 22-year-old Spaniard finally prevailed 6-4 6-4 6-7 6-7 9-7 in very dark conditions on Centre Court. Nadal fell onto his back and roared in triumph as Federer hit the ball into the net to bring to an end the four-and-three-quarter hour tussle. The match was the longest mens’ singles final in Wimbledon history, and the 15,000 spectators on the historic court rose to their feet to acknowledge the titanic efforts of both men. Nadal clambered into the stands and Royal Box and to thank his family and coaching team for their support, before returning to the court to receive the winner’s cup. “It’s impossible to describe how I feel,” he said. “For me it’s a dream to play in this court, but win – I never imagine this.” He thanked his opponent for the game and paid generous tribute to him, saying Federer was “still number one, still the best”. Heavy showers delayed the start of the match and forced the players off the court twice, first when Federer was two sets down. The break seemed to give the 26-year-old a chance to regroup and he came back to take the next two sets on tie breaks. With the match on a knife edge in the fifth set, the heavens opened again, and there were fears the game would have to go into a second day. But with dusk gathering and flash bulbs firing in the gloom, Nadal earned a crucial break of serve and held on to win. Bjorn Borg was in the crowd to watch Federer attempt to beat his record of five straight singles titles, but the left-hander from Mallorca was eventually too much for him – just. “I tried everything,” Federer said, “Rafa is a deserving champion. “It has been a joy to play here again. Pity I couldn’t win it, but I’ll be back again next year.” Fine weather held for the majority of the fortnight, and near record-breaking numbers of spectators streamed through the turnstiles. Drawn in by sunshine and – albeit modest – British success, 475,812 fans came to enjoy the 122nd Championships, beating the previous best for a 13-day tournament by 5,010. The 2001 competition saw a total crowd of 490,081, boosted by play running over into an extra day. Sun, 6 Jul 2008 19:54:13 -0400 http://tennis.topbuzz.com/a-7.html Not long after losing to her older sister in the Wimbledon final, Serena Williams was already gathering the information she’ll need to beat Venus the next time they face each other. Venus, who won her fifth Wimbledon title by beating Serena 7-5, 6-4 Saturday, repeatedly hit big serves into Serena’s body to defeat her sister for the first time in three Wimbledon finals. “I think that was her tactic, was to serve every ball into the body,” Serena said. “I’m glad she did it, because next time I know what to expect. I think I did good with getting them back. “I think I got a lot of those in-the-body serves. … But I know next time playing what to expect, and I’ll be even more ready for it.” Serena beat Venus the first two times they met in the Wimbledon final, in 2002 and ‘03, and led their head-to-head series in Grand Slam finals 5-1 going into the match on Centre Court. Chalk up another one for big sis, however, even though Serena jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first set. “I just lost rhythm and then I just made a lot of errors,” Serena said. “I just couldn’t get the balls in. Nothing I was doing was seeming to work.” The Williams sisters dominated tennis early in the decade, playing each other in six Grand Slam finals from 2001-03. Venus won the first one, at the 2001 U.S. Open, and Serena took the next five. But all those matches playing against each other for major championships hasn’t made it any easier for Serena to play her older sister. “I just look at her as another opponent at the end of the day,” said Serena, an eight-time Grand Slam champion. “I don’t think it’s harder, but it’s definitely not easier.” Serena again went up a break in the second set Saturday but couldn’t hold on. After she hit a backhand wide on the second match point, Venus was muted in her celebrations. “I’m definitely more in tune with my sister’s feelings because one of us has to win and one of us has to lose,” Venus said. “Of course the celebration isn’t as exciting because my sister just lost.” Serena, glumly walking back to her chair to put on her trench coat, didn’t even notice what her sibling was doing. “I didn’t see any celebration,” Serena said. “I just kind of went over to my chair, so … I wasn’t paying attention.” Serena was able to celebrate on Centre Court later Saturday, because she and Venus teamed to win the doubles title over Lisa Raymond of the United States and Samantha Stosur of Australia 6-2, 6-2. After match point, Serena raised her arms and hugged Venus. “Serena thinks everything is supposed to go her way, that’s the bottom line,” said her mother, Oracene Price, who sat in the players’ guest box for both matches. “She thinks that’s the way it’s supposed to go in life. But this is life. “She’s going to have to learn how to suck things up,” Price added. “Say, ‘OK, I’m not going to win everything. I just got to be, this is going to make me a better person, this will build character for myself and I have to learn how to lose.”’ Sun, 6 Jul 2008 18:32:21 -0400 http://tennis.topbuzz.com/a-6.html By the fourth game, Rafael Nadal had Roger Federer kicking the clay in frustration. By the second set, the normally stoic Federer was screaming at himself. The drubbing went on from there. Nadal won his fourth consecutive French Open title in a rout Sunday, again spoiling Federer’s bid to complete a career Grand Slam. Dominating the world’s No. 1 player with astounding ease, Nadal swept six consecutive games early in the match and swept the final nine games to win 6-1, 6-3, 6-0. It was Federer’s worst loss in his 173 Grand Slam matches, and the shortest Roland Garros men’s final in terms of games since 1977. So thorough was the thumping that during the trophy ceremony, Nadal was moved to apologize. “Roger, I’m sorry for the final,” Nadal said. For the No. 2-ranked Nadal, it was merely another in a series of dominating victories. He lost only 41 games in seven rounds. “I’ve hoped I could have done better today than four games,” Federer said. “But Rafael was very strong this year.” The Spaniard became the second man to win four consecutive French Open titles. Bjorn Borg did it in 1978-81. “Winning four times in a row is incredible,” Nadal said. He improved to 28-0 at Roland Garros, where he has won 83 of 90 sets. Only six-time champion Borg won more French Open men’s titles. And Nadal became the first man since Borg in 1980 to win the tournament without dropping set. “He dominated the tournament like never before, like Bjorn,” Federer said. Borg watched the final from the front row. Much of the crowd rooted for Federer, who arrived in Paris for the fourth consecutive year seeking to become the sixth man to win all four major titles. Each time he has lost to Nadal—in the semifinals in 2005, and in the final each of the past three years. Federer conceded the latest defeat shakes his belief he can win Roland Garros. “After a loss like this, you don’t want to play Rafa again tomorrow, that’s for sure,” Federer said. Fans chanted “Ro-ger! Ro-ger!” between games, but Nadal earned their cheers, too. He won 24 of 27 points to take a 2-0 lead in the second set as a desperate Federer tried everything to reverse the tide. But when Federer played serve-and-volley on a second serve, Nadal lunged to hit a lob into the corner for a winner. When Federer tried to chip and charge off a return, Nadal passed him with a backhand. And when Federer settled for playing from the baseline, he had little chance. It’s tough to hit shots where the relentless Nadal can’t reach them, and Federer probably tried too hard, with uncharacteristic errors flying from his racket. “When you really cannot play your game, and he can play exactly what he wants from the baseline, you end up with scores like this sometimes,” Federer said. “He hardly made unforced errors, and when he’s on the attack, he’s lethal.” Sun, 8 Jun 2008 14:00:53 -0400 http://tennis.topbuzz.com/a-5.html At last, Ana Ivanovic overcame her stage fright. In two previous major finals, Ivanovic was so overwhelmed by the setting, so shaken by the stakes, that her focus fell apart and her shots went awry. Not on this day. Already assured of rising to No. 1 in the rankings for the first time, Ivanovic collected Grand Slam title No. 1 by beating Dinara Safina 6-4, 6-3 in the French Open final Saturday. Rather than erasing the memories of those lopsided losses in championship matches against Justine Henin at Roland Garros a year ago and against Maria Sharapova at the Australian Open in January, Ivanovic used the bitterness to help her. “Many, many people ask me, ‘Oh, you want to forget last year’s final?’ But I don’t, because it was a great learning experience,” said Ivanovic, a 20-year-old from Serbia. She won only three games against Henin, then eight against Sharapova, and said of the latter defeat: “I had a few sleepless nights after that.” “My personality is I tend too much to think about what will be, and try to think too much in advance, which is definitely not too good,” Ivanovic said. “So I found that breathing helps me to go back in a moment and just enjoy that very moment.” That’s what carried her through the tightest of times against the 13th-seeded Safina, the younger sister of two-time major champion Marat Safin. In the men’s final Sunday, No. 1 Roger Federer will meet No. 2 Rafael Nadal in their third consecutive title match at Roland Garros. Nadal seeks a fourth French Open championship, and Federer is hoping to complete a career Grand Slam. Ivanovic was a point from taking a 5-1 lead in the first set when Safina showed some spark, using a running forehand winner and a swinging volley winner to get to break point. Ivanovic then dumped a forehand into the net, and 10 minutes later, when Safina smacked a backhand winner down the line, suddenly the score was 4-all. “It was tough, because a lot of emotions build up inside,” said Ivanovic, who was seeded No. 2 behind Sharapova at the French Open but will pass her in Monday’s rankings. “All of a sudden, you’re equal again. So to keep my composure at that point—it was huge for me.” In the very next game, Ivanovic broke back with a backhand winner of her own, then pumped her fist and let out one of her many yelps of “Hajde!” (sounds like “HIGH-deh!”)—Serbian for “Come on!” “Once you are on the court—it’s much easier said than done—but you have to be a killer,” Ivanovic said through a wide smile. “You have to put them under pressure and show your presence and stuff.” It might have helped Saturday that the recently retired Henin was in the front row in a red jacket, not on the court wielding a racket. Safina sure can wallop the ball, but she’s hardly as complete a player as four-time French Open champion Henin, and never made it past the quarterfinals at any Grand Slam tournament until this one. Nonetheless, Safina was trying to become the first woman to win a major title after having saved a match point against two opponents. Against both Sharapova in the fourth round, and No. 7 Elena Dementieva in the quarterfinals, Safina trailed by a set and 5-2 in the second set, then was a point from losing at 5-3, before coming all the way back to complete the upsets. Those were part of a 12-match winning streak Safina carried into Saturday, including six victories over top-10 opponents. “This time? I tried,” Safina said, “but I didn’t have any more of that fire.” Sat, 7 Jun 2008 18:23:35 -0400 http://tennis.topbuzz.com/a-4.html When Justine Henin announced her retirement last week, the No. 1-ranked female tennis player demonstrated that her command of her life is as sure-handed as her sporting dominance once was. "It's my life as a woman that starts now," Henin said, refreshingly sans the blubbering that accompanies the retirement announcements of any number of male team-sports icons, their ballgames over, their future one big cloud of uncertainty. Henin seemed like anything but the prototypical athlete with plenty of desire, but waning physical skills. Rather, she cited the absence of desire to keep up the necessarily punishing training regimen and endless practice sessions as key reasons for her decision. Henin spoke matter-of-factly and without tears about relief, not sadness, about "a page that's turning." Her decison no doubt was difficult to conjure with for those given to seeing the close of an athletic career, especially such a brilliant one, as a metaphorical death. "I think I will take a long, real vacation," Henin said. "I'm going to appreciate going for a run with nothing at stake, just doing it for pleasure. I've never put my feet in skis, and next year I think I'll be doing it the whole winter. "I want to rediscover the small pleasures, not look at my watch all the time because I have to get to training the next day." Sounds like someone saying, 'Yes,' to life to me, not grieving the end of a career. Some were shocked Henin would abandon tennis so abruptly -- at age 25, and less than two weeks before the French Open, the major she won four times in her brilliant, if brief career. But it's not so unusual for tennis players --many of whom become stars in their early teens -- to get on with their lives well before they hit 30. Sweden's Bjorn Borg was done at 26; so was Argentine Gabriela Sabbatini. Last year, Kim Clijsters retired at age 23 to raise a family. Tunnel vision is a requirement for athletes across the wide spectrum of sport, but the focus seems especially narrow and intense for tennis players. Unlike baseball, basketball, hockey or football players, who live within the well-defined structure of continental schedules, the surrogate "family" of the team, aided by large staffs who deal with all manner of concerns, the tennis player travels the world alone, by comparsion. As well, there are few, if any home games for the tennis star. The commitment must be total to remain on top. Sure, they have coaches and family members that share their nomadic existence. And there is support from the tennis tours they compete on. But there surely aren't teammates to depend on for company, for solace, or to carry them for a shift, a game, a series, when their own game is slumping. In team sports, the athlete hanging on past his or her prime is a hoary cliche. It's also more or less passe, what with advances in nutrition, training methods and all the rest of it. In this age of the personal trainer and the multimillion-dollar salary, 46-year-old Chris Chelios, an overgrown kid at heart, can train off-season after off-season and keep playing indefinitely. Last year, Henin played through her divorce from Pierre-Yves Hardenne and rapprochement with her father, Jose, and other family members, while winning the French and U.S. Opens in her final full season. Now she wants to smell some flowers, live a life. Mon, 19 May 2008 03:23:26 -0400