Category: Tennis (Page 20 of 27)

      Federer sends a message

      May 17, 2009 /

      fed

      Earlier today, Roger Federer ended Rafael Nadal’s 33-match clay winning streak when he beat the Spaniard in the finals at the Madrid Open. The victory should serve as a huge confidence boost for Federer who many predict will face Nadal once again at the French Open next week. Nadal has won that Grand Slam four years in a row.

      The second-ranked Federer broke a sluggish Nadal once in both sets before firing his sixth ace to win his 15th Masters Series title on the second match point. Federer also won here in 2006 when the event was played indoors on a hard court.

      “There are no positives, there is little to analyze,” said Nadal, the 2005 champion. “He broke and broke and I went home.”

      It was only the second victory Federer has on clay against his top rival, with the other coming at the Hamburg final two years ago. The win also ended Federer’s five-match losing streak to Nadal, a stretch that included losses in the finals at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and Australia.

      Federer called his first win over Nadal since the 2007 Masters Cup “very satisfying.” Especially after being left in tears in February following his defeat to Nadal at Melbourne.

      Federer, who is also the only top-10 player to have ever beaten Nadal on clay, saved two Nadal break chances before converting his first try in the ninth game.

      While this is a big win for Federer, I wouldn’t read too much into this if you’re expecting Nadal to flounder at the French Open. Nadal played a grueling four-hour match yesterday in the semifinals against Novak Djokovic and has been bothered by pain in his knees. Like Federer at Wimbledon, Nadal understands the surface at Roland Garros better than any tennis player. Barring any unforeseen injury, I’d count on Nadal to nab his fifth consecutive title at Roland Garros and second Grand Slam of the 2009 ATP calendar.

      Tennis

      Tennis players screw up too

      May 13, 2009 /

      rich

      I just wanted to post this to prove that tennis players are not infallible. We’re constantly hearing about how baseball players juice, basketball players smoke the pot, football players shoot themselves, etc. So, it sort of pleases me in a weird way that French tennis player Richard Gasquet was suspended Monday following a positive cocaine test and will miss the French Open.

      The International Tennis Federation expects to have a panel in place within 60 days for a hearing. Gasquet could face a two-year ban if found guilty.

      The 22-year-old player is gathering evidence to prove his innocence despite two samples testing positive. He said a separate test of his hair samples May 7 showed no trace of cocaine. Cocaine traces were found in Gasquet’s urine sample at the Sony Ericsson Open, in Key Biscayne, Fla., in March.

      “He’s suspended until the end of the hearing,” ITF spokesman Neil Robinson said. “We’re now assembling an anti-doping tribunal. The ideal time frame is within 60 days, but people have to fly in from all over the world for it.”

      The French Open, the year’s second major, begins May 24 and the French Tennis Federation withdrew Gasquet’s name after the provisional suspension.

      Gilbert Ysern, director general of the French federation, said the test was considered an in-competition control, meaning Gasquet could face a two-year ban if found guilty. A player who tests positive for cocaine out of competition would face a reduced penalty.

      Jeez. The ATP Tour doesn’t screw around now does it? Gasquet faces suspension for two years for using a substance that wasn’t even a performance-enhancing drug. Two years for a drug a quarter of the NFL probably uses nightly. Gasquet’s a talented player so it’s unfortunate a decision he made which has nothing to do with tennis can ultimately affect his career. Alex Rodriguez and Miguel Tejada straight-up admitted to using steroids and Bud Selig lets them play whenever they want. Something’s not right.

      Here’s hoping his suspension is lenient.

      Tennis

      Nadal wins 4th Rome Masters title

      May 3, 2009 /

      In extending his winning streak on clay to 30 matches, Nadal captured a record 4th Rome Masters championship. He defeated defending champion Novak Djokovic in straight sets.

      “I had my chances,” said Djokovic, who rallied to beat Roger Federer in the semifinals. “He overcomes the pressure better than me, that’s why he’s the best in the world. But overall, I’m pretty happy with the week.”

      Nadal broke an Open Era tie with Thomas Muster, who won Rome titles in 1990, 1995 and 1996. Jaroslav Drobny and Martin Mulligan also each won three titles before the Open Era.

      Rome is a key warmup for the French Open, which begins in three weeks with Nadal the four-time defending champion.

      Nadal broke serve in the opening game of the match, but Djokovic had his chances in the first set before losing control for good in the tiebreaker, sending a weak backhand drop-shot attempt into the net on Nadal’s third set point.

      Nadal improved his Rome record to 22-1 and is a tour-best 38-3 this year, winning five of the eight tournaments he’s entered.

      It was his 15th Masters Series title, one more than Roger Federer and two shy of Andre Agassi’s record of 17.

      So, I’m just throwing this out there: Who do you think will win the French Open this year? My money is on 648th-ranked Darko Madjarovski from Serbia though something tells me my notions are misguided. I’ll say Nadal comes out on top, but not before a challenging five-setter from Serbia’s favorite son.

      Tennis

      Lucky blokes: Wimbledon prize money increases

      April 26, 2009 /

      business

      Even though the British pound has dropped 25 percent against the dollar and 11 percent against the euro since last year’s Wimbledon, the fine folks at the All England Club have decided to increase the prize money by 6.2 percent for this year’s tournament.

      The prize for each of the men’s and women’s champions went up by 13.3 percent to 850,000 pounds ($1.24 million), organizers said Tuesday, but the pound’s weak exchange rate means that translates to a reduction in dollars of 17 percent from last year’s $1.49 million.

      Buoyed by a new television contract in Asia and the extension of its commercial agreement with IBM, the tournament has also raised the total prize fund for the June 22-July 5 tournament by 6.2 percent to 12.55 million pounds ($18.38 million).

      But that still compares unfavorably to last year’s $23.46 million despite the increase being nearly double the 3.4 percent hike the All England Club managed 12 months ago.

      All England Club chairman Tim Phillips said the event was doing what it could to help offset the weakened exchange rates and maintain the prestige among players of the only grass-court Grand Slam.

      “Most of the players here don’t bank in sterling,” Phillips said. “We have to be mindful of the fact that a year ago it was $2 to the pound.”

      It’s strange to hear that the value of the pound is dropping against the dollar — it’s usually the other way around. As a result, the likely winners of the 2009 Wimbledon tournament will actually receive less money than they would have in 2008. That is, of course, unless they’re from the UK, and the greatest hope there lies in Andy Murray. So, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokavic, Serena Williams, and Dinara Safina, the All England Club apologizes in advance. Still, $1.24 million (936,609 euro) should be enough to brighten your spirits.

      Despite these monetary woes, the All England Club has invested a good deal of sterling into tennis’ premier event. This year’s Wimbledon will see the unveiling of the brand new retractable roof over Centre Court.

      Tennis

      Nadal wins another tournament

      April 26, 2009 /

      Once again proving his dominance not just on clay, but over the entire ATP Tour, Rafael Nadal won his fifth straight Barcelona Open title.

      ATP World Tour Champion Rafael Nadal won a fifth successive title at the Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell after defeating fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 6-2, 7-5 Sunday in a repeat of the 2008 final. As the winner of the ATP World Tour 500 tennis tournament, Nadal collected € 286,000 and 500 South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking points.

      The 22-year-old Mallorcan clinched his 35th ATP World Tour title (35-9 in finals) and 24th on clay. Last week, he captured his 14th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title on clay at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, where he has won each year since 2005.

      Nadal was solid throughout, playing smoothly on his favored court surface and in his home country, no less. With this win, he extended his clay-court winning streak to 25 and hasn’t lost on the surface since May of last year in Rome.

      Nadal, perhaps unwillingly, can now take a moment to breathe. He’s comfortably sitting 4,630 points ahead of Roger Federer in the rankings.

      Tennis

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