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No Guarantees In Sport, But Nadal Comes Close

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We are told that success in sport is never guaranteed. Those quick to reel out said words of warning can point to various examples throughout history of odds being bucked in order to support their argument.

Just when you think a certain result is set in stone, along comes a Buster Douglas to stun Mike Tyson, the New England Patriots to rip up the Greatest Show on Turf or an FA Cup giant killing to rival Leicester City’s remarkable Premier League title triumph. These things are not supposed to happen, but logic can be thrown out of the window on any given day of the week, not just Sunday.

Back in 2009, Rafael Nadal found himself on the receiving end of an upset that nobody – even the man delivering it – could have seen coming. The undisputed King of Clay, who will be a heavy favourite at Space Casino to claim another French Open crown in 2022, suffered a barely believable defeat in Paris some 13 years ago.

A Spanish superstar headed into that Grand Slam with 31 successive victories and four consecutive overall crowns at Roland-Garros to his name, with the general consensus being that he had become untouchable.

He proved in a four-set outing against Robin Soderling that he was not, with a stunning fourth-round reversal sending Nadal off to start his preparations for the grass court season much earlier than he had grown accustomed to.

A revenge of sorts was to be enjoyed in the final 12 months later, when a Swedish foe was seen off in straight sets, and there has been the considerable consolation of a further eight Paris titles since then.

Rare blip

The aforementioned outing against Soderling was a rare blip on a pretty pristine copybook for an all-time great, with Nadal’s record on a favoured surface making for quite stunning reading.

Across 108 outings in the French capital, he has secured 105 victories and suffered just three defeats – giving him a win ratio of 97.2 per cent – with eternal rival Novak Djokovic the only other man to have got the better of him.

Quite simply, whenever an iconic figure with a record-setting 21 major honours to his name steps out onto a surface that has a red tinge to it, his opponent may as well pack up the bags he came with and spare himself the suffering that will inevitably follow.

Optimism will of course spring eternal, with nobody ever beaten before a ball has been kicked or backhand sliced in anger, but sometimes the writing really is on the wall. Hope is being offered by niggling injuries and Father Time, but it also continues to be crushed by an evergreen performer who remains at the peak of his powers.

It may be the case that there are no certainties when teams or individuals lock horns on a competitive sporting stage, with all possible outcomes theoretically on the table whenever said contests begin, but Nadal has come as close as anybody to mastering the art of perfection and it still takes a brave soul to bet against him.

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal (photo by Justin Cohen Photography)

The Forever Men

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Andreas Seppi will remain Belgrade champion until the end of time.

Last Sunday afternoon, Milos Raonic became the first man to win three consecutive titles at the SAP Open, at precisely the same moment he became the last man to win one at all. This edition of the San Jose was the last, bringing the rich history of professional tennis in northern California to a close. Raonic will therefore reign as defending champion approximately forever.

It can be a tricky matter to define precisely when a tournament actually expires, or even if it has. There are technical points to be made about licences and ownership, such that it is theoretically possible for an event to survive across endless variations of geography, surface and draw. Has Los Angeles really gone, or has it just moved to Bogota, simultaneously shifting continent and soaring into low orbit? What about the Memphis 500 event, which will relocate to Rio? What, if anything, about that tournament will truly endure?
Such discussions are apt to grow philosophical, as we’re compelled to wonder at the ineradicable essence of a tennis tournament, such that it can retain its identity when everything important about it has ostensibly changed. Apparently these things have ineffable souls, or at least durable traditions that might be strung out indefinitely.
On the other hand, aficionados of professional tennis in southern California are in no doubt that the LA tournament has ascended, not to Columbia, but to that great tennis boneyard in the sky. They might well be insulted if the next champion in Bogota was appended to the long and illustrious list of past LA champions, which includes Pete Sampras, Jimmy Connors and Arthur Ashe. The fans often know when a tournament has really perished, just as they know when it is being artificially sustained on life support.
Indeed, reading down the past champion’s lists for many of these cancelled events is bittersweet, evoking sepia-tinted glories, now fading irrecoverably with the tournament’s passing. While some were new ventures that evidently didn’t pan out, many more were decades old, and the winner’s list tells a salutary tale of prestige giving way, gradually or suddenly, to irrelevance. You can understand what is lost, even as you can see why it had to go.
Sometimes what is lost is an invaluable start. It is fascinating to note that each of the Big Four won his first title at a tournament that has since been cancelled: Roger Federer (Milan 2001), Rafael Nadal (Sopot 2004), Novak Djokovic (Amersfoort 2006), and Andy Murray (San Jose 2006).*
In any case, today I’m going to look at those men currently active on the ATP tour who won the ultimate edition of a tournament, whose names will remain the last one on the trophy. I won’t pretend that great insight will be thereby gleaned – perhaps a pattern will emerge – but sometimes it is enough merely to catalogue such things as they pass. There is a sense in which such compilations are subjective; I think I could mount a good argument why the tournament in Sao Paulo is the basically same one that was in Costa do Sauipe, while disputing the idea that Brisbane is a continuation of Adelaide, but I understand that others may not feel the same way. (I do encourage anyone who spots glaring factual inaccuracies to let me know.)

Sam Querrey with his third and last Los Angeles trophy.

Milos Raonic (San Jose 2013)
The Canadian is only man on this list who goes out as back-to-back-to-back champion. He has won three San Jose titles in a row without dropping a set, in the process breaking records and Fernando Verdasco’s mind. It’s interesting to think how different it might have been had Gael Monfils contested their semifinal in 2011. He didn’t, Raonic gained free passage to the final, and the rest is history, in every sense. It’s even more interesting to think what the tournament’s disappearance will mean for Raonic from here. San Jose accounts for 75% of his career titles.
Sam Querrey (Los Angeles 2012 and Las Vegas 2008)
Querrey is one of two men who merit inclusion on this list twice. He is the forever champion in Los Angeles, which he won a total of three times. Indeed, one report archly implied that his dominance was part of the reason the event was consigned to oblivion (or Columbia). He was also the last man to win the ill-fated Las Vegas event, which is where the Scottsdale tourney went to undergo palliative care.
Andreas Seppi (Belgrade 2012)
When the old Dutch Open was sold to the Djokovic family, they probably dreamed it would last longer in their home city than five years. Alas, the event more or less lived and died according to the presence of the family’s most famed member, which is a parlous situation for any tournament. Nonetheless, Seppi was a worthy final winner.
Kevin Anderson (Johannesburg 2011)
At the time, I joked that Joburg’s days were numbered when Feliciano Lopez was marketed as the star attraction in 2011. Initially things seemed okay, with players such as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and David Ferrer lured to South Africa, presumably with their consent. But geography and scheduling proved a fatal cocktail. Staged the week after the Australian Open, at the far end of the earth, it just couldn’t work. It was, nonetheless, Anderson’s first title. It also boasted a truly ludicrous trophy, as so many do.
Nikolay Davydenko (Pörtschach 2008 and Warsaw 2008)
Davydenko is the other twice-tainted forever man. He remains the eternal champion in both Pörtschach and in Warsaw (which were to St Poeten and Sopot what Las Vegas was to Scottsdale: a nice spot for the tournament to sit with a rug over its knees as it quickly slid into its eternal goodnight). Both of these events were staged for the last time in 2008, which was something of a watershed year as far as these matters go. If the prevailing trend is for the United States to shed tournaments, five years ago Europe was suffering a similar affliction. It is curious that almost alone among this list, Davydenko is rare for being a player who was at the top of the game when he won these tournaments (ranked world No.4), although this says more about how modest his profile was even in his hey-day.
Ivo Karlovic (Nottingham 2008)
In 1998, the towering Croat became the two-time defending champion in Nottingham, which used to be the Wimbledon warm-up that almost no one played. On this surface, facing a weak field with his serve, Karlovic had no trouble making hay from the emerald sward. Nottingham was replaced (but not relocated) on the calendar by Eastbourne, which became a dual-gender event. The current Nottingham Challenger is a totally new tournament.
Michael Llodra (Adelaide 2008)
The French net-rusher was the last man ever to win the ATP event in Adelaide, also in 2008. The technical argument is that this tournament was moved to Brisbane, and combined with the existing WTA event. Technically this may be true, but really the Brisbane International is nothing like the old warhorse at Memorial Drive, where Lleyton Hewitt famously won his first career title as a 16 year old.
Richard Gasquet (Mumbai 2007)
The tournament that finally found peace in Mumbai had led a troubled journey through what some Australians quaintly persist in calling the Far East, beginning in Shanghai, moving briefly to Ho Chi Minh City, and finally gasping its last in Mumbai. After Gasquet won the final instalment, it was supposed to move to Bangalore, but security concerns cancelled the event the following year, and after that everyone seemed to lose interest. It was replaced by Kuala Lumpur, meaning that India, the second largest country in the Asia, lacks a tournament within the now-unified Asian Swing.
Filippo Volandri (Palermo 2006)
I confess I don’t know too much about this one, although I’d suggest that the days were numbered on any tournament whose final featured Volandri three years in a row.
Robin Soderling (Milan 2005)
The Milan Indoors was one of those tournaments with a tremendous history and a champion’s list that scans like a who’s who of the Open Era (McEnroe and Becker won four times each. Lendl, Borg, Edberg, and Vilas also hoisted the trophy). Roger Federer won his first title here in 2001. Nonetheless, the entry list had thinned calamitously by the time Soderling won in 2005, years before the Swede found his place in the loftier echelons of the sport. At the time he was just another in a lengthening line of journeyman champions, a line that leads smaller regional tournaments inevitably to the scrapheap.
*Amersfoort later moved to Belgrade, which has also been cancelled.

Players Limp into the New Season

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It shouldn’t really be a surprise. There were plenty of players injured by the end of last season, and the off season isn’t exactly long enough to heal just any injury. Yet somehow, I still expected everyone to turn up all bright and shiny and new at the Australian Open. It seems that just isn’t the case. As of January 9th, just one week before the first main draw matches will start in Melbourne, at least eight men have withdrawn from the Australian Open and at least five of the women. This does not include players who were forced to withdraw from matches this week, but have not yet decided against playing in Melbourne.
The withdrawals have been trickling in for months and the maladies range from possible career enders to minor injuries that should heal up in a couple of weeks. Notable absences include Alisa Kleybanova, who is still battling Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Dinara Safin, whose chronic back problems have prevented her from playing since May, Robin Soderling, who’s having an awful bout with mononucleosis that has kept him out of competition since Wimbledon, Tommy Robredo, who has only played a couple of matches since March, Venus Williams, who revealed she has Sjogren’s Syndrome last year, and several others.
Even more concerning than the growing list of withdrawals from the tournament, is the almost equally long list of players who have injured themselves in the past week, yet still plan to compete. The almost inhuman Roger Federer tops the list of surprise injuries. He was forced to pull out before his semifinal in Doha last week due to a back injury. Federer has participated in forty eight consecutive Grand Slams, so I expect we’ll be seeing him come Monday. However, the real question is will we be seeing him come week two? Serena Williams, the 2010 champion, and Kim Clijsters, the 2011 champion, were both forced out of warm up tournaments with a sprained ankle and hip injury, respectively. Under normal circumstances, both women would be tournament favorites, but as it stands, the WTA field is wide open, which is a fairly common occurrence these days.
Sabine Lisicki, a 2011 Wimbledon semifinalist, doesn’t seem to have much luck when it comes to injuries. She was forced to retire from her match in Sydney with an abdominal strain, which seems like her thousandth injury on tour. Julia Goerges and Flavia Pennetta didn’t fare much better in Sydney. Julia came down with a viral illness and Flavia had to pull out of the tournament completely after retiring from her final match in Auckland.
Denis Istomin was a real winner in Brisbane when, after his first round opponent, Florian Mayer, was forced to retire, he received a walkover from the ailing Tommy Haas. Chennai appeared to be the most injury free tournament last week, with just one walkover to speak of.
If you can remember all the way back to September, we were all discussing the record number of withdrawals and retirements from the US Open. It seemed like each day more players would drop. The Australian Open is well known for its tough weather conditions, so add in the heat and exhaustion to the existing injuries. Will anyone make it to the end of Week 2?

What's at Stake? The Australian Open Edition

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After what seemed like an eternity of an off season (oh wait, that was only three weeks?), the Australian summer swing is finally upon us and that means players have to start thinking about defending all those points from last year. Conversely, players who started 2011 with a bust have the chance to skyrocket up the rankings ladder. The biggest chance to score some points will come at the Australian Open in two weeks. Let’s take a look at which players have the most to gain and which players have the most to lose.

The Upside: Players with Room to Improve


Rafael Nadal – For most players, a Grand Slam quarterfinal is a great result. For Rafa, it’s a serious off day. Australia 2011 was the last Slam where Rafa failed to make it to the final. An injured Nadal lost in the quarterfinals to compatriot David Ferrer, which means that Australia 2012 is Nadal’s best chance to add the most points at a Slam in 2012. While there are plenty of rumors regarding a sore shoulder and a change in racket head weight, I think Nadal will show up in Australia ready to play. Australia hasn’t always been Rafa’s best Slam, but I would be surprised if he loses before the semifinals.
Jo Wilfried Tsonga – By the end of 2011, Tsonga had tied his career high ranking, and at number 6, it will be tough to climb much higher. However, Tsonga’s best performance at a Grand Slam was when he made the finals in Australia, so if ever there was a time to make a splash, it would be now. Tsonga had some great wins last year, over the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Juan Martin del Potro. Riding that kind of confidence, Jo may be able to pull off a big upset in Melbourne, assuming he can keep his head. Although, that’s a big assumption.
Mardy Fish – Mardy Fish had a career season in 2011 and it’s tough to imagine the 30 year old doing much better this year. The majority of Fish’s points to defend are in the second half of the season, which means that the best way to hedge his position or even jump up a spot or two in the rankings is to go deep at the Australian Open. Last year, Fish lost in the second round, which leaves heaps of room for improvement this year. Mardy will have the added bonus of being a Top 8 seed, which theoretically gives him a better draw.
Juan Martin del Potro – Juan Martin del Potro ended the 2010 season ranked 257 in the world. He is currently ranked 11. That’s quite a jump. There’s not quite as much room to improve this year, but it’s nearly inevitable that Delpo will crack the Top 10 after the Australian Open, if not before. Last year, Juan Martin fell to Marcos Baghdatis in the second round. Juan Martin played some amazing tennis last season and I expect to see great things from him in the coming year. I would not be surprised to see Delpo in the Top 5 by the end of 2012.

The Downside: Players Due for a Fall


Novak Djokovic – Could Novak Djokovic possibly match the year he had last year? No. Novak Djokovic tore through the draw in Melbourne last year, and then proceeded to win pretty much everything until the US Open. He was undefeated until the French Open, where he lost in the semifinals to Roger Federer. Djokovic has won the Australian Open twice, and he’s definitely a favorite going in to 2012. However, considering his success last year, there’s really nowhere to go but down.
David Ferrer – The diminutive Spaniard managed a big upset, taking out Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals of the 2011 Australian Open. At number 5 in the world, it’s very unlikely that Ferrer will be able to crack into the Top 4, considering their dominance. Again, that means little room for improvement, and lots of room for fallout.
Robin Soderling – Unfortunately, Soderling has been plagued by injury for most of 2011 and it seems like these woes will be continuing in 2012. He is planning to skip out on the Australian Open, where he would have been defending fourth round points. He will also be losing out on championship points from Brisbane and if he’s not fit by February, his points from Rotterdam and Marseille will disappear as well.

ATP New Year's Resolutions

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Happy New Year!
That’s another way of saying, “Yes! The 2009 ATP season is just days, hours, minutes away!” So let’s the kick off the new year by taking a look at some of the men’s new year’s resolutions. Well, these are at least what their resolutions SHOULD be.
nadal-rafael
Rafael Nadal – Play a lighter schedule to preserve his body for the fall indoor season and the Masters Cup. (Note: there is not much Nadal can do about this due to mandatory tournaments, but limiting his clay-court events to the Masters Series and French Open and nothing else would be a  good start).
Roger Federer – Take back Wimbledon. Take back the No. 1 ranking.
Novak Djokovic – Win back the U.S. Open crowd. (Note: borderline impossible).
Andy Roddick – Get back his mojo.
Gilles Simon – 1) Get in the weight room. 2) Come up big, for once, in the Slams. 3) Other than that, do exactly what he did in 2008.
Juan Martin Del Potro – See Simon (especially part 3).
Andy Murray – Win a Slam. Other than that, do exactly what he did in 2008.
Ernests Gulbis – Get a brain. Or–if he has one–use it.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – Stay away from the infirmary.
Mario Ancic – See Tsonga.
Tommy Haas – See Ancic.
Marcos Baghdatis – See Haas.
Lleyton Hewitt – See Baghdatis.
Robin Söderling – Do something of significance at a tournament that’s not indoors.
Nicolas Almgaro – Do something of significance at a tournament that’s not on clay.
Marat Safin – Either play or retire. No more playing like he would rather be retired.
Fernando Gonzalez – Admit when balls hit his racket before going out.
James Blake – Get over the Gonzalez Olympic controversy.
Fernando Verdasco – Be as successful on the court as he was off the court in 2008.
Tomas Berdych – Beat someone ranked ahead of him.
Mikhail Youzhny – Refrain from self-inflicted harm.
Well, there’s the new year’s resolution list. If any applicable player was left off, let’s hear who it is and what his–or her–resolution should be (in the comments section below). With the 2009 season just days away, it won’t be long before we find out which players are prepared to make the necessary changes.
Happy New Year to all tennis fans and here’s to another great season on the ATP Tour!

Voo's Paris Second Round Wrap Up

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Before the tournament 10 players had their chances to take three remaining spots for Masters Cup. After the second round three players dropped out from this competition, among them last year’s Masters Cup finalist David Ferrer who has completely lost his form in the second half of the year. Ferrer was able to win only 5 games on Wednesday in his second round match against Philipp Kohlschreiber. The German hasn’t lost a service game in two rounds saving 14 break points (8 against Youzhny, 6 against Ferrer). Kohlschreiber next meets James Blake. The American (10th in Champions Race) wasted a couple set points in the first set tie-break against Simone Bolelli but won the match 6-7(10) 6-3 6-4 mainly thanks to good serving – 17 aces (3 in the last game).
Robin Soderling who had the least chance to qualify to Shanghai, lost 8th match in a row to Roger Federer – this time 4-6 6-7(7). The Swede had two set points in the tie-break, first on his own serve but made a forehand error. Second set point Federer saved with forehand winner after a good serve.
The revelation of the last two weeks, Gilles Simon defeated second time this month Igor Andreev. Simon won 6-3 7-5 (despite 1:3 down in the first set and 0:4 in the second) and almost secured himself a ticket to Shanghai. Simon’s compatriots Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won second round matches (Tsonga from break down in the final set) and they have still a chance to play in Shanghai but they both need to win the tournament.
Defending champion David Nalbandian needed two sets (first set lasted 82 minutes!) to win a match against Nicolas Kiefer, setting up a third match within three weeks with fellow Argentine Juan Martin del Potro. Del Potro demolished Mario Ancic 6-0 6-4 – Ancic has lost set to “love” for the first time in career indoor.
“This is going to be the third time in three weeks, so that is a little bit strange,” Nalbandian said of facing del Potro again. “It’s going to be a tough one, we both know each other very well.”
Second Round – Paris
(1)Rafael Nadal (ESP) d. (LL)Florent Serra (FRA) 6-2 6-4
(16)Gael Monfils (FRA) d. (q)Juan Monaco (ARG) 6-4 6-4
Tomas Berdych (CZE) d. (12)Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) 6-3 7-5
(6)Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) d. (q)Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) 7-6(5) 7-5
(4)Andy Murray (GBR) d. Samuel Querrey (USA) 6-2 6-4
(15)Fernando Verdasco (ESP) d. Tommy Robredo (ESP) 6-2 6-7(6) 6-2
(9)Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) d. Mario Ancic (CRO) 6-0 6-4
(8)David Nalbandian (ARG) d. Nicolas Kiefer (GER) 7-6(5) 6-3
(7)Andy Roddick (USA) d. Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 6-3 6-4
(10)Gilles Simon (FRA) d. Igor Andreev (RUS) 6-3 7-5
(13)Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) d. Radek Stepanek (CZE) 3-6 6-4 6-4
(3)Novak Djokovic (SRB) d. Dmitry Tursunov (RUS) 6-2 4-3 ret.
Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) d. (5)David Ferrer (ESP) 6-3 6-2
(11)James Blake (USA) d. (q)Simone Bolelli 6-7(10) 6-3 6-4
Marin Cilic (CRO) d. (q)Marcel Granollers (ESP) 6-4 7-6(2)
(2)Roger Federer (SUI) d. Robin Soderling (SWE) 6-4 7-6(7

Ana Ivanovic Ends Slump with Linz Title

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Ana Ivanovic ended a dismal recent stretch by winning the WTA event in Linz, Austria on Sunday. Ivanovic crushed Verz Zvonareva 6-2, 6-1 in a mere 50 minutes to take the title.
The victory puts an end to a significant drought for Ivanovic that was most likely due-at least in part-to a thumb injury. After a remarkable first half of the season in which she won the French Open and became No. 1 in the world, Ivanovic’s 2008 campaign took a drastic turn for the worse. The Serb lost early on at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, as well as in Montreal. She could not even play in the Beijing Olympics due to the thumb problem. Even after all that she went on to suffer shockingly premature exits in Tokyo, Beijing and Moscow.
Ivanovic started taking steps back to prominence, however, last week in Zurich, Switzerland, where she fell  to eventual champion Venus Williams in a close three-set semifinal. It was Ivanovic’s first semifinal appearance since Roland Garros.
She did a lot better than the semifinals in Linz and only had one real scare en route to the title. Ivanovic survived Agnieszka Radwanska 7-5 in the third set in their semifinal clash. Prior to that, the No. 1 seed eased past Sybille Bammer and in-form Flavia Pennetta.
Overall it was a tournament with very few surprises. Seven of the eight seeds reached the quarterfinals, the only woman failing to join the group being No. 4 seed Patty Schnyder, who was upset by Alona Bondarenko in the second round. Bondarenko fell in her next match to sixth-seeded Marion Bartoli, who was subsequently blown away 6-0, 6-1 by Zvonareva.
While Ivanovic took the title in Linz, two No. 1 seeds on the men’s side also hoisted trophies. Roger Federer got the best of David Nalbandian in Basel and Andy Murray crushed qualifier Andrey Golubev in St. Petersburg. Lyon’s top seed, Andy Roddick, failed to win the other ATP event, but that title was still captured by one of the tournament favorites. Indoor-court guru Robin Soderling took out Julien Benneteau in three sets. Soderling has appeared in nine ATP finals, all indoors.

Mondays With Bob Greene: Naturally We Are Annoyed

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STARS
Roger Federer won the Davidoff Swiss Indoors, beating David Nalbandian 6-3 6-4 in Basel, Switzerland
Andy Murray beat Andrey Golubev 6-1 6-1 to win the St. Petersburg Open in St. Petersburg, Russia
Robin Soderling won the Grand Prix de Tennis De Lyon by beating Julien Benneteau 6-3 6-7 (5) 6-1 in Lyon, France
Ana Ivanovic beat Vera Zvonareva 6-2 6-1 to win the Generali Ladies Linz in Linz, Austria
Elena Dementieva stopped Carolina Wozniacki 2-6 6-4 7-6 (4) to win the FORTIS Championships in Luxembourg
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova beat Julie Coin 6-4 6-3 to win the Internationaux Feminins de la Vienne in Poitiers, France
Hyung-Taik Lee won the Samsung Securities Cup Challenger in Seoul, Korea, by beating Ivo Minar 6-4 6-0
Jim Courier beat Thomas Enqvist 3-6 6-4 10-8 (Champions tiebreak) to win the Stanford Championships in Dallas, Texas
SAYINGS
“There was a bit of disappointment but I gave a good fight for almost five years, so I’m proud of that, and I think Rafa deserves it this year because he’s played consistently well.” – Roger Federer, admitting he’s disappointed about not finishing the year as the number one player.
“This season has been hard, long and punishing. I will be very happy when I lose in Bercy.” – Richard Gasquet, after losing in Lyon, France, and talking about this week’s tournament in Paris.
“To see him give up mentally beforehand is quite simply abnormal. It is disrespectful vis-à-vis the public who he is counting on supporting him at Bercy. Naturally we are annoyed.” – Patrice Dominguez, national technical director of the French Tennis Federation, referring to Gasquet’s comment.
“This year has been a very positive year for me and I am looking forward to continued success in Doha.” – Venus Williams, after qualifying for the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha.
“It has been awhile since I last played and it feels wonderful to be one of the best eight players of the regular Sony Ericsson WTA Tour season.” – Vera Zvonareva, who qualified for the Sony Ericsson Championships.
“You could never forecast that he was going to miss that shot. If he lets it bounce, he could hit it with the butt cap and make it and I wouldn’t be there. That was as improbable as it gets, but that’s why we play sports. The whacky happens.” – Jim Courier, after Thomas Enqvist shanked an easy overhead on match point.
“I think I was just too casual. It’s what you tell an amateur when you play the pro-ams with them, that sometimes they do those mistakes. They take their eye off the ball. I think I did that.” – Thomas Enqvist.
“For the first set and a half we were completely outplayed. At 4-3 down in the second set Bopanna double-faulted at 40-40, and after that the momentum shifted our way.” – Travis Parrott, after teaming with Filip Polasek to win the doubles at St. Petersburg, Russia.
“I’m really disappointed with how I played today. I had no concentration at any stage of the match. Maybe today I finally paid for all of the traveling and the many matches I’ve played over the last several weeks.” – Vera Zvonareva, after losing to Ana Ivanovic in the title match of the Generali Ladies Linz.
“Rafael Nadal has donated the racquet he used to win the 2008 Wimbledon final, Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi both donated tennis racquets, while Roger Federer gave us the shirt off his own back.” – Lleyton Hewitt, on items donated to help raise money for a charity, Cure Our Kids.
SET FOR DOHA
The final two spots in the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships have been clinched by Vera Zvonareva and Venus Williams. The women’s tour will wind up with world’s top eight singles players and top four doubles teams in Doha, Qatar, November 4-9. It will be the third time Venus Williams will compete in the season-ending event, but her first since 2002. Others in the field include Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic, Serena Williams, Dinara Safina, Elena Dementieva and Svetlana Kuznetsova.
SIGN OF RESPECT
The new tennis center in Brisbane, Australia, has been named for two-time US Open champion Pat Rafter. The 5,500-seat Rafter Arena will open in January for the Brisbane International men’s and women’s hard court championships. The tournament is a warm-up for the Australian Open, which is held in Melbourne. Novak Djokovic, Marcos Baghdatis and Ana Ivanovic are confirmed for the event, the first international tennis tournament to be played in Brisbane since 1994.
SWEDE VICTORY
When Robin Soderling captured his second Lyon trophy, he became the first Swedish player to win an ATP title in almost three years. The last Swede to capture a tournament on the men’s tour was Thomas Johansson at St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2005. The victory over Frenchman Julien Benneteau will move Soderling into the top 20 of the South African Airways ATP Rankings for the first time. At Lyon, Soderling beat two top-ten players, Andy Roddick and Gilles Simon.
SWISS STAR
Roger Federer won his third straight Davidoff Swiss Indoors crown in his native Basel, Switzerland. He also has been runner-up twice in his nine appearances in Basel. And his 57th career title moves Federer into a tie with Ilie Nastase on the ATP list. He is now three titles behind Andre Agassi. Basel was Federer’s fourth title of 2008, highlighted by his fifth consecutive US Open win. This one came over David Nalbandian, the 2002 Swiss Indoors winner and the tournament’s number two seed. It was the first time since 1993 that the two top seeds have reached the final at Basel.
SHORT DAY
Andy Murray needed only 56 minutes to successfully defend his St. Petersburg Open title by defeating qualifier Andrey Golubev 6-1 6-1. It was the shortest final on the ATP tour this year, and the second fewest games in a title match since Mikhail Youzhny crushed Rafael Nadal 6-0 6-1 at the Chennai Open in January. Now ranked fourth in the world, Murray becomes the first British player to win consecutive titles since Mark Cox did it in March 1975. The Scott has won five titles this year, second only to the eight captured by Nadal. Murray is on a 12-match winning streak and has won 18 of his last 19 matches since losing in the first round of the Beijing Olympics to Taiwan’s Lu Yen-Hsun.
SHORT STAY
For the second straight year, Nikolay Davydenko made a brief appearance at the St. Petersburg Open. This time he injured his left wrist during a first-round victory over Chris Guccione, and then pulled out of the tournament. “I was able to finish the match, but today I felt a lot of pain and I just can’t play,” Davydenko said. Last year, the Russian was fined USD $2,000 by the ATP for not trying hard enough during his loss to qualifier Marin Cilic in a second-round match. The fine was overturned on appeal. Davydenko’s victory over Guccione was his 50th match win of the season, the fourth straight year he has won at least 50 matches.
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STAYING ON TOP
Despite what happens the rest of the way, Jelena Jankovic will end the season as the number one player in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour rankings. Jankovic has a commanding points lead over Dinara Safina and will remain in the top spot regardless of the outcome of the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha. She secured the year-ending ranking by winning 12 straight matches en route to three consecutive titles in Beijing, Stuttgart and Moscow. She lost in the US Open final and reached the semifinals of two other Grand Slam tournaments.
SITTER MISSED
Holding match point at 9-8 in the Champions tiebreaker, Jim Courier sent a high defensive lob that just made it over the net in the final of the Stanford Championships in Dallas, Texas. But Thomas Enqvist, standing right on top of the net, elected not to let the ball bounce and shanked the overhead straight down off the frame of his racquet, giving Courier his sixth career Outback Champions Series title, 3-6 6-4 10-8 (Championships tiebreak). “I think I was too casual,” Enqvist said, while Courier said the missed overhead was “one of the nuttiest match points I’ve ever been a part of.”
SEASIDE TENNIS
Four top players will lead a five-day tennis “fantasy camp” on Maui, Hawaii, in November. Lindsay Davenport, Tom Gullikson, Robby Ginepri and Corina Morariu will participate in the four days of instruction and free play. Gullikson is the former US Davis Cup captain and Olympic coach, while Davenport was ranked number one in the world in both singles and doubles. She is one of only four women – joining Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert – to have been the year-ending number one at least four times. Ginepri is one of the top five American players currently on the ATP tour, while Morariu was ranked number one in the world in doubles before being diagnosed with leukemia. She made a complete recovery and was named Comeback Player of the Year on the WTA Tour. The “fantasy camp” is for adult tennis players ranging in skill from recreational to tournament-level.
STRIKING PAIR
Hall of Famer Michael Chang and women’s tennis pro Amber Liu are now husband and wife. Matthew Cronin reports the pair was married at Lake Hills Community Church in Laguna Hills, California, with the reception and dinner taking place at the St. Regis Hotel in Dana Point, California. Among those in attendance were Chang’s brother and coach, Carl; his cousin James Wan, who plays for Stanford University; John Austin, Anne Yelsey, Dick Gould, Lele Forood, Eliot Teltscher and Peanut Louis.
STRONG SALES
The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Championships will have some people in the seats, if ticket sales are any indication. According to tournament officials, more than 95 percent of the premium seats have been sold for the season-ending event that features the world’s top eight women’s singles players and top four doubles teams. The Championships will be held November 4-9 at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex in Doha, Qatar.
STANDING TALL
Lleyton Hewitt and his wife Bec have begun a month-long fundraising auction with proceeds going to Cure Our Kids, an organization which supports children with cancer and their families at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead in New South Wales, Australia. The auction includes items donated by the Hewitts as well as from Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Ana Ivanovic, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graff, among others.
SAD NEWS
A former top-100 player from Italy, Federico Luzzi, is dead at the age of 28. Luzzi died at a hospital in Arezzo, Italy, of leukemia. He was hospitalized after retiring a few days earlier from an Italian league match, citing a high fever. He reached a career-high ranking of number 92 in 2002 before a shoulder injury plagued him the rest of his career. In February, Luzzi was suspended for 200 days and fined USD $50,000 by the ATP for betting on tennis. In 2001, he beat Ville Liukko of Finland 14-12 in the fifth set to complete a 4-hour, 35-minute victory, the longest Davis Cup match ever played by an Italian.
SO LONG
Bill Rusick, an All-American college player and later tennis coach and co-owner of a tennis club, has died at the age of 51. Rusick led Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville to two national championships and was inducted into the school’s hall of fame. He coached at McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois, and served as club pro and co-owner at St. Clair Tennis Club. He suffered from pancreatic cancer.
SHARED PERFORMANCES
Basel: Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles beat Christopher Kas and Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3 6-3
St. Petersburg: Travis Parrott and Filip Polasek beat Rohan Bopanna and Max Mirnyi 3-6 7-6 (4) 10-8 (match tiebreak)
Lyon: Michael Llodra and Andy Ram beat Stephen Huss and Ross Hutchins 6-3 5-7 10-8 (match tiebreak)
Seoul: Lukasz Kubot and Oliver Marach beat Sanchai Ratiwatana and Sonchat Ratiwatana 7-5 4-6 10-6 (match tiebreak)
Linz: Katarina Srebotnik and Ai Sugiyama beat Cara Black and Liezel Huber 6-4 7-5
Luxembourg: Sorana Cirstea and Marina Erakovic beat Vera Dushevina and Mariya Koryttseva 2-6 6-3 10-8 (match tiebreak)
Poitiers: Petra Cetkovska and Lucie Safarova beat Akgul Amanmuradova and Monica Niculescu 6-4 6-4
SITES TO SURF
Paris: www.fft.fr/bnpparibasmasters//
Quebec: www.challengebell.com
Bratislava: www.stz.sk
Busan: www.busanopen.org/
Cali: www.tennisegurobolivar.com/
Doha: www.Sonyericsson-championships.com
Sunrise: http://www.championsseriestennis.com/arizona2008/
TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK
(All money in USD)
ATP
$2,450,000 BNP Paribas Masters, Paris, France, carpet
$125,000 Seguros Bolivar Open, Cali, Colombia, clay
$100,000 Busan Open Challenger, Busan, South Korea, hard
WTA TOUR
$175,000 Bell Challenge, Quebec City, Quebec, hard
$100,000 Ritro Slovak Open, Bratislava, Slovak Republic, hard
TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK
WTA TOUR
$4,450,000 Sony Ericsson Championships, Doha, Qatar, hard
$100,000 ITF women’s event, Krakow, Poland, hard
ATP
$106,500 Tatra Banka Open, Bratislava, Slovakia, hard
SENIORS
Cancer Treatment Centers of America Championships at Surprise, Surprise, Arizona

Surprising Win For Igor Kunitsyn At Kremlin Cup

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MOSCOW
Igor Kunitsyn won his first ATP tournament overcoming his compatriot Marat Safin 7-6(6) 6-7(4) 6-3. There were no breaks of serve in the first set. Safin was leading 3:0 in the tie-break but the next 4 points won Kunitsyn who had setpoint on his own serve at 6:5. Safin managed to save first set point after long rally but wasn’t able to save another one on his own serve albeit the umpire Carlos Bernardes had announced “7 all” before Kunitsyn took the challenge which overruled the umpire’s decision. In the second set Kunitsyn broke Safin’s serve to lead 3:2 but lost his own serve in the following game. The set went to another tie-break which was comfortable won by Safin. At the beginning of the deciding set Kunitsyn had cramps but after an intervention of a trainer broke Safin’s serve in the 6th game and held his serve to the very end finishing the tournament with an ace. Kunitsyn looked like a surprsining man after that and his statement after the final proves it:  “I was hoping to win a couple of games and that’s it. I still don’t know how I was able to outplay Marat, but I guess it happens. I still don’t understand how I won.” Safin hasn’t won a tournament since Australian Open 2005.
STOCKHOLM
Robin Soderling didn’t lose a service game on route to final but Nalbandian broke him in the opening game of the final after controversial desicion of the umpire Pascal Maria. Soderling lost his confidence and the match was going to easy win for the Argentinian. Nalbandian was leading 6-2 3:1 (30-15) but Soderling who had been supporting by the local fans leveled up in the 8th game and won the second set at first set point with stunning forehand passing-shot. The Swede was leading 3:2 in the decider but Nalbandian since then won 4 consecutive games to capture 9th title in 17 career finals. Soderling  has lost three finals this year, all of them indoors. “It was great,” Nalbandian said. “The conditions are perfect to play indoors. It could be faster or slower. I adapt my game to play here and I really like it.” Nalbandian leads 5-1 against Soderling.
VIENNA
Playing 16th ATP tournament in career, Philipp Petzschner won maiden ATP title with convincing 6-4 6-4 over Gael Monfils. The German has been the 3rd qualifier this year (after Nishikori and Simon) who won an ATP title. Monfils has lost 5 finals in a row, three of them indoors.
Kunitsyn and Petzschner join to the body of 10 first-time title winners in 2008.
Moscow – Final
Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) d. (7)Marat Safin (RUS) 7-6(6) 6-7(4) 6-3
Stockholm – Final
(1)David Nalbandian (ARG) d. (4)Robin Soderling (SWE) 6-2 5-7 6-3
Vienna – Final
(q)Philipp Petzschner (GER) d. (8)Gael Monfils 6-4 6-4

Marat Safin Reaches Finals With a Walk Over

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MOSCOW
Marat Safin advanced to the final of Kremlin Cup without the entrance on the court. Mischa Zverve gave him a walkover due to illness.
Fellow Russian Igor Kunitsyn won a semifinal match in his 6th attempt beating 6-4 6-3 semi-retired Fabrice Santoro. Kunitsyn 3 out of 5 previous semifinalas played in Russia, two of them in Moscow (2005 and 2006).
A Russian champion at the ATP Kremlin Cup is guaranteed for the 13th time in the tournament’s 19-year history.
STOCKHOLM
In Stockholm’s final will meet two favourites to the crown: David Nalbandian and Robin Soderling. Nalbandian extended leading in head to head against Jarkko Nieminen to 6-4 with easy 6-2 6-1 win.
Soderling needed just 44 minutes to destroy Kei Nishikori 6-1 6-0. It was one of the shortest matches this year. The Swede as in his the quarterfinal, served 13 aces.”I’ve played better and better in every match,” Soderling said. “I held my serves easily and always had chances when he served.”
VIENNA
Monfils and Kohlschreiber played very dramatic, almost 3-hour match in their first encounter against each other. Monfils broke Kohlschreiber’s serve in the 3rd game of the final set after 10 deuces on 7th break point chance. Three games later the German broke back and was two points away from the final at 5:4 (30-30). Monfils broke again to lead 6:5 and was 40-0 up in the following game. Kohlschreiber with attacking game managed to save triple match point and the match went to decisive tie-break. Monfils held his nerves and won the match 6-4 5-7 7-6(2) converting 5th match point with excellent backhand cross passing-shot.
In tomorrow’s final the Frenchman will meet the sensation of the tournament 24 year-old Philipp Petzschner of Germany. Petzschner beat Feliciano Lopez 4-6 6-4 6-3 to become 4th qualifier this year (after Kei Nishikori, Kevin Anderson and Gilles Simon) who reaches final of an ATP tournament.
Moscow – Semifinals
(7)Marat Safin (RUS) d. Michael Zverev (GER) w/o
Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) d. Fabrice Santoro (FRA) 6-4 6-3
Stockholm – Semifinals
(1)David Nalbandian (ARG) d. (3)Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) 6-2 6-1
(4)Robin Soderling (SWE) d. (WC)Kei Nishikori (JPN) 6-1 6-0
Vienna – Semifinals
(q)Philipp Petzschner (GER) d. Feliciano Lopez 4-6 6-3 6-3
(8)Gael Monfils (FRA) d. Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) 6-4 5-7 7-6(2)