Tennis News

Wimbledon the richest Grand Slam after pay equity

2007-04-29T01:18:00.000-07:00

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Wimbledon will be the richest Grand Slam in history, with both the female and male champion earning $1.4 million.

The only Grand Slam tournament on grass will offer total prize money of $22,572,011, an increase of 8.7 percent, organizers said Tuesday. The increase reflects the recent change to pay women the same as men from the first round to the final for the first time since Wimbledon began offering prize money in 1968. The pay equity was announced on Feb. 22.

"No tennis tournament has ever offered higher prize money than Wimbledon in 2007," All England Club chairman Tim Phillips said.

Last year, Wimbledon champion Roger Federer earned $1.17 million while Amelie Mauresmo took home $1.11 million.

At this year's Australian Open, Federer and Serena Williams each earned $1.05 million. The French Open will award champions $1.36 million.

Nadal and Canas set for mouthwatering final

2007-04-29T01:17:00.000-07:00

Rafael Nadal, the world's dominant player on clay, and Guillermo Canas, the comeback king of the men's tour, will meet on Sunday in a mouth-watering final at the Barcelona Open.

Nadal, who beat David Ferrer 7-5 6-1 in his semi-final, has won a record 71 consecutive matches on clay stretching back to April 2005 when he lost to Russian Igor Andreev in Valencia.

Argentine Canas outlasted his compatriot Agustin Calleri 7-6 6-7 6-2 to reach his third final of a year in which his ranking has risen from 142 to 28, including back-to-back wins over world number one Roger Federer in Indian Wells and Miami last month.

World number two Nadal struggled for his usual consistency in swirling winds. At 5-4 and 30-30 on Nadal's serve, Ferrer was just two points away from the first set but Nadal held on and then broke in the 11th game before serving out for the set.

After that, though fifth seed Ferrer continued to battle, Nadal was always in control and he broke three times in the second set to claim his place in the final.

Canas took almost three hours to get the better of Calleri needed treatment for cramp in his right forearm, which affected his grip on the forehand.

He should have wrapped up the match in two sets but double-faulted on his second match point and went into a third, but in the end his greater resilience, consistency and fitness wore Calleri down.

Blake, Roddick roll as US seizes 2-0 Davis Cup lead

2007-04-07T17:11:00.001-07:00

Andy Roddick and James Blake both swept through in straight sets to give the United States a 2-0 lead over Davis Cup World Group quarter-final rivals Spain on Friday.

Blake began with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Tommy Robredo while Roddick recovered from 5-2 down in the first set to defeat Fernando Verdasco 7-6 (7/5), 6-1, 6-4 in the international indoor hardcourt contest.

Roddick played at full strength after quitting a quarter-final last week in Miami with a hamstring problem.

But, like Blake, he found himself in a struggle to close it out as Verdasco saved five match points before finally sending a return out after just over two hours.

"It felt like 12 (hours)," said a relieved Roddick, who won his 23rd Davis Cup singles match. "I wasn't counting, but I really wanted to get off that court a winner.

"I had to swallow my nerves to get it done," said Roddick, who was out-aced 14-12 by Verdasco, ranked 35th.

Coach Patrick McEnroe praised his team, which has taken a a 2-0 lead for the first time in seven ties.

"James got us off to a great start and Andy showed that he's fit after battling his hamstring injury for a week," said the captain. "It's great to be up 2-0 for a change.

"But we still that that one final point."

Blake, ninth in the world, was coming off a desperate run of form last month on home hardcourts, winning only one match at two events at Indian Wells and Miami.

Nadal graciously accepts No. 2 ranking

2007-03-19T23:17:00.000-07:00

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) -- Rafael Nadal has no trouble accepting his No. 2 ranking behind Roger Federer.

"Right now, Roger's not my competition. Roger is the best in history, so my goal is continuing winning tournaments and continuing being (high) in the ranking," Nadal said Sunday after his victory in the Pacific Life Open.

"I think if I play like this, I can win another major."

The 20-year-old Spaniard defeated Novak Djokovic 6-3, 7-5 Sunday to end what was -- for him -- a long winless streak. The championship was his first since he successfully defended his French Open title last June.

"It was a very great week for me, a very, very important week," Nadal said. "I have (gone) eight months without any title, but I came back with a big one."

U.S., Roddick bounce Czechs from Davis Cup

2007-02-18T20:09:00.000-08:00

Andy Roddick kicked the red powder off his shoes one last time Sunday, happy to be done with clay and ready to return to the hardcourts back home for the Davis Cup quarterfinals.

Roddick beat Tomas Berdych 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (4) Sunday to lead the United States to a 4-1 victory over the Czech Republic in the first round of the World Group.

"As far as the weight of the situation goes," Roddick said, "It definitely could be one of my best matches on clay."

The victory gave the Americans an insurmountable lead in the best-of-five format, and Roddick ran his record to 8-0 in Davis Cup matches with victory on the line. In the final match, which had no bearing on the outcome, Bob Bryan beat Lukas Dlouhy 7-6 (5), 6-4.

The United States will next play Spain in Winston-Salem, N.C., in April. It will be a rematch of the 2004 final in Seville, when the Spanish hosts beat the Americans on clay spread so thick it took any sting out of the U.S. game.

"It was similar to a sandbox," Roddick recalled.

Djokovic tips Federer to stay top for years

2007-01-27T22:50:00.000-08:00

Serbian prodigy Novak Djokovic has tipped world number one Roger Federer to reign the men's ATP tour for a long time and easily retain his Australian Open title in Sunday's final against Chile's Fernando Gonzalez.

"I can't see Gonzalez winning the match although I am sure he will fight hard to give Federer a good run for his money," world number 13 Djokovic told a news conference in Belgrade on Saturday upon his return from Melbourne.

"Federer is virtually invincible and I think he will rule men's tennis for years to come, it will take a monumental effort to depose him," said Djokovic, who was brushed aside by the defending champion in straight sets in the fourth round.

"I think I would have stood a decent chance of progressing to the latter stages of the tournament if I had been drawn against anyone else.

"Federer is too strong and too quick for everyone, he has mastered every shot in tennis to perfection. We have to remind ourselves when we play against him that he too is only human."

Venus Williams withdraws from Australian Open

2007-01-11T00:02:00.000-08:00

Venus Williams withdrew from the Australian Open on Wednesday because of an aggravated left wrist injury.

She joins top-ranked Justine Henin-Hardenne on the sideline for the first Grand Slam of the season.

Williams told organizers she aggravated the wrist, which kept her from playing in the Hopman Cup mixed teams competition in Perth last week.

Williams had an injury-plagued 2006, playing only two matches after Wimbledon and finishing the year at No. 48 in the rankings.

No. 3-ranked Davydenko fined for negative comments on Sydney tournament

2007-01-11T00:00:00.000-08:00

No. 3-ranked Nikolay Davydenko was fined $10,000 for comments he made about the Sydney International tennis tournament after retiring from his first-round match with a foot problem.

After retiring from his match on Wednesday, Davydenko described the Sydney International as "small tournament" that "nobody cares about."

ATP chairman Etienne De Villiers said in a statement that he felt the fine was appropriate for "the comments that were made that not only damaged the very fine tournament in Sydney but also sullies the reputation of our great sport."

Federer, Henin-Hardenne chosen ITF world champions

2006-12-16T14:33:00.001-08:00

Roger Federer and Justine Henin-Hardenne were selected the International Tennis Federation's world champions on Monday.

Federer became only the fourth player to win the men's award three straight years, joining Bjorn Borg, Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras.

The 25-year-old Swiss star won three Grand Slam titles -- the Australian Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open -- and lost in the French Open final to Rafael Nadal. He won 12 titles overall, compiled a 92-5 record and extended his huge lead at No. 1 in the rankings.
"It was a great year for me," Federer said.

Henin-Hardenne edged Amelie Mauresmo to win the women's award for the second time, adding to her success in 2003. The 24-year-old Belgian reached all four Grand Slam finals, winning the French Open. She won a tour-high six titles, including the season-ending WTA championships to finish as No. 1.

U.S. opens at Czech Republic on clay

2006-12-16T14:33:00.000-08:00

The United States will play at the Czech Republic on an indoor clay court in the first round of the 2007 Davis Cup.

"We're looking forward to yet another challenge against a top European team on clay," U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe said Friday. "Having to win an away match on clay has been a challenge for us."

The best-of-five series will be Feb. 9-11 at Ostrava.
The Americans lost on clay in the 2006 semifinals to eventual champion Russia.
For the U.S. team's past four outings, McEnroe used the lineup of James Blake (currently ranked No. 4) and Andy Roddick (No. 6) in singles, and the top-ranked doubles team of twins Bob and Mike Bryan.

Henin-Hardenne savors first WTA Championships title and year-end No. 1

2006-11-24T14:14:00.001-08:00

MADRID, Spain (AP) -- After watching three Grand Slam titles slip away, winning the WTA Championships to finish the season with a No. 1 ranking was the perfect finale for Justine Henin-Hardenne.

"I proved some things to myself at the end of the season and I'm No. 1, so today is as good as winning a Grand Slam," Henin-Hardenne said Sunday. "It was a tough challenge for me. I didn't really know what to expect when I got here."

The French Open champion cut short her recovery time from a muscle tear in her right knee just to compete in the season-ending championships for the first time since 2003.

"I came here saying we'll see just day after day, just live this moment right now, that's what I did great during the last few days and I probably never enjoyed my tennis like I did this week," she said. "It was amazing."

Henin-Hardenne was the fifth player to reach all four Grand Slam finals and the WTA Championships final in the same year, and the first since Steffi Graf in 1993.

Venus Williams, Taylor Dent to play for U.S. at Hopman Cup

2006-11-24T14:12:00.000-08:00

PERTH, Australia (AP) -- Venus Williams and Taylor Dent will represent the United States at this year's Hopman Cup team tennis tournament.

The Americans will play Germany's Nicolas Kiefer and Martina Muller on Dec. 30.

Organizers said Thursday that South Korea was forced out of the tournament after Cho Yoon-jeong was injured in a women's practice match.

Australia and Russia will join Germany and the United States in Group A. Croatia, Czech Republic, Spain and the winner of the Asian Hopman Cup, being decided this week in Hyderabad, India, will play in Group B.

The tournament ends Jan. 5 and is one of a series of warmup tournaments ahead of the Australian Open, which begins Jan. 15 in Melbourne.

Blake's 'incredible year' caps a return from loss, illness

2006-11-24T14:05:00.000-08:00

SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- Two years ago, James Blake was sitting at home recovering from illness and loss and wondering if he'd ever play tennis again.

On Sunday, the 26-year-old American capped the best year of his career by reaching the final of the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, losing in straight sets to top-ranked Roger Federer 6-0, 6-3, 6-4.

"Obviously it's been an incredible year for me," said Blake, who entered the season-ending tournament ranked No. 8, but will finish the year at a career-high No. 4.

"Nothing I would have expected at the beginning of the year, especially nothing I would have expected two years ago. So I'm thrilled about that."

After the big year, he again recalled "a rough 2004." He fractured vertebrae in his neck, lost his father to cancer, and contracted Zoster, a shingles-like condition which affects hearing, sight and caused paralysis on one side of his face.

"It was probably three things that I would never wish on my worst enemy," Blake said.

"Those all made me question whether I'd ever play tennis again. So to be sitting on my couch dizzy and feeling like I couldn't get up to get anything to eat two years ago, to being No. 4 in the world now. ... It's something that I never thought was possible."

Now he's looking ahead, vowing to get stronger still in the offseason and take advantage of the better draws afforded by his higher ranking. He said age and experience have mellowed him and prepared him for the pressure.

"I'm proud to have done it," Blake said. "But I feel like I'm up to that now, being a little older, more mature, learning a lot from the guys who come before me, and I think I do have a chance at the Grand Slams."

When those chances come along, it's a pretty sure bet Federer will be on the other side of the net at some point.