TENNIS SAFER THAN SKIING

A skier was left dangling from a chairlift at an American resort after he became stuck upside-down with his ski trousers round his ankles.

Photos show the man naked from his waist to his knees, swinging from one leg, and still wearing both skis.

He became entangled shortly after boarding the Skyline Express lift.

The lift was stopped and reversed about 12ft (3.6m) before he was freed by the Vail Ski Patrol, Vail Resort said in a statement about the 1 January incident.

The resort operator said the 48-year-old man was suspended for about seven minutes, but was uninjured.

OZ LOSES DAVYDENKO

World number five Nikolay Davydenko will miss the Australian Open later this month after aggravating a heel injury.

The 27-year-old Russian was scheduled to play his second round match in Chennai against Czech wildcard Lukas Dlouhy but instead told reporters at the Chennai Open, where he was top seed, that he would have to withdraw from the event.

Davydenko was runner-up to Serbian Novak Djokovic in the year-end Masters Cup in Shanghai and finished 2008 in the top five for a fourth straight season.

WORLD DOMINATION

Former No. 1 Roger Federer believes he can dominate men's tennis again.

The 27-year-old Swiss star, who is one short of Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles, said Monday he is looking forward to a big year in 2009.

"This could be a very meaningful season for me," Federer said. "I can equal Pete Sampras' record. I can add another Wimbledon title and this is something that is very dear to me. I can also win my first French Open title, so I am looking forward to my season."

Federer was slowed by mononucleosis last year and lost his No. 1 ranking to Rafael Nadal.

"I feel much better this year," Federer said. "Last year, I couldn't practice the way I wanted to because of health reasons. But this year I have trained really well and I feel very confident about myself. I have less pressure now and it is not a bad thing."

The second-ranked Federer was eclipsed last year by Nadal, who won Wimbledon, the French Open and the Beijing Olympics gold medal.

"Rafa is my main rival," Federer said. "We have been doing it for so many years and have had great matches."

NADAL AND FED ADVANCE IN QATAR

 

Rafael Nadal needed little more than three-quarters of an hour to score his first victory on the 2009 ATP World Tour, his crushing success appearing like an omen of yet further triumphs to come.

The Wimbledon, French Open and Olympic champion won 6-0, 6-1 against Fabrice Santoro in the first round of the Qatar Open, overwhelming the oldest man on the tour with his heavy hitting and relentless energy.

Meanwhile, Federer also progressed quickly. The winner of 13 Grand Slam titles started the new tour with an imperious 6-2, 6-2 success over Potito Starace, the world number 71, and now plays a second successive Italian, Andreas Seppi, who is almost 40 places higher.

Federer, who had been at risk of losing his world number two ranking, is now certain to hold on to it at least until the end of the Australian Open on February 1.

That is because Novak Djokovic, the world number three from Serbia, who is a mere ten ranking points behind him, started the 2009 season with a shock loss

DJOKOVIC OUT OF BRISBANE

WORLD No.3 Novak Djokovic's Australian Open defence plans have been shredded after he listlessly fell to a stunning defeat in his first round match at the Brisbane International this afternoon.

Djokovic gave a thin smile of resignation as he walked off before a stunned Pat Rafter Arena crowd with a 6-4, 6-4 defeat by rising Latvian Ernests Gulbis.

The Serbian paid the price for a late arrival in Brisbane so he could spend a rare New Year's Eve at home in Monte Carlo and now has 13 days to ready himself for a Melbourne Park title defence.

Djokovic conceded on Monday that his Saturday arrival had been cutting it fine, but he thought he had "just enough" training in him for his season-opening tournament.

FED'S RESURGENCE

Former No. 1 Roger Federer believes he can dominate men's tennis again.

The 27-year-old Swiss star, who is one short of Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles, says Monday he is looking forward to a big year in 2009.

Federer says he is looking forward to his season. He says, "I can equal Pete Sampras' record. I can add another Wimbledon title and this is something that is very dear to me. I can also win my first French Open title."

Federer was slowed by mononucleosis last year and lost his No. 1 ranking to Rafael Nadal.

He says he is feeling "much better this year." He says he has trained really well and feels confident compared to last year, when he couldn't practise the way he wanted because of health reasons.

AP

BAGHDATIS' COMEBACK

Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis's comeback stalled in the first round of the Brisbane International as he bowed out to Finland's Jarkko Nieminen on Monday.

The former world number eight looked in control as he took the first set but could do nothing to stop Nieminen as the Finn took the next two sets and the match 5-7, 6-1, 6-4.

Baghdatis, who reached the Australian Open final in 2007, had a disrupted 2008 due to injury problems and was hoping to use the Brisbane International to launch his assault on the top 20.

But he said his lack of match fitness had shown against Nieminen, who at number 38 is ranked 60 places higher than the Cypriot.

He also said he could not blame his loss on a leg injury, despite calling for a trainer towards the end of the second set.

"I'm not match fit and I think I need to work on that in the next 15 days before my next tournament," he said.

"But... the way I'm hitting the ball is good, tactically maybe I can work on it a bit more, but that's all."

Baghdatis said a leg problem, which surfaced at 1-5 down in the second set, was due to tiredness.

The 23-year-old, a huge crowd favourite in Australia because of its large Cypriot and Greek communities, next plays at the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne, an eight-man round-robin invitational event held in the week before the Australian Open.

"That's why I choose to play there, because I'm sure I'm going to play two matches there," he said.

"Even if you lose you get to play two matches, and also play two great matches because your opponents are going to be tough and that's good, like today."

Baghdatis is still setting tough goals for the Australian Open, saying he wants to at least make the second week of the year's first Grand Slam.

CROWD CONTROL

POLICE will use capsicum foam instead of spray at the Australian Open to avoid the ugly scenes that marred last year's event.

After the furore over footage of a Victoria Police officer spraying up to 30 people - including children - last January, officers have been told to use the foam, which targets a person more directly.

The change in tactics came as organisers prepared to serve up a new era of night-time tennis at this year's event.

In a no-nonsense approach to avoid a major disturbance, police have also said they will:

* INSTANTLY eject troublemakers for up to 24 hours.

* ISSUE on-the-spot fines of up to $227 to spectators who disrupt games, use indecent language or behave in a "riotous", "offensive" or "insulting" manner.

* INCREASE CCTV surveillance.

* PATROL the Melbourne Park precinct with uniformed and plain-clothed officers.

Supt John Cook said troublemakers would not be tolerated.

"We will not accept inappropriate crowd behaviour and anyone caught doing the wrong thing will face strict penalties, which may include immediate arrest or eviction," he said.

Tennis Australia chief Steve Wood said Open officials were working with police.

"We're really focusing on the family friendly environment and our security will reflect that," he said

MURRY BEATS NADAL

Andy Murray continued to serve notice to the world's best players, beating top-ranked Rafael Nadal in the Capitala World Tennis Championship final a day after he had beaten No. 2 Roger Federer.

The fourth-ranked Murray defeated Nadal 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 to claim the winner-take-all prize of $250,000 in the exhibition tournament. The Briton is now aiming to win his first Grand Slam title when the Australian Open starts Jan. 19.

"I am looking forward to winning a Grand Slam this year and this victory was good before I go to Australia. I have never been past the fourth round there," Murray said. "I trained hard over the break and the victories over the past three days have given me confidence."

AP

GRAND SLAM DATES

MURRY TOPS FEDERER

Andy Murray beat Roger Federer again, beating the 13-time Grand Slam title winner 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6) Friday in the semifinals of the Capitala World Tennis Championship.

The exhibition event, which is not part of the ATP Tour, features six of the top 10 players and offers a winner-take-all prize of $250,000.

Murray improved to 5-2 over Federer after having lost their previous match in the U.S. Open final. Murray will play top-ranked Rafael Nadal, who defeated Nikolay Davydenko 6-2, 6-3.

"I have realized that I will win some and lose some," Federer said. "As long as I enjoy the game, I don't mind the losses. But I surely want to win the big games."

Murray said he wants to defeat Federer when it counts.

"We had some close matches in the past. He beat me in the U.S. Open last year, but hopefully I will beat him at a Grand Slam," Murray said.

Federer broke Murray in the first game before dropping serve in the fifth. In the 10th game, a backhand winner from Federer and a double-fault by Murray ended the set.

In the second set, Murray broke Federer in the opening game and rallied from three game points down in the third to take a 3-0 lead. Though Murray lost serve in the sixth game, he broke back to even the match.

Federer attempted to serve and volley, but was often beaten as he approached the net.

In the third set before a crowd of 5,000, Murray broke in the third and fifth games but lost his serve in the sixth.

Federer saved three match points to rally to 6-6 in the tiebreaker, but Murray clinched it when the second-ranked Swiss star sailed a return long.

Nadal dropped his opening serve in the second game but reeled off the next six games. Davydenko hung on in the second set but was broken in the sixth game and Nadal closed out the match.

AP

WARMING UP IN THE DESERT

ABU DHABI (AFP) — Andy Murray and Nikolay Davydenko lived up to their world rankings and advanced to the semi-finals of the Capitala World Tennis Championship, an exhibition shootout, here on Thursday.

Scotland's world number four Andy Murray and Russian world number five Nikolay Davydenko made a perfect start to the 2009 season with fluent wins at the Zayed Sports City tennis stadium over their respective American rivals, number 10 James Blake and number eight Andy Roddick.

Displaying a stunning array of groundstrokes from the baseline, Murray dominated Blake in his 6-2, 6-2 win, while Davydenko looked much sharper than Roddick in a 6-4, 6-4 result.

The Russian next meets world number one Rafael Nadal, while Murray will take on the second-ranked Roger Federer.

The knockout tournament is worth 250,000 dollars to the winner Saturday evening.

Murray was never in trouble against Blake, breaking him twice in each set and wrapping up the match in less than an hour.

The Scot, who beat Federer three times in 2008 in four matches, said: "I was playing James for the first time in three years and I expected it to be a tough match, but I played much better than I expected to. This is the first match of the year and I am delighted with how I played.

"I am sure I will have a fun match with Roger tomorrow. I did quite well against him last year, but this is a new season. With all the top players here, this is a great preparation for the Australian Open later this month."

Roddick had only one break point against Davydenko in the entire match, which he failed to convert. His normally reliable first serve was also a bit off target, but the American was not too worried about the loss.

"Nikolay played a great game. I could have done better, but this was just my first match of the year. Hopefully, the game will be much better than what it was today," said Roddick.

FED IS FED UP

Roger Federer is pumped.

No doubt wanting to make a statement early in 2009, he's playing the most he ever has in January, starting with a lucrative exhibition in Abu Dhabi this week that features two of his main rivals, world No. 1 Rafael Nadal and Scottish talent Andy Murray.

The majestic Swiss then hits the Qatar Open, with Nadal and Murray resurfacing, before competing in the Kooyong Classic, another exhibition and his only form of Australian Open prep in recent years.

Federer was afflicted with mono last year at this time, though he didn't know it, and it predictably affected his 2008 season. He lost in the Australian Open semis to upstart Novak Djokovic, only salvaging his campaign by claiming a fifth straight U.S. Open and doubles gold at the Olympics in China.

"Never before have I started a tennis year as early as the one ahead," Federer told his Web site. "There is such a large number of challenges lying ahead. Facing them, working hard and giving my best to succeed is precisely why I love my job so much."

Wins over Nadal and Murray prior to Melbourne, regardless of whether they're in exhibitions or not, would do Federer good: He went a miserable 1-7 against the duo the past 12 months.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

DOUBLY GOOD

Toronto's Daniel Nestor and partner Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia were named the International Tennis Federation's top men's doubles team for 2008 on Wednesday.

Nestor and Zimonjic beat American twins Bob and Mike Bryan 7-6 (3), 6-2 in the Masters Cup doubles final to clinch the year-end No. 1 ranking. Nestor and Zimonjic also won the doubles crown at Wimbledon and reached the final of the French Open.

WET WIMBLEDON'S WROOF

The first match under the new retractable roof of Wimbledon’s Centre Court will be played in May, almost two months before the Grand Slam tournament.

Wimbledon will hold an event May 17 “to test the new roof and air conditioning system,” the All England Club said Tuesday in a statement.

The sliding roof will help alleviate Wimbledon’s perennial rain delays. Tickets will be sold to the event, but details have yet to be announced.

“We plan to recreate normal playing conditions,” Wimbledon spokesman Johnny Perkins said.

The Daily Mail newspaper reported that four-time Wimbledon semifinalist Tim Henman, who retired in 2007, may take part in the opening event.

The traditional roof overhang on Centre Court was removed after the 2006 tournament, leaving the grass surface more open to the elements in 2007. The overhang was back in 2008, along with 1,200 extra seats.

The Wimbledon tournament will be held June 22-July 5.

 

AP

WEALTH OF TALENT

Tennis star Roger Federer has just joined the select group of the 300 wealthiest residents of Switzerland, according to an annual survey published on Friday.

Federer, aged 27, is valued at SFr100-200 million ($83.2-166.4 million) by the Swiss business magazine Bilanz.

It notes that since 2005, Federer has been under the wings of the influential sport marketing and management agency IMG, which has managed to triple his annual income from advertising to $35 million.

The magazine also points out that at the beginning of this year, the world's number two player signed an eight-year deal with sportswear and equipment company Nike worth a record $130 million.

Since 1998 Federer has carried off more than $43 million in prize money.

Bilanz says the Swiss also has a third source of income – exhibition matches for which he receives about $1 million for each he attends. Federer plays about half a dozen such matches every year.

Earlier this year, Federer moved home from his native canton Basel country to live in the commune of Wollerau in central Switzerland, where taxes are lower.

NEURAL PLASTICITY

Mesmerizing CBC program on neural plasticity.

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ON HIS WAY TO THE BANK

On his way to London to play in the BlackRock Masters beginning Tuesday, Sampras played an exhibition match with Dominck Hrbaty in Bratislava.

Then he moved on to Prague where he played with Radek Stepanek on Monday evening. They played in Prague’s O2 Arena before a crowd of 11,000 people. Sampras won 6-4, 3-6, 10-6 (Super-TB). Sampras got Czech Crowns 3.000.000, which is about US$ 150.000.

In the afternoon before the match, Sampras met with Czech President Vaclav Klaus in Prague Castle (Klaus is big tennis fan and avid tennis player) and gave him a racket, which he also signed for the president.

After the match, Sampras left on his jet to London for the senior event.

DOH!

Plans by French entertainer Gael Monfils to play next month's Brisbane International are in tatters after a failure to meet the entry deadline.

Monfils, who might well have been the men's third seed in Brisbane, told organisers last month he wanted to start his Australian Open campaign at the January 4-11 tournament.

The flamboyant world No. 14, who has recently changed agents, and missed the entry deadline. His current agent and his former agent are blaming each other and Gael would still very much like to play our tournament.

Wildcards have already been promised to crowd-pleasing Marcos Baghdatis, the 2006 Australian Open runner-up who has dropped to No. 99 in an injury-hit year, and Tennis Australia is committed to giving the remaining two to Australian men.

FED DEVALUES FRENCH

Federer will play only two clay-court tournaments before the 2009 French Open, the only Grand Slam tournament he has never won.

Federer will head to Paris on May 24 after playing Masters series events in Rome and Madrid on his least favorite surface.

Federer played four clay-court events ahead of the 2008 French Open -- Estoril, Portugal; Monte Carlo; Rome; and Hamburg, Germany.

Federer had a tough 2008 season marred by illness and a back injury. He surrendered his Wimbledon title and No. 1 ranking to Nadal, but won the U.S. Open for his 13th Grand Slam title.

Federer has won five U.S. Opens, five Wimbledons and three Australian Opens but never captured the French, where he has lost to Nadal in the final three straight years.

Federer will start the year on hard courts at an invitation tournament in Abu Dhabi, then play events in Doha, Qatar, and Kooyong, Australia, before the Australian Open starts Jan. 19 in Melbourne.

His grass-court schedule is unchanged, with a single warmup for Wimbledon in Halle, Germany.

Federer will defend his U.S. Open title after playing Masters events on hard courts in Montreal and Cincinnati.

AP