INTERNAZIONALI D"ITALIA ON TSN

TWO TITLES FOR NESTOR

Canadian Daniel Nestor and Serb Nenad Zimonjic have added another clay title to their resume.

The pair defeated Nestor's former partner Mark Knowles of the Bahamas and India's Mahesh Bhupathi 6-3, 7-6 (9) to win the Barcelona Open doubles title, their second clay championship in as many weeks.

The trophy at the Real club came on the heels of last week's victory in Monte Carlo, where they trounced the world No. 1 team of Bob and Mike Bryan of the U.S.

The victory came in Nestor's 100th career final, and in the Toronto player's first match against Knowles since the two split up prior to the start of the 2008 season.

WIMBLEDON PRIZE MONEY POUNDED

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.

AP

BORN TO RUN

Christopher McDougall, author of the forthcoming Born to Run, excerpts a section of his book that suggests costly, tech-term-laden training shoes aren't helping runners all that much—and they may actually be hurting.

McDougall draws from sports science, evolutionary study, and evidence from coaches and running teams that shoes with top-of-the-line "support," "impact resistance," and other features have actually resulted in more injuries for runners than using cheap, low-tech sneakers. There's actually an argument made for running barefoot as, McDougall argues, the human body was designed for.

Dr Daniel Lieberman, professor of biological anthropology at Harvard University, has been studying the growing injury crisis in the developed world for some time and has come to a startling conclusion: 'A lot of foot and knee injuries currently plaguing us are caused by people running with shoes that actually make our feet weak, cause us to over-pronate (ankle rotation) and give us knee problems.

'Until 1972, when the modern athletic shoe was invented, people ran in very thin-soled shoes, had strong feet and had a much lower incidence of knee injuries.'

Don't go tossing out your sneaks just yet, though—any doctor will tell you that a sudden change in footwear will almost certainly cause pain and injury. Seeing as how most of us have been running with modern sneakers since we could really run, barefoot or thin leather soles aren't going to cut it. But keep the injury evidence in mind next time you feel obligated to pay top dollars for something you're born to do anyways.

 

LIFEHACKER

WIMBLEDON'S WROOF

Tournament organizers unveiled the 56,000-square foot folding roof Tuesday and confirmed that it will be ready for the first time for the June 22-July 5 tournament.

While matches will be scheduled as they were in previous years, the new roof and the 118 lights under it mean that play will likely continue well beyond the point at which bad light usually forces a halt. Also, matches will be moved from other courts to the tournament's only covered venue if bad weather hits the grass-court tournament.

But the prospect of late matches means the ventilation system under the roof will have to be working perfectly to prevent condensation and the danger of slipping for the players racing across court.

It will take between 8 and 10 minutes for the roof's 10 trusses to slide across and cover Centre Court, and then as long as another 30 minutes for the airflow system to reduce moisture sufficiently for play to begin.

The construction of the closing roof began in 2006 with the dismantling of the traditional roof overhang after that year's tournament. The grass surface was more open to the elements during the wet tournament of 2007, but the overhang was back in 2008, along with 1,200 extra seats.

A new 4,000-capacity Court No. 2 will also open for the first time, taking the total ground capacity to 40,000.

If the Centre Court roof, which will be tested out on May 17 at a special exhibition featuring former Wimbledon champions Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, has to be closed during a match, it will not be opened again until after that match finishes so that players have consistent conditions and to prevent delays.

 

AP

ROGER AND MIRKA

Roger
Federer begins his honeymoon this week
in court at the Monte Carlo Open after
an Easter weekend wedding to pregnant
long-time girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec.



Federer told his fans on his website:
"Earlier today, in my hometown of Basel,
surrounded by a small group of close
friends and family, Mirka and I got
married. It was a beautiful spring day
and an incredibly joyous occasion.



"Mr. and Mrs. Roger Federer wish all of
you a Happy Easter weekend.



Love,



Roger."



The wedding on the day before Easter
comes a few months before the new bride
is scheduled to give birth to the
couple's first child.

The surprise nuptials came only 48 hours
after the world No. 2 changed his mind
and took a wild card into Monte Carlo.

MONTE CARLO - CLAY SEASON BEGINS ON TSN

ATP RANKINGS

STREAMING VID FROM MIAMI

I'm very impressed with the streaming video from Miami

on ADHTE.NET

 

Both these pix are screenshots from that web site.

TSN - KEY BISCAYNE

RODDICK HAMMERS DJOKOVIC

Big-serving American Andy Roddick hammered an out-of-sorts Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-2 on Friday to advance to the semi-finals of the ATP event at Indian Wells.

Roddick broke the third-seeded Serb twice in each set to book his place in the last four against world number one Rafael Nadal, who crushed Argentinean Juan Martin Del Potro 6-2 6-4 in a later match.

On a hot afternoon in the California desert, seventh seed Roddick swept through the opening set in just over half an hour on the stadium court at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

The second set went with serve until the error-prone Djokovic netted a backhand to be broken in the sixth game and trail 2-4.

World number seven Roddick then held serve before again breaking the Serb in the eighth to reach the semi-finals at Indian Wells for a third time.

LJUBICIC BOUNCED

Ivan Ljubicic had a double birthday letdown on Thursday when he lost to Andy Murray in the quarter-finals of the ATP event at Indian Wells and was wrongly denied a point by the Hawk-Eye system.

The big-serving Croat was beaten 7-5 7-6 on his 30th birthday after being frustrated by a successful Murray challenge at 4-4 in the ninth game of the second set.

On break point, Murray's shot bounced outside the line with Ljubicic in position to hit a winner but the Scot challenged the linesman's call.

The Hawk-Eye technology, which reconstructs the ball's most likely path by combining its trajectory with images from cameras positioned around the court, surprisingly supported Murray by incorrectly assessing the ball's second bounce.

"I didn't play the ball because it was clearly out," Ljubicic told reporters after losing the match in just over two hours.

"The (Hawk-Eye) operator showed a second bounce instead of the first. It's just human error, and it's frustrating when you see such a clear mistake.

"We really wanted to take control of the human error with that machine, and then you have a human error of the operator who is controlling that machine. It's a strange situation."

REUTERS

MURRAY MEETS FED IN SEMI

TSN

WHO NEEDS A COACH?

Roger Federer is to become a father for the first time, the world number two announced on Thursday.

The 27-year-old Swiss revealed on his website (www.rogerfederer.com) that his girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec is pregnant.

"Mirka and I are excited to let you know that we will be parents this summer," Federer said from Indian Wells, where he is playing in an ATP tournament.

"Mirka is pregnant and we are so happy to be starting a family together. This is a dream come true for us. We love children and we are looking forward to being parents for the first time. Mirka is feeling great and everything is going well."

Federer and Vavrinec met at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

REUTERS

THE MAIN MEN

Rafael Nadal - The world No. 1 won the title in Indian Wells in 2007 and has only been playing better on hardcourts since. He won his first Australian Open title in 2009 in another classic battle with Roger Federer. However, the Spaniard injured his troublesome knee in Rotterdam, losing in the final to Andy Murray. How is the knee feeling? He did help lead Spain to a 4-1 victory over Serbia in Davis Cup last weekend, including defeating world No. 3 (and defending Indian Wells champion) Novak Djokovic in straight sets with no signs of trouble.

Roger Federer - The mighty Federer is playing in his first event since losing an emotional Australian Open final in five sets to Nadal. He withdrew from Dubai and Davis Cup last weekend with a back injury he had been battling since late 2008. It was an unusual move for the Swiss, who has managed to stay clear of major injuries in his illustrious career. How he moves and plays could dictate whether the back could be a nagging problem this season or if the layoff sufficiently healed the problem. Will we see the Federer of old in Indian Wells this week?

Novak Djokovic - The Indian Wells defending champion won the title here last year with a three-set win over surprising finalist Mardy Fish. The world No. 3 was also a finalist at Indian Wells in 2007, so the desert has been a place of great success for him. Recently he won the title in Dubai and went 0-2 in Serbia’s Davis Cup loss to Spain, losing to Nadal and David Ferrer.

Andy Murray - Murray started 2009 where he left off in 2008, playing some of the best tennis on tour. He has won two titles so far this year, including defeating Nadal in Rotterdam. However, like Federer, he was forced to withdraw from last weekend’s Davis Cup matches with an illness that also caused him to miss the tournament in Dubai. Like can be said of Federer – is he fully recovered?

Andy Roddick - Roddick, the highest-ranked American in the draw, is coming off another fantastic performance for the U.S. Davis Cup Team. He went 2-0 in the tie against a Federer-less Swiss team, including clinching the series with a win over Stanislas Wawrinka. He is playing solid tennis in 2009 with a 19-3 record on the tour, and he won his first title of the year in Memphis just a few weeks ago.

 

USTA

MOJAVE

THE MOJAVE

The desert has a special place in my heart.

I spent a couple of years in the Mojave, in the early fifties, as a child and the memories are etched in my mind.

Driving into town, canvas water-bag hanging from the front bumper, the truck would rattle rhythmically as it hit the expansion joints of the concrete road and the desiccated carcases of the Jacks [rabbits] drawn to the headlights of the cars. The road ahead was a shimmering watery mirage.

Town, Twenty-Nine Palms, was a sneeze on the highway to L.A.

Summers were hot, 105 – 115 F, and air-conditioning the domain of the rich. Even in summer, on a clear cloudless night the temperature could plummet to freezing.

Most nights were clear.

Summer was a season to be survived. We would hide from the sun in shadows, under Stetsons and shirts and jeans and boots.

Spring was the season of life and renewal. A few days of rain, right about now, would thrust the desert into a frenzy. The cactus, cholla, ocotillo, prickly-pear, agave, yucca, Joshua tree and sage would bloom in hours – changing the desert into a pallette of colours.

Much has changed.

As a child, I could see forever – the mountains disappearing on the horizon. Now, smog is a constant cloak.

The Salton Sea was fresh water reserve. Now, a cesspool of human waste.

Across the Joshua Tree National Park lies Indian Wells.

It's spring in the desert.

Tennis-life is about to be renewed.

JESSE LOST

P Capdeville (CHI) d [WC] J Witten (USA) 46 62 64

INDIAN WELLS' QUALIES

A side of pro tennis that most of us are unaware is the 'Qualies" - where good players whose ranking doesn't get them into the main draw must compete for the chance to play the 'real' tournament.

Qualies are usually held a few days before the main draw and those who reach the semis will get entry.

Leigh's team mate [at University of Kentucky], Sarah Witten has a brother, Jesse, who has to go the qualies route.

We watched Jesse play the first round at the US Open a couple of years ago.He'd come through the qualies and lost a difficult 5 set match in the main.

He's just flown out to Indian Wells because he got a wild card into the qualies.

But what a tough row to hoe.

If he wins his first round against Capdeville [a rising Chilean], he would play, probably, Xavier Malisse and then Evgeny Korolev --in the qualies!!!

INDIAN WELLS ON TSN