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.

CLICK HERE

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

HARBINGERS OF OZ

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will open the 2009 ATP season by playing at the Qatar Open.

Qatar tennis federation president Nasser al-Kholiafi says Andy Murray and Andy Roddick will also take part in the hard-court tournament, which begins Jan. 5.

The tournament in Doha is one of three to start the 2009 tennis season, along with the Brisbane International in Australia, and the Chennai Open in India.

AP

MONEY AND BRAINS

In his prime, Johnny Unitas was the guy you wanted quarterbacking a football team. The Hall of Famer set seven lifetime NFL passing records during his storied career. But he might not be your pick to run a circuit-board maker.

In 1984, Unitas and partners bought National Circuits for $3.5 million. The company foundered, and six years later they could only sell it for $1 million. Unitas declared bankruptcy in 1991 after he couldn't pay back loans he took to purchase National.

"The No. 1 reason athletes lose money is they invest in areas they don't really understand and not related to their expertise," says Alan Lancz, a wealth manager who works with a number of professional athletes.

Björn Borg's another good example. When he retired from tennis at the age of 27 in 1983, the Swede had won 11 Grand Slam championships. He tried to replicate his on-court success in the world of fashion with the Björn Borg Design Group; it didn't work.

The company quickly ran into liquidity problems and shut down in 1989. Borg refused to take outside financing for fear of losing control of the company. Creditors later sued Borg, but he claimed he couldn't pay because he was "more or less bankrupt."

While failed business ventures often take a wrecking ball to an athlete's net worth, they are hardly the only source of money woes. There's also the expensive cars, the jewelry, the lavish parties, the mansions. The cost of the lifestyle adds up.

In a Prince & Associates survey of sports agents, 69.1% said their athlete clients live a luxurious lifestyle. The Rothstein Kass-sponsored survey also found only 26.4% of those athletes worried about paying for the lifestyle. More should be so concerned.

"I want all the money I can spend and, brother, that's a lot," the two-time Cy Young winner Denny McClain once said. The last MLB pitcher to win 30 games in a single season would later file for bankruptcy twice.

One estimate pegs Mike Tyson's career earnings at $400 million. But the hard-punching heavyweight, who earned up to $30 million for some of his fights, declared bankruptcy in 2003. Documents from Tyson's divorces said he spent $400,000 a month on care for his pet tigers, legal fees, limos and plenty more.

''He spent enormous amounts of money that were inappropriate at best,'' a lawyer for Tyson's ex-wife told The New York Times after the bankruptcy filing. ''Part of it can be attributed to a lack of willpower."

Jack Clark was in the middle of a three-year $8.7 million contract with the Boston Red Sox in 1992. The power-hitting designated hitter was also filing for bankruptcy. In a filing, Clark revealed debts of $11.4 million. His assets only totaled $4.8 million.

"He had some expensive hobbies, and I think they got ahead of him," Clark's lawyer told a reporter. Clark's bankruptcy filing revealed he owned 18 cars, one a 1990 Ferrari that cost $717,000. He still owed money on 17 of them.

Another potential financial pitfall for pro players: Their big paychecks make them a target. The agents in the Prince survey say they've seen 77.5% of their athletes exploited by friends and family. They've seen 71.9% exploited by advisers.

When NHL great Bobby Orr retired in 1978, one accountant estimated the defenseman owed more money than he had. A few years later, Orr accused his agent Alan Eagleson of mismanaging his finances. The former Boston Bruin sat in the courtroom when Eagleson pleaded guilty to schemes to defraud National Hockey League Players. Justice was served, but it didn't bring the money back.

RODDICK'S NEW COACH: LARRY STEFANKI

Roddick announced on his Web site that Stefanki will begin working with him during the offseason and travel with him in 2009. Jimmy Connors resigned as Roddick's coach early in the 2008 season.

Stefanki, a former player who reached a career-high ranking of No. 35, has coached John McEnroe, Marcelo Rios, Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Tim Henman. Stefanki most recently coached 2007 Australian Open runner-up Fernando Gonzalez.

Roddick won the 2003 U.S. Open under Brad Gilbert and finished that year at No. 1 in the rankings. He ended the 2008 season at No. 8.

The American has gone through a series of coaches during his career, including working with Patrick McEnroe during this year's U.S. Open. Roddick has also been coached by his brother, John

JIMMY CONNORS ARRESTED

Tennis star Jimmy Connors has been arrested at a college basketball game in California, the Associated Press reported on Saturday.

The eight-time grand slam champion was taken into custody after refusing to leave an area near the entrance to the Thunderdome arena in Santa Barbara, campus police said.

A police official told AP that Connors was taken into custody before the start of the men's game between University College Santa Barbara and North Carolina.

No other details of the arrest were made available, but an employee at Santa Barbara County jail said that Connors had not been charged with an offense as of Saturday morning local time.

Connors is one of the all-time tennis greats, having been ranked as world number one for five consecutive years in the 1970s.

He was also renowned for his fiery temperament on the court as he battled his way to 109 career titles.

The 56-year-old returned to the mainstream tennis fold by acting as coach to American number one Andy Roddick, but their near two-year relationship ended earlier this year.

LET JOY FILL YOUR HEART [Turn on your speakers]

DAVIS CUP

The story of Argentine tennis dates to the late 19th century, and what runs through this rich tale of overcoming long odds and longer distances is red clay.

The Argentines call it polvo de ladrillo (literally, brick dust), and it is the only surface available at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club, the venerable institution that dates to 1892 and lies at the epicenter of the sport in a leafy quarter of the Argentine capital.

On a breezy day this week, the dust swirled through the spring air, leaving a gritty ocher coating on the grass and the table tops.

The next morning, in an airplane flying low over the Buenos Aires outskirts, there were scores of red rectangles visible below among the tile roofs and broad patches of desiccated plain.

But 400 kilometers, or 250 miles, to the south, in the coastal resort of Mar del Plata, the site this weekend of the most significant tennis event ever staged in Argentina, the red rectangles and brick dust are suddenly nowhere to be seen.

Inside the Estadio Polideportivo, the modest arena where, beginning on Friday, David Nalbandian, Juan Martin del Potro and Argentina will play host to Spain in this year's Davis Cup final, the surface is a luminous blue indoor carpet. Even the nearby grounds are clay-free, with three hard courts being resurfaced in order to make this hard-scrabble section of the city look worthier of one of the game's seminal competitions.

"I'm sure it is strange for you," said Guillermo Salatino, the former Argentine player who, at 63, remains one of the leading voices of the game here on radio and television. "For me, too, it seems strange being in my country and seeing a Davis Cup final played on an indoor carpet, but in reality, it reflects the natural evolution of tennis in Argentina."

Argentine players have indeed become more complete. Nalbandian, the moody longtime leader of this team, and Del Potro, the towering 20-year-old prodigy, both profess to be more at ease on faster surfaces than the clay that has long defined their nation's tennis landscape.

Now Nalbandian and Del Potro have been granted at least part of their wish: an indoor court. It will be the first time since Argentina joined tennis's premier team competition in 1923 that the country has staged a home match on anything but outdoor clay. But then perhaps it was time for a new tack, considering that Argentina has never won the Davis Cup.

The closest it has come were finals in 1981 against John McEnroe and the United States and in 2006 against Marat Safin and Russia. Both those defeats came on the road and indoors.

Now, for the first time, Argentina will be the host. Its chances are only increased because it does not have to host Rafael Nadal, the world's No. 1 player, who withdrew from Spain's team last week because of tendinitis in his knee.

Nadal's buff right [sic] bicep features prominently on the official poster for the final. But the Spaniards genuinely present are the slumping David Ferrer, two talented but erratic left-handers, Feliciano López and Fernando Verdasco, and a newcomer, Marcel Granollers.

The rub is that the Argentines would probably not have bothered to play indoors or in Mar del Plata if they had known that Nadal, the king of clay and four-time French Open champion, was not going to join them. Instead, they would likely have chosen an outdoor hardcourt, or even clay, in Buenos Aires at the new stadium at Parque Roca. But it is too late to play in the sunshine now.

"I believe Argentina is going to win," said José Luis Clerc, who along with Guillermo Vilas was the star of the 1981 team. "What happened this year is what we all needed before: a good schedule. It never happened for us, and it never happened for these kids until now."

For the first time, through the luck of the draw, Argentina has been able to play all four of the rounds at home, where it has not lost in Davis Cup play since 1998. And just when it appeared that this historic opportunity might be squandered by a lack of in-form players, Del Potro burst to prominence by winning four consecutive tournaments in the northern hemisphere summer at age 19 on his way into a year-end world ranking of nine, two spots ahead of Nalbandian.

"This is our big chance," Clerc said. "Soccer is, of course, the number one sport here, but this is the first time that people are getting really crazy here about Davis Cup. Everywhere I'm going, the question is, 'José, will you be in Mar del Plata?' People in the street, people in the bank, people everywhere."

Among other Argentine luminaries expected to attend is the new national soccer team coach, Diego Maradona, who planned to return home quickly after his debut at the helm on Wednesday in Scotland. Maradona has become one of the Davis Cup team's most visible and audible supporters, also making the trip to Moscow for the 2006 final.

Vilas, with whom Clerc has long had a chilly relationship, is also expected to make a rare appearance. That seems appropriate considering that he was born in Mar del Plata, later polishing his game as a teenager in Buenos Aires at the Lawn Tennis Club.

Vilas memorabilia is a constant presence in Argentine clubs. The trophy case at the Lawn Tennis Club contains one of the open-throated wooden rackets he used to win the United States Open at Forest Hills in 1977 as well as a yellow tennis ball he hit on his way to beating the United States in the Davis Cup in Buenos Aires in 1977 in the club's main, 4,000-seat stadium with its Wimbledon-inspired green walls and creeping ivy.

The final is in Mar del Plata because Buenos Aires does not possess an indoor arena of the requisite size and quality despite its population of about 14 million.

The Argentines' first choice was Córdoba, Nalbandian's home city, but the International Tennis Federation surprised the Argentines by choosing the alternate site of Mar del Plata instead.

Mar del Plata authorities, unlike those in Córdoba, had agreed to make their arena available immediately after the decision to prepare it for the final. There was also - this being 21st-century sport - a sponsorship concern, with Córdoba's bid being backed by a local bank, which might have been viewed as a conflict by the Davis Cup's title sponsor, the French bank BNP Paribas.

Nalbandian was not amused by the choice and initially made rumblings about boycotting the final. But he quickly thought better of it, well aware that, with his 27th birthday looming in January, he will probably never have a better opportunity to win something transcendent.

The only Argentine man to win a Grand Slam singles title since Vilas remains Gastón Gaudio at the French Open in 2004. Nalbandian reached the Wimbledon final in 2002 and won the season-ending Masters Cup after making it in as an alternate in 2005. But those achievements would pale in the collective Argentine consciousness compared with finally securing La Copa Davis.

Argentina is particularly passionate about its national teams and has had much to savor over the years, with two World Cup soccer titles, Olympic gold medals in men's basketball and soccer, and a third-place finish by the Pumas, at last year's Rugby World Cup in France.

As with Spain in 2000, the year it finally won its first Davis Cup, the long wait has only increased the pre-final buzz in Argentina. The cup, one of the grander trophies in world sport, has been making the promotional rounds and was on display at Vilas Club in Buenos Aires last week for two days.

Vilas Club opened in 1993 with Vilas as a part owner. Vilas's success generated a boom in tennis participation, increasing the number of Argentine players from less than 100,000 to close to three million.

He, like his successors, was much more than a clay-court specialist, winning the Australian Open twice on grass. But the Davis Cup exceeded his left-handed grasp. Now, 27 years later, in the absence of another great and bullish left-hander, his compatriots' chances of laying their hands on it look very good indeed.

CHRISTOPHER CLAREY

MAR DEL PLATA - DAVIS CUP

Spain's David Ferrer returns the ball as team captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario, back left, talks to an unidentified member of the team during a training session ahead the Davis Cup final in Mar del Plata, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008. Argentina will host the Davis Cup final against Spain on Nov. 21-23 in Mar del Plata.

DJOKOVIC WINS SHANGHAI

Serbia's Novak Djokovic crushed Nikolay Davydenko 6-1 7-5 to win the Masters Cup on Sunday, underlining his credentials as a major challenger to Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer at the top of men's tennis.

The Australian Open champion, who lost all his matches without winning a set on his debut at the season-ending shootout last year, earned $1.24 million to move to within 10 ranking points of world number two Federer.

NESTOR #l IN DOUBLES

Canada's Daniel Nestor and Serbia's Nenad Zimonjic beat American twins Bob and Mike Bryan 7-6 (3), 6-2 on Sunday in the Masters Cup doubles final to clinch the year-end No. 1 ranking.

The Bryans, seeking their third straight title in the event, had held the top ranking and won the Olympic bronze medal in August.

But Nestor and Zimonjic have beaten the Americans three straight times and went through the tournament undefeated, taking all three of their round-robin matches and the semifinals. Zimonjic also won the mixed doubles in the Australian Open with Tiantian Sun.

AP

BRYANS AND NESTOR IN DUB FINALS

At the moment, Bob and Mike Bryan have a slim 31 point lead over Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic for the top honors in 2008. The winning team scores 40 points so the bottom line is whichever team wins today will go down in the record books as the season-ending No. 1 team.

For Bob and Mike Bryan there is much at stake as they would like to finish as the No. 1 team for a fourth consecutive year, which would also mean that they’ve ended five overall seasons in the top spot. The Bryans picked up their sixth Grand Slam trophy at the U.S. Open in September and kept their record of winning at least five titles a year going for a seventh straight year.

Nestor and Zimonjic, playing together as a regular team for the first time this season, have been in great form this week, dropping one set in four matches played. Their best stretch during the season was winning three consecutive titles at Queen’s Club, Wimbledon and the AMS Toronto tournament.

Nestor had played in nine year-end events in the past with former partner, Mark Knowles, winning the title in 2007. Zimonjic reached the year-end final in 2005 with Leander Paes and also qualified in 2006 as a pairing with Fabrice Santoro.

It’s likely to be a thrilling final encounter between these two talented teams who are tied at two matches apiece in previous meetings. They played three times this year and the Bryans won the AMS Rome final, but Nestor and Zimonjic won the AMS Hamburg and AMS Toronto finals.

JOKER AND NIKOLAY IN FINAL

Russia's Nikolay Davydenko shocked in-form Andy Murray to set up a surprise Masters Cup final against world number three Novak Djokovic on Saturday.

Davydenko took advantage of Murray's late finish against Roger Federer on Friday to win 7-5, 6-2, reaching his first final in four straight visits to the year-end showpiece.

He faces a daunting task against Australian Open champion Djokovic, who roared into the title match 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 against Gilles Simon and beat the Russian in the group stages.

"I was supposed to be flying tomorrow -- I'll have to change my flight!" said Davydenko.

"Maybe I have a chance in the final. I lost when we played before but it's a different situation tomorrow."

Davydenko, the world number five, is in line for the biggest pay day of his career if he wins the 4.45 million dollar tournament, while Djokovic can move within 10 points of Federer's second spot in the rankings.

ONLY MONEY

NOVAK Djokovic's Masters Cup loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is the most expensive of the Serb's career, costing him more than $1 million.

In control midway through the second set, the Australian Open champion stumbled to a puzzling 1-6 7-5 6-1 defeat on Thursday night.

Undefeated and assured of contesting tonight's semi-finals, Djokovic was on track for a $1,072,403 bonus to remain unbeaten if he won his last round-robin match.

NO MIRACLE FOR FED

Britain's Andy Murray sent defending champion Roger Federer crashing out of the Masters Cup in a classic encounter on Friday.

Murray came from a set down to win 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 7-5 after Federer, hampered by a back injury, saved seven match points in a gripping final set.

Federer had never failed to reach the Masters Cup semi-finals in seven straight appearances, winning four titles including the last two.

The 13-time Grand Slam champion, who was forced out of the Paris Masters with the back strain and then hit by a stomach bug, needed to beat Murray to stay in the tournament after losing to Simon.

Federer had started in imperious form, snapping up the first break point of the match.

Federer twice took treatment for his injured back and he noticeably slowed in the third set.

Earlier Simon swept aside Czech alternate Radek Stepanek 6-1, 6-4 but could only qualify when Federer lost.

SHANGHAI ON TSN

Be sure to check out the alternate TSN channel [ 402 on Bell] for more.

HAPPENED TO BE IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

Czech alternate Radek Stepanek revealed how he had to borrow Andy Murray's socks and Novak Djokovic's racquets after he was called up at the last minute for the elite Tennis Masters Cup.

Stepanek, who replaced the injured Andy Roddick, also had to buy new contact lenses ahead of his group clash with five-time champion Roger Federer.

The world number 27 arrived in Shanghai from holiday in Thailand but explained that his tennis gear, including his contact lenses, was stuck in customs.

"I had racquets from Novak Djokovic and socks from Andy. He uses the same ones I do," Stepanek smiled.

It wasn't the perfect preparation for facing history's greatest player, but Stepanek managed to break the former number one in each set before going down 7-6 (7/4), 6-4.

"That's the situation, that's how it is. So I had to deal with it," he said.

Stepanek can claim the best payday of his career for his makeshift Masters. Victory over Gilles Simon on Friday would earn him a cool 225,000 dollars for just two matches, although he cannot now reach the semi-finals.

The 30-year-old, who has amassed just two wins in 12 years on tour, admitted it was a "dream" to play the eight-man season finale.

"For me it was always a dream to play in the Masters Cup because you're in the elite eight best players in the world," he said. "It's an honour for me to be here."

WHO WILL BE THE FOURTH? SIMON OR FED

Russian Nikolay Davydenko outslugged Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro 6-3 6-2 in a winner-takes-all battle for a place in the semi-final of the Masters Cup on Thursday.

The 27-year-old world number five joined Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray in the last four, reaching the knockout stage for the second time in four appearances at the season finale for the top eight players in the world.

Defending champion Roger Federer must beat Briton Murray on Friday to claim the final place in the last four, which will otherwise go to Frenchman Gilles Simon.

Del Potro, who now heads home for next week’s Davis Cup final against Spain, held his own through some long early rallies but once he lost the first set, the long season and a toe injury looked to have caught up with him and he folded.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga earlier restored some pride by coming back from a set down to beat world number three Djokovic 1-6 7-5 6-1 in a dead rubber match in the same Gold Group.

TWO-HANDED BACKHAND

 

Frank Baldock made an interesting observation: All but one of the ten players involved in Shanghai, this year, have two-handed backhands.

Reasons???

Leave yours in the 'comments'.

I NEED A MIRACLE -- FED

Top seed Roger Federer was left hoping for "a miracle" on Wednesday after being laid low by illness as he struggled to stay in the hunt for the Masters Cup title.

Despite beating first alternate Radek Stepanek 7-6 6-4 in the Red Group on Wednesday, the world number two's defeat by Gilles Simon on Monday means he must now beat in-form Andy Murray to avoid an end to his quest for a fifth Masters Cup.

World number four Murray, who has a 3-2 career advantage over Federer, has enjoyed his best year on the circuit and although he has already qualified for the last four the Briton said he would be going all out for a win on Friday.

"I guess I got really lucky my match was scheduled late today and then Radek was not playing with his own racket, so that made it a little bit more lucky," the Swiss player told reporters.

"At the end of the day I still have a chance. I hope with a day of recovery I'll make a miracle happen here and get through to the semis."

RODDICK OUT

Andy Roddick has withdrawn from the Masters Cup after spraining his right ankle during practice - an injury that he said did not appear to be serious.

Roddick made the announcement Wednesday, hours before he was to play Roger Federer in a Red Group match. He was replaced in the tournament by 26th-ranked Radek Stepanek, the first alternate here.

Stepanek, of the Czech Republic, could qualify for the semifinals but would have to win both of his matches and hope no more than one of the other players in his group finish with two victories.

"I called him this morning at about 10:00 or 10:30 and said, 'You should prepare like you're going to play. I'm probably 50/50 to play tonight, and I'll let you know as soon as I try to warm up," Roddick said.

Federer has defeated Stepanek 7 - 6, 6 -4.

MURRY IN SEMIS

Britain's Andy Murray reached the Masters Cup semifinals with a 6-4, 6-2 victory Wednesday over Gilles Simon of France. Murray was at his best on the key points, breaking Simon twice in each set and fending off seven of the Frenchman's eight break opportunities. "It was one of my best matches in recent months," Murray said - quite a statement for a player who recently ran off a 14-match winning streak.

AP

DEL POTRO BEATS TSONGA

Juan Martin del Potro kept alive his chances of qualifying for the Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai semifinals after beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 7-6(4), 7-6(5) for his first victory in the Gold Group on Tuesday.

NADAL OUT OF DAVIS CUP

Injured world number one Rafael Nadal may not recover in time for Spain's Davis Cup final away to Argentina later this month, his trainer and uncle was quoted as saying on Monday.

Nadal has tendinitis in his right knee and was forced to pull out of the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai which began on Sunday. He also had to retire from his Paris Masters quarter-final against Nikolay Davydenko last month.

SHANGHAI BEGINS

SHANGHAI ON TSN

STRETCHING: THE TRUTH

Researchers now believe that some of the more entrenched elements of many athletes’ warm-up regimens are not only a waste of time but actually bad for you. The old presumption that holding a stretch for 20 to 30 seconds — known as static stretching — primes muscles for a workout is dead wrong. It actually weakens them.

The straining muscle becomes less responsive and stays weakened for up to 30 minutes after stretching, which is not how an athlete wants to begin a workout.

A well-designed warm-up starts by increasing body heat and blood flow. Warm muscles and dilated blood vessels pull oxygen from the bloodstream more efficiently and use stored muscle fuel more effectively. They also withstand loads better.

To raise the body’s temperature, a warm-up must begin with aerobic activity, usually light jogging.

The aerobic warm-up should take only 5 to 10 minutes, with a 5-minute recovery. (Sprinters require longer warm-ups, because the loads exerted on their muscles are so extreme.) Then it’s time for the most important and unorthodox part of a proper warm-up regimen, the Spider-Man and its counterparts.

Stretching muscles while moving, a technique known as dynamic stretching or dynamic warm-ups, increases power, flexibility and range of motion.

Dynamic stretching is at its most effective when it’s relatively sports specific.For runners, an ideal warm-up might include squats, lunges and “form drills” like kicking your buttocks with your heels. Athletes who need to move rapidly in different directions, like soccer, tennis or basketball players, should do dynamic stretches that involve many parts of the body. “Spider-Man” is a particularly good drill: drop onto all fours and crawl the width of the court, as if you were climbing a wall.

STRAIGHT-LEG MARCH (for the hamstrings and gluteus muscles)Kick one leg straight out in front of you, with your toes flexed toward the sky. Reach your opposite arm to the upturned toes. Drop the leg and repeat with the opposite limbs. Continue the sequence for at least six or seven repetitions.

SCORPION (for the lower back, hip flexors and gluteus muscles) Lie on your stomach, with your arms outstretched and your feet flexed so that only your toes are touching the ground. Kick your right foot toward your left arm, then kick your left foot toward your right arm. Since this is an advanced exercise, begin slowly, and repeat up to 12 times.

HANDWALKS (for the shoulders, core muscles and hamstrings) Stand straight, with your legs together. Bend over until both hands are flat on the ground. ‘‘Walk’’ your hands forward until your back is almost extended. Keeping your legs straight, inch your feet toward your hands, then walk your hands forward again. Repeat five or six times.

Stretching muscles while moving, known as dynamic stretching or dynamic warm-ups, increases power, flexibility and range of motion.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL NY TIMES ARTICLE.

SHANGHAI ROUND-ROBIN GROUPS

SHANGHAI PRIZE MONEY

This does not include appearance  money [which may be more than the prizes].

NEEDS REST

Rafael Nadal pledged to do everything in his power to rehabilitate his ailing right knee in time for Spain's Davis Cup final against Argentina in less than three weeks.

Nadal has tendinitis in his knee and was forced to pull out of the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai, which begins Sunday. The world's top-ranked player also had to retire from his Paris Masters quarterfinal against Nikolay Davydenko last week.

The Spanish tennis federation said Tuesday that Nadal needed a week of rest and treatment. Nadal said he would have a final test at the start of next week to determine whether he can represent Spain in Mar del Plata beginning Nov. 21.

Nadal reiterated his criticism of the packed ATP tennis calendar, saying it was "very badly organized."

"It's very hard to always be at the highest level with a calendar like that," he said. "I didn't say no to Shanghai, it was my knee. Going there would have been a very big effort."

Nadal will be replaced at the Masters Cup by Frenchman Gilles Simon, who will play world No. 2 Roger Federer in the Swiss top seed's opening match.

NADAL MAY MISS DAVIS CUP

Rafael Nadal has tendinitis in his right knee and could be in doubt for Spain's Davis Cup final against Argentina.

Medical tests Tuesday confirmed the tendinitis, and Spain team doctor Angel Ruiz-Cotorro said the top-ranked player would undergo treatment through Saturday.

Nadal will have more tests Monday to assess the injury. Spain plays Argentina in the final on indoor hard court at Mar del Plata from Nov. 21-23.

Spanish Davis Cup captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario will not pick Nadal if he is unfit, Nadal's uncle and coach Toni said Tuesday.

On Monday, Nadal pulled out of the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai citing fatigue after a season in which he's played in 111 matches.

SWEDISH GREAT DEAD

Lennart Bergelin, Sweden's first grand slam winner and coach to Bjorn Borg, has died at the age 83 following a short illness.

Bergelin was known most famously in recent years as Borg's personal coach during which time his young protege won 11 Grand Slam singles titles at Wimbledon and the French Open.

Before his career as a trainer, Bergelin was considered one of Sweden's best players, repeatedly figuring on International lists of the world's best players between 1946 and 1955. He also played in 90 Davis Cup tournaments and reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon four times.

Between 1946 and 1951, he won four international tournaments and in 1948 became the first Swede to win the Paris Grand Slam doubles competition, partnered with Jaroslav Drobny. He finished his career with 20 national championships - 9 single and 11 doubles and was given the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal, awarded for the most significant Swedish sports achievement of the year, in 1950 at the height of his playing career.

Bergelin also led Sweden's Davis Cup team to its first ever Davis Cup victory in 1975 against Czechoslovakia, while taking on the duties of Borg's personal coach from 1971 until retiring in 1983.

WHAT'S NEWS IN SHANGHAI

NADAL OUT - SIMON IN

World number one Rafael Nadal of Spain said on Monday that he had pulled out of the Shanghai Masters and his place would be taken by France's Gilles Simon.

"I have decided not to compete in the Masters Cup in Shanghai. As I say this is one of the most difficult decisions in my career due to the importance of the event," he said in a statement posted on his official web site.

The 22-year-old had had to pull out of his Paris Masters quarter-final on Friday with a right knee injury.

BRAIN LAG

Researchers have confirmed what many tennis players have long complained that professional referees misjudge the balls which bounce off the line or close to it.

But they say it is not mere incompetence as some would allege but the result of programming of brain.

Researchers at UC Davis University in California found it is the result of brain's perception of the world lags a few milliseconds behind reality.

To compensate, brain estimates where the object should go next, based on its speed and direction of travel. Mostly those guesses work very well, but if the object is moving very fast and making sudden changes of direction -- like a bouncing tennis ball -- they can give the wrong answer.

While the brain is processing the image of a moving object received from the eyes, the object has already moved on, researchers led by David Whitney, associate professor at Center for Mind and Body and the Department of Psychology, found.

The common flaw in the visual system -- also known as a "perceptual bias"-- has rarely been documented in sports, the researchers say.

Whitney and his team reviewed a random set of 4,457 points from the 2007 Wimbledon tournament. All instances when the tennis ball landed close to or on the line were recorded, and three trained observers individually watched each play. They also examined instant replays.

SHANGHAI FIELD

Simon and Blake will be alternates if a top player withdraws.

TSONGA TAKES PARIS

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat defending champion David Nalbandian 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to win the Paris Masters on Sunday and qualify for the season-ending Masters Cup.

The 13th-seeded Tsonga clinched his second career title and became the first Frenchman since Sebastien Grosjean in 2001 to win the indoor tournament in Bercy.

MASTERS CUP: SUNDAY SHOWDOWN!

 

James Blake's defeat means that Juan Martin Del Potro has qualified for Shanghai. The eighth and final spot will go to the winner of Sunday's final here between Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and David Nalbandian.

If Tsonga wins,he will be the 8th player and  then Gilles Simon will be the 9th [injured reserve] player. If he loses, Tsonga himself will occupy that spot.

For Nalbandian, it is all or nothing.

LAST TANGO IN PARIS

Defending champion David Nalbandian beat Nikolay Davydenko 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 Saturday to set up a Paris Masters final against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

 

 

 

 

 

Tsonga defeated 11th-seeded James Blake 6-4, 6-3 and could become the first Frenchman to win this event since Sebastien Grosjean in 2001.

The wins also kept the eighth-seeded Nalbandian and 13th-seeded Tsonga on course for a place in the season-ending Masters Cup.

The winner of Sunday's final will go to Shanghai with Juan Martin del Potro, who clinched a spot because of Blake's loss.

AP

SHANGHAI ON TSN

PARIS SEMIS

Nikolay Davydenko (No6) – David Nalbandian (No8)

24 hours ago, few would have been expecting this particular semi-final line-up. The great shame of the quarter-finals however is that we did not get to see Nikolay Davydenko do battle with a fully fit Rafael Nadal. The 2006 BNP Paribas Masters winner has been getting better and better as the tournament wears on and is very much the pleasant surprise of the tournament after a run of poor results this autumn.

The match will be a battle between a model of consistency and a flawed genius. Davydenko is solid as a rock when he’s in a rhythm, while David Nalbandian is the kind of person who can beat anyone on the world on his day with his variations of pace and length. The No8 seed took out the form player of the tour Andy Murray in the quarter-finals, and with a Davis Cup final to look forward to next month, Nalbandian seems to have got his appetite for tennis back. Particularly since he is now only four sets away from becoming the first holder to retain his title at Bercy, and also qualify for the Masters Cup while he is about it.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (No13) – James Blake (No11)

Whatever happens, Tsonga has won the hearts of the Parisian crowd already with his incredible three-set wins over Novak Djokovic and Andy Roddick on consecutive days. The crowd will be looking forward to another show in Saturday’s second semi-final and will be right behind the spectacular and charismatic 23-year-old. His three-hour epic against Roddick will no doubt have taken its toll on him, while his opponent has enjoyed a day off.

James Blake has had a far easier passage through to the semis, with Roger Federer pulling out just before their quarter-final clash. The New Yorker struggled to get past Italian youngster Simone Bolelli in the second round, but he now finds himself a mere two sets away from a Masters Cup berth – surely motivation enough for the 28-year-old who finished runner-up in the season-ending competition two years ago.

Tsonga is also still in the running for Shanghai – a final berth will suffice if Davydenko wins, but should Nalbandian get through, then Jo-Wil will face another winner-takes-all shoot-out. And the way he is playing at the moment, anything is possible.

NADAL'S KNEES AND ROGER'S BACK

Rafael Nadal retired with a knee injury after losing the first set 6-1 against Nikolay Davydenko in the Paris Masters quarterfinals Friday, just hours after Roger Federer pulled out of the tournament with a sore back.

Nadal had received a lengthy massage treatment on his right thigh at 4-1 down to try and loosen the muscles around his right knee but was unable to start the second set.

"When I push with the right leg all the time the knee wasn't there, the knee is going down," Nadal said. "I felt a sharp, acute pain."

The Spaniard felt nagging knee pains earlier this week, and it got worse Friday morning.

"Today when I woke up I felt it a lot. I try to practice but still feel it," Nadal said. "Later I went the doctor and the doctor gave me some anti-inflammatories."

Nadal said he has never had a similar injury and that he needs further tests before he decides whether to play the season-ending Masters Cup, which begins Nov. 9 in Shanghai.

"We are going to have the tests and everything," Nadal said. "Hopefully it's going to be fine for Shanghai, but you never know."

Federer, meanwhile, pulled out shortly before his quarterfinal against James Blake because of a stiff back, but said he didn't have a serious injury.

AP

NALBANDIAN BEATS MURRY

Fourth-seeded Argentine David Nalbandian (pictured) maintained his chances of clinching a spot at Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai by reaching the BNP Paribas Masters semifinals on Friday. The defending champion snapped the 14-match winning streak of fourth seed Andy Murray with a 7-6(3), 6-3 win in one hour and 44 minutes for a place in the semifinals.

The 26-year-old Cordoba resident must clinch his 10th career ATP title to be guaranteed of qualification for the prestigious circuit finale to be held at the Qi Zhong Stadium in Shanghai from November 9-16. With 320 points in the ATP 2008 Race, he stands 36 points behind No. 8-placed Gilles Simon of France who made a third round exit (l. to Roddick) on Thursday.

FED BACKS OFF

Roger Federer pulled out of the Paris Masters with a back injury just before his quarter-final against American James Blake on Friday.

"My back has been stiff for the last couple of days and I woke up this morning and it did not respond to the treatment I had last night."

Federer's withdrawal means the Swiss has failed to win a regular Masters Series event this year for the first time since 2003.

Federer is next scheduled to play in the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai, which starts on November 9.

ARRIVING IN SHANGHAI VIA PARIS

MASTERS CUP : RODDICK THROUGH

With his win over Gilles Simon and Juan Martin del Potro's loss to David Nalbandian, Andy Roddick has secured his berth at the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai in 10 days time. Del Potro and Simon are still seventh and eighth, and will qualify unless Blake or Tsonga make the final here or Nalbandian, Verdasco or Monfils win the tournament.

No. 13 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga recorded his second successive victory in three meetings over No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 win in one hour and 54 minutes. Tsonga, who captured his first ATP title over Djokovic in Bangkok last month, is 41 points behind No. 8-placed Simon in the ATP 2008 Race.

THURSDAY IN PARIS

ONLY CHALLENGE "OUT" CALLS

Two tennis players are locked in a furious baseline exchange. Eventually, a line judge calls the ball "out." Should the player who lost the point protest the ruling?

Yes, a new study suggests. Researchers say professional tennis players could increase their chances of having a ruling reversed in their favor by an instant replay review if they challenge "out" calls more than "in" calls.

A study of 57 randomly selected matches during the 2007 Wimbledon tournament found that officials were more likely to err by calling a shot "out" than "in." It's not a matter of bad refereeing, scientists say, but rather, it has to do with a bias in the way humans perceive moving objects.

"When a ball is called 'in,' a player should usually not challenge the call, even when she believes it to be an incorrect call," psychologist David Whitney of the University of California, Davis wrote in the study. "Players should concentrate their challenges on balls that are called 'out."'

In the study, three scientists independently reviewed TV footage of 4,457 points from Wimbledon in 2007. Calls were spot on most of the time. Of the 83 wrong rulings, researchers found, 70 -- or 84 percent -- were instances of a shot landing in but being called "out." Only in 13 cases was a ball that landed out ruled "in."

Researchers attributed the errors to perceptual bias in which a moving target appears to be farther along its path than it really is -- a bias phenomenon also seen in the general population.

AP

PARIS WILL DECIDE 3 SPOTS IN SHANGHAI

Three spots in the season-ending Masters Cup are up for grabs.

Andy Roddick, Juan Martin del Potro and Gilles Simon hope to earn enough points to hold their rankings in the top eight and reach the prestigious year-end championship in Shanghai.

But David Ferrer is just behind Simon, with James Blake, Stanislas Wawrinka and Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga all hoping a good showing at Paris will help them qualify.

Robredo beat Jeremy Chardy 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) and Tursunov defeated Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-2. Robredo saved the only break point he faced in the first set, while Tursunov broke Mannarino's serve five times.

Tursunov next plays third-seeded Novak Djokovic, while Robredo faces No. 15 Fernando Verdasco.

Roddick dented his chances of reaching Shanghai after losing to Robin Soderling in the quarterfinals of the Lyon Grand Prix on Friday. Simon picked up points there by reaching the semis, and Roddick could play Simon in the third round in Paris.

Top-ranked Rafael Nadal, 13-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer, Djokovic, Andy Murray and Nikolay Davydenko have already clinched their spots for Shanghai, but Davydenko is the only one among them to have won the Paris tournament, in 2006.

AP

ATP

GETTING SERIOUS

Roger Federer will cut exhibition matches from his 2009 schedule as he pursues Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam singles titles, his agent said Sunday. Federer and Sampras played three exhibition matches across Asia last November and again in New York City last March. Such commitments won't be repeated in 2009.

AP

FED WINS BASEL

Roger Federer won his hometown tournament for the third straight year on Sunday, beating second-seeded David Nalbandian of Argentina 6-3, 6-4 in the Swiss Indoors final.

The top-seeded Federer hit eight aces and conceded just seven points on his serve all match.

"I'm very happy, everything worked as planned," Federer said. "It was a match played at a high level."

It was Federer's fourth title of the season after victories at the U.S. Open, in Estoril, Portugal; and Halle, Germany. He is 4-4 in finals this season and 57-21 overall.

Federer improved to 10-8 against the 26-year-old Nalbandian, who won in Basel in 2002 and is a three-time runner-up.

PARIS ON TSN

DOKIC COMEBACK?

Jelena Dokic was ranked as high as four in the world, but a split from her family - specifically her over-bearing father Damir - led to her career slipping into free fall. She has since made half-hearted attempts and short-lived attempts to come back, but they’ve always come to nothing. Until now.

Very quietly, with minimum fuss or publicity, the 25-year old has been going about her business this year. It’s meant starting again right at the bottom, with no ranking and playing $25,000 events instead of the Centre Court at Wimbledon, but her effort and perseverance have paid off.

She has won 35 matches and three small tournaments, and now that she has a ranking of 187 that is enough to get her into the qualifying rounds of the Australian Open. She’s also eyeing Auckland or Brisbane, and Hobart.

"It’s been good," she said of her 2008 season. "I’ve won a lot of matches this year and gone a couple of steps forward, which is the main thing. I just need to continue working hard and playing as many matches as I can get and just continue to be there when things don’t go well.

NALBANDIAN - FED IN BASEL FINAL

Top-seeded Roger Federer defeated Feliciano Lopez of Spain 6-3, 6-2 Saturday to reach the final of the Swiss Indoors.

Roger Federer stands to face a more formidable challenge from David Nalbandian in order to win a third straight Swiss Indoors title.

Federer will seek a third straight Swiss Indoors title Sunday against 2002 champion David Nalbandian of Argentina.

Federer was never in trouble against the 39th-ranked Lopez, winning in 61 minutes.

The second-seeded Nalbandian defeated Davis Cup teammate Juan Martin del Potro 6-4, 6-4 in the other semifinal.

AP

LUZZI DIES AT 28

Federico Luzzi, a former top-100 tennis player, has died of leukemia. He was 28.

Luzzi died at a hospital in Arezzo, the Italian Tennis Federation said Saturday. He had been there for a few days after retiring last weekend from an Italian league match citing a high fever.

Luzzi reached a career-high ranking of No. 92 in 2002 before a shoulder injury that affected him the rest of his career.

He had a 2-2 record with Italy’s Davis Cup team. In 2001, Luzzi beat Ville Liukko of Finland 14-12 in the fifth set after 4 hours, 35 minutes—the longest Davis Cup match ever played by an Italian.

In February, Luzzi was suspended for 200 days and fined $50,000 by the ATP for betting on tennis.

Luzzi is survived by his parents, Paola and Maurizio, and his sister, Francesca.

AP

ABU DHABI

Negotiations are understood to be at an advanced stage between prominent events organisers in Abu Dhabi and the world’s top-six men’s players to bring a three-day, unsanctioned tournament to the capital to kick off the sporting new year.

The plan is to secure contracts for that six to compete in Abu Dhabi just before the 2009 Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) season opens in neighbouring Qatar on Jan 5.

Others on the Abu Dhabi list are the world No 1 Rafael Nadal, the Spaniard who earlier this year swapped places with Switzerland’s Roger Federer, a man who has a residence in Dubai and has won the popular tournament at the Aviation Club there on four occasions, Novak Djokovic, the outstanding young Serb, Spain’s David Ferrer and Nikolay Davydenko, of Russia.

The unsanctioned showpiece involving the world’s top six would undoubtedly assist in any future initiative to present an official men’s draw of 32 players.

HOLIDAY IN DUBAI

Jesse Levine of Boca Raton, Fl., ranked No. 99 and just six days past his 21st birthday, has been invited for a second extended practice session with Federer.

The former University of Florida star had been invited a year and a half ago to work two weeks with Federer during the middle of summer. This time the weather will be cooler and, since Levine is no longer an NCAA player, he won't have to worry about taking a free first-class plane ticket to Dubai or staying in a five-star hotel at Federer's expense.

Levine is only 8-17 this season, but he's used the Challengers and a few key regular ATP wins to reach at career best No. 95 in September. Since the U.S. Open, he's gone three sets with both David Ferrer and Sam Querrey, but lost each time.

Federer likes the energy Levine brings to his practice sessions and also possibly the fact that he's left-handed, like his No. 1 rival, top-ranked Rafael Nadal.

YEAR END TOURNAMENTS

PILGRIM'S PROGRESS

After Andy Murray overcame Roger Federer in the semifinals of the Madrid Masters, the talk amongst the British press was not how the 21-year-old Scot had already surpassed Tim Henman in stature, but that he has now clearly upped his level to the point where he might equal Fred Perry, the last British male to win a Grand Slam title some 73 long years ago.

Murray then backed up that accolade in the final, dismissing the steady game of Gilles Simon 6-4, 7-6 (6) after the rising Frenchman had upset world No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the other semifinal.

The irascible Scot was brilliant most of the week, combing his usual sleight-of-hand tactics from the baseline with blowtorch serves and deep returns. He's always been a scrappy, confident sort, but physically, it has taken the gangly Murray a few years to grow into his body. He's added a lot of muscle to his thin frame and is happy to show it off, taking to flexing his biceps after wins.

But it takes more than just increased muscle to be able to best the likes of the world's top 3. It takes guile and technical proficiency. Murray now has a fair amount of both, and in the past three months, has scored a win over Djokovic in the Cincinnati final (his first Masters Series shield), hit through Nadal in the U.S. Open semis and then last weekend, avenged his tired-looking loss to Federer in the U.S. Open final by adeptly taking care of the big points.

"I always knew from the first moment I saw him in Bangkok (in 2005) that if he didn't screw it up, he'd be top 10 pretty soon," said Federer. "He's improved at his own pace. First he had to grow up a little bit, become a man; he's taken that step well and he seems much more relaxed on the court."

Murray is very much a perfectionist on court, a quality he shares with many other top players, but the three other elite players do not curse themselves at the top of their lungs when they miss an easy shot. They try not to show their vulnerability to their opponents. Murray has shown his dark side way too often in the past three years, but is learning that keeping his chin up and his temper at a medium boil — like Federer was talking about — is more beneficial. Former racket-tosser Federer learned that lesson himself.

"I didn't see Roger play a whole lot as a junior when he was coming up, when he was 18-19 and I heard that he was pretty temperamental," Murray said. "I'm not comparing myself to him and anything that he has achieved, but the way that we play the game is a little bit easier than how some of the players make it look. It's nice to see someone who was similar at the start of their career.

Being recognized for legitimate wins over Federer is not easy to do, but Murray's third win in Madrid was completely above board, as Federer came into the tournament healthy [Right! Federer still has mono.] and well rested. Two years ago when he scored his first upset of Federer In Cincinnati, the Swiss was tapped after having won Canada the week prior. Earlier this year in Dubai when Murray scored win No. 2, Federer was still suffering the after-effects of mononucleosis. But in Spain, there were no excuses on either side and the British No. 1 didn't allow the Swiss to attack his second serve or expose his forehand on the run. Amazingly, the teenager who used to kick in first serves consistently hit big-boy territory, nailing 14 aces, with two struck at 141 miles per hour.

Murray is already assured of his place at the year-end Tennis Masters Cup. With his title run in Madrid, he became the first British player in the Open Era to win four titles in a season.

He is still Slam-less, but has played better than Djokovic and Nadal (who with Federer's loss clinched the year-end top spot) since Wimbledon and now heads into the home stretch of the season with a chance to send up a couple of more warning shots to the other primetime Grand Slam contenders that he could be ready to make serious noise at the Australian Open in January.

SCRAMBLING FOR SHANGHAI

MURRY WINS MADRID

Fourth-ranked Andy Murray beat Gilles Simon of France 6-4, 7-6 (6) Sunday to win the Madrid Masters.

The U.S. Open finalist became the first Briton to win four titles in a season. He will be the first Briton in the Open era since Fred Perry in 1936 to finish the year at No. 4 after winning four titles and playing in a Grand Slam final.

Greg Rusedski and Tim Henman both reached No. 4 but never finished the year there and never won four titles and played in a Grand Slam final in one season.

Murray won in Doha, Marseille and Cincinnati. Mark Cox of Britain captured three titles in 1975.

MURRY AS A JUNIOR

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

SIMON INTO MADRID FINALS

Frenchman Gilles Simon advanced to his first ATP Masters Series final after an exhilarating 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(6) victory over World No. 1 and home favorite Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of the Mutua Madrilena Masters Madrid on Saturday.

Simon, who will become the No. 1 Frenchman on Monday, strengthened his bid for one of the remaining four berths at Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai. Currently 10th in the ATP 2008 Race, he now moves to within just six points of No. 8 Juan Martin del Potro, in the process leapfrogging James Blake. If he were to win the final on Sunday, he would move to No. 7 in the ATP 2008 Race with 361 points.

ROGER'S APPEARANCE MONEY

........ his decision to pull out of the Stockholm Open recently, thereby forfeiting €700,000 in appearance money........

MURRY BEATS ROGER

Andy Murray reached the Madrid Masters final on Saturday after rallying to beat Roger Federer 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 in a rematch of last month's U.S. Open championship match. The fourth-seeded Briton broke the second-ranked Federer in the final set on his seventh breakpoint chance to reach his second Masters Series final this season

MARIO AND MONO

When Mario Ancic sustained a serious case of mono that nearly ended his career last year, he knew he'd never be the same physically. Unfortunately for the Croat with the thunderous serve, imposing wingspan and tireless work ethic, a relapse came at the wrong time.

Ancic just reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, where a few grueling encounters didn't help, and was about to embark on one of the biggest events of the season, for him and a few others -- the Beijing Olympics.

Having felt sluggish in an opening-round loss at the Toronto Masters and having skipped the Cincinnati Masters in the summer as the fatigue intensified and the weight loss mounted, to about 15 pounds in total, the 24-year-old knew he couldn't go. 

Ancic, who teamed with veteran Ivan Ljubicic to win doubles bronze at the Athens Games four years ago, has missed six of the past nine Grand Slams, including three straight at the U.S. Open. The main culprit was mono, which first surfaced in January 2007, though knee and shoulder injuries also arose.

That semifinal showing at the All England Club (in 2004), downing Roger Federer on grass (in '02), clinching Croatia's maiden Davis Cup title in hostile surroundings (in '05) and rising to seventh in the rankings a year later all seem like a distant memory.

Ancic, down to No. 136 in January and back up to 31st now as the pendulum continues to swing, knows that, too.

Ancic is an intelligent character, earning his law degree in the spring, and thus is well aware another mono-induced setback might be around the corner.

KARLOVIC ACES DJOKOVIC

Ivo Karlovic hammered 21 aces and won 89 percent of first-serve points in a 7-6(4), 7-6(5) upset win over ATP World No. 3 Novak Djokovic. Djokovic failed to convert three break point chances in the match.

In addition to his overwhelming serve Karlovic was often brilliant at net and on match point, with Djokovic serving, he charged the net after a brief baseline exchange and forced a forehand error.

The 6' 10" Croatian is currently 27th in the ATP 200 Race, but should he win the tournament he would rise close to the Top 10 of the Race and be within reach of a Tennis Masters Cup berth.

FED OVER TSONGA

                                                                                                                            Roger Federer became the ATP Tour’s career leader in prize money Thursday, topping $43.3 million to overtake Pete Sampras.

Federer, a 13-time Grand Slam champion, set the earnings total with his 6-4, 6-1 win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga that put him in the Madrid Masters quarterfinals.

“It’s not very special,” Federer said. “It’s very nice to have records. Sure, money is important in life but it’s not everything.”

The five-time Wimbledon champion’s total is now $43,317,870. Sampras, who won a record 14 Grand Slams, held the mark at $43,280,489.

Federer, who turned pro 10 years ago, paid homage to the tennis stars before him.

FED PLAIN' IN SPAIN

World No. 2 Roger Federer began his bid to reclaim the title at the Mutua Madrilena Masters Madrid by defeating Czech Radek Stepanek 6-3, 7-6(6) on Wednesday.

In doing so, Federer surpassed Pete Sampras as the all-time leader in career prize money in men's tennis. The Swiss, who earned 24,200 Euros ($32,428) for reaching the third round in Madrid, increased his career total to $43,300,847. Sampras earned $43,280,489 during his outstanding career.

Federer made a confident start to his second round opener, dropping just two points on serve in the first set. Stepanek saved the one break point chance of the ensuing set to force a tie-break, where the No. 2 seed delivered on his second match point to secure the straight-sets win in under 90 minutes.

OZ OPEN STAYS IN MELBOURNE

Australian Open organizers have no intention of moving the tennis major from Melbourne despite overtures from other cities in the Asia-Pacific region wanting to bid for the tournament.

Melbourne Park, adjacent to the city's downtown area, has a contract to host the tournament until 2016, although backers of a new facility in Sydney have publicly stated they'll try to poach the event from the southern city.

Other reports suggest that Shanghai, China, among other Asian cities, wants to host one of the sport's four Grand Slam events.

Melbourne Park has hosted the Australian Open since 1988, when the tournament switched to a hardcourt event and moved across town from the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, where it had been held since 1972.

The Australian championship, or Australasian Championship as it began in 1905, has been held predominantly in Melbourne but also in Australia's other mainland state capitals of Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, and twice in New Zealand.

AP

RACE TO SHANGHAI

MADRID ON TSN

 

TWO-HANDLED RACKET

 

 

TWO-HANDLED RACKET VIDEO

 

ROGER IN MADRID

Roger Federer will play at the Madrid Masters next week, ending a three-week layoff and setting up a possible meeting with top-ranked Rafael Nadal.

“Without a doubt it’s a wonderful thing knowing we can count on Roger Federer being here for another year,” tournament director Manolo Santana said on Thursday.

The second-ranked Federer won the tournament in 2006 and was runner-up last year. The Swiss star skipped this week’s Stockholm Open saying he needed rest as he continues to rebound from a bout of mononucleosis at the start of the year.

AP

OZ OPEN INCREASES PRIZE MONEY

The 2009 Australian Open will offer 22 million Australian dollars (US$15.6 million) in prize money, with the men's and women's singles winners receiving an 18 percent increase.

Tournament officials said at the event launch Wednesday that the singles winners will receive A$1.62 million each, or about US$1.15 million each based on current exchange rates.

The Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of next year, will be held from Jan. 19-Feb. 1.

AP

LORD OF THE RING

 

The world's top tennis player went shopping at Dubai's luxurious Atlantis resort last weekend with love match Miroslava Vavrinec.

The couple browsed a selection of diamond rings, necklaces and bracelets in the swish jewellery store Levant.

"He was looking at a ring with a large stone," a shopper said.

One of the items that Federer looked at was a 60 carat D-flawless diamond ring - the biggest diamond on sale at the hotel - and another was a 15 carat pink cusion cut diamond ring.

JOACHIM JOHANSSON TRIES AGAIN

Former ATP World No. 9 Joachim "Pim-Pim" Johansson of Sweden announced on Friday that he would resume his professional tennis career starting at the If Stockholm Open, where he has received a wild card for the main draw, which starts on Monday.

The 26-year-old Johansson originally retired from the ATP circuit in February after suffering from shoulder injuries for three years.

“My shoulder feels much better and when Pelle (Per Hjertquist, Tournament Director) asked me to play here it felt like a very exciting challenge. It’s extra special for me to play this tournament, with home court advantage and with the wonderful atmosphere in the arena”, Johansson said.

The If Stockholm Open will be Johansson’s only tournament this year, while he will resume a full schedule starting in 2009. Johansson said after Stockholm he will consult with his doctor and build a workout program to get back in shape. He will start playing a full schedule towards the second half of 2009.

The 6’6’’ right-hander played his last professional match in Stockholm last year, defeating Carlos Berlocq in the first round before withdrawing from his second match due to illness.

Johansson captured three ATP titles at 2004 Memphis (d. Kiefer) and 2005 Adelaide (d. Dent) and Marseille (d. Ljubicic). His best Grand Slam performance came at the ’04 US Open, when he beat defending champion Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals before falling to Lleyton Hewitt in the semifinals. He reached a career-high No. 9 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings on February 14, 2005.

FINALLY, HE ADMITS TO MONO

Roger Federer has withdrawn from next week's Stockholm Open, saying he needs to rest before starting his quest to reclaim the top spot in the world rankings.

Federer said in a statement on his Web site Wednesday that he had been playing catch-up all year after being diagnosed with mononucleosis at the start of 2008.

"I feel fortunate to be healthy again, but I want to remain at the top of the game for many more years to come and go after the No. 1 ranking again," Federer said. "In order to do that, I need to get a proper rest and get strong again so that I am 100 percent fit for the remainder of the year or next year."

WISHBONE RACKET

Rackets that split just above the grips, leaving a Y-shaped handle with one grip in front of the racket head, and another behind. Lionel Burt, who got the rackets cleared through the International Tennis Federation, designed them originally to help balance out the body during a swing, easing stress on the wrist, elbow, shoulder and back.