WIMBLEDON PRIZE MONEY

Prize money at Wimbledon is going up by 4.7 percent.

The All England Club announced Tuesday the total prize fund for this summer's championships will be $23.46 million. The men's and women's champions will each get $1.49 million, a 7.1 percent increase from last year.

This year's tournament takes place from June 23 to July 6.

RAFA: KING OF THE MOUNTAIN

 

The second-ranked Spaniard won 7-5, 7-5 Sunday, and improved his clay-court record over Federer to 7-1.

"Winning four times here is unimaginable," said Nadal, who earned his 24th career title. "Roger played a great match. We always have good finals."

Nadal has won 98 of his last 99 matches on clay, with a loss to Federer in the 2007 Hamburg final the only blip.

The Swiss star blew commanding leads in each set, breaking Nadal to lead 4-3 in the first and racing to a 4-0 lead in the second.

"Disappointing second set," Federer said. "After playing the right way against him and then letting him back into the match, it was disappointing. Maybe I didn't play my best."

Federer committed too many unforced errors, surprisingly on his forehand, and let Nadal back into the match.

"He deserves to win," Federer said. "I'm pushing Rafa today, having the feeling I can beat him if I play the right way. And I think that's the feeling I didn't have after [Monte Carlo] last year."

Nadal has won 22 consecutive matches at Monte Carlo since losing to Guillermo Coria in the third round in 2003. Federer was the last person to take a set from him in the 2006 final. Nadal missed 2004 with injury.

The three-time French Open champion is 19-1 in clay-court finals, while Federer dropped to 7-8 on his least favorite surface. The 12-time Grand Slam champion has never won the French Open, the only major title missing from his resume.

TO BE OR NOT TO BE NO. 1

And here we thought Novak Djokovic had solved his breathing problems.
They've certainly gotten better; he wouldn't be #3 in the world if they hadn't. But the weather here has been warm and dry enough that a certain amount of dust is flying, and Djokovic couldn't handle it.
That settles a lot of things. For starters, Roger (who now has benefited from retirements in two of his last five matches!) has clinched the #1 ranking through Roland Garros -- and, hence, the #1 French Open seed.

He still needs more to assure the #1 spot after Paris, but his odds are getting better.

NADAL'S LYCRA SHORTS

Please, Rafa, we endure your your obsessive-compulsive butt-face-ball [in that order] ritual in silence.

Well, maybe not in silence, but we endure.

[And, no, no, no one mentioned hygiene!]

Butt, now you burden us with

LYCRA TENNIS SHORTS!!!

If you must wear them, at least deal with those distracting panty lines.

Your Capri pants were barely acceptable.

BUTT LYCRA!!!!!

And, please, keep the rest of your costumes in the closet.

BIG BOYS IN FINAL

FEDERER vs NADAL

Federer d Djokovic 6-3, 3-2 [ret]

Nadal d Davydenko 6-3, 6-2

BATTLE FOR FIRST

Singles - Quarterfinal: (1) R Federer def. (6) D Nalbandian 5-7 6-2 6-2

This may be the best evidence yet that Roger Federer is at, or near, his full form, given how much David Nalbandian has tortured him over the years.

The loss leaves Nalbandian still stuck at #7, with a long way to go to catch Andy Roddick.

And it's big for Federer -- his magic number to stay #1 up to Roland Garros is now one. That is, any combination of one Federer win or one Nadal loss or withdrawal will assure Federer the #1 ranking through Roland Garros.

That means that Nadal will have to win 17 matches in the space of 23 days, and even then it won't do him any good unless Federer loses all his remaining matches.

 

Singles - Quarterfinal: (2) R Nadal def. (5) D Ferrer 6-1 7-5

Of course, if Rafael Nadal now has almost no chance of making #1 before Roland Garros, he could still become #1 after the French -- because Roger Federer has 700 points to defend in Paris.

Which means that Federer needs 740 more points through Roland Garros to stay #1 - - - - - - if Nadal wins Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Rome, Hamburg, and the French Open.

Assume Federer loses to Djokovic here. Grant him a final and a semifinal at Rome and Hamburg (it doesn't matter which). That's 575 points. A Roland Garros quarterfinal would give him 250 more, and clinch it.

So Federer needs roughly ten wins in his next three and a half events (counting Monte Carlo as half an event) to clinch #1 through Wimbledon.

Ferrer, since he loses ground on Nikolay Davydenko, is now almost out of the race for the #4 Roland Garros seed. He's 830 points behind Nikolay Davydenko with a maximum of 1300 still available to be earned.

FEDERER - NALBANDIAN

Roger Federer rallied from a set down to defeat David Nalbandian 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 Friday and advanced to the semifinals of the Monte Carlo Masters.

Federer leads 9-8 against the Argentine after losing their previous two meetings last year.

The top-ranked Swiss was shaky in the first set before dominating the next two and breaking Nalbandian five times in five chances, including the first match point.

Federer next plays either third-seeded Novak Djokovic or unseeded Sam Querrey in the semifinals. They played later Friday.

Also, fourth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko defeated unseeded Igor Andreev 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 despite losing his serve seven times.

At 5-2 in the third set, Federer sent a superb forehand winner down the line, and a crisp backhand made it 0-40. Federer took the match with a crosscourt winner on the run that Nalbandian couldn't get near.

Nalbandian won the first match against Federer six years ago in the second round at Monte Carlo -- the first of five consecutive wins for Nalbandian.

Federer took eight of the next nine meetings, then Nalbandian beat Federer twice last year in the Madrid Masters final and the third round of the Paris Masters.

ARTFUL ROGER BEATS NALBANDIAN

Roger Federer dismissed David Nalbandian, a few minutes ago, [ 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 ].

His next opponent will be the winner of Djokovic-Querry.

WHO?? SAM QUERRY

 

Sam Querrey sounded exhilarated on the telephone after upending Richard Gasquet to reach the quarterfinals of the prestigious Monte Carlo Masters Series event Thursday -- and not just because of the result.

"They showed it on TV?" he said in wonderment. "All of it? That's awesome."

Yes, all three sets of it, in a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 win that showed Querrey is ready for prime time on clay this season and deserves to be taken seriously on the surface that has been such a bugaboo in recent years for U.S. men. The ATP No. 50 is the only American who entered the singles draw.

Coupled with his previous victories over aging but still dangerous Carlos Moya of Spain and Italy's Andreas Seppi, Querrey's run is the best in this event since Vince Spadea advanced to the semifinals in 2003. (Spadea also was the last U.S. man to beat a top-10 player on European clay, in 2004.)

This also marks Querrey's second Masters Series quarterfinal, along with Cincinnati last summer, and third career win over a top-10 player.

"I kind of expected to lose to Moya, but I've been gaining confidence with every match," Querrey told ESPN.com. He originally booked his return flight for the day after the first-round match, and consequently has had to change it three times.

"I have nothing to lose, and I'm just going out there and having fun," he said. "A lot of it is just believing you can play well on clay."

He very nearly didn't make the trip at all, but "decided to give it a shot and ventured over here by myself," Querrey said, while Aussie coach Grant Doyle stayed in the States due to family obligations.

"It does make it hard to find a warmup partner," Querrey said. He approached a local player in the locker room and the two have been hitting each day, although Querrey remains blissfully unaware of his lucky charm's name.

The 20-year-old Californian spent seven weeks on European clay last year and went 1-5, but that tough slog is paying off now, according to Doyle. "He'd never had a significant period of time on clay in his life," the coach said. "I put absolutely no pressure on him, told him to just try to get better.

"He's very good from the back, he's got a good forehand and serves very well. A lot of clay-court players don't like it when you get lots of free points on your serve."

Doyle also noted that Querrey's 6-foot-6-inch vantage point actually gives him an edge in handling the elevated bounce. "He can deliver from up high, the ball sits up for him and lets him have a go at his shots," he said. Querrey agreed, saying, "I don't mind the ball up high around my shoulders. It's in my zone a lot."

No matter what happens in Monte Carlo, Sam Querrey will be coming home for the next three weeks for an intensive training period with Andre Agassi's fitness mentor, Gil Reyes, in Las Vegas.

Querrey worked with Reyes for a week earlier this month "and just loved it,'' said his coach, Grant Doyle. "We're going to try to use him whenever we can.''

Reyes' strength and conditioning regimen was the foundation of Agassi's comeback in the late '90s and is universally credited with helping the legend stay competitive at the top level of the game until age 36.

"Aerobically, Sam is actually quite good, but he hasn't got a lot of strength,'' Doyle said. "He just stopped growing 18 months ago, so he's never been able to really work on his upper body or his legs. You're not supposed to do a lot of weight training while you're still growing.

"If he gets stronger and is able to put more oomph on his serve, the possibilities for him are endless.''

Querrey looked overmatched in a swiftly concluded first set against No. 9 Gasquet, but said he consciously tried to slow the match down, place his first serve (he made 65 percent for the match) and play more aggressively.

He hung in credibly on long rallies but also tried to curtail the side-to-side when he could, taking advantage of Gasquet's tendency to loiter behind the baseline by crafting drop shots and sharply-angled slice volleys on key points.

At 3-all in the second set, Querrey demonstrated mettle by saving seven break points, repeatedly nailing the door shut with aces. Querrey proceeded to break Gasquet at love for the set, prompting the visibly frustrated Frenchman to hurl his racket to the ground.

Gasquet never recovered, and double-faulted to concede the only break Querrey needed in the third set. "I don't think he expected me to play that well," Querrey said.

No. 3 Novak Djokovic will pose an even greater challenge in the next round. "I just have to be a little more confident and play more aggressively than I did last [and only] time I played him, in the Australian Open, when I got my clock cleaned," Querrey said.

FEDERER BEATS MONFILS

Federer beat Gael Monfils [4,3] to reach the quarters.

He'll play the winner of Nalbandian-Robredo.

THE ARTFUL DODGER

Roger Federer was two points from an embarrassing exit from the Monte Carlo Masters on Wednesday before rallying to beat Spanish qualifier Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo 6-1 3-6 7-6 to reach the third round.

The world number one, who failed to retain his Australian Open crown earlier this year, was 5-4 and 30-15 down in the third set before his opponent, ranked 137th by the ATP, crumbled under the pressure.

Federer had already recovered from being 5-1 down after a string of unforced errors brought him to the brink of defeat.

He eventually won the tiebreak 7-1, wrapping it up after two hours and three minutes on his first match point when Ramirez Hidalgo sent a forehand wide.

Federer next meets Frenchman Gael Monfils, who beat Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic 7-6 6-1.

DJOKOVIC BEATS LJUBCIC

Novak Djokovic advanced to the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters by defeating Ivan Ljubicic 6-3, 6-3 Tuesday.

The Australian Open champion broke Ljubicic at love in the eighth game of the first set for a 5-3 lead and clinched the set with an ace.

Using a two-handed backhand to counter Ljubicic's booming serve, Djokovic saved two break points in the eighth game of the second set but was rarely troubled.

"I came up with a straight-set win, which is very important for me at the start of the clay-court season," Djokovic said. "I played my best tennis in the most important moments, and that's what actually matters most."

The Serb will meet Andy Murray, who beat Filippo Volandri of Italy 6-4, 6-1.

After missing the chance to even the score at 4-4, Ljubicic's serve withered in the next game and Djokovic won on his first match point when Ljubicic hit a forehand into the net from the back of the court.

Djokovic said he took more time than usual to find his rhythm before pulling away.

"That's why I got off to a nervous start," Djokovic said. "But then I played at a very good level."

Djokovic's best showing on clay so far was last year's title at Estoril, Portugal.

"One of the things that I really try to have this year is patience," Djokovic said. "On the other hand, I'll try to be myself and be aggressive, the kind of style of game that I always have. So it's going to be a real test for me."

Djokovic leads the ATP race and has two tournament wins already this year, compared to one for top-ranked Roger Federer. Second-ranked Rafael Nadal, a clay specialist, is looking for his first.

MONEY CARLO ON TSN

FED WINS ESTORIL

Top-ranked Roger Federer won his first title of the season at the Estoril Open when second-seeded Nikolay Davydenko retired with a leg injury while trailing 7-6 (5), 1-2 Sunday.

It's been eight years since Federer needed five tournaments to get a shot at his first trophy of season.

"It's not the way you want to win a tournament, but that's just the way it goes sometime," Federer said. "It's great to win a title again and to straightaway win my first clay court tournament of the season gives me great confidence going into Monte Carlo."

Davydenko, who dropped to 0-12 against Federer, did not reveal the nature his injury. He had received treatment on his left leg before starting the second set.

"I have a little injury and I can't finish the match," Davydenko told the court-side crowd. "I'm sorry guys."

In the last two weeks, Davydenko won the Sony Ericsson Open and led Russia to a Davis Cup win over the Czech Republic.

Federer evened his record in clay court finals to 7-7 on a windy day. Overall, he's won 54 of the 71 finals he's played. His first victory in Portugal gave him titles in 17 countries.

Federer had five break chances over Davydenko's first three service games, but hit unforced errors on four, and Davydenko fired one of his two aces of the set to save the other.

Federer served an ace to save a break chance in the eighth game, with Davydenko shooting a low forehand into the net for Federer to hold at 4-4.

Federer went down 0-30 to start the 10th game. He recovered only to face set point, but saved it with his fourth ace. Federer took it to a tiebreaker after saving another set point.

After trailing 3-0 in the tiebreaker, Davydenko rallied with a forehand winner down the near line to tie it 5-5. Federer hit a crosscourt forehand for his 12th winner of the opening frame, then clinched it after Davydenko hit a forehand into the net.

Davydenko broke Federer at the start of the second set. Both players held their next service games, but the Russian failed to come out to serve.

FEDERER IN FINALS

Roger Federer has reached his first final of the season.

The top-ranked Swiss defeated Denis Gremelmayr 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 Saturday in the Estoril Open semifinals.

Gremelmayr broke Federer in the first game, and another break in the seventh put the German on course to win the first set.

Federer recovered to break the 104th-ranked German four times in the match, cruising in the third set.

Federer will play the winner of the match between Nikolay Davydenko and Florent Serra.

ROGER IN ESTORIL SEMIS

World number one Roger Federer shrugged off the rain and the challenge of unseeded Portuguese player Frederico Gil 6-4 6-1 to reach the semi-finals of the Estoril Open clay court tournament on Friday.

The 26-year-old Swiss, whose match was interrupted twice due to heavy rain, will next meet the winner of a match between unseeded players Denis Gremelmayr of Germany and Czech Jiri Vanek.

World number four Nikolay Davydenko of Russia, winner in Estoril in 2003, will meet number seven seed Marc Gicquel of France in the last eight later on Friday.

DARWIN ONLINE

The first draft of a book which changed the world's attitude to evolution is available for the first time online.

Papers which led to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution were previously only available to scholars at Cambridge University's library.

The draft notes are among 20,000 archive items created by the 19th Century naturalist during his lifetime.

CLICK HERE FOR THE DARWIN WEBSITE

FED INTO ESTORIL QUARTERS

Roger Federer overpowered Victor Hanescu 6-3, 6-2 Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the clay-court Estoril Open.

The top-ranked Swiss gave a more assured performance than in the first round when he dropped the opening set. Playing in occasional light drizzle, Federer conceded just 10 points in his service games to win in an hour.

"The rain really made it difficult today," Federer said. "It's a good test so far."

Federer produced two passing shots -- one forehand, one backhand -- on his way to breaking Hanescu's serve in the fourth game of the opening set.

The Romanian attempted to put pressure on Federer's backhand but the Swiss hit some of his best shots from that side.

Federer broke Hanescu's serve twice in the second set and made 28 unforced errors in the match -- roughly half the number he made in his opening match.

Federer is beginning the European clay-court season at Estoril after failing to reach a final in four tournaments this year. He has hired coach Jose Higueras, a clay specialist, for the event in preparation for the French Open.

ROGER'S NEW COACH????

Roger Federer may looking to a new coach in a bid to break out of his 2008 funk.

Jose Higueras, who used to coach Jim Courier and Sergio Bruguera and also worked with Pete Sampras and Jennifer Capriati, is expected to join the top-ranked Swiss star at this week's Estoril Open tournament in Portugal, Spanish news agency Efe reported Saturday.

Higueras, who won 16 ATP titles and represented Spain in the Davis Cup as a player, coached Michael Chang to his 1989 French Open trophy. The 55-year-old Higueras is reportedly accredited with Federer's entourage.

Federer split with coach Tony Roche last May, but a poor start coming into the clay-court season may have swayed the Swiss player to look for help.

Federer, who is only two Grand Slam titles shy of tying Sampras' record of 14, needs a French Open title to complete a career Grand Slam.

The 26-year-old Federer is off to his worst start since 2000 -- the last time he went four tournaments without a victory. It is the first time Federer has failed to reached a tournament final in four consecutive tournaments since reaching No. 1 four years ago.

Ill health hasn't helped. He battled a stomach virus at the Australian Open and mononucleosis.

A Serena smash- point Miami Final 2008

DOUBLES DRILL

Have a look at a

 

NESTOR DOUBLES VOLLEY DRILL.

DAVYDENKO CRUSHES NADAL

 

Russia's Nikolay Davydenko claimed the second Masters Series title of his career with victory over Rafael Nadal at the Sony Ericsson Open in Florida.

The 26-year-old went into the match as the underdog but dominated both on serve and return as he won 6-4 6-2.

Davydenko broke twice in each set to wrap up victory in one hour 30 minutes, adding the title to his Paris Masters win of 2006.

Nadal had been looking to win his first tournament since Stuttgart last July.

That fact had clearly been a motivation all week for Nadal, who had looked supremely focused on his way through the draw.

And having won both previous encounters between the pair, the world number two went into the match as the favourite.

But after they swapped early breaks, Davydenko went ahead again in game seven and confidently served out on his second set point.

Nadal, 21, was making more errors than usual as he faced one of the few players capable of matching his energy and consistency from the baseline.

Davydenko kept up the pressure with another break at the start of the second set, and when he extended that advantage to 4-1 it was all but over.

Nadal suffered a heartbreaking five-set defeat by Roger Federer in the final three years ago but the end came considerably quicker this time.

By the closing stages, Davydenko was totally dominant on serve and even coming into the net to finish off some points.

The world number four put Nadal out of his misery on the second match point for a win that solidifies his position among the game's elite.

DAVYDENKO BEATS NADAL

6-4, 6-2.

DAVYDENKO BEATS RODDICK

Roddick tried for an encore Friday night, but Davydenko stole the show, winning 7-6 (5), 6-2 in the semifinals of the Sony Ericsson Open.

Roddick was coming off an emotional victory the night before, when he ended his streak of 11 consecutive losses to top-ranked Roger Federer. This time it was the No. 4-seeded Davydenko with the breakthrough - Roddick was 5-0 against him previously.

"That's probably the best he's played against me," said Roddick, who was philosophical about his roller-coaster 24 hours.

"I'll choose to leave here looking at the positive. I'm obviously disappointed tonight. But to have a win like I did over Roger was big for me, and hopefully that will stick with me a little bit more."

Davydenko's opponent in the final Sunday will be No. 2-seeded Rafael Nadal, who beat Tomas Berdych 7-6 (6), 6-2

RODDICK BEATS FEDERER

Andy Roddick whacked one last thunderous serve to finally beat Roger Federer, then slowly walked to the net with his head down, as if unsure how to celebrate such a rare achievement.

With an almost flawless performance, Roddick ended a streak of 11 consecutive losses against his nemesis Thursday at the Sony Ericsson Open. Roddick dominated with his serve and took advantage of Federer's suddenly shaky play down the stretch to win 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals.

QUARTER FINALS

OUCH!!! THAT'S GOTTA HURT!!!

A GRADUATE OF THE RUSSIAN SCHOOL OF SELF-LOATHING AND HATE