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.

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ON HIS WAY TO THE BANK

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

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

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

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

DOH!

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

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

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

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

FED DEVALUES FRENCH

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AP