VERDASCO: WHO IS HE?

By Bonnie D. Ford

ESPN.com

Some teenaged boys like action flicks. Some prefer Westerns or science fiction. Fernando Verdasco's favorite film was the 1995 Australian Open final, which he watched over and over, memorizing each point and momentum swing in Andre Agassi's four-set victory over Pete Sampras.

Verdasco idolized Agassi, who won four titles in Australia. Now, in one of those time-bending coincidences that crop up sometimes in tennis, the suave Spanish lefty is working with one of the architects of those championships, Agassi's dear friend and longtime strength and conditioning trainer Gil Reyes.

The 25-year-old Verdasco credits Reyes for giving him the incremental punch he needed to crash through the cinder block wall that has kept him one room away from tennis' inner sanctum. Reyes returns the favor, saying the 14th seeded Verdasco's run to the Australian Open semifinals is all about his willingness to be sentenced to hard labor.

"His learning curve has been unbelievable,'' Reyes said by telephone from his training center in Las Vegas. "He's a profound guy, and even though he's no kid, his hunger and readiness reminds me of a certain teenager that walked into my gym 20 years ago. He has the exact same look in his eye.''

Verdasco has been working with Reyes for about six months under the auspices of his apparel sponsor, adidas. The German sportswear giant has Reyes under contract to work with athletes who want to take advantage of his expertise, and players like up-and-coming American Sam Querrey have reaped the benefits.

Armed with a precise serve, whip-cracking groundstrokes and a tenacious baseline game, Verdasco has shown versatility on all surfaces. Last year, he was a finalist on grass at Nottingham, advanced to the round of 16 at both the French Open and Wimbledon and reached a career-high No. 11. He said he's always felt comfortable on hard courts, having grown up playing on them in Madrid, a city with an altitude that makes the ball fly a little faster.

The articulate, gracious Verdasco is the son of prominent restaurant owners in Spain's capital. One of their establishments, La Bola, is situated in the upscale Opera neighborhood and has been in the family since 1870; it's known for its deep red exterior walls and the traditional Madrid dish called cocido, a chickpea-and-pork stew simmered on an old-fashioned charcoal stove.

Some of Verdasco's female fans made reference to a different kind of dish during this tournament, holding up a banner that read, "You Put the Chorizo in My Paella.'' He famously posed nude for Cosmopolitan magazine last year in a spread intended to draw attention to men's cancer education, and his status as a world-class heartthrob was confirmed a few months ago when he and Serbia's Ana Ivanovic began dating. They broke up not long ago, an event he endearingly acknowledged by saying, "My romance is a little bit over now.''

Verdasco has the air of someone who knows how to enjoy life, but he's also grown increasingly dissatisfied with lurking on the edges of the top 10. Entering 2008, he found himself in mid-career with just one minor ATP title to his name. He added another on clay in Umag, Croatia, last summer, but had his first truly transformative experience in the Davis Cup finals in November.

Spain, playing without a gimpy and fatigued Rafael Nadal, was considered an underdog to Argentina, despite the host country's controversial decision to play on hard court rather than clay. Verdasco and his good buddy Feliciano Lopez won the pivotal doubles point, and Verdasco sealed his place in Spain's heart by prevailing over Jose Acasuso in the third singles match.

Verdasco didn't rest on those laurels. Two weeks later, he flew to Las Vegas to spend his Christmas holidays with Reyes, who immersed him in lower-body workouts. His stamina and returning ability were already exceptional, but Reyes wanted him to be able to "go those extra four, six, 10 shots,'' the trainer said.

"This generation has raised the bar, and the court coverage is unreal,'' Reyes said. "You're sprinting, slamming on the brakes, sprinting back, starting and stopping violently. Weak legs command and strong legs obey.''

The fortnight stint also gave Verdasco a chance for a two-hour, one-on-one conversation with Agassi, who gave him advice on everything from his tournament schedule to philosophy of life.

"After these two weeks, I realize much more how I can play and how I can be [a] harder player for the other players,'' Verdasco said.

What happened in Vegas did not stay in Vegas. Reyes arranged for Verdasco to visit gyms with specialized equipment when he played his first event of the year in Brisbane -- where he reached the final -- and again in Melbourne when he played the tune-up exhibition in suburban Kooyong. "Then, I told him to pack it up and just play,'' Reyes said.

Verdasco blitzed through his first three matches here in straight sets, losing just 12 games in the process, and avenged his Brisbane loss to 22nd seed Radek Stepanek with a crushing 6-4, 6-0, 6-0 rout in the third round. The Spaniard wasn't given much of a shot against pre-tournament favorite Andy Murray in the round of 16 and looked overmatched when he went down two sets to one. He came back from that deficit in one of the most efficient yet fiery displays of the tournament, then knocked off 2008 finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets in the quarterfinals.

Commentator and two-time Australian Open champion Jim Courier noticed Verdasco's eyes welling with emotion during the on-court interview after the Tsonga match and cut his queries short. "I had at least two more questions I could have asked, but I knew he didn't need to be breaking down in front of 15,000 people,'' Courier said.

Verdasco's physical and psychological limits surely will be tested against No. 1 Nadal on Friday evening, but Courier said he thinks the gap between the two has narrowed in the last 10 days. "I do think it's hard for these guys to play a countryman in the semis, but Fernando is playing a different kind of tennis than we've ever seen from him,'' Courier said.

Nadal doesn't seem inclined to underestimate Verdasco despite their relative positions in the national pecking order. "Always is good to play against another Spanish player in semifinals of Grand Slam, no?'' Nadal told inquiring reporters. "Is very good news for us. One player [is] gonna be in the final. But, you know, Fernando is playing at his best level. I never played against him when he's playing at the level like right now … beating Tsonga, beating Murray.

"Sometimes in the past he had some mistakes in important moments and he lost a little bit of concentration. But right now he's changing these things.''

Reyes said Verdasco called him after the Tsonga match and told him he felt great. "I told him, 'Why not you? Why not now? Empty the holster,'" Reyes said. "Moments like this are special. Of course it's him on the other side, but it's you on this side.''

The trainer said he has been living on Australian time, 19 hours ahead of Las Vegas, following Verdasco's matches live in the middle of the night. Little did Verdasco know, all those years after he watched Agassi box his way through the draw in Melbourne, that he'd have the same man in his corner. It sounds like something that would happen only in the movies.

HOT TENNIS

There was no confusion about the Extreme Heat Policy at Melbourne Park on Thursday, the second day of what forecasters were tipping could be a once-in-a-century heat wave.

The retractable roof was closed over Rod Laver Arena long before the first match and all outdoor matches were postponed.

Elena Dementieva and Carla Suaraz Navarro sweated through a two-set match in 40C (104F) temperatures Wednesday before Serena Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova played through 42C (107F) heat in the first set of their quarterfinal.

Then the tournament's Extreme Heat Policy came into effect and the roof was closed. Lucky, too. The temperature rose above 43C (109F).

Melbourne's heat wave continued on Day 11 of the Australian Open with the temperature topping 44C (111F) — making it Melbourne's hottest January day since 1939 — and more of the same forecast through Saturday.

The roof was reopened for the night semifinal between Roger Federer and American Andy Roddick as Melbourne's unpredictable weather saw the temperature drop 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) in the evening. Federer won in straight sets.

ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

Roger Federer continued his total domination of Andy Roddick with a 6-2 7-5 7-5 masterclass in the Australian Open semi-finals on Thursday.

The 27-year-old Federer extended his head-to-head record to 16-2 against Roddick and will now be aiming to equal Pete Sampras's record of 14 grand slam titles on Sunday.

Federer, who beat the American at the same stage in the 2007 tournament before going on to lift the title, will play either world number one Rafa Nadal or Fernando Verdasco in the final.

The Spanish pair play their semi-final on Friday.

Thursday's victory also meant Federer emulated Sampras by reaching 18 grand slam finals. The only person to beat Federer in a major final is Nadal, three at Roland Garros and once at Wimbledon.

REUTERS

TSN TV SKED

THURSDAY 3:30 AM

QUARTER-FINAL SCORES

IF YOU CAN'T STAND THE HEAT,...

A once in a century heatwave caused havoc at the Australian Open on Wednesday, forcing tournament organisers to cancel matches and invoke their new Extreme Heat Policy for the first time.

The tournament match referee Wayne McKewen ordered the roof on the Rod Laver centre court be shut and all matches were suspended on the outside courts as the temperature soared past a stifling 43 degrees Celsius.

The players were left soaked in sweat and gasping for air in the sweltering heat while spectators abandoned the stands to watch matches on television sets in shaded bars at Melbourne Park.

The brutal conditions proved too much for the swarms of bogong moths that flutter around the stadium's bright lights, with dozens dropping dead on to the main court.

The Australian Open has always been played in severe conditions but organisers are on high alert this year after the Bureau of Meteorology forecast six consecutive days of 40 degrees temperatures in Melbourne.

THE GHOST OF OPENS PAST

What can be said?

Fed overpowered Del Potro - 6-3, 6-0, 6-0.

Federer served at 70 per cent, and served 12 aces and no double faults.

Federer had just nine unforced errors; Del Potro had 24.

The Swiss won 32 of his 37 points when he landed his first serve.

Federer had 38 winners to Del Potro’s eight.

The No.2 seed won 21 of the 25 points when he came to the net.

The final set lasted just 19 minutes.

FITNESS WINS FOR RODDICK

 

Djokovic handled the expectations, public attention, challenging draw, and even ball crushing roddick, but  the final element in this equation - stifling heat - sealed his fate.

He was two sets to one down against Andy Roddick in their quarterfinal, and with the score standing at 6-7(3) 6-4 6-2 2-1 in the American's favour, Djokovic ground to a halt.

He had managed to cope with the warm weather and Roddick in more or less that order for the first set, but when his rival tightened the screws at the start of the second set, Djokovic began to crumble.

It was bad enough that he had to play the new and streamlined Roddick [15 pounds lighter - mandated by his new coach Larry Stefanki ], but now he had to do it in the full heat of the day as the thermometer climbed into the mid-30s. It did not take long before Djokovic was gasping and calling for the trainer to have various bits of him iced down.

His previous match had been played at night, when Marcos Baghdatis had kept him on the court until 2.26 on Monday morning. So, in order to give himself a little more time to recover, Djokovic had asked for a night match on Tuesday, but the request was turned down. With little rest, a broiling sun and a rejuvenated Roddick crunching his forehand and walloping his serve, Djokovic was toast.

TONIGHT'S MATCHES [ 7pm and 3:30am ]

OMG!!!!!!!!!

QUARTER FINALS

MURRAY OUT

Spain's Fernando Verdasco ended fourth seed Andy Murray's Australian Open campaign with a 2-6 6-1 1-6 6-3 6-4 victory on Monday to advance to his first grand slam quarter-final.

Verdasco became the first left hander other than world number one Rafa Nadal to beat Murray on the ATP Tour and also notched his first victory in six matches against the Briton.

The 21-year-old Scot, one of the pre-tournament favourites, produced flashes of brilliantly controlled tennis but also made several elementary errors and at one point in the fourth set screamed: "What the hell are you doing?".

The 25-year-old Verdasco will now next meet  Jo Wilfried-Tsonga, who beat Blake in straights..

REUTERS

TOP HALF - FOURTH ROUND RESULTS

FED SCRAPES BY BERDYCH

World number two Roger Federer fought back from two sets down to snatch a dramatic 4-6 6-7 6-4 6-4 6-2 victory against Tomas Berdych Sunday, retaining his hopes of winning a 14th grand slam title at the Australian Open.

Federer, who is seeking to equal Pete Sampras's record for grand slam titles, appeared listless from the beginning of his fourth round match with the Czech, before he found his form in the middle of the third set and never looked back.

The Swiss second seed had numerous opportunities to seal decisive games in each of the opening sets but the 20th-seeded Berdych managed to find a booming serve, blistering return or a winner to halt Federer's momentum.

However, after Berdych missed a smash while 3-4 down in the third, Federer seized the initiative and drastically raised his game to take the match in three hours, 29 minutes, setting up a quarter-final with Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro.

MONDAY ORDER OF PLAY [SUNDAY HERE]

Rod Laver Arena - play starts at 0000

12-Gael Monfils (France) v 6-Gilles Simon (France)

13-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) v 2-Serena Williams (U.S.)

1-Rafael Nadal (Spain) v 13-Fernando Gonzalez (Chile)

From 0830

9-James Blake (U.S.) v 5-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France)

Paul Hanley (Australia)/ v 4-Lukas Dlouhy (Czech Republic)/

Jordan Kerr (Australia) Leander Paes (India)

- -

Hisense Arena - (0000)

Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) v 21-Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain)

18-Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) v 4-Elena Dementieva (Russia)

8-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) v 22-Zheng Jie (China)

4-Andy Murray (Britain) v 14-Fernando Verdasco (Spain)

LOOKING AT THE SECOND WEEK

In the men's draw, play through the first the three rounds has validated the notion that the top four seeds could still be there for the semifinals. The "big four" of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray have been able to separate themselves from the rest of the players on the tour in recent months.

But the defending champion Djokovic has shown the same occasional lapses in concentration that contributed to his early exits in Brisbane and Sydney heading into the Aussie Open. Djokovic's tough four-set win over former NCAA champion Amer Delic should give Andy Roddick additional confidence that Roddick can knock out Djokovic should they meet in the quarterfinals. Delic controlled many of the significant baseline rallies with Djokovic, and Roddick's shot-making has been impressive so far in Australia.

Djokovic, though, will first have to take care of Marcos Baghdatis in the fourth round. The Cypriot was slowed by injuries for most of last year but has shown flashes of the brilliance that he displayed when he reached the final of the Australian Open in 2006. He remains a crowd favorite at Rod Laver Arena.

Roddick's new coach Larry Stefanki has been emphasizing Andy's return game, which could pay big dividends if he takes on Djokovic. Roddick has benefited from a manageable draw, dismantling a pair of qualifiers in his first two matches. It's never an easy assignment to take on Fabrice Santoro, but Roddick dicatated the terms in his third round victory over the 36-year-old magician.

Next up for the American is a fourth-round date with Tommy Robredo, who has never beaten Roddick in nine chances. Perhaps Roddick is poised to expand the elite circle of men's tennis to a "big five" this year if he can fight his way into the final four Down Under.

Heading into 2009, Roger Federer announced he was ready to reclaim his control over men's tennis. So far the former world No. 1 has been living up to those bold words. He rolled past Marat Safin in straight sets in the third round in what could have been Safin's final match in Melbourne.

While Federer's next opponent — Tomas Berdych — stunned the smooth Swiss in the 2004 Olympics, he hasn't beaten Federer since. That trend should continue when they meet in the fourth round. In the quarterfinals, Federer would then play either Marin Cilic or Juan Martin del Potro. These rising stars both have big games but shouldn't be able to take down Federer on a very big stage.

Nadal and Murray have been just as impressive. The top seeded Spaniard destroyed Tommy Haas in straight sets and hasn't lost a set in his first three matches. While Fernando Gonzalez's power could give Nadal some trouble in the fourth round, the Chilean may be physically drained after rallying from two sets down to beat Richard Gasquet in an epic third-round match.

If Gael Monfils can upset Gilles Simon, Nadal will have a chance to avenge his loss earlier this year to Monfils in Qatar. Murray remains on a collision course to meet Nadal in the semifinals. If he's feeling any pressure to capture his first Grand Slam title, Murray hasn't shown it so far and was dominant in blowing Jurgen Melzer off the court in the third round.

Brian Webber, FOXSports.com

DAD FROM HELL

TENNIS dad from hell Damir Dokic thinks he's the man to manage the sport's next generation of stars.

As daughter Jelena shines in Melbourne, Mr Dokic is planning a comeback of his own.

The fiery father is trying to sell his mansion and acreage in the Serbian countryside for $6 million, The Daily Telegraph reports.

He plans to use proceeds from the sale to build a tennis centre and launch new talent.

"I'll return to the successful period when I was working with Jelena and she was the fourth best player in the world," he has vowed.

Cut off from Jelena, Mr Dokic lives alone on a sprawling estate at Vrdnik, 70km north of Belgrade.

He tends to 20,000 plum and pear trees and makes his own brandy, but has apparently had enough of the quiet country life.

He wants to relocate to the nearby city of Novi Sad for his return to the world of tennis.

Mr Dokic's outbursts, which included being thrown out of the US Open after abusing staff over the price of a meal, made him one of the sport's most notorious figures.

His daughter has also revealed how his oppressive presence drove her into a deep depression from which she is only now emerging.

As Jelena has been rebuilding her life and reputation with the help of boyfriend Tin Bikic in Australia, Mr Dokic has worked on his property for the past four years.

"I'm struggling with how to help my child," he has said.

BEST WAY WOULD BE TO STAY ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD!

YOU CAN TAKE THEM OUT OF THE BALKANS, BUT NOT THE ...

Crowd violence spilled over at the Australian Open -- once dubbed the 'Happy Slam' -- in Melbourne again on Friday. Following is a factbox of violent incidents at the grand slam tournament in recent years.

* Around 150 fans were evicted from Melbourne Park on the opening day of the 2007 tournament after vicious fighting flared between rival Croat and Serb supporters. The fans attacked each other with bottles and flagpoles. Police were caught on the back foot by the first time such violence had flared in more than 100 years of grand slam tennis.

* In 2008, fans of Greek descent were subdued by police pepper spray after trouble erupted during a match between Fernando Gonzalez of Chile and Konstantinos Economidis, a Greek qualifier on Margaret Court Arena. The match had to be stopped for 10 minutes as the fans were removed from the stadium by police.

* Former finalist Phil Dent warned at the 2009 tournament that disruptive fans with ethnic ties at the Open were certain to cause a riot unless there was a security crackdown. Dent was outraged at the behaviour of teenage fans supporting the Bosnian-born American Amer Delic in the first-round match against his American son Taylor. "I've got to tell you their behaviour would not be accepted anywhere in the world," Dent told local radio.

* In 2009 police escorted at least five fans from Melbourne Park after narrowly averting an all-out brawl. Security moved in after tensions had boiled over in the match between Croatian Marin Cilic and Serbian Janko Tipsarevic. Punches were later thrown in a scuffle near a packed bar.

* Ethnic tension burst into violent crowd scenes after Serb Novak Djokovic's third-round win against Bosnian-born Delic. Groups of rival fans hurled chairs at each other in the beer garden outside centre court when simmering tension boiled over under the hot Melbourne sun. One woman was knocked cold when a chair struck her head. Police arrested two men and ejected another 30 people from the grounds.

GOOD SIGNS

Roger Federer has put on another masterful display on a court he has come to dominate in recent years, knocking out the ever-dangerous Marat Safin in straight sets to move through to the fourth round of Australian Open 2009.

Billed as the match of the tournament so far – and a rematch of their famous semifinal at Australian Open 2005 which Safin clinched 9-7 in the fifth set – the encounter didn’t live up to the hype, with the world No. 2 progressing comfortably.

The only time Federer was truly challenged was in the tight third set, but three-time Open champion hung tough to triumph 6-3 6-2 7-6(5), and said it was a pleasing performance.

THIRD ROUND RESULT - BOTTOM HALF

MURRAY DINES

Andy Murray has continued on his path to claiming his first major title with a resounding straight sets victory over Spain’s Marcel Granollers on Thursday night.

The No. 4 seed displayed the form that has seen him become the hottest prospect in men’s tennis in the last six months, defeating the world No. 51 6-4 6-2 6-2.

Murray said he felt his form improve as the match wore on.

DUDE NO DUD IN NEW DUDES

There is a new look to Rafael Nadal this year. A worrying look. Well, worrying if you happen to be in his section of the draw. Not only is the best player on the planet sporting a new sartorial style, but he is looking like a man on a mission, and whistled past Roko Karanusic 6-2 6-3 6-2 on Thursday to reach the third round.

The world has become accustomed to seeing Nadal mopping up clay court titles and making the French Open his very own, but of late the Spaniard has been branching out. Not only did he break Roger Federer's heart by beating the Swiss in the Wimbledon final, but he also ended 2008 as the best hard court player in the world. Of his 82 wins for the season, 46 of them came on the cement surface. This was indeed a break from the norm.

Coming to Australia, Nadal is looking good. Usually he takes his time to warm up as the new season begins and so far, he has never made it beyond the semifinals in Melbourne – and he has only got that far once in four attempts. This year, though, he has dropped a meagre 11 games in his first two matches and has barely had to get out of third gear to get this far.

WHO? LU!

Yen-hsun Lu had barely walked off the court at Melbourne Park on Wednesday after one of his biggest career wins when his mobile phone started ringing.

Lu, whose previous biggest win was a first-round upset of Britain’s Andy Murray at last year’s Beijing Olympics, pulled off a marathon upset of 10th-seeded David Nalbandian in the second round at the Australian Open.

Lu beat the 2002 Wimbledon finalist 6-4, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in a match just short of four hours, marking the first time in 12 Grand Slams that the 25-year-old Lu has advanced past the second round.

Lu persevered through a 10-minute final game when he fought off six break points, but he had a strategy—reverse psychology.

“Everybody knows Nalbandian is one of the best backhand players,” Lu said. “So I thought he’s ready for a forehand return. So I just changed my mind and went to his backhand all the time.

“I served six times to his backhand on break point and I won all the points.”

KOROLEV WORKED ROGER

Roger Federer set up a juicy third round clash with former Australian Open champion Marat Safin after finally subduing a stubborn Evgeny Korolev 6-2 6-3 6-1 on Wednesday.

Federer, who is seeking to equal Pete Sampras's record of 14 grand slam wins with his fourth at Melbourne Park, was more than matched by the Russian qualifier in the opening two sets before romping away with the third.

The 27-year-old Federer enthralled the crowd packed into Rod Laver Arena with some audacious shot-making but Korolev also joined in and his wristy racket work provided some anxious moments for the world number two.

RESULTS [WEDNESDAY IN OZ]

TENNIS ON TSN

NADAL, FED, MURRAY, DJOKOVIC INTO SECOND

 

 

Nadal provided an ominous demonstration of his Australian Open intentions by crushing Belgium's Christophe Rochus 6-0 6-2 6-2 in the first round on Tuesday.

The Spaniard could hardly have been more impressive as he raced to victory in 77 minutes for the loss of just four games.

Nadal

wrapped up the first set in just 19 minutes, giving up only eight points, and was just as ruthless as he closed out the match.

Nadal has never won the Australian Open but has progressed further every time he has made the trip to Melbourne.

He reached the third round on his debut in 2004 and the fourth round a year later. He missed 2006 but made the quarter-finals in 2007 then the semi-finals last year.

He is among the favourites to win the title this year, along with Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, but said he was not thinking that far ahead.

Murray only needed to play 12 games to advance -- Andrei Pavel retired with a back problem down 6-2, 3-1 and 15-0. When they walked off, the temperature was hovering at 37 Celsius (99 Fahrenheit).

In addition to the heat, the early afternoon sun was nearly blinding at one end of the court.

Roger Federer took the first step toward his record-tying 14th Grand Slam title with a 6-1, 7-6 (4), 7-5 victory Monday over Andreas Seppi at the Australian Open.

Federer, seeking to match Pete Sampras' mark, was at his best on the big points on the opening day when most favorites avoided upsets. However, it wasn't easy for even the top players.

"He is a very tough customer, he played really well," Federer said of the 35th-ranked Seppi. "I think I played well, too. I had to."

Defending men's champion Novak Djokovic, started strong then had to rally from service breaks in the last two sets - he was down 4-0 in the third - to oust Andrea Stoppini 6-2, 6-3, 7-5

ROGER, OK?

 

I look eagerly for signs that Roger has has beaten his main opponent --mononucleosis. The results of this match, do not encourage.

With the illness,

Roger was good for one set.

In this match he seemed to good for one set.

This forbodes ill[ness].

Roger Federer took his first step towards a record-equalling 14th grand slam title with a 6-1 7-6 7-5 victory over Italy's Andreas Seppi in the first round of the Australian Open on Monday.

The world number two, seeking to equal Pete Sampras's grand slam-title record of 14, romped through the first set but was made to work hard by the world number 35, who squandered several break opportunities throughout the match. [REUTERS}

ROGER READY

Roger Federer completed his preparations for a tilt at Pete Sampras's record of 14 grand slam titles with an easy 6-1 6-3 victory over Swiss compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka at the Kooyong Classic on Saturday.

Federer captured his second title in the eight-man invitational event, which he traditionally uses to fine tune his game before his Melbourne Park campaign. He also won in 2005.

OZ DRAW

Roger Federer will begin his bid to equal Pete Sampras's record of 14 grand slam titles against Italian Andreas Seppi in the first round of the Australian Open next week.

Top seed Rafael Nadal, who snapped Federer's record 237-week stint as world number one last August, will meet Belgium's Christophe Rochus after the draw was made at Melbourne Park on Friday.

Champion Novak Djokovic was drawn to meet a qualifier in his opening match but if the seeds live up to their billing, he could be on another collision course with Federer in the semi-finals.

Fourth seed Andy Murray, tipped to end Britain's 73-year wait for a men's grand slam champion, was slotted into the same half of the draw as Nadal and will open his account against Romania's Andrei Pavel.

Federer will need to be on his guard if he is to win a fourth trophy in Melbourne since his path is littered with banana skins, including a potential second round match with former world number one Carlos Moya.

If he survives that test, Marat Safin could be his next opponent. The Russian beat the Swiss en route to the 2005 title.

Seventh seed Andy Roddick and Argentina's David Nalbandian, the 10th seed, could face off in an intriguing fourth round battle.

REUTERS

OZ TOP SEEDS

Spain's Rafael Nadal and Jelena Jankovic of Serbia have been confirmed as the top seeds for this year's Australian Open, which begins on Monday.

Roger Federer was listed as second seed in the men's draw ahead of defending champion Novak Djokovic and Briton Andy Murray for the year's first Grand Slam.

Former champion Serena Williams was seeded second for the women's tournament ahead of Russian pair Dinara Safina and Elena Dementieva.

The full draw for the tournament will be made at Melbourne on Friday. Seeds for the Australian Open are based on the world rankings.

The only man missing from the world's top 32 is Russian Nikolay Davydenko while two women are absent, last year's champion Maria Sharapova and China's Li Na.

Nadal has never won the Australian Open although he has won the French Open four times and Wimbledon once. His best performance in Melbourne was last year when he reached the semi-finals.

Jankovic was also a semi-finalist in Australia last year but is yet to win a grand slam.

HATCHETMAN AT BOLLETIERI

MANATEE COUNTY - Two tennis instructors and an executive who helped build the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy into a world-renowned facility have been fired or encouraged to resign in a major shakeup at IMG Academies in West Bradenton.

Coaches Gabriel Jaramillo and Ted Meekma and executive Greg Breunich worked for more than 20 years at the academy -- where superstars like Andre Agassi and Maria Sharapova trained -- and were confidantes of the facility's namesake and founder, Nick Bollettieri.

The three have been let go in the past few weeks, as has chief financial officer Jeff McNeil.

The changes appear to be the latest move by a firm that bought IMG in 2004 and that has restructured other aspects of the company.

The departures at the tennis academy were not amicable, sources say, as Jaramillo was escorted from the property Friday afternoon by a security officer.

Each man was given severance pay, according to Jaramillo's attorney, and signed non-disclosure and no-compete contracts that prohibit them from coaching tennis or speaking publicly about the changes.

"Essentially, this new company brought in a hatchet man to get rid of all the strong people who had been there for years," Mulock said. "They had been with Nick forever. Then they got tossed under the bus."

In 1987, Bollettieri sold the academy to IMG, which kept them all on staff and opened the multi-sport academies in west Manatee County, on 300 acres of former tomato fields. IMG now trains thousands of athletes in sports from golf to basketball

An investment firm, Forstmann Little & Co., acquired IMG -- an international sports and entertainment marketing company -- in 2004 for $750 million.

Forstmann Little has a history of cutting costs to make its acquisitions more profitable before reselling them.

The company bought and later resold Gulfstream Aerospace, Topps and Dr. Pepper.

KOOYONG KLASSIC

 

World number two Roger Federer made a winning return to the Kooyong Classic on Wednesday with an easy 6-2 6-3 victory over Spain's Carlos Moya.

Federer, a perennial visitor to the suburban Melbourne club that hosts the eight-man invitational tournament, was a late withdrawal from the event last year with glandular fever.

The 13-times grand slam winner uses the tournament to fine-tune his Australian Open preparations and, despite the encounter lasting just 57 minutes, he said the match had been beneficial for his Melbourne Park campaign.

"I'm getting used to the conditions here and the way the ball flies -- much more than it did in the past few weeks," Federer told reporters. "I'm trying a few things here and there (and) taking a few chances.

"Its more about getting used to the conditions and getting my footwork right, getting used to the bounce and seeing how high it is and the way (the ball) spins and reacts to the court.

"There was a bit of rust in the beginning and I missed a few forehands (but) I thought it was good match overall."

Federer will meet next meet Fernando Verdasco in the progression-relegation tournament after the Spaniard beat Croatia's Marin Cilic 6-2 7-5.

By Greg Stutchbury

MELBOURNE, Jan 14 (Reuters)

OZ ON TSN

FED PREPARES

A year after withdrawing from the Kooyong Classic with a mystery virus, world number two Roger Federer returned on Tuesday and declared himself fit and ready to finalise his Australian Open preparations.

Federer was forced out of the invitational eight-man field at the Kooyong Club in suburban Melbourne last January with what later transpired to be glandular fever, an illness that affected his form for much of the first half of last year.

He lost in the semi-finals of the Australian Open to eventual champion Novak Djokovic and also ceded the number one world ranking that he had held for a record 237 weeks to Spain's Rafael Nadal last August.

A back injury in the second half of the year also restricted his performances but he still managed to win his fifth successive U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows.

"I'm feeling really good," the 27-year-old Swiss told a news conference when asked about his health. "I was feeling quite bad here last year, which is why I couldn't play.

"It's why I'm really happy to be part of it this year. It's a great tournament and I love playing here because it is great preparation for me for the Australian Open."

THREE MATCHES

Federer, who plays Spain's Carlos Moya in the second match of Wednesday's opening day, said the beauty of the Kooyong event was that players were guaranteed three competitive matches ahead of next week's Australian Open.

"Usually before a grand slam you take it easy or practice, that's all you do," the 13-times grand slam winner added.

"This is a different type of approach here, we are all lacking matches at the beginning of the season and you are looking for matches.

"If you play matches in practice it's not the same.

"You don't have linesmen, or the fans or umpires and it's a different mindset when you come out on the court here at Kooyong."

Federer's Beijing Olympics gold-medal winning doubles partner Stanislas Wawrinka will open the tournament against 2006 Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis.

Federer and Moya will then play their match before Croatia's Marin Cilic meets Spain's Fernando Verdasco while Ivan Ljubicic, who replaced the injured Marat Safin, will play Chile's Fernando Gonzalez. (Editing by John O'Brien)

SOMDEV DEVVARMAN ?????

Croatia's Marin Cilic downed Spain's Marcel Granollers in straight sets during semifinal action on Saturday at the $450,000 Chennai Open, but the bigger story was a man who didn't even play.

Wild-card Somdev Devvarman of India reached his first ATP Tour final when fifth-seeded Rainer Schuettler withdrew with a wrist injury, making the 23- year-old former NCAA champion at Virginia the first Indian player to reach the final here.

Cilic continued solid form at this event with a 6-4, 6-3 victory to climb over last year's hurdle. The semifinalist one year ago will now stare across the net at the home-country and heavy crowd favorite with a $73,000 first prize on the line at this ATP World Tour season-opening event and Australian Open tune- up.

SPORTS NETWORK

OZ PURSE INCREASE

The global financial crisis has provided an unlikely windfall for the winners and runners-up at this year's Australian Open with organisers deciding to offer a hefty increase in prize money.

Australian Open officials announced on Saturday they were increasing total prize money for the event to A$23.4 million (US$15.7 million), an increase of 12.3 per cent on last year, with the bulk going to the singles finalists.

Both singles champions will receive a record A$2 million while the runners-up will each pocket A$1 million [$1 = $1.5A].

THIS IS REAL TENNIS

CLICK HERE FOR REAL TENNIS [BBC]

OZ ON TSN

MURRY WINS DOHA

Andy Murray made a successful defense of his Doha crown with a straight-set victory over Andy Roddick in Saturday's final at the Qatar Open.

The third-seeded Murray earned a 6-4, 6-2 victory in the season-opening event for the ninth title of his surging career. Five of those victories came last year, when he also made his first appearance in a Grand Slam final at the U.S. Open, where he lost to the great Roger Federer.

Murray gained a measure of revenge for the setback at Flushing Meadows by beating the Swiss superstar twice at the conclusion of last season, then on Friday rallied from a set down to beat the former world No. 1 in the semifinals of this tournament and continued his strong play Saturday.

SPORTS NETWORK

MURRY-RODDICK IN QATAR FINALS

Defending champion Andy Murray maintained his hold over Roger Federer to charge into the final of the Qatar Open with a 6-7 6-2 6-2 win on Friday.

The British third seed frustrated Federer with his tactical nous from the baseline to chalk up his fifth win in six matches against the 13-times grand slam champion.

Murray will be hoping to retain his title when he takes on American Andy Roddick in the final.American Andy Roddick overcame the plucky resistance of Frenchman Gael Monfils to reach the final of the Qatar Open with a 7-6 3-6 6-3 win on Friday.

REUTERS

MONFILS EXCUSES NADAL

Rafael Nadal's Australian Open preparation hit a stumbling block on Thursday when he was beaten 6-4 6-4 by Frenchman Gael Monfils in the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open.

The world number one had been hoping to get some much needed match practice before the season's opening grand slam, which starts on Jan. 19, after being injured during the final stages of the 2008 season.

But his stay in Doha lasted only three matches after he was outclassed by Monfils, who will face American Andy Roddick in the semi-finals.

Roddick beat Romania's Victor Hanescu 6-3 6-2 earlier on Thursday while second seed Roger Federer and third seed Andy Murray are in action later.

Fifth seed Monfils secured his first win over Nadal in four attempts, mixing up his game and not allowing the Spaniard to get into any rhythm.

The pair swapped breaks in the opening set before Nadal was broken again in the 10th game to hand Monfils the opening set. The crucial moment of the second set again came in the 10th game when Monfils broke the Spaniard to clinch the match.

OZ WILDCARDS

Americans John Isner and 16-year-old Christina McHale were among six players granted wild cards Thursday into the main draw of Australian Open.

Under exchange agreements with tennis federations from the United States, France and Asia, Isner and McHale, Adrian Mannarino and Kristina Mladenovic of France, Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan and China's Yuan Meng have been awarded spots in the season-opening major, which begins Jan. 19.

Colin Ebelthite and former Wimbledon semifinalist Jelena Dokic won the Australian wild-card tournament. The final discretionary wild cards -- four men and four women -- will be announced next week.

AP

NADAL, FED, MURRY WIN IN QATAR

Top three seeds Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray continued their serene progress at the Qatar Open on Wednesday, reaching the quarter-finals with straight-sets victories.

World number one Nadal outplayed Slovakia's Karol Beck 6-1 6-2, Federer beat Italy's Andreas Seppi 6-3 6-3 and Murray knocked out Germany's Philipp Petzschner 6-2 6-4.

Fourth seed Andy Roddick also made it safely through, with a slightly less convincing 6-3 7-5 victory over French wild card Arnaud Clement.

Nadal took just over an hour to see off qualifier Beck, reeling off six straight games after falling behind 0-2 in the second.

TENNIS SAFER THAN SKIING

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

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

He became entangled shortly after boarding the Skyline Express lift.

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

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

OZ LOSES DAVYDENKO

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

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

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

WORLD DOMINATION

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NADAL AND FED ADVANCE IN QATAR

 

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

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

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

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

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

DJOKOVIC OUT OF BRISBANE

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

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

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

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

FED'S RESURGENCE

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

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

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

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

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

AP

BAGHDATIS' COMEBACK

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CROWD CONTROL

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

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

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

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

* INSTANTLY eject troublemakers for up to 24 hours.

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

* INCREASE CCTV surveillance.

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

Supt John Cook said troublemakers would not be tolerated.

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

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

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

MURRY BEATS NADAL

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

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

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

AP

GRAND SLAM DATES

MURRY TOPS FEDERER

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

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

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

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

Murray said he wants to defeat Federer when it counts.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AP

WARMING UP IN THE DESERT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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