18 | November | 2014 | Tennis Courts Map Directory

Roger Federer: ‘I’m definitely looking forward to 2015’

Posted: Nov 18, 2014

While he was forced to withdraw from the final tournament of the regular ATP Tour season, Roger Federer revealed he is hopeful for another fantastic season in 2015.

Federer, who is expected to take part in the Davis Cup final against France this coming weekend, lost an opportunity to win his sixth title of the season and seventh at the year-end championships when he withdrew from the event with a back injury, thus allowing Novak Djokovic to lift the title for a third consecutive season.

However, the Swiss No. 1 will not allow this latest incident to overshadow his relatively successful season on the tour. Federer compiled a 72-11 record on the tour and won three Masters titles. He also reached the final of the Wimbledon Championships.

After proving he was able to overcome his slump in 2013, Federer is now eagerly anticipating another strong season.

“I’m definitely looking forward to 2015,” said Federer. “It’s been a great year for me this year. I played some wonderful tennis, very consistent [and] very physical as well.”

Armed with his new coach Stefan Edberg, Federer was able to make necessary, albeit subtle, adjustments to his game. The world No. 2 was a more aggressive player, and attacked the net far more than usual. This, he believes, will only serve him well in the coming year.

“I was able to play very aggressive tennis, which was actually a lot of fun to do. It was not just an idea I had. It was something I tried to pull through with, and I was able to do that on faster and slower courts.

I feel like it’s going to give me extra opportunities next year again.”

Agassi destroyed trophy collection following kissing scene between then-girlfriend Shields and Joey on ‘Friends’

Posted: Nov 18, 2014

Agassi2 Agassi destroyed trophy collection following kissing scene between then girlfriend Shields and Joey on ‘Friends’

Legendary American tennis star Andre Agassi seemingly had a raging temper in his younger days.

Back in 1995, the eight-time Grand Slam champion apparently got so furious during his then-girlfriend’s Brooke Shield’s flirtatious scenes with ‘Friends’ star Matt Le Blanc, that he immediately stormed out and drove home – from Los Angeles to Las Vegas – before smashing his entire trophy collection – one that includes his Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles.

Agassi was present during the filming of the scene, one that featured Shields out at a restaurant with Le Blanc’s character ‘Joey Tribbiani,’ where she played the role of his stalker, sucked on his finger, and laughed hysterically at varying parts of the scene.

Agassi was not pleased with what he saw.

After informing Shields that she “made him look like a fool,” he stormed out and set on the trek back to Las Vegas to shatter his trophy collection.

Shields made the recent revelation in her autobiography There Was a Little Girl: The Real Story of Mother and Me, which will be released to the public on Nov. 19.

“Upon arrival he systematically smashed and destroyed every single trophy he had won, including Wimbledon and the US Open, never mind all the others,” she said.

The couple would later marry approximately two years following the incident but would get divorced in 1999. Soon afterwards, Agassi began dating women’s tennis star Steffi Graf.

USTA Nominates Katrina Adams as New President for Two-Year Term

Posted: Nov 18, 2014

USTA USTA Nominates Katrina Adams as New President for Two Year Term

In a press release sent out on Monday, the United States Tennis Association Nominating Committee has announced the nomination of Katrina M. Adams as USTA Chairman of the Board, CEO and President. Adams will become the first African-American and first former professional tennis player to serve at the association’s helm.

Adams has served on the USTA Board of Directors for 10 years and is currently completing a two-year term as First Vice President. She began serving a two-year term as First Vice President of the USTA in January 2013. Previously, she served one term as Vice President, 2011-12, and three consecutive two-year terms as a Director at Large, 2005-10. Adams also is a member of the Grand Slam Board and the ITF Davis Cup Committee.

In addition to her role as First Vice President, Adams is a contributor on CBS Sports Network’s first all-female sports show, “We Need to Talk,” and serves as a television analyst for Tennis Channel. She also is a contributor to Tennis Magazine and tennis.com, providing instruction articles and videos, and serves as the executive director of the Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program in New York City.

Adams played for 12 years on the WTA tour, and was ranked as high as No. 67 in singles and No. 8 in doubles. She captured 20 career doubles titles. While a player, Adams served on the board of directors of the WTA as a player representative for four one-year terms and on the WTA’s Players Association for five two-year terms. She was honored with the WTA’s Player Service Award in 1996 and 1997.

Adams will begin a two-year term in January 1, 2015

ATP Challengers Results: Pablo Cuevas, Adrian Mannarino Win Titles

Posted: Nov 18, 2014

While the focus this week was on the anti-climatic conclusion of the Barclays World Tour Finals, several notable competitors made significant strides on the Challenger Circuit.

Adrian Mannarino Lifts Champaign Crown

While he required three sets to get past the first two rounds of the JSM Challenger of Champaign-Urbana, France’s Adrian Mannarino lost only four games in the final to defeat Frederik Nielsen 6-2, 6-2 to lift the title. His win snaps a streak of five successive American champions at the tournament. This was also his fifth title of the season, which ties him for first place I the leaderboard with Gilles Muller.

I played really well and returned well from the beginning. I think Frederik was tired from his qualifying rounds and tried to play too fast and ended up making a few too many mistakes. Overall I was just solid.

“This tournament was special because it was the last one of the year and coming out with a win was really nice. I’ll also get my best ranking next week.

Pablo Cuevas Victorious at the Challenger Ciudad de Guayaquil

While David Goffin won the Comeback Player of the Year for his breakthrough season in 2014, another notable athlete who had an incredible season following a comeback from two knee surgeries is Pablo Cuevas. The Uruguayan won his maiden title on the ATP World Tour in Umag in July and finished his season with a title win at the Challenger Ciudad de Guayaquil.

The world No. 32 won the title via walkover after Paolo Lorenzi was forced to withdraw with a stomach illness.

“I am happy, but that was not the way I would have had liked to win the final. I was improving match by match, I was feeling better and was prepared to win the trophy.

“I still don’t know if I will be seeded (at the 2015 Australian Open). I have tournament next week in Montevideo and still have the possibility of winning some (Emirates ATP Rankings) points. After, I will have time to rest a little and start 2015 with a lot of energy and go for more.”