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'No-brainer' to use legal drugs – McEnroe

  • Posted: Mar 13, 2016

John McEnroe says he has no issue with a player taking a legal drug, even if it has performance-enhancing qualities.

The three-time Wimbledon champion’s comments follow Maria Sharapova’s positive test for meldonium.

Sharapova took the drug, which was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned list on 1 January, for 10 years.

“If a drug is legal? That is like a no-brainer. I mean, are you kidding?” McEnroe told BBC Sport on a visit to the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

“People have been looking since the beginning of time for an edge, and you’re constantly looking for these things in any way, shape or form.”

Sharapova, 28, will face an International Tennis Federation (ITF) panel with the power to suspend her for up to four years.

The five-time Grand Slam champion says she had taken meldonium for medical reasons for the past 10 years, and failed to notice when it was added to the banned list for 2016.

Meldonium is often prescribed to treat heart complaints, but there have been 99 positive tests for the drug since the start of the year.

British number one Andy Murray told BBC Radio 5 live this week he finds it “strange that so many athletes competing at the top level of their sport would have that condition”.

The world number two also said he did not think he had been tested enough this year.

McEnroe added: “I do think that for Murray, if he thought there were people out there that were benefiting from something and he was not benefiting from it, you can understand why he would want to have more testing.

“That’s the whole issue, because if people feel they are getting an edge, and someone else isn’t, that’s just the way it is.”

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Murray Cools Off Granollers In Indian Wells

  • Posted: Mar 13, 2016

Murray Cools Off Granollers In Indian Wells

Brit overcomes slow start to advance

Andy Murray found himself in a tricky situation at the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday, opening against an opponent who had dropped just one game in the first round. After a slow start against Marcel Granollers, however, the No. 2 player in the Emirates ATP Rankings rebounded strongly to secure a 6-4, 7-6(3) second-round victory.

“He’s got quite a different game,” said Murray of Granollers. “He’s a very smart player and often makes the right decisions. He made it tough for me.

“When it gets windy here it can be difficult to play really well, I think. It does make it challenging.”

The Brit struggled in the early part of the match and found himself down 1-3, but swept the next four games to regain the lead. In the second set, Granollers saved all five break points faced to force a tie-break. Murray improved to 6-1 in the FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry against Granollers and has not dropped a set against the Spaniard since 2013.

Awaiting Murray is Argentine Federico Delbonis, who defeated No. 32 seed Joao Sousa of Portugal 7-6(6), 6-4. Delbonis took the first set despite winning one fewer point than his opponent (42 to 43), then scored the lone break of the second set to advance. Delbonis and Murray will meet for the first time at tour-level.

Albert Ramos-Vinolas edged Nick Kyrgios 7-6(4), 7-5 to move into the third round. The Spaniard saved all 10 break points faced and earned his first win in three FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings with the Aussie, whose Indian Wells preparation had been affected by illness.

“Every time I have played him it’s been a tough match,” Kyrgios said. “He always goes out there and competes. I thought that these conditions probably suit him. He likes to rip his forehand.

“I’m nowhere near where I was. I was trying to force practice sessions here, trying to push, but my body wasn’t letting me do it.”

The Spanish left-hander will next face No. 13 seed Gael Monfils, who saw off Pablo Carreno Busta 7-5, 7-6(1). The Frenchman has faced Ramos-Vinolas only once at tour-level, on clay in Hamburg five years ago. Monfils won 6-4, 6-2.

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Berdych Bests Del Potro In The Desert

  • Posted: Mar 13, 2016

Berdych Bests Del Potro In The Desert

Berdych steps up game to win in straight sets

The ATP World Tour’s best comeback story of 2016 will continue elsewhere.

Facing his first top 10 opponent since returning to professional tennis last month, Juan Martin del Potro was outdone by the Czech Republic’s Tomas Berdych, 7-6(4), 6-2 Saturday at the BNP Paribas Open.

The Argentine was playing in just his sixth match of 2016 after returning to the ATP World Tour at Delray Beach last month.

“It’s not easy [to] play against Tomas,” del Potro said. “He plays so aggressive all the time, and I had to run a lot today.”

But for a set, del Potro was matching Berdych, who’s No. 7 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. The players exchanged service holds, forcing the first-set tie-breaker. But it was Berdych who played best in the tie-breaker and claimed the first set.

“I had my opportunities to win that set,” del Potro said.

In the second set, Berdych applied more pressure on del Potro’s serve to win the match. Berdych converted seven of his nine break-point opportunities in the second set, after seeing only one in the first set.

“These guys are the best of the world,” del Potro said of Berdych and others. “I need to keep playing matches and tournaments. I can work hard at home physically, mentally, but I need matches to improve, you know. This is the only way.”

Berdych will now face either Borna Coric of Croatia or Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil in the third round.

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No Rust For Raonic In Return

  • Posted: Mar 13, 2016

No Rust For Raonic In Return

The Canadian converts more than half of his possible break chances

Milos Raonic got off to a roaring start in his return to the ATP World Tour, streaking past Inigo Cervantes 6-1, 6-3 to open second-round play on Saturday at the BNP Paribas Open.

“I felt good. I felt like I did a lot of things well. I started off well. I was aggressive,” Raonic said.

The 12th-seeded Canadian has been missing from action since suffering a torn adductor en route to the Australian Open semi-finals in January. Raonic notched his 10th match win of the year in 55 minutes, firing six aces and converting five of nine break chances.

“With where and how things could be, I have to be very happy with how I’m playing,” he said.

The 25 year old is hoping his pattern of results in Indian Wells continues, following a third-round finish in 2012, fourth-round run in 2013, quarter-finals in 2014 and semis in 2015. He memorably saved three match points in stunning Rafael Nadal in last year’s quarters. Raonic will face either Bernard Tomic or Rajeev Ram next.

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Zverev, Pospisil Reach Indian Wells 2016 Second Round

  • Posted: Mar 13, 2016

Zverev, Pospisil Reach Indian Wells 2016 Second Round

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A Close Shave: Coach Loses It All After Wu Di's Maiden Victory

  • Posted: Mar 13, 2016

A Close Shave: Coach Loses It All After Wu Di's Maiden Victory

First Chinese Challenger champ on the rise

Coaches of tennis players at all levels often joke that their star pupil has caused them to go gray. Few have had a player cost them their entire head of hair.  

When Wu Di knocked off top seed Kyle Edmund in the final of the Tennis Championships of Maui, he became the first ATP Challenger Tour champion from China. Along with his run through the qualifying draw at the Australian Open, he’s moved back inside the Top 200 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, and sits this week at No. 171 in the world. But as the 24-year-old’s ranking soared 66 spots from the beginning of the year, Coach Davide Sanguinetti’s hair count was shaved to zero, quite literally.

“I made a bet with Davide about shaving our hair together after I won my first Challenger title,” Wu told ATPWorldTour.com. “We both take it seriously, but in the last second I flinched. Going bald, it’s something I have never tried before. I feel taking this step is actually harder than winning a Challenger title.”

Sanguinetti, who reached a career high of No. 42 in his professional career, did not shy from the razor. This week, the former Italian star fulfilled his side of the bet. With 10 Challenger titles to his credit, the trim seems a small price to pay for such a monumental moment for his charge. But Wu said he may join his coach at some point this year in the Hair Club for Men.

“I told Davide if I can win another Challenger title this year, I will definitely do it, shaving all my hair,” Wu said. “People told me it’s a good move to change something in your life occasionally. I do hope in the next couple months I can shave my hair.”

Drastic hairstyle changes are not new in the sport. In recent years, many American players have begun wearing mustaches or even unsightly beards to try and change their fortunes, often around the month of “Movember”. And of course, there was the legendary clean look that Novak Djokovic and his Serbian teammates took when shaving their heads as a celebration of their country’s first Davis Cup title in 2010.

Wu played his first Challenger match since the win over Edmund this week in Zhuhai, falling to countryman Ze Zhang in straight sets. With his freshly shorn coach nearby, Wu joked about it on the Chinese social media site Sina Weibo, claiming that he may have lost in the first round because he didn’t keep his promise to Sanguinetti.

The retort from his fan club was simple: “If you lose in the first round again next week, please go and shave your hair like you promised Davide.”

“Right now, I’m just pretending I didn’t read their post,” Wu said. Hopefully, someone in Guangzhou has a razor next week just in case he needs a change in luck. Wu is unseeded in the $50,000 event that starts Monday.

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Zhuhai Impresses With World-Class Tennis Facility

  • Posted: Mar 12, 2016

Zhuhai Impresses With World-Class Tennis Facility

Zhuhai, China, is hosting a $50,000 event on the ATP Challenger Tour

With 23 professional tournaments contested throughout 2015, China has established itself as a premier location for world-class men’s tennis in Asia. But a new facility in the city of Zhuhai, which plays host to a $50,000+H event this week on the ATP Challenger Tour, has gone above and beyond in their bid to grow the sport across the country.

Construction on the Hengqin International Tennis Center began last February and was completed in eight months, just in time to host the WTA Elite Trophy event in November. Located on Hengqin Island, just next to the coastal region of Macau, the 60,000 square metre complex includes a 5,000-seat centre court, five match courts and 12 training courts, all of which have lights for evening play. The $84 million project was designed by Populous, a global architect company that also designed the new roof on Wimbledon’s Centre Court and the recently completed Margaret Court Arena at the Australian Open.

“The facilities and venue here are among the top for Challenger tournaments,” said Wu Di, China’s top singles player at No. 171 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. “I thought it could host an ATP World Tour 500 event or even a Masters 1000 event.”

One of the most popular features for spectators is the roof over Zhuhai’s centre court. With a cantilevered outer section over the seating and a circular inner roof over the court, it protects from the rain and also allows light to filter in. Players have praised the roof for how it shields them from the glare of the sun.

Ji Ming, Vice General Manager of Zhuhai Huafa Sports Operation Management Company, said the tennis centre will be available for the public to use year-round. Tennis is already one of the most popular recreational activities among residents of Zhuhai. The city has a population of just one million people, but nearly 10,000 residents can be found playing tennis after work every day.

The centre court also hosted a concert last December by Chinese singer Jane Zhang and will eventually look to welcome other sporting events such as boxing. But for now, Ming said that tennis remains the top priority as the facility looks to double in size.

“The second part of the tennis centre is on its way and will be another 60,000 square metres,” he said. “When it’s done, it will be even more magnificent.”

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Konta into third round at Indian Wells

  • Posted: Mar 12, 2016

British number one Johanna Konta eased into the third round of the BNP Paribas Open with a straight sets victory over Madison Brengle at Indian Wells.

Konta, seeded 25, won 6-4 6-0 in 64 minutes to record her first victory in four attempts over the American.

She broke Brengle five times and said: “Every single point we have played in the past has always been a battle, so I consider this a really good win.”

Britain’s Andy Murray takes on Marcel Granollers of Spain later on Saturday.

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Nadal & Verdasco Hustle For Hot Shot Indian Wells 2016

  • Posted: Mar 12, 2016

Nadal & Verdasco Hustle For Hot Shot Indian Wells 2016

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Real Madrid back Nadal over accusations

  • Posted: Mar 12, 2016

Real Madrid backed “exemplary” club member Rafael Nadal after the tennis star was accused by a former French minister of failing a drugs test.

Ex-French Minister for Health and Sport Roselyne Bachelot said Nadal’s seven-month absence in 2012 was “probably due to a positive doping test”.

Nadal, 29, has denied ever doping and the Spanish Olympic Committee said he had passed “countless doping tests”.

Real Madrid have defended Nadal from “the attacks made on his person”.

A club statement said: “Rafa Nadal represents the fundamental values of sport.

“His greatness and his incredible achievements have always been based upon a foundation of exemplary conduct, unwavering work, talent and astonishing levels of commitment.

“This being the case, our institution considers the attacks made on his person by former minister Roselyne Bachelot to be unjustifiable and unacceptable.”

Nadal, who has won 14 Grand Slam titles, was out for seven months from July 2012 with tendinitis and then a stomach virus.

The Spaniard was asked on Wednesday about the subject of doping, in the light of Maria Sharapova’s admission last week of a failed test.

“I am a completely clean guy,” said the former world number one. “I have never had the temptation of doing something wrong.”

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