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Sharapova Hoping To Rise Up Down Under

Sharapova Hoping To Rise Up Down Under

  • Posted: Dec 29, 2015

To most players, Maria Sharapova’s 2015 would have been considered a banner season.

She won titles in Brisbane and Rome, made the final of the Australian Open and the semifinals of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, as well as leading Russia to a Fed Cup final. But for the World No.4’s exacting standards, her season is remembered for what she didn’t achieve, derailed by troublesome injuries.

“It was frustrating because you train and want to see some sort of reward – and by reward I don’t just mean wins, I mean just going out there and seeing how you translate your work onto the field,” Sharapova said at the WTA Finals.

The Russian comes in to the Australian summer in a different position than the rest of the Top 10. Now recovered from those injuries that sidelined her for four months after Wimbledon, Sharapova found her crucial off-season preparations cut short by previously made commitments.

“I didn’t know in the middle of the year that I would be part of the Fed Cup final,” Sharapova recently told WTA Insider. “I didn’t know that I would be missing four months. If I knew I would be playing Fed Cup I probably, most likely, would not have played IPTL but I made that commitment before the Fed Cup decision was made.”

Coupled with her exhibition event in Los Angeles, Sharapova has crammed more matches into the last few months than she’d probably like. Luckily for her, the extra competition has served as a boost to her confidence and a test of her fitness, ending the year on a positive note as she heads Down Under.

“When you come to the Australian Open, everything is new and fresh,” Sharapova said. “You’ve got to start from scratch.”

The Australian Open is – apart from Roland Garros – the Slam where Sharapova has seen the most consistently positive results. Since 2012, she’s reached the final twice and the semifinals once.

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Federer, Nishikori Among Top 2015 Google Searches

  • Posted: Dec 29, 2015

Federer, Nishikori Among Top 2015 Google Searches

Two Top 10 stars feature in the best web searches for 2015

Roger Federer and Kei Nishikori have been named among the most-searched for people in 2015, according to research produced by TIME on search engine giant Google.

World No. 3 Federer led searches in Switzerland, while No. 8-ranked Nishikori was the number one search choice for his Japanese natives.

Argentinean football star Lionel Messi and reality TV star Kim Kardashian were each the most-searched for person in 26 countries, while another football player, Cristiano Ronaldo, took the top spot in 21 nations.

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Edmund handed Australian Open spot

  • Posted: Dec 29, 2015

British number three Kyle Edmund has been handed a place in the main draw of next month’s Australian Open following Richard Gasquet’s withdrawal.

The 20-year-old was three spots outside automatic qualification when the entry lists were released earlier this month.

But Frenchman Gasquet, the world number nine, has pulled out with a back injury.

It follows the earlier withdrawal of Argentina’s Juan Monaco and Australian youngster Thanasi Kokkinakis.

Edmund, who is ranked 102 in the world, came through qualifying in Melbourne this year before losing to American Steve Johnson in the opening round.

He thought he had done enough for automatic qualification this year but missed out after five players used protected rankings to gain places at the year’s first grand slam, which starts on 18 January.

Edmund was part of the Great Britain squad which beat Belgium last month to win the Davis Cup for the first time in 79 years.

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Qureshi, Marray Lead Pre-Season Training In Singapore

  • Posted: Dec 29, 2015

Qureshi, Marray Lead Pre-Season Training In Singapore

Two doubles stars train with Singapore and Indonesia national teams

Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and Jonathan Marray took part in a two week pre-season training camp in Singapore. Jason Jung, Sonchat Ratiwatana and Sanchai Ratiwatana, Christopher Rungkat and Yuichi Ito represented the ATP Challenger Tour at the camp hosted by Sport Singapore.

“It was by far the best pre-season training camp I have experienced,” said Qureshi. “Having so many quality players and great facilities at our disposal was really beneficial.”

Marray added, “Aisam and myself thought that we should spend a couple of weeks getting our games in sync and this was the perfect opportunity. It also allowed some of us senior players to mentor the younger ones a bit.”

In addition to their training, Qureshi, Marray, Jung, Rungkat and Ito helped to direct a three-day national coaching course.

“It felt good to be able to give back to the game that has given me so much,” say Jung. “The coaches asked a lot of good questions about what it is like on the ATP Challenger Tour and what it took to get there.”

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Best Of 2015 Third Quarter

  • Posted: Dec 29, 2015

Best Of 2015 Third Quarter

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Radwanska's Big Objective In 2016

Radwanska's Big Objective In 2016

  • Posted: Dec 28, 2015

Agnieszka Radwanska has never been shy about her biggest objective – winning a Grand Slam.

Since October, she’s been asked about her Grand Slam chances almost as many times as she’s been congratulated on her win at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. And with good reason, too: despite it being the biggest title of her career, Radwanska is one of only two WTA Finals winners to not have at least one Grand Slam title in her resume.

“The goal, of course, is winning a Grand Slam,” Radwanska said ahead of last year’s Australian Open. “I didn’t make it yet, so I’m trying everything to win those Slams.

“I was close few times, but I never won seven matches in a row.”

Starting off the new season, Radwanska seems primed to peak at the right time. Her slow start to the 2015 season – which months ago sent alarm bells ringing in the Polish camp – now puts her in an excellent position to make big gains early on. She has relatively few points to defend from now through the Australian Open, a Slam where she’s consistently made deep runs, previously reaching the semifinals once and the quarterfinals four times.

Though the objective stays the same, there will be no big overhaul to her team. This time around Radwanska, who for a short time last year had supercoach Martina Navratilova on her team, is sticking with longtime coach Tomasz Wiktorowski.

The World No.5 will start her hardcourt campaign in Shenzhen, and she’s hoping the wave of momentum and confidence from her Asian swing surge – winning Tokyo and Tianjin, reaching the semifinals in Beijing and, of course, clinching the WTA Finals in Singapore – will propel her to the last big accolade she’s missing.

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JANUARY 2016 TENNIS TOURNAMENTS SCHEDULE – MAP

  • Posted: Dec 28, 2015

tennis-map

4 JANUARY 2016 – 10 JANUARY 2016

 

11 JANUARY 2016 – 17 JANUARY 2016

 

18 JANUARY 2016 – 31 JANUARY 2016

Best Of 2015: Player Retirements, Part One

  • Posted: Dec 28, 2015

Best Of 2015: Player Retirements, Part One

ATPWorldTour.com recalls the career highlights of three Americans in part one of our look at the players who retired from professional tennis in 2015.

Mardy Fish (Retired: 2 September)
Mardy Fish returned to the court in 2015, and the sport was grateful. There was no fairytale end, but the American retired on his terms. From his diagnosis of severe cardiac arrhythmia in March 2012, to panic attacks that at its worst point left him feeling unable to be compete, travel or leave his house, Fish endured a private battle that affects millions worldwide.

A raw talent, Fish combined a big serve and smooth backhand to reach a career-high No. 7 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on 15 August 2011, when aged 29 he discovered the drive and discipline that was needed to be a consistent player. He made one appearance at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in 2011, the year he reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals – his third last eight appearance at a Grand Slam. But his late-career surge was derailed and he was forced to step away from the sport.

Fish won six titles from 20 finals, including four runner-up finishes at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments and ended with a 302-219 singles record. His memories of leading Nicolas Massu by two sets to love, with a break in the fourth set, only to lose the 2004 Athens Olympics gold medal match remain vivid. Aged 33, Fish left the Louis Armstrong Stadium in tears, to a standing ovation, after his final match against Feliciano Lopez in the US Open second round. “I’ve got a lot of great memories,” said Fish, after his final match. “I’ve got a lot of good wins out here. I have made a lot of really good friendships with almost everyone out here. I’ll miss that.”

Robby Ginepri (Retired: 27 August)
Robby Ginepri called it a career shortly before the US Open draw ceremony. Ten years earlier, ranked No. 45 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Ginepri entered the hard-court major playing the best tennis of his career. Having won 14 of his past 17 matches, including three Top 10 scalps, he won three straight five-setters before an epic semi-final loss to Andre Agassi. It was to be the baseliner’s career highlight in a year when he won a career-best 37 matches, reached the semi-final at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Cincinnati, and also rose to a career-high No. 15 on 26 December 2005.

Injuries and a lack of consistency hindered Ginepri, who suffered a freak mountain bike accident in October 2010 – involving a squirrel – and he later underwent two elbow surgeries. He won three ATP World Tour titles at 2003 Newport, and 2005, ’09 Indianapolis. “Although every athlete knows this day will eventually come, it doesn’t make the decision to retire any easier,” said Ginepri. “To play tennis as a profession and compete on the biggest stages around the world is a privilege, and I will forever be grateful to have had the opportunity.”

Michael Russell (Retired: 8 September)
Throughout his 17-year pro career, Houston-based Michael Russell was a dedicated and diligent worker. An agile performer with bulging biceps, long before Ginepri became the first player to bare his pecks at Wimbledon in 2003, Russell earned the nickname “Iron Mike” for his durability and longevity, predicated on a dedicated fitness regimen. He underwent three knee surgeries, broke his arm and suffered rotator cuff tears in his shoulder during his career.

The 5’8″ Russell reached a career-high No. 60 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on 13 August 2007, compiled a 15-6 record in ATP Challenger Tour finals and finished runner-up with Xavier Malisse in the 2012 Atlanta doubles final. He was also the first player to qualify into each of the Grand Slam championships in succession (2000 Wimbledon and U.S. Open, 2001 Australian Open and Roland Garros). Arguably his finest performance came in defeat. As a No. 120-ranked qualifier at 2001 Roland Garros, he led then World No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten by two-sets-to-love and 5-3 in the third set, but could not convert a match point opportunity in their fourth-round clash. It proved to be the impetus for his whole career.

Coming tomorrow…ATPWorldTour.com looks back at the careers of Robin Soderling, Jarkko Nieminen, Ryan Sweeting and Michael Lammer.

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Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers: Nole Serves Notice

  • Posted: Dec 28, 2015

Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers: Nole Serves Notice

Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers shows that Novak Djokovic’s serve may just be among the most underrated shots in the game

Today’s elite power servers are all too familiar with Novak Djokovic’s return game; how the Serb can neutralize their weapon of choice and all but nullify the concept of the “free point.” But a closer look at his 2015 Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers stats reveal that his arsenal goes well beyond the return of serve.

A side-by-side comparison of Djokovic’s heads-above-the-rest campaigns of 2011 and 2015, when he won three of four majors and posted records of 70-6 and 82-6, respectively, illustrates that the World No. 1 is among the best servers on the ATP World Tour. And he’s only getting better. This year, he notched career-bests in second-serve points won, service games won and break points saved. That’s bad news for the competition. 

 Year  Second Serve Points
Service Games Won
 Break Points Saved
 2011  56%  86%  65%
 2015  60%  89%  68%

BOLD = career best

“My serve has gotten better — not in terms of speed, but in terms of precision and accuracy,” Djokovic explained.

So effective is Djokovic’s second serve that he has finished in the top five in second-serve points won in six of the past eight years, leading the ATP World Tour in both 2013 and 2015. All the more reason why the 28-year-old has been able to distance himself from his Top-10 foes. In 2015, Djokovic went a career-best 31-5 against Top-10 competition, a dominance that was seen on all surfaces, against both lefties and righties.

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Best Of 2015: ATP Heritage Review

  • Posted: Dec 27, 2015

Best Of 2015: ATP Heritage Review

ATPWorldTour.com marked a number of milestones and historic anniversaries throughout 2015

Djokovic At No. 1
Novak Djokovic finished as the year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the fourth time in five years and passed two greats in 2015 in the list of most weeks spent in top spot. The Serbian moved past Rafael Nadal on 13 April with 142 weeks, and John McEnroe on 2 November with 171 weeks for fifth position in the all-time list. Today, he is enjoying his 178th week as the summit of men’s professional tennis behind Jimmy Connors (268 weeks), Ivan Lendl (270 weeks), Pete Sampras (286 weeks) and Roger Federer (302 weeks). Djokovic enters 2016 having been ranked No. 1 for 78 straight weeks – the longest stretch since Federer’s 237 straight weeks in 2004-08.

Federer’s 1,000th Match Win
Federer added another jaw-dropping achievement to his great career on 11 January, in the first week of the 2015 season. By capturing the Brisbane International crown, he became just the third player in the Open Era (since 1968) to notch 1,000 singles match wins. Connors, the all-time record-holder with 1,253 match wins, achieved the feat in early 1985, while Lendl (1,071) brought up the milestone as Basel in October 1992. Federer will begin 2016 just 13 match wins (1,059) away from breaking Lendl’s mark.

Tomas Berdych (25 February, Dubai) and Andy Murray (31 March, Miami) also both recorded the 500th match wins of their careers.

Karlovic Keeps Swinging
As Ivo Karlovic edged closer to Goran Ivanisevic‘s ATP record aces tally (since 1991), the Croatian fired down a new marker of 45 aces in a best-of-three set match on 19 June by beating Berdych in the Gerry Weber Open quarter-finals. It was the fifth time since 1991 that 40 or more aces had been hit in a best-of-three match. Karlovic broke his previous record of 44 aces, hit against Daniel Brands in the Zagreb first round in February 2014. The 6’11” Karlovic finally broke Ivanisevic’s aces record on 8 October at the China Open, when he struck 26 aces – for a career total of 10,247 – past Pablo Cuevas to jump 10 clear of his fellow Croat (10,237 aces).

Doubles Milestones
As Daniel Nestor (999 match wins) stands on the brink of becoming the first doubles player to record 1,000 match wins, 2015 was a significant year for Leander Paes in his 25th season on the ATP World Tour. The Indian celebrated his 700th doubles victory on 27 May and competed with the 100th doubles partner of his career, Marcel Granollers, at Nottingham on 24 June. Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan saw their streak of 143 weeks at No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings end on 2 November, when they were replaced by Marcelo Melo.

Finals Club Launched
The ATP World Tour celebrated year-end championship participants from the 1970s at The O2 in London as a new initiative, Finals Club, was launched. Stan Smith, the first singles and doubles (w/Ashe) champion at Tokyo in 1970, and four-time winner Ilie Nastase joined 20 other players in mid November as they reconnected with the sport, their peers, as well as the world’s best players of today.

Grand Slam Anniversaries
ATPWorldTour.com reflected on Arthur Ashe‘s greatest triumph on a tennis court on 5 July, the 40th anniversary of his 1975 Wimbledon final victory over Jimmy Connors. On 11 July 1985, Boris Becker‘s life changed forever as the 17 year old lifted his first Grand Slam trophy at the all England Club. Pete Sampras is still the youngest winner of the US Open, a trophy he first won on 9 September 1990.

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