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Radwanska Wins On IPTL Debut

Radwanska Wins On IPTL Debut

  • Posted: Dec 11, 2015

World No.5 Agnieszka Radwanska played her first set since winning the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, and with the help of WTA Finals doubles champ Sania Mirza, the Micromax Indian Aces earned a seamless 30-12 victory over the Philippine Mavericks.

Playing at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Dehli, Radwanska was ruthlessly efficient in her set of women’s singles, dispatching Jarmila Gajdosova – who was stepping in for World No.1 Serena Williams – in 17 minutes, 6-1. One set before, Mirza had paired with Rohan Bopanna to defeat Ajla Tomljanovic and Treat Huey, 6-2, in 22 minutes.

Earlier in the night, the Legendari Japan Warriors, led by Kurumi Nara and Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, upset the OBI UAE Royals, which were headlined by Ana Ivanovic and Kristina Mladenovic, 24-21. Ivanovic was able to earn a 6-2 set of women’s singles as the Warriors switched between Nara and Lucic-Baroni in substitutions, but while Lucic-Baroni and Pierre-Hugues Herbert clinched the match with a 6-2 set of mixed doubles, Mladenovic won the night with another of her now-signature tweeners.

Check out some of the best tweets of the night:

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Kvitova Claims Krantzcke Award

Kvitova Claims Krantzcke Award

  • Posted: Dec 11, 2015

If proof were ever needed that nice girls can indeed finish first then it comes in the shape of Petra Kvitova.

In a sport where the margins between winning and losing are invariably razor-thin, sportsmanship is often little more than an afterthought. And while the old adage that there are no friends at the top may ring true for some, two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova is happy to buck the trend.

The Czech was once again among the standout performers on tour in 2015, winning tournaments in Sydney, Madrid and New Haven as well as reaching the final of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.

However, for all her success, Kvitova remains as charming and grounded off the court as she is intense on it. Never shy of doffing her proverbial cap to an opponent in the heat of battle or in the interview room afterwards, the 25-year-old is universally loved by her peers.

Unsurprisingly, this attitude has seen her awarded the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award for the second year in a row. Ever the gracious winner, Kvitova immediately headed to social media to offer her gratitude.  

“I am so excited to receive the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award for a second year,” Kvitova said. “Respecting my opponent has always been important to me, because without an opponent we can’t play this beautiful game. It’s an honor to be recognized by my fellow players so thank you to all of them for voting!”

Kvitova’s Twitter feed is awash with fellow players throughout the season, and it is no surprise that she is the lynchpin of Petr Pala’s all-conquering Czech Fed Cup side.

Having spearheaded the Czechs to their fourth Fed Cup crown in five years in November, Kvitova is already limbering up for the new campaign, which will begin with the defense of her Apia International Sydney title.

“I’m really looking forward to coming back,” she said of her Sydney return. “It was a great week last year and a good preparation for the Australian Open. It’s a beautiful city, I really love Australia. The people are nice and smiling all the time, it’s nice to meet them.”

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Melo Named GQ Brasil’s Man Of The Year For Sports

  • Posted: Dec 11, 2015

Melo Named GQ Brasil’s Man Of The Year For Sports

Top-ranked doubles standout bringing tennis back into spotlight in homeland

It’s been some year for Marcelo Melo. First he captures his maiden Grand Slam doubles title alongside Ivan Dodig. Then breaks up the Bryan Bros. Dynasty, becoming the first player not named Bob or Mike to rise to No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings since Sept. 12, 2012. Now he’s been named Man of the Year For Sports by GQ Brasil.

GQ Brasil writes: The Brazilian brought tennis into the spotlight again, after Guga [Kuerten] retired in 2008. The two Brazilians to reach the top of the rankings, one in singles and the other in doubles, have known each other for a long time. “I met Guga when I was still young. I used to hit some balls with him to help his recovery after his hip injury. I think it is very hard [for me] to do what he has done for the sport, in the same proportion, but I hope to do it.”

Between training and tournaments, Melo dedicates his time to reading. Successful athletes’ biographies are his favorites: “I read that whenever the ball fell in the hand of Michael Jordan in the last seconds of the game, he thought, ‘This was the opportunity I wanted!’ … I always think this is my chance.”

He and Dodig had lost in the Wimbledon final in 2013 and at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in 2014. “When I returned to Brazil, I told Daniel [his brother and coach] and Cris [his physical trainer]: “I don’t want to go through these moments of ‘almost.’ We need to find a way to overcome the ‘almost.’”

Melo found success in 2015 regardless of whom he teamed up with, including Dodig, Max Mirnyi, Julian Knowle, Bruno Soares, Raven Klaasen and Lukasz Kubot. In all, he won six titles with three different partners.

With Dodig, the Brazilian reached semi-finals at the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Monte-Carlo, and the duo captured its second ATP World Tour team title in Acapulco. Then came Roland Garros, where, cheered on by Kuerten, Melo would team with Dodig to capture his first Grand Slam title, beating the two-time former champions and No. 1-ranked pairing of Mike Bryan/Bob Bryan 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-5 in a thrilling final. Melo/Dodig had fallen to the Bryans in the 2013 Wimbledon final 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

While Dodig honed his singles game on the Challenger circuit, Melo didn’t miss a beat. Teaming with Klaasen, the first-time pairing reeled off back-to-back titles in Tokyo and Shanghai. But he wasn’t done yet. In Vienna, he took the court for the first time with Kubot, and the tandem went all the way to the Erste Bank Open title, coming back from a set and 2-4 down to beat second seeds Jamie Murray/John Peers 4-6, 7-6(3), 10-6.

Melo reunited with Dodig to win the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris and reach the semi-finals at the year-end Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

The man they call “Girafa” (he’s 6-foot-8, 192 lbs.) says it’s not his imposing presence on the court that separates him from others, but his mind, his ability maintain composure in tough moments.

The soft-spoken Melo is looking forward to his next challenge: the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, where he’ll play alongside countryman Bruno Soares.

 The complete GQ Brasil article (in Portuguese) can be found here.

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Robson rejects Aussie Open chance

Robson rejects Aussie Open chance

  • Posted: Dec 10, 2015

Laura Robson’s ranking has plummeted to 555 in the world

Laura Robson has decided not to use her protected ranking of 58 to gain direct entry into January’s Australian Open.

The 21-year-old has played in eight events since a 17-month lay-off with wrist problems, including the US Open.

However, playing in New York – where she lost in the first round to Elena Vesnina – means the world number 555 can only use the protected ranking to enter one more Grand Slam.

She may now instead opt to wait for the French Open.

In the meantime, Robson is likely to try and build up her ranking at smaller events.

Four other Britons – Andy Murray, Aljaz Bedene, Johanna Konta and Heather Watson – all gain direct entry into the draw in Melbourne.

Kyle Edmund is currently the third alternate for the men’s singles, meaning he stands a good chance of avoiding the qualifying competition.

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Madison Keys Splits With Davenport

Madison Keys Splits With Davenport

  • Posted: Dec 10, 2015

Madison Keys’ highly-touted partnership with Lindsay Davenport and Lisa Raymond won’t continue into the 2016 season. Keys’ agent confirmed the split to WTA Insider on Wednesday.

Keys is now working with former ATP player Jesse Levine in Boca Raton, Florida. She will continue to work with her trainer Scott Byrnes and will add a traveling physio for the new season.

Keys and Davenport began working together during the 2014 off-season and what was meant to be an off-season training session turned into a more robust partnership in 2015. With Davenport at the helm, Keys made her first Slam semifinal at the Australian Open and made the second week at three of the four majors, including the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. She also made her second Premier final at the Family Circle Cup, finishing the season at No.18.

Due to her family and commentating responsibilities, Davenport was unable to travel full-time with Keys. Those responsibilities were spread out between Davenport, her husband Jon Leach, and Raymond. Keys’ agent told WTA Insider that discussions with Davenport about her role in 2016 began after the US Open but no final decisions were made until after the season ended.

Keys and Levine know each other well. Levine hit with Keys before her run to the final in Charleston and the hope is that his work ethic and positive energy, combined with his quality as a consistent hitting partner, will help the 20-year-old American continue to develop her game.

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Vote Now For Best Play Of 2015

  • Posted: Dec 10, 2015

Vote Now For Best Play Of 2015

Roger Federer takes on Kei Nishikori for point of the year honours

What was the best play of the 2015 season? Was it Roger Federer’s extraordinary three-shot combination in Indian Wells, or Kei Nishikori‘s tweener lob in Montreal?

Cast your vote now! 

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Federer Faces Nishikori For 2015 Play Of The Year

  • Posted: Dec 10, 2015

Federer Faces Nishikori For 2015 Play Of The Year

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Women lead rise in playing sport

Women lead rise in playing sport

  • Posted: Dec 10, 2015

An increase in the number of women playing sport has driven improved participation figures, according to the latest survey by Sport England.

People regularly playing sport stands at 15.74 million over 12 months, a rise of 1.65 million since 2005/06.

Bucking the normal trend, the number of women playing sport and being active is increasing faster than men.

Swimming remains the top sport overall but continues to decline, with athletics a close second and rising.

Sport England’s Active People Survey began in 2005/06 and measures the number of people taking part in sport across the nation, with findings published every six months.

There was good news for tennis, cricket, boxing and rugby union, with increases in the numbers taking part but football and cycling experienced falls.

Participation figures for lower socio-economic groups and disabled people were low and remain static.

“It’s good news that more women are playing sport, and driving an overall increase in the numbers,” said Jennie Price, Sport England’s chief executive.

“It’s particularly great to see This Girl Can is making a real difference. That’s because we’ve really focused on what drives women’s attitudes and behaviours.

“If we’re to see a further step change in the total number of people playing sport, we need to take a similar, consumer-focused approach in areas where the figures are stubbornly low, like disability and lower socio-economic groups.”

  • Top sports: The number of people playing regular sport in England rose by 245,000 in the year to September, with the number of women participating regularly up by 150,000. The top five sports in which adults take part at least once a week are: Swimming (2.5 million), Athletics(2.3 million), Cycling (2.0 million), Football(1.8 million), Golf(0.74 million)
  • Gender: 8.73 million males aged 16 years or over (40.7%) played sport once a week during the period October 2014 to September 2015, an increase of 949,600 since 2005/06; 7.01 million females aged 16 years or over (31.2%) played sport once a week, an increase of 703,800 since 2005/06.
  • Athletics: The sport with the biggest improvement saw a rise of 98,700 to 2.3 million, much of it driven by more women taking part in running.
  • Swimming: Price had said she was “very concerned” by the previous set of participation figures in January, and the decline continues, albeit at a slower pace. The latest fall of 39,300, to 2.51 million, was “welcomed, [but] the sector has much more to do to reverse its fortunes.”
  • Tennis: A week after the Lawn Tennis Association came in for criticism from Andy Murray, among others, for its lack of success in bringing through junior players, the governing body can at least point to continually improving participation figures. The LTA had funding cut by Sport England in 2012 as participation declined, but the latest figures show 22,800 more people aged 16 and over – a total of 445,200 – played once a week.

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