50 YEARS AGO: THE ROCKET REFLECTS ON WINNING FIRST MAJOR DOWN UNDER

It will be 50 years ago on Monday, February 1 that Rod Laver won his first major championship – the Australian Open.
The man whose name now graces the Center Court at the national championship of his homeland finally broke through and won the 1960 Australian Championships, that year played at the Milton Courts in Brisbane. [...]

FEDERER TO STAY NO. 1; ENDS DAVYDENKO STREAK; TSONGA UP NEXT

Roger Federer ended his mini-slump against Nikolay Davydenko, ending the Russian’s 13-match winning streak that included two wins over the Swiss maestro with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-0, 7-5 win Wednesday in the Australian Open semifinals.
The win ensures that Federer will retain the No. 1 ranking on Monday for a 268th week, tying Jimmy Connors for [...]

MONDAYS WITH BOB GREENE:MALISSE AND WICKMAYER NO LONGER SUSPENDED

STARS

Regina Kulikova beat Sandra Zahlavova 7-6 (6) 6-3 to win the Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

SAYING

“The ITF has removed both Mr. Malisse and Ms. Wickmayer from the list of suspended players, and both are eligible to participate with immediate effect.” – The International Tennis Federation (ITF), in a statement.
”It’s the best [...]

Federer’s First Season-Ending Championship

Roger Federer is playing in the ATP World Tour’s season-ending championship for an eighth time in 2009 at the O2 Arena in London. It was in 2002 when Federer first qualified for the ATP World Tour finale as a xx-year-old. Rene Stauffer, the respected Swiss tennis writer, chronicles Federer’s first appearance at the ATP World [...]

Mondays With Bob Greene: It’s difficult to play 11 months at a high level

STARS

Nikolay Davydenko beat Rafael Nadal 7-6 (3) 6-3 to win the Shanghai ATP Masters 1000 in Shanghai, China

Yanina Wickmayer won the Generali Ladies Linz, beating Petra Kvitova 6-3 6-4 in Linz, Austria

Samantha Stosur beat Francesca Schiavone 7-5 6-1 to win the Japan Women’s Open in Osaka, Japan

Marcos Baghdatis beat Denis Istomin 6-3 1-6 6-3 to [...]

Tennis great Jack Kramer dies at 88: This Week in Tennis Business

By Justin Cohen
From tennis legend Jack Kramer passing away at the age of 88 to a possible Justine Henin press conference this week to announce her comeback to US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro earning a winner’s paycheck of $1.6 million plus an additional $250,000 for finishing third in the Olympus US Open Series [...]

Rain relents as Nadal advances in a breeze at Open

Rafael Nadal has reached the U.S. Open semifinals for the second year in a row by finishing a rain-interrupted victory over Fernando Gonzalez.
The No. 3-seeded Nadal – trying to complete a career Grand Slam – beat No. 11 Gonzalez 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2), 6-0 in a quarterfinal that began Thursday and ended Saturday.
They were forced [...]

Del Potro Advances to Semifinals

NEW YORK – Welcome to Arthur Ashe Stadium, the world’s largest tennis facility, Juan Martin del Potro.
Ranked sixth in the world, the Argentine had to wait until the quarterfinals to make it to the 23,700-seat facility this year without having to buy a ticket. Del Potro made sure he will return to the big stage [...]

Murray upset by Cilic at US Open

That upward-pointing arrow defining Andy Murray’s career flattened out dramatically Tuesday.
The British star, who had ascended to a No. 2 ranking, was ousted from the U.S. Open by No. 16 Marin Cilic, 7-5, 6-2, 6-2—a lopsided result as surprising for its score as they player he lost to.
Cilic overcame two set points in the first [...]