STARS
Yulia Putintseva beat Elina Svitolina 6-2 6-4 to win the Siberia Cup in Tyumen, Russia
Novak Djokovic beat David Ferrer 6-2 6-1 to win the World Tennis Championship exhibition in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
SAYING
“Usually at this stage, you are trying to find your speed on the court, agility, just dynamics of every stroke. But I found it already, to be honest, right away after the first match. … It’s a great way for me to prepare for Melbourne.” – Novak Djokovic, after winning a six-player exhibition tournament.
“He was better than me. He played a really good match. I tried but maybe I played at a deficit all the time. I fought, but with Djokovic at the moment it’s difficult to beat him.” – David Ferrer, following his loss to Novak Djokovic in the final of the World Tennis Championship exhibition tournament.
“Obviously, I could tell Novak and Rafa are playing really well. That is not a surprise to me. I expected them to be in good shape for next year and they proved that to me this weekend.” – Roger Federer, after losing to Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi.
“I’m an emotional player and I’m an extremely emotional person. … I’m always going to be me. If that means I’m giving 200 percent, then that’s how I am. I love that and I think people can respect that when they see me play.” – Serena Williams, explaining her outburst in the US Open women’s final match last year.
“It is a privilege to captain the best team of players in the world.” –Alex Corretja, after being named captain of Spain’s Davis Cup team.
“I’m only focusing on photo shoots. It’s tough after winning a big title, maintaining the concentration. So many photo shoots.” – Li Na, saying her sudden fame after winning the 2011 French Open was a major reason her game collapsed in the last half of the year.
SUCCESSFUL START
It may have only been an exhibition, but Novak Djokovic has served notice that he intends to remain on top of the men’s game. The Serb captured the World Tennis Championships exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, by beating in order Gael Monfils, Roger Federer and David Ferrer. “This is the best way to start the 2012 season,” said Djokovic. “I must say I’m really happy with the way I’m playing.” The 24-year-old won three of the four Grand Slam tournaments in 2011 – the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open – but suffered four of his six losses after America’s premier tennis event in September.
In the battle for third place in the USD $250,000, six-man event, Rafael Nadal crushed Federer 6-1 7-5. Nadal showed no signs of a shoulder injury in his win over his Swiss foe. Ferrer upset Nadal in the semifinals.
SCOT GETS LENDL
In a bid to finally win a major title, Andy Murray has hired Ivan Lendl as his coach. “Ivan’s impact on the game is unquestionable and he brings experience and knowledge that few others have, particularly in major tournaments,” Murray said. “I look forward to working with him going forward.” Murray has reached three Grand Slam tournament finals, only to lose each time. Lendl, who won eight majors, including three consecutive US Opens, lost four Grand Slam tournament finals before finally capturing the French Open in 1984, when he rallied from two sets down to beat John McEnroe. “I am really excited to have the opportunity to work with Andy,” Lendl said. “He is a unique talent and I look forward to trying to help him reach his goals.”
SANCHEZ-VICARIO SELECTED
Spain’s Fed Cup team has a new captain. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario has agreed to a two-year deal to lead the Spanish team. The former number one-ranked Sanchez-Vicario played on all five of Spain’s Fed Cup championship squads. She won three French Open titles and the US Open. In Fed Cup play, Sanchez-Vicario holds the Spanish records for overall wins (72), singles wins (50) and, with partner Conchita Martinez, doubles victories (18). The 40-year-old will be at the helm when Spain takes on Russia in a World Group first-round tie on February 4-5.
STAYING HOME
American James Blake has withdrawn from the Australian Open. While Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said Blake gave no explanation for pulling out of the year’s first Grand Slam tournament, the American had earlier withdrawn from the Brisbane International citing “personal reasons.” Once ranked as high as fourth in the world in 2006, Blake is currently ranked 59th. The Australian Open begins its two-week run on January 16.
SKIPPING AUCKLAND
Because of an ankle injury, Britain’s Heather Watson is missing the WTA’s season-opening tournament in Auckland, New Zealand. “Unfortunately I will not be playing in Auckland because I sprained my ankle badly,” the 19-year-old wrote on Facebook. Britain’s third-ranked player, Watson said she will be in Hobart, Tasmania, next week. Ranked 92nd in the world, Watson said she expects to play in the Australian Open main draw for the first time.
SPICY SERENA
Serena Williams still thinks she was right when she berated umpire Eva Asderaki during last year’s US Open women’s singles final. And she says she might it again because of her emotions. Trailing Australian Samantha Stosur in the title match, Williams hit an inside-out forehand winner, then shouted “come on,” urging herself to play better. But Asderaki ruled that the shout was a hindrance and awarded the point to Stosur. During the next changeover, Williams told Asderaki she was a “hater” and “unattractive inside,” and was subsequently fined for the outburst. “I honestly think I was really toned down, like I didn’t use any bad language or anything so I wouldn’t change it so much,” the American said. “When you’re (full of) emotion, that’s kind of how you feel.”
SPANISH CAPTAIN
Alex Corretja is a winner. He’s also Spain’s new Davis Cup captain, taking over for Albert Costa. But he might have to do it without the country’s top two players, Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer, who both announced they would not be available in 2012 because they wanted to concentrate on playing in the Olympic Games. Corretja was a player on Spain’s first Davis Cup championship in 2000. He also won his battle for a two-year contract, saying a one-year offer failed to demonstrate sufficient faith in his captaincy credentials. Corretja is expected to select Nicolas Almagro, Fernando Verdasco and Marcel Granollers for Spain’s bid for a sixth Davis Cup title. However, the new captain says he still will ask Nadal and Ferrer to join the team. “My obligation as captain is to speak to all of the players and the coaches. Not one player has personally told me that they will not play,” Corretja said. “If some players say they need time to rest, I can only respect that and try to put together the best team possible for each series.”
SAYS BLAME HUBBY
It’s Australia, so China’s Li Na is back to blaming her husband. The French Open champion said the reason she played so poorly after becoming the first Asian-born player to win a Grand Slam tournament title was because of her sudden celebrity status and her irritation at being yelled at by her husband. “After the French Open my life changed,” Li said. “If I go somewhere to play a tournament, more people know who I am.” She won only seven of 16 matches in 2011 after winning in Paris. Last January, when she reached the Australian Open final, Li joked about her husband’s snoring. Playing in the Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia, Li again pointed a tongue-in-cheek finger at her husband. “It’s bad, we’re always fighting,” Li said. “It’s tough, he’s always telling me, ‘Move your feet, move your feet!’ I’m thinking, ‘Why are you shouting at me?’ I only listen to him for two hours a day now. I told him, ‘When I am on the court, I will listen to you. When we are away from the court, you have to listen to me.’”
SAYS NO TO PAKISTAN
Pakistan will not be able to play its Davis Cup tie at home against Lebanon next month. The International Tennis Federation rejected an appeal by Pakistan after the ITF moved the tie out of the country. The February 10-12 competition was originally supposed to be played in Lahore, and Lebanon said it would play in Pakistan. But the ITF moved the tie to Lebanon because of security concerns. “We had filed an appeal against the decision to move the tie and we assured full security arrangements for the visiting team,” Pakistan Tennis Federation secretary Mumtaz Yousuf said of the Asia/Oceania Group Two tie. “But the ITF has rejected our appeal.” Pakistan has not held a Davis Cup tie at home since 2005 because of security issues. Yousuf said the ITF has promised to investigate the possibility of allowing Pakistan to choose a neutral venue for future “home” ties. “At least that is something positive,” Yousuf said.
SWINGING FOR DOLLARS
Top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark and third-ranked Victoria Azarenka of Belarus played an exhibition match in Hua Hin, Thailand, to raise money for the country’s recent flood crisis. The flood swamped huge areas of the country and killed nearly 800. A spokeswoman for the World Tennis Charity Invitation said the charity even includes American John Isner and retired popular Thai player Paradorn Srichaphan. “I have seen some of the pictures of the terrible floods and I am delighted to be a part of the World Tennis Charity Invitation,” Wozniacki had said. The floods at their height affected 65 of the 77 provinces in the low-lying nation, deluged hundreds of thousands of homes and forced the closure of large industrial parks. The waters have since receded significantly but many areas still face major clean-up operations.
SWITCH
Australia’s women’s tennis program continues to grow from outside the island continent. Following in the footsteps of Slovak-born Jarmila Gajdosova and Russia’s Anastasia Rodionova, Sacha Jones is switching her allegiance from New Zealand to Australia. Because her father is Australian, the 21-year-old Jones already has dual nationality. Jones, who has represented New Zealand in Fed Cup play, said she’s making the move to take advantage of the better facilities and backing from Tennis Australia. “The decision has been a very difficult one for me to make,” Jones said. “I’m very grateful for the support that Tennis New Zealand has given to my career to date, but if I want to achieve my goals, I believe that being involved in the Australian program will give me the best opportunity to do it.” Tennis New Zealand chief executive Steve Johns said the decision by Jones came as a shock. “We were very surprised and disappointed. There’s been a reasonable amount of our money invested in Sacha’s career,” Johns said. “I think she’d made up her mind, but we certainly did try and get her to change her mind. But we quickly realized that she’s a professional athlete and, yes, while we’d like New Zealand to feature in her plans, at the end of the day she’s looking after the best interests of her career.”
SEEKS RETURN TO TENNIS
Russia’s Anna Chakvetadze is ready to return to tennis. Last February Chakvetadze collapsed on center court during her Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships match against Caroline Wozniacki. She completed only six more matches in 2011, also retiring from matches at Indian Wells, California, USA, and Stuttgart, Germany. She has not played since losing a first-round match at Wimbledon. “Doctors found an inflammation in my ear and connected it with the dizziness,” the 24-year-old said. “I had to take medication for it, for a while actually. I didn’t expect that it would take so long to get over it, but I did it. When I felt ready to play again it was already almost the end of the season, so I just decided to wait until the new season to play again. It was disappointing, but my health is the most important thing, and I hope I’ll be able to do some good things in the new season. I’m 100 percent healthy now. It doesn’t bother me anymore. I’m completely over it.”
SIGNED
Irina Falconi has signed with Agent Atleta Ltd. Jordan J. Butler will represent the 21-year-old American, who is ranked in the top 80 in the world. At the 2011 US Open, Falconi upset 14th-seeded Dominika Cibulkova in the second round. Representing the United States, Falconi won the gold medal in singles at the Pan-Am Games in Mexico.
SHARED PERFORMANCES
Tyumen: Darya Kustova and Olga Savchuk beat Natela Dzalamidze and Margarita Gasparyan 6-0 6-2
SURFING
Doha:
Chennai:
www.aircelchennaiopen.org/2012/
Brisbane:
www.brisbaneinternational.com.au/
Auckland:
Perth:
Sydney:
Auckland:
Hobart:
www.hobartinternational.com.au
TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK
(All money in USD)
MEN
$1,024,000 Qatar ExxonMobil Open, Doha, Qatar, hard
$422,000 Brisbane International, Brisbane, Australia, hard
$398,250 Aircel Chennai Open, Chennai, India, hard
WOMEN
$655,000 Brisbane International, Brisbane, Australia, hard
$220,000 ASB Classic, Auckland, New Zealand, hard
EXHIBITION
Hyundai Hopman Cup, Perth, Australia, hard
TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK
MEN
$434,250 Apia International, Sydney, Australia, hard
$398,250 Heineken Open, Auckland, New Zealand, hard
WOMEN
$618,000 Apia International, Sydney, Australia, hard
$220,000 Moorilla Hobart International, Hobart, Tazmania, hard