STARS
Rafael Nadal beat David Ferrer 7-5 6-2 to win the Internzionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, Italy
Justine Henin beat Samantha Stosur 6-4 2-6 6-1 to win the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany
Iveta Benesova beat Simona Halep 6-4 6-2 to win the Grand Prix de SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem in Fez, Morocco
Jose Acasuso beat Daniel Brands 6-3 6-4 to win the Tunis Open in Tunis, Tunisia
Kaia Kanepi beat Masa Zec-Peskiric 6-3 6-2 to win the Open GDF Suez de Cagnes-sur-Mer Alpes-Martimes 2010 in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France
Mark Philippoussis beat John McEnroe 6-3 4-6 10-5 (match tiebreak) to win the Staples Champions Cup in Boston, Massachusetts, USA
SAYINGS
“The important thing is that I won a very important tournament and finally I am very happy. … I played well, but not as well as Monte Carlo, but the important thing is winning.” – Rafael Nadal, after winning at Rome.
“I don’t have a word in English for it. It’s indescribable.” – Ernests Gulbis, after upsetting Roger Federer.
“Sometimes it takes a loss to wake up and shake you up for your approach the next week. When you always win, sometimes you forget how hard it is. That’s why today I don’t get too worried about this loss.” – Roger Federer, after losing to Ernests Gulbis.
“When I saw Roger Federer winning the French Open (in 2009), I had a lot of respect. That brought back the fire that wasn’t there any more. It’s been a lot of work to get back and it’s not over.” – Justine Henin, after winning her first title since returning from retirement.
“It’s getting pretty close now (to the Open Era record). Already four titles this year, so the next one’s going to be the big one. It’s going to be a big final, a lot of nerves. We’re hoping to tie it before we get out of Europe. We don’t want to get the monkey on our back and have to be thinking about it, so we want to do it as quick as possible.” – Mike Bryan, who with his twin brother Bob have moved within one victory of matching the men’s record for the most doubles titles in the Open Era.
“With all the great matches we had in the past, it’s always something special to see John’s face on the other side of the net. I think he feels the same way, too.” – Bjorn Borg, who played – and lost – to John McEnroe in a seniors tournament in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
“When I’m feeling rotten and no good at tennis, then I’ll say to myself, `Get out of here.’ But on this wave of wins there is no real need for me to think about quitting.” – Venus Williams.
SHE’S BACK
Justine Henin is back in the thick of the battle for the top spot in women’s tennis. Appearing in her third straight final in her third tournament back from retirement, the former world number one from Belgium captured the Porsche Grand Prix by defeating Samantha Stosur 6-4 2-6 6-1. “It means a lot to me on clay,” Henin said of her clay court win. Four of her seven Grand Slam tournament titles have come on the red shale of Roland Garros. Henin said Roger Federer’s French Open win last year inspired her to end her 18-month retirement. “It brought back the fire,” she said after capturing her first title in her return. Henin was runner-up in Brisbane, Australia, and at the Australian Open. “Getting to the final was really good, it’s been a great week,” Stosur said. “She just got very aggressive in the third set, she put me under a lot of pressure and broke my serve three straight times.”
SENOR CLAY
Rafael Nadal is almost unbeatable on clay. The Spaniard won his fifth Rome Masters title in six years, beating fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 7-5 6-2. That improves Nadal’s clay court record to 10-0 this year, including capturing the Monte Carlo Masters to end an 11-month title drought. By winning the 17th Masters Series title of his career, the 23-year-old Nadal tied Andre Agassi’s record. Agassi was 34 years old when he won his 17th. The win snapped Nadal’s tie with Roger Federer, who was upset in a second-round match.
STAYING ON
Having already won two tournaments this year, Venus Williams sees no reason is calling it a career. Besides her two titles, Venus, who will turn 30 in June, reached the final at the Sony Ericsson Championships in Miami, Florida, and the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in January. “I guess it’s all a mental thing,” Venus said. “Everyone definitely plays better or plays worse mentally at the big tournaments and I have been blessed enough to play a great mental game and to bring my best tennis in at the toughest time, and I’m still trying to do this every day.” Since making her pro debut in 1994, Venus has won 43 singles titles, including seven Grand Slam tournament crowns – five at Wimbledon and two at the US Open.
SWISS CHEESE
Ernests Gulbis found a lot of holes in Roger Federer’s game. The Latvian stunned the world’s top-ranked player 2-6 6-1 7-5 in the second round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome. It was Federer’s first singles match in nearly a month and his first this year on clay. The Swiss star struggled with his serve, landing only 50 percent of his first attempts. The big-serving Gulbis put in 71 percent of his first serves. “My game was definitely not up to speed,” Federer said. “My serve was not working at all. On clay you can lose the feeling sometimes.” Gulbis fought off jitters at the end, winning on his seventh match point after double-faulting twice when within a point of victory. “I was shaking. I didn’t know what to do,” Gulbis said. “It was a terrible feeling.” The feeling was very good when he finally clinched the victory. The 21-year-old Gulbis began working with Hernan Gumy of Argentina in September and also hired a new fitness coach. “My team is perfect now,” Gulbis said. “It’s my coach, my fitness coach and my father.”
Roger Federer played doubles at Rome with fellow Swiss Yves Allegro and won two rounds before falling in the quarterfinals to finalists John Isner and Sam Querrey, two big-serving Americans.
SIGHT ON MARK
The Bryan brothers have the Woodies in their sight. Twins Bob and Mike Bryan beat fellow Americans John Isner and Sam Querrey 6-2 6-3 at Rome to post their fourth title of the year and 60th in their careers. Retired Australians Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde – known as the Woodies – hold the ATP Tour record with 61 career titles and are being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, USA, later this year. “It’s huge for us to be considered a great team like the Woodies,” Mike Bryan said. “Hopefully we don’t get stuck on 60 for a long time.” The Bryans plan on being in Newport when the Woodies are inducted into the tennis shrine. Then they want to chase the Woodies’ record of 11 Grand Slam tournament titles. The Bryans currently are at eight.
SENIOR CLASH
It was just like old times when John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg faced each on a tennis court. When the match was over, McEnroe had won the Champions Cup semifinals battle in Boston, just as he did the two times they met in the US Open final. This time Mac was on top 6-4 7-6 (3). “It’s something special, the rivalry we have in the past with all those great matches,” Borg said. “Every time we’ve played it’s produced great tennis. Even on the Champions Tour, it’s something special when me and John play. I feel it and John feels it. It’s a nice atmosphere.”
STRAIGHT IN
Two Americans – Ryan Sweeting of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Christina McHale of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey – are in the main draw of the French Open. The two won three-round tournaments to earn wild card berths into the year’s second Grand Slam tournament. Two French players receive wild cards into the US Open. Sweeting and McHale will compete in the main draw at Roland Garros for the first time.
STAPLES CHAMPION
Mark Philippoussis saved his best for last. The Australian won his first career senior title on the Champions Series circuit, besting John McEnroe in the USD $150,000 Staples Champions Cup. The score was 6-3 4-6 10-5 (match tiebreak). The Champions Series circuit is for champion players age 30 and over. The 33-year-old Philippoussis won the first five games of the match before McEnroe made the game competitive. In the tiebreak, Philippoussis hit four aces and three groundstroke winners, capturing six of the last seven points. “I knew I had to play some good tennis today,” Philippoussis said. “I think once he got into the match it got dangerous for me.”
STRUCK DOWN AGAIN
An ankle injury is dogging Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki. The top seed said her ankle was still bothering her when she lost to Lucie Safarova 6-4 6-4 in the Dane’s first match in the Stuttgart Open. “I didn’t feel I could move 100 percent,” Wozniacki said. “She was making me run and that’s why she won. If you can’t move it’s difficult to win.” Wozniacki hurt her ankle when she fell during a match at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. She retired from that match.
SERIOUSLY
Ernests Gulbis has begun being more serious about his tennis career, and it has paid off. The 21-year-old Latvian pushed Rafael Nadal to three sets before losing the semifinal at Rome. And that came after Gulbis upset top-seeded Roger Federer in a second-round match. “I just started concentrating more on tennis, treating it more like my job,” Gulbis said of his improvement. “Last year I didn’t take it as a job. It was more like a hobby. I didn’t have a system. … I’m still not a big tennis freak … but I have a better system.” Nadal was impressed. “He was really difficult to play against,” the Spaniard said after a narrow 6-4 3-6 6-4 win over Gulbis. “All the time he was serving at 210, 215, 216, 217 (kph). A player with this serve can be top 10 for sure.” Of course, Gulbis isn’t going to go completely the other way. “I am flying back tonight,” Gulbis said after losing to Nadal. “It’s Saturday night in Latvia, so I’m going to go out.”
SEEKING HELP
Fernando Verdasco says he might be able to win the French Open because of Andre Agassi’s knowledge. The Spaniard is taking advice from former Roland Garros champion Agassi on how to dodge some of the pitfalls in tennis. “He was my idol, so it’s great to have your idol telling you all the things you should do and shouldn’t do, giving you some advice from all the things he did and maybe he did wrong,” Verdasco said. “He’s helping me be a better player. Having someone like Agassi, who was my idol when I was a kid, telling you things is so special.” Verdasco has been talking with Agassi ever since he started working with Agassi’s former coach Darren Cahill and fitness trainer Gil Reyes.
SKIPPED OVER
When Australian captain John Fitzgerald picked the Davis Cup squad to face Japan, he skipped over teen-ager Bernard Tomic. Instead, Fitzgerald selected a team of Lleyton Hewitt, Peter Luczak, Carsten Ball and doubles specialist Paul Hanley. The 17-year-old Tomic is widely viewed as Australia’s next big star. He became the country’s youngest Davis Cup player when he won two singles against Taiwan in March. The Australia-Japan winner advances to the World Group playoffs in September.
SHARED PERFORMANCES
Cagnes-Sur-Mer: Mervana Jugic-Salkic and Darija Jurak beat Stephanie Cohen-Aloro and Kristina Mladenovic 0-6 6-2 10-5 (match tiebreak)
Fes: Iveta Benesova and Anabel Medina Garrigues beat Lucie Hradecka and Renata Voracova 6-3 6-1
Rome: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat John Isner and Sam Querrey 6-2 6-3
Stuttgart: Giselo Dulko and Flavia Pennetta beat Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik 3-6 7-6 (3) 10-5 (match tiebreak)
Tunis: Jeff Coetzee and Kristof Vliegen beat James Corretani and Adil Shamasdin 7-6 (3) 6-3
SITES TO SURF
Rome: www.internazionalibnlditalia.it/
Cagnes-Sur-Mer: www.opendecagnes.com/
Munich: www.bmwopen.de/
Belgrade: www.serbiaopen.rs/
Estoril: www.estorilopen.net/1/en/home/default.asp
Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com/
Sao Paulo: www.grandchampionsbrasil.com.br
TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK
(All money in USD)
ATP
$530,000 BMW Open, Munich, Germany, clay
$530,000 Estoril Open, Estoril, Portugal, clay
$496,700 Serbia Open, Belgrade, Serbia, clay
$100,000 Israel Open, Ramat Hasharon, Israel, hard
WTA
$2,000,000 Internazionali BNG d’Italia, Rome, Italy, clay
$220,000 Estoril Open, Estoril, Portugal, clay
DAVIS CUP
Africa Zone III, Marrakech, Morocco, clay (round robin, four groups): Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tunisia, Zambia, Zimbabwe
TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK
ATP
$3,775,000 Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, Madrid, Spain, clay
$113,000 BNP Paribas Primrose, Bordeaux, France, clay
WTA
$4,000,000 Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, Madrid, Spain, clay
DAVIS CUP
Europe Zone III, Athens, Greece, hard (round-robin, two groups): Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Georgia, Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, San Marino
SENIORS
Grand Champions Brazil, Sao Paulo, Brazil, hard
