williams serena

By: Justin Cohen

• The 2011 BNP Paribas Showdown on February 28 at Madison Square Garden in New York City will feature Andre Agassi taking on old rival Pete Sampras, while John McEnroe will battle Ivan Lendl. Tickets go on sale for the exhibition tennis matches on September 27.  The event had been a women’s exhibition for the past two years featuring Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic and Kim Clijsters.
• “Roger Federer: Quest for Perfection,” the updated and re-released book that chronicles the incredible tennis career of Roger Federer, has been officially re-released in paperback by publisher New Chapter Press. The was written by Rene Stauffer, the Swiss tennis journalist who has covered Federer since the budding tennis champion was a 15-year-old. The book chronicles Federer’s life as a tempermental junior player, his early struggles on the ATP Tour, his break-out win at Wimbledon in 2003 through his record-breaking 15th major singles title at Wimbledon in 2009.

  

• The USTA announced on Tuesday that the Fed Cup final between the United States and Italy will be played at San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, Calif., from November 6-7. The last time the Fed Cup final was held in the United States, the Americans won their record-breaking 17^th Fed Cup title. “We are very excited that San Diego will be hosting the 2010 Fed Cup Final,” said Mary Joe Fernandez, the U.S. Fed Cup Captain. “The area always has been supportive of women’s tennis.  We look forward to playing in front of a large, enthusiastic, and patriotic crowd and hope to use the home-court advantage as we try to bring the Fed Cup title back to the U.S.” The San Diego Sports Arena will be hosting its first Fed Cup tie. The venue hosted the 1989 Davis Cup quarterfinal between the United States and France. Tickets are scheduled to go on sale to the public at the beginning of August.
• The premiere of Billie Jean King’s “Homecoming with Rick Reilly” will be shown on ESPN on Saturday, July 3 at 7 p.m. EST. It will re-air on Friday, July 9 at 7:30 p.m. EST, on ESPN2. “Homecoming with Rick Reilly” is a exceptional show that tells the behind the scenes story on an athlete’s life in front of an audience of family and friends that they have known throughout their remarkable career. The show was filmed at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Long Beach, Calif. King’s mother Betty Moffitt, Tracey Austin, Rosie Calas, Bud Collins, Owen Davidson, Zina Garrison and Maria Sharapova were all in attendance during the filming of the show.
• Come to Win by Venus Williams (HarperCollins, $24.99), a book that shares wisdom on how to turn a competitive spirit and athletic background into success off the playing field, went on sale on Tuesday. Venus will start her book tour on Tuesday, July 6 at 12:30 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble on 5^th Avenue and 46^th Street in New York City. The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion and three-time Olympic Gold medalist, will also make book tour stops in Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Dallas, Chicago, St. Louis and Los Angeles.
• USTA Serves, the philanthropic and charitable entity of the United States Tennis Association, announced on Monday that it has rewarded 26 grants in its 2010 spring funding cycle, totaling more than $300,000. The program was developed to provide disadvantaged, at-risk children the opportunity to learn to play the sport of tennis and improve their academic skills in a structured format, while learning healthy lifestyles. “USTA Serves is excited to continue investing financial and other resources to help support organizations that believe in the powerful combination of tennis and education to help change lives. We applaud the expertise, commitment and passion for tennis and education that these organizations have shown to the children and people with disabilities whom they serve,” said Deborah Slaner Larkin, Executive Director of USTA Serves. “Our goal is to support as many programs as possible and we look forward to our next grant cycle when we’ll hear from even more programs.”
• The Daily Mirror reported that The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), who eliminated 15,000 jobs recently, spent $800,000 (UK) on a suite on Court One at Wimbledon in a three-year deal, so executives could spend time with important clients.
• Rafael Nadal was slapped with a $2,000 fine on Monday by Wimbledon officials for receiving coaching during his third-round victory over Philipp Petzschner on Sunday. Nadal was given a code violation warning by Chair Umpire Cedric Mourier for allegedly getting advice from his coach, Uncle Toni Nadal. “The rules are the rules,” said Nadal.
• Victor Hanescu was fined $15,000 by Wimbledon officials for “not using his best efforts” and spitting towards the crowd during his third-round loss against Daniel Brands. Hanescu led by two sets and held match points in the third, but then was arguing with fans in the crowd in the fifth set. He earned a code violation warning after spitting towards the crowd. The Romanian then stopped trying and purposely foot-faulted and double faulted on three straight points before shaking Brands hand.  “I would like to apologize to the fans, the AELTC and everyone else for my behavior last (Friday) night at the end of my match against Daniel Brands,” said Hanescu.
• Former World No. 1 Ana Ivanovic accepted a wild card invitation into the 2010 Bank of the West Classic at the Taube Family Tennis Center at Stanford University from July 26-August 1. The 22-year-old Serbian, who won the French Open in 2008, will be making her first appearance at the tournament.
• Rafael Nadal said he will skip Spain’s upcoming Davis Cup quarterfinal tie against France the week after Wimbledon so he can undergo treatment on his knee. “If I play Davis Cup, I don’t have enough time to recover and play tournaments, Cincinnati,” said Nadal. “For me is a big disappointment not be in the Davis Cup… playing in France for me is a very special confrontation and a very big motivation for me.” On Tuesday, Spain’s Captain Albert Costa announced that his team would consist of Fernando Verdasco, David Ferrer, Nicolas Almagro and Feliciano Lopez.
• Former two-time Grand Slam mixed-doubles champion and current Tennis Channel broadcaster Justin Gimelstob will be running in the 2010 ING New York City Marathon as a part of the Community Charity Program on November 7. The American will be running for his charity, the Children’s Fund. “Running a marathon has always been on my bucket list of things to do, and I have no idea what to expect,” said Gimelstob. “Tennis players don’t usually do a lot of long-distance running, so this will be a considerable physical and emotional challenge, but I am not doing it for my own satisfaction, but for the kids and as a philanthropic effort.”
• Nicolas Mahut, who made tennis history by competing against John Isner in the longest tennis match in the opening round at Wimbledon last week, has been awarded a wild card into the main draw at the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, R.I., which will be held from July 5-11. “Nicolas is an excellent grass court player and he will certainly add to the competition among our field this year. We are delighted that he will return to Newport,” said Mark L. Stenning, CEO and Tournament Director for the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Mahut, who is currently ranked No. 148 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, will be making his fifth appearance in Newport, where he reached the finals in 2007. The former junior Wimbledon champion will also personally deliver memorabilia from his epic record-breaking match to be displayed in the Museum at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. “Grass court tennis is a personal favorite of mine and I have always enjoyed my experiences competing in Newport. It is a fantastic tournament in a remarkable venue with great fans. I look forward to returning again this summer, and I am grateful to the tournament committee at Newport for allowing me the opportunity to compete,” said Mahut. “Also, the Museum at the International Tennis Hall of Fame is an incredible landmark for tennis. I am humbled and honored to have a piece of history from my career on display alongside memorabilia from the game’s greatest stars.”
• The “Isner Celebration” ticket offer happened last Friday at the Atlanta Tennis Championships in honor of John Isner’s record-breaking first round win at Wimbledon, which saw the former Georgia Bulldog beat France’s Nicolas Mahut 70-68 in the fifth set in 11 hours and five minutes. In respect to Isner’s victory, tournament officials offered a 20 percent discount for 11 hours and five minutes on reserved and premium tickets for the Wednesday and Thursday sessions.
• World Team Tennis’ Boston Lobsters is offering a 10 percent discount on tickets purchased through the official team website: www.bostonlobsters.net. To receive the discount, you must use the promo code “Lobsters” and it is case sensitive. John Isner, James Blake, Eric Butorac, Coco Vandeweghe and Raquel Kops-Jones are members of Coach Bud Shultz’s 2010 Boston Lobsters squad.
• Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka has split from longtime coach, Dimitri Zavalioff. The pair had worked together since the beginning of Wawrinka’s tennis career. Throughout their time together, Wawrinka won the junior Roland Garros title, two ATP World Tour titles and reached a career-best ranking of No. 9 in 2008.
• Marathon man John Isner presented the Top 10 list on the Late Show with David Letterman on Monday at the Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York City.
• Three-time Grand Slam singles champion Jennifer Capriati is recovering from an accidental prescription medicine overdose at a South Florida hospital according to a family spokesman. The 34-year-old, who was once ranked No. 1 and an Olympic Gold medalist in 1992, was in stable condition and is expected to make a full recovery, spokeswoman Lacey Wickline told The Associated Press. The medication was not identified by the spokeswoman. “In response to an outpouring of concern and support shown by Jennifer’s fans and friends worldwide, we would like to acknowledge that Jen is recuperating at a South Florida hospital from an accidental overdose of medication prescribed to Jen by her personal physician,” said Wickline. “Jen is recovering fully and stably.” Celebrity gossip website TMZ was the first to report the story. Following their fourth round victories at Wimbledon, Kim Clijsters and Venus and Serena Williams stopped to express their concern for their former competitor.