News Headlines
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Clijsters defeats Venus in farewell match
ANTWERP, Belgium -- Former No. 1 Kim Clijsters ended her career with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Venus Williams in a ceremonial farewell match in Belgium.
Clijsters retired after the U.S. Open but organized a match to thank her fans, 13,000 of whom turned up at Antwerp Sports Palace, including Crown Prince Phillipe and Princess Mathilde. -
Federer praises del Potro, hints at coaching future
At a press conference in Argentina promoting an upcoming exhibition match, Roger Federer says that 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro can reach the top rung of the game.
“He is already among the best, now he just has to train hard and stay on the same path,” Federer said. “He was No. 4, he’s now 7, but he could be No. 1. Sometimes the difference is in the small details.”
Federer also told La Nation that in 20 years, he may still be involved in tennis and that he “could be a coach, but I do not know. I’ll see what the situation with my daughters and my wife is. I still like to travel, but also enjoy being at home. I’m so happy.” -
Spanish women break with federation
The majority of Spain’s women players have decided to break relations with the president of the Spanish Tennis Federation, José Luis Escañuela, saying that he has failed to live up to a two-year-old agreement that would ensure the future of women’s tennis in that country.
Players Carla Suarez Navarro, Garbine Muruguruza Blanco, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, Silvia Soler Espinosa, Estrella Cabeza Candela, Nuria Llagostera Vives, Arantxa Parrana Santonja, Lourdes Dominguez Lino, and Laura Pous Tio, as well as ex-players Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Conchita Martinez, held a press conference in Barcelona on Wednesday, where they expressed their “profound disappointment and disillusionment” with Escañuela.
The only notable Spanish players that did not sign the letter were Anabel Medina Garrigues, Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino, and María-Teresa Torró-Flor.
“Two years ago, we held meetings with the president to express our concern about the situation of women’s tennis that ended with an agreement signed at the National Sports Council. But that has not been fulfilled at all,” said Llagostera Vives.
The Federation was said to have agreed to promote a national women’s tennis plan with an annual budget of at least $250,000. The players say that an advisory council met twice in 2011, but did not meet again.
Players cited the shutdown of the WTA tournament in Marbella in 2012, the sale of the WTA Barcelona tournament to Austria, the disappearance of 16 ITF tournaments, as well as the cancellation of the last two editions of their national women’s tournament as reason for concern. Elections for the Spanish Tennis Federation will be held on January 19, and the women players are hoping that Escañuela is not re-elected. -
Retired Roddick may miss competing
Andy Roddick, who retired after the U.S. Open, tells ESPN.com that he’s unsure how he will feel when the 2013 season begins.
“To be honest, I don’t know that it will really affect me until January comes around,” Roddick said. “The last 13 Januarys I’ve been in Australia. I haven’t experienced Jan. 8 in the United States for 15 years. You start to identify certain months with certain places, that’s where you are … I wasn’t jealous of the guys going on a 15-hour flight to Shanghai [in October] or wherever else. Once I see the guys over [in Australia], obviously I’ll miss it a bit.” -
Mouratoglou: Ferrer has complex vs. Big Four
Patrick Mouratoglou, the coach of Serena Williams, says that ATP No. 5 David Ferrer has the most legitimate claim to being the best player outside of the “Big Four” (Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal), but needs to step it up mentally against those players.
“He seems to have some kind of complex when he faces the Big Four players - he had nine defeats in 10 matches in 2012,” Mouratoglou wrote on his Eurosport blog. “Yet, he has within himself the capacity to do better. Firstly, on a mental level, I think he just needs to click. Every year, he is never very far off. In 2012, he nearly embarrassed Nadal on clay, most notably in the Barcelona final. But he could not win the points that would have turned the match in his favor. You get the impression that he has a little too much respect for these players. Perhaps this season he might have come to realize this and 2013 will be his season.’ -
Nadal confirms return in December Abu Dhabi exo
MADRID -- Rafael Nadal has confirmed he is ready to return to competitive tennis at the end of the month in an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi, following a six-month break to recover from a knee injury.
The 11-time Grand Slam champion said on his Facebook page Tuesday that he "can't wait to get back on court in Abu Dhabi," and that he "would love to get my hands on the trophy again this year!"
The 26-year-old Nadal began practicing on a court in his hometown of Manacor on the Balearic island of Mallorca on Nov. 20 under the supervision of his uncle and coach Tony Nadal and a physiotherapist.
The Abu Dhabi tournament starts Dec. 27 and will feature a six-man field that also includes top-ranked Novak Djokovic and No. 3 Andy Murray of Britain. -
Fans break down in tears when meeting Federer
In an interview with Tages Anzeiger, Roger Federer discusses how overwhelmed certain Brazilian fans have been when meeting him on his current exhibition tour of the country.
“I met more fans that collapsed in tears than elsewhere,” he said. “It was amazing how many were shaking, had great joy and began to cry, so I take to practically take them in [my arms] and had to say: ‘It’s okay, it’s okay.’ I’m sure they are glad to see me, it’s probably a certain euphoria…I have to constantly remind myself again about where I come from, and tell myself who I am. I also like the normal life still - back to reality, family, friends, just quiet, please. And then, sure, sometimes I dip into the other incredible life I have.”
Federer did not put Davis Cup or his hometown tournament in Basel on his 2013 schedule, which has caused a stir in certain circles of Switzerland.
“I’m not be afraid to make unpopular decisions,” he said. “I plan long term and hope to [play] Davis Cup maybe in two, three, four years. But no one thinks, because everyone is so [overtaken] by the moment. And they do not understand what I’ve been through everything. In some countries [Davis Cup] is not important and for others it’s very important. Such decisions I don’t make from my gut, but weigh them over months. Now I came to the conclusion that for me it was probably the only right decision is (not playing against the Czech Republic in early February). I could have played [Davis Cup] but then I would only have [scheduled] four or five Masters 1000 tournaments instead of eight or nine.” -
Report: IMG on the block
Variety reports that IMG, which manages sports events, represents athletes, and sells licensing and broadcast rights, is being prepared to be sold by Goldman Sachs in a deal that could fetch as much as $2 billion.
Forstmann Little acquired IMG in 2004 for around $700 million shortly after the death of IMG founder Mark McCormack. IMG has been a critical player in tennis since it was founded; among other things, it currently represents Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova, runs the Sony Open in Miami, and negotiates broadcast rights for Wimbledon and the WTA.
There have been rumors that the company would be sold since the death of Ted Forstmann in November 2011, who was a big tennis fan and grew close to Roger Federer. Federer and his agent, Tony Godsick, left IMG when their contracts ran out last June.
An IMG spokesman denied that the company is for sale. -
Serena, Djokovic named ITF world champions
LONDON -- Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams were honored Tuesday as the International Tennis Federation's world champions for 2012.
Djokovic won the men's award for the second straight year, while Williams took the honor for the third time in her career.
Djokovic won the Australian Open and was runner-up at the French Open and U.S. Open. He finished the season No. 1 in the ATP rankings with six tour titles. -
McIlroy: Wozniacki flipped a switch in me
Top-ranked golfer Rory McIlroy says that his girlfriend, tennis player Caroline Wozniacki, pushed him to greater heights.
“Seeing how hard she works and how hard she practices and how dedicated she is, it definitely flipped a switch with me that I could be a little more like that,” McIlroy told the Telegraph. “She’s definitely been a great influence on me. I’ve always felt like I’ve been dedicated to the game and I’ve practiced hard and I’ve worked at it.