Latest Articles by Matt Cronin
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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. -
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.” -
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.’ -
ATP finalizes sale of L.A. tournament to Bogota
The ATP Board of Directors has approved the sale of the Los Angeles tournament to a group in Bogota, Colombia. The new tournament will be staged at the Centro de Alto Rendimiento, the same locale that hosted an ATP event from 1997-2002.
The Bogota tournament will take place on outdoor hard courts from July 15-21, 2013. Consequently, the tournament in Atlanta will take place a week later, July 22-28.
It is unclear whether the Bogota tournament will remain in that same week in 2014, as organizers have expressed a desire to be part of the Latin American swing, which takes place in Febraury. However, there have been discussions within the ATP of moving the entire Latin American swing to the fall. -
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.” -
Min replaces Sanchez in USTA Wild Card Playoff
Former USC standout Maria Sanchez has been forced to withdraw from this week’s USTA Australian Open Wild Card Playoff, citing precautionary reasons related to knee tendinitis, Tennis Grandstand reports. The event will be held on December 14-16 at Life Time Athletic & Tennis at Peachtree Corners in Norcross, Georgia.
Sanchez becomes the third player to withdraw from the event, joining Jack Sock (who wants to continue off-season training) and Steve Johnson (shoulder trouble). Eighteen-year-old Grace Min will replace Sanchez, while Tim Smyczek and Chase Buchanan are replacing Sock and Johnson.
Eight men and eight women will compete in the fourth annual Wild Card Playoffs, with each winner earning a singles main-draw wild card into the 2013 Australian Open. The USTA and Tennis Australia have reciprocal wild-card agreements.
Other male players competing include Bradley Klahn, Rhyne Williams, Denis Kudla, Tennys Sandgren, Daniel Kosakowski, and Christian Harrison.
Also competing in the women’s field are Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Irina Falconi, Madison Keys, Alexa Glatch, Julia Cohen, Alison Riske, and Mallory Burdette. -
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. -
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.” -
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. -
Australian Open to give first-round losers 30% boost
The 2013 Australian Open will increase its first-round losers’ prize money to above $27,000 Australian dollars, a boost of almost 30 percent, the Melbourne Age reports. The tournament has increased overall prize money to a record $30 million. In 2012, players who lost in the first round received $20,800.