Monday,
November 7, 2011
WEEKLY TENNIS NEWS
Federer Is Pumped For London After A Win In Basel
Roger Federer will be
the defending champion at the upcoming Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in
London while this week’s BNP Paribas Masters at Paris’ Palais Omnisports
de Bercy is one of the notable blanks on the Swiss’ list of 68 singles
titles. So the world no.4’s insistence that he is fit and ready for a late
season winning run is not something to be taken lightly by his rivals.
Federer’s confidence was clearly sky high after a ten month wait for a title
win came to an end as he got his name on the Swiss Indoor trophy in Basel for
the fifth time in his career.
It was the world no.4’s first final appearance since losing the French Open
to Rafael Nadal in early June and he heads back to Paris insistent that the
six week rest he took by missing the Asian swing would be beneficial.
“I'm feeling ready and fit and fired up, that's how it's supposed to be,”
said Federer after his emphatic Basel final win over Kei Nishikori.
“This is the last push of the season and I'm ready for it. It's been a great
start to the autumn, I think my pause paid off. I've got different priorities
than some of the younger guys who are ranked around me, I needed to take that
time off, it was best for my mind, my body, my family and my fitness.”
Federer’s best showing at Bercy came last year when he lost out in the
semi-final to local hero Gael Monfils but undeterred he went on to triumph in
London with a final win over Rafael Nadal.
He added: “There is a lot of tennis to be played until the end of the season
and it will be packed in early 2012. I want to be a danger everywhere that I
play."
However Federer reached the Bercy semi-final on an exceptionally quick
surface. This year tournament director Jean-Francois Caujolle has elected to
adopt a far more pedestrian court.
Second seed Andy Murray reported after a practice session: “It is very, very
slow.”
***
Kvitova Wins Fed Cup Heart Award
The ITF today announced that Petra Kvitova (CZE) has won the last Fed
Cup by BNP Paribas Heart Award of 2011 in recognition of her performance
during Czech Republic’s semifinal victory against Belgium in April.
Kvitova, who remains unbeaten in this year’s Fed Cup campaign, has been the
driving force behind Czech Republic’s march to the Final. The reigning
Wimbledon champion is 4-0 in singles play for the season, including wins in
the semifinals over Kirsten Flipkens 62 76(4) and Yanina Wickmayer 57 64 62
that set up a 3-2 away victory against Belgium.
She was presented with a cheque for US$10,000, which will be donated to her
chosen charity of Help The Children, by ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti
at the draw ceremony for the 2011 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Final in Moscow.
Kvitova said: “For me it’s really nice, I’m glad that I won because the people
voted for me. I didn’t expect to win. I’m really happy that I can give the
money to our charity in the Czech Republic.”
Kvitova was shortlisted for the award alongside Vera Zvonareva (RUS),
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE). All four
players competed in the World Group semifinals in April and helped their
nation reach the Final, which starts at the Olympic Stadium in Moscow
tomorrow.
The Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Heart Award is a joint initiative between BNP
Paribas and the ITF. It aims to recognize players who have represented their
country with distinction, shown exceptional courage on court and demonstrated
outstanding commitment to their team.
***
ATP Makes An Embarrassing Mistake In Determining Qualifier Of
Championship
Mathematics have never exactly been the strong suit of the ATP World
Tour. Many squirm when they remember the embarrassing scenes at the inaugural
Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London two years ago when nobody was sure
whether Juan Martin Del Potro had qualified for the semi-finals and similar
awkwardness arose last night over whether Tomas Berdych has yet done
sufficient to be officially included in this years top eight.
Berdych hardly earned his place with this week’s
performance, losing in his first match at the Swiss Indoors in Basel to
eventual finalist Kei Nishikori. Nevertheless the ATP initially calculated
that Juan Martin Del Potro’s semi-final loss to Marcel Granollers at the Valencia Open on
Saturday, was sufficient to guarantee Berdych one of the three remaining
spots. The final two positions, insisted a spokesman, would be determined at
the BNP Paribas Masters, which starts at the
Palais Omnisports de Bercy on Monday.
So keen to broadcast the fact, the ATP actually alerted Berdych as he
prepared to get back to winning ways at Bercy. “It feels great to qualify for
the second consecutive year,” he said. It was one of my goals at the
beginning of 2011 and my results have been very consistent this season. I
have great memories of The O2, the event was amazing last year and I hope I
will do better this time.”
Just over five hours later, clearly after some considerable embarrassment,
the ATP once again announced they had got their math wrong and a correction
was formally released that Berdych was still not
technically secure in the final eight.
“We apologize that an error was made in the projected qualification of Tomas
Berdych, and that he has not yet officially secured his place in the Top 8 at
the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals,” said the new statement. Not surprisingly
Berdych was not asked to comment on this occasion.
So together with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Mardy Fish,
Nicolas Almagro, Del Potro, Janko Tipsarevic, Gilles Simon and Gael Monfils,
Berdych will do his best this week at Bercy.
***
Djokovic’s Injury Makes His Future
Uncertain
Two months ago Novak
Djokovic’s record for 2011 was poised to re-write tennis history. Today he
wondering whether the physical pain in his right shoulder and back are so
insurmountable he might have hit his last competitive shot for the year.
After the world No.1 went down 2-6 7-6 6-0 in the Swiss Indoors semi-final to
Japan's Kei he revealed all week a sore shoulder had been troubling him,
similar to the injury which forced him to quit the Cincinnati final in August
against Andy Murray before the US Open.
"I could barely serve for much of the match, I was in pain," said
the Serb, who has won ten titles in 2011 but only returned this week after
six weeks out with a back injury.”
"My shoulder is very bad, we won't even talk about the third set. I have
a lot of pain in my body from the competition this week.”
Although Djokovic was today heading for Paris, he is not optimistic about his
chances of being fit to contest the final Masters 1000 series event of the
year, the BNP Paribas Masters at Palais Omnisports
de Bercy.
“I hope I can be ready for Paris," he said without any real conviction.
"I don't think I'll be able to train for the next few days."
Djokovic said that his grueling first-round win over Xavier Malisse on
Tuesday could have set the tone for the rest of the week. "It was a
shock to the body," he said of the opening struggle. “Competition is
different to practice.
"I may have forced things too much I was feeling afraid of the shoulder
and what might happen to it."
World no.2 Rafael Nadal has already announced he will not be playing at
Bercy, prioritizing the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London and then the
Davis Cup final against Argentina in Seville.
***
For 7th Time Bryans Get Year-End Rank of Number 1
American brothers Bob and Mike Bryan have clinched the year-end No. 1 ATP
Doubles Team Ranking for a record seventh time. By winning their first round
match in the Valencia Open on Wednesday, the Bryans have guaranteed that they
cannot be overtaken by No. 2 team Michael Llodra and Nenad Zimonjic.
The 33-year-old twins' memorable 2011 season includes two majors (Australian
Open, Wimbledon), giving them 11 in their career, and two ATP World Tour
Masters 1000 titles (Monte-Carlo, Madrid). They were also champions in
Houston, at the Queen’s Club in London and Vienna.
The Bryans, who have won at least five titles in each of the past 10 years,
compiled a 7-3 mark in finals this season. They have the most team titles in
the Open Era with 74. As individuals, they both have been ranked No. 1 in the
ATP Doubles Rankings for 265 weeks and they will surpass John McEnroe’s
record of 270 weeks on December 12th.
"Breaking McEnroe's record is something that is hard to fathom,"
said Bob. "He's such a legend and to achieve something like this won't
truly set in for awhile. Mike added, "It's always a special feeling
finishing the year as the top team. I think it's more satisfying than winning
a Slam because it represents the season as a whole.
"When we now look back at 2011, it will now be with a lot of fond
memories. The level of tennis always keeps getting stronger, so I'm most
proud of our willingness to improve as we get older."
***
Istanbul Was Huge Success for WTA
The WTA season is now over, and there are smiles in the St Petersburg
office after the move to Istanbul for the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships
proved to be a resounding success as the event registered the highest
attendance in 12 years and set record broadcast and digital audience
milestones.
Total Championships attendance reached 70,824, with the average session
visited by 11,804 fans. The Sunday finals (October 30, 2011) were watched by
13,676 fans. In addition, the event broadcast more than 400 hours of live
coverage in 164 countries through 22 international TV broadcasters, the
widest reach of a WTA Championships to date.
Among the broadcast highlights, the WTA’s longstanding partner Eurosport once
again telecast the Championships across its pan-European footprint. The
previous high came last year at the WTA Championships in Doha, Qatar through
coverage by 19 international broadcasters in 162 countries.
Additionally, Eurosport.com and ESPN3.com, among many others, offered live
streaming web broadcast of all matches, and TennisTV.com brought fans not
only matches but daily highlights, shot of the day, player interviews and
features.
The WTA’s official website offered fans daily highlight videos, player
features, scores and photos and registered record traffic during the
Championships. Unique visits and page views were up by 67% and 56%,
respectfully, over last year’s Championships results. The number of daily
visits peaked on Friday, October 28, 2011 – the highest since September 2010.
"The TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships was an historic event in a new
market, and having a full stadium of enthusiastic fans supporting our players
at the WTA’s crown-jewel finale has demonstrated the global reach and
strength of women’s tennis.
"Sold-out attendance is also a testament to the Ministry of Sport and
Turkish Tennis Federation’s efforts in executing, promoting and organizing
this great event," said Stacey Allaster, Chairman and CEO of the WTA.
***
Nadal To Skip Bercy
Rafael Nadal’s priorities at this time of the year are clear; going
one better than last year’s finalist place at the Barclays ATP World Tour
Finals in London and then leading the Spanish bid to claim a fifth Davis Cup
title in the space of 11 years.
So the second year in succession, the world no.2 has
again opted to miss next week’s concluding event in the ATP World Tour
Masters 1000 Series, the BNP Paribas Masters at the Palais Omnisports de
Bercy in Paris. He failed to specify the nature of the injury that prevents
him from playing but Roger Federer missed last month’s Shanghai Rolex Masters
simply citing fatigue.
Nadal, competitively inactive since looking
emotionally shattered by his defeat at the hands of Germany’s Florian Mayer
in his second match at Shanghai more than three weeks ago, announced the
decision on his Facebook page. “I have to prepare for the end of the season and also for 2012,”
said the winner of six French Open titles across Paris at Roland Garros.
He is thought to be less than enamored at tournament director Jean-Francois
Caujolle’s decision to lay one of the fastest playing surfaces on the ATP
circuit a year ago. Plus Nadal still harbors memories of being jeered at
Bercy in 2008 when he retired after losing the first set of his quarter-final
to Nikolay Davydenko.
However, the 25-year-old, who has never won the indoor Paris title, admitted
it was a "difficult" decision to make and added: "I hope I can
be back in 2012 to that great event in the most beautiful city in the world,
and hopefully try to win it one day."
With the gap week between Bercy and the ATP World Tour Finals in London to be
eliminated next year in a bid to shorten the calendar, the Parisian
participation of leading players who have already qualified for the season
ending event is very much in doubt.
Meanwhile world no.3 Andy Murray took the fast train to Paris yesterday,
confident he will recover in time from the gluteus strain that forced him out
of the Swiss Indoors in Basel.
***
End Of Season For Injured Del Potro
Juan Martin Del Potro,
beaten finalist in the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals two years ago, will now
definitely not qualify as a member of this year’s top eight after pulling out
of this week’s BNP Paribas Masters at Paris’ Bercy because of an injured
shoulder.
The 23 year-old Argentine, currently tenth in the race for a place after
staging a late season run, would appear to see the Davis Cup final against
Spain in Seville on December 2 thru 4 a far more important engagement.
Three years ago in the final against Spain staged in Mar Del Plata, Del Potro
was the brunt of a distinct cold shoulder from Argentine team-mate David
Nalbandian. The more experienced team member was upset that Del Potro
chose to travel to Shanghai to contest the Tennis Masters Cup rather than remain
in Argentina to prepare for the final.
Subsequently Del Potro was distinctly below par after the long journey to and
from China.
Del Potro is insistent his Paris no-show is legitimate and claims he
aggravated the injury so badly that immediate rest was necessary when losing
to eventual champion Marcel Granollers in the Valencia Open semi-final on
Saturday.
“My shoulder started bothering me in Valencia and it got worse after each
round,” said Del Potro who needed to reach the final of the Paris event
to guarantee qualification for London. However there are many other
factors that could affect the final line-up such as injury doubts over
American Mardy Fish who is suffering from an injured hamstring that forced
him to quit after just one game against James Blake at last week’s Swiss
Indoors.
***
Hingis Agrees To An Affiliation with The Mouratoglou Academy
Martina Hingis became
the youngest major champion of all time and took over the world no.1 spot at
the tender age of 16 and a half so she feels she has the knowledge she can
pass onto junior players is immense and Patrick Mouratoglou has recognized
the fact.
The Frenchman who runs one of the world’s most advanced tennis academies just
outside of Paris has linked up with Hingis on what unofficially seems an
initial trial basis for both parties for her to provide support and guidance
for four of his top girl juniors at next January’s Australian Open where she
was three times champion.
Hingis, aged 31 and married for just under a year to Swiss show jumper
Thibault Hutin, has joined his academy in an advisory role. The gatherer of
numerous ‘youngest ever’ records and winner of five singles, seven women’s
doubles and one mixed doubles Grand Slam titles, will primarily oversee the
development of four young players: Daria Gavrilova, Yulia Putintseva, Naomi
Broady and Sachia Vickery.
Mouratoglou said: “I have the pleasure to formalize an exclusive partnership
between Martina Hingis and my tennis academy as consultant and expert.
“I am very proud and happy about this new partnership with an exceptional
ex-player who is clever, enthusiastic and passionate.”
Earlier this year Mouratoglou suffered the blow of former Wimbledon girls
champion Laura Robson (currently the youngest player in the WTA’s top 150)
deciding to leave his academy. The appointment of Hingis has restored a
degree of elitism.
“We know each other pretty well and we wanted to find the best way to work
together,” said Mouratoglou. “She already came to the academy a year ago and
now that she has digested the end of her career, Martina is ready to move on
and coaching is the natural next step. The girls are delighted and well aware
of the opportunity they have.”
Former world junior no.1, US Open junior champion and Youth Olympic gold
medalist Gavrilova and Putintseva ( a junior quarter finalist at three Grand
Slams this year are both Russians from Moscow). Broady is British and a
rebel from the Lawn Tennis Association while 16 year-old Vickery is a former
Bollettieri Academy student who hails from Mirimar, Florida.
PTR International Symposium Set For February In Orlando
Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) will hold its annual
International Tennis Symposium, February 24-27, 2012, at the Hyatt Regency
Grand Cypress in Orlando, Florida
The Symposium attracts nearly 1,000 tennis teachers and coaches from more
than 50 countries.
Many of the tennis industry’s most notable speakers, including Dave Miley,
Dr. Jim Loehr, Pat Etcheberry, Kelly Jones, Butch Staples, Leo Alonso,
Lorenzo Beltrame, Doug Cash and Dr. Mark Kovacs, are among the more than 35
presenters who will conduct classroom and on court presentations. Subject
matter ranges from 10 and Under Tennis to tennis business to teaching tactics
and techniques. There is also a special high school coaches’ tract that
will be held over the weekend (February 25-26) to accommodate scholastic
schedules.
Teaching pros will show off their playing skills and have a great time at the
PTR International Championships, held in conjunction with the Symposium.
The Symposium also offers a Tennis Trade Show where more than 40
organizations and companies, such as, Gamma, Head/Penn and Playmate, exhibit
their newest product lines, latest technologies and services.
***
Groenefeld To Concentrate On Doubles
Anna-Lena Groenefeld has announced on her web site that she is abandoning
her stuttering singles career and will in future concentrate on doubles. She
reached a career-high of 14 in singles in 2006, but has struggled since,
partly due to injury. She reached three singles finals, all in 2005, but
holds 11 doubles titles and has reached a further 11 finals. She currently
stands at 266 in singles and 52 in doubles.
"The 2011 season was one that delivered mixed results for me personally,
highlighted by reaching two WTA Tour doubles finals while at the same time
struggling with my form in singles," she wrote.
"I’ve come to the conclusion that it will be in my best interest to
primarily focus on doubles for now. My time as a singles player on the WTA
Tour has been blessed with wonderful moments of joy and triumph, but I am at
a point in my career where it is time to move on and do what I feel like is
best for me."
***
Drug Testers Are Not The Most Popular People In The World
They can come calling at any time, but it’s usually early in the morning,
around 6am. Ask Andy Murray, who was woken by them at the crack of dawn,
invited them in and had his mother make them a cup of tea. Ask Dinara Safina,
who recently had them knocking on her door long before breakfast time, even
though she hadn’t played on the tour for several months and had no plans yet
to return.
THEY are drug testers, who have the right to conduct
tests on tennis players at any time and without appointment. But when they
showed up at the home of Serena Williams they got more than they expected.
She called 911 when she discovered what she thought was
a prowler at 6 one recent morning, and then fled to the panic room in her
mansion, a refuge of the kind made famous in the movie ‘Panic Room’ starring
Jodie Foster.
Officers swiftly responded to Serena’s call for help,
but soon left once the identity of the ‘intruder’ was established.
***
Roger Federer Is Now a Swiss Boulevard
The fame of Roger
Federer has taken to the streets at home in Switzerland, with the
tennis-centric city of Biel set to name a boulevard in honor of the 16-time
major winner.
The idea is not just a pleasant dream, but is fast becoming a reality after
Federer's management gave the all-clear for the municipal project to go
ahead. With the Swiss hero's image a well-guarded product, not just anything
would do for the world No. 3.
Federer is due to have his name attached to a new Avenue Roger Federer, which
will be constructed leading to the western Swiss city's new sports
complex; the roadworks are due to start later.
The announcement comes only a few days after Federer was honored by having a
national railway locomotive named after him - complete with large than life
image on the side of the engine.
Biel, the headquarters of the Swiss Tennis Federation, was the home of a
teenaged Federer, who was sent to the national training centre as a teenager
to develop his game.
Along the way, he also picked up the French language skills which serve him
so well today.
***
Cirstea To Appear In Dancing With The Stars
From the tennis court to dance floor. Romania’s Sorana Cirstea is about
to make her debut on her nation’s version of the hit TV show ‘Dancing With
the Stars’. Since ending her season shortly after winning an ITF event in
France, she has been in training. And she’s loving it, according to a report
she posted on Facebook.
"Just got home from rehearsals," she wrote. "Today we finished
the dance routine after a few good hours of training. Next 2 days we focus on
details and Friday I should present u guys the final piece:). I’m having the
time of my life doing this but I’m also putting a lot of work and heart into
it. On the other hand my arms are full of bruises but I don't care as long as
the final result will come out as we plan:).
Any money she earns will go to charity.
MEN
Basel
Singles - Final: (1) R Federer def. K Nishikori (WC) 6-1 6-3
The odds against Roger Federer seemed long when this tournament started. The
field was tough. The organizers were not particularly kind in scheduling his
matches. But -- this is Basel. It's Federer's home tournament; he has been
coming here for more than a dozen years. The crowds love him.
Three years ago, Rafael Nadal declared of Kei Nishikori, "When he has a
little bit time with the forehand, he kill you every time." Nadal went
on to predict that Nishikori would reach the Top Ten at least -- although it
would take a few years. That, of course, was before all the injuries. Now,
injury-free, Nishikori seems to be trying to make good on that threat. But,
of course, Federer didn't give him any time. Nishikori won't even be making
the Top Twenty at this time; we show him at #25. But if he can play a full
year the way he has played the last three or four months -- well, put it this
way. We show Nishikori with 1500 points. 900 of those have come since
Wimbledon. Project that over a year and it puts him at about #16. And he'll
be seeded next year, so it might be higher still.
Roger Federer picks up only his second title of the year, following Doha all
the way back in January. Talk about a disappointing season! Little wonder he
is down to #4. And, since he merely defends his points, this won't improve
his ranking. But at least he improves his margin over David Ferrer. He hasn't
clinched the year-end #4, but it looks much more likely.
Doubles - Final: (1) Llodra/Zimonjic def. (2) Mirnyi/Nestor 6-4 7-5
There really isn't much question about who has been the hottest team in
doubles in the second half of 2011. Llodra/Zimonjic show it again. It's their
fourth title since Wimbledon, and all of them have been 500 point events or
better. They won't make #1 this year. Next year, though, seems like a real
possibility.
Valencia
Singles - Final: M Granollers def. J Monaco (WC) 6-2 4-6 7-6(7-3)
Talk about a monster final -- and one with a lot of twists and turns. Juan
Monaco led for much of the third set, but, scraping and changing the pace,
Marcel Granollers managed to get back on serve at about the two and a half
hour mark, then made it to 5-4, deuce, Monaco serving to stay in the match.
Granollers had three match points in that game, but Monaco held. They made it
to 6-6. Granollers went up 4-1 in the tiebreak, and made it hold up, winning
just as the clock hit the three hour mark.
It's the third title for Marcel Granollers, and his second this year (he also
won Gstaad) -- but it is noteworthy because it's a big (500 point) title, and
it's on indoor hardcourt, not clay. That's a pretty big breakthrough. He said
it himself: "Winning here has been the biggest achievement in my whole
career. It was a difficult moment for me, being a break down in the third. I
kept fighting and at the end, I played very good."
The points aren't bad, either. Even though Granollers was defending finalist
points, we show him rising six places, to #28. Obviously he just earned
himself an Australian Open seed.
Juan Monaco, #41 coming in, rises to probably #34. He may not be seeded in
Melbourne, but he definitely takes a big step toward it. Pretty good for a
guy who needed a wildcard to get into the event!
Doubles - Final: (1) Bryan/Bryan def. Butorac/Rojer 6-4 7-6(11-9)
And so it really will go down to the wire. We have an effective tie for the
#8 spot in the doubles Race between Butorac/Rojer and Fyrstenberg/Matkowski.
Whichever team lasts longer gets the spot; ties apparently go to
Butorac/Rojer. Oh, there are a few other just-barely-possible outcomes,
involving someone overtaking the #7 team Bopanna/Qureshi, but that will take
a lot of unlikely outcomes! It's really just the two.
The Bryans, after a tough summer, now have back-to-back titles. They'll still
have to worry about Llodra/Zimonjic next year, but they're definitely
strengthening their grip on the top spots.
***
WOMEN
Bali
Singles - Final: Ana Ivanovic (WC) def. Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3 6-0
When Anabel Medina Garrigues finally had to face a healthy opponent, the
result wasn't pretty. Frankly, there wasn't much to say about this; Ana
Ivanovic lost just seven points in the second set! We show Medina Garrigues
ending the year at #27.
Ana Ivanovic didn't win a title -- International or otherwise -- all year,
but she decided to give herself a nice sendoff. And a nice present for her
24th birthday. Not only is it her first title of 2011, it is also the first
time she has defended a title.
Too bad for Ivanovic that the event is moving to Bulgaria next year; she
declared, "I'm super relaxed here, and that helps. I come here to
compete, but I also spend lots of time on the beach and in the spa, and the
people are so friendly -- I've made many new friends. It's just so enjoyable
here."
The result should take Ivanovic to #22.
Singles - Third Place Play-Off: Nadia Petrova def. (3) Sabine Lisicki
Walkover (Mid Back Injury)
Pretty predictable, after Saturday's result. There isn't much to say about
this; Nadia Petrova earned a few points, but not enough to budge her ranking.
We show her at #29.
Fed Cup
We started Sunday's action with the score tied 1-1. Which, in practice, meant
that the Czechs led 2-1, because the first match involved Petra Kvitova. And,
yes, she did her thing, beating Svetlana Kuznetsova by the surprisingly close
score of 4-6 6-2 6-3. She came back from 3-0 down in the final set to do it.
Then it was strategy time. And, yes, we had the Russian strategy right:
Instead of playing Maria Kirilenko in the reverse singles, they brought in
their #1 singles player, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, to face the Czech Lucie
Safarova.
It looked as if Safarova suffered from nerves at key times. She fell apart
completely in the first set, steadied at the beginning of the second, then
melted down again at the end. Pavlyuchenkova won 6-2 6-4 to put the tie in
the hands of the doubles teams.
There was never any question about the Czech lineup; it was Kveta Peschke and
Lucie Hradecka. But which team would the Russians play?
Once again, we read them right. The announced lineup was
Pavlyuchenkova/Vesnina. But they played Kirilenko/Vesnina, giving them two
Top Ten doubles players -- although a pair with little experience together.
(They are, reportedly, good friends.)
The two Russians actually have a combined ranking higher than the Czechs.
They also have a history of nerves. It perhaps showed. The Czechs won a close
first set 6-4, then went up 4-1 in the second. They split games to reach 5-2.
The eighth game was long, but the Czechs finally broke Vesnina to put away a
6-4 6-2 victory.
It is the first Fed Cup title for the Czechs as an independent nation
separate from Slovakia. Talk about a big time for Czech tennis: Kveta Peschke
was #1 in doubles earlier this year. Petra Kvitova is likely to reach #1 in
singles next year. And they have won Fed Cup. What do they do for an encore?
2011
Prize Money Earnings
MEN
(November 7, 2011)
|
1
Djokovic, Novak
|
$10,703,313
|
|
2 Nadal,
Rafael
|
$6,428,214
|
|
3
Murray, Andy
|
$4,527,716
|
|
4
Federer, Roger
|
$3,488,874
|
|
5
Ferrer, David
|
$2,357,414
|
|
6
Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried
|
$1,813,483
|
|
7
Berdych, Tomas
|
$1,795,035
|
|
8 Fish,
Mardy
|
$1,496,909
|
|
9
Soderling, Robin
|
$1,323,835
|
|
10 Almagro, Nicolas
|
$1,301,758
|
WOMEN
(November 7, 2011) FINAL
|
1
|
Kvitova, Petra
|
$5,145,943
|
|
2
|
Wozniacki, Caroline
|
$4,065,581
|
|
3
|
Azarenka, Victoria
|
$3,771,032
|
|
4
|
Li, Na
|
$3,709,139
|
|
5
|
Stosur, Samantha
|
$3,476,153
|
|
6
|
Sharapova, Maria
|
$2,899,148
|
|
7
|
Zvonareva, Vera
|
$2,673,018
|
|
8
|
Radwanska, Agnieszka
|
$2,456,568
|
|
9
|
Clijsters, Kim
|
$2,325,741
|
|
10
|
Williams, Serena
|
$1,978,930
|
MEN
Paris
WOMEN
No
events
MEN
No events
WOMEN
No
events
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