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"Serena Williams and Elena Dementieva to play Shriver’s PNC Tennis Classic Exhibition"

Sun, 17 Nov 2008 21:21:00 GMT

posted by jess3781

Serena Williams and Elena Dementieva will be part of the Pam Shriver's annual charity tennis exhibition event, PNC Tennis Classic, that will take place on November 21st at Baltimore’s 1st Mariner Arena. This event will benefit the Baltimore Community Foundation (BCF).

Williams and Dementieva will join Adam Jones, Orioles centerfielder, and Garrett Olson, Orioles pitcher, who will trade in their gloves and bats for racquets. Baltimore Ravens wide receiver, Derrick Mason and long snapper, Matt Katula will be providing coaching tips from the sidelines along with other hometown sports heroes.

For more information about the Shriver’s PNC Tennis Classic Exhibition Click HERE

Djokovic bookends Australian Open with Masters Cup

Sun, 17 Nov 2008 06:14:31 GMT

posted by pokerguru

Novak Djokovic won bookend titles this year, starting the season with a somewhat improbable Australian Open 2008 title and ending with a triumph at the Masters Cup on Sunday.

It’s safe to say the first of those two titles was easier. Djokovic did not lose a single set en route to the Australian Open final. He took out Benjamin Becker 6-0, 6-2, 7-6(5), Simone Bolelli 6-1, 6-2, 6-2, Sam Querrey 6-3, 6-1, 6-3, Lleyton Hewitt 7-5, 6-3, 6-3, David Ferrer 6-0, 6-3, 7-5, and Roger Federer 7-5, 6-3, 7-6(5).

The competition was clearly not easy and Federer made Djokovic work extremely hard to finish that semifinal in straight sets, but winning eighteen out of eighteen sets on your way to the final is about as routine as it gets. Surprising finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga put an end to that streak swiftly and decisively in the title match. The Frenchman took the first set 6-4, but he could not sustain that level of play. Djokovic eventually prevailed 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(2) in three hours and five minutes for his first Grand Slam trophy.

The Serb had no such easy time of it last week in Shanghai. He opened round-robin play in the gold group relatively comfortable straight-set victory over Juan Martin Del Potro. Two days later, Djokovic faced a much more difficult test. Eventual runner-up Nikolay Davydenko stormed back from a one-set deficit to take the second in stunning 6-0 fashion before extending the third to 5-5. Djokovic survived, however, by winning the last two games of the match.

Although already assured of a semifinal spot, Djokovic wanted to cap off round-robin play by getting revenge on Tsonga, who had beaten him on two recent occasions; first in the Bangkok title match and again on the way to Tsonga’s emotional title at the Masters Series Paris. Well, Djokovic looked like he was interested in winning at least for a while. He won the first set and had Tsonga in the ropes on the second, but eventually dropped it 7-5 to even the match. After that, Djokovic seemed to lack motivation to use energy. He all but conceded the match to Tsonga, losing the third 6-1.

Having played eight sets in three matches (almost equal to his sets-to-matches ratio after three rounds at the Australian Open despite the fact that Grand Slams play three-out-of-five!), Djokovic was nowhere near his best in a grueling semifinal struggle against Gilles Simon. Nobody in Australian Open battled Djokovic the way Simon did on Saturday. After the Frenchman won the first set, it became a clash of physical stamina and will. Simon was dealing with a neck injury while Djokovic endured off-and-on cramps. The world No. 3 had a chance to end the proceedings when he served for a spot in the final at 5-4 in the third, but a devastating double-fault handed Simon the break. Nonetheless, Djokovic picked himself off the floor once again to ultimately prevail 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in two hours and 52 minutes.

Djokovic raised his level to make the final against Davydenko one of his easiest outings of the tournament. He won 6-1, 7-5 in one hour and 43 minutes. Despite the straightforward title match, it’s apparent that this was by far the more routine of Djokovic’s two huge titles in 2008.

While the part in between (the Australian Open and the Masters Cup) was inconsistent if not all-around disappointing for Djokovic (especially a stunning loss to Marat Safin at Wimbledon), starting the year with the Australian Open title and ending with the Masters Cup title is an extraordinary feat. It’s an extraordinary feat that begs the question: will Djokovic be able to carry this momentum from the Masters Cup to win back-to-back titles in Australia?

Prior to the Masters Cup, it looked like Federer, Andy Murray, and Rafael Nadal would arrive Down Under as the main pre-tournament favorites. The defending champion, after all, had relegated himself to almost second-tier status with a late-season slide. Now, however, everything has changed. Djokovic, Federer, Murray, and Nadal should go into the Australian Open as the four clear-cut favorites, yet without one of the four particularly ahead of or behind any other. Djokovic should have just as good a chance of capturing his second Aussie crows as Federer has of winning his fourth, just as good a chance as Nadal has of winning his maiden Aussie Open title, and just as good a chance as Murray has of winning is first.

One glaring concern prior to Shanghai was Djokovic’s confidence (or lack thereof), but obviously his psyche will be restored by the developments in Shanghai. Furthermore, he is returning to the site of his greatest triumph as a tennis player. You cannot underestimate the significance of returning to a place that harbors such great memories. Finally, none of the other top players in the world look overly daunting (as Federer was until this year) heading into 2009. Federer is no longer as dominant as he once was, world No. 1 Nadal has never been lights on hard courts and has never made it past the Australian Open semifinals, and Murray has never won a Grand Slam.

Is this Djokovic’s chance to go back-to-back Down Under? Is this is chance to overtake Federer as the No. 2 player in the world and gain ground on Nadal? Djokovic made progress in that department at the Masters Cup, especially since Federer lost a boatload of points since the Swiss was the defending champion? Federer and Nadal are defending semifinal points the Australian Open, but Djokovic, of course, is defending far more points as champion.

The pressure is on. Will Djokovic be ready to deliver? One week ago I would have said no without hesitation. But the Masters Cup title sets him up perfectly for the Australian Open 2009.

"Maria Sharapova's 2009 Australian Open Outfit??"

Mon, 18 Nov 2008 01:52:00 GMT

posted by jess3781

Jacob Appleton left a message (HERE) asking about Maria Sharapova's dress for the 2009 Australian Open... so far there is nothing confirmed and I think we will know for sure at the end of the year or so but so far I found the following pictures at PWP with the title Nike Futures Maria Dress es 09... maybe this is something that she will wear at the beginning of the 2009 season but as I said nothing is confirmed yet....

Serbian Day in Shanghai!!

Sat, 16 Nov 2008 14:43:00 GMT

posted by greattennisphotos

Three Belgrade born players shines today in Shanghai!!!

Serbian world number three Novak Djokovic defeated Russia's Nikolay Davydenko 6-1 7-5 to win the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai and earlier today Canadian Belgrade born Daniel Nestor and Serbian Nenad Zimonjic beat Americans Bob and Mike Bryan 7-6 (3), 6-2 to win the doubles title and clinch the year-end ATP No. 1 ranking.

“It means a lot,” said Djokovic. “I would put it in the same league as a Grand Slam, because the best eight players in the world are participating here and everybody has a lot of motivation to finish the season in the best possible way."

“For me it was special because although I've played in a couple of finals in the second part of the season I hadn’t managed to win a title for a long time, since Rome [in May]. That's probably the reason why I couldn't close it out at 5-4. I was a bit nervous. It wasn’t easy and there was a lot of pressure involved. I'm happy that I managed to hold my nerves in the end.”

Djokovic became first Serbian year-end champion and takes home 1.24 million dollars in prize money, also moves to within just 10 points of Roger Federer's second rankings spot.

“Certainly I believe that I have the quality to reach the top spot in the upcoming year, in the next couple of years, the next 10, or whatever,” Djokovic said. “That is my lifetime goal, but I’ve learned a lesson. If I pay too much attention to the rankings, things don’t go the right way. So I just want to improve my game. I know there is still room for improvement, and I just want to get my game to the highest possible level. Then the results will come.”

Nikolay Davydenko is appearing at his fourth straight end-of-year tournament after another busy season when he won more than 50 matches including titles at the Miami Masters, Poertschach and Warsaw.

The Russian, who beat Britain's Andy Murray in the last four, is left waiting for his first top-level title after four Grand Slam semis and nearly three-and-a-half years in the top 10.

"Against Djokovic you need to be perfect and also play very fast and very well," said Davydenko.

"That's what he did, and I didn't ... Normally I play very fast and have very good control and today I didn't. Djokovic played very well. For me I think today was a very difficult day."

Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic downed Bob and Mike Bryan in straight sets to claim the Masters Cup doubles title and snatch the US twins' number one ranking on Sunday.

The Canadian-Serbian Wimbledon champions won a first-set tie-break and dominated the second set to win 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 in 74 minutes, ending the Bryans' three-year run as end-of-season number ones.

"To win the Masters Cup - for me for the first time, for Danny to defend the title - to play against the Bryans, who have been dominating the doubles the last four, five years, and to fight for No. 1 spot, you couldn't ask for more as an athlete," said Zimonjic, who won the mixed doubles title at the Australian Open in January with China's Sun Tiantian.

The Bryan twins, who were playing for their third title here, held the top ranking and won Olympic bronze at Beijing in August.

"With all the points out there, having it hinge on ... a few points at the end of the season is pretty amazing," Bob Bryan said. "I guess we've got to tip our hat to them. They played a great tournament and had a great year. We look forward to battling it out next year for the same thing."

This was the final year for the Masters Cup in Shanghai. It will move to London next year, while Shanghai will get the Masters 1,000 event that has been held in Hamburg.

(source Reuters, AFP photo/AFP/Getty Images, Reuters)

Quote of the Day: Federer

Sun, 17 Nov 2008 20:50:00 GMT

posted by chulobear

While I would also love to beat Pete Sampras' Grand Slam record of 14 titles, and also to regain my No. 1 ranking, I place winning another Wimbledon title above all else.

- Roger Federer on his priorities for next season

Sounds like a reasonable assessment to me: he won't likely regain the top ranking anytime soon so if he focuses his energies on winning another Wimby title, and wins it, he'll tie Pete's record and only have one more to go. Piece o' cheese for Fed.

But one request: no more making out with the trophy - you have no idea where that thing's been.

(image via Getty)