segunda-feira, 24 de agosto de 2009

Anders Jarryd



Anders Per Järryd (born 13 July 1961 in Lidköping, Västra Götaland) is a former professional tennis player from Sweden. During his career he won eight Grand Slam doubles titles (three French Open, two Wimbledon, two US Open, one Australian Open), reached the World No. 1 doubles ranking, and achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 5.



Country
Sweden
Residence
Båstad, Sweden
Date of birth
13 July 1961 (1961-07-13) (age 48)
Place of birth
Lidköping, Sweden
Height
1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight
70 kg (150 lb; 11 st)
Turned pro
1980
Retired
1996
Plays
Right-handed; two-handed backhand
Career prize money
US$5,378,067
Singles
Career record
396–361
Career titles
8
Highest ranking
No. 5 (22 July 1985)
Grand Slam results
Australian Open
QF (1987, 1988)
French Open
4R (1984, 1985)
Wimbledon
SF (1985)
US Open
QF (1985)
Doubles
Career record
590–236
Career titles
59
Highest ranking
1 (12 August 1985)

quinta-feira, 20 de agosto de 2009

Nalbandian Back On Practice Court Next Week



After undergoing hip surgery just three months ago on 13 May, former World No. 3 David Nalbandian hopes to return to the practice court in 10 days time and resume competitive tennis once more at the Australian Open in January.


The Argentine, who reached the Wimbledon final in 2002 (l. to Hewitt), said his main goals when he returns are to win a Grand Slam and the Davis Cup. The Cordoba native was part of the Argentine Davis Cup team that finished runner-up in 2008 (l. to Spain) and 2006 (l. to Russia).
“The aim is to once more return to the Top 10, maintain my position and try to win a Grand Slam,” affirmed Nalbandian. “And obviously, Davis Cup is one of my dreams as well.”
The 27 year old, whose last appearance was a first-round loss at the Estoril Open, confirmed that the rehabilitation after the surgery went better than expected and that he is motivated to start training physically for his comeback. He will hit for 20 minutes a day and increase his time on the court gradually.


“It was very difficult to make the decision to have the surgery,” admitted Nalbandian. “I tried to push it as much as possible but I was suffering when I played and I could not continue like that. There was no other option.”


Life away from the court has been very quiet for Nalbandian, who has spent the time at home in Unquillo, a province of Cordoba, with his friends. On his return, he will look to follow in the footsteps of former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, who underwent hip surgery last August and has made a successful comeback – winning his 27th tour-level title in Houston (d. Odesnik) and reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals (l. to Roddick).


quarta-feira, 19 de agosto de 2009

Fila - One of the Legendary tennis brands...



Fila is South Korea's largest sportswear manufacturing company, founded in 1911 in Italy. Fila is one of the best known South Korean brands and is among the most popular sportwear brands in the world, headed by chairman and CEO Yoon-Soo Yoon. It now has offices in 11 countries worldwide.

Fila was created in Biella, Piedmont, by the Fila brothers in 1911. It originally started by making clothing for the people of the Italian Alps, now manufacturing sportswear for men, women, children and athletes.
The company's primary product was originally underwear, before moving into sportswear in the 1970s, initially with the endorsement of tennis player Björn Borg.

The original Italian ownership Holding di Partecipazioni sold the company to US hedge fund Cerberus Capital Management in 2003, after the company over-committed itself to expensive athletic endorsements, at a time when margins were under pressure. Cerberus owned Fila through holding company Sports Brands International, which owned and operated all Fila businesses around the world with the exception of Fila Korea, which was a separate company operating the brand under licence.
In January 2007, the global Fila brand and all its international subsidiaries were acquired by Fila Korea from SBI for $400 million, which made it the largest South Korean sportswear company. Fila Korea currently holds all of the rights to the worldwide use of footwear and apparel brands of the parent firm.



segunda-feira, 17 de agosto de 2009

Masters Cincy - $10 Million Stadium Upgrade Announced




MASON, OH - August 13, 2009 - The USTA and Cincinnati's Tennis for Charity announced today the two organizations will finance a $10 million dollar upgrade to the Lindner Family Tennis Center, site of Cincinnati's Western & Southern Financial Group Masters and Women's Open - the biggest summer tennis tournament in the US outside of the US Open.The project calls for the construction of a 52,000 square-feet West Building at the Lindner Family Tennis Center to add space for players, media and fans. The building will be approximately twice as high as the current structure, rising 85 feet above ground level and 97 feet above the court level. Construction will begin in less than two weeks, immediately following the 2009 event, and the new building will be ready in time for the 2010 event (to be held August 7-22). This project marks the first major undertaking since the USTA became the majority partner in the Cincinnati event last year. “We share a common vision with Paul Flory and his entire team to ensure that this great event will continue to grow and remain one of the best tournaments for both the fans and players,” said Lucy Garvin, President and Chairman of the Board, USTA.“Tennis for Charity has been working for decades to make this event and its facility the best it can be for fans, players, sponsors and media, and this construction is a giant step forward in that regard,” said TFC President Ken Berry.Major elements of the new West Building upgrade include:Player Amenities > A 21,000 square-foot court-level (below grade) player area with two locker rooms (each accommodating more than 100 players), private training rooms, locker rooms for male and female coaches, and a 2,200 square-foot fitness area among other amenities> An 8,000-square foot space on the ground floor which includes a 5,500 square-foot indoor player lounge and offices for the ATP World Tour and the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour> An 11,000 square-foot second floor for player dining, a warming kitchen and storage> A 4,800 square-foot outdoor player lounge on the roof of the second floorMedia Upgrades> A 6,300 square foot third floor for interview rooms, featuring a main interview room and three additional interview rooms> A 4,800 square foot Media Center on the fourth floor with more than 100 stations for writers and photographersSpectator Accommodations> Six new luxury suites overlooking Center Court > 750 new covered loge-level seats > The addition of 140 seats in the northwest corner of Center Court“We've been enhancing this facility on a continual basis for 30 years, but this is by far the biggest improvement we've ever made and certainly the most dramatic,” said tournament chairman Paul Flory.The building was designed by Browning, Day, Mullins & Dierdorf in Indianapolis, and the construction will be completed by Vector Construction of Northern Kentucky. Both organizations have been involved with the Lindner Family Tennis Center for more than 20 years.

Western & Southern Financial Group Masters - Cincinnati




A Proud Tradition In Cincinnati The Cincinnati tournament has come a long way from its humble roots, first played at the Avondale Athletic Club more than a century ago, to the grand-scale ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event held at the Lindner Family Tennis Center today. The seven Western & Southern Financial Group Masters champions preceding Andy Murray all held the No. 1 ranking during their careers.

Murray Looks For Title Defence World No. 3 Andy Murray won his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title last year in Cincinnati, with victory over Novak Djokovic, and has since added to his tally with victories at Madrid and Miami. The Scot will look for a strong result to add further impetus in his bid to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

Nadal To Complete The Set? - The Spaniard has reached the final at every ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event except in Cincinnati, where his best result was a semi-final finish last year (l. to Djokovic).

Federer Gunning For Hat-Trick - The World No. 1 is looking for a third title in Cincinnati after triumphing in 2007 (d. Blake) and ’05 (d. Roddick). The Swiss suffered a third-round exit to Ivo Karlovic last year.

Home Hope Looking for Repeat Success - American Andy Roddick has a 25-6 record in Cincinnati after capturing the title in 2003 (d. Fish) and 2006 (d. Ferrero) and finishing runner-up in 2005 (l. to Federer).

Singles Players
#
Player
W-L
Best Finish
1
Roger Federer (SUI)
14-6
W-'07,05
2
Rafael Nadal (ESP)
6-5
S-'08
3
Andy Murray (GBR)
9-3
W-'08
4
Novak Djokovic (SRB)
5-4
F-'08
5
Andy Roddick (USA)
25-6
W-'06,03
6
Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG)
2-1
R16-'07
7
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)
0-0

8
Nikolay Davydenko (RUS)
6-5
S-'07
9
Gilles Simon (FRA)
3-3
R32-'08,06,05
10
Fernando Gonzalez (CHI)
12-7
S-'06,02
11
Fernando Verdasco (ESP)
3-5
R16-'08
12
Robin Soderling (SWE)
7-4
R16-'08,06,04
13
Gael Monfils (FRA)
4-3
R16-'05
14
Marin Cilic (CRO)
0-1
R64-'08
15
Tommy Robredo (ESP)
12-7
S-'06,04
16
Radek Stepanek (CZE)
1-4
R32-'07

domingo, 16 de agosto de 2009

Murray wins Montreal Masters

Briton Andy Murray overcame sweltering heat and to beat Argentine Juan Martin Del Porto 6-7 7-6 6-1 in the Montreal Masters final on Monday.
A day after replacing Rafael Nadal as world number two, Murray delivered a gritty performance to wear down the towering Argentine in two hours, 42 minutes under a broiling sun.
It was Murray's fifth win of the season and he become the first Britain in 128 years to lift the Canadian title.
The victory completed a perfect start to the North American hardcourt season for the 22-year-old Scotsman, who was returning to action for the first time since his semi-final loss to Andy Roddick at Wimbledon.
Del Potro, coming off victory in Washington last week and riding a 10-match winning steak, took a tight opening set in a tiebreak 7-4.
But Murray, who spent two weeks in Florida training for the severe conditions he faced in Montreal, did not buckle under Del Potro's thundering groundstrokes, getting back on level terms after clinching the second set with a 7-3 tiebreak.
The sixth-seeded Argentine had nothing left to give in the third set as Murray moved in for the kill on his wilting opponent, recording two early breaks to go 4-0 up before finishing the match with an emphatic ace.

Jelena Jankovic downs Dinara Safina to win WTA Cincinnati Open



Jelena Jankovic has defeated world No.1 Dinara Safina 6-4 6-2 to win the WTA Cincinnati Open.The No.5 seeded Serb needed an hour and 25 minutes to get past Russia's Safina, who was playing in her eighth final in 14 tournaments this year. Jankovic started the year ranked No.1 in the world, but has seen her ranking drop with a series of lacklustre results. However, she captured her second title of the year, to go with her victory in the claycourt tournament in Marbella in April.

Agence France-Presse

sexta-feira, 14 de agosto de 2009

Rusedski Vs Edberg - Black Rock Vale do Lobo


Greg Rusedski will meet Stefan Edberg in a dream final at the Vale Do Lobo Grand Champions CGD after both players came through the round-robin stages undefeated in the Algarve, Portugal.

Rusedski trounced an out-of-sorts Marcelo Rios 6-2, 6-4 as he looks to win his first ATP Champions Tour title, while Edberg overcame Fernando Meligeni 6-3, 6-2.




With the vast majority of the packed crowds in Portugal being British holiday-makers, a final between a British player and a two-time Wimbledon champion is ideal for organisers. Even better was the news that Edberg showed no ill-effects from the thigh strain he sustained the previous day.

Rusedski completed a miserable week for Rios, who has now lost his last six ATP Champions Tour matches. However, the Chilean’s exchange with the on-court post-match interviewer was worth the admission-price on its own. Interviewer: “Is there anything that you can take away from this week here in Portugal?”. Rios: “No.”

It means that Edberg and Rusedski will face each other in a competitive match for only the third time. Their only ATP World Tour encounter came at Wimbledon in 1993. Rusedski lost his serve once in a 7-6(9), 6-4, 6-7(7), 7-6(5) defeat in the first round. He gained some measure of revenge at The Masters Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall in December last year, beating Edberg 7-6(7) 5-7,10-6 (Champions’ Tie Break).

Despite their lack of meetings over the years, the pair know each other well. Edberg lived in London for many years and they regularly practiced with each other. Rusedski is a big fan of the Swede.

“It’s always nice to see Stefan,” said Rusedski, who will become a father for the second time in October.

“I practiced with him for many years but he’s been living in Sweden the last few years so we haven’t had the chance. He’s a gentleman and a great player and I’m looking forward to playing him in the final.”

The third place play-off will see Meligeni take on Marc-Kevin Goellner, whose opponent Nuno Marques retired injured at 4-6, 4-1.

To be eligible to compete on the ATP Champions Tour, players must be either a former World Number One, a former Grand Slam champion or finalist, or a singles player on a Davis Cup-winning team. Each even can also invite two wild cards of its choice.

Author: David Law, ATP Champions Tour

Kim Clijsters claims Svetlana Kuznetsova scalp as comeback gathers pace

Clijsters, playing her first tournament in two years, defeated the sixth-seeded Russian 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 and will play either top seeded Russian Dinara Safina or China's Peng Shuai.

"Physically I've been training harder than ever," the Belgian said. "I didn't doubt myself (in the third set).

"I have to say I feel really good. I don't feel tired or drained or anything. Just a few little aches and pains from getting back into playing matches."


Kuznetsova wasn't the only upset victim on Thursday, as Italian Flavia Pennetta ousted third-seeded Venus Williams 7-6 (7/2), 6-4.

Williams had 38 unforced errors, including untimely forehands long in the first-set tiebreaker and a forehand over the baseline on match point.

"I wasn't able to get control of my ball today," Williams said. "After a while, it was obvious to see she was just keeping the ball in play and waiting for me to self-destruct."

Pennetta, fresh from a victory on Sunday in the tournament in Los Angeles, raised her arms in triumph as Williams' last forehand sailed long.

"I'm shaking," said the Italian, adding that such emotion was "very unusual" for her.

"Coming from Los Angeles, I didn't have many days to rest. I was playing like that yesterday, not my best tennis. I was tired. When everything comes together, the emotions go up."

Pennetta will play Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova, who advanced with a 7-6, 0-6, 7-6 victory over seventh-seeded Vera Zvonareva of Russia.

A few hours later, Venus's younger sister Serena played on the same court and played even worse. She had 44 unforced errors during a 7-5, 6-4 loss to Austria's Sybille Bammer, who reached the quarterfinals of a tournament for only the third time this year.

Eighth-seeded Dane Caroline Wozniacki also advanced as Hungary's Melinda Czink retired injured while trailing 3-0 in the opening set.

quinta-feira, 13 de agosto de 2009

Meligeni: 'Edberg Could Beat Top 50 Players'

Fernando Meligeni will meet Stefan Edberg on Thursday for the right to meet Greg Rusedski in the final of the Vale Do Lobo Grand Champions CGD, and he is under no illusions about how difficult the task will be. The Brazilian saw off Henri Leconte 6-2, 7-5 and afterwards told ATPChampionsTour.com that he believes the 43-year-old Edberg could still beat players currently ranked inside the World’s Top 50. Rusedski earned his final place by beating Nuno Marques 7-6(9), 6-3. “I think, for sure, Stefan could beat a Top 50 player,” said Meligeni.
“He is in incredible shape and he ‘flies’ in the court. It looks too easy for him. When you attack him he slices the ball and keeps it safe. If you don’t, he hits the backhand and closes the net. He is unbelievable. It’s a pleasure to watch him. The key is to make good returns against him, otherwise it is too easy for him. If I can make returns against him I can enjoy the match, otherwise it is going to be tough.”



Leconte, who won a set against Edberg yesterday, believes that Meligeni has a chance. “I think he has the game to hurt Stefan,” said Leconte. “If he plays like he did today against me, he has a chance. Fernando can make the rallies last longer than I can and that will give him a better opportunity.”
As usual, Leconte entertained the crowds even when he wasn’t playing well in the first set. Halfway through his match with Meligeni, he took off his socks and shoes and dived into a nearby swimming pool to cool off in the searing temperatures.
Meligeni, who boasts more than 8,000 ‘followers’ on his Twitter page - http://www.twitter.com/meligeni, is currently in a fantastic mood after being informed that Andy Murray’s mother, Judy, loves watching his left-handed game. “It is a pleasure for me to hear this!” he said.
Later in the day, Rusedski needed to be at his best to save a set point against Marques in a first set Tie-Break. With the two left-handers throwing themselves into serves, ground-strokes and volleys, the quality was high throughout and Marques earned his set point at 9-8 in the Tie-Break with a flashing single-handed backhand. Rusedski hung in to break back, and ultimately won the Tie-Break 11-9, before sealing victory 6-3 in the second set. Stefan Edberg kept his 100% career-record against Thomas Muster in-tact with a comprehensive 6-3, 6-2 win over the former World No.1.
Elsewhere, Marcelo Rios’ dismal form continued as he lost his fifth consecutive match on the ATP Champions Tour. The Chilean, who won the first six tournaments he contested when he joined the Tour in 2006, went down 6-2, 7-6 to Marc-Kevin Goellner. Rios lost all of his matches in Sao Paulo in May, he has lost two matches here in Algarve and will hope to arrest the decline against Rusedski in a dead rubber on Thursday.
To be eligible to compete on the ATP Champions Tour, players must be either a former World Number One, a former Grand Slam champion or finalist, or a singles player on a Davis Cup-winning team. Each even can also invite two wild cards of its choice.
To view the day's results and the rest of the week’s order of play in Algarve, click on Results. For the most up-to-the-minute scores, gossip and chat from behind the scenes, follow us on Twitter. Take an inside look at the ATP Champions Tour event in Algarve with our new Photo Gallery.
After Algarve, the ATP Champions Tour will move on to Paris, France for the Trophee Jean Luc Lagardere, 24-27 September.

quarta-feira, 12 de agosto de 2009

Vale do Lobo Grand Champions, Rios Routed by Nuno Marques



Marcelo Rios' unbeaten streak in Portugal came to an abrupt and humbling end.
Until tonight, Rios had owned the Vale Do Lobo Grand Champions CGD in the Algarve, Portugal. The Chilean had won the title in both of his previous appearances (2006 and 2008), winning all eight of the matches he had contested. Against wild card and home favorite Nuno Marques, that run ended emphatically as he went down 6-1, 6-2 in just 55 minutes.
A day of upsets continued when Sao Paulo finalist Fernando Meligeni defeated former World No.1 Thomas Muster 6-4, 4-6, 10-3 (Champions’ Tie Break).
Watching the left-handed Marques serve and volley his way to victory against Rios made one wonder how the Portuguese player had not broken into the Top 50 during his career. He regularly rendered Rios defenseless by pushing the Chilean off-balance, and then finishing points at the net.
For Rios, sporting a severe, spiky hair-do and a sleeveless shirt to show off the work he had been doing in the gym, nothing went right. The timing and angles for which he is famous were conspicuous by their absence, and his vanquisher wondered whether the Chilean was injured.
"It was a great win of course at a tournament that means so much to me but Marcelo wasn’t at his best," said Marques "He was having trouble moving and reaching difficult balls. I don’t think the result would have been like this if he had been at his best."
Rios would not have argued with that assessment, but he also refused to make any excuses. "I wasn’t injured. I just didn’t play well," he said.
For Marques, to play in the event is a dream-come-true.
"The event is in my country and it’s one of the very few opportunities to play these top guys. Some of them were my idols when I was younger — guys like Stefan Edberg. It’s a big honor to play this tournament," he said.


Elsewhere, Meligeni was in fine form to see off Muster, while Greg Rusedski made an impressive debut at the Vale Do Lobo Grand Champions CGD with a 6-3, 7-6(4) victory over Marc-Kevin Goellner.
A cracking final match of the day saw Stefan Edberg, looking more 23 than 43, overcome Henri Leconte 6-2, 6-7(5), 10-3 (Champions’ Tie Break). Edberg still weighs the same as when he retired 13 years ago, and Leconte has recently lost nine kilos in weight. It showed.
All players in each group will play each other over a round-robin format, and after all round-robin matches are complete, the top player in each group will meet in the final. The runners-up in each group will play off for the third place position. Matches are played over the best of three sets with a Champions’ Tie Break (first to 10 points with a clear advantage of two) deciding the winner of matches that are tied at one-set-all.

After Algarve, the ATP Champions Tour will move on to Paris, France for the Trophee Jean Luc Lagardere, September 24-27.

Kim Clijsters beats Bartoli in comeback match

A tough first-round opponent who just won a big tournament, beating Venus Williams and Jelena Jankovic along the way, awaited 26-year-old Kim Clijsters as she made her return to pro tennis Monday night.



And Clisters dismissed Marion Bartoli of France, a Wimbledon finalist two years ago, 6-4, 6-3 as though it was nothing at all.
It took an hour and 22 minutes. The statistics weren't too pretty. But Clijsters had 10 break points against her serve, and she saved eight of them. So much for needing to be "match tough" in the important moments.
No doubt Clijsters was running on sheer adrenaline in this first one back.
Her next match will be against another veteran Patty Schyder, a familiar face against whom she is 5-2, and always took routine care of on fast surfaces. She can't ask for much more.
And it looks like she's got a bitchin' tan, too.

Montreal Crisis Center, Day 2 (BY Peter Bodo)


Pete Bodo is away until 12th August. In the meantime please continue your tennis-related discussions here, saving any off-topic conversations until the day's matches are over.


Hi everyone. Today's tennis in Montreal begins shortly. I'm looking forward to the first match - Lleyton Hewitt up against Juan Carlos Ferrero; both former world number ones have been in good form lately. They haven't played each other much in recent years; the last time was in 2007, also in Montreal, on which occasion Hewitt won in straight sets. Simultaneously on the second show court, Nikolay Davydenko and Paul-Henri Mathieu will be reprising their recent final in Hamburg, followed by Feliciano Lopez and Fernado Verdasco, on opposite sides of the net for a change.
All of the top four are in action; Andy Murray takes on Jeremy Chardy second on Court Central, followed by Novak Djokovic and the Canadian player Peter Polansky. Roger Federer and another Canadian, Frederic Niemeyer, headline the evening session. After his first opponent is decided (between Viktor Troicki and David Ferrer), Rafael Nadal will also be appearing, in his second doubles match of the week.
Matches we won't even see (on Court 9) include encounters between Philipp Kolschreiber and Tomas Berdych, and Tommy Haas and Ivo Karlovic. With all this, and also wins yesterday by Gael Monfils (over Marat Safin - what's new? But at least it was a three-setter!) and Kim Clijsters (at the WTA event in Cincy, over Marion Bartoli) - and even the instantly-recognisable somewhat-missed voice of Mohamed Lahyani back in the chair - it feels as though the tour is back in full swing at last.
As for today's picture - well, how many more excuses will we have to feature Marat here?As usual, enjoy today's tennis.

Rosangel Valenti For Peter Bodo