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).

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.

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

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

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