First Serena Williams has been forced to pay a long-term price for daring to celebrate her Wimbledon title with a night out in a rowdy Munich restaurant. Now Kim Clijsters could miss the French Open after severely injuring her ankle while dancing at her cousin’s wedding.
The reigning US and Australian Open title holder, already on the injured list after opting to take a break to heal shoulder and wrist problems in time to bid for a first title at Roland Garros, faces up to six weeks on the sidelines after suffering the injury in Belgium So the 27 year-old could miss the clay-court major for the second time since her comeback to the sport in the summer of 2009.The French Open begins on May 17 and a statement was issued on Clijsters’ own website that stated: "The consequences are rather dire. Kim's presence in Paris is very uncertain. Her ankle is completely immobilized." She cannot use her foot for a few days. Clijsters underwent the requisite scans and examinations with her doctors on Sunday and the extent of her injuries was revealed as severely strained medial and lateral ligaments in her right ankle. In addition, she also tore the capsule of the ankle joint, and sustained both a hematoma and torn tendon sheath. Ironically Clijsters decided to retire, albeit temporarily, in May 2007 she cited too many recurrent injuries. A year ago she tore a muscle in her left foot during Belgium’s Fed Cup tie against Estonia and she was ruled out for six weeks, missing the French Open and the rest of the clay court season. She returned to competition on grass at the AEGON International in Eastbourne, a week before Wimbledon. Clijsters’ last competitive match was on March 31, when she lost to the in-form Victoria Azarenka in the quarter-finals of the Sony Ericsson Open on Key Biscayne. When subsequently announcing she would be taking a month out to deal with shoulder and wrist problems, Clijsters stated her initial plans were to return to competition at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, beginning on May 9. She has twice been a losing finalist at the French Open, in 2001 and 2003. However the news has been greeted as something of a victory in Denmark where optimism is mounting that Caroline Wozniacki will finally win a major title, at Roland Garros. Wozniacki won her third title of the year at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, causing her to be announced a 5-1 favorite to win in Paris. The Copenhagen Post subsequently carried a headline that read: “Victory on clay and Clijsters injury good omens for Roland Garros.”
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As Andy Murray finally concentrates on his long-delayed search for a coach, the Scot is getting suddenly serious about what he wants and needs from a mentor to whom he will be paying top dollar for advice and guidance.
"I'm looking for someone who can come to the big events with me, who isn't restricted in terms of the weeks they can do," the three-time Grand Slam finalist told the BBC. "If they can't come to the French Open, for example, then for me that's quite a big negative. I'd like them to be around at the big events. "It shouldn't be a problem to disagree, it happens all the time. I'm sure many people have disagreed with me and I've disagreed with people. “I think it's good to talk about it calmly. You should be able to discuss it and it's important the person has the confidence to explain to you why. I want to have someone I can have that good communication with." Murray has said 'thanks but no thanks' to potential job nibbles from former players Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl, both of whom went public with advice for the slumping No. 4 who has not won a match since January and has now lost his last four for the first time in his career.. "For a lot of ex-players, it's easy to say, 'Yeah, I'd like to coach him,' but it's a big commitment and you can't just dip in and out of big events and spend two weeks with the player and not see them for six weeks," said Murray. "Communicating over the phone in sport doesn't really work. You need to spend quality time on the practise courts." Murray Wants a New Coach, But His Mom Comes Along Too
Andy Murray is insistent that who ever he finally appoints as his coach, his mother Judy will continue to maintain a presence in his support team and always be a relevant sounding board on tennis matters. Several top flight coaches have already intimated they would be reluctant to work with the 23 year-old Scot if his mother remained in a decision-making position. However Murray remains fiercely protective of the relationship and said: "Ninety-nine per cent of the time she speaks to me like anyone's mum would. And then there are times when I decide that I want to talk to her a bit about tennis, about the guys I'm working about, how I'm feeling. And she's there to listen and understand. "A lot of people I'm sure might find that very difficult to understand but she knows me well. She knows when to speak to me, when to be positive, when to tell me off and explain things to me. When I speak to her about tennis, it is when I need some help from her, some ideas, or even if it's just to listen to." Murray is unmoved by the suggestion experienced coaches may think Judy’s constant presence would immediately form a barrier between highly paid mentor and player. "She's my mum," he insisted. "If it wasn't my mum, I'd be speaking to my best friend, or whoever. I don't think every player limits themselves to discussing how they're feeling about their job or the sport they're playing to just the people that they work with. "That's something that the guys I work with have got better and better at – sitting down and discussing things. But there are also times when you need advice when you're thinking about changing something. "It's something you need to get from other people. It's not as if my mum is the only person I speak to about that. There are other people: my management team. Everyone is there to give advice, but I have to decide who I want." Novak Djokovic may make his home in Monaco but for this year at least he won’t be adding the principality to his list of conquests alongside Melbourne, Dubai, Indian Wells and Miami after the world no.2 was forced to pull out of this week’s Monte Carlo Rolex Open with knee problems.
Djokovic has dominated the attention of the tennis world, waging a winning battle against the world dominance of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, collecting his second major Singles title and going unbeaten in his last 26 matches, including 24 this year. However, the 23 year-old Serb has played the majority of matches in 2011 with supportive strapping on his left knee. He has always maintained the measure was purely precautionary but now it seems the injury is more serious. Djokovic declared his non-participation in the event where he has reached the semi-finals three consecutive years by announcing on his own personal website: "It is a very sad moment not only for this tournament and my fans, but also for myself. “This is my favorite tournament and one of my two home events. Monte Carlo is where I spend most of my time away from the circuit and this is my club where I practice and train all year long. Unfortunately I had to take this decision to withdraw and I would like to thank Tournament Director Zeljko Franulovic for his understanding and support.” Djokovic, later added: “So, it was definitely difficult decision but I had to prioritize my health. Now moving on. I will be here in Monaco during the event and will start practicing during the next week, I hope." In Djokovic’s absence, the spotlight will switch back to world no.1 Rafael Nadal, beaten by the Serb in the finals at Indian Wells and Miami, who is eying a record seventh consecutive title in Monte Carlo and a 19th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown. Roger Federer, who has never won the Monte Carlo title and Andy Murray have both taken late entries into the initial Masters 1000 clay court event of 2011. Cli Kim Clijsters could miss the French Open with her latest injury. © Al Bello/Getty Images BRUSSELS (AP) -- Kim Clijsters may miss next month's French Open after injuring her right ankle at her cousin's wedding.
A statement posted on the Belgian star's website Sunday said the injury would keep her out for at least four to six weeks. "Since the French Open starts in literally six weeks, Kim's presence in Paris is very uncertain,'' the statement said. The statement did not give details on how the injury occurred, but said that Clijsters - winner of the last two Grand Slam tournaments - had strained ligaments in her right ankle and tore an ankle joint capsule and tendon sheath. "The consequences are serious,'' the statement said. It was the second setback in as many weeks for the world's second-ranked player. Last week, Clijsters announced that she'd be sidelined for a month with shoulder and wrist injuries, forcing her out of Belgium's Fed Cup semifinal against the Czech Republic this weekend. The US Open and Australian Open champion said she had overexerted her right shoulder and wrist during her busy spring schedule on the tour. After winning the title Down Under, she played Fed Cup and a tournament in Paris in February before traveling to the United States in March to compete in Indian Wells and Miami. She pulled out of her fourth-round match in Indian Wells and lost in the quarterfinals in Miami. Clijsters is a two-time runner-up at the French Open. Novak Djokovic's new campaign for HEAD has him flying high. In the almost 4 minute video, Djokovic volleys atop a flying bi-plane. Video Roddick Caddies @ Augusta
Roddick made a surprise appearance Wednesday at Augusta National, donning the familiar uniform of white jumpsuit and green cap as he served as a golf caddy for former Masters winner Zach Johnson at the Par 3 Contest. Story |
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