The main action of the US Open begins next Monday, but the 2010’s concluding major will have a decimated look to both singles’ draws with men’s champion Juan Martin Del Potro and women’s world no.1 Serena Williams. However Kim Clijsters, 2009 ladies champion, declared she will definitely defend her crown come what may despite suffering an injury scare in Montreal.
Clijsters hurt a hip while executing one of her trademark ‘splits’ during the Rogers Cup semi-final against Vera Zvonareva. She played on before eventually losing to this year’s Wimbledon finalist from Russia in three sets but then stated her concerns about being fit for New York. However two days rest and plenty of treatment put the Belgian in a far more positive frame of mind. “I am in no doubt over my participation in the US Open," she declared. “Maybe I will have to take precautions but a lot of girls these days play with tape for protection. It doesn’t mean you can’t compete. I will likely have some strapping on my leg but that does not mean that I will not be at full fitness." There was no great surprise when first Williams and then Del Potro announced over the weekend that their battles to recover following surgeries had simply run out of time and it was necessary that common sense prevailed. Williams, winner of both the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year, cited insufficient recovery time from surgery necessary to her right foot on July 15 after she stood on broken glass in Munich soon after her Wimbledon triumph against Russia’s Vera Zvonareva. The 28 year-old, who extended her collection of major singles titles to 13 at the All England Club, has only played six tournaments this year. “It is with much frustration and deep sadness that I am having to pull out of the US Open,” said Williams who has won the American Grand Slam event three times. “My doctors have advised against my playing.” Williams did manage to play in an exhibition match in Brussels against Kim Clijsters, staged before the biggest ever crowd in the history of tennis, 35,680, between the accident and the surgery, which took place in Los Angeles. However she added on Twitter: "I'm devastated to not be participating in US Open. Grand slams are my life. My soul. . . I will miss it more than you can ever imagine." Del Potro has not played since the Australian Open in January after recurring problems with his right wrist and had surgery at Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic on May 4 to try and cure the problem. He is only a couple of weeks away from being ready to play but action at Flushing Meadows comes just fractionally too soon. "I'm so sorry for my fans, sponsors and the people who care about me," said the 21 year-old Argentine who sensationally ended Roger Federer’s ambition of winning six US Open titles in succession a year ago but slipped down to 10th position in the latest ATP World Tour world rankings released earlier today. "I have only started practicing in the last two weeks and unfortunately I cannot compete at the top level yet." US Open tournament director Jim Curley voiced the widespread disappointment. "It is unfortunate that Juan Martin has not recovered from wrist surgery in time to defend his U.S. Open title,” he said. “We wish him all the best and look forward to his return to New York next year." Commenting on Williams's withdrawal, which installs world no.2 Caroline Wozniacki, the 20-year-old Dane and last year's runner-up, as the tournament's top seed, a statement from the US Open organizers added: “Serena will be missed, but the tournament is about the competition and the players on the court. This year's US Open will be a memorable event, as it has been every year."
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Maria Sharapova has been named as the world's highest-paid female athlete by Forbes magazine. According to their figures, she earned $24.5 million over the past year, with ‘only’ $1 million earned from prize money and the rest derived from endorsements and appearance fees.
Her biggest deal is with Nike, which re-signed her in January to an eight-year contract worth up to $70, and she also receives royalties from her own tennis line and a line of bags and shoes through Nike subsidiary Cole Haan. In addition, she has contracts with Canon, Motorola, Tiffany, Land Rover and Colgate-Palmolive. The second and third highest-paid athletes in the world are the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, occupy the No. 2 and No. 3 slots respectively. According to the survey, Serena's earnings account for $20.2 million while Venus earned $15.4 million over the past year. TennisTV Now Available to USTA Members
Sign up now for TennisTV's exclusive USTA member-only annual subscription offer of $99.95 - usual price $129.95 - saving you $30. Get immediate access to the home of live online tennis featuring high-quality official live online streaming from the ATP World Tour and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. The New York Mets welcome USTA Members to Citi Field by providing exclusive ticket offers to limited home games.
Experience everything Citi Field has to offer - the 2K Sports FanFest area, an expanded family entertainment area that includes a miniature wiffle ball field replica of Citi Field, batting cage, dunk tank, video game kiosks and other attractions - all in the backyard of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Click here for more details and to purchase your tickets today! Check out your favorite players on who they have to play on opening day @ the US Open. But the bad news is the #1 rank player, Serina William will not be playing, because of her foot injury that she had several weeks ago.
Water, Sports Drinks, Juice, Carbonated Soft Drinks, Coffee, or Alcohol
Water: Flowing from fountains & faucets, water is accessible, inexpensive & many believe the natural liquid is the best form of hydration. If you find it too bland to consume the suggested four to six (4 – 6) ounces for every 15 minutes of exercise, add a touch of lemon or peppermint for flavor. Sports Drinks: In some cases lead to better hydration than water because its flavor tends to promote greater consumption. Sports drinks also replenish carbohydrates & electrolytes lost from perspiration. Overall, sports drinks are a very good source of hydration. Juice: It has many wonderful nutritional properties including carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, & electrolytes, but it’s not necessarily great thirst quencher. In fact, the fructose (fruit sugar) reduces the rate of water absorption so that cells don’t hydrate quickly. Juice is flavorful & nutritious & a decent source of hydration, however, it should not be your only choice for hydration. Carbonated Soft Drinks: Soft drinks & colas offer little nutritional value & are not recommended as a great choice for hydration. The carbohydrates in soft drinks slow the absorption of water & the sugar & caffeine lessen the impact of hydration. The carbonation may cause upset stomach during exercise, as well. Coffee & Tea: Are best saved until after exercise. Acting as diuretics, these drinks cause kidneys to pull additional water from the bloodstream. Adding milk or sugar to the popular drinks further reduces the rate of water absorption. If your goal is to hydrate, coffee & tea should be avoided. Alcoholic Beverages: It dehydrates you & is a terrible choice for hydration. A glass of red vino or beer with dinner occasionally may serve as a muscle reducer & stress reducer, but they won’t offer hydration benefits before, during or after exercise. Conclusion: If you want to maximum hydration, consume water. But, considering you drink more of what you enjoy, don’t be afraid to mix your beverage choice. Quality & quantity are both important when satisfying hydration needs. Vera Zvonareva, always a supporter of charities linked to Rett Syndrome, last week met with families of three kids suffering from the disease at the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open in Cincinnati.
"It is so special to meet young girls and families dealing with Rett Syndrome because even though they are faced with so much hardship, they still remain positive and happy," said the Wimbledon finalist. "I really admire them and just seeing the smiles on these girls' faces makes me feel so good. They might not be able to communicate verbally but you can see so much life come through their eyes. I hope a cure will be found in the near future." Zvonareva is a big supporter of organizations trying to raise funds for Rett Syndrome, a debilitating disease that only affects young girls. One of her close friend’s daughter has the disease and started the Rett Syndrome Hope Foundation, and Zvonareva has been carrying a new Prince bag featuring the logo since April. Additionally, Gamma, one of Zvonareva's other sponsors, gives money to the cause for every Gamma string sold featuring her image. Information on the International Retts Syndrome Foundation and Zvonareva’s involvement can be found on its Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=122219&id=177017944708#!/RettSyndrome. While Andy Roddick has been distracted by a mysterious loss of energy, Samantha Stosur has been sidelined by a problem with her arm. And, as Roddick has discovered the cause of his problem, so has Stosur.
"She was diagnosed with a 'stress reaction in her distal humerus'," revealed her coach David Taylor. "The doctor recommended 10 days off, so she pulled out of Cincy and Montreal but has taken a wildcard into New Haven the week before the Open." The Aussie first made her name as something of a doubles specialist, and she rose to No.1 in the world in that field. But now she is top five in singles she has followed the example of most other top singles players. Having played seven events this year, reaching the finals of both Indian Wells and Miami and the semis of Dubai, she’s dumping the doubles. Which means that Nadia Petrova, her partner all season, is looking for someone else to team up with. Shanghai Going All Out to Accommodate ATP Players
In 2009 Shanghai was voted by the players as the ATP Masters 1000 Tournament of the Year Award. It’s not difficult to understand why, as the players were treated to one of the most innovative player lounges of any tournament, with a dining area similar to the finest of restaurants and led by a Michelin Star chef, something unique on the tour. The players also had their own music room to play instruments, while the top eight singles seeds and the top two seeded doubles teams were given private locker rooms. This year there will be a new two story retail pavilion covering 3,600 square meters which will accommodate more than 40 shops and sponsor displays, while a new Hospitality Pavilion of more than 8,000 square metres for over 3,000 people will cater for corporate dining, entertaining and public food concessions. And lining the Walk of Champions, connecting the Stadium Court and Grandstand court, will be the real life size terracotta warrior tennis players. Every new singles champion will have a terracotta warrior statue made to be placed on the Walk of Champions. Roger Federer has told the BBC that he has set himself a target of reaching at least 20 Grand Slam titles before he retires from tennis. So far he has made it to 16, but he has failed this year to add another major to the one he earned in Melbourne. In fact, he hasn’t won a title of any kind since then and his ranking is at its lowest since November 2003.
"I believe that having won three Grand Slams per season three times, and two per year a couple of times, it's something do-able for me," said third-ranked Federer. "I only play 16-20 tournaments per year so I'm not overplaying, and that keeps the fire burning. I'm giving 100 per cent for each and every tournament that I play because I don't play a ton of tournaments. The motivation is huge for the next few years and obviously if I can win Grand Slams that's fantastic, but they are not the only motivation over the next few years." |
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August 2011
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