The Gucci Masters Equestrians got under way on Friday in Villepinte, France. It has established itself as one of the biggest indoor equestrian events in competition.
At 8.30am, the riders involved in the CSI 2* event were out on the course competing in a two-round table A challenge run over 1.35m fences. The event, with 62 competitors taking part, was eventually won by Belgium's Jody Bosteels and his mare Nina Droeshout, ahead of Gudrun Patteet (BEL) and Taxi. Former tennis champion Martina Hingis took 5th place with Cortino IV.
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For the second time in her career, Kim Clijsters has been named the WTA Player of the Year. This year, Clijsters won her third US Open along with four other titles.
The 27-year-old mother from Belgium was also recognized for her off-court achievements and given the Player Service award. "It's really nice to win the Player of the Year award just one year after making a comeback, and while I didn't think it would come so quickly, I am thrilled with the news," Clijsters said. Her compatriot, Justine Henin, received the Comeback Player of the Year award. Other awards announced by the WTA included: Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, Newcomer of the Year; Maria Sharapova of Russia, Humanitarian of the Year; and Flavia Pennetta of Italy and Argentina's Gisela Dulko, Doubles Team of the Year. There are few changes to the ATP Tour for 2011, but there are several modifications and additions to the WTA Tour calendar.
There are four new tournaments, beginning with the Brussels Ladies Open in May, a Premier event played on red clay that will replace Warsaw on the calendar. Next, the Azerbaijani city of Baku, located on the Caspian Sea, will host its first WTA event in mid-July. The Baku Cup, with former Georgian player Leila Meskhi acting as tournament director, will be a hardcourt event of the International series. Rounding out the year's new tournaments will be two outdoor hardcourt competitions in the United States. The Troy Park Women's Tennis Championships, to be played at a brand new facility in Elkridge, Maryland, begins July 25, and the city of Grapevine, Texas, near Dallas, will host the Texas Open just one week before the year's final Grand Slam in New York. Both are International-level tournaments. Rome and Cincinnati both become combined WTA/ATP events, resulting in a shift in the week that the women play them and for them to play a week earlier in Canada. Both the women’s event in Toronto and the ATP event will now be played in the same week. With the year-end WTA Championships moving to Istanbul, Doha returns to a February slot as a regular event. Copenhagen, which made its debut on the calendar in 2010, is moving from its August date to June 6, to be played on indoor hardcourt in competition with the grass-court Wimbledon warm-up event in Birmingham. Stosur Awarded Inaugural Newcombe Medal
Samantha Stosur was awarded the inaugural Newcombe Medal at the Newcombe Medal, Australian Tennis Awards in Melbourne Friday. The Queenslander, 26, received the accolade for being Australia’s most outstanding elite player in 2010. The Newcombe Medal is named to recognize the achievements of Australian tennis legend John Newcombe, who had the honor of presenting Stosur, current world No. 6, with the first-ever medal. Another highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Spirit of Tennis Award to Australia’s No. 2 ranked male player Peter Luczak, a Davis Cup stalwart, in recognition of his outstanding leadership, passion, sportsmanship, goodwill and dedication to the sport, as well as his major contribution to the stature of tennis. David Taylor, Samantha Stosur’s Coach and Australian Fed Cup Captain, was also recognized for his exceptional coaching performance in the sport this year by being awarded the Coaching Excellence, High Performance Award. Hair clippers are a time honored way of celebrating a tennis triumph and Serbia’s first ever Davis Cup title thanks to stoicism of Viktor Troicki resulted in the 24 year-old from Belgrade and his three victorious team-mates rejoicing with buzz cuts. Guy Forget, captain of the unsuccessful French team, will have remembered shaving his own head alongside long-time doubles partner Jakob Hlasek to celebrate a couple of decades ago. But nobody close to the Serbian team was spared their locks.
Serbian Tennis Federation president Slobodan ‘Bobo’ Zivojinovic and team advisor Niki Pilic, who became the first person to coach three different nations to the Davis Cup title having also achieved it with Germany and Croatia, got the razor treatment. Troicki, ranked 30th in the world and apparently distraught after he and Nenad Zimonjic allowed a two set lead in Saturday’s doubles to be impressively overhauled by Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra, enthused: "This is the most unbelievable moment of my life." And world no.3 Novak Djokovic maintained the euphoria of victory was even better than winning the Australian Open title nearly three years ago. “It's historic,” he maintained. “This is our biggest success as individuals, as a team, as a country. We are not even aware of what we have done." Troicki maintained he was amazed captain Bogdan Obradovichanded him responsibility for the all important place deciding fifth rubber instead of the infinitely more experienced Janko Tipsarevic. “'I am in shock,” he said. “After the last shot I really couldn't believe that this happened. I think for the next few days I will still feel a little bit different. It will be maybe five days until I will feel the real expression and the real feeling of this win. '”This is the most intense pressure ever in my life and to win it in front of my home crowd I think is the best possible way.” 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro has announced he will play in the 2011 Delray Beach ITC, joining an ATP World Tour event singles draw that includes Americans Andy Roddick, Mardy Fish and John Isner.
Left-handed players seem to be the most difficult to play against. The spin on their serves seems to cause returns to go in every direction, except the direction you want. I have tried to let it bounce and hit it late and early - no help.
Even the strategy to play against them is much different. I tried to play as though I was playing someone with a fantastic backhand - no help. I have the shots, but lefties are a strange sort. Any suggestions? |
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August 2011
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