Roger Federer always feels a little unusual when not scheduled on Day One of Wimbledon. By force of habit he usually expects to play at 1pm sharp on Centre Court as the hallowed place of defending champion.
Even two years ago, when Rafael Nadal was prevented by injury from filling the Champion’s initial role, Federer opened proceedings. But the 29 year-old Swiss, seeded as low as no.3 for the first time since 2003 remains second favorite at 5-2 behind defending champion Rafael Nadal at 2-1. Nevertheless is talking like a potential winner in the build up and claims to have been performing at his top level for the past 12 months. However what really ignited his confidence was the way he terminated Novak Djokovic’s 43-match winning streak in the semi-finals of the French Open earlier this month. “I know I can beat Novak on any surface,” he said. “I’ve done that in the past. Just because he was on a great run didn’t mean he was unbeatable. In Paris I played really well, and here at Wimbledon I’m even more confident.” Federer has got his sights firmly set on Wimbledon title no.7 and his first major prize since the Australian Open of last year. “Obviously I come into this tournament very confident,” he said. “The first time I had a hit on the Wimbledon grass last Monday it felt so natural right away after 10 minutes to play on grass again. I hope that feeling is going to pay off.” Federer needs no reminding that a year ago he almost failed to get his toes wet in the Wimbledon water. He survived a five-set first-round marathon against the Colombian Alejandro Falla before being blown away by the thunderbolts of Czech Tomas Berdych in the quarter-finals in perhaps his poorest showing in 10 years. “In that first round I got very lucky,” he admitted. “Last year it wasn’t meant to be. I had a few things I had to battle with during the tournament. But that hasn’t happened since, and that’s something I’m happy about.” Federer pulled out of the recent Halle tournament but says he is at full fitness. He said: “I feel good about myself, about my body. I’ve recovered. The past week was vital for me to recover from my groin injury. I feel like I’m almost back to 100% again, which is a really good sign for Wimbledon.” The bookmakers are heeding the clamor about there only being four serious contenders for the men’s singles this time and Federer backed up this opinion.“All four guys at the top feel very comfortable on grass, whereas maybe in the past Rafa was still looking a little bit short on grass. As time went by he showed how good he was, won a couple of times here. “Djokovic has always been great but nothing extraordinary yet, though with the run he’s on there are a lot of possibilities for him as well.”
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Serena Williams Former No. 1 Serena Williams was last seen on court
approximately one year ago at Wimbledon, lifting the trophy. Since then her life has been a mix of accidents and illnesses that have combined to sideline the American for approximately 12 months. Days after winning the 2010 Wimbledon title, she stepped on glass in a German restaurant, severing two tendons in her foot. Two surgeries later she looked on the path to a comeback, until she was rushed to a hospital emergency ward, diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism and a stomach hematoma. The 29-year-old 13-time Grand Slam champion has seen her ranking fall to No. 25 since a year ago. It remains to be seen whether the Wimbledon seeding committee will keep the defending champion's seed in the mid-20s, or more likely elevate her into the Top 5. The younger Williams sister announced Monday night that she will make her comeback next week on grass at the Aegon International Tournament in Eastbourne, England. "I am so excited to be healthy enough to compete again," Williams said in a statement. "These past 12 months have been extremely tough and character building. I have so much to be grateful for. I'm thankful to my family, friends and fans for all their support. Serena's back!" The four-time Wimbledon champ will be joined in Eastbourne by her five-time Wimbledon champ sister Venus, who due to various injuries of her own has not competed since the Australian Open in January Qualifying:13 June - 16 June
The Championships: 20 June - 3 July Seeds Announced:16 June The Draw: 17 June www.wimbledon.com American Bethanie Mattek-Sands is considering adding to her body art with another tattoo. But the ideas got a modest reception around the Roland Garros locker room when the flamboyantly dressed "Lady Gaga" of the sport polled some of her peers.
Mattek-Sands already has an unfinished tat on her inside right arm, which she has said in the past was so painful to complete that she has so far left it undone. She also sports her favourite flower, the lily, on her bicep and a "ring" on her finger to remind her of her husband. But more ink could be on the way, possibly before Wimbledon. "I told a couple of the girls in the locker room that I was going to get maybe a band around my upper thigh," said the American. "Nobody liked it in the locker room. But I still might do it, I kind of like it. "It's still up for debate what I'm going to do," she said of the ink which she hopes to squeeze in before Wimbledon starting in less than a month. It looks like 'The Biggest Loser' might have found another new trainer. According to reports, tennis star Anna Kournikova will join the NBC fitness show next season.
Kournikova will join new trainers Cara Castronuova and Brett Hoebel as the show undergoes major changes in the wake of Jillian Michaels' departure from the hit show, X17 Online reports. Michaels announced her decision to leave last year in order to focus on starting a family. An official announcement regarding Kournikova's role on 'Biggest Loser' is expected after the show's season finale on Tuesday. Kournikova, who recently put her $9.4 million Miami mansion on the market, is certainly no stranger in the fitness world. A tennis player all her life, she debuted at the U.S. Open when she was just 15 years old and was named ESPN's Hottest Female Athlete in 2002. The tennis star has been dating singer Enrique Igelsias since late 2001. Srichaphan Plans to Enter Politics
Paradorn Srichaphan’s fame in Thailand knows no bounds so few can be surprised the former world no.9 is set to become the latest sports star to move into politics. Now aged 31 and recently divorced from Miss Universe 2005, Natalie Glebova, Srichaphan announced he would run in the next general election under the party banner of Chart Pattana Puea Pandin, a new political party created by coalition partners of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. Suwat Liptapanlop, president of Thailand’s Lawn Tennis Association is also the de-facto leader of the new Chart Pattana Puea Pandin Party. However Srichaphan insisted he was not invited or coerced by anybody to take a political path but made his decision because he saw problems in the governance of sport in Thailand and chose this party as it has been vigorously promoting sports. “No one has persuaded me to enter politics,” said Srichaphan who eight years ago became the first Asian male player to graduate to the top ten on the ATP World Tour. “I want to use my knowledge and capabilities to solve problems and help sport in the country It's my own intention to do so as there are still problems in the country’s sports development. “If I can be useful for the country, I would be happy. So I would like to put sport on the national agenda. I want to use my knowledge to help.” Srichaphan sees sport as a revenue earner, an instrument for national unity and a great alternative to drugs for youth. Making his announcement in Bangkok, he stressed a desire for sports promotion to be part of Thailand’s national agenda and believed his experience would be beneficial to that end. Elections are due to take place in early July but Srichaphan insisted before then his party’s leadership would decide if he should run in a constituency or be a party list candidate. Srichaphan only retired from tennis officially last June but ceased to be a competitive player after wrist problems forced him to miss nearly all of the 2007 season. Any chance of a comeback ended when he broke both hands in a motorcycle accident. He remains coach of Thailand’s Davis Cup team. “I have followed the career of Andy Murray for several years. My interest in Andy has always remained very high due to the fact that he reminds me of Andre Agassi. Both of them have so many parts of the game that you cannot teach, including having the nose of an elephant who not only smells what is going on but also gets to that area without too much thinking.
To have a chance of success both the player and coach must lay all the cards on the table and then explain them one at a time and see where they agree or don’t agree. We must all accept one clear factor of this conversation: the player must be the captain of the ship and the coach must follow his lead. This does not mean the coach rolls over and says yes to everything. The coach must know when to talk and when to listen but when he talks he better know what he’s talking about. I learned how to do this when I was the coach for Boris Becker (Do not say too much and earn his respect). The coach must know what makes his student tick and how to communicate with them which may include: Being tough without options Treat the student with kid gloves Listen to your student and then give direction. Nick’s tip - All of the above must be discussed in full and then determine if they are close enough to continue talking about a relationship. The student and coach must select their practice sessions and what is best for peak performance: players will vary what they do during their sessions. Andy must have a fulltime coach that makes a total commitment to be with him the entire year. When I traveled with Andre, Becker, Haas, Courier, Seles, etc. I was on the road 36 weeks and then with them the majority of the remaining time. This took a heavy toll on my marriages as you all know but this was my way of showing my student that I am there for you all the time. A coach that is married and has children must think a long time before going one way or the other. In conclusion I believe that Andy has the ammo to be a top player including winning grand slams. When you select a coach you must examine your game every which way and determine if a strategy plan of playing should be at the top of your list. I do not think that Andy’s game should have a high percentage of defensive play, you now execute. Andy is no longer a young man, he is a veteran and it’s time to become a warrior. A leader rather than a soldier Bollettieri later added that if he were decades younger, he would love to be Murray’s coach, but not today. In the light of the firm doubles ‘Indo-Pak Express’ partnership between Aisam-ul Haq Qureshi and Rohan Bopanna, tennis is continuing to tear down the sporting barriers set up between India and Pakistan. Now the Pakistan Tennis Federation has been given the clearance to hire Indian coach Beerbul Wadera.
PTF President Syed Kaleem Imam confirmed that the Ministry of Sports and Interior Ministry had given the go ahead to the appointment. He said: “We have been issued a No Objection Certificate from the Interior Ministry so now we will be in touch with Wadera to work out details with him. We intend to have the coach hold camps across Pakistan for youngsters and top players." Kaleem also reported the federation was in touch with the government regarding a proposal by Qureshi to play against Bopanna at the Wagah border to send out a message of peace and harmony. Qureshi has already written a letter to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani requesting him to help organize the ground-breaking peace match. Once the government gave clearance for the match, the federation can set up a tennis court for the exhibition match. The PTF also announced efforts were being made to invite foreign players to play in Pakistan and invitations had been sent out to China, Maldives, Bhutan, Bangladesh and other countries of this region to send their players for invitational tournament to be played here in few months' time. Meanwhile, the ministry of sports has also issued NOCs to the Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association to send their team for the Asian Championship being held in India from April 23. Roger Federer has returned hone for training without much worry after his quarter-final loss to Jurgen Melzer at the Monte Carlos Masters. The Swiss says he certainly won't let the defeat bother his preparation for Roland Garros.
For one thing, he's liking the new wrinkle in the ATP spring schedule which swaps Rome for Madrid, leaving the Spanish event with its higher altitude of 1,000 metres now a fortnight removed form the start of the French Open. Under the former scenario, Madrid was played with only a week to spare before the start in Paris. "This year it changes around that Madrid has the first slot, which I think is clearly better for everybody," said Federer. "We were never really happy that Madrid had the second slot because of the pre French playing in altitude, it wasn't a smart thing. Now we have it in a better way, which I think some players are happy about." Federer's program calls for training at home followed by Madrid and Rome appearances before starting the bid for his second Roland Garros title in the face of the traditional Rafael Nadal clay momentum. Andy Murray will continue to follow doctor's orders for his dodgy right elbow, even if it means having to miss this week's clay event in his former home of Barcelona.
The Scot was due for a scan after playing with a pain-killing injection in his three-set semi-final loss to Rafael Nadal at the Monte Carlo Masters. The procedure was necessary after the Scot found himself without a serve and in pain a few hours before the match. "I was really, really nervous, really uptight about it," the No. 4 confessed in defeat. I'd never had one before. The doctor said it would probably be suggested even if I didn't play the match. "It's like an anti-inflammatory to basically settle it down." Murray was due for a scan of the injury followed by a required medical visit to Barcelona, where he is seeded second behind Nadal. With the French Open approaching, caution has to be the watchword for it. "You sometimes get a bit of one basically that sort of has fallen off. It sounds worse than it is. It just feels really bruised because I obviously had a couple of injections. There's blood and stuff going in there. It was good because I managed to play. But I would have liked to have finished the match a bit better." Murray and his team drove to the Catalan capital in around six hours at the weekend where he will wait and see how what is now diagnosed as an inflamed elbow pulls up by the time he must play a second-round match after a bye at the Real Club de Tenis. |
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August 2011
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