Professional Tennis
As a result of the barrage of heat complaints by players at last year’s Australian Open, the tournament’s organizers have made slight adjustments to its extreme heat policy ahead of the 2015 edition of the Grand Slam. The policy will now go in effect when the temperature exceeds 104 degrees and the Wet Bulb Global…
Juan Martin del Potro plans to make a comeback in 2015, and he will start by participating in the seventh annual Brisbane International presented by Suncorp. The tournament begins on Jan. 4, and will mark the first time the Argentine has played since Dubai back in late February. The last time del Potro participated in…
As is customary in the tennis offseason, a couple of coach-player relationships came to a close on Wednesday as both Andy Murray and Eugenie Bouchard announced splits with their current coaches. Murray announced on his Web site that he and long-time friend Dani Vallverdu, as well as trainer Jez Green, would not be working together…
A French chair umpire received a lifetime ban on Tuesday, becoming the first official suspended for corruption by the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU). Morgan Lamri, an umpire on the Futures and Challenger Tours, was banned for life for violating four articles of the TIU’s anti-corruption program. The 22-year-old Lamri violated articles that address betting on…
After Roger Federer’s loss to Gael Monfils on Friday, the Davis Cup Final was all tied at 1-1 heading into a crucial doubles match that would swing the best-of-five series. Thus, Swiss captain Severin Luthi made the decision to play Federer & Stan Wawrinka in the doubles contest instead of originally slated Marco Chiudinelli &…
With France’s back against the wall already down 1-0, Gael Monfils delivered a fantastic performance against the world’s second ranked player on Friday, as Monfils routed Switzerland’s Roger Federer 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 in the second singles match of the Davis Cup Final to even the final at 1-1. The battle between Monfils and Federer marked…
In what comes as no surprise to many, American Serena Williams won the WTA Player of the Year Award, the WTA announced on Friday. “I’m really grateful and humbled to receive this award. It’s been an amazing year,” said Serena. “I’m truly blessed to be playing at this level this far into my career. I…
Stan Wawrinka bounced back from a heartbreaking loss in the ATP World Tour semifinals to compatriot Roger Federer last week by trouncing France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Friday to put Switzerland up 1-0 in the Davis Cup Final. The fourth-ranked Wawrinka blew four match points in the last match he played, the…
The Davis Cup Final is set to begin on Friday from Lille, France and carries with it a number of intriguing storylines. The Swiss are seeking its first ever Davis Cup title, while the French are looking to capture their 10th title overall and first since 2001. Roger Federer has been the focal point of…
This is the fifth column I’ve written on the “Hidden Secrets of the Greats.” We have found that Roger Federer owes much to his Swiss heritage with its sense of precision and attention to detail. We concluded that Rafael Nadal benefited from an unusually supportive family atmosphere. Novak Djokovic developed an extreme toughness by being…