Professional Tennis
The ATP has announced the appointment of Chris Kermode as ATP executive chairman and president. Kermode begins a three-year term at the helm of the ATP beginning Jan. 1, 2014, and will be based in the ATP’s London office. Kermode has been involved in tennis for more than 30 years, first as a player, and then most…
Four-time Grand Slam champ Maria Sharapova has hired Sven Groeneveld as her new coach for the 2014 season. Sharapova parted ways with her coach Jimmy Connors in August after just a one-month tenure. "I'm happy to announce my official partnership with Sven Groeneveld," Sharapova wrote on her Facebook page. "We've been working together since I got back on the…
The 2014 ATP World Tour will feature a tournament in Shenzhen, China, following the ATP Board of Directors’ approval of the relocation of the ATP World Tour 250 tournament previously held in Bangkok, Thailand. The tournament in Shenzhen will be played from Sept. 22-28 at the Shenzhen Longgang Sports Center, a state-of-the-art facility with more than…
Four of the top 20 men, including Roger Federer, will headline Brisbane International 2014, presented by Suncorp. Seventeen-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer will lead a men’s field, which will feature top 20 players Kei Nishikori, Gilles Simon and Kevin Anderson, alongside a crop of rising talent. Brisbane International 2013 runner-up Grigor Dimitrov returns to the field as well, looking to go one better in 2014, but will…
The USTA has announced that Victoria Duval, the 17-year-old breakout star of the 2013 U.S. Open with her first-round upset of 2011 U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur, will headline the women’s field for the 2013 USTA Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs, held Dec. 20-22 at Life Time Athletic at Peachtree Corners in Norcross, Ga. Duval, who has overcome extraordinary…
As the tennis year rolls on, I would like to bring up a point on the 40th anniversary of the most important and impactful tennis match in history. The year was 1973, and Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in what was called "The Battle of the Sexes." It was a very important step in…
Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic defeated Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-1, 6-1 in a deciding fifth rubber on Sunday in Belgrade to retain the Davis Cup title for the Czechs. In 2012, Stepanek also held on against Nicolas Almagro in the fifth rubber to lift the Czechs to a 3-2 win over Spain to win the 2012 Davis Cup. The Czech Republic…
Tennis Channel will provide exclusive live coverage of defending champion Czech Republic's and Serbia's Davis Cup final competition in Belgrade, Serbia, this weekend, Nov. 15-17. Live and same-day "Instant Encore" replays will air Friday through Sunday. Highlighting the competition, world number six Tomas Berdych will face world number two and 2013 ATP World Tour Finals champion Novak Djokovic for the first time since Wimbledon, when Berdych fell to the Serbian during the…
Novak Djokovic will face Radek Stepanek in the opening singles Friday when Serbia faces defending champion Czech Republic in the 2013 Davis Cup final. In Thursday's draw, Serbian reserve Dusan Lajovic was picked to play Tomas Berdych in the second singles match on a hard court in Belgrade Arena. Lajovic, ranked 117th in the world, will replace Janko Tipsarevic,…
Maria Sharapova, a Silver Medalist at the 2012 Summer Olympics, will join NBC for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, serving as a correspondent, offering insight and commentary on Russia's first Winter Olympics. "Maria transcends sports as one of the world's most recognizable stars," Jim Bell, executive producer of NBC Olympics, said. "Growing up in Sochi until she…