Professional Tennis
American James Blake has announced his withdrawal from the 2012 Australian Open. Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley announced Blake’s move in a Twitter post on Wednesday, saying, "Just got word that James Blake has withdrawn from the AO and Brisbane. Sorry to hear this and we wish James all the best." Tiley didn’t say why…
Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the Brisbane International Tournament in January with an ankle injury. She says she expects to be ready for the Australian Open which is set for later in the month. She twisted her left ankle during the Pan Pacific Open in September and is still being nagged by the injury. "Unfortunately,…
Nineteen-year-old Swedish tennis player Lucas Renard has been suspended for six months and fined $5,000 by the Tennis Integrity Unit after admitting an offense under Article D of the 2011 Uniform Tennis Anti-Corruption Program. Four of the six months period of ineligibility will be suspended on the basis that the player commits no future violation of the…
Brad Drewett, former player and current ATP senior executive, has been named as the new ATP executive chairman and president. He will be based in the ATP’s London office. The 53-year-old Australian’s three-year appointment was voted unanimously by the ATP Board of Directors with Drewett considered to be ideally qualified to take on the multi-faceted…
Sony Ericsson has announced that it is ending its sponsorship of the WTA Tour at the end of the 2012 season. In 2005, Sony Ericsson signed a six-year $88 million deal with the WTA as title sponsor of the WTA, which was extended through the end of 2012. But the strategic direction of Sony Ericsson…
Venus & Serena Williams are eager to defend their Olympic Doubles Title at the Summer 2012 Olympics in London. The American duo are in pursuit of their third trip to the top of Olympic podium and a medal ceremony, after gold medal runs in both Sydney in 2000 and 2008 in Beijing. The only hiccup for…
Top-ranked tennis pro Novak Djokovic from Serbia is planning an acting career in addition to tennis. The world’s number one-ranked player is known off the court for his funny impressions of fellow top tennis players, plus his spoof of a Maria Sharapova commercial for Head racquets. Recently, Djokovic filmed a small role in the action…
Petra Kvitova has been chosen as the Czech Athlete of the Year in a poll conducted by sports journalists. The 21-year-old Wimbledon champion has been honored as the WTA’s player of the year for 2011 and won six singles title. She has risen 32 positions from 34th in the rankings to second in the past…
The Atlanta Tennis Championships has announced that 2003 U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick, 2010-11 ATC finalist John Isner and U.S. Open mixed-doubles champion Jack Sock have committed to play in the tournament, which is the opening event of the Olympus U.S. Open Series in July. Roddick, who played in the inaugural ATC in 2010, has…
The BNP Paribas Open, to be held March 5-18, 2012 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, will become the first ATP World Tour and WTA combined tennis tournament to award its men’s and women’s singles champions each $1 million in prize money. "The BNP Paribas Open has been raising the bar for the sport over…