Davis Cup Champions

AP

Spain's captian Albert Costa, center, celebrates with the rest of the Spanish team after beating Radek Stepanek and Tomas Berdych from Czech Republic in the doubles match of the Davis Cup tennis Final at Sant Jordi stadium in Barcelona, Spain, on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009. Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez won 7-6, 7-5, 6-2 winning the third point to win the Davis Cup against Czech Republic.

Getty

Faces Of The Day

AP

David Ferrer of Spain, left, reacts whith his coach Albert Costa after winning the match against Radek Stepanek of Czech Republic during the second single match of the Davis Cup tennis Final match at Sant Jordi stadium in Barcelona, Spain, on Friday, Dec. 4, 2009. Ferrer won 1-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6.

::

I missed all tennis today. My last grandmother died last night.

Face Of The Day

AP

Spain's Rafael Nadal attends the draw for the Davis Cup tennis final at Sant Jordi stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, Dec. 3, 2009. Spain and the Czech Republic will play their Davis Cup final from Dec. 4 to Dec. 6 in Barcelona.

Amélie Mauresmo Says Adieu

Reuters

The two-time grand slam winner and former world number one speaks during a news conference where she announced her retirement, in Issy-Les-Moulineaux, near Paris, December 3, 2009.

::

Amélie Mauresmo, France's best female player since Suzanne Lenglen has decided to call it quits. This surely surprises no one. As a long time fan of hers, I'll miss the kind of tennis she produced but certainly not her on-court battles with herself, especially at her home Slam. Still, in a sport where controversy, real and manufactured, drives more and more of the narrative, Mauresmo stood tall as a woman of integrity and grace. From the WTA:

France's Amélie Mauresmo has brought the curtain down on a highly successful and memorable 17-year career, officially retiring from the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. Winner of 25 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles titles, three doubles titles and a two-time Grand Slam champion, Mauresmo marks the end of a career that saw her become one of the very best and most popular players in the history of women's tennis.

"I don't want to train anymore," Mauresmo explained. "I had to make a decision, which became evident in the last few months and weeks. When you grow older, it's more difficult to stay at the top. It's a bit sad, but this is the right decision. I was lucky enough to have an exceptional career and to experience very strong feelings on the court."

The 30-year-old exits the game having been one of only 19 players to have ever held the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour world No.1 ranking. Mauresmo ascended to the No.1 spot for the first time on September 13, 2004 and held it for five weeks. She recaptured the top ranking on March 20, 2006 and held it for the majority of that year, until November 12, bringing her total weeks at No.1 to 39, amassing the ninth most weeks at No.1 on the Tour.

Mauresmo posted her best season in 2006, winning her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open (leading 61 20 in the final when Justine Henin was forced to retire) and winning her second just a few months later at Wimbledon (defeating Henin 26 63 64 in the final), where she became the first French Wimbledon champion in the Open Era.

"Amélie will go down in history as one of the best players of her generation and a terrific ambassador for women's tennis," said Stacey Allaster, Chairman and CEO of the Tour. "Amélie's accomplishments not only include winning two Grand Slam titles and becoming the first French player to reach the world No.1 ranking, but leading France to a Fed Cup victory, and generously donating her time to various social causes. Amélie is an extraordinary player, one of the nicest and friendliest personalities on Tour, and a true champion both in tennis and in life."

AP

In this Jan. 28, 2006 file photo, France's Amelie Mauresmo holds her trophy aloft after winning the women's singles final against Belgium's Justine Henin-Hardenne at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia. Former top-ranked player Mauresmo has retired from tennis. The 30-year-old Frenchwoman, who finished the season ranked No. 21, said Thursday Dec.3, 2009 she was quitting the sport for good.


AP

In this July 8 2006 file photo France's Amelie Mauresmo holds the Championship plate, after defeating Belgium's Justine Henin-Hardenne in the Women's Singles final on the Centre Court at Wimbledon. Mauresmo announced Thursday Dec.3, 2009 she retires from tennis. The 30-year-old Frenchwoman, who finished the season ranked No. 21, said Thursday she was quitting the sport for good.


Reuters

Quote For The Day

"We're going to appeal because we still don't have all the elements which will allow us to decide whether a sanction of one year is appropriate. The scale of sanctions (under the world anti-doping Code) is between one and two years. To drop down from two to one year there have to be justifiable elements. We're going to meet the Flemish authorities Friday to see how we can coordinate our actions, and to be consistent in how we approach this case because the athletes seem to want to make it an affair of principles on different levels."

--Olivier Niggli, World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) legal director, on why WADA is seeking a tougher penalty against Yanina Wickmayer and Xavier Malisse

Faces Of The Day

Getty

Goran Ivanisevic of Croatia and Pat Rafter of Australia pose for a photo during day one of the AEGON Masters Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall on December 1, 2009 in London, England. They will compete again for the first time since their Wimbledon 2001 final match.

Tuesday Tirade: All About Control

Reuters

Serena Williams of the U.S. holds her trophy after defeating Venus Williams of the U.S. in their Ladies' Singles finals match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, July 4, 2009.

::

It's been a mighty long time, but I'm feeling the need to rant this Tuesday. MadProsseah brought us the news and I posted the ITF press release about Serena's penalty in his entry.

The release itself is a fraud, the perfect representation of the fraudulent organization that released it.

As an astute commenter on another forum asked, "If she's not suspended....what does this one mean?"

3. Ms. Williams is hereby suspended from participation in either the 2010, 2011 or 2012 US Open, as the case may be, except that any such suspension will not be imposed if no further Grand Slam Major Offence conviction occurs through and including 2011.

It means that the ITF is trying to control her.

Who is the ITF trying to appease? Mary Carillo? Andre Agassi? Lindsay Davenport? The rest of the field? Make a clear-cut decision. Suspend her or don't suspend her. Fine her $175,000 or fine her $82,500. But whatever you decide, don't try to split the difference with some Draconian bullshit.

Serena Williams is not an animal who belongs on a leash, short or long. She's a human being who lost her mind and had a reprehensible and inexcusable outburst. Given her history of high-profile, on-court injustices, a lesser person would have lost her mind years ago.

Serena has been fined the maximum. She apologized. She's never done anything like it before; it's highly unlikely she'll ever do anything like it again. She's proven throughout her career that she learns from her mistakes, big and small.

Adults would move along.

But the adults are asleep at the wheel over at the International Tennis Federation and the infants are running wild.

Fine Serena excessively, but if she behaves she'll get half of it back? Suspend Serena from the US Open for three years, but if she behaves her suspension won't be enforced? And since that clearly isn't enough, let's put her on probation and treat her like a common criminal. Oh, yes. And let's not define our terms (what the fuck constitutes a major offense anyway?) so we can muddy the water with ambiguity.

What kind of mind games are these idiots playing? I'm not one for shaming, but the whole thing is beyond ridiculous and the ITF and its representatives ought to be ashamed of themselves.

The ITF's action here is even more reprehensible and inexcusable than Serena's because the ITF, despite its cowardice, actually has power over her and they're abusing it to try to control her.

If this is how the ITF governs, then it should be put out of its misery post haste.

And I hope Serena, her spirit willing, her body strong, is inspired to win every Slam she enters throughout her entire probation.

Serena Gets Fine, Probation

Getty

by MadProfessah

11-time grand slam champion and current would No. 1 Serena Williams has been fined $175,000 for her profane outburst that led to her point-penalty loss in the 2009 U.S. Open semifinals to Kim Clijsters and could be banned from that tournament if she commits any equivalent violations in the next two years.

The committee said a further major offence at a grand slam in the next two years would see her suspended from the U.S. Open in 2010, 2011 or 2012. The fine will be reduced to $82,500 if she commits no further major offence through 2011.

"On 9 November 2009, the Grand Slam Committee administrator determined Serena Williams had committed the grand slam major offence of aggravated behavior for her misconduct at the 2009 U.S. Open," the committee said in a statement.

I'm glad that the Grand Slam Committee did not go with the rumored one million dollar fine, although I would have been fine if they had required her to put up a one million dollar bond that could be forfeited if she committed a similar major offence through 2011.

I also still think that there needs to be video review on foot fault calls. There should be no call that is not reviewable by an impartial technological device. Currently there are numerous situations where calls are made which are not reviewable by anyone: let calls (ball touches the net during the serve), foot faults (player's foot touches the line during the service motion), player contact with the ball (only the racquet is allowed to touch the tennis ball) and "not up" (ball bounces twice on their side before player hits the ball).

Electronic line calling is a fabulous advance (and should NOT be limited to 3 per set; they should be unlimited unless the umpire thinks the player is abusing the system) but it is not enough. Instant video review should be made available immediately.

::

PRESS RELEASE: SERENA WILLIAMS DECISION

30 November 2009

On 9 November 2009, the Grand Slam Committee Administrator determined that Ms. Serena Williams had committed the Grand Slam Major Offence of Aggravated Behaviour for her misconduct at the 2009 US Open.

The Decision and Penalties were as follows:

1. Ms. Williams is guilty of the Major Offense of Aggravated Behaviour (Article V.A);

2. Ms. Williams is hereby fined $175,000 (including the $10,000 penalty alreadypaid) which will be reduced to $82,500 if no further Grand Slam Major Offence conviction occurs through and including 2011;

3. Ms. Williams is hereby suspended from participation in either the 2010, 2011 or 2012 US Open, as the case may be, except that any such suspension will not be imposed if no further Grand Slam Major Offence conviction occurs through and including 2011;

4. If a further Grand Slam Major Offence is committed during the period, the full penalties will be re-instated in addition to any other penalties imposed for the subsequent Grand Slam Major Offence;

5. As always, all financial penalties arising from misconduct at Grand Slam tournaments are donated by the Grand Slam tournaments to the Grand Slam Development Fund.

On 28 November 2009, the Grand Slam Committee affirmed the Decision and Penalties of the Administrator and Ms. Williams was so advised.

The Grand Slam Committee is the independent governing body responsible for, among other duties and functions, the establishment and enforcement of the Grand Slam Rules, Regulations and Code of Conduct.

Quote For The Day

“This tournament has a great champion, like Nikolay. He worked hard to beat every player here this week. So maybe I have to improve a little bit the little things. But he played much better than me, and that's it. He played unbelievable tennis. He beat me in a good way. He's very strong. I never beat him on hard court or indoors. He's very fast. He plays like PlayStation. He runs down everything. It is very difficult to hit winners. But I think he is a great champion. Nobody knows how we can beat him.”--Juan Martin del Potro

World Tour Champions

Getty

Nikolay Davydenko of Russia holds the trophy as he celebrates winning the men's singles final match against Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina during the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena on November 29, 2009 in London, England.

::

He beat the world No's 1, 2 and 34, as well as the US Open champ in the final. Nice work if you can get it.

::


Getty

Bob Bryan of USA and Mike Bryan hold the trophy as they celebrate winning the men's doubles final match against Max Mirnyi of Belarus and Andy Ram of Israel during the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena on November 29, 2009 in London, England. With the title, the twins clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking for the fifth time in their storied career.

World Tour Finals Final

Reuters/Getty

The one who defeated Roger Federer en route to this final should take the title.

Oh, wait. They both did that.

Okay. So. The one who returns serve most aggressively should take the title. Nikolay Davydenko, who returns to his second year-end final in a row, is capable of serving into the corners when you least expect him. But Juan Martín del Potro won't be as frustrated by the Russian's delivery as he was by the Swede's so he should find himself with more looks to break through. But Kolya returns serve about as well as anyone, leads their head-to-head 2-1 with both victories on indoor hard courts, and gave the reigning US Open champion quite a shellacking at this event last year. Still, the Tower of Tandil is a different player now than he was a year ago.

I've no doubt both of them can hoist the tour's final 2009 trophy, so I'll take another third-set breaker, a tub of popcorn, and may the most composed man win.

World Tour Semifinals Preview

Getty

Group A has the advantage. Roger Federer and Juan Martín del Potro had a day off, Robin Soderling and Nikolay Davydenko did not.

The Russian has the shortest turnaround and the worst record of all against his opponent. I still don't understand why Kolya hasn't been able to defeat the world No. 1 even once. They have played tight sets, but Kolya always manages to find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. I'm not sure Raja will be in any mood to even allow him to get close today. I'll be surprised if the Swiss doesn't win in straights.


Getty

Getty

I, for one, am going to thoroughly enjoy watching the Rude Power boys duke it out. They've split their only two meetings with the Argentinean winning their only match in 2009. But that was way back in Auckland, which seems like a lifetime ago. The Swede won a set last night to avoid facing Raja in this round, so let's see what he has left to bring against del Potro. I see a third set breaker. Bring on the popcorn.

Getty

Day 7 - Semifinals Order Of Play

Day Session: 12.30 pm GMT (7.30 am ET)

Mirnyi/Ram vs. Cermak/Mertinak

Followed by
[1] Roger Federer vs. [6] Nikolay Davydenko

Night Session: 7 pm GMT (2 pm ET)

Bhupathi/Knowles vs. Bryan/Bryan

Followed by
[8] Robin Söderling vs. [5] Juan Martín del Potro

There should be no night session for the semifinals. In both singles and doubles, it gives the day-session winners an advantage they don't need heading into the finals tomorrow.

Face Of The Day

Reuters

Novak Djokovic of Serbia strums his racquet face like a guitar after winning his ATP World Tour Finals tennis match at the 02 Arena against Rafael Nadal of Spain in London November 27, 2009. It wasn't enough. The defending champion was eliminated from the event a few minutes ago.

World Tour Finals Day 6

Reuters

Argentina and Manchester City soccer player Carlos Tevez watches compatriot Juan Martín Del Potro take on Switzerland's Roger Federer during their ATP World Tour Finals tennis match at the 02 Arena in London November 26, 2009.

::

Day 6 Round Robin Order Of Play

Day Session: 12.30 pm GMT (7.30 am ET)

Dlouhy/Paes vs. Mirnyi/Ram

Followed by
[2] Rafael Nadal vs. [3] Novak Djokovic

Rafa is playing for pride. And his No. 2 ranking. If Djoke wins the title, he can replace the Spaniard as second best. Djoke can lose the match and still advance, but he'll need Kolya to lose as well.

I think.

Night Session: 7 pm GMT (2 pm ET)

Bryan/Bryan vs. Kubot/Marach

Followed by
[6] Nikoloay Davydenko vs. [8] Robin Söderling

Can Andy Roddick's substitute win the title as he did in 2005? Stay tuned.

Yesterday's Results


Reuters

Group A Singles
A Murray (GBR) d F Verdasco (ESP) 64 67(4) 76(3)
J Del Potro (ARG) d R Federer (SUI) 62 67(5) 63

Matches don't get much tighter than these.

If you're a fan of Murray, you're not coming up from under today. First time ever a player is eliminated in a round robin tiebreak decided by number of games won.

Guess he had a brutal draw after all.

Group A Doubles
D Nestor (CAN) / N Zimonjic (SRB) d M Bhupathi (IND) / M Knowles (BAH) 64 76(9)
F Cermak (CZE) / M Mertinak (SVK) d M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL) 64 64

Group A Final Standings

Singles
(1) Roger Federer 2-1 - Wins group with 44-40 games record
(5) Juan Martin del Potro 2-1 - Advances with a 45-43 record

(4) Andy Murray 2-1 - Eliminated by one game with 44-43 record
(7) Fernando Verdasco 0-3 - Eliminated after loss to Murray

Doubles
(3) Mahesh Bhupati/Mark Knowles 2-1
(5) Frantisek Cermak/Michal Mertinak 2-1

(8) Mariusz Fyrstenberg/Marcin Matkowski 1-2
(1) Daniel Nestor/Nenad Zimonjic 1-2

Face Of The Day

Reuters

Britain's Andy Murray reacts during his ATP World Tour Finals tennis match against Spain's Fernando Verdasco at the 02 Arena in London November 26, 2009.

::

One game. Eliminated from the event by just one game. He must be spitting bullets.