Sportmaster International

Rusedski retired from professional tennis in April 2007

David Lloyd, the brother of Britain captain John Lloyd, was reported in Monday’s press as saying the 35-year-old could be interested in a return.

However, Rusedski’s spokesperson, Sharon Park, dismissed those reports and said her client is fully focused on his commitments away from the court.

“Greg has retired and has no plans to return to professional tennis,” she told BBC Sport.

“He is focusing on his role at the Lawn Tennis Association and other commitments.”

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Stuttgart - Serena Williams will have to wait a little longer for a tournament in Africa while organizers of the award-winning Porsche Grand Prix hope to have found the right formula in a new-look 2009 tennis calendar.

‘I would love to have a tournament in Africa,’ said the top-ranked African-American Williams, naming the southern part of the continent ‘untouched territory’ in terms of tennis. Women’s tennis CEO Larry Scott said on Tuesday he was not opposed to such an idea but said the WTA would first take a look at how
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The Swiss players, world number two Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka, who is currently in the ninth position in the ATP rankings, have become one of the elite tennis duos especially after the latest victory achieved in the Davis Cup World group match and the previous Gold medal obtained during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games during August.

Over the six years of professional play since the 23-years old Wawrinka began his tennis career; he has escalated from the 171 position in 2003 to the 54th place in 2005 to a 36th ranking in 2007, while
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Stuttgart - Serena Williams aims to close the year on a high but the American’s world number one ranking is under threat from Jelena Jankovic and others in the final weeks of the season.

Williams, 27, is playing her first event in Stuttgart at the star-studded Porsche Grand Prix, which started on Monday, since winning the US Open last month. ‘The US Open is not the end of the year,’ the top seeded Williams told reporters on Monday. ‘I hope to do well in the last tournaments of the year,’ said the nine-time Grand Slam champion.
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Hamburg - Rafael Nadal of Spain maintains top spot ahead of former number one Roger Federer in an unchanged men’s tennis rankings issued on Monday by the ATP.

French Open and Wimbledon champion Nadal continues to lead the way on 7,000 points, with US Open winner Federer on 5,930 and Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic of Serbia third on 4,960 points. ATP top 10 as of September 29 (previous ranking in parenthesis): 1. (1) Rafael Nadal, Spain, 7,000 points; 2. (2) Roger Federer, Switzerland, 5,930; 3. (3) Novak Djokovic,
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Hamburg - US Open champion Serena Williams continues to head a virtually unchanged women’s tennis rankings issued on Monday by the WTA.

Williams has 4,091 points and is followed by Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic on 4,070 and Dinara Safina on 3,747. Russia’s Elena Dementieva moves up one place to fourth while former number one Ana Ivanovic of Serbia drops one spot to fifth. WTA top 10 as of September 29 (previous ranking in parenthesis): 1. (1) Serena Williams, United States, 4,091 points; 2. (2) Jelena Jankovic, Serbia, 4,070;
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Heather Watson helped the British team to the final in San Luis Potosi

The US beat Britain 2-0 as Christina McHale beat Heather Watson 6-2 6-2 and Kristie Ahn saw off Tara Moore 6-7 6-1 7-5, saving a match point on the way.

“Proud is a really good word to sum up not only what these girls have achieved but what GB junior girls have achieved in 2008,” said captain Iain Bates.

Greg Rusedski captained GB’s Junior Davis Cup team to 10th place.

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Tsonga lost to Djokovic in the final of January’s Australian Open

Tsonga, playing his second tournament since knee surgery in May, had earlier vowed revenge on the top seed for January’s Australian Open final defeat.

Tsonga, seeded second, endured an early hail of Djokovic topspin forehands.

But the world number three fell to Tsonga’s combination of powerful serves and inch-perfect drop shots.

The hard-fought victory, which came in 92 minutes, denied
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Roddick puts away a double-fisted backhand during the final

The 26-year-old American came through 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 for the 26th ATP Tour title of his career.

Unseeded Sela, the first Israeli to play an ATP final since 2000, recovered from 4-6 down in the tiebreak to take the match to a deciding set.

But Roddick broke the world number 92 in the sixth game and shortly after closed out the match with his 17th ace.

“I had in the back of my mind that
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Hutchins (left) and Huss receive the trophy after their straight sets win

They beat third seeds Ashley Fisher and Bobby Reynolds 7-5 6-4 in Beijing.

“I’ve only been on tour a couple of years and it’s just a great feeling to finally come through,” said Hutchins.

The victory was doubly sweet for the the 23-year-old, who was on the losing side in Great Britain’s Davis Cup defeat by Australia last weekend.

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Roddick lost his cool at the end of the second set

Roddick edged a 6-2 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 win over world number 137 Bjorn Phau, who came into the tournament without a win on the ATP Tour this season.Women’s world number one Jankovic saw off Vera Zvonareva to win 6-4 2-6 6-4.Roddick plays Dudi Sela in the final, Jankovic facing Svetlana Kuznetsova, who beat Zheng Jie 7-6 (7-3) 7-5.Israeli Sela, who has already beaten world number five David Ferrer and sixth seed
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Robson’s hopes were finally ended by Estonian Ani

Estonian Ani, 26, ranked 105th in the world, proved too strong in the decider against 14-year-old Robson.

Robson, who beat Israeli Tzipi Obziler in the quarter-final, was playing in her first professional event in the UK.

In the other semi-final, Roberta Vinci of Italy beat Germany’s Kristina Barrois 6-4 5-7 6-4.

Djokovic is after his fourth title of the season

Serbian Djokovic, who is number three in the world, was a 7-5 6-1 winner over Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic in his semi-final.

Tsonga, seeded second, produced a convincing display to hammer fourth seed Gael Monfils 6-0 6-3.

Sunday’s final will be a repeat of the Australian Open final, when Djokovic beat Frenchman Tsonga in four sets.

Tsonga, who was playing only his second tournament since undergoing
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Ivanovic has suffered with a number of injuries since winning the French Open

The Serbian has struggled since winning the French Open in June and she slipped to a 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 6-4 defeat.

Zheng will play Svetlana Kuznetsova in Saturday’s semi-finals after she beat Dominika Cibulkova 6-2 6-4.

In the men’s quarter-finals, the unseeded Bjorn Phau knocked out reigning champion Fernando Gonzalez with a 6-3 4-6 6-3 victory.

Dudi Sela of Israel will join
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One week after the conclusion of this year’s last grand slam in the 2008 WTA tour and with very few tournaments remaining, we find the current top five shared by two Russians, two Serbians and one American player.

Both Russian players Elena Dementieva and Dinara Safina who are in the fourth and fifth position respectively and whose career breakthrough year has been the present tour have shown incredible determination beating well-known opponents on all surfaces. Dementieva, who is in her mid twenties reached this year a career high raking at
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Robson does not turn 15 until 21 January 2009

Robson beat British number eight Sarah Borwell 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 6-3 at the LTA tournament in Shrewsbury.

The 14-year-old will play 2007 junior Wimbledon champion Urzula Radwanska of Poland in the next round.

Robson made her professional debut in Limoges, France, earlier this month and must play one more senior event to earn a world ranking.

She also won her first match in France, beating Italy’s Alice Balducci, before pulling out of her second-round match against Marina Melnikova with a shoulder injury.

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Madrid - Draw made on Tuesday for the 2009 Davis Cup World Group. First round to be played march 6-8.

Argentina v Netherlands Czech Republic v France US v Switzerland Croatia v Chile Sweden v Israel Romania v Russia Germany v Austria Spain v Serbia

Madrid - World number one Rafael Nadal faces Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic when Davis Cup finalist Spain hosts Serbia in the first round of the 2009 edition of the tennis team event.

Tuesday’s draw in Madrid also gave the other finalists, Argentina, a home tie, against the Netherlands. Being the top seeds next year, Argentina and Spain can not meet until the final. They contest this year’s final in Argentina November 21-23. The draw also pitted Roger Federer’s Switzerland against record winners United States, to
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GB captain John Lloyd will be hoping Andy Murray is available next year

GB suffered a disappointing 3-2 defeat by Austria in their World Group play-off at Wimbledon on Sunday, which saw them relegated to the second tier.

It will be the fourth time Britain have taken on Ukraine, having won all three previous meetings.

The tie is scheduled for 8-10 May, although it could be moved forward to March if both nations agree.

British captain John Lloyd told
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Draper looked on from the stands as Britain suffered relegation

Questions have been raised about the GB team’s mentality and empty Wimbledon seats in the wake of defeat to Austria.”It’s easy to start firing the blame,” Draper told the BBC, “but John’s a good captain with the support of the team.”We had 25,000 people over the three days so it’s a nonsense to say it wasn’t a great atmosphere.”Estimates suggest up to 10,000 seats lay empty across the weekend
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Madrid - Feliciano Lopez is afraid of them, Emilio Sanchez respects them and Rafael Nadal is a bit jealous: Argentine fans have emerged as an awe-inspiring force ahead of the Davis Cup final pitting host Argentina against Spain in November.

Quick-witted, creative and often hurtful in their singing, Argentine fans know a great deal about tennis, but in a country where football is the great national passion it is the culture of football stadiums that pervades any sporting event. Nadal and his Spain team may well find the stadium
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Mauresmo, a two-time Grand Slam winner, lost out to her 19-year-old rival

The former world number one, down to 25 in the rankings, took the first set against Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova but crashed to a 6-3 4-6 3-6 defeat.”It’s disappointing, especially since I thought I was playing some pretty good tennis,” said the 29-year-old Mauresmo.Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic are seeded one and two in Beijing.The Serbians are currently ranked number two and four
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Maybe there is no right or wrong way on how to handle a tennis career. It may all just be a matter of personal preference. However, there seems to be a prevailing view that if an athlete, specifically a tennis player, is not totally dedicated to playing just tennis all the time they are wasting their talent. Admittedly, at first glance — given how competitive any professional sport is right now — this seems to make sense. But, in tennis, more than any major sport, there is the burn-out factor. More great tennis players over the last 30 years
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Mini Tennis, Pee Wee Tennis, Tiny Tots Tennis, Little Mozzies! Coaching Junior Beginners has been called everything. The bottom line for tennis coaches is that having a strong beginner tennis coaching program is the key to a long term sustainable business operation.

Putting together an exciting and challenging tennis coaching program for the young player should be a priority for any serious coach. These young beginners also need some special coaching methods to teach them to love tennis and stay in the game.

Tip 1 - Success equals Confidence
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Hamburg - US Open champion Serena Williams tops the latest women’s tennis rankings issued on Monday by the WTA while Russia’s Dinara Safina moves up two places to third.

Williams has 4,091 points and is followed by Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic on 3,885 and Safina on 3,747. Former number one Ana Ivanovic of Serbia drops one spot to fourth with Russia’s Elena Dementieva down one place to fifth. WTA top 10 as of September 22 (previous ranking in parenthesis): 1. (1) Serena Williams, United States, 4,091 points; 2. (2) Jelena Jankovic,
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Hamburg - Rafael Nadal of Spain maintains top spot ahead of former number one Roger Federer in an unchanged men’s tennis rankings issued on Monday by the ATP.

French Open and Wimbledon champion Nadal continues to lead the way on 7,000 points, with US Open winner Federer on 5,930 and Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic of Serbia third on 4,855 points. ATP top 10 as of September 22 (previous ranking in parenthesis): 1. (1) Rafael Nadal, Spain, 7,000 points; 2. (2) Roger Federer, Switzerland, 5,930; 3. (3) Novak Djokovic,
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   Madrid - American Andy Roddick was bemoaning his lost opportunities after a brutal Davis Cup weekend at the hands of Spain, with the defending champion US going out of the semi-final 4-1.

   Number eight Roddick lost both of his singles matches, ending a nine-match win streak in the worldwide team competition.    Roddick was downed by both David Ferrer and and lost heavily to Rafael Nadal in the reverse singles in front of 21,000 in Madrid’s Las Ventas bullring.    ’I don’t think you could draw up a tougher situation than
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Madrid - Argentina and two-time champion Spain will face off in November’s Davis Cup final after victories Sunday against the United States and Russia in their respective semi-final matches.

Rafael Nadal waited out a lengthy rain delay before assuring Spain of its place with a 6-4, 6-0, 6-4 defeat of Andy Roddick in Madrid, while Juan del Potro beat Igor Andreev in straight sets in Buenos Aires to seal a narrow 3-2 win for Argentina. Nikolay Davydenko initially kept Russia in the contest, posting a comeback over David Nalbandian
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leadPicToggle(); Argentina to host Davis Cup final From correspondents in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Former Australian Captain September 22, 2008

ARGENTINA will face Spain in the Davis Cup final after they completed a 3-2 win over Russia in the semi-finals in Buenos Aires on Monday (EST). Juan Martin del Potro clinched the crucial final point when he defeated Igor Andreev 6-4 6-2 6-1 in the deciding singles.

Argentina, who have never won the Davis Cup, will enjoy home advantage in the November 21-23 final against two-time champions Spain.
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Murray got the Court One crowd going in his match against Jurgen Melzer

Alex Bogdanovic’s loss to Alex Peya in Sunday’s final rubber meant Britain were relegated from the World Group.Murray said: “The guys in the other matches didn’t get the crowd involved. When Alex fell behind, I didn’t see any fist-pumps or hear any ‘Come-ons’. “Even if you’re breaking racquets I don’t care - I just want to see you’re desperate to win the match.”Murray added: “In both my
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leadPicToggle(); Britain slip into Davis Cup obscurity From correspondents in London, England
Former Australian Captain September 22, 2008

ANDY Murray once again starred at Wimbledon, but he couldn’t prevent Great Britain dropping out of the elite Davis Cup World Cup after they suffered a 3-2 loss to Austria on Sunday. US Open finalist Murray defeated Jurgen Melzer 6-4 5-7 6-3 6-1 in the opening reverse singles to square the rubber at 2-2, but British No.2 Alex Bogdanovic’s woeful Davis Cup record continued when he lost 2-6 6-4 6-4 6-2 to Alexander Peya.
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National pride … Fernando Gonzalez secured victory for Chile. AP leadPicToggle(); Australia go down to Chile From Daniel Pace in Antofagasta, Chile
Former Australian Captain September 22, 2008

AUSTRALIA will be stranded in the second-tier Asia-Oceania division for at least another year after losing their Davis Cup tie to Chile in Antofagasta, Chile, on Monday (EST).

Chris Guccione - Australia’s
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Madrid - Rafael Nadal waited out a lengthy rain delay before assuring Spain a place in the Davis Cup final with a 6-4, 6-0, 6-4 defeat of Andy Roddick on Sunday.

The November World Group final will be contested between the two-time champion Spaniards and the winner from Argentina versus Russian being played in Buenos Aires with the nations knotted 2-2. Nikolay Davydenko made the difference for Russia, posting a comeback over David Nalbandian 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 6-0 and leaving the tie down to a fifth rubber between Juan
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Madrid - Results on Sunday at the Davis Cup semi-finals (x indicates new result).

At Madrid, Spain v US Reverse singles Rafael Nadal, Spain, def. Andy Roddick, US, 6-4, 6-0, 6-4 x Feliciano Lopez, Spain, def. Sam Querrey, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-4) Spain def. US, 4-1 to reach final At Buenos Aires, Argentina v Russia Reverse singles Nikolay Davydenko, Russia, def. David Nalbandian, Argentina, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 6-0 Argentina level with Russia, 2-2

Rafael Nadal … world No.1 celebrates victory against Roddick. Reuters leadPicToggle(); Spain reach Davis Cup final From Denholm Barnetson in Madrid, Spain
Former Australian Captain September 22, 2008

SPAIN defeated defending champions the USA to reach the Davis Cup final when world No.1 Rafael Nadal thrashed Andy Roddick in straight sets on Sunday to give the home side an unbeatable 3-1
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Madrid - Rafael Nadal waited out a lengthy rain delay before assuring Spain a place in the Davis Cup final with a 6-4, 6-0, 6-4 defeat of Andy Roddick on Sunday.

The November World Group final will be contested between the two-time champion Spaniards and the winner from Argentina versus Russian being played in Buenos Aires with the South Americans ahead 2-1. Spain will be bidding for a third Davis trophy after winning in 2000 over Australia and in 2004 against the US in Seville. Nadal’s superiority on clay following a one-hour,
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“Bogdanovic has got a world class backhand - that’s why people are so frustrated that he has not made it big.”

“Peya had a couple of opportunities there but he did not quite have enough power on his backhand when it mattered - twice he hit the top of the net.”

“Good luck to Boggo now, who is probably playing in his own US Open final today. Have a bad feeling here. He is a world champion at choking. Let’s get behind him though, maybe a bit of support from our desktops might drive him on!”
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“It’s been a strange match - it was nip and tuck in the last set but Melzer’s feet are not moving the way he would like at the moment. It is crucial for Andy to hold on and get a second break.”
“John Lloyd and the whole British team knew when Jurgen missed that forehand into the corner that that was his chance gone - and two big serves gave Murray the set.”
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Safina captured her fourth WTA TOur title

The fourth seed came out with all guns blazing in Ariake, Japan, and quickly broke to go 3-1 up in the first set before closing it out with an ace.

A third break in the second set sealed the victory as Kuznetsova’s forehand volley went wide.

The title is Safina’s fourth of the year and she is now poised to climb to a career-high third in the world.

“God knows how far I can get,” said the French Open runner-up and US Open semi-finalist.

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leadPicToggle(); Safina wins Pan Pacific Open From Hidenori Fukuo in Tokyo, Japan
Former Australian Captain September 21, 2008

OLYMPIC silver medallist Dinara Safina powered past Svetlana Kuznetsova in an all-Russian final on Sunday to win the Pan Pacific Open, her fourth title of the year. Safina, the 22-year-old French Open finalist and world number five, notched an easy 6-1, 6-3 victory over Kuznetsova, the 2004 US Open champion and world number seven, to take the title in her first-ever appearance in Tokyo.
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