Serena is a Glamour Girl

Gossip Girl:
Spotted:
Serena Williams and Tyra Banks at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards in New York, which were held in the Carnegie Hall.


Serena went back home with an award in her pocket along with stars like - Rihanna, Stella McCartney and Michelle Obama. It's a good company for the REAL world No.1 like Serena :P

~jachal

Bepa will undergo surgery

Vera Zvonareva will undergo arthroscopic surgery to remove scar tissue on her right ankle, her agent says. She is expected to return in time for the beginning of next season.


Zvonareva, who badly hurt her ankle during her 3rd round encounter in Charleston against Virginie Razzano, couldn't find her amazing form since the incident. She reached several big finals at the end of last year (including the Season Ending Championships), continuing her great form into this year. At the Australian Open, she reached the semis (which she never done before) and then went on to win two titles - the Premier Mandatory Indian Wells and Pattaya.



Coming into Charelston as the top seed and the season's second player (Race Standings) she was a strong favourite to win the title. The Russian came back at Wimbledon. After struggling to win matches, ahe reached the third round, where she had to pull out - ironically - once again against Virginie Razzano. The rest of the season was shettered by the not fully healed ankle, which caused more struggles on court.

Let's keep our fingers crossed, Bepa will comeback strong in 2010!!!

~jachal

I want your money back!

Marat Safin, who is still alive in Paris Masters 1000 after saving 3 match points in his first round victory over Thierry Ascione, criticised Andre Agassi. Playing his last tournament of his career, Marat insisted that Agassi should give money back to ATP...


"OK, so he feels guilty? Then he should give back his titles, his money and his Grand Slams. If he's about fair play, he should go all the way. You know, the ATP have a bank account, he can pay them back if he wants to." said Safin.

"I guess I have to retire and then after a few years I'll write an autobiography with some confessions." he joked.

~shaw

Wickmayer & Malisse banned for 1 year

US Open tennis semi-finalist Yanina Wickmayer and her Belgian compatriot Xavier Malisse were handed one-year bans for falling foul of doping regulations, the Belga news agency reported.


Wickmayer, the world No.18, was suspended by the Flemish Doping Tribunal (VDT) for failing to fulfill the controversial "whereabouts rule" while Malisse was also punished for missing a drugs test.

Both players can appeal their suspensions to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The suspension was announced despite 20-year-old Wickmayer currently playing in the Tournament of Champions event in Bali where on Friday she would be attempting to reach the semi-finals.

Wickmayer was accused of failing on three occasions to fulfill the ADAMS (Anti-Doping Administration and Management System) under which athletes are obliged to tell national anti-doping authorities where they will be at a chosen hour each day for a three-month period.
The sanctions came as a surprise - only last month, it was expected that the two players would escape with just a reprimand.

Malisse, 29, is currently 95 in the world, having been at 19 in 2002. He has won three titles in his career.

~AFP

Haas with swine flu

Tommy Haas admitted he has contracted swine flu, which has forced him to withdraw from this week's Davidoff Indoors in Basel. The German is hoping to be back in action next week at the tournament in Paris.

The world No 17 dropped out of the Stockholm Open last week after he felt he was suffering from flu. However, the German had tests and it was confirmed that he had contracted the H1N1 virus.

"I did a test because I suspected I had swine flu and the test was positive," he said. "It was obviously a shock for me. I was really bad for three days and I couldn't leave my hotel room. I felt really bad." - Haas explains.

"I am quite relaxed because I know that swine flu is a particularly strong form of flu but when you are in a good physical condition like I am, then you can quickly beat it."

~jachal

Not so fast! Santoro wants to play more!

Fabrice Santoro, who will turn 37 in December, admitted in a press conference in Lyon that he is considering playing Australian Open 2010. Season 2009 was supossed to be the last one for Fabrice.

"Since a Canadian reporter told me I would be the first to achieve such a feat, I keep on saying to myself that it would be nice, it would be an unusual record." he said in Lyon.

"But if I want to be able to play five-set matches in Melbourne, I must not go skiing in December. I won't make that decision thoughtlessly."

Well, we love you so much Fabrice, that we would be thrilled to see you in Melbourne.

~shaw

Please Roger, don't play!

Roger Federer was sent more than 500 letters asking him not to participate in his hometown event in Basel. The tournament is sponsored by tobacco brand Davidoff.

Controversy over Basel's sponsorship has arisen in past years as well. Switzerland still allows tobacco signage at sporting events while the EU has banned such advertising.

~shaw

Baghdatis shows good form and positive mood

"When you wake up in the morning and you don't feel any pain, it's easier to play good tennis. I'm having a good run now and enjoying myself on the court. I'm hungry to do well and I want to come back stronger than before."


We think that you already managed to comeback Marcos, considering the fact that few months ago you were about 150 and now you are 41 in the ATP ranking. We are more than happy for you.

~shaw

Sampras beats Agassi in Macau exhibition

Pete Sampras defeated Andre Agassi at an exhibition match in Macau 3-6 6-3 10-8. This was the first time that Sampras and Agassi played each other in seven years.

"Andre just hits the ball so cleanly even after being retired for three years. The pace of his shots is just very heavy. Today he was serving great, I think he even out-aced me. It was a pleasure playing him, he is a great player with a great return of serve" said Sampras.

"Thanks for the exercise" Agassi responded to Sampras after the match.

~shaw

Wozniacki & Betfair - a couple?

Did the good girl gone bad? Caroline Wozniacki's good name may suffer a little in the next few days, as the Dane is linked to a betting scandal. The World No.5 has decided to retire in the most peculiar time in a match - while leading Anne Kremer 7/5 5/0. But it wasn't only the retirement, that made the people want to have a look at this match again. Piotr Wozniacki, the father and coach of Caroline, told her to stop the match after two games no matter what the score, would be.


Wozniacki, playing the 25th event of the year (most of all the top 10 players), recieved a treatment for a hamstring strain during a match. Though limping in between the points, she was moving pretty good, while playing.

"I could possibly have finished the match, but felt there was no way I could get ready for the second round on Thursday, so I chose the sporting way and let her go through. She's also [playing] at home," - Wozniacki told Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet.

Anne Kremer, who got into the main draw, as a lucky loser after Melanie Oudin withdrew with a gastro-intestinal illness, could once again speak of big luck, as she now will face Katarina Srebotnik for a place in the quarterfinals. But was it really luck, or maybe a planned move from the Wozniacki family. There have been voices raised, that the match was being fixed.


Piotr Wozniacki, who during a changeover told Caroline to stop playing was surprised, by the whole situation.

"I said to her, 'Caroline, whether it is 5-0, 4-1 or 3-2 at the next change of ends, you have to decide if you will be able to play the next match. Then make the right decision. I have spoken to the tournament director, who spoke to the WTA, who was also at the match. They all said Caroline showed a lot of sportsmanship." - he explained to Ekstra Bladet.

About $2.5 million was wagered on Wozniacki on Betfair, according to Danish reports. Accounts also indicated that Piotr's conversation with Caroline was quickly posted online and may have prompted some to put money on Kremer towards the end of the match.

The match will be reviewed by the WTA.

~jachal

They really love Rafa in China

This doesn't require any comment...

~shaw

Mauresmo considers retirement

Amelie Mauresmo pulled out of Tokyo, Beijing, Linz & Luxembourg. She didn't want to fly accross the world and play again anymore this year.


"Since coming back from the U.S. Open, I have tried to practice but haven't been able to find the desire to return to competition." Mauresmo said on her official website.
"I don't want to rush or force things. I'm letting myself have some time to reflect before taking a decision about the rest of my career."

On the positive note Mauresmo has just entered the field in Gold Coast and Sydney for next year.

So, what is it all about?

~shaw

Wozniacki not happy with the organizers

US Open runner-up Caroline Wozniacki is quickly moving up the rankings and therefor becoming one of the WTA stars, but last week she couldn't fully deliver due to an infection. She had give up the match against Aleksandra Wozniak in Tokio after trailing the Canadian 0-5 in the first set. This week, still not feeling 100%, she asked the Beijing organizers to move her match, but her request was denied, which led to a tset lost to Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. Here's her take on the whole situation:



"In Beijing, I still was not feeling close to 100%, so I asked the tournament director and WTA for a Monday start (instead of playing my first round on Sunday), but it was very frustrating to learn on Saturday that I was scheduled to play my first match on Sunday. I really needed every hour of rest to get over this virus and ready for my first match, but the WTA or tournament director did not seem to care at all and take this into consideration. The WTA Tour is supposed to be a players union, but I certainly don’t think they represented my best interest this week in Beijing and it was very disappointing. In my first round, I ended up playing Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez, and I played a good first set which I won close 7-5. In the second set, it was really close again but I lost it in a tiebreaker and then in the third set I just completely ran out of energy and ended up losing the match."

"Losing my first round in is Beijing was exactly what I was worried about since I have not practiced for more than one hour in the past week. I was hopeful that if th WTA were to give me a first round start on Monday that I could’ve had a much better chance of winning and feeling better as I were to advance through the tournament. I am never one to make excuses because Martinez-Sanchez did play a good match, but I really feel the WTA and tournament director could’ve helped me and they chose not to"

It seems like the polite Dane finally got some character. Is this the influence of her closest freind on Tour - Agnieszka Radwanska (who is only trailing Serena Williams, when it comes down to being outspoken)???

~jachal

Serena Williams - the naked number one

No offense to Dinara Safina, but this shit really had to come to an end. It was getting more ridiciulous with every single match, setting new low standards for the WTA Tour. On Monday Serena Williams will overtake the Russian as the new world No.1.

Serena on the cover of the ESPN magazine

Serena, an eleven time Grand Slam champion, is someone who is more likely to be associated with the top spot and by many seen as the true world No.1 at the moment. This is the key argument she uses, while explaining why she deserves to be on the top of the standings, buty if you look closely at her results this year - they've been far from impressive (besides the Grand Slams). The American hasn't won a tournament outside of the Grand Slams for more than 1,5 year!!! From Miami til the French Open she couldn't win a single match, going on a 4 match losing streak.

Serena reaching the top spot perfectly exemplifies, that there's no real No.1 at the moment on Tour. Nobody has fully taken the initiative since Justine Henin's departure, so it won't surprise anybody if she would recapture her reign of the WTA. And it is kinda funny, that the only person, who right now looks like keeping her away from doing it - is her countrywoman - Kim Clijsters. We'll wait, we'll see as all this developes. If the Belgiums come back for good, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Elena Dementieva will be kicking their own asses for not using the best chance ever, to make it the top of the rankings asd all the other players did...

~jachal

Safina's slump continues with a record loss

Dinara Safina re-wrote the tennis history books today by losing to Shuai Zhang at the Beijing Open. The Chinese was given a wildcard into the Premier Mandatory event, coz with her ranking place of 226, she couldn't even get direct acceptance into the qualifications, but the 20 year old knew to make out the most of it, as she beat teh Russian 7/5 7/6(5). This marks the worst ever loss by a World No.1 in terms of ranking.


Safina, who by many has been pointed out as the worst world No.1 ever, because she didn't have a Grand Slam title under her belt, has been in a slumpfrom this summer on. She lost 4 of her last 6 matches and only one of those losses came to a player ranked inside the top 30. She went out in the 3rd round of the US Open to Petra Kvitova (WTA, 70) and in Tokyo last week to the qualifier Kai-Chen Chang (WTA, 132), but loss is a new low. The previous shameful record belonged to Ana Ivanovic, who lost to Julie Coin (WTA, 188).

Safina's playing under the pressure of being the world's best player, may end now very quickly. Should Serena Williams win her next match over Ekatarina Makarova, she will overtake the Russian in the rankings. Let's see how this unfoldsa nd if Serena was right saying everybody knew whi the real No.1 player was...

Dina refused to talk to the reporters after the match, but released an oficial statement, saying she would like to take a break as she is disappointed with herself.

Will Safina continue now her brother's pattern?

~jachal

Ivanovic finishes 2009 season

Ana Ivanovic's year has gone from bad to worse. The former world No.1 can't seem to get near her form from the past, which allowed her to reach the top of the rankings, win the French Open and reach two more Grand Slam finals. Now the Serb has to put up with a respiratory tract infection, that has made her pull out of the the Premier Mandatory event in Beijing and ultimately means the end of the season for her.


Though it all looks dismal for Ivanovic this year, it's good to see that she's still able to laugh at her self.

"I guess having to withdraw from Beijing is an appropriate ending to a disappointing season. On the positive side I astill No.11 in the world. I have no clue, how I am ranked so highly, but to look at the bright side, I can't play any worse than I did this year and I'm still in the top 20!"

Another bright side is, that Ana still managed to get a new photo shooting in Beijing, which leaves us with some more nice pics of the cutie, that she is :)


Dear Ana, please have a nice rest and come back strong in 2010!!!

~jachal

Wickmayer & Malisse have problems with the anty-doping agency

Two of Belgiums best tennis players - Yanina Wickmayer and Xavier Malisse - must appear before a Belgian anti-doping commission after violating its rules.


Wickmayer broke the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) "whereabouts" rule three times in the past 18 months, Belga said, citing a spokesman for the Flemish Doping Tribunal.

Under the rule, athletes must tell their national anti-doping authorities where they will be at a chosen hour between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. each day for a three-month period.

If they change plans they are obliged to inform the authorities. Athletes who miss three doping tests over an 18-month period face possible suspension.

Malisse, ranked 153rd in the world, broke the whereabouts rules twice and missed a doping test, Belga said.

He will have to justify his absence in front of a disciplinary commission on Oct. 8. Wickmayer will be heard on Oct. 22, the agency added.

~reuters

Del Potro opens a Wilson shop

So there's no doubt - the US Open victory turned Juan Martin Del Potro into a superstar. Suddenly everyone wants a piece of the tall Argentinian. Delpo is now a very busy man, but he found some time to be present at the opening of a Wilson shop in Buenos Aires.

~jachal

It's party time

It's definitely not the best year for Rafael Nadal. Although he captured first ever Australian Open title, from that moment on everything got worse. Serious knees injury appeared again, his parents got divorced, he lost in the 4th round of his favourite French Open and was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon. The Clay King cameback strongly during US Open reaching semifinal, but he got another injury. This time he had abdominal problems.

During those weeks that he spend at home, when he couldn't even play tennis, Rafa had a lot of free time. As it seems from the pictures, Rafa went to some really good parties...

Let us remind you what did Nadal say when asked during US 09 about being drunk:

Axèle: Do you smoke and have you ever been drunk?

RN: Never smoke, I really hate it, and I have not been really drunk.

Really? ;)
Good to see that Rafa had some fun!

~shaw

No comeback from Hingis

Tomorrow ends Martina Hingis' the two year drug suspention from the International Tennis Federation. The Swiss Miss, as her fans used to call her, was suspended for the use of cocaine before her 3rd round match against Laura Granville at Wimbledon 2007. The former world No.1 decided to immidietly retire from the sport, as she didn't want to get into a long term fight in the court, though her hair follicle test didn't show any traces of cocaine. Now, the The Sport Illustrated caught up with Martina, just to see how she was doing and if she would want to start a Clijsters-like comeback.

SI.com: From an emotional standpoint, how do feel you've handled the past two years?Martina Hingis: OK. There were hard times and it was frustrating knowing I did nothing wrong but couldn't really fight this. It was my reputation and I knew the truth. But the process didn't really let me fight.

SI.com: Given your outspoken personality, I think it surprised a lot of people that maybe you weren't as forceful, deciding, for instance, not to appeal. Do you regret that?
Hingis: Like you say, I always spoke [honestly] even if I wasn't always politically correct. I spoke the truth even when the truth may have hurt me. But the system was set up in such a way that there was nothing I could do.

SI.com: Bottom line: have you ever ...
Hingis: No. Taken cocaine? Never. No [recreational] drugs. I don't know even the effects. I've maybe been in a position where I could have. But never, no. If I had ever taken cocaine, I would have said so.

SI.com: Before this happened, did you ever worry about a situation like this?
Hingis: No, because I probably had between 80-100 tests and no problems. The only thing I would ever take was aspirin and I was very particular about these things. Even if I had a flu I'd call my doctor and say, "What can I take?" I was always very cautious. I never took anything that was not approved first.

SI.com: Were any players notably supportive?
Hingis: Billie Jean King wrote a letter on my behalf. But, you know, I wasn't allowed at the Grand Slams, even to enter the stadium during tournaments. So I had little contact with the other players.

SI.com: Richard Gasquet?
Hingis: No.

SI.com: Lots of comebacks going on. You're 10 years younger than Kimiko Date ...
Hingis: I'll leave it Justine [Henin]! It's not so easy. You need to commit. You can't just do it when you want to. I know the women's game isn't at the highest point it's ever been. OK, look at Kim [Clijsters]. But she has the family support, the husband, she's physically strong. She played three tournaments and she's right back and I don't think anyone can hurt her on the court.

SI.com: What is your relationship with tennis?
Hingis: I love tennis, still a big part of my life. I didn't play much in the beginning of the suspension, but then I played more. Now when I play, a lot of the time it's with juniors. I've been able to [distinguish] between the sport and the administrators.

~jachal