Tennis News

“The USTA takes a lot of heat over the years for Where are the players?' So you might as well step up and be accountable.”

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- U.S. tennis was a formidable force at the Sony Ericsson Open, by today's standards at least. via Sportsnet.ca

“I'll have to use that strength”

By ASSOCIATED PRESS 6:47 p.m., Monday, April 7, 2008 AMELIA ISLAND - Hard courts have been very good to Maria Sharapova so far this year. via Naples Daily News Online

Sybille Bammer beat 15-year-old wild card Anna Orlik 6-3, 7-6 in the first round of the Bausch & Lomb Championships on Monday. via Fox Sports

Marina Erakovic has reached 86th place in the WTA rankings. Photo / Martin Sykes New Zealand women's tennis No 1 Marina Erakovic begins her preparations for the French Open as the second seed at a US$75,000 ... via The New Zealand Herald

A Rochester man was arrested Friday morning after police say he fired a shotgun at a vehicle in northwest Rochester. via Democrat & Chronicle

JAPAN'S Kimiko Date, a former world top five player, will return to the women's professional tour at the age of 37 after retiring 12 years ago, local media reported on Sunday. via The Straits Times

“The police had it covered. They told me when to go and what to do.”

Police repeatedly scuffled with protesters as Olympians and dignitaries carried the Olympic torch during a chaotic relay through snowy London on Sunday. via The Dispatch

As Andy Roddick offered a congratulatory handshake at the net to Nikolay Davydenko, the stoic Russian erupted in laughter. via Tehran Times

“As discussed, please find below the official statement that torchbearers can use should they receive any interview or media requests on the day.”

By MARTIN DELGADO, STEPHANIE CONDRON and DANIEL COCHLIN - More by this author Comments Organisers of the Olympic torch relay through London have tried to advise celebrities taking part what to say if they are ... via Daily Mail

“It would have been nice to get it in front of the home crowd”

With the game already well in hand, the St. Louis Blues turned their attention to helping Keith Tkachuk reach a milestone.

Tkachuk scored the 498th and 499th goals of his career in the Blues' 3-0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, and coach Andy Murray left him out on the ice late in the game so the veteran could try for No. 500 in the team's final home game.

'Andy played me a lot there in the third,' Tkachuk said. 'I think it's the most he's played me all year. It was nice. It was almost a little embarrassing, everyone trying to feed me all the time.' Read more

Serena Williams screamed at herself, broke her racket and then finally finished off Jelena Jankovic 6-1, 5-7, 6-3 Saturday for her fifth title at the Sony Ericsson Open.

Williams survived an improbable comeback by Jankovic, who trailed 5-3 in the second set, and some shaky play down the stretch. Williams failed to convert seven match points in the final set, then finished the job with an overhead slam.

Williams, who grew up in nearby Palm Beach Gardens, also won the tournament in 2002-04 and 2007. She matched Steffi Graf's record of five women's titles, while Andre Agassi won the tournament six times. Read more

“I'm quite amazed what the headlines are saying at the moment, to be honest.”

Roger Federer cools off on his way to losing against Andy Roddick at the Sony Ericsson Open in Florida on Friday. via The Age

“They will see it as disrespectful. It's like me picking up a tennis racket now and playing at Wimbledon.”

Former Olympic sprinter Jamie Baulch has warned Dwain Chambers he is making a big mistake in taking up professional rugby league. via Falkirk Herald

Fourth-ranked Nikolay Davydenko said he might skip the Beijing Olympics because the long flight could hurt his performance at the U.S. Open. via PR-inside.com

“It's great for me to be able to work with a claycourt specialist like Alex. He had a fantastic career and I am looking forward to learning from his experiences”

Britain's number one tennis player Andy Murray has hired Spaniard Alex Corretja as part of his coaching set-up for the European claycourt season. via Eurosport

Nadal needed seven set points to close out the 73-minute first set, then pulled away. via The Globe and Mail

Andy Roddick ended a streak of 11 consecutive losses to Roger Federer on Thursday at the Sony Ericsson Open.

Dominating with his serve, Roddick took advantage of Federer's suddenly shaky play down the stretch to win 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals. Roddick improved to 2-15 against his nemesis.

'I came in knowing that nobody has beaten me 12 times in a row,' Roddick told the delighted capacity crowd afterward. 'So I had that on my side.'

Serving at 3-3, love-30 in the final set, Roddick won the next 11 points, five of them thanks to unforced errors by Federer. Read more

“We all have to improve our tennis”

LONDON : Rafael Nadal will play for Spain when his country visits Germany in the Davis Cup quarterfinals. via International Herald Tribune

Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles saved three match-points en route to a thrilling victory over Martin Damm and Pavel Vizner that set them up against top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan in the final of the US $377,0000 ... via Rediff.com

Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi set up a quarter-final clash against each other in the $ 3,770,000 Sony Ericsson Open, ATP Masters Series event, after winning their second round doubles matches. via The Times of India