2013/05/19

Wilson Racquet Sports Rolls Out Social Media for the Australian Open

Wilson Tennis is continuing to make strides in  social media.  In 2011 they will use an array of online outlets to get in touch with tennis players and fans around the world.

With over 500 million active users, Facebook will play host to the Wilson Tennis couch during the Australian Open. Attendees of this year’s Australian Open championship will have the opportunity to sit on the Wilson Tennis couch. Once the photo is taken, they will have the opportunity to collect their photo on Wilson Tennis Facebook page and more importantly, choose to sit next to one of their favorite Wilson Tennis stars like Roger, Venus, Serena or Justine to get the ultimate racquet advice, digitally of course. www.facebook.com/wilsontennis

“Wilson is the #1 brand in tennis and we want to make sure that we are there for all the people who love our brand,” said Cory Springer, Wilson Global Business Director for Racquets. “We want to be accessible and interactive. It’s all about making it fun for everyone to be part of the Wilson team.”
Wilson will host live UStream broadcasts through the tournament with player interviews, a behind the scenes look at the stringing room, inside the Wilson player service area and great Wilson giveaways. www.ustream.tv/wilsontennis

Fans can connect directly to Wilson’s Tour Team in Australia via Google talk or AIM chat. People can talk directly to the people who handle the top professional tennis players in the world like Federer, Williams sisters, Del Potro and many more. Get insight to the game, ask questions or simply get info on Wilson products.
Screen name: WilsonTourTeam

For the most up to date info from Australia, track Wilson Tennis on Twitter. www.twitter.com/wilsontennis

Wilson Racquet Sports is a division of Chicago-based Wilson Sporting Goods, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of sports equipment and owned by Amer Sports. Wilson designs, manufactures and distributes sporting goods throughout the world and focuses on making technologically advanced products which help players of all levels perform better. Wilson’s core sport categories include: Football, Basketball, Baseball, Volleyball, Soccer, Youth Sports, Uniforms/Apparel, Golf, Footwear and Racquet Sports (Tennis, Racquetball, Squash, Badminton and Platform Tennis). For more information, visit www.wilson.com.

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Net Notes for January 4, 2011

In the News:

  • Stan Wawrinka announced his separation from his wife on twitter :

I would like to announce my separation with my wife Ilham Vuilloud. Our main concern now is to look after the best interests and….. education of our daughter Alexia.

Stanislas Wawrinka
According to the Swiss newspaper Blick, Wawrinka walked out on his wife and child citing that he has five years left to make something out of his tennis career.

  • Roger Federer hit a between-the-legs shot in his first match of the season. He defeated Tomas Schoorel 7-6, 6-3 at the Qatar Open. Also in Doha, it was smooth sailing for Rafael Nadal ousting Karol Beck 6-3, 6-0.
  • After a shortened suspension for importing vials of  HGH into Australia a year ago, Wayne Odesnik is back on tour working his way from the very bottom. He’s trying to qualify for a wildcard berth in the Plantation Florida Futures event next week.

Upsets of the Day

In Brisbane:

Jarmila Groth (AUS) d [1] Samantha Stosur (AUS) 6-2 6-4

Benjamin Becker (GER) d [3] Fernando Verdasco (ESP) 6-1 6-7(2) 6-3

Lucie Safarova (CZE) d [2] Shahar Peer (ISR) 3-6 6-1 7-5


Results and Schedules

ASB CLASSIC
Auckland-NZL
January 3-8, 2011
$220,000/International
Hard/Outdoors

Results – Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Singles – First Round
(2) Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) d. Dinara Safina (RUS) 63 67(2) 61
(4) Julia Goerges (GER) d. Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) 64 60
(7) Elena Vesnina (RUS) d. (WC) Marina Erakovic (NZL) 62 62
(8) Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) d. Tamira Paszek (AUT) 63 61
(9) Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP) d. Romina Oprandi (ITA) 63 76(7)
Alizé Cornet (FRA) d. Sandra Zahlavova (CZE) 36 75 60
Simona Halep (ROU) d. Ayumi Morita (JPN) 60 76(3)
Greta Arn (HUN) d. Zuzana Ondraskova (CZE) 61 60
(Q) Sabine Lisicki (GER) d. (Q) Florencia Molinero (ARG) 61 63
(Q) Heather Watson (GBR) d. (Q) Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (THA) 61 61

Doubles – First Round
(3) Mirza/Voracova (IND/CZE) d. Borwell/Pelletier (GBR/CAN) 63 64
(4) Dekmeijere/Groenefeld (LAT/GER) d. Birnerova/Keothavong (CZE/GBR) 75 46 108 (Match TB)
Cornet/Gallovits (FRA/ROU) d. Domínguez Lino/Soler Espinosa (ESP/ESP) 64 75
Larsson/Woehr (SWE/GER) d. (WC) Beattie/Fanning (NZL/NZL) 63 62

Order of Play – Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Centre Court (from 11.00hrs)
1. Peng Shuai vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova
2. Maria Sharapova vs. Renata Voracova
3. Sabine Lisicki vs. Yanina Wickmayer
4. Julia Goerges vs. Alizé Cornet
5. Peschke/Srebotnik vs. Nara/Watson

Court 2 (from 13.00hrs)
1. Carla Suárez Navarro vs. Heather Watson
2. Mirza/Voracova vs. Larsson/Woehr (after suitable rest)

Court 4 (from 11.00hrs)
1. Elena Vesnina vs. Simona Halep
2. Greta Arn vs. Sofia Arvidsson (NB 13.00hrs)
3. Anne Keothavong vs. Kateryna Bondarenko (NB 15.00hrs)


Brisbane International

Men’s main draw singles first round results:

Benjamin Becker (GER) d [3] Fernando Verdasco (ESP) 6-1 6-7(2) 6-3

[Q] Richard Berankis (LTU) d Arnaud Clement (FRA) 6-4 6-3

Kevin Anderson (RSA) d Peter Luczak (AUS) 6-4 6-4

[5] Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) d Florent Serra (FRA) 3-6 7-5 6-5

[1] Robin Soderling (SWE) d [Q] Ryan Harrison (USA) 6-2 6-4

Radek Stepanek (CZE) d Tobias Kamke (GER) 5-7 6-1 6-4

[4] Mardy Fish (USA) d [Q] Adrian Mannarino (FRA) 6-1 6-4

[Q] Matthew Ebden (AUS) d [WC] John Millman (AUS) 4-6 6-2 6-4

Men’s main draw doubles first round results:

Arnaud Clement (FRA) / Michal Mertinak (SVK) d Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR) / Denis Istomin (UZB) 6-4 6-4

[1] Max Mirnyi (BLR) / Daniel Nestor (CAN) d Thiemo de Bakker (NED) / Dmitry Tursunov (RUS) 3-6 6-3 [10-5]

Philip Petzschner (GER) / Alexander Peya (AUT) d Mardy Fish (USA) / Andy Roddick (USA)7-5 3-6 11-9

[WC] Carsten Ball (AUS) / Chris Guccione (AUS) d [2] Lukasz Kubot (POL) / Oliver Marach (AUT) 7-5 4-6 10-8

Women’s main draw singles first round results:

Roberta Vinci (ITA) d [LL] Christina Mchale (USA) 6-2 7-6(2)

Women’s main draw singles second round results:

Jarmila Groth (AUS) d [1] Samantha Stosur (AUS) 6-2 6-4

[5] Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) d Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) 6-2 7-5

Lucie Safarova (CZE) d [2] Shahar Peer (ISR) 3-6 6-1 7-5

Women’s main draw doubles first round results:

[2] Monica Niculescu (ROU) / Zi Yan (CHN) d Arantxa Parra Santonja (ESP) / Shahar Peer (ISR) 6-2 7-5 [11-9]

[4] Sara Errani (ITA) / Roberta Vinci (ITA) d Vania King (USA) / Alexandra Panova (RUS) 6-2 6-1

[1] Cara Black (ZIM) / Anastasia Rodionova (AUS) d Akgul Amanmuradova (UZB) / Darya Kustova (BLR) 7-5 5-7 [16-14]

Alexandra Dulgheru (ROU) / Olga Savchuk (UKR) d [WC] Sophie Ferguson (AUS) / Sally Peers (AUS) 7-6(4) 7-5

Klaudia Jans (POL) / Alicja Rosolska (POL) d [3] Olga Govortsova (BLR) / Alla Kudryavtseva (RUS) 7-6(5) 7-6(4)

Andrea Hlavackova (CZE) / Lucie Hradecka (CZE) d Polona Hercog (SLO) / Petra Martic (CRO) 7-5 6-2

PAT RAFTER ARENA start 10:30 am
B Zahlavova Strycova (CZE) vs [WC] S Peers (AUS) – WTA
[WC] J Dokic (AUS) vs A Petkovic (GER) – WTA
A Dolgopolov (UKR) vs [2] A Roddick (USA) – ATP
Not Before 7:00 PM
[5] M Baghdatis (CYP) vs L Kubot (POL) – ATP
[4] M Fish (USA) vs R Stepanek (CZE) – ATP

COURT 1 start 10:30 am
[Q] R Berankis (LTU) vs [7] F Mayer (GER) – ATP
S Giraldo (COL) vs B Becker (GER) – ATP
[WC] M Ebden (AUS) / P Luczak (AUS) vs F Serra (FRA) / G Simon (FRA) – ATP
[WC] J Groth (AUS) / J Hopper (AUS) vs [2] M Niculescu (ROU) / Z Yan (CHN) – WTA
[1] M Mirnyi (BLR) / D Nestor (CAN) vs B Becker (GER) / M Kohlmann (GER) – ATP

COURT 2 start 10:30 am
R Vinci (ITA) vs D Cibulkova (SVK) – WTA
[LL] K Pervak (RUS) vs P Kvitova (CZE) – WTA
[4] M Bartoli (FRA) vs I Benesova (CZE) – WTA
[6] F Lopez (ESP) vs K Anderson (RSA) – ATP

COURT 10 start 12:00 noon
[3] L Dlouhy (CZE) / P Hanley (AUS) vs J Erlich (ISR) / A Ram (ISR) – ATP
[1] C Black (ZIM) / A Rodionova (AUS) vs A Hlavackova (CZE) / L Hradecka (CZE) – WTA
[4] S Errani (ITA) / R Vinci (ITA) vs A Kleybanova (RUS) / A Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) – WTA

http://hindia.in/tamilnews/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Chennai-Open-2011.jpg

Chennai Open

ATP World Tour 250 $ 398,250

($ 450,000 Total Financial Commitment)
Chennai, India  (+5.5 hours GMT)
3-9 January, 2011
Surface: Hard

Singles – First Round
[1] T Berdych (CZE) d F Gil (POR) 60 61
[3] [WC] S Wawrinka (SUI) d [WC] R Bopanna (IND) 64 64
[4] R Gasquet (FRA) d [Q] E Roger-Vasselin (FRA) 61 63
B Kavcic (SLO) d [5] J Chardy (FRA) 63 62
[7] X Malisse (BEL) d M Ilhan (TUR) 63 61
[8] R Haase (NED) d F Dancevic (CAN) 67(6) 64 64
[Q] D Goffin (BEL) d S Devvarman (IND) 62 64
[Q] Y Sugita (JPN) d D Brown (GER) 64 26 62
[Q] A Kudryavtsev (RUS) d [WC] Y Bhambri (IND) 62 61
A Falla (COL) d R Machado (POR) 75 63

Doubles – First Round
M Cilic (CRO) / I Dodig (CRO) d L Friedl (CZE) / J Kerr (AUS) 60 75
S Bolelli (ITA) / J Tipsarevic (SRB) d [WC] D Sharan (IND) / V Vardhan (IND) 62 62

Order of Play – January 5, 2011

STADIUM start 5:00 pm
[1] T Berdych (CZE) vs I Dodig (CRO)
M Daniel (BRA) / E Schwank (ARG) vs [2] R Bopanna (IND) / A Qureshi (PAK)
B Phau (GER) vs [4] R Gasquet (FRA)
[7] X Malisse (BEL) vs S Robert (FRA)

COURT 1 start 5:00 pm
[4] C Fleming (GBR) / R Hutchins (GBR) vs S Ratiwatana (THA) / S Ratiwatana (THA)
S Lipsky (USA) / R Ram (USA) vs [3] D Brown (GER) / R Wassen (NED)
R Kendrick (USA) vs B Kavcic (SLO)

Hopman Cup

Session 5 – Belgium 3 d Kazakhstan 0

Justine Henin d Sesil Karatantcheva 6-4, 6-3

Ruben Bemelmans d Andrey Golubev 6-4, 6-4

Henin/Bemelmans d Karatantcheva/Golubev 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(8)

Session 6 – Serbia 3 d Australia 0

Ana Ivanovic d Alicia Molik 6-4, 6-0

Novak Djokovic d Lleyton Hewitt 6-2, 6-4

Ivanovic/Djokovic d Molik/Hewitt 6-7, 7-5, 7-6(6)

January 5, 2011 Session 7

9.30am AWST Italy vs USA

http://www.qatartennis.org/files/news/original/qatarExxonMobileOpen%5B1%5D.jpg

Qatar Open

Singles – First Round
[1] R Nadal (ESP) d K Beck (SVK) 63 60
[2] R Federer (SUI) d [Q] T Schoorel (NED) 76(3) 63
[5] E Gulbis (LAT) d V Hanescu (ROU) 63 76(6)
[6] V Troicki (SRB) d S Stakhovsky (UKR) 64 75
[8] P Kohlschreiber (GER) d A Seppi (ITA) 62 64
L Lacko (SVK) d P Riba (ESP) 57 76(7) 76(4)
[Q] A Veic (CRO) d [WC] S Sabry (EGY) 36 75 60
J Nieminen (FIN) d M Przysiezny (POL) 62 36 63
I Karlovic (CRO) d [Q] L Rosol (CZE) 76(5) 76(7)
T Gabashvili (RUS) d R Schuettler (GER) 64 76(2)
[Q] M Chiudinelli (SUI) d [WC] R El Amrani (MAR) 36 76(3) 63

Doubles – First Round
[2] F Cermak (CZE) / C Kas (GER) d M Fyrstenberg (POL) / V Hanescu (ROU) 62 62
M Chiudinelli (SUI) / J Tsonga (FRA) d G Garcia-Lopez (ESP) / R Schuettler (GER) 61 62
F Fognini (ITA) / I Zelenay (SVK) d E Gulbis (LAT) / M Zverev (GER) 75 36 10-5
D Bracciali (ITA) / A Seppi (ITA) d D Gimeno-Traver (ESP) / R Ramirez Hidalgo (ESP) 62 63

ORDER OF PLAY – WEDNESDAY, 5 JANUARY, 2011

CENTER COURT start 3:30 pm
[WC] S Bubka (UKR) vs [3] J Tsonga (FRA)
[Q] M Chiudinelli (SUI) vs [2] R Federer (SUI)
[1] R Nadal (ESP) vs L Lacko (SVK)
[4] N Davydenko (RUS) vs J Nieminen (FIN)
COURT 1 start 3:30 pm
[6] V Troicki (SRB) vs T Gabashvili (RUS)
[Q] A Veic (CRO) vs [5] E Gulbis (LAT)
D Bracciali (ITA) / A Seppi (ITA) vs [2] F Cermak (CZE) / C Kas (GER)
[3] M Lopez (ESP) / R Nadal (ESP) vs [WC] M Ghareeb (KUW) / M Zaid (QAT) – After Suitable Rest

COURT 2 start 4:00 pm
I Karlovic (CRO) vs [8] P Kohlschreiber (GER)
Not Before 6:00 PM
T Gabashvili (RUS) / P Kohlschreiber (GER) vs M Chiudinelli (SUI) / J Tsonga (FRA) – After Suitable Rest

COURT 3 start 4:00 pm
[7] G Garcia-Lopez (ESP) vs I Marchenko (UKR)
Not Before 6:00 PM
F Fognini (ITA) / I Zelenay (SVK) vs [4] F Polasek (SVK) / S Stakhovsky (UKR)

Net Notes provides current updates of tournament results, schedules and news briefs of the day.

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Wimbledon Elects Philip Brook as Chariman


Photo courtesy of the AELTC

London, UK, Thursday 9 December 2010:  The All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon, today confirmed that Philip Brook, previously the Club’s Vice-Chairman, has been duly elected as the Club’s new Chairman.

The appointment, which takes place with immediate effect, was confirmed at last night’s Club AGM (8 December) following the retirement of Tim Phillips after 11 years as Chairman.

Brook, 54, has been a Member of The Committee of Management of The Championships since 1997 and, as a player, is a former captain of Cambridge University lawn tennis team and Yorkshire Men’s Singles Champion.

Press Release

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Brisbane Set for Star-studded line-up in 2011

BI-campaign-media-release-header---email.jpg

Monday 6 December 2011

From Tennis Australia:

With the full playing list announced today, three of the top 10 ranking men and seven of the top 25 women in the world are set to headline an exciting field in January.

In the men’s draw, reigning Brisbane International men’s singles champion, five-time Grand Slam finalist and world No.8, Andy Roddick will be a major attraction.

He will be joined by world No.5, Robin Soderling who was a quarterfinalist at the Brisbane International 2009 and returning 2009 finalist and current No.9 Fernando Verdasco.

Returning to the Brisbane International in 2011 will be Marcos Baghdatis, Mardy Fish, Radek Stepanek, Nadia Petrova, Marion Bartoli, Jarmila Groth, Anastasia Rodionova and Jelena Dokic as a wildcard entry.

This will be Stepanek’s third appearance at the Brisbane International having won the event in 2009 and was a finalist in 2010.

Australia will be well represented in the women’s draw, with Australia’s No.1 tennis player, Sam Stosur, headlining.

The Australian line-up includes world No.6, Samantha Stosur, No.42 Jarmila Groth who reached the fourth round at Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year, and world No.64, Anastasia Rodionova who is ranked inside the top 100 players in the world for the fifth season in a row and is a dual gold medallist from the Commonwealth games in India.

Former world No.4 and Australian favourite Jelena Dokic will be joined by fellow crowd favourites Gilles Simon, Feliciano Lopez and Daniela Hantuchova.

Brisbane International Tournament Director Steve Ayles said that the strength of this year’s playing field is spectacular.

“It seems to be getting bigger each year. It’s great to see some of the big names from the last couple of years return and to see some champions sign on for the first time. Ayles said

“The strength in the playing field really says a lot about the calibre of the event, the city and the way that the tournament is run.

“It’s going to be exciting to see how each player performs and who can start the year off with a title win in Brisbane and set themselves up for a great run heading into the Australian Open.”

Official Brisbane International line-up (men)

Soderling, Robin SWE                                No.5

Roddick, Andy USA                                     No.8

Verdasco, Fernando ESP                            No.9

Fish, Mardy USA                                          No.16

Baghdatis, Marcos CYP No.20

Lopez, Feliciano ESP                                   No.32

Mayer, Florian GER                                      No.37

Istomin, Denis UZB                                      No.40

Granollers, Marcel ESP                                No.41

Simon, Gilles FRA                                         No.42

de Bakker, Thiemo NED                               No.43

Benneteau, Julien FRA                                 No.44

Dolgopolov, Alexandr UKR                          No.48

Becker, Benjamin GER                                No.53

Berrer, Michael GER                                    No.55

Petzschner, Philipp GER                             No.57

Anderson, Kevin RSA                                  No.61

Stepanek, Radek CZE                                 No.62

Giraldo, Santiago COL                                No.64

Kamke, Tobias GER                                     No.67

Serra, Florent FRA                                      No.69

Kubot, Lukasz POL                                      No.70

Sela, Dudi ISR                                             No.75

Clement, Arnaud FRA                                  No.78

Andreev, Igor RUS                                      No.79

Official Brisbane International line-up (women’s)

Stosur, Samantha AUS                              No.6

Peer, Shahar ISR                                       No.13

Petrova, Nadia RUS                                   No.15

Bartoli, Marion FRA                                   No.16

Pavlyuchenkova, Anastasia RUS              No.21

Pennetta, Flavia ITA                                 No.24

Kleybanova, Alisa RUS                             No.25

Dulgheru, Alexandra ROU No.29

Hantuchova, Daniela SVK                         No.30

Cibulkova, Dominika SVK                         No.31

Petkovic, Andrea GER                               No.32

Safarova, Lucie CZE                                 No.33

Kvitova, Petra CZE                                   No.34

Vinci, Roberta ITA                                     No.38

Groth, Jarmila AUS                                   No.42

Errani, Sara ITA                                         No.43

Schnyder, Patty SUI                                  No.44

Hercog, Polona SLO                                  No.47

Chakvetadze, Anna RUS                            No.56

Benesova, Iveta CZE                                 No.59

Kudryavtseva, Alla RUS                             No.60

Rodionova, Anastasia AUS                        No.64

Parra Santonja, Arantxa ESP                    No.65

Zahlavova Strycova, Barbora CZE            No.67

Dokic, Jelena AUS                         Wildcard            

Brisbane International 2011 series packages and single sessions are on sale now.

Ground passes for the event are $12.90 with the qualifying event on Friday 31 December and Saturday 1 January 2011 remaining free.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.ticketek.com.au/brisbaneinternational or call 1300 888 104.


Brisbane International 2011, presented by Events Queensland, will take place at the Queensland Tennis Centre, Brisbane, from 2 to 9 January 2011.

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Samantha Stosur awarded inaugural Newcombe Medal


Samantha Stosur was awarded the inaugural Newcombe Medal at the Newcombe Medal, Australian Tennis Awards in Melbourne tonight.

The Queenslander, 26, received the accolade for being Australia’s most outstanding elite player in 2010.

The Newcombe Medal is named to recognise the achievements of Australian tennis legend John Newcombe, who had the honour of presenting Stosur, current world No. 6, with the first ever medal.

The Newcombe Medal is the premier award on a night that recognises service to tennis at all levels – club, coaches, players, volunteers, community and officials.

“I think it is a great honour,” Stosur said.  “It is a really good initiative of Tennis Australia to put a night like this together for everyone to celebrate our sport. So to be the first winner of the Newcombe Medal is very special.

“Tennis is such a huge part of our culture in Australia, we’ve obviously got a great history and we’re trying to continue that now.

“You can only have that with clubs around the nation.

“I think for them to get the recognition for doing their best – putting in new courts, updating facilities, and having members and getting people out there playing is fantastic and getting recognition for that will help them strive and do more and do whatever they can.”

The other finalists for this prestigious Award category were Jarmila Groth (Vic), Lleyton Hewitt (SA) and Anastasia Rodionova (Vic).

Another highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Spirit of Tennis Award to Australia’s No. 2 ranked male player Peter Luczak, a Davis Cup stalwart, in recognition of his outstanding leadership, passion, sportsmanship, goodwill and dedication to the sport, as well as his major contribution to the stature of tennis.

David Taylor, Samantha Stosur’s Coach and Australian Fed Cup Captain, was also recognised for his exceptional coaching performance in the sport this year by being awarded the Coaching Excellence, High Performance Award.


The winners for the Award categories are as follows:

Coaching Excellence – Club

Brett Lennard, ACT

Coaching Excellence – High Performance

David Taylor, NSW

Coaching Excellence – MLC Tennis Hot Shots

Matthew Bull, WA

Excellence in Officiating

Kerrilyn Cramer, Vic

Junior Athlete of the Year (Female)

Ashleigh Barty, QLD

Junior Athlete of the Year (Male)

Bernard Tomic, QLD

Most Outstanding 35+ Tennis Senior

Andrew Rae, Vic

Most Outstanding Athlete with a Disability

Daniela di Toro, Vic

Most Outstanding Club

Gove Peninsula Tennis Club, NT

Most Outstanding Tennis Community

Kendall Tennis Club, NSW

Most Outstanding Tournament

Burnie International, TAS

Volunteer Achievement Award

Ross and Allen Smythe, QLD

Spirit of Tennis Award

Peter Luczak, Vic

Newcombe Medal

Samantha Stosur, QLD

-Tenns Australia

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Adecco Rejoins Davis Cup Family of Sponsors Through 2013


The ITF announced today that Adecco, the world leader in Human Resources Solutions, has returned to Davis Cup by BNP Paribas and will join Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, both as an international sponsor. The new agreement commences with this weekend’s Davis Cup Final between Serbia and France in Belgrade and runs through 2013.
Adecco, who previously sponsored Davis Cup from 2002-2007, becomes the Official HR Partner of Davis Cup and Fed Cup and, in addition to on-site banners and hospitality, will sponsor the on-court speed serve package for both competitions.
“It is always good news when a top sponsor like Adecco chooses your competition. It is even better news when they decide to come back,” said ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti. “This shows a real vote of confidence for both Davis Cup and Fed Cup and reinforces the current strength of both competitions. We are delighted to welcome Adecco back. They are both friends and colleagues and we know, from experience, that they are a great fit for Davis Cup and Fed Cup.”
Adecco Group CEO, Patrick de Maeseneire commented on the decision to sponsor the Davis Cup: “We are proud to partner with the International Tennis Federation in what is the world’s largest international annual team competition in sport. By also acting as the Official HR Partner, we will be showcasing our top-class abilities in recruiting for large scale international sporting events.”
About Davis Cup
Davis Cup by BNP Paribas is the largest annual international team competition in sport with 125 nations taking part in 2010. The title sponsor is BNP Paribas, the Official Bank of Davis Cup. International sponsors are Turismo Madrid (Official Tourist Destination), HP (Official Technology Sponsor), Rolex (Official Timekeeper), Hugo Boss (Official Men’s Fashion Clothing Sponsor), Adecco (Official HR Partner) and NH Hoteles (Official Hotel). Wilson Sporting Goods (Official Ball) is an international partner. Follow all the action on www.daviscup.com and www.copadavis.com.
About Adecco
The Adecco Group, based in Zurich, Switzerland, is the world’s leading provider of HR solutions. With close to 32,000 FTE employees and more than 5,500 offices, in over 60 countries and territories around the world, Adecco Group offers a wide variety of services, connecting more than 700,000 colleagues with over 100,000 clients every day. The services offered fall into the broad categories of temporary staffing, permanent placement, outsourcing, consulting and outplacement. The Adecco Group is a Fortune Global 500 company.

Adecco S.A. is registered in Switzerland (ISIN: CH0012138605), with listings on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ADEN) and on Euronext in France (ADE).

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From ITF Grand Slam Media: Davis Cup Final Preview Notes



2010 DAVIS CUP WORLD GROUP FINAL
SERBIA v FRANCE
3-5 DECEMBER
Belgrade Arena, Belgrade



IN BRIEF

Serbia and France have never previously met in Davis Cup. (Please note that the head-to-head records between Yugoslavia and France were used to determine choice of ground for this tie. The series was level at 4-4.)

Serbia is playing in its first World Group Final. Before this year’s Davis Cup by BNP Paribas, Serbia had not won a World Group tie. The last time a nation won the title making its debut in the final was when Croatia defeated Slovak Republic in 2005.

France is bidding to win its 10th Davis Cup title and if successful will overtake Great Britain on the all-time list of Davis Cup champions. The last time France won Davis Cup was in 2001 when it defeated Australia in Melbourne.

When Serbia hosts France, it will be only the 2nd time in World Group history that two unseeded teams have reached the final. The previous occasion two unseeded nations reached the final was in 2005 when Croatia defeated Slovak Republic.

CHOICE OF GROUND

The tie will be played on an indoor hard court at the Belgrade Arena. The crowd capacity will be 16,200.

Belgrade Arena was originally built for basketball and hosted the European Basketball Championships in 2005.

The head-to-head records between Yugoslavia and France were used to determine choice of ground. The last time the two nations met – in the World Group semifinal in 1991 – the tie was played in Pau, France. The French team, that included current captain Guy Forget, defeated Yugoslavia 5-0 and went on to win the title by defeating USA 3-1 in the final in Lyon.

PAST CHAMPIONS

In total, 12 nations have won the Davis Cup.

USA   32
Australia   28
France, Great Britain   9
Sweden   7
Spain   4
Germany   3
Russia   2
Croatia, Czechoslovakia, Italy, South Africa   1

ALL FIVE TO FIVE…
Only twice have all five rubbers of a Davis Cup tie gone to five sets: 1946 European Zone semifinal, Yugoslavia defeated France 3-2 and 2003 World Group play-off, Romania defeated Ecuador 3-2.

COMEBACKS FROM 0-2 DOWN…
There have been just nine comebacks from 0-2 down in World Group ties. Sweden has produced four of these comebacks, but the most recent one happened in this year’s World Group play-offs between India and Brazil. In the Davis Cup overall there have been 46 since the competition began in 1900.

TOP TIEBREAKS…
The highest number of tiebreaks in a Davis Cup tie is 11 (Croatia d. Brazil 4-1, 2008 World Group play-off).

PARTICIPATING NATIONS…
125 nations competed in the 2010 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas.

DAVIS CUP NATIONS RANKING…
The ITF Davis Cup Nations Ranking was launched at the end of 2001. It is published following every tie weekend and measures success over the preceding four-year period, with recent performances weighted more heavily. It is the sole criteria for seeding at all levels of Davis Cup competition.

SERBIA   v   FRANCE

4   Current DC Nations Ranking   5
Final 2010   Best Result   Champion (9 times)
1995   First year played   1904
16   Years played (incl 2010)   91
3   Years in World Group (incl 2010)   28
42   Ties played   233
30-12   Ties Win-Loss   152-81
0   Comebacks from 0-2 down   3


SERBIA is through to its first Davis Cup Final. Of the 21 nations that have reached the Davis Cup Final, only five nations have won the Davis Cup trophy in their debut final – USA, Australia (playing as Australasia), South Africa (by walkover), Sweden and Croatia.

Serbia is bidding to become the second unseeded nation to win Davis Cup. The only unseeded nation to win the title is Croatia (2005).

To reach the final, Serbia defeated USA, Croatia and Czech Republic.

March 2010   World Group first round     Serbia d. USA 3-2     Belgrade (SRB)
July 2010     World Group quarterfinals     Serbia d. Croatia 4-1     Split (CRO)
September 2010     World Group semifinals     Serbia d. Czech Republic 3-2     Belgrade (SRB)

Serbia first competed in Davis Cup in 1995 under the Yugoslav flag. Yugoslavia was renamed Serbia & Montenegro in 2004 before Serbia became an independent nation in 2007. Before 1995, Serbian players represented former Yugoslavia, which reached the World Group semifinals three times in 1988-89 and 1991.

Serbia is unbeaten at the Belgrade Arena. It has won its last 5 home ties – the last 4 of which have been played at the Belgrade Arena. It has only lost 3 times at home. The last team to beat Serbia in a home tie was Belgium in 2005, which was also the last time Novak Djokovic lost a singles rubber in Serbia.

At No. 4, Serbia is ranked at its highest position to date in the latest Davis Cup Nations Ranking. If Serbia wins, it will rise to No. 2 in the Davis Cup Nations Ranking.

In this year’s campaign so far, Serbia has used the same four players in all of its ties – Novak Djokovic, Janko Tipsarevic, Viktor Troicki and Nenad Zimonjic. They have all won live rubbers.

Novak Djokovic is bidding to become the 45th player from a champion nation to win 6 or more singles matches in a single year of Davis Cup competition. The last player to do this was David Ferrer, who won all six of his singles matches in 2009.

The most experienced player on the Serbian team is Nenad Zimonjic, who has played 36 ties. He has a win-loss record of 23-7 in doubles rubbers.

It has been a breakthrough year for Viktor Troicki, winning his first singles title at Moscow (d. Marcos Baghdatis) and, with Christopher Kas, his first doubles title at Bangkok (d. Jonathan Erlich/Jurgen Melzer).

Janko Tipsarevic married Serbian TV presenter Biljana Sesevic on 4 July this year. The wedding was attended by his teammates Novak Djokovic, Viktor Troicki and Nenad Zimonjic.

FRANCE is through to its first final since 2002 (l. Russia 3-2) and is bidding to become the first nation to win Davis Cup without losing a live rubber since the inception of the World Group in 1981. It is only the fourth time a nation has reached the World Group final without losing a live rubber, after USA in 1984 and Germany in 1988 and 1993.

If France wins, it will overtake Great Britain on the list of all-time champions. It is currently joint third behind USA (32) and Australia (28).

To reach the final, France defeated Germany, Spain and Argentina.

March 2010   World Group first round     France d. Germany 4-1   Toulon (FRA)
July 2010     World Group quarterfinals     France d. Spain 5-0       Clermont-Ferrand (FRA)
September 2010   World Group semifinals     France d. Argentina 5-0        Lyon (FRA)

In this year’s campaign so far, France has used a total of six players – Julien Benneteau, Arnaud Clement, Michael Llodra, Gael Monfils, Gilles Simon and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Gilles Simon is the only player not to have won a live rubber this year.

France has won the title nine times:

September 1927     Challenge Round      France d. USA 3-2  Philadelphia (USA)
July 1928   Challenge Round   France d. USA 4-1   Paris (FRA)
July 1929   Challenge Round   France d. USA 3-2   Paris (FRA)
July 1930   Challenge Round   France d. USA 4-1   Paris (FRA)
July 1931   Challenge Round   France d. Great Britain 3-2   Paris (FRA)
July 1932   Challenge Round   France d. USA 3-2   Paris (FRA)
December 1991   World Group Final   France d. USA 3-1   Lyon (FRA)
December 1996   World Group Final   France d. Sweden 3-2   Malmo (SWE)
December 2001   World Group Final   France d. Australia 3-2   Melbourne (AUS)

This is France’s 16th appearance in the Davis Cup Final. Only USA (61), Australia (47) and Great Britain (17) have made more appearances in the Davis Cup Final.

France is one of five nations to have held the No. 1 ranking on the Davis Cup Nations Ranking, alongside Australia, Croatia, Russia and Spain. It held the top spot between February 2002 and December 2003 and again from April 2004 to September 2004. The Davis Cup Nations Ranking was introduced in 2001 and is updated after each round. France is currently ranked No. 5 and, if it wins, it will rise to No. 2 in the Davis Cup Nations Ranking.

France has played in the World Group every year except two since its inception in 1981. Its 28 years among the elite is second only to Czech Republic, Sweden and USA, who have competed in the World Group for 29 of 30 years.

Ten active players from France have competed in Davis Cup. Of these, Michael Llodra has played the most ties (19) followed by Arnaud Clement with 17. France has 7 players ranked in the Top 50, the second-most from one nation behind Spain’s 10.

France’s top-ranked singles player, Gael Monfils, is unbeaten in Davis Cup matches played on home soil, but he is looking for his first away win in the competition.

Michael Llodra is unbeaten in Davis Cup in both singles and doubles in 2010 having won all 5 of his live rubbers played so far this year.

Arnaud Clement has been on the initial nominations for a Davis Cup Final team on two previous occasions. In 2001, he was replaced in the line-up by Cedric Pioline and in 2002 he was replaced by Paul-Henri Mathieu, who infamously lost in the decisive fifth rubber to Mikhail Youzhny after leading by 2 sets to love

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ITF Launches New-Look Davis Cup Website


The ITF today announced the relaunch of the official Davis Cup website, DavisCup.com and CopaDavis.com, coinciding with the draw being made for the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group Final between Serbia and France in Belgrade on 3-5 December.
The main aim of the new-look site is to improve the ease of navigation and enhance the user journey for visitors to the site. This has been achieved by relating content across the tie, team and player areas, as well as the introduction of a comprehensive search facility.
The website has retained the green theme of Davis Cup, but the new design sees Dwight Davis’s famous trophy appear prominently in the header across all pages. A wide range of photos are displayed on the homepage and within news articles and galleries, and the site also showcases increased audio and video content.
The relaunch of the website supports Davis Cup’s social media initiatives on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. The website will also increase the unique content on the English and Spanish versions of the site.
Despite the change in appearance, the website retains all existing information including a comprehensive archive of statistics, maintaining its position as the No. 1 destination for all tennis fans wanting to follow Davis Cup by BNP Paribas.
ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said: “The relaunch of the Davis Cup website will help to engage a new audience with the competition as well as providing existing fans with a more comprehensive online experience. The Final is poised to be one of the closest for years and it provides the perfect platform to showcase the new design.”
The relaunch of the Davis Cup website follows the relaunch of the Fed Cup website, FedCup.com and FedCup.com/es, at the 2010 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Final in San Diego in November.

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Clijsters Wins Player of the Year as WTA Announces Awards For 2010 Season

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA, USA – The WTA, Women’s Tennis Association, announced today the winners of the 2010 annual Player Awards.  Ten players were honored by the fans and the media for their outstanding achievements both on and off the court during the 2010 season.

Kim Clijsters was voted the WTA’s 2010 Player of the Year for the second time in her career, having first earned the accolade in 2005. Just one year since making a comeback to the sport after a two-year hiatus, the 27-year-old Belgian had a terrific 2010 season, highlighted by winning her third US Open title and reaching her “second-career” highest ranking of World No.3 on August 23, 2010.  In 2010, Clijsters won five tournaments including the year-end WTA Championships (Doha), the Brisbane International (Brisbane), the Sony Ericsson Open (Miami), and the Western & Southern Financial Group Women’s Open (Cincinnati), in addition to defending her title at the US Open.  Previous recipients of the Player of the Year award include such greats as Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, Serena Williams, Justine Henin, Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams, Lindsay Davenport and Martina Hingis, among others.

For her off the court achievements, Clijsters was also honored with the Player Service Award which recognizes the player who has done the most to support her fellow players through the WTA Players’ Council or other initiatives.

“It’s really nice to win the Player of the Year award just one year after making a comeback and while I didn’t think it would come so quickly, I am thrilled with the news,”said Clijsters.  “To be honored by your fellow players with the Player Service award means so much to me because I believe that the social contact with the rest of the players is very important.  This year I met a lot of new girls and it was very nice that so many of them had positive reactions to my daughter Jada as well.  I want to thank my fellow players and the media who voted for me and I look forward to seeing everyone again in Australia.”

The World No.1 doubles team of Flavia Pennetta and Gisela Dulko earned their first award for Doubles Team of the Year.  While the competition in doubles was fierce during the 2010 WTA season, the Pennetta/Dulko duo topped the world rankings and won seven titles, highlighted by the WTA Championships in Doha. Earlier in the season, they compiled a 17-match winning streak – the longest on Tour since March 2007 – which garnered three consecutive Premier-level titles at the Sony Ericsson Open (Miami), the Internazionali BNL d’Italia (Rome) and the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Stuttgart).  The duo won three more titles later in the year – the Rogers Cup (Montreal), the Collector Swedish Open (Bastad) and the Kremlin Cup (Moscow) – and recorded strong Grand Slam results.

Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova won the Newcomer of the Year award after a breakthrough season that culminated with a semifinals birth at Wimbledon, having previously never won a match on grass.  After her success at Wimbledon, Kvitova broke into the Top 30.

Comeback Player of the Year honors went to Belgium’s Justine Henin who made a successful return to the WTA in January after a break that lasted nearly two years. At the Brisbane International – her first tournament back – Henin reached the final, falling to Clijsters in the third set tiebreak after holding match points.  She also reached the final of the Australian Open, her first major since 2008.  Henin’s fourth round loss at Roland Garros (Stosur) ended a 24-match winning streak in Paris.

Elena Dementieva, who announced her retirement from the sport at the WTA Championships earlier this month, was honored with the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award for the second time in her career, which acknowledges a player’s conduct, attitude and sense of fair play.

The Humanitarian of the Year award went to Maria Sharapova for her role as a United Nations’ Goodwill Ambassador.  In 2010, Maria visited the Chernobyl region and spent time with children affected by the disaster while pledging $250,000 to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).  Additionally, Sharapova won several fan awards including Favorite Singles Player of the Year and the Most Fashionable Player.

WTA players voted on their favorite tournaments and chose the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Stuttgart) as their favorite Premier event and the PTT Pattaya Open as their favorite International event.

The winners of the annual player awards for Player of the Year, Doubles Team of the Year, Most Improved Player of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year are determined by the global tennis media, with WTA players themselves selecting Tournaments of the Year, Sportsmanship and Player Service award.

For a complete listing of the 2010 WTA Player Awards, please visit www.wtatour.com.

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Del Potro Joins 2011 Delray Beach ITC Singles Draw

ATP World Tour BW Logo Delray Beach ITC Color Logo ATP Champions Tour Color Logo



DELRAY BEACH, FL (www.YellowTennisBall.com) -  2009 US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro
has announced he will play in the 2011 Delray Beach International
Tennis Championships (ITC), joining an ATP World Tour event singles draw
that includes Americans Andy Roddick, Mardy Fish and John Isner.


The 19th annual event takes place February 18 – 27 at the Delray Beach Stadium & Tennis Center. The ATP World Tour stars will be chasing not only the ITC title and its $75,000 winner’s check, but also a 2011 Porsche 911 Carrera.


Headlining the second-year ATP Champions Tour event are John McEnroe and Mark Philippoussis,
who are providing the star power for the eight-player tournament that
features former world-ranked No. 1 players, Grand Slam champions and
finalists and Davis Cup winners. McEnroe is returning to Delray Beach
after reaching last year’s final while Philippoussis is making his first
appearance.


Individual session tickets for the 18-session, 10-day ITC go on sale Wednesday, December 1.


“With
two US Open champions already signed, without a doubt this ATP World
Tour singles draw is shaping up to be the best in our history,” said
tournament director Mark Baron. “Mardy Fish and John
Isner finished 2010 in the top 20, and Fish could be in the Top 10 by
tournament time. And having tennis’ favorite “bad boy” (McEnroe) back
for our ATP Champions Tour event just makes us ecstatic about 2011.”


Del Potro’s ranking skyrocketed to No. 5 in the world in 2009 following a US Open run that included wins over Rafael Nadal in the semifinals and Roger Federer
in the final. The 22-year-old Argentine’s magical year also saw him
reach the Australian Open quarterfinal, the French Open semifinal and
finals at the Masters Series Montreal and year-end Barclay’s ATP World
Tour Championships. Del Potro was limited to six matches in 2010 after
undergoing season-ending wrist surgery.


With
the 2011 ITC singles champion receiving a Porsche as part of the
winner’s compensation, the Delray Beach ITC becomes the first 250 Series
ATP World Tour event in the world to offer a luxury automobile to its
champion. Porsche, and local dealer Champion Porsche, are in the second
year of a five-year contract as the official automobile of the Delray
Beach ITC.


Fans
looking for holidays gifts or stocking stuffers will find Delray Beach
ITC tickets the perfect solution, and the tournament’s first-ever
holiday discount will be in place when 2011 individual session tickets
go on sale Wednesday.


All
tickets purchased at the box office for ATP World Tour sessions earn a
discount (20% reserved seats, 10% box seats) for any ATP Champions Tour
session, and visa versa. Tickets range in price from $15 for
grandstand seats to $85 for box seats. The promotion ends December 31.


Please go to www.YellowTennisBall.com or call the ticket office at 561-330-6000 for futher information.


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