2013/05/24

Kourtin’ Karen’s Tennis News Week in Review

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(March 11, 2013) NEW YORK, NY –  Kourtin’ Karen takes brief look at the week that was week in the offbeat world of tennis.

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BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden in New York City

March 4 was World Tennis Day. BNP Paribas sponsored two showdowns -  in Hong Kong and the other in New York City.

Highlight of the Madison Square Garden event – Rafael Nadal and Juan Martin del Potro were in the middle of the second set of the showdown whe Nadal pulled out Ben Stiller to play with him. Del Potro brought out 9-yeear-old left Rebecca Suarez who proved to be the best player on the court for the “doubles” match

 

BNP Paribas Showdown Debuts in Hong Kong with Wozniacki, Radwanska, McEnroe and Lendl

 

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Jelena Jankovic’s Fila Heritage Carwash tennis dress at Indian Wells

Jelena JankovicJ Jankovic skirt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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BNP Paribas Open Players’ Party

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On the Green Carpet – Photos from the 2013 BNP Paribas Open Players’ Party

Many of those in the tennis media are not really fans of these type of events and exhibitions, but it draws people who are not normally fans of the game. I’m for whatever draws people to watch tennis.

All of the majors should have a “red carpet” event like this. It’s all in good fun and fans and journalists alike can play “Fashion Police.”

 

 

30-30

No American Men in the Top 20?

With John Isner’s loss to Lleyton Hewitt in his first match at the BNP Paribas Open, depending on how Sam Querrey and Mardy Fish do, there would be no US men in the top 20 of the rankings – this has never happened since the rankings began in 1973.

 

30-40

TMZ Alert

TMZ as well as other media outlets were reporting that there was an arrest warrant out for Jennifer Capriati in conjunction with an alleged assault on her ex-boyfriend Ivan Brannan. Capriati’s publicist denied reports that a warrant had been issued for her arrest.

“What happened has been over-exaggerated. When the full story comes out Jennifer will be vindicated of these charges,” said the spokesperson in a written statement.

 

Deuce

Redfoo sightings

Victoria Azarenka and Redfoo

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Let’s face it,  pop singer Redfoo is here to stay.  Not only is he a big tennis fan, he supports a USTA Pro Circuit event – the Party Rock Open and is now the significant other of No. 2 Victoria Azarenka.

 

Advantage exhibitions

Pete Sampras adn Novak Djokovic

Tennis was back in Los Angeles with the LA Tennis Challenge featuring, Novak Djokovic, Pete Sampras, Mardy Fish, James Blake, Bob and Mike Bryan.

Djokovic, Sampras, Fish and the Bryan Brothers Among Those to Particpate in LA Tennis Challenge

 

 

Deuce look-a-likes

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Separated at birth, the hair anyway – Redfoo and Thing 1 and Thing 2 of Dr. Seuss fame.

 

Advantage Karaoke

 1-DSC_0957-001V. Azarenka

In the post-match news conference at the BNP Paribas Showdown, Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka announced that they revealed that they will be shooting a karaoke video to Rihanna’s “Stay.”

Deuce

The Rumor Mill

"Austin Powers" and Caroline Wozniacki

“Austin Powers” and Caroline Wozniacki

Caroline Wozniacki put to bed rumors that she and her boyfriend golfer Rory McIlroy had split.

A British tabloid speculated that the reason the golfer had pulled out of the Honda Classic was due to relationship problems with Wozniacki. Meanwhile, why did Wozniacki attend the BNP Paribas Open Players party with Austin Powers. (See above photo)

 

Advantage news

Tennis will introduce biological passports this year and increase the number of blood tests.

Nadal Returns to Hardcourt with Indian Wells Win; Still Unhappy with 25-Second Rule

 

Mardy Fish

Game, Set and Match – Welcome back Mardy Fish

Mardy Fish has returned to the tour from a heart ailment, his first event since the US Open.

 

Photo galleries from the past week

Photos by Curt Janka, Jennifer Knapp, Maria Noble and Karen Pestaina.

 

 

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Kourtin’ Karen’s Tennis Week in Review

(January 2, 2013) NEW YORK, NY – After a hiatus longer than Rafael Nadal’s current one from the tour, Kourtin’ Karen is back with her weekly scoreboards. A brief review of the previous week in the world of tennis news, on and off-court.

 

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Rafael Nadal withdraws from Australian Open

Eleven- time major champion and current world No. 4 Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the Australian Open due to a continuing stomach virus.

The ailment caused Nadal to withdraw from this week’s World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi.

Rafael Nadal has been off the tour with a knee injury since his second round loss at Wimbledon in June.

Andrea Perkovic  may join Nadal  on the Australian Open sidelines as the German suffered a meniscus tear of her right knee during her Hopman Cup match.

 

Maria Sharapova pulled out of Brisbane with a right collarbone injury.

 

Murray at Olympics

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“Sir” Murray

Andy Murray has been awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE).

Murray said in a statement on his website:

“It is with incredible pride that I have been named in the New Year’s Honours List to receive an OBE from Her Majesty the Queen for services to sport.

‘This has been an amazing year for British sport and I am proud to have been able to play my part.

“I reached my first Wimbledon final, competed and won gold at the London 2012 Olympics with Team GB at Wimbledon, and then won my first grand slam title at the US Open.

“Being recognised in such a way at the end of such a great season is the finishing touch on 2012. Thank you all for your support, I hope everyone has a very happy New Year…..and here’s to 2013!”

 

15-30

Ring-gate

In Brisbane Caroline Wozniacki was spotted with a large ring on her on her left ring finger.  Her boyfriend, golfer Rory McIlroy had to deny there was an engagement and his management company issued the following statement:

“On behalf of Rory McIlroy, I would like to confirm that he has NOT become engaged to Caroline Wozniacki as was originally reported in Australian press. Rory is in Australia to support Caroline before he heads in January to Abu Dhabi.”

The ring which was a Christmas gift was…just a gift.

”It’s not an engagement ring,” Wozniacki said.  ”Those rumors once again I’ll have to shut down and say we’re not engaged … not yet anyway.”

 

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Love is in the air

Washington Capitals hockey player, two-time NHL MVP and boyfriend of Maria Kirilenko, Alex Ovechkin announced the couple’s engagement via his twitter account.

Hew tweeted ”We are engaged !!!!!!! )))))))))”

 

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Beware the barricades

 

 

Novak Djokovic has a scare at Hopman Cup on Monday. A crowd barrier collapsed while he was signing autographs for fans following his singles win over Andreas Seppi.  The barrier hit the Serb’s legs but he said he was fine.

 

Deuce

Hello, Goodbye IMG

Novak Djokovic signed with IMG while Rafael Nadal is leaving IMG to begin his own management company.

Also on the business front:

ATP Unveils New Global Promotional Campaign As 2013 ATP World Tour Gets Underway

USA TODAY’s Jon Swartz reports Nadal has a new iPhone app called Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy . Look for it one iTunes.

Emirates Named Official Airline of the ATP World Tour and Rankings Sponsor

 

Ad – Out of Davis Cup

Juan Martin Del Potro is skipping Davis cup at least in February for Argentina

Spain’s David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro told Sport360 that they may not play the February tie against Canada.

 

Deuce

No donkey cheese

Novak Djokovic has not cornered the market on donkey cheese as had been reported by British newspapers.

“I did not expect this story was going to get so much attention, and everywhere in the world, too. It is not completely true that we have bought the whole supply of donkey cheese, even though it was the first time in my life I heard that donkey cheese existed.”

 

Advantage

Working in a coal mine

Retired Pros Marcelo Rios and Guillermo Coria will play an exhibition match inside El Teniente, the world’s largest copper mine.

Djokovic1228abudhabi

Speaking of exhibitions, Djokovic captured the World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi this past weekend.

 

Game, Set, Match – Welcome to the 2013 tennis year!

Tournaments and events this week in Auckland, Brisbane, Chennai, Doha, Perth and Shenzhen.

(Karen Pestaina is the woman behind Tennis Panorama News. She freelances for various media outlets in and out of tennis and has worked for many a broadcast news entity. She witnessed her first live tennis match as a young child at Forest Hills when Guillermo Vilas upset Jimmy Connors to win the 1977 US Open. This branded her as a Vilas fan for life. Follow her on twitter @TennisNewsTPN )

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Tennis News Net Notes for November 26, 2012

(November 26, 2012) – A brief look at recent tennis news.

  • Both Caroline Wozniacki and Rory McIlroy had to deny engagement rumors on Monday.  Serena Williams’ hitting partner Sascha Bajin tweeted congratulations on the couple’s engagement which were not true.

See twitter conversation below:

Wow! Just heard that @CaroWozniacki got engaged… Congratulations. Show us the ring. When is the big day planned for?

 

Can’t believe you started rumors like that! @BigSascha .. Not engaged yet, but you’ll be the first to know if we do!;) hehe

 

  •  Robin Soderling tells ESPN’s Ravi Ubha that he hopes to return to the tour and that he hasn’t given up yet.

“I don’t want my career to be finished yet,” he said. “I feel I have at least five more years in me. But I still have a lot of things to be thankful for. The [mono] could have happened when I was 18 or 20. I was 27. Up to now, I’ve had a good career.”

 

  • According to Gossip Extra Jennifer Capriati says that she has not been stalking her ex-boyfriend, former Florida State golfer Ivan Brannan.

Brannan allegedly filed 10 police complaints against Capriati tin 2012

“He’s a real bad person, very dishonest,” Capriati said to Gossip Extra. “One day I’m his girlfriend, the next we’re engaged and then it’s like I never existed. It took him eight months of our relationship to admit to me he had a child. Imagine that… I was just trying to talk to him because he wasn’t returning my calls. There’s no way police should’ve been called. I can’t believe I even have to discuss this! People like me are always the targets of men like him.”

 

  • Nathalie Tauziat will be asked to resign from the French tennis federation’s management committee after she testified in favor of former coach Regis de Camaret who was sentenced to eight years in prison for raping young female players.

 

 

  •  Carsten Arriens was named  Germany’s Davis Cup captain after Patrik Kuehnen quit late last month.

 

  • LSU’s former women’s tennis coach for 20 years Tony Minnis, has filed a  racial discrimination lawsuit in regard to his recent firing reports  NOLA.com.

Minnis claims that white coaches’ annual  compensation was up to more than $30,000 than him. In addition,  he lists unjust evaluations, false letters of reprimand, unfound write-ups and race-based discrimination in the workplace in the lawsuit.

“I was accused of some really petty things,” Minnis said in a phone interview with NOLA.com Wednesday evening. In one instance, Minnis describes where he was accused of violating NCAA policy when he was used department funds to purchase meals for kids in the tennis program, which had previously not been a violation, Minnis said.

  • Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov announced on his website that he has left the Patrick Mouratoglou Academy and is now with Good to Great Tennis Academy in Sweden, which is run by former pros including Magnus Norman and Nicklas Kulti.

 

 

  • The inaugural Miami Tennis Cup will take place November 30th through December 2nd, 2012 at Crandon Park Tennis Center in Key Biscayne, Florida.

The event will feature appearances by US Open Champion and British Olympic Gold Medalist, Andy Murray, French Open Champion Juan Carlos Ferrero, 203 US Open Champion Andy Roddick, John Isner, Nicolás Almagro, and  Alejandro Falla.

The tournament will see all six players competing in a double-elimination tournament format within two round robin groups. Each match will be the best of three sets. The number one seed (Andy Murray) and number two seed (Andy Roddick) will receive an automatic bye in to the semi-final. The remaining four players will be drawn against each other for a place in the semi-final, with the initial matches starting on stadium court at 7:00pm on Friday, November 30th.

A look at Novak Djokovic’s new HEAD racquet ad.

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