Wednesday, December 5
Last updated at 10:00 pm EDT
AMERICAN PRESS
This cheer is for U.S. tennis, in case you hadn't noticed - USA Today
When they finished off their big victory, one of Bob's first acts as champion - so he later informed the media - was to go into the shower and throw up.You just can't buy priceless memories such as that one.
"We're definitely lifers," Bob said of the Bryans' dedication to the Davis Cup. "Why wouldn't we want to be out here playing for our country?"
Best not to let such patriotic purpose be totally obstructed by Oklahoma beating Missouri.
Plus, the Americans had a flair for the quip. Once the lead was 3-0, the issue was settled, even though two singles matches remained. Someone asked if anyone was worried about making it a 5-0 sweep, just for show.
Answered Blake, "We're not the Patriots."
Retired tennis star Martina Navratilova has found a new doubles partner -- the AARP.In an endorsement deal to be announced as early as today, the AARP has picked the 51-year-old former pro player as its Health & Fitness ambassador. Ms. Navratilova will share tips with AARP members in online chats, conduct Q&As and video segments on the group's Web site, and speak at events, says Emilio Pardo, chief brand officer for the AARP, which has more than 39 million members, who are age 50 and up. Both sides declined to say how much Ms. Navratilova is getting paid for her work.
AARP has had ambassadors in the past, but Ms. Navratilova is the first ambassador for health and fitness.
INTERNATIONAL PRESS
It was surprising how much credibility was given, by some people, to Pete Sampras’s victory in an exhibition match over Roger Federer in Macau, China, two weeks ago. Sports fans who watch the charade of exhibition football and hockey games somehow suspended disbelief long enough to think that Sampras, 36, can somehow compete with Federer, 26, despite not having played a regular tour tournament in over five years and, basically, not having touched a racquet for the first three years after officially retiring in 2003.Tennis is all about motivation. That is why the great ones such as Sampras and Federer have been able to perform so consistently well at the biggest events. When they met in Seoul (Federer won 6-4, 6-3), Kuala Lumpur (Federer won 7-6, 7-6) and Macau (Sampras won 7-6, 6-4), Federer was playing for his fifth week out of six and had just won the Masters Cup year-end championship in Shanghai.
...If exhibitions are in any way meaningful, then how to explain that Sampras lost three of the (single-set) four matches he played in World Team Tennis last summer – including to Sam Warburg, (Canadian) Frederic Niemeyer and Rik de Voest.
"There is no offseason any more, in any sport - not tennis, not hockey. They call it an offseason, but this is the season to train harder, to get stronger for next season," Dancevic said yesterday, after being put through his paces by Tennis Canada conditioning coach André Parent at the Jarry Park Tennis Centre.Sporting a top-10 case of bedhead, Dancevic did quickness drills on court, and pushed himself on the treadmill to the point that he "almost puked."
He'll spend the next few days here working with Parent, head home to Niagara Falls for a few days, then down to Florida with coach Martin Laurendeau for 12 days of intense training.
..."I think this summer I was at about 70 per cent of my ability, so I'm building it up this fall for next year," he said. "Next year is going to be a big test for me, competing at the top level, starting the year top 70."
"If you love the sport, then I don't think anybody would ever think of it. Representing your country as a player, you go out on the court to give your best and I don't think anybody would throw a match for money. After all, tennis is a sport which pays you well," Qureshi told PTI... ["]Ultimately it's about respecting the game that has given you so much and I don't think anybody who loves the game would fall to the lure," he added.Wires
Swede Wilander and Frenchman Patrice Hagelauer will jointly coach Mathieu during the 2008 season. French number two Mathieu, 25, finished 2007 at world number 25.
International tennis superstar Venus Williams will be adding another accomplishment to her long list when she walks across the commencement stage on Thursday, December 13, to receive her associate's degree in Fashion Design from The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale.Websites
3. Roger FedererHe's the best tennis player to ever walk the face of the Earth. But Federer has never sniffed the level of fame and glory smothered on Michael Jordan and other members of sports royalty. The reasons run a mile long: He's squeaky-clean, he's from Switzerland, and he's playing a sport that's near an all-time low in popularity, in which the biggest stars wear skirts. Controversy and turmoil sell better than excellence and consistency, leaving Federer to continue his dominance over the tennis world in relative anonymity.
King [LeBron] James--as he is known by his army of fans--tops Forbes' 20 Under 25 list of the Top-Earning Young Superstars, thanks to the $27 million he banked between June 2006 and June 2007... Reggie Bush, 22-year-old running back for the NFL's New Orleans Saints, nabbed the No. 2 spot with $24 million, followed by comely tennis ace Maria Sharapova, who pocketed $23 million (only $3.8 million from winnings). The world's highest-paid female athlete, Sharapova edges out golf phenom Michelle Wie, who occupies the No. 4 spot with $19 million.
again, Guillermo Canas is out of the world circuit. This time, the problem that will leave the Argentine tennis player out of the courts is an injury in the tendon of his left wrist which, although he did not undergo a surgery, will keep him from playing for at least four months.
AUSTRALIAN PRESS
JELENA Dokic is not the only European-born Australian set to contest next week's Australian Open wildcard play-off. Former Slovakian Jarmila Gajdosova is the highest-ranked acceptor for the round-robin event into which Dokic yesterday received an expected wildcard invitation.Mark Philippoussis is the senior participant in the men's event, based on his protected ranking of 119th, while the 142nd-rated Gajdosova has gone a step further in her quest to officially represent the country she has called home for five years.
"It was her choice. There was no active recruitment on Tennis Australia's part and we haven't funded her at all."She can represent Australia now because she's a resident and has applied for citizenship and is working with our coaches.
"It's just a matter of course for her to be approved by the ITF (International Tennis Federation). It could take a day or a week or a month, but we're expecting to hear soon."
BRITISH PRESS
Thailand's golden couple, tennis star Paradorn Srichaphan and former Miss Universe Natalie Glebova, tied the knot surrounded by honour guards in Bangkok on Thursday. After the romantic private ceremony - which contained elements of a traditional Thai wedding - the bride and groom enjoyed their first dance as man and wife to the strains of Bryan Adams Everything I Do, I Do It For You.The reception was held in the lavish setting of the grand ballroom at Bangkok's Oriental Hotel. There, the couple - who revealed their plans to spend the next few weeks with family and friends instead of going on a honeymoon - were joined by Thai dignitaries and celebrities.
...When asked about their plans to start a family, 25-year-old Natalie - who was born in Russia but grew up in Toronto, Canada - said: "It's up to fate, but hopefully (it will be) in the next few years."
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