Serbia's Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic play a shot against Russia's Alisa Kleybanova and Svetlana Kuznetsova during their Fed Cup tennis match in Belgrade February 7, 2010.
::
For fans of the former No. 1 and Roland Garros champion and women's tennis alike, this development must be considered good news.
Basel, Switzerland - Slumping Serbian former number one Ana Ivanovic Monday turned over what she hopes is a new page in her career by hiring Staffi Graf's former mentor Heinz Gunthardt as coach.
The Ivanovic management made the announcement, which brings to an end the number 23 player's coaching relationship with the adidas team, still her clothing sponsor.
Swiss television commentator Gunthardt, 51, guided Graf to a dozen Grand Slam titles.
The relationship will start next week in a New York exhibition, with 2008 Roland Garros champion Ivanovic replacing Serena Williams in a field with Venus Williams, US Open winner Kim Clijsters and double Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Ivanovic has been in a slump since her last title, earned in Linz in October, 2008.
The 22-year-old last played to a pair of defeats in Fed Cup this month while winning her only match of the season in the Australian Open first round.
It really can't get any worse for the Serb at this point. Here's hoping she can find her service toss.
“Today’s consumers want their entertainment in a different form. Of course, the pride of tennis are the grand-slam tournaments and we would never do anything to change that, but we are conscious of the need for tennis to bring in an entire new breed of followers — the youngster who doesn’t have the attention span to watch five-set matches.
“No idea can have legs unless the players commit to it and want it — without them it would never work. But our initial feedback has been very good. We are conscious of the fact that we do not want this event to be an extra burden on the players, so the desire is to find a new place for it in the calendar.”
--James Hird, chief marketer for gemba, a sports marketing agency that wants to create a World Cup for tennis perhaps as a replacement for Davis Cup
Andy Roddick of the USA plays a backhand as his partner James Blake of the USA watches on during their first round doubles match against Travis Parrott of the USA and Jaroslav Levinsky of the Czech Republic during day one of the Brisbane International 2010 at the Queensland Tennis Centre on January 3, 2010 in Brisbane, Australia.
For the first time in nearly a decade, the U.S. Davis Cup team will be without stalwarts Andy Roddick and James Blake when it travels to face powerful Serbia in a first-round tie in Belgrade in March. “It certainly appears to be the end of era,” U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe told TENNIS Thursday. “But the door will always remain open to both of those guys in the event they decide they want to play again.”
Roddick and Blake have both decided to leave Davis Cup off their 2010 schedules. McEnroe has yet to name the squad he plans to take to Serbia for the tie against a powerful Serbian team led by world No. 3 Novak Djokovic. The U.S. singles players most likely to be selected are Sam Querrey and John Isner, although that could change in the next few weeks, depending on the performance of the U.S. players in Australia. Mardy Fish is also high on McEnroe's list of Davis Cup candidates. Serbia will be heavily favored given that it will be contested on slow red clay.
It was only a matter of time, even for Mr. Davis Cup himself. Here's hoping both have a successful 2010.
Now let's see who's ready to step up. Isner has presented as a big-match player who loves the big stage. Won't help him in Serbia, but still. And is Querrey ready to lead?
“The tour has received written confirmation from the UAE Ministry of Interior that [Shahar Pe'er] will be able to enter and participate in the event without incident. One of the conditions that Dubai had to meet was that this year there would have to be a written confirmation that she would be able to play because last year there were just verbal assurances.” --Katie Scott, WTA spokeswoman
Canada's Frederic Niemeyer serves to Roger Federer, from Switzerland, during the second round of play at the Rogers Cup tennis tournament, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009, in Montreal.
::
MONTREAL -- Frederic Niemeyer officially retired from professional tennis during a news conference Thursday, but he won't be leaving tennis altogether.
Niemeyer instead will join Tennis Canada as a personal coach for promising 18-year-old Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont. Niemeyer will train Raonic in Montreal and also will travel with the teenager 18 weeks a year on the pro tour.
Raonic made his ATP Tour debut at this year's Rogers Cup in Montreal, winning his first two matches against No. 77 Teimuraz Gabashvili of Russia and No. 113 Michael Llorda of France to advance through the qualifying. He then delighted an overflow crowd at the BN grandstand court, taking 11th-seeded Fernando Gonzalez to the limit before losing 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4.
Montreal Gazette
Luis Horna of Peru also hung up his raquet in recent days.
Getty
Lima, Nov. 13 (ANDINA) - Luis Horna, one of the greatest players in Peru's tennis history if not the best, announced in tears his retirement from professional tennis at age 29.
The 2008 Roland Garros doubles champion announced he will retire from professional tennis after the "Challenger of Lima", starting this upcoming weekend.
"I've decided to retire from professional tennis after the Challenger of Lima," were the first words Horna said at a press conference he called to announce his future at professional tennis and Davis Cup.
"Lucho" was away from courts during several months this season due to a series of injuries. Recently he had suggested the possibility to going on some more years, but he seemed to need some break.
"I don't say no to Davis Cup. I could be in the future in the team," said Horna, when asked about it, although he didn't specify if his comeback would be as a player or as collaborator in the national team, whose main goal for next year is to get back to Group 1 of the American Zone.
He added that the best moment in his career was when he represented Peru at the Davis Cup. "It was when we took Peru to the World Group," he added.
Horna said that this victory was even more important than when he won the Roland Garros doubles title.
Horna will become a tennis trivia answer. He is the last player to beat Raja in the opening round of a Slam at Roland Garros 2003.
