Kuznetsova: Cup pay might improve team
2012-04-23 11:49:00
Svetlana Kuznetsova says that if the Russian tennis federation compensated its players for competing in Fed Cup, more of the country’s best players might decide to play. Russia lost to Serbia in the semifinals on Sunday, without its two top-ranked players, Maria Sharapova and Vera Zvonareva. No. 2 Sharapova had agreed to play the first-round tie this year but not the second, while No. 10 Zvonareva was planning on playing against Serbia but had a shoulder injury. 'If more money were allocated, it would be possible to improve the situation, possible to make the best players play,' Kuznetsova told RIA Novosti. 'If you love to play for your country, that’s one thing, but if you play for the sake of the Olympics or something else, that’s another.' Two-time Grand Slam champion Kuznetsova added that her generation of players was more motivated than the current crop. 'We didn’t have the funding either, but our generation, Kournikova, Myskina, Dementieva, Safina and I, many other girls, overcame that. Everything was completely different,' Kuznetsova said. 'But now those playing tennis are either the children of very wealthy people, who have nothing to strive for or those who can’t play, who have nowhere to go.'

Raonic defeats Falla in first round of Barcelona
2012-04-23 11:46:00
BARCELONA, Spain (AP)—Milos Raonic, a Canadian who trains in Barcelona, won on clay for the first time this year, beating Colombia's Alejandro Falla 6-4, 7-6 (3) in the first round of the Barcelona Open.Raonic served seven aces in tight match to win for the first time in a month.No. 18 Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan was the only seeded player to lose Monday in this tuneup for the French Open. He was beaten by Santiago Giraldo of Colombia 7-6 (3), 6-4.Jarkko Nieminen of Finland and Robin Haase of the Netherlands also won.Rafael Nadal's bid for a seventh Barcelona title begins later in the week. The second-ranked Spaniard won the Monte Carlo Masters for the eighth straight time last week.

Petkovic: Nerves got to German Fed Cup team
2012-04-23 11:44:00
After Germany loses to Australia at home in a Fed Cup World Group playoff match with three Top 25 players, including Angelique Kerber, Julia Goerges and Andrea Petkovic, Petkovic tells reporters that the team fell under the weight of expectations. 'We wanted the title so much and it might be tense,' she said, and added that Germany will eventually win the title.

Starace, Kubot, Bachinger advance in Bucharest
2012-04-23 09:38:00
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP)—Potito Starace of Italy defeated ninth-seeded Jeremy Chardy of France 6-3, 6-0 in the opening round of the Nastase Tiriac Trophy on Monday.Seventh-seeded Lukasz Kubot of Poland saved nine of 10 break points in a 6-2, 6-3 win against Gabriel Moraru of Romania, and Matthias Bachinger of Germany served nine aces in rallying past Filippo Volandri of Italy 3-6, 6-1, 6-3.Gilles Simon of France, the 2007 and 2008 winner, is seeded first and defending champion Florian Mayer of Germany is seeded second.

Serbia beats Russia in Fed Cup semis
2012-04-22 19:30:00
MOSCOW (AP)—Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic won their reverse singles matches Sunday to put Serbia into the Fed Cup final for the first time with a 3-2 victory over Russia.Jankovic defeated two-time major champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1, 6-4 to give Serbia an insurmountable 3-1 lead in the semifinal.Ivanovic had put Serbia up 2-1 on the indoor clay court at the Megasport Arena, rallying to beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 in the first reverse singles.Serbia will face defending champion Czech Republic in the final in November.Jankovic easily won the first set but was broken in her first service game in the second. She then rallied from 3-0 down, winning five consecutive games and closing out the victory on her first match point.''It's a historic moment for us,'' Jankovic said. ''I cannot even believe that we are in the final. We came a long way and I'm very happy we were able to win this match.''After Ivanovic dropped the first set, she won 10 consecutive games to go up 4-0 in the third.'(Pavlyuchenkova) was playing really very, very well,'' Ivanovic said. ''But I'm really happy I managed to get back in the match.''The two teams split the opening singles Saturday. Jankovic won the first point for Serbia, defeating Pavlyuchenkova, but Kuznetsova downed Ivanovic in the second match.Pavlyuchenkova later teamed with Elena Vesnina to defeat the Serbian pair of Bojana Janovski and Aleksandra Krunic 6-4, 6-0 in the doubles match.Serbia had reached the semifinals for the first time and, with the two former top-ranked players, was considered the favorite.Russia, a four-time champion, had beaten Serbia in all three of their previous meetings, but was without its two top players: Maria Sharapova and Vera Zvonareva.

Serena leads U.S. back into World Group
2012-04-22 18:50:00
KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP)—Serena Williams defeated Lesia Tsurenko 6-3, 6-2 on Sunday to send the United States back into the Fed Cup World Group by clinching a series victory over Ukraine.Williams' win gave the U.S. an unassailable 3-0 lead. Christina McHale later won 7-5, 6-3 against 17-year-old Ukrainian Elina Svitolina to secure a sweep of the singles matches.Williams was making her first Fed Cup appearance on foreign soil in more than a decade to become eligible for the U.S. team at the London Olympics.'We're back in the World Group where we want to be and it feels really good to get two points,'' she said.Tsurenko frustrated Williams early on with accurate hitting from the baseline on the red clay court.'What's your problem?'' Williams roared at herself after hitting two consecutive aces to prevent a break in the sixth game.The 22-year-old Ukrainian pressured Williams' serve after giving up a break, but couldn't convert two break points. Williams broke again to take the set.Williams became more relaxed as the match progressed, breaking twice early in the second set.'I had a little bit of a slow start, but I just knew that I could keep fighting,'' she said. 'I just want to go out there and be super relaxed. I play better when I'm relaxed.''Tsurenko broke Williams to prevent her from serving out the match at 5-1, but the powerful returning of the 13-time Grand Slam champion helped her break for a third time in the set and clinch the win.McHale's match with Svitolina was tighter. The 19-year-old American broke once to take a close first set, but breezed through the second.Americans Liezel Huber and Sloane Stephens will play Lyudmyla Kichenok and Nadiya Kichenok in doubles.

Czech Republic beats Italy in Fed Cup semis
2012-04-22 18:40:00
OSTRAVA, Czech Republic (AP)—Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova used her powerful serve and forehand to clinch a victory for Czech Republic over Italy in the Fed Cup semifinals. The third-ranked Kvitova beat Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 7-6 (1) on Sunday to give the Czechs an insurmountable 3-0 lead and wrap up the best-of-five series on an indoor hardcourt at the CEZ Arena. Kvitova converted her second match point with a forehand winner to improve her Fed Cup singles record to 15-4. She has won her last 10 Fed Cup singles matches. The defending champion Czechs will face last year's runner-up Russia or Serbia in November's final.

Nadal beats Djokovic to win Monte Carlo final
2012-04-22 11:05:00
MONACO (AP)—Rafael Nadal finally managed to beat Novak Djokovic in a final, thrashing the top-ranked Serb 6-3, 6-1 on Sunday to win the Monte Carlo Masters for the eighth consecutive year and end a run of seven straight defeats to his rival in title matches.Nadal was hardly troubled by Djokovic in this one and broke the Serb's serve five times in a one-sided affair on clay to win his 42nd straight match at Monte Carlo. It was his first title since last year's French Open and the 47th of his career.'I always loved this tournament since I was a kid. One of my dreams was play here,'' Nadal said. ''It's a historic tournament (where) you see all your idols when you are a kid playing here.''The 25-year-old Nadal thrust his hands in the air after clinching victory in style with an ace that flew past the beleaguered Djokovic, who beat Nadal in an epic Australian Open final this year.''If you see the finals I win here, all the finals are against probably top-six players,'' Nadal said. ''That's something that makes the victories even more difficult.''Nadal now leads their head-to-head series 17-14, but it was his first win against Djokovic since an early match at the 2010 ATP Finals in London. The Serb had beaten Nadal in three consecutive Grand Slam finals and handed him his only defeats on clay last year.''Winning against Novak in (the) final after losing a few ones is important for me,'' Nadal said. ''My level of tennis was high during the last four matches.''Nadal was also relieved to come through the tournament without further aggravating his troublesome left knee, having rested it and had treatment for three weeks before coming to Monte Carlo.''I am very happy because my knee is not limiting (my) movement. I can run 100 percent,'' Nadal said. ''You have pain, but (if) you feel you can run to every ball, (then) the pain never is a problem.''Nadal has won a record 20 Masters titles, putting him one ahead of 16-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer.Djokovic, who has been playing through grief since the death of his grandfather Thursday, said he felt emotionally drained and was unable to summon the mental strength he needed to dig deep against Nadal.''I definitely don't want to take away anything from Rafa's win. He was a better player,'' Djokovic said. ''But it's a fact that I just didn't have any emotional energy left in me.''Djokovic's grandfather was buried back home in Serbia on Saturday.''I've never been caught up in this kind of emotional situation before,'' Djokovic said. ''I'm just happy to reach the finals really under the circumstances. It's been a very difficult week for me to go through mentally.''He has not decided what his schedule will be over the next few days.''I obviously have to go to visit my grandfather's grave and see, because I wasn't there (at the) funeral yesterday,'' he said. ''So I'll be there.''Nadal had promised to be aggressive and, after Djokovic held in his opening service game at love, the Spaniard was relentless in running the Serb all over the court.''Fantastic, impressive. The way he's been treating this sport is a real example of a champion,'' Djokovic said of Nadal's eight straight wins at Monte Carlo. ''I only have nice things to say about him. Every year he comes back and he looks like he's the first time in this place.''Djokovic struggled to find a rhythm, making 25 unforced errors to just 11 winners. Nadal, meanwhile, timed most of his shots to perfection and pushed Djokovic further and further back.''I think today he played just enough to win,'' Djokovic said. ''I just wasn't there. You know, I didn't play well, play at all, you know. I just was out there trying to put the ball in the court.''The breezy conditions seemed to bother Djokovic more than they did Nadal, although the swirling winds were not as intense as Saturday.Nadal, the 10-time Grand Slam champion, found his range quickly and broke Djokovic in the third game when the Serb's backhand sailed wide.In the second set, Nadal went up 3-0 after breaking Djokovic's serve then holding at love.That was soon 4-0 as Nadal won a long rally on break point. Djokovic looked to have won it with a big forehand, but Nadal somehow managed to lob Djokovic while fully stretched out. The ball landed right at the top of the court, surprising Djokovic, whose hurried return set up nicely for Nadal to whack another brutal forehand winner.Although Djokovic broke right back, any thought of a comeback was snuffed out by Nadal when he broke Djokovic at love.

Nadal: Important to break Djokovic losing streak
2012-04-22 10:30:00
After beating Novak Djokovic for the first time in their last eight matches, Rafael Nadal tells reporters that the victory was critical to him. 'It was very important to break the bad (losing streak). So was important to win the tournament another time,' Nadal said of his eighth consecutive Monte Carlo title. 'Break that situation, winning a Masters 1000, one of my favorites, everything's perfect today.'  Djokovic has high praise for his opponent: 'My head's down. There's not many words you can normally say. Fantastic, impressive,” he said of Nadal. 'The way he's been treating this sport is a real example of a champion... He's been achieving so much. Every year he comes back and he looks like he's the first time in this place.' However, Djokovic did say that mentally he was not in the right place as her grandfather, Vladimir had passed away early in the week. 'I just didn't have any emotional energy left in me,' Djokovic said. 'I've never been caught up in this kind of emotional situation before... I just hope to have enough time now to regroup and to rest and to recharge the batteries and move on.'  Nadal added that his injured knee, which forced him to pull out of his Miami semifinal against Andy Murray and did not allow him to begin practicing for Monte Carlo until a few days before the tournament, said he’s fine. 'My knee is not limiting my movement. I can run 100 percent. When you feel you can run to every ball, the pain never is a problem. Today, that's the situation, and I'm very happy.' 

Fernandez hopeful Venus, Serena will return
2012-04-22 10:20:00
After leading her team back to the Fed Cup World Group with a 5-0 victory over Ukraine, U.S. captain Mary Joe Fernandez  is optimistic that the Williams sisters will play for the team in 2013. Serena Williams has played the last two ties, but needed to in order to gain eligibility for the London Olympics. Serena, who owns an undefeated record in Fed Cup play, has never played Fed Cup in a year that was not mandatory for Olympic qualification. Venus Williams has played more frequently and Fernandez is hopeful both will return. 'Hopefully both Serena and Venus will be ready to go,' Fernandez said. 'I have talked to them many times about Fed Cup and playing. They enjoy it. If it works and if they are healthy I expect them to be here.' Serena, who won both her matches against Ukraine, said she enjoyed the experience. 'I absolutely love this team,' she said. 'I love Liezel [Huber], she is just so amazing and so perfect. Christina [McHale] is awesome as well and Sloane [Stephens] and I get along like two peas in a pod. Mary Joe is a young coach, she hasn’t been off tour for too long so she really knows and has so much experience. It is a fabulous opportunity for me, I absolutely love it.'

Kirilenko injury halts Russian lineup plans
2012-04-22 10:06:00
Russian captain Shamil Tarpischev’s plan to insert his top-ranked player, Maria Kirilenko, into his Fed Cup lineup against Serbia was blown apart when Kirilenko re-injured her leg. Kirilenko had had treatment on the injury just before she arrived in Moscow, Sport Express reports. Tarpischev then had to play Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who had dropped her opening match against Jelena Jankovic, and she then lost to Ana Ivanovic  3-6, 6-0, 6-3. Serbia won the tie 3-2 with Jankovic sweeping Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-1, 6-4, in the clinching match.

Iran won't admit Bangladesh Davis Cup player
2012-04-22 08:24:00
Bangladesh's tennis officials say they will lodge a complaint against Iran after one of their players was denied a visa for a Davis Cup Asia Oceania Zone-III tie, to be held in Tehran April 25-28, Reuters reports.  Bangladesh'’s Dipu Lal was denied a visa for unstated reasons, but local media think Dipu was not granted a visa as his older brother Shibu Lal, also a tennis player, is a U.S. citizen.  Interestingly, the ITF punished Bangladesh in 2010 after an Israeli player was denied a visa for an age-group tournament.  Bangladesh, which has no diplomatic relations with Israel, was fined ,500 and its right to host two ITF tournaments was cut to one for the visa denial.  'If we can be punished for not granting a visa to an Israeli player, I think Iran also should be penalized for doing the same thing with us,' the Bangladesh  Tennis Federation president Shahriar Alam said.

Monte Carlo Final Chat
2012-04-21 16:00:00
On Sunday, April 22 at 7:30 am EST, TENNIS.com's Ed McGrogan will provide live commentary and analysis of the Monte Carlo final between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.Monte Carlo Final Chat: Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal

Djokovic, Nadal to meet in Monte Carlo final
2012-04-21 11:48:00
MONACO (AP)—Seven-time defending champion Rafael Nadal will try to beat top-ranked Novak Djokovic for the first time in eight finals when they meet in the Monte Carlo Masters final on Sunday. Nadal advanced to the final without dropping a set in a 6-3, 6-4 win over Gilles Simon, while Djokovic rallied from a set down to beat Tomas Berdych 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 and reach his second final at Monte Carlo. 'He's the best ever in history of the sport on this surface. It's an ultimate challenge,'' Djokovic said. 'I cannot have ups and downs. I cannot afford that against Rafa. But why not believe that I can win?'' Djokovic has beaten the Spaniard in seven consecutive finals, including the recent Australian Open, and handed Nadal his only two defeats on clay last year. 'I have everything to win. That's the only positive thing about losing seven times,'' Nadal said. 'The next matches, you only have to win.'' Nadal had not played for three weeks until the tournament after resting his troublesome left knee. 'Don't forget that few weeks ago, I didn't know if I will be here playing or not,'' he said. 'The match will be a fantastic test for me, and I have to play aggressive.'' With the Monte Carlo court among the slowest on the clay circuit, the conditions suit Nadal. However, he thinks that working his way back to full fitness, along with Djokovic's recent record against him, means the Serb is the favorite. 'Seriously, I (would) like to play this match a few weeks later,'' Nadal said. 'When one player beats another one seven times in a row (on) clay, hard, and grass, is very easy to decide the favorite.'' Overall, Nadal leads their head-to-heads 16-14 but has not won since a group-stage match at the 2010 ATP Finals in London. Nadal has not lost in Monte Carlo since 2003 - he was injured the following year - and has won 41 straight matches here. 'We are evenly matched,'' Djokovic said. 'You always know that Rafa is going to come up with his best fight and his best tennis.'' But the Serb, who lost to Nadal in the 2009 final, is playing under difficult circumstances. Two days after the death of his grandfather, he pointed to the sky for several moments after his win against Berdych. ``Under the circumstances, I didn't know if I could reach the final this week,'' Djokovic said. The 10-time Grand Slam champion Nadal is without a title since winning last year's French Open. He was also without a title in 2011 heading into Monte Carlo, then went on to win here and at Roland Garros. Simon had Nadal under pressure at 3-3 in the first set. Nadal was down 15-40 in the seventh game and Simon was dominating the rally from the back of the court until one Nadal return took a bad bounce and the ball skidded under Simon's racket. On the next point, Simon then hurried a volley at the net, patting it straight back to Nadal, who clipped a passing shot that forced Simon to chop a backhand volley into the net at full stretch. 'That was the most important (moment) because I know after that I play with new balls,'' Nadal said. 'That is better for me because the bounces are higher and more favorable for me, and with the wind in my favor.'' Simon missed all seven chances he had to break Nadal's serve. Nadal clinched victory on his first match point when he held for love. The wind was swirling less when Nadal played, but Djokovic and Berdych were caught up in the thick of it. 'The wind blew all the clay from the court. It was like a hard court today,'' Djokovic said. Berdych felt he was impeded from playing his best tennis. 'Sometimes, you can play when it's windy. But actually this kind of wind was kind of like there was circles around,'' he said. 'You never know from where it's going to come. For my game, it was just, you know, a bit of a killer because I like to play aggressive.'' Djokovic closed out the match on his serve and clenched both fists before shouting, 'Come on!'' Berdych had sent Andy Murray scampering to all parts of the court in Friday's quarterfinal, and Djokovic felt the full weight of the Berdych forehand in the first set as the Czech reeled off four consecutive games to fight back from 4-2 down. Djokovic was driven to frustration, and lost his temper, but he still made Berdych save a break point to serve out the set. Djokovic improved to 9-1 against the Czech after their first meeting on clay.

Nadal has 'everything to win' vs. Djokovic
2012-04-21 11:33:00
Rafael Nadal will face Novak Djokovic in the Monte Carlo final, the eighth time that the world No. 2 and No. 1 have faced off in the last stage of a tournament since the start of 2011. Djokovic has won their last seven matches, all in finals, including two last year on red clay in Madrid and Rome. He also bested Nadal in three Grand Slam finals: 2011 Wimbledon, 2011 U.S. Open, and the 2012 Australian Open, the last time they have played. Nadal is seeking his eighth consecutive title at Monte Carlo. The Spaniard has not raised a trophy since 2011 Roland Garros. 'My feeling is I have much less to lose than him. I have everything to win,' Nadal told reporters. 'That's the most important thing. That's the only positive thing about losing seven times. The next matches, you only have to win. You go to the match knowing that the normal thing is lose but trying the best to change situation. That's what I going to try.' While Djokovic is not unbeaten like he was at this stage of the season last year, he is coming off a title run in Miami. Prior to upending Nadal in Madrid last year, the Serbian was 0-9 against the Spaniard on red clay. 'It will be the most difficult match for me in this tournament,' said Djokovic. 'He's the player to beat here. He's the player to beat on clay courts. He's the best ever in the history of the sport on this surface. It's the ultimate challenge. I need to play well. I need to play well from the first to the last point. I cannot have ups and downs. I cannot afford that against Rafa. I'm aware of that. But why not believe that I can win?'—Matt Cronin