Nadal cried before Oz Open after knee injury
2012-01-26 20:38:00
Rafael Nadal admits that he broke down in tears prior to the Australian Open after he injured his knee while standing up. The Spaniard, who had injured himself in Melbourne the two prior years, defeated rival Roger Federer in the semifinals and will face the winner of the match between No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 4 Andy Murray for the title on Sunday.“I explained that after my match on the first, what happened the Sunday before on my knee, something very strange,' he said. 'But that's why, because Sunday afternoon, 24 hours to play my first match, I was in my room crying because I believe I didn't had the chance to play Melbourne. So it was a very, very tough situation for me, these hours. Two weeks later I am here in the finals, so is a dream for me because having very bad expectations 24 hours before the first match, and now two weeks later I am playing well.”

Federer: Record versus Nadal not important
2012-01-26 20:35:00
After Rafael Nadal beat him for the 18th time in their 27 matches, Roger Federer says that their head-to-head record doesn’t matter to him.'I respect it. I think he's doing great against me,' 16-time Grand Slam champion Federer said after his 6-7 (5), 6-2, 7-6 (5), 6-4 defeat in the Australian Open semifinals. 'It is what it is. At the end I care about my titles, if I'm happy or not as a person. Head-to-heads for me, I mean, are not the most important. If I beat Andre [Agassi] 10 times in a row or Lleyton [Hewitt] many times in a row, at the end of the day I don't care. I remember the matches on that given day, that I played well against them or not, and I don't remember the head-to-head that much. All I know is that we've played many times, and either comes my way or his way. Rallies have gone a little bit more his way obviously.'

Kuznetsova, Zvonareva win doubles tournament
2012-01-26 20:10:00
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Mattek-Sands reaches first Grand Slam final
2012-01-26 19:00:00
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP)—After reaching her first Grand Slam final, the big question for Bethanie Mattek-Sands is what to wear for the occasion? The 26-year-old American, known for her sometimes outlandish fashion sense, and Romanian partner Horia Tecau advanced to the mixed doubles final at the Australian Open on Friday with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi of India. They'll play the winner of the other semifinal between Roberta Vinci and Daniele Bracciali of Italy and Elena Vesnina of Russia and Leander Paes of India, which was being contested later Friday. Tecau has been in this situation before - he's reached the men's doubles final at Wimbledon the last two years, losing both times. For Mattek-Sands, it'll be her first Grand Slam final of any kind. ``It's a huge one, obviously, being in any slam final no matter what one it is,'' she said. Mattek-Sands has made a statement with her outfits at many Grand Slams in the past. Last year, she wore a Lady Gaga-esque white jacket decorated with real tennis balls on court for her first-round match at Wimbledon. She once wore a scandalous, low-cut leopard-print number at the U.S. Open, complete with a leopard-print visor. She already has some ideas if she makes the U.S. team for the London Olympics, too. ``I wanted to do some gold, either get a gold racket or gold shoes or something,'' she said. So what's she got planned for Sunday's mixed doubles final? ``Actually I might go shopping,'' she said with a laugh. ``It's tough when you pack. I can only pack so much. I'm already over all my baggage limits.''

Nadal beats Federer to reach Australian Open final
2012-01-26 03:30:00
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Now, he can barely believe he’s in the final.“If you tell me that two Sundays ago, I really cannot imagine,” Nadal said. “For me, it’s a dream to be back in a final of the Australian Open.”Nadal will have the opportunity to win another championship on Sunday night when the Spanish left-hander plays the winner of the semifinal Friday between defending champion Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.Earlier Thursday, Maria Sharapova overcame Petra Kvitova to advance to the women’s final against Victoria Azarenka. Sharapova broke Kvitova’s serve in the last game to finish off a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 victory and the third-seeded Azarenka beat defending champion Kim Clijsters 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 to set up a Saturday night final at Rod Laver Arena that will decide the No. 1 ranking.Nadal, who holds a 6-2 edge in Grand Slam finals against Federer, made the key service break in the ninth game of the fourth set, making an incredible cross-court forehand winner from well behind the baseline, then watching as Federer hit a backhand wide to give Nadal a 5-4 lead.Serving for the match, Nadal moved two points away from the win when Federer sent a backhand long. He won on his second match point when Federer floated a forehand long.At the end, Nadal smashed a ball up high in the stadium, almost clearing the roof. He then applauded along with the crowd when Federer walked off.The 25-year-old Spaniard won the 2009 Australian title but lost in the quarterfinals in his next two trips to Melbourne Park. Federer hasn’t added to his record 16 Grand Slam titles since he won the 2010 Australian Open.“I thought Rafa played well from start to finish,” Federer said. “It was a tough match physically as well. I’m disappointed, but it’s only the beginning of the season. I’m feeling all right, so it’s OK.”When the often enthralling play was suspended for 10 minutes late in the second set for an Australian Day fireworks display, Federer seemed to be affected most. Nadal led 5-2 at the time, and Federer lost his serve in the next game to give the Spaniard the set. In all, the Swiss dropped 11 points in a row.“It’s tough, it’s not helpful, that’s for sure,” Federer said of the break for the fireworks. “They told us before, so it was no surprise. But I knew it was a lot of points in a row that I lost.”The capacity, 15,000-strong crowd was evenly split in its support, with the names seeming to blur after the R in rival chants.Each time somebody called out for Rafa, it was met by a response for Roger. The cheers were just as loud for Nadal’s scrambling, sometimes astonishing, passing shots as for Federer’s deft winners.With the players on serve in the second set, Nadal went so far wide on a Federer return that he was near the side wall of the arena. Incredibly, he stretched wide and returned the ball crosscourt for a winner. That set up three break points and Nadal clinched the game to take a 4-2 lead in the second set.Federer saved a set point in the 11th game of the third set that eventually forced a tiebreaker. But Federer made three unforced errors in the tiebreaker to give Nadal a 6-1 lead, and the Spaniard eventually clinched the set on his last opportunity of five set points.“Please win the point, that’s all,” Nadal recalled when asked what he was telling himself at 6-5 in the tiebreaker. “I was very, very nervous at that moment. Losing four set points in a row is tough, especially when you play the toughest in history.”Clijsters was in the crowd, only hours after her title defense ended. And Ivan Lendl was at Rod Laver Arena for a second night, scouting opponents again as Murray’s coach. So were former Australian greats Laver, Ken Rosewall and Pat Rafter.Sharapova lost to second-ranked Kvitova in the Wimbledon final last year, her first major final since returning from an injury layoff following a shoulder operation in 2008. She has won three majors, but none since the 2008 Australian Open.“In the third set, I felt she always had the advantage because I was always down on my serve,” said Sharapova, who served five double-faults in the third set and 10 in the match. “I just told myself ‘You just gotta go for it, don’t let her finish off the points like she likes to.”’Azarenka won the first semifinal after twice recovering from periods when a resurgent Clijsters seemed to have the upper hand, to secure victory in only her second appearance in a major semifinal.“I felt like my hand is about 200 kilograms and my body is about 1,000 and everything is shaking, but that feeling when you finally win is such a relief. My God, I cannot believe it’s over. I just want to cry,” Azarenka said as she choked back tears, then buried her face in a towel.Clijsters is popular in Australia, where she’s widely known as “Aussie Kim” after dating Lleyton Hewitt years ago. She had most of the backing from the crowd on the national holiday in what is likely to be her last Australian Open.Azarenka held her nerve despite the crowd and playing against a proven big-match player. Clijsters has won four majors and has defended a Grand Slam title—winning the U.S. Open in 2009 and ’10. To reach the semifinals, the Belgian saved four match points despite a sprained ankle to beat French Open champion Li Na in the fourth round and beat top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki in the quarterfinals.“I guess before you all thought I was a mental case,” Azarenka said in a courtside interview. “I was just young and emotional. I’m really glad the way I fight, that’s the most thing I’m really proud of. I fight for every ball.”Wozniacki will vacate top spot in next week’s rankings after her quarterfinal loss, leaving either No. 3 Azarenka and No. 4 Sharapova a chance to move to the top.

Sharapova, Azarenka to play for title and No. 1
2012-01-26 03:29:00
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP)—The age gap only two years, the difference in experience is vast between Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka.Sharapova will play her sixth Grand Slam final at the Australian Open on Saturday against Azarenka, who is making her debut. And it isn’t just a major title on the line—the winner will claim the No. 1 ranking.Four years after winning the last of her three major titles and approaching eight years since she lifted the Wimbledon trophy at 17, Sharapova has another chance to add to her Grand Slam haul.“It means so much to be back in a Grand Slam final,” Sharapova said. “It’s nice to get that far again after losing quite early in the last couple of years.”Now 24, Sharapova has already been on tour long enough to experience the ups and downs of tennis. After winning the Australian Open in 2008, she underwent shoulder surgery that took her out of the game for nine months.It took much longer for her to get back to her peak, and she lost at the Australian Open before the quarterfinals on her last two visits. She reached the Wimbledon final last year, but lost to Petra Kvitova—the player she beat in Thursday’s semifinals.“With the shoulder, I knew some examples of some people that did not quite recover from surgery and that was a little frightening, but I really had no option,” she said. “Of course it took a long time and it was a process, but it was just something that was in my steps that I had to go through. And I did.”Azarenka worked on her fitness in the offseason, giving her the confidence to know she can play “as long as I need.”Azarenka may take added confidence from two previous wins over Sharapova in hardcourt finals in Stanford and Miami. They share a 3-3 record overall.“She’s a really, really good player, and I haven’t had great success against her in the last couple of events that we’ve played against each other,” Sharapova said. “I’d really like to change that. It will be important to tactically play right. She makes you hit a lot of balls and she’s aggressive as well.”The Florida-based Russian often speaks like a veteran of the game—and she showed her experience in dealing with the media in the way she swatted away persistent questions about her grunting when she hits the ball.“No one important enough has told me to change or do something different,” she said after her quarterfinal win. “I’ve answered it many times before. I’m sure I’ll answer it many more times ahead. I’m OK with that.”Two of the noisiest players in the women’s game go head-to-head in the final. The WTA says its looking at ways to reduce the practice, which it acknowledges has become “bothersome” for some fans.Any action is likely to start with younger players. Sharapova and Azarenka say it has been part of their game as youngsters, and neither has any intention of changing.Azarenka’s high-pitched hooting has been mimicked by the crowd at times during her Australian Open run, but the 22-year-old Belarusian has maintained her composure.By beating defending champion Kim Clijsters in the semifinals, the third-seeded Azarenka took her winning streak to 11 matches after claiming the Sydney International title before the Australian Open.Like Sharapova, Azarenka has dropped two sets in Melbourne, including one against Clijsters in the semifinals. It could have been much worse against the Belgian. Leading 4-2 against the four-time Grand Slam champion and crowd favorite, Azarenka was broken back after holding five game points.No problem.She broke right back and after a nervy double-fault on her first match point, closed out the win. She said her ability to finish off the match against Clijsters is because of hard work and experience.“Even if you believe 1 million percent, it’s not going to happen,” Azarenka said. “It’s a lot of hard work. Those details, that confidence that you get from the tennis match makes you believe.”The Azarenka-Sharapova final means there won’t be a No. 1 without a Grand Slam title to her name—the case with Caroline Wozniacki, who lost the top ranking with her quarterfinal defeat by Clijsters.For Azarenka, the ranking is still a goal. She said after her fourth-round win she would be “lying” if she said it wasn’t on her mind. Sharapova, the veteran of three previous spells at No. 1, only wants to add to her trophy collection.“Having been in the position before, doesn’t really (add anything to the final) to me,” Sharapova said. “I think personally, for me, it’s more about the Grand Slam win than the No. 1 ranking.“That’s just always been the goal for me.”

Bryan brothers on pace for record 12th Slam
2012-01-25 23:59:00
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP)—Bob Bryan plays for his record 12th Grand Slam doubles title with his brother Mike on Saturday, but he’s advising wife Michelle not to watch on television at home in Miami.He doesn’t want her to go into labor until he’s back in the country.The couple is expecting the birth of their first child—a girl—and Michelle’s due date just happens to fall on the same day as the doubles final.“I’ve been telling her, ‘Don’t watch the matches, it will get your heart rate going and you might spit that baby out,”’ Bob Bryan said after the brothers’ tight semifinal win on Thursday. “She knows she’s a few days away from me coming home. She’s not going to risk it, not now.”Bryan almost caught an earlier flight back to Florida. The top-seeded brothers had to fight off a match point and rally from a 5-2 deficit in the third-set tiebreaker to beat Robert Lindstedt of Sweden and Horia Tecau of Romania.“I think we maybe got a little lucky,” Mike Bryan said. “Played kind of our best tennis at the very end.”The brothers were coming off a tough, three-set quarterfinal win over Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski of Poland that didn’t finish until 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday because they followed the 4-hour-plus men’s singles quarterfinal between Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych at Rod Laver Arena.“It was tough to sleep last night because we were used to being up,” Mike Bryan said.The Americans now play the unseeded pairing of Leander Paes of India and Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic in the final for a chance to make history. They’re currently level at 11 career Grand Slam titles with the Australian doubles team of Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge, known at home as the “Woodies.”“They’ve always seemed like they’ve been happy for us and our success,” Bob Bryan said. “They seem very secure with their own achievements and career. They’ve had an amazingly decorated history on the court.”Whatever happens on Saturday, Bob Bryan will be on the first flight out of Melbourne on Sunday morning.“(Michelle’s) been so happy and supportive of what we’re doing,” Bob Bryan said. “That makes it really easy.”

Sharapova outlasts Kvitova in semis
2012-01-25 22:54:00
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Djokovic unsure if Lendl can have quick impact
2012-01-25 20:18:00
Novak Djokovic isn’t sure that Andy Murray’s new coach, eight-time Grand Slam champion Ivan Lendl, can make an immediate difference in his student’s play. Lendl joined Murray’s camp at the start of the year at the tournament in Brisbane. Djokovic and Murray will have a rematch of their 2011 Australian Open final in the 2012 semifinals on Friday night. 'I don't notice any significant difference,' Djokovic said. 'Obviously, he's always been very successful in Australia at the start of the year. He has always been very fit and very committed. He's always been one of the best players in the world. So here we are again playing semifinals of a Grand Slam. That's not a big change. But I'm saying I guess the effect of Lendl being a part of his team can be felt probably in some time to come.'

Bryan's wife has contractions watching match
2012-01-25 20:15:00
Bob Bryan says that his pregnant wife Michelle started to have a couple of small contractions during their 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) victory over Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau in the semifinals of the Australian Open. The Bryans were down 5-2 in the tiebreaker. Michelle Bryan is at home in Florida, is due to give birth to their daughter on January 29, and is on bedrest.'We're down to the finish line. It's crunch time,' Bob said. 'I've been telling her, ‘Don't watch the matches; it will get your heart rate going and you might spit that baby out.’ It's going to be tight the next couple days, especially with the nerves. She's not getting out of bed. She can see the finish line. She knows she's a few days away from me coming home. She's not going to risk it, not now…She's getting big. She's huge. She showed me her stomach. It doesn't even look human. This thing, I don't know how it's staying in there.'

Tomic issued tickets after police come to home
2012-01-25 19:47:00
GOLD COAST, Australia (AP)—Police issued two traffic tickets to Bernard Tomic after waiting outside his home while he spoke to a lawyer in the latest episode of a feud between the teenage Wimbledon quarterfinalist and local officers.Australian media reported that officers tried to pull over Tomic, who did not stop but drove his BMW sports car back to his home at Southport on Australia’s Gold Coast.Two officers went inside the house to speak to Tomic, who then sought legal representation, saying he wanted to make a complaint against police.The 19-year-old Tomic, who reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, had previously complained about perceived persecution by local police.

Azarenka beats Clijsters to reach Aussie final
2012-01-25 19:00:00
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP)—Victoria Azarenka reached her first Grand Slam final and staked a claim for the No. 1 ranking when she beat defending champion Kim Clijsters 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 in the Australian Open semifinals on Thursday.The third-seeded Azarenka recovered her composure twice in periods when a resurgent Clijsters seemed to have the upper hand, breaking the veteran Belgian’s serve three times in the third set to secure victory in only her second appearance in a major semifinal.The 22-year-old Belarusian will play either Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova or 2008 Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova in the Saturday night final. Azarenka, Kvitova and Sharapova can all finish the tournament with the No. 1 ranking.After a strong start due to a consistent serve, Azarenka’s serve deserted her in the second set and Clijsters dictated play with her solid groundstrokes and some amazing defense.But after getting the momentum back, it was Clijsters who blinked first in the third set, dropping serve in the second game and again in the fourth. She got two of those service games back, including one when she rallied from 40-0 down to win a game to get the score back to 4-3.But Azarenka rallied immediately again, breaking serve. She got triple match point trying to serve out the match and, after a double-fault on her first, she clinched it on a Clijsters’ error.Azarenka threw her racket on the court and sank to her knees, bent over with her hands covering her face. Clijsters came around the net to congratulate her.“I felt like my hand is about 200 kilograms and my body is about 1,000 and everything is shaking, but that feeling when you finally win is such a relief. My God I cannot believe it’s over. I just want to cry,” Azarenka said as she choked back tears, then buried her face in the towel.“It was just trying to stay in the moment. Kim really took over the second set and I felt there was nothing I could do. I just tried to regroup.”Clijsters is a popular player in Australia, where she’s widely known as “Aussie Kim.” The four-time major winner had most of the backing from the crowd on the national holiday in what is likely to be her last Australian Open.Azarenka held her nerve despite the crowd.“I guess before you all thought I was a mental case. I was just young and emotional,” she said in a courtside interview. “I’m really glad the way I fight, that’s the most thing I’m really proud of. I fight for every ball.”The Sharapova-Kvitova semifinal was next match on Rod Laver Arena, followed by the blockbuster men’s semifinal between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

Semifinal Chat: Federer vs. Nadal
2012-01-25 04:51:00
On Thursday, January 26 at 3:15 am EST, online editor Ed McGrogan will provide live commentary and analysis of the Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal semifinal at the 2012 Australian Open.Australian Open Semifinal Chat: Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal

Djokovic overcomes injury, Ferrer
2012-01-25 01:44:00
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Nadal: Federer favorite in upcoming clash
2012-01-25 00:46:00
Rafael Nadal says he doesn’t necessarily need to play as well as he did in the third and fourth sets of his 6-7 (5), 7-6 (6), 6-4, 6-3 victory over Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in order to best Roger Federer in the semis, but he cannot be as passive as he was in the first two sets. Nadal took down the Swiss the only time they played in Australia, in the 2009 final.'I will try my best from the beginning. I tried my best from the beginning [against Berdych],” Nadal said. Sometimes the things didn't work as well as you would like, but that's the sport. So I will keep fighting with positive attitude. But if I play like the third or fourth set, hopefully I will have my chances. Always playing in these kind of surfaces he's the favorite. His level is fantastic, and he won a fantastic match against one of the best players of the world, Del Potro. So he's coming with confidence. It will be a very, very difficult match for me. But for me, the most important thing I had the calm. The feeling of the level of my game during all the tournament was really satisfying. Even if I lose, I come back home with very positive feeling about how I played, and for sure the result is good. For me, semifinals after two years with troubles, injuries, I must be happy for that.'