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Del Potro jugará el torneo Queen's el próximo año

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:59:24 +0100

LONDRES (AP) — El argentino Juan Martín del Potro jugará el torneo Queen's Club el próximo año como fogueo antes de Wimbledon.

El quinto del ranking mundial derrotó este año a Roger Federer para ganar su primer Grand Slam en el Abierto de Estados Unidos, pero nunca ha superado la segunda ronda en tres participaciones en el césped de Wimbledon.

Del Potro dijo que "esta es la oportunidad perfecta para mejorar mi juego en esa superficie. Muchos jugadores han jugado bien en Queen's y luego han ganado Wimbledon. Espero que también pase conmigo".

John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker, Pete Sampras, Lleyton Hewitt y Rafael Nadal se han coronado en Wimbledon tras ganar en Queen's.

El torneo de fogueo para Wimbledon se disputa del 7-13 de junio.

Del Potro to play at Queen's Club tournament

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:38:10 +0100

LONDON (AP) — U.S. Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro will play at next year's Queen's Club tournament in an effort to improve his grasscourt game ahead of Wimbledon.

The fifth-ranked Argentine beat Roger Federer in the U.S. Open final but has never advanced past the second round in three appearances at Wimbledon.

Del Potro says "this is the perfect opportunity for me to improve my game on the surface. Many players have done well at Queen's in the past and then gone on to win at Wimbledon. I hope that this can happen for me also."

John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker, Pete Sampras, Lleyton Hewitt and Rafael Nadal have all won the Wimbledon men's singles title after victory at Queen's.

The Wimbledon warmup event is scheduled for June 7-13.

Irate Irish cry foul after ref hands win to France

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:38:17 +0100

DUBLIN (AP) — Soccer-mad Ireland is fighting mad — and demanding justice for a disputed goal that had fans here crying "Oui were robbed."

A blown call by referees cost the luckless Irish a spot in the World Cup in a loss to star-studded France.

Ireland played the game of its life Wednesday night in a Paris stadium rocking to the cheers of visiting Irish fans. But with momentum on their side and facing a penalty shootout within minutes, the Irish saw the ball fall near their goal — and into the outstretched palm of celebrated French striker Thierry Henry.

He slapped it not once but twice, guiding it to his foot and passing to teammate William Gallas for the winning overtime goal. Ireland's squad slapped their hands and some screamed "Handball, ref!"

Keeping your hands off the ball is the most basic rule in soccer, and endless replays demonstrated beyond doubt to billions worldwide that the goal should not have counted. But the Swedish referee, Martin Hansson, and his assistants claimed to see nothing wrong — inspiring fury and conspiracy theories on the wintry, rain-sodden streets of Dublin.

More than one Dublin tabloid christened it the "Hand of Frog" — wordplay using slang for a Frenchman and comparing the event to another handball, the goal by Argentina's Diego Maradona against England in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal. Asked afterward if he had touched the ball, Maradona said it had been guided by "the hand of God."

Henry quickly came clean about his sleight of hand, well aware that no video review can keep him from soccer's grandest stage in June.

"I will be honest. It was a handball," Henry said. "But I'm not the ref. I played it. The ref allowed it."

Some accused the Swiss-based world governing body of soccer, FIFA, of bending its rules to suit the sport's big guns like France because of the money and markets involved. France, a country of 65 million, won the world championship in 1998 and were runners-up in 2006. Ireland, population 4.4 million, chronically struggles even to qualify.

"They do video replays in rugby, American football, tennis, you name it — but not the biggest of them all, the World Cup. You tell me why," said Robbie Nolan, a 40-year-old cabbie nursing a pint after work in a sports-themed Dublin pub bedecked in Irish soccer memorabilia. His cheeks still bore traces of the green, white and orange facepaint from the night before.

"I'll tell you why," he said, jabbing his finger at the Dublin Evening Herald's front page picturing Henry beneath the headline: "YOU CHEAT."

"Video replay wouldn't allow FIFA to fix key matches, that's why. They wanted France in the World Cup and they got their wish. The Irish can play their socks off, but we're nobodies. The French stars and the French millions must go to the World Cup."

As callers flooded Ireland's airwaves from morning to nightfall, rival radio stations raced to produce their own mock-pop tributes to the dubious goal by Henry. Dublin's 98FM offered a take on Michael Jackson's "Beat It," retitled "He Cheated."

Until now, Henry has been known in the United States mostly for appearing in a Gillette ad with Tiger Woods and Roger Federer. And he has talked about perhaps finishing his career in Major League Soccer with the New York Red Bulls.

Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen said he would lobby his French counterpart, President Nicolas Sarkozy, at a European Union summit in Brussels.

"We'll probably have a chat about it away from the table," said Cowen, who lauded ordinary French soccer fans for "making it clear in great numbers that there would be a lot of disquiet about the manner of the goal."

The Football Association of Ireland, meanwhile, filed formal demands to both FIFA and the French soccer federation for a replay. Both Cowen and soccer leaders both appealed to France's sense of honor — and acknowledged the long odds for a rematch.

"It's up to the people who govern the game now. Every time I go to a FIFA conference I hear about fair play and integrity and all those wonderful words," said John Delaney, chief executive of the Football Association of Ireland.

In both Sweden and France, citizens registered their own sense of shame at their compatriots' role in the outcome.

The Stockholm newspaper Aftonbladet declared that Hansson and his two Swedish assistant referees should be banned from World Cup duties. "Anything else would be a further insult to the Irish nation," it opined.

In Paris, more than 80,000 voted in an online Le Monde newspaper poll asking whether France deserved to go to next year's World Cup in South Africa. Most said no, that the Irish should go instead.

And the union representing France's gym teachers declared outrage at what it called "indisputable cheating."

Irish Justice Minister Dermot Ahern was the first government leader to demand justice — and also the quickest to suggest that the Irish stood little chance of getting it. He said FIFA was committed to promoting the high-population soccer powerhouses of Europe.

Still, he said Ireland must demand a rematch, if only to shame France and FIFA.

"They probably won't grant it as we are minnows in world football," he said. "But let's put them on the spot anyway."

___

On the Net:

Irish state TV's coverage, http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2009/1119/republic(underscore)france.html

Irish Times poll on video reviews in soccer, http://tinyurl.com/ybuet9e

American Sam Querrey on mend from accident

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:48:15 +0100

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sam Querrey narrowly avoided a potentially career-ending injury when he shattered a glass table after practicing for a tournament in Thailand.

The world's 25th-ranked player had sat on a couch before going to take a shower in late September. Afterward, he didn't want to sit back in the same sweaty spot on the couch to put on his socks and shoes, so he fatefully plopped down on the glass table.

"I fell through it," Querrey recalled. "When I got up, there was a piece of glass in my arm. Blood was gushing out. I ran down to the trainer. The doctor came and we got the ambulance and went to the hospital."

Querrey whipped out his cell phone to display a photo of the open wound before it was closed up with 25 stitches during an hourlong surgery in a Bangkok hospital. He cut 30 percent of two different muscles in his arm, but the damage missed the nerves.

The evidence is a thin, red 3-inch scar on the inside of his arm.

"I was actually more nervous when I got home and I finally took the splint off after two weeks," he said. "If my wrist moved in the slightest way, it would send shooting pain down my arm. I didn't know if I was going to get better."

During his recovery to strengthen the muscles in his wrist and recover his range of motion, Querrey was forced to do everything with his left hand, including brushing his teeth.

He says his arm feels good, although his serve isn't quite where it was before the accident.

"My shoulder, it takes a while to warm it up and get that motion going," he said. "Other than that I feel no difference in any part of my game."

The accident cut short his career-best season, forcing him to miss five tournaments. The 22-year-old Californian reached five ATP Tour finals this year, putting him in the elite company of No. 1 Roger Federer, No. 2 Rafael Nadal, third-ranked Novak Djokovic and No. 4 Andy Murray as players who made at least that many finals.

Querrey won one of those finals, at Los Angeles, and his results were good enough to win the U.S. Open Series and rose to a career-high 22nd in the rankings. He lost in the third round of the U.S. Open and finished the year with a 41-23 mark.

Querrey heard from Andy Roddick and James Blake after the accident, but he was most excited about an e-mail from Federer wishing him well.

"That was the greatest," he said, smiling. "I was so happy. It made my day. It was almost worth it."

He thinks the accident probably cost him a chance to move into the world's top 20.

"Fortunately, my ranking is still high, so I'll be seeded at the Australian Open," he said. "Most of the matches I play now because of my ranking I'm expected to win. I'm not really the new guy."

Querrey began hitting for the first time last week in preparation for his return to match play at the Brisbane International during the first week of January.

"I really want to focus more next year on the Slams," he said.

Mostly though, he's grateful the accident didn't cost him his fledgling career.

"It kind of makes you appreciate some things a little more," he said. "This whole last week I've never once got upset or mad on the court. I'm just happy to be playing."

Belgian tennis players appeal doping bans

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:13:06 +0100

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Belgian tennis players Yanina Wickmayer and Xavier Malisse have asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport to overturn their one-year bans for missing drug tests.

The CAS said Wednesday the players want to annul their suspensions for failing three times to report their whereabouts for unannounced drug-testing.

The tribunal will issue a ruling within four months.

Wickmayer claims she was not properly informed of the online reporting requirements for drug-testing that led to her ban.

The 20-year-old U.S. Open semifinalist was suspended by a Belgian anti-doping tribunal this month for failing three times to report her whereabouts for drug testing. The ban was confirmed by the International Tennis Federation.

Malisse, a 2002 Wimbledon semifinalist, also was banned a year for the same offense.

Under the World Anti-Doping Agency's rules, elite athletes must be available for out-of-competition testing for one hour a day, 365 days a year. They must give three months' notice of where they will be so they can be tested.

Federer, Del Potro in same group for ATP Finals

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:02:22 +0100

LONDON (AP) — Top-ranked Roger Federer will play U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro and Andy Murray in the round-robin phase of the ATP World Tour Finals.

After Wednesday's draw, Federer also faces Fernando Verdasco in Group A. The Swiss star lost to Del Potro in the U.S. Open final.

"Obviously, I look forward to playing Roger," Murray said. "I've played Juan a few times on the tour recently and also had a close match recently with Verdasco indoors in Valencia."

Second-ranked Rafael Nadal was drawn into Group B with Novak Djokovic, Nikolay Davydenko and Robin Soderling.

The top two players in each group will advance to the semifinals of the season-ending tournament, which starts Sunday at the O2 Arena in London. The final is set for Nov. 29.

The tournament, which could earn an undefeated champion $1.63 million, features the top eight players in the world. Each round-robin match is worth $120,000, while the semifinal winners earn another $380,000 each. The champion will get an extra $770,000.

Federer, who regained the No. 1 ranking from Nadal this season, could still be overtaken by the second-ranked Spaniard because an undefeated winner of the tournament will claim 1,500 points in the rankings. Federer has 10,150 points while Nadal trails with 9,205.

Federer rebounded from a disappointing year in 2008 and completed a career Grand Slam by winning the French Open for the first time. He then reclaimed his Wimbledon title while breaking Pete Sampras' career Grand Slam record with his 15th major title.

In the other two Grand Slam tournaments, Federer lost in five sets in the finals — to Nadal at the Australian Open and to Del Potro at the U.S. Open.

Despite winning the Australian Open, Nadal struggled with injuries throughout the 2009 season. He lost to Soderling in the fourth round at Roland Garros and then pulled out of Wimbledon, where he was the defending champion. He made the semifinals at the U.S. Open, but again was hampered by injuries and lost to Del Potro.

Djokovic, who won the ATP World Tour Finals in Shanghai last year, seems to be in the best form heading into this year's tournament. The third-ranked Serb beat Federer in the Swiss Indoors final early this month, and then defeated Nadal in the Paris Masters semifinals en route to winning the tournament last Sunday.

Sixth-ranked Andy Roddick had been expected to play in London, but the Wimbledon finalist withdrew late Tuesday with a left knee injury. Ninth-ranked Soderling, who lost to Federer in the French Open final, is Roddick's replacement.

In doubles, Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic, Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles, Frantisek Cermak and Michal Mertinak, and Max Mirnyi and Andy Ram are in Group A. Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, Lukas Dlouhy and Leander Paes, Lukasz Kubot and Oliver Marach, and Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski are in Group B.

Injured Roddick pulls out of season-ending event

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:07:26 +0100

LONDON (AP) — Andy Roddick is withdrawing from the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals because of a left knee injury.

The No. 6-ranked Roddick hurt his knee at last month's Shanghai Masters.

The ATP said Tuesday that French Open runner-up Robin Soderling, No. 9 in the rankings, will take Roddick's spot in the eight-man field.

The draw for the tournament is Wednesday, and play starts Sunday. The other participants: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Juan Martin del Potro, Nikolay Davydenko and Fernando Verdasco.

Survey: More minorities in US playing tennis

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:54:34 +0100

LOS ANGELES (AP) — More Americans are playing tennis, with Hispanics and blacks showing a marked increase.

The U.S. Tennis Association says in a survey released Tuesday that more than 30 million people hit the courts this year. That's a 12 percent increase from 2008 and up 25 percent from six years ago.

The survey shows participation grew in all age groups under 50 and within all ethnic groups. The biggest increases were among Hispanics, with 32 percent more playing the game. Blacks had a 19 percent increase.

The annual survey of 6,000 Americans was done by Taylor Research Group on behalf of the USTA and the Tennis Industry Association.

Credit Suisse to sponsor Roger Federer thru 2019

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:15:16 +0100

ZURICH (AP) — The Swiss bank Credit Suisse has signed a 10-year sponsorship with Roger Federer.

The bank says it will make a "significant annual contribution" to the Roger Federer Foundation. The charity was founded by the tennis star to help disadvantaged children in Africa.

Credit Suisse declined to say how much the deal is worth or how much would go to Federer's foundation. The bank pulled out as a Formula One sponsor last year.

Wickmayer and Malisse launch legal attack on WADA

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:50:31 +0100

BRUSSELS (AP) — Suspended Belgian tennis players Yanina Wickmayer and Xavier Malisse are launching appeals with European authorities challenging the legality of the whereabouts rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Victory at the European Commission in Brussels and the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights could force WADA to change its rules on when and where athletes can be tested out of competition.

"The indispensable fight against doping is not the issue here. The problem is the lack of proportionality of certain measures," their lawyer Jean-Louis Dupont told The Associated Press on Sunday.

The athletes are already appealing their one-year bans before the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Dupont was the lawyer of Belgian soccer player Jean-Marc Bosman, and secured the 1995 ruling of the European Court of Justice that forced FIFA to drastically change its transfer rules and limits on foreign players.

The 20-year-old Wickmayer, a U.S. Open semifinalist, was banned for failing three times to correctly report where she could be found for testing. The 16th-ranked player said she never missed a test or tested positive.

Malisse, a Wimbledon semifinalist in 2002, missed one test and twice failed to report his whereabouts. The 29-year-old says the one-year suspension could end his career.

"No one has accused them of doping, yet their careers are shattered," Dupont said.

"The European Union treaty gives them the right to freely ply their trade and play throughout Europe. This right is now disproportionally violated," he said, explaining the complaints to EU authorities.

The controversial "whereabouts" rule is a cornerstone of WADA policy. It requires elite athletes to make themselves available for out-of-competition testing for one hour a day, 365 days a year.

Under the rules, athletes must give three months' notice of where and when they can be located for testing. The information is registered online and can be updated by e-mail or text message.

If an athlete misses three out-of-competition tests or fails three times to register where he will be for anti-doping tests, sanctions can be imposed.

Many athletes contend the system violates their right to privacy, while WADA says the fight against doping benefits all athletes and supersedes that right.

WADA says it is necessary to test athletes out of competition because many banned substances are undetectable by the time a competition starts. The agency instituted the "whereabouts" rule to catch athletes who were doping between competitions.

Wickmayer has said she was never properly informed how the system works and is now being punished like a doping cheat without ever having tested positive.

"They are taking my work of 10 years away. Just like that. Just because I didn't fill in (my whereabouts)," she said on Thursday. After the one-year suspension, Wickmayer will have lost her ranking and will be forced to start over.

Wickmayer was suspended last week by a Belgian anti-doping tribunal, which based its decision on the WADA rules.

Murray loses to Stepanek at Paris Masters

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:32:39 +0100

PARIS (AP) — A tired Andy Murray lost to Radek Stepanek 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 Thursday in the third round of the Paris Masters.

The fourth-seeded Murray looked sluggish in the last two sets and couldn't overcome a lack of sleep following his three-set win over James Blake that ended at 1:45 a.m. local time Thursday.

"It's obviously limited recovery after a long match," the 22-year-old Murray said. "It's 4 a.m. by the time you get to bed. So it's not perfect preparation for a match. But you still come out and you try and give it your best shot. Wasn't good enough."

Murray, who won his sixth title of the season last week in Valencia, had never lost a set against Stepanek in their three previous meetings.

After dominating the first set, the Wimbledon semifinalist was broken early in the second and never recovered. Stepanek will face either Fernando Gonzalez or Juan Martin Del Potro.

Murray returned to competition last week in Valencia after being sidelined by a left wrist injury since the U.S. Open in September.

He said his overall fitness was good.

"I played seven matches in the space of eight or nine days, and that was exactly what I needed at this stage of the season after having a break," he said.

Murray is one of seven players who have already qualified for season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London later this month. Nikolay Davydenko of Russia booked his place despite losing to Robin Soderling.

Defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated Gilles Simon 6-2, 6-3 to reach the Paris Masters quarterfinals, another step in his bid to qualify for season-ending championship.

Tsonga, who won three titles this season, never faced a break point and broke his opponent's serve three times.

Tsonga will face either second-seeded Rafael Nadal or 14th-seeded Tommy Robredo.

Simon, who injured his right knee in a match against Ivan Ljubicic in the previous round, struggled to return Tsonga's powerful serves.

Tsonga will earn a place for the season-ending tournament if he defends his title without facing Fernando Verdasco in the final.

Soderling also has slim hopes of qualifying for the prestigious event following his 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 over Davydenko. Soderling needs to at least reach the final to have a chance of qualifying.

Davydenko secured his place in the season-ending championship after Fernando Verdasco lost to Marin Cilic 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Soderling's next opponent will be third-seeded Novak Djokovic, who defeated French qualifier Arnaud Clement 6-2, 6-2.

Djokovic, coming off a win over top-ranked Roger Federer in the Swiss Indoors final last week, reached the quarterfinals for the first time after winning 80 percent of his first-serve points.

"I want to do well here," Djokovic said. "I know it's a very important tournament, and I just hope to maintain the high level of performance I had in the last two months."

Julien Benneteau, who upset top-ranked Roger Federer in the previous round, lost 6-4, 6-3 to 15th-seeded Gael Monfils, who will play Cilic in the quarterfinals.

Nadal will face Robredo later Thursday.

Wickmayer says drug-test rules weren't explained

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:58:35 +0100

BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgian tennis player Yanina Wickmayer says she was never properly informed of the online reporting requirements for drug-testing that led to her one-year ban from the sport.

At a tearful news conference Thursday, the 20-year-old U.S. Open semifinalist accused the World Anti-Doping Agency and Belgian sports authorities of treating her unfairly and ruining her career.

"The people who made the rules are not really conscious of what this means for my future," Wickmayer said. "I am No. 16 in the world. They are taking my work of 10 years away. Just like that! Just because I didn't fill in (my whereabouts)."

Wickmayer was suspended by a Belgian anti-doping tribunal last week for failing three times to report her whereabouts for drug testing. The ban was confirmed by the International Tennis Federation last Saturday.

"They should inform us better on how this system works," she said. "I am being punished for something that was not in my hands, that I had no control over."

Another Belgian player, 2002 Wimbledon semifinalist Xavier Malisse, was also banned for a year for the same offense.

Wickmayer said she has been regularly tested for drugs, and never tested positive.

Although Wickmayer had indicated she would appeal the suspension, she refused Thursday to say if and when she will appeal.

"I don't know what the future is going to bring," she said.

Wickmayer said a year away from the tour will break her career.

"It means that my ranking is going to drop completely," she said. "It means I have to start all over again. The next year will not be a challenge for me because all can do is practice. I am just a girl of 20 trying to reach my goals. I am working hard every single day. I am really sad about the decision they made."

Wickmayer said anti-doping officials corresponded with registered mail to her home in Belgium where she lives with her father, who is also her coach.

The two travel together several months of the year, meaning registered mail remains unopened. Wickmayer expressed surprise that no one phoned or e-mailed her when the mail went unanswered.

Under WADA's "whereabouts" rule, elite athletes must make themselves available for out-of-competition testing for one hour a day, 365 days a year. They must give three months' notice of where and when they will be available so they can be tested.

The data is kept on a Web site where it can be changed. If athletes miss three out-of-competition tests or fail three times to register where they will be for anti-doping tests, they risk sanctions.

As she circled the globe, Wickmayer — whose career earnings to date total less than $1 million — said she received no guidance from tennis or anti-doping authorities on how to file her whereabouts data.

"They should inform us better on how this system works," she said.