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Praise For Andy Murray
2006-12-05 00:04:01
Andy Murray has been shortlisted for the 2006 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. He's up against some well known sportsmen, such as Jenson Button, Royal equestrian star Zara Phillips and gymnast Beth Tweddle. The winner will be decided by the public in a television show featuring a phone / text vote. Murray has also had some praise from former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic. The Croatian believes that the young Brit will one day be number one. Murray's strong play this year has raised his ranking to 17th for 2006, and Ivanisevic is confident it won't be long before he hits the top ten. Quiet down people, or else his head will swell and he won't be able to drag it onto the court!
More About: Andy , Praise

Clijsters: No Means No
2006-12-05 00:04:01
The Belgian Olympic Committee has offered Kim Clijsters the chance to compete for them in the 2008 Beijing Games but she has declined. Clijsters has had a rough few years, with plenty of injuries scattered throughout the matches, with the most recent being a wrist problem a few weeks ago. The 23-year-old is determined to retire next year, and is sure that she has made up her mind. She wrote on her website: "It's a superfluous questions. When I take a decision, I stick to it."

Justine Takes Top Spot Twice
2006-12-05 00:04:01
Justine Henin-Hardenne has battled her way to the number one spot and also to take the Madrid title from Amelie Mauresmo. The Belgian was already guaranteed the top spot after beating Maria Sharapova in the previous round, so this final match was really for glory rather than position. Neither player was particularly on top form, with serves being lost all over the place - nine breaks in total - but Henin-Hardenne managed to keep her focus and take the 6-4 6-3 win from her French opponent. Justine is convinced that she has earned the number one spot after battling through various injuries and a tough year. "I've had an exceptional season and I think that yes, I deserve this. I was the most consistent player."
More About: Just , Take , Spot , Justin , Justine

Federer Loses A Set!!
2006-12-05 00:04:01
World Number One and all round winner Roger Federer lost the first set of his opening round match in the Masters Cup. David Nalbandian, the defending champion, was firing shot after shot at Federer, who was perhaps a little out of sorts due to his missing out on the Paris Masters last week. Still, the great Federer pulled his game up to scratch and soon took a controlling lead and won the first round, with the final score being 3-6 6-1 6-1. It's easy to see that Federer was disappointed with himself for losing the first set and wouldn't let Nalbandian in the second or third AT ALL. Last year, Nalbandian lost in the first round in the same way - two sets to one - but took the final from an injured Federer. We'll have to wait and see if history repeats itself.

Federer Now Picks And Chooses His Matches
2006-12-05 00:04:01
World number one and self-proclaimed "Best Player At The Moment", Roger Federer has decided not to take part in the Swiss Davis Cup team when they face Spain in February next year. It's not really a surprise because in previous years, although Federer has tried to keep space in his schedule open for one Davis Cup series each season, he often misses out the first round. It does mean that Federer won't have to face Rafael Nadal, although the Spanish player is also showing signs of a first-round pullout, so maybe no one would have to face him. It's always a good match when these two meet, so perhaps we'll just have to wait for them to catch up on the tour next year.
More About: Matches , Match , Pick , Choose

Mauresmo's Disastrous Comeback
2006-12-05 00:04:01
Amelie Maur esmo has been looking forward to taking part in the end-of-season battle for the number one spot at the WTA Championships. She currently holds the top spot, but took a shoulder injury that has meant missing out some matches and perhaps some important wins. Unfortunately, her first match since returning to the courts has not helped this endeavour. Facing Russian Nadia Petrova, Mauresmo struggled to make any dent on the match, losing in straight sets 6-2 6-2. It may have been nerves, or pressure or just left over injury, but Amelie will be wishing she could turn back time and play this match again.
More About: Back , Come , Astro , Comeback

Henman: Recovered But Old?
2006-12-05 00:04:01
Henman is recovering nicely from his knee injury at the Swiss Indoors event last month. The British player will play at London's Royal Albert Hall on 5th December, in an exhibition match for the senior's event. Is he trying to tell us something?
More About: Cover , Over , Covered

Davydenko Sails To Victory
2006-12-05 00:04:01
Nikolay Davydenko stormed past his opponent Dominik Hrbaty in three easy sets to get his hands on his first Masters Series title. The entire match took just an hour and 38 minutes, with the final scoreline showing how relatively easy the match was for the fouth seed, 6-1 6-2 6-2. "This is amazing," said Davydenko. "Winning a Masters Series for the first time is important and being number three in the world behind players such as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is quite an achievement." Davydenko moves up to third after winning five tournaments this year, just one less than top seed Roger Federer. It's great for him, but you have to question whether it would have been as easy if Paris hadn't suffered the loss of the top seeds.
More About: Victory , Sail , Victor , Tory

Murray Rising Ever Upwards
2006-12-05 00:04:01
Despite Andy Murray 's disappointing loss to eventual finalist Dominik Hrbaty last week in the Paris Masters, the teenager now has something to smile about. He has risen two places in the ATP world tennis rankings and now sits at 17th. "I wanted to get into the top 20 this time last year. That was what I was trying to do. I maybe did not expect to win my first tournament so early or to beat Federer." Murray admits that his play hasn't necessarily been as consistant as one would like, but says he has had some great matches - beating some of the top players on the tour. And he isn't going to take all the credit. "Working with Brad [Gilbert, his coach] has been great. He is one of the best coaches in the world and has lots of experience." Aww. Here's to getting in the top 10 next year, eh Murray?
More About: War , Sing , Ever , Ward

Clijsters Wins At Home
2006-12-05 00:04:01
It looked like it should be an easy match - on paper Clijsters should have walked it. But her opponent for the Gaz de France title - Kaia Kanepi - put up a worthy fight, managing to level the match at one set all after losing the first 3-6. Kanepi took a 4-1 lead in the second set and managed to ignore the roars of the Belgian crowd supporting their own to take the set 6-3. It was Clijster's third title of the year and 33rd all round. "It was tough, that's for sure, but you have to bear in mind that I was coming back from injury. I can now go onto Madrid and know I have nothing to lose."
More About: Home , Wins

Another Seed, Another Dropout
2006-12-05 00:04:01
The Bell Challenge is the latest place for a top-seed dropout, as Jelana Jankovic retired on Friday night due to lower back pain. Her Russian opponent Olga Pout chkova was in the lead 2-6 6-4 3-1 when the quarterfinal match had to stop. Eighth-seed Poutchkova will now face Severine Bremond of France in the semi final. The Bell Challenge has also seen second-seed Marion Bartoli, also of France, go through to the semi finals after beating Shenay Perry an easy 6-1 6-0. She will face the winner of a yet to be decided match between Lilia Osterloh and Aleksandra Wozniak.
More About: Other , Another , Seed , Drop

Blake Plays Above His Seeding
2006-12-05 00:04:01
James Blak e wasn't holding back when he played his Masters Cup debut in Shanghai. The eighth seeded American was facing second seed Rafael Nadal, and although he was a break down in the first set, he soon stormed his way back from behind to take the set and the match 6-4 7-6. Nadal hasn't exactly been having an easy time of it lately, having suffered several losses and no titles since the French Open in May. Blake was modest about his achievements. "I'm the guy that's supposed to be the easy match in this tournament, which doesn't help my confidence much. You don't beat Nadal by playing conservatively but I don't have any specific advice for any other players how to beat Nadal." Blake's chances of reaching the semi-finals are looking better and better!
More About: Play , Lays , Plays , Lake

WTA Waking Up To Walkouts
2006-12-05 00:04:01
After the upset of the Paris pullouts, at least someone is doing something about it. It's not the ATP though, which doesn't particularly make sense, because it was the men who were causing all the problems. Either way, the WTA have decided to double the fines for players who don't give adequate notice of their intention not to play. The maximum withdrawal fine could be as much as £21,000 if they are repeat offenders. They are also reducing the commitment required by the players, from 13 events to 12, but that must include two events that are chosen by the Tour for the player. It's an interesting plan, and will probably work, but we really need to see something happening on the men's side.
More About: King , Walk

Indonesia Indignant
2006-12-05 00:04:01
The Indo nesia n Tennis Association have been banned from one year of the Fed Cup, and are having to pay a $31,600 fine. The ban has been imposed by the International Tennis Federation because the playoff games against Israel in July were cancelled. The ITA are not happy about it and are writing an appeal to be submitted in December. They want to get the fine reduced and still be allowed to play next year. They say that the cancellation of the playoffs was on the advice of the security ministers, to keep the athletes safe. I hate it when politics interferes with sporting events, because whilst it is important to keep the athlete's safe and away from trouble, why should they have to miss out on playing organised events because of political troubles?
More About: Done

Russia Win The Davis Cup
2006-12-05 00:04:01
Marat Safin slammed 16 aces past his opponent Jose Acasuso to take the fifth and last match that decided the Davi s Cup. With a final scoreline of 6-3 3-6 6-3 7-6 (7-5), the match that took place yesterday sealed the event for the Russia ns. Safin lost his opening singles match on Friday but blamed the indoor surface and a painful knee injury. However, these issues were not a problem for the Russian as he gave his home country a 3-2 lead for their second Davis Cup win. "There were some very difficult moments today. It was tough to control the match," Safin commented. "Everything worked out."
More About: The D , Avis

Tim Henman Is Not Done Yet
2006-12-05 00:04:01
With Greg Rusedski thinking of retiring, and Andy Murray taking over his Britain's Favourite title, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Tim Henman has had his day. Apparently not, according to the 32 year old. His 2007 wish-list includes staying healthy, returning to the world's top twenty and maybe even getting back into the Davis Cup team. Henman has also confirmed that he will keep working with his coach Paul Annacone, even if Paul takes the rumoured senior post at the LTA. It's good that Henman is still enthusiastic about his game and his future, but it almost feels like he's going on back on decisions he was so positive about at the time (ie. retiring from the Davis Cup in 2004). Still, if it means a return to form for British tennis then I'm all for it.
More About: Done

Argentina Vs. Russia
2006-12-05 00:04:01
Argentina and Russia are the two facing each other in the finals of the Davis Cup this friday. They have met in the five-set extravaganza twice before, with each one taking their win whilst on home ground. Friday's match takes place on Russian soil which will obviously be an advantage to the home team. The Russian team consists of Marat Safin (twice Grand Slam champion), Nikolay Davydenko (3rd ranked), Mikhail Youzhny (some other guy), and Dmitry Tursunov (another Russian). The Argentine's only boast David Nalbandian as a top seeded player, while the others are Jose Acasuso, Agustin Calleri and Juan Ignacio Chela. The teams are actually very evenly matched, despite Russia having twice the amount of top players. It's anyone's guess on paper, but my money is on the Russian's.
More About: Argentina , Tina , Gent

Rusedski Resolutions
2006-12-05 00:04:01
Despite a long-term hip injury and rumblings of rumours for the majority of the year, Rusedski has said that he is not going to retire just yet. The former British number one wants to represent Great Britain in the Davis Cup next April, and has stated he will play less events to make sure that he is ready for the event. "If I have to, I'll play a few smaller events, maybe some Challengers. To maintain my fitness, I will try to get a few wildcards to events." Current British number four, Rusedski will not be heading to Australia for the season start, and he hasn't confirmed whether he will be at Wimbledon in June 07. "I cannot look that far ahead. I enjoy my tennis and it's difficult to know when to call it a day." I hope he doesn't push himself too far. Sometimes it's better to bow out while you still can, rather than falling out when you can't play anymore.
More About: Solutions , Solution , Resolutions , Resolution

Dokic Kidnapped Says Dokic
2006-12-05 00:04:01
In weird tennis news, Jelena Dokic's father has claimed that her boyfriend has kidnapped her. Dokic Sr is renowned for his erratic behaviour, and has previously threatened to kidnap her himself and kill an Australian as a revenge attack. This latest claim sees Jelena's boyfriend as the criminal, and the reason behind her disappearance from Croatia. Dokic has once again gone on record to deny the claims, and reiterate that she is not in contact with her father and doesn't wish to be. "Of course I haven't been kidnapped, that's complete nonsense. I've been listening to so much rubbish from my father." She went on to say that her boyfriend has never interfered with her tennis and that she doesn't discuss business with her family. Dokic's ranking has fallen from being a former world number four down to 583, and it's no wonder with a private life as chaotic as that!
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British News Of The Day #2
2006-12-05 00:04:01
Tim Henman will need to be playing at his highest level when he tests his skills against Australian Mark Philippoussis at an exhibition match on 5 December. The event, taking place at the Royal Albert Hall, will see the British number two test his fitness since recovering from his knee injury. Phillippoussis, 30, is two years younger than Henman and holds a 4-3 career record over our favourite player. Should be an interesting match.
More About: News , The D

British News Of The Day #1
2006-12-05 00:04:01
Martin Lee has announced his retirement from professional tennis at only 28. Lee won the Wimbledon boys' doubles title in 1995 and was a world junior number won, but is now ranked 9th in Britain and 284th in the ATP. He has suffered through three knee operations and several groin injuries recently and he's decided that playing just isn't as much fun as it used to be. Not a high-profile player like those we know and love but any Briton retiring has to be a loss to the sport.
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Williams Sisters In Court
2006-12-05 00:04:01
In 2001, a "Battle Of The Sexes" match was organised and Venus and Serena Will iams were scheduled to play. They pulled out of the deal and supposedly cost the promoters millions of dollars. Now, five years later, the sisters and their father are appearing in court, facing a breach-of-contract lawsuit. The company is called CCKR and they are claiming that the sisters reneged on the deal and cost the firm millions. The sisters claim that their father organised the deal but didn't have the authority to sign anything. The sisters did not sign anything and therefore haven't legally done anything wrong. The case ended in a mistrial in December after two weeks of court time. This year, the second trial is taking place in Palm Beach, Florida, and is expected to last five weeks. Both Venus and Serena were present, with their father, in the courtroom on Friday.
More About: Williams , Sister , Court , Liam

Rusedski Retirement Imminent
2006-12-05 00:04:01
Greg Rusedski used to be the British number one. Nowadays, at the age of 33, he has fallen out of the top 200 and picked up a long-term hip injury that may need surgery at some point. His low ranking means that he can't qualify automatically for ATP events any more. He will have to go through qualifiers. The future isn't looking particularly rosy for him, is it? He says: "I feel I've got some good tennis left, but I have to listen to my body and make the right call at the right time." Rusedski's agent has commented that no decisions will be made until December, but Greg definitely wants to play in the Davis Cup on home soil for a final time. It's sad, but he's right - he has to think about his health.
More About: Retirement , Men , Mine , Retire , Tire

Federer Wins Blah Blah
2006-12-05 00:04:01
Federer has become the first player in history to earn more than $8 million in one season. The balance tipped over the $8 million mark, when Federer completely wiped out James Blake to take the Masters Cup for the third time in four years. American James Blake, who will end up as the fourth best player this year, tried his best and managed to set up 11 break points, but Federer was playing at his best and saved all but one of them. The match took just over 1 and a half hours, and the final score was 6-0 6-3 6-4. Federer is absolutely unbeatable.
More About: Blah , Wins , Federer , Blah Blah

Clijsters Continues To Dominate
2006-12-05 00:04:01
Kim Clijsters is having a whale of a time in her home country of Belgium. Recovering from a two-month break due to a wrist injury, the former world number one has managed to fight her way through to the final at the Gaz de France Stars. Her opponent, Russian Vera Zvonareva put on an impressive show, pushing the Belgium into three sets, but ultimately she could not hold the home favourite down and lost the match 6-4 3-6 6-4. The final will be an interesting match, although the victor looks obvious on paper. A qualifier from Estonia Kaia Kanepi beat Michaella Krajicek 6-4 6-4 for her opportunity to face the Belgian.
More About: Domina , Nate , To Do , Mina , Conti