Mesh Tennis

Looks like she wants to play - that would be a nice addition.

Serbia’s world number 14 Ana Ivanovic has revealed she would like to play in the 2007 Fed Cup after turning down the opportunity to represent her country this year.

Ivanovic - who captured her first Tier I title, beating Dinara Safina and Martina Hingis on her way to the Montreal Open in August - was forced to miss the event this year as a busy WTA Tour schedule resulted in injuries.

But the 19-year-old must play next year if she wishes to fulfil her dream of winning a medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Eurosport

Wheelchair tennis player Meliha Karic was banned for two years after testing positive for a metabolite, the International Tennis Federation announced on Thursday.

An independent anti-doping tribunal ruled that the 27-year-old Frenchwoman did not intend to enhance her performance by taking adrafinil or modafinil, which she ingested with her medication.

But she was punished for “failing to take personal responsibility to ensure that the medication was permitted under the anti-doping rules.” ESPN

The father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams is liable but doesn’t have to pay damages in a lawsuit that claimed he reneged on a deal for his daughters to play in an exhibition match.

A jury Thursday cleared Venus Williams of all allegations but said Serena Williams let her father act as an agent for her. Neither sister must pay damages.

The Williams sisters expressed relief at the verdict. MSNBC

Just in case you are in the Miami area and interested:

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The Hopman Cup mixed team event suffered a double blow on Thursday when American Venus Williams and the Germany team pulled out of the tournament in Perth, Australia.
Williams, the former world number one and highest profile player due to take part in the event starting on December 30, and German Nicolas Kiefer both have wrist injuries.

The Germans, who were only called up last month in place of South Korea, were forced to drop out of the tournament and their place will be taken by France.

“Kiefer and Williams have both had recurring problems with their wrists and after long rehabilitations were not able to perform well enough to make the trip to Perth,” Hopman Cup organisers said in a statement.

Teenager Tatiana Golovin, a U.S. Open quarter-finalist this year, and Jerome Haehnel will represent France, with Ashley Harkleroad replacing Williams alongside Mardy Fish in the American team. Hemel Today

Good opportunity for all the replacements, particularly so for Golovin, who had a decent showing last season. I’m still annoyed with her injury at Miami versus Sharapova.

This really couldn’t have been a tough decision to make -

Dominik Hrbaty and Daniela Hantuchova have been named the top tennis players in Slovakia for 2006.

Hrbaty was named men’s Player of the Year ahead of Michal Mertinak and Lukas Lacko, winning the accolade for a sixth time in the past seven years and the fourth in a row.

Hantuchova is the top woman player for a fifth consecutive time and won easily from Dominika Cibulkova, who was the top junior, and Jarmila Gajdosova. Sporting Life

Both could use better seasons though - and Hrbaty still can’t be forgiven for that pink shirt.

This list includes all male athletes, but like they say, tennis made a good showing.

Although much talk towards the end of the 2006 season was focused on Andy’s improving game, Sports Illustrated didn’t overlook his appealing off court attributes, naming him to a prestigious list of the top 20 Best Looking Male Athletes. And with a judges panel that included supermodels, Andy was in good company.

Sports Illustrated model, Daniella Sarahyba commented “he looks like a shy guy with a sexy face.” Not sure about “shy guy” but we’re sure Andy fans will agree with the latter.

Other male athletes who made the cut include Dwyane Wade, Tom Brady, Matt Leinart, Kelly Slater and David Beckham. The ATP tennis tour had a strong showing as James Blake, Rafael Nadal and Marat Safin were also selected by the ladies. AndyRoddick.com

Some guys are missing though…Mark Phil must not have been in the offerings!

Monica Seles will retire. Out of action for three years, the beloved 33-year-old will formally call it quits and be deservingly feted.

Mid-match coaching will flop. One of the sport’s virtues is the self-sufficiency it demands of players. The WTA’s wrongheaded, sponsor-driven decision to let coaches provide counsel at changeovers will not only rob tennis of its tradition but also give an unfair advantage to top players, who are more able to afford the extra help.

The U.S. will win the Davis Cup. For all the Chicken Littles lamenting the state of American tennis, the U.S. has two of the world’s top six players (James Blake and Andy Roddick), plus wonder twins Bob and Mike Bryan, the top-ranked doubles team. Short of Rafael Nadal’s assuming Swiss citizenship, what’s to prevent the U.S. from claiming the Cup for the first time since 1995?

The ATP’s round-robin format will succeed. The new setup, in which players can lose an early match but not necessarily be eliminated, will cause initial confusion but ultimately be welcomed because it helps ensure that tournaments and fans get their money’s worth from marquee attractions.

Roger Federer will win at least three majors. And the sun will rise in the east. Sports Illustrated

Alicia Molik unsurprisingly got one of the Australian Open wildcards, so we’ll be seeing her in January.

Alicia Molik and Robert Smeets won the women’s and men’s finals respectively at the Australian Open wild-card play-offs on Tuesday.
Molik beat Jessica Moore 6-4 6-4 in the women’s final and 21-year-old Smeets defeated Joe Sirianni 6-1 7-5 3-6 6-3 in the men’s decider.

The Australian Open offers wild-card spots for eight men and eight women. BBC Sport

Nadal can’t seem to escape the doping questions in interviews - he should probably just quit answering them.

“We are being treated like criminals, and this is something to take into account because I don’t see politicians undergoing anti-doping controls or anything like it,” the Spanish player told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa at his hometown Manacor.

Nadal, who will be travelling to India on December 29 to start the new season at the Chennai Open, said he underwent his last doping control at his home in Manacor on Saturday, one of “16 or 17″ controls this year. Supertennis