Mesh Tennis

Even though I am in India, I won’t be making it to this tournament. Sigh.

World number four Jelena Jankovic will play in next week’s WTA Bangalore Open, organisers said Monday, after Sania Mirza’s shock pullout robbed the tournament of local glamour.

The 22-year-old Serbian joins Williams sisters Venus and Serena in the 600,000-dollar event, India’s richest tennis tournament.

“Jelena’s confirmation after Serena and Venus has put the icing on the cake,” tournament director Sunder Raju said. “She is considered one of the toughest players in the game.”

Jankovic will be the top-ranked player in the March 3-9 event, which suffered a blow earlier this month when Indian star Mirza withdrew to avoid controversies. The Age

This year is a real turnaround for Maria - no injuries are holding her back now.

Maria Sharapova defeated Vera Zvonareva 6-1, 2-6, 6-0 yesterday in the Qatar Open final, remaining unbeaten this season and earning her 18th career title.

The Australian Open champion is 14-0, including two wins in the Fed Cup for Russia this year. Sharapova is 9-0 in Doha, where she won in 2005.

“I played five matches in five days and that is not an easy thing to do,” Sharapova said. “I think what I have done is just great.”

Sharapova earned a first-place prize of US$414,000. Winnipeg Sun

Andy Roddick won his first tournament of the year in California. Will he be able to keep the momentum going?

Between the antics, the top-seeded Roddick used his overpowering serve and steady groundstrokes to beat the fourth-seeded Stepanek 6-4, 7-5 for his third SAP Open title.

It was Roddick’s 24th career singles title but first since Washington, D.C., in August and helped ease the disappointment of a third-round Australian Open loss last month.

“I played my way into form during the week,” said the Austin, Texas, resident, who’s ranked sixth after ascending to No. 1 in 2003. “I felt I was putting a lot of balls in play, which makes the other guy miss more.” Sacramento Bee

I’m in India for work, so the posting will continue to be a bit light unless jet lag keeps me from sleep.

Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova has bought a luxurious penthouse in Israel’s popular tourist resort, the Haaretz newspaper said.

The apartment is located in Ir Yamim, south of Netanya and has a total area of 350 square meters. It also has three balconies “that offer a panoramic view over the Mediterranean Sea,” the newspaper said.

Russia’s Sharapova, who currently lives in the United States, will have a 350-square-meter rooftop which will allow her to have a swimming pool.

The secret deal was signed last week and cost the tennis star 7.5 million Israeli shekels ($2 million). RIA

Marat seems to be on the fast track to retirement with all these injuries…it must be very frustrating.

Russian Marat Safin has become the latest player to drop out of the upcoming SAP Open, tournament organisers announced on Tuesday.

The former US Open and Australian Open champion has withdrawn from the hardcourt event due to a stress fracture in his right leg.

The 28-year-old, who also is dealing with a stomach flu, was unable to play in Russia’s Davis Cup win over Serbia last weekend.

“The SAP Open is disappointed to lose a player as exciting and as popular with the fans as Marat Safin,” tournament director Bill Rapp said.

“We wish Marat a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him compete on the ATP Tour later this season.”

Safin reached the quarter-finals at the event last year.

The Russian will also miss an exhibition match against Pete Sampras next Monday. He will be replaced by former world number two Tommy Haas of Germany. UK Press

World number 16 Nicole Vaidisova has quit the Czech Fed Cup team to concentrate on improving her standing in the rankings, Czech daily Sport said on Wednesday.

“Nicole was always proud to be playing for Czech Republic. But she has reached the point in her career when she wants to improve her rankings,” Sport quoted her agent Olivier van Lindonk as saying.
“It was a very tough decision for her.”

The Czechs meet Israel away on April 26-27 in their fourth consecutive World Group play-off. Last year the Czechs, missing Vaidisova due to illness, lost 4-1 to Spain.

Van Lindonk added Vaidisova wanted to play for the Czechs at the Beijing Olympics this year and return to the Fed Cup team sometime in the future. Guardian

THE fallout from Yuri Sharapov’s Australian Open throat-slitting gesture gained new life yesterday with revelations Justine Henin lodged a complaint about the incident.

World No. 1 Henin telephoned Women’s Tennis Association chief executive Larry Scott after seeing Maria Sharapova’s father run a hand across his throat in her quarter-final loss at Melbourne Park last month.

The gesture, caught by photographers and on TV, was investigated by the WTA Tour.

But Sharapov, who drew criticism for his hooded appearances at the Open, escaped censure.

He argued he was innocently sharing Hollywood terminology with his daughter, suggesting his hand movement signified “cut”.

“It’s over,” he offered as an explanation.

Henin still bristles at memories of the aftermath of her 6-4 6-0 defeat.

“I was really annoyed and I telephoned Larry Scott to ask his opinion. He told me that he found the gesture unacceptable,” Henin said.

“You shouldn’t have to see this type of thing in a tennis stadium. It takes away from the image of women’s tennis and can open the door for all types of problems.”

Sharapova advanced to the title as the rivalry between the Russian and Henin continued. Herald Sun

It is becoming even more clear to me that the WTA is catering to Maria Sharapova and her insane father because Maria is bringing in crowds and money to the tour. Personally, I am fed up with it - this story would long be dead had they just banned him from the next match or something similar.

Clearly, he did something disrespectful. Clearly, the target of the gesture, Justine Henin, was offended. She made her opinion known. And the WTA called up Yuri and probably asked him to not do it again.

Will the next big news about Mark be his official retirement?

Having bounced out of his reality TV relationship with Age of Love winner Amanda Salinas late last year, the perennial playboy has served himself yet another model opponent in his insatiable game for gorgeous girls.

Never straying far from the slim brunette stereotype, Philippoussis’s latest lady Siobhan Parekh is the spitting image of the bachelor’s one-time fiancee Alexis Barbara.

A Sydney-based model whose biggest claim to fame is winning the FHM’s Girl Next Door competition two years ago, Parekh has aced her way into the Scud’s life after meeting him while on a modelling job in Melbourne last month.

It is understood the couple have been dating for four weeks and have been spotted shopping and lunching along the city’s fashionable Chapel St on several occasions. Daily Telegraph

Roger Federer has done well without a coach before. In 2004, he won three majors without one, and after dumping much-respected Aussie Tony Roche during the clay-court season last campaign, claimed another Wimbledon and U.S. Open double.

It appears the Swiss, though, is on the verge of hiring someone to help out following an earlier than expected loss at the Australian Open last month, going out to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.

“I don’t think I can change my game drastically, and I don’t think I should,” the world No. 1 said. “I have the possibility to vary my game, and that’s my big strength. In today’s game, it’s the details, so that’s what I have to keep working on. That’s maybe the reason why I have to look for someone else.”

Federer, of course, is a low-key guy, so it’s little surprise he’s being linked with Paul Annacone, the soft spoken New York state native who worked with Pete Sampras and Tim Henman, and another Aussie, Darren Cahill, formerly in the camp of Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt. His previous coaches, you may remember, were the late Peter Carter and Peter Lundgren, the latter in his box when Federer’s Grand Slam success began at Wimbledon five years ago. Seattle PI

At 75 decibels it is louder than a power drill, and opponents have occasionally been forced to complain about Maria Sharapova’s grunting, but so far in her career spectators have appeared to accept that it is an inevitable part of her game. Until now.

The Russian was in the process of levelling scores at 1-1 lead in their Fed Cup tie against Israel on Saturday with a 6-0 6-4 victory over Tzipi Obziler when the already boisterous crowd decided to fight back, imitating Sharapova’s grunts each time she hit the ball. Although they were eventually told to keep quiet by the umpire, Sharapova professed herself to be comfortable with it.

“I don’t mind it,” she said. “It brings out the best in me. I love the atmosphere, the crowd and their craziness. It is what we live for. I got really anxious and excited as I was close to finishing my first Fed Cup match.” Independent

Anna Chakvetadze was also booed by the crowd several times.