Tennis News

After announcing several weeks ago that former Grand Slam champion Lindsay Davenport would join her during the 2015 season as a consultant, Madison Keys revealed that she has hired Wim Fissette as her new coach for the upcoming season.

Fissette only recently parted ways with world No. 3 Simona Halep and will now officially begin working with his first non-Romanian client in a significant period of time. Key’s agent Max Eisenbud confirmed the hiring to Sports Illustrated.

The Romanian is expected to accompany Keys during international events, while Davenport will remain alongside her during domestic events.

Davenport is a former World No. 1 American professional tennis player. She has won three Grand Slam singles tournaments and an Olympic gold medal in singles. Her association to Keys is a big step forward for the young American and a potential sign of things to come in 2015.

The world No. 30 won her first WTA title at Eastbourne ahead of the Wimbledon Championships. She would later reach the third round at SW 19 for the first time in her career. She finished her season with a quarter-final loss to Luksika Kumkhum in Osaka.

After it was initially announced that the Singapore Slammers would get Andre Agassi as their main legends player, spirits were high as the team anticipated some impressive showings from the American legend.

However, this was certainly not the case over the second leg of the International Premier Tennis League, as Agassi effectively embarrassed himself in his first two showings and was forced to take a back seat on the final day of the event.

The 44-year-old lost to Mark Philippoussis 6-3 on Tuesday and followed up with a 6-2 loss to Fabrice Santoro on Wednesday. Pat Rafter would eventually replace him for his final legends match against Goran Ivanisevic.

Agassi later admit that he was not prepared for such a physical and competitive environment and expected less from the exhibition. The IPTL features a fast-paced format that includes no advantage scoring, a 20-second serve clock, and a seven minute shoot out.

“I wasn’t fond of it being so full-on and competitive. Coming back here I’m a bit embarrassed with the way I was not responding to the environment from a playing perspective,” Agassi said, according to Agence France-Presse. “So I would have to make some adjustments and change how much I play so I can flat-out compete and make somebody else look s-tty.”

Clearly embarrassed with his poor showings, Agassi smashed several rackets during his second match and left for home feeling dejected and unfulfilled.

“If I do come back I’ll spend a few months trying to get myself better form,” he said.

Agassi’s performances did not prevent the Singapore Slammers from successfully defeating the Indian Aces on Wednesday and the UAE Royals on Thursday.

Following concerns regarding a repetition of last year’s dangerous conditions during a heat wave in Melbourne at the Australian Open, organizers of the Grand Slam event revealed that they have altered the extreme heat policy for the coming tournament.

According to tournament director Craig Tiley (via Associated Press), the Australian Open will take into account weather forecasts that exceed 40 degrees Celsius and a Wet Bulb Global Temperature that exceeds 32.5. The second measurement takes into consideration wind direction and humidity as well.

However, as was the case last year, the tournament referee will have the final say on whether or not to apply the extreme heat policy during any given match. If the decision is taken, then the match will be suspended following the completion of a tiebreak, or once an even number of games has been reached in a set.

”We believe this update will clarify and streamline the communications process for both players and support staff,” Tiley said. ”We’ve consulted the playing group and this is seen as the fairest way to implement the policy by many of the top players.”

It should be noted that the Australian Open, which is hosted at Melbourne Park, features three courts with retractable roofs. However, following the 2014 edition of the event, which saw temperatures exceed 40 degrees C for three consecutive days, it was a necessary concern to address ahead of the tournament in January.

The Australian Open takes place between Jan. 19 – Feb. 1.

Although rumours were running rampant that there would be significant change implemented to the French Davis Cup team following their disappointing Davis Cup final against Switzerland, it appears that Arnaud Clement will remain France’s Davis Cup captain for the foreseeable future.

According to the French Federation of Tennis (FFT), Clement’s contract has been extended for two more years.

“As usual, the players have been consulted beforehand,” the FFT said in a statement

There was no mention of Yannick Noah, who hinted that he would be honoured to coach the French team following their loss. Noah is the last Frenchman to win a Grand Slam title and would have been an interesting choice to lead the team. However, the FFT made their feelings clear when they resigned Clement following his questionable decision at the final.

The FTT also confirmed that British No. 1 Andy Murray’s infamous coach Amelie Mauresmo would be the Fed Cup captain for the next two years.

The French team will begin 2015 with a first round tie against Germany, which takes place between March 6-8.

Just a few weeks ago, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic announced that he would be making his debut at the Qatar Exxon Mobile Open during the 2015 season. Ti will mark the first time since 2009 that the Serbian star takes part in a warm-up event ahead of the Australian Open.

Now, it appears that longtime rival Rafael Nadal will join Djokovic at the season-opening tournament in Doha. The Spaniard is the defending champion at the tournament, after he won it for the first time at the start of the season by defeating Gael Monfils in the final.

“It’s great to have Novak Djokovic the world number one, here for the first time,” said Tournament Director Karim Alami. “I’m sure he’ll bring out lots of Serbian fans. To also have Rafael Nadal our defending champion returning is fantastic especially as we are the first tournament on his return from injury.”

“There is so much depth throughout the player list. Tomas Berdych, David Ferrer, Ernests Gulbis, Fernando Verdasco – a former top-eight player – and former champion Richard Gasquet. It is going to be a great tournament.

“It’s a great draw for the first week of the year; it’s a very important week in the calendar to go to Australia,”

The world No. 3 was diagnosed with appendicitis during the Shanghai Rolex Masters in September and did not end his 2014 season until a quarter-final loss to 17-year-old Borna Coric in Basel. He eventually withdrew from the Paris Bercy and the ATP World Tour Finals and underwent successful surgery to rectify the problem. He also had his knees checked and underwent stem cell therapy.

The world No. 3 is expected to return from the sidelines at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships in December.

The Qatar Exxon Mobil Open takes place between Jan. 4-11 at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.

Following an incredible 2014 season that saw her win her fifth Grand Slam title and successfully return from shoulder surgery, world No.2 Maria Sharapova has released her entire 2015 schedule. It appears the Russian star intends to participate in the Fed Cup tournament this season as she will play the opening tie against Poland following the Australian Open.

Apart from simply returning to the professional circuit at full health after shoulder surgery – Sharapova’s only initial goal for the season – the Russian superstar was able to achieve far for during several memorable runs this year. She lifted titles in Stuttgart, Madrid, and Beijing, apart from her second French Open title, all of which boosted her to world No. 2 in the rankings.

Here is the complete list of the events:

Brisbane International
Australian Open
Fed Cup 1st Round Russia V Poland (Tie to be played in Krakow, Poland)
Abierto Mexicano Telcel, Acapulco
BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells
Miami Open, Miami
Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Stuttgart
Mutua Madrid Open, Madrid
Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Rome
Roland Garros
Wimbledon
Rogers Cup, Toronto
Western Southern Open, Cincinnati
US Open
China Open, Beijing

Australian tennis star Lleyton Hewitt is not concerned about Bernard Tomic’s professional future, as he believes the youngster is still a considerable prospect on the ATP World Tour.

Hewitt told the Melbourne Age that Tomic is a “unique player,” a “unique person” and knew he would “bounce back at some stage.”

“I’d probably say that I’m one of the closest guys that he goes to now, which is good. We practise a lot together and the next couple of years I’d like to help him out, while I’m still out there and playing. But I think once his hips and body get fully to 100 percent again, he’s still gonna cause a lot of guys trouble. Bernie will still make statements.”

Tomic had come under harsh criticism in the past for not being a hard enough worker and lacking motivation to rise in the rankings. He recently took on Xavier Malisse as his coach and has been working with him ever since.

While he does not see his training first hand, Hewitt believes it is certainly an area that Tomic can improve in.

“It’s hard to say, because I don’t see him on the practice court, I don’t see what he does in the gym, and he hasn’t been at the last two Davis Cup ties for me to see him close-up, either, but that’s one area that he can definitely get better.”

Currently ranked at world No. 56, Tomic took part in a turbulent season in 2014. After finishing runner-up in Syndey, Tomic underwent double hip surgery and didn’t return to the tour for several months. Following a rough start to his comeback, the Australian won his second title on the tour when he was ranked at No. 124.

World No. 3 Rafael Nadal’s longtime coach and uncle Toni Nadal has always been known for his quoteworthy remarks and his recent comments regarding the longtime debate about the Greatest of All Time was no different.

During a recent radio interview, Toni explained why he considered Roger Federer’s accolades to be a sign that the Swiss star is better than his nephew.

“I do not know. The truth is that Federer’s game is not doing bad at all to Rafael. Anyway, one is the best by winning titles. Federer has won 17 Grand Slam titles, Rafael has won 14. He has been number one, I think five years, Rafael has been three. So there is no argument, he is the best,” said Toni Nadal.

Toni added to his surprising comments by saying that Nadal may not even be as good as world No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

“He’s a great player, for me is a player almost up to Federer. It’s great, do not know if it’s better or worse than Rafael. For titles, Rafael is better than him. What game do not know, but in the end, everyone who believes what he wants. It is perfectly right.”

While his comments may appear harsh, Nadal’s injury plagued career has always been under scrutiny for that very reason. It begs one to consider what the Spaniard may have accomplished had he not undergone various back and knee injuries during his peak years. When this is juxtaposed against Federer’s remarkable injury-free career-run, where he has competed in his 60th consecutive Grand Slam tournament, it becomes a believable concern.

Following an entertaining weekend of action in Manila, the International Premier Tennis League’s inaugural event has officially come to a conclusion. The team format for the exhibition event saw the likes of Andy Murray, Lleyton Hewitt, Gael Monfils, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, Marin Cilic and even legends such as Goran Ivanisevic, Fabrice Santoro and Mark Philippoussis compete in front of a packed house in Singapore.

Here are the final results for the inaugural edition of the IPTL:

Match Result: Micromax Indian Aces beat DBS Singapore Slammers 26-16

Match Result: UAE Royals beat Manila Mavericks 29-24. 

 Match Result: UAE Royals beat Singapore Slammers 28-22

Match Result: Micromax Indian Aces beat Manila Mavericks 24-15. 

Match Result: Micromax Indian Aces beat UAE Royals 28-20. 

Match Result: Manila Mavericks beat Singapore Slammers 27-19.