US OPEN 2011: An Interview With Serena Williams

An Interview With: Serena Williams
Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Q. Did it seem like a really long time to get a first round match for you to play?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, it feels like I'm in my third round already. But, you know, it's okay. At least I got one and I made it through.



Q. You were so composed when you came out and throughout the match. It was difficult to read your emotions. Could you share with us at all your emotions when you walked out, how you felt.

SERENA WILLIAMS: I was just ready to play. I hadn't played the girl before. You know, so I was just thinking, Just get ready for this match. You never know how people are going to come out.

Q. In your postgame interview on the court you mentioned you felt nervous. That's surprising given your wins here. What were the things running through your mind?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. I always have little jitters I think before I play. Just got to play through it. I was just thinking, I'm just trying to hold the little record I have of first rounds. Eventually things are meant to be broken, but hopefully it won't happen soon.



Q. Is that a new heart? Looks like it has a little more sparkle on it.



SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, this is, uhm, from Graff (phonetic). They gave me all the jewelry that I'm wearing. I love hearts. They're like, would I want to wear this dangly stuff I like, because it's a heart inside of a heart inside of a heart. I don't know why I like hearts.



Q. After the match you said if you would critique yourself, you would have given yourself a B. What could you have done differently to give yourself an A?



SERENA WILLIAMS: I mean, I could've played more aggressive. I kind of was just out there getting ball backs. Maybe return a little better. I don't know. I'm tired. Aren't y'all tired?



Q. Your emotions were so different at Wimbledon after your first match. You had such a release of joy, tears, everything. Was this different tonight?



SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, this is definitely different. Wimbledon was amazing for me to even be there and play. Here I have more preparation and I've been doing better. Again, I'm happy to be here. But, you know, it was just a totally different thing. It's cool.



Q. The last time you played here wasn't a great occasion. When you walked out on the court tonight, what were you feeling?



SERENA WILLIAMS: I feel fine. Even last time I played here, I went out with a bang. I came in with a bang tonight. So it's all good.



Q. Since you mention the time, does it matter whether you're on the court at 11:30 p.m. or 11:30 a.m.? Is there any difference body clockwise?



SERENA WILLIAMS: If I had to choose, I would choose p.m. The only thing I'm usually doing at 11:30 p.m. if it's not dancing is sleeping, so...



Q. How was it waiting for Rafa to finish, three hours?



SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I definitely expected to get on a little bit sooner. But I can wait with the best of them. I think I'm number one at waiting. Venus is an excellent waiter, too. But we can wait. I mean, we hold it down at Wimbledon when it rains. We can wait, wait, wait. So it doesn't usually bother me.



Q. You're cool with the guys and the women switching?



SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I think the guys should play second. They're guys. We're ladies. We're ladies. They should totally play second all the time. Ladies, you open the door for ladies. They should go second. It's ridiculous.



Q. They billed this as Nadal as the warmup act for your match. How does that make you feel?



SERENA WILLIAMS: Really? That's pretty awesome. I'm excited about that. That's cool. I'm really happy to be here. That makes it even better.



Q. It's like Coldplay warming up for Green Day.



SERENA WILLIAMS: I could see that. Yeah, I would never see Green Day warming up for Coldplay.



Q. End of the match, you're up 5 1 in the second set, 15 Love, you're still hustling. What is it that drives you in that moment?



SERENA WILLIAMS: In that moment I was ready to get off the court, to be honest. It was late. I'm thinking I could be at home doing something else. So maybe I should try to keep going and pushing it. I never give up. I never quit. I don't like to give away things. I've given away enough in my life.



Q. You're an emotional person, a thoughtful person. You get on the court. How do you not think about the Clijsters match a little bit?



SERENA WILLIAMS: Because the last match I played on that court I won. It was a doubles match and I was very happy. I was in a tremendous amount of pain. I was so happy to win. I was happy. I think it was two years ago, and last year I didn't play. If anything, I thought, Wow, I'm back. I haven't played in a long time. I'm telling you, out of sight, out of mind for me. You guys should try it (laughter).



Q. Are you glad that this moment is over, now you've played that match?



SERENA WILLIAMS: I'm always glad to be done with the first round. I feel like when I'm done with that, then I can kind of go through and just play. But I'm glad that that one's over. Took a long time, it seems.



Q. Are you reluctant to put the label 'favorite' on yourself?



SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, no, I'm just here to play. Everyone's been playing all year and I haven't. So, what have I played, Eastbourne, Wimbledon, a couple more, Stanford. I've played like five tournaments this year. I don't think that's usually a favorite going into another Grand Slam. You know, it is what it is. I'm just happy, again, like I can't even express how excited I am to be playing. I'm thinking choose here or cast. Second on or cast. Second on. It's a blessing. I'm so happy.



Q. Given your post match routine, realistically what time are you looking at falling asleep tonight?



SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't know. I'm a night owl. I don't sleep a lot. Honestly, I could go out, but I know that's not the right thing to do (laughter). I really could go for shaking a leg or two, but I probably definitely won't do that. I don't know. I'll probably go to sleep what time is it 1 ish. Probably 2 ish. I'm good. Four hours is more than enough for me.



Q. Will you be awake when Venus plays tomorrow?



SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, yeah, my day will be done by then.



Q. Rafael said when he got back to Manhattan at 4:30 in the morning after one of his late matches the only food he could find is McDonald's. What are you going to do for food?



SERENA WILLIAMS: I love McDonald's, I really do, but I'm not going to be able to eat it. I always have left overs. I'm left over queen.

US OPEN 2011: Maria Sharapova weathers storm at sunny Open

 

Maria Sharapova of Russia hits a return to Heather Watson of Britain during their match at the U.S. Open

NEW YORK, USA- Maria Sharapova survived an early scare at the U.S. Open Monday after Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova had been knocked out of the year's final grand slam, which began on time and in perfect conditions after a week of wild weather in New York.

It was business as usual at the National Tennis Center in Queens as the earthquake that rattled the U.S. East Coast last week and the deadly hurricane that killed at least 21 people were momentarily forgotten.

"On Tuesday we had an earthquake. Who knew we lived near a fault? Luckily it wasn't a double fault," New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg quipped.

Jon Vegosen, the chairman of the U.S. Tennis Association, chipped in: "Small things like earthquakes and hurricanes aren't going to stop us. The Open is now open!" he said.

Thousands of spectators streamed through the gates at Flushing Meadows on a glorious summer day, while players holed out for most of the weekend in Manhattan hotels bounded on to the courts to weather their own storms.

As a former champion and a sweetheart of the New York crowds, Sharapova was given the honor of being one of the first players on Arthur Ashe center court and, as expected, the Russian made it through to the next round.

But her 3-6 7-5 6-3 win over British teen-ager Heather Watson was an unconvincing performance from the former world number one, who won last week's lead-up event in Cincinnati.

Watson won the junior title two years ago and was making her first appearance in the senior draw but she was able to frustrate and torment the more experienced Sharapova for more than two and a half hours before she finally succumbed.

"I knew that I wasn't playing my best tennis," Sharapova said. "The best thing about this match is I gave myself a chance to play another one."

Czech Kvitova, the fifth seed, left the Louis Armstrong court almost sobbing after falling 7-6 6-3 to unseeded Romanian Alexandra Dulgheru.

Kvitova has been a marked woman since her surprising win at Wimbledon in July but this time she was the architect of her own downfall, making a whopping 52 unforced errors.

Her early exit has further opened up a women's draw which was already looming as one of the most unpredictable in years.

Kim Clijsters, the champion in each of the past two years, is missing because of injury and there are plenty of unanswered questions about the older brigade.

Sharapova has not won a grand slam since 2008. Serena Williams is back at the U.S. Open for the first time in two years and her older sister Venus is not seeded.

But they have been installed as favorites, mostly because younger rivals have yet to win a grand slam, including current world number one Caroline Wozniacki and Vera Zvonareva, the number two from Russia.

BRIGHT START

Zvonareva was a finalist at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open last year and made a bright start, thumping Stephanie Foretz Gacon of France 6-3 6-0.

Venus beat Vesna Dolonts of Russia 6-4 6-3 in the first of the two night matches.

Switzerland's five-time champion Roger Federer, the third seed, easily won his first round match against Colombia's Santiago Giraldo 6-4 6-3 6-2. Federer's win was his 224th in grand slams, moving him to equal second with Andre Agassi. Jimmy Connors holds the all-time record for men with 233 wins, a record Federer should pass next year. "I think it's a great record to have but I'm happy I'm winning a lot on the biggest stages," Federer said. "It's just another way of saying, 'Roger, you've been doing many things right throughout your career.'"

LIVE TENNIS AT US OPEN

live

Men's Singles 

Round 1

(-)

A.Golubev 3 6 5

(2)

R.Nadal WINNER - MATCH COMPLETED

6 7 7

Arthur Ashe Stadium

Victoria Azarenka

Day 2 - Rafael Nadal (ESP) [2] vs. Andrey Golubev (KAZ)

Rafael Nadal

Spain

Andrey Golubev

Kazakhstan

Head-to-head

This will surprisingly be the first meeting between Nadal and Golubev considering that Golubev has been a regular on the main ATP Tour since 2008 and plays plenty of clay court tournaments. Despite not playing him, in all likelihood Nadal will go into this match knowing plenty about his opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. While he’s never played Nadal, Golubev has recently played a Top 5 player on hard courts. Unfortunately for his chances here, in that match he got blown away by Novak Djokovic 6-0, 6-4 in Indian Wells. At the time, Djokovic was ranked No. 3.

Will win if...

Nadal burned the fingers of his right hand at a Japanese restaurant two weeks ago during a tournament in Cincinnati. Nadal has said that injury has healed, and if that is the case, Nadal should have no trouble in moving into the second round. Golubev will have to play a near flawless match, and hope that Nadal’s game and focus aren't up to his usual standards. Not likely, particular at a Grand Slam.

Heading in.

Since losing to Novak Djokovic in the finals of Wimbledon, Nadal has been in a relative slump. In his only two tournaments since, he lost to Mardy Fish in the quarters of Cincinnati, and to unheralded Ivan Dodig in the second round of Montreal. Golubev had a decent summer on hard courts in 2011. He beat No. 14-ranked Stanislas Wawinka to reach the second round of Cincinnati, then reached the second round of Winston-Salem as well.

Look out for...

Nadal hasn’t won a tournament since taking the French Open in May, failing to win a title in his last four events. He will likely be very hungry in this event to add to his three titles in 2011. Going into this match Golubev has plenty of motivation of his own. Over a quarter of his ranking points come from his performance in last September’s ATP event in Kuala Lumpur. With those ranking points due to expire at the end of September of 2011, he’s going to need to accumulate points in a hurry to keep from free-falling out of the top 150.

Know this stat

Nadal has won 46 Career titles to Golubev’s one. Golubev has just a 6-24 match record in 2011 vs. Nadal’s 53-10.

X-factor

One of Nadal’s great strengths is keeping things in perspective. He seems to feel little pressure as the defending champion. “Pressure? I don’t feel pressure,” he said before the tournament. “I am happy about how I did. I didn’t play very well during the summer, but I am practicing much better here. So, we’ll see." Golubev has a relaxed demeanor on court. He has nothing to lose against Nadal, so certainly in this match if there were any pressure it is squarely on Nadal’s shoulders. This should help Golubev.

Women's Singles - 1st Round


Victoria Azarenka(BLR)[4] def. Johanna Larsson(SWE)

6-1 6-3





Complete





Not Before:13:00

Women's Singles - 1st Round

Caroline Wozniacki(DEN)[1] def. Nuria Llagostera Vives(ESP)

6-3 6-1





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Novak Djokovic(SRB)[1] def. Conor Niland(IRL)

6-0 5-1 Ret.





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Ana Ivanovic(SRB)[16] def. Ksenia Pervak(RUS)

6-4 6-2





Complete













Arthur Ashe Stadium



19:00 Men's Singles - 1st Round

Rafael Nadal(ESP)[2] def. Andrey Golubev(KAZ)

6-3 7-6(1) 7-5





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Bojana Jovanovski(SRB) vs. Serena Williams(USA)[28]







In Progress













Louis Armstrong Stadium



11:00 Men's Singles - 1st Round

David Ferrer(ESP)[5] def. Igor Andreev(RUS)

2-6 6-3 6-0 6-4





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Francesca Schiavone(ITA)[7] def. Galina Voskoboeva(KAZ)

6-3 1-6 6-4





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Simona Halep(ROU) def. Na Li(CHN)[6]

6-2 7-5





Complete





Not Before:17:00

Men's Singles - 1st Round

James Blake(USA) def. Jesse Huta Galung(NED)

6-4 6-2 4-6 6-4





Complete













Grandstand



11:00 Men's Singles - 1st Round

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga(FRA)[11] def. Yen-Hsun Lu(TPE)

6-4 6-4 6-4





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Jelena Jankovic(SRB)[11] def. Alison Riske(USA)

6-2 6-0





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Fernando Verdasco(ESP)[19] def. Jarkko Nieminen(FIN)

3-6 6-4 6-1 6-4





Complete





Not Before:17:30

Women's Singles - 1st Round

Vania King(USA) def. Greta Arn(HUN)

6-1 6-4





Complete













Court 17



11:00 Women's Singles - 1st Round

Sabine Lisicki(GER)[22] def. Alona Bondarenko(UKR)

6-3 6-3





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Donald Young(USA) def. Lukas Lacko(SVK)

6-4 6-2 6-4





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Shahar Peer(ISR)[23] def. Sania Mirza(IND)

6-7(5) 6-3 6-1





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

David Nalbandian(ARG) def. Bobby Reynolds(USA)

4-6 6-3 6-4 6-3





Complete













Court 13



11:00 Women's Singles - 1st Round

Silvia Soler-Espinosa(ESP) def. Kimiko Date-Krumm(JPN)

7-6(5) 7-6(2)





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Andrea Petkovic(GER)[10] def. Ekaterina Bychkova(RUS)

6-2 6-2





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Juan Ignacio Chela(ARG)[24] def. Marinko Matosevic(AUS)

3-1 Ret.





Complete





Not Before:16:30

Women's Singles - 1st Round

Jarmila Gajdosova(AUS)[29] def. Iveta Benesova(CZE)

7-6(5) 7-5





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Chanelle Scheepers(RSA) def. Anne Keothavong(GBR)

7-5 6-3





Complete













Court 11



11:00 Women's Singles - 1st Round

Flavia Pennetta(ITA)[26] def. Aravane Rezai(FRA)

6-1 6-4





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Ernests Gulbis(LAT) def. Mikhail Youzhny(RUS)[16]

6-2 6-4 6-4





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Florian Mayer(GER)[26] def. Adrian Mannarino(FRA)

6-2 6-0 6-1





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Sloane Stephens(USA) def. Reka-Luca Jani(HUN)

6-2 3-6 7-6(3)





Complete





Not Before:17:45

Women's Singles - 1st Round

Petra Martic(CRO) def. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova(CZE)

5-7 6-3 6-4





Complete













Court 4



11:00 Women's Singles - 1st Round

Angelique Kerber(GER) def. Lauren Davis(USA)

7-6(3) 6-3





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Nikolay Davydenko(RUS) def. Ivan Dodig(CRO)[32]

6-7(6) 6-3 6-0 2-6 6-2





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Svetlana Kuznetsova(RUS)[15] def. Sara Errani(ITA)

7-5 6-1





Complete





Not Before:18:30

Men's Doubles - 1st Round

Mahesh Bhupathi(IND)[4] /

Leander Paes(IND)[4] def. Alexandr Dolgopolov(UKR) /

Albert Ramos(ESP)

7-6(8) 6-4





Complete













Court 6



11:00 Women's Singles - 1st Round

Coco Vandeweghe(USA) def. Alberta Brianti(ITA)

7-5 6-3





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Marsel Ilhan(TUR) def. Frank Dancevic(CAN)

6-3 6-2 1-0 Ret.





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Roberta Vinci(ITA)[18] def. Irina-Camelia Begu(ROU)

6-3 6-4





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Nicolas Mahut(FRA) def. Robert Farah(COL)

3-6 6-7(4) 6-2 6-4 6-0





Complete













Court 7



11:00 Women's Singles - 1st Round

Yanina Wickmayer(BEL)[20] def. Sorana Cirstea(ROU)

6-1 7-5





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Jurgen Melzer(AUT)[17] def. Eric Prodon(FRA)

6-2 7-6(4) 6-2





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Elena Baltacha(GBR) def. Jamie Hampton(USA)

2-6 6-2 5-1 Ret.





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Ivan Ljubicic(CRO)[30] def. Blaz Kavcic(SLO)

7-6(5) 3-6 6-1 7-5





Complete













Court 8



11:00 Women's Singles - 1st Round

Kaia Kanepi(EST)[31] def. Tamarine Tanasugarn(THA)

6-4 6-3





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Stanislas Wawrinka(SUI)[14] def. Maximo Gonzalez(ARG)

3-6 6-4 6-1 6-3





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Arantxa Rus(NED) def. Elena Vesnina(RUS)

6-2 6-4





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Mona Barthel(GER) def. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez(ESP)[32]

6-3 6-4





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova(RUS)[17] def. Anna Tatishvili(GEO)

6-2 6-2





Complete













Court 9



11:00 Women's Singles - 1st Round

Mirjana Lucic(CRO) def. Marina Erakovic(NZL)

6-4 2-6 6-4





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Gilles Muller(LUX) def. Edouard Roger-Vasselin(FRA)

7-6(5) 6-4 6-4





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Carla Suarez Navarro(ESP) def. Mathilde Johansson(FRA)

6-2 4-6 7-5





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Petra Cetkovska(CZE) def. Evgeniya Rodina(RUS)

1-6 6-1 6-2





Complete













Court 10



11:00 Men's Singles - 1st Round

Sergei Bubka(UKR) def. Andreas Haider-Maurer(AUT)

6-3 6-2 3-6 6-4





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Steve Darcis(BEL) def. Dmitry Tursunov(RUS)

6-7(4) 4-6 7-5 6-1 7-6(0)





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Pauline Parmentier(FRA) def. Daniela Hantuchova(SVK)[21]

6-2 6-3





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Michaella Krajicek(NED) def. Eleni Daniilidou(GRE)

3-6 7-6(4) 6-1





Complete













Court 14



11:00 Men's Singles - 1st Round

Potito Starace(ITA) def. Michael Berrer(GER)

6-4 4-6 6-3 6-2





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Jelena Dokic(AUS) def. Olga Govortsova(BLR)

6-3 6-1





Complete





Men's Doubles - 1st Round

Rohan Bopanna(IND)[5] /

Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi(PAK)[5] def. Robby Ginepri(USA) /

Rhyne Williams(USA)

6-1 2-6 6-2





Complete





Men's Doubles - 1st Round

Mariusz Fyrstenberg(POL)[6] /

Marcin Matkowski(POL)[6] def. Michael Shabaz(USA) /

Ryan Sweeting(USA)

4-6 6-2 6-1





Complete





Men's Doubles - 1st Round

Mark Knowles(BAH)[15] /

Xavier Malisse(BEL)[15] def. Jack Sock(USA) /

Jackson Withrow(USA)

6-3 6-7(5) 6-1





Complete













Court 15



11:00 Women's Singles - 1st Round

Gisela Dulko(ARG) def. Rebecca Marino(CAN)

6-3 6-3





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Akgul Amanmuradova(UZB) def. Tamira Paszek(AUT)

6-4 6-2





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Jean-Rene Lisnard(MON) def. Olivier Rochus(BEL)

7-6(5) 6-2 6-4





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Alize Cornet(FRA) def. Casey Dellacqua(AUS)

7-5 6-0





Complete





Men's Doubles - 1st Round

Robert Lindstedt(SWE)[7] /

Horia Tecau(ROU)[7] def. Bradley Klahn(USA) /

David Martin(USA)

6-4 6-4





Complete













Court 16



11:00 Men's Singles - 1st Round

Igor Kunitsyn(RUS) def. Matthias Bachinger(GER)

2-6 1-6 6-1 6-4 6-4





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Jie Zheng(CHN) def. Vitalia Diatchenko(RUS)

4-6 7-5 6-2





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Carlos Berlocq(ARG) def. Pere Riba(ESP)

7-5 6-0 6-1





Complete









THE 1ST MATCH ON ARMSTRONG STADIUM, GRANDSTAND, COURT 11, COURT 13 AND COURT 17 WILL BE CALLED AT 10:50 AM

LUCKY LOSER & ALTERNATE SIGN INS ARE LOCATED IN THE PLAYER REGISTRATION OFFICE

...

ROGERS CUP 2011 MONTREAL: World no. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia extended his extraordinary streak by winning the Rogers Cup

Djokovic wins it all in Montréal

 

On Sunday at Uniprix Stadium, world no. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia extended his extraordinary streak by winning the Rogers Cup presented by National Bank.

In a match that wavered far more than expected, he defeated world no.8 and 6th seed Mardy Fish of the US in three sets (6-2, 3-6, 6-4).

Djokovic racked up his 53rd win in 54 matches this year and fifth Masters 1000 trophy - a record.

To bank the 1000 ranking points and US$450 000 awarded to the winner, Djokovic had to overcome a few slowdowns and some improbable forehands from Fish.

In the first set, the battle was heated until the 6th game. Then, Djokovic won two consecutive games thanks to his perfect consistency from the backcourt. After 38 minutes, the set was over.

The winds change

A few scares were in store for the Serb in the second set. At 2-2, he was broken for the first time since his second round match against Nikolay Davydenko. Looking more erratic and nervous than he had earlier on, he lost his serve again in the 9th game, giving the set to Fish on a silver platter after 54 minutes of play.

Djokovic had to dig deep to regain control of the final set and secure the deciding break. He did so at 3-3 as Fish seemed to be tiring. With three championship points at 5-3 and under stress, the world no.1 let his rival come back to deuce before making his move.

The match ended after 2 hours, 23 minutes of intense rallies to the roar of the crowd.

Lifting the Rogers Cup, his ninth title in ten events this year, Djokovic reasserted his dominance at the top of the rankings.

STARS

Novak Djokovic beat Mardy Fish 6-2 3-6 6-4 to win the Rogers Cup men’s singles in Montreal, Canada

Serena Williams beat Samantha Stosur 6-4 6-2 to win the Rogers Cup women’s singles in Toronto, Canada

Potito Starace beat Martin Klizan 6-1 3-0 retired to win the San Marino CEPU Open in San Marino

SAYING

“I am human – I can definitely assure you of that. I guess it’s just all about having a positive attitude on the court every day, waking up every day wanting to improve, wanting to win, being determined, being professional. It’s that desire and motivation that keeps me going. Every match I play, I try to win, regardless which match is it or whoever is across the net.” – Novak Djokovic, after winning his record fifth ATP Masters 1000 title of the year, the Rogers Cup in Montréal, Canada.

Novak Djokovic

“I’m so excited. I never expected to do this well. I’m just so happy to be playing again, let alone winning. It’s really cool. I’ve always wanted to hold up this particular trophy. It’s so cute.” – Serena Williams, after winning the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Canada

“I thought that we played really well as a team, which is very important against such a team like the Bryans because you cannot win only by individual skills. They’re great competitors. They have great hands. They help each other a lot. That’s what we had to do today.” – Nenad Zimonjic, who teamed with Michael Llodra to win the doubles, beating twins Bob and Mike Bryan in the final.

“I don’t think I played bad but I can’t be happy because when you’re up 3-1 in the second set and 5-3 in the third, you should win the match.” – Rafael Nadal, after losing his first match at Montréal to Ivan Dodig 1-6 7-6 (5) 7-6 (5)

“I’m disappointed losing my match here, especially first round. Not many people enjoy that, I think. But I do put it in perspective. I think about where I was a year ago and how far I’ve come. I don’t want to sound egotistical when I say this, but I’m very proud of myself and how far I have come. I’m disappointed, but a long as I stay positive about it I can move forward and hopefully do better next year.” – Rebecca Marino, Canada’s top player, after losing in the first round at Toronto.

“It was one of those days where nothing was working.” – Marion Bartoli, after being upset by Galina Voskoboeva at Toronto.

“I would have liked to have won that one and especially after leading 5-1 in the second. It’s not fun to lose this, but there’s nothing really I can do about it now, just practice, and try to do better.” – Caroline Wozniacki, after her 6-4 7-5 second-round Rogers Cup loss to Roberta Vinci.

“But all the players keep improving… I believe that no player can be spared. Look at Rafa (Rafael Nadal) who lost, and (Andy) Murray. The only one remaining above everybody else is (Novak) Djokovic.” – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, after upsetting Roger Federer at Montréal.

“It’s expected from them and from all of us top players to advance, you know, to the last stages of a tournament. But it happens. This is tennis. Both of their opponents have played great matches, and that’s it. You move on. You have to forget about what you’ve done, there is already next week another tournament.” – Novak Djokovic, commenting on the upsets of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray.
“It makes for an exciting story because at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what you’re ranked or seeded, the reason we go out and play the matches is to know who’s going to be the winner on that day.” – Maria Sharapova, after losing to Galina Voskoboeva at Toronto.

“At the beginning of the match I was like – I didn’t even know what I should do on the court, not like during the clay court season. … I was feeling like a junior on the court.” – Li Na, who lost her first match at the Rogers Cup in Toronto to Samantha Stosur.

“It is sad for her. Always tough when you’re playing same-country player. We train together, we know much (about each other). Always tough.” – Li Na, after her second-round opponent, Shuai Peng, withdrew from the Rogers Cup with a left hip injury in what would have been a meeting between China’s top two players.

“I am not saying I am done after the Olympics, but that’s where so far I have set my schedule towards, and what I am building towards, and we’ll see what happens from there. I might choose to end in a smaller tournament just to have it a little more personal and where I can really enjoy it with my family, my friends and coaches.” – Kim Clijsters, backing off her earlier suggestion that she would end her career at the 2012 London Olympics.

“Our goal is to mark this very solemn occasion in a dignified and respectful manner. There’s a balance here that one wants to maintain. You don’t want to go over the top and you don’t want to be too understated, and I think we’re striking that balance.” – Jon Vegosen, chairman of the board and president of the United States Tennis Association, saying the US Open will paint “9-11-10” on the court for the men’s and women’s singles final to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that brought down the Twin Towers.

SETTING RECORDS

Novak Djokovic wants everyone to know he’s human. He’s just not playing that way. In capturing the Rogers Cup in Montréal, the world’s top-ranked player won his ninth tournament title of the year and record fifth in a season in an ATP Masters 1000 event. “History making, of course it’s special,” Djokovic said after beating Mardy Fish 6-2 3-6 6-4 in the final. “Of course it’s an honor and privilege to be part of the history of the sport that I love and that I play.” And play extremely well, it might be added. The 24-year-old Serb is 53-1 overall this year, having won both the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles. “I am human. I can definitely assure you of that,” Djokovic said. The Serb was playing his first tournament since winning Wimbledon, while Fish has been the hottest player on hard courts this summer, reaching his third consecutive final. Fish was the only player to take a set off Djokovic in the tournament.

SMOOTH SAILING

Serena Williams was ranked number one in the world when she stepped on some glass and cut her foot right after she won Wimbledon in 2010. Her ranking dropped only because she didn’t play for 11 months, no so much because what had happened on a court. At Toronto, Serena won the 39th WTA singles title of her career and second since her return to the tour after nearly a year out with injury and illness. She also won at Stanford, California, USA, two weeks ago, in her third tournament back. It has been awhile since she lifted the trophy in Canada. Williams beat Jennifer Capriati in the 2001 final at Montréal. The 29-year-old Serena is now third among active players for singles titles behind her sister Venus Williams, who has 43, and Kim Clijsters, with 41.

SHOCKERS

What a week it was for upsets at the Rogers Cup in both Montréal and Toronto.

In Montréal, second-seeded Rafael Nadal was ousted by Ivan Dodig of Croatia, the first time Nadal had lost his first match in a tournament since the Italian Open in 2008. Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga upset third-seeded Roger Federer, just as he had at Wimbledon. And South African Kevin Anderson knocked out fourth-seeded Andy Murray, the defending Rogers Cup champion.

It wasn’t any better in Toronto at the women’s event.

Italy’s Roberta Vinci shocked top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki; second-seeded Kim Clijsters withdrew with a stomach injury while leading China’s Zheng Jie; and Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska knocked off third-seeded Vera Zvonareva.

In the end, the two favorites – top-ranked Novak Djokovic in Montréal and unseeded Serena Williams in Toronto – came away with the titles.

STREAKING GALINA

Galina Voskoboeva is a 26-year-old from Kazakhstan who is ranked 135th in the world. She also was a one-person wrecking crew at the Rogers Cup in Toronto. A qualifier, Voskoboeva began her rampage through the draw by beating ninth-ranked Marion Bartoli of France. Then came a victory over Italian veteran Flavia Pennetta before Voskoboeva reached the quarterfinals by downing fifth-seeded Maria Sharapova. “Whether you’re number one in the world or you’re facing someone that’s 100 or so, you still have to go out and win. That’s what the sport is all about,” said Sharapova, who has 23 career singles titles. Voskoboeva finally was beaten in the quarters by Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.

SUCCESS FINALLY

It took awhile, but Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond, for a long time two of the best doubles players in the world, have finally won a WTA title together. It was their 11th tournament as a team. Huber, who won the Rogers Cup in 2008 when she played with Zimbabwe’s Cara Black, has now won 45 doubles titles. Raymond, a veteran who first played the Rogers Cup in 1993 but had never been past the quarterfinals until now, has won 71 doubles crowns.

SENIOR PROBLEM

John McEnroe hurt his hamstring during a Rogers Legends Cup match in Toronto and had to be helped off the court. McEnroe was playing Michael Chang when he stretched fir a shot late in the second set and collapsed to the ground in pain. Chang and two medical officials tended to the 52-year-old McEnroe as he lay on the court for nearly 10 minutes. They finally helped him to his feet and he left the court with his arms wrapped around the two medics.

SERENA TO PLAY FED CUP

Serena Williams says she will suit up for the United States Fed Cup team in two series next year, enough to qualify her to play in the 2012 London Olympic Games. “After being physically unable to participate in the last few ties, I am eager to compete in Fed Cup and help my country return to the World Group,” Serena said in a statement. The Americans will be at home for Belarus on February 4-5 at a site yet to be determined. That winner will advance to a playoff in April that gives the winner s spot in the top-level World Group and compete for the 2013 Fed Cup title. The loser will also play in April with that winner remaining in World Group II.

SHARAPOVA PHILOSOPHICAL

Just because she lost to Galina Voskoboeva in the third round in Toronto, Maria Sharapova isn’t panicking. “We have a pretty long summer, and it all starts in the clay season – you gear up for that,” Sharapova said. “Then it’s a pretty short turnaround from the French to Wimbledon. All of us give ourselves a bit of vacation after that. It takes a little bit of time to get the rust off again and to get going. Obviously we want to win every tournament, but we also have to be realistic. Sometimes it’s not going to go our way or we’re not going to feel great.” She said with another month of hard court tennis still to come, she is confident she can regain her game. “I guess you could say that (I lost) because I haven’t played too many matches since Wimbledon,” Sharapova said, “but at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter.”

STEFFI AND ANDRE GIVE BACK

It will be interesting to see how much the winning bid is for the top prize at the MaliVai Washington Kids Foundation’s live auction. The winner will get a three-day, two-night trip to Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, staying at a hotel on the Vegas strip. And it also includes a one-hour private tennis lesson for one or two with Hall of Famers Steffi Graf and her husband Andre Agassi. The auction will be held during the Merrill Lynch/Bank of America Gala Dinner on Monday, September 12, at the Sawgrass Marriott Resort & Spa in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, USA. The Gala includes a tennis pro-am at Deerwood Country Club on September 12 and a golf pro-am at Marsh Landing Country Club on September 13. The MaliVai Washington Kids Foundation provides after-school youth development programs in the urban core of Jacksonville, Florida, the closest big city to Ponte Vedra Beach.

STILL HURTING

The stomach injury that forced Kim Clijsters to withdraw from the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Canada, is also keeping her out of this week’s Cincinnati Open. Clijsters won Cincinnati a year ago before going on to capture her third US Open title. The 28-year-old Belgian was leading Zheng Jie 6-3 1-2 in Toronto when a partial tear of her left stomach muscle caused her to stop play. Clijsters says it is too soon to know if she will be able to defend her US Open title. The year’s final Grand Slam tournament begins its two-week run on August 29 in New York City.

SET TO REMEMBER

The US Open winds up its two-week run on September 11 – 10 years to the day the Twin Towers came tumbling down from terrorist attacks. A white “9-11-01” will be painted next to the court for the men’s and women’s singles finals at America’s premier tennis event. “If you think about it, everybody knows where they were on 9-11,” said Jon Vegosen, the United States Tennis Association’s chairman of the board and president. “And by putting that … date, it’s going to trigger memories for each of us – personal memories – and that’s a factor that went into this. Rather than imposing what 9-11 means, it allows it to be a much more personal moment for people.” The display will be placed near the net across the court from where the chair umpire sits and players rest during changeovers. It will be added on the tournament’s second Friday night, when there are no matches scheduled to be played.

SEEKS BAN REDUCTION

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will hear Robert Kendrick’s appeal of a 12-month sanction issued against him for doping. The 31-year-old American is seeking a reduction of the sentence to three months, which would allow him to play this year’s US Open. Kendrick tested positive for methylhexaneamine (MHA) at the French Open. He claimed he took a capsule called Zija XM3 to help his jetlag, not realizing it contained a banned substance. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) tribunal wrote in its summary it did not believe Kendrick took the drug as a performance enhancer. However, under the Tennis Anti-Doping Program, it is a player’s responsibility to ensure than no prohibited substance enters his body unless he holds a valid therapeutic use exemption. MHA is considered to be a stimulant that is sometimes used by body builders, among others. CAS recently reduced the length of Australian rugby player Kurt Foggo’s suspension for MHA from two years to six months.

STRAIGHT IN

Jack Sock and Lauren Davis won the USTA 18s, which gives them direct entry into the singles draws at the US Open. Sock successfully defended his USTA Boys’ 18s national title at Kalamazoo, Michigan, defeating second-seeded Mitchell frank 6-3 6-0 in the title match. Sock is the first back-to-back Boys’ 18s champion since Donald Young in 2005-06. Davis outlasted fourth-seeded Nicole Gibbs 7-6 (3) 1-6 6-4 to win the Girls’ 18s in San Diego, California. The USA Open will be her second appearance in a Grand Slam tournament main draw. She won a UST playoff in December to earn a wild card into the 2011 Australian Open, where she lost to Samantha Stosur in the first round.

Sock teamed with Jackson Withrow to win the Boys’ 18s doubles, earning a main draw doubles wild card into the US Open, which begins August 29. Sock is the first player to sweep both the singles and doubles titles at the USTA Boys’ 18s nationals since Young in 2006. Samantha Crawford and Madison Keys won the Girls’ 18s doubles to earn a US Open main draw doubles wild card.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Montreal: Michael Llodra and Nenad Zimonjic beat Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan 6-4 6-7 (5) 10-5 (match tiebreak)

San Marino: James Cerretani and Philipp Marx beat Daniele Bracciali and Julian Knowle 6-3 6-4

Toronto: Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond beat Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko, walkover

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$2,430,000 Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, hard

$122,323 Zucchetti Kos Tennis Cup, Cordenons, Italy, clay

WOMEN

$2,050,000 Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, hard

SENIORS

The Optima Open, Knokke-Heist, Belgium

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$553,125 Winston-Salem Open at Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA, hard

$100,000 Edizione A. Savoldi-Marco Co-Trofeo Dimmidisi, Manerbio, Italy, clay

WOMEN

$618,000 New Haven Open at Yale, New Haven, Connecticut, USA, hard

$220,000 Texas Tennis Open, Dallas, Texas, USA, hard

ROGERS CUP 2011 TORONTO: Serena Williams serves notice for US Open in dominant victory

Serena Williams serves notice in dominant victory

SERENA WILLIAMS WINS IN TORONTO VIDEO ANALYSIS

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:6861683

The US’ Serena Williams holds the WTA Rogers Cup winners trophy after defeating Samantha Stosur of Australia during their match on Sunday in Toronto.

Serena Williams won her second straight tournament and proved her mettle ahead of the US Open with a convincing 6-4, 6-2 win over Australia’s Samantha Stosur in the Toronto Cup final on Sunday.

The former world No. 1, playing in just her fourth tournament since returning from an 11-month layoff in June, capped the victory in style with an ace and then raised her arms in the air before jumping up and down repeatedly.

Williams, who won the Stanford Classic last month, held her serve throughout the 77-minute match and called her game solid despite acknowledging there is room for improvement for the US Open, which begins on Aug. 29.

“My game is here and I feel like there are a lot of improvements I want to make — being able to close out big points and winning on big points, and capitalizing on that and still returning a little bit better,” Williams told reporters. “But overall it’s solid, I want to definitely keep it up and not go down.”

Stosur went toe-to-toe with Williams in a first set that went with serve until the 13-times Grand Slam champion broke in the ninth game with a forehand volley to the empty side of the court. She served out in the next game.

Williams had sent a screaming backhand winner down the line one point previously, which she said was when the match turned in her favor.

“I definitely think that’s when the match started changing, but for the most part I was really fighting until that point,” Williams said.

Williams broke Stosur in the opening game of the second set with a cross-court winner.

And after dropping a 12-point game to Stosur, Williams captured 12 of 14 points during a three-game stretch to go ahead 5-1.

The 10th-seeded Stosur held serve in the next game, but tournament organizers, perhaps unknowingly, showed little faith in her ability to mount a comeback.

During a change of sides before Williams had her first chance to serve for the match, they squeezed in a short clip on the main scoreboard thanking fans for attending the tournament and asking them to buy tickets for next year.

Williams followed that with a solid final game, firing four of her nine aces past a helpless Stosur, who saw only one break point during the match.

“For me, to be able to win, I had to play close to my best tennis, and I wasn’t quite at that mark,” Stosur told reporters. “She makes it look very easy and it’s not that easy just to come back on tour and win two events in your first four tournaments.”

Williams, who next plays the Cincinnati Open, improved to 11-0 in hard-court matches this year and is looking like the dominant player who captured the Wimbledon title last year before her layoff.

She entered the tournament as the world No. 80, but was projected to go as high as 31 when the rankings were scheduled to be released yesterday.

Despite that, Williams considers herself an underdog for the year’s final Grand Slam.

“I never go in as a favorite, I feel like I’m still the underdog,” she said. “I went through a lot of things physically, mentally and emotionally, and going through so much, so I am just taking it one day at a time and kind of like one match at a time.”

Victoria Azarenka withdrew from the doubles final with an injured right hand, clouding the world No. 4’s participation in the US Open.

Azarenka, who lost in straight sets to Williams in Saturday’s semi-final, withdrew from the doubles match along with playing partner Maria Kirilenko before taking the court.

video link
 
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:6861683

Djokovic wins it all in Montréal

On Sunday at Uniprix Stadium, world no. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia extended his extraordinary streak by winning the Rogers Cup presented by National Bank.

In a match that wavered far more than expected, he defeated world no.8 and 6th seed Mardy Fish of the US in three sets (6-2, 3-6, 6-4).


Djokovic racked up his 53rd win in 54 matches this year and fifth Masters 1000 trophy - a record.


To bank the 1000 ranking points and US$450 000 awarded to the winner, Djokovic had to overcome a few slowdowns and some improbable forehands from Fish.

In the first set, the battle was heated until the 6th game. Then, Djokovic won two consecutive games thanks to his perfect consistency from the backcourt. After 38 minutes, the set was over.

The winds change

A few scares were in store for the Serb in the second set. At 2-2, he was broken for the first time since his second round match against Nikolay Davydenko. Looking more erratic and nervous than he had earlier on, he lost his serve again in the 9th game, giving the set to Fish on a silver platter after 54 minutes of play.

Djokovic had to dig deep to regain control of the final set and secure the deciding break. He did so at 3-3 as Fish seemed to be tiring. With three championship points at 5-3 and under stress, the world no.1 let his rival come back to deuce before making his move.

The match ended after 2 hours, 23 minutes of intense rallies to the roar of the crowd.

Lifting the Rogers Cup, his ninth title in ten events this year, Djokovic reasserted his dominance at the top of the rankings.