SAP Will Continue San Jose Sponsorship

The ATP World Tour 250 event held in San Jose, California announced today that SAP, a German business software company will continue its sponsorship of the tournament for the next three years.

The 2010 edition of the event featured Spaniard Fernando Verdasco defeating Andy Roddick 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 for the first time since 2006 at the Pavilion in San Jose.

The 2011 SAP Open will take place February 7-13.

Ancic Wins First-Round at Futures Event in Texas

Having seen his ranking plummet from No. 7 in the world to its current position of No. 477 was not easy for Mario Ancic.

Still recovering from the effects of mononucleosis, Ancic has seen limited court action this season, holding 1-3 record in Challenger and Futures events.

Taking part in this week’s Futures event in McAllen, Texas, Ancic will have to swallow his pride and forget about the glory days when he reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2004.

Ancic began his baby-steps back to the main Tour on Monday by defeating No. 4 seed Filip Krajinovic 6-1, 6-4. Karjinoivic is ranked No. 348 in the world.

The total prize money for the event in Texas is $15,000.

Draw in McAllen, Texas.

Shark Bites for Indian Wells and Miami: March Madness is on

Our good friend at the ATP World Tour, Greg Sharko has put together a great rundown for the upcoming Indian Wells and Miami events, highlighting the winners, finalists, and match winners over the month of March.

Never leaving any stone unturned when analyzing the world’s best ATP players, Sharko’s look into March madness is intriguing to say the least.

Please click the link below for the article. Enjoy.

SHARK BITES: INDIAN WELLS & MIAMI

Exclusive Q&A with Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr.

In a recent interview given to TennisConnected.com, world No. 81 Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr. shared his struggles of growing up with an ex-professional coaching father, mentoring former French Open finalist Andrei Medvedev, and how he spends his downtime on Tour.

Possessing a rocket forehand and competent serve, Dolgopolov Jr. uses his off-the-rise ball-striking skills to compete on the ATP World Tour. Currently coached by Jack Reader, Dolgopolov Jr. has improved his ranking almost 200 spots in the last year.

Winning three ATP Challenger level titles last season, the out-spoken and rugged 21-year-old will undoubtedly be a name for the future.

Interview by: Nima Naderi

Q. At what stage in your development did you decide that turning professional was the right decision?

A. I actually never did. I was just practicing while my father was coaching Andrei [Medvedev], and from the early years I was in tennis and wanted to play it. So there wasn’t even a question or a decision to take. That was just my life.

Q. Did you enjoy having your father, who was an ex-touring professional, coach you from an early age? (Dolgopolov Jr. was coached by Oleksandr Dolgopolov Sr. during his formative years).

A. I mean of course its good for my development, because I got so much information in my early years. But as I grew up, I also started to see some negatives in a father-coach relationship. Anyway, my father is the reason why I’m playing now, without him I would not be a player, so I’m happy with it (the relationship).

Q. Did the expectations of having Medvedev around as a youngster give you added incentive or pressure when becoming a professional?

A. No, my pro career started a few years later than the last year of my father coaching Andrei. So he didn’t really have anything to do with me after 10 years of age. But before that of course I had a good time, watching and learning from him. But my goals and results have nothing to do with him, and are not based on his career.

Q. Having played a few top ranked players thus far in your career, what type of mindset do you take when approaching higher ranked competitors? (Dolgopolev Jr. recently lost to Radek Stepanek in Brisbane, Australia after leading by a set and a break).

A. I mean it doesn’t really matter who I play. I just try to think before the match which one is the best way to play the guy. What are his bad and good sides. Maybe the only difference of playing against a player who is ranked way higher than me is that I go on-court and think just about my game, and no other thoughts about the tournament level, the draw or the points. Just having fun playing a good player. So maybe I am a bit more relaxed, but nothing special.

Q. What would you consider the essential parts of your game that must improve in order for you to experience continued success on the ATP World Tour?

A. I play a game which is pretty hard. I don’t prefer one or two strokes, I use almost everything I know. [I] don’t have a particular favourite shot or game [plan]. My tennis is mostly improvisation, so I would like to improve in all my tennis game, no exceptions. The most important thing for me now is to stay injury free, and makeup [for] my physical [injuries]. Because of [the] last two years [the] injuries [that] I [had], [I] couldn’t do that at all. So I have almost everything to get better, to be where I would like to be. I think I have two to three good years of hard work still to come.

Q. You entered last week’s South African ATP World Tour rankings at No. 101 in the world, what are your immediate and long-term goals for the season?

A. The immediate goal is to get [to] [into] top 70-80 because I have no points to defend and I don’t need a lot of points to get there. The long-term goal for the season is [to] finish [in] [the] top 50. [I] Hope I can do that, but I just try to play my best, and than we’ll see.

Q. Growing up in Kiev, how did you find the conditions for training and traveling? Did you ever lose or gain motivation throughout your experiences?

A. Actually I never really grew up in Kiev. At first, when my father was coaching Andrei we traveled all the time, then form the age of 11 I started having every year a month and a half [of] preparation in Florida, during the Orange Bowl. So Kiev was just home, but never a training base for me. Coming back home I stayed in shape, but don’t really do the preparation there, nor the hard practice. For that I find other places.

At one point I had lost the motivation. I mean playing all the time [was] hard from 10-11 [years-old] with no vacations (except during the injuries) was tough, and I was tired of it. But it didn’t last for a long time, and when I finally got back into tennis in a month or two I got back in shape again.

Q. Who would you consider your closest friends on Tour? How do you spend your free time on the circuit?

A. I mean I’m friends with almost everybody I know on the tour. Probably most of all the post-USSR countries and the countries like Poland, Czech Rep., Slovak Rep. etc are the people who understand each other the best. Of course, I’m good friends with players from Ukraine, but not anyone in particular.

In my free time I don’t do anything special, I spend my time in hotels, on the Internet, and resting. Sometimes we have time to go out, if there is a good company [around] and no matches to play during the next days.

Q. If you could win one Grand Slam event which one would it be and why?

A. Roland Garros, I grew up on clay.

Q. Finally, if you could disclose one locker-room story that the public doesn’t know about what would it be?

A. Uh, that’s a tough one. Never had this question, so now sitting and trying to remember something interesting. Sorry but no luck, for the next time I remember some of the stories or funny moments that happened, so I can really answer this question.

Getting to Know Michael Llodra: The Wily Veteran Remains a Force on Tour

In a day and age where power and youthful exuberance reign supreme on the ATP World Tour, French veteran Michael Llodra has once again proved that a well designed serve and volley game, coupled with years of invaluable experience, can and will turn into victory.

Capturing the fourth tournament victory of his career over the weekend in his native Marseille, France, Llodra defeated top seed Robin Soderling in straight sets during the quarterfinal round before dismissing his doubles partner and countryman Julien Benneteau in the finals.

Llodra is by no means a newcomer to the circuit. Traveling the Tour since the age of 18, the 29-year-old Paris native, who will turn 30 in May, has amassed an impressive resume which has seen him reach the No. 34 spot on the computer rankings in June of 2008.

Possessing a deadly left-handed serve which ushers forward his one-handed backhand, Llodra’s classic French game is a delight to witness.

Llodra’s sense of humor has perhaps been the catalyst to his longevity on Tour. After defeating Soderling in Marseille, Llodra told the French media he really wanted to win the match because he had missed a wine tester ahead of his quarterfinal contest.

Showing the world that tennis was indeed more important than sipping expense wine, Llodra disposed of Soderling in ruthless fashion, losing only two points on his serve throughout his straight set win. Defeating a player of Soderling’s caliber in a straight set indoor match was never an easy task, let alone not allowing the lanky Swede to gain a beat on his return of serve points.

Although Llodra is by no means a household name even back home in France, those avid tennis fans around the world (and you know exactly who you are) will remember Llodra’s shot of the year against German Tommy Haas during the Indian Wells event in 2007.

I’ll leave the interpretation of Llodra’s between the legs shot for you to determine (click here), but I will add that, in my opinion anyway, the shot was better than Roger Federer’s between the legs winner that he miraculously put past Novak Djokovic along the way to his semifinal victory at last year’s U.S. Open.

I must confess that I’ve had my own run in with Llodra at an ATP World Tour event—and no, it wasn’t on court where he does his best work.

During the 2008 Masters event in Toronto, (a year in which more rain drops fell than actual shots on court) yours truly received an utter beat down while running from the tournament shuttle to the media center.

Brilliantly not having an umbrella or change of clothes in site, I decided to take matters into my own hands and venture off to the players’ hair salon. There, I would find the on-site hairstylists, who were gracious enough to allow me to use their trusty hairdryers to regain warmth and suitable work attire (did I mention that it was 9:30 am and I had a 12 hour work day ahead of me?).

At any rate, my task would require some time to accomplish, due to the monsoon that I had encountered.

Being in the players’ hair salon meant that players would often come in for a haircut, trim, or a nice scalp massage (none of which I had the pleasure of receiving).

The lovely Caroline, who undoubtedly saved my day, had none other than Llodra as her first appointment of the morning. Strutting in with five minutes to spare, the 6′3″ Rueil Malmaison native took one look at me and knew that his first-round match against Richard Gasquet was pale in comparison to what I had endured.

Clearly never experiencing a drenched reporter that early in the morning, Llodra quickly enlightened me with his thoughtful take of the situation: “You are wet,” he said. With a sheepish and determined look on my face I responded, ”not for long.”

Llodra continued with his analysis of my attire by saying, “it will take a long time to dry.” I quickly responded by changing the topic and asking what kind of haircut he was going for, since it was always so short.

His response: “Short enough that the hair gel will stay in place; I move around lot,” he laughed.

My lone encounter with Llodra, though brief, illustrated his calm French poise and his determined outlook on-court. I mean, how could a world class tennis player find enough time to think of his hair while upholding a top 50 ranking?

Moving along to present day, Llodra’s hair remains the same, and so does his ability to bank titles. Holding a steady rank of No. 65 in the world, Llodra is guaranteed entry into the remainder of the year’s Major events.

Never pulling in grand results on the clay, Llodra holds a respectable record on grass-courts at 27-21, while winning one title in The Netherlands in 2004.

Entering the autumn of his career in 2010, Llodra’s continued belief in his skills (and his hair of course), should result in continued success in his ranking, and tournament results.

Never one to shy away from the limelight, look for Llodra to continue his fine season on the circuit.

Official ATP and Corona Extra Partnership Media Release

As reported earlier today, the ATP World Tour announced that they have signed a 5 1/2 year deal with Corona Extra, making the Mexican beer brand the new global premier partner of the ATP World Tour.

The official media release is found below:

Multi-year sponsorship will focus on promotion of men’s professional tennis worldwide.

Information courtesy of atpworldtour.com.

Corona Signs on as ATP’s New Title Sponser

Corona Extra has reportedly signed a 5 1/2 deal with the ATP World Tour as the new title sponsor of men’s professional tennis.

The ATP has been in search of a title sponsor since the departure of Mercedes-Benz in 2008. The deal is expected to take flight in May, and is reportedly worth $70 million.

The ATP will officially release details of the contract on Monday.

Adam Helfant, the ATP World Tour chief executive called the new contract “a big win [for the Tour].”

Quote and information courtesy of atpworldtour.com.

Day 5 Review: Roddick and Querrey Highlight Memphis Action; Soderling Out of Marseille; Ferrero Continues Charge in Buenos Aires

Regions Morgan Keegan Championships—Memphis, USA

Top seed Andy Roddick will face his toughest challenge in Memphis this week, when he battles America’s No. 2 ranked player Sam Querrey.

Squeaking past Querrey in three sets last week in San Jose—which included two tiebreak wins—Roddick has struggled against the firepower of his younger ranked countryman.

Leading Querrey 4-1 in career head-to-head meetings, Roddick lost to the Las Vegas resident in Cincinnati  last summer.

Defeating Yen-Hsun Lu 7-6 (2), 6-4 on Thursday evening, Roddick told reporters that the big men in today’s game move much better than they did 10 years ago.

“I think the biggest thing is that when I started the guys who were big didn’t move well. But now you have guys like Sam [Querrey] who is 6′ 6″, 6′ 7″ and runs really well. His lateral movement doesn’t look awkward.

“Same with [Juan Martin] del Potro and a couple of these other guys. So you get their length, and I don’t think it’s coincidental that the game is getting bigger and taller.”

Along with the day’s blockbuster quarterfinal, Friday’s action in Memphis will feature the following three quarterfinals matches:

Ernests Gulbis will battle No. 5 seed Thomas Berdych in a matchup of two of the most talented but mentally fragile players on Tour; No. 6 seed John Isner will stand toe-to-toe with Ivo Karlovic in the tallest recorded ATP World Tour match in history—Isner is 6′9″ and Karlovic is 6′10″. The Croatian owns a 1-0 career head-to-head lead over the young American.

The day’s first match will pit hard-hitting German Philipp Petzchner against Slovak player Lukas Lacko. Petzchner is coming into Memphis off of a semifinals appearance in Zagreb two week’s ago.

Open 13—Marseille, France

Recent Rotterdam champion Robin Soderling was knocked out of the Open 13 in Marseille on Friday by defending finalist Michael Llodra, 7-6 (4), 6-4.

Llodra, who is one the most talented players on tour, struck 15 aces while winning 93 percent of his first serve points (37-40). Converting on the lone break of the match during the ninth game of the second set, Llodra improved to 2-0 against Soderling, while evening his year-to-date record at 4-4.

Winning  his eighth career match in Marseille in one hour and 26 minutes, Llorda will next face the winner of Mischa Zverev vs. Guillaume Rufin.

Rufin, who is making his debut in an ATP World Tour quarterfinal, continues to be a hot prospect for the French Tennis Federation at 18-years-old.

The youngster defeated Laurent Recouderc and Yannick Mertens en route to the final eight.

Defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga continued his course at winning his sixth career title this week after disposing of Illya Marchenko 6-3, 6-4.

Nursing an abdominal injury, Tsonga breezed through the one hour and 34 minute match by breaking his opponent on three of 11 opportunities.

Winning 80 percent of his first serve points while using his destructive forehand to gain passage into the net, Tsonga captured his seventh win of the season, and first over Marchenko.

The No. 2 seed and world No. 9 will next face the winner of No. 3 seed Gael Monfils vs. Julien Benneteau.

The French fight later in the day will highlight the pair’s sixth meeting which Monfils leads 4-1. Winning the pair’s last three meetings, Monfils has not lost to Benneteau since 2007 (Indian Wells).

If Rufin can defeat Zverev, then the Open 13 will guarantee a home-country winner this year.

Copa Telmax— Buenos, Aires, Argentina

After day which saw national hero David Nalbandian withdraw from the event with an adductor injury, Friday’s order of play in Argentina will feature only three quarterfinal matches.

Nalbandian’s proposed quarterfinal opponent Albert Montanes received automatic entry into the semifinals after the injured Argentine opted to rest his leg. Nalbandian will be out of action for the next two weeks.

Montanes will await the winner of day’s most evenly contested match between No. 1 seed David Ferrer and Russian workhorse Igor Andreev.

Trailing Andreev 4-3 in career head-to-head meetings, Ferrer has won the pair’s last two encounters. Moving quietly through the draw this week, Ferrer defeated Simon Greul and Frederico Gil in routine fashion.

Bidding for his first title since 2008, Ferrer is currently ranked No. 19 in the world.

Andreev, who has dropped to his lowest ranking since July 2008, is coming off a semifinal appearance in Brazil last week.

Brazil Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero will remain adamant on continuing his sizzling form on Friday in Buenos Aires, when he faces countryman Santiago Ventura.

Bidding to win his eighth consecutive match on Tour, Ferrero will look to impose his formidable forehand-backhand combination to offset his good friend.

Seeking his 14th career title, Ferrero would next face the winner of the day’s most anticipated match between No. 8 seed Horacio Zeballos vs. No. 4 seed Juan Monaco.

Monaco, who lost in the finals last year to Tommy Robredo, won the event in 2007 over Alessio Di Mauro from Italy. Deeming the Buneos Aires event as his favorite of the year, Monaco brushed aside Lukasz Kubot and Juan Ignacio Chela en route to the quarterfinals.

Zeballos, who recently won the ATP World Tour’s Newcomer of the Year award, defeated former French Open champions Gaston Gaudio and Carlos Moya in the first and second rounds, respectively.

The sold-out night session will undoubtedly be in full support of their two up-and-coming stars. Talk soon.

Day 4 Review: Johannesburg, Zagreb, and Santiago

SA Tennis Open—Johannesburg, South Africa

Last year’s semifinalist David Ferrer advanced to the quarterfinals in South Africa on Thursday, defeating Filip Prpic 6-3, 6-4.

Hitting three aces while breaking the serve of his opponent on three occasions, Ferrer improved his record on the season to 3-2. The former world No. 4 had this to say after his win.

“I played well in the second set, but did struggle on my serve as I was a little nervous,” said Ferrer. “It isn’t easy to play here. I was fortunate to win before the rain arrived. I am happy to relax now. The club and hotel is close by, so that helps the players relax.”

Ferrer will be forced to continue his high first serve percentage in the quarterfinals when he battles former NCAA champion Somdev Devverman.

Devverman was sensational during his second-round match victory over Thiago Alves 6-4, 6-1. The 67-minute affair featured six aces by Devvarman to go along with 81 percent of his first serve points won and three breaks of serve.

The 24-year-old, who currently stands at the No. 162 rank in the world had this to say after his win.

“I really like playing here, my opponent was not as healthy as he wanted to be, but even then I played a good match and am happy to pull through,” said Devvarman. “He admitted it was jetlag and that he had not slept until 6 a.m. this morning. The tiredness seemed to hit him towards the end of the first set. I’m really excited to be playing another match.”

Elsewhere, Yen-Hsun Lu ousted Raven Klaasen 6-4, 7-5. Lu will await the winner of the day’s final match between top seed Gael Monfils and unseeded Frenchman Josselin Ouanna.

PBZ Zagreb Indoors—Croatia

Recent top 10 entree and top seed Marin Cilic made quick work of his second straight opponent in Zagreb this week, dismissing Daniel Koellerer 6-2, 6-1.

Needing a mere 61-minutes to oust Koellerer, Cilic won 93 percent of his first serve points (25-27), while placing 12 aces past his opponent.

The lanky 21-year-old will next face Ivo Karlovic or Alexandre Sidorenko in the quarterfinals.

Elsewhere, 2006 champion and two-time runner-up Ivan Ljubicic was ousted from the event by Lukas Lacko 7-6(3), 5-7, 7-6(5) in two hours and 39 minutes. Withstanding 18 aces from Ljubicic, Lacko pounded 12 aces of his own to defeat the No. 2 seed.

Lacko will next face Philipp Petzchner, who went the distance to defeat Benjamin Becker 1-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(6). Petzchner won 75 percent of his first serve points to capture his second win of the season. The German had arrived in Croatia winless on the year.

The final result of the day saw Michael Berrer dash the hopes of local favorite Petar Jelenic. Defeating the 22-year-old 6-4, 6-3, Berrer captured his fifth win of the season. Jelenic, who is currently ranked No. 544 in the world, was playing in his first main Tour match of the season.

Movistar Open—Santiago, Chile

No. 2 seed Juan Monaco will look to follow the lead of top seed Fernando Gonzalez by reaching the quarterfinal stage of the Movistar Open on Thursday.

Facing Juan Ignacio Chela in second-round action, Monaco will look to capture his fifth win of the season. Holding a great game for clay-courts, the 25-year-old Tandil native will have to add some variety to his game if he’s to challenge for the bigger titles on the dirt.

Top seed Gonzalez will next see action on Friday in Chile. The four-time champion destroyed his second straight opponent in the event on Wednesday, defeating Oscar Hernandez 6-2, 6-1. Gonzalez had this to say after his victory.

“I think I played a better match today,” said Gonzalez, who is now unbeaten in 11 straight matches at Chile’s ATP World Tour 250 tournament. “Yesterday the points were shorter and today I had to work harder for them.”

Other matches on day four action in Santiago will include:

No. 3 seed Thomaz Bellucci vs. Paul Capdeville, Eduardo Schwank vs. No. 6 seed Jose Acasuso, and Peter Luczak vs. David Marrero.

As always, please check TennisConnected’s live score section for up to the second results on all the day’s matches. Talk soon.

Day 2 Review: Johannesburg, Zagreb, and Santiago

SA Tennis Open—Johannesburg, South Africa

Top seed Gael Monfils will begin his title campaign in South Africa on Tuesday, facing tour veteran Dominik Hrbaty.

Hrbaty, who contemplated retirement in 2008, continues to battle away on tour as a 32-year-old. Holding a 2-2 career head-to-head record with Monfils, Hrbaty will be the heavy underdog going in.

Elsewhere, No. 3 seed Feliciano Lopez was made to work in his first round win over qualifier Benjamin Ballerat. Defeating the Monaco native, 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3, Lopez will next face Blaz Kavcic in second round action.

Striking four aces and winning 85 percent of his first serve points, Lopez captured his third win of the season.

“It was a really hot day and I found it difficult to keep up the intensity,” Lopez said. “I was really feeling tired and three double-faults and a few loose shots cost me the second-set tiebreaker. Still, I fought back in the third set when I served well.”

Joesslin Ouanna defeated Harel Levy 7-6 (4), 6-2; Dustin Brown from Jamaica captured the biggest win of his career by ousting No. 4 seed Marco Chiudinelli 6-4, 3-6, 6-4; Somdev Devvarman defeated No. 6 seed Xavier Malisse 6-4, 6-2; No. 7 seed Yen-Hsun Lu breezed past Jarrko Nieminen 6-3, 6-2; Izak Van Der Merwe delighted the hometown crowd by dismissing Noam Okun 7-6 (5), 7-6 (2); Raven Klassen defeated David Guez 6-4, 6-3; Bjorn Phau defeated Fritz Wolmarans 6-4, 7-5, and Filip Prpic ousted Ivan Navarro 6-3, 7-5.

Matches that are still to come on Tuesday will feature:

No. 2 seed David Ferrer vs. Karol Beck, and Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr. vs. Thiago Alves. Watch out for the youngster Dolgopolov Jr. He’s a heavy hitter from the Ukraine, who possesses a monster serve and powerful forehand.

PBZ Zagreb Indoors—Croatia

Day 2 action in Zagreb began with big-serving German Benjamin Becker winning his first-ever match in Croatia over Andreas Vinciguerra 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4).

Centering his game around his first serve, Becker pounded 13 aces and won 75 percent of his first serve points during the one hour and 45 minute match. Improving to 4-3 on the season, Becker will next face Philipp Petzchner, who defeated Christophe Rochus 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-1. Petzchner fired 21 aces during his two hour and one minute victory.

Elsewhere, Lukas Lacko progressed to the second round when his opponent Denis Istomin retired with a right hamstring injury. Istomin was trailing 6-2, 2-2 when he called for the trainer.

Daniel Koellerer fought past 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, and Petar Jelenic won a tight affair against IIija Bozoljac 7-6 (8), 7-5.

Matches that are still to come on Tuesday will include:

No. 5 seed Janko Tipsarevic vs. Michael Berrer, and Alexandre Sidorenko vs. Ruben Bemelmans of Belgium.

Movistar Open—Santiago, Chile

A late scheduled start at the Movistar Open has resulted in no completed matches thus far.

When play begins on center court, the hometown crowd will be treated hero and four-time champion Fernando Gonzalez.

Gonzalez is making his 10th appearance on homesoil and will face clay court specialist Oscar Hernandez in his first match. Holding a 1-0 head-to-head lead over Hernandez, Gonzalez will be vying for his 12th career title this week.

A full schedule of play on Tuesday will feature the following matches:

No. 3 seed Thomaz Bellucci vs. Nicolas Lapentii, Ricardo Mello vs. No. 4 seed Pablo Cuevas, No. 4 seed Horacio Zeballos vs. Lukasz Kubot, No. 6 seed Jose Acasuso vs. Hans Podlipnik-Castillo, No. 7 seed Simon Greul vs. Joao Souza, Eduardo Schwank vs. Paolo Lorenzi, Santiago Ventura vs. Pere Riba, Paul Capdeville vs. Cristobal Saavedra-Corvalan, David Marrero vs. Juan-Martin Aranguren, and Victor Crivoi vs. Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo or Spain.

As always, please check out our live score section located on the menu options for up to the minute scoring of all the day’s results. Talk soon.

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