ONE MORE WIMBLEDON FOR GORAN
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Goran Ivanisevic
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Goran Ivanisevic will play at Wimbledon one more time.
The 2001 Wimbledon champion was unable to defend his title last year because of a
shoulder injury and, despite surgery, he has been unable to rediscover the
serving power that brought him so much success during the last decade.
Ivanisevic, whose wife is expecting their first child shortly, is nevertheless
determined to make one more appearance on the hallowed lawns of SW19.
"I am going to come to Wimbledon even if they have to push me there in a wheelchair,"
Ivanisevic told journalists in Croatia. "If it is my fate to leave tennis this year,
then Wimbledon will be my last tournament. I will play the All England and then decide
what next."
World number one Lleyton Hewitt has lent his support to a breakaway players'
association that could get off the ground next week in Miami. The International Men's
Tennis Association (IMTA) is the brainchild of Wayne Ferreira and Jeff Tarango. The
proposed launch during next week's ATP Masters Series event has been boosted by Hewitt's
comments.
"The ATP hasn't done enough for the players," complained Hewitt.
"With my experiences with the ATP Tour, I've got to look at it in a very positive way.
Any way things can be helped, that's great for everyone. At the end of the day, I know
with my dealings with the ATP that there's a lot of room for improvement."
Ferreira and Tarango are currently talking to the players to gauge support for the IMTA.
"We are hoping to have it done by Miami," said Ferreira. "The guys feel it is necessary.
The players need to be better informed of what is going on within the ATP. The players
would have to agree to sign a document that says they are part of it. It would be
similar to a union. We want someone funded by the players to do it."
Todd Woodbridge, vice-president of the ATP player council, denies Ferreira's claim that
he has the backing of the majority of the players.
"We can solve any of their issues without having to start a new organisation," he said.
"It is a democratic system. If you don't want people there you can vote them out. The
majority of the players are confident of what the ATP is doing."
Pete Sampras, who has still not played a competitive match since winning the US Open
last September, has withdrawn from this week's Nasdaq Open in Miami.
Tournament chairman Butch Buchholz explained: "Pete said he wasn't ready to
compete, and I don't think he's going to get out there unless he feels he can win
tournaments. He told me he's just not ready to play at the top level. He has been
practising, but he doesn't want to come back and not be ready, and right now he says
he's not at the point where he can play his best tennis."
ATP TOUR
Indian Wells - Quarter-finals:
Gustavo Kuerten bt James Blake 4-6 6-4 6-0
Vincent Spadea bt Brian Vahaly 6-3 6-2
Lleyton Hewitt bt Robby Ginepri 6-4 6-2
Rainer Schuettler bt Andy Roddick 6-3 6-2
Semi-finals:
Lleyton Hewitt bt Vincent Spadea 7-6 6-1
Tour Calendar:
Mar 10: Pacific Life, Indian Wells, USA
Mar 17: Nasdaq 100, Miami, USA
Apr 07: Casablanca, Morocco
Apr 07: Estoril, Portugal
Champions Race:
(as at 10 March 2003)
| POS |
PLAYER |
PTS |
| 1. | Andre Agassi | 236 |
| 2. | Rainer Schuettler | 181 |
| 3. | Roger Federer | 160 |
| 4. | Andy Roddick | 129 |
| 5. | Wayne Ferreira | 110 |
| 6. | Jan-Michael Gambill | 88 |
| 7. | Juan Carlos Ferrero | 86 |
| 8. | Felix Mantilla | 84 |
| 9. | Karol Kucera | 81 |
| 10. | Younes El Aynaoui | 79 |
| 10. | Gustavo Kuerten | 79 |
WTA TOUR
Indian Wells - Semi-finals:
Kim Clijsters bt Conchita Martinez 6-3 6-2
Lindsay Davenport bt Jennifer Capriati 6-4 4-6 6-4
Tour Calendar:
Mar 03: Pacific Life, Indian Wells, USA
Mar 17: Nasdaq 100, Miami, USA
Mar 31: Casablanca, Morocco
Mar 31: Sarasota, Florida, USA
Race to the Championships:
(as at 3 March 2003)
| POS |
PLAYER |
PTS |
| 1. | Serena Williams | 1332 |
| 2. | Kim Clijsters | 1187 |
| 3. | Venus Williams | 1029 |
| 4. | Justine Henin-Hardenne | 1015 |
| 5. | Lindsay Davenport | 740 |
| 6. | Ai Sugiyama | 598 |
| 7. | Eleni Daniilidou | 555 |
| 8. | Meghann Shaughnessy | 536 |
| 9. | Amanda Coetzer | 531 |
| 10. | Daniela Hantuchova | 508 |
Davis Cup
World Group Quarter-final Draw:
France v Switzerland Toulouse (indoor hard)
Sweden v Australia Malmo (indoor hard)
Spain v Croatia Valencia (outdoor clay)
Argentina v Russia Buenos Aires (outdoor clay)
(All ties to be played over the weekend of April 4-6)
First Round Results:
Romania 1 France 4
Netherlands 2 Switzerland 3
Australia 4 Great Britain 1
Sweden 3 Brazil 2
Croatia 4 USA 1
Spain 5 Belgium 0
Argentina 5 Germany 0
Czech Republic 2 Russia 3
Changes to the LTA Ratings Scheme
In an attempt to re-establish the objective of using Player Ratings as "an approximate
measurement of the playing standard of an individual", the LTA are in the process of
introducing fundamental changes in the Ratings Scheme.
The changes will become operational on 3rd March 2003 following the results cut-off
for the March 2003 Ratings Run. Results achieved during the Easter and summer periods
will be the first to be assessed under the new system in October 2003.
Click here for full details.
The story so far . . .
If you've read down this far, your reward is a link to
OFF THE FRAME, the hilarious story of a young
man who believes he is destined to make his mark in tennis.
Pop into Upper Gummtrey Tennis Club to find Jez and follow the twists and turns of his
extraordinary career. In the first episode, you might just detect a reference or two to
a famous children's novel!
D.W.
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