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Countdown: Top 10 memorable moments of the 2009 women’s tennis season

Post author By Marija
Post date November 20, 2009
22 Comments on Countdown: Top 10 memorable moments of the 2009 women’s tennis season

Our dear reader Teerin is contributing to Women’s Tennis Blog once again, this time by creating a countdown of the best moments in the 2009 tennis season.

Teerin would like to have been able to include more memorable situations, but YouTube videos can’t be more than 10 minutes long. Which WTA moments would you add to Teerin’s Top 10? I would include the emotional retirement of Ai Sugiyama and also, I would put Kim Clijsters’ US Open win on top of the list.

Teerin, thank you so much for your continuous and active support of Women’s Tennis Blog.

Australian Open Svetlana Kuznetsova Sydney International

Svetlana Kuznetsova to play Sydney as Australian Open warm-up

Post author By Marija
Post date November 19, 2009
14 Comments on Svetlana Kuznetsova to play Sydney as Australian Open warm-up

World number three Svetlana Kuznetsova will start her 2010 season and the Australian Open campaign at the Medibank International Sydney.

The Russian is the fifth Top 10 player to join the Sydney field after No.1 Serena Williams, No.5 and defending champion Elena Dementieva, No.4 Caroline Wozniacki and No.7 Victoria Azarenka.

It will be Kuznetsova’s fifth straight participation at the event. In 2008 she was runner-up to then world No.1 Justine Henin. (source: Medibank International Sydney, photo by our reader Jacob)

General

Virginia Ruano Pascual retires from Sony Ericsson WTA Tour

Post author By Marija
Post date November 18, 2009
1 Comment on Virginia Ruano Pascual retires from Sony Ericsson WTA Tour

Virginia Ruano Pascual has retired from tennis at the age of 36. The Spaniard won 42 doubles titles and three singles titles during her career on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.

Ruano Pascual has 10 Grand Slam doubles titles to her name, including six French Open ones. Eight of those Grand Slam titles she won paired with Paola Suarez of Argentina, one with countrywoman Anabel Medina Garrigues in 2008, and one is a mixed doubles title she won partnered with Thomas Carbonell in 2000.

The three singles titles Ruano Pascual claimed on the WTA Tour came in Tashkent (2003), Budapest (1998) and Cardiff (1997).

Ruano Pascual’s highest ranking in doubles was No.1 and in singles No.28. (source: Women Who Serve)

Ana Ivanovic

Ana Ivanovic already started training for 2010

Post author By Marija
Post date November 17, 2009
7 Comments on Ana Ivanovic already started training for 2010

Ana Ivanovic‘s 2009 season was full of emotional and physical instabilities, and the obvious outcome is that the Serb ended 2008 ranked 5th, and now she’s No.22.

The 22-year-old Ivanovic finished the 2009 season prior to the China Open, in the beginning of October, and now she has started practicing for her future challenges.

I’ve already started training again, to be ready for the new season. At the moment it’s just fitness, but tennis will start next week, with Sven.

There’s not much else to say at the moment. Always when I begin my off-season training the focus is on fitness, then I gradually move onto tennis, and by the end of the training block tennis is of course the main focus.

I had a good break. It was just what I needed!

Vera Zvonareva

Vera Zvonareva resting in Amsterdam after ankle surgery

Post author By Marija
Post date November 16, 2009
3 Comments on Vera Zvonareva resting in Amsterdam after ankle surgery

World number nine Vera Zvonareva had a surgery on her right ankle in Rotterdam, and is now resting in an Amsterdam hotel.

In her latest diary entry on her new official website, the Russian is sharing details about the procedure and her future plans.

All seem to be fine; no pain in my leg so far but certainly there is some inconvenience.

The surgery was done in one of Rotterdam’s clinics, so on Thursday I had to move to Amsterdam but I was picked up and transported by the car. At present I walk on crutches. The operation was performed by a reputed surgeon Nick Van Dyke who operated on many football players and now helps Cristiano Ronaldo.

Zvonareva will stay in Amsterdam for two weeks. Afterwards, she will travel to Florida to practice.

The 25-year-old is hoping to be ready for the Australian Open.

Yanina Wickmayer

Yanina Wickmayer begins legal fight against World Anti-Doping Agency

Post author By Marija
Post date November 16, 2009
2 Comments on Yanina Wickmayer begins legal fight against World Anti-Doping Agency

World No.16 Yanina Wickmayer is starting an appeal with European authorities, challenging the whereabouts rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency. The Belgian’s victory could force WADA to change the rules regarding when and where athletes can be tested out of competition.

Wickmayer received a one-year ban – the 20-year-old never skipped a test or tested positive but she failed to report her whereabouts on three occasions and her career is severely impacted now.

“The indispensable fight against doping is not the issue here. The problem is the lack of proportionality of certain measures,” said Wickmayer’s lawyer Jean-Louis Dupont.

Wickmayer is already appealing her suspension before the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Yanina Wickmayer

Yanina Wickmayer gives the whole story behind her doping ban

Post author By Marija
Post date November 12, 2009
14 Comments on Yanina Wickmayer gives the whole story behind her doping ban

Belgian world No.16 Yanina Wickmayer got a one-year suspension, having failed to report her whereabouts to anti-doping officials on three occasions. The 20-year-old is now explaining the whole story, step by step.

Here’s the full transcript of Wickmayer’s presser at the Koning Boudewijn Stadium in Brussels, Belgium.

Welcome,

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who is present here today. It is extremely important for me to be able to tell my story.

– November and December 2008, I was training in Switzerland.

– In January 2009, I was in Australia to prepare myself for the Australian Open.

– Because of this, all of the letters that were sent to my house that had to be signed for, I was unable to receive and were returned to sender.

– On February 18, 2009 I went online and Googled the general email address of the doping agency, and sent them and email to ask for information as I had heard several players talk about the new anti doping program.

Continue reading “Yanina Wickmayer gives the whole story behind her doping ban”

Maria Sharapova Venus Williams

Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova to play exhibition in Hua Hin, Thailand

Post author By Marija
Post date November 11, 2009
3 Comments on Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova to play exhibition in Hua Hin, Thailand

Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova will welcome the New Year by playing an exhibition in Thailand on January 2, 2010.

The exhibition event is called the Hua Hin Centennial Invitation, as it will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the beach resort.

After the encounter in singles, Williams and Sharapova will play mixed doubles with local starts Paradorn Srichaphan and Danai Udomchoke.

Additional info: Sharapova will celebrate New Year’s Eve at the new InterContinental Resort. (source: Tennis Week, photos: Colleen, Ralf Reinecke)

Billie Jean King Cup Flavia Pennetta

Italy beats the United States for Fed Cup title

Post author By Marija
Post date November 8, 2009
2 Comments on Italy beats the United States for Fed Cup title

Italy followed up their 2-0 score on Saturday with two more victories on Sunday to beat the United States 4-0 in the Fed Cup final and claim their second Fed Cup title.

On Saturday Italian Flavia Pennetta beat American Alexa Glatch 6-3 6-1, and Francesca Schiavone overcame Melanie Oudin 7-6(2) 6-2. The decisive victory came on Sunday when Pennetta earned an insurmountable 3-0 lead by defeating Oudin 7-5 6-2 in front of home crowd on the clay courts of the Circolo del Tennis Rocco Polimeni.

The doubles rubber was played, and even the world No.1 in doubles Liezel Huber couldn’t help the Unites States win at least one match. Huber and Vania King lost to Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci 4-6 6-3 11-9.

Italy had also won Fed Cup title in 2006.

Marion Bartoli

Aravane Rezai claims Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions title

Post author By Marija
Post date November 8, 2009
10 Comments on Aravane Rezai claims Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions title

Aravane Rezai won the biggest title of her career playing against Marion Bartoli in an all-French final of the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions in Bali.

Of course, injuries where not avoided this time either, with top seed Bartoli retiring in tears because of a left quadriceps strain after losing the first set 7-5. Rezai had actually rallied from a set point down at 3-5 in the opening set.

“I’d prefer to win in a different way, but it’s tennis, a lot of different things happen,” said the 22-year-old Rezai after winning the showcase of the up-and-coming stars of women’s tennis.