Switzerland wins first Davis Cup title

Roger Federer put his bad back and his brief difference of opinion with his Swiss team mate Stanislas Wawrinka and claimed the one prize that has always eluded him and Switzerland - the Davis Cup.

Switzerland won the Davis Cup for the first time in their history after Federer crushed France's Richard Gasquet in Lille. An inspired Federer raised his game to beat Gasquet 6-4 6-2 6-2. He collapsed in tears onto the clay at the Stade Pierre-Mauroyto after giving the Swiss a 3-1 lead.

On Saturday, Federer and Wawrinka had put Switzerland into a 2-1 lead with a straight sets defeat of Gasquet and Julien Benneteau in the doubles.

Federer was thrashed by Gael Monfils in his first singles match after struggling with a back trouble but recovered as the weekend progressed.

"I'm happy I was able to stay calm and play a good match, and I'm really happy for the guys in the team, everybody worked incredibly hard to get me match ready," Federer said. "Stan has put in so much effort over the years and played an unbelievable weekend that gave me the opportunity today. I'm very much aware of that, this one is for the boys."

It took 15 years for Federer to win the Davis Cup after making his debut in the prestigious event back in 1999.

"It's not for me, I've won enough in my career and did not need to tick any empty boxes," Federer said. "I'm just happy for everybody else. I'm happy we could live a great tennis historic moment in our country."

(Images via Facebook)

Roger Federer pulls out of ATP World Tour Finals and hands Novak Djokovic trophy

World no. 2 Roger Federer disappointed more than 17,000 fans at the O2 Arena after pulling out of the final against Novak Djokovic, citing a back injury sustained in his semifinal match against Stanislas Wawrinka.

The 33-year-old Swiss announced he was "not match-fit" as he apologised to the crowd in person.

The withdrawal resulted in Djokovic's fourth victory at the season-ending event. He also becomes the first man to win three titles in a row since Ivan Lendl back in the 80s.

No one saw that coming from Federer, who had withdrawn during tournaments on only two previous occasions - in 2008 against James Blake (Bercy) and 2012 against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Doha).

Novak Djokovic won seven ATP events in 2014, including Wimbledon.

Federer declined to speak to the media on Sunday night after his withdrawal.

On Monday Federer and Wawrinka are due to travel to Lille where, starting on Friday, they will joining the Switzerland team that tackles France in the Davis Cup. That is the only major prize in tennis that the Swiss maestro has not won.

Juan Martin del Potro is ready for a comeback?

File pic

Will the former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro be able to make a comeback after a long layoff following a wrist surgery since March?

Recently, the Argentinian has been working hard in gym and on court and set to make a comeback in Basel and Paris during the indoor hard court season.

In September, the del Potro announced that he would not be able to compete during the upcoming Asian swing which includes the the September 22-28 Malaysian Open, his title defence at the Japan Open a week later and the October 5-12 Shanghai Rolex Masters.

Last season, del Potro defeated Milos Raonic in September to take the Tokyo crown, and beaten runner-up to Novak Djokovic in Shanghai the following week. It will not be easy to predict how del Potro would perform but most analysts will recommend using a stats related site like MatchStat.com when accessing a player's form.

Working hard at the gym

So far, del Potro has only played in just four tournaments in 2014 and his last appearance was at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships way back in February. At the tournament, he played only one set before being forced to retire. The 25-year-old tennis player started the year by winning his 18th ATP career title at the Sydney International but was being upset in the second round of the Australian Open.

Recently, it looked quite promising that he would be back in action, returning to the ATP events after started his training regime again.

Getting a new haircut. Looks like del Potro is ready for a comeback!

Del Potro was ranked as high as no. 4 in February this year before the recurring wrist injury. The 1.98m tennis player's ranking has fallen to no. 14 as of this week. His ranking is expected to fall even further and out of the top 25 by missing the upcoming tournaments. If del Potro is not able to defend his points in Basel, Switzerland, he'll drop out of the top 60! However, del Potro has been through far worse than that. When he made his comeback from his first wrist surgery on his right hand, he was ranked so low at no. 485 after the Australian Open in 2011. He managed to pick himself up and within a year, he was back in the top 10 again. 

(Via del Potro's Facebook page)

Is the Big 4's dominance in ATP finally over?

After nearly one decade of Grand Slam finals involving long time nemeses Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic, Croatian Marin Cilic's victory over Kei Nishikori at the US Open finally gave new hope to the other tennis players that they do not have to wait for too long to be succeed.

Believe it or not, the discussion in the next major tournament, would be on whether someone else besides the Big 4 will win the championship. Whatever happened in the past two weeks could determine the future of the Australian Open and the subsequent majors in 2015. However, to check the current tennis market, you may go to William Hill online betting.

Since the 2005 French Open, all 38 consecutive Grand Slam finals have been dominated by at least one of Federer, Nadal or Djokovic. There were four exceptions in nearly 10 years with Juan Martin del Potro's victory over Federer at the US Open in 2009, Murray's wins against Djokovic at the US Open in 2012 and Wimbledon last year, and Stanislas Wawrinka's defeat of Nadal at the Australian Open early this January.

''That they are great champions, and it's going to take so much to break them and to break (into) the finals of a Grand Slam or to be able to win it,'' Marin Cilic the newly crowned US Open champion told the journalists between TV appearances in Manhattan.

''Last several years, it almost felt like you have to play incredible tennis in order to achieve that,'' Cilic said.

''And I would say I was also a little bit lucky here. There was no Rafa. And I had a good draw. I didn't play Novak or Andy or those guys,'' he added.

The Croatian's unbelievable win in New York included a straight-set domination of Federer in the semifinals, raising questions yet again about whether, at 33, the 17-time major champion will ever add to his trophies again.

Nadal missed the opportunity to defend his title due to his right wrist injury, while Djokovic was humbled by Kei Nishikori who emerged as a finalist but eventually lost his bid to become the first Asian to win a Grand Slam title. Meanwhile, Murray who is one of the 'Big 4' is not quite up to the standards he was setting before a back surgery a year ago.

Perhaps Wawrinka's triumph in Melbourne has given hope to some including Cilic that things were going to be different from then on. Just look at the results of the Grand Slam semifinal debuts by Ernests Gulbis at the French Open in June, and by Grigor Dimitrov and Milos Raonic at Wimbledon the following month.

''They are coming. They are there. This is good for tennis,'' said Cilic's coach, 2001 Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic.

''This is a new, fresh breath of air for tennis, and tennis needed this.''

However Cilic remained humble and not ready to write off the 'Big 4' yet. He shouldn't be.

''I mean, the guys are going to still be there,'' Cilic said looking ahead to next season.

It's just going to get more exciting from here. The upcoming Asian swing and indoor hardcourt season will give us a better clue on what will happen next year.

Tennis stars take the plunge with #IceBucketChallenge

The #IceBucketChallenge has soaked the US and across the world in the past weeks raising awareness of ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a neurodegenerative disorder commonly known as the Lou Gehrig's disease.

Celebrities videoed themselves emptying buckets full of icy water and challenged three other people to do the same stunt. As a result, the campaign has gone viral.

In the tennis scene, Andy Murray was first nominated by Jesse Levine in July to take up the challenge. Later, the former Wimbledon champion named his coach Amelie Mauresmo for the challenge.

Murray has also challenged Justin Gimelstob earlier this week live on air after his second round match in Cincinnati.

“Obviously we witnessed someone going through this right in front of our eyes with Brad Drewett, and it was tough to watch,” said Murray.

“It’s a horrible disease. I wasn’t aware of it personally before the situation with Brad, but now there’s been a few cases of it in tennis the past few years. It’s great to raise awareness for it and hopefully we can raise a lot of money to try and help find a cure.”

ATP Executive Chairman and President Brad Drewett passed away last year after a short battle with the disease, which has no cure.

Laura Robson also did the #IceBucketChallenge recently and has nominated Caroline Wozniacki. The latter performed the stunt in Cincinnati few days ago and has put forward the challenge to Serena Williams and John Isner.

With the US Open coming up, we hope to see more big names taking up the challenge to raise more awareness of the disease. However, our priority is still back on the game - who will win the year-end Grand Slam championships. If you're betting for the game, check out the SportsBettingInfo.com site for betting on tennis which also feature other sports like the NFL, NHL, etc.

(Via ATP World Tour Website, Kpopstarz)

So when’s Dimitrov’s first Grand Slam win coming?

We’ve become used to the so-called big four dominating men’s tennis for quit some time now. But this is about to change. It will change not least because Roger Federer is getting on a little; 32 is quite an age for a male tennis star in the absolute upper echelons of the game these days.

Roger demonstrated that he still has it at Wimbledon when forcing Novak Djokovic to an incredible five sets. But at 32, his days are numbered, unfortunately. Meanwhile, Andy Murray and the second most successful player of all time, Rafa Nadal have both had more than their fair share o injury problems.

All in all, then, it seems more than likely that the big four will be no more pretty soon – and that other players will break into the absolute top flight. We saw Stan Wawrinka winning the Aussie Open in January – but it seems unlikely that this is the player who will really make the breakthroughs. Wawrinka is now 29 himself and hadn’t made a Grand Slam final before Melbourne this year and, whilst he’s been an amazing player at the top of the game for seven or eight years now, it’s hard to see him suddenly becoming a lot better.

The player most pundits are looking to after his excellent Wimbledon showing is, of course, Bulgaria’s best ever player Grigor Dimitrov. He hit a career high ATP ranking after this year’s Wimbledon at world number nine, and at just 23 years of age can surely improve a whole lot more yet.

He won his first ATP singles title last October in Stockholm and had previously enjoyed an immensely successful junior career – winning the Boys' Singles event at both Wimbledon and the US Open back in 2008.

So it’s surely just a matter of time before the Bulgarian youngster wins his first tennis major title. As things stand, he’s sixth in the tennis betting market for this year’s US Open at Flushing Meadows in August-September behind the traditional big four, with Stanislas Wawrinka fifth favourite.

This year’s US Open may still be a little too early yet, but his odds of 16-1 with Bet365 and other bookmakers looks highly tempting as it’s surely just a matter of time?

Dimitrov comfortably saw off the then reigning champion Andy Murray at Wimbledon before finding Novak Djokovic too strong in the semis in a match he lost 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, 7-6. But this was a tremendously tight affair and it would be very easy to see Dimitrov going one better next time.

What’s more - off-court, the young Bulgarian is reportedly stepping out in style with current world number six, Maria Sharapova. This will surely do his career no harm whatsoever and may help spur him on to greater things.

So we’re very probably already looking at a big five in men’s tennis – and five years from now, Grigor Dimitrov will still be at is peak whilst the other big four sadly won’t. So how many Grand Slam events will he have in his locker by then?

(Image via Grigor Dimitrov's Facebook page)

Andy Murray Passes a Tough Test

Reigning Wimbledon champion Andy Murray came through an epic match with Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber on Sunday to make it through to the fourth round of the 2014 French Open. The two players began their match the previous day but play was suspended at 7-7 in the fifth and final set due to bad light. Murray had to save a break point at a crucial stage before coming through 3-6 6-3 6-3 4-6 12-10. The Scot had been suffering with a leg injury during the first session of play and Kohlschreiber was able to take the first set with relative ease before Murray came fighting back, taking the next two sets by the same scoreline of 6-3. Having led by a break in both the fourth and fifth set, this should really have been a straightforward victory for the former world number two but Philipp Kohlschreiber dug in and although he was ultimately defeated, he should take a lot of confidence from this impressive performance.

This epic battle is almost as huge as football teams fighting to be the leading world cup bet. Just like an epic match between two dominant teams in the World Cup, the match between Phillip Kohlschreiber and Andy Murray is by far the most exciting game in the 2014 French Open.

While Andy Murray is currently not working with a coach, the rumour mill has been in overdrive throughout this tournament with speculation rife regarding who will take up the position following the departure of Ivan Lendl. When questioned on the matter, Murray would not dismiss the option of a female coach, with former Wimbledon and Australian Open champion Amelie Mauresmo being strongly linked with the vacant position. Andy Murray has already achieved a huge amount of success with two Grand Slam tournaments to his credit already, but he has the potential to be challenging Nadal and Djokovic for the number one spot and a new coach might give him that extra edge required. Having been coached by his mother Judy for the early part of his career, Murray should have no problems working with a female coach such as Mauresmo.

Following his third round victory, Betfair have cut the Scot to odds of 14/1 to win his first clay court Grand Slam by capturing the French Open title. He is now the joint third favourite alongside Spaniard David Ferrer. Betfair are struggling to split the front two in the market, with Novak Djokovic just edging things slightly at Even money, while Rafael Nadal can be backed at 5/4. I’d fully expect these two to flip flop in the market over the coming days and they look likely to meet in Sunday’s final. Nadal has an incredible record where the French Open is concerned and is the only male player to win a single Grand Slam tournament on eight separate occasions. Nadal’s only defeat at Roland Garros came in 2009 when he was beaten in the fourth round by Sweden’s Robin Soderling. I’m slightly surprised that Betfair make Djokovic favourite to take the 2014 French Open on that basis but the Serb has showed incredible form since losing to Andy Murray at Wimbledon last year. It will be extremely interesting to see if Andy Murray can make it to the semi final stage an upset either of the aforementioned tennis gods on this surface.

In the latest development, Andy Murray defeated Fernando Verdasco to move into the last eight at the French Open.

Image by Dominique Faget/AFP/Getty Images

Rafael Nadal Gets Secondary Treatment On Court Suzanne Lenglen Court

There wasn't any shocking moment in the first round of the French Open when it opened on Sunday, except for one: world number one and reigning champion Rafael Nadal has to kick off his campaign in the secondary Suzanne Lenglen court instead of the Philippe Chatrier court. Nobody saw that coming. To put it simply, it is easier to predict the favoured Wimbledon 2014 odds than the French Open organiser's snub.

The organisers decision to host Novak Djokovic versus Joao Sousa and Stanislas Wawrinka versus Guillermo Garcia-Lopez instead of the eight time champion versus Robby Ginepri, has prompted a furious reaction from fans on social media and amongst tennis players.

"That's really bizarre," American John Isner, ATP world ranking number 11 told AFP.

"I mean, how many times does the guy have to win the tournament to be able to have his first match on Chatrier?"

“It doesn’t go week by week. I don’t know who’s talking all the time, but Rafa is the favourite, and then Novak, and then the rest, you know. It’s very clear,” Roger Federer insisted.

Personally, the organiser made a huge mistake by making such a move. Not that it's disrespectful to Nadal but also to the fans who have bought tickets to watch him play on Philippe Chatrier. But I'm quite sure that if Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu made it to the second round to play against Nadal, they will definitely get to play on that main court.

(Image via FFT)

Novak Djokovic donates Rome prize money to serbia flood relief

I may not be the biggest fan of Novak Djokovic but what he had done recently to support his fellow Serbians back home deserves our respect. After defeating Rafael Nadal to win the Internazionali BNL d'Italia title in Rome, he donated the cheque from the tournament to relief efforts. So far, at least 43 people are reported dead in the massive flood in the Balkans. 

Djokovic's winnings are reported to be worth $749,934. Check out this year's Wimbledon betting odds or even the upcoming French Open if you're thinking of winning some money for yourself too.

Immediately after his victory in Rome, Djokovic drew a heart with his racket on the clay surface.

"This heart on the court is for you. It's also a special dedication to my country, which is suffering a lot right now. My heart is with them."

French Open will kick off next week and there is no doubt that Djokovic will come in as favourite to stop Nadal dominance in this Grand Slam tournament. As a Nadal fan, I can only say "may the best man win'.

Images via ESPN and internazionalibnlditalia.com

BMW Malaysian Open 2014 Tickets Up For Grabs

For immediate release

The BMW Malaysian Open 2014 returns to the Royal Selangor Golf Club (RSGC) from the 14th – 20th of April 2014. The most prestigious tennis tournament in the South East Asian region will see Defending Champion Karolina Pliskova as well as 2013 Wimbledon Doubles Champion and 2012 BMW Malaysian Open Champion, Hsieh Su-Wei returning to Kuala Lumpur to compete in this year’s tournament.

Also competing for the first time this year will be former World Number One Venus Williams and recent Australian Open finalist, Dominika Cibulkova together with a host of other accomplished international players compete for a prize purse of US$250,000 and valuable World Ranking Points.

The fourth edition of this prestigious tennis tournament will host an array of fun activities that will appeal to tennis enthusiasts, families and young adults. Fans can look forward to an exciting tournament with enhanced spectator experience and entertainment throughout the event week.

The public will also gain easy access to the ticketing entrance at the Royal Selangor Gold Club (RSGC) through various shuttle services provided. Fans can head to Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur and KLCC multi-level car park at Jalan Binjai opposite Platinum Park for free shuttle. On the 19th and 20th April, free shuttle will also be provided from the open air car park next to RHB Bank on Jalan Tun Razak. A variety of F&B outlets will be available for public such as Pizza Hut, KFC, Chatime, Cream & Fudge Ice Cream, to name a few.

The first 50 fans to register at the information counter of the BMW Malaysian Open from the 14th till the 17th of April will receive exclusive vouchers for exciting goodies.

Visitor with passes can stand a chance to win a pair of tickets to Paris, courtesy of Air France and complimentary Weekend Drive Experience by BMW Malaysia. Spectators have the opportunity to have their pictures taken at event to be run on OOHM LED screens that are displayed around Klang Valley and Penang.

Fans will not only catch their tennis idols perform but also get autographs taken at intimate player-fan sessions.

Ricoh Malaysia will host a variety of interactive games including mini tennis, speed serve and tennis video games with exciting prizes to be won. In addition, this year an exclusive photo exhibition themed ‘Strong Is Beautiful’ will be showcased at the BMW Malaysian Open, featuring inspirational women from all walks of life. From games to contest, food to exhibitions there would not be short of activities and entertainment for spectators at the BMW Malaysian Open 2014.

“Malaysian tennis enthusiasts should not miss the opportunity to meet their tennis idols, take part in the fun activities lined up and catch the world-class tournament first hand. The BMW Malaysian Open 2014 promises to be the best tennis tournament in Malaysia and the tournament this year will be much bigger and much better than last year as we aim to raise the profile of the sport here.” said Dr. Gerhard Pils, President & CEO, BMW Group Malaysia.

The tournament will once again see 32 players from the WTA, the world’s leading women’s tennis tour. The leading tennis competition for women will also feature 16 teams for the doubles title. Similarly to its previous editions, the tournament will place local talents through wild card entries.

The BMW Malaysian Open takes place from the 14th – 20th of April 2014 at the prestigious Royal Selangor Golf Club (RSGC). For information on ticketing and discount information, please visit www.ticketpro.com.my.

For more information on the tournament check out (tournament information, scores and contest)

Website: www.bmwmalaysianopen.com


Facebook: www.facebook.com/BMWMalaysianOpen

BMW Malaysian Open shows interest in Venus Williams, Ana Ivanovic

BMW Malaysian Open is back in action on Facebook and announced that they'll be making some interesting announcements over the next couple of weeks.

In an article published on NST in January, it was reported that the tournament has shown interest in Venus Williams and Ana Ivanovic. Both players have never played in the tournament before.

Williams was supposed to play in the 2012 edition but withdrew due to illness and injury.

This year, the BMW Malaysian Open will take place on April 14-21 at the Royal Selangor Golf Club in Kuala Lumpur.

During the Australian Open in January, Williams was shown the early exit. It was only the second time Williams had lost in the first round of the Australian Open in 14 appearances. This week, Williams didn't get to pass the second round after losing to Petra Kvitova in three sets at the Qatar Open. It is unknown if she is fully fit to play in the next couple of months as she has been struggling with back injury, fatigue and inconsistency.

Ivanovic also suffered a second round loss at the Qatar Open. Earlier this year, she had quite a successful run claiming the Auckland title and reached the quarterfinal round at the Australian Open.

(Image via REUTERS)

Rafael Nadal arrives in Barcelona for Grand Gala Mundo Deportivo, treatment

Nadal and swimmer Mireia Belmonte pose with their Best Spanish Athletes of 2013 trophies

Rafael Nadal was crowned Best Spanish Athletes of 2013 as well as receiving "The Excellence in sports award" in an event held in Barcelona, Spain last night. This came in at the right time to cheer up the world no.1 player after a painful loss to Stanislas Wawrinka at the Australian Open final last month.

Nobody has predicted the results given that Nadal has never dropped a set against the Swiss. If you've been a sportbook enthusiast and never missed a single of these important matches, we hope you've been recommended to some of the top sportsbook websites.

“Sport has two sides: One is victory and the other one is defeat. In this case I had to lose and it was not in very nice circumstances,” Nadal said.

He further added, “But I am very grateful for what sport has given me, the career I have done. Last Sunday I experienced probably one of the most terrible situations in my career: getting injured while you are playing one of the most important tournaments in my life, the final of a Grand Slam.

Besides picking up his awards, Nadal has flown in to Barcelona for an important medical checkup with Dr. Angel Luiz Cotorro, where he will undergo some test on his back injury he suffered at the Australian Open. It is not sure if he will be 100% fit to play in the ATP 250 Buenos Aires clay court tournament.

On Thursday Rafael Nadal will be flying back to Manacor for a session of training. After that, the Spaniard will decide whether to play in Buenos Aires. We hope he will be fully recovered by then and start his campaign on clay court surface.

(Image via zimbio)