Tickets now available to watch the greatest in women's tennis at the 2017 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore

The BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global will return on 22-29 October 2017 at the Singapore Sports Hub where the greatest in women’s tennis will face off in the year-end crown jewel event of the WTA calendar. The Top 8 singles players and Top 8 doubles teams will compete for a record US$7 million in prize money and the prestigious Billie Jean King Trophy and the Martina Navratilova Doubles Trophy respectively. For online tennis betting odds for the women players, do check out NZ betting sites.

Public sale of tickets launched today at WTAFinals.com by reigning champion Dominika Cibulkova and new WTA Finals Legend Ambassador Kim Clijsters, at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany. Clijsters, a former WTA World No.1, had an illustrious career claiming three WTA Finals titles, 41 singles and 11 doubles WTA titles, along with four singles and two doubles Grand Slam titles before retiring in 2012.

Melissa Pine, Dominika Cibulkova, Kim Clijsters, Steve Simon - (Photo Credit - Getty Images)

Clijsters will join fellow WTA Legends Martina Navratilova and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario to promote the WTA Finals at various tournament stops throughout the year. She will be in Singapore to engage fans and the community during the WTA Finals, hosting tennis clinics and meeting fans at the Fan Village and the Racquet Club.

The WTA Finals festival will start two days before the tournament on Friday, 20 October, with the glitzy red-carpet public Singles Draw Ceremony followed by the opening of the Fan Village on Saturday at the Singapore Sports Hub, where fans can meet and have their pictures taken with the stars of the WTA amongst other tennis-themed activities. The award winning hospitality program, Racquet Club, will also be back with its five-star dining experiences, which includes access to the Aces Lounge and premium baseline seats.

“It is such an honor to be an ambassador of the WTA Finals which is probably the toughest tournament to compete in because every match is against the best,” stated Kim Clijsters. “I have heard so much about Singapore and how great the tournament is, so I am really excited to be part of the event. It seems the fans in Singapore are a lot of fun so I am looking forward to meeting them and visiting the beautiful city.”

“The unique beauty of the WTA Finals is that it brings together not only the greatest players of the season for some show-stopping tennis on court, but also some of the biggest names in women’s tennis,” said Steve Simon, WTA CEO and Chairman. “This allows us to celebrate the sport and build a strong legacy through many impactful initiatives. We are pleased to welcome Kim to join us at what is sure to be a very exciting WTA Finals in Singapore.”

WTA Finals 2016 Champion Dominika Cibulkova - (Photo Credit - Lagardère Sports)

Reigning WTA Finals champion Dominika Cibulkova recounted her finals experience, “I really enjoyed my first time in Singapore - the event experience was first class, the atmosphere on court with all the show lights was electrifying, and most importantly it was a monumental win for me that left me wanting more and dreaming bigger. I definitely hope to make it back to Singapore this year.”

The 2017 Road to Singapore began in January and the season’s first quarter has progressed with a mix of players climbing and breaking into the top 8 on the leaderboard, demonstrating the strength and depth of the WTA player field.

Melissa Pine, Tournament Director of the WTA Finals and Vice President of WTA Asia Pacific said, “We have seen some strong performances in the first quarter from young players like Karolina Pliskova and Johanna Konta, doubles players like Kristina Mladenovic and Elena Vesnina achieving breakthrough in the singles and legendary performances from the Williams sisters. The WTA Finals field last year brought fans eight days of exhilarating tennis and sporting excellence and I am looking forward to even more thrilling action at the Singapore Indoor Stadium this October.”

Tickets for the WTA Finals 2017 start at just S$27*. All tickets, including single sessions, packages and hospitality tickets are available for purchase via WTAFinals.com from 26 April. The All Singles Evening Pass, launched for the first time last year, returns this year to give fans an opportunity to watch all eight players on court over two consecutive days. Groups of 10 or more will also receive further discounts of up to 10% or more.

Apart from watching the matches, fans and ticket holders this year can also look forward to more perks throughout the WTA Finals qualification season, as there will be opportunities to win special, money-can’t-buy experiences. From meet and greet sessions as well as access to clinics and private practice session viewings, ticket buyers this year even stand a chance to win a trip to catch some exciting grass court action at the Aegon International Eastbourne in England and attend WTA’s PreWimbledon Party to build up their excitement to the WTA Finals.

Sarah Clements, Vice-President of Tennis, Asia, at Lagardère Sports said, “Singapore is hosting our fourth tournament, and we aim to raise the level of fan engagement and experience even higher. With initiatives and opportunities to win exclusive experiences for ticket buyers, fans are going to enjoy the year-long Road to Singapore even more.”

ITF launches Olympic Book at Wimbledon

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) yesterday announced the publication of its official Olympic Book Aspire, Inspire: Celebrating Tennis at the Olympics 2012. 

Roger Federer at the photo shoot

Thirty-six of the world’s leading tennis players took part in the ITF project to help promote the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Tennis Events.

Andy Murray during the photo shoot

The 140-page publication features a series of specially commissioned photographs of the game’s top names posing with pictures of themselves as a child and talking about their sporting heroes. 

Here are some of the pictures:

Rafael Nadal

Juan Martin Del Potro

Kim Clijsters

David Ferrer

Francesca Schiavone

Kei Nishikori

  

Sam Stosur

(Via ITF website)

Race heats up at Roland Garros

We're less than an hour before the French Open LIVE draw.

Meanwhile, here are there selected photos of the players from the official website.

Too bad that Kim Clijsters is out of the tournament due to hip injury.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet

Jo with Roger Federer

Looks like Ana Ivanovic is pretty confident this time.

The two divas - Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova

(Images via French Open website)

Rafael Nadal, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Kim Clijsters and Li Na test Babolat's new e-racquet

Babolat's technologically advanced "Play & Connect" racquet made its debut at the French Open yesterday.

It is said that the tennis racquet stuffed with electronic sensors is capable of tracking a player's every slice, spin and smash.

Babolat's players Rafael Nadal, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Kim Clijsters and Li Na tested the product on the clay court in Roland Garros.

According to Reuters, Babolat's aim is to appeal also to non-professional players, who will be able to upload data to an online application and track their performance to improve their game.

However beware because the racquet could potentially burn a hole in your pocket as it costs about 250 euros. It will be available for sale in 2013.

(Image via Babolat and Rafael Nadal's Facebook pages)

Kim Clijsters to quit after the US Open

Kim Clijsters announced that she will retire after the US Open in a news conference at the headquarters of her sponsors Galaxo in Paal, Belgium.

The Belgian said she felt Flushing Meadows, which is only 45 minutes from her house in the States, was a fitting place to end her career.

Clijsters, who is married to NBA basketball player Brian Lynch, initially retired in 2007 before the birth of her daughter Jada. But she returned in 2009 and went on to win the US Open that year.

(Image via ESPN)

I missed Rally For Relief...

On the eve of the Australian Open, Pat Rafter, Andy Roddick, Andy Murray, Victoria Azarenka, Vera Zvonareva, Rafael Nadal, Kim Clijsters, Lleyton Hewitt, Novak Djokovic, Ana Ivanovic, Justine Henin, Caroline Wozniacki, Roger Federer, Sam Stosur and Jim Courier spent 90 minutes of their time to come together in an exhibition to raise money for the flood victims in Queensland.

The ATP and WTA stars entertained 15,000 fans at Rod Laver Arena and raised $1.8m within hours on Sunday.

Here's the highlight of the sold-out charity event if you've missed it too.

(Image by by Julian Finney/Getty Images AsiaPac via zimbio.com)

TENNIS WATCH: First time voter, football, injuries & Mother's Day

Murray holding his ballot.

Andy Murray is a first time voter when polls opened for the British general election on Thursday last week.

Murray did not reveal who he voted for, but he was said to have been closely following the election campaign before the general election.

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Rafael Nadal was spotted at the stand watching the football match between Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao.

Nadal will have a chance to reclaim the no.2 ranking after Novak Djokovic pulled out from Madrid Masters this week due to illness and allergies.

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Yanina Wickmayer who has undergone arthroscopic surgery on her right elbow to remove a floating bone spur is estimated to recover in 10 days, hopefully in time for the French Open.

Meanwhile compatriot Kim Clijsters is also trying to recover from her foot injury to play in Paris.

Oh yeah speaking about Clijsters reminds me that she's a mom.

Here, I'm wishing all moms have a great Happy Mother's Day!

Federer & Friends stage fundraiser for Haiti victims

Roger Federer is the one who initiated the fundraiser for the earthquake victims in Haiti last Sunday.

Dubbed "Hit For Haiti", the event raised more than $185k on the eve of the Australian Open.

In this event, Federer teamed up with Serena Williams, Lleyton Hewitt and Samantha Stosur.

Their opponents were Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick and Kim Clijsters.

In the end, Federer’s so-called Red Team beat the rival Blue Team 7-6 in their one-set match that lasted an hour and a half.

The teams were named according to the colours of Haiti’s flag.

(Via AP; Image by William West/AFP/Getty Images)

Weekend winners

Nikolay Davydenko recovered from being bagelled in the first set and then saved two match points in the second set to defeat Rafael Nadal 0-6, 7-6, 6-4 and win the Qatar Open title in Doha.

Wildcard recipient Yanina Wickmayer won the Auckland title, defeating top seed Flavia Pennetta 6-3, 6-2 in the final.

In another women's tennis event Down Under, Kim Clijsters defeated Justine Henin 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 in an all-Belgian final in Brisbane on Saturday.

The doubles final was won by Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka who edged Melinda Czink and Arantxa Parra Santonja in a match tie-break victory, 2-6, 7-6, 10-4.

In the men's event, Andy Roddick took the Brisbane title by holding on for a 7-6, 7-6 win over Radek Stepanek.

In the men's doubles final, Marc Gicquel and Jeremy Chardy upset no. 1 seeds Lukas Dlouhy and Leander Paes in the final, 6-3, 7-6(5).

Marin Cilic has defended his Chennai title by defeating Stanislas Wawrinka 7-6(2), 7-6(3) in the final.

Spaniards Marcel Granollers and Santiago Ventura won the doubles title, defeating Janko Tipsarevic and Rendy Lu Yen-hsun 7-5, 6-2 in the doubles final.

(Images via Yahoo! Sports)

Faces we love to see this new ATP/WTA season

Oh, and not forgetting this... *evil grin* :D

(Images via yahoo! Sports)

TENNIS WATCH: Richard Gasquet's lawsuit dismissed, Pamela to check into rehab

• A lawsuit filed by Richard Gasquet has been dismissed, with no finding on whether he took cocaine nor whether an outside source was responsible. Pamela, the woman who kissed him was part of the investigation was ordered to attend a drug rehabilition program after she was found to be a regular cocaine user.

• Serena Williams has pulled out of Tokyo with knee and toe injuries.

• Roger Federer has pulled out of Toyko and Shanghai. He did not mention any specific reason for the withdrawals. In his website, Federer said "After consultation with my team and doctors, I decided to take the difficult decision to withdraw from both tournaments so that I can give my body a chance to rest, rehabilitate and fully recover from a physically challenging year."

• Kim Clijsters will centre her 2010 schedule around young daughter Jada and around the four Grand Slams, planning a limited program that will put family first. Clijsters said she ultimately plans to play a total of about 16 tournaments, concentrating on the four Grand Slams. For the rest of this season, she will play in two exhibition matches.

• Jelena Dokic's dad, Damir was sentenced to a 15-month jail term for threatening the Australian ambassador in Belgrade. The threats were made in relation to comments by Jelena in an interview with an Australian Sports & Style magazine.

TENNIS WATCH: Does Federer inspire Nadal to propose to Xisca?

• It has been rumoured that Rafael Nadal supposed to propose to Xisca in Krabi while in Thailand this week. Nadal was said to have booked into a five-star Thailand resort of Rayavadee with a three-bedroom villa facing the sea. He also reserved a private boat for a day, private plane and three dedicated butlers. However, Nadal had to drop out from Thailand Open at the last minute because of an injury to an ab muscle. So there goes the possible marriage proposal too. [More]

• Look who's a calendar boy! Andy Murray has released his official 2010 calendar published by Danilo.com. [More at downthelinetennis.com]

• Kim Clijsters welcomed Justine Henin's comeback in her official website. She said, "I think Justine's return is very good news for women's tennis, but even better for Belgian tennis. Justine worked very hard in the past to get the magnificent results she got during her first career. It's magnificent for tennis that she is coming back."

• Next year's Davis Cup draw has been decided and the biggest news buzzing around the internet is the potential Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal face-off when Switzerland meet Spain in their first round tie (March 5-7).

The full draw is as follows (hosting nation first):
Spain vs. Switzerland
France vs. Germany
Russia vs. India
Sweden vs. Argentina
Croatia vs. Ecuador
Serbia vs. USA
Chile vs. Israel
Belgium vs. Czech Republic

Federer inspires Henin's comeback... not Clijsters (maybe subconsciously)

"Maybe subconsciously Kim's return influenced me... but it wasn't the determinant factor. Roger Federer's victory at Roland Garros spoke to me much more because it made me think of a lot of things in relation to Wimbledon."
~ Justine Henin on her comeback

Henin added that for the first time she felt that Wimbledon was missing from her list of trophies and winning the Wimbledon title would be a dream.

She was interviewed on Belgian TV station RTL-TVI yesterday after much speculation about her return to professional tennis.

Henin drove off after the TV appearance

(Via sportinglife.com; Images via sports.sina.com.cn)

TENNIS WATCH: Ernests Gulbis hires Marat Safin's coach

• Latvian press reported that Ernests Gulbis has hired Hernan Gumy as his coach. Looks like Gumy will not be out of job after Marat Safin retires at the end of the season.

• Roger Federer was slapped with a $1,500 fine for using profanity while arguing with a chair umpire during the US Open final. A total of $31,500 is being collected by the season ending grand slam for audible obscenity, including a large portion of $10,500 from Serena Williams.

• Anna Kournikova was reportedly two months pregnant with Enrique Iglesias’ baby after pulled out from the Malibu Triathlon last weekend.

• More endorsement deal for American Melanie Oudin. She has just signed a deal with Air-Tran Airways Limited, which is based in her home state of Georgia.

• Rumours have been circulating that the French Open may be considering a move to Disneyland Paris. However this have been downplayed but not dismissed by French Open tournament director Gilbert Ysern.

• Hot-looking player Nicolas Lapentti could put his retirement on hold if Ecuador wins its Davis Cup tie against Brazil this weekend and secures a place in next year's World Group.

• Kim Clijsters will begin next season at the WTA event in Brisbane a tune-up tournament before the Australian Open.

(Image via bbs.tennis.com.cn)

Post-US Open: Kim Clijsters conquers New York's Times Square

Kim Clijsters who reigns again as the US Open champion was in Times Square yesterday posing with her US Open trophy for the photographers.

Her husband Brian Lynch and their daughter, Jada were also there.

Little Jada started crying when Clijsters gave her to a member of her entourage so that she could do a television interview.


(Images via Yahoo! Sports)

Kim Clijsters: Back with a bang and wins US Open women's title

Are you surprised? I guess not!

Kim Clijsters defeated Caroline Wozniacki 7-5, 6-3 to win the US Open.

That makes her the first unranked player and first wildcard to win a Grand Slam, and the first mother to do so since Evonne Goolagong in 1980.

Light moment with baby daughter Jada

I'm tied up with some work so, I'll be back with more updates on US Open Day 14 later.