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)

Notable ATP tennis statistics in 2013

Finally we have concluded a dramatic year with Novak Djokovic retaining his ATP World Tour Finals trophy beating world no.1 Rafael Nadal in straight sets.

The World Tour Finals have always been regarded as the Super Bowl of tennis and by winning the title, it gives Djokovic a boost after losing the no.1 rank in October. Speaking of the Super Bowl, the big event will take place in February 2014 in New Orleans. Assuming you're a fan, we would encourage you to check out the 2014 Super Bowl betting sites.

Set aside the World Tour Finals, Nadal has made a great comeback this year by winning two Grand Slams, the French Open and the US Open that adds up to 13 in total.

Grand Slam winners in 2013

Grand Slam finals in 2013
Australian Open: Novak Djokovic beat Andy Murray 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-2
French Open: Rafael Nadal beat David Ferrer 6-3, 6-2, 6-3
Wimbledon: Murray beat Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 6-4
US Open: Nadal beat Djokovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1

Besides winning more Grand Slam titles more than any players this year, Nadal also won 5 more ATP Masters 1000 to come up with a massive total of 26! That's an incredible achievement by the 27-year-old. If Nadal continues to be healthy in 2014, he is expected to keep his winning streak especially on clay. If you want to achieve exactly the same winning moments, we strongly recommend you to go to Super Bowl XLVIII prop bets.

Nadal's achievement in 2013

Masters 1000 tournament winners in 2013
Indian Wells: Rafael Nadal
Miami: Andy Murray
Monte Carlo: Novak Djokovic
Madrid: Rafael Nadal
Rome: Rafael Nadal
Montreal: Rafael Nadal
Cincinnati: Rafael Nadal
Shanghai: Novak Djokovic
Paris: Novak Djokovic

Titles in 2013
Rafael Nadal - 10
Novak Djokovic - 6
Andy Murray - 4
Juan Martín del Potro - 4
Richard Gasquet - 3

This has been the year where we have the most winners over 30 years old. Is that a good sign? Not exactly I guess. We hope to see more young players winning more titles but it seems like it's not going to happen so soon.

Over 30 Winners - 16 (most since 1975)
David Ferrer with the Buenos Aires trophy (Reuters)
David Ferrer - Auckland 30 years, 9 months
David Ferrer - Buenos Aires 30 years, 10 months
Tommy Robredo - Casablanca 30 years, 11 months
Tommy Haas - Munich 35 years, 1 month
Albert Montanes - Nice 32 years, 6 months
Roger Federer - Halle 31 years, 10 months
Feliciano Lopez - Eastbourne 31 years, 9 months
Nicolas Mahut - ‘s-Hertogenbosch 31 years, 5 months
Nicolas Mahut - Newport 31 years, 5 months
Carlos Berlocq - Bastad 30 years, 5 months
Ivo Karlovic - Bogota 34 years, 4 months
Mikhail Youzhny - Gstaad 31 years, 1 month
Tommy Robredo - Umag 31 years, 2 months
Jurgen Melzer - Winston-Salem 32 years, 3 months
Tommy Haas - Vienna 35 years, 6 months
Mikhail Youzhny - Valencia 31 years, 4 months

Longest Winning Streaks
Player - Matches - Duration
Novak Djokovic - 22 - September 13-November 11
Rafael Nadal - 22 - April 22-June 24
Rafael Nadal - 22 - August 5-October 6
Rafael Nadal - 18 - February 11-April 21
Novak Djokovic - 17 (22 back to 2012) - January 14-March 16
Fabio Fognini - 13 - July 8-July 28
Andy Murray - 13 - June 10-August 8
Andy Murray - 10 - January 1-January 27

Most aces served
John Isner (Reuters)
John Isner - 979
Milos Raonic - 883
Kevin Anderson - 651

(Images via Menstennisforums; statistics via Eurosport)

Top line-up confirmed for Thailand Open 2013; three former champs in the field

PRESS RELEASE

The Thailand Open 2013 will be a hotly-contested tournament with a packed line-up of tennis stars revealed for the prestigious event.

Four of the world’s top 11 players lead the field: World #2 and Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, #6 Tomas Berdych, #10 Milos Raonic and defending champion world #11 Richard Gasquet head a list of potential winners.

“I’m really looking forward to returning to the Thailand Open this year,” said Murray. “I’ve enjoyed some really good results in Bangkok in the past including my first ever final back in 2005 and winning the event in 2011.

The Thailand Open field will include three former champions of the event with popular Frenchman World #17 Gilles Simon joining Murray and Gasquet as former winners hoping to repeat their success.

To lift the King’s Cup trophy in 2013 the marquee names will need to battle past some stiff competition, however. Other players confirming their participation in the tournament include #25 Mikhail Youzhny of Russia, Bangkok favourite and Thailand Open 2010 runner up Jarkko Nieminen of Finland currently ranked #39, plus Australian prodigy #42 Bernard Tomic.

The tournament will also feature a mini “Spanish Armada” led by world #23 Tommy Robredo and #27 Feliciano Lopez, with #58 Daniel Gimeno-Traver and #66 Roberto Bautista Agut. Robredo, a former World #5 has enjoyed an amazing comeback from injury in 2013. His ranking dropped as low as #471 last year but he is enjoying a banner year including titles in Umag and Casablanca. The Spaniard has won a total of 12 ATP World Tour singles titles and will be making his first ever appearance at the Thailand Open. The popular Lopez last played in Bangkok in 2007 and is enjoying a successful year including winning the Eastbourne title and a finals appearance in Memphis.

The newest member of the world’s Top 10 Raonic is looking forward to returning to Bangkok. “Last year was my first visit to Thailand and it was fantastic. Before the tournament I spent a week training on Koh Samui and the island was so beautiful and the people so friendly. The Thailand Open was well-organised and a lot of fun,” said Raonic ahead of his return.

Adding further strength to the field are #43 Czech Lukas Rosol who famously dumped Nadal out of Wimbledon last year, world #35 Ivan Dodig of Croatia, Marinko Matosevic of Australia ranked #56, Dutchman Robin Haase ranked #62, and #60 Taiwan’s Yen-Hsun Lu who paired with Danai Udomchoke to lift the doubles trophy last year.

Thailand Open Executive Committee chairman Mr. Suwat Liptapanlop said that while the top seeds were amongst the very best in the world – four of the top 11 – no match would be easy.“Men’s tennis is so keenly contested; the top players cannot afford to let their concentration lapse in the early rounds. There are many extremely talented players competing this year,” he said. “There will be no easy matches.”

“There will be lots of top players competing so it will be exciting and I expect some tough matches,” said Youzhny, echoing Suwat’s comments.

In total, 13 countries are represented by players in the main draw of the tournament. Completing the international flavour of the event are world #63 Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan and #67 Lukasz Kubot of Poland, both making their first appearance at the tournament.

The Thailand Open singles main draw will feature 28 players – three wildcards will be announced before the event and an additional four players will enter the main draw via the tournament’s qualifying rounds.

The Thailand Open will be held from at Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani. A number of brand new ticket promotions offer ticket buyers more value and options than ever before.

For all the details contact any Thaiticketmajor outlet, log on to www.thaiticketmajor.com or call 02 262 3838.

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)

Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray display football skills to aid Japan relief

Here are the photos of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and friends in a charity soccer match to support the relief effort in Japan.

Other players who joined this effort were Kei Nishikori, Andy Murray, Fernando Verdasco, Richard Gasquet, Feliciano Lopez, Viktor Troicki, Marcos Baghdatis, David Ferrer, Jurgen Melzer, etc.

Murray and Baghdatis scored, but the tennis players lost to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers professional team.

If you are thinking of contributing to this relief effort too, please visit this website and bid on something for a good cause.

This auction site was put up by Nishikori to raise funds for the Red Cross to help victims in Japan.

They will continue to fill the site with items as players and events continue to donate.

(Images via Sina Tennis)

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All's Well That Ends Well

Richie accepted a TV appearance on the Canal + Le Grand Journal talk show.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) gave Richard Gasquet an early X'mas present by clearing him of drug charges.

The CAS dismissed appeals by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and International Tennis Federation (ITF), which wanted Gasquet banned for up to two years.

In his defense, Gasquet said he went to the nightclub with friends to see a French DJ perform after pulling out of the Miami Masters in Key Biscayne with a shoulder injury. He met a woman named Pamela there and kissed her several times.

The court said experts “agreed that the minute amount of cocaine could have been transferred in this manner.”

The verdict however was greeted with dismay by WADA and the ITF.

Earlier this week, Belgians Yanina Wickmayer and Xavier Malisse also have their suspension lifted.

They were banned in November for breaking WADA regulations by failing to report their whereabouts for drug testing.

Neither of them failed a doping test.

Wickmayer claims she was not properly informed of the online reporting requirements for drug-testing that led to her ban.

Wickmayer and Malisse are cleared to play in tournaments by ITF while Gasquet is legally allowed to compete in tournaments.

(Via AP)

Richard Gasquet's fate to be decided in December

Richard Gasquet arrived for a hearing before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) yesterday in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The Frenchman was tested positive for cocaine during the Miami Masters in March and was provisionally suspended in May before serving a two and a half month retroactive ban.

Gasquet claimed that the cocaine entered his system only when he kissed a young woman in a Miami nightclub.

During the seven-hour hearing, Gasquet was given chance to speak.

The verdict is expected in early December.

Gasquet, who once peaked at no. 7 and currently ranked at no. 53, declined to speak as he left the court.

(Images by Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images)

Autograph session: Reason why you should come on weekdays

This was how the crowd looked like yesterday evening. However, in the end, no autograph session took place.

The best time for tennis fans to meet their favourite players and get their signatures is during the weekdays.

Due to assignment on other places, I only get to attend two autograph sessions organised for Richard Gasquet and Mikhail Youzhny.

Youzhny signs autograph after he wins the match against Marcos Baghdatis

Gasquet during autograph session after he beat Pim Pim in the second round.

(Images by HSFoo/hcfoo.com)

Malaysia must have one of the best hairstylists in the world

I had to give Richard Gasquet presser a miss to take these gems.

I knew Feliciano Lopez had a new haircut on Tuesday so I headed to court 1 to see him practice with Fernando Verdasco hoping to snap some pictures of his famous blond locks.

How do you like his short hair?


(Photo credit to HSFoo/hcfoo.com)

Fernando Verdasco makes Malaysian Batik shirt look Spanish

The title isn't from me... I took it from @candelifera :D

Richard Gasquet, Robin Soderling, Nikolay Davydenko and Fernando Verdasco attended the player party at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel wearing traditional Malaysian Batik shirts for the evening function.

The Prime Minister of Malaysia Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, his wife First Lady Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and Sports Minister Datu Ahmed Shabery Cheek also attended the event.

(Image by IMG/Proton Malaysian Open)

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: Justine Henin confirms return to tennis

• Former world no.1 Justine Henin confirmed her return to professional tennis on Belgian TV station RTL-TVI yesterday. She is expected to return in January in Australia. [More]

• Beilgium media Le Soir reported that Telecom company Belgacom will be one of Henin's sponsors in her comeback.

• L'Equipe reported that Richard Gasquet is looking for a new coach in his preparation for next year. French great Yannick Noah has advised Gasquet to pick a foreign coach who speaks French and specifically named Brad Stein, the former coach of Jim Courier and Sebastien Grosjean.
  

• Andy Murray's camp confirmed that the Scot suffered "no long-term damage" to his wrist following his Davis Cup injury. Murray plans to be back on tour soon for the Japan Open.

• 2009 US Open junior champ Bernard Tomic has left the Bollettieri tennis academy and will be based in Australia again.

(Via Yahoo! Sports, tennis.com)

US Open Day 3 Wrap-up: Rafael Nadal sails through without knee problem, bye-bye Safin, Santoro

Those who are curious about Rafael Nadal's knee probably have the answer now.

He's indeed okay and he can play well too!

Kicking off his US Open campaign, Nadal encountered no apparent trouble in winning the first round 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 over Richard Gasquet.

Maybe you might say Gasquest wasn't a fit opponent...

It's probably too early to predict Nadal's road to final but one thing for sure, Nadal said he has never felt so fresh.

Nadal's rival, Roger Federer, who is bidding for a 6th consecutive US Open championship—and 3rd Grand Slam title in a row this year— has no problem in overcoming Simon Greul with a 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 victory.

Waiting for Federer next is two-time Grand Slam winner Lleyton Hewitt, who defeated Juan Ignacio Chela 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.

Venus Williams may have a wide patches of white tape on her left knee but still, she can easily overcome Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-4, 6-2.

Kim Clijsters continues to play by knocking off no. 14-seeded Marion Bartoli 5-7, 6-1, 6-2.

With over a billion Indians following her every move on the tour, Sania Mirza displayed horrible tennis after being bageled twice by Flavia Pennetta.

Other seeded women sent home included Samantha Stosur, in a shocking defeat to Vania King, who won 7-5, 6-4; former world no.1 Amelie Mauresmo, who lost to Aleksandra Wozniak; Agnieszka Radwanska, who was defeated by Maria Kirilenko; and Anabel Medina Garrigues.

There were no men's seeded losers today.

Marat Safin and Fabrice Santoro said goodbye to Grand Slam tennis with first round exits.

Both of them are retiring at the end of the season.

Safin, the 2000 US Open champion, lost to Jurgen Melzer 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 while Santoro, appearing in his record 69th major tournament, was beaten by Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.

US Open men's singles results from New York on Thursday (prefix denotes seeding)

1-Roger Federer (Switzerland) beat Simon Greul (Germany) 6-3 7-5 7-5
9-Gilles Simon (France) beat Daniel Gimeno (Spain) 6-4 7-6(3) 6-3
18-David Ferrer (Spain) beat Alberto Martin (Spain) 7-5 5-7 6-3 6-3
Philipp Petzschner (Germany) beat Sergiy Stakhovsky (Ukraine) 7-6(3) 6-7(6) 6-4 4-6 6-3
6-Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina) beat Juan Monaco (Argentina) 6-3 6-3 6-1
Robby Ginepri (US) beat Andrei Pavel (Romania) 5-7 6-2 6-4 6-0
Daniel Koellerer (Austria) beat Rui Machado (Portugal) 6-2 6-4 2-6 6-2
32-Nicolas Almagro (Spain) beat Steve Darcis (Belgium) 6-2 6-4 2-6 7-6(8)
Jose Acasuso (Argentina) beat Marcos Daniel (Brazil) 6-2 6-4 6-3
3-Rafael Nadal (Spain) beat Richard Gasquet (France) 6-2 6-2 6-3
Thomaz Bellucci (Brazil) beat Lu Yen-Hsun (Taiwan) 6-4 6-2 6-3
Pablo Cuevas (Uruguay) beat Chris Guccione (Australia) 6-4 7-6(4) 6-0
24-Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain) beat Fabrice Santoro (France) 6-4 6-3 6-3
Nicolas Kiefer (Germany) beat Michael Llodra (France) 6-3 6-4 6-4
Juergen Melzer (Austria) beat Marat Safin (Russia) 1-6 6-4 6-3 6-4
Andreas Beck (Germany) beat Evgeny Korolev (Russia) 6-3 6-4 2-6 2-6 6-4
13-Gael Monfils (France) beat Jeremy Chardy (France) 6-1 6-4 6-3

US Open women's singles second round results from New York on Thursday (prefix denotes seeding)

2-Serena Williams (USA) beat Melinda Czink (Hungary) 6-1 6-1
Vania King (US) beat 15-Samantha Stosur (Australia) 7-5 6-4
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (Spain) beat Angelique Kerber (Germany)
Kim Clijsters (Belgium) beat 14-Marion Bartoli (France) 5-7 6-1 6-2
26-Francesca Schiavone (Italy) beat Stefanie Voegele (Switzerland) 6-4 6-4
8-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) beat Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Czech Republic) 6-2 6-1
Maria Kirilenko (Russia) beat 12-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) 6-4 2-6 6-4
3-Venus Williams (US) beat Bethanie Mattek-Sands (US) 6-4 6-2
Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium) beat 20-Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) 6-1 6-3
7-Vera Zvonareva (Russia) beat Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) 3-6 6-1 6-1
Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) beat Chang Kai-Chen (Taiwan) 4-6 6-2 6-2
31-Elena Vesnina (Russia) beat Jill Craybas (US) 7-6(6) 6-1
18-Li Na (China) beat Michelle Larcher de Brito (Portugal) 6-1 6-3
Aleksandra Wozniak (Canada) beat 17-Amelie Mauresmo (France) 6-4 6-0
10-Flavia Pennetta (Italy) beat Sania Mirza (India) 6-0 6-0

(Via AP, TVNZ, US Open website)

Rafael Nadal: 100% ready to roll

Rafael Nadal assures media and fans that he's ready for the season ending Grand Slam.

He will begin his US Open campaign against childhood friend Richard Gasquet on Day 3.

Q. How tough has it been psychologically for you to deal with what you've dealt with the last couple of months?

NADAL: Psychologically for me now, I am perfect. After important stop, came back with more energy than ever, no. Probably I need few time to be ready, to get the rhythm, to play your best tennis, but the energy and the illusion is 100%.

Q. Can you say you are 100% well, feeling well, for this tournament?

NADAL: I am 100% well to play this tournament, yeah. (laughter.) I don't know if I am playing at my best level, but I am 100%. You want me 100%? Me too.

To read the full interview, click here.

(Via US Open website)

TENNIS WATCH: Richard Gasquet's return, Andy Murray's white boy rap

Richard Gasquet could be making his competitive return at New Haven next week.

He has not played since Rome after tested positive for cocaine in Miami.

A hair test recently has cleared Gasquet of regular cocaine use, while a hair test on Pamela, the woman Gasquet cited as the source of the cocaine in his system, indicated regular use of the banned substance.

Gasquet said he repeatedly kissed Pamela at a nightclub the evening before his positive test.

Pamela is reportedly suing Gasquet for defamation.

*******

After Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray is the latest tennis star who will be featured in one of the Bryan Brothers Band's song.

The Bryanbros tweeted about Murray rapping a verse for one of their song to be included in their debut album, Let It Rip scheduled to release on September 1.

"Pamela" has surfaced, files libel suit against Richard Gasquet!

Just as he thought he could make a return to the ATP World Tour, Richard Gasquet's happiness was cut short.

"Pamela" or known as Pamela D., the woman identified by Gasquet as the source of his positive test for cocaine at Miami, has filed a libel suit against the Frenchman.

Gasquet told an anti-doping tribunal that he kissed Pamela several times at a nightclub the evening before his positive test, and any cocaine she had taken could have found his way into her system.

"Firstly, my client affirms that she never said she had taken cocaine that evening," her lawyer told Le Post.

"Secondly, Pamela D. affirms that she never told Mr. Gasquet that Francesca [her friend also present that evening] had taken it that same evening."

"Thirdly, Pamela D. affirms that she never said to Mr. Gasquet that a member of Mr. Bob Sinclair's entourage had offered cocaine the evening of March 27.

"Finally, my client affirms that she never offered false testimony in favor of Mr. Gasquet."

The lawyer added that according to Pamela, she only kissed Gasquet once and "it was not a long kiss."

According to a source, Pamela was tested negative on her hair strand, which means she's not a long term cocaine user.

All I can say now is Gasquet is in deep shit again.

(Via tennis.com; Image by Domenico Stinellis/AP/SIPA)