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)