Laver Cup: Teams announced in New York City

Source: lavercup.com

Rod Laver was joined by Roger Federer, John McEnroe, Marin Cilic, Tomas Berdych and Denis Shapovalov in the heart of New York City recently to announce the captain’s picks for the inaugural Laver Cup.

This year, the Laver Cup will be held at the O2 arena Prague from 22-24 September. It will be played in the USA in 2018.

Alexander Zverev, the world no.7 becomes the fifth top 10 player for Team Europe, joining Rafael Nadal, Federer, Cilic and Dominic Thiem. Berdych will also represent the European team at the O2 arena.

Source: lavercup.com

Meanwhile, Juan Martin del Potro and Denis Shapovalov were confirmed as the captain’s picks John McEnroe’s Team World.

To find out the performance of the players prior to the Laver Cup, you're advised to follow the online tennis betting odds especially leading towards the US Open to be held from 28 August to 10 September.

“The last member of Team Europe is going to be picked by Bjorn Borg as a captain’s pick is going to be Alexander Zverev,” Federer announced during the press conference at the JPMorgan Chase center.

“We are very excited about, because he’s had a wonderful year. It’s great news. We were very excited when we heard it."

Meanwhile, Team World’s captain John McEnroe said he was not ‘turning up to Prague to lose,’ and was excited to welcome Shapovalov and Del Potro into his team.

“I think this young man is going to be a great, great player in the future,” McEnroe referred to Shapovalov. “He’s a Canadian, but we won’t hold that against him. He’s also a left-hander, like Mr. Rod Laver and myself.”

McEnroe described Del Potro as a ‘tremendous young man, a little bit older and a veteran and a winner.’

Shapovalov is competing in the qualifying event of the US Open and joined the event in New York on his day off.

“It’s truly an honor to be sitting with past champions and present champions like yourselves, and, you know, I’m very happy to be here with all you guys.”

Federer, winner of 19 Grand Slam titles and two this year (the Australian Open and Wimbledon), said he could not wait to join with Rafael Nadal on Team Europe.

“For us to spend sort of a week together on the same team and, you know, exchanging ideas of how we could win the Laver Cup over the weekend, I think it’s going to be really highly entertaining for both of us.”

Players and captains alike paid tribute to Rod Laver, winner of the Grand Slam in 1962 and 1969, who the Laver Cup is named after.

McEnroe described Laver as his idol growing up and the perfect choice to be honored at this new and hyped event.

“We are looking to do something big here along the lines of the Ryder Cup in golf, and I think this is a magnificent way to try to get this going. It couldn’t be a better man to represent what we are trying to do here.”

Now head over to Geelung Cup Betting for a great online betting experience.

Advanced review copy of the new memoir from Maria Sharapova UNSTOPPABLE

We're super excited about the new memoir from Maria Sharapova which is scheduled to be released on 12 September. Thanks to Press Box Publicity, we would like to share the advanced review of the memoir while counting down to the release date.

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“UNSTOPPABLE”

From Maria Sharapova, one of our fiercest female athletes, the captivating—and candid—story of her rise from nowhere to tennis stardom, and the unending fight to stay on top.

In 2004, in a stunning upset against the two-time defending champion Serena Williams, seventeen-year-old Maria Sharapova won Wimbledon, becoming an overnight sensation. Out of virtual anonymity, she launched herself onto the international stage. “Maria Mania” was born. Sharapova became a name and face recognizable worldwide. Her success would last: she went on to hold the number-one WTA ranking multiple times, to win four more Grand Slam tournaments, and to become one of the highest-grossing female athletes in the world.

And then—at perhaps the peak of her career—Sharapova came up against the toughest challenge yet: during the 2016 Australian Open, she was charged by the ITF with taking the banned substance meldonium, only recently added to the ITF’s list. The resulting suspension would keep her off the professional courts for fifteen months—a frighteningly long time for any athlete. The media suggested it might be fateful.

But Sharapova’s career has always been driven by her determination and by her dedication to hard work. Her story doesn’t begin with the 2004 Wimbledon championship, but years before, in a small Russian town, where as a five-year-old she played on drab neighborhood courts with precocious concentration. It begins when her father, convinced his daughter could be a star, risked everything to get them to Florida, that sacred land of tennis academies. It begins when the two arrived with only seven hundred dollars and knowing only a few words of English. From that, Sharapova scraped together one of the most influential sports careers in history.

Here, for the first time, is the whole story, and in her own words. Sharapova’s is an unforgettable saga of dedication and fortune. She brings us inside her pivotal matches and illuminates the relationships that have shaped her—with coaches, best friends, boyfriends, and Yuri, her coach, manager, father, and most dedicated fan, describing with honesty and affection their oft-scrutinized relationship. She writes frankly about the suspension. As Sharapova returns to the professional circuit, one thing is clear: the ambition to win that drove her from the public courts of Russia to the manicured lawns of Wimbledon has not diminished.

Sharapova’s Unstoppable is a powerful memoir, resonant in its depiction of the will to win—whatever the odds.

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UNSTOPPABLE

My Life So Far

by Maria Sharapova

(Sarah Crichton Books | Farrar, Straus and Giroux;

Sept. 12, 2017; 978-0-374-27979-0; $28.00)

“Professional tennis celebrity Sharapova relates her remarkable immigration saga and writes candidly about her career, family, and personal life . . . For tennis players and fans, the memoir is filled with solid insights about on-the-court strategy and off-the-court psychology. ‘I can get fancy and sweet about it,’ she writes, ‘but at bottom my motivation is simple: I want to beat everyone . . Ribbons and trophies get old, but losing lasts.’ For readers with no interest in tennis, the author delivers an impressive immigration tale, an inspiring coming-of-age narrative, and a host of useful advice on navigating celebrity culture. Sharapova demonstrates consistent dedication and impressive wisdom for her age.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“In this insightful memoir, 30-year-old tennis star Sharapova details her life from her earliest memories to the present day . . . Sharapova’s eloquent self-awareness provides a rare glimpse into the disorienting push and pull of a famous athlete’s life.”

—Publishers Weekly

“The heart of the book tells the story of an immigrant father and his seven-year-old daughter who travel from Russia to the U.S. with little in their pockets but a clear vision: for Maria to become the world’s best tennis player . . . Unstoppable is an inspiring memoir about coming-of-age within the elite tennis community and a tribute to the unconditional support from families and coaches who make success possible. Sure to satisfy longtime fans of women’s tennis.”

—Booklist

Author Events

New York, NY—Sept. 12—signing at Barnes & Noble Fifth Avenue—12:30 pm

New York, NY—Sept. 13—92nd Street Y—in conversation with Katie Couric—7:30 pm

Los Angeles, CA—Sept. 15—signing at Barnes & Noble The Grove at Farmers Market—7:00 pm

Denis Shapovalov shocked Rafael Nadal in Montreal as Andy Murray clings on to world no.1 spot

Source: USA Today Sports

Andy Murray will remain as the world's no.1 for another week after 18-year-old Canadian Denis Shapovalov stunned Rafael Nadal at the Rogers Cup.

"It's what I dreamed of all my life growing up, playing guys like Rafa (Nadal), Roger (Federer), Andy (Murray)," said Shapovalov. "You know, my dream came true today."

The victory put him into the quarterfinal against France's Adrian Mannarino, who beat Hyeon Chung. It was considered one of the biggest wins in Canadian tennis history and it came at the tournament that some still call the Canadian Open. Do check out the online tennis betting odds leading towards the exciting weekend matches.

Source: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images North America

Shapovalov became the youngest player to reach the tournament's quarterfinals since Bjorn Borg in 1974. He also became the youngest quarterfinalist at a Masters Series tournament ever and is the youngest to beat a player ranked in the top two in the world since Nadal beat Federer in 2004 in Miami. For more online tennis betting odds for Shapovalov and other players' upcoming tennis matches, do check out Online Betting NZ.

Shapovalov will reach his goal of moving into the top 100 in the world next week that saw him save four match points in a first round win over Rogerio Dutra Silva, then went on to beat 2009 US Open winner Juan Martin Del Potro in the second round before defeated Nadal.

Nadal, who could have claimed the No. 1 ranking if he had reached the semifinals this week, said it was the worst match he played all year, but he had kind words for Shapovalov.

"He played well," the Spaniard said. "He has a great potential."

"I wish him the best. He has everything to become a great player. He played with the right determination in the important moments."

Nadal will have a chance to overtake Murray in the rankings after next week's Cincinnati Masters, but faces a challenge from Roger Federer, who could prevent the Nadal from reaching the top spot for the first time since 2014.

Juan Carlos Ferrero joins Alexander Zverev's team as new coach

Source: ATPWorldTour.com

Former world no.1 Juan Carlos Ferrero is now part of the technical team of German no.1 Alexander Zverev. They have started working together since mid July in the United States and will officially kick off their first tournament this week at the ATP 500 Citi Open in Washington.

The 20 year-old Zverev has a promising future in the ATP tournament because of his achievement this season, reaching his best position after winning 3 titles at the ATP Montpellier, ATP Munich and Master 1000 Rome. He's currently world's no. 8, his best ranking so far. Do take a look at the betting odds for the tennis matches played by Zverev in the North America hardcourt swing leading to the US Open.

Ferrero, a French Open champ in 2003 and one of the best Spanish tennis players, is very excited about this new project. He commented, "Zverev is a different player, he is champion material. It is a new challenge that makes me happy so I want to do my best". For more online tennis betting odds for Zverev and other players' upcoming tennis matches, do check out Betting Sites Australia.

Source: http://www.equelite.com/

“He told me that maybe he wants to work a little bit with me because I have the experience to be there on the top and I have the experience to win Grand Slams,” Ferrero exclusively told ATPWorldTour.com recently.

The 37 year-old Spaniard runs his own academy at the JC Ferrero Equelite Sport Academy, in Alicante, Spain, and is married with two young children.

Ferrero said, "His attitude on the court sometimes is up and down. [He needs to] stay more on the regular line. He's young and he has to grow up, and he has to control his emotions on the court, but day by day."

Currently Zverev leads the Emirates ATP Race To Milan and is in sixth place in the Emirates ATP Race To London.