TENNIS in DEPTH.

Ana is starring in a new marketing campaign for her clothing sponsor adidas. The 21-year-old is featured in the

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ARGENTINA v NETHERLANDS
Venue: Estadio Parque Roca, Buenos Aires (clay – outdoors)

Argentina
David Nalbandian
Juan Monaco
Juan Ignacio Chela
Lucas Arnold Ker
Captain: Tito Vazquez

Netherlands
Jesse Huta Galung
Thiemo de Bakker
Matwe Middelkoop
Rogier Wassen
Captain: Jan Siemerink

CZECH REPUBLIC v FRANCE
Venue: Cez Arena, Ostrava (carpet – indoors)

Czech Rep.
Tomas Berdych
Radek Stepanek
Jan Hernych
Lukas Dlouhy
Captain: Jaroslav Navratil

France
Gilles Simon
Gael Monfils
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Richard Gasquet
Captain: Guy Forget

UNITED STATES v SWITZERLAND
Venue: Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Arena, Birmingham (hard – indoors)

United States
Tbc

Switzerland
Stanislas Wawrinka
Stephane Bohli
Marco Chiudinelli
Yves Allegro
Captain: Severin Luthi

CROATIA v CHILE
Venue: Visenamjenska Sportska Dvorana ‘ZATIKA’, Porec (hard – indoors)

Croatia
Marin Cilic
Ivo Karlovic
Mario Ancic
Roko Karanusic
Captain: Goran Prpic

Chile
Fernando Gonzalez
Nicolas Massu
Paul Capdeville
Guillermo Hormazabal
Captain: Hans Gildemeister

SWEDEN v ISRAEL
Venue: The Baltic Hall, Malmo (carpet – indoors)

Sweden
Robert Lindstedt
Simon Aspelin
Bjorn Rehnquist
Daniel Berta
Captain: Mats Wilander

Israel
Dudi Sela
Harel Levy
Andy Ram
Noam Okun
Captain: Eyal Ran

ROMANIA v RUSSIA
Venue: Sala Transilvania, Sibiu (carpet – indoors)

Romania
Victor Hanescu
Adrian Cruciat
Victor Crivoi
Horia Vlad Tecau
Captain: Andrei Pavel

Russia
Marat Safin
Dmitry Tursunov
Mikhail Youzhny
Teimuraz Gabashvili
Captain: Shamil Tarpischev

GERMANY v AUSTRIA
Venue: Sala Transilvania, Sibiu (hard – indoors)

Germany
Rainer Schuettler
Nicolas Kiefer
Philipp Kohlschreiber
Philipp Petzschner
Captain: Patrik K

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Former Wimbledon champions Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf will return to the All England Club in May to try out the playing conditions under the new Centre Court roof.

Agassi and Graf

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With three tournaments last week, including the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, a load of movement was seen within the Top 20, and some notable gains were made in the Top 50. The Top 20 saw advances from Venus Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Kaia Kanepi, while Aleksandra Wozniak and Anne Keothavong moved up outside the elite.

Venus Williams has now re-entered the Top 5 after her victory at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships. This move from No.6 to No.5 marks the former world No.1′s first time in the Top 5 since August 2003. Her win in Dubai marks her 40th Tour singles title, and makes her the 12th player ever to reach that milestone. Williams has won more of those titles than any other active player.

Elsewhere in the Top 20, Victoria Azarenka reached a new career-high after defeating top seed Carloine Wozniacki at the Morgan Keegan Championships & Cellular South Cup in Memphis. Azarenka now finds herself on the cusp of the Top 10, having moved from No.14 to No.11 after this, her second Tour singles title. The 19-year old from Belarus is on a roll after winning the Brisbane International in January.

Kaia Kanepi has made her Top 20 debut, moving up from No.24 to No.20 after defeating No.3-ranked Jelena Jankovic in two sets in Dubai. She went on to beat Elena Vesnina in the quarterfinals in straight sets, but eventually fell to Virginie Razzano. Kanepi is the first-ever Estonian to reach the Top 20.

Outside of the elite, Canada’s Aleksandra Wozniak edged up to No.30 from No.31, after Carla Su

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Venus Williams is ready to add to her collection of singles titles at the Acapulco Open.

The fifth-ranked American, who won her 40th title on Saturday at the Dubai Tennis Championships, is already feeling at home in Mexico.

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Britain’s Andy Murray reached round two of the Dubai Championships with victory over Sergiy Stakhovsky, but struggled with an ankle injury.

Murray took control after an uneven start, recovering from a set and a break down to lead 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 5-3 when his opponent called it quits.

Both men had to deal with ankle injuries – Murray missed Marseille last week because of the problem.

The Scot will face Arnaud Clement or Rainer Schuettler in the second round.

“It was a bit strange with both of us struggling with our ankles toward the end of the match, but he was aggressive, fought very well and hit some unbelievable volleys,” said Murray.

“I played a couple of bad games in the first set and was disappointed with my serve, but I was always having chances on his serves so I wasn’t really worried.

“But I think I tweaked my ankle about an hour-and-a-half into the match. I have got to see the physio now.

“The ankle was feeling a lot better during practice, but I was wearing braces then.”

Murray is the second seed in Dubai behind Novak Djokovic, following the withdrawal through injuries of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

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19 year old Victoria Azarenka is quietly moving up the WTA rankings, she is now #11, and will soon be in the top ten. She has won two titles in 2009, the first in Brisbane where she defeated Marion Bartoli, and the second in Memphis where she defeated Caroline Wozniacki. In Memphis she also won the doubles title with her partner Wozniacki.

At the 2009 Australian Open she was drawn against Serena Williams in the 3^rd round, and she outplayed the #1 player in the first set winning 6-3 but was forced to retire when she was overcome by the heat. One set does not qualify as a match win, but those fans who watched this young lady from Belarus were impressed by her power, her shot selection and her poise. It was clear that she is a player to watch.

As a junior, Vika as she is known to her friends, won both the US Open and the French Open on her way to becoming the 2005 World Junior Champion, and as a doubles player she has won two Grand Slam titles in mixed doubles at the US and French Opens. Not bad for a teenager!

She was born July 31^st 1989, and lists Scottsdale Arizona as her home. She is a popular player with most of the WTA players and just like other teenagers she enjoys life to its fullest particularly when she is spending her prize money on clothes.

Her next scheduled tournament will be at Indian Wells, and if she plays up to her potential she might surprise everyone and make it to the final four!

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They are staying in one of the best hotels in the world – and have Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer to thank for it.

The top two seeds usually get invited to the city’s most exclusive pad – the Burj al Arab – for the duration of the Dubai Tennis Championships.

But, as aches and pains put paid to the world numbers one and two for this week, it was no sore point at all for the next best players in the world to be upgraded to ultra first-class.

Step forward Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

Murray’s and Djokovic’s two-level suites in the famous landmark built in the shape of a sale are so big they could probably play a first round match in it, easily accommodating the umpire, line judges and ball kids.

The crowd and media could squeeze in at the back.

If Dunblane’s and Belgrade’s finest hadn’t quite realised that they’d’ hit the big time, they sure know it now.

How exclusive is it? It’s for rock stars and oil-rich Sheikhs, and now Andy and Novak!

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