TENNIS in DEPTH.

Andy Roddick won

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The WTA has fined Dubai Tennis Championships organizers a record $300,000 after Israeli player Shahar Peer was denied a visa by the United Arab Emirates.

The Women

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Spaniard Fernando Verdasco has withdrawn from next week’s Barclays Championships in Dubai. He joins Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer as the list of injured top 10 players increases. Davydenko the #5 player just recently returned to the tour from an injury, but is not completely healed, and Novak Djokovic has not appeared at his best since his retirement at the Aussie Open. He has undergone a complete physical examination to determine if there was any lingering effects and was give a clean bill of health. He has reached the semi final of the ATP Marseille event, and it will be interesting to see how he handles the pressure of a return match with Tsonga.
Andy Roddick, who has made a statement supporting Shahar Peer, is the first player to actually make a stand against the discriminatory policy of the UAE, and he has withdrawn from the tournament. His action should be noted and highly commended!

Andy Murray is being handed another title and another $1 million plus a bunch of ranking points that will lift him up closer to the top. It must be his lucky day!

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ATP World No. 3 Novak Djokovic made short work of Mischa Zverev as he defeated the German 6-3, 6-3 on Friday to reach the semi-finals of the Open 13, an ATP World Tour 250 tennis tournament in Marseille. He now must snap a three-match losing streak against Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to reach the final.

The top Serbian broke serve in the sixth game before going on to assume a one-set lead after 31 minutes. Two breaks in the second set

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World number one Rafael Nadal was named in Spain’s Davis Cup squad on Friday for next month’s opening round match at home to Serbia.

Nadal’s inclusion came a day after he withdrew from next week’s Dubai tournament on the advice of his doctor, to recover from the knee complaint that hindered his performance in the final in Rotterdam last weekend.

Spain’s new captain Albert Costa also included David Ferrer, Tommy Robredo and Feliciano Lopez, as well as Nicolas Almagro as a reserve.

Fernando Verdasco, who won the deciding match in last year’s Davis Cup final against Argentina, was ruled out with injury. Nadal was injured for the final.

Former French Open champion Costa took over in December after Emilio Sanchez Vicario stepped aside.

Spain will play Serbia on clay in Benidorm between March 6-8.

This announcement is the first reference to any injury problem for Fernando Verdasco, he is still listed as a starter in the Barclays Dubai Event scheduled for Monday, but maybe he will be forced to add his name to the that of the injured players sitting on the sidelines.

In other Davis Cup news…..

Andy Murray has been joined by Ross Hutchins in Great Britain’s Davis Cup squad for the forthcoming tie against Ukraine, at the expense of his brother Jamie.

The decision taken by the British captain John Lloyd, was influenced by Andy Murray himself. Hutchins and the world No. 4 singles player are good friends and trained together in the recent off-season.

Hutchins, aged 23 and currently ranked at No. 42 in the world in doubles, has been in better form than Jamie Murray in recent months, though is still ranked lower than the Scot. Winning the title in Beijing and reaching finals in Moscow and Lyon in 2008, Hutchins last week made the semi-finals at San Jose with regular partner Stephen Huss. Jamie, ranked at No. 36, has endured a tougher time of late, with the highlight of his year so far being a quarter-final finish in Brisbane with partner Dusan Vemic.

John Lloyd said:

I’ve been studying the players since the last tie in September and feel that Ross has been playing the better tennis over the last four or five months so he gets the nod this time.

Jamie is a very talented doubles player and has always thrived in the Davis Cup environment and I have no doubt that he will feature in the team in the future.

The Europe/Africa Zone Group 1 second round tie against Ukraine will take place on 6th – 8th March at Glasgow’s Braehead Arena.

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Four of the world’s best women’s tennis players will face off in a one-night single elimination event for $1.2 million in prize money. The format will consist of two one set semifinals, followed by a best of three set final for the Billie Jean King Cup.

Scheduled to compete for the BNP Paribas Showdown for the Billie Jean King Cup:
Ana Ivanovic
Jelena Jankovic
Serena Williams
Venus Williams

A month ago it would have looked as though Ana Ivanovic was over matched, but with her new coach she is back on the form that took her to the top. Her match against Serena in Dubai was the best she has played since winning the 2008 French Open. If she can ever master the art of serving she could easily climb back up the rankings. With the one-set format being adopted it leaves no room for a nervous start, but whoever wins and takes home the prize money, it must surely represent a milestone for Womens tennis.

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The ATP World Tour ended its relationship with the financial firm of Texan billionaire R. Allen Stanford, it said today.

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A knee injury has caused World Number One Rafael Nadal to withdraw from the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships.

The Australian Open champion injured his right knee in the second set of the final of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam last week, in which he went down to Scotland

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