TENNIS in DEPTH.

Former Asian number one Paradorn Srichaphan plans to return to competitive tennis at next week’s Thailand Open after more than two years out with injury.

The Bangkok Post reported on Saturday that the former world number nine had asked for a wildcard to play doubles with fellow Thai Danai Udomchoke.

Paradorn’s future has been the subject of speculation after being sidelined from the men’s ATP Tour with a recurrent wrist problem since 2007.

The 30-year-old, a huge celebrity in his native country, had said he was considering making a switch to motorsport

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Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova sent Romania’s Monica Niculescu crashing out of the Tashkent Open to reach the semi-final stage.

Top seed Shvedova had to dig deep for victory, saving three match points in the second set against the sixth seed before easing away to a 6-7 (3/7) 7-5 6-2 win.

Next up for Shvedova is a meeting with Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan, who advanced with a 6-1 6-4 win over fifth-seeded Swiss Stefanie Voegele.

Israel’s Shahar Peer, seeded second, will line up in the other semi-final tie after defeating Russia’s Alexandra Panova 6-4 6-4.

Her opponent will be fourth seed Olga Govortsova of Belarus, who booked her place in the last four.

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Russia’s Maria Kirilenko moved into the semi-finals of the Korea Open in Seoul today with a straight-sets win over compatriot Vera Dushevina.

The defending champion was pushed all the way by the world number 50 but eventually prevailed 7-5 7-6 (7/5) to set up a final-four clash with Japan’s Kimiko Date Krumm.

Date Krumm booked her place in the semis by ousting top-seeded Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, 7-6 (7/3) 4-6 6-4, while Anna-Lena Gronefeld of Germany also progressed by defeating Chinese Taipei’s Chan Yung-jan 6-0 2-6 7-5.

Gronefeld’s semi-final opponent will be number two seed Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain, who defeated Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova 6-3 6-3.

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Hi everyone,

 I landed in Tokyo last night and looking forward to playing my last two events of the year!! I have had a good, positive 3 weeks of training and ready to play some matches!……(she has a tough draw! Opening against Francesca Shiavone, then Samantha Stosur, followed by Vera Zvonareva)

I can’t believe that I haven’t been here in over 2 years! That should never happen! It never ceases to amaze me how interesting this country is! Just when you thought they had the best toilets, they get even better! Haha

Just took a run in the park and happened to pass by a group of 20 children which were clearly fascinated by my height. I dont speak much Japanese (none at all as a matter of fact) but I thought I overheard them say “ooooh giant” Made me laugh.

Just heading out to practice, but wanted to let you know that all is good! Oh and we’re launching the Cole Haan collection tonight… it just hit stores here a week ago. Apparently one of my shoes is the # 1 selling shoe in all of Cole Haan stores back in the States. Pretty Exciting!! Not as exciting as its going to be to get back to #1 tho

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Serena Williams has withdrawn from next week’s Pan Pacific Open as she rests knee and toe injuries, organisers revealed on Thursday.

But the tournament received a boost this week when Dinara Safina, world No.1 and defending champion at the Tokyo event, confirmed she will play after missing the initial entry list.

Australian Open and Wimbledon champion Williams has not played on the singles tour since ending her US Open semi-final against Kim Clijsters with a point penalty after losing it with a lineswoman who called her for a second-serve foot fault.

The rest of the women’s world top 10, including Serena’s sister Venus, is among the field at the $2 million event, which also features Maria Sharapova and three Japanese players — Morita Ayumi, Ai Sugiyama, Kimiko Date Krumm — who received wildcards.

World No.1 Dinara Safina, who was not on the initial entry list, has opted to compete in Tokyo in a bid to retain the Pan Pacific crown she won last year.

Dominika Cibulkova and Amelie Mauresmo have also decided to skip the $2 million event.

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The father of tennis player Jelena Dokic will face a retrial on the charges that he threatened the Australian ambassador to Serbia.

Damir Dokic was sentenced to 15 months in jail in June, but a retrial was ordered because ambassador Claire Birgin did not testify in person during the original hearing. She was as instead represented by a lawyer.

Mr Dokic, 50, was brought under police escort to the court in Ruma, a town about 30 miles northwest of Belgrade.

“We expect justice from the court and that Damir will be a free man,” Bosiljka Djukic, Mr Dokic’s lawyer, said before the court proceedings started.

In June, Mr Dokic was found guilty of “endangering the security” of the ambassador in Belgrade and unlawful possession of weapons, including a hand grenade, which were impounded during a police search of his home.

Mr Dokic was arrested in May after reportedly saying he would blow up Birgin’s car if she didn’t stop negative articles about him from being published in Australia. Ms Dokic had given interviews to the Australian media, saying her father had beaten her.

Mr Dokic told Serbian media he would fire a rocket launcher at Birgin’s car, but later said the statements were made in anger. He also has admitted having beaten his daughter.

Ms Dokic, who burst on to the tennis scene in 1999 aged 16 when she beat the then World No 1 Martina Hingis at Wimbledon, has been shadowed for years by rumours of her father’s abuse. Coaches and team-mates told of hearing her being hit in her hotel room and of seeing bruises on her.

Her father, a former boxer and truck driver who dreamed of coaching his daughter to success and fame, became a controversial figure on the circuit. In 1999 he was ejected from a tennis tournament in Birmingham for calling tennis officials Nazis and the next year he flew into a rage over the price of a meal in the US Open players’ cafe, swearing at tennis officials and ripping his daughter’s competition accreditation from her neck.

Ms Dokic fled her family in 2002 after a tournament in Europe and has hardly spoken to her father since. She has struggled to reclaim her position of almost a decade ago but made a comeback at this year’s Australian Open, almost defeating the world No 3 Dinara Safina in the quarter-finals, after entering as a wild card.

She told Sport and Style of her decision to run from her family: “There was no other way I could deal with the situation I was in. I just wanted to get out of my own skin,” she said. “I wanted someone else’s life.”

The trauma of her early life had served only to strengthen her resolve on the court, she added. “When you go through stuff like that, playing a tennis match is a pretty easy thing to do.”

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Roger Federer pulled out of the Japan Open and Shanghai ATP Masters 1000 on Friday, citing the need to rest after a physically challenging year.

The Japan Tennis Association said that the top-ranked Federer was withdrawing from the Oct. 5-11 Japan Open, along with the Shanghai tournament the following week.

“After consultation with my team and doctors, I decided to take the difficult decision to withdraw from both tournaments,” Federer said in a statement. “This will allow me a chance to give my body a chance to rest, rehabilitate and recover from a physically challenging year.”

Federer reached all four Grand Slam finals this year, winning the French Open for the first time in his career, then breaking Pete Sampras’ record with his 15th major title at Wimbledon.

He also earned two points for Switzerland last weekend during a 3-2 victory over Italy in the playoffs to remain in the top-tier World Group of the Davis Cup.

It is the second time Federer has pulled out of the Japan Open just before the start of the tournament. He also cited fatigue as his reason for withdrawing from the 2007 event.

“I’m disappointed that I have to withdraw from Tokyo and Shanghai as they are two of my favorite cities,” Federer said. “The fans have been great to me over the years.”

U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro and third-ranked Andy Murray are scheduled to take part in the $1.3 million Japan Open.

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Andy Murray Calendar 2010.

Mr Murray has come of age, and at last Britain has a contender with more than a little tennis know how and the muscles to pull it off. If you fancy spending a year in the company of a serious pair of biceps then look no further. Not just for Scots.

The calendar features Andy in a variety of poses, fortunately almost all of them has Andy wearing clothes.

Rafa must be chuckling to himself about this one!

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