Martina Hingis vacationing at Cayman

Sorry no embed again http://www.cayman27.com.ky/2012/03/30/hingis-on-sports-tourism

Looking nice and tan, life off the tour agrees with her :).  She seems very happy these days.

Kim Clijsters out with yet another hip injury *sigh*

BRUSSELS (AP) -- Kim Clijsters has a torn hip muscle and will need four weeks off the tour.

A statement from her management company on Wednesday said she'd been troubled with hip pains during the Sony Ericsson Open over the weekend in Key Biscayne, Fla. She lost to Belgian compatriot Yanina Wickmayer in straight sets.

Tests show "a small torn muscle'' in her right hip, the statement said. She hopes to be back for the Madrid Open, which starts May 5.

Clijsters has said she plans to retire after the summer, highlighting her year with an appearance at the London Olympics.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/news/20120328/kim-clijsters-injury/#ixzz1qSzZSvcq

Seriously?.  Another one.  Didn't she just recover from one?.  *sigh* Poor Kim I think retirement is pretty much imminent now.

Hope she manages to actually make it to the Olympics at this rate.  And I guess that explains her loss to Wickmayer (a disappointing performance).  Get well soon Kim!.   

Kim Clijsters makes winning return in Miami

Kim Clijsters played her first match in two months and beat Jarmila Gajdosova 4-6 6-1 6-0 in the first round in Miami.


Clijsters, whose last match on tour was her semi-final defeat at the hands of Victoria Azarenka in the Australian Open, began shakily, losing the first set to her Australian opponent.


But the Belgian rallied, dropping just one game and looking assured behind her first serve, to wrap up the contest in one hour and 43 minutes.


Next up in the round of 64 for Clijsters, currently ranked world number 37, is Germany's Julia Goerges, who is seeded 14th in Florida.


eurospot asia

Loving the new Fila outfit, nice!.

Roger Federer wins another title at Indian Wells

 Mr. goofy love it! :)

Pics from menstennisforums.com


Roger Federer is on a roll again, and Victoria Azarenka can’t be stopped, either.


They each won titles in straight sets at the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday and earned matching US$1-million paychecks, the richest in tournament history.



INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Roger Federer defeated John Isner 7-6 (7), 6-3 to win his record fourth BNP Paribas Open title Sunday, avenging a loss to the American who beat him in Davis Cup play.


Victoria Azarenka routed Maria Sharapova 6-2, 6-3 for the women’s title in the WTA Tour’s first final between the No. 1 and No. 2 players since 2008.


Federer and Azarenka each earned US$1-million, the richest winner’s checks in the tournament’s history. The runners-up earned $500,000 each.


Federer improved to 39-2 since last year’s U.S. Open, with his only losses to No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals of the Australian Open and the 11th-ranked Isner, who won on the Swiss star’s home turf last month. Federer, ranked third, avenged both those defeats in consecutive days at Indian Wells, putting away Nadal in the rain-delayed semi-finals Saturday and then Isner.


Federer’s victory tied him with Nadal for most ATP World Tour Masters 1000 career titles at 19. Federer won three straight titles here from 2004-06 and his fourth snapped a tie with Jimmy Connors and Michael Chang.



Isner had a breakthrough two weeks in the desert, beating top-ranked Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals to reach his first Masters 1000 final. That assured him of entering the top 10 for the first time at No. 10 when the latest rankings come out Monday.


The big-serving American actually had three fewer aces than Federer’s seven, with his fastest serve clocked at 135 mph. Federer broke him on Isner’s netted backhand volley to go up 4-3 in the second, then closed out the match on Isner’s forehand that landed in the net.

nationalpost.com

It seems when it comes to Roger 30 really is just a number.  Congrats on #73 Rog!.  2012 is definitely your year! :).

Kim Clijsters talks outlook on life with Tennis Kids Zone

Recovering Clijsters still has sights on London Olympics

Kim Clijsters is a two-time champion at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, but she’s not here this week, opting instead to continue rehabilitation of the ankle she twisted at the Australian Open. Based on a post on her official website, it sounds like Clijsters doesn’t want to take any chances with her body in light of the upcoming Olympics in London.

“I know I stand a chance there,” Clijsters told Radio Olympia. ”As a child I always watched the Olympic Games. And I certainly want to experience it before I truly conclude my career. I want to make sure I’m doing everything I can to be ready for it.”

That’s quite the change in tone from 2004, when Clijsters, then the World No. 2, chose to boycott the Athens Olympics because the Belgian Olympic Committee would not allow her to collect a medal wearing her Fila-sponsored kit (the BOC had an exclusive clothing sponsorship with Adidas). The BOC made major concessions in agreeing to allow Clijsters to compete in her Fila kit, but remained adamant that should she win a medal she would have to wear the Belgian team’s Adidas warmups on the medal stand.

“I want to remain loyal to the people with whom I have closed a contract,” Clijsters said at the time. “They were the only ones interested in me two years ago.”

Given her expressed desire to be ready for the Olympics, it’ll be interesting to see how Clijsters handles the upcoming clay swing. It’s a surface that has always vexed the Belgian for no good reason. She’s done terrible on clay since her comeback in 2009, and though she was a runner-up at Roland Garros twice (2001 and ’03), she only has three clay titles to her name. Can Clijsters make the push to try to grab that elusive title at Roland Garros? Or will she bide her time until the grass swing to get ready for Wimbledon and the Olympics? Her comments seem to indicate that the Olympics are the priority. Let’s see if her scheduling bears that out.

SI.com

7 years and counting...

Exactly 7 years ago today I started this crazy little blog (seriously has it really been that long?!).  Feels like only yesterday.  But all the blogs I've published are concrete proof to the contrary.

Looking back to the beginning I can see subtle little differences in my writing and posting style. I would like to think that I've come a long way and that it has improved (I hope you'll all agree).  

The whole experience  has certainly been a learning curve over the years.  But an immensely enjoyable one.    

And to think that it all started due to my little obsession known as tennis.  Over the years it has branched out into so many other areas (but tennis has remained it's main focus).  

What can I say my love for the sport is something I can't seem to stray too far from no matter how hard I try :D.  

For those of you who have visited over the years, thank you.  Whether you've simply stumbled upon it by accident or if you've been a regular reader; I hope I've managed to entertain you in some way, whether it was to inform, educate, or simply make you laugh.

Thank you to all who have taken the time to comment, it has helped me improve and given me motivation and kept things fun all these years later.  

This blog continues to be a labor of love, and a great way for me to share my thoughts, interests, opinions, woes and frustrations.  

Here's to another 7! :).

Roger Federer wins 5th Dubai title

Pics menstennisforums.com

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Roger Federer edged Andy Murray 7-5, 6-4 Saturday to win his fifth Dubai Championships title.

The second-seeded Federer didn't drop a set all week and kept Murray off balance much of the match. The win was Federer's fifth title in seven tournaments and his 72nd overall.

"This is perfect. This is great. Any title is a good one, I'll tell you that," Federer said. "I have a losing record against Murray."

The 16-time Grand Slam champion improved to 7-8 against Murray, outplaying the 24-year-old from Scotland with a mix of powerful groundstrokes, drop shots and the occasional serve-and-volley.

Murray, who was coming off a semifinal win against top-ranked Novak Djokovic, struggled with his backhand and serve. He won 85 percent of his first service points against Djokovic, but only 48 percent against Federer.

"For sure I made a few too many mistakes in the second, and he was playing a lot more aggressive than in the first set," Murray said. "Sets can come down to just a couple points. You get a lucky shot here or one great shot and you can break the set wide open."

Federer saved two break points when down 3-2 in the first set at the Aviation Club. He saved the first when Murray hit a forehand long and won the second with a backhand volley.

Federer broke Murray to go up 6-5 and took the first set when Murray hit a forehand wide.

The two players traded breaks early in the second set before Federer broke decisively to make it 5-4. Murray saved one match point before the Swiss star hit a forehand winner into the corner.

"The match was close, I think in both sets, I just gave myself more opportunities than Andy did overall," said Federer, who used the fast surface to his advantage.

Murray insisted his win over Djokovic was not on his mind when he took the court against Federer.

"It was a good win yesterday, good win the day before, tough match today," Murray said. "So I'm just happy with the week, because at this stage last year I was in a very different position, different frame of mind."

Despite losing, Murray said his performance this week will help him at upcoming tournaments in the United States.

"I was happy I managed to adjust to the court," Murray said. "The conditions over in Indian Wells (and) Miami are going to be very, very different to here. Much slower court, which hopefully will suit my game a little bit better."

The 30-year-old Federer heads to New York, where he will play an exhibition match Monday at Madison Square Garden against Andy Roddick.

"There is no substitute to confidence," Federer said. "I've played great."

ESPNgo.com

72 titles and counting!.  All that hard work is paying off this year it seems.

Martina Hingis to take part in Family Circle Cup event

Legends to join Family Circle Cup event “40LOVE” – Tennis News

Some of the biggest names of women’s tennis, which include Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and Billie Jean King will take part in the event “40LOVE” being held on the occasion of 40^th Birthday of the Family Circle Cup.

Tracy Austin and Martina Hingis will join Evert and Navratilova for an exhibition match at the Family Circle stadium on 7^th April.

King and Virginia Wade will take up the role of honorary coaches. From the men’s side, Jimmy Connors and Aaron Krickstein will feature at the event.

Family Circle Cup was first held in 1973. It is one of the oldest tournaments in women’s tennis. Rosemary Casals, who won the inaugural event, will be joining the evening.

The event that is being called "40LOVE: A Night of Empowerment Celebrating 40 Years of the Family Circle Cup” will give tribute to the nine players who laid the foundation of the women’s professional tennis. 

Those nine players, who are known as The Original 9, include Billie Jean King, Judy Dalton, Nancy Richey, Kerry Melville, Peaches Bartkowicz, Kristy Pigeon, Valerie Ziegenfuss, Rosie Casals and Julie Heldman.

Family Circle Cup’s tournament director Bob Moran said, "This commemoration is designed to celebrate our 40th year in professional tennis and honor the incredible women who made it all possible with their courage and steadfast determination for equality.”

He added, "The Original 9 served as a catalyst for change in not only women's tennis, but helped shift our country's attitude toward equality as a whole. I truly believe that this is an evening that should be experienced by every generation from daughter to grandmother."

Nikki Haley, the Governor of South Carolina, will also attend the event.

Family Circle Cup, which is one of the 12 Premier-level tournaments on the WTA Tour, will be held from 31^st March to 8^th April at the Daniel Island in Charleston, USA.

Some of the top current players including Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Samantha Stosur have already confirmed their participation in this year’s tournament.

Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark defeated Russian Elena Vesnina in the final to capture the title at the last edition of the event in 2011.

blogs.bettor.com