AUSTRALIAN OPEN is fast approaching!!!

By the way, may alam ba kayong tennis court sa Manila area? Itong mga area na ito sana:

Paranaque (malapit sa merville)
Binondo/Sta Cruz
Roxas Blvd.
Taft/UN/Kalaw/Pedro Gil/Quirino

Retired Sampras to play pro team tennis
Associated Press

Pete Sampras is returning to the tennis court, signing up for the World Team Tennis Pro League more than three years after his last match.

"This is more about just getting myself a little busier and focused on something I used to be good at," Sampras said in a telephone interview ahead of Wednesday's announcement by the league. "It's time this year to do a little more. Last year, I was kind of floating along."

Sampras' last professional match was the 2002 U.S. Open final, when he beat longtime rival Andre Agassi for his record 14th Grand Slam title. Sampras held a news conference a year later at the U.S. Open to say he was retiring.

As much as he says he's looking forward to playing in the WTT, he made one thing quite clear: Don't call it a comeback.

"I miss playing the game. I miss the majors. I miss competing. But to play at the level I used to play is a whole other animal. I've done that, and I know what it takes," he told the AP. "Me playing a little tennis this year is something I can control; there isn't any pressure. I can relax and have a little fun. Coming back is not something that crossed my mind."

The 34-year-old Sampras has never played in the WTT, a 12-team league that in recent years has featured such stars as Agassi, Steffi Graf, John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, Andy Roddick and Venus Williams.

Sampras will be chosen by a team in the March 28 draft and expects to play about a half-dozen matches during the July 6-26 regular season.

WTT co-founder Billie Jean King unsuccessfully tried to persuade Sampras to participate in the league while he was on tour.

"He's definitely someone that we wanted," WTT commissioner Ilana Kloss said. "We're just thrilled that Pete's going to be back out there, and fans will get an opportunity to see him again."

Sampras also will be appearing in an exhibition match at Houston in April. He said he's thought about working as a TV commentator, but he's not interested in coaching.

"When you retire, you take time away, you don't want to have anything to do with tennis. After two years of having fun and not doing much in the sport, you get a little bored and want to know what's the next chapter in your life. Last year was a turning point -- 'What am I going to do next?' -- and I had to make a decision," Sampras said.

"Playing in front of some people -- you kind of look forward to it a little bit."

yeah...congrats to roger federer...you're the greatest!!!

Congratulations to Roger for beating Marcos Baghdatis in 4 sets. I honestly thought that Baghdatis would win but chair umpire Pascal Maria's correction on the second set might have removed the momentum.

Congrats na rin kay Amelie. She may not have won it in the prettiest way but it is still a Grand Slam title.

Quarterfinals
Justine Henin-Hardenne (8) def. Lindsay Davenport (1), 2-6, 6-2, 6-3
Maria Sharapova (4) def. Nadia Petrova (6), 7-6 (8-6), 6-4


Hard to pick between these 2 great players.


Belgium's Justine Henin-Hardenne celebrates after she won her Australian Open quarter-final match against Lindsay Davenport of the US in Melbourne. Henin-Hardenne won 2-6, 6-2, 6-3.
(AFP/Mark Ralston)


Switzerland's Martina Hingis raises her arms in the air as she celebrates her fourth round win over Australia's Samantha Stosur at the Australian Open Tennis Tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan 23, 2006.

We will see tomorrow, if Hingis can win against Kim Clijsters .




On Men, you can count on Roger Federer, unless he gets injured.


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This year is definitely better compared to the last one:

MoRE:

TMC OPENING CEREMONY PICS:

Guillermo Coria and Nikolay Davydenko qualify for the Masters Cup in Shanghai on Thursday, leaving only one spot open in the season-ending showcase. Both made the elite eight-player field starting on 13 November when Australian Open champion Marat Safin pulled out due to a recurring knee injury.

The 2004 Roland Garros runner-up qualified for the year-end championships for the third time while the Russian will be playing it for the first time.

World number one Roger Federer, French Open champion Rafael Nadal, world No3 Andy Roddick, Australian Lleyton Hewitt and 35-year-old Andre Agassi are other qualifiers for the Masters Cup.

Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic and Sweden's Thomas Johansson are the leading contenders for the final spots.

Follow Live coverage of the Paris Masters throughout the week for the remaining two spots.

Federer fit to defend Masters Cup

Roger Federer will be fit to defend his Masters Cup title in Shanghai after recovering from an ankle injury.
The world number one had been a major doubt after missing the final three weeks of the regular season with a torn ankle ligament.

"A few weeks ago I was not sure how quickly my ankle would recover but now I am on the court and playing again," said Federer.

"I go to Shanghai with a fresh mind and look forward to defending the title."

Marat Safin confirmed on Wednesday that he will not play in Shanghai because of injury.


QUALIFIED FOR SHANGHAI
1. Roger Federer
2. Rafael Nadal
3. Andy Roddick
4. Lleyton Hewitt
- Marat Safin*
5. Andre Agassi
* Safin has withdrawn

The Russian stated on his website last week that a knee problem would rule him out and he has now informed the ATP.

Safin has agreed to travel to Shanghai for the tournament, which begins on 13 Novemeber, for promotional duties.

Rafael Nadal, Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi all have injury worries, leaving Andy Roddick the only qualified player without any fitness concerns.

Agassi has been inactive since losing the US Open final to Federer, and a suspect back means it remains uncertain whether he will play.

Hewitt could miss the event either to attend the birth of his first child or because of an ongoing toe injury.

Injured Safin out of Masters Cup
Australian Open champion Marat Safin is out of this month's Masters Cup in Shanghai because of a knee injury.
The world number five, who has been troubled by a ligament tear in his left knee since Wimbledon, will rest for the remainder of the season.

He has not played since losing to Robby Ginepri in the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Masters Series in August.

Translated roughly from Sina.com.cn from Chinese as follows:

Quoting Brad Drewett, as of today (Nov. 1) neither TMC Shanghai or the ATP has recieved official withdrawal from Safin himself. Safin has booked hotel room at Hilton Shanghai from Nov. 11. He will show up to promote some brand and the TMC in Shanghai regardless.

Federer, Safin, Roddick and Agassi have asked TMC for help with their China entry visa. Roger Federer will arrive in Shanghai this coming Sunday (Nov. 6). TMC in Shanghai also disclosed other players' estimated date of arrival:

Nov. 7: Nadal, Agassi
Nov. 9: Hewitt, Roddick

(sina.com.cn is the official TMC Chinese website partner.)

Sorry.. do not know any tennis courts near binondo but good luck though to your tennis lessons!

hi. am new to the thread. am not sure if i should be posting this here but maybe you guys can help me out...

am planning to take up tennis and was wondering if you guys know a venue near binondo that i can go to... preferably indoor.

there's one near our area (abad santos) but i was hoping for a court that's covered para kahit umuulan pwde pa rin akong pumunta... and hopefully no need for sky high membership fees.

thanks!

From Eurosports news:

I guess this is not yet an official news since it has not been confirmed on his official website, but I'm afraid it will become official soon.

Australian Open champion Marat Safin has not fully recovered from a knee injury and will miss next month's Masters Cup in Shanghai. Russian tennis chief Shamil Tarpishchev said on Saturday that Safin would rest for the remainder of the year in order to be fit for next season.

"This is the best thing for him to do, not to play," Tarpishchev told Reuters.

"He must first get 100 percent healthy before stepping on the court again. The most important thing is to prepare well for the Australian Open, where he must defend his title."

The world number five has been troubled by a ligament tear in his left knee since Wimbledon which also forced him to withdraw from the U.S. Open.

He has not played since losing in the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Masters Series to American Robby Ginepri in August.

The Australian Open begins on Jan. 16.

Safin's participation in the Hopman Cup, to be played in Australia from Dec. 30 to Jan. 6., is also in doubt.

He is due to partner Svetlana Kuznetsova for Russia in the annual mixed team event.

Here's a funny story:

Federer y Nadal antes de su semifinal en Roland Garros. (Foto: EFE)

Basel (Switzerland) - Two sharp but discrete knocks on the door of room 449 in a luxury hotel in Basel. Rafael Nadal, world number two, opens the door. "Hola, Rafa!" Roger Federer says to him. "Eh...! Hola, how are you?" replies Nadal, almost unable to believe that it is the world number one that is there.

Federer, recovering from an injury and on his first day without crutches, had decided to pay a surprise visit to his young rival, the man with whom he shares the domination of world tennis. Nadal had arrived in Basel an hour earlier to dine with the organisers of the local tournament, from which he had to retire because of tendinitis in his knees.

"Roger phoned me and asked me where Rafa was staying," explained Vittorio Selmi, the ATP tour manager. When I told him which hotel, he said right off: 'I'm on my way there'. "

Federer lives in Basel, which made the meeting easier, although there are not many sports where the number one has such an open frank relationship with his closest rival. The Swiss is the indisputable leader but Nadal, after a marvellous season, has equalled his eleven titles in 2005.

The Spaniard had just won the Masters Series Madrid on Sunday night, one of the most important victories in his career, when his phone vibrated signalling that he had a SMS. "Hola, hombre! Rafa, bueno tenis y Madrid! Muchos contento Rogelio por te". The message in a mixture of Spanish and Italian had been written by Federer to congratulate the Spaniard for his triumph in Madrid. Nadal is in the habit of calling Federer "número uno" or Rogelio, and the Swiss has obviously taken the nickname well.

Contact was resumed on Monday night. They were not able to talk for more than twenty minutes because Nadal had tournament obligations to complete. But Federer had time to ask him about how things had gone the previous week in Madrid. "It was very hard, I thought I was going to lose for most of the match," the Spaniard confessed to the Swiss in more than acceptable English.

Federer took off his shoe and showed Nadal the state of his ankle, still very swollen after the torn ligaments he suffered ten days ago. There was one topic that could not be forgotten - football! Federer once again lamented the fact that he had not been able to play in Madrid and had had to postpone his long awaited meeting with his childhood idol the Frenchman Zinedine Zidane.

"Are you going to go to Shanghai?" Nadal asked. Federer smiled: "I'm doing all I can. Next week I'll start to run a little, and then I'll try to play some tennis." "There is a glimmer of hope," said Selmi, thinking of the Masters Cup that begins November 13.

There was no time for any more. Nadal dashed off to the dinner - where he left a great impression speaking English much more fluently than he does in his press conferences - and Federer stayed and dined at the hotel. It was midnight when they met again, one on the way to bed and the other on the way home. They greeted one another again and once again wished each other good luck: the number one and the number two want to continue their conversation in Shanghai.

vr.com