Murray the Madrid's Master

Madrid: Andy Murray lifted his second major title in three months by winning the Madrid Masters with a 6-4, 7-6 (6) victory over France’s Gilles Simon.
The victory in just over 90 minutes saw the big serving Scot fire 10 aces. The fourth seed became the first British player to win four ATP titles in the same season.
His Madrid success came just three months after he won
the first Masters shield of his career at Cincinnati. He also claimed the 2008 titles in Doha and Marseille.
Murray, who has already booked his place in the seasonending Masters Cup in Shanghai next month, encouraged Simon, who stands provisional ninth in the race for the last four spots in the eight-man field.
After both men knocked out Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal respectively in dramatic semifinals, the title matchup was short on major drama.
Murray made the opening move in the fifth game of the first set as he put Simon under heavy pressure with three break points. The Frenchman saved the first two but not the third as he reached for an overhead backhand, which put Murray into position to force an error and earn the 3-2 break.
The margin was enough for Murray to ease through as he wrapped up the opening set in 34 minutes on his third ace.

Nadal Ends Federer’s Reign in an epic thriller Wimbledon final

London: Rafael Nadal played the match of his life to overcome a miraculous comeback by top seed Roger Federer before ending his five-year reign in an epic Wimbledon final. In a match full of twists and turns, Nadal gave a final twist to the heartstopping drama sealing his first Wimbledon title on his fourth match point. The match, that lasted just under five hours, got over in near darkness at 9.15 pm local time with Nadal winning the nerve-wrecking battle 6-4 6-4 6-7 (5) 6-7 (8) 9-7. And when the golden moment came—-as Federer return hit the net on the final point—-the 22-year old Nadal fell to the ground even as tears of joy started rolling down his cheeks. Nadal then rushed towards the net to hug his graceful rival before running up into the stands to greet his overjoyed family and friends. Having lost the previous two finals to Roger Federer, Nadal had to endure two rain delays and a stunning comeback by his opponent before he could go ahead with his coronation ceremony as the new Wimbledon champion and also the only man after the legendary Bjorn Borg (in 1980) to win the French Open and Wimbledon. His victory also put an end to Federer’s 65-match winning-streak on grass and also his five-year reign as the King at the All England Club. The 26-year old Federer eventually suffered his first big defeat on the Centre Court at the hands of his nemesis, preventing him from becoming only the second man to win six consecutive Wimbledon titles, and surpass Borg to match Willie Renshaw, who played in the 1880s. In a match of fluctuating fortunes, Nadal gave the final twist to the tale when he broke Federer in the 15th game of the fifth and final set. And having endured the agony of missing out on two match points in the fourth set, Nadal couldn’t have believed his luck as Federer saved a third one in the 16th game. However, on this day and in this mood, Nadal was not to be denied his moment of reckoning. The Spainard produced a thundering serve and Federer’s forehand hit the net to signal a memorable victory for the No. 2 seed. Nadal became only the third player in the Open era to win both the French Open and Wimbledon back to back.

Nadal and Ana are Mr. & Mrs of the Roland Garros

Paris: Rafael Nadal produced a flawless exhibition of claycourt tennis to demolish world No 1 Roger Federer 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 on Sunday and win his fourth straight French Open title. The Spaniard was at his relentless best as he tore Federer apart in one hour, 48 minutes to deny the Swiss a career Grand Slam. By doing so, the Spaniard equalled Bjorn Borg’s feat of four consecutive titles at Roland Garros. The Swiss raised himself in the second set and had a break point at 3-3, but Nadal slammed the door shut and crushed a hapless Federer in the third to clinch the title without losing a set. The shattering defeat for the Swiss star meant that he has now lost 11 times in 17 meetings with the 22-year-old Spaniard and nine times out of 10 on clay. The Spaniard also topped the winners tally, hitting 46 to Federer’s 31 leaving the Swiss to admit that his rival, who didn’t drop a set in the entire tournament, is getting better all the time.

Ana claimed her maiden grand slam

Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic won the French Open on Saturday, her first Grand Slam title,by ending Dinara Safina’s heroic run to the final and crowning her elevation to the world number one spot in style. Ivanovic won 6-4, 6-3 as Russian 13th seed Safina saw her hopes of joining big brother Marat as a Grand Slam champion dashed. For the second seeded pin-up, it was third time lucky after she had lost both her previous major finals - to Justine Henin here 12 months ago and Maria Sharapova at the Australian Open in January. The Russian, who had spent two more hours than Ivanovic getting to the title match, endured a nerve-wracking start to the final being broken twice to quickly slip 1-4 down before fighting back to 4-4 with two breaks of her own. A year ago, Ivanovic suffered numbing stagefright on her Grand Slam final debut winning just three games against fourtime winner Henin. With the recently-retired world number one now looking on from the VIP enclosure on Court Philippe Chatrier, Ivanovic stopped the rot to break back to lead 5-4. The 20-year-old wasted a first set point but wrapped up the opener after 45 minutes when Safina, pinned behind the baseline, slapped a backhand high and long. Ivanovic, finding depth and power with her confident, accurate groundstrokes, broke a lacklustre Safina again to take a 2-1 lead in the second set which became 3-1 thanks to a love service game. She held another shaky service to lead 4-2 while Safina overcame her fourth and fifth double faults of the match to hold in the seventh game. But the battling Russian finally ran out of steam in the ninth game when she handed her opponent three match points with the title gratefully gobbled up when an Ivanovic return died at her feet after 1hr 38mins on court.

Ivanovic to meet Safina in French Open final

Paris: Second seed Ana Ivanovic won the battle of the Serbs in a thrilling French Open semifinal on Thursday and will play Russia’s Dinara Safina for the title on Saturday. Ivanovic also clinched the World No. 1 ranking. The 20-year-old Ivanovic defeated 23-yearold Jelena Jankovic 6-4 3-6 6-4 to reach the final at Roland Garros for the second straight year having lost to Justine Henin in last year’s final. She also reached the Australian Open final in January but lost to Maria Sharapova. For third-seeded Jankovic it was the fourth time she had played in a Grand Slam semifinal and the fourth time she had failed to make it through. The 13th seeded Safina had earlier defeated compatriot and fourth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3 6-2 in the first of the semifinals. In stark contrast to the first few games, Ivanovic was looking comfortable on her serve while it was a struggle each time for her opponent on hers. But all that changed in the sixth game of the set when Ivanovic inexplicably let slip a 40-0 lead to allow Jankovic to draw level at 3-3. She was broken again two games later and Jankovic served out to level the scores although she needed four set points to do so. Ivanovic had nervily lost her way and against one of the grittiest players on the women’s circuit that was a fatal mistake. Jankovic won the first two games of the deciding set to make it seven games in a row, but Ivanovic stopped the rot and got back on level terms at 3-3 by breaking to love in the sixth game. Another exchange of service breaks took it to 4-4 and two games later Ivanovic played her best game of the semifinal opening up with her groundstrokes to clinch the win.

rafael nadal wins Monte Carlo Masters

Monte Carlo: Rafael Nadal won an historic fourth successive Monte Carlo Masters title on Sunday as he defeated world number one Roger Federer 7-5 7-5 in the latest thrilling instalment of their epic rivalry. The 21-year-old triple French Open champion came back from 0-4 down in the second set to achieve his third successive final victory over Federer. It was also his ninth win in 15 career meetings with the world’s top player and his seventh in eight claycourt clashes. The last man to win four Monte Carlo titles in a row was New Zealand’s Anthony Wilding in 1914 but Nadal, who now has 24 career titles, is the first man to complete the feat in the Open era.

Federer wins first title of the year

Estoril (Portugal): Roger Federer won his first title of the season on Sunday when he clinched the Estoril Open with a 7-6 (7/5), 1-2 win over Nikolay Davydenko who was forced to retire in the second set. The world No. 1, who suffered glandular fever before the Australian Open, broke his title duck as he notched a 12th win against no defeats in his career series against the Russian world No. 4. The Swiss had won the last of his 54 career titles in November at the Masters Cup in Shanghai.

Sharapova wins first title on clay court

Maria Sharapova captured her first claycourt title when she defeated Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova 7-6 6-3 in the final of the Amelia Island Championships on Sunday. Sharapova win three titles this season following her success at the Australian Open and Qatar Open and improved her 2008 win-loss record to 22-1. She suffered her only defeat this season against Svetlana Kuznetsova in the semifinals at Indian Wells. Sharapova was pushed all the way in the opening set and eventually captured it 9-7 in the tiebreak when Cibulkova sent a backhand into the net. The Florida-based Sharapova cut down on her unforced errors from 26 in the first set to just seven in the second set to wrap up the match. Cibulkova, playing in her first WTA final, was hampered by a leg injury and received treatment from the trainer in the second set after breaking Sharapova for a 2-1 lead.

Davydenko and Serena wins at Miami

Miami: Russian fourth seed N i ko l ay Davydenko d e f e at e d S p a n i s h s e c o n d seed Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-2 in the final of the $3.77 million Miami ATP Masters Series Sony Ericsson Open hardcourt event on Sunday. Davydenko won $590,000 and his 12th career ATP title, his first since capturing the crown at Moscow last October and what he dubbed the biggest title of his career. Davydenko’s best Miami result in six prior appearances was reaching the fourth round two years ago. “For me it’s surprising standing here (as the winner). I never play good in Miami,’’ Davydenko said. “For me to beat Nadal in the final, first time in my career. I think it’s crazy.’’ Reigning French Open champion Nadal, ranked second in the world for a record 140 weeks in a row since July of 2005, had won both prior meetings with Davydenko but struggled from the start. Davydenko became the first Russian to win the Miami crown by despatching two foes in a row he had never beaten. He ousted Andy Roddick in the semifinals despite having lost all five prior matches with the sixth-seeded American.

And in Women's final Former World No. 1 Serena Williams successfully defended her title at the WTA Sony Ericsson Open by defeating fourth-seeded Jelena Jankovic 6-1, 5-7, 6-3. Williams captured her second title of the season, the 30th of her career and her fifth at this money-spinning event on Saturday. The 26-year-old American cruised through the opening set in just 28 minutes as Jankovic hit just three winners and made 11 unforced errors. The Serbian, who has been battling a cold all week, found herself in trouble over and over again because of a weak second serve. But Jankovic rallied to take the second set 7-5 before Williams, who struggled repeatedly on match point, eventually won 6-3 in a sloppilyplayed third set. Eighth-seeded Williams also won her fifth championship here, having won last year in addition to claiming three straight titles from 2002-04. Williams has amassed a 47-5 record during her 10 appearances at this hardcourt tournament, also finished as a runner-up in 1999 to sister Venus.

Nadal booked SF birth at miami

World No.2 Rafael Nadal rallied for a three-set victory over James Blake to book his semifinal berth at the ATP and WTA Sony Ericsson Open on Wednesday. Nadal, seeded second behind world No.1 Roger Federer, defeated Blake 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 as he moved a step closer to his first title of 2008. It was the Spaniard’s second victory over Blake in as many starts, following his quarterfinal win over the American at Indian Wells. Prior to that, Blake had won the first three career meetings between the two. Nadal earned the break he needed in the third game of the of the third set, and held on to close out the match in 1hr 55min. Nadal said the key to his changing fortune against Blake was a more aggressive, albeit riskier, stance. “I think just before I was running a lot, two meters behind the line,’’ he said. “I think right now I’m playing a little bit more aggressive.’’ In the semifinals, Nadal will face Czech 10th seed Tomas Berdych, who eliminated Russian Igor Andreev 6-4, 6-4 in the day’s other men’s quarterfinal. In women’s action, fourth-seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic reached the semifinals when Russia’s Elena Dementieva retired while trailing in the second set of their quarterfinal clash. Jankovic led 6-1, 3-1 when Dementieva, battling a back injury for which she received treatment after the first set, decided she cannot continue because of pain in her lower back. Jankovic, who had saved five match points in her battling second round victory over Sweden’s Sofia Arvidsson, booked a semifinal match-up with Vera Zvonareva, who beat Russian compatriot Dinara Safina 7-5, 6-4. Jankovic’s abbreviated quarterfinal echoed her experience at Indian Wells, where she reached the semifinals when American Lindsay Davenport retired from their contest with a back injury. The Serbian will make her fourth semifinal appearance of the year but is still seeking to make her first final of 2008, having lost in the final four at the Australian Open, Dubai and Indian Wells. On Tuesday, third-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova and American Serena Williams, the eighth seed and defending champion, advanced to the semifinals. Williams easily defeated world No.1 Justine Henin of Belgium, while Kuznetsova downed Venus Williams.

Serena beats Henin at miami

World No.1 Roger Federer rolled over unseeded Jose Acasuso 7-6(5), 6-2 in a fourth round match at the $3.8 million ATP and WTA hardcourt tournament here at Miami on Tuesday. “Now I feel like I’m playing well,’’ said Federer who faces American Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals. Second seed Rafael Nadal, who lost to Federer in the 2005 final, also reached the quarterfinals by beating 15th-seeded Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 6-4. Ninth-seeded American James Blake is through to the quarterfinals after claiming a 6-3, 6-4 win over No. 27 Radek Stepanek. Roddick will join his compatriot in the last eight. Roddick struggled in the first set before rallying to beat unseeded Frenchman Julien Benneteau 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Russia’s Dmitry Tursunov failed to move through as 10th-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych claimed a 6-2, 6-2 win in their fourth round match. On the women’s side of the draw, Svetlana Kuznetsova spoiled the prospect of an all-Williams semifinal. Hours after Serena Williams was victorious in her quarterfinal, Kuznetsova defeated Venus Williams 6-4, 6-4. Williams was attempting to capture her fourth title at the event, having won the tournament in 1998, 1999 and 2001. Younger sister Serena had held up her end of the bargain earlier on Tuesday with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over top seed and World No. 1 Justine Henin. Henin had won three straight in the series against Serena — claiming quarterfinal victories at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open — but was outplayed by the American. Serena, who beat Henin here in last season’s championship match, captured three breaks in each set of the 80-minute match. It was another tough loss for the 25-year-old Belgian, who was playing her first tournament since being upset by Francesca Schiavone in the quarterfinals at Dubai. “Today I didn’t make as many errors,’’ Serena said. “I stayed positive no matter what happened.”

Federer advances at Miami

World No.1s Roger Federer and Justine Henin advanced at the $7.54 million ATP and WTA hardcourt event here on Monday, Henin in straight sets and Federer thanks to an injury retirement. Swiss superstar Federer was leading Robin Soderling 6-4, 3-0 when the Swedish player retired with illness, advancing the world No.1 into a fourthround match. “There is a big difference between not playing at all and playing a set and a half. I prefer today,’’ Federer said. “I get the feel of the tournament playing a match and I’m able to handle the conditions.’’ Federer, upset by American Mardy Fish at the Indian Wells semifinals in his most recent prior event, will next face Argentina’s Jose Acasuso, who eliminated Israel’s Dudi Sela 6-4, 6-4. Belgium’s Henin beat Russia’s Elena Vesnina 6-2, 6-2 in a fourth round match to book a quarterfinal date with defending champion Serena Williams of the United States in a rematch of last year’s final. Williams, the eighth seed, beat Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi 6-3, 6-3 to give herself another date against Henin. Williams rallied to defeat Henin 0-6, 7-5, 6-3 for her 28th career crown. Henin, who won titles at Sydney and Belgium in four starts this year, fired eight aces to overcome six double faults in her victory. She is in her first event since a Dubai quarterfinal ouster. Possibly awaiting the Williams-Henin winner in the semifinals would be Venus Williams or Russian third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, the runner-up at Indian Wells. Kuznetsova, the 2006 winner here, defeated Israeli 16th seed Shahar Peer 7-6(4), 6-3, while the elder Williams sister, seeded sixth, beat Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-3. Serbian fourth seed Jelena Jankovic eliminated China’s Zheng Jie 6-4, 7-5 to advance into a quarterfinals date with Russian 10th seed Elena Dementieva, who ousted Germany’s Sabine Lisicki 6-3, 6-2. Also reaching the final eight was Russian Dinara Safina, who ended the run of US tennis mum Lindsay Davenport 6-3, 6-4. She will face either Japan’s Ai Sugiyama or Russian Vera Zvonareva. In other matches on the men’s side, Russian fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko reached the round of 16 by defeating Italy’s Simone Bolelli 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-1 and will next face Croatian wildcard Mario Ancic or Argentina’s Juan Monaco. Australian Open runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was eliminated by fellow Frenchman Julien Benneteau 6-3, 6-3 in another third round match. Benneteau, ranked 72nd, awaits the winner of a night match between US sixth seed Andy Roddick and Czech qualifier Ivo Minar.

Serbian duo reign at pacific life open

Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic delivered a sparkling Serbian double on Sunday, their convincing victories at the Pacific Life Open reaffirming their nation’s arrival on the tennis map. Djokovic, the third-ranked player in the world, had already become a national hero with his triumph at the Australian Open, where Ivanovic finished runner-up in her second Grand Slam final. On Sunday, third-seeded Djokovic downed unseeded American Mardy Fish 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 to win the first of the prestigious ATP Masters Series events of the year. Ivanovic, the top seed in the WTA portion of the 5.7 milliondollar tournament, defeated second-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 6-3 to lift the women’s trophy. For good measure, thirdseeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic made it to the women’s semi-finals, and Nenad Zimonjic was a doubles finalist. One wag quipped that Indian Wells should be renamed Serbian Wells. “This is something I think that we absolutely deserve,” Djokovic said. “We’ve been working very hard to throughout all of our lives, and this is just a crown for our work, and it’s paying off.” He said he hoped his success and that of his compatriots on the tennis courts would buoy a country that is now in some turmoil. “Considering the fact that our country is in a very difficult position, they are struggling economically and in politics as well, I just try to help my country as much as I can,” said Djokovic, who said he didn’t want to comment on the “Kosovo is Serbia” banner displayed by some fans in an upper deck of the stadium seats. The black banner was on view during Ivanovic’s match but had been taken down for Djokovic’s - at the request of tournament organizers. Kosovo’s ethnic Albaniandominated parliament unilaterally declared independence from Serbia on February 17. Most Serbs consider the southern territory the cradle of their nation’s history, culture and religion. Ivanovic, 20, said: “I don’t know much about politics, and I don’t get involved in that area,” she said. “You know, when I’m out here playing, I just want to represent my country in the best possible way. “Whatever’s happening, you know, it’s tough, but still, it’s very hard for me to say anything about it.”

Sania 31st in WTA rankings

Sania Mirza’s commendable run at last week’s Pacific Life Open that ended in the fourth round has helped the Indian ace gain a spot to be 31st in the latest WTA rankings issued on Monday. Sania, who battled a wrist injury through her fourthround loss to Slovak Daniela Hantuchova in the USD 2.1 million event, now has 917 ranking points. The Hyderabadi star has also gained three places in her doubles rankings, moving up to 22nd with 1830 points after the semifinal appearance in the Pacific Life Open. Sania and her American partner Bethanie Mattek had lost to the Chinese pair of Zi Yan and Jie Zheng in the lastfour stage.

Fish stunned Federer at Pacific Life Open

Mardy Fish pulled off a whale of an upset, stunning world No. 1 Roger Federer 6-3, 6-2 to reach the final of the ATP Masters Series Pacific Life Open on Saturday. Fish next faces Australian open champion Novak Djokovic, who ousted defending champion Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-2. Djokovic, the third seed, turned the tables on the second-seeded Spaniard, who beat him in the final here last year. Fish, ranked 98th in the world, needed just 63 minutes to roll past the Swiss superstar, who mustered just one break point and couldn’t convert it. The defeat leaves Federer still searching for his first tournament victory of 2008, the first time since 2000 that the 12-time Grand Slam champion has gone so far into a season without a title. Fish sent a shock through the stadium-court crowd with his first break of Federer in the second game. He held for 3-0 and never looked back, taking the opening set in 39 minutes. The American opened the second set with a break — firing a stinging service return on break point — and broke again in the fifth game for a 4-1 lead. Federer fended off two match points against his own serve in the seventh game, but Fish took a 40-0 lead in the next game to give himself three more chances, and claimed the unlikely triumph when Federer netted a forehand. Fish had lost all five of his previous encounters with Federer, winning just one set in the process. “I’ve had a great record against him, always controlled matches against him,’’ Federer said. “Today was different. He played great today, so congratulations. Fantastic.’’ Fish became the lowest-ranked player to beat Federer since then 101stranked Richard Gasquet of france beat him at Monte Carlo in 2005. However, Federer said that was misleading, since Fish has been ranked as high as 17th in the world in March of 2004. “We all know how good Mardy can be,’’ Federer said. While Fish had to battle through five tough rounds to reach the semifinals, Federer enjoyed a first round bye and then advanced from the quarters on a walkover when his scheduled opponent, German Tommy Haas, withdrew with a sinus infection. “I was a bit deflated yesderday,’’ Federer said. “I was ready to play against Tommy. But that’s not an excuse. Mardy played incredible.’’

Sania bows out of pacific life open

Troubled by a painful wrist, Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza fell 6-1 7-6 (4) to defending champion Daniela Hantuchova in the pre-quarterfinals of the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells on Tuesday. The 21-year-old Hyderabadi’s failure to cash in on a handful of game points set the players apart in the first set. Sania was a trifle defensive on the big points, which cost her dear. The striking Indian was up 40-0 on two of her service games (second and fourth) and 15-40 on the Slovakian’s serve in two other games of the set, but conceded the advantage in each of those games. In the second set, Sania started going for more and with greater consistency, but hurt her wrist at 3-2 when she played two forehands late. There on it was a struggle for the Indian with her forehand and serve against an opponent, who gives little away. Sania missed a couple of game points and the chance totake a 5-3 lead. The elegant Slovakian then broke in the 11th game, when her opponent double faulted, but dropped serve in the next game as the set drifted into tie-break. Hantuchova blasted out a 4-0 lead, but Sania reduced the margin to 4-5. That was as much as the Indian could manage against the title holder. There’s considerable swelling on Sania’s right wrist. The India number one will see how she feels on the morrow before deciding if she will take the court for her doubles quarterfinals. Sania and American Bethanie Mattek are scheduled to take on the second-seeded pair from Taipei — Yung-Jan Chan and Chia-Jung Chuang. Sania, who has lost to Hantuchova in their two career meetings, said she had been struggling with a sore wrist all week at Indian Wells. “I’ve actually had it for a few days now since we’ve been playing in the wind,’’ the 21-year-old from Hyderabad added. “In the wind, you’re hitting it all over the place and your wrist takes a lot of pressure. I play a lot with my wrist, on my forehand especially. Right now it’s very, very painful and I’m going to get an MRI (scan) in the next couple of days.’’ “Usually it doesn’t get this sore, so I’m a little worried right now. It gets sore and then it gets OK when I ice it,’’ Sania said.

Sania enters fourth round of Pacific Life Open

Sania Mirza staged a strong comeback to beat ninth seed Shahar Peer of Israel and advance to the fourth round of the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells on Sunday.
The Indian ace won 6-7, 7-5, 6-3 and will next face defending champion Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia in the Tier-I event.
Sania, seeded 21st, lost the first set via the tie-breaker, but managed to come back strong in a tightly-fought second set winning it 7-5. However, the world number 32 had an easy time in the decider as she clinched it 6-3 to seal the contest.
It was Sania's fourth victory in as many matches over Peer, her former doubles partner.
"I was a bit irritated with myself, because I was fighting, fighting, the whole time, coming back all the time, levelling up and then not going up or finishing it," Sania said after the match.
Sania has also made it to the quarter-finals of the doubles event in this tournament. The 21-year-old partnering American Bethanie Mattek beat Tatiana Poutchek of Belarus and Russian Anastasia Rodionova 6-2, 4-6, 10-7 to advance to the last eight.

Groeneveld Sania’s new coach

Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza has hired the services of top tennis coach Sven Groeneveld, who is also coaching the world number two Serbian Ana Ivanovic. The 21-year-old, presently in Indian Wells where she’s playing the elite $2,100,000 Tier I tournament, started working with the Dutchman earlier this week. Groeneveld, who has almost two decades of international coaching experience behind him, has worked with Mary Pierce, Michael Stich, Greg Rusedski and Nicolas Kiefer among others in the past. He’ll work with Sania for 15 weeks during the course of the year. Groeneveld will coach the Hyderabadi during Grand Slams and Tier I tournaments. He will work in tandem with her father Imran, who will manage her coaching full-time for the rest of the season. “I’ve been fortunate to benefit from the skills of other topnotch coaches like Tony Roche, Bob Brett, Gabriel Urpi and John Farrington,” Sania said. “I’m confident that Sven will add another dimension to my game. Of course, my dad will continue to be with me to ensure the continuity in my development as he obviously understands my game and temperament better than anyone.” Sania, who travels with former WTA Tour physio Renuka Pinto, has been on the lookout for a coach in the new season. Last year, she worked in part with former pro Gabriel Urpi. Imran, who has coached and travelled with his daughter for the most part of the last three years, said: “I’ve known Sven for a few years now. Two years ago, he had mentioned that Sania had the best pair of hands in women’s tennis ever. He felt he could be of help in her development, but at that time Sania was working with Bob Brett. I’ve been talking with Sven for a while now and we’ll see how this goes from here.” Imran added: “Groeneveld is a vastly experienced coach, who has worked with the likes of Sharapova and Ivanovic. However, each player is an individual and that is something Sven understands.”

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