World number three David Ferrer has parted ways with long-time coach, Javier Piles, and will start the 2014 ATP World Tour season under the leadership of former top 100 player Jose Francisco Altur. The 31-year-old Ferrer, who reached his first Grand Slam final this year at Roland Garros, has been coached by Piles throughout his career. "After 15 years of hard work,…
Steve Johnson and Sachia Vickery each earned main draw wild cards into January’s Australian Open by winning a tournament they almost didn’t play. Vickery, 18, defeated fellow 18-year old Victoria Duval, 6-2, 6-3, while Johnson, 23, defeated 22-year old Tennys Sandgren, 4-6, 6-3, 0-6, 7-6(5), 6-1, in Sunday’s finals of the Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs at Life Time Athletic at…
Legendary tennis star and equal rights pioneer Billie Jean King takes center stage as the subject of the new play "She is King," conceived and created by Laryssa Husiak and directed by Katherine Brook, will have its New York premiere with performances Jan. 10-26 at the Incubator Arts Project (inside St. Mark's Church at 131 East 10 Street in Manhattan) as part of…
The WTA has announced that it will add an extra grass-court tournament in Nottingham, England to its calendar starting in 2015 to give players more time to gear up for Wimbledon. The ATP and WTA Tours had previously announced that the break between the French Open and Wimbledon will be increased to three weeks rather than two starting…
The USTA announced that it is awarding $65,000 in USTA Wheelchair Tennis Grassroots Grants to 18 wheelchair tennis programs across the country for the sixth consecutive year. Grants were awarded to local organizations that promote and develop the growth of wheelchair tennis and use the sport of tennis to build stronger, healthier communities. Among the…
Novak Djokovic has announced that Tennis Hall of Famer Boris Becker has joined his coaching staff as his head coach. Becker, a six-time Grand Slam champion, will travel with Djokovic and other coaches to tournaments, including 2014's first Grand Slam, the Australian Open. Becker will also accompany Djokovic to Dubai, Miami, Monte Carlo, Rome, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, Cincinnati, the…
Andy Murray is set to play his first tennis match since September against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi next week. Mubadala World Tennis Championship organizers say the Wimbledon champion, who has been sidelined since surgery for a back problem, would play at the hard-court event, also featuring Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. "Coming back from injury is never easy…
Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams have been named the International Tennis Federation's (ITF) World Champions for 2013. Djokovic captured the men's honor for the third consecutive year, while Serena was honored for the fourth time. Djokovic began 2013 by winning a third straight Australian Open and was runner-up at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Djokovic finished the season at number…
As a High Performance coach, I have had many discussions and have heard many opinions about what makes for a good practice partner. Some people just like to see a solid ball over and over so they can catch their rhythm, while others like to be pushed around by a stronger player because they like…
Japanese tennis star Kei Nishikori has enlisted the help of Michael Chang as he looks to break into the top 10 in 2014. Chang will join an will act as an advisory coach to the 17th-ranked Nishikori, with full-time coach Dante Bottini remaing on Nishikori’s coaching staff for 17-20 weeks, Nishikori’s management team announced Nishikori has been…