Andy Murray returned to action Tuesday, in his first match since Sept. 15, at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open with a very convincing 38-minute 6-0, 6-0 win over 19-year-old wild card Mousa Shanan Zayed. Murray is now 25-2 overall at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha, where he won titles in 2008 and 2009. Murray will next face Florian Mayer in round two,…
Venus Williams returned to action at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand on Monday night, serving up a 6-3, 7-6(1) win over Andrea Hlavackova. Venus took a commanding 4-1 lead and eventually closed the first set out, 6-3. Hlavackova a 5-3 lead in the second set, but Venus battled back, winning 11 of the last 12 points of the match to…
On Monday at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha, it was world number seven and fourth-seeded Tomas Berdych who fell in upset fashion to Ivo Karlovic, 7-6(7), 7-6(4). Karlovic’s fourth win over Berdych in six FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings featured no breaks of serve. "It is really tough. I have played Ivo twice now in the past couple of months [also…
Maria Sharapova returned to action after four months on the shelf on Monday at the Brisbane International, defeating Caroline Garcia in straight-sets, 6-3, 6-0. Out since August with a right shoulder injury, Sharapova never faced a break point against Garcia in eight service games. "I think I was just really determined to get back on the court," Sharapova said. "It's…
Roger Federer has announced that he will work with his childhood idol, Stefan Edberg, for 10 weeks in 2014. Edberg will join Severin Lüthi starting at the Australian Open, which begins Jan. 13. "I am happy to announce that beginning in Melbourne, Stefan Edberg will join Severin Lüthi on my coaching team," said Federer in a statement. "Severin, who has been part…
Tennis Channel will bring viewers tournament coverage from the 2014 Hyundai Hopman Cup beginning Monday, Dec. 30, at 8:30 a.m. ET. The network’s telecast will include action from around the world as well as U.S. competitions and the championship final of the annual international mixed-doubles tournament. All Hopman Cup matches, which feature teams consisting of one man and one…
The Royal Guard Open in Viña del Mar will feature three top 20 players in 2014 with Nicolas Almagro, Fabio Fognini and Tommy Robredo set to play in the first tournament of the Latin American Golden Swing. "We've never had before three top 20 players," said Tournament Director Alvaro Fillol. "We will have a great tournament, and after last year with Rafael Nadal, this…
Serena Williams received yet another accolade for her phenomenal 2013 season, being named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year for the third time. Serena amassed some incredible numbers in 2013, winning 11 WTA titles (including her 16th and 17th Grand Slam titles at the French and U.S. Opens) and 78 matches (including a career-best 34-match…
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…