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Post by zgembo on May 20, 2008 2:13:25 GMT -5
ATP Singles Rankings (as of June 9, 2008) 1. Federer , R. - 6675 2. Nadal , R. - 5585 3. Djokovic , N. - 52254. Davydenko , N. - 3050 5. Ferrer , D. - 2905 6. Rodd**k , A. - 2405 7. Blake , J. - 2015 8. Nalbandian , D. - 2000 9. Wawrinka , S. - 1615 10. Gasquet , R. - 1595 39. Tipsarevic, J. - 888 100. Troicki, V. - 450ATP Doubles Rankings (as of June 9, 2008) 1. Bryan, B., Bryan, M. - 576 2. Nestor, D., Zimonjic, N. - 4693. Erlich, J., Ram, A. - 406 4. Bhupathi, M., Knowles, M. - 374 5.Coetzee, J., Moodie, W. - 295 WTA Singles Rankings (as of June 9, 2008) 1. Ivanovic, A. - 42222. Sharapova, M. - 3806 3. Jankovic, J. - 37554. Kuznetsova, S. - 3565 5. Dementieva, E. - 2750 6. Williams, S. - 2676 7. Williams, V. - 2606 8. Chakvetadze, A - 2541 9. Safina, D. - 2222 10. Bartoli, M. - 2035
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Post by zgembo on May 20, 2008 2:18:41 GMT -5
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Post by SKORIC on May 20, 2008 2:21:04 GMT -5
Djokovic is almost catching up to nadal, how long you reckon till he does? and how long till he becomes number 1 (which i think he will)
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Post by zgembo on May 20, 2008 2:24:59 GMT -5
Nadal remains the best on clay, so he will keep the number 2 spot for just a little while longer (Roland Garros, the French Open is coming up). By the end of the year Djokovic will be 2nd for sure though (he is better than Nadal on grass and hard-court, so he should do better than him at Wimbledon and US Open). So, Djokovic will be 2nd for sure at the end of the year, and maybe even 1st (if he can beat Federer at either Wimbledon or US Open).
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Anthologic
Amicus
"Lord of all Reality"
Ha!
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Post by Anthologic on May 20, 2008 3:34:57 GMT -5
Top 3 players will remain the same, nadal will take #1 early next year, then lose it to djokovic.
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Post by Beach Police on May 22, 2008 19:21:05 GMT -5
Here is what grand slam winners have to say: Bjorn Borg forecasts a rosy future for the third-ranked Serb. “He’s playing unbelievable,” Borg said. “He’s only 20, he can play on all the surfaces, and he’s only going to get better. Who knows, at the end of the year, he could be the No. 1 player in the world. It’s going to be interesting to see what he’s going to do at the French and Wimbledon. He really believes in himself, that he can win the French and Wimbledon.” Tennis planet 4-20-08 ------------------------- The good news for both Nadal and Djokovic is that Goran Ivanisevic is convinced that they will both taste the top spot before they retire. “Both of them will be No.1 at some point in their careers,” said Ivanisevic. “Rafa has been getting closer and closer to winning Wimbledon, and Djokovic is coming up fast. It’s nice when you have three guys trying for the No.1 ranking, it’s good for tennis.” Michael Stich agrees that they both have a chance, but believes Djokovic is likely to get to No.1 the quicker of the two. “Djokovic is the more complete player, and he’s capable of playing on all the surfaces better than Nadal,” said Stich. 5-20-08 ------------------------------------------ “I would still just about make Nadal the favourite to win the French Open again, but I think he is already playing at capacity,” said Thomas Muster. “He doesn’t have the same reserves that someone like Novak Djokovic does. There is still a lot more to come from Djokovic, and he is getting very close to the No.2 position now. Djokovic is very confident right now yet he still has plenty of things that he can improve, so to be at the level he already is with things still to improve and time ahead of him, it means he can go all the way to No.1.” --------------------------------- 5-08 Nadal wary of in-form Djokovic by Brian Murphy, 12 May 2008 Rafael Nadal believes it is only a matter of time before he loses his world number two slot to Novak Djokovic – and he is resigned to the fact that it could happen in the coming weeks. The 21-year-old Spaniard crashed out of the Rome Masters last week in the second round, allowing Djokovic, who went on to win the title, to close the points gap between the pair. The Serb lies in third spot in the world rankings and if he continues his rich vein of form at this week's Hamburg Open and into the upcoming Grand Slam events at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, he could overhaul Nadal. "The logical thing is that he goes past me here in Hamburg, or at Roland Garros or Wimbledon," Nadal said. "He's a great player and he's doing things very well. If I'm number three I'm number three. When it happens I just have to accept it and fight to get the position back." www.setanta.com/en/Sport/News/Other-sports/2008/05/12/Tennis-Nadal-wary-of-in-form-Djokovic/
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Post by radovic on Jun 3, 2008 14:37:52 GMT -5
Three Serbs in French Open semis 3 June 2008 | 18:14 | Source: B92 PARIS -- Ana Ivanoviæ and Novak Ðokoviæ are through to the women's and men's singles semis at the French Open in Paris.
Ðokoviæ beat Latvia's Ernests Gulbis in straight sets (7:6, 7:5, 7:6), and will battle for a spot in the Grand Slam's final with Spaniard Rafeal Nadal.
Nadal has won three back-to-back French Open titles, and has never lost a match in the Roland Garros courts.
Meanwhile, Ivanoviæ will play in her second French Open semifinal against the winner of the Jelena Jankoviæ-Carla Suarez Navarro clash.
Today, Ivanoviæ beat Switzerland's Patty Schnyder in straight sets (6-3, 6-2) in one hour and 15 minutes.
In the doubles competition, Serbia's Nenad Zimonjiæ is also through to the semis. He and Canadian Daniel Nestor beat Belgians Steve Darcis and Olivier Rochus 6-1, 6-4.
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Post by Beach Police on Jun 3, 2008 20:12:23 GMT -5
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Post by bob1389 on Jun 3, 2008 21:35:05 GMT -5
Ivanovic V Jankovic in the semis
Djokovic V Nadal in the semis
3 Serbs in the Mens Doubles semis (could have been 5 but Tipsarevic/Troicki lost in the 1/4s)
It's the Serbian Open ;D
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maki
Membrum
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Post by maki on Jun 3, 2008 23:58:46 GMT -5
Great achievement from our Ladies and Men and also our future tennis stars in the Girls and Boys draws.
Predictions: Obviously Nadal will go into the game tomorow night as the heavy favourite however, Djokovic has the experience of playing Nadal on clay versing him in a warm-up tournament before the start of RG. I Think if Djokovic keeps the pressure long enough on Nadal he will slip. Predicted scoreline of the outcome 6-4, 7-6 6-4 to Djokovic.. Bit biased I know =]
In the ladies semi-finals, I think there will be an upset once again. I think Jelena can actually beat Ivanovic if she serves a little bit more consistent through the match.
Your predictions?
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Post by zgembo on Jun 4, 2008 2:25:59 GMT -5
^ You gotta win 3 sets in men's singles. I expect an epic match from Djokovic-Nadal, a 5-setter.
Ivanovic is the better player right now, but I hope Jankovic wins. Her body is so fragile, she seems to always be injured. I'd love for her to win a grand slam while she is still young enough, and reach a number 1 ranking (for at least a brief period of time).
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Post by zgembo on Jun 4, 2008 2:28:33 GMT -5
Serbia is bursting out all over at French Open In tennis it's become Serbia vs. the world, and Serbia is winning, as Novak Djokovic, Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic reach semifinals at a Grand Slam -- again. By Chuck Culpepper, Special to The Times June 4, 2008 PARIS -- Every so often, tennis conducts an unofficial Serbia day, a day of Serbian ubiquity, Serbian excellence, Serbian panache, maybe even a few Serbian flags in the crowd.
The French Open had a Serbia day Tuesday, and it wound up promising two juicy semifinals that will be -- as if it weren't obvious -- Serbia-heavy.
"It's getting better and better," Novak Djokovic said.
"At least we have one Serbian for sure in the final," Ana Ivanovic said.
"I think we're going to be dominating this tennis world soon," Jelena Jankovic said.
She might have erred there, for you can make the case they're dominating it already. Of the 40 semifinal slots at the last five Grand Slam tournaments, a single, small, landlocked country slightly smaller than South Carolina and with the population of Michigan (about 10 million) has managed to earn 12.
On a Serbia day, like Tuesday, you might see Ivanovic and Jankovic, Nos. 2 and 3 in the world, win quarterfinal matches to set up a semifinal between them, their first in a Grand Slam tournament after two previous meetings in L.A. (split) and one in Indian Wells (Ivanovic), plus three others overall (Ivanovic leads, 5-1).
As if that weren't novelty enough, you might see Djokovic, consistently marvelous and marvelously consistent, reach a French semifinal set for Friday against three-times-defending champion Rafael Nadal, the official machinery of the 2008 French Open, putting away perfectly excellent opponents such as No. 20 Nicolas Almagro, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1.
"What happened?" somebody asked Almagro.
"Didn't you see?" Almagro said. "Well, I think there was a guy called Nadal on the center court, and he played much better than me all the time, a bit like a flash."
It's a testament, then, to No. 3 Djokovic's indispensable conceit, and to Serbia day itself, that Djokovic can see a match with Nadal -- who is 26-0 here lifetime and has lost zero sets this tournament -- and then start talking about various things he must do and say, "And then I have a good chance."
So that's Ivanovic, Jankovic and Djokovic, in the semifinals, just as at the 2008 Australian Open and the 2007 French. Remind Djokovic of this, and he corrects, "Plus doubles. You didn't mention doubles. We have like five or six guys in doubles. Four, whatever. Seven. I don't know, seven altogether?"
The doubles draw does show that two Serbian men will play the doubles semifinals, though not on the same team.
So on a Serbia day, in the Roland Garros players' lounge you might see some Ivanovic people sitting and unwinding at an outdoor table after Ivanovic has just won, while through the window at an indoor table Jankovic's mother Snezana has taken out a black magic marker and drawn a heart on Jankovic's bandaged right forearm, then added letters to make an "I ♥ Paris."
At this moment, while Jankovic smiles and seems, as ever, the center of happy hubbub, she awaits the quarterfinal that will put her through to the semifinals, and she does so just below a TV that shows Djokovic playing the fearsome rising Latvian star Ernests Gulbis in a quarterfinal that will put him through to a semifinal.
So it's logical that Jankovic would say, "You know, one of us will reach No. 1," and it could be herself or Ivanovic by the end of this tournament, what with No. 1 Maria Sharapova gone.
Sharapova exited in the fourth round, a fate that has happened to the three top Serbians only a collective five times in their last 18 Grand Slam appearances since the beginning of 2007, pointing up consistency as a national trait.
"I think the country has only positive thoughts about tennis now," Djokovic said. "It's the No. 1 sport. I'm feeling happy when I see the guys of my country, country-fellows, you know, girls and men, doing so well. . . . For such a small country, it's a big success. We represent our country. Yeah, we support each other."
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maki
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Post by maki on Jun 4, 2008 4:38:53 GMT -5
"You gotta win 3 sets in men's singles. I expect an epic match from Djokovic-Nadal, a 5-setter. "
Yeah I put a 3rd set in, you probably didnt see it. I don't see Djokovic beating Nadal on clay in five sets, if he is to win it has to be straight, but it'll be tough.
"Her body is so fragile, she seems to always be injured"
Yeah and remarkably she still manages to win. There has been speculation because she always manages to get up and win that she's faking her injuries in order to get an injury time out to halt the momentum of her opposition.
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Post by vinjak on Jun 5, 2008 19:46:19 GMT -5
My heart skips a beat when watching the sports roundup and I see any of our boys and girls and the Serbian flag next to there names. Ziveli
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maki
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Post by maki on Jun 5, 2008 20:05:39 GMT -5
Well, what a match, Ivanovic beat Jankovic 6-4 in the third what a thriller. I feel dissapointed for Jankovic though, she gives it her all out there and deserves to be in the final.
Zimonjic and Nestorovic are into the doubles final after a hard fought victory of the Russian pair. Zimonjic is also its the mixed doubles with Srebotnik. All we need now is for Djokovic to beat Nadal and we got a Serbian finalist in every event apart from the womens doubles =]
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Post by Beach Police on Jun 6, 2008 15:16:46 GMT -5
Tomorrow is the womens' final and the men's doubles with zimonjic. Let's hope Serbia gets two trophys..
Mixed doubles lost in semis. Also Vemic's double team lost.
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Post by zgembo on Jun 7, 2008 17:58:27 GMT -5
Serbia's gain as Ana Ivanovic takes titleNeil Harman, ParisThe Serbian national anthem rent the skies over Roland Garros yesterday and Ana Ivanovic managed to control her emotions. It is highly unlikely her compatriots were so constrained back home in the homes and bars of Belgrade. For the second grand slam championship in succession, Serbia had a victor on the rostrum and this from a nation whose annual tennis budget is half of what Ivanovic would earn were she to follow up this success in four weeks time and win Wimbledon. (Do not bet against it!) Hers is a remarkable story and yesterday's was a remarkable final. Though, on the surface, a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Dinara Safina of Russia indicates another in the succession of drab, nerve-ridden second Saturdays here, it was not the case. Many of the rallies were of punishing quality and distance, the tennis did not disgrace for a moment. It was simply that Ivanovic had the steadier game - and nerve - when it mattered. And how appropriate that Justine Henin, the Belgian who defeated Ivanovic in last year's final for the loss of three games, should have accepted an invitation from the French Tennis Federation to present the cup. The women's game has still to get its head around the fact that a player who had won four championships here should decide to retire when so much more appeared to be hers for the taking. But Belgium's loss is Serbia's gain. Ivanovic becomes the world No.1 for the first time when the new rankings list is posted on Monday and there is no doubt relief in political circles that she should reach that rarified perch as a grand slam title holder for the first time. Delight, too, that she is such a very nice person, who looks every inch the star. Safina will re-enter the top ten at No.9, and there is every reason to suspect that this is not the first time we will see her on such stages. Having defeated Maria Sharapova, Elena Dementieva and Svetlana Kuznetsova in previous rounds, Safina entered the final on a steak of 13 successive victories. Even when she trailed 4-1 in the opening set, there had been much to admire in her play, she did not shrivel in the spotlight of her debut in such surroundings. Indeed, she fought back to bring the scores level, only to donate the first two points of her next service game - and so much momentum - back to Ivanovic. The 20-year-old had to save two break points when serving for the first set, and succeeded with huge, flourishing forehands. It was that stroke, more than any other, that helped Ivanovic on her way but her returning, too, was of the highest quality, her athleticism in the rallies constantly meant that Safina was having to play shots from around her ankles in treacherous positions. There were two hugely critical moments in the second set. At 1-1, Safina led 40-30 and there ensued a rally that would not have shamed Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at their very best, coruscating exchanges, breathtaking 'gets' until Ivanovic played a cheeky backhand cross-court flick that caught Safina cold. Having broken there, to lead 2-1, a marker had been laid down. Safina did remarkably well to survive two break points at 2-4, a game in which she twice double-faulted but a lot of the energy had been drained from her. Ivanovic broke to love to win the title. Thanks to some welcoming arms in the front two of the president's box, she was able to clamber into the players' box where her family and coterie awaited. It was the first time all afternoon that anyone had had to help her. www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/tennis/article4087123.ece
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Post by zgembo on Jun 7, 2008 18:05:26 GMT -5
Ana Ivanovic's odyssey, Serbia's triumph By Christopher Clarey Sunday, June 8, 2008
PARIS: It was time for another French Open women's final, and though four-time winner Justine Hénin was still on the grounds, she was no longer on the clay.
This year, with Hénin retired and watching from the front row, it would be time for a new Grand Slam champion, and it turned out to be the same young, elegant Serbian who had let her nerves get the best of her against Hénin in last year's flop of a final.
Ana Ivanovic is a better, fitter, more composed contender now, and on Saturday, she filled the void at the top of the clay-court game in style by defeating the 13th-seeded Dinara Safina of Russia, 6-4, 6-3.
"Obviously the nerves were still there, but that's normal," Ivanovic said. "Last year's final was a great learning experience for me."
Ivanovic, 20, already was guaranteed to become number one in the women's rankings Monday after beating her Serbian compatriot Jelena Jankovic in the semifinals. Now, Ivanovic has her first Grand Slam singles title along with the top spot, and Serbia has its latest reason to organize a celebration in Belgrade.
In January, Novak Djokovic became the first Serbian man to win a major singles title at the Australian Open. "Going into today's final, I thought of it," Ivanovic said. "I said, 'Come on. He could do it. I could to it, too.' So it's something that for sure motivates, and I hope also many young kids will get inspired from us."
Ivanovic is a towering, fast-talking brunette with a trump card of a forehand and olive-skinned beauty that would not look out of place on a classical Greek urn. Though she has a friendly, upbeat disposition - unlike some of the harder-edged women's stars over the years - she had to overcome major adversity to become a major champion.
Ivanovic was part of the remarkable Serbian tennis generation that developed despite the internal conflicts linked to the break-up of the former Yugoslavia. At 13, she was reduced to training on a makeshift court in Belgrade that was in the bottom of an empty swimming pool: a court where the proximity of the pool walls made it inadvisable to hit the ball cross court.
Later, like Jankovic and Djokovic, Ivanovic became an expatriate as a teenager to take her game to the next level. Ivanovic, not considered a can't-miss junior, based herself in Roger Federer's home city of Basel, Switzerland after Dan Holzmann, an Israeli-born Swiss businessman agreed to fund her career at a time when money and opportunity were drying up.
"I met the family and 24 hours later, I made the decision to help," Holzmann said. "We had a great long night all together in my apartment in Basel, and we talked and talked until almost the morning light, and the next morning I knew I would be part of it.
"I have a lot of people working with me and colleagues and offices, but to hear it from a 15 year-old girl, so committed and so clear, that she wants to be number one, I was really impressed."
With Holzmann's support, approximately $10,000 to $20,000 a month in the early years, the family hired veteran coach Eric Van Harpen, who had worked with the Spanish stars Conchita Martínez and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario.
Ivanovic made her first major impression at age 17 at Roland Garros when she upset French star Amélie Mauresmo and reached the 2005 quarterfinals. But questionable fitness and a tendency to get tight under big-match pressure held her back until last year when, under the guidance of the veteran coach Sven Groeneveld, she rolled to the final before winning just three games against Hénin.
She would fail to control her emotions again in this year's Australian Open final against Maria Sharapova. "I had a few sleepless nights after that, honestly," Ivanovic said. "Part of me was already thinking about possibly holding the trophy, you know. So this time, I really tried to change that and don't think about that at all and just focus on my game. There were some moments where this thought would still come up, but I managed to control it much better."
This time, the Russian on the other side of the net was not an established winner accustomed to the pomp and circumstance of a Grand Slam final. Safina, the younger, 22-year-old sister of former men's number one Marat Safin, had never been past the quarterfinals of a major tournament until now.
But Ivanovic still had her own mental challenges. Though she has a full-time conditioning coach in Scott Byrnes, she has no full-time tennis coach, choosing to work part-time with Groeneveld, an employee of the sporting goods company Adidas. Groeneveld is available to help all players under contract with Adidas, but because Safina is also with the company, he was unable to give pre-match tactical advise to Ivanovic. Adopting a neutral position during the final, he sat in the Adidas box instead of Ivanovic's box.
Safina, who does have a full-time coach of her own, was in a less awkward position. "It was really tough for me not to have Sven in the box today," Ivanovic said." She has her coach and I didn't have a coach, so it was kind of also a little bit unfair. But it's just the system they have and obviously you have to respect that."
Though Safina saved a match point in the fourth round against Sharapova and another in the next round against Elena Dementieva, she could not manage another great escape against Ivanovic in this edgy, frequently entertaining final brimming with extended rallies and baseline power as both tall women put their reach and athleticism to work.
"I tried," Safina said. "I didn't have any more of that fire that I had in those matches. I was just, I think, tired, like also mentally and physically."
The differences were Ivanovic's forehand, slightly better court coverage and ability to attack Safina's second serve. The Russian still kept it interesting, however: rallying from a 1-4 deficit to 4-all in the opening set before Ivanovic closed it out. In the second, after losing her serve again early, Safina stayed close by holding serve in a marathon seventh game. But the effort required left her drained, and she ended up winning just one point in the final two games: losing her serve and the match at love.
Ivanovic was soon climbing into the stands to hug friends and her parents Dragana and Miroslava. Back on the clay, she was soon receiving the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen from Hénin, the Belgian who won it the last three years here before retiring suddenly last month, citing a loss of motivation.
"I really wanted to try and face her again here and hopefully be better," Ivanovic said. "But still it was great to see her there and, at the end, when she handed me the trophy she was really nice, and she said, 'You know you deserve it, so now it's yours.'"
Holzmann, his investment long since repaid, was among those tearing up in the stands. "Normally, I'm not a very emotional guy," he said. "But I know what they went through. It's tough to have a daughter, no money, traveling. The family lived on 500 Euros a month trying to keep everything working. And then traveling to all the nasty places, sleeping in cheap hotels and just losing first round and still going to the next place. It's tough. I don't know if I would do that with my kid, but they did it and were committed, so of course I was emotional about them being emotional."
It was the first French Open singles title for a Serb since the Serbian-born Monica Seles won here in 1992 while representing Yugoslavia. Seles was Ivanovic's idol: the big-hitting reason she took up the game.
"I had a chance to meet her and have dinner with her last year in New York, and it was very nice," Ivanovic said. "I was sitting there with her, and I kind of didn't know what to say. I was like, 'How can I ask her? I mean she's such a great champion, and who am I?'"
The internal dialogue presumably will be different the next time they meet.
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Anthologic
Amicus
"Lord of all Reality"
Ha!
Posts: 1,237
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Post by Anthologic on Jun 8, 2008 5:10:35 GMT -5
anyone else notice that Nenad Zimonjic looks a bit like a cigan?
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Post by Beach Police on Jun 8, 2008 21:08:21 GMT -5
anyone else notice that Nenad Zimonjic looks a bit like a cigan? Who cares? He wins for us and we really like him.
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