Roger Federer: Highest-earned Tennis Player from Sponsors

Roger Federer may not have played at his best this year, but money is still coming in a flurry to his bank account. According to a recent research done by Forbes magazine, Roger Federer earned $35 million from sponsorship deals over the last one year. This is the highest amount a tennis player earned from sponsors in the last one year. Though he has lost the top spot in ATP ranking, Federer does not need to worry for his earning.

Maria Sharapova takes the second spot in terms of yearly earning from sponsors. The Russian beauty queen earned $26 million from sponsors over the last 12 months, despite the fact that she missed half the season with injury. Now, guess who is in the third place? Rafael Nadal? No, Jelena Jankovic or Ana Ivanovic? No, not at all. The third place goes to Serbian star Novak Djokovic. The world no. 3 earns $9.5 million from sponsors. To know more about the earnings of the tennis players from their sponsors, read the article at Blic.

Ana Ivanovic Preparing for the New Season in Mallorca

The fifth ranked Serbian tennis star is currently preparing herself for the new season in Mallorca, Spain where she has recently bought a luxurious villa worth 4,5 million euros. The beauty queen also spent a day with her boyfriend, Spanish tennis player Fernando Verdasco recently in Mallorca. Ivanovic will again meet Verdasco in Brisbane before Christmas and the couple would celebrate the Christmas together over there. Both of them will also take part in the season opening tournament in Queensland, Australia, starting from 4 January. The two are not trying to hide their relationship.

Blic reported:

At the press conference held in Port Aventura, Verdasco said about his relationship with Ana: “We have known each other for three months, we are in no hurry, slowly getting to know each other better. The most important thing is that we are getting along well.”

“I arrive in Australia in mid December to prepare for the beginning of the tournament. I used to prepare for the season in Melbourne and Sydney, but now I have decided to see this part of Australia which I haven’t been familiar with so far,” Ana Ivanovic said.

Well, whatever it is, one thing is for sure that the two are in love and they are getting closure day by day. Both are young and in the process of improving their game on the court. Ivanovic won her first grand slam title in French Open 2008, while Verdasco recently won the Davis Cup 2008 title with Spanish team. So, their career graph is upward and who knows, they might become the next star couple in tennis after Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi.

Sania Mirza: Injury and 2009

It seems that Sania Mirza is not going anywhere. It is very bad for hard and for hard fans who expect a lot from her. 2008 was a disappointing year for heart and-son now dreaming that in 2009, things may change for her. Well, for that she needs to be in full fitness and she should focus more on her fitness Than her beauty. So, the main challenge for our hearts into thousand nine will be posted feet and play her best tennis.

Fashion in Tennis: What about Sharapova

It seems that the state’s all the attention of female tennis has been centered around Ana Ivanovic. She is what favorite female player among all the people and very few female players in any sports can think of the attention and popularity that she is getting. Well, it is a bad news for Maria Sharapova but who was extremely popular only even two years ago and was considered to be the most beautiful attractive female tennis player. No problem- but there is some good news for Maria today. She has been recognized as a fashion icon.

Ana Ivanovic, Vera Zvonareva and Agnieszka Radwansk Moved to the Semi Final of Generali Ladies

Ana Ivanovic reached the semi final of Generali Ladies tournament on Friday with a comfortable straight-set victory over seventh seeded Italian opposition Flavia Pennetta. Tournament’s second seed Vera Zvonareva also made it to the semi final of the tournament as she outclassed French opponent Alize Cornet 7-5, 6-1. However, fifth-seed Nadia Petrova failed to advance into the semi final of the tournament being defeated by third seeded Agnieszka Radwansk 6-3, 6-2.

Canadianpress reported:

Ivanovic broke Pennetta, last week's runner-up in Zurich, at 4-4 and added three more breaks in the second set.

"It was a difficult match," Ivanovic said. "I was never sure if I did enough to beat her."

Radwanska stayed on course for a fourth WTA Tour title this season by routing 2005 champion Petrova. The 10th-ranked Pole, who won only three games against Petrova in their previous meeting this season, broke the Russian four times.

Ivanovic could not shine in the US Open. Now, let us see if the Serbian can win the title of Generali Ladies. For both Vera Zvonareva and Agnieszka Radwansk, it is a good chance to finish the year with a title.

Rafael Nadal, Elena Dementieva Won Singles Gold Media in Tennis at Beijing Olympic Games

Rafael Nadal and Elena Dementieva won gold medals in men’s and women’s singles events respectively at Beijing Olympics Games 2008. Nadal defeated Fernando Gonzalez from Chile in the men’s singles final at Beijing. In the gold medal match, Nadal recorded a 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 victory to clinch his first ever Olympic gold medal. After winning two back-to-back grand slam tournaments in French Open and Wimbledon, Nadal was favorite for Olympic Gold medal.

In women’s singles, Elena Dementieva defeated compatriot Dinara Safina by 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 after coming back from a set down. Actually, Safina’s 17 double faults also helped Dementieva to bounce back in the gold medal match. Going into the match on 15-match unbeaten streak, Safina was favorite for the final, but Dementiena showed excellent performance to turn the match in her favor.

In women’s doubles, Williams sisters clinched gold medal defeating Spanish pair Virginia Ruano Pascual and Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-2, 6-0. Though Roger Federer, who came to play at Beijing as world no. 1 in singles, failed to win any medal in men’s singles, the Swiss captured his first Olympic gold at Beijing Olympic in doubles as he along with fellow Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka defeated Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson pair from Sweden 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3 in the gold medal match.

Related article:

Canada.com

Ana Ivanovic Losing Number One Ranking

Are you a fan of Ana Ivanovic? If so, then a terrible bad news is waiting for you. You know that after winning French Open, Ana Ivanovic became the number one player in world tennis. She lost badly in Wimbledon 2008m but it did not destroy her number one ranking. Now, it seems that she is going to lose the top spot next week to Jelena Jankovic.

CNN reported:

Jankovic will replace fellow Serbian compatriot Ana Ivanovic, who will have held the No. 1 spot for nine weeks. French Open champion Ivanovic was the first Serbian to achieve the feat when she took over from Russia's Maria Sharapova on June 9.

The announcement came after the 23-year-old Jankovic thought she had missed her fourth opportunity this year to reach the summit following her shock defeat by 19-year-old Dominika Cibulkova in the Rogers Cup quarterfinals in Montreal.

I am happy for Jelena Jankovic. She really deserves to be number one. She is serious and professional and focused for on her Tennis. On the other hand, Ana Ivanovic gives perhaps equal attention to Tennis and becoming a sexy celebrity.

A Different Aspect of Men’s Singles Final in Wimbledon 2008

There is no doubt, the final of men’s singles in Wimbledon 2008 was one of the most memorable matches in the history of tennis and with the Rafael Nadal’s first grand slam title win other than French Open, it is pretty much sure that Roger Federer’s dominance in tennis is now declining. If it is good news for those who want to see more competitiveness on tennis courts, then the best news for the tennis fans in general is nothing but the gentlemanliness of the top two men’s tennis players: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Neither of them said nothing against each other following the classic final at Wimbledon and did not make any allegation against each other. That is really praiseworthy. A true sportsman must have this kind of quality and both Federer and Nadal have it in them. This is really good for tennis itself too.

Related article:

Boston.com

Zheng Jie vs Serena Williams: Who will Win?

China’s Zheng Jie is going to face former world no. 1 Serena Williams in the semi final match of women’s singles in Wimbledon 2008. This is a historic match for China as it is going to be the first semi final of a grand slam tournament where a Chinese player will compete. The match will take place on 3 July 2008, Thursday at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon in London.

Serena Williams is favorite for the match on pen and paper, but you should mind it that the Chinese tennis star defeated top seed Ana Ivanovic, 15^th seed Agnes Szavay and 18^th class Nicole Vaidisova in her way to reach the final. So, she will go into the match full of confidence and Zheng Jie will have nothing to lose in the match, but has everything to win. Thus, Serena might be under pressure against Zheng Jie in the match. The only time Serena and Zheng met each other was in Wimbledon 2004 where Serena won the first round match 6-3 6-1. However, Serena Williams might find a different Zheng Jie this time around. So, I will not go for picking up a likely winner for this match.

20 Things About Zheng Jie

Zheng Jie now seems to be the emerging star of tennis world as the Chinese women’s singles player reached the semi final of Wimbledon 2008. She impressed the tennis world with her third round victory over top seed Ana Ivanovic, who won the French Open title last month. Then in the fourth round, she outclassed world no. 15 Agnes Szavay from Hungary and in the quarter final she won over Czech Republic’s Nicole Vaidisiva, current world no. 18 in WTA ranking.

Image Source:

Wikipedia

Zheng Jie will face former world no. 1 Serena Williams in the semi final. For a wildcard entry, it is definitely something more than special and Zheng Jie has turned into a big star of world tennis overnight with her excellent performance in the tournament. She has already proven her skill and talent in doubles. Now, with her top class performance in Wimbledon 2008, Zheng Jie seems to be going to prove her talent and skill in grand slam singles tennis as well.

So, it is natural that tennis fans are now excited with the arrival of another would be star Zheng Jie. It is for sure that Zheng Jie has already made many fans across the world, other than Chinese fans. Naturally, many of the fans are now interested to know about Zheng Jie. That is why; I have made a list of 20 things that you might want to know about this Chinese tennis star. The 20 things about Zheng Jie are as follows:

1. Zheng Jie is the first tennis player from China to reach a Grand Slam singles semi final in Wimbledon 2008.
2. On her way to the semi final of Wimbledon 2008, she defeated world no. 1 and tournament’s top seed Ana Ivanovic in the third round. She also defeated two top 20 ranked players in her way to the semi final. They are 15^th ranked Agnes Szavay of Hungary and 18^th ranked Nicole Vaidisova from Czech Republic in the fourth round and quarter final respectively.
3. Getting a wildcard entry in Wimbledon 2008, she stunned the tennis world by reaching semi final of the tournament. She came into the tournament with world ranking of 133.
4. She was born in Chengdu of Sichuan province on 5 July 1983.
5. Physically she is 1.64 m (5 ft 4+¹⁄₂ inches) tall and weighs 126 lbs. (57 kg).
6. Zheng Jie is a right handed player
7. Her current doubles ranking is 22
8. She debuted in WTA rankings in 2000.
9. Zheng Jie started playing professional tennis from 16 January 2003 and successfully ended the year in the top 100 of singles ranking.
10. The 24-year old Chinese tennis star is mostly known for her doubles success. Till date, Zheng Jie won two Grand Slam women’s doubles titles: Australian Open 2006 and Wimbledon 2006. In the same year, she was ranked 3^rd in doubles, her best ever in women’s doubles.
11. In both of her grand slam doubles success, fellow Chinese Yan Zi was her partner.
12. She won 11 WTA doubles titles in her career in total till date.
13. Though she could not yet win any grand slam singles title so far in her career, Zheng Jie has three WTA singles titles to her credit. These are: Hobart 2005, Estoril 2006 and Nordea Nordic Light 2006.
14. Her best performance in French Open came in 2004 when she made it to the fourth round. However, her success in U.S. Open and Australian Open are not satisfactory at all as she could never go beyond second round of U.S. Open and first round of Australian Open.
15. Reaching 27^th in WTA singles ranking has been her best ever ranking which came in 2006.
16. She has earned $1,815,339 as prize money in her career until now.
17. She tried her luck at Grand Slam arena for the first time in U.S. Open 2002, but failed to get into the final competition as she was ruled out of qualifying round.
18. The following year, Zheng Jie had three unsuccessful attempts in grand slam tournaments, but she could not play in a final competition of a grand slam tournament until Australian 2004. In her debut grand slam tournament, she got out from the first round. However, in doubles, she reached the quarter final of her first grand slam tournament, Australian Open 2004.
19. The win-loss record of Zheng Jie in singles, 223–128, is not something impressive, while her doubles record, 249–98 is quite satisfactory.
20. She is the gold medalists of singles and doubles events of tennis in 2006 Doha Asian Games.
21. Zheng Jie will represent China in singles and doubles events of tennis in the upcoming Beijing Olympics Games 2008.

There is no doubt, Zheng Jie has improved a lot over the years and is waiting for something bigger. No matter, whether she could win the title of Wimbledon 2008 or not, the sort of performance she showed so far in Wimbledon 2008, it is enough for the indication of a bright future of Zheng Jie. She is 24 now and I think, if she can continue improving her tennis skill and hold on there, it is very possible to have some excellent years ahead of her in career. I hope, she will be able to continue her progress both in singles and doubles events in the years to come.

Related articles:

Wikipedia

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Novak Djokovic Coming Stronger

Novak Djokovic is a very popular male tennis player. Earlier this year, he won Australian Open Tennis trophy. This was his best achievement. He is ranked 3 after Federa and Nadal. Now, he is trying to move along and become the top player. He is doing quite well these days.

Bangkok Post wrote:

Serbian Novak Djokovic is making up ground on the leading Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the ATP rankings released Monday after winning the Indian Wells Masters on the weekend.

Djokovic, who at the beginning of the year stood 1,465 points behind Nadal and 2,865 points behind Federer has closed the gap to 425 and 1,270 points respectively.

Australian Open Tennis: Coming Soon

Yes, just a week left before the start of Australian Open Tennis 2008. You know that it is the first major tournament of the year. It will take place in Melbourne.

If you want to know more information then you can read this detailed entry: Australian Open Tennis 2008: Some Reflections

Martina Hingis and Drug Problem in Tennis

Today, I was surprised to see that many people were searching about Martina Hingis. Martina Hingis is no longer a top name in female Tennis but she has been banned for taking drug. Venus Williams feels that drug problem is not a big issue in Tennis. I agree with her but I feel that Tennis officials should give more importance to this matter so that drug problem does not spread in this sports.

AFP wrote:

Venus Williams said Friday she did not believe drugs were a big problem in tennis after former world number one Martina Hingis was banned for two years for cocaine use.

"There are very few (cases)," the American told reporters in Hong Kong after her semi-final win in the JB Group Classic.

"In tennis it doesn't matter what you might take, it doesn't keep the ball in, it doesn't calm your nerves. It doesn't do any of that," she added.

Venus Williams Reaches Semi Final of J.B. Group Classic exhibition tennis

Venus Williams has reached at the semi final of J.B. Group Classic exhibition tennis tournament in Hong Kong. Six grand slam singles winner, Venus defeated Peng Shuai of China 6-1, 6-2 in the quarter final. The score line shows enough that Venus Williams reached at the last four comfortably. Venus will face Russian Elena Dementieva in the semi final whereas Maria Sharapova and Anna Chakvetadze will face each other in an ‘All Russian’ match in the other semi final match.

This is the last competitive tournament for these tennis stars to prepare themselves ahead of the Australian Open 2008, starting from 14 January 2008.

Related Article:

VOA News

Marina Erakovic in ASB Classic Semifinals

Hardly anyone knows the name of Marina Erakovic. But she has caused a major upset in ASB Classic Semifinals. You know that ASB Classic is perhaps the premier tennis tournament in New Zealand. The good thing is that Marina Erakovic is from New Zealand and she defeated the top seed of the tournament to go to the seminal. So, the home crowd are happy with this. They are hoping that Marina Erakovic can go all the way and win the title.

Read more: Kiwi in tennis heaven