Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray falter on bad day for big stars

(CNN) -- Rafael Nadal, the man who stood on top of the tennis world after winning his ninth French Open title last weekend, was brought back to earth with a bump Thursday.

The world No.1, so dominant on the clay at Roland Garros, was beaten in the first round of the ATP grass-court event in Halle, Germany, by a player ranked 84 places below him.

German Dustin Brown required less than an hour to win 6-4 6-1 on the grass to send Nadal crashing out of the tournament.

The Spaniard, playing his first match on grass since he was stunned in the opening game of last year's Wimbledon, appeared to struggle with the transition.

At Wimbledon 12 months ago, Nadal was beaten by Czech Lukas Rosol who was ranked 100 at the time in a five-set thriller.

And any hopes he would be given the chance to warmup for a return to SW19 were given short shrift by home favorite Brown.

Brown had only ever beaten one top-10 player, John Isner, and this result ranks as his best yet.

Nadal wasn't the only star to falter Thursday -- Andy Murray, who is set to start the defense of his Wimbledon title later this month, was beaten at Queen's Club in London.

Murray was beaten by veteran Czech Radek Stepanek 7-6 6-2 in his second match since appointing former women's No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo as his new coach.

The 27-year-old, who won the Queens title in 2009, 2011 and 2013, had won his past 19 matches on grass.

"I have only got myself to blame that I lost the first set," the Scot told the ATP website.

"I don't know how many set points I had, but quite a lot of them were on my serve.

"On this surface especially you shouldn't really be losing sets like that. For me, that's what's disappointing really about the match. Then, unfortunately, got broken in the first game of the second set. I couldn't quite get it back."

The 35-year-old Stepanek's reward is a quarterfinal clash with South African Kevin Anderson.

Meanwhile, seven-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer survived a scare in Halle before booking his place in the quarterfinals with a 6-7 6-4 6-2 win over Joao Sousa.

The Swiss ace, who has won this tournament on six occasions, will face Taiwan's Yen-Hsun Lu for a place in the semifinals.

"It was slightly frustrating at times clearly, but nevertheless I served well and kept on doing my thing," said fourth-ranked Federer, who lost in the last 16 at Roland Garros.

"It was important to stay calm and actually I think it gives me more confidence winning this way.

"I had to stay calm, fight through the match and find a way and then the last set and a half were much better. So, I'm actually pretty happy now."

source: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/12/sport/tennis/rafael-nadal-andy-murray-tennis/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Andy Murray serves up a sharp new look for new tennis coach Amelie Mauresmo

 Andy Murray’s new French coach Amelie Mauresmo appears to be giving him tips on personal grooming as well as sharpening up his game on the tennis court.

On Tuesday, the British No. 1 looked more surfer than tennis star as he practiced his volleys looking unshaven with an unruly mop of curly hair during training at Queen’s Club.

But the following day, Murray had undergone a dramatic image transformation for his new coach, as he appeared on court clean shaven with a tidy new haircut.

Whether or not it was the presence of a female coach, Murray’s girlfriend Kim Sears kept a close eye on the Scotsman as he won his first match of the grass court season against Paul Henri-Mathieu.

The Olympic and Wimbledon champion disclosed his girlfriend does not attend many of his tournaments, as he claims being away from one another was "good" for their relationship. 

read more: www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/andymurray/10893032/Andy-Murray-serves-up-a-sharp-new-look-for-new-tennis-coach-Amelie-Mauresmo.html

Tennis: Nadal wins ninth French Open

Trying to beat Rafael Nadal at the French Open is, without a doubt, the toughest task in tennis. Indeed, must be among the greatest challenges in all of sports.

The pressure he applies, from set to set, game to game, point to point, shot to shot. That bullwhip of a high-bouncing, topspin lefty forehand. Those quick-reflex returns that help him break an opponent's serve - and his will.

Doing what he does so well on the red clay of Roland Garros, a surface and site he dominates so completely, the No. 1-seeded Nadal wore down No. 2 Novak Djokovic 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 today to win his ninth French Open championship and fifth in a row, both records.

"For me," Nadal said, "playing here in Roland Garros is just unforgettable, forever."

It is also his 14th Grand Slam title overall, tying the 28-year-old Spaniard with Pete Sampras for the second most by a man, behind only Roger Federer's 17.

That includes two trophies for Nadal at Wimbledon and one apiece at the U.S. Open and Australian Open, proving he can beat the best on grass and hard courts, too. But it's on the clay of Paris where Nadal reigns supreme: He has won 66 of his 67 career matches at the French Open.

And since his only defeat, against Robin Soderling in the fourth round in 2009, Nadal has won 35 consecutive matches at Roland Garros.

"It's not impossible, but it's very, very difficult to stay with Rafa in this court, throughout the whole match, on the highest level of performance," said Djokovic, who was broken in the final game of each set, including with an anticlimactic double-fault on match point after fans shouted during the Serb's service motion. "It's normal that you have ups and downs."

Nadal ensured that he, not Djokovic, will be ranked No. 1 on Monday. And in the process, Nadal once again prevented six-time major champion Djokovic from completing a career Grand Slam.

"Sorry for him today. I think he deserves to win this tournament," Nadal said. "I am sure he will do it in the future."

Djokovic had won their four most recent matches, including on clay in the best-of-three-set final at Rome last month, but beating Nadal in the best-of-five format at the French Open is a whole other matter.

Nadal also beat Djokovic in the 2012 final, and the 2013 semifinals. In all, Nadal leads Djokovic 6-0 at the French Open, 9-3 at major tournaments, and 23-19 in total. No other pair of men has played each other as often.

For 3 1/2 hours Sunday, when the sky was crystal clear and the temperature touched 80 degrees (27 Celsius), Djokovic gave everything he had, even spitting up on court in the final set.

"I played at the maximum of my power, my strength, and my capability," Djokovic said, "but Rafa was the best player on the court."

Using his backhand to great effect against Nadal's forehand early, Djokovic grabbed the first set, and got to 5-all in the second. That is when everything changed. Knowing that overcoming a two-set hole might be too much even for him, Nadal raised his level, taking 20 of 26 points to claim that set and a 3-0 lead in the third.

When a down-the-line forehand winner ended the second set, Nadal leaped and shook both fists, his first sign of real emotion. Djokovic, meanwhile, was his usual animated self. He rapped his knuckles on his temple. He chastised himself aloud. He spiked his racket, drawing whistles from spectators.

"The momentum went (to) his side," Djokovic said. "I started playing quite bad and didn't move as well. Struggled a little bit physically throughout that third set."

That was apparent. His cheeks were flushed. He put his hand on his heaving chest. He wobbled and nearly fell over while sitting on his changeover bench. Later, he dumped water on his head and arms.

Still, after trailing 4-2 in the fourth, Djokovic made one last stand. As skilled a retriever as his formidable foe - Djokovic won 10 of the first 15 points that lasted at least 10 strokes - he came up with a desperation defensive lob that landed right near the baseline, drawing a netted overhead from Nadal to earn a break point. When Djokovic produced a terrific return that led to an errant forehand, he looked skyward. Now it was 4-all.

But Nadal steadied himself to hold to 5-4, then broke one last time. Soon enough, he was clutching the French Open trophy, his trophy.

source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11270263

Ex-tennis doubles star Bob Hewitt charged with rape

Mr Hewitt, who will go on trial in February 2015, has denied the three charges, Alwyn Griebenow told the Associated Press news agency.

The charges relate to his time coaching children in South Africa in the 1980s.

Mr Hewitt, 74, won nine Grand Slam doubles and six mixed doubles titles in the 1960s and 1970s.

The Australian-born former tennis star appeared at Boksburg Magistrate's Court, Johannesburg, for the first time on Friday.

He told the court he understood the charges, his lawyer told AP, adding that his client would plead not guilty to all three charges - two of rape and one of indecent assault - at his trial.

South African media report that Mr Hewitt appeared frail in court and was aided by a walking stick. 

source: www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27738159

French Open: Eugenie Bouchard’s star power helping tennis development in Canada

The new president and CEO of Tennis Canada flew to Paris to get a quick taste of the French Open, but wound up staying on account of rising star Eugenie Bouchard.

“She played brilliantly,” Kelly Murumets told the Star over the phone from France.

The 20-year-old Canadian tennis player beat Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro in three sets in the quarter-finals, convincing Murumets to spend another day in Paris.

If Bouchard is able to defeat her one-time idol and four-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova in the semifinals Thursday, Murumets will rebook her flight again without hesitation.

It’s just a small scale example of the power Bouchard holds.

“There is no question that Genie’s going to have a huge impact in our country,” Murumets said.

In many ways, she already has.

In January, Bouchard’s first Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open (which she lost in straight sets to Li Na) was the most-watched broadcast for that Grand Slam in Canadian history, said Vijay Setlur, sport marketing instructor at York University’s Schulich School of Business.

And even though she’ll play Sharapova on a weekday morning at 9 a.m. ET, Setlur said he could “still see it drawing in the millions.”

read more: http://www.thestar.com/sports/tennis/2014/06/05/french_open_eugenie_bouchards_star_power_helping_tennis_canada.html

Sharapova holds off Muguruza, will face Bouchard in French Open semifinals

PARIS (AP) -- This is what Maria Sharapova does. She digs herself a big hole in a match, then figures a way out, no matter what it takes.

She hits shots left-handed. Takes her time between points. Pumps her fists and screams ''Come on!'' after her opponent's mistakes. And wins.

Did it in the fourth round at the French Open, turning things around by winning the last nine games. Did it Tuesday, too, reeling off nine of the last 10 games to put together a 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 victory over 35th-ranked Garbine Muguruza of Spain that put 2012 champion Sharapova in the semifinals at Roland Garros for the fourth consecutive year.

''When you just don't feel like anything is going your way, you want to try to find a little door to get into,'' Sharapova said. ''Once you start feeling, you know, like you got your foot in the door, then it's a little bit easier.''

After beating one 20-year-old, Sharapova now faces another, 18th-seeded Eugenie Bouchard of Canada, who earned a semifinal spot for the second straight Grand Slam tournament.

source: http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2014/06/sharapova-advances-to-french-open-semifinals/51652/#.U4-f9ij57jt

French Open: Milos Raonic, Bouchard advance, Federer out

Milos Raonic and Eugenie Bouchard made history for Canada on Sunday as both powered into the quarter-finals of the French Open.

Eighth-seeded Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., dispatched Spain's Marcel Granollers 6-3, 6-3, 6-3, while Bouchard cruised past Germany's Angelique Kerber 6-1, 6-2.

"I'm not surprised to make by first Grand Slam quarter-final but I would not have thought I would have done it first here on clay," said Raonic. "I've always felt I could play well on clay.

"The key is not making much of a change in my game just for the clay. I've been trying to keep what I've been doing on the hardcourts.

Raonic will be the first Canadian man to play a Grand Slam quarter-final since Mike Belkin at the 1968 Australia Open. He is also the fourth Canadian man in history to reach the last eight at a major: Robert Powell (1908, 1910 and 1912 Wimbledon), William Johnston (1922-23 US Championships) and Belkin.

read more: http://www.cbc.ca/sports/tennis/french-open-milos-raonic-bouchard-advance-federer-out-1.2661187