Aces
Jennifer Capriati will be a part of the Swingtime “An Evening with The Stars” charity event benefiting the Tim & Tom Gullikson Foundation in Florida next month. The article does not specifically state that Jennifer will be playing in the exhibition, and as for her health and fitness, it only mentions the fact that she is in “rehabilitation”. (Capriati To Appear At Gullikson Foundation Swingtime Event)
Sania Mirza will be hiring a new fitness trainer, South Africa’s Heath Mattews, to help her with her game just prior to the start of the 2007 tennis season. (Sania ties up with SA trainer Mattews)
The Zurich Open has awarded Serena Williams a wildcard into the Tier I tournament. Fans should probably not hold their breath, but Serena has said that “. . .nothing should stand in the way of making my Zurich debut.” (Wildcard für Serena Williams in Zurich)
Svetlana Kuznetsova is the latest woman to qualify for the season-ending championships in Madrid. Justine Henin-Hardenne, Amelie Mauresmo, and Maria Sharapova have already qualified. (Kuznetsova Qualifies for Sony Ericsson Championships)
The Australian Open has announced that a record 20 million in prize money will be given out in January’s tournament. Also, this article hints that unlimited instant replay challenges may be used at the Grand Slam. (Record pay day for Open)
Faults
What is going on with Maria Kirilenko? She has only won four matches since June, and was dumped out of the Japan Open yesterday by Akiko Morigami in three sets 1-6, 6-2, 7-6 (3). (Japan’s Morigami sends Maria Kirilenko reeling)
Alona Bondarenko’s maiden win on Sunday at Luxembourg was not without its hardships. She had to pull out of the Tashkent Open because of knee inflammation.
The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour unfortunately still thinks that on-court coaching is a good idea, but now the world’s number one player, Amelie Mauresmo, has joined the bandwagon talking against the new feature. (Keep coaches off the court, says Mauresmo)
On-Court
STUTTGART: – Dinara Safina, Anna-Lena Groenefeld, Nathalie Dechy, Tatiana Golovin
TOKYO: – Marion Bartoli, Jamea Jackson, Gisela Dulko, Meghann Shaughnessy
TASHKENT: – Elena Vesnina, Galina Voskoboeva, Anastassia Rodionova
Be sure to check out the rest of today’s schedule at the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s Order of Play page.
