More Doping Talk, Serena’s Coaching Staff, & Dimitrov’s Shot of the Year
While Yannick Noah, James Blake, Todd Woodbridge, Serena Williams, and Maria Sharapova have been busy sharing their two cents on the subject of doping in tennis, we’ve been compiling the latest and greatest stories from around the tennis world.
Hey Tennis Fans, I’m Blair Henley and welcome to the Tennis Now News Update.
In the wake of Lance Armstrong’s doping related downfall, the discussion of doping in tennis has reached an all-time high. Just this week, Serena and Maria were asked their opinions on what many consider to be a relatively lax tennis anti-doping program. Both players said they think the ITF’s testing program is sufficient, with Sharapova citing the early wake-up calls she’s received from testers. And some of you may remember the incident last fall where Serena mistook a drug tester for an intruder prowling around her L.A. mansion. She proceeded to call the police and lock herself in her panic room.
Speaking of Serena, she recently revealed that she spent most of the nearly six weeks between the U.S. Open and the WTA Championships training in Paris with her coach and widely rumored boyfriend, Patrick Mouratoglou. But don’t fret, Serena is still being coached by her Mom, Dad, AND her long-time hitting partner Sasha Bijan.
Her coaching team must have the magic touch because Serena is 3 and 0 at the WTA’s year-end tournament in Istanbul with wins over Angelique Kerber, Li Na, and world No. 1, Victoria Azarenka. Serena and Maria Sharapova have already made it into the semifinals where they await their opponents who will be decided after play concludes today.
If you haven’t seen it yet, you must check out this absolutely unreal shot by Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in his match against Viktor Troicki in Basel. The behind the back half-volley was perhaps just as much a measure of luck as it was skill, but either way, it’s a whole lot of fun to watch. Dimitrov is still alive at the Swiss Indoor tournament along with the rest of the quarterfinalists including Roger Federer, Richard Gasquet, and Juan Martin Del Potro.
And now for the biggest surprise of the week: Rafael Nadal has officially pulled out of Paris and London. I’m kidding, of course. The announcement comes as no surprise to the tennis world, as Nadal already confirmed that his first match back would likely be an exhibition match in Abu Dhabi at the end of the year. As a result of Nadal’s withdrawal, Juan Martin Del Potro is guaranteed a spot at the World Tour Championships.
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