Black Tennis Pros

Sorry for the delay in current posts. After being away from the site for so long, there is a lot of background housekeeping that needs to be done and I'm working on it now.

At the same time, I am responding to the emails that I have received and will get to each of them as soon as possible. Thank you for taking the time to write and for continuing to visit Black Tennis Pro's.

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Venus Williams, the No.4 seed, was forced to retire from her first-ever Grand Slam singles match, calling time on her third round encounter against Andrea Petkovic after just six minutes.

Williams, who injured her pelvic muscle during her gruelling three-set match against Sandra Zahlavova, began serving in the second night match on Rod Laver Arena, but was soon broken by a determined-looking Petkovic, winning just one point. And, having stretched and failed for a Petkovic passing shot, the multi-Grand Slam champion hobbled to her chair after the seventh point. Head in her hands, and consulting the trainer, she made the decision to retire from a Grand Slam singles match for the first time since 1994.

"I just obviously couldn't play. I mean, just couldn't move. Just too painful," said Williams. "The last 48 hours I did as much pain management and recovery that I could. I just hit some balls at 6:00 just kind of standing still. Just kind of warming up standing still and trying to give my best for the match.

You know, a lot times when you play, too, you get this adrenaline that blocks pain. But I just didn't get enough of that today".
"It's super disappointing because this is just not how I envisioned my Australian Open being. I've never had to retire from a Grand Slam especially after working so hard to pull out the match the other day. Just hoping for some magic that I could recover. I just wanted to give 100%. I mean when I think of myself and my career I don't make any excuses ever to myself or anyone. For me, it was just important to give 100%. I think I learn from experiences like this. If I'm not ready to play or if I'm still hurting maybe it's better to stop. That's just learning from life. I've learned now more or less what my limits are. Just learn from that the next time."

"When I come back to play next time, I'll be a 100%. So I won't be back until whenever that is. Hopefully, who knows, maybe it'll be for Fed Cup."

"I'm still pretty good, even when I'm injured. I mean, at the Open I came pretty close to winning that tournament just on a hope and a prayer and little to no preparation. Here, you know I was grinding. So I'm just going to focus obviously on getting healthy and coming back. Because I love tennis and I've got a lot of great tennis in me. I love my job, so no end in sight."

German Petkovic advances to meet Maria Sharapova in the fourth round.

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While I was away from the office my favorite former Jamaican tennis player, Dustin Brown, returned to the place of his birth, Germany, the country that he will now represent on the ATP World Tour.

As I was posting the Australian Open 2011 draw, I was totally surprised when I saw "GER" attached to Dustin's name. While surprised at the news, given Dustin's tennis history in Jamaica, an alternative had to be on the horizon.

In 2008 I posted my "Conversations: Dustin Brown" article, at which time he shared the following:

Dustin: In Germany at the age of 5, we lived beside a tennis club, and the coach there was also Jamaican and a friend of my parents.

Dustin: No, I don't receive any sponsorship from Jamaican sources.

Apparently things had not improved over the last couple of years. Dustin played his first tournament under the German flag in November 2010.

Hopefully Dustin will receive much better support in Germany, and is able to advance his tennis career accordingly. I'll try to catch up with him and get an update.

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After some very complicated early rounds, both Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils of France and the lone American female Venus Williams, have all advanced to the third round of the 2011 Australian Open.

Seven-time grand slam winner Venus Williams literally survived the onset of an injury during her second round match against Sandra Zahlavova of the Czech Republic. After losing the first set and in obvious severe pain that caused her to scream several times, Venus continued with the second and third sets of the match digging deep into her mental and physical tennis reservoirs to not only survive, but to actually eventually thrive and win the match 6⁶-7⁸, 6-0, 6-4. It was definitely a nail biter to watch.

Post match Venus stated, "I wasn't very happy, to say the least ... I mean, with an injury like that, you just don't know what to expect. I think what keeps me going is knowing that when I'm healthy I play really, really well and knowing that I have so much good tennis in my body keeps me motivated."

The two Frenchman had to take five to win their first round matches. Tsonga and Monfils both lost the first two sets of their first round matches, and though they had to battle it out to prevail in the remaining three sets, both gentlemen rose to the occasion.

Tsonga and Monfils opted for a lot less drama in their second round matches against Italy's Andreas Seppi and Portugal's Frederico Gil. Tsonga greatly shortened his match time and defeated Seppi in close straight sets, 6-3, 7⁷-6¹, 7⁷-6⁵. Monfils shortened his match by one set to defeat Gil in four, 6-4, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2.

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ROUND 1

Women's Singles

(4)Venus Williams, USA defeated Sara Errani, ITA
6-3, 6-2

Doubles

Raquel Kops-Jones, USA and Abigal Spears, USA
defeated
Polona Hercog, SLO and Petra Martic, CRO
6-3, 7⁷-6⁵


Men's Singles

(12)Gael Monfils, FRA defeated Thiemo de Bakker, NED
6⁵-7⁷, 2-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-1

(13)Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA defeated Philipp Petzschner, GER
4-6, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4

Dustin Brown, GER defeated by (25)Albert Montanes, ESP
4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 5-7

(Q)Donald Young, USA defeated by (15)Marin Cilic, CRO
3-6, 2-6, 1-6

Doubles

Dustin Brown, GER and Rogier Wassen, NED
defeated
Dmitry Tursunov, RUS and Mischa Zverev, GER
6-2, 6-3


Eliminated during qualifying:

Sloane Stephens, USA
Stephanie Foretz Gacon, FRA
Josselin Ouanna, FRA


ROUND 2

Women's Singles

(4)Venus Williams, USA defeated Sandra Zahlavova, CZE
6⁶-7⁸, 6-0, 6-4

Doubles

Raquel Kops-Jones, USA and Abigail Spears, USA
vs.
(10)Monica Niculescu, ROU and (10)Zi Yan, CHN


Men's Singles

(12)Gael Monfils, FRA defeated Frederico Gil, POR
6-4, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2

(13)Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA defeated Andreas Seppi, ITA
6-3, 7⁷-6¹, 7⁷-6⁵

Doubles

Dustin Brown, GER and Rogier Wassen, NED
vs.
Colin Ebelthite, AUS and Adam Feeney AUS


ROUND 3

Women's Singles

(4)Venus Williams, USA defeated by (30)Andrea Petkovic, GER
0-1 Retired


Men's Singles

(12)Gael Monfils, FRA defeated by (19)Stanislas Wawrinka, SUI
6⁴-7⁷, 2-6, 3-6

(13)Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA defeated by Alexandr Dolgopolov, UKR
6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 1-6, 1-6


ROUND 1

Singles

(WC)Jennifer Elie, USA defeated Lenka Wienerova SVK
6-2, 6-4

Ahsha Rolle, USA defeated Jan Abaza, USA
6-1, 6-2

Doubles

(3)Ahsha Rolle, USA and Mashona Washington, USA
vs.
Amanda Fink, USA and Elizabeth Lumpkin, USA

(2)Megan Moulton-Levy, USA and Courtney Nagle, USA
defeated by
Story Tweedie-Yates, USA and Natasa Zoric, SRB
6-4, 3-6, [8-10]


Eliminated during qualifying:

Mashona Washington, USA
Alexandra Stevenson, USA


ROUND 2

Singles

Jennifer Elie, USA vs. Galina Voskoboeva, KAZ

Ahsha Rolle, USA vs. Alexandra Cadantu, ROU


ROUND 1

Singles

(Q)Phillip Simmonds, USA defeated Pierre-Hugues Herbert, FRA
6-4, 6-3

(5)Nicholas Monroe, USA defeated (Q)Haydn Lewis, BAR
7-6(6), 6-2

(Q)Devin Mullings, BAH defeated by (LL)Lucas Renard, SWE
3-6, 7(4)-6, 3-6

Doubles

Marvin Rolle, BAH and Haydn Lewis, BAR
defeated
(1)P Herbert, FRA and Stefano Ianni, FRA
6-4, 3-6 [10-8]

(3)Phillip Simmonds, USA and Daniel Yoo, KOR
defeated
Marcos Giron, USA and Alexios Halebian, USA
6-3, 6-7(4) [10-3]


QUARTERFINAL ROUND

Doubles

Marvin Rolle, BAH and Haydn Lewis, BAR
defeated
Suk-Young Jeong, KOR and Ji Sung Nam, KOR
6-3, 7-5

(3)Phillip Simmonds, USA and Daniel Yoo, KOR
defeated
(WC)Diego Ayala, USA and Andrew Lake, USA
6-2, 6-3


SEMIFINAL ROUND

Marvin Rolle, BAH and Haydn Lewis, BAR
vs.
Phillip Simmonds, USA and Daniel Yoo, KOR

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NEW HAVEN -- Fairfield's James Blake has seen better days. Once ranked in the top five in the world, he now finds himself 107th, with injuries and inconsistent play being the main reason.

However, Blake is hoping the Pilot Pen again can be an all-purpose fix to his career. Not just to get his confidence back up, or move him up in the world rankings, but more importantly, to make the game fun again.

"It's a fact that I miss being on the court," said Blake. "That isn't fun (not playing), but being on the court and being able to play in front of my hometown fans is always a good time. I have so much fun playing in front of these guys."

The fun for Blake begins today as he is holding a tennis clinic and Q and A from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at the Grandstand at Yale as a part of Kids Day at the Pilot Pen. Tickets are $8 for those 14 and under and $16 for adults.

His mom, Betty, is even getting in on the action. She recently wrote a book titled "Mix it Up, Make it Nice: Secrets of a tennis mom." She will be signing her book at 12:30 today in front of the pro shop at the tennis center, and James will be right by her side assisting.

Blake will be facing off against Pere Riba on Monday at a time to be announced. Blake won the Pilot Pen in 2005 and 2007.

Injuries to his knee and hamstring and poor finishes at Wimbledon, where he was eliminated in straight sets to the 151st-ranked player in the world, Robin Hasse, and recently the Legg Mason, where he was bounced out in the first round, have kept Blake down in the rankings. However, he said he does not look at the rankings. They only cross his mind on one occasion.

"The only time I think about it is when I need a wild card or what I am going do for my schedule in the fall," Blake said. "Or will tournament directors give me wild cards, you know; not all tournament directors are as nice as Anne Worcester."

However, the injuries have taken a toll on the former Pilot Pen champion's outlook for the future. Blake mentioned retirement as a possibility after Wimbledon, but Saturday said he has not seriously contemplated it. In spite of that, he is aware that the end could come at any time.

"I don't look at a definite timeline," Blake said. "Since '04 when I was sick (with the shingles), I always thought that I have a finite career. ... I've always thought there would be a life after tennis, whether it's in tennis or out, or back in school. I've always thought about that. But I haven't set a time when we're going to plan a retirement party."

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The USTA announced that the US Open Qualifying Tournament will be held August 24-27 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the site of the 2010 US Open. The tournament, which offers $1 million in prize money, is free and open to the public with play beginning daily at 11 a.m. It will feature a men's and women's draw of 128 players each, with 16 men and 16 women advancing to the main draw of the US Open, held August 30-September 12.

Players scheduled to compete in this year's qualifying run the gamut from former Grand Slam doubles champions to an Olympic gold medal winner to mothers to rising juniors looking for a chance on one of tennis' biggest stages.

The field is also expected to include the winners of the inaugural US Open National Playoffs, which gave anyone age 14 and over the opportunity to receive a wild card into the 2010 US Open Qualifying Tournament. Blake Strode, 23, of St. Louis, who won the Men's Championship, deferred Harvard Law School in 2009 to pursue a professional tennis career and competed in the 2009 US Open Qualifying Tournament, where he lost in the first round. He grew into tennis as a member of his local National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) chapter in Ferguson, Mo., and developed into an All-American for the University of Arkansas, where he was also a two-time SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

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Two-time US Open quarterfinalist James Blake (Tampa, Fla.) and a talented group of Americans consisting of Bradley Klahn (Poway, Calif.), Jack Sock (Lincoln, Neb.), Ryan Sweeting (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), and Donald Young (Atlanta), along with two international players -- Australian Carsten Ball and Guillaume Rufin of France -- have been awarded men's singles main-draw wild-card entries into the 2010 US Open Tennis Championships. One additional wild card will be given to the winner of the 2010 US Open Wild Card Playoffs, held August 18-20 at the USTA Player Development Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla. The 2010 US Open will be played August 30 - September 12 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.

Both the men's and women's US Open singles champions will earn $1.7 million, with the ability to earn an additional $1 million in bonus prize money (for a total potential payout of $2.7 million) based on their performance in the 2010 Olympus US Open Series. The US Open Men's Singles Championship is presented by Mercedes-Benz USA. Blake, 30, of Tampa, Fla., has won 10 career singles titles on the ATP World Tour and reached a career-high of No. 4 in 2006. He reached consecutive quarterfinals at the US Open in 2005-06, and in 2008 he upset Roger Federer en route to a fourth place finish at the Beijing Olympics. A long-time Davis Cup stalwart, Blake helped lead the U.S. to the 2007 Davis Cup title. Blake, who grew up in nearby Fairfield, Conn., has been hampered by injuries in 2010 and is currently No. 107. Blake last received a US Open wild card in 2005, when he was also ranked No. 107 at the time of the entry deadline. His quarterfinal finish that year ranks second all-time for best US Open finish by a wild card.

Young, 21, of Atlanta is ranked No. 101 and has bounced back in 2010 to approach the Top 100 for the first time since 2008, reaching the semifinals or better at six USTA Pro Circuit Challengers and advancing to the second round at the Australian Open. He first broke into the Top 100 in 2007 by reaching the third round at the US Open. As a junior standout, Young was a two-time junior Grand Slam tournament champion (2005 Australian Open, 2007 Wimbledon) and in 2005 became the youngest-ever year-end world junior No. 1.

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