McIntyre Tennis

Sharapova Shocks Tennis World With Positive Drug Test Result

By Tia Ko

Maria Sharapova, former world number one, revealed at press conference on Monday in LA that she failed a drug test after her run during the Australian Open back in January. She tested positive for meldonium (also known as mildronate), a drug that was newly banned beginning January 1, 2016 and one that she had been taking for the past ten years. The drug was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list “…[B]ecause of evidence of its use by athletes with the intention of enhancing performance."

The drug was designed to treat ischemia, a condition where there is a reduction in blood supply to body tissue. Patients with diabetes and heart-related diseases also use it as it increases the flow of oxygen to muscles and organs. Meldonium is mainly produced and used in Eastern Europe and according to Latvian manufacturers, when prescribed for medical use, it’s only used for four to six weeks; a much shorter period than Maria’s ten year treatment.

Maria said that she took the drug for a decade because of her magnesium deficiency and family history of diabetes. She was unaware that meldonium was newly banned despite receiving numerous notifications from the WTA and ITF and accepts “full responsibility” for taking the substance. Some of the performance enhancing effects of meldonium include: decreased levels of lactate in blood, increased levels of glycogen in cells during long-lasting exercise, improved heart activity, increased physical work capabilities, and increased rate of recovery.

As a result of her announcement, Nike ended her eight-year sponsorship contract that was renewed in 2010 stating, “"We are saddened and surprised by the news about Maria Sharapova. We have decided to suspend our relationship with Maria while the investigation continues. We will continue to monitor the situation." It was her biggest endorsement deal equaling $8.75 million per year.

Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer also ended ties on Tuesday saying, “Maria Sharapova was under contract with TAG Heuer until December 31, 2015. We had been in talks to extend our collaboration. In view of the current situation, the Swiss watch brand has suspended negotiations and has decided not to renew the contract.” The contract was worth approximately $2.8 million.

A third partner, Porsche, also stated that it would wait until further details are released so that it can analyze the situation; in the meantime, however, the luxury car company will not be pursuing future activities. Other sponsors including Head, Evian, Avon Products and American Express have yet to comment on their relationship with Maria.

On Wednesday, Maria said in a statement on Facebook, “In this moment, I am so proud to call you my fans. Within hours of my announcement, you showed me support and loyalty, which I could only expect to hear when someone would be at the top of their profession. I wanted to let you know that your wonderful words put a smile on my face. I'd like to play again and hope to have the chance to do so. Your messages give me great encouragement.” Fans around the world expressed their support for the Russian player with the hashtags #IStandWithMaria and #LetMariaPlay.

Beginning March 12, 2016 Maria will be provisionally suspended from playing professional tennis. A two year suspension is the minimum ruling for unintentional drug use and four years is the maximum for intentional use.

Australian Open Women's Quarterfinal Preview

By Tia Ko

Serena Williams (1) vs. Maria Sharapova (5)

Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova will meet for the 21^st time Tuesday afternoon in Melbourne where they will compete for a semi-final spot in the Australian Open. It will be the first time the two have met prior to the semifinals at a Grand Slam since Wimbledon in 2010. Statistically speaking, Sharapova doesn’t have a very good chance of winning this match considering she hasn’t beaten Williams since the WTA Championships back in 2004. Since then, Williams has gone 17-0 with her last victory over Sharapova occurring during the semifinals of Wimbledon last year 6-2 6-4. Serena’s road to the quarterfinals has been pretty smooth sailing despite not having played competitive tennis since her devastating defeat at the US Open in September. In her last four matches combined, her opponents have only managed to win 17 games to Serena’s 49 with her toughest match coming in the first round against Camila Giorgi 6-4, 7-5. After that, she was victorious over Su-Wei Hsieh, Daria Kasatkina, and Margarita Gasparyan.

Maria Sharapova’s route to the quarterfinals has also been straightforward except for her third round where it went to a deciding set against the American Lauren Davis 6-1 6-7(5) 6-0. She also beat Nao Hibino, Aliaksandra, and Belina Bencic. When asked about her upcoming match, “It’s not like I think about what I can do worse,” Sharapova said. “Always trying to improve. I got myself into the quarterfinal of a Grand Slam. There is no reason I shouldn’t be looking to improve and to getting my game in a better position than any other previous round. It’s only going to be tougher, especially against Serena.”

Agnieszka Radwanksa (4) vs. Carla Suarez Navarro (10)

Agnieszka Radwanksa and Carla Suarez Navarro have only met three times but their past two encounters have gone the distance. The last time they met was last year at the Miami Masters where the Spaniard won 5-7 6-0 6-4 in the quarterfinals. Head-to-head, Radwanska leads 2-1. In Radwanska’s fourth round match, she was two points away from being defeated by Anna-Lena Friedsam 4-5 in the third set; however the German ended up getting leg cramps late in the match and failed to get into the rallies thereafter. Radwanska was able break and serve out her game winning 6-7 (6), 6-2, 7-5. Radwanska also beat Christina McHale, Eugenie Bouchard, and Monica Puig on her way to the quarters.

Carla Suarez Navarro seeded no. 10 disappointed hopeful Australians when she beat the new hometown hero Daria Gavrilova in the fourth round. Gavrilova, who originally represented Russia but emigrated to Australia last year, took the first set easily 6-0 but was unable to stay focused and ended up losing to Suarez Navarro 0-6 6-3 6-2. The Spaniard defeated Viktorija Golubic, Maria Sakkari, and Elizaveta.

Angelique Kerber (7) vs. Victoria Azarenka (14)

Victoria Azarenka leads their head-to-head 6-0. Will the higher seeded Angelique Kerber be able to finally take a match from the Belarusian? These two met just a few weeks ago in the finals in Brisbane where Vika won easily 6-3 6-1. Azarenka is a two-time champion having won in both 2012 and 2013 and is currently a favorite to win a third title down under. The German Kerber is looking to reach her best result at a Grand Slam since her semifinal performance back at Wimbledon in 2012. Kerber beat Misaki Doi, Alexandra Dulgheru, Madison Bregle, and Annika Beck on her way to the quarters. Vika was victorious against Alison Van Uytvanck, Danka Kovinic, Naomi Osaka, and Barbora Strycova on her route to the last 8. 

Johanna Konta vs. Shuai Zhang

We’re witnessing the success story of Zhang Shuai, the first women’s qualifier to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals in 26 years. This has been the first time the 133rd ranked 27 year old Chinese player has made it past the first round of a Grand Slam much less the fourth! She will be playing against 47^th ranked Johanna Konta. The two met only twice: once in the 2012 US Open qualifiers with Konta coming out on top 6-4 3-6 7-5 and once in 2013 during the Guangzhou, China tournament with the Chinese countrywoman winning 7-5 6-3. Both players created huge upsets as they made their way to the quarters most notable Zhang beating no. 2 seed Simona Halep, Alize Cornet, Varvara Lepchenko, and Madison Keys. Konta upset no. 8 seed Venus Williams in the first round then Saisai Zheng, Denisa Allertova, and Ekaterina Makarova. 

Federer and Nadal to faceoff in Basel Finals

By Tia Ko

Nadal

1^st Round: Nadal d. Rosol 1-6 7-5 7-6

2^nd Round: Nadal d. Dimitrov 6-4 4-6 6-3

Quarterfinals: Nadal d. Cilic 4-6 6-3 6-3

Semifinals: Nadal d. Gasquet 6-4 7-6

When the going got tough in Basel, Rafael Nadal was able to find an extra gear. Every match was physically and mentally demanding for the 3^rd seed who played three sets in 3 out of 4 of his matches this week. It’s a grind each time he plays but that’s just the Spaniard’s style. Early in the opening set, Nadal missed an easy overhead smash which led to a break for Gasquet to lead 2-0. Nadal was able to break back and his movement on the court was more fluid; he was moving forward every opportunity and putting pressure on Gasquet’s forehand. He went to the net 21 times. Nadal took the first set 6-4. The second set put Nadal in a bit of trouble as Gasquet was able to hit with him from the baseline and take short balls early. Gasquet broke and was serving for the second set but he ended up double faulting and giving Nadal the break back. In the tie-break, the Frenchman was also up 6-4 but Nadal came up with some amazing winners to win 9-7. With that loss, Gasquet is officially out of the run for the ATP World Tour Finals and the top eight have been determined with David Ferrer and Kei Nishikori taking the last two spots.

Federer

1^st Round: Federer d. Kukushkin 6-1 6-2

2^nd Round: Federer d. Kohlschreiber 6-4 4-6 6-4

Quarterfinals: Federer d. Goffin 6-3 3-6 6-1

Semifinals: Federer d. Sock 6-3 6-4

Federer was able to break and consolidate early in the first set 4-1. Federer had a chance to take the first set on Sock’s serve when the American was down 0-30 on his serve but after three errors and an ace, Sock was able to hold. Federer served out the first set to win 6-3. His first serve percentage was the best it was all week at 74% while winning 87% of the points on it. The Swiss also had 11 winners vs. 3 from Sock. Federer was up at the net a lot as well winning 9/9 attempts. Federer got another break in the second set to serve at 2-1. Roger used the SABR to go up 30-15 on Sock’s serve and went on to break him to go up 4-1. The unseeded Sock was able to get one of those breaks back to serve at 3-5 but still trailed 4-5. Roger would have another chance to serve out the match and this time he didn’t let it slip off his racquet; he won the second set 6-4. 

This will be the first time that Nadal and Federer have played against each other since the Australian Open semifinals back in 2014. Nadal has won 9 of the last 11 meetings and form has undoubtedly improved over the past month, as he was able to reach the finals in Beijing during the China Open and the semifinals in Shanghai. Will Roger be able to get one of those back tomorrow? He’s in his hometown of Basel and will be eyeing his eighth title before heading to Paris for the BNP Masters next week.

Serena Williams Takes the Rest of the Year Off

By Tia Ko

I was pretty disappointed to hear that Serena Williams decided to take the rest of the year off after withdrawing from the China Open in Beijing this week and the WTA Finals in Singapore later this month. In a statement it says that she needs the time to recover from reoccurring injuries but I have to wonder if she's taking the time to emotionally recover from that devastating loss to Roberta Vinci last month.

"It’s no secret I’ve played injured most of the year — whether it was my elbow, my knee or, in the final moments after a certain match in Flushing, my heart."

Vinci beat Serena in the semi-finals of the US Open causing one of the biggest upsets in the history of the sport. Serena was on her way to achieving one of the biggest accomplishments in tennis, the calendar grand slam, but couldn't come up with the shots to take out the Italian veteran.

Serena's coach Patrick Mouratoglou said he wants her to play when she has the right motivation, "Any loss is very painful for her, but this one even more than usual. So it just takes time to recover from it, and when the motivation comes back, which I don't doubt it will, then it will be time to start tournaments again."

Serena doesn't have too much too lose from not playing in Beijing or the WTA Finals. She will still keep her number one ranking for the rest of the year because she only has 215 points to defend from the China Open and currently has a 4,000 point lead over the number two player, Simona Halep.

“This is a very difficult decision, but one ultimately made because of the love of the game. I plan to return to practicing and participating in exhibition matches later this year. And when I do, l will focus and focus and focus so I can continue my journey in this beautiful game."

I think it's a good idea for Serena to take the time off. If she needs to take a break and focus on what she needs to do next season then I'm all for it. Plus, next year is the Rio Summer Olympics... how about a golden calendar slam, Serena?

Tia's Corner

By Tia Ko

Tia’s Top Tweets

Was this really named after Novak? If so, where can I buy one?

Maybe a massage on Stan's ankle would have be a better idea. The number one seed at the Moselle Open in Metz, France twisted his ankle in the third set when playing against Germany's Dustin Brown. The Swiss went on to win the match but ultimately had to pull out of his quarter-final match versus Philipp Kohlschreiber.

I'll admit, I was happy to see Dinara Safina today when Mariya K tweeted this photo of her, Tomas Berdych and Milos Raonic in St. Petersburg. Despite being the number one seed, Berdych went out in the first round versus Simone Bolelli. Milos, the number two seed, blazed into the semi-final yesterday when he beat Tommy Robredo, 6-1, 6-2. He will play today for a spot in the final against Roberto Bautista Agut.

These lovebirds have been together for 10 years! Novak Djokovic and Jelena Ristic have been dating since they were only 19 years old. They got married in July 2014 and welcomed a baby boy named Stefan in October of the same year.

I think both Andy and Jamie get their ferocity from their mother, Judy. The Brits are into the Davis Cup final for the first time since 1978! Job well done, boys. Andy Murray sealed they deal when he beat Australia's Bernard Tomic 7-5 6-3 6-2 on Sunday night. Great Britain will face Belgium in November's final.

Who Celebrated a Birthday This Week?

September 26- Happy 34^th birthday, Serena Williams!

September 24- Jack Sock turned 23 years old.

September 23- Juan Martín del Potro turned 27 years old.

September 22- Sabine Lisicki turned 26 years old.

September 20- Feliciano López turned 34 years old.

Strange Story of the Week

The strange story of the week was of a young man who woke up from an 11-year coma to find out that his favorite tennis star, Roger Federer, was still playing at the top of his game. In 2004, Jesus Aparicio was celebrating his 18^th birthday when he got into a serious car crash that put him into a coma. Now, fast-forward to August 27 2015 and Jesus finally wakes up.

‘It came like a flash to my mind and I asked about Roger. I thought he had retired. When I heard that he reached 17 slam titles, I put my hands on my face.’

Before Jesus’ car crash in late 2004, Roger had won only 4 of his 17 grand slam titles. Jesus even also got to watch his favorite player duel it out with Novak Djokovic during the US Open final.

‘I want to see his match before he reties, perhaps his 18^th slam.’

Donald “The Comeback Kid” Young

By Tia Ko

Comeback #1: The nickname began when Young, a 26-year-old American, was down two sets to love to the 11^th seeded Gilles Simon in the first round of this US Open. No one could have imagined that the 68^th ranked player would turn the match on its head by winning the next three sets 2-6 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-4. It was one of the first major upsets of the tournament and the beginning of a fantastic week for Young.

Comeback #2: Young’s second round match had him against Aljaz Bedene of Great Britain who is ranked slightly higher coming in at 57. Again, Young had a slow start winning only 58% of his first serves and 29% of his second serves along with a high ratio of unforced errors to winners resulting in a loss of the first set 3-6. The American wasn’t giving up anytime soon and gradually improved his serving stats to came back and win the last three sets with a final score of 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-2.

Comeback #3: The Chicago native who was trying to reach his best ever slam result was down two sets to start off his match against the 22^nd seed Viktor Troicki of Serbia. The second set was a bagel set and I wasn’t expecting the third to be much different. Troicki looked fantastic out there; he was dominating Young’s serves and managed to convert 5/7 break points in the first two sets. Oh how I was wrong! The third set saw Young improve his serve dramatically and it gave him the ability to make plays up at the net where he was 16/20. He won the third in a tiebreak.

“Honestly, those two sets were over. I just kind of had to keep feeling. I felt like I was in the first set. Even though I lost 6-0, I had game points in the games. I felt like I still had more to give.”

Young won the final two sets and the match 4-6 0-6 7-6 6-2 6-4.

Now that Eugenie Bouchard has pulled out of the doubles and mixed doubles after a fall in the locker room, Young is the only player still in each of the three events. He’s into the fourth round of singles versus 5^th seeded Stan Wawrinka, the third round of doubles with his partner Michael Russell where the pair with square off against two fellow Americans Steve Johnson and Sam Querry, and finally him and his mixed doubles partner Taylor Townsend are into the second round facing Andrea Hlavackova and Lukasz Kubot.

Friday Third Round U.S. Open Preview

By Tia Ko

Two easy rounds into the U.S. Open sees top ranked Novak Djokovic take on Andreas Seppi (25) in the third round this afternoon. Djokovic beat Andreas Haider-Maurer in straight sets on Wednesday night 6-4 6-1 6-2 while it took Seppi four to come out with a win over Teymuraz Gabashvili 3-6 6-3 7-6 6-1 to make it to the last 32.

 Djokovic has spent little time on the court so far, playing for a mere two hours and 39 minutes in total. His first match versus Brazilian Joao Souza lasted only one hour and eight minutes and was just one game shy in each set of being a triple bagel match with a score of 6-1 6-1 6-1.

Head-to-head, Seppi hasn’t been able to take a single match from the world number one in ten meetings. Their last match was more than two years ago during the quarterfinals at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships back in 2013 where Djokovic quickly won 6-0 6-3.

Will Seppi be able to pull off another huge upset in round three of a Grand Slam (think back to the Australian Open this past January) and improve his record versus Novak to 1-10?    

We’ll also see both of the Williams sisters in action today when Venus plays the young and vibrant Swiss teen Belinda Bencic who made headlines earlier this week for her heated exchange with the umpire during her second round match. Bencic is ranked at a career-high number 12 and will likely have a tough match playing on Arthur Ashe against the American veteran.

Serena will be playing the first night match tonight against fellow countrywoman Bethanie Mattek-Sands who is more known for playing doubles and will be playing her first third round match ever at the U.S. Open as a singles player. Serena, of course, is on route to make history by completing the calendar slam and she’s currently all the rage in the media. For the first time in history, the U.S. Open women’s final sold out faster than the men’s final; I think everyone wants to witness a piece of history that Serena Williams is writing!

The last match on Arthur Ashe will be a battle between Spaniard Rafael Nadal (8) and Fabio Fognini (32). The two have met three times this year: Fognini won twice in Rio De Janeiro and Barcelona but Nadal won the most recent encounter during the final in Hamburg. Nadal is 2-0 against the Italian on hard court.

Champion in 2010 and 2013, Nadal improved his record to 22-1 in his last 23 matches at the US Open.