Roddick's ranking went down fast

After losing to Pablo Cuevas 6-4, 7-6 in his opening match in Miami, defending champion Andy Roddick could fall as far as No. 15 when the rankings are released after the tournament is finished. It would be the top American’s lowest ranking since 2002.

Roddick was having trouble breathing during the match and thinks he’s suffering from a bronchial infection. His coach, Larry Stefanki told FOXSports.com that he began to feel sick when he arrived in Miami, after losing to Richard Gasquet early at Indian Wells.

"I’ve had something for a little while, but I’m going to have it checked out when I get home," said Roddick. "I’ve had it dating back to Memphis [where he won the title] off and on. That’s a little too long, I think. It’s deep in the chest.

It’s not even so much nasally or throat or anything, it’s just when I laugh, I start sounding like a car trying to start."

Article by Matthew Cronin

My Comment : hang in there Roddick, you have my support.

Roger Federer is in doubt ???

Even if he denies it in front of the press, even if he refuses to talk about a changing of the guard, Roger Federer can't get away from it now: His game is slipping, fast. This isn't to attack his credentials or past but to try and approach the situation with a sober mind, which Federer doesn't want to seem to do.

He's still good enough to reach at least the semifinals of the events he's entering but not to put away other top players like Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. What's the problem? His serve doesn't hurt like it used to. Whereas it was a huge weapon for him, this shot isn't decisive anymore and that's why he now has to play many rallies from the baseline. So Federer is giving up easy points on his service games and can't put on the usual pressure when he returns.

He once used to get 10 to 15 aces per match and many more winners (not to mention all the short balls he was getting behind his first serve). Now he's struggling with his serve and it weakens his whole game. A defensive backhand. If this shot was always his "weakness," it was still way better than many others on the Tour. Nowadays he's abusing the chop, which puts him too often on the defense.

Furthermore, this shot has less velocity on it than in years past. It's not low or fast enough. His attacking backhand is often leading to many unforced errors when his rivals stick him on that side, as Djokovic did in the Indian Wells semis. Slowing stamina. Roger remains and his fitness trainer should be thanked — one of the quickest players on court. His footwork allows him to quickly turn around on his backhand and to take the ball as early as possible.

Yet Federer is now suffering on the long runs during a match; some of his ups and downs can be explained by a general fitness that looks like it's slowing. Distracted focus. It's one of his biggest issues of the moment. While he can still play some matches at a very high level, he also can play others in which he commits a lot of unforced errors. Federer's fitness may be suspect, but his focus is low enough where it appears to be tough for him to keep the same level of commitment during a whole match. It's enough to beat many players, but it hampers him when he battles the top players, who take advantage when Federer first cracks that door.

Article by Patrick Mouratoglou

My comment :Federer is aging, give him a break already. Just let him play till his heart content. This man has achieve so much already. My advice to federer : just play and make sure that you can still be a threat to other players in the court.

Caroline Wozniacki wins ATP BNP Paribas Final

Indian Wells : Top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki defeated 15th-seeded Marion Bartoli 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 to win the title a year after the Dane lost in the final.

Wozniacki won her WTA Tour-leading 19th match of the year and her second title while appearing in the final for her third consecutive tournament. Wozniacki won on her second match point when Bartoli’s backhand sailed beyond the baseline.

Bartoli was playing in her first final since 2009, and she fell to 2-6 in matches against the No. 1 player. The victory allowed Wozniacki to improve her results for the fifth straight year in the desert. She lost in the first round in her 2007 debut, reached the fourth round in 2008, the quarterfinals in 2009 and was runner-up to Jelena Jankovic a year ago.

She earned $700,000, and was already assured of remaining No. 1 through the upcoming two-week tournament in Miami. Bartoli is projected to be No. 10 when the rankings are released Monday, her first time back in the Top 10 since June 2008.

“If every single match I could play like that throughout the years, I would be pretty happy,” Bartoli said. “Even though I came up a bit short at the end and she was better than me, I think it was really a great fight.”

Article by beth Harris

My Comment : Caroline looks beautiful in this picture, don't you think so ?

Djokovic beat Federer and Nadal to win ATP BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

INDIAN WELLS, California : Novak Djokovic beat top-ranked Rafael Nadal 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to win the BNP Paribas Open title on Sunday, keeping the Serbian undefeated this year. Djokovic improved to 18-0, including victories at the Australian Open and in Dubai last month.

He will move into the No. 2 spot when the ATP Tour rankings are released Monday, having bumped Roger Federer down to third after he lost to Djokovic in the semifinals. Nadal will remain No. 1 with a 14-3 record. After Nadal’s forehand hit the net on match point, Djokovic threw his head back and let out a prolonged yell while pumping both arms.

Djokovic became just the third player to beat Nadal and Federer in the same tournament twice, having last done it at Montreal in 2007. That year, Djokovic lost to Nadal in the final here, then won in 2008. Nadal had beaten Djokovic in all five of their previous finals meetings, and he broke him twice to win the first set.

Djokovic broke to lead 5-3 in the second set, then survived a five-deuce game on his serve to take the set, winning when Nadal’s backhand went wide.

Article by Beth Harris

My Comment : Novak Djokovic was truely awesome. I think he would become the next number 1 before the end of 2011, hey ! it's about time he deserve it. This could be Djokovic year indeed.

Beginners : Returned Serve in Double

Returning serve in doubles is a complicated animal. Not only do you have to get the ball in play, but you have to direct it to a spot that will neutralize your opponents and hopefully make your partner at net a factor.

That’s why it’s a more pressurized situation than returning serve in singles and is a key to your success as a team. Here are some things to consider that will increase your chances of making an impact on your opponents’ service games.

BEGINNER OBJECTIVE 1
Get into the point. The most important thing on the return is to keep it simple. Try to make solid contact and put the ball in play. One of the biggest booby traps for beginners is the tendency to worry too much about the opposing net player. This causes your concentration to waver and makes a successful return more difficult.

Pick a big target area crosscourt that gives you plenty of mar-gin for error, and don’t con-cern yourself with whether the net player poaches. If he does, so be it. Hit a good re-turn and he’ll have trouble with the volley anyway. Once you can get the ball back crosscourt consistently, you can start to get a little more creative. Hit down the line to keep the net player honest or toss up a few lob returns for a change of pace. Much of this will revolve around the movement and activity level of the opposing net player. If he’s stationary, you can focus on getting the ball back to the server.

BEGINNER OBJECTIVE 2
Put your net player in the right position. In a perfect doubles world, the returning team’s net play-er would look to cut off as many balls as possible. But with less-skilled players the role is a less intrusive one, as you should focus primarily on protecting your side of the court and preparing for any potential volleys. It’s impor-tant to make sure you give your partner the best chance to return.

If that means mov-ing back to the baseline so there’s less pressure on him to keep the ball away from the net man, then do it. If you’re going to be up at net, stand on the service line halfway between the singles sideline and the center line. That puts you in a good position to cover your side of the court. It also allows you to move forward if your partner hits a strong return or retreat to the baseline if it’s a weak one.

Article by Paul Annacone

My Comment : very informative