Becker said Andy Murray need to be Mature

Boris Becker has said that one of the reasons Andy Murray has not won a Grand Slam yet is down to his close relationship with his mother. Judy Murray, a tennis coach herself, is regularly seen with Murray at events, and Becker believes it shows a lack of maturity on the Scot's part.

"In many ways, Murray seems younger than 23," Becker is quoted as saying in the Mirror. "Like how close he still is to his mother, Judy. He has also been pretty much with the same girlfriend for the past three or four years. "That is something you don't usually do when you're 23, it's what you do when you're 19 or 20.

Maybe he is maturing a bit slower and that shows on the court. "On a tennis court, you are by yourself. You cannot ask anybody on important points what to do. "You have to be convinced yourself what is the right thing to do. That is called maturity.

I find he still hasn't matured enough to be able to make the right decisions in a Grand Slam." Becker won Wimbledon when he was just 17 but the German legend said there is still plenty of time for Murray to win one of the big prizes in tennis. "I think he is awfully close and one of these days he will break through," said Becker.

"He is like Arsenal because they look pretty and play good but haven't won trophies and their fans get impatient. But stick with the tactics and Wenger and Murray will do it!"

Nadal will be back in London for ATP World Tour Final

PARIS (AP)—Top-ranked Rafael Nadal said Monday the shoulder injury that forced him out of the Paris Masters won’t prevent him from playing at the ATP World Tour finals later this month. Nadal told a news conference he has a small case of tendinitis in his left shoulder and that he withdrew from the final Masters tournament of the season to avoid risking a serious injury before the London event and next year’s Australian Open.

Nadal said he will need one week of full training to be ready for the ATP Finals, which run from Nov. 21-28. “I’m fine. I went to the doctor and he told me the injury could worsen if I was playing,” Nadal said. “This is the end of the season and all those matches took a toll on my shoulder.”

After winning the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open this season, Nadal is guaranteed to finish the year at No. 1. He has played in 33 of the past 35 Masters 1000 tournaments. “It’s disappointing not to be able to play here,” said Nadal, who reached the finals in Paris three years ago.

“It’s the last Masters 1000 of the year and for sure one of my favorites in the world. It was not an easy decision but I played all others Masters 1000 and all Grand Slams this season.” The Spaniard added he is determined to “play well in London on the most difficult surface for me, where it will be difficult for me to win.”

Nadal was eliminated in the round robin phase at last year’s ATP Finals after losing his three matches without winning a single set. “I will have a special motivation, and I’m going to give everything I can to play well here,” Nadal said. “I want to improve the image of last year. I’ll try to win.”

“Playing less is almost impossible if you want to stay on top,” Nadal said. “After that, I think you can change a few things, but not many. It worked well for me in 2010 and I will more or less try to stick to the same program next year.”

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN, AP Sports Writer

Federer reclaim his home title from Djokovic

BASEL, Switzerland (AP)—Roger Federer reclaimed his hometown title from Novak Djokovic, beating the defending champion 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 in the Swiss Indoors final on Sunday.

The top-seeded Federer broke the Serb’s serve early in the first, and twice in the deciding set to cruise to victory in under two hours. Federer’s 65th career singles title moved him past Pete Sampras into sole possession of fourth on the list in the modern era. Jimmy Connors leads with 109.

The Basel-born Federer was watched courtside by his parents, his wife, Mirka, and their 15-month-old twin daughters, Myla and Charlene. “It’s very emotional winning at home, it makes it extra special. Because I live here and because the fans are behind me,” Federer said.

A former ballboy at the tournament, Federer won three straight Swiss Indoors titles from 2006-08 before Djokovic broke the streak when they met in last year’s final. “It’s great to have won it after losing last year. It reminded me of last year’s match, but (this time) I got off to a great start in the third set,” he said.

Djokovic said he lost “a little bit of balance and focus” in the decider. “You don’t get many chances against Roger when he is on top of you. There was no way back,” Djokovic said. The 29-year-old Swiss improved to 12-6 lifetime against Djokovic, and 3-1 this year.

His only loss to the 23-year-old Serb this season came in a five-set U.S. Open semifinal in which he wasted two match points. “Results-wise, Roger is the best player ever to play the game,” Djokovic said in an on-court interview.

Federer will take a 57-12 season mark—and No. 1 seeding in the absence with a shoulder injury of top-ranked Rafael Nadal—into the Paris Masters, which began Sunday. It’s the last event before the eight-man ATP World Tour Finals being held Nov. 21-28 in London.

Djokovic dropped to 2-2 in 2010 title matches, with wins in Dubai and Beijing and a U.S. Open final loss to Nadal.

Federer oust Roddick to meet Djokovic in final ATP Basel Swiss Indoor

BASEL, Switzerland (AP)—Roger Federer made short work of Andy Roddick this time, winning 6-2, 6-4 in the Swiss Indoors semifinals on Saturday in their first rematch since the epic 2009 Wimbledon final.

Federer broke Roddick’s serve twice in each set and fired 13 aces to the American’s four to win in 69 minutes. “He couldn’t serve an ace for a long time, and that’s always a good sign you’re getting a decent read on his serve,” Federer said.

“It’s unfortunate my bad serving day came today,” Roddick said. “I was just a little bit out of rhythm. You can’t afford to do that against Roger.” The top-seeded Swiss improved his career record to 20-2 against Roddick. “For some reason it always kind of works well for me against Andy,” Federer said.

Federer will face defending champion Novak Djokovic in the final on Sunday. Djokovic beat his Serbian Davis Cup teammate Viktor Troicki 7-6 (4), 6-4. “It’s obviously a difficult final,” said Federer, whose streak of three Basel titles was ended by Djokovic. “It’s as tough as they come on a quick indoor court.”

“Looking back over this week, there’s more positives than negatives,” said Roddick, who will play in the Paris Masters next week. The second-seeded Djokovic was pushed harder for his victory. He saved three set points in the first trailing 6-5, 40-0 on Troicki’s serve.

“I was very lucky to get out of the first set and I regained my confidence,” said Djokovic, who forced a tiebreaker after starting a run of winners with a blistering forehand return. “I closed my eyes and hit it as hard as I could. That’s what we were joking about.”

Longtime friends, Djokovic and Troicki walked off the court laughing with an arm around each other’s shoulders. They’ll likely play singles for Serbia when it hosts the Davis Cup final against France on Dec. 3-5.

photo by AFP / FABRICE COFFRINI

Equipment : Wilson K Factor KPro Staff 88

A racquet so hefty it makes the ProStaff Original 6.0 85 and KSix-One Tour 90 feel light and maneuverable in comparison, the KPro Staff 88 was designed especially for Pete Sampras and features his signature on the frame.

Although now playing only senior tour and exhibition tennis, Sampras is striking the ball as well as ever. The KPro Staff 88 has replaced his trusted ProStaff Original 6.0 85 and brings with it a higher swingweight and a less head light balance in stock form. Offering a tremendous amount of follow through, the KPro Staff 88 provides rock solid stability on every shot.

Players will need to have good technique and some strength to get the most out of this stick. Long, smooth and fast swings result in a very heavy and penetrating ball. There's lots of bite from the stringbed, allowing plenty of spin production. Thanks to the weight of the racquet, hitting with depth comes easily.

Once in motion, the weight of the racquet pushes the ball deep into the opposing court. At net, the KPro Staff 88 offers pinpoint precision. The control oriented response and excellent stability combine to allow the player to dominate the ball, even when up against heavy passing attempts. Well-timed serves come off the racquet with lots of pace and weight.

Stronger players will find good access to spin and enough mass to hit with plenty of heat. Although this is a demanding player's racquet, in the right hands (NTRP 5.0+) this stick combines axe like power with scalpel like precision.

Head Size: 88 sq. in. / 568 sq. cm.
Length: 27 inches / 69 cm
Strung Weight: 12.8oz / 363g
Balance: 6pts Head Light
Composition: 100%[K]arophite Black
Power Level: Low
Swing Speed: Fast
String Tension: 50-60 pounds
Player Using This Racquet : Pete Sampras