Grand Slam Wimbledon Prize will be $1.8 million for singles winner

WIMBLEDON, England - The singles champions at Wimbledon this year will each receive $1.8 million.

The All England Club chief executive Ian Ritchie announced Tuesday the total prize fund for the 125th championships will increase to $23.8 million.

“Leading international sports events, such as Wimbledon, are all about the quality of the players on show,” All England Club chairman Philip Brook said. “It is important that we offer prize money which suitably rewards the players both for the box office appeal they bring to the event and for their supreme performances on court.”

Last year, prize money for the singles champions was $1.54 million.

Ritchie said tournament organizers had not heard from Serena Williams on whether she intends to defend her singles title. Williams hasn’t played competitively since winning the tournament last year because of complications following two foot surgeries.

Ritchie said the All England Club has been asking the British government to relax tax rules to make the tournament more attractive to competitors.

Athletes visiting Britain for team sports such as soccer are not taxed on earnings and endorsements for their time in the country, but individuals are.

Ritchie said the All England Club had also spoken with Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone, who is also making a presentation to the government for the change.

“If Lionel Messi comes here for a Champions League final, he does not get taxed, but Roger Federer does,” Ritchie said. “We don’t believe it is an impediment to Wimbledon in terms of people coming here. But it is on their radar screen, let’s put it that way.

“It’s the same with golf. There are certain international golfers who don’t come and play here, as I understand it, for that reason.”

The 2011 tournament will also feature a new 2,000-seat No. 3 court featuring the same Hawk-Eye technology used on the other show courts.

With a new No. 4 court also open for the first time, the total number of courts will be back up to the traditional 19 following several years of redevelopment.

Ground capacity will increase this year from 37,500 spectators to 38,500.

The All England Club will host the tennis competition at the 2012 London Olympics, but Ritchie said spectators expecting the tradition and pomp of the Wimbledon tournament may be disappointed.

“It will look and feel different to the championships,” Ritchie said. “And that is entirely right and proper.”


My Comment : "Instant millionair"

The King of Clay Court (Nadal) wins The Monte Carlo Masters for the 7th time



Nadal and Ferrer (image by AP)



MONACO, April 17 - Rafael Nadal continued his extraordinary love affair with the Monte Carlo Masters by sealing his seventh straight title on the Monaco clay after a 6-4 7-5 win over fellow Spaniard David Ferrer on Sunday.

The top seed, whose victory here last year made him the first man in the professional era to triumph in the same tournament six times in a row, showed few signs of letting his grip on the trophy loosen despite a generally scrappy display.

“King of Clay” Nadal first broke in the third game when his compatriot netted but Ferrer struck back immediately with his own break of serve thanks to an exquisite drop shot in the final of the first claycourt event of the European season.

However, Ferrer’s joy was short-lived with Nadal breaking next game and winning the first set before seizing the initiative in the second with a superb passing shot only to be broken in the eighth game and then hitting back for 6-5.

He leapt into the air with delight when Ferrer hit the net to seal his victory in one of the world’s most glamorous spots.

“It’s perhaps the best tournament in the world,” Nadal beamed after picking up a trophy he virtually owns.

“I congratulate David on his good start to the year and wish him well. For me today is very special, to win here seven times is much more than a dream. I could never have imagined it.”

My Comment : "Hail to King of Clay Court Rafael Nadal"

Nadal bet Murray to meet Ferrer in Final

Nadal celebrate victory over Murray

Clay king Rafael Nadal shook off a dogged Andy Murray 6-4 2-6 6-1 to set up a Monte Carlo Masters final against fellow Spaniard David Ferrer.

World number one Nadal, who lost to Ferrer in the Australian Open quarter-finals, broke for 3-1 in the first set when shaggy-haired Murray sent a booming shot long but the Briton hit back in the seventh game only to lose the set's final act.

Murray uncertain

Determined third seed Murray refused to lie down and a superb crosscourt backhand gave him the fourth game of the second set after nearly 20 minutes of slugging before breaks of serve were exchanged three times and the Scot took the set.

Nadal though raced to a 4-0 lead in the third as Murray tired and needed treatment on an arm injury before succumbing.

What happen to federer ? (lost in quaterfinal Monte Carlo)

Federer lost in QF Monte Carlo

Roger Federer refused to panic or blame the blustery conditions after Friday's defeat by Juergen Melzer in the Monte Carlo Masters quarter-finals threatened to blow his career further off course.

The Swiss is widely regarded as the greatest player of all time thanks to a male record of 16 grand slam titles but the winds of change are gusting through men's tennis.

His 6-4 6-4 loss to the Austrian was his first by anyone other than world number one Rafael Nadal or world number two Novak Djokovic since his Paris Masters defeat by Gael Monfils in November, but since then he has only won two tournaments.

The world number three was slightly unlucky against Melzer, who turned almost everything he hit into gold, but Federer also uncharacteristically missed several easy shots.

"Things didn't go my way. All those things accumulated to make it hard," Federer told a slightly tetchy news conference.

"(The wind) always has an effect on both players but being down in the score it didn't help. It was hard."

The second seed, who has never won the Monaco tournament on his least favoured clay surface, had looked imperious in his previous two matches but never got going against the seventh seed on the breezy shores of the Mediterranean.

Melzer broke for 3-2 in the first set when Federer netted the first of a number of forehands and the Austrian then immediately saved a break point on his own serve before taking the set and similarly sealing the second.

The Austrian, keen to reject comparisons with compatriot and former claycourt specialist Thomas Muster, was overjoyed but cautioned against writing off 29-year-old Federer just yet.

"You always have to respect Roger," left-handed Melzer said having shrugged off a back problem in the first game to win.

"For him to be three in the world is a downgrade and if you think about that it's stupid. For me he's the greatest player ever. Every time he loses it's tragic."

Melzer has now beaten Federer, Nadal and Djokovic but acknowledged he would boast about beating the Swiss more than the Spaniard when regaling tales to his children.

"It started to be difficult conditions because the wind picked up. I played a really good match with no mistakes," the world number nine added.

"I'm climbing to the top of my game on clay and it's not Roger's favourite surface."

My Comment : Don't give up yet Federer.

Shame on you Andy Murray !!!

Andy Murray (image by AP)

MONACO, April 14 - Andy Murray was booed by the mainly French crowd at the Monte Carlo Masters for using drop shots in his 6-3 6-3 third-round win over France’s injured Gilles Simon on Thursday.

Simon twisted his ankle at the start of the second set and had heavy strapping applied before gingerly carrying on.

Murray showed no mercy and after the first drop had a struggling Simon stranded, the Briton regularly used his favourite shot with the boos for the world number four and cheers for Simon intensifying after each attempt.

“I wasn’t bothered at all. I was doing what I had to,” Murray, who a day ago was saying how the Monte Carlo Country Club was one of the best venues in the world, told reporters.

“Every player on the tour would have done exactly the same thing. I wasn’t doing anything wrong. We’ll see the reaction tomorrow,” he smiled.


Giles Simon (image by AP)

 Simon backed his opponent saying :”You play to win.”

Murray earlier told Sky Sports: “You know you are in the driving seat and you want to put the foot down and finish the match as efficiently as possible. Drop shots were winning me virtually every single point, I had to keep moving him.”

Before Tuesday’s second-round win over Radek Stepanek, third seed Murray had not won a match in almost three months since his Australian Open final defeat by Novak Djokovic.

The 23-year-old, whose public image in the past suffered from occasional teenage strops, could face more grief from the crowd when he plays Frederico Gil in the quarter-finals on Friday after the Portuguese beat another Frenchman Gael Monfils.

“I don’t know a lot about him (Gil) but I watched his game,” Murray added. “He did well in Estoril and can play well on clay, he’s proved that by getting to the quarters here this week. I’ll have to be on my game tomorrow.”

Asked if he could win the tournament featuring world number one Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer, Murray added: “Yeah, why not?”

My Comment : I understand, "do whatever it takes to win"