Archive for the ‘Tennis’ Category
December 6th, 2011 | 
Author: Maria Sharapova
Income: $24.5 million
Sponsors: Nike, Prince, Tiffany
Maria Sharapova is a Russian professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. A US-resident since 1994,Sharapova has won 23 WTA singles titles, including three Grand Slam singles titles at the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open. She has also won the year-end invitational WTA Tour Championships in 2004.
Sharapova’s public profile extends beyond tennis, as she has been featured in a number of modeling assignments, including a feature inSports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She has been featured in many advertisements including those for Nike, Prince and Canon and is the face of several fashion houses, most notably Cole Haan. Sharapova was the most searched-for athlete on Yahoo! in both 2005 and 2008.
Serena Williams
Income: $20 million
Sponsors: Nike, Hewlett-Packard, Kraft
Serena Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. The Women’s Tennis Association has ranked her World No. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the World No. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on November 2, 2009. She is considered to be one of the greatest women’s tennis players of all time, despite a career hampered by numerous injuries
Her 27 Grand Slam titles places her ninth on the all-time list: 13 in singles, 12 in women’s doubles, and 2 in mixed doubles. She is the most recent player, male or female, to have held all four Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously and only the fifth woman in history to do so. She was also the first woman, along with sister Venus Williams, to hold all four Grand Slam doubles titles simultaneously since Martina Hingisdid so in 1998. Her 13 Grand Slam singles titles is sixth on the all-time list. Williams ranks fourth in Grand Slam women’s singles titles won during the open era, behind Steffi Graf (22 titles) and Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova (18 titles each). She has won more Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles than any other active player, male or female.
Williams has won two Olympic gold medals in women’s doubles. She has won more career prize money than any other female athlete in history. Serena has played older sister Venus in 23 professional matches since 1998, with Serena winning 13 of these matches. They have met in eight Grand Slam finals, with Serena winning six times. Beginning with the 2002 French Open, they played each other in four consecutive Grand Slam singles finals, which was the first time in the open era that the same two players had contested four consecutive Grand Slam finals. The pair have won 12 Grand Slam doubles titles together.
Venus Williams
Income: $15 million
Sponsors: Wilson, American Express, Kraft
Venus Ebony Starr Williams (born June 17, 1980) is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and will be ranked World No. 32 as of 4 July 2011 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles as of 2011. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women’s Tennis Association on three separate occasions. She became the World No. 1 for the first time on February 25, 2002, becoming the first black woman to achieve this feat during the open era.
Her 21 Grand Slam titles ties her for twelfth on the all time list and is more than any other active female player except for her younger sister Serena Williams. Venus Williams’ titles consist of: seven in singles, twelve in women’s doubles, and two in mixed doubles. Those seven Grand Slam singles titles ties her with four other women for twelfth place on the all-time list. Her five Wimbledon singles titles ties her with two other women for eighth place on the all-time list. Venus Williams is one of only three women in the open era to have won five or more Wimbledon singles titles. From the 2000 Wimbledon Championships through the 2001 US Open, Williams won four of the six Grand Slam singles tournaments held. She is one of only five women in the open era to win 200 or more main draw Grand Slam singles matches.
Ana Ivanovic
Income: $7 million
Sponsors: Adidas, Yonex, Rolex
Ana Ivanović is a former World No. 1 Serbian tennis player. As of August 8, 2011, she is ranked World No. 16 on the WTA rankings.She beat Dinara Safina to win the 2008 French Open and was the runner-up in singles at the 2007 French Open and the 2008 Australian Open. Competing as a professional since 2003, she has won 10 WTA Tour singles titles.
Aside from her tennis career, Ivanović also studies finance at a university in Belgrade and Spanish in her spare time.Her inspiration to begin playing was Monika Seleš, who at that time played for Yugoslavia.
On September 8, 2007, Ivanović became a UNICEF National Ambassador for Serbia, alongside Aleksandar Đorđević, Jelena Janković andEmir Kusturica. She takes a special interest in the fields of education and child protection. Ivanović visited a primary school in Serbia during her inauguration and said that she is “also looking forward to going into the classroom and meeting many kids.
Jelena Jankovic
Income: $5 million
Sponsors: Anta, Orb
Jelena Janković born February 28, 1985 in Belgrade) is a formerWorld No. 1 professional tennis player from Serbia. She reached the final of the 2008 US Open and won the 2007 Wimbledon Mixed Doublestitle. Janković is ranked World No. 14, being coached by the former ATP top 15 player, Andrei Pavel.
Janković was the subject of the 2008 autobiographical documentary, Jelenin svet (Jelena’s World), featuring Justine Henin, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Ana Ivanović, Elena Dementieva and other notable players.
On December 5, 2007, Janković became a UNICEF National Ambassador for Serbia, for Children’s Fund. “I am happy to have become a UNICEF ambassador for Serbia. This is a great honour for me and I will try to justify the role that has been given to me”, she said. Janković is the second Serbian tennis star to have volunteered to help promote the rights of children and collect funds for UNICEF after Ana Ivanović became an ambassador in September.
Posted in 
Rodney George Laver MBE (born August 9, 1938, in Rockhampton, Australia) was the World No. 1 player for 7 consecutive years. He is also the only player in history to have twice won all four Grand Slam titles in the same year. No other player of the modern (open) era has even managed it once! Rod Laver is rated as thegreatest male player of all time by most tennis experts.
3.Pete SamprasPistol Pete practically owned Wimbledon, and was all but impossible to beat on grass. He also dominated the American Open for several years.Tremendous power and athleticism made him a fearsome opponent.
surpassing even the great Rod Laver.
5. John McEnroeJohn McEnroe divided the world! You either loved him or you hated him – but there was no ignoring him! The most naturally talented player of all time. And the most passionate.
6. Ivan LendlIvan Lendl is the forgotten man of moderntennis. Yet he dominated the men’s gamefor several years.He never won Wimbledon, but he won justabout everything else!A master tactician, and a superb athlete.Ivan Lendl had the ability to plan hismatches like a chess player. His groundstrokes were lethal and machine-like. But itwas the power of his mind that made himgreat.
7. Jimmy ConnorsJimmy Connors was more like a prize-fighter thanatennis player! He only had one tactic – full attack!He seriously lacked finesse in his game, but it didn’t matter. His total aggression was enough to blast his opponents clean off the court.
8. Andre AgassiAndre Agassi had not one but two tennis careers. He arrived on the scene as a brash young star with serious “attitude” both on andoff the court. He was expected to dominate the men’s game, but, despite some success, it didn’t quite happen. He could have retired with a creditable record – but he didn’t! Instead, he reinvented himself as a serious
athlete. And became an all time great!
9. Boris BeckerBoris Becker was designed by God to play grass-court tennis! He took Wimbledon by storm when he was just 17 years old.His massive power and his aggressive serve-volley game made him a terrifying opponent.Boris played with courage and passion. He was a real risk taker and probably hit more outright winners than any player in history.
10. Mats WilanderMats Wilander never won Wimbledon. His base-line game was not designed for grass, but on any other surface he was a force to be reckoned with. Unlike Boris Becker, whothought that three shots was a long rally, Mats Willander won his points slowly, grinding his opponents down with his fitness and his determination to prevail.
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
The Grand Slam tournaments and all other national championships were open to amateur competitors only prior to 1968. Two years later tournaments around the world formed a unified circuit, which became the Grand Prix. In 1972, the leading professionals joined forces to create the Association of Tennis Professionals.
This direction marked another defining moment in the history of the ATP, when a handful of the game’s leading players met in a secluded stairwell at the US Open to discuss the need for a players’ association. Under the leadership of newly elected Executive Director Jack Kramer and President Cliff Drysdale, the ATP came to life with a goal of changing the game for the better.
One of the initial acts of the organization was the establishment of a computer ranking system that provided fair analysis of a player’s performance as well as an objective means to determine entries into tournaments. The ATP Rankings began on Aug. 23, 1973 and has continued through today as the official ranking system in men’s professional tennis.
From 1974 to 1989, the men’s circuit was administered by the Men’s Tennis Council, made up of representatives of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the ATP and tournament directors from around the world.
Although the period during which the MTC guided the game was one of tremendous progress and improvement, players began to feel more and more that they should have a greater voice in their sport. Players had realized the time had come for them to take more control over the game.
At the 1988 US Open, ATP CEO Hamilton Jordan (pictured), surrounded by many of the top players in the game, held the now-famous “press conference in the parking lot.” The ATP released “Tennis at the Crossroads,” outlining the problems and opportunities facing men’s tennis. One of the options available to the ATP was the formation of a new circuit, the ATP Tour.
Support for the new Tour was quick in coming as over 85 of the Top 100 players signed a letter of support for a new system. Later in the fall of 1988, 24 players, including eight of the Top 10, signed contracts to play the ATP Tour in 1990. Also that fall, tournament directors representing many of the world’s leading events voiced their support for the players and joined them in what was to become a partnership unique in professional sports, with an equal voice in how the circuit is run.
The 2009 season will mark the 20th year the ATP has administered the worldwide circuit of men’s professional tennis. Here is a look at some of the highlights through the years:
1973: The ATP establishes the computer ranking system, providing a fair analysis of a player’s performance and creating an objective way to determine entries into tournaments. The ATP Rankings are introduced on August 23 with Ilie Nastase debuting at No. 1. Other actions include placing tournament representatives on the road and standardizing prize money distribution and the conduct and discipline code. The ATP shows it strength and sends message of player unity after players boycott Wimbledon to defend Niki Pilic’s position against a Yugoslavian Federation suspension for missing a Davis Cup match.
1974: The Men’s International Professional Tennis Council (MIPTC), made up of ATP, ILTF and tournament directors, is formed to govern the sport as an independent, democratic, international body for the administration of professional tennis.
1976: The ATP Doubles computer rankings begin on March 1 with Bob Hewitt at No. 1.
1978: The Nations Cup, featuring eight competing nations, becomes the World Team Cup in Dusseldorf, the first ATP Championship.
1979: Full-time MIPTC supervisors are employed on the men’s tour, and Penn becomes the official ball of the ATP. In a ground-breaking move, four young Chinese players compete in U.S. tournaments for the first time in over 21 years after being sponsored by the ATP.
1980: The ATP sets up a player pension fund.
1983: ATP membership approaches 500.
1985: At the request of the ATP, MIPTC passes a Drug Testing Rule, making tennis the first professional sport to institute a workable and well-designed drug-testing program.
1986: In an effort to make the calendar more coherent, the MIPTC moves the Australian Open a month back to January (’87) and the Masters a month earlier to December (’86).
1988: The players, under ATP CEO Hamilton Jordan, hold a press conference in the US Open parking lot to announce that they will assume more control of the game. “Tennis at the Crossroads” outlines a plan for players to form a new tour in which they would play a major role and bear greater responsibility for the future of the sport. The idea is quickly embraced by the membership. Eighty-five of the Top 100 ranked players sign a letter of support for a new tour within weeks of the news conference. Tournament directors representing many of the world’s leading events voice their support for the players and join them in what was to become a partnership unique in professional sports; players and tournaments each with an equal voice in how the circuit is run.
1989: All Top 50 players contractually agree to play the new ATP Tour in 1990. A new calendar is structured allowing for an eight-week off-season and tournaments are realigned.
1991: The first television package for men’s tennis broadcasts 19 tournaments to a worldwide audience.
1993: The ATP Tour extends its global reach, adding Arabian Gulf tournaments in Doha and Dubai. Prize money continues to rise, increasing by 23%.
1995: The ATP Tour launches its first ATP Web site, ATP Online, and further broadens its reach by enlisting pop star Seal to record the anthem “Bring it On” which he sings at the ATP Tour Awards Gala and Night of the Stars at the ATP World Championships in Hannover.
1996: The Mercedes-Benz/ATP partnership begins with a four-year agreement. As the “Official Car of the ATP”; Mercedes-Benz provides official transportation at ATP tournaments, showcases prominent car displays at tournament sites and positions its Mercedes-Benz “star”; signage on nets.
1997: The ATP Senior Tour of Champions is sanctioned.
1998: Players form a new STARS program as the ATP Tour helps make players more accessible to media, sponsors and fans. ATP broadcasts extend their reach to more than 200 countries.
2001: A newly launched Web site, ATPtennis.com, highlights the new tournament structure. ATP Properties forms, instigating a more commercial focus and new marketing, licensing and broadcasting opportunities.
2002: Players gain greater visibility with appearances in television shows and popular magazines, prompting the ATP to launch its own publication: DEUCE magazine. The ATP combines with the WTA Tour to create the “One Game” program, enacting initiatives to better serve professional tennis fans.
2005: Etienne de Villiers is named ATP Chairman in June. ATP stars unite behind ATP World No. 1 Roger Federer to raise funds for tsunami victims, donating prize money and organizing the “ATP All-Star Rally for Relief.” At the exhibition, the ATP and UNICEF launch a global partnership called ACE, Assisting Children Everywhere.
2006: De Villiers expands his role to become ATP Executive Chairman and President. The ATP signs several major new sponsorship agreements, including the naming of South African Airways as Official Airline. Stanford Financial Group becomes the Official Partner of ATP Doubles as doubles stars gain greater support and exposure through a promotional “ATP Doubles Revolution” campaign and new match format. The player challenge, utilizing video review for close line calls, debuts in Miami and is successfully implemented at 13 tournaments.
2007: The ATP introduces enhancements to fan, sponsor, media and player experience at tournaments, including elimination of best-of-5 set finals; reduced draw sizes at five ATP Masters Series events, making them 56-player fields to ensure player health and enhance TV scheduling; and Sunday starts to build Opening Weekends at ATP tournaments. The ATP also increases prize money for the first time since 2000 and creates a new multi-million dollar marketing fund. A renewed marketing effort encourages fans to rediscover the tandem game and find out why ATP “Doubles Rules.” ATP revenues grow by 15%, a record 4 million fans attend ATP tournaments and broadcast hours grow with record numbers watching on television.
2008: The top three players, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, take a leadership role by becoming ATP Player Council members with Federer as president. It’s the first time in the organization’s history the top three players have joined the council in the same two-year period. All worldwide tennis organizations (WTA, ITF, ATP & Grand Slam Committee) formed an integrity unit. The ATP’s Feel It player promotion campaign is implemented throughout the season. Sponsorship deals with South African Airways, Ricoh and Enel were renewed while a new agreement was struck with Barclays to become the sponsor of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London.
2010: During the season two major sponsors were announced with the signing of Corona Extra as a premier partner, and FedEx as a platinum partner. In November, ATP Executive Chairman and President Adam Helfant announced that the 2012 calendar was approved to include the extension of the off-season to seven weeks. The increased break, designed to allow players more time for rest and training between seasons, was approved for the 2012-13 ATP World Tour calendars by the ATP Board at its London meetings.
Tags: