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Hewitt Goes Down Fighting

Australia's Lleyton Hewitt bowed out of the French Open today, losing to fifth seed David Ferrer after a dogged performance in the third round.

The Spanish clay court specialist took three hours and 35 minutes to win 6-2 3-6 3-6 6-3 6-4.

In the first set, 25th-seeded Hewitt never recovered after Ferrer took a 3-0 lead.

The Australian won his next service game to love, hinting at a possible fight-back but Ferrer remained supremely confident, converting his second break point when Hewitt sent a forehand long for a 1-0 lead.

Ferrer seemed to have a response for everything Hewitt tried until the Australian secured an important break in the fifth game of the second set, heralded by one of his trademark shouts of "C'mon!".

Even then, the Spaniard made his opponent work to hold serve in the next game.

But this time it was Hewitt who kept his nerve while Ferrer lost his, launching a verbal tirade at himself which prompted a warning as he stared down a break.

The Australian converted when Ferrer sent a forehand wide and Hewitt broke his opponent again two games later to claim the set and signal to the Spaniard he had a match on his hands.

After going down a break early in the third set, Hewitt restored parity at 3-3 with a clever lob to break back.

Some excellent shots down the line secured another break for Hewitt in the eighth game, earning him the right to serve for the set.

He eventually claimed a 2-1 lead on his third set point when Ferrer's smash landed just beyond the baseline.

Hewitt took a medical time out before the fourth set but returned a short time later.

Ferrer assumed control with a 4-1 lead, forcing the decider with an ace.

Ferrer finally converted his third break point of an incredibly hard-fought ninth game when Hewitt netted a backhand and he set up match point with an ace, claiming victory when Hewitt hit a backhand wide.

Hewitt said he played with pain from an on-going hip injury during the last three sets today and had heat cream put on it during the time out.

He explained his slow start as trying work out his opponent, who only conceded one game in his second-round match against Frenchman Fabrice Santoro.

"I was switched on, he was playing extremely well and not giving me any cheap points," Hewitt said.

"It was very hard to dictate play against him early on, so it was more me trying to work out what I had to do to get myself into the match against a guy that plays that style.

"He's an extremely tough clay court player though, and I kept fighting and hanging in there and trying to turn things around and I was able to do it for the second and third sets there and nearly got out of it in the fifth."

Ivanovic and Sharapova Scratch Through

By Matthew Cronin

No2 seed and 2007 finalist Ana Ivanovic is not playing perfectly yet, but she rediscovered her form and ferocious forehand to knock out Dane Caroline Wozniacki 6-4 6-1 in the third round on Friday. Top seed Maria Sharapova also struggled to find her game but successfully completed her rain-delayed match in a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 victory over American Bethanie Mattek.

Ivanovic struggled to hold serve in an erratic first set, but in the second set, found her rhythm and began to take over off the ground, punching holes on Wozniacki's wall with deep, well struck balls.

"I did play well, but I thought the match I played against [Lucie] Safarova was even better, and I served also better in that match," she said. "Today I didn't go for as many first serves as I probably should have. But, I just tried to find my rhythm back again and to be aggressive and don't force it too much, don't flatten out a lot, and try to move her with heavy balls. That's something I did well in the second set and I was really, really happy about it."

The Serb, who will meet unseeded Petra Cetkovska of the Czech Republic in the fourth round, had a rough spring post her run to the Australian Open final and Indian Wells title, but she is now picking up steam. While she is primarily an offensive player, Ivanovic, has improved her conditioning and footwork and is a better defensive player. She knows that if she is to complete a maiden voyage to her Grand Slam title, that all the elements of her game are going to have to be working.

"I want to keep up the good work and work hard for every point," she said. "I think on a clay court it's very important. Especially if the conditions are tough and the courts are heavy, you have to really work hard. There are not many winners, and you have to accept that, and that's what I'm working on."

Sharapova struggled for the second consecutive match, but not as much as he did in her opener against Evgeniya Rodina, when she was nearly knocked out of the tournament in an 8-6 in the third set win. On Friday against Mattek, she has barely woken up before she had lost the second set, but in the third set, she was able to get her feet set and employ her power game. While she did not serve well once again, her laser-like ground-strokes and returns were quite effective.

Sharapova is walking a fine line between trying to impose her normal, first-strike game and adjusting to the heavier conations of clay, where she forced to work the points more. But her mentality is clearly evolving.

"To be honest, I just want to go out and play my game," said Sharapova, who will face Italy's Karin Knapp in the third round. "It's as simple as that. And sometimes you get caught up in thinking that you want to do something more, something extra, and something special that sometimes is out of your hands. Especially on a surface that's more challenging to you, that where you're going to have to hit more balls and you're going to have to move a few extra steps to the ball. You have to be more patient. I'm definitely getting better at that, and I'm getting smarter out there. But sometimes you want to go back to the roots? You just want to drive the ball, and that's just not enough at times. I'm not a clay court specialist that's going to stand 10 feet behind the baseline and retrieve balls back. I'm going to stick to my guns and do what I do best. But I'm also going to play patiently if I want to win matches, especially against, physically challenging players that do, hit 10 balls back."

"But I also have to realize, their game is a lot more physical than I am. If I feel tired then they're feeling 20 times more tired, because they're the one doing all the running."

The 21-year-old Sharapova won her first clay court title in April at Amelia Island, reached the quarters of Charleston, where she fell to Serena Williams, and the semifinals of Rome, which she pulled out of a calf injury. Even though at six feet two inches she is not the greatest mover on tour, she has been willing to commit to the grind, as she is one of the tour's greatest fighters.

Last year at Roland Garros, she squeaked out a 10-8 in the third set victory over Patty Schnyder before falling exhausted to Ivanovic in the semifinals. While the three-time Grand Slam champion realizes that clay will never be her best surface, she is prepared to roll around in the dirt for as long as it takes during the fortnight.

"That's clay for you," she said. "Sometimes you're not always going to hold serve. You're going to break more than you usually break, because, look, last year I was serving 85 miles per hour and I got to the semifinals. It was like a miracle. I'm not going to get away with that. It's a combination of things. Like I want to do the right things, but also I have to be patient. Sometimes it's definitely not going to be as easy as, maybe on grass or hardcourts. But that's the beauty of it."

Bad Day for the Williams' Sisters

PARIS (AP)—Daylight was already beginning to fade when a frowning Venus Williams walked onto the stadium court for her third-round match at the French Open.

She wasn't excited to play so late, and it showed. She lost Friday to Flavia Pennetta, 7-5, 6-3, bringing down the curtain on a dismal day for the Williams family.

When younger sister Serena took the court more than nine hours earlier, the sun was bright but the result was similar. She lost to Katarina Srebotnik 6-4, 6-4.

"It wasn't a good day for our family," Venus said.

It wasn't a good day for U.S. tennis, either. The double defeats meant that for the first time in the Open Era, there will be no American woman in the fourth round at Roland Garros.

Both losses were unsightly. Serena shanked overheads, sprayed volleys and failed to convert six break points. Venus lost serve six times and committed 29 unforced errors, many after being worn down in long rallies by Pennetta.

The Italian closed out the victory with a forehand winner at 9:47 p.m. Williams said she never asked the chair umpire to suspend the match because of darkness.

"I just kept playing," she said.

Why didn't she ask to stop?

"Because I didn't," she said.

Her sister was equally subdued after her loss. Explaining her demeanor at a postmatch news conference, Serena said, "I just don't want to be here."

Among those still hanging around were top-seeded Maria Sharapova and No. 2 Ana Ivanovic, who both won. No. 3 Jelena Jankovic was leading No. 28 Dominika Cibulkova 7-5, 4-2 when darkness forced their match to be suspended—even as Venus and Pennetta played on.

Three-time defending champion Rafael Nadal played for the fourth consecutive day in the rain-interrupted tournament and improved to 24-0 at Roland Garros by defeating Jarkko Nieminen 6-1, 6-3, 6-1. No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic beat Floridian Wayne Odesnik 7-5, 6-4, 6-2, leaving Robby Ginepri as the only American in either singles draw.

Ginepri was to play Florent Serra on Saturday. Top-ranked Roger Federer was to face the last player to beat him at Wimbledon—in 2002—Mario Ancic.

The women's draw lost plenty of star power with the elimination of the Williams sisters. They have combined to win 14 Grand Slam titles but were beaten by two tour veterans who have yet to reach a major quarterfinal.

"It's never fun," Venus said. "I never get used to losing. I don't think anyone gets used to losing. And if they do, then maybe it's time to retire."

Serena Williams, who played the day's first match on Court Suzanne Lenglen, converted only one of seven break-point chances and was 0-for-5 in the second set. She repeatedly set up points but failed to finish them, losing 14 of 21 at the net.

"There are a lot of things I would try to do different, but you can't rewind time," Williams said.

When she fell behind she turned up the volume, grunting with almost every shot and screaming in celebration when she hit a winner. But she was unable to rally, and Srebotnik kept her cool down the stretch.

"Today I woke up and it was just another opportunity," said Srebotnik, 27, who ranked the win as the biggest of her career. "This is what you work so hard for—to be in third round where you play Serena or someone like that and you have really nothing to lose."

Srebotnik and Pennetta credited similar tactics for the upsets, mixing the pace and placement of ground strokes to keep the sisters off balance.

Said Pennetta: "I played a complete match in every way."

I'm currently paying 80bht/kilo for my laundry and I like to change sheets and towels regular and it can come to 10kg a week. Relatively, laundry is fairly expensive. Anyone make any recommendations or is what I got good already?

Have only seen such services in the outlying areas of BKK, or out of town (i.e. Pattaya). Most services here are by the piece and consequently much more expensive than 80 baht a kilo. I'd be interested in finding out where you go to.

Plug for my club:

Soi Klang Racquet club, on Sukhumvit Soi 49 (up from Sumitiviej hospital).

6 Tennis courts plus

badmitton, squash, raquetball, two pools, gym, resturant...

12,000bht / year

can also pay 1, 3, 6 months or daily rate.

Hi, I have just signed on here, never used a blog before, so I hope this finds it way to you. I am a club standard tennis player, live in England. I shall be in Bangkok in June and again for a couple of months in September so somewhere which accommodates this sounds good. What is the general standard like, is it easy to get to, is it easy to arrange games, is there general club play (as I don't know any tennis players in Bangkok). I also play squash (in fact more than tennis)- do you know of a good squash club? Is there aclub where you can do both?

Sorry about all the questions!!!!

Carl

PM if you want a game. I'm a 3.5+ level player and like to play singles for fun. I play in a bunch of places but normally stick to Sukhumvit 38 or AUA Rajadamri, which is between Silom and Chidlom.

Top American Seed, Blake, Hits the Dirt; Top Seeds Advance

PARIS (AP)—James Blake’s frustration rose to a crescendo Thursday.

The top U.S. man in the French Open was talking to himself, and the words were growing louder. He was bothered by the clay underfoot. By the chair umpire. By his own play. And, most of all, by the drop shots and assorted other winners his up-and-coming foe produced.

For the fifth time in six career trips to Roland Garros, Blake departed before the third round, losing this time to 80th-ranked Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 7-6 (2), 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. It was part of a 1-3 showing by American men Thursday, when Mardy Fish and Bobby Reynolds also lost.

The 88th-ranked Robby Ginepri knocked off No. 27 Igor Andreev 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (5), 6-2 to join Wayne Odesnik as the only players from the United States in the third round.

“Americans a lot of times don’t have the highest expectations on clay,” the No. 7-seeded Blake said. “But I really felt like this match today was a match I could have won.”

There were moments, if ever so brief, that similar thoughts ran through the minds of the men facing No. 1 Roger Federer and No. 2 Rafael Nadal.

Federer’s opponent, 60th-ranked Albert Montanes of Spain, staked himself to a one-set lead—and then was overwhelmed the rest of the way in a 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-0, 6-4 victory for the owner of 12 Grand Slam titles.

Nadal’s opponent, 148th-ranked Nicolas Devilder of France, was one point from serving for the first set, holding a break point at 4-all—and then was completely overwhelmed the rest of the way in a 6-4, 6-0, 6-1 victory for the owner of the past three French Open titles.

“His forehand was not a big problem for me to start with. And I thought, ‘Why not? Why not?”’ Devilder said.

And then?

“The games go by so quickly,” he said. “They go by so quickly, and you think: ‘When is it going to end?”’

Nadal improved to 23-0 at Roland Garros and said he’s “improving with each match.”

Federer, meanwhile, called his outing “a good test.”

He saved all six break points he faced, including two during a rain shower while trailing 5-4 in the first set. After a 1 1/2 -hour rain delay—making it the fourth of the tournament’s five days with wet weather—he came out and lost the tiebreaker.

But as Federer put it: “Bounced back strong.”

Talk about understatement. From Montanes’ perspective, Federer was “like a hurricane. I couldn’t do anything. You can tell that he’s here to win this tournament.”

In the third round at the only major tournament he hasn’t won, Federer faces a familiar foe: Mario Ancic of Croatia, the last man to beat him at Wimbledon, back in 2002.

Blake’s exit in the second round in Paris—only in 2006 did he make it to the third—was followed shortly by that of No. 6 David Nalbandian. Unlike Blake, Nalbandian has had success at the French Open, twice reaching the semifinals, but the Argentine wasted a two-set lead—and four break points in the opening game of the third set—and was eliminated 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 by Jeremy Chardy of France.

“The best match I’ve ever played,” said Chardy, a wild-card entry who had won only two tour-level matches in his career before this tournament—and now has doubled that total.

The 19-year-old Gulbis is more experienced than that, but not by much. He moved to Munich when he was 12 to work with Niki Pilic, the same coach who helped mold Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic.

“We were practicing a little bit together when we were kids. I was 12, 13, and he was a little bit older,” Gulbis said of Djokovic. “He was more serious than me at that age.”

Against Blake, it was Gulbis who seemed to have a better grasp of when to go for winners and when to wait for the right opening.

Blake groused afterward about hearing “too many commentators” and “people that talk about tennis that don’t play tennis” say he should tone down his aggressiveness and make fewer errors. Apparently, that was his approach Thursday.

“Today was a perfect example of what not to do,” said Blake, who compiled far fewer winners (54-29) and unforced errors (33-16) than Gulbis. “Just being a little too passive.”

While both rely on powerful forehands, it was Gulbis who displayed a knack for nuance, repeatedly using drop shots against the speedy Blake. Not all worked, of course, but Gulbis did end six points with drop winners, including when he broke Blake to claim the third set.

“It paid off in a lot of situations,” Gulbis said. Blake’s take?

“I was angry that I wasn’t doing anything with them. … That’s probably just not growing up on clay and not being as comfortable in those situations,” Blake said. “That’s maybe something I need to work on.”

Maria Sharapova still has some kinks to work out with her serve, because she served another four double-faults and was broken three times—and her match didn’t even finish. She was leading Bethanie Mattek of the U.S. 6-2, 2-3 when play was suspended because of darkness.

Venus Williams and Jelena Jankovic played in the morning and won in straight sets, while No. 6 Anna Chakvetadze—who is hiring Justine Henin’s coach, Carlos Rodriguez—and two-time major champion Amelie Mauresmo all lost.

Williams used a six-game streak to take control and beat 241st-ranked qualifier Selima Sfar of Tunisia 6-2, 6-4. Jankovic was troubled by a painful right forearm but defeated Marina Erakovic of New Zealand 6-2, 7-6 (5).

Mauresmo, who was seeded 22nd but never has enjoyed much success at her home country’s major championship, barely put up a fight in a 6-3, 6-4 loss to Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain.

“All I can say,” the Frenchwoman sighed, “is that I feel sorry about the way I played.”

I wouldn't bet against Nadal.He already proved it over and over again that he's the King of Clay.With the record on clay that he's holding, i think nobody would come near him, at least for a while.

Nadal is unquestionably the man to beat. Now that Nalbandian (who had a 2-0 record against Nadal) has lost, Nadal's draw looks a lot better. Still, Nadal will still have to beat Djokovic in a match that will probably go the distance, while Fed will probably face Davydenko, who has never taken a set off of him(0-10 or 0-11). It will be tough for Nadal to play a long match against DJ Saturday, then take on Fed the next day. Fed in 4...

Sharapova Struggles in the Wind; Nadal Continues French Open Quest

PARIS (AP)—Start with this statistic on a busy, blustery day at Roland Garros: Maria Sharapova hit 17 double-faults. It bears repeating: 17.

She hammered hard serves, and they sailed long. She tapped soft serves, and they landed in the bottom of the net. And she played poorly enough overall to come within two points of becoming the only No. 1-seeded woman in French Open history to lose in the first round.

Sharapova did regroup in time to barely piece together a 6-1, 3-6, 8-6 victory over Evgeniya Rodina, a Russian teen making her Grand Slam debut Wednesday.

“I don’t think I’d be able to get away with not playing and not serving that well with maybe a different opponent and somebody that has more experience, a top player,” said Sharapova, who placed part of the blame for her woes on swirling wind that kicked up clouds of dust on court. “But I’ll work on it, and it will be better.”

The awful serving and generally sub-par showing by someone who’s supposed to be the best in the world at what she does shared top billing with the dry weather as Wednesday’s most noteworthy developments. After three days of rain— Sharapova originally was to be on court Tuesday—not a drop fell, permitting match after match after match at the clay-court major.

That meant there were other numbers of note, if not much in the way of stunning results:

— Serena Williams made it to the third round for the 33rd time in 34 career Grand Slam tournaments.

— Rafael Nadal improved to 22-0 at the French Open.

— A year after U.S. men went 0-9 in Paris, five reached the second round, and one, Wayne Odesnik, already moved into the third.

Williams found herself trailing 5-3 in the second set against Mathilde Johansson, a French wild-card entry who began this tournament with a 2-5 career Grand Slam record. But Williams took the next four games to end it 6-2, 7-5.

“I haven’t played my best tennis, so hopefully the next round, I’ll play better,” said Williams, who won the French Open in 2002 and is the only past champion in the women’s field.

Nadal began his bid to match Bjorn Borg’s four consecutive titles from 1978-81 by beating qualifier Thomaz Bellucci. A rain shower forced them to pack up and head home Tuesday tied at 1-1, and Nadal stumbled at the start Wednesday, getting broken to fall behind 2-1, then again when serving for the first set at 5-3. But he recovered nicely, winning 7-5, 6-3, 6-1.

“It was tough, no? The conditions are very, very bad,” Nadal said. “The winds are terrible.”

Like Nadal, Bellucci entered the day never having been forced to experience the bitter taste of defeat at Roland Garros. That, of course, is because he never had played a main-draw match in the French Open—or any other Grand Slam tournament, for that matter.

“These were two difficult days, because as time goes by, you get more nervous and you can’t practice, so I probably lost the rhythm I had acquired before this tournament,” Nadal said. “But I hope this won’t be a problem for the rest of the tournament.”

Nadal, Sharapova and other players around the grounds complained about the way loose particles got in their faces and left courts barer than usual.

“Apart from eating and breathing the sand, it was great,” Sharapova said. “It’s dry and you’ve got sand blowing in your face. So you think it’s a hard court, but then you feel like you’re in a desert.”

Maybe the surfaces really did play like hard courts, for what else could explain the success of the men from the United States? They went 5-5 in the first round this time, capped by victories Wednesday by Mardy Fish, Bobby Reynolds and Robby Ginepri.

Fish beat Agustin Calleri of Argentina 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-2, 6-4, and Reynolds defeated Thierry Ascione of France 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Ginepri’s match against Donald Young had to produce a U.S. winner, and it was Ginepri, by a score of 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2.

“When we come over here, we’re already, I think, one step slower than the other Europeans and other guys,” said Ginepri, who shares coach Jose Higueras with top-ranked Roger Federer. “But to be honest, I’m enjoying the clay, and I’m actually a little sad that this is the last clay tournament of the year.”

Odesnik, who is ranked 106th, followed up his upset of No. 29 Guillermo Canas by beating Lee Hyung-taik 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 and now will take on No. 3 Novak Djokovic, who dropped only five games in his second-round win.

“It’s always good to have easy matches,” said Djokovic, the Australian Open champion.

Sharapova, who also won in Melbourne in January, made more than twice as many unforced errors as Rodina, 51-23.

“I had problems in every department,” Sharapova said. “Realistically, I don’t know if there’s any way down from here.”

She could, at least, take solace in not having joined No. 9 Marion Bartoli on the way out after one match. Bartoli, a Frenchwoman who was a Wimbledon finalist last year but is struggling with a wrist injury and an 8-12 record at the moment, lost to Casey Dellacqua of Australia 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-2.

Sharapova twice served three double-faults in a single game, making recreational players everywhere feel better about their own foibles. On occasion, she resorted to first serves barely above 80 mph, which might not sound too shabby but certainly is on the slow side for a three-time major champion.

Trailing 4-3 in the final set, Sharapova faced three break points and saved them, remarkably, with three fantastic first serves. Then, down 5-4, a—wait for it—double-fault made the score 30-all, putting Rodina two points from about as big a stunner as tennis has seen. Somehow, Sharapova mustered two service winners, at 101 mph and 102 mph.

Three games later, Sharapova finally seized control, breaking serve to go ahead 7-6 with a big forehand return that caught Rodina flat-footed.

Sharapova still had to hold serve one more time, and she did, although not before one last double-fault, No. 17.

Open Harkleroad Fulfills Naked Ambition with Playboy Magazine

PARIS, May 25 (Reuters) - She may have been defeated by Serena Williams at the French Open on Sunday, but Ashley Harkleroad claimed a more glamorous coup over her American rival—by appearing on the pages of Playboy magazine.

The 23-year-old Harkleroad found herself kicking her heels earlier this year when she was recovering from surgery to remove a cyst from her ovaries.

While others would choose to convalesce on a relaxing vacation or just lounge in front of the television, Harkleroad chose to accept the offer of posing nud_e for the world’s most famous glamour magazine.

“I was just laying there for three weeks, and, you know, an offer came to me,” the woman from smalltown Georgia told goggle-eyed reporters.

“I thought, well, I’m not really doing anything right now so I thought about it and it was something that I did. I’m proud of my body. I was representing a female athlete’s body.”

REFRESHING CHANGE

She said she would be the first tennis player to appear in the magazine, August’s edition the male journalists furiously noted, and that it had been a refreshing change to the treadmill of the women’s tour.

“It was hard work, but, you know, it was just a completely different experience. It was fun. I think it comes out July 13th. It’s the August edition. So you’ll see for yourself.

“I stay in shape and try to stay fit, so like I said, I’m just trying to represent a female athlete and her body. That can be sexy too, you know.”

Serena was full of admiration for Harkleroad’s naked ambition when she was told about the Los Angeles photoshoot.

“I’m just surprised that she beat me to it,” Serena, no stranger to the camera lens herself, joked with reporters.

“I’m happy for her if that’s what she wanted to do. It takes a lot of courage. And whether I’m courageous enough, I don’t know, but that’s great for someone to be so courageous and tough.”

Would Serena be following in the footsteps of Harkleroad, U.S. swimmer Amanda Beard and volleyball player Gabrielle Reece and bare all for Playboy?

“I can’t say right now it’s in any thought of my mind to be in that mag. I do appreciate that mag. I think (Playboy owner) Hugh Hefner is a great businessman.”

My money is on Roger Federer to win the French Open. Although Nadal is better on clay, Nadal has to go through Nalbandian in the quarters, Djokovic in the semis and play Fed in the final to win the whole thing. As far as Djokovic, I don't think he can beat Federer on clay. I also don't think he has the stamina to go all the way playing on this surface.

Fed will play Davydenko in the semis, if the Russian makes it that far and if I've not mistaken, was seeded to play Gasquet in the quarters (who has since withdrawn from the tournament). It should be easy going to Fed to the final, where he should meet and probably beat whoever survives the Nadal-Djokovic semi.

Thanks. I have taken the 552 bus before from the transportation center. I read another post on a different forum that the same bus now picks up directly from the airport terminal near door 6 and there is no reason to take the shuttle for that particular bus. Just curious.

That may be the case, however, I caught bus #554 near door 6, which went directly to the transportation center, and dropped off the passengers. It may have continued on its route from there, but in either case, it stopped at the transportation center first.

I read on another forum that CITY BUS #552 now picks up directly from the airport terminal, bottom level.

Can anyone verify this? I know before that you had to get the same bus from the Transportation Center Bus Station.

Stopping at the terminal would make getting the bus a little easier.

Also, can anyone verify that the bus runs all night.

Thank you.

Caught Bus #552 today. First caught a shuttle from the airport to the Transportation Center, about a couple kilometers away, then transferred to bus #552. Just took a few minutes to get to the Transportation Center but then had to wait awhile for the bus #552 to leave. Took about an hour and 15 minutes to get to On Nut BTS station.

Americans Show Improvement at French Open After One Win

PARIS (AP)—To James Blake, 1-0 sounds a lot better than 0-9.

A year after all nine U.S. men competing at the French Open lost in the first round, Blake won his opener at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament Sunday, beating former top-10 player Rainer Schuettler 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 (3).

“We’ve already done more,” the No. 7-seeded Blake said with a laugh. “We set the bar low enough that we’re over the bar by 3 o’clock on Sunday afternoon. It was a tough situation last year, but now maybe it’s just like playing with house money this year.”

He lost to Ivo Karlovic in four sets at Roland Garros in 2007, part of the worst showing by American men at any major tennis championship in 34 years. It also continued their recent trend of struggling on clay.

“We all feel like, you know, last year was an aberration that should never happen again,” Blake said, “and this year we’re definitely looking for better results.”

Or as U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe confidently predicted before the tournament began: “American men are going to do better this year than last year.”

Not really saying a whole lot, huh?

From 2004-07, only one man representing the United States made it as far as the third round in Paris: Blake, two years ago. That was his career-best showing in five previous visits to Roland Garros.

“I feel like I’m playing a little bit better, (with) a little bit more experience on the clay,” said Blake, 9-6 on the slow surface in 2008. “Hopefully this will be the year I put it all together.”

He is one of 10 U.S. men in the field this time, a contingent that does not include sixth-ranked Andy Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open champion who pulled out of the French Open because of a shoulder injury.

The only other American man scheduled to play Sunday was John Isner, the 6-foot-9 big server who led Georgia to the 2007 NCAA team title and won a set against No. 1 Roger Federer at the U.S. Open last year. But Isner’s match against Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina was postponed until Monday because earlier action on their court took too long; there are no lights at Roland Garros.

Blake was peeved to have to play on Day 1—the French Open is the only Grand Slam event that begins on Sunday instead of Monday—although at least he wasn’t exactly staring at a clay expert across the net.

Schuettler was the 2003 Australian Open runner-up, losing the final to Andre Agassi, but he dropped out of the top 150 in the rankings last year and currently stands 90th. He’s 60-83 for his career on clay and has lost seven of his nine first-round matches in Paris, including four in a row.

The German, though, had won both previous head-to-head meetings with Blake.

“For him, it doesn’t really matter if he plays on hard court or if he plays on clay or on grass. He plays his game. He goes for the shots,” Schuettler said. “If he hits the shot and he hits it well, (and) he feels comfortable with the balls on the court, then he’s dangerous everywhere.”

Still, clay tends to slow serves and groundstrokes and make for longer points, often rewarding patience while punishing aggressiveness. It also requires plenty of good footwork. Because people in the United States tend to grow up practicing and playing on speedier hard courts, they often find it difficult to be successful on clay, which is more commonly found in Europe and South America.

No one from the United States won the men’s singles championship in Paris between Tony Trabert’s title in 1955 and Michael Chang’s in 1989.

Blake used to find himself attempting to dramatically alter his approach on clay. Not anymore.

“I tried to be a ‘clay courter,’ and I’m not. I’m not a natural mover, playing defensively on the stuff, looping balls back, standing 8 feet behind the baseline to return serves and just pushing it in. That’s not my game. I’m not good at it,” he said.

“I can’t try to be that person, that type of player. I’m going to lose to guys who are much more skilled at that. So I need to play my game and adjust a little bit, be a little bit more patient, learn to play defense a little bit better, maybe work in the drop shot a little bit more—but not completely changing my game.”

There are still moments when Blake clearly is not nearly as comfortable as he is on hard courts. After sailing one forehand long on a bit of an awkward lunge in the second set against Schuettler, Blake scolded himself: “Don’t slide into that! Just get over there!”

After building a 5-1 lead in the third set, Blake began to bungle things, losing five consecutive games. He twice was broken while serving for the match, but did eventually pull it out in the tiebreaker, getting to match point by ending a 16-stroke exchange with a runaround forehand winner just inside the line.

“Maybe this will help my confidence even more to know that no matter what happens I can deal with ups and downs in matches,” Blake said. “There was quite a few ups until that point, and then there’s one little valley. I dealt with it, so I’m happy about that.”

Nadal Out to Make History

Rafael Nadal's ruthless pursuit of an historic fourth straight French Open title is likely to deliver another, possibly fatal blow to Roger Federer's lingering dream of an elusive Roland Garros crown.

The Spaniard boasts a perfect record of three titles and 21 wins in 21 matches since his debut in Paris in 2005 and another victory on June 8 will take him alongside Bjorn Borg (1978–1981) as the only man to win four in a row.

The left-handed Mallorcan has beaten Federer in the past two French Open finals as the world number one's hopes of becoming just the sixth man to win all four Grand Slam titles have come up heartbreakingly short.

Nadal, 21, has also won eight of the duo's nine meetings on clay including the Monte Carlo and Hamburg Masters tournaments this season and since April 2005, the Spaniard has racked up 108 wins in 110 claycourt matches.

Federer has got used to being confronted with such overwhelming statistics.

But 2008 has seen the Swiss, with 12 Grand Slam titles to his name, endure one of his worst years on the tour with just one trophy to show for five months frustrating graft.

There is also another worry in the colourful shape of Serbia's Novak Djokovic, the 20 year old who took his Australian Open title and showed off his claycourt credentials with victory at the Rome Masters.

Little wonder that the popular Federer is hoping that Nadal, who suffered blisters in Rome and needed treatment for a leg injury in Hamburg, might suffer a physical collapse.

"He is perhaps struggling a bit more due to the stress with the levels of the last few weeks. I am completely fine and I will be ready for the French Open," said Federer after seeing his nemesis relieve him of his Hamburg title in a defeat that ended a 41-match winning streak on German soil.

Nadal, however, has shrugged off any fears over his fitness.

"I was a little bit tired," explained the world number two whose battling style saw him come back from 5-1 down in the first set in Hamburg after also winning a three-set, three-hour semifinal over Djokovic the previous day.

"But later everything changed. It's important to beat the number one [Federer] and the best this year [Djokovic]. With this result, I'm already in the Masters Cup. I continue to be the number two but closer to the number one."

Djokovic is breathing down both men's necks.

Beaten by Nadal in the semifinals here in 2007 and quarterfinals in 2006, the Serbian world number three, who celebrates his 21st birthday on Thursday, is the most successful player on tour this year.

He won his first Grand Slam title in Melbourne dropping just one set in seven rounds and also clinched the Indian Wells Masters before his win in Rome.

"I am getting closer to Nadal on clay," said Djovokic after losing 7-5 2-6 6-2 to the Spaniard in Hamburg.

"The semifinal was one of the best matches I have played, probably the best match I have ever played on clay. I am really pleased with my form ahead of the French Open, my fitness is good, I feel fresh and that bodes well for Roland Garros."

Djokovic is also closing in on Nadal's world number two position and the Spaniard believes it's just a matter of time before the Serbian is on top of the world.

"He has improved incredibly and is getting better," said Nadal. "He's going to be world number one within a few years."

Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are head and shoulders above the rest of the men's field; world number four Nikolay Davydenko is almost 2000 points adrift of the Serbian in the world rankings.

As a result, the top trio are certain to dominate court time and column inches, but there won't be a dry eye in the house when former triple champion Gustavo Kuerten plays and, probably, loses in the first round.

The Brazilian, champion in 1997, 2000 and 2001, has featured in just nine tournaments in the past three years after failing to recover from a crippling hip injury.

This year's emotional farewell will be the 31 year old's last appearance of his 13-year career.

Murray: I Need to Grow Up On Court

LONDON (AFP) - Andy Murray admits he needs to improve his on-court attitude after branding himself immature.

The British number one was recently described as a "miserable git" by Tim Henman, who insisted Murray must address his temperament if he is to win Wimbledon.

The 21-year-old conceded he can often seem miserable on court, but the Scot is determined to improve that aspect of his game as he bids for a first Grand Slam at the French Open and then Wimbledon.

"I personally think that off the court I'm pretty happy and don't get too down about things," Murray said. "But on the court, for sure, I could be more bubbly, if that's what everybody thinks.

"I've watched matches of myself and sometimes I think the way I act on court is great, and at other times I don't like it. Sometimes I'm immature on court and that's not really acceptable.

"It needs to get better but this year it's definitely been much better than the last four or five months of last year. Hopefully I'll get there but I'm working on it."

Nadal Takes First Hamburg Championship

HAMBURG, Germany (AP)—Rafael Nadal beat defending champion Roger Federer 7-5, 6-7 (3), 6-3 on Sunday to win the Hamburg Masters and add the only major clay-court title missing from his impressive collection.

It was the reverse of last year's final, when Federer won his fourth title in Hamburg and snapped Nadal's 81-match winning streak on clay.

Nadal rallied from big deficits in the first two sets, although he lost the tiebreaker in the second. He led 4-1 in the third and held on to raise his record against the top-ranked player to 8-1 on clay and 10-6 overall.

"All the week has been very special for me," Nadal said.

The second-ranked Spaniard has 26 career titles, 21 of them on clay, including the last three French Opens. Nadal also won in Monte Carlo—beating Federer in the final—and Barcelona this year.

"It was a strange match," Nadal said. "Roger made some mistakes in the first set that helped me. … It was important to win because it was the last big clay-court tournament I never won."

Federer lost his seventh match of the year and has only one title so far, at a relatively minor clay-court tournament in Estoril, Portugal.

The Hamburg Masters is a major warm-up tournament for the French Open, the only Grand Slam that Federer has not won. "I could have served a little better; it wasn't my best performance, maybe. I have to go for big serves—he is a good return player," Federer said. "It was a fun match."

Federer went into Sunday's final with a 41-match winning streak in Germany and a 9-0 career record in finals on German soil. His last loss in Germany was in 2003.

Federer has been No. 1 since February 2004, but Nadal is the top player on the slower clay surface. Since April 2005, he has lost only twice in 110 matches on clay—to Federer last year in the Hamburg final and last week in Rome to Juan Carlos Ferrero, when Nadal was slowed by a painful blister on his foot.

Federer led 5-2 in the first set and wasted two set points before Nadal completed a comeback by winning seven straight games. That gave him the first set and a 1-0 lead in the second.

Federer then won the next four games and went on to lead 5-2, but could not close out the set before the tiebreaker.

Nadal had a three-hour match Saturday in beating Novak Djokovic in three sets to protect his No. 2 ranking, but he appeared fresher in the third set Sunday.

Serving for the match, Nadal won the first three points and then hit a backhand crosscourt winner. He fell to his knees and looked to the sky.

"I am happy that I won and that I beat the No. 1 in the world and the best player of the year (Djokovic), and that should give me some more confidence for the French Open," Nadal said.

Nadal became only the third player to own all three clay-court Masters Series titles, in Rome, Monte Carlo and Hamburg.

"He had a great week and a great clay-court season," said Federer, who finished with 41 unforced errors to Nadal's 28.

Nadal Beats Djokovic in Titanic Struggle; Retains #2 Ranking

HAMBURG, Germany (AP)—Rafael Nadal won a three-set struggle with Novak Djokovic to protect his No. 2 ranking Saturday and advance to the Hamburg Masters final against the world's top-ranked player.

Nadal will face No. 1 Roger Federer in Sunday's final, a rematch of last year's championship match in which Federer won his fourth Hamburg title and ended Nadal's' 81-match winning streak on clay—his only win over the Spaniard on the slow surface.

Nadal and Federer reached the final in contrasting fashion Saturday.

Federer overwhelmed Andreas Seppi 6-3, 6-1. Nadal had to fight for more than three hours to defeat the third-ranked Djokovic 7-5, 2-6, 6-2.

Nadal's ranking was at stake against Djokovic, and Nadal prevailed in an often spectacular match that had both players clenching fists and thumping chests after amazing winners and turned into a superb battle of wills, stamina and skill.

"It was great to be part of a fantastic match, the quality was very high," Djokovic said. "It was one of the best, maybe the best match I can remember I played on clay."

Nadal called the duel "amazing, one of my best matches."

Djokovic was seeking back-to-back titles after winning last week's Rome Masters, where Nadal lost in an early round while struggling with a painful blister on his foot. It was Nadal's second defeat on clay in 109 matches stretching back more than three years.

Djokovic leads the season points race after winning his first major at the Australian Open and then beating Nadal in the semifinals at Indian Wells en route to the title. He has never beaten Nadal on clay in four matches, but came close Saturday—only to be undermined by wasted opportunities.

The Serb raced to a 3-0 lead in the first set and held two break points to make it 4-0. But Nadal held serve and then broke Djokovic's serve before making it 3-3.

"The first three games he played were unbelievable. Had I gone down 4-0, it would have been impossible to win the set," Nadal said.

Nadal went on to win the set, and Djokovic bounced back in the second. Djokovic dropped his serve in the opening game of the third set, then squandered four break points in two successive games on Nadal's serve.

"It was very crucial for me to win that first game, but I made two unforced errors and he used it very wisely. He is the best defensive player in the history of the game," Djokovic said.

Nadal needed five match points to win the last game, during which Djokovic squandered four more break points.

"I was unlucky at some points in the first and third sets," Djokovic said. "I played all the right shots, but luck played a big role. I feel with this performance that I am getting closer to him on clay."

The match took 3 hours, 3 minutes and Nadal may feel the consequences when he faces a rested Federer, who spent almost two hours less on court. Nadal has a 9-6 career record against Federer.

Federer has not dropped a set on his way to the final and has yet to play a seeded player. The tournament is a major warmup for the French Open later this month, the only Grand Slam title that Federer has yet to win.

"It is good to be in the Hamburg final again, it is good for the confidence ahead of the French Open," he said.

Federer has won only one title this year, at a relatively small clay-court tournament last month in Estoril, Portugal. He lost his sixth match of 2008 in the Rome Masters quarterfinals last week, to Radek Stepanek.

"Maybe I am a touch better than last year. I feel a bit more ready for Paris," Federer said.

Quarterfinal day at the "Centre Court of the World": Rafael Nadal defeated his friend Carlos Moya and set up a semifinal showdown with Novak Djokovic. Roger Federer has also passed his fourth round test while German Nicolas Kiefer fell to Andreas Seppi.

Kiefer's winning streak came to an end today as he succumbed to Italian Andreas Seppi 3:6, 7:5, 5:7. After losing the first set, Kiefer fought back to take the second. In the third set, he broke Seppi early but this was not enough. When he served for the match at 5:4, Kiefer choked and lost his serve. This proved to be enough to destroy the German's confidence, Seppi took the final set 7:5. The victory over Kiefer has earned the Italian a semifinal clash with world No.1 Roger Federer.

The title defender breezed past Fernando Verdasco to reach the semifinal of the Hamburg Masters Series 2008 presented by E.ON Hanse. He needed only 81 minutes to defeat the Spaniard 6:3, 6:3. Federer: "It took me a little time to get used to playing a leftie again. It's just good playing lefties once in a while because looking ahead to Paris, it just helps." It was Federer's 28th victory in his last 29 matches at Rothenbaum. Verdasco who needed to take a medical time out due to problems with his ankle had three break points against Federer but was not able to win any of them.

Current world No. 3, Novak Djokovic followed Federer into the round of the last four with a 6:2, 6:3 -win over Albert Montanes. His next opponent is Rafael Nadal, who sent his friend and fellow Mallorca native Carlos Moya packing 6:1, 6:3. The winner of this match will be No.2 in the world: "It does make it special. But I'm trying not to think about that. I'll just play that match like every other one and try to be focused to win and then keep winning. That's what really matters."

Nadal Has No Gifts for Murray; Fed and Djokovic Advance

HAMBURG, Germany (AP)—Rafael Nadal had no birthday gift for Andy Murray, winning in straight sets Thursday to join Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the Hamburg Masters.

Nadal won 6-3, 6-2 against Murray, who turned 21.

Defending champion Roger Federer breezed past Robin Soderling 6-3, 6-2. The top-ranked Federer is seeking his fifth title in Hamburg and will play Fernando Verdasco, who upset fifth-seeded David Ferrer 7-6 (2), 6-2.

Djokovic defeated Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (3), 6-3 to stay on course for back-to-back titles after winning last week’s Rome Masters. Djokovic could rise to No. 2 after this tournament.

Nadal will face Carlos Moya, who outlasted Marat Safin 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-1.

Nadal received treatment for blisters on his left hand, but was already ahead 4-1 in the second set. He did not seem to be in discomfort, unlike Murray who did not have an answer to Nadal’s power on clay. Murray ended the match with a meek forehand into the net, one of 23 unforced errors to Nadal’s 11.

The tournament is a major warmup for the French Open later this month, the only Grand Slam title Federer has yet to win.

“I have no aches or pains, I feel very fit, very match tough,” Federer said. Federer has only one title so far this year, at a relatively small clay-court tournament last month in Estoril, Portugal. He has a 24-6 record.

Federer had won all five previous matches against Soderling, and had a crisp 24 winners to 10 unforced errors. Soderling was nearly the opposite, with 12 winners and 23 unforced errors.

“I controlled things well from the baseline, I served well when I had to,” Federer said. “He has a big serve but I retrieved it well and I scrambled well.”

Djokovic leads the tour with three titles this year, but had never played the 6-foot-10 Karlovic.

Karlovic, who led the tour in aces last year, had 12 against Djokovic. He also had 26 unforced errors.

Djokovic trailed 3-1 in the tiebreaker but won six straight points. He broke serve for a 4-2 lead in the second set, which proved enough to win.

Djokovic will play Albert Montanes, who rolled past Janko Tipsarevic 6-2, 6-1. Andreas Seppi upset 12th-seeded Juan Monaco 6-0, 6-3.

#1 Henin Retires Immediately

LIMELETTE, Belgium (AP)—Justine Henin retired from tennis Wednesday, an abrupt ending to a short and successful career in which she won seven Grand Slam singles titles and leaves while ranked No. 1.

The 25-year-old Belgian made the surprising announcement at a news conference Wednesday, less than two weeks before the start of the French Open. She has won that clay-court major championship four times, including each of the past three years.

“This is the end of a child’s dream,” Henin said. “This is a definitive decision. Those who know me know it is serious.”

Her announcement came a day after one of the greatest female golfers in history said she’s walking away: Annika Sorenstam, owner of 10 major titles and one of six women to complete a career Grand Slam in her sport, is retiring at the end of the season.

Henin, though, won’t have any sort of farewell tour. She is quitting immediately.

Henin won 10 tournaments last year, but has been in one of the worst slumps of her career this season. She lost last week in the third round of the German Open and pulled out of this week’s Italian Open, citing fatigue.

“I thought long about this,” Henin said, her voice cracking and eyes watering. “I started thinking about it late last year. I was at the end of the road. I leave with my head held high.”

Last year, Kim Clijsters—another Belgian who reached No. 1 and won a Grand Slam title—retired from tennis at 23. She has since married and become a mother.

The 5-foot-5 3/4 , 126-pound Henin overcame her slender build and a litany of injuries to dominate tennis for long stretches, thanks to a superb one-handed backhand, impressive court coverage and grit.

In 2006, she reached the finals of every Grand Slam tournament. In 2007, she sat out the Australian Open in January while going through a divorce, then returned to the tour and won the French Open and U.S. Open, eight other tournaments and more than $5 million.

However, after winning her home tournament in Antwerp in February, she has failed to go beyond the quarterfinals at any other event this season.

Henin’s year began with a 6-4, 6-0 loss to Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open quarterfinals in January, followed by a 6-2, 6-0 drubbing by Serena Williams at the Sony Ericsson Open in April, the worst loss for a top-ranked player in nine years.

At last week’s German Open, Henin lost 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 to Dinara Safina.

“She finds it tough, losing matches she normally would not lose,” Belgian Fed Cup captain Sabine Appelmans said.

In addition to her French Open titles, Henin won the Australian Open in 2004, and the U.S. Open in 2003 and 2007. The only Grand Slam title to elude her was Wimbledon, where she was the runner-up in 2001 and 2006.

Henin, who earned nearly $20 million in career prize money, has been ranked No. 1 since Nov. 13, 2006, except for a seven-week period last year when Sharapova held the top spot.

“Justine Henin will be remembered as one of the all-time great champions in women’s tennis, and a woman who made up for her lack of size with a will to win and fighting spirit that was second to none,” WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott said. “It is rare that an athlete leaves at the very top of her game in this day and age, but Justine has always played by her own rules, in the very best sense of those words.”

Twins help 2 escape hotel fire

4 hours

BORDEAUX, France (AP)—Twin brothers who play professional tennis as a doubles team helped the wife and son of another doubles player escape from a hotel fire.

Sanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana of Thailand were making their way through thick, black smoke to exit their hotel when they heard someone calling for them.

It was the wife of Lucas Arnold Ker, who like the twins is in town for a Challenger Series tournament.

“After we got out of the room, we made some noise: ‘Is somebody still here?”’ Sanchai said in a telephone interview Tuesday. “She called, ‘This way! this way!”’

The twins, who have won two titles on the ATP tour and expect to play at the French Open later this month, entered the room and found Arnold Ker’s wife and son.

“First, she wanted to use the blanket to go out the window,” Sanchai said. “But I said, ‘We can find the exit.”’

Sanchai said they left the room and re-entered the smoke-filled hallway with wet towels wrapped around the heads of the woman and boy. They then saw someone open the fire exit door, and the four got out safely.

“OK, maybe we helped her, but she helped us,” Sanchai said. “If she didn’t call us, maybe we wouldn’t have found the exit. She saved our lives also.”

The brothers later learned that the fire started in another room on the third floor. No one was hurt, Sanchai said.

“I think we were the last to get out of the building,” Sanchai said.

It was unclear how the Monday morning fire started, and the brothers have since moved to a room in another building in the same hotel complex.

After the fire, the Thai twins went ahead with business as usual, heading to the practice courts. And on Tuesday, they won their opening match at the tournament.

Twins help 2 escape hotel fire

4 hours, 14 minutes ago

BORDEAUX, France (AP)—Twin brothers who play professional tennis as a doubles team helped the wife and son of another doubles player escape from a hotel fire.

Sanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana of Thailand were making their way through thick, black smoke to exit their hotel when they heard someone calling for them.

It was the wife of Lucas Arnold Ker, who like the twins is in town for a Challenger Series tournament.

"After we got out of the room, we made some noise: 'Is somebody still here?"' Sanchai said in a telephone interview Tuesday. "She called, 'This way! this way!"'

The twins, who have won two titles on the ATP tour and expect to play at the French Open later this month, entered the room and found Arnold Ker's wife and son.

"First, she wanted to use the blanket to go out the window," Sanchai said. "But I said, 'We can find the exit."'

Sanchai said they left the room and re-entered the smoke-filled hallway with wet towels wrapped around the heads of the woman and boy. They then saw someone open the fire exit door, and the four got out safely.

"OK, maybe we helped her, but she helped us," Sanchai said. "If she didn't call us, maybe we wouldn't have found the exit. She saved our lives also."

The brothers later learned that the fire started in another room on the third floor. No one was hurt, Sanchai said.

"I think we were the last to get out of the building," Sanchai said.

It was unclear how the Monday morning fire started, and the brothers have since moved to a room in another building in the same hotel complex.

After the fire, the Thai twins went ahead with business as usual, heading to the practice courts. And on Tuesday, they won their opening match at the tournament.

Federer faces an indefatigable foe: time

By Roy S. Johnson

Question: Many people say that this year is the beginning of the end. What do you think?

Roger Federer: Next question, please.

If it was just that easy. If it was that easy for the best tennis player of our generation – and maybe all time – to dispose of the question as surgically as he has so many opponents. But he can't.

Roger Federer can't put away the question like an easy overhead or one of his brilliant, laser-like forehands. Not now. Not after losing nearly as many matches so far this year (six) as he lost all of last year (nine).

Federer has been the world's best tennis player for so long (since Feb. 2, 2004 for a record 224 straight weeks) most tennis fans can't remember the last name to sit atop the game (Andy Roddick). Moreover, he's been all but unbeatable by almost anyone not named Nadal. Not anymore.

Federer's "lost to" list now reads like a "Who's that?

Andy Murray. Mardy Fish (in straight sets). Radek Stepanek. Each of them has dispatched Roger this year, the latter having ousted him before the weekend in Rome last week.

Without a doubt, the question of the tennis summer will be the very same one fired at Federer following his loss to Stepanek last week: Is this the beginning of the end?

And Federer won't be able to dodge it for long.

The answer depends on how you define "the end." It may very well be "the end" of the Invincible Federer. His losses have mostly diminished his most potent weapon: fear.

Opponents who once entered matches against Federer hoping to avoid a bagel and leave the court with their dignity. now say, "If Andy Murray, Mardy Fish and Radek Stepanek can do it …"

Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic, who took Federer to five sets at the Australian Open in January, said afterwards: "People need to understand Roger Federer is human and is beatable. He feels the pressure."

That said, Federer's "human" is not exactly, say, 50th-ranked Fabrice Santoro's "human," although some of Federer's early defeats this year can be attributed to a bout with mononucleosis.

Now, despite the recent defeats, Federer will still be favored in any tournament he enters, except for the Nadal Open (aka the French Open). And he is in no danger of losing his status as No. 1 anytime soon. He is only 26, which is a bit too early to be experiencing any significantly diminished skills. He still plays with grace and assassin-like precision.

Sure, Bjorn Borg shocked us by retiring at 26. But most of the major champions over the last quarter century won additional majors in their late 20s and beyond. Federer still has a major in him, or three.

Now if you define "the end" with a bit more subtlety, then, yes, the end is nigh. Federer is not only no longer invincible, but he also has a true giant killer nipping at his heels. And like David with his slingshot, he will likely connect with the final, conquering blow.

Novak Djokovic, another Serb, lies in waiting – and he is impatient. He has already beaten Federer, and he possesses the kind of weapons and guile that can send an icon into retirement.

Here is what I think: By the end of the year, Djokovic will have supplanted Nadal at No. 2, and by this time next year he could very well be No. 1 – or as close as anyone has been in a while.

Before losing in Rome, Federer was feeling pretty good about his game. "I think I was lacking matches at one stage, when I lost in the first round of Dubai," he said. "Now, I'm again back in my stride and feel like I'm playing well and nothing ever happened."

Well it has, and Federer cannot run away from it.

Hewitt Decision to Play Majors by Week End

A frustrated Lleyton Hewitt won’t know for a few more days whether or not a hip injury will force him out of the French Open and possibly even Wimbledon.

A worst case scenario on Australia’s top player’s hip injury would be that it kept him out of the entire grasscourt season.

Hewitt has been consulting daily with the doctor for the Optus Australian Davis Cup team, Dr David Brooks, and also saw a specialist at North Shore Private Hospital today for some more tests. The former world number one is hopeful of a return to the tour sooner rather than later.

“The hip is starting to feel a little better but I’m yet to fully test it out on court,” Hewitt said this afternoon.

“The specialist did a couple more tests today but the results won’t be back for a few days. Once I get those I can make a decision on the French Open and the grasscourt season.”

After a strong showing during the 2007 claycourt season and last year’s French Open, Hewitt was very much looking forward to returning to the European clay. Instead, the hip injury has sidelined him for the past month.

“He is doing everything in his power to compete in both Grand Slam tournaments,” Hewitt’s manager David Drysdale said.

“Grand Slams are well and truly the highlight of a tennis player’s year, particularly an athlete as competitive as Lleyton. He hasn’t given up on them, but is just frustrated that he can’t be already out there competing and preparing,” he explained.

Once he gets the results of the latest medical tests at the end of the week, Hewitt is expected to make a decision on a date for his return to the tour.

Djokovic Rallies to Rome Championship

ROME (AP)—Having already displayed his prowess on hard courts this season, Novak Djokovic is showing he's capable of dominating on clay, too.

Djokovic won the 10th title of his career Sunday, rallying to beat unseeded Stanislas Wawrinka 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 at the Rome Masters.

"I was aiming for Rome and Roland Garros as my two priorities on clay courts this season," Djokovic said. "Now I have more confidence approaching big events on clay, and other surfaces as well."

This tournament was an important warmup for the French Open, which begins in two weeks.

The third-ranked Djokovic won the Australian Open in January for his first Grand Slam tournament title, then captured the Masters Series event in Indian Wells, Calif., in March.

Djokovic's third victory of 2008 will move him within 310 points of second-ranked Rafael Nadal in the ATP rankings.

"This year has been like a dream for me, but I want to continue. I want to finish the year as No. 1—in the race," Djokovic said with a big grin, as if he were amused at his own precociousness.

Djokovic is already on top of the ATP Race rankings, which coincide with the actual rankings at the end of the year.

Djokovic, who will turn 21 later this month, has been winning more than Nadal and top-ranked Roger Federer lately. He reached his first Grand Slam final at the U.S. Open to end 2007, and has followed his win at Melbourne by taking two of the four Masters Series events so far this year.

Nadal was upset by Juan Carlos Ferrero in the second round in Rome, and Federer fell to Radek Stepanek in the quarterfinals.

"Everybody got used to Federer and Nadal playing the finals of every major event," Djokovic said. "Mentally, they're struggling because there is so much pressure and so much expectation that they have to be in the final on every surface and in every tournament that they play."

Djokovic faced pressure Sunday as the favorite against Wawrinka, who was playing his first Masters Series final.

"If I really want to stay on the top of men's tennis, I need to get used to those things," Djokovic said.

Djokovic improved to 8-1 on clay this season and 25-5 overall. At the Monte Carlo Masters last month, Djokovic retired from his semifinal match with Federer due to strep throat.

The Serb had no health problems this week, although other players did.

Both Djokovic and Wawrinka advanced to the final when their semifinal opponents retired. First, Andy Roddick pulled out with a back problem against Wawrinka, then Stepanek quit with apparent heat stroke against Djokovic.

Djokovic's quarterfinal opponent, Nicolas Almagro, also withdrew with a wrist problem.

Djokovic did not face a seeded player all week, registering wins against Steve Darcis and Igor Andreev in his opening two matches.

Despite the loss, Wawrinka will move to 10th when the new rankings come out Monday. With Federer, it will mark the first time two Swiss players have been in the top 10.

“I’m a little surprised,” said Wawrinka, who entered the week ranked 24th. “It’s a big jump for me.”

The 22-year-old Wawrinka was the French Open junior champion in 2003.

Djokovic broke Wawrinka’s serve in the opening game of the third set when Wawrinka hit a backhand long after a 20-stroke rally.

Trailing 2-3 in the third, Wawrinka called for a trainer and had his lower back treated. He came back and didn’t appear to struggle, but Djokovic maintained his lead and broke again to close out the match in a little more than 2 hours.

“He’s always staying in the game,” Wawrinka said. “It doesn’t matter what the score is or what has happened in the game, he’s always staying (focused) and trying.”

After losing the first set, Djokovic started attacking the net more.

“That’s what I’ve been working on the last couple of months—varying my game more so I can go to the net and stay back, play defensively and offensively at the same time,” he said.

Both players committed 33 unforced errors, but Djokovic led 29-18 in winners.

“This is one of the best tournaments I’ve won,” Djokovic said in fluent Italian after receiving the winner’s trophy from four-time Rome champion Gabriela Sabatini.

Djokovic was asked on the victory stand to perform his renowned imitations of other players. He declined, later explaining that he didn’t like it when other players looked at the imitations “negatively.”

“This is not what I do best. What I do best is I win on the court in tennis,” Djokovic said. “That’s what I’ll try to do in the next 10, 15 years.”