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After being forced to sit out the 2016 French Open due to knee surgery, seven-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer showed no signs of rust as he came from two sets down to defeat Marin Cilic in a thrilling Wimbledon 2016 quarterfinal match.

Ninth-seeded Cilic came firing out of the block with his big serve and heavy groundstrokes but Federer stood his ground. There were no breaks of serve in the first set, but Cilic won the tie-break to take the set 7-6(4).

In the third game of the second set, Cilic broke Federer’s serve to go up 2-1. The Croatian was able to consolidate the break and held his serve as he closed out the set 6-4.

In the third set, the Swiss broke Cilic in the seventh game to go up a break 4-3. Federer won the next to games to take the third set 6-3.

There were no breaks of serve in the fourth set and so they headed to the tie-break. Federer won it 11-9 to level the match 2-2.

Former World No. 53 Sam Groth is among Australians competing at the Australian Open 2017 Play-Off from December 12-18, 2016.

Sixteen men and sixteen women will vie for two direct entries (one man and one woman) into the 2017 Australian Open.

Tournament Director Francis Soyer is pleased with this year’s field.

“The Australian Open play-off continues to draw some of Australia’s best male and female players to compete for the ultimate prize – direct entry into their home Grand Slam,” Soyer said.

Groth, who is the seeded second, was ranked No. 53 in October 2015 but his ranked has dropped to No. 181.

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) Former top-10 player Kathy Rinaldi is the U.S. Fed Cup team’s new captain.

The U.S. Tennis Association announced Thursday that Rinaldi is succeeding Mary Joe Fernandez, who stepped down in October after eight years in the job.

Rinaldi will have extra duties, working more closely with the American players during the WTA season and offseason. She will also work with the USTA’s player development program.

Her debut as head of the U.S. Fed Cup team will come against visiting Germany in February.

Fernandez helped the United States reach two finals in the annual competition, but did not win a title. The U.S. last won the Fed Cup in 2000.

In a match that lasted nearly three hours, Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia defeated Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in what was arguably the best Wimbledon fourth round match of 2016.

Cibulkova, who was seeded 19th, pulled a major upset after she beat 3rd-seed Radwanska 6-3, 5-7, 9-7.

The diminutive Cibulkova, who was up a set, served for the match at 5-4 in the second, but Radwanska wasn’t ready to pack her bags as she broke Cibulkova to level the set 5-5. Radwanska won the next two games to take the second set.

At 5-5 in the deciding third set, Cibulkova earned several break points but Radwanska fought them off.  Up 6-5, Radwanska earned a match point but Cibulkova was able to hold.

After breaking Radwanska to go up 7-6, the 19th seed served for the match but the Pole broke back to level the set 7-7. Cibulkova broke again to go up 8-7, earning another opportunity to serve for the match.

Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka is no stranger to challenges but she’s about to face her toughest, yet most fulfilling one: bringing a human being into this world.

Azarenka announced her pregnancy a few months after sweeping Indian Wells- Miami “Sunshine Double,” a tough feat.

She is clearly enjoying the experience of being pregnant.

“My pregnancy’s been completely different experience from anything I’ve done before.

You know obviously in theory you know the process but to actually go through that you truly start to deeply understand the magic of it and it’s quite a ride, I have to say.”

PARIS (AP) The French Tennis Federation has named Yannick Noah as France’s Fed Cup captain for next year.

Noah, who is also France’s Davis Cup captain, replaces Amelie Mauresmo. She stepped down last month because she is expecting her second child.

Mauresmo had been in charge of the Fed Cup team since 2013 and guided it to this year’s final, where it lost 3-2 to the Czech Republic in a tense final.

Under Mauresmo, France won six out of nine Fed Cup ties.

First up for Noah is the first round match against Switzerland in Geneva in February.

British mogul Richard Branson, who is an avid tennis player, shared five tennis tips he has learned from tennis stars such as Caroline Wozniacki, Jennifer Capriati, Grigor Dimitrov, and Andre Agassi.

Here are some of the tips Branson shared on his Virgin website:

1) One of Caroline Wozniacki’s tips was to keep his left hand pointing towards the ball until after contact with it.

2) Former No. 1 player Jennifer Capriati told him to “explode upwards” to get his energy moving upwards and forwards on the serve.

3) Grigor Dimitrov told Branson that 80 per cent of the serve has is the throw-up.

Roger Federer and Serena Williams are not going to participate in the third edition of the International Premier Tennis League because of financial issues for the exhibition series.

Mahesh Bhupathi, a player and managing director of IPTL, issued a statement Monday night blaming the ”uncertainty of spending money” and the ”current economic climate in India.”

Bhupathi said he hoped Federer, the owner of 17 Grand Slam titles, and Williams, who has won 22 major singles trophies, would play in the IPTL in the future.

Federer has not played since re-injuring his surgically repaired left knee at Wimbledon in July.

Watch IPTL on Tennis Channel and Tennis Channel Plus.

World No. 8 Madison Keys attended FearlesslyGIRL summit that was held in Rock Island, Illinois, on Tuesday, November 22, 2016.

Keys is the new ambassador of FearlesslyGIRL, an internationally recognized leadership organization dedicated to empowering a generation of young women as well as their schools and communities.

The FearlesslyGirl Summit included Leadership Training, Inspirational Keynote, and Interactive Workshop.

Watch video:

 

 

Novak Djokovic says he and coach Boris Becker are splitting up after three seasons together.

Djokovic posted a statement on Facebook on Tuesday, saying the duo ”jointly decided to end our cooperation.”

Of Djokovic’s 12 career Grand Slam singles titles – trailing only Roger Federer with 17, and Pete Sampras and Rafael Nadal with 14 apiece – six came while working with Becker.

Djokovic also was the runner-up at three other Grand Slam tournaments during his time with Becker, meaning the Serb made it to the finals at nine of 12 majors during their partnership.

But after completing a career Grand Slam with his first French Open title in June, Djokovic’s season went off course. He was upset in the third round at Wimbledon and in the first round at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics and lost his No. 1 ranking to Andy Murray last month.

USTA will launch new home for American tennis on January 2, 2017 in Orlando, Florida.

The facility will host a pro circuit event and twelve collegiate matches on the second weekend after the opening.

Watch video:

The new state-of-the-art facility is build on a 64-acre site. The divisions of the facility include the following:

A tournament and league area that will include 24 clay courts, 16 hard courts and two player pavilions. This area will also feature a tournament administration office that will include trainer rooms, a stringer area, player lounge, public restrooms and a check-in area.A collegiate tennis area that will feature 12 hard courts and one future tournament show court, allowing two collegiate matches to be played simultaneously. The courts will be equipped for television and have seating for 1,200 people, and the area will feature a two-story pavilion for concessions, public restrooms, team locker rooms and areas for trainers and officials. This area will serve as the home of the University of Central Florida men’s and women’s varsity tennis programs.A Team USA area that will include 12 hard courts. The courts will be utilized by the 17 USTA sections, along with coaches and their players throughout the country, to work collaboratively with USTA Player Development.A high performance and player development area that will include eight hard courts and eight red clay courts for USTA Player Development, with plans for six covered courts in the future. The space includes dorms that can house 32 boys and girls as well as a strength and conditioning space.Eight 36-foot and eight 60-foot courts that will enable youth and adults to develop their games.A USTA office building. The ground floor will include a tennis pro shop, fitness area, locker rooms, player lounge and cafeteria, with USTA offices occupying the second floor.

Players are already using the facility. American player Christina McHale, who is ranked No. 45, twitted yesterday that she was practicing at the new home for American tennis.

Practicing at the new Home of American Tennis @usta #hoat pic.twitter.com/S7YLmIWdos

WTA World No. 11 is spending her off-season rehabbing from a foot injury.

On December 4, 2016, the two-time Wimbledon champion announced the news to her fans on Instagram, stating that she will wear a brace for two weeks to help heal her right foot.

Kvitova is hopeful she will be able to play Hopeman Cup in Australia in January.

Examine the Emirates ATP Rankings in search of Americans, and you will find some very encouraging signs. Seven American men reside among the top 100: John Isner at No. 19, Jack Sock at No. 23, Sam Querrey at No. 31, Stevie Johnson at No. 33, Taylor Fritz at No. 76, Donald Young at No. 88 and Ryan Harrison at No. 90.

But just as impressively, eleven more are stationed in the top 200, and the last of those competitors is none other than Michael Mmoh, an 18-year-old with high aspirations, realistic goals and a deep determination to succeed on the highest level.

Mmoh has made immense strides as of late. On September 12, 2016, he was ranked No. 379 in the world, but now this teenager has climbed significantly up to No. 198. In the middle of summer, he secured the prestigious National 18 Championships in the renowned junior locale of Kalamazoo, Michigan, earning a wildcard into the U.S. Open. Thereafter, he came on strong. At the end of the season, largely on the strength of a Challenger tournament triumph in Knoxville, Tennessee, Mmoh garnered another much coveted wildcard, this one taking him into the upcoming Australian Open. Many authorities on American tennis are bullish on Mmoh, believing he is a very bright prospect and a player with a good chance to break into the world’s top twenty in a couple of years.

For the time being, however, he is delighted to be hitting his short term targets, knowing that he must take it step by step at this stage of his career. We spoke by telephone a few days before Thanksgiving, and Mmoh came across as thoughtful, mature and even introspective. We started by talking about Kalamazoo, which served as a springboard for the rest of his 2016 campaign. As he recalls, “There were a lot of expectations coming into it. I had not been playing the best of tennis. I was still recovering from a three month injury to my right elbow so my confidence wasn’t high. Even though you are not playing Challenger level [opponents] at Kalamazoo, getting eight wins in a row does huge things for your confidence. It was a big bonus for me.”

How did he feel about being the clearcut favorite, and realizing simultaneously that winning the tournament would guarantee him the wildcard into the U.S. Open? He responds, “I was the sole favorite in Kalamazoo and there were a lot of eyes on me. I think I did a good job coping with it and I was just kind of locked in and focussed on the opportunity I had. There were some tough matches in that tournament. Even in the first round I played a random guy from California who barely got into the tournament and I won like 6-4, 6-4. Definitely the U.S. Open and the wildcard was the main reason I played Kalamazoo. I actually had that in the front of my head. That was the goal and it motivated me. I used it as a challenge. I was playing against guys who I was supposed to beat and I used that as a challenge rather than a threat.”

WTA No. 4 Simona Halep took home the trophy for 2016 Best Tennis Player in Romania at an awards ceremony held in Bucharest on Sunday, December 4, 2616.

Halep shared the good news with her fans on Twitter.

Proud winner of the trophy for the best tennis player in Romania in 2016! #frt #tennis #romania pic.twitter.com/Vfld7YWOUr

— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) December 5, 2016

Halep won three titles in 2016 that included Mutua Madrid Open, Bucharest Open, and Montreal Rogers Cup.