Tennis News

The world’s finest tennis player is in a new mission. Owing to Novak Djokovic’s regular performances over the years at top level, many see him as the best possible diplomatic representative and Serbia’s ambassador, while the newly-crowned Australian Open champion will today have a chance to have an audience with David Cameron, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, ahead of the Laureus Award ceremony to be presented to the Serbian as the Sportsman of the Year 2011.

Defending champions the Czech Republic stormed into the semifinals of the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas on Sunday, while fellow former champions Russia and Italy and newcomers Serbia scored 3-2 victories to join them in the final four.

Petra Kvitova gave the Czechs an insurmountable 3-0 lead over Germany with a 67(2) 64 61 win against Sabine Lisicki, winning eight of the last nine games of the match after trailing a set and 4-all. The tie's final scoreline was 4-1.

Top seed Juan Monaco ended a five-year title drought on Sunday at the VTR Open as he defeated first-time finalist Carlos Berlocq 6-3, 6-7(1), 6-1 in an all-Argentine final in Vina del Mar.

After a long trip back to Europe from Australia, it was an interesting weekend for Jelena Jankovic as Serbia took on Belgium in Fed Cup - designer dresses, plummeting temperatures and, eventually, victory.

First for Jankovic was a touch of class. Between Melbourne and Charleroi she stopped off in Belgrade, where she worked on designing the dresses for her team for the tie's player party. Though she only had a few days to work with a company in the Serbian capital, she was excited about the final product.

Serbia put aside the absence of Jelena Jankovic, and a crushing defeat for stand-in Aleksandra Krunic in the day’s opening rubber, to sweep into the semifinals of Fed Cup by BNP Paribas with victory over Belgium.

Not only does the win book their place in the last four of the competition, which will mean a trip to Russia, but it also represents a first-ever victory in the top tier of Fed Cup. Incidentally, their only previous tie in the World Group ended in defeat to Russia in 2010, following failure in the deciding doubles.

Serena Williams rallied from a set down to beat Anastasia Yakimova 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 on Sunday and clinch the United States' victory over Belarus in a Fed Cup World Group-II tie.

Williams, a 13-time Grand Slam champion, claimed her second singles win of the weekend after beating Olga Govortsova on Saturday in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Yakimova was a late replacement in singles for Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, whose triumph in Melbourne saw her claim the women's world No 1 ranking.

Czech Tomas Berdych claimed his seventh career title when he defeated local favourite Gael Monfils 6-2 4-6 6-3 in the final of the Open Sud de France in Montpellier on Sunday.

World number seven Berdych had too much pace for Frenchman Monfils and prevailed in two hours five minutes.

"It was a great three sets, it was very close and I'm happy I was able to do it," top seed Berdych told French TV channel Canal Plus Sport.

"He is a great player, he knows how to fight on court, but I knew that and I was ready for it."

Mikhail Youzhny won the eighth title of his career as he beat Lukas Lacko in the ATP Zagreb final.

Youzhny was too strong for the unseeded Slovak who was playing in his first final, with the Russian running out a 6-2 6-3 winner.

The third seed was dominant on his serve throughout, winning 75 per cent of points when serving and he never had to save a break point.

He also broke Lacko three times in the match – twice in the first set and then once in the second.

Svetlana Kuznetsova answered the call of her country and finished off Spain in the fourth rubber of the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group first round tie in Moscow.

The Fed Cup veteran faced a stiff challenge from world No. 77 Silvia Soler-Espinosa in what should have been a routine victory for the St Petersburg native. Having raced into a 62 41 lead the Russian appeared to be on course for the victory everyone expected but five straight games from Soler-Espinosa made for some worried looking faces on the Russian benches.

World No.2 Petra Kvitova underlined her standing as one of the best players on the planet when she clinched another World Group semifinal spot for the defending Fed Cup by BNP Paribas champions. Having helped Czech Republic to a 2-0 lead away to Germany on Saturday, Kvitova again fought back from a set down to win the first reverse singles against Sabine Lisicki 67(2) 64 61.