1. Maria Sharapova
2. Gina Carano
3. Danica Patrick
4. Cristiano Ronaldo
5. Amanda Beard
6. Michael Phelps
7. Kimbo Slice
8. Leryn Franco
9. Natalie Gulbis
10. David Beckham

Serena Williams came in third on Yahoo's list of most searched-for Olympians:

1. Michael Phelps
2. Leryn Franco
3. Serena Williams
4. Kobe Bryant
5. Shawn Johnson
6. Jennie Finch
7. Misty May Treanor
8. Ronaldinho
9. Alicia Sacramone
10. Nastia Liukin 

After parting ways with Larri Passos earlier this year, Tamira Paszek is now working with Angel Gimenez of the Sanchez-Casal academy in Barcelona. However, her participation in Auckland is in doubt because of a left foot inury.

The ATP event in Portschach will move to another location next year, announce organizers. The new venue will be named in January.

Casey Dellacqua tells the Sydney Daily Telegraph that she has changed her service motion based on video analysis. "It was getting my shoulder in an impingement position where I was in a lot of pain" she said. "We had a look at my serve and I've changed it a fair bit. I've had a few weeks to practice, I've still got a long way to go."

Alicia Molik, who retired earlier this year after a stalled comeback from illness and injuries, will commentate for Australian network Channel Seven during the Australian Open.

The Indian government has announced that only athletes with Indian citizenship and no other will be eligible to represent the country in international competition. The rule could affect Prakash Amritraj, Shika Uberoi and Sunthia Rao, who all hold U.S. passports.

Kimiko Date and Mirjana Lucic have been awarded wildcards into Auckland.

With Bob still injured, the Bryan brothers have pulled out of Chennai.

Aussie prospect Bernard Tomic, 16, will receive a wildcard into Brisbane.

Pete Sampras tells the Tennis Channel website that he would be receptive to taking part in the exhibition that will be held at Wimbledon in May to test the new roof on Centre Court. However, Sampras added, he has not yet been approached about the possibility.

"I had dinner with Tim Henman when I was in London and he mentioned the event to test the roof," said Sampras. "I told him I would think about it but no one has really officially asked me... I can't tell you yes or no for sure... Going over to London is not an easy trip but that could be a pretty cool event, so would I consider it? Absolutely."

Henman and John McEnroe are reportedly among the players being considered by the All England Club.

Jelena Dokic will receive a wildcard into Brisbane, aided by the positive signs of her victory in the Australian Open wildcard playoffs last week.

Tommy Haas and Gael Monfils will receive wildcards into Doha. Haas is returning from injury while Monfils intended to play Brisbane but did not enter in time.

Marat Safin's former coach Peter Lundgren on Safin deciding to continue playing next year: "I think he has made the right decision. Marat is still a world class player who has a lot more to give... It would have been sad if he had quit playing now. I'm happy he is still around... I talked to him the other day and told him that he should concentrate on playing the tournaments that he really likes and be more selective over the next year. I like him very much as a person, he's a great guy."

Michaella Krajicek will receive a wildcard into Auckland. Krajicek, who reached a career-high of No. 30 last year, has fallen out of the Top 200 after being plagued with injuries this season.

Mark Philippoussis announces that he will play the seniors event at the Australian Open but has not yet ruled out a return to ATP play.

Jelena Dokic has won the Tennis Australia playoffs to ean a wildcard into the Australian Open. Dokic, who will now have the opportunity to make her first Australian Open main draw appearance in nine years, defeated Monica Wejnert 6-7(3), 7-5, 6-3. Wejnert had earlier defeated Dokic in the round-robin portion of the event.

Colin Ebelthite won the men's playoff to earn his first berth in a Grand Slam main draw. The 24-year-old has never before played a match at the ATP level.

John Isner and 16-year-old Christina McHale have won the USTA playoffs to earn Australian Open wildcards.

In the men's final, Isner defeated Jesse Levine 6-3, 7-5. Donald Young and Wayne Odesnik were the other players in the four-man field.

Eight players took part in the women's event, with McHale defeating Gail Brodsky 6-1, 6-0 in the final. Madison Brengle, CoCo Vandeweghe, Vania King, Lauren Albanese, Mallory Cecil and Asia Muhammed were the other players competing.

Tennis Australia and the USTA have a reciprocal wildcard arrangement that allows each of the two national associations to award one wildcard for each other's Grand Slam to one of their own players.

Jelena Jankovic and Olympic silver medalist Milord Cavic have been named Serbia's athletes of the year in a ceremony organized by the Serbian Olympic Committee. Jankovic finished the year as WTA No. 1 and reached the final of the US Open, while Ana Ivanovic won the French Open (briefly reaching No. 1) and Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open and an Olympic bronze medal.

Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi will not be able to play the ATP Chennai event in January because of new Indian visa regulations that require a one-month wait for Pakistan nationals. Regulations were revised following the Mumbai terror attacks , and the extra waiting period means Qureshi will not receive a visa in time to play Chennai.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, ahead of an exhibition event in Toulouse, on his lack of nerves on court: "This is not an impression, I actually don't feel pressure. When one does not have the money to pay rent at the end of the month and risks being evicted, that for me is pressure. I'm not playing for my life on the court. Tennis remains for me a pleasure, an exchange. I give my all because I like to be able to look at myself in the mirror and say I've done something well."

Carlos Rodriguez, former coach of Justine Henin, has begun working with 19-year-old Yanina Wickmayer, who is now the highest-ranked Belgian on the WTA at No. 73.

Sam Querrey has been working with new coaches David Nainkin and Alex Reichel since October. Querrey previously worked with Grant Doyle.

Jamie Murray and Dusan Vemic plan to establish a regular partnership in men's doubles next season, though Murray is committed to playing with a former regular partner, Eric Butorac, during the Australian Open.

Justine Henin will serve as a goodwill ambassador for the joint Belgium-Netherlands bid for the 2018 World Cup of soccer.

In a video feature to be aired this Sunday, ESPN reports that Alexandra Stevenson and father Julius "Dr. J" Erving, a former NBA star, have established regular contact.

Nikolay Davydenko, David Nalbandian and James Blake will headline the ATP Estoril event in May.

Daniel Nestor and wife Natasha welcomed their first child, a daughter named Tiana, on Monday, reports Canada's Globe and Mail website.

As expected, Albert Costa has been named the new Davis Cup captain for Spain.

Nadia Petrova has been discharged from hospital, her mother tells Russian publication Sport-Express. Petrova was training in Buenos Aires when she fell ill and was diagnosed with viral meningitis.

Rafael Nadal was third in the running for L'Equipe's annual 'Champion of Champions' honor, behind winner Usain Bolt and second-placed Michael Phelps. Roger Federer had won the award for the past three years.

Olympic gold medalist Elena Dementieva was the only tennis player named one of the year's top ten athletes by the Russian Federation of Sports Journalists.

Lindsay Davenport has announced that she is pregnant with her second child and "putting tennis on hold for the foreseeable future."

The pregnancy likely means retirement for the 32-year-old Davenport, who had originally signalled she would play next year by entering the upcoming Australian Open.

Davenport gave birth to her first child, a son named Jagger, in June 2007 and retured to the tour that September. She enjoyed some early success during her comeback but has struggled with injuries and played only a limited schedule this season.

The first-round Davis Cup tie between the USA and Switzerland will be held in Birmingham, Alabama. Venues for the other ties are as follows:

Czech Republic vs. France: CEZ Arena, Ostrava, Czech Republic (indoor carpet)

Croatia vs. Chile: Visenamjenska Sportska Dvorana Zatika, Porec, Croatia

Sweden vs. Israel: The Baltic Hall, Malmo, Sweden (indoor carpet)

Germany vs. Austria: Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

Spain vs. Serbia: Parque Tematico Tierra Mitica, Benidorm, Spain (outdoor clay)

Venues for the Argentina-Netherlands and Romania-Russia ties will be announced in the next few days.

Jelena Dokic is into the quarterfinals of the Australian Open national wildcard playoffs after going 2-1 in round-robin play.

Dokic began with a comfortable 6-3, 6-0 victory over Sophie Letcher but dropped her second match 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to 18-year-old Monica Wejnert. That left the former world No. 4 in a must-win situation heading into her third and final round-robin contest, which she took 6-4, 6-2 over Marija Mirkovic.

Bernard Tomic is out of the men's wildcard playoffs after suffering a second round-robin loss.

Argentina has made a surprise choice for Davis Cup captain, naming 59-year-old Modesto Vazquez to the post. Ricardo Rivera will be his assistant.

When former captain Alberto Mancini announced his intention to step down at the end of this year, the leading candidates to replace him included Martin Jaite, Hernan Gumy and, later, Guillermo Vilas.

Nadia Petrova has pulled out of Auckland with viral meningitis.

This year's Orange Bowl champions are India's Yuki Bhambri and the United States' Julia Boserup. The boys doubles was won by Americans Jarmere Jenkins and Devin Britton, while the girls doubles was won by Asia Muhammad and Lauren Embree.

Sportsbusiness Journal reports that Arlen Kantarian, the departing CEO of professional tennis for the USTA, is a leading candidate to take an executive role with the NFL's Miami Dolphins.

An exhibition match will be held on Centre Court at Wimbledon to test out playing conditions with the new roof, reports the Daily Mail. Tim Henman is one of the former stars who has been approached for the event, along with Andre Agassi, John McEnroe and Stefan Edberg. The paper says Pete Sampras has declined the offer.

Actress Naomi Watts isn't the only famous Australian who welcomed a newborn last week. Lleyton Hewitt and wife Bec had their second child, a son named Cruz, on Thursday. The couple also has a three-year-old daughter, Mia.

Joachim Johansson and Taylor Dent will continue their recent comebacks at the World Tennis Challege exhibition in Adelaide. Dent will partner Jim Courier in the event, which consists of two-player national teams that feature one active player and one retired player.

Johansson originally retired in February because of persistent shoulder and elbow problems but made a tentative return to the tour at Stockholm this fall. Dent returned to competitive play in May after multiple back surgeries had sidelined him for over two years.

Spain will hold its first-round Davis Cup tie against Serbia on outdoor clay in Benidorm, a costal town that will allow the matches to take place at sea level.

John Tomic, father of 16-year-old Australian prospect Bernard Tomic, has apologized for an incident at the Perth futures where he ordered his son off the court after accusing the chair umpire of not calling foot faults against the other player. "I am a father who wants the best in the world for my children I realise that my actions have actually hurt my son, that hurts me deeply and I want to correct the situation which is why I am fronting here to apologise without reservation," said John Tomic in a public statement in Melbourne.

Tennis Australia chief Craig Tiley said the ITF would decide if there would be any penalty for the Tomics' action. "The ITF will make a decision on if he will be punished further or fined and we will support that action pending their review of Bernard and John's behaviour," he said. "That is likely to come in the next couple of months."

Andy Murray says he will continue wearing Fred Perry clothes next year. (corrected) 

Sebastien Grosjean will undergo shoulder surgery next Monday, which will keep him off the tour for four to six months. He hopes to return at Wimbledon.

Rafael Nadal, speaking to sport.es, on the economic crisis: "You see, one way or another, it affects everybody. A lot is being said about the subject and, in my opinion, something has been done wrong in the last few years and that is why we are in this situation. As a private citizen, I believe that some serious errors have been made. I trust that it will be over soon and we will return to normal... of course the crisis affects me! As a person and a human being I cannot remain unmoved by what the feelings in the street are. There are people who are going through very hard times and I am aware of it. I would ask that those responsible for the errors committed correct them rigorously and as soon as possible."

Nicolas Escude is the new captain of the French Fed Cup team. "When the girls contacted me to become the new captain, I was surprised," said Escude.

Lindsay Davenport has entered the Australian Open, indicating that she plans to play next season.

British advertising industry magazine Campaign has named the ad featuring Roger Federer, Tiger Woods and Thierry Henry as the worst TV commercial of the year. "To secure three of the world's most famous sports stars would have cost Gillette millions but is such a wasted opportunity as the creative lacks any charm or wit," said the magazine editor. 

Sania Mirza will receive a doctorate from the Dr. MGR University in Chennai.

Ivan Ljubicic and wife Aida had their first child, son Leonardo, on Wednesday.

Tennis highlights from Google's annual Zeitgeist report (figures refer only to queries made through Google's search engine):

– Rafael Nadal was the most searched for athlete in Spain this this year. Roger Federer was No. 8. In between were Almudena Cid (Spanish rhythmic gymnast), Pau Gasol (Spanish NBA player), Gemma Mengual (Spanish synchronized swimmer), Michael Phelps, Gervasio Deferr (Spanish gymnast) and Valentino Rossi (Italian motorcycle racer).

– Roger Federer was the second most searched for person in Switzerland this year. Barack Obama topped Google's Swiss searches for individual figures, while singers Madonna, Rihanna and Britney Spears ranked 3-5.

– Sania Mirza was the most searched for athlete in India, ahead of cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.

– Tennis was the 4th most searched for Olympic sport in the United States, behind gymnastics, swimming and soccer.

– Among French speaking searchers in Belgium, Roland Garros was 6th in ticket searches for the year, behind No. 3 Radiohead, No. 4 Cold Play and No. 5 the Moto GP.

– Tennis was the 7th most searched for sport in the Czech Republic.

– The French tennis federation (FFT) was the 7th most searched for sports federation or club in France.

Tommy Haas has resumed on-court practice and hopes to play the Australian Open. The 30-year-old has not played since injuring his elbow at the US Open. At the US Open, Haas played two consecutive five-setters – defeating Richard Gasquet in the first round and losing to Gilles Muller in the second.

Fernando Verdasco will replace the double-booked Gulbis in the Kooyong field. James Blake, also wrongly scheduled after some "managerial miscommunication," will be replaced by Carlos Moya.

Gael Monfils has ended his association with controversial acupuncturist Phillippe Manicom, reports L'Equipe. A personality clash with Monfils' coach Roger Rasheed was cited as the most likely reason.

It is believed that Manicom was central to Monfils' decision to miss Wimbledon because of an inflamed right shoulder, despite being cleared to play by French federation doctors.

Organizers of the Linz tournament have decided to keep the tournament in its present location for next year, reports Serbian paper Blic. The Serbian tennis federation an An Ivanovic's management firm DH Management had been in talks with the tournament to try to move it to Belgrade.

The paper also reports that one or two new tournaments may yet be added to next year's WTA calendar, with Belgrade, Athens, Copenhagen and a couple of German cities all in the running.

Gulbis will play Auckland rather than Kooyong, reports New Zealand wire service Newstalk New Zealand. Gulbis had scheduled himself for both events the week before the Australian Open, but his agent Tom Ross was cited saying that the ATP event in Auckland would take precedence over the Kooyong exhibition event.

Nadal, in an interview with El Periodico, on rating his victories this year: "The Wimbledon victory was the most special. I never won there and it was something unique, unforgettable. But Roland Garros too. For the first time I played my best tennis there... Then the Olympic Games were special, not just for the medal but the experiences that I had.

"But the best thing, honestly, has been feeling like a better player than ever before -- I increased my level, managed to be more aggressive and felt in control of the points."

On his injury-plagued end to the season: "It's true that I lost two important events like the Davis Cup and the Masters. But really I had already achieved my goals for the year and perhaps to do that I had to pay the price at the end of the year."

On his clay schedule for next year: "Every player plans his season in the way that's best of him. I understand that Federer has decided to forego Monte Carlo, but for me it's very important to play... What can I do? Not play Barcelona? It's an option. Last year I won Barcelona and I think it's a tournament where I do well, but then it's true that I couldn't play Rome."

Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka have been named the Swiss "Team of the Year" for their gold medal in doubles at the Olympics. Federer, who has been Swiss "Sportsman of the Year" for four of the past five years, lost out this time to Olympic gold medal cyclist Fabian Cancellara.

Ernests Gulbis is double-booked for the week before the Australian Open, having entered both Auckland and the Kooyong exhibition event.

Three Australian women will receive direct entry into Tennis Australia's wildcard play-offs: Jelena Dokic, Jessica Moore, Monique Adamczak.

Four men will receive direct entry into the men's wildcard play-offs: Peter Luczak, Robert Smeets, Joe Siranni and Carsten Ball.

Players must be ranked in the Top 250 of the world rankings to receive direct entry. The winner gets a wildcard into the main draw of the Australian Open.

Serena Williams has pulled out of January's Hopman Cup with a hamstring problem. She will be replaced by Meghann Shaughnessy, who will represent the U.S. alongside James Blake.

Cedric Pioline wins the Albert Hall Masters seniors event, defeating Greg Rusedski 6-7, 7-6, 11-9 (champions tiebreak).

Statement from Andre Agassi on the lawsuit filed by former agent Perry Rogers against Agasi's wife, Steffi Graf: "Several weeks ago, my agent, manager and lawyer, Perry Rogers, and I decided to sever our business relationship. At that time, I had every hope that we could do so amicably and in the interest of maintaining our long-term friendship.

"As a result, I am both saddened and disappointed to learn that Perry has filed a lawsuit, and sadder still that he has sued my wife, Stefanie.

"I remain hopeful that we will be able to resolve our business issues with minimal damage to our families and mutual friends."

Ana Ivanovic, in an interview to the Brisbane tournament website, on the added pressure faced by top players: "For sure there is more pressure the higher up you go in the rankings. There is extra motivation for the other girl to beat you. I know this because I have been in the position of the other girl myself! It was only by reaching No.1 that I could really appreciate this, and I admire so much how Federer has handled it for the last few years. It’s something that I think you can improve on the more experience you have."

AP reports that Perry Rogers has filed a lawsuit against Steffi Graf alleging that he has not been paid $50,000 in fees. Rogers was until recently the agent of Andre Agassi, Graf's husband. The lawsuit says that Rogers also represented Graf and has not received payment since news broke of the split with Agassi. Both parties had described the parting of ways as amicable.

The Melbourne Herald Sun reports that Brisbane tournament organizer Steve Ayles is still looking at giving Bernard Tomic a wildcard into the event, despite an incident in which Tomic walked off court at the Perth futures this week.

Martina Navratilova finishes second on reality show I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here, losing out to British soap actor Jo Swash.

Roger Federer has made the annual list of Switzerland's richest people for the first time, with estimates of his wealth at $83-167 million. AP reports that the overall net worth of the list has dropped over 15% to $307 billion.

Australian press report that following a series of arguments with the umpire, the father of 16-year-old Australian junior Bernard Tomic ordered his son from the court during a second-round match at the $15,000 futures event in Perth. John Tomic repeatedly accused the umpire of ignoring foot faults by Berndard's opponent, saying he was "serving about 10-15 centimeters inside the court."

In the second set, John Tomic ordered his son to abandon the match after he was issued a game penalty for his father's behaviour. The Australian reports that Bernard was reluctant to leave the court so but eventually obeyed. John Tomic also accused the tournament of "fixing draws" against his son.

Officials are investigating the incident, which could harm Bernard Tomic's hopes for getting a wildcard into Brisbane.

Last year, he was disciplined by Tennis Australia for not giving his full effort during the French Open juniors event. His funding was temporarily withdrawn and he missed the Wimbledon juniors as a result. 

Nenad Zimonjic and wife Mina became the parents of twins on Thursday. The couple had a boy, Leon, and a girl, Luna.

Gael Monfils has missed the entry deadline for Brisbane and wildcards for the event have already been allocated to other players, say tournament organizers.

Wimbledon girls champion Laura Robson was upset 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 by Nicole Bartnik in the second round of the Eddie Herr junior tournament. Fourteen-year-old Robson won a women's futures event last month and was the top seed at the Eddie Herr.

Ana Ivanovic, writing on her official website, on buying a house in Mallorca: "It’s a very quiet and peaceful area, so it’s a perfect place to train and relax. I have always liked Mallorca: I used to come here to train when I was 15. I will continue to live in Switzerland, but this gives me another option for training, especially in the winter when you can practise outdoors."

Ivanovic and boyfriend Fernando Verdasco are currently in Mallorca and were photographed on their way to the courts earlier this week.

Pete Sampras, speaking to reporters ahead of the Royal Albert Hall seniors event, on today's top players:

Roger Federer – "I think Roger's going to break [my] record over the next couple of years... There's a lot left in him. I think he's gotten to a stage where it's about the majors.

"We text each other quite a bit. He tells me how he's doing and asks what I'm up to. We had a week together in Asia and we clicked. Our personalities are similar. He's pretty sarcastic and pretty dry."

Rafael Nadal – "Rafa's got as good a chance to win double digits as anyone... be could win some more French [Opens], he could win a couple more Wimbledons. He could have 10-12 majors when he's done, if not more.

"It'll be interesting to see what happens with Nadal next year. It takes so much work for him to keep it going, to stay healthy, to stay on top. That's one thing Roger has over him. I think it takes a lot less energy for Roger to stay on top than it does Rafa."

Andy Murray – "He's moved himself right up to one notch below Roger and Nadal. "He's right on the edge of breaking through and winning a major.

"He belongs there, but it takes time. It took me time to feel I really belonged. I could sense watching the US Open final this year that he didn't really believe that he could win that match. I think if he was in that situation next year he would have a stronger belief."

Roger Federer's schedule for next year (exhibitions in brackets): (Abu Dhabi), Doha, (Kooyong), Australian Open, Dubai, Davis Cup, Indian Wells, Miami, Rome, Madrid, French Open, Halle, Wimbledon, Montreal, Cincinnati, US Open, Tokyo, Shanghai, Basel, Paris Indoors, London World Tour Finals.

A notable absence is Monte Carlo, a non-mandatory Masters 1000 event, and means Federer will have almost a month's break between Miami and Rome. A similar amount of time off is scheduled between Wimbledon and Montreal. No Davis Cup appearances are specified after the first round.

Jelena Jankovic has taken her name off the entry list for Sydney after initially committing to the event, say organizers. The Serb is also scheduled to appear in an Hong Kong exhibition the previous week. [correction appended]

Tennis players on Forbes' Top 30 under 30 list: No. 5 Roger Federer ($35 million), No. 7 Maria Sharapova ($26 million), No. 11 Serena Williams ($14 million), No. 12 Venus Williams ($13 million).

As widely expected, swimmer Michael Phelps has been named 2008 Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year after winning a record-breaking eight gold medals at the Beijing Games. Rafael Nadal was thought to be a long-shot candidate following his wins at the French Open, Wimbledon and the Olympics.

"2008 was a year of powerful moments in sports. The New York Giants' dramatic Super Bowl win, Tiger Woods' U.S. Open playoff victory on one leg, the Nadal/Federer Wimbledon final and a last-second shot in the NCAA men's basketball championship, but it was Phelps' unprecedented eight-gold- medal, seven-world-record achievement in Beijing under the intense spotlight of a global audience that rises above all," said a statement for the magazine.

Andy Murray is on the shortlist for BBC Sports Personality of the year, though F1 champion Lewis Hamilton is expected to get the award.

Gael Monfils will arrive Down Under as early as this weekend to begin preparing for the Australian Open, reports The Australian. Monfils is coached by an Aussie, Lleyton Hewitt's ex-coach Roger Rasheed.

The Australian Open's on-site meteorologist tells Tennis Australia that the tournament should have mostly sunny weather. "While the majority of days will be subject to southerly winds or sea breezes which will produce temperatures in the mid twenties, there will be several days above 30 degrees," said Bob Leighton. "On two or three days - where north winds are predominate – we may also experience a few days above 35 degrees and I predict there could be some that are cloudy with rain patches."

The WTA event in Berlin may be sold to another location, reports German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel. The paper reports that the Qatar tennis federation appears to have lost interest in the event, with €1 million in tournament expenses still upaid. Tickets are not available for next year's event and the tournament website is no longer running.

In 2004, mounting losses led the German tennis federation to sell the high-profile tournament to the Qatar tennis federation, which chose to continue holding it in Berlin. But next year's WTA calendar changes will downgrade the event and it is unlikely to attract a top field in its new spot the week before the French Open.

German officials said repeated leadership changes within the Qatar federation were creating uncertainty about the future of the event. German federation president Georgvon Waldenfels went to Qatar in early November and was promised payment the following week, but is still waiting. "The situation is confusing," he admitted.

Other reports have named Warsaw as a possible venue for a sale. The Polish city previously had a Tier II event in the 2007 WTA calendar.

The WTA told German wire service DPA that "at this time there has been no request" from the Qataris to sell or move next year's event.

Ana Ivanovic has purchased a €4.5 million villa in Mallorca, report Spanish press. Ivanovic spent her post-Wimbledon break in Mallorca this year.

Andy Murray, speaking to the British Sunday papers on getting along with his top-ranked rivals: "Federer, when I see him, I'll have a chat to him – Nadal, Djokovic, Roddick, all of them. Obviously when we get on court we're rivals, but I think the one thing that has been much better in tennis the last few years has been the sportsmanship. A lot of players are very complimentary about each other, the embracing at the end of matches because a lot of the tennis has been so good. I think that's something that tennis has got to be proud of over the last few years."

David Nalbandian will no longer be coached by Martin Jaite.

The lineup for Hong Kong's January exhibition event is as follows: Maria Sharapova, Vera Zvonareva, and Alexandra Panova (Russian team); Jelena Jankovic, Agnes Szavay and Michelle Larcher de Brito (Europe); Venus Williams, Gisela Dulko and Coco Vandeweghe (Americas).

Andy Roddick may play an exhibition in Chile next April, reports Chilean newspaper El Mercurio. An opponent has not been secured but could be Chilean No. 1 Fernando Gonzalez, a matchup that would give the event an interesting twist because Roddick has just hired Gonzalez's former coach Larry Stefanki.

Nadal, who was a featured guest at Moscow's millionaire fair this week, will play a charity exhibition to fight malaria with Real Madrid soccer player Iker Casillas in Madrid on December 16. The event will include tennis, soccer and go-karting events. Other athletes involved include F1 driver Fernando Alonso, motorcyclist Valentino Rossi and cyclist Alberto Contador.

Venus Williams will play in the WTA Acapulco event at the end of February, announce tournament organizers.

Guillermo Vilas has thrown his name in as one of the possible candidates to replace Alberto Mancini as Argentine Davis Cup captain.

Xavier Malisse tells Belgian newspaper La Libre that he is training hard in Florida hoping to make an impact next season. "[This was] a year to forget as soon as possible," said Malisse, who was also hampered by recurring wrist problems during the season. "My defeat at the Mons [challenger to the No. 551] was the last straw. I decided to start my day at 9 a.m. instead of 11 a.m., work harder physically and pay more attention to what I eat."

Mark Philippoussis says he is targeting a return to some kind of competitive play next season, but has ruled out the Australian Open. Philiipoussis, 32, has not played since 2006 because of a knee injury.

Raemon Sluiter, who announced his retirement at the Rotterdam event in February, says he plans to resume his career. "I could not resist the itch," he said.

Andreas Vinciguerra makes a return of sorts to competitive tennis this week in Swedish club play. A knee injury has kept him off the tour for over two years. "I started [to come back] and got injured again, I started and got injured again" he told Svenska Dagbladet. "It has been very hard."

He will use the club matches to decide whether to try to make a return to the main tour or call it quits.

Organizers of the ATP event in Doha confirm that Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Andy Roddick are playing in the tournament, which takes place the week of January 5. The four are also scheduled to take part in an exhibition in Abu Dhabi the weekend before.

Jimmy Connors has been chared with a misdemeanor following his arrest last Friday at a basketball game at the University of California, Santa Barbara, reports AP. His business manager told the wire service that a man was trying to pick a fight with Connors and police arrested the former tennis star when he did not obey their instructions to leave. Connors said he wanted to wait for his son to finish watching the basketball game.

Leading candidates to replace Alberto Mancini as Argentine Davis Cup captain are Martin Jaite (David Nalbandian's coach), Hernan Gumy and Gabriel Markus (a former Nalbandian coach).

The leading candidate to replace Emilio Sanchez as Spanish Davis Cup captain is Albert Costa, who Sanchez has called his 'natural successor.' David Ferrer also voiced his support for Costa, and Rafael Nadal has done so in the past. Another name in the mix is Alex Corretja. 

Argentine press report that financial conflict also affected the Davis Cup team that lost last weekend's final against Spain. Nalbandian was originally due to receive half of the $2.8 million the Argentine tennis association was playing the team, but del Potro, after rising into the Top 10 during the second half of the year, was asking for a more equal distribution.

Jelena Dokic will try to qualify for next year's Australian Open, report Australian press. The former Top-5 player, now ranked No. 177, is competing for Australia again and would be eligible for Tennis Australia's wildcard playoffs.

Last week's challenger winners include Dmitry Tursunov in Helsinki, Finland and Caroline Wozniacki at her home event at Odense, Denmark. With no  events on the main tour during this period, Top 50 players looking to play tournaments will often take part in challengers. Wozniacki is No. 12 in the world, while Tursunov's win boosted his ranking to No. 22 from No. 27.

Larry Stefanki, speaking to the Times Online, on working with Roddick next year: "I'm absolutely overjoyed. I haven't been this excited in a long time, especially knowing he's even more excited about getting started."

Stefanki indicated that Roddick's returns would be a main area of focus. "Andy, especially on second serve returns, needs to get more aggressive. Not necessarily going for everything, but not just sitting back and returning the ball."

David Nalbandian says he will play Davis Cup next year despite the conflict and disappointment of last week's finals defeat to Spain. "I'm going to continue, like I've done until this point, defending Argentina's flag the best way," he said at a press conference in Mar del Plata.

The captains of both this year's Davis Cup finalists, Argentina's Alberto Mancini and Spain's Emilio Sanchez, are leaving their posts at the end of this year. Both had planned to step down no matter what the result of the final.

Argentine captain Alberto Mancini on his team's loss to Spain: "We have to learn a lot from this, but not just the players. The country as a whole, everyone, needs to learn to row in the same direction... I'm talking about the reality of the country and the Argentines and the way we are."

Jose Acasuso, who lost the third point for Argentina, on the Davis Cup final: "Four of the five members of the team lost the final against Russia [in 2006] so this is doubly painful. We had every chance to win the Davis Cup for the first time, we couldn't do it, so we're sad and angry."

Rafael Nadal congratulates his Spanish compatriots on their Davis Cup win, telling Spanish television, "They have achieved something impressive. Argentina has had many ties without losing at home, and everything went much better than expected... We have achieved something unforgettable and spectacular.

Nadal  praised the performances of Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez, who secured the three winning points for the team. "Fernando was brilliant, especially in the fourth set [against Jose Acasuso], Feli had a great tie and David Ferrer, who has had some difficult months, was a vital player on the team."

Nadal also thanked Tommy Robredo and Nicolas Almagro, who played singles in the team's first round win against Peru.

Spain is the 2008 Davis Cup champion after completing an unexpected 3-1 victory over hosts Argentina in the final. The Spaniards clinched the Cup when Fernando Verdasco defeated Jose Acasuso 6-3, 6-7(3), 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Spain went into the final as underdogs after world No. 1 Rafael Nadal had to pull out of the team with a knee injury. But a pivotal doubles victory by Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez, coupled with an injury to Argentine No. 1 Juan Martin del Potro, turned the tide in favour of the visitors.

In Friday's singles, David Nalbandian defeated David Ferrer 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 and Lopez evened the tie with a 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(4), 6-3 win over del Potro. Lopez was leading two sets to one when del Potro suffered a thigh injury in the fourth set. Lopez and Verdasco then defeated Nalbandian and Agustin Calleri 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(5), 6-3.

This is Spain's third win, and Argentina's third loss in the final.

Both players have been substituted in the first reverse singles of the Davis Cup final. Jose Acasuso replaces the injured Juan Martin del Potro for Argentina and Fernando Verdasco takes David Ferrer's place for Spain.

David Nalbandian and Feliciano Lopez, both of whom played singles and doubles durin the first twodays of the tie, are scheduled to contest the final match if the tie goes to a deciding fifth rubber.

David Nalbandian will be fined $10,000 for not appearing at a press conference after Argentina's doubles loss to Spain. Argentine press report a tense atmosphere in the locker room, with Nalbandian leaving the site shortly after the end of the match.

Fernando Verdasco and Spanish Davis Cup captain Emilio Sanchez criticized the Argentine crowd for shouting insults and expletives at the Spanish team during Saturday's doubles match.

"When they express themselves in a manner which lacks respect, they lose all the credibility they had gained until now," said Sanchez."This is a sporting event and the winner is decided by what happens on the court."

Verdasco said the crowd's behaviour pumped him up. "It gave me more motivation... I played better after they started insulting me."

Spain leads 2-1 going into the final day of the Davis Cup final after Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco defeated Agustin Calleri and David Nalbandian 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(5), 6-3 in Saturday's doubles.

The Argentines, who were the favorites heading into the tie, are now in danger and must see if Juan Martin del Potro will be fit for the reverse singles after getting injured in his match on Friday. Del Potro's coach Franco Davin reported that his charge was "shattered" by Friday's loss and would have to rebound both physically and mentally to be able to play.

Jose Acasuso has said he is prepared to play singles if necessary.

The run of 16-year-old Serbian qualifier Filip Krajinovic comes to an end in the semifinals of the Knoxville challenger with a 6-3, 4-1, ret. loss to second seed Bobby Reynolds. Krajinovic, ranked No. 901, defeated third seed Robert Kendrick in the first round.

Rafael Nadal has been named one of GQ's Men of the Year, under the tag "Court King." Others on the list include Barack Obama ("Game changer") and Michael Phelps ("Golden Boy"). Roger Federer was named to the list last year.

AP reports that Jimmy Connors was arrested by police on Friday night following a confrontation with police on the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he had been attending a basketball game. He was later released, authorities said.

Argentina and Spain end the first day of the Davis Cup final tied at 1-1 after David Nalbandian easily defeated David Ferrer 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 and Feliciano Lopez pulled Spain level with a 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(4), 6-3 upset over Juan Martin del Potro.

"To beat a top ten player this way, in a Davis Cup final away from home, is the happiest moment in my career," said Lopez. "I was a bit nervous at the start, I got over it in the second set and began to believe in myself more. It was a victory over myself."

Del Potro received treatment in the sixth game of the fourth set for a right leg injury, having just broken back to put the fourth set back on serve. He did not know whether he would be fit for the reverse singles.

But Nalbandian, who is likely to play doubles tomorrow, was happy to have kept his match under two hours. "It was a great match, high level... very short," said Nalbandian. "That's good for the [rest of the] weekend."

Larry Stefanki will be Andy Roddick's new coach, reports Roddick's official website.

Spanish Davis Cup captain Emilio Sanchez has opted for Feliciano Lopez over Fernando Verdasco in the opening singles of the Davis Cup final. The draw for the Argentina vs. Spain tie in Mar del Plata, Argentina, is as follows:

Friday
David Nalbandian (ARG) vs. David Ferrer (ESP)
Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) vs. Feliciano Lopez (ESP)

Saturday
Jose Acasuso/Agustin Calleri (ARG) vs. Feliciano Lopez/Fernando Verdasco (ESP)

Sunday
Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) vs. David Ferrer (ESP)
David Nalbandian (ARG) vs. Feliciano Lopez (ESP)

Players in the doubles and reverse singles may be changed one hour in advance of the match.

Nadal is expected to recover fully in time for next season, says Spanish tennis federation team doctor Angel Ruiz Cotorro in an interview with Spain's As newspaper.

Andy Anson, ATP CEO for Europe, is leaving his post to head England's bid for the 2018 World Cup.

US discount retailer Steve & Barry's, which carries Venus Williams' 'EleVen' clothing line, will be liquidated next year.

Former US and Australian Open doubles champion Carole Graebner has passed away.

Marcos Baghdatis has left the Moratoglou academy and joined Team Lagardere, where he will be coached by Olivier Soules.

Ana Ivanovic will attend the Davis Cup final between Spain and Argentina to support boyfriend Fernando Verdasco, report Spanish press.

The LTA is to sell its 50 percent stake in the grounds of the All England Club in five years' time under a new agreement between the two organizations. As before, it will continue to receive most of the profits generated by the Wimbledon championships.

Roger Federer's pre-Australian Open schedule will consist of three straight weeks of exhibitions and tournaments, reports Globesports.com: Abu Dhabi (Jan 1-3), an exhibition event featuring Federer, Nadal and Andy Murray; Doha (Jan 5-10), an ATP event; and Kooyong (Jan 14-17), a traditional Australian Open warmup exhibition played in round-robin format.

L'Equipe reports that with Tatiana Golovin sidelined indefinitely because of injuries, Amelie Mauresmo's former coach Loic Courteau has begun working with Paul-Henri Mathieu.

A planned goodwill exhibition in Pakistan featuring Sania Mirza has been cancelled due to lack of sponsorship.

With Novak Djokovic just 10 ranking points behind him in the year-end rankings, Roger Federer says he is not concerned about losing the No. 2 spot to the Serb. "For me, honestly, ranking 2, 3, 4, 5, 25, it doesn't really matter a whole lot, you know," said Federer. "For me it is either number one or being in the main draw."

Lindsay Davenport on her plans for next season, speaking to the Maui News ahead of an exhibition in Hawaii: "Nothing is in stone yet. I really just tried to enjoy this fall, be a mom, be at home. This is actually my first time on the court in 10 weeks. When I get home from here I will have to sit down more seriously and look at what I want to do in the future. Right now, I am just going with it. For sure by December 1st -- I need to be practicing by then if I am going to go to Australia and really compete, so I have a few more weeks."

China's People's Daily reports that Chinese tennis players will be allowed to keep up to 70 percent of their earnings on the pro circuit, twice the amount they had previously been allowed. Chinese athletes are required to give a designated portion of their earnings to their government-run sports associations.

Roger Federer on his goals next year: "While I would also love to beat Pete Sampras's Grand Slam record of 14 titles, and also to regain my No. 1 ranking, I place winning another Wimbledon title above all else."

Federer was speaking to press ahead of his Kuala Lumpur exhibition with James Blake, John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg.

After recovering from his trip back from Shanghai, Juan Martin del Potro will begin practicing with the Argentine Davis Cup team in Mar del Plata today.

Novak Djokovic confirms that the ATP has approved a tournament in Serbia for next year. The Djokovic family bought the Amersfoort event and will move it to Serbia. "We were fighting for it. It's not easy to get a tournament these days," said Djokovic. "The schedule is really packed out. There is a lot of big cities waiting upon an ATP Tour tournament or WTA tournament. So we are very fortunate."

Novak Djokovic and younger brother Marko will play doubles together in Brisbane, announce tournament organizers.

Djokovic winning the singles and Daniel Nestor-Nenad Zimonjic the doubles at the Masters Cup secured a sweep of sorts for Belgrade – all three players were born in the Serbian captial.

Djokovic and Zimonjic both play for Serbia while Nestor, a Canadian, was born in Belgrade when the city was part of the former Yugoslavia.

Novak Djokovic wins the Masters Cup 6-1, 7-5 over Nikolay Davydenko, bookending a year that began with his first Grand Slam victory at the Australian Open.

"It's a great achievement for me," said Djokovic about his win in Shanghai. "The best eight players playing here says everything about the quality of the event and I would definitely put it on a level with the Grand Slams."

Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic win the Masters Cup in doubles and clinch the year-end No. 1 doubles ranking by defeating Bob and Mike Bryan 7-6(3), 6-2 in Shanghai.

Nestor also won the title last year with former doubles partner Mark Knowles. Zimonjic won the event for the first time. "To win the Masters Cup – for me for the first time, for Danny to defend the title – to play against the Bryans, who have been dominating doubles the last 4-5 years, and to fight for No. 1 spot – you couldn't ask for more as an athlete, to manage to win this," said Zimonjic.

Novak Djokovic and Nikolay Davydenko will meet in the final of Shanghai after Djokovic defeated Gilles Simon 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 and Davydenko defeated Andy Murray 7-5, 6-2. Both Djokovic and Simon struggled with injuries during their match – Djokovic with a calf problem and Simon with his neck – while Murray was feeling the effects of his three-hour win against Roger Federer yesterday.

"I was lucky Murray beat Federer yesterday," said Davydenko. "He wanted to show he was the best player by beating Federer so maybe he was really tired."

Kimiko Date, 38, has won the Japanese nationals with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Yurika Sema, 21. Date came out of a 12-year retirement earlier this year to begin competing in tennis' minor leagues. "Since I returned to competition, I set this tournament as a major goal. But I didn't dream of being able to actually remain in the final and win the title," she said.

She hopes to play Australian Open qualifying next year. "My feeling is growing that I want to know how far I can go," she said.

Jimmy Connors' home in Montecito, California is threatened by the Southern California wildfires, reports Access Hollywood.

"Jelena's World," a documentary about Jelena Jankovic by Serbian director Tanja Brzakovic, is now playing in Serbian cinemas.

Post-match reaction from Roger Federer: "Of course I'm disappointed. I wish I could have played the matches I played here under better circumstances... But I tried. I almost made a miracle happen. I can't believe how close I got, to be honest. So I'm actually very happy."

Federer added that his injury had forced him to try to shorten points and go for winners more quickly as the match went on. "Obviously you always have to pick the offensive game plan," he said. "That then has a lot to do with a lot of errors. Sometimes you look like an idiot, but you don't have an option."

Post-match reaction from Andy Murray: "A win over Roger Federer means almost as much as winning the Masters Cup to me. He’s the best player of all time."

Roger Federer exits the Masters Cup in the round robin stage for the first time in his career, losing a thrilling three-hour, three-setter to Andy Murray.

Murray won 4-6, 7-6(3), 7-5 on his eighth match point to end a contest notable for both its high quality of tennis and several momentum swings. Having dropped the first set, Murray went up a double break and served for the second at 5-2, only to lose that lead before evening the match in the second-set tiebreak. The Scot then went up 3-0 in the third set before Federer again pulled level, fending off seven match points in a 10-deuce game to make it 5-5.

Federer took a medical timeout for a back-related injury at the beginning of the third set, and continued to receive treatment on the next few changeovers. After he got broken in the second game of the third set, the top seed sat down near the back of the court for a few seconds, creating doubts about whether he would be able to finish the match. But he competed gamely till the end, though his first serve percentage dropped below 50% after the first set.

Federer needed to win this match to advance to the Masters Cup semifinals. Murray was assured of advancing no matter what the outcome, though winning it would allow him to face Nikolay Davydenko instead of Novak Djokovic in his next match. Victory would also ensure Federer's exit from the tournament, meaning Murray would not face the Swiss again if they both advanced and reached the final. "A win over Roger Federer means almost as much as winning the Masters Cup to me," said Andy Murray. "He's the best player of all time."

The final result means that Gilles Simon now joins Murray in the final four. The semifinals will be Murray vs. Davydenko and Djokovic vs. Simon.

Soccer legend Diego Maradona, appointed coach of the Argentine soccer team last week and already creating controversy, has taken a break from his duties to visit the Argentine Davis Cup team in Mar del Plata. Guillermo Vilas has said he will be in the stands during the Davis Cup final.

Jonas Bjorkman has played the last match of his career, losing with doubles partner Kevin Ulyett to Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski in Shanghai. The 36-year-old Swede played 776 singles and 1,012 doubles matches during his career, winning six singles titles and 54 doubles titles.

Cities bidding to host the USA-Switzerland first round Davis Cup tie are San Antonio, Texas; Greenville, South Carolina; Birmingham, Alabama; and Las Vegas, Nevada, reports the San Antonio Express News.

Nikolay Davydenko says he would rather face Andy Murray in the semifinals than Roger Federer: "I have had much better results against Murray because this year I won one and I lost one, but against Federer I have a 12-0 [losing] record."

The final placings of the Red round-robin Group in the Masters Cup will all depend on the result of the Roger Federer vs. Andy Murray match on Friday. In the other Red Group match scheduled for Friday, Simon takes on Radek Stepanek in a contest that will have no impact on the semifinal matchups.

Federer controls his own destiny – if he wins, he will reach the semifinals. If he loses, Simon will reach the semifinals. Murray is guaranteed to advance to the semifinals, but will do so as the second-place finisher if he loses to Federer and the first-place finisher if he defeats Federer.

In the Gold Group, Novak Djokovic stands in first place and Nikolay Davydenko second. The first-place player in each round-robin group meets the second-place player from the other group.

Placings are determined first by matches won, then matches completed. If two players have the same match record, the tie is broken by the result of their head-to-head match in the round robin. If three players have the same match record, the player with the highest percentage of sets won wins the group, with any subsequent ties broken by head-to-head results and then percentage of games won.

Possible scenarios:

 - Federer wins, Simon wins    >> Semifinals: Federer vs. Davydenko, Djokovic vs. Murray
                
             Detailed summary     >> Murray, Federer, Simon all tied at 2-1 in matches
                                            >> % sets won to decide:
                                              - Federer in 2 sets, Simon in 2 sets 
                                                   >> Federer 5-2 in sets, Simon and Murray both 4-3 in sets
                                                   >> Federer through in 1st place, Murray 2nd place (via H2H)
                                              - Federer in 3 sets, Simon in 2 sets
                                                   >> Federer, Murray 5-3 in sets, Simon 4-3 in sets
                                                   >> Federer through in 1st place (via H2H), Murray 2nd place
                                             - Federer in 2 sets, Simon in 3 sets
                                                   >> Federer 4-2 in sets, Murray 4-3, Simon 4-4
                                                   >> Federer through in 1st place, Murray in 2nd place
                                            - Federer in 3 sets, Simon in 3 sets
                                                   >> Federer and Murray 5-3 in sets, Simon 4-4 in sets
                                                   >> Federer through in 1st place (via H2H), Murray in 2nd place

 - Federer wins, Simon loses   >> Semifinals: Federer vs. Davydenko, Djokovic vs. Murray

            Detailed summary      >>  Federer and Murray 2-1 in matches, Simon 1-2
                                            >> Federer through in 1st place (via H2H), Murray in 2nd place

 - Federer loses, Simon wins   >> Semifinals: Murray vs. Davydenko, Djokovic vs. Simon

             Detailed summary     >> Murray 3-0 in matches, Simon 2-1, Federer 1-2
                                            >> Murray through in 1st place, Simon in 2nd

 - Federer loses, Simon loses >> Semifinals: Murray vs. Davydenko, Djokovic vs. Simon

          Detailed summary        >> Murray 3-0 in matches, Federer and Simon both 1-2
                                            >> Murray through in 1st place, Simon in 2nd place (via H2H)

H2H records: Gilles Simon def. Roger Federer in 3 sets, Andy Murray def. Gilles Simon in 2 sets.

Taylor Dent notches the first win of his comeback, defeating Frederic Niemeyer 6-3, 7-6(3) at the Champaign challenger. He had previously lost in his past four events – Carson challenger, Newport, Washington, Sacramento challenger

Nikolay Davydenko has secured a semifinal spot in Shanghai with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Juan Martin del Potro.

Novak Djokovic, who had already qualified for the semifinals, lost 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

The final results for the Gold Group are:

Player                      Match record   Sets won-lost

Novak Djokovic              2-1                     (5-3)              (def. del Potro, Davydenko; lost to Tsonga)
Nikolay Davydenko        2-1                     (5-3)              (def. Tsonga, del Potro; lost to Djokovic)
Juan Martin del Potro     1-2                     (2-4)              (def. Tsonga; lost to Djokovic, Davydenko)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga         1-2                     (3-5)              (def. Djokovic; lost to Davydenko, del Potro)

Djokovic will finish first in the group based on head-to-head standings – he defeated Davyenko in three sets in their round-robin match.

Roger Federer says he was fortunate to even be able to play on Wednesday after being struck by illness the day before. "I woke up in the morning and I was feeling terrible," he said. "I guess I got really lucky my match was scheduled late today and then Radek was not playing with his own racket, so that made it a little bit more lucky.
 
"I hope with a day of recovery I'll make a miracle happen here and get through to the semis."

Andy Murray, on feeling extra pressure to defeat Gilles Simon after an unprepared Radek Stepanek replaced Andy Roddick in their round-robin group: "'Stepanek's turned up without his own racquets, he borrowed some socks off me earlier and he hasn't got his contact lenses either. So I knew I had to win the match because I can't see him winning too many games. I was a bit nervous because I knew I had to come through."

Had Murray lost the match to Simon and Simon and Federer both gone on to beat Stepanek, Murray would have been in danger of not qualifying for the Shanghai semifinals.

The WTA Tour will next year charge players between $100 and $500 for medical timeouts after they have taken more than 6-7 for the year, reports the Melbourne Age.

"We understand that medical time-outs can be legitimate but we want to make sure that players are conscious of how many they're using up throughout the year, so we're looking to find a system of capping them during the season," WTA VP of operations Peter Johnston was quoted as saying. "It's just about helping players understand it's 'the show'. It all gets into that basket of how we present a tighter, crisper, sharper product."

The field for the 'Billie Jean Cup' exhibition at Madison Square Garden in March will consist of Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic.

Andy Roddick has pulled out of the Masters Cup because of a sprained ankle. "Yesterday when I was doing a warm-up drill in practice, I just went over on it," said Roddick, who was due to face Roger Federer. "It's definitely a tough prospect trying to beat Roger with no serve and not being able to move very much."

Federer defeated substitute Radek Stepanek 7-6(4), 6-4 to reach 1-1 in round-robin play (3-2 in sets).

Andy Murray has qualified for the Shanghai semifinals after defeating Gilles Simon in straight sets 6-4, 6-2. Murray is 2-0 (4-1 in sets) in round-robin play while Simon is 1-1 (2-3)

Juan Martin del Potro on his exhausting second half of the year, which will end with the Masters Cup followed by the Davis Cup final: "I need two years to recover."

Martina Navratilova will take part in the British reality series, "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!"

Spanish federation president Pedro Munoz tells a radio station that the Davis Cup team will be made up of David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco, Feliciano Lopez and Marcel Granollers, with Ferrer and Verdasco slated for singles. An official announcement will be made later in the day.

No. 56 Granollers, selected for the squad because of Rafael Nadal's injury withdrawal, is the tenth highest-ranked Spaniard in singles and the fourth-highest ranked in doubles. Spaniards Nicolas Almagro, Tommy Robredo, Carlos Moya, Albert Montanes and Juan Carlos Ferrero are higher-ranked singles players. Robredo had earlier indicated he did not feel ready to take part.

The Davis Cup final is being played on a fast indoor court, conditions not favored by most of the Spaniards.

Novak Djokovic is through to the semifinals of the Masters Cup after defeating Nikolay Davydenko 7-6(3), 0-6, 7-5. The winner of the Davydenko-Juan Martin del Potro match will be the other semifinalist from the Gold round robin group.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is out of contention for the Masters Cup semifinals after losing to Juan Martin del Potro 7-6(4), 7-6(5). "He was very solid," said Tsonga. "I was not especially physicially fatigued but there was a certain mental fatigue. I am paying for the effort at Bercy [where he won the Paris Masters]."

Tommy Robredo has said he will not be able to take part in the Davis Cup final because he has not been training since playing his last tournament of the season in Paris. He lost in the second round to fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco.

"It's been about 12 days now that I haven't done anything so it would be a surprise if they selected me, but I couldn't go," he said. "Not because I wouldn't want to go, more because it would be crazy because I wouldn't bring anything to the team."

Argentine Davis Cup captain Alberto Mancini reacts to Rafael Nadal's withdrawal on Argentine radio: "I am sorry because Argentinian fans want to see Rafa live, but it is also true that all Argentinians want to win the Davis Cup. Because of that, I think this is good news and our chances have gone up."

Rafael Nadal has said he will not take part in the Davis Cup final. "After a long and very positive year, I am unfortunately going to miss out on two major goals, the Masters Cup and the Davis Cup final. These are difficult moments, but I've done everything possible to be able to play the final... I'm used to playing with pain but this was a different pain, a new one, that I cannot control."

Rafael Nadal will make a decision today about whether to play the Davis Cup final after undergoin a second series of tests on his knee. Uncle and coach Toni Nadal said over the weekend that their initial practices had not created much optimism but much would depend on what the tests showed.

Andy Murray defeats Andy Roddick 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 in their opening round-robin match at the Masters Cup.

Gilles Simon pulls off a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over Roger Federer in his Masters Cup debut, recording his second straight win over the world No. 2 after defeating him in Toronto this summer. Simon broke Federer for a decisive 5-3 lead in the third after each players missed out on triple break points in the two preceeding games.

Federer won the first set and went up a break early in the second but was immediately broken back. "Definitely today shots that I missed I normally don't miss. I think that's just lack of practice," said Federer, who pulled out of the Paris Masters with a back injury. "The better you play, the better he plays, he's quite an unusual player."

Juan Martin del Potro says he is still feeling the effects of his toe injury. "I feel little pain, but is always feel pain since US Open," he said. "So I can play, I can run, but is difficult sometimes. I feel a lot of pain, but I have two more matches."

Byes will be given at Madrid and Beijing to the semifinalists of preceeding events in Rome and Tokyo, respectively, Reuters quotes WTA CEO Larry Scott as saying. Without byes, players would have to play 11 matches in two weeks to win back-to-back events in Rome and Madrid or Tokyo and Beijing.

Restrictions on which 'Premier 700' events players will be able to play have also been eased. This involves the Paris Indoors, Charleston, Stuttgart, Stanford and Los Angeles.