While Andy Roddick was busy enjoying his first days of retirement, we were compiling the latest and greatest stories from around the tennis world.
Hey, Tennis Fans! I’m Blair Henley and welcome to the Tennis Now News Update.
Yes, it’s true. Andy Roddick’s retirement became official Thursday after his round-of-16 loss to Juan Martin Del Potro. Perhaps Jimmy Connors said his goodbye best on Twitter:
“Andy, my friend—you’re a winner. Life goes on. Live it to the fullest.”
For some reason we can’t quite understand, Janko Tipsarevic keeps bringing up the fact he thinks men should get paid more than women. Before his riveting five set match loss to David Ferrer Thursday, Tipsy took to his Twitter page to say, “I really wouldn’t care at all if girls earned the same as guys if the same amount of effort is applied. Or do we have idiots here that don’t think so? Please stand up and say your name loud and clear.” The Twitter conversation he seemed to be having with himself continued for several more posts before he gave us this gem: “Love you all! Please unfollow if you think I’m a…well you’ll have to check out his twitter page to read the rest.”Also Thursday, U.S. Open fans were treated to quite the exhibition match. John McEnroe and Adam Sandler (friends since McEnroe made a cameo in Sandler’s movie Mr. Deeds) took on Kevin James and Jim Courier. While we’re sure fans were entertained, we’re also guessing they were relieved when Novak Djokovic and Juan Martin Del Potro took the court.
U.S. Open semifinalist, Sara Errani’s English may have a ways to go, but she was crystal clear about the fact that she’s decided to cut ties with her former doctor, Luis Garcia Del Moral. Del Moral was handed a lifetime ban by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency after he was accused of a doping conspiracy as part of Lance Armstrong’s medical staff.
The Tennis Integrity Unit handed down a lifetime ban to Serbian player, David Savic, after he was accused of inviting other players to fix match outcomes. Savic, who reached a career high ranking of 363, claims he was set up by an “as yet unnamed” top player on the tour.
Leave it to the U.S. Open to find yet another way to make money. Officials have begun selling used match balls for around $60 a pop. If a ball is deemed precious, it goes to auction where prices can soar even higher. Of course, all of this occurs after balls have been certified and authenticated to guard against ball fraud.
The U.S. Open has also successfully hopped on the “green” bandwagon, collecting an impressive 100 tons of compostable waste during the tournament.
If you watched Andy Roddick’s last match this week, you undoubtedly saw his wife Brooklyn in the stands wearing a vintage-inspired shirt with the letters ARF emblazoned on the front. We assumed it stood for Andy Roddick Forever, but found out later that the shirt is actually a special edition tee made to raise money for the Andy Roddick Foundation. You can get one of your own at AndyRoddick.com.
Finally, the stars will be out for the 32nd annual Legends Ball at Cipriani 42nd street in New York City. The event benefits the International Tennis Hall of Fame and Museum. The Legends Ball will pay tribute to Guga Kuerten and Jennifer Capriati among others.
That’s all for today’s Tennis Now News Update! Let us know your US Open thoughts in the comment section below or on Facebook and Twitter. Also don’t forget to head to our Facebook page for a chance to win a $250 tennis gear shopping spree. We’ll see you next time, here on Tennis Now.
