Dokic Says Daughter Done, Slovak in Doping Whisper

Bruguera Edges McEnroe at Senior Masters

Sergi Bruguera took advantage of a flu-stricken John McEnroe Wednesday at the year-end Champions Masters, defeating the American 7-6(5), 4-6, 10-2 to advance into the quarterfinals with his second round robin win.

"I felt better than I thought I would," McEnroe said. "But Sergi runs all day long and is a tough competitor. Hopefully, I can bounce back for my second group match and still make the quarterfinals."

Anders Jarryd received a walkover against Mats Wilander (knee), with Cedric Pioline (d. Leconte) and Austrian Thomas Muster (d. Bates), who secured his place in the quarters, also winning.

Scheduled for Thursday are Pioline vs. Pat Cash, Jarryd vs. Jim Courier, McEnroe vs. Mikael Pernfors, and Muster vs. Paul Haarhuis.

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TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
ESPN's Page 2 on how Andy Roddick's serve would look with a wood racquet: "Put those factors together, and it stands to reason that Roddick wouldn't hit the ball quite so fast with a wooden racket. Keep in mind, however, that when big-serving Mark Philippoussis was tested with graphite and wooden rackets, the difference in his serve speed was minimal. Brody speculates that Philippoussis' beefy frame allowed him to generate tremendous racket head speed despite differences in frame weight; Stump Page 2 suspects the party-loving "Scud" might have been hungover at the time. Either way, the bottom line is this: fast serves still depend more on skill than technology. Oh, and ESPN.com just blew its shot at a lucrative Wilson sponsorship."...From the Justine Henin-Hardenne website: "There's a big change in the WTA ranking rules for 2006. It all starts on January 1, 2006 in the first tournaments at Auckland, New Zealand and Gold Coast, Australia. There will be no special quality points awarded for each match won by a player of a lower rank. Justine will have her points adjusted in Australia, and will lose two places from the 2005 season ending ranking."...From Sportinglife: "Andy Murray buried the hatchet with the Lawn Tennis Association by hailing their 'Raw Tennis' initiative -- but vowed to continue speaking his mind on important issues affecting the British game. The LTA this morning unveiled their blueprint to increase the popularity of tennis among teenagers, setting up a court on the third floor of a car park in Soho, London, where Murray led a Raw Tennis session. Tricks, quirky fitness exercises and quick-fire team competitions were included in the demonstration of the initiative which Murray emphatically endorses as an excellent way of broadening the sport's appeal. But it was ironic that on the day Raw Tennis was launched, Murray's older brother Jamie confirmed the LTA coaching methods he was exposed to when 13 damaged his long-term prospects."...Croatia and the Slovak Republic are the first unseeded teams to reach the Davis Cup final since Russia in 1994...From Chris Bowers of The Times: "This weekend's Davis Cup final, the traditional end to the tennis year, could be played under the cloud of a doping controversy after unsubstantiated comments by the Croatia captain yesterday...Pressed to explain why he thought [Karol] Kucera might replace [Karol] Beck, [Nikki] Pilic replied: "I've heard that his knees are hurt." He then went on to claim, however, that, "I've heard that he was (tested) positive at the semifinal (against Argentina)." The International Tennis Federation, which since October 4 has been in sole charge of anti-doping measures in tennis, said that it could not comment on any alleged case. But it confirmed that if a player who has tested positive plays in the final, the Davis Cup Committee can reverse the result of any match that player was involved in. So if Beck, who could not be reached for comment last night, plays this weekend and a positive test were later confirmed, any match he wins might not count and Slovakia could be stripped of the Davis Cup."...The Hawk-Eye line-calling technology at the senior Masters is 0-for-2 -- on the fritz through the first two days of the event...Svetlana Kuznetsova and Amelie Mauresmo will team in doubles in 2006...Mario Ancic on the Davis Cup final conditions in Brataslava: "I think the surface is medium speed, but the big difference is the balls. At first they are faster, but as the balls wear you can play from the back, wherever. I think it's a fair surface."...According to a USTA/Tennis Industry Association study, the total number of tennis players in the U.S. rose 4.1 percent over 2004...Dominik "The Dominator" Hrbaty on the Slovak Republic in the D-Cup final: "I feel no pressure because the opponents are the favorites, they have to win. I saw it on the ITF website that 80 percent of the people say Croatia is going to win. Definitely, it's going to be tough, but we play at home, in front of the home crowd. I hope everything will go well, and we'll do our best. I think, at home we are always something like a dark horse, and we are going to prove it again and beat Croatia. Everybody speaks about [Ivan] Ljubicic. It's not a plan, but I say Ljubicic is not Croatia, he is not the team, he is just one person."...Andy Roddick, Robby Ginepri and James Blake have committed for the 2006 Tennis Channel Open, Feb. 27-March 5 in Las Vegas: "I'm looking forward to playing the inaugural Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas," Roddick said in a statement released by The Tennis Channel. "The excitement of the city should be a tremendous draw for the guys on the tour, and The Tennis Channel's plan to build a tennis-festival atmosphere is a great idea that's going to be a lot of fun to visit each year."...From the Davis Cup website: "The Slovaks appeared before the press today, resplendent in the national ice hockey tops that have become a trademark of their quest to win the Davis Cup. Meanwhile just a few metres away in the arena itself, the Croatian team was hard at work on the court, Ivan Ljubicic wearing his specially-designed Croatian shirt, produced specially for this final; and a certain Goran Ivanisevic was hitting with 'Croatia' emblazoned across his back. It was as if he had never retired. Ah yes -- retirement -- the other theme of the day. Ivanisevic himself was out practicing for hours, first with Mario Ancic, then in the afternoon with Ljubicic. Surely he won't play in one of the singles rubbers? That was probably the very question the Croats were hoping to plant in the Slovaks' mind, but the hosts had similar ideas. All of the Slovak team agreed at the press conference that the semi-retired Karol Kucera, who has said he will fully retire after the final, is playing so well in practice that he is a viable alternative to Karol Beck as the second singles player, behind Dominik Hrbaty. There was even talk that Kucera defeated Hrbaty in a recent practice match."...From Damir Dokic on his daughter's return to Australia: "I think the decision to go back to Australia is good for her," Dokic told the Herald from Belgrade on Wednesday. "But she must change her life and her coach. She must forget the boy in Croatia...It is a big mistake...I don't think she has a big chance of coming back in tennis. My opinion is that she should come back here [to Serbia and Montenegro] like before. Now she don't practice. Now she don't live a good life. I don't have any conversation with her. Jelena has not called in maybe two years. When she leaves the [family] house, she is finished. We are a strong, good family. She would practice hard and concentrate on tennis. She was good. Now she don't have nothing. Maybe there is a chance that she could come back, but I think it would be very difficult. Every second in her head she has problems." That apple didn't fall far from the tree, eh?...The WTA has made Miami a mandatory event for all players for 2006, the first step in creating a Masters Series-type top tier of events on the women's side...Tracy Austin telling the BBC she can feel Martina Hingis' pain: "Like Martina, I was successful as a teenager, but at the age of 21 got injured and was unable to play again until I was 25. Then I was involved in a car accident that took me out for another couple of years before I officially retired in 1994. I can understand an athlete wanting to hang up their sport and stop when they just don't feel like playing any more. Bjorn Borg retired when he was just 25 and Gabriela Sabatini when she was 26. But Martina still feels she has the competitive juices flowing and wants to take on that challenge. As an athlete I think she's doing the right thing. Before you retire for good you have to feel you've really finished."

Also:
Hingis, Dokic Enter WTA Injury Fray for 2006
http://www.tennis-x.com/story/2005-12-01/c.php