McEnroe v Rios, Federer Fallout, LTA Ax to Fall on Bates?

Frenchman Henri Leconte was also a winner on the final day of round robin play, edging Thomas Muster 6-4, 7-5 to gain the quarters, and Ivanisevic outlasted Paul Haarhuis 10-8 in a third-set breaker.

The top two players from each of the four round robin groups advanced to the Friday quarterfinals, with a $100,000 winner-take-all check to the tournament victor.

Lining up in the Friday quarterfinals are Rios vs. McEnroe, Pioline vs. Leconte in an all-French affair, Ivanisevic vs. Bates, and the defending champ Haarhuis vs. Bruguera.

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TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
American Amer Delic, who ended 2006 in the Top 100 for the first time: "Personally, I have never been so eager to get back to training so I can be 100% from day one when I start off the 2007 season in Adelaide. In all honesty, after only two days off, I started planning out my training for the hot Australian climate and the three out of five-set matches. Hitting buckets of forehands, backhands, serves...sprints, biking, weights...everything seems much easier, but at the same time I know I am getting better, stronger and faster. The whole process is enjoyable and that's what makes it so
exciting."...Shouldn't Sports Illustrated name their award "AMERICAN Sportsman of the Year"? Because Roger Federer having almost the best year a player can have, and not winning, is a joke. That went over about as well as the BCS picking Florida over Michigan, not because Florida is the second-best team, but simply because the voters didn't want to see an Ohio State-Michigan rematch. Turn the picking completely over to computers and take out the lame human element...From ESPN blogger Peter Bodo on his Top 10 "What Were They Thinking?" from 2006: "4. Top ATP pros shill for Dubai: This cash-rich, publicity hungry, burgeoning city-state is part of the United Arab Emirates, and said to be home to some of the shadiest -- and most dangerous -- financial and import-export dealings. (Can you say "nuclear secrets"?) Part of Dubai's public relations offensive consists of hosting a tennis tournament, and showering millions of dollars upon the likes of Roger Federer and Andre Agassi, who then rhapsodize about the wonders of Dubai and slap on the "My Other Car is a Camel" bumper stickers. Yet Dubai is routinely accused of human rights abuses, and forbids holders of Israeli passports to even enter "the Emirate" (read, "kingdom"). Sorry, fellas. I love you, but no excuses. None whatsoever...1. Sports Illustrated snubs Roger Federer: This isn't about Dwyane Wade, everybody loves him. Everybody also knows that Federer was the Sportsman of the Year. End of story."...From Tennis.com: "Mercedes-Benz is considering ending its sponsorship of the ATP tour, reports German finance magazine Capital. Their contract ends in 2008, but paying a fee to end it earlier is also an option. The company, owned by Daimler-Chrysler, wants to focus its attention on golf instead."...Jelena Dokic has left the academy of coach Nikola Pilic for the second time in a month, now reuniting with former coach Borna Bikic, father of her boyfriend...Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn, the "it couple" who were among the celebs at the 2006 French Open, have broken up according to their representatives. No word on who got the 2007 Roland Garros tix...From TheBigLead.com: "There has been all sorts of outrage about the selection -- so much so, that SI editor-in-chief Terry McDonnell was forced (at gunpoint?) to appear on the notoriously bombastic New York radio show Mike and the Mad Dog to defend his selection. McDonnell, to put it mildly, bombed. He tried levity; it failed. At one point, McDonnell goes, 'you guys have my name spelled wrong on TV.' You could hear his shit-eating grin forming. Five minutes later: 'Terry, we got your name from the SI website. It's spelled wrong there.' Zing! At any rate, Fatso and Fruit Loops wanted blood. And they wanted SI to have chosen Roger Federer, who won three major titles this year. (Nearly verbatim quote from McDonnell: 'But did he win the Grand Slam?') Their logic was that Federer wasn't taken for marketing reasons (he won't sell on the cover because nobody cares about tennis; he couldn't attend the December party the magazine was throwing in the Sportsman's honor because Federer was committed to tournaments on the other side of the World), and Wade was a cop-out. They were onto something."...John McEnroe has extended his racquet deal with Dunlop through 2009...Andre Agassi speaking to the Richmond Times-Dispatch: "I can tell you right now that me and my wife are focused on increasing the experience of tennis and health and fitness in people's lives. We're doing that through a few of our projects. That being said, my direct involvement with tennis is one that needs to find its own place. I can't force that time because it'll happen in its own way. I'm available as needed and that's important to me. I believe in the future and growth of this game, and I want to figure out a way to help communicate how much this sport can add to somebody's life."...Roger Federer has announced his 2007 schedule, which includes the cash-cow Kooyong exo in January, and only one U.S. hardcourt event in the run-up to the US Open...From Tennisnews.com: "Luca Appino, marketing director of high-end tennis racquet manufacturer Babolat, has been named president and COO of Renaissance Tennis Management Ltd. (RTM)...RTM's head coach and director of tennis operations is Tarik Benhabiles. RTM, based in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas, manages professional tennis players."...From Xinhua: "Three-time Roland Garros winner Gustavo Kuerten was defeated by Argentina's Diego Hartfield at the Champions Tournament, held on the Petrobras Beach Arena, in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro. The Brazilian player, who used to occupy the first position at the ranking of the Association of Professional Tennis Players (ATP), improved his performance in relation to Wednesday's match against Moroccan Younes El Aynaoui. However, it was not enough to prevent Hartfield from winning 6-1, 6-4 on Thursday. Kuerten has been attempting to get back in his former shape since 2004, when injuries started holding back his career. "I felt that my body reacted in a much better way today, but I felt very tired in the middle of the second set and I could not keep the rhythm," said the player."...From The Guardian's Paul Kelso: "Jeremy Bates is set to become a high-profile victim of Roger Draper's staff cull at the Lawn Tennis Association. The former British No1 and Davis Cup captain is expected to leave the organisation, perhaps even before Christmas, after failing to win favour with the new regime. Bates, who quit as Davis Cup captain this year, had hoped to take up the post of head of men's tennis but with the LTA appointing Paul Hutchings, himself a former Davis Cup captain, Bates's options look severely limited."

Also see:
Federer Snubbed, Wade Wins SI Sportsman of the Year
http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/2006-12-07/119.php