Rios Expecting Triplets; Spain Sweats Davis Cup Final; Tennis-X Notes
TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
In perhaps the most stark evidence yet that a God exists, former No. 1 Marcelo Rios will have triplet babies on his hands by the end of the year. At the ATP Champions Tour senior event in Santiago, Rios, who already has three daughters, talked about playing tennis after the back injury that forced his retirement from the ATP tour and his burgeoning family: “It’s been a long time that I didn’t play at all and it’s always fun to play in Chile. Flying and being away is tough with my family so being here, playing so close to my home is really nice…That (having triplets) is one of the reasons that it has been more difficult to concentrate on tennis! My wife is already 26-weeks pregnant and you have triplets at about 32 weeks so she’s pretty big right now. And I already have three kids, so I have a big family and soon it will be very big. It’s very exciting and once they’re here it will be a lot of fun. I always wanted a big family…I’ve been not feeling that good physically over the past two years. I’ve had back surgery and it’s been pretty tough for me. They told me I wouldn’t be able to play tennis again. I’ve just been trying to do my best to be able to get back on the court.”…
ADHEREL
Who is going to shoulder the load at the year-end ATP Masters? World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has a bad shoulder, and Rafael Nadal is rumored to be having shoulder pain practicing this week…Who will be the next ATP CEO? Get the feeling the candidates are not over-exciting anyone?…Now that Jelena Dokic has reconciled with her crazy-ass dad, Tennis Australia says they will pull her funding if they have any more shenanigans from him. Damir Dokic remains banned from all WTA events due to his past behavior…Guy Forget is expected to announce announce that 2012 will be his last year coaching the French Davis Cup team after he was appointed the new tournament director for the ATP Paris Masters event…Aussie Alicia Molik is now seven months pregnant…Venus Williams says she is planning on playing a full schedule in 2012 after pulling out of this year’s US Open with a Sjogren’s Syndrome diagnosis, the chronic disease that can cause dysfunction of organs and body systems: “I changed my diet completely, so lots of vegetables,” the 31-year-old former No. 1 said. “I (altered) my mind frame completely because I was the person who always ate their steak first and their salad second. My goal next year is to play a full schedule. It will take some work to get there, but I’m no stranger to hard work. I’m shocked at myself by my inability to settle down and to commit to anything besides tennis and work.” Speaking in Qatar at an exhibition, and asked whether she would ever date a fellow tennis player, the elder Williams said, “Those are my colleagues — handshake, that’s it.”…Martina Hingis (who once famously said Marcelo Rios looks like he just “walked out of the forest”) has joined the Patrick Mouratoglou Academy in Paris as an advisor and will help oversee the playing careers of multiple student, including American Sachia Vickery, traveling to the Aussie Open with the players as they compete in the juniors and main draw. “Now that she has accepted the end of her career, Martina is ready to move on and coaching is a natural,” Mouratoglou said in a release. “The girls are delighted and are well aware of the opportunity they have. It’s been one month that she has been with us and everything is going very well…We all know about her tactical understanding of the game, her insight on the court.”…The WTA Championships in Istanbul had their highest attendance marks in 12 years (better than the empty seats in LA?)…Roger Federer says he will play Doha and Rotterdam in early 2012, and maybe Dubai is he can squeeze enough appearance oil cash from the tournament organizers: “I’m talking with Dubai to see whether I’m going to play there as well, and then there will be Davis Cup (vs. U.S. in Feb.). Davis Cup will be announced as soon as I will make a decision for Dubai.”…Carlos Moya won his fourth consecutive ATP senior tour title in Chile, wrapping up the year-end No. 1 ranking…Former player Slobodan Zivojinovic, continually at loggerheads with the Djokovic family, has reportedly resigned as president of the Serbian tennis federation…Spanish Davis Cup captain Al Costa says he is not anticipating an easy time in the Davis Cup final: “[Juan Martin] Del Potro is getting his level back before his wrist injury, and next year will be back on top. And [David] Nalbandian has been injured, but we know that he’ll be ready for Seville. He�s a super talent who has not won a regular basis because of physical problems. But in a particular week he can play great. They are very dangerous, balanced and tough.”
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