NEW YORK — In the ultra-competitive landscape of professional sports, American tennis players have carved a niche — on the world’s doubles courts. American Doubles explores the phenomenon of the United States’ doubles prowess from the successes of such legends as Billie Jean King and Stan Smith to today’s top-ranked men’s doubles players Bob and Mike Bryan.

American Doubles is packed with touching stories of how some players conceded a chance at singles stardom to preserve ties with a doubles partner, how sibling pairings are tough to beat, and how Americans thrive in a team environment. Readers will learn that the success of Americans in the doubles game runs deep — at the junior and college levels, wheelchair tennis, mixed doubles, World TeamTennis and the pro tours.

The story of how Americans have come to rule the doubles court is a fascinating and surprising tale told by longtime journalist and tennis insider Marcia Frost. Stanford University’s Director of Tennis Dick Gould, who coached the Bryans as well as John and Patrick McEnroe, says the book offers “a close-up view that is intriguing, exciting and impossible to put down.”

“We’ve felt a renewed interest in doubles the past few years and this book will help the great game even more,” says Bob Bryan, who won the doubles championships at the ATP Masters Series Barcelona this past weekend with brother Mike. “We love the dynamics of the team thing and it is captured so well by Marcia Frost in this work.” It was their doubles team who clinched the 2007 Davis Cup Final for the United States.

The book, published by Mansion Grove House (ISBN-13: 978-1-932421-16-3), runs over 200 pages with photographs. It’s available on Amazon.com, BN.com, and at Barnes & Noble and other fine book shops.

Nicola “Nicky” Pietrangeli was Signor Davis Cup. That team competition seemed his private preserve, although he won his only Cup from the sidelines as Italy’s non-playing captain in 1976. Before that, as a smooth touch operator, twice winner of the French — 1959 over Ian Vermaak of South Africa, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-1, and 1960 over Luis Ayala of Chile, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 — he had made his name synonymous with Italy. He did it in Davis Cup by playing (164) and winning (120) matches, more than anyone before or since during a Cup career that reached from 1954 through 1972. In 66 ties for his country, he was 78-32 in singles, 42-12 in doubles.

Twice he carried Italy all the way to the Cup challenge round, 1960 and 1961, but on alien grass in Australia, and during the reign of Aussie powerhouses. He and 6-foot-6 accomplice Orlando Sirola were unable to come closer to the Cup than a good look. Still, to get there in 1960, they pulled off one of Italy’s greatest victories, 3-2 from 0-2 down, over the U.S. in the semifinal at Perth. Despite their discomfort on grass, Pietrangeli — he had squandered eight match points in losing to Barry MacKay, 8-6, 3-6, 8-10, 8-6, 13-11 — and Sirola, perhaps the finest doubles team developed in post-World War II Europe, struck back to beat Chuck McKinley and Butch Buchholz, 3-6, 10-8, 6-4, 13-11 - seemingly only to prolong their distress. But Pietrangeli stopped Buchholz, 6-1, 6-2, 6-8, 3-6, 6-4, and Sirola clinched, 9-7, 6-3, 8-6, over MacKay.

Pietrangeli was too much for the U.S. to overcome in the following year’s semi at Rome as he beat both Whitney Reed, 2-6, 6-8, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, and Jack Douglas, 9-7, 6-3, 6-2, and also teamed with Sirola again triumphantly in a 4-1 victory. But in the two finales, only Pietrangeli’s meaningless third-day win over Neale Fraser could be salvaged as Australia won, 5-0 and 4-1, respectively.

Solidly built, possessing exceptional instincts for the game and anticipation, 5-foot-11 Nicky was an all-round performer who moved with grace and purpose. He was in four French finals, losing to Manolo Santana in 1961 and 1964, and four Italian, beating countryman Beppe Merlo, 8-6, 6-2, 6-4, in 1957, and Rod Laver, 6-8, 6-1, 6-1, 6-2, in 1961. His best showing away from compatible clay was a 1960 Wimbledon semifinal, losing to Laver, 4-6, 6-3, 8-10, 6-2, 6-4. His was a career of the amateur era during which he won 53 singles titles and was in the world’s Top 10 five times between 1957 and 1964, No. 3 in 1959 and 1960. Retired from the court, he captained Italy to the Cup round twice, defeating Chile in 1976 but losing to Australia in 1977.

A right-hander, born Sept. 11, 1933, in Tunis, he is a bon vivant, ever popular with fans and colleagues. He and Sirola were the biggest winners of Cup doubles teams, 34-8.

For diehard U.S. tennis fans who battle weekly to follow the sport, the Tennis Week story was not welcome news.

What’s the difference, you say, between USA Network and ESPN? Television coverage is after all television coverage, no matter what cable station broadcasts the matches. And after all, ESPN is a sports channel.

Now I’ll admit that I’m a tennis geek, and have been for about 30 years. Every year when the US Open draws to a close, I begin counting down the months until the next US Open.

When I lived in New York City, I spent about 10 days each year watching the Grand Slam action live from the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. But I was born and raised in Connecticut and am now back living in my home state, so like many others across the U.S., I rely on USA Network’s coverage of the event.

And what great coverage it is. USA Network rarely lets us down. They are there for the entire ride, televising the action from Arthur Ashe Stadium, Louis Armstrong Stadium, and the Grandstand. And if there is an exciting match being played on Court 11, I remember times when USA Network plugged into the cameras there as well.

Live broadcasts begin at 11:00 in the morning, and the coverage doesn’t end until the last ball is hit in Arthur Ashe Stadium. They never cut away, even when the matches go late into the night. Instead, they stay on air into the wee hours of the morning, holding true to the spirit of the City that never sleeps.

Like many other fans, I treasure the memorable matches broadcast on USA Network, from Connors spectacular comeback matches in 1991 to Andre Agassi’s win over James Blake that ended at about 1:15 in the morning in 2005.

Who is going to replace Ted Robinson with John McEnroe at his side? For many fans who watch the US Open, Robinson is the voice of the Grand Slam. And McEnroe is New York.

Since USA Network’s coverage is only on the weekdays of the event, every year I’m disappointed when CBS takes over the broadcasts on the weekends. Nothing is the same - or as good - on CBS’s weekend coverage.

Now I feel that same sadness when hearing that USA Network may hand over the tennis reins to ESPN and the Tennis Channel.

The biggest question for fans like myself is whether ESPN will give tennis fans that same type of excellent coverage that USA Network has provided all these years.

If ESPN’s past coverage of tennis events is any indication, the answer is a resounding NO!

ESPN won’t cover the US Open exclusively, the way USA Network broadcasts the event. During the same two weeks of the US Open, ESPN has baseball coverage along with the Pepsi 500, a major NASCAR race.

Instead of USA Network’s all day broadcasts, fans probably will be lucky to get 3-4 hours of coverage a day, with the same players shown over and over again every day: Andy Roddick, Blake, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, and occasionally, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. And get ready for ESPN’s specialty: matches on tape delay and endless repeats of Sharapova’s matches.

USA Network understands that the US Open is a time to watch all the players, not just the Americans or a couple of top players. Oh, USA Network also covers the big names, but many times, they also show close matches regardless of who is playing. I can’t begin to count how many times I was introduced to up and coming players from all countries via USA Network’s coverage of the US Open.

Yes, the Tennis Channel will most likely pick up the action before and after ESPN signs on and off each day. But only 10 million households receive the Tennis Channel. What about the fans who don’t have access to the Tennis Channel?

Fans who don’t have the Tennis Channel on their cable lineup can hope that the tennis specialty channel will offer live streaming, much like they do for their Roland Garros coverage. Or that ESPN will provide live streaming available on the internet through ESPN360.com. Time will tell.

But even if they do provide live streaming, what fan wants to watch matches for hours on a computer screen when they are used to watching on their big screen TVs? If fans have a choice, they’ll pick TV over live streaming any day of the week. The picture quality via live streaming is obviously much lower than on TV, and the ball much more difficult to follow. Many fans also had problems getting the Tennis Channel’s live streaming to work for last year’s French Open (including this fan). And even if ESPN does decide to offer live streaming coverage, ESPN360 is only available in 20 millions U.S. homes.

Bottom line is that if ESPN along with the Tennis Channel take over the US Open, many American tennis fans will be left without the excellent TV coverage they’ve become accustomed to for decades for the most important U.S. tennis event of the year.

Not only does this hurt diehard tennis fans, but it hurts the growth of the sport as a whole. Solid, reliable, and extensive television coverage of such an exciting tennis event will draw new fans into the game. Sports fans who basically ignore tennis the other 11½ months out of the year actually tune in to watch tennis during the two weeks of the U.S. Open. Many of those like what they see and become more than casual two week fans. And let’s face it. Those casual sports fans aren’t going to go and watch the matches on live streaming if they can’t find it on their TV sets. Live streaming is only for diehard tennis fans.

ESPN places poker ahead of tennis and even failed to renew their contract for Indian Wells and Miami, the two largest American tournaments after the US Open. Yet despite ESPN’s lack of commitment to tennis as a whole, the USTA is going to reward ESPN with the biggest enchilada of them all. Wouldn’t it be better to find (or keep) a smaller cable outlet to work with-like USA Network-to ensure maximum coverage of the sport?

Despite the fumbles that I believe the USTA makes, the coverage on USA Network of the US Open is one of the things that I think the USTA does right.

And since it seems that silly season is upon us, might I make another seemingly silly suggestion?

Maybe the USTA should let Federer to make its television deals for them.

When asked about the changes being made to the sport in a recent interview by Inside Tennis , Federer said, “The problem we have is that we should have more sponsors, bring more money in and get back on normal TV. That’s been the biggest problem for us. We had some bad deals with the ISL deal that went bankrupt. That really hurt us a lot in terms of being on a normal TV network. They sold the broadcasting rights to private networks. That just killed the market for us in terms of sponsorship, and being on TV for the regular fan. The stadiums now are sold out, people are loving this sport. It’s a great live sport to attend. It’s a pity. But we’re on the way back, because we have a great package to sell. This is what we need to focus on and not little changes like that stupid round robin.”

Or is it silly? He seems to get the concept.

The superhero team of Venus Williams and Andre Leon Talley strike again, this time arriving together for the Costume Institute’s gala opening of the exhibition “Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy” at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Venus came out in a Carolina Herrera gown with Fred Leighton jewels while Andre wore Giorgio Armani; both were shrouded by a red Chanel cape apropos for the occasion.

George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Anna Wintour, and Armani chaired the $15,000-a-head gala that brought out the A-listers.

Wintour wore Chanel Haute Couture (by none other than Karl Lagerfeld) — think bighorn sheep circa 2050 — while the men’s best dressed included Zac Posen in a royal blue tux and hottie Marc Jacobs in classic black with muse Sofia Coppola in tow.

From the Telegraph:

Inside the museum, guests were dwarfed by 30ft statues of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, contemporary versions of the ancient superheroes sculpted in marble in the museum’s Graeco-Roman gallery.

The “Superheroes” exhibition opens with a mirrored illusion of Clark Kent morphing into Superman and features radical catwalk creations by some of the world’s top designers and comic book costumes from Hollywood blockbusters such as Spiderman and Batman.

Pride of place is given to the heavy-metal suit-of-armour worn by Robert Downey Jr in “Iron Man”, the new movie which took more than £50 million at the box office on its opening weekend. Dinner was served in the Met’s 15 B.C. Egyptian Temple of Dendur, with tables arranged amidst massive sculptures of ‘Kryptonite’.

More: See a picture of Venus’ dress after the cut…

Red carpet pics: See ‘em here

(full-length photo by Getty Images via omg!; style.com)

Twelve years after competing in her last professional singles event, Kimiko Date-Krumm of Japan returned to the tour this week at the $50,000 challenger event in Gifu, Japan. The 37-year-old, who reached a career high ranking of No. 4 in the world, accepted wild cards into the qualifying draw of the singles event and main draw of the doubles event. Date surprised everybody by coming through qualifying and storming through to the finals of the singles draw. In Sunday’s championship match against Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand, she was up a set and 4-2 before Tanasugarn prevailed 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. However, Date won the doubles event with fellow Japanese player Kurumi Nara. Date will also play in the singles and doubles draws of the $50,000 event in Fukuoka, Japan next week.

At the $100,000 challenger in Cagnes Sur Mer France, Viktoria Kutuzova of Ukraine finally lived up the expectations placed on her as a can’t miss junior prodigy, winning the biggest event of her career with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over Maret Ani of Estonia. The win also places Kutuzova back in the top 150.of the rankings. Despite the loss, Ani has been riding a hot streak as of late, having reached the semifinals of the WTA event in Estoril, Portugal last week.

At the $50,000 event in Charlottesville, Virginia, Alexis Gordon of the United States won the first title of her career with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Olga Puchkova of Russia. The 25-year-old Gordon is currently in her debut year on the tour, having finished college at the Univ. of Florida in May of last year. She also took time off in college to give birth to her daughter, Imani, who’s now three years old. Gordon moves up to No. 374 in the rankings this week and she says that her goal is to make the cut-off for the qualifying at the Australian Open next year.

In other challenger results on the women’s side, Stephanie Vogt of Liechtenstein won the $50,000 event in Makarska, Croatia and Noppawan Lertcheewakarn of Thailand won the $25,000 event in Balikpapan, Indonesia. Jarmila Gajdosova of Slovakia won the $25,000 event in Gimcheon, Korea, and Augustina Lepore of Argentina won the $25,000 tournament in Coatzacoalcos, Mexico.

On the men’s side, Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil won the biggest title of her career at the $125,000 challenger in Tunis, Tunisia, beating Dusan Vemic of Serbia 6-4, 6-4 in the final. This is Bellucci’s third challenger title of the year and propelled him into the world’s top 100 for the first time in his career.

At the $75,000 event in Prague, Czech Republic, Jan Hernych of the Czech Republic beat fellow countryman Lukas Dlouhy 4-6 6-2 6-4 in the final. This was the first all-Czech final in the tournament’s history.

Stephane Bohli of Switzerland won the title at the $50,000 event in Lanzarote, Spain with a 6-3, 6-4 over Yen-Hsun Lu of Taipei. This is the first challenger title for Bohli, having lost in all four of his previous finals. Lu has been a strong competitor on the challenger circuit this year, reaching the finals of a challenger in Busan, Korea last month and winning the title in Waikoloa, Hawaii last January.

At the $35,000 event in Rome, Italy, Eduardo Schwank of Argentina won his second challenger title in the tow with a 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 win over Eric Prodon of France. The win also moves Schwank into the top 100 for the first time in his career.

Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden leads the way next week as the top seed at the $75,000 event in Zagreb, Croatia. Lourdes Dominguez-Lino is the top seed at the $50,000 challenger in Jounieh, Lebanon, and Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium takes top billing at the $50,000 event in Indian Harbour Beach, Florida. Challenger events will also be contested next week in Bucharest, Romania, Fukuoka, Japan, Antalya, Turkey, Florence, Italy, Changwon, Korea and Irapuato, Mexico.

On the men’s side, Donald Young is the top seed at the $50,000 challenger in Tunica, Mississippi. Michael Berrer of Germany is the top seed at the $42,500 event in Dresden, Germany, Sergio Roitman of Argentina takes top billing at the $42,500 challenger in Ostrava, Czech Republic, and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez leads the way at the $42,500 challenger in Rabat, Morocco. Challenger events will also be contested next week in Rijeka, Croatia and Telde, Spain.

Courier won Sunday’s third-place match, defeating Wayne Ferreira of South Africa 6-4 6-2.

The 49-year-old McEnroe, who earlier this year said he would start to scale back his competitive tournament appearances, enjoyed an incredibly successful week in Boston, beating Courier 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday and handing seven-time Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras his first ever loss on the Outback Champions Series in a 2-6, 7-5, 10-4 (Champions Tie-Break) victory Friday night. His match with Krickstein Sunday was highlighted by many long rallies and strong play from the baseline. In the first set, Krickstein broke McEnroe at 5-5 and hit three aces on his serve to take the opening set. McEnroe took the second set with his aggressive net play and rode the momentum to victory in the Champions Tie Break.

“For my favorite fan base - 75-year old women - this proves to you that you can still be young at an advanced age,” said McEnroe, who previously lost Outback Champions Series singles finals in Boston in 2006, Newport, R.I., in 2007 and Naples, Fla., in 2008. “I’ve been playing for a couple of years with frustration and wondering if I was ever going to win again. If you had told me I would have to play Courier and Sampras, I thought I was screwed. Aaron was playing really well, but I found another gear in the tiebreaker. I knew I could win if I played the way I was capable of.”

Krickstein, 40, said that he wasn’t able to utilize his opportunities in the match.

“I didn’t take advantage of second serves,” said Krickstein, who was also seeking his first-ever Outback Champions Series tournament victory. “I thought John served extremely well in the second set. He got first serves when he needed it. I didn’t really have a lot of chances to break.”

In the third place match, Courier effectively used his serve and trademark flat forehand to dominate Ferreira throughout the match.

:”I really needed to play well to take Wayne out today,” said Courier. “We just played in the finals in Cayman Islands a few weeks ago, so I knew it would be a tough one. I played my best match of the week by a long shot. I was aggressive, I served well, and I felt good on the court. I couldn’t be happier with the way I played.”

Ferreira had high praise for Courier’s performance in the match.

“I thought Jim played very, very well,” said Ferreira. “I didn’t serve as well as I would have liked, but he came out firing. He was just better than me today.”

After three events on the eight-event schedule on the 2008 Outback Champions Series, Courier and McEnroe each have 1600 points, followed by Ferreria with 950 points in third place and Aaron Krickstein and Todd Martin with 900 points and Jimmy Arias with 700 points. Complete Stanford Champions Rankings can be found at www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com. The Stanford Champions Rankings determine the year-end champion on the Outback Champions Series and the winner of a $100,000 year-end bonus.

Founded in 2005, the Outback Champions Series features eight events where champion tennis players continue to exercise their competitive instincts in tournament formats. To be eligible to compete on the Outback Champions Series, players must have either; reached a Grand Slam singles final, been ranked in the top five in the world or played singles on a championship Davis Cup team. Each event also has the right to choose a “wild card” entrant.

InsideOut Sports & Entertainment is a New York City-based independent producer of proprietary events and promotions founded in 2004 by former world No. 1 and Hall of Fame tennis player Jim Courier and former SFX and Clear Channel executive Jon Venison. In 2005, InsideOut launched its signature property, the Outback Champions Series, a collection of tennis events featuring the greatest names in tennis over the age of 30. In addition, InsideOut produces many other successful events including one-night “Legendary Night” exhibitions as well as corporate outings, charity events and tennis fantasy camps, including the annual Ultimate Fantasy Camp. For more information, please log on to www.InsideOutSE.com or www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com

RESULTS FOR THE 2008 CHAMPIONS CUP BOSTON

Wednesday, April 30
Wayne Ferreira, South Africa, def. Mikael Pernfors, Sweden, 6-2, 6-2
Aaron Krickstein, United States, def. MaliVai Washington, United States, 6-2, 6-2

Thursday, May 1
Pete Sampras, United States, def. Jimmy Arias, United States, 4-5, ret.
John McEnroe, United States, def. Jim Courier, United States, 6-4, 6-4

Friday, May 2
Aaron Krickstein, United States, def. Wayne Ferreira, South Africa, 5-7, 7-5, 10-8 (Champions Tie Break)
Mikael Pernfors, Sweden, def. Malivai Washington, United States, 6-3, 6-1
Jim Courier, United States, def. Jimmy Arias, United States, walkover.
John McEnroe, United States, def. Pete Sampras, United States, 2-6, 7-5, 10-4 (Champions Tie Break)

Saturday, May 3
Wayne Ferreira, South Africa, def. MaliVai Washington, United States, 6-3, 3-6, 11-9 (Champions Tie Break)
John McEnroe, United States, def. Jimmy Arias, United States, walkover.
Aaron Krickstein, United States, def. Mikael Pernfors, Sweden, 6-2, 6-3.
Jim Courier, United States, def. Pete Sampras, United States, walkover.

Sunday, May 4
Beginning at 2:30 pm
Jim Courier, United States, def. Wayne Ferreira, South Africa, 6-4, 6-2
John McEnroe, United States, def. Aaron Krickstein, United States, 5-7, 6-3, 10-5 (Champions Tie Break)

Rafael Nadal won his fourth straight Barcelona, Spain, title, the Open Sabadell Atlanatico, defeating David Ferrer 6-1, 4-6, 6-1

Fernando Gonzalez beat Simone Bolelli 7-6 (4) 6-7 (4) 6-3 to win the BMW Open in Munich, Germany

Vera Zvonareva won the ECM Prague Open, beating Victoria Azarenka 7-6 (2) 6-2 in Prague, Czech Republic

Gisela Dulko beat Anabel Medina Garrigues 7-6 (2) 7-6 (5) to win the Grand Prix de SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem in Fez, Morocco

John McEnroe won the Champions Cup Boston, beating Aaron Krickstein 5-7 6-3 10-5 (Tiebreak) in Boston, Massachusetts

Viktoria Kutuzova beat Maret Ani 6-1 7-5 in Cagnes-Sur-Mer, France, to win a $100,000 ITF women’s tournament.

Tamarine Tanasugarn beat Kimiko Date-Krumm 4-6 7-5 6-2 to win an ITF women’s tournament in Gifu, Japan.

SAYINGS

“When I did make mistakes, in the second set, David was unstoppable, but I kept very focused throughout and I am very happy to be the first man to win four years in a row.” - Rafael Nadal, after winning his fourth consecutive Barcelona Open.

“I think I played a good match, but what can you do? That’s Rafa.” - David Ferrer, following his 6-1 4-6 6-1 loss to fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal for the Barcelona title.

“It’s a great relief for me.” - Vera Zvonareva, who won the ECM Prague Open, her first in 2008 after finishing second in three other finals this year.

“If someone had told me beforehand that I could reach the semifinals, I would have jumped at it.” - Younes El Aynaoui, who, at age 36, reached the semifinals of the BMW Open in Munich, Germany, before being edged by eventual champion Fernando Gonzalez 3-6 6-4 6-3.

“I felt I was regaining the feeling of playing tennis every day.” - Kimiko Date-Krumm, who ended a 12-year retirement by reaching the singles title match, which she lost, and winning the doubles in an ITF women’s tournament in Gifu, Japan.

“I took my opportunities and went for my shots. That probably made the difference today.” - Gisela Dulko, after winning the title in Fes, Morocco.

“A 13-day schedule, we feel, is about the right amount of time to get value of matches. … We see no need for change in 2008.” - Ian Ritchie, chief executive of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, explaining why there will be no play at Wimbledon on the middle Sunday this year.

“I’m thrilled with this. This is exactly right: an international city, different cultures.” - WTT co-founder Billie Jean King on the Washington Kapitals joining World TeamTennis and playing its matches in the center of the city.

“My shoulder is not up to it. I have been having pain with it again and again.” - Tommy Haas, after pulling out of this BMW Open in Munich, Germany, with a persistent shoulder injury.

STREAKING ALONG

Rafael Nadal is on a roll. Nadal defeated fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 6-1 4-6 6-1 to become the first man to win the Barcelona Open four straight years. Nadal has now won his last two tournaments and increased his clay-court winning streak to 20 consecutive matches. The lefthander is 117-3 on clay since the start of the 2005 season and has won 103 of his last 104 matches on the surface.

STREAK SNAPPED

Fernando Gonzalez of Chile won his second tournament of the year, edging Italy’s Simone Bolelli 7-6 (4) 6-7 (4) 6-3 for the BMW Open title in Munich, Germany. This year was the first time in 19 years that no German player reached the quarterfinals.

SURFACING AGAIN

When Kimiko Date-Krumm decided to end a 12-year retirement, she felt she should start at the bottom. Gaining a wild card into qualifying of a $50,000 ITF event in Giru, Japan, Date, once ranked as high as number four in the world, won six straight matches before falling in the final to Tamarine Tanasugarn 4-6 7-5 6-2. Date didn’t come away empty-handed, however. She teamed with Kurumi Nara to win the doubles.

SAYS BETTING IS OK

A French court says it’s OK to bet on matches at Roland Garros. The court ruled that betting companies like bwin did not violate the rights of the French Tennis Federation by offering bets on Roland Garros matches. The federation had filed a lawsuit, saying online betting stained the reputation of the clay court championship, especially in the wake of Internet gambling scandals. But the European Gaming & Betting Association said the court had concluded “these operations had behaved in a prudent and diligent matter.” It is not known if the French federation will take further legal action against the betting companies.

SHOOTING FROM THE LIP

Maria Sharapova is upset because the WTA Tour demands that she participate in a publicity shoot on the eve of the Italian Open. According to Sharapova, the women’s tour wants several top players, including the Australian Open champion, to take part in a four-hour commercial shoot for WTA Tour marketing materials. If she refuses to participate in the photo shoot, Sharapova could be fined $300,000, Sharapova said. A WTA Tour spokesperson said: “Players have many obligations both on and off the court, and what is being asked of players in Rome is in the rules.”

SACRED SUNDAY

The middle Sunday will remain sancrosant at Wimbledon - at least for now. While admitting there are strong arguments in favor of making “People’s Sunday” a permanent fixutre, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club says it felt no need for change this year. The wettest Wimbledon in 25 years played havoc with the schedule last year, and Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, among others, criticized the club for not scheduling play on the middle Sunday.

SPOT IN PARIS

Wayne Odesnik has a spot in this year’s French Open after winning a wild card in Boca Raton, Florida, by defeating Jesse Levine 6-2 7-5. The U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) and French Tennis Federation have a reciprocal agreement in which wild card entries into the main draw at the 2008 French Open and the 2008 U.S. Open are exchanged.

STACKING POUNDS

Roger Federer isn’t really looking at the money, but if he should win his sixth straight Wimbledon title in July he will take 750,000 pounds ($1.49 million) to the bank. That’s an increase of 7.1 percent over what he collected last year as singles champion. The women’s winner will receive the same amount as Wimbledon continues its equal prize money payout. The total prize money will rise by 4.7 percent, to 11,812,000 pounds. The doubles champions will each earn more than one million pounds for the first time, with the winning pairs receiving 230,000 pounds.

SLEEPLESS NIGHTS

Anastasia Myskina, who won Roland Garros in 2004, gave birth to a son, Zhenya, on April 28 in Moscow. Myskina missed most of last year with a left foot injury before announcing she was pregnant. She has not said whether she will return to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. The righthander was the first Russian to win a Grand Slam title and the first to break into the Top 10 in the rankings, reaching as high as number two in the world.

SOCIAL EVENT

Billie Jean King and the Class of 2008 - Michael Chang, Mark McCormack and Eugene Scott - will be honored at the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Legends Ball, which will be held in New York City on September 5, the last Friday of the U.S. Open. More than a dozen Hall of Famers and other tennis dignitaries will be on hand when the third annual Eugene L. Scott Award will be presented to Billie Jean King. The award honors an individual who embodies Scott’s commitment to communicating honestly and critically about the game, and who has had a significant impact on the tennis world.

SPANISH BATTLE

Ten cities are bidding for the right to stage the Davis Cup semifinal September 19-21 when Spain takes on the defending champion United States. The cities are: Barcelona, Benidom, Gijon, Jerez de la Frontera, Madrid, Malaga, Marbella, Murcia, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Santander. A decision is expected on May 9. The highest attendance for a Davis Cup tie was set in Seville, Spain, in 2004 when an average of 27,200 watched Spain win the fabled Cup by defeating the United States in the final 3-2

SERENA TO D.C.

Serena Williams is off to Washington this year to play World TeamTennis. While the eight-time Grand Slam singles champion is scheduled to play four of the Washington Kastles’ 14 regular-season matches, she will join the team for only one contest in Washington - that coming on July 8 against the Boston Lobsters. Also on the Kapitals’ roster are Justin Gimelstob, Mashona Washington, Scott Oudsema and Sacha Jones.

STARS ON PARADE

How trendy are tennis players? Well, Tommy Robredo, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Nicolas Almagro, Fernando Verdasco and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez have been featured in an eight-page magazine spread titled “Spanish Tennis Is Trendy.” The magazine is a weekly supplement of Diario AS, a daily sports newspaper in Spain.

SHOULDER STOPPER

Not only did Tommy Haas pull out of the BMW Open in Hamburg, Germany, with a persistent shoulder injury, he says he may not be able to play at Roland Garros later this month. Haas, once ranked as high as number two in the world, has suffered first-round losses in four of the seven tournaments he has played this year. In only one event, an ATP Masters in Indian Wells, California, did Haas reach the quarterfinals, losing to Roger Federer. He retired in his first-round match at Monte Carlo to Olivier Rochus while trailing 6-1 3-0.

SHARAPOVA OUT

Maria Sharapova and Daniela Hantuchova have withdrawn from this week’s Germany Open. The Australian Open champion, Sharapova has not played since losing to Serena Williams in the quarterfinals of the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina, on April 19. She has not revealed her injury. Hantuchova, ranked number ten in the world, withdrew because of a stress fracture in her right foot.

SUCCESS STILL DENIED

Jelena Dokic is having a hard time getting her career restarted. Once ranked as high as number five in the world, Dokic was a first-round loser at the Grand Prix de SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem in Fez, Morocco, falling to Greta Arn of Hungary 6-4 6-2. Dokic successfully qualified for the main draw at Fez, just as she had at Hobart, Australia, in January. At Hobart, Dokic trailed Italy’s Flavia Pennetta 5-0 in the second round when she retired.

SHARED PERFORMANES

Barcelona: Bob and Mike Bryan beat Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski 6-3 6-2

Munich: Rainer Schuettler and Michael Berrer beat Scott Lipsky and David Martin 7-5 3-6 10-8

Prague: Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka beat Jill Craybus and Michaella Krajicek 1-6 6-3 10-6

Fes: Sorana Cirstea and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova beat Alisa Kleybanova and Ekaterina Makarova 6-2 6-2

Cagnes-Sur-Mer: Monica Niculescu and Renata Voracova beat Julie Coin and Marie-Eve Pelletier 6-7 (2) 6-1 10-5

Gifu: Kimiko Date-Krumm and Kurumi Nara beat Melanie South and Nicole Thyssen 6-1 6-7 (8) 10-7

SITES TO SURF

Rome: www.internazionalibnlditalia.it

Berlin: www.german-open.org

Hamburg: www.dtb-tennis.de/AmRothenbaum/

Outback Champions: www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com

BlackRock Champions: www.blackrocktourofchampions.com

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

ATP

$2,270,000 Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Rome, Italy, clay

WTA TOUR

$1,340,000 Qatar Telecom German Open, Berlin, Germany, clay

SENIORS

BlackRock Tour of Champions, Rome, Italy, clay

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

ATP

$2,270,000 Hamburg Masters, Hamburg, Germany, clay

WTA Tour

$1,340,000 Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Rome, Italy, clay

SENIORS

BlackRock Tour of Champions Hamburg, Germany, clay

Krickstein advanced into the championship match with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Mikael Pernfors. Krickstein posted a 3-0 record in Group B of the tournament with wins over Pernfors, Wayne Ferreira and MaliVai Washington

McEnroe advanced into the championship match with round-robin match victories over both Jim Courier and Pete Sampras. McEnroe’s third and final round-robin match with Jimmy Arias scheduled for Saturday, was won by McEnroe in a walk-over - Arias unable to play due to a hamstring injury. McEnroe’s win over Sampras marked the first-ever loss for Sampras in four total Outback Champions Series tournament appearances. Sampras, however, was unable to continue play in the event following the loss to McEnroe, withdrawing from the event with a back injury before his final round-robin match with Jim Courier. Courier was awarded a walk-over win over Sampras on Saturday that advanced him into Sunday’s third-place match with Ferreira

Said Sampras, “I initially felt a twinge of pain in my opening match (Thursday night) versus Jimmy Arias and it worsened near the end of my match against John McEnroe (Friday night). I will be going for an MRI to get to the root of the problem and will begin rehabilitating the injury as soon as possible to ensure that I will be ready to play again in the near future. I look forward to coming back to Boston again next year to try to win the title.”

McEnroe said he felt confident going into Sunday’s final against Krickstein.

“This is the best I’ve played in a long time,” said McEnroe. “I haven’t won a tournament in a while. I feel like I have as good a chance as I’ve had in quite a while. If I play the way I’m capable of playing, I’m going to win.”

In Saturday night’s feature match, Krickstein used his big serve and forehand to overwhelm Pernfors throughout the match.

“I thought I played really well,” said Krickstein. “Mike is a tough competitor; he gets to a lot of balls. I felt like if I served well in the first set and got a jump on him, I’d be in good shape.”

Krickstein said that he was looking forward to the finals against McEnroe.

“John is a tough competitor,” said Krickstein. “I beat him a few times on the dirt, but never on hard court or indoors, so I’ve got my work cut out for me. He’s going to come in playing aggressive, so the keys for me are my first serve and returning well.”

Despite the loss, Pernfors was satisfied with his performance.
“I felt really good with how I was playing,” said Pernfors. “Every time I hit something good, he hit something better. I had to get closer to the line to get him out of position and I started missing.”

In the opening match of the day, Ferreira dominated the opening set against Washington before becoming unglued by Washington’s chip and charge strategy in the second set. In the Champions tie break, Ferreira effectively utilized heavy topspin forehands to take the match.

“I played pretty solid and didn’t miss as many balls as I did yesterday,” said Ferreira. “I was a little bit more consistent. Mal served so well in the second set, but he got a little bit tight on the first serve during the tiebreaker.”

Washington said that his tennis had improved with each match in the tournament.

“That was my third match of the year, my third match in four days,” said Washington. “My goal was to get a little better my second match and a little better in the third match. That was the way it progressed.”

Sunday’s order of play will kick off with the third place match between Courier and Ferreira, immediately followed by the championship match between McEnroe and Krickstein.

The Champions Cup Boston features $150,000 in prize money with an undefeated tournament winner taking home $54,000. Players also compete for Champions Series points that will determine the Stanford Champions Rankings year-end No. 1 and the winner of a $100,000 year-end bonus. All Champions Series events feature eight-man round-robin match formats with the winner of each four-player division meeting in the title match while second place finishers in each division meet in the third-place match. Tickets begin at just $15 and can be purchased by calling 617-931-2000 or at www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com.

Founded in 2005, the Outback Champions Series features eight events where champion tennis players continue to exercise their competitive instincts in tournament formats. To be eligible to compete on the Outback Champions Series, players must have either; reached a Grand Slam singles final, been ranked in the top five in the world or played singles on a championship Davis Cup team. Each event also has the right to choose a “wild card” entrant.

InsideOut Sports & Entertainment is a New York City-based independent producer of proprietary events and promotions founded in 2004 by former world No. 1 and Hall of Fame tennis player Jim Courier and former SFX and Clear Channel executive Jon Venison. In 2005, InsideOut launched its signature property, the Outback Champions Series, a collection of tennis events featuring the greatest names in tennis over the age of 30. In addition, InsideOut produces many other successful events including one-night “Legendary Night” exhibitions as well as corporate outings, charity events and tennis fantasy camps, including the annual Ultimate Fantasy Camp. For more information, please log on to www.InsideOutSE.com or www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com

RESULTS AND SCHEDULE FOR 2008 CHAMPIONS CUP BOSTON

Wednesday, April 30
Wayne Ferreira, South Africa, def. Mikael Pernfors, Sweden, 6-2, 6-2
Aaron Krickstein, United States, def. MaliVai Washington, United States, 6-2, 6-2

Thursday, May 1
Pete Sampras, United States, def. Jimmy Arias, United States, 4-5, ret.
John McEnroe, United States, def. Jim Courier, United States, 6-4, 6-4

Friday, May 2
Aaron Krickstein, United States, def. Wayne Ferreira, South Africa, 5-7, 7-5, 10-8 (Champions Tie Break)
Mikael Pernfors, Sweden, def. Malivai Washington, United States, 6-3, 6-1
Jim Courier, United States, def. Jimmy Arias, United States, walkover.
John McEnroe, United States, def. Pete Sampras, United States, 2-6, 7-5, 10-4 (Champions Tie Break)

Saturday, May 3
Wayne Ferreira, South Africa, def. MaliVai Washington, United States, 6-3, 3-6, 11-9 (Champions tie break)
John McEnroe, United States, def. Jimmy Arias, United States, walkover.
Aaron Krickstein, United States, def. Mikael Pernfors, Sweden, 6-2, 6-3.
Jim Courier, United States, def. Pete Sampras, United States, walkover.

Sunday, May 4
Beginning at 2:30 pm
Jim Courier vs. Wayne Ferreira
Followed by
John McEnroe vs. Aaron Krickstein

Bethanie Mattek toned things down as she played this week’s Boyd Tinsley USTA Women’s Pro Championships in Virginia. This Bebe Sport halter dress uses the right amount of flashy color accents to spruce up — and not distract — the ensemble.

–

The squeaky wheel… Remember Bethanie’s tunic-and-tube socks Wimbledon debacle of 2006? Apparently, officials fell for the shock-and-awe approach of her kit: “They actually came up to me after my match and asked me to donate it to the museum,” she tells the Charlottesville Daily Progress. “They are in the museum now at Wimbledon.” Wow.

(via Colette; photo by The Daily Progress/Kaylin Bowers)

Italian Simone Bolelli took out top seed Paul-Henri Mathieu in the semifinals of the 2008 BMW Open in Munich with a 7-6 (1), 4-6, 7-6 (4) win.

Tattoo watch: He gave us a little peek into the gigantic gothic “S” inked on his upper right arm — just enough to make us want to see the whole thing!

Kudos, pt. 2: The man can teach a lecture at the next ATP University on how to be a professional tennis player… and have amazing hair while doing it.

Browse: He recently launched an official website; you can take a look at it here. The current version is only in Italian.

(Thanks, Saum!)