WTA to allow coaching during matches

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK -- Women's tennis players will be able to consult with their coaches during matches starting next year, although the WTA Tour's motivation for the move seems to be aiding fans as much as competitors.

To visit their players on court, coaches must agree to wear a microphone so television audiences can hear the conversations. The long-discussed rule change was approved by the Tour's board last week, CEO Larry Scott said Wednesday during the U.S. Open.

"It was a polarizing issue, to be sure -- a lot of potential consequences in the eyes of our players and tournaments, and that's why we took so long to really think it through," he said. "But at the end of the day, I think this step shows a real commitment from our athletes and from our sport towards innovation, being as fan-friendly as possible and being as responsive to television as possible without altering the fundamentals of the sport."

Coaches will be allowed to visit their players once per set, and only during the allotted changeover time. They can also come on court when the opponent takes a medical break. Scott said he also hopes it will discourage players from taking unnecessary medical breaks.

The on-court coaching is limited to WTA Tour events and doesn't include Grand Slams.

Scott announced several other changes to the Tour calendar and tournament structure, the culmination of a five-year effort.

The season will end in October, increasing the off-season to nine weeks from seven in hopes of reducing injuries. Total prize money will increase from US$71 million this year to more than $85 million next year.

Some of the other changes attempt to address the ongoing problem of players skipping events. For the first time, top-10 players who miss any of Tour's nine top tournaments could be suspended.

But it's easy to avoid a suspension: Players must make a promotional appearance in the tournament city, either during the event or at a later date.

"Sort of the way our board's looking at it, is a player really has to want to get suspended to get suspended under this rule," Scott said.

If a suspension were to occur, it would be for two tournaments the following year. Players will be automatically penalized in their rankings and earnings for skipping big events.

One tricky situation could be the Williams sisters' avoidance of the tournament at Indian Wells, Calif. They haven't played there since 2001, when the family was booed after Venus withdrew just before a semifinal match against Serena.

They have said they plan to bypass the event again next year.

."I'm sure we can figure out things for them to do that are good for tennis in Southern California, good for the tournament, without being something that's embarrassing for them or the tournament," Scott said of the promotional appearances they'd need to make to comply with the new rule.

The Tour's four cornerstone events -- Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Beijing -- will have equal prize money for men and women at $4.5 million. That's a big jump from this year, when the most lucrative women's tournament was Miami at $3.7 million.

The Tour also will begin revenue sharing in 2011, with prize money depending on the financial performance of tournaments.

The WTA Tour has worked with the ATP Tour to combine men's and women's events more often. At nearly half of next year's tournaments, the men and women will play at the same time or the two events will be held back-to-back.

The ATP Tour is seeking a new CEO, and Scott said he isn't interested. There has also been speculation about someday moving the two tours under the same management.

"I do think it's inevitable that at some point in time the organizations will come closer together," Scott said. "Whether that ultimately results in a merger or not is too early and too hard to predict, but I am confident that we'll continue to move in this direction.

"Whether there's a chance for a quantum leap on the short term rather than the longterm, I don't know."

Jury upholds new ATP Tour structure

Moose to Visit Mall at Greece Ridge Center Tonight

Men, women combine for Rogers Cup

Edberg returns to play on seniors tour

Federer advances to U.S. Open final

RelatedStill to come Saturday:Nadal vs. Murray
Friday's action:Serena back in final THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK -- As the losses piled up and titles escaped him, Roger Federer insisted he felt fine, he wasn't washed up and his game would come around.

Oh, did Federer look good against Novak Djokovic in the U.S. Open semifinals.

Buoyed by a stellar start and a fantastic finish in a rematch of last year's final, Federer beat Djokovic 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 Saturday to move within one victory of a fifth consecutive U.S. Open championship and 13th Grand Slam title overall.

"One more match is all I need," he said.

He wasn't going to go to bed knowing the name of his next opponent. tropical storm Hanna hit the New York area in the afternoon, dumping enough rain to force the suspension of the semifinal between No. 1 Rafael Nadal and No. 6 Andy Murray in the third set. Murray leads 6-2, 7-6 (5), 2-3.

The weather also forced the postponement of the women's championship match between Serena Williams and Jelena Jankovic, originally scheduled for Saturday night. Instead, that will be played Sunday, when Nadal-Murray also is to resume.

Federer was asked about his preferred foe for the final. A reasonable question, given that Nadal routed him in the French Open final, edged him 9-7 in the fifth set of the Wimbledon final and supplanted him atop the rankings last month after Federer's record 237-week stay at No. 1.

"Who do I prefer? I prefer the trophy, that's what I prefer," Federer said, drawing a roar of approval from the fans in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

And then came an answer that might surprise some.

"I guess I've got to say Rafa," Federer continued, "because we've had such great battles over the years. Wimbledon was unbelievable, so I hope we can do it again here."

Federer has won 33 straight matches at Flushing Meadows and reached 13 of the past 14 Grand Slam finals.

The one gap in that span was the Australian Open in January, when Djokovic upset Federer in the semifinals en route to the title. Perhaps that gave Federer extra motivation Saturday.

Even Federer sensed the magic returning.

"I definitely had moments during today where I thought, 'This is how I would like to play every time,"' said Federer, who had 20 aces and only one double-fault despite swirling wind. "It was a very nice feeling to get that feeling back."

The fans cheered for both the No. 2 Federer, from Switzerland, and the No. 3 Djokovic, from Serbia, but there was more support for the reigning champion.

"A feel a little bit New Yorker right now," Federer said. "I definitely appreciate the efforts from the fans, supporting me and pushing me forward."

Maybe that's because they remembered what happened Thursday night. After beating Andy Roddick, Djokovic drew merciless boos by lashing out at the American, taking him to task for making light of the Serb's series of medical issues earlier in the week.

"It's been a very exhausting tournament, mentally and physically, for me," said Djokovic, who didn't want to discuss what happened the other night.

Maybe the fans simply figured Federer needed an extra push during what, by his so-special standards, has been a sub-par season.

He has 12 losses, more than in any entire year from 2004-07.

He has only two titles, from minor events, his lowest total entering a U.S. Open since 2002.

He faces the possibility of going through an entire year without a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2002. Remember, he won three of the four major championships in 2004, 2006 and 2007.

There was this hanging in the balance, too: Had Djokovic won Saturday and gone on to take the title, he would have surpassed Federer in the rankings, dropping the longtime No. 1 all the way to No. 3.

"This was a big match," said Federer, who is chasing Pete Sampras' record of 14 career major championships. "I knew it from when I saw the draw."

.He began flawlessly. Federer compiled seven winners and no unforced errors as he raced to a 4-1 lead. And race he did, wasting not a second between points, quickly stepping up to the baseline when it was his turn to serve.

It was as though Federer knew that those grey clouds could stop things at any moment and he wanted to get as far ahead as fast as possible.

Looking more confident and supremely competent than he had all tournament, Federer smacked a 130 miles per hour serve to set up a forehand winner and end the first set. By then, Federer had won 20 of 24 points on his serve and accumulated 13 winners and three unforced errors.

What about Djokovic?

His game and his demeanour were far duller than usual.

"It was important stay grounded," Federer said. "I knew the tough times were going to arrive."

The real Djokovic showed up in the second set, striking shots more crisply, pressuring Federer more consistently. When Federer served while trailing 6-5, Djokovic earned three set points, three chances to pull even.

On the first, Djokovic sailed a forehand long. On the second, Federer wrong-footed Djokovic with a cross-court forehand winner.

A year ago in the U.S. Open final, Djokovic led 6-5 in each of the opening two sets. In the first, he held five set points. In the second, he held two. He capitalized on zero, prompting this post-match one-liner: "My next book is going to be called, 'Seven Set Points."'

But Djokovic is no longer as inexperienced, nor Federer as invincible. This time, Djokovic seized his third set point, returning a 121 m.p.h. serve and watching as Federer stepped up for what should have been an easy shot and rushed a forehand long.

All tied.

The third set progressed steadily, neither man asserting himself, until Djokovic served at 5-5, 30-all. As he went into his service motion there, a spectator called out, eliciting a glare and words of disgust from Djokovic.

Looking rattled, Djokovic put a forehand into the net, setting up break point. When Djokovic began the next point with a fault, someone yelled, "Go, Roger!" When a cross-court backhand forced a long volley from Djokovic, Federer had the break, a 6-5 lead -- and a rousing chorus of support from the stands.

"Roger is still there, you know. And even though people are talking about him not playing so well this year, he's still very consistent," Djokovic said. "That's his strength, you know. Whenever he needs to play well, he plays his best."

And so it was that the roar grew even louder a game later, when Djokovic hit a smash that would have ended the point against nearly anyone. Next to the blue wall behind a baseline, Federer stretched and jumped and carved a winner that seemed to stun Djokovic. Federer raised a fist imperiously, and five points later he danced in delight, the fourth set and momentum his.

Federer broke for a 3-2 lead in the fourth set, then used four aces to hold to 4-2. By now, Djokovic looked weary, sucking air between points, and when he sent a volley wide at the end of a 19-stroke point, Federer broke again for 5-2.

Moments later, the match was over, and Federer pumped both fists and bellowed.

He was back in the U.S. Open final.

He was back, period.

Crew oust RSL from U.S. Open Cup

Federer advances to Halle semi-finals

Eager K.C. eyes Open Cup berth

Roddick takes shot at ailing Djokovic

RelatedMen's scoresWomen's scores
U.S. Open Wednesday:Serena beats VenusNadal reaches semisSPORTSNET.CA

Novak Djokovic may have some added motivation for his U.S. Open quarterfinal match against Andy Roddick Thursday night after the American openly mocked and questioned the long list of injuries Djokovic claims to be hurting from.

Roddick had an easy time in his fourth-round match, beating Fernando Gonzalez in straight sets, while Djokovic limped his way to a five-set win over Tommy Robredo.

Following the match, Robredo accused Djokovic of exaggerating his injuries, and when during his Tuesday press conference about Djokovic’s numerous ailments, Roddick had this to say:

Q. When (Djokovic was) asked about his injuries today, mentioning the right ankle as opposed to the left ankle, the other day.

ANDY RODDICK: Isn't it both of them? And a back and a hip?

Q. And when he said there are too many to count.

ANDY RODDICK: And a cramp.

Q. Do you get the sense right now that he is...

ANDY RODDICK: Bird flu.

Q. Lot of things. Beijing hangover.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah.

Q. He's got pretty long list of illness.

ANDY RODDICK: Anthrax. SARS. Common cough and cold.

Q. Got a lot of things going on with him.

ANDY RODDICK: Sure.

Q. Do you think he's bluffing?

ANDY RODDICK: No, I mean, I'm sure ‑‑

Q. The way you're saying it, almost means you feel like...

ANDY RODDICK: No, if it's there, it's there. There's just a lot. You know, he's either quick to call a trainer or he's the most courageous guy of all time. I think it's up for you guys to decide.

Nadal, Roddick advance at Queen’s

Lorenzo diagnosed with further injuries

Roddick bows out of French Open

Nadal rebounds to book spot in semifinal

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK -- It sure took a while, but Rafael Nadal is a U.S. Open semifinalist. The No. 1-ranked Nadal beat unseeded American Mardy Fish 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2, getting past the quarter-finals for the first time in six trips to Flushing Meadows with a victory that ended with the scoreboard showing 2:10 a.m. Thursday, making it the third-latest finish in tournament history. Nadal, who has won four titles at the French Open and one at Wimbledon, now will face first-time Grand Slam semifinalist Andy Murray. Fish took the opening set on the strength of a 23-6 edge in winners, some gutsy serving and one service break. But Nadal never faced a break point the rest of the way.

Awesome offensive displays propels Canada to 5-4 win over Sweden in semifinal

Nadal, Ivanovic top US Open seeds

Queen’s: Nadal fires Wimbledon warning

Wozniacki, Cilic win Pilot Pen titles

Federer holds on to avoid major upset

RelatedWilliams sisters get set
U.S. Open scoreboard:MenWomen THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK -- His strokes awry, his emotions laid bare for all to see, Roger Federer figured out a way to stay in the U.S. Open.

Federer found himself locked in a five-set struggle against the sort of player the world is accustomed to seeing him dismiss with ease, and it was only down the stretch that the four-time defending champion at Flushing Meadows looked the part.

Avoiding a big an upset, Federer came back to beat 23rd-seeded Igor Andreev of Russia 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 Tuesday night to reach the quarter-finals at the year's last Grand Slam tournament.

"Being down a set, and a tiebreak in the second set, obviously, you know, there's danger written all over that situation," Federer said. "You just hope that it's going to turn your way. It did."

When he finished the match with a forehand winner, Federer shook his fists violently and yelled, then flashed a grin toward his girlfriend and others in his guest box.

Hard to recall the last time this guy was so pleased by a mere fourth-round victory. Federer is, after all, a man who owns 12 Grand Slam titles, two shy of Pete Sampras' career mark. A man who has won 31 consecutive matches at the U.S. Open. A man who is trying to extend his record streak of 17 straight appearances in major semifinals.

And yet Federer couldn't stop smiling at the end of the 3 1/2-hour test, in part because, he explained, he found it fun to be pushed into a fifth set.

"I don't give myself the opportunity that much, you know, because I always win easily," he said. "I was just really pleased with my fighting spirit."

Novak Djokovic felt the same way about his five-setter on the same court earlier Tuesday. When Djokovic's 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 victory over No. 15 Tommy Robredo of Spain was over, the 2007 runner-up to Federer at the U.S. Open and the reigning Australian Open champion looked up in the stands and saw his mom pounding her chest repeatedly.

Djokovic responded in kind, bumping a closed fist over his heart four times, then using his right index finger to point there, point to each knee and point to his temple -- looking up into the stands all the while.

"Just trying to show them, you know, how much effort I put into this match," Djokovic said.

He needed every ounce of heart, smarts and energy he could muster, and acknowledged that his quarter-final foe -- 2003 U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick or No. 11 Fernando Gonzalez -- would be fitter.

Djokovic was bothered at various points by his stomach, his hip, his right ankle and breathing problems.

"Somehow," the No. 3 Djokovic said, "I managed."

Because the Federer and Djokovic matches lasted so long, the women's quarter-final between No. 2 Jelena Jankovic and No. 29 Sybille Bammer was moved from Arthur Ashe Stadium to Louis Armstrong Stadium. Jankovic won 6-1, 6-4, advancing to a semifinal against No. 5 Elena Dementieva, who beat No. 15 Patty Schnyder 6-2, 6-3.

Jankovic was happy about the court switch, she said, "because we would have to wait a long time for Federer to finish."

That surprised everyone, even if Federer's 12 losses already are more than he absorbed in any entire season from 2004-07. The standards he has set are so high that any misstep is fodder for questions about the state of his game -- and his career.

Still, it's one thing to lose to Rafael Nadal, the man who walloped Federer in the French Open final and edged him in a five-set thriller of a Wimbledon final. Nadal owns five Grand Slam titles and has overtaken Federer in the rankings after the Swiss star's record 237-week stay at No. 1.

It would have been quite another thing to lose to Andreev, someone who showed up at this U.S. Open with a career mark of 2-3 at the place, someone who has only once made it as far as the quarter-finals at any major tournament, someone who entered Tuesday on a seven-match losing streak against players ranked in the top five.

"For me, it was great experience," Andreev said, "and hopefully, like, in the future is going to help me."

He fell to 1-7 in five-set matches, and big-match toughness certainly was a factor at key stages.

That also could be the case when Federer plays 130th-ranked Gilles Muller in the quarter-finals Thursday. The only man from Luxembourg to play Grand Slam tennis knocked off No. 5 Nikolay Davydenko 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (10) to become only the second qualifier to reach the U.S. Open quarter-finals.

Muller noted that he's used to observing a major tournament's "second week, and especially quarter-finals, from home, I mean, on my sofa, watching on TV. Now I'm here, and I'm in it."

Asked about facing another player who doesn't carry any burden of expectations into a match against him, Federer shrugged and said: "It's been like this for 4 1/2 years. This is nothing different for me. It's just a guy who's got even less to lose."

Scurrying along the baseline to whip his go-for-it forehand and find a line, Andreev managed to make the once-invincible Federer seem human -- not just during points, but between them.

Normally so calm, so collected, Federer often threw his head back in disappointment or screamed with delight. He pulled a ball out his pocket and chucked it. He cracked another ball into the net after one lost opportunity.

But in the second set, Andreev accumulated seven break points -- and Federer saved them all. Any one of those could have swung the match for good. And in the crucible of the fifth set, Andreev compiled four more break points, all with Federer serving at 4-2 -- and, again, Federer handled the situation better, erasing every one.

"Very important moment," Andreev acknowledged.

Another came in the second game of the fifth set, when Andreev managed to set aside two break points for Federer. On the third, though, Federer made a great return of a 191 km/h serve, and Andreev eventually tried a drop shot.

Chugging forward, Federer not only got to the spinning ball, but somehow flicked a lob that curled like an upside-down "U," right over the six-foot-tall Andreev and landed right at the baseline. Andreev ran back and put his racket on the ball, but flung a backhand out. Federer pumped his fists, while Andreev smacked a ball into the stands, drawing a warning from the chair umpire.

"The moment of the night," Federer called it.

His serve was broken in the match's opening game, and then he blew a lead in the first tiebreaker. That set closed with a 13-stroke exchange that Federer ended by missing a forehand wide -- already his 19th unforced error of the match, nearly twice as many as Andreev, so far.

There was more of the same, but in the end, Federer could rely on muscle memory from big matches in big settings that Andreev could not.

"Maybe for a while it was quite always the same for me -- go on court, you win all the time," Federer said. "So maybe you don't take it for granted that much anymore."

Aeros Update

U.S. Open: Federer into round of 16

RSL avoid late-match meltdown

FIA moves to avoid flexible bridge wings

Wimbledon draws up brackets

Federer cruises, Blake upset in Hamburg

Sixth-seeded Safina advances at Open

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK -- Sixth-seeded Russian Dinara Safina overpowered No. 16 Italian Flavia Pennetta in the U.S. Open quarter-finals Wednesday, earning the right to play one of the Williams sisters next.

Safina, the sister of 2000 U.S. Open men's champion Marat Safin, reached her first semifinal at Flushing Meadows. She has won 37 of her past 41 matches and made it to the finals at six of her previous seven events.

"I'm getting closer to reaching the same thing as my brother," Safina said.

The French Open runner-up and Beijing Olympics silver medallist compiled a 25-13 edge in winners against Pennetta and only was broken once.

Now comes a much harder assignment: trying to beat Venus or Serena Williams. The siblings, both two-time Open champions, were to face each other in the last women's quarter-final Wednesday night, their 17th matchup as professionals.

Safina is 1-3 against Serena and never has faced Venus. Which would she rather meet?

"I don't care," Safina said.

Wednesday's schedule also included the first two men's quarter-finals, with No. 6 Andy Murray and No. 17 Juan Martin del Potro meeting in the afternoon, and No. 1 Rafael Nadal taking on unseeded American Mardy Fish at night, after the Williams match.

The sisters headed into that match 8-8 in all-Williams encounters, 5-5 at Grand Slam tournaments. Seven of those came in Grand Slam finals, including at Wimbledon in July, when Venus beat Serena in straight sets for her fifth championship at the All England Club.

Back when they were ranked Nos. 1 and 2, the siblings only could meet in tournament finals. But because of injuries, inactivity and inconsistency, they dropped in the rankings, and now it's the luck of the draw that determines at which stage they potentially meet.

At the U.S. Open, they wound up in the same section of the bracket, so what many might consider the two top players at the moment were forced to meet in the round of eight.

Serena has won eight major titles, and Venus has won seven -- and none of the other quarter-finalists owns a single such prize. Before this tournament, Venus had reached the quarter-finals at 28 majors, and Serena at 23, while the six other women to reach that stage this time had made a combined total of 22 previous Grand Slam quarter-final appearances.

For Pennetta, this was her first career major quarter-final -- and it showed, right from the start against Safina.

Pennetta came to the U.S. Open with a 21-22 career record in Grand Slam tournaments and a 1-4 mark at Flushing Meadows. She dropped her first service game Wednesday, misjudging an overhead to set up a break point, then flubbing a forehand to end a 15-stroke exchange.

That was part of Safina's run to leads of 3-0 and 4-1. When Pennetta sailed yet another groundstroke long while serving down 5-2, the Russian earned another break and owned the first set.

Safina's one real blip came when she was broken at love to fall behind 2-0 in the second set, as Pennetta smacked a backhand return winner on an 83 mph second serve. But Safina broke right back, then broke again for a 5-2 lead.

.At the start of the U.S. Open, Safina was one of six women with a chance to be ranked No. 1 at the end of the tournament.

That included current No. 1 Ana Ivanovic, who was upset in the second round. But by virtue of No. 2 Jelena Jankovic making the semifinals, Ivanovic is assured of dropping from No. 1.

Jankovic will face No. 5 Elena Dementieva in the other women's semifinal. They advanced with victories Tuesday.

Williams test ’shark-fin’ engine cover

U.S. Open: Nadal pushed, but wins

Serena already prepping for rematch

Wimbledon: Venus reaches semi-final

Nestor eliminated from Open doubles

THE CANADIAN PRESS

NEW YORK -- Top-seeded Canadian Daniel Nestor and Serbian partner Nenad Zimonjic crashed out of the U.S. Open in a third-round upset Monday, going down to Finn Jarkko Nieminen and Robert Lindstedt of Sweden 6-4, 6-7 (13), 6-2.

The end came as a Nestor volley slid along the net cord, bouncing on the Canadian's side of the net to end in heartbreak after two and a half hours.

The defeat matched a third-round ouster which Nestor took here in 2006 when the Toronto native and partner Mark Knowles were eliminated at the same stage.

Nestor and Knowles won the tournament in 2004, but lost in the first round a year later in their title defence.

Nestor said the gruelling season -- which included an appearance at the Beijing Olympics last month -- is taking a toll on the duo.

"We fought through the whole event, we've been hanging on," said Nestor. "Maybe it's the long season, we've played a lot of matches and we're mentally tired.

"We could be a little burnt out, things seem more difficult than they should be. That's how we felt, we were trying very hard but it didn't happen."

Nestor and Zimonjic, together since last autumn and the top-ranked team on the ATP, made a narrow escape to avoid a straight-set loss as they survived a tight second set.

But Zimonjic's double-fault to lose serve in the third, handing over a 4-2 lead spelled the beginning of the end for the top seeds.

Nestor began the match on a low note, dropping serve in the third game, a margin which the European opponents maintained to lift the opening set.

But the Canadian, who turns 36 on Thursday, made amends to start the second as he served out a love game to put his side into a 1-0 lead.

The Wimbledon and Rogers Cup champions seized the momentum on a sunny afternoon with Nestor's convincing hold for 3-2, with Zimonjic keeping up the rhythm.

The seeds got into more trouble as Nestor lost serve in the ninth game, but the team got it straight back with a break of Nieminen. As the tight set went into a tiebreaker, Nestor and Zimonjic saved a pair of match points.

The Canadian's side finally secured the set to keep his team alive as Zimonjic smashed over a winner to square it at a set each.

Nestor said the untimely loss won't damage the team's confidence.

"We've had a great run and we want the success to continue," said Nestor. "It's not from a lack of form or being overconfident. We're working hard, it just didn't happen.

"I don't see why we won't stay among the top teams for awhile."

Nestor to defend French doubles title

RSL again can’t find mix on road