by Kamakshi Tandon

Maria Sharapova ($26 million), Serena Williams ($14 million), Venus Williams ($13 million) and Justine Henin ($12.5 million) are the top four highest-earning femalre athletes, according to Forbes.

Serena Williams pulls out of Los Angeles with a knee injury sustained in Stanford last week.

Frantisek Cermak has been suspended for 10 weeks and fined $15,000 for betting on tennis matches between September 2006 and February 2007. Michal Mertinak has been suspended for two weeks and fined $3,000or betting on tennis matches in October 2007. Neither player was found to have bet on his own matches, said the ATP, which received information on the players' gambling in November 2007 through the European Sports Security Association.

AP reports that Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf have ended their deal to invest in  building a luxury hotel at Tamarack Resort, Idaho, because a lawsuit against the development project and current market conditions.

Robin Haase and Michaella Krajicek pull out of the Olympics and will be replaced by Jurgen Melzer and Alona Bondarenko, respectively. Mary Pierce also officially pulled out.

Siblings Marat Safin and Dinara Safina will play together at the Hopman Cup in January. "For the first time she feels as if she's worthy to play with her brother, and why not?" said tournament director Paul McNamee.

Kuznetsova pulls out of Los Angeles with a leg injury. Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport have already pulled out of the event, with Serena Williams also in doubt iwth a knee problem.

Toronto draw here.

Serena Williams retires with a knee injury down 6-2, 3-1 against Aleksandra Wozniak

Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport have pulled out of LA with knee problems.

"I have been receiving treatment for tendinitis in my right knee over the last several days and my medical advisers have encouraged me to allow myself an additional week to completely recover," said Venus.

Davenport has now withdrawn before or partway through her last four scheduled tournaments.

Guillermo Coria looks set to retire, saying his first-round loss in Kitzbuehel was "almost certain" to be his last event.

Gael Monfils is now working with coach Roger Rasheed, reports L'Equipe. Rasheed is Monfils' fifth coach in the past two years.

Federer has moved his official Swiss residence from Basel to Wollerau, which has one of the lowest tax rates in the country. Federer's lawyer told Swiss press the move was not for tax reasons, as Federer could otherwise have moved to a tax-free country.

Formula One racer Lewis Hamilton, whose home victory at the British Grand Prix was overshadowed by Rafael Nadal's Wimbledon win later that same day, says he relates to the intensity of the Spaniard.

I thought Federer would win [and the beginning but] towards the end I thought that Nadal would win," said Hamilton. "He was so hungry for it. He had something new.

"Federer had shown incredible hunger of his own to go there and win it again and again but it was impossible to match what Nadal has after he had done it so many times. I can associate with that. I haven't won the formula one world championship but it's something I want to do so passionately."

Ljubicic pulls out of Umag with a back injury, with AP reporting that he was taken for treatment in a wheelchair.

Ljubicic had earlier decided to skip next week's event in Toronto and Cincinnati the following week to prepare for the Olympics.

Safin will play Washington

Tennis winners at the ESPYs:

Best International Male Athlete: Rafael Nadal
Best Male Tennis Player: Roger Federer
Best Female Tennis Player: Maria Sharapova

Davenport pulls out of Los Angeles.

French Fed Cup captain Georges Goven tells L'Equipe that Mary Pierce will not play the Olympics. Pierce, who has not played on the tour since injuring her knee in 2006, was nominated for the event using a protected ranking. Her place could be taken by Amelie Mauresmo, who earlier announced she would not take part because she was not chosen for singles. Otherwise, Pauline Parmentier will take the spot.

Amber Liu confirms that she and Michael Chang are engaged. "I'm very happy and it's a very exciting time in my life," said Lui in tennisreporters.net.

The WTA has appointed Peter Johnston as senior VP Competition and Member Relations

Frank Dancevic has signed an endorsement deal with Evian.

Russian tennis chief Shamil Tarpishchev says he is against Maria Sharapova carrying the flag for Russia at the opening ceremonies of the Olympics because of the physical effort involved. "She wanted to be a flag-bearer but I advised against it," said Tarpishchev in comments reported by Reuters. "I don’t want her to spend three or four hours in hot weather waiting to march in the opening ceremony. We want her to be fresh, not tired, during her matches."

In comments reported by Russian press, Tarpishchev added that he believes the flag should be carried by a male athlete, because the task is too physically demanding for a female.

At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, 37 of the 80 nations competing chose a female athlete as the flag bearer for the opening ceremonies.

Martin Verkerk retires with an ankle injury down 2-6, 7-6(9), 4-3 against Edouard Roger-Vasselin, after holding three match points in the second set.

Guillermo Coria retires with a shoulder injury in the first round of Kitzbuehel, down 7-5 in the first set to Alexander Peya. Coria served 7 double faults in the first set. The former French Open finalist also lost first round in Stuttgart last week, serving 19 double faults.

Olympic withdrawals:

– Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France, out since May after knee surgery, will be replaced by compatriot Michael Llodra

– Stefan Koubek of Austria, who underwent back surgery in May, will be replaced by Australian Chris Guccione (no, it's not a mix-up... no other Austrian was ranked high enough to replace Koubek in the draw)

– Karin Knapp of Italy is injured and will be replaced by compatriot Mara Santangelo.

Players who have opted out of the Olympics include Andy Roddick, Athens silver medalist Mardy Fish, Richard Gasquet, Anna Chakvetadze, and Amelie Mauresmo (who was only chosen for doubles).

Last-minute settlement talks between the ATP and Hamburg organizers have been unsuccessful, reports SportsBusiness Journal. Hamburg is suing over the planned downgrading of its tournament status starting next year. The case goes to trial on July 21.

Former French Open finalist Mariano Puerta won the Bogota challenger over the weekend, his first singles title of any kind since returning in 2007 from a doping suspension.

Robin Haase undergoes knee surgery and is expected to miss the hardcourt season

Michael Chang's Hall of Fame induction speech here.

Murray pulls out of Indianapolis, which takes place next week. "Andy wants to take some rest and recharge his batteries before a very gruelling period including the Beijing Olympics," a spokesperson told his official website.

Murray reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, losing to Rafael Nadal.

After winning his opening match in Newport, Santoro, 35, says he will either retire next season or play a limited schedule of about 12 tournaments.

Tsonga has entered New Haven, indicating that he expects to play the US Open the following week. Tsonga has been off the tour since undergoing knee surgery at the end of May.

Safin has been given a wildcard into Toronto. The former No. 1 reached the semifinals of Wimbledon last week but was ranked too low to get into the Masters Series event in Toronto when the cutoff was made six weeks ago.

Canadians Frank Dancevic, Frederic Niemeyer and Peter Polansky received the other three wildcards.

ESPN announces that its Wimbledon coverage averaged an audience of 522,000 homes, up 19% from 2007 and 35% from 2005.

Kiefer pulls out of Gsaad with a foot injury

James Blake has launched a cancer research fund in conjunction with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in his father's memory. It will aim to raise $1 million over the course of the next year.

Sports Illustrated features the Nadal-Federer Wimbledon final on its July 14th cover, under the headline "Tennis Epic: Nadal defeats Federer in the greatest match ever"

The USTA will not use Justin Gimelstob in its US Open Series advertising after the controversy over Gimelstob's derogatory remarks about Anna Kournikova

After winning three straight challengers, Groenefeld upsets Safarova at the WTA event in Budapest to reach the quarterfinals. It's her 14th straight match win.

Groenefeld reached the Top 15 in 2006 but ended last year ranked outside the Top 200 because of injuries and a bitter public dispute with her former coach.

Tennis nominations for the ESPYs, ESPN's sports awards:

Best championship performance: Venus Williams (Wimbledon 2007), Nadal (French Open 2008)
Breakthrough athlete: Ana Ivanovic
Best male international athlete: Rafael Nadal
Best female international athlete: Justine Henin
Best male tennis player: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Bob and Mike Bryan
Best female tennis player: Justine Henin, Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic

Thanks to their strong results in the first half of the year, Nadal, Federer and Djokovic are guaranteed to qualify for the year-end Masters Cup in Shanghai, announces the ATP.

Croatian press report that Ljubicic and his wife are expecting their first child

Kia extends its contract with Nadal till 2011

The WTA is opening an Asian office headquarters in Beijing.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Steve & Barry's, the low-price clothing retailer which produces Venus Williams' 'EleVen' clothing line, plans to file for bankruptcy protection this week.

Monfils parts ways with yet another coach, announcing that he will no longer be working with Thierry Champion.

Coria continues to struggle with his serve, hitting 19 double faults in a a bizarre 0-6, 6-1, 6-2 loss to Schwank in Stuttgart. Four of the double faults came in his last service game.

Nadal arrived at home in Manacor, Mallorca on Tuesday morning, later appearing in front of fans at the town hall.

Mark Philippoussis will play the Outback Champions seniors' event in Charlotte, North Carolina from September 24-28. The 31-year-old hopes to return to ATP play after undergoing knee surgery last year. He escaped serious injury in a surfing accident last week in Australia.

Nadal has pulled out of this week's event of Stuttgart with a knee injury, but made a personal appearance at the event after his win at Wimbledon

The WTA's Amelia Island event may move to nearby Ponte Vedra, local papers reported last week.

BBC's broadcast of the Wimbledon final topped out at 13.1 million viewers, according to tournament figures. More TV ratings from around the world here.

Nadal's win over Federer at Wimbledon finished later (9:16 pm) and went longer (4 hours, 48 minutes) than any final in Wimbledon history. It also tied Goran Ivanisevic's win over Patrick Rafter in 2001 for the most number of games played in a fifth net (16 games).

Concern mounts about the prospects for playing the men's final between Federer and Nadal on Sunday, with the tournament forecasting "heavy rain" for large parts of the day. Ironically, this is the last year in which a delayed men's final at Wimbledon is a real possiblity - a roof will be installed on Centre Court for next year's event.

A spokesman from Britain's central weather Met Office said, "There is a 90 to 100 percent chance of rain, at times heavy, for a large portion of the hours of play."

The detailed weather forecast from the event is as follows:

Bright or sunny spells and showers, which may be heavy and thundery, and they could merge into a longer spell of rain for a time. Still windy, especially southern coasts. Maximum temperature 21 deg C (70 deg F). 

Amelie Mauresmo has withdrawn from the French team for the Beijing Olympics after being selected only for the doubles event. "After not being selected for singles by the French federation... I have decided to miss the Olympic Games and concentrate on my last major goal of the season, the US Open," she said. "It's with sadness that I take this decision because playing for my country at the last Olympic games I hold very close to my heart."

The French players selected for the women's singles were Alize Cornet, Virginie Razzano, Tatiana Golovin and, surprisingly, Mary Pierce, who is now 33 and has not played since suffering a bad knee injury during the fall of 2006.

The full entry list for the Olympics can be found here.

Mark Philippoussis escaped serious injury while surfing off the Victoria coast in Australia, reports Channel Nine. Philippoussis hurt his hip and feet and had his surfboard broken when rough waters swept him into a sea cave, witnesses told the network

A police investigation has been completed and Paul Hanley will not be charged over a date rape allegation made against him in London in May, report Hanley's lawyers.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Steve & Barry's, the discount retailer which carries Venus' "EleVen" clothing line, is contemplating closing 100 stores and facing possible bankruptcy if it cannot find extra financing.

Jankovic and Kuznetsova's fourth-round Wimbledon losses mean that Ivanovic will stay No. 1 after Wimbledon. Federer also secured his No. 1 ranking by reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals.

Wildcards for the Olympics have been announced. Defending men's singles and doubles champ Nicolas Massu of Chile will receive one, as will China's top male player Sun Peng (ranked 458), Sweden's Jonas Bjorkman, Belarus' Max Mirnyi, South Africa's Kevin Anderson and Japan's Kei Nishikori.

Women's wildcards went to Alicia Molik of Australia, Maria Koryttseva of Ukraine, Chan Yung-Jan of Taiwan, Ayumi Morita of Japan, Nuria Llagostera-Vives of Spain and Selima Sfar of Tunisia.

In a deal with OK! magazine, Hewitt and wife Bec say they are expecting their second child.

Greg Norman and Chris Evert get married in the Bahamas on June 28. The wedding was estimated to have cost $2 million, and guests reportedly included Bill Clinton, Martina Navratilova and Gwen Stefani.

Justin Gimelstob has been suspended by World Team Tennis for one match without pay because of comments he made about Anna Kournikova and other female players on radio last Wednesday.

Gimelstob used several expletives and made derogatory sexual remarks about the Russian on the 'The Junkies,' a radio show based in Washington, D.C. In one of his tamer comments, Gimelstob said, "I just despise her to the maximum level, right below hate. I think she falls into the Marcelo Rios scumbag category."

Of a potential meeting with Kournikova in a WTT match, Gimelstob said, "If she's not crying by the time she walks off that court, then I did not do my job."

Gimelstob also Tatiana Golovin and Alize Cornet as 'sexpots,' and Nicole Vaidisova as a "well-developed young lady."

In a statement released by WTT announcing the suspension, Gimelstob apologized for his remarks. "My hurtful remarks do not reflect the genuine and deep respect I have for women. I recognize that my access to communicate to the public should be used in a positive way, and this was clearly not the case last week. In addition, I have a responsibility to the numerous outlets that trust me to inform, entertain, and educate their viewers and listeners. I failed them. I am truly sorry.

"Anna Kournikova, World TeamTennis, and many others deserve my deepest apologies."

The ATP also issued a statement, saying "The ATP cannot condone any form of intolerance and Justin Gimelstob's comments last week were unacceptable. However, Justin has done the right thing in taking full responsibility for his comments by apologising publicly to Anna for what he has rightly described as his disappointing and disrespectful comments."

In a conference call on Thursday, Kournikova declined to respond to the controversy, saying she preferred to "take the high road."

On Friday, Vaidisova said, "I know Justin. He's a very nice guy. I heard he apologized for it... I know his sense of humor a little bit, I know he kind of talks like that a little bit, so I can cut him some slack."

Gimelstob is a newly-elected player representative on the ATP board. He also commentates for the Tennis Channel and writes a column for SI.com

The Williamses sisters, Davenport and Huber are named the US women's Olympic team. The Williamses and Davenport will play singles, with the sisters and Davenport-Huber to be the doubles team.

Blake, Querrey, Ginepri and the Bryan brothers have been named to the men's team. The Bryans and Blake-Querrey will be the doubles teams.

Davenport withdraws from Wimbledon with a knee injury but expects to be fit for the Olympics.

Federer and Ginepri's coach Jose Higueras is leaving Wimbledon following Ginepri's first round loss rather than staying on with Federer, reports tennisreporters.net.

Last week, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported that Higueras would be working only with Ginepri at Wimbledon.

Brad Gilbert is leaving Britain's Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), LTA chief Roger Draper tells the Daily Mail. "I think Brad will move on - he wants to work with top players,' said Draper. 'He’s also got TV commitments and so on. Brad has been great for British tennis but once he split from Andy really, it was time for Brad to go."

Gilbert was hired by the LTA to work with Andy Murray, but Murray ended the relationship last year. Gilbert was then assigned to work with Alex Bogdanovic, currently ranked 242.

Bjorkman will retire at the end of the season. "I have been blessed with a long and successful career and I look forward to another great experience here at Wimbledon, for my last time as a competitor," he said. "At the age of 36 I now feel it is time to begin the next chapter of my life, being at home with my family and pursuing other interests."

Justin Gimelstob, Tennis Channel vice president David Egdes and Ljubicic are the new player representatives on the ATP board, according to reports out of Wimbledon.

Monfils hurts his shoulder in a 7-6(4), 7-6(4) loss to Karlovic at Nottingham. "I couldn't serve and at the end of the match; I couldn't play. I came into the net more because I wanted to shorten the points," said Monfils, who still plans to play Wimbledon. "I know what the problem is, and I think it is not too bad."

Monfils reached the semifinals of the French Open after an adductor injury in Casablanca the week before.

The ATP confirms that the Las Vegas event will move to South Africa. Several South African cities are interested in hosting the event, said the ATP.

Wimbledon men's singles draw here. Women's draw here.

Nadal pulls out of a scheduled exhibition against Safin at the Hurlingham Club on Friday, saying he did not feel ready after returning from a short break at home in Mallorca just a day earlier.

List of Wimbledon qualifiers:

Men's Singles Christophe Rochus (BEL) Andreas Beck (GER) Stefano Galvani (ITA) Chris Eaton (GBR) Alexander Peya (AUT) Simon Stadler (GER) Dawid Olejniczak (POL) Kevin Kim (USA) Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) Frederico Gil (POR) Jesse Levine (USA) Pavel Snobel (CZE) Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA) Izak van der Merwe (RSA) Philipp Petzschner (GER) Jan Hernych (CZE)	Women's Singles Rikia Fujiwara (JPN) Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE) Severine Bremond (FRA) Mathilde Johansson (FRA) Zuzana Ondraskova (CZE) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) Stephanie Foretz (FRA) Maria Elena Camerin (ITA) Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP) Eva Hrdinova (CZE) Viktoriya Kutuzova (UKR)
Men's Doubles Amer Delic (USA) and Brendan Evans (USA) Frederico Gil (POR) and Dick Norman (BEL) KJ Hippensteel (USA) and Tripp Phillips (USA) Peter Pala (CZE) and Igor Zelenay (SVK) LL - Michail Elgin (RUS) and Alexandre Kudryavtsev (RUS)	Women's Doubles Andrea Hlavackova (CZE)/Olga Savchuk (UKR) Maria Kirilenko (RUS)/Flavia Pennetta (ITA)  Jorgelina Cravero (ARG)/Betina Jozami (ARG) Raquel Kops-Jones (USA)/Abigail Spears (USA)

 

Mauresmo retired during her second-round match at Eastbourne with a left thigh strain but still hopes to play Wimbledon. "Hopefully if I rest for two, three days it will be OK," she said. "Basically, it is a tiny tear and time is running against us. It is only four, five days before my first match but let's try to stay optimistic."

The men's seeding list at Wimbledon is as follows:

1. Roger FEDERER 2. Rafael NADAL 3. Novak DJOKOVIC 4. Nikolay DAVYDENKO 5. David FERRER 6. Andy RODDICK 7. David NALBANDIAN 8. Richard GASQUET

9. James BLAKE 10. Marcos BAGHDATIS 11. Tomas BERDYCH 12. Andy MURRAY 13. Stanislas WAWRINKA 14. Paul-Henri MATHIEU 15. Fernando GONZALEZ 16. Radek STEPANEK

17. Mikhail YOUZHNY 18. Ivo KARLOVIC 19. Nicolas ALMAGRO 20. Lleyton HEWITT 21. Juan Carlos FERRERO 22. Fernando VERDASCO 23. Tommy ROBREDO 24. Jarkko NIEMINEN

25. Dmitry TURSUNOV 26. Ivan LJUBICIC 27. Nicolas KIEFER 28. Gilles SIMON 29. Andreas SEPPI 30. Gael MONFILS 31. Feliciano LOPEZ 32. Michael LLODRA

 

There was no change in the order of the top three, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Andy Roddick and David Nalbandian remained unchanged, behind Nikolay Davydenko and David Ferrer.

Players who have been promoted significantly from their rankings include Richard Gasquet (into the Top 8 from No. 9), Marcos Baghdatis (No. 10 from No. 25), Tomas Berdych (No. 11 from No. 19), and fomer champion Lleyton Hewitt (No. 19 from No. 27).

Upward movers whose seeding level will not be affected include Paul-Henri Mathieu (No. 14 from No. 16), Ivo Karlovic (No. 18 from No. 22), Jarrko Nieminen (No. 24 from No. 28), Dmitry Tursunov (No. 25 from No. 31), and Nicolas Kiefer (No. 27 from No. 33).

Players who have dropped significantly include James Blake (No. 9 from No. 8) and Nicolas Almagro (No. 20 from No. 12). Downward movers whose seeding level will not be affected include Andy Murray (No. 12 from No. 11) and Juan Carlos Ferrero (No. 23 from No. 21).

Stucture: As per seeding rules, no players outside the Top 32 still entered were promoted into seeded spots. The seeding formula takes a players ranking points and adds this year's grasscourt points and 75% of last year's grasscourt points to arrive at the seeding list. The seeding formula has been in place since 2001. Previously, the seedings were decided by committee.

The top four seeds cannot face each other until the semifinals and the top eight cannot face each other till the quarterfinals. Players from No. 9 to No. 16 face the Top 8 in the fourth round, and the players ranked from No. 17 to No 24 face No.s 9-16 in the third round. Players from No. 25 to No. 32 face the Top 8 in the third round.

The women's seeding list is unchanged from the WTA rankings. The All England Club has made the occasional isolated change to the women's rankings in the past, but does not apply the seeding formula to the women. The list is as follows:

1. Ana IVANOVIC 2. Jelena JANKOVIC 3. Maria SHARAPOVA 4. Svetlana KUZNETSOVA 5. Elena DEMENTIEVA 6. Serena WILLIAMS 7. Venus WILLIAMS 8. Anna CHAKVETADZE

9. Dinara SAFINA 10. Daniela HANTUCHOVA 11. Marion BARTOLI 12. Patty SCHNYDER 13. Vera ZVONAREVA 14. Agnieszka RADWANSKA 15. Agnes SZAVAY 16. Victoria AZARENKA

17. Alize CORNET 18. Nicole VAIDISOVA 19. Maria KIRILENKO 20. Francesca SCHIAVONE 21. Nadia PETROVA 22. Flavia PENNETTA 23. Katarina SREBOTNIK 24. Shahar PEER

25. Lindsay DAVENPORT 26. Sybille BAMMER 27. Virginie RAZZANO 28. Alona BONDARENKO 29. Amelie MAURESMO 30. Dominika CIBULKOVA 31. Caroline WOZNIACKI 32. Sania MIRZA

The ATP Masters Cup (to be renamed the World Tour Finals) will be sponsored by Barclays Bank, announces the ATP. The five-year deal is worth $7 million a year.

Stepanek has pulled out of Nottingham with a mscle tear in his ribs and is in doubt for Wimbledon.

Golovin pulls out of Wimbledon

Thomas Johansson has reached the quarterfinals of Nottingham without completing a match. His first-round opponent, Nishikori, retired at the end of the first set with an abdominal strain. Johnasson was next scheduled to face Tursunov, but the Russian is out of the tournament after being defaulted when he walked out of of his doubles match over a line call dispute.

Hamburg is seeking damages of $76.6 million from its lawsuit against the ATP, reports Sports Business Journal.

Nadal will play Safin in an exhibition at Hurlingham Club in London on the Friday before Wimbledon

Monaco, Moya and Chela have pulled out of the men's singles at Wimbledon. Morigami has pulled out of the women's singles.

Wickmayer injures her left knee in the final of Birmingham, losing to Kateryna Bondarenko

Jie Zheng (CHN) has beenawarded the final women's wildcard for Wimbledon. The full list of wildcards is:

Men:  Jamie Baker (GBR), Alex Bogdanovic (GBR), Jeremy Chardy (FRA), Frank Dancevic (CAN), Xavier Malisse (BEL), Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) (final two wildcards not awarded).

Women: Elena Baltacha (GBR), Naomi Cavaday (GBR), Katie O'Brien (GBR), Urszula Radwanska (POL), Melanie South (GBR), Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP), Jie Zheng (CHN).

Kimiko Date-Krumm wins the Tokyo challenger, her first title since she began her comeback in April. The 37-year-old Date originally retired in 1996.

Molik may consider retiring this year if her elbow problems persist, reports the Melbourne Age. The paper said she would consider her options after the Olympics.

Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) will receive the sixth men's wildcard and Samantha Stosur (AUS) the seventh women's wildcard at Wimbledon.

One women's wildcard remains to be awarded, but the All England Club says it will not award the final two men's wildcards and instead give direct entry to Vince Spadea and Thierry Ascione.

The rest of the men's wildcards are Jamie Baker (GBR), Alex Bogdanovic (GBR), Jeremy Chardy (FRA), Frank Dancevic (CAN) and Xavier Malisse (BEL). The other women's wildcards are Elena Baltacha (GBR), Naomi Cavaday (GBR), Katie O'Brien (GBR), Urszula Radwanska (POL), Melanie South (GBR), Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP).

Martina Hingis, playing an exhibition in Liverpool this week, says she does not plan to return to the tour. "When I came back the first time I badly wanted it, but the second time around I don't have any regrets," she said. "There is also the physical aspect. You always have to keep realistic."

Hingis retired last October after announcing that she had tested positive for cocaine at Wimbledon, and was subsequently handed a two-year suspension. She denied taking the drug.

Baghdatis has begun working with Peter Lundgren, the former coach of Roger Federer and Marat Safin. "I started with Peter Lundgren two weeks ago," said Baghdatis in Halle. "He started to change a bit my game. He told me to go forward to the net. So, I’m trying to do that. It’s tough at the beginning because I’m a bit lost on the court. But, it will take time and I hope playing this way can make me play better tennis in the future."

Baghdatis now takes on Federer in the quarterfinals of Halle. "He worked with Roger seven years. So, I hope he can give me some tips against him."

Hantuchova pulls out of 's-Hertogenbosch with an ongoing foot injury that has kept her off the tour since early spring. "It is very disappointing but after almost two months of being out of competition due to a stress fracture in my foot, I am still not completely recovered," she said on her official website.

Murray received treatment for his neck, groin and thumb during his 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 win over Gulbis at Queen's, and the thumb sprain leaves him in doubt for the rest of the tournament. "I'm pretty concerned about it at the moment," he said. "Every 10 minutes I could feel like it was getting stiffer and stiffer, a little bit more swollen."

Fish retires with an ankle injury after losing a first-set tiebreak to Roddick at Queen's. "I want to see him be okay," said Roddick. "Next week might be a question, but hopefully for Wimbledon."

Mirza loses 6-3, 6-0 to Erakovic in Birmingham, her comeback event after wrist surgery in April. "I'm only here to get matches. I still feel pain in the wrist," she said. "It doesn't matter that I'm not winning at the moment, the fact is I'm back."

Bartoli loses 5-7, 6-4, 6-0 to Cetkovska at Birmingham and says wrist tendinitis may cause her to miss Wimbledon, where she is the defending finalist. "I’ve been having treatment but it’s tendinitis, and there is only so much you can do for that. It seems like 2008 doesn’t want me to be in great shape. I am always having something, some illness or injury," she said. "Missing a Grand Slam, especially Wimbledon, [would be] a huge disappointment."

Kim Clijsters' spokesman Jeroen Jaspers tells Belgian press that recent rumors that Clijsters is planning a return to the tour are "completely unfounded."

"I don't rule her out playing an exhibition someday but it's not at all on today's agenda. There are new rumors circulating about Kim Clijsters and we want to cut them short," said Jaspers. "If there is something to say about Kim Clijsters, it will be done through the usual channels."

Clijsters retired from tennis last spring and gave birth to a daughter in February.

Jamie Murray and Jankovic will not defend their mixed doubes title at Wimbledon. Jankovic will not take part in the mixed event in order to focus on singles, but Murray plans to play with a new partner.

Ivanovic pulls out of Eastbourne with an abductor injury and exhaustion. "I have a problem with my abductor. I am also mentally exhausted after the French Open," she stated.

Federer arrives in Halle after winning just four games against Nadal in the French Open final. "I am already over the loss in Paris, said Federer. “It does not matter if you lose by a big or a small margin. A loss is a loss. After all, I was in the final of the French Open, so I am happy about it."

Grosjean retires down 2-0 against Murray in the second round of Queen's with a leg injury.

Lee retires in the first set of his first-round match at Queen's against Verdasco with a knee injury.

Surbiton winner Dancevic retires at 2-2 against Bolleli in his first-round match at Queen's with a right wrist injury.

Wimbledon announces five men's main draw wildcards and six women's main draw wildcards:

Jamie BAKER (GBR)
Alex BOGDANOVIC (GBR)
Jeremy CHARDY (FRA)
Frank DANCEVIC (CAN)
Xavier MALISSE (BEL)

Miss Elena BALTACHA (GBR)
Miss Naomi CAVADAY (GBR)
Miss Katie O'BRIEN (GBR)
Miss Urszula RADWANSKA (POL)
Miss Melanie SOUTH (GBR)
Miss Carla SUAREZ NAVARRO (ESP)

Traditionally, the event has awarded almost all its wildcards to British players but the LTA is now recommending men's main draw wildcards only for players ranked inside the Top 250 in the ATP rankings.

French Open US ratings:

Both men's and women's French Open finals on NBC got a 1.8 rating. The men's final was down from 2.2 last year and 2.1 the year before, while the women's rating was unchanged.

"ESPN2’s 51 hours of French Open coverage averaged 397,000 homes, an increase of 24% over 2007 (320,000), with a 28% rise in viewers (P2+), from 364,000 impressions to 465,000," said a release from ESPN.

Gilbert names his early favorites for Wimbledon in an interview with BBC Radio, saying, "The big three [Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic] have totally separated themselves so they are the big three favourites. But then the two Andys - Murray and Roddick - are at the next level after that."

Gasquet will not play the Olympics, joining Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish in deciding to skip the event during a packed summer schedule

Ivanovic's team of Sven Groenefeld, Scott Brynes and Martin Rozpedski celebrated her win in unusual fashion, reports her official website.

"Ana's brother Milos joined in, and so the four gave their word that if Ana won the event, they would run around the Arc de Triomphe while each wearing one of Ana's adidas dresses," the website said. "True to their words, the quartet made a mockery of themselves in the early hours of Sunday morning, after a celebratory dinner."

Jankovic and Safina pull out of Birmingham

Justine Henin, who is attending the French Open women's final, will present the trophy to the winner

Brother Marat will not attend the French Open women's final, says Safina.

Nadal maintains his record run at No. 2 in the rankings by defeating Djokovic in the French Open semifinals. Nadal is the longest-serving No. 2 in men's tennis, having held the position since first reaching it on July 25, 2005.

Ivanovic becomes No. 1 with her 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 defeat of Jankovic in the French Open women's semifinals.

The results of the women's quarterfinals mean there will be a new women's No. 1 next week. The winner of the Ivanovic-Jankovic semifinal can become No. 1 by winning the title, or by losing in the final to Safina. Kuznetsova can become No. 1 only by winning the title.

Greg Norman and Chris Evert will marry on June 28 in the Bahamas.

Harkleroad will skip the Olympics to focus on improving her ranking, reports AP.

Paes and Bhupathi will play together at the Olympics, says the Indian tennis federation.

Morigami has she was misunderstood by the Japanese media and did not say that a coach asked her to throw a doubles match at the French Open so her partner could play a challenger event

The four Italian players that were suspended by the ATP for betting on tennis matches are planning to sue the ATP, reports the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Online betting sites Unibet and Expekt have been ordered by French courts to stop taking bets on French Open matches and ordered to pay 800,000 euros in damages to the French tennis federation. The companies plan to appeal.

Hewitt will undergo rehab on his hip to try to be ready for Wimbledon after losing in five sets to David Ferrer. "It was pretty sore the third, fourth, and fifth sets there, it's still not 100 per cent," he said. "I'll try to do everything I can to get as close to 100 per cent for Wimbledon. I've still got to recover and get a bit of rehab and try and get the hip right before then."

Morigami has told the Japanese media that a coach told her to lose a doubles match so that her doubles partner Nakamura could play a challenger tournament next week to try to qualify for the Olympics.

Ivanovic has signed an endorsement deal with Rolex.

Tsonga will be out for three months after undergoing knee surgery

Chakvetadze is training with Justine Henin's former coach Carlos Rodriguez at his and Henin's academy in Belgium, reports tennisreporters.net

Bartoli loses 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-2 in the first round of the French Open to Dellacqua and says she may take a break. "No, no practice. I'm just fed up. I'm going to turn off my mobile phone, turn off my TV set, forget about Roland Garros. I'm going to try not to think about it. Go far away, very far away. Why not take a short break, some holidays?" she said.

She did not indicate that she planned to miss Wimbledon.

Ferrero retires down 6-7(5), 2-2 at the French Open and resings himself to not qualiying for the Olympics

Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have put their names forward for the ATP Player Council, reports USA Today.

Yannick Noah's son Joakim, an NBA basketballer for the Chicago Bulls, has been charged with marijuana possession

Harkleroad confirms that she will appear in the August issue of Playboy.

Tsonga appears to be out of the French Open after French federation technical director Patrice Dominguez tells French station RMC, "[Tsonga's coach] Eric Winogradsky called to tell me that not only is Jo not participating in the tournament but he will without doubt not be able to avoid an operation."

Tsonga pulled out of the Casablanca semifinals with a knee injury and has struggled with the problem since Miami.

Fognini pulls out of the French Open

Kiefer pulls out of the French Open

Tsonga withdraws in Casablanca with a knee injury and may not be able to play the French Open.

Grosjean pulls out of the French Open with a shoulder injury

Hantuchova pulls out of the French Open with a foot injury

French Open men's draw here. Nadal and Djokovic are drawn together in the top half, with Nalbandian a possible quarterfinal opponent for Nadal. Federer is scheduled to meet Davydenko or Ferrer in the semifinals.

        French Open women's draw here. Serena and Ivanovic are drawn in the same quarter.

Hewitt is now confident he'll be fit for the French Open "I should be fine to play," he told the tournament website. His participation was previously in doubt because of an ongoing hip problem.

Monfils suffered an adductor strain during his 6-3, 6-2 loss to Hernandez in Casablanca. He will request a late start at the French Open.

Queen's Club wildcards: Bjorkman, Malisse, Bogdanovic, Josh Goodall

Sharapova has signed a deal to wear Tiffany earrings at the French Open

IMG signs Wawrinka

Bartoli is in doubt for the French Open after pulling out of Strasbourg with a right wrist injury. "Now I'm worried because I've never suffered an injury of the wrist," she told L'Equipe. "I think it might be a jammed nerve because I can't bend my fingers."

Michael Chang, Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Malvai Washington will join the Blackrock seniors' circuit in October. Pete Sampras and Stefan Edberg have also recently commited to play some events on the circuit.

Baghdatis says he has recovered from an ankle injury and began practicing three weeks ago.

Bhupathi has written to the Indian tennis federation requesting not to be paired with Paes during the Olympics since the two have not played any events together this year. The federation said it still planned to enter the two for the doubles.

Koubek pulls out of the French Open after undergoing back surgery last week. Pavel has also pulled out of the French Open with a back injury.

Hamilton Jordan, former political strategist for Jimmy Carter and the first CEO of the ATP Tour, dies.

Davenport has pulled out of the French Open. She had earlier indicated that she did not plan to play the event.

After his hotel room burned down last week, Eduardo Schwank gathered himself to win the Bordeaux challenger 6-2, 6-2 in the final against Igor Kunitsyn.

The fire destroyed Schwank's travel documents, previous week's prize money and his luggage. "For much of Monday I was in a daze, thinking about how I would get my passport, documents and laptop in order," he told ATPtennis.com. "The tournament kindly moved my first round match to Tuesday, but even then I found it hard to concentrate on my tennis."

Other players and their families were in their rooms when the fire broke out and had to flee the building.

Henin's brother Thomas and father Jose tell the Independent that they believe there is a chance she may return to the circuit. " She believes she will have a much bigger chance of meeting a good man and then having children in the future if she is not playing tennis any more," said Jose Henin. "It might be possible to see her come back one day, just a chance... When Kim Clijsters quit she stopped completely. Justine is already playing again [recreationally], so who knows?"

Golovin pulls out of the French Open after struggling in her comeback from a mid-April operation

Edberg will make his debut in seniors' play at Paris this September.

Eduardo Schwank, in whose room the fire began, lost most of the possesssions he had been travelling with. "For much of Monday I was in a daze, thinking about how I would get my passport, documents and laptop in order. I also lost the prize money I earned from winning my last tournament, a Challenger event in Rome," he said.

As earlier reported, Sonchat and Sanchai Ratiwatana and Lucas Arnold's wife and child also had to escape.

French Open wildcards:

      Wayne Odesnik (USA), Eric Prodon (FRA), Olivier Patience (FRA), Jérémy Chardy (FRA), Robert Smeets (AUS), Adrian Mannarino (FRA), Jonathan Eysseric (FRA), Gustavo Kuerten (BRA)

Olivia Sanchez (FRA), Séverine Brémond (FRA), Stéphanie Foretz (FRA), Mathilde Johansson (FRA), Samantha Stosur (AUS), Youlia Fedossova (FRA), Violette Huck (FRA), Madison Brengle (USA)

The Spanish players protesting the Spanish federation's decision-making over the choice of a Davis Cup site have publicized the negative text messages sent to them by federation president Pedro Munoz, report Spanish press. Nadal, Moya, Ferrer and Ferrero are among the eight players who have signed a letter sent to federation executives describing the text messages.

Reactions to Henin's retirement:

Maria Sharapova: "I don't think she's retiring from tennis because she doesn't like tennis. She's 25 years old and has achieved so much in her career and has had incredible success on the court. If I'm 25 and I won, I don't know how many Grand Slams she's won, seven or something, I'd call it quits as well. You know, I wouldn't be disappointed leaving the sport, because obviously there's a lot more to life than tennis. She's had a very long career, and you never know, maybe one day she'll be back.

"She's done incredible things for the sport. She's shown that without being the strongest or the tallest girl on the tour she's been able to win so many matches in so many tournaments and Grand Slams. She's an inspiration to many young girls coming up. Like I said, there are so many things in life, and I'm sure she wants to explore them as well. I definitely don't blame her for retiring.

"No matter what days you have off or how long you have off, you're always thinking about consequences to what you're doing and how that's going to affect your training and performance. It's tough to be able to do what we do day in and day out. There's only a certain amount of time. Everybody is different and everybody can withstand it as much as they can. But I totally understand where she's coming from. Like I said, I don't think she has anything to regret. She's had a great career. If I were in her shoes, I would probably do the same thing."

Amelie Mauresmo: "I was surprised like everyone. At no moment has she expressed any kind of fatigue. The question I ask is why she didn't take a break. It's true that with her method of [play] -  lot of investment in the game, but also a lot of tension and fear - you can understand that fatigue would set in."

Roger Federer: "I have only just heard, but it is a shock for the tennis world, especially as she is number one at the moment

"I am sure she has her reasons, but it's particularly surprising as it's only a few weeks before Roland Garros, where she has had so much success, and Wimbledon is later this summer, which she has never won.

"It's of course, a shame she is out of the game... She is a special player, she can play on any surface, which is unusual in the women's game. And it's remarkable that she has won so many tournaments because she is small and all the newcomers in the womens game are tall, which gives them an advantage."

"I couldn't imagine deciding out of the blue to retire, especially if I was number one. She has had a couple of injuries and there is this history with her ex-husband, it might be all in all too much for her and she might not want to be on the tour anymore."

Serena Williams: "She was a great champion and she gave me a world of trouble, so I hope the best for her. She had a great year last year.  Gosh, what can you say about such a champion? I don't think we have enough time."

Venus Williams: "I don't know what the details are, but I think if she made that decision then it's probably the best decision for her. You know, of course my prayers are with her so that way she can continue to lead the life that's best for her."

Ana Ivanovic: "She  was a great player and achieved so much. She brought a lot to the women's game. She had completely different game than any other girl on the tour probably. She worked really hard and last year she had amazing results. You know, it's just I'm sorry to hear this thing, but it's her own feeling and her own decision... She was No. 1 for so long, so she had very successful career.

"Definitely, the news is very surprising, but my goals haven't changed about my position, where I stand. I still have to work hard for it."

WTA CEO Larry Scott: "Justine Henin will be remembered as one of the all-time great champions in women’s tennis, and a woman who made up for her lack of size with a will to win and fighting spirit that was second to none.  It is rare that an athlete leaves at the very top of her game in this day and age, but Justine has always played by her own rules, in the very best sense of those words.

History will remember Justine for not only her seven Grand Slam titles and three years finishing as the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s World No. 1, but for one of the most graceful backhands the sport has ever seen and an ability to overcome any and all obstacles placed in her way on the tennis court and off.

This is a sad day for our sport and for her millions of fans around the world, but I know that I speak for so many in wishing Justine the very best in her future endeavors and hope that she will stay connected to the sport to which she gave so much.”

Henin announced her retirement at a press conference held in Belgium on Wednesday afternoon. "It's the end of a wonderful adventure but it's something I have been thinking about for a long time," she said.

Koubek will undergo back surgery on Friday in hopes of being able to resume his career.

Perry Rogers has been voted off the ATP board, reports Tennis Week.

Michael Chang and Ivan Lendl are taking part in initial qualifying for the US Open in golf.

Belgian press are speculating that Henin may intend to take an extended break from tennis following her defeat to Safina. "It is, for now, a simple rumor," said a story in La Libre. "But there is no smoke without fire."

"I have a little less fire," Henin said in Berlin. "I don't know if my motivation is broken, but I lack resources."

The back injury that led Pete Sampras to withdraw from a seniors' event in Boston last week has also put his scheduled exhibitions in South America on hold. Sampras was scheduled to compete in Santiago, Buenos Aires and San Paolo from May 18-25.

Hewitt is a question mark for the French Open and Wimbledon because of an ongoing hip injury that has kept him off the courts. "The hip is starting to feel a little better but I'm yet to fully test it out on court," he said in a statement. "The specialist did a couple more tests today but the results won't be back for a few days.

"Once I get those, I can make a decision on the French Open and the grasscourt season."

A fire at the players' hotel in Bordeaux resulted in Sonchat and Sanchai Ratiwatana, together with Lucas Arnold's wife and child, having to fight through smoke to escape, reports the Bangkok Post.

Nadal says he won't be surprised if he's passed in the rankings by Djokovic sometime over the next couple of months."The logical thing is that he goes past me here in Hamburg, or at Roland Garros or Wimbledon," said Nadal. "If I'm number three, I'm number three. When it happens I just have to accept it and fight to get the position back."

Nadal is the longest-serving No. 2 in men's tennis, having held the position since first reaching it on July 25, 2005.

Djokovic goes into Hamburg needing to earn 225 ranking points more than Nadal to take over the second spot in the world rankings. The two are scheduled to meet in the semifinals - should the meeting take place, the winner would emerge as the second-ranked player in the world. After winning Rome, Djokovic said he wanted to finish the year as No. 1

Nadal also voiced his displeasure at the Spanish federation's decision to overrule its players and choose Madrid as the site of the Davis Cup semifinal against the United States in September. "We never had any problem with playing in Madrid" he said. "But we can't accept that the president told us a hundred times that we were going to decide, and then we don't decide... What you can't do now is keep saying we're the clear favourites."

Sharapova moves up to No. 2 in the WTA rankings, displacing Ivanovic.

Safina pulls out of Rome

ESPN, USTA confirm deal to broadcast the US Open next year in the start of a six-year deal. ESPN2 will carry more than 100 hours of live tennis from the US Open.

The bulk of the US Open was previously broadcast on USA network, which will wrap up its coverage of the event this year.

Safin qualifies for Hamburg, defeating Korolev 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(5). Safina won Berlin for her first Tier I title on the same day. "I am really pleased for him, as well as myself," she said. "Before we left to come to Germany we had a bit of a fight because he said I was doing everything wrong... But look, brother - I am on the right path."

Wawrinka jumps 14 spots to No. 10 in the ATP rankings

Roddick and Stepanek pull out of Hamburg, meaning that neither semifinal ends in a finished match

Mauresmo pulls out of Rome

Dokic wins the Florence challenger, defeating Lucic in the quarterfinals

Roddick is a question mark for Hamburg after retiring down 3-0 against Wawrinka in the Rome semifinals. "I felt a little something last night in my back when I was getting treatment. Then, one wrong movement and I had a complete spasm," he said."I probably won't be able to hit the next couple of days."

Mauresmo is doubtful for Rome because of a rib injury that also led her to pull out of Berlin

Comeback updates:

•      Kimiko Date-Krumm lost  6-1 6-7(5) 6-4 to Aiko Nakamura in the second round of the Fukuoka challenger.

•      Mirjana Lucic and Jelena Dokic faced off in the quarterfinals of the Florence challenger, with Dokic winning 3-6, 7-5, 6-2. Dokic then won 6-3, 6-3 over Anne Schaefer in the semifinals.

•      Alexandra Stevenson lost 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 to Christina McHale in the quarterfinals of the Indian Harbour Beach challenger.

•      Karolina Sprem lost 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 to Severine Bremond in the quarterfinals of the Zagreb challenger.

•      Elena Baltacha gave Evgeniya Rodina a walkover in the second round of the Zagreb challenger

•      Younes El Aynaoui lost 6-4, 6-4 to Adrian Cruciat in the second round of the Ostrava challenger

Henin has pulled out of Rome with fatigue.

Volandri is doubtful for Hamburg and the French Open because of a potentially career-threatening knee injury.

The WTA Tour and ESPN announce that they will offer live and on-demand streaming of matches from the following WTA events at ESPN360.com:


May 8 – 11               Berlin            Qatar Telecom German Open        9 matches
May 12 – 18             Rome             Internazionali BNL d’Italia           12 matches
June 19 -23              Eastbourne     International Women’s Open        4 matches
July 28-Aug 3           Montreal         Rogers Cup                                9 matches
Sept. 20 – 21           Tokyo             Toray Pan Pacific Open               3 matches
Sept. 26 -28             Beijing            China Open                                4 matches
Sept. 30 – Oct. 5      Stuttgart         Porsche Tennis Grand Prix        15 matches
Oct. 6 -12                Moscow          Kremlin Cup                             11 matches
Oct. 14 – 19             Zurich             Zurich Open                               9 matches
Oct. 23 – 30             Linz               Generali Ladies Linz                    9 matches
Nov. 3 – 9                Doha              Sony Ericsson Championships   15 matches

The finals of these events will also be streamed live on www.sonyericssonwtatour.com.