Almagro into Malaysian Open quarterfinals

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -Kei Nishikori of Japan ousted top-seeded Nicolas Almagro of Spain 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4 Friday to reach the semifinals of the Malaysian Open. The eight-seeded Nishikori will next face Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia, who advanced after Nikolay Davydenko of Russia retired with a left hip injury just four games into their match. The third-seeded Tipsarevic was leading 3-1. "I don't know what the injury is exactly yet," Davydenko said. "I'm a bit scared as I've never had anything like it before. I will still go to Beijing, maybe wait a few days and see what the pain is like." Serbia's Viktor Troicki also cruised into the semifinals by beating Dmitry Tursunov of Russia 6-4, 6-4. The second-seeded Troicki failed to serve out the match at 5-2 in the second set but held on for victory at Putra Stadium. Troicki is looking for his first title of the year after losing the final in Sydney in January. He will face Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, who defeated fourth-seeded Jurgen Melzer of Austria 6-3, 7-6 (3).

Djokovic pulls out of China Open

BEIJING - Top-ranked Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the China Open because of a back injury. Tournament organizers said the defending champion withdrew because the latest medical checks show the injury he sustained while winning the U.S. Open has not yet healed. The tournament in Beijing starts on Monday. It is not yet clear whether the 24-year-old Serb will also skip the Shanghai Masters that starts in two weeks. Djokovic has said the partial rupture of a back muscle that forced him to quit his Davis Cup semifinal match against Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro is not serious, but requires rest.

Djokovic on a roll since cutting out pizza, bread

LONDON (AP) -Ever since eliminating pizza from his diet, Novak Djokovic has been on a roll. Djokovic has been boasting all season about how he has more energy on the tennis court since starting a gluten-free diet, cutting out pizza and bread from his daily life. But the top-ranked Serb has been reluctant to discuss his new regimen in any detail, preferring to let his game do the talking. The man with the answers is Igor Cetojevic, a Serbian doctor and nutritionist who began working with Djokovic at the end of last year. "I checked him to see what is going on, gave some advice and therapy," Cetojevic told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "He started to follow them. He started to sleep properly for the first time in his life." It actually seems as if it was as easy as that. Djokovic had won only one Grand Slam title heading into 2011. He now has four after winning the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, while compiling an amazing 64-3 record this year - with two of those losses coming from injury retirements, including in a Davis Cup match to Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina last Sunday. For the past couple of years, Djokovic had been firmly entrenched as the No. 3 player in the world behind Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Although he was consistently going deep into the majors, Djokovic's lone big title came at the 2008 Australian Open. Otherwise, he was losing early or even pulling out of matches because he wasn't in good enough shape. When things started to change, Djokovic hushed up, declining to talk about his new training routine. "I can't talk about it," Djokovic said at the French Open, "because it's private." Last month, about two weeks before the start of the U.S. Open, Djokovic again demurred when asked about the diet. "I cannot tell you everything," said Djokovic, who grew up at his parents' pizza parlor on Mt. Kopaonik in southern Serbia. "There are things that I keep for myself." But the science behind the decision to essentially cut wheat, barley and rye out of Djokovic's diet isn't all that secret. Cetojevic said he used a SCIO bio-feedback machine - basically attaching some wires to a person and connecting them to a computer - to study the effects that food has on Djokovic's body. He saw that the gluten was "through the roof," and knew he needed to do something about it. "We can see most reactions in the body so we can eliminate the bad guys and put good guys in," Cetojevic explained, keeping it as simple as can be. Cetojevic said the details behind the program can be complicated and he isn't surprised when Djokovic evades questions about the diet. "He's not a medical doctor," said Cetojevic, adding that even he found it difficult to explain to people what was going on. "He cannot talk about that." The idea of working with Djokovic came about two years ago, long before Cetojevic had ever met the tennis star. And it started because of his wife, a holistic therapist from the United States. "I saw Nole playing some match against (Jo-Wilfried) Tsonga in Australia," Cetojevic said. "My wife told me, 'This guy has some allergy.' I said, 'I don't think so. Something else is there.' "She told me, 'Help him. He's your countryman,"' Cetojevic said with a laugh. Cetojevic made some calls to people who knew Djokovic and left the message that he might be able to help. "Time passed, and one day they called me," said Cetojevic, who flew to Split, Croatia, to meet Djokovic for the first time as he played in the Davis Cup quarterfinals against Croatia in July 2010. It was there that the lessons started, and they involved more than just nutrition. "I started teaching Nole simple things, like avoid talking on the telephone and eating because you're ignoring your food," said Cetojevic, who also studied traditional Chinese medicine and magnetotherapy. "He started responding very well. Started to kind of eat well, not have weak stomach, vomiting after meals. "Slowly, slowly he started to build up. I started to observe how he behaves." The new ideas, including blessing his food before eating in order to have an "emotional, spiritual connection with food," were not completely accepted by some in Djokovic's camp, Cetojevic said, especially after the player started losing weight. But once the results started coming and the weight came back, Cetojevic was hired full time. "In Chinese medicine, confidence is in the stomach," Cetojevic said. Even Federer, a 16-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1, said he doesn't really understand what it is about the gluten-free diet that has made Djokovic so tough to beat. "I don't even know what that all means," Federer said last month at the U.S. Open. "I eat healthy, and I think that's what people should do, too, if they have the options." But believing in it, and putting it into effect, is really what matters. And Djokovic has done just that. Cetojevic sat in the players' box at Rod Laver Arena as Djokovic beat Andy Murray to win his second Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. Djokovic then ran his winning streak to 43 straight matches before losing to Federer in the French Open semifinals. A few weeks later, Djokovic beat defending champion Nadal to win his first Wimbledon title. It was Djokovic's desire to win Wimbledon that initially endeared him to Cetojevic. "When he was a very small boy, he played at home with this little empty pot and on a little chair he stepped on it and said, 'Novak Djokovic, Wimbledon champion.' He was already visualizing what he wants to be," Cetojevic said. "That pure will to succeed touched me." And after that win, right after Djokovic pulled a few blades of grass from the manicured lawn at the All England Club to physically taste his victory, Cetojevic knew his job was complete. "I stopped after Wimbledon because that was our goal," said Cetojevic, who returned to his practice in Cyprus. "We had our target."

Li says dip in form related to mental toughness

BEIJING - French Open champion Li Na says her dip in form since winning at Roland Garros is because she cannot stay mentally tough. Li, who became the first Asian to win a Grand Slam singles title in June, says all the women on tour have the same problem, while the men can stay stronger all season. Li says "all the active women tennis players have the same situation of ups and downs in the competitions, almost everyone," adding that "women cannot have the same mentality of men, who expect to win every competition." Li also reached the Australian Open final, but she lost in the second round at Wimbledon and in the first round at the U.S. Open.

Former No. 1 Muster to retire again at age 44

VIENNA - Former world No. 1 Thomas Muster will retire from full-time tennis following next month's Erste Bank Open tournament in his native Austria. Muster, who turns 44 early next month, made his comeback to professional tennis in 2010 after 11 years away. "You should not drag it along forever," Muster said Wednesday. "I wanted to relive competitive tennis again and I've really enjoyed it." Muster is ranked 847th after winning two matches in 18 tournaments on the lower-tier Challenger tour. He has lost both his main-draw matches at the ATP level. "Vienna will definitely be my last appearance in an ATP event," said the Austrian, who was No. 1 for six weeks in 1996. "Maybe I play a few Challengers next year, but that will be it." Tournament director Herwig Straka has confirmed that Muster will be awarded a wild card for the Erste Bank Open, beginning Oct. 22. Muster first played in the Vienna event 27 years ago, reaching the final three times but failing to win the tournament. "I've made good progress this year but my age is counting," Muster said. "For me, I know what's still possible if I put even more effort into it. But I have a family and also would get to my physical limits one day." Muster became the only Austrian to win a Grand Slam event when he lifted the French Open trophy in 1995. He is his country's most successful player with 44 career titles. He never formally retired from professional tennis but said in 1999 he would "go on a holiday." By then, Muster had already staged a remarkable comeback. His career was almost ruined when he severely damaged his left knee in a car accident before the final of the 1989 Key Biscayne tournament. He was back on tour less than six months later.

Mayer beats Andujar to win Nastase Tiriac Trophy

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) -Second-seeded Florian Mayer of Germany beat Spain's Pablo Andujar 6-3, 6-1 in the final of the Nastase Tiriac Trophy on Sunday. Mayer needed just over an hour to defeat the fourth-seeded Andujar. The Spaniard made a determined start and broke in the 4th game to lead 3-1, but Mayer immediately broke back for 3-2 before holding his serve to level the scores at 3-3. But Andujar lost his way thereafter, winning only one more game in the match. With Mayer leading 5-0 in the final set, Andujar managed to salvage a game on his service, before losing the match.

Tired Federer to skip Shanghai Masters

World number three Roger Federer has pulled out of next month's Shanghai Masters to rest and recover after a grueling summer, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) said on Friday. "After consultation with my team, I've unfortunately decided to pull out of the Shanghai Masters in order to take some necessary time to rest and recuperate after a long summer," the Swiss maestro was quoted as saying on the ATP website (www.atpworldtour.com). "I have some nagging injuries that I need to address and I look forward to returning to the ATP World Tour as soon as possible." The 16-times grand slam champion suffered a five-set loss to U.S. Open champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows before arriving in Australia to aid Switzerland's return to the Davis Cup World Group. "I have very fond memories of Shanghai so I will miss this amazing tournament and all my loyal Chinese fans, but I look forward to returning to China next fall," said Federer.

Tour is no grind for resurgent Sharapova

TAIPEI - You will not find Maria Sharapova moaning about crowded schedules after a year in which the Russian has returned to within sight of the summit of women's tennis. The world number two has some sympathy for the top male players who have made rumblings about possible strike action over what they see as a too punishing calendar but after having her career knocked sideways by injury she is clearly happy to be globe-trotting again and winning tournaments. "I really missed doing what I've done since I was four years old and I really felt that there is so much more in me that I could bring to the court," the 24-year-old told Reuters in Taipei where she will play an exhibition match against fellow Russian and world No.4 Vera Zvonareva on Thursday. "(The schedule) is so much better than it was years ago," she added, when asked about the demands on the serving shoulder that needed major surgery in 2008 and kept her out of the game for 10 months, in which time she dropped to 126 in the world. "We finish two or three weeks before the men do. You can say that's nothing but it's huge in our sport, it gives us more time to take a breather whereas before after the season you could maybe take a week off. Now you can take two weeks off and not feel guilty about it." Sharapova, who returned to the top 10 in March after reaching the final in Miami, was a semi-finalist at the French Open and runner-up at Wimbledon and recently won her 24th career title in Cincinnati. While she did suffer bouts of illness early in the season she has crucially remained injury free this year -- a major factor in her rise up the rankings. Now she is looking forward with renewed optimism. "That's what drives me, that's the reason why today I find myself in that position and a position also to even do better," she said. "I'd love to win Wimbledon again, that's always a goal of mine, the French Open is one that I haven't won but I feel like with every year I compete I play better at the French Open. "I have many goals and that's what's drives me to keep getting better." With no dominant force in the women's game this year, the path does seem open for Sharapova to add to her three grand slam titles, although the depth of the field makes it tricky. Three of the four grand slam titles went to first-timers this year and Sharapova dismissed any suggestion that it was evidence of a lack of top quality. "A few years ago you would come into a tournament in the first few rounds and people were saying 'well women's tennis you're winning first rounds 6-0 6-1,' and now it's kind of like 'well why are the first few matches so tough'," she said. While Sharapova probably does not want the year to end, Zvonareva was less enthused about the calendar. She said the current WTA schedule was "quite tight" and said players would like to have more flexibility and choice over which tournaments they could play in. "With this kind of schedule we have to play every single weekend and sometimes you feel good but sometimes you don't feel good but you still push yourself hard and at the end of the day you could get sick or get injured," she told Reuters. She said players want more discussion on the issue, though there were different views with some players wanting to play more and some less. "We have to find some solution where we can find the right balance, because right now it's a little bit too busy for us. We travel too much, but on the other hand we get a lot of opportunities to play, so we have to think about it and we're working on it and we're trying to find the right balance." Next stop on the Tour for Sharapova and Zvonareva is the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo starting on Sept 25.

Tsonga stops French qualifier at Moselle Open

METZ, France - Top-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated French qualifier Mathieu Rodrigues 6-3, 6-4 Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the Moselle Open. He'll face Nicolas Mahut, who outlasted 2003 champion Arnaud Clement 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in an all-French encounter. Second-seeded Richard Gasquet cruised past Olivier Rochus of Belgium 6-2, 6-1. He'll play Gilles Muller of Luxembourg. Sixth-seeded Xavier Malisse of Belgium defeated Igor Kunitsyn of Russia 6-4, 6-2, and will meet third-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine. Dutch qualifier Igor Sijsling defeated seventh-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-4, 7-5. Sijsling had 10 aces and broke Kohlschreiber once in each set.

Gajdosova reaches quarterfinals at Guangzhou Open

GUANGZHOU, China (AP) -Defending champion Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia advanced to the quarterfinals of the Guangzhou Open by beating Mandy Minella of Luxembourg 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 Wednesday. Top-seeded Maria Kirilenko also advanced, defeating Iryna Bremond of France 6-3, 6-1. Zheng Jie, the last Chinese player in the tournament, moved into the next round by beating Noppawan Lertcheewakarn of Thailand 6-3, 7-5, while Zhao Yijing of China lost to Tetiana Luzhanska of Ukraine 6-4, 2-6, 7-5.

Top-seeded Schiavone out in 1st round in Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -Top-seeded Francesca Schiavone lost to Vera Dushevina 7-6 (4), 6-2 Tuesday in the first round of the Korea Open. The eighth-ranked Italian lost to Dushevina for the third time in four meetings. Second-seeded Marion Bartoli advanced at the Olympic Park by beating Nuria Llagostera-Vives of Spain 6-2, 6-2. Three other seeded players also advanced. No. 3 Julia Goerges of Germany defeated Yunka Sema of Japan 6-1, 6-1, Polona Hercog of Slovenia eliminated Zuzana Kucova of Slovakia 6-0, 6-2, and Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania defeated Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan 6-1, 6-3. Also, eighth-seeded Ekaterina Makarova of Russia lost to Galena Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan 6-4, 6-4, while 2009 champion Kimiko Date-Krumm lost to Vania King of the United States 6-2, 6-2.

Zahlavova Strycova earns first WTA title

QUEBEC CITY - Barbora Zahlavova Strycova rallied to beat Marina Erakovic 4-6, 6-1, 6-0 on Sunday in the Bell Challenge final. It was the first singles title for the native of the Czech Republic. In the doubles final, Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears of the United States beat American Jamie Hampton and Georgia's Anna Tatishvili 6-1, 3-6, 10-6.

Pervak wins 1st title at Tashkent Open

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan - Top-seeded Ksenia Pervak of Russia won her maiden WTA title on Saturday, beating Eva Birnerova 6-3, 6-1 in the final of the Tashkent Open. After Birnerova had rallied in the first set from 3-0 down to tie, Pervak responded by winning the next three games to take a 1-0 lead. She won four consecutive games in the second set, serving for the match at love and wrapping up the victory with an ace. The 52nd-ranked Pervak has not dropped a set on the way to her second final of the season. She lost to Vera Zvonareva in the final at Baku in July and reached the fourth round at Wimbledon. Birnerova of the Czech Republic, who mostly plays on the ITF circuit, competed in her first career WTA tour final.

Top-seeded Hantuchova ousted at Bell Challenge

QUEBEC CITY - Top-seeded Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia lost 6-4, 6-4 to unseeded Marina Erakovic of New Zealand in a Bell Challenge quarterfinal on Friday night. In other matches, Michaella Krajicek of Netherlands defeated No. 4-seeded Rebecca Marino of Canada 6-1, 6-3 and No. 3-seeded Tamira Paszek of Austria downed Britain's Heather Watson 6-4, 7-6 (5). In the late match, sixth-seeded Barbora Zahlavova Strycova topped fellow Czech Andrea Hlavackova 6-3, 7-5.

Without Djokovic, Serbia trails Argentina 2-0

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) -In the absence of the top-ranked Novak Djokovic, David Nalbandian and Juan Martin del Potro won their opening singles Friday to clinch a commanding 2-0 lead for Argentina over defending champion Serbia in the Davis Cup semifinals. Djokovic pulled out of the opening singles against Nalbandian because of back pain, four days after beating Rafael Nadal in the U.S Open final, and was replaced by Troicki who lost 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 on Friday. In the other singles match Friday, Del Potro beat Janko Tipsarevic 7-5, 6-3, 6-4. Argentina needs one more point to reach its first final since 2008. The doubles are played Saturday.

Hantuchova advances in Bell Challenge

QUEBEC CITY - Top-seeded Daniela Hantuchova beat Ajla Tomljanovic 6-0, 2-6, 6-4 in the first round of the Bell Challenge on Tuesday. No. 2 seed Lucie Safarova, No. 3 Tamira Paszek, No. 5 Sofia Arvidsson and No. 6 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova also advanced in the $220,000 WTA tournament. But No. 8 seed Anna Tatishvili of Georgia lost 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 to French qualifier Julie Coin. Safarova routed American Jill Craybas 6-2, 6-1, and Paszek edged American Ashley Weinhold 6-0, 4-6, 6-2. Arvidsson beat Russia's Elena Bovina 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, and Strycova topped China's Zhang Shuai 6-4, 6-2. Also Tuesday, Croatia's Mirjana Lucic beat Jamie Hampton of the United States 6-4, 6-2, and American Melanie Oudin lost 6-1, 6-3 to Andrea Hlavackova of the Czech Republic.

Djokovic sets money mark with more than $10.5M

NEW YORK - Novak Djokovic's 64-2 record in 2011 has earned him a record amount of prize money. Djokovic's U.S. Open championship — his third Grand Slam title of the year — pushed his earnings past $10.6 million, more than anyone ever took home during a full season of men's tennis, according to the ATP World Tour. The only other men to come close were Rafael Nadal in 2010 and Roger Federer in 2007; they completed those years with a little less than $10.2 million. By beating Nadal in the U.S. Open final Monday night, Djokovic got a check for $2.3 million: $1.8 million for winning the tournament, plus a $500,000 bonus for finishing second in the U.S. Open Series Standings, which takes into account results at hard-court tuneup tournaments.

Federer will play vs. Aussies in Davis Cup

SYDNEY - Switzerland's team manager has confirmed No. 3 ranked Roger Federer will arrive in Australia on Wednesday for the Davis Cup tennis tie against Australia starting Friday. Federer will have little time to recuperate from his five-set loss to Novak Djokovic in the U.S. Open semifinals. Manager Daniel Monnin was reluctant to talk about Federer at the Switzerland team's news conference Tuesday, but said Federer would be in Sydney for the World Group playoff. Stanislas Wawrinka, who lost in the second round at Flushing Meadows, said he has a leg injury but was hopeful of being fit to play.

Raymond-Huber win US Open doubles title

NEW YORK - Lisa Raymond surpassed Billie Jean King as the oldest Grand Slam women's doubles champion Sunday, teaming with Liezel Huber for a 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3) victory over defending champions Vania King and Yaroslava Shedova in the U.S. Open final. The 38-year-old Raymond won her third U.S. Open doubles championship, the last coming in 2005, when she teamed with Sam Stosur, who defeated Serena Williams for the singles title later Sunday. Billie Jean King was 36 when she won her 16th women's Grand Slam doubles title in 1980 at the U.S. Open. Raymond and Huber saved match point trailing 5-4 in the second set, then got to the third-set tiebreaker. Not surprisingly, Raymond was crediting experience for the comeback. "They were the defending champs and they have two Grand Slams and they've done well, but we have years and years and years of being in finals of Slams, winning the championships, being down breaks in the third set to win or lose a slam," Raymond said. "We relied on our experience and sticking together." After winning a point in the third-set tiebreaker to go ahead 6-2, Huber started celebrating, thinking they had won. Two points later, they actually did, and Huber, who teamed with Nadia Petrova last year, avenged a loss to the King-Shedova team in the 2010 final. The win will propel Huber back to No. 1 in the doubles rankings, a place she's held for 147 weeks, but not since October 2010.

Serena slammed at Open

NEW YORK - Already being outplayed by Sam Stosur in the U.S. Open final, the last thing Serena Williams needed was to lose a game for yelling during a point. That's exactly what happened early in the second set, leading to an argument between Williams and the chair umpire, a scene less ugly than — but reminiscent of — the American's tirade two years ago at the same tournament. In the end, Stosur beat Williams, pulling off a 6-2, 6-3 upset Sunday for her first Grand Slam title. Stosur became the first Australian woman to win a major championship since Evonne Goolagong Cawley at Wimbledon in 1980. But the highlight of Stosur's career is likely to be remembered for 13-time major champion Williams' latest dispute with an official at Flushing Meadows. Down one set and facing a break point in the first game of the second, Williams hit a forehand and shouted, "Come on!" as Stosur was swinging at the ball.   Slideshow  

Djokovic rallies past Federer

NEW YORK - Facing two match points against a beloved player whose name is already in the history books, Novak Djokovic clenched his jaw and flashed an ever-so-slight glimpse of a smile. Might as well go down swinging, right? So, he went for it. He turned violently on a 108 mph serve from Roger Federer for a cross-court winner that barely nicked the line. The fans in Arthur Ashe Stadium, ready to explode for a Federer victory, instead found themselves taking a cue from Djokovic — who raised his hands, asking for a little love. About 10 minutes later, those same fans were dancing with Djoko as he boogied at center court to celebrate an epic U.S. Open semifinal win — one in which he dug out of a two-set hole, then saved two match points against Federer for the second straight year. Top-seeded Djokovic won 6-7 (7), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 Saturday to improve to 63-2 on the year. This was only his second career comeback from two sets down. Next, he'll face Andy Murray or defending champion Rafael Nadal, who played in the second semifinal, as Djokovic tries to become only the fifth man to win three Grand Slam titles in a year since the start of the Open era. "It was definitely the biggest win of this year, one of the biggest wins of the career under the circumstances," Djokovic said. "Roger was in control, playing better. I switched gears and played much better over three sets."   Slideshow  

Federer-Roddick exhibition at MSG on March 5

NEW YORK - Roger Federer and Andy Roddick have met 22 times overall and in four Grand Slam finals, including a 16-14 fifth set at Wimbledon in 2009. Now they're taking their rivalry to a new venue: Madison Square Garden. Federer and Roddick will play a best-of-three-sets match as part of the annual BNP Paribas Showdown exhibition March 5, which also will include Maria Sharapova against top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki. Federer owns a record 16 Grand Slam titles, and he's 20-2 against Roddick, including 4-0 in major finals. Federer faced Pete Sampras in an exhibition at MSG in 2008; Roddick never has played at the arena used for New York Knicks and New York Rangers games. Tickets go on sale Oct. 3.

Capriati, Kuerten, Kafelnikov nominated for Hall

NEWPORT, R.I. - Grand Slam title winners Jennifer Capriati, Gustavo Kuerten and Yevgeny Kafelnikov, along with coach Nick Bollettieri are among the nominees for the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Capriati turned pro at age 13 and wound up winning three major championships and an Olympic gold medal. Kuerten won the French Open three times. Kafelnikov won the 1996 French Open and 1999 Australian Open. All three were ranked No. 1. Also up for induction in the Class of 2012: 1975 U.S. Open champion Manuel Orantes; Thelma Coyne Long, who won 19 major titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles in the 1930s, '40s and '50s; the late wheelchair player Randy Snow; promoter and administrator Mike Davies; and Eiichi Kawatei, who worked to boost tennis in Asia. The induction is July 14.

Federer on Woods: 'It's been hard to watch'

NEW YORK - Roger Federer says "it's been hard to watch" his pal Tiger Woods struggle lately. "It's hard to follow, because you know what an athlete wants to do. He wants to be out there and compete and that's what he's not able to do with his injuries right now," Federer said Saturday after a third-round win at the U.S. Open. Federer said he and Woods chatted briefly on the phone earlier this week. Story continues below ↓ advertisement | your ad here The two used to take part in a friendly competition over who would reach the Grand Slam record in their sport first. Federer tied Pete Sampras' mark of 14 at the French Open in 2009 and broke it two months later at Wimbledon. He's now at 16. Woods, meanwhile, remains stuck on 14 — four short of Jack Nicklaus — without a major victory since the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. "He's done so much in such a short period of time and for such a long time, actually, which is where I also draw the inspiration from," Federer said. "To see those great athletes do it for a very long time, I've been able to do something similar in that regard." As the undisputed leaders in their sports for much of the last decade, Federer and Woods were both represented by the same agency and worked together as pitchmen for Gillette. They also struck up a personal friendship; they shared texts and phone calls, hung out some and Woods was in Federer's guest box to watch him win the 2006 U.S. Open and they shared a champagne toast after the final. But Woods' career has spiraled downward, first because of personal problems that began when he drove his SUV over a fire hydrant and crashed into a tree beyond his driveway in November 2009, then with a series of injuries that have turned his 2010 and 2011 seasons into a bust. "It's been tough for him the last year. He knows that," Federer said. "It's been hard to watch. I only wish him the best."

Washed out

NEW YORK - A little after 3 p.m. Tuesday, Rafael Nadal settled in at a table in the U.S. Open players' cafeteria and sprinkled some salt on his lunch of salmon and rice. The day's work for the defending champion was complete, consisting of a 1½-hour practice session indoors at Flushing Meadows instead of his scheduled fourth-round match outdoors, because steady rain washed out all of Tuesday's action. Sitting a couple of seats away, Toni Nadal — Rafael's uncle and coach — laughed at a question about the scary scene during a post-match news conference over the weekend, when his nephew grimaced and called for a trainer's help for right leg cramps, then slid out of his chair to the floor. Story continues below ↓ advertisement | your ad here "He's perfectly healthy, with no problems at all," Uncle Toni said. "He's good. Practice was normal yesterday, and normal today." During last year's run to his first U.S. Open title, which completed a career Grand Slam, Nadal served superbly — "His best serving in one tournament," Uncle Toni called it — regularly hitting aces at more than 130 mph and getting broken a total of five times in seven matches. This year, Nadal already was broken nine times in three matches, and six in his opener alone. "In the first round, he played no good. He made so many mistakes. He was broken so much. But after, he played so much better," Uncle Toni said. "I'm not worried about his serve. His serve isn't a problem." Indeed, their biggest concern suddenly is when the weather will allow players to get back on court. As it is, the men in the second-seeded Nadal's half of the draw — such as No. 4 Andy Murray, No. 21 Andy Roddick and No. 28 John Isner — could be forced to play four matches in five days, or even worse. "We would prefer to play today, because after not playing today, every day is one day less," Uncle Toni said. "That makes it more complicated." The men in the other half of the field, including No. 1 Novak Djokovic and 16-time major champion Roger Federer, already have progressed to the quarterfinals. "It's a huge advantage for the top half right now. They have one match to play in the next four days, and the other guys have two — and then they'll have two more after that," said U.S. Davis Cup captain Jim Courier, a four-time Grand Slam title winner. "It's the luck of the draw." There is no permanent or retractable roof on any court used for matches at the U.S. Open, unlike at Wimbledon and the Australian Open. The French Open announced plans to install a retractable roof on center court by 2016. Citing financial concerns and technical complexities, the U.S. Tennis Association says it doesn't have plans to put a roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium, although it is still studying possible options. Past estimates put the cost of a roof at $150 million to $200 million. And so wet weather affects plans at the year's last Grand Slam tournament, where rain pushed the men's final back a day to Monday in 2008, 2009 and 2010. The two-week U.S. Open began Aug. 29, and is scheduled to end Sunday. Tuesday was the first time play has been delayed by rain this year, postponing a total of 54 matches — four in the fourth round of men's singles, two in the quarterfinals of women's singles, along with doubles and juniors — at least until Wednesday, when the forecast predicts more rain. The men's matches originally set for Tuesday were Nadal against unseeded Gilles Muller of Luxembourg; Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open champion, against No. 5 David Ferrer of Spain; Isner against No. 12 Gilles Simon of France; and three-time Grand Slam finalist Murray against unseeded Donald Young of the United States. In women's singles, No. 2 Vera Zvonareva was to face No. 9 Sam Stosur, and No. 26 Flavia Pennetta was scheduled to play unseeded Angelique Kerber of Germany. Those six matches now are on Wednesday's schedule, plus the other two women's quarterfinals — 13-time major champion Serena Williams vs. No. 17 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki vs. No. 10 Andrea Petkovic — and the first two men's quarterfinals — Djokovic vs. No. 20 Janko Tipsarevic, and Federer vs. No. 11 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. "It's going to get crazy once it gets going," Courier said. The schedule-juggling produced a couple of notable tweaks. Because the tournament wants to try to ensure that if tennis is played Wednesday, the held-over men's matches can get on court as early as possible, Roddick-Ferrer was shifted from Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday night to Louis Armstrong Stadium at 11 a.m. Wednesday. And Young's first Grand Slam quarterfinal, against the far-more-experienced Murray, was shifted from the 23,771-seat Ashe to the 6,106-seat Grandstand. "Donald might be more comfortable on a smaller court ... out of the spotlight," Courier said. Roddick hasn't played anywhere at Flushing Meadows other than Ashe since Sept. 3, 2002, when he beat Juan Ignacio Chela at Armstrong in the fourth round; that's 39 consecutive U.S. Open matches at Ashe. Roddick acknowledges that gives him a sort of home-court advantage there. "Yes, yes, there's definitely things that are always the same out there and things that appear to be one way and they are definitely the other way," Roddick explained after his third-round victory Sunday. "I would sit here and go through them all, but that would pretty much waste all of the experience that you are asking me about." ___ Follow Howard Fendrich at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

Williams tweets about looking forward to return

NEW YORK - Venus Williams says she's eager to return to action after withdrawing from the U.S. Open because of an immune system disease. Williams took to Twitter on Sunday, writing: "Thank you everyone for all your well wishes! It's good to have support! Looking forward to getting better and back on tour!" When the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion pulled out of the tournament before her second-round match Wednesday, Williams revealed that she's been diagnosed with Sjogren's syndrome, which can cause fatigue and joint pain. Story continues below ↓ advertisement | your ad here She tweeted Sunday: "Thank you 4 sharing all your sjogrens & auto immune stories w/me. Feels good to know I'm not alone! feel better to you and your loved ones!"

Pennetta surprises Sharapova in 3rd round

NEW YORK - That Maria Sharapova's shaky serving contributed to her early exit at the U.S. Open — to the tune of a dozen double-faults — came as no surprise. She's faced that problem for quite some time. That Sharapova's other strokes also were problematic Friday could be explained away by the perpetual motion of her opponent in the third round, 26th-seeded Flavia Pennetta of Italy. That three-time major champion Sharapova's nerve would fail her in the crucible of a third set? Now that was the real stunner. Story continues below ↓ advertisement | your ad here Unbeaten this year in 12 previous matches that went the distance, the third-seeded Sharapova faltered down the stretch and dropped the last seven points of a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 loss to Pennetta that took 2½ hours. "She's a good fighter, you know. You can never give up with her. You have to be focused until the last game; until the last point, actually," Pennetta said. "But I think (at) 5-4, she's starting to feel a little bit of pressure." After trailing 3-0 and 4-1 in the last set, Sharapova turned things around briefly, getting to 4-all, 15-30 on Pennetta's serve. But the 2006 U.S. Open champion wouldn't win another point. "I came back. I had chances. There's no doubt I had chances," Sharapova said. "But I guess today was the day I didn't take them." Aside from all of those double-faults — including two to begin the final game — Sharapova finished with a total of 60 unforced errors, twice as high as her winner count. "I didn't feel comfortable with most of my game today," Sharapova said. Because of her Grand Slam pedigree and recent play, she was seen as someone who'd stick around deep into the second week at Flushing Meadows. Instead, Sharapova joined the reigning Wimbledon (Petra Kvitova) and French Open (Li Na) champions in leaving quickly, while two-time defending U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters didn't enter because of injury. 2010 Wimbledon and U.S. Open runner-up Vera Zvonareva beat No. 30 Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-4, 7-5, and No. 13 Peng Shuai defeated No. 19 Julia Goerges 6-4, 7-6 (1).   Slideshow  

Bryan brothers upset in first round of US Open

NEW YORK - The Bryan brothers aren't quite sure what to do with all the free time suddenly on their hands. The top-ranked Americans lost a first-round doubles match at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since the 2001 Australian Open. Unseeded Ivo Karlovic and Frank Moser beat the twins 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 at the U.S. Open on Wednesday. Bob and Mike Bryan had won three of the last four major titles, tying the Open era record with their 11th Grand Slam championship earlier this summer at Wimbledon. Story continues below ↓ advertisement | your ad here "We're used to being in the second week," Mike Bryan said. "It's going to be weird." They struggled against the 6-foot-10 Karlovic's powerful serve. "It was an awkward matchup," Mike said. "And we're never really playing our best tennis early in these Grand Slams." Bob will still play mixed doubles here with Liezel Huber as the two defend their title at Flushing Meadows. Mike's Open is over. Karlovic, who has been ranked as high as 14th in singles, leads the ATP Tour in several serve-related statistical categories. He wins 80 percent of points on his first serve and 91 percent of his service games and saves 72 percent of break points. The Croat is in the second round of the singles draw at the U.S. Open. Moser, a 34-year-old German, has never been ranked better than 288th in singles, and that was in 2003. His best doubles performance in a major tournament was twice reaching the second round at Wimbledon with different partners. "That was the match of his life," Bob Bryan said. ___ THE LONG ROAD BACK: His rankings and his prospects seemed unlimited when Alex Bogomolov Jr. scooted across the court, suddenly lost his balance and landed hard, shattering his left wrist and nearly destroying his promising tennis career in the process. Relgated to a life of teaching tennis instead of playing it, Bogomolov found the motivation he needed to return when his son was born two years ago. Now, he's rising once again — to 44th in the world and, this week, into the second round of the U.S. Open. Down two sets to his doubles partner, Steve Johnson of University of Southern California, Bogomolov rallied for a 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3), 6-3 victory Wednesday. "I've had a great summer. I've had a great year," Bogomolov said. "To go down in the first round would have been devastating because we have higher goals. We worked for those goals." In addition to the injury, Bogomolov had to overcome the stigma and 45-day suspension resulting from a positive doping test — received for taking an asthma medicine before receiving proper clearance — and a divorce after his brief marriage to former junior star Ashley Harkleroad. He has since remarried and has a 2-year-old son, Maddox. He said his motivation since Maddox's birth is to stay in the sport long enough for his boy to see him play ... to see him play the way Bogomolov got to see his own father, Alex Sr., play back when he was a boy. Alex Sr. was a renowned coach in the former Soviet Union, who worked with Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Andrei Medvedev, among others. The relationship with his father was "Everything. Everything. Everything," Alex Jr. said. They moved to the United States when Bogomolov was 11 and his tennis career took off. He beat Andy Roddick to win the USTA national boys 16-year-old championships and was ranked first in the 18s in 2000. He spent time ranked in and around the 100s for a lot of years. He was on the verge of a surge when the injury hit three years ago. After the injury and the surgery to repair his left wrist, Bogomolov couldn't hit his topspin backhand anymore. He was teaching tennis in the New York area, thinking that might be it. But he never put the idea of a comeback completely out of his mind. "It was basically, 'You're never going to be able to hit a two handed backhand,'" he said. "To learn a one-hander at 26, 27, come on, it was ridiculous. But as far as my mentality, I always thought that there was something undone." Robby Ginepri and teenager Jack Sock joined Bogomolov as U.S. winners Wednesday, with John Isner and Andy Roddick playing late matches. ___ DEL POTRO DEBUT: Juan Martin del Potro won the U.S. Open in 2009, and thinks maybe he can do it again. In 2012. The 18th-seeded Argentine played at Flushing Meadows on Wednesday for the first time since that championship. He missed most of last year because of right wrist surgery, preventing him from defending his title, and doesn't think he's quite playing at the level of the top players — yet. He looked like a former champion in his return, beating Filippo Volandri of Italy 6-3, 6-1, 6-1. "Has been a really sad year, 2010, for me," he said. "This year to be playing the U.S. Open, it's amazing. It's great, and I'm feeling really glad to see the crowd again, to see the Argentinian fans come to see me especially play here in the U.S. Open." Del Potro hopes that by this time next year, he'll be ready to compete for major titles again. He'll always have the memory of that first breakthrough. "To be honest, I feel like the final was yesterday, because when I was walking around the street or when I talk with the fans, they say, 'I remember your final. You can repeat; you can win again,'" he said. ___ AP National Writer Eddie Pells contributed to this report.

Venus: 'Absolutely' will return from illness

NEW YORK (AP) - Venus Williams says she "absolutely" plans to return to tennis after she withdrew from the U.S. Open because of a recently diagnosed autoimmune disease. Williams revealed Wednesday after pulling out of her second-round match that she had Sjogren's syndrome, which can cause fatigue and joint pain. "I think the best thing that could have happened for me this summer was to feel worse so I could feel better," Williams said in an interview Thursday with ABC's "Good Morning America." Story continues below ↓ advertisement | your ad here The seven-time Grand Slam champion said she'd had problems with stamina for several years, which she now believes were caused by Sjogren's. It wasn't until she developed more concrete symptoms in the last few months that she was diagnosed. "Sjogren's is something you live with your whole life," Williams said. "The good news for me is now I know what's happening after spending years not knowing. ... I feel like I can get better and move on." She said she suffered from swelling, numbness and "debilitating" fatigue. "It's not that you don't have energy; you just feel beat up," the 31-year-old American said. Williams said she initially thought of playing at the Open. "OK, I could walk out on the court. I'm a tough woman. I'm a tough athlete. I've played through a lot of things," she said. "But what kind of match it would be? It was a tough decision, but at the same time I've had to come to accept what I'm going through." Williams had cited a virus in withdrawing from hard-court tuneup tournaments after losing in the fourth round at Wimbledon in late June. She played for the first time in two months Monday, beating Vesna Dolonts 6-4, 6-3 in the first round in New York. According to the Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation website, the disease is a chronic autoimmune illness in which white blood cells attack moisture-producing glands. Common symptoms include dry eyes and dry mouth. As many as 4 million Americans have the disease. Despite all of her past success, including a brief stint at No. 1, Williams was unseeded at the U.S. Open. She's fallen to 36th in the rankings after a year of little action. Since reaching the semifinals at the 2010 U.S. Open, Williams has played only 11 matches. The WTA projects her ranking now will slide out of the top 100. It's been a year of health scares for the Williams sisters. Younger sister Serena suffered from a blot clot in her lungs over the winter. Serena Williams plays in the second round of the U.S. Open on Thursday. Venus said Serena's travails had already given her a new perspective. "So this, right now, I think will help me to feel grateful for everything that I have," she said. "And at the same time it makes me want to get up and fight harder every single day."

Roddick holds on to avoid upset at US Open

NEW YORK - His ranking down, his health a question mark much of the season, Andy Roddick figures nothing will come easily at the U.S. Open. Roddick held on to avoid a first-round upset Wednesday night at the Grand Slam tournament he won in 2003, beating 96th-ranked Michael Russell 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5. "Wasn't pretty," the 21st-seeded Roddick said. "I'm certainly not fooling myself by thinking that was worthy of a championship performance, by any means. But, you know, I don't know if I would expect that." Story continues below ↓ advertisement | your ad here Not all that long ago, Roddick wasn't even sure whether he'd be able to enter the U.S. Open because of a torn abdominal muscle. He was helped by a 13-0 edge in aces in the all-American matchup against Russell. "I'm trying to get my form there, I promise you," Roddick said. "You know, a lot of people, when they're coming back, do it on the side courts. I just have an audience." After breezing through the first two sets against Russell, Roddick began to run into trouble in the third, and then fell behind by a break in the fourth. "I had the momentum. I felt Andy was getting a little bit frustrated. He was missing a lot of returns. I mean, the crowd was starting to get into it," Russell said.   Slideshow