Tennis News and Tour Tidbits

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 18th December 2013

Tennis News and Tour Tidbits

epa03975541 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France returns the ball to Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus during their match at the gala tournament Tennis Classics in Papp Laszlo Sports Arena in Budapest, Hungary, 03 December 2013. EPA/Tibor Illyes HUNGARY OUT |

Jerzy Janowicz withdrew from the Hopman Cup with a foot injury and will be replaced by No. 287 Grzegorz Panfil. . . Adidas will outfit Andy Murray in the semi-fitted Barricade top for the Australian Open. . . Former ATP player Ivan Baron was recently inducted into the United States Tennis Association Florida Tennis Hall of Fame where he will join 58 current members, including Chris Evert, Mary Joe Fernandez, Kathy Rinaldi, Jim Courier and Jay Berger. . . India’s top players including Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza, will participate in the Indian Tennis Professional Association’s invitational tournament at the Khar Gymkhana Tennis Courts on December 21-22. . . . Junior No. 1 Borna Coric is spending the off-season training with world No. 1 Rafael Nadal in Majorca. . . Britain’s Helen Evans met former French star Henri Leconte after winning an auction organized by Hanney Pre School. . . Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will take time to meet young fans and answer their questions on the opening day of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship on December 26 at the Tennis Complex at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi. . . The Spanish Association of Tennis Journalists named Tommy Robredo and Carla Suarez Navarro as their players of the year. . . Former India Test cricketer, Balwinder Singh Sandhu, a member of the victorious 1983 World Cup team, on how good doubles standout Leander Paes was at a recent cricket match for the Sports Journalists Association of Mumbai. “He hit the ball cleanly. He bowled well. This is the first time I am watching Paes play cricket. He looked very good.”

We Hear —

–That 21-year-old American Jack Sock will be granted a wild card into the ASB Classic in Auckland.

–That Andy Murray, who yesterday announced he is fit to resume full time tennis following back surgery, will play doubles as well as singles at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha, partnering the respected Serbian veteran Nenad Zimonjic.

Topics: 10sballs, Andy Murray, Chris Evert, Grzegorz, Hopman Cup, jack sock, Jerzy Janowicz, Jim Courier, Jo Wilfried Tsonga, Leander Paes, Rafael Nadal, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, Tommy Robredo