Murray Considers Break

Andy Murray has hinted he could take a break from tennis following his latest Grand Slam near-miss in the Australian Open final.

The out-of-sorts British number one saw his best chance yet to win a major slip through his grasp on Sunday, as Novak Djokovic posted an emphatic straight-sets triumph to land his second Melbourne crown.

The 23-year-old Serb, who came up through the ranks with his same-aged opponent, had too much for the fifth seed as he romped to a 6-4 6-2 6-3 success on Rod Laver Arena.

And Murray put a brave face on his most recent set-back after admitting the defeat was easier to swallow than last year's heartache against Roger Federer, when he broke down in tears at the presentation ceremony.

"It's better than it was last year," said the conquered Scot, who has now lost three major finals as he bids to become the first British male champion since Fred Perry in 1936.

"You know, it was obviously tough, disappointing. I thought Novak played unbelievably well and yeah, it's tough, but I've got to deal with it.

"I was in a much worse state last year than I was this year. I don't know why.

"I'll see what I do from here, you know. I don't know, I might not play for a few months, I might feel like playing in a week's time. It depends - see how I feel."

Improvements

The languid 23-year-old has now failed to muster a set in three Grand Slam final appearances. But the Dunblane right-hander insisted he will not lose any sleep over his failure to land a big title.

"I want to keep working hard, try and improve, but I said before the final, it's not something that I lose sleep over at night," he said.

"It's going to be tough for sure for a few days but I want to try and win one, of course.

"But if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. I'm just working as hard as I can. I train very hard, I take tennis very seriously.

"But I love my life away from tennis, as well. That's why maybe this year, compared with last, I'm very, very happy off the court.

"I'm enjoying myself. There's other things to look forward to, too."

Unbelievable

Murray claimed he had no fitness problems heading into the match, despite looking ponderous at times around the court. Instead the Briton, who had a punishing semi-final against David Ferrer on Friday, praised Djokovic for being at the top of his game.

"He played great. I would have liked to have played better but I think he would have beaten every other player on the tour if he played like that tonight," added the world number five.

"He served well, he didn't make many mistakes from the back of the court, he moved really, really well, he hit the ball very clean. That was it.

"He defended unbelievably well tonight so when I got ahead in some games, and even just in points, he was sticking up lobs that were landing on the baseline, passing shots that were very close to the lines.

"So it was quite difficult to find parts of the court where I was getting free points from.

"I think I broke his serve maybe twice in the third set and still lost it 6-3. I was trying to find a way - I just wasn't able to put enough good points together."

Morgan Edged out by Vesely

British teenager George Morgan bowed out of the Australian Open boys' singles with a 6-3 6-4 defeat to top seed Jiri Vesely.

The 17-year-old was denied his chance of reaching the final after he was broken once in each set by the Czech junior.

Vesely will now go on to play unseeded Australian Luke Saville in the final.

Terminated Federer: I'll Be Back

Roger Federer dismissed suggestions his career was winding down after being beaten in straight sets by Novak Djokovic in the semi-final of the Australian Open.

Defending champion Federer slipped to a 7-6 (7/3) 7-5 6-4 defeat and is now without one of the four grand slam championships in his possession for the first time since 2003.

The Swiss, winner of an open-era record 16 major titles, admitted he was beaten by the better man on Thursday as Djokovic moved on to a final against either Andy Murray or David Ferrer, but scoffed at suggestions he was finished.

"It's not the end in any way," said the 29-year-old. "It's a start for many other tournaments after this.

"Sure, it is disappointing and it hurts at this moment. I wish I could have won here for a fifth time but it wasn't possible tonight."

Snapped

When it was put to him that his and Rafael Nadal's failure to reach the final was the first time that has happened at a major since here in 2008, Federer snapped: "They say that very quickly.

"Let's talk again in six months' time."

The world number two felt he had simply ran into an inspired Djokovic, who preyed on his opponent's misfiring backhand.

"I thought he played a great match," added Federer.

"I didn't think I played badly myself and it was a match played at a very high intensity for a long period of time.

"We had long, tough rallies and played at a very high speed."

Djokovic, meanwhile, was delighted to advance to his fourth grand slam final - of which he has lost two, one each against Federer and Nadal - since his solitary victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the 2008 Australian Open.

"Overall it was a great performance," said Djokovic.

"I am very happy with the way I played. I have been serving well under pressure even though I got tight and made some double faults in the third set when I was up a break.

"That's normal under the circumstances in the late stages of the tournament against Roger."

Premature

Djokovic, the third seed, agreed it was premature to say there was a changing of the guard in the men's game, adding: "It's much too early to say that.

"Roger is still very much motivated to reclaim the top spot in the rankings and he's playing great.

"Tonight I think I played a better match but he's still up there and in extraordinary form.

"And then you have Nadal who has been a very, very dominant player.

"We are still behind them and you can't say there is a new era coming up.

"But there are more players who are able to win majors which is good."

Britain not a 'tennis nation'

Top tennis coach Nick Bollettieri has refused to blame the Lawn Tennis Association's hierarchy for last weekend's Davis Cup embarrassment, insisting instead the problem is down to Great Britain not being a "tennis nation".

There have been widespread calls for both LTA chief Roger Draper and captain John Lloyd to step down in the wake of the defeat to Lithuania, a result that leaves Great Britain one play-off away from relegation into the competition's lowest tier.

However, Bollettieri, who has coached the likes of Boris Becker, Andre Agassi and the Williams sisters in his career and who currently has Lithuanian number one Ricardas Berankis working in his Florida academy, believes the problem is rather more fundamental.

Writing in his column on www.sportingintelligence.com, the American said: "To pick one or two people and start calling for them to be removed isn't a cure-all solution.

"The blame game won't work because British tennis has shortcomings with deep cultural and historical roots. There's even an argument that Britain is not a "tennis nation".

"Sure, you stage the most prestigious event in the world - Wimbledon. But your national sports are soccer and cricket, and your Olympic resources go to cycling, rowing, sailing, swimming, all sports at which you excel at or are improving in. Tennis is part of a social scene.

"So to argue that Roger Draper, the chief executive of the LTA, is responsible for British tennis's ills is to misidentify the problem. If you'd had generations of Grand Slam winners and then they'd disappeared, then seek blame. But those generations of British tennis winners never existed, not this side of the black-and-white movie era."
Improvement

Outlining how he might improve the situation, Bollettieri suggested: "I guess in a Utopia I'd say build an academy in England and open it to the world. Put your best and the best of the rest together. But that's not a small ambition, that's a long way off, if at all.

"(In the short term) I'd say take your best young players and help them to spend time in other, more testing environments, even just for a few weeks here and there.

"You need to make your athletes central to your planning, and find a way so the best work together. You need consistently to push your players, to provide them with the best coaches. Those coaches also need exposure to the best methods from elsewhere.

"I'm talking now about the players below (British number one Andy) Murray, the young players like Daniel Evans and James Ward who played against Lithuania. At their age - 19 and upwards - it should no longer be about techniques, it should be about building physical strength, about conditioning, mentality, strategy, and of course day-in, day-out improvement against players as good and better than you."

Clijsters Back at Eastbourne

Kim Clijsters will warm up for Wimbledon in June by taking part in the AEGON International in Eastbourne.

The Belgian completed a remarkable comeback in 2009 when she won the US Open, more than two years after retiring from tennis.

The world number 17 says she is hungrier than ever and is looking forward to returning to a tournament that she won five years ago.

"To come back last year and win at the US Open has only made me more hungry for success," she said.

"I'm really excited about playing at Eastbourne, it's one of my favourite events.

"I won it in 2005 and can't wait to play there to come back to challenge for the title again.

"It's a really well-run tournament, in a laid-back atmosphere, providing the perfect preparation ahead of Wimbledon."

LTA Orders Internal Review

The Lawn Tennis Association are set to hold an internal inquiry into Great Britain's "unacceptable" defeat to Lithuania in the Davis Cup.

Great Britain are in danger of dropping into the bottom tier of the competition after their 3-2 loss over the weekend left them facing a relegation play-off.

Captain John Lloyd is already weighing up his future after overseeing a record five successive defeats - but he now faces questions from the LTA over what has happened.

LTA chief executive Roger Draper said: "I share the deep disappointment and frustration at this result. Five defeats in a row is unacceptable.

"So I have asked the LTA player director, Steven Martens, to review last week's performance and result, and report back to me and the LTA main board as soon as possible.

"That review needs to be swift and decisive as it is clear some real improvements need to be made."

Russian Reigns in Mexico

Teenage Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova came from behind in her second match of the day to claim the Monterry Open title with victory over Daniela Hantuchova.

Pavlyuchenkova was forced to play both the semi-final and final of the event on the same day due to rain effecting the tournament in Mexico.

The 18-year-old won her first tournament on the WTA Tour by recovering from a slow start to beat second seed Daniela Hantuchova 1-6 6-1 6-0 in the final.

Pavlyuchenkova, the third seed, was given a major test by Latvian Anastasija Sevastova in her semi-final, which had to be played today after rain washed out much of Saturday's play.

She won 6-3 2-6 6-1, and then had the opportunity to rest as the doubles final took place.

Slovakian Hantuchova had just enough time to complete her Saturday match before the poor weather arrived, and she looked set to take advantage as she raced away with the first set.

However the 26-year-old crumbled as she chased what would have been her first title since triumphing at Indian Wells in 2007, and Pavyluchenkova dominated the second and third sets.

Hantuchova into last eight

Daniela Hantuchova led three of the top five seeds into the quarter-finals of the Monterrey Open on Thursday evening.

The Slovakian raced into the last eight with a 6-1 6-3 victory over Kaia Kanepi, setting up a clash with American Vania King in the process.

Hantuchova's compatriot Dominika Cibulkova also advanced, although the fourth seed dropped the first set on the way to sending Italian Sara Errani apcking 3-6 6-4 6-1.

Cibulkova will next face fifth-ranked Agnes Szavay of Hungary, who also required three sets to progress as she edged past Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany 6-1 6-7 6-1.

In the fourth match of the day Anastasija Sevastova followed up her shock win over top seed Jelena Jankovic by ousting Czech Iveta Benesova 6-1 6-2.

Alize Cornet of France awaits in the last eight.

Jankovic Crashes Out

Latvian teenager Anastasija Sevastova knocked out top seed Jelena Jankovic in the first round of the Monterrey Open.

Sevastova, ranked 72nd in the world, came from a break down in the deciding set to clinch a 5-7 6-4 6-4 victory.

The defeat continued world number nine Jankovic's unimpressive run of form this season - in four events so far, she has yet to reach a quarter-final.

Third seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, meanwhile, had no such problems in her first-round match, thrashing Georgian qualifier Anna Tatishvili 6-1 6-2.

Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova, the fourth seed, advanced with a 6-4 6-3 win over Italian Roberta Vinci, while Agnes Szavay - the fifth-seeded Hungarian - was forced to go to a third set but eventually overcame German Julia Goerges 6-3 3-6 6-3.

Czech player Iveta Benesova fought back to oust American Jill Craybas, lifting her performance after dropping the first set to triumph 3-6 6-2 6-1.

Two other Czechs bowed out though - Germany's Anna-Lena Groenefeld beat Lucie Hradecka 6-2 6-4 and France's Alize Cornet ran out an easy 6-3 6-1 winner over Barbora Zahlavova Strycova.

Also victorious in Tuesday's first-round matches were Italy's Sara Errani, Slovenian Polona Hercog, Estonia's Kaia Kanepi and Austrian Patricia Mayr.

Billie Jean Joy for Venus

Venus Williams claimed her maiden Billie Jean King Cup title with victory over both Svetlana Kuznetsova and Kim Clijsters at Madison Square Garden.

The world number five edged a tense semi-final with Kuznetsova 6-4 before battling past Belgian Clijsters 6-4 3-6 7-5 in the final of the four-player event.

Williams, who came into the exhibition tournament in fine form having just retained her Acapulco crown, broke Clijsters in the first game of the final and then held all of her serves to win the first set.

A straight-sets victory looked on the cards when Williams broke early in the second, however former world number one Clijsters produced an inspired fightback to claim the set 6-3 and force a decider.

Roared on by the near-12,000 strong crowd, Venus then claimed a decisive break in game 12 of the final set to claim the $400,000 prize.

"I always feel really confident on match point, so I love getting to that match point," Williams said. "At quadruple match point I felt nice."

Earlier, Clijsters beat Serbian beauty Ana Ivanovic 7-6 in the first of the one-set semi-finals, outscoring the 22-year-old and 2008 French Open champion 7-2 in the tiebreaker.

Williams came from a break down to beat third-ranked Kuznetsova, the 2009 French Open winner, in the second semi-final 6-4. Kuznetsova took a 2-0 lead but struggled with her serve.

Down 15-40 in the final game, the 24-year-old Russian double-faulted on her to hand Williams the match.

Williams Escapes to Victory

Top seed Venus Williams dragged herself back from the brink of defeat to reach the semi-finals of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel tournament.

The defending champion reeled off six successive games in the deciding set to overcome Spanish qualifier Laura Pios Tio 4-6 6-3 7-5 in their last eight clash.

A major upset had looked likely when Pios Tio, ranked 399 in the world, led Williams 5-1 and was serve for the match in the deciding third set.

However, nerves clearly got the better of the 25-year-old, as Williams reeled off the next six games to sneak through to the last four of the clay-court event.

Williams, who won in Dubai last week, will meet Romania's Edina Gallovits, the world 164, for a place in the final after she defeated Sharon Finchman 7-5 6-2.

In the other half of the draw, second seed Agnes Szavay bowed out after a left thigh injury forced her to retire trailing 19-year-old Slovenian Polona Hercog 6-4 1-0.

Hercog, the eighth seed, will now attempt to reach her first WTA Tour final when she meets fifth seed Carla Suarez Navarro.

Suarez Navarro knocked out third seed Gisela Dulko 6-1 7-6 (7-4) to reach the last four.

Roddick Betters Blake

Top seed Andy Roddick has reached the second round of the ATP Morgan Keegan Championships after beating James Blake for the first time in four meetings.

Roddick had a wobble in the second set but eventually prevailed, beating his fellow American 6-3 4-6 7-6 (7-3) in Memphis.

However, the tournament's third and fourth seeds, Radek Stepanek and Tommy Haas, both crashed out on Wednesday.

Belgium's Xavier Malisse accounted for Haas, booking his place in round two with a 6-4 3-6 6-4 victory over the German.

Meanwhile, Latvian youngster Ernests Gulbis stunned Stepanek in their second-round match, knocking out the Czech player 7-6 (7/5) 7-5.

In other first-round action on Wednesday, Leonardo Mayer of Argentina beat American Mardy Fish 6-4 6-0 while eighth seed Sam Querrey comfortably beat another American, Rajeev Ram, 6-2 6-3.

American sixth seed John Isner also advanced to the quarter-finals with a 6-7 (3/7) 6-4 6-4 victory over Finland's Jarkko Nieminen while Germany's Philipp Petzschner beat Kazakhstan's Evgeny Korolev 7-6 (7/5) 7-6 (7/5).

Keothavong Wins in Memphis

Anne Keothavong caused an early upset at the WTA Cellular South Cup in Memphis by knocking out sixth seed Kristina Barrois.

The British number three, who reached the semi-finals of the tournament last year, triumphed 6-1 6-3 against her German opponent.

Next up for the 26-year-old will be Portuguese teenager Michelle Larcher de Brito, who saw off American qualifier Madison Brengle 6-3 6-3.

Former world number one Maria Sharapova is also through to the second round after dropping just two games against American Shenay Perry.

The top seed, who was eliminated in the first round of the Australian Open last month, needed just 51 minutes to win the night match in front of a full house.

Russian Sharapova has played just once before in Memphis, making it through to the semi-finals six years ago.

Third seed Kaia Kanepi of Estonia saw off Holland's Arantxa Rus 6-0 6-4, though there was better news for the Dutch with Michaella Krajicek defeating German Julia Schruff.

Qualifier Valerie Tetreault of Canada made it beyond the opening round with a 6-3 6-4 victory over Romanian Monica Niculescu

Sweden's Sofia Arvidsson - another qualifier - beat Poland's Marta Domachowska 5-7 6-4 6-3, while Croatian wild card Ajla Tomljanovic also advanced by seeing off Slovakia's Kristina Kucova.

Dream Dubai debut for Peer

Israel's Shahar Peer came from a set down to defeat 13th-seed Yanina Wickmayer on her debut at the Dubai Tennis Championship.

Peer was unable to compete 12 months ago after controversially being denied a visa for entry into the United Arab Emirates, with tournament organisers citing security concerns.

And after dropping the first set to her Belgian opponent it looked as though Peer's stay this time around would be brief.

However, she fought back bravely and turned the match around before earning a 3-6 6-2 7-5 success.

She will next face Virginie Razzano of France after she eased past Selima Sfar of Tunisia 6-2 6-2.

Ninth seed Samantha Stosur also made an early exit, losing her first-round match to Tathiana Garbin of Italy in three sets.

It was a close match, with the Australian taking the first set and her opponent battling back in the second.

The third went to a tie-break, which the unseeded player took to claim a 3-6 6-2 7-6 (7/4) win.

Nadia Petrova was another high-profile name to fall, the 15th-seeded Russian losing two tie-breaks against Stefanie Voegele.

Twelfth seed Vera Zvonareva narrowly avoided the fate of her compatriot, edging through a tense third set to beat another Russian, Elena Vesnina, 6-4 4-6 7-5, while Flavia Pennetta beat Melinda Czink of Hungary 6-4 6-4.

In the day's only second-round game, Agnieszka Radwanska - the Polish seventh seed - beat Anastasija Sevastova 6-3 6-3.

Lee Faces Betting Probe

Stephen Lee has been arrested following an investigation into suspicious betting patterns.

The player, from Trowbridge in Wiltshire, was arrested on Thursday, West Midlands Police confirmed.

A spokesman said: "A 35-year-old man from Wiltshire was arrested on Thursday February 11 on suspicion of cheating.

"This follows a joint operation where West Midlands Police have assisted the Gambling Commission, following their concerns about suspicious betting patterns."

Lee, who is ranked 25th in the world, is no stranger to controversy after testing positive for cannabis in 2000.

A Rod Cruises Into Quarters

Andy Roddick's quest for a fourth SAP Open title gathered pace as he marched into the quarter-finals at the expense of Leonardo Mayer.

The former world number one, who won the San Jose event in 2004, 2005 and 2008, blasted past Argentina's Mayer 6-3 6-1 in one hour and 14 minutes and will now meet Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic in the last eight.

"Tonight it was just coming off a bit firmer and I was able to move the ball around a bit more - that comes from getting a match in," Roddick said.

"This was a good match for me. I felt like he had big swings and I thought that forced him to play a bit more aggressively on the first ball of a point which in turn creates a little bit of a more hit-or-miss deal for him, which I thought caught up with him tonight."

Second seed Fernando Verdasco could be Roddick's greatest threat to the crown after he progressed with a 7-5 6-2 triumph over Germany's Benjamin Becker.

Verdasco will now play qualifier Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania, a 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 winner over another German, Bjorn Phau.

Seventh-seed Sam Querrey prevailed in an all-American second round clash with Taylor Dent 6-4 6-4 and his reward is a last-eight clash with compatriot Michael Russell, who beat Xavier Malisse of Belgium 6-4 7-5.

Trio selected for Davis Cup

John Lloyd will pick from James Ward, Dan Evans and Jamie Baker to play singles for Great Britain in the upcoming Davis Cup tie against Lithuania.

The trio will battle it out for two spots in the absence of Andy Murray, who is not playing following Britain's relegation to Europe/Africa Zone Group II.

Lloyd's team are currently in the third tier of the international competition having suffered four successive defeats.

Baker, who is ranked 288 in the world, is the only one of the threesome who has won a Davis Cup match before. He defeated Agustin Calleri in a dead rubber against Argentina back in 2008 but has lost his other three matches.

Evans was beaten in his two singles outings against Poland last year, while Ward - the lowest ranked of the three at 252 - has yet to make his debut.
Doubles specialists

As expected, doubles duo Colin Fleming and Ken Skupski have been included. Fellow doubles specialist Ross Hutchins completes the six-strong squad.

"This is a real opportunity for some of our younger players to gain valuable Davis Cup experience. I'm confident that they all have the ability to perform at this level and a passion to represent their country," Lloyd said.

Great Britain have not tasted victory since their World Group play-off success against Croatia back in 2007 - Tim Henman's final match for the team.

They take on Lithunia at the Vitas Gerulaitis Memorial Tennis Centre in Vilnius from March 5 to 7. Lloyd must name his four-man line-up for the clash by midday on February 23.

Wells Wildcard For Henin

Australian Open finalist and former world number one Justine Henin has been granted a wildcard place in March's BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

The Belgian, who won the event in 2004, has made a popular return to the WTA Tour after retiring from tennis in May 2008.

Since returning to the court, Henin has followed compatriot Kim Clijsters in making a successful playing return and beat fifth seed Elena Dementieva and Yanina Wickmayer in Melbourne before losing to Serena Williams in the final.

She joins fellow former champions Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, Vera Zvonareva and two-time winners Clijsters and Daniela Hantuchova in the draw for the March 8-21 event in California.

Henin told the tournament's official website, bnpparibasopen.org: "I am very happy that the BNP Paribas Open has granted me a wildcard, and I look forward to returning to Indian Wells.

"I am excited to be back on Tour, and hope to continue the success I have had thus far in 2010. The fan support has been incredible, and I hope that I am able to claim my first title of the season at the BNP Paribas Open in March."

Tournament director Steve Simon added: "Not only is the BNP Paribas Open excited to have Justine in the field, but I'm certain our fans are going to be thrilled to have the opportunity to see such a phenomenal player compete again at our tournament.

"Adding a former champion, and one of the best women's players of all time, means that fans will again get to witness some of the finest tennis in the world."

Cilic Enjoys Home Comforts

Defending champion Marin Cilic cruised into the quarter-finals of the Zagreb Indoors with a 6-2 6-1 victory over Daniel Koellerer.

Cilic, the top seed, dropped just seven points on his serve while seeing off Austria's Koellerer in quick time.

The 22-year-old has made a strong start to his 2010 campaign, winning a title in Chennai and reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open.

He will face fellow Croat Ivo Karlovic in the last eight after Karlovic defeated French qualifier Alexandre Sidorenko 7-6 (7/4) 7-6 (10/8).

Lukas Lacko of Slovakia also advanced by ousting another home player, 2006 champion Ivan Ljubicic, 7-6 (7/3) 5-7 7-6 (7/5).

Lacko's next opponent is German Philipp Petzschner, who defeated compatriot Benjamin Becker 1-6 7-6 (7/4) 7-6 (8/6) after saving a match point in the third-set tie-break.

Germany's Michael Berrer made safe progress with a 6-4 6-3 triumph against Croatia's Petar Jelenic.

GB Slip to Austria Defeat

Great Britain's Fed Cup team crashed to a 3-0 defeat against Austria in Thursday's group match.

Confidence was high in the British camp after their 3-0 whitewash of Bosnia Herzegovina the previous day, but they were unable to follow that up against a strong Austrian line-up.

Anne Keothavong, making her return to action following a six-month absence with a serious knee injury, slipped to a 6-2 6-2 defeat to world number 107 Patricia Mayr in the opening match.

Keothavong was broken twice in the first set and then unable to claw her way back from a 4-0 deficit in the second.

And Sybille Bammer opened an unassailable lead for Austria with a 6-3 6-3 victory over Elena Baltacha.

Baltacha, ranked 33 places lower than her opponent at 83, managed to break Bammer three times but experience told in the end.
Deserved

Great Britain captain Nigel Sears admitted Austria were deserved winners.

"Naturally I'm disappointed - we were beaten by a better team on the day," he said.

"It's a reflection of the strength of the Austrian team that they've won both singles against Belarus and us.

"I think the girls gave it their very best. There's no question that there's a lot more to come from Annie K.

"It's nice to see her playing again; I just feel it was a bit too much to ask from her on the day."

Austria completed the 3-0 rout later in the evening by winning the dead doubles rubber.

Sarah Borwell and Keothavong tried hard to salvage some pride but were beaten 6-4 6-4 by the pairing of Mayr and Yvonne Meusburger.