Novak Djokovic defeated Gilles Simon of France 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 on Friday (February 27) and has advanced to the finals at the Dubai Championships.

This is the third ranked Djokovic first final of the season. He will play David Ferrer of Spain, who defeated Richard Gasquet of France 6-2, 6-2.

Djokovic didn’t start the match off real well and was broken in the first set, but came back for a victory.

“I feel a bit lucky, but I think you have to work for luck,” Djokovic said. “It doesn’t just fall through the sky. I think I fought my way through in the match, really believed until the end, and mentally, this is a very important win for me.”

Ferrer looked very good in his match against Gasquet and was consistent and focused.

“This was the best match of the season for me,” the 26-year-old Spaniard said. “I was very consistent and very focused. But even though the score reads 6-2, 6-2, it was a tough match and I think I was a bit lucky as well, because I saved a few break points during the match.”

Who do you think will take away the Dubai Championship title? More photos from the Djokovic/Simon match below.

Source: Tennis.com

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Djokovic and Ferrer Will Play in Dubai Final

Even despite all of the controversy, he appeared relaxed and focused on the match with his fellow tennis partner Kevin Ullyett of Zimbabwe.

In a statement, Ram said, "It was obviously something big, history here, what’s been done, the first Israeli coming to play sport in Dubai”.

Ram took to the court just a week after Israeli women’s player Shahar Peer was denied a visa. I was hoping that Ram would be given a visa and allowed to play. It’s unfortunate that he had to be escorted onto the court by two body guards, but the match went ahead with out any troubles.

Source

Image Credit: Newscom

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Andy Ram Becomes First Israeli Tennis Player to Play in United Arab Emirates

Third seed Andy Murray was forced to pull out of the Dubai Championships due to illness. He admitted that he has been hindered with an illness since the Australian Open.

Murray started to feel worse after he won the match against Arnaud Clement on Wednesday.

"I woke up in the middle of the night sweating," he said. "I went to the doctor and started taking antibiotics, but I have felt very tired all week. I have felt cold and shivery and had a sore throat, I feel that my temperature is up, and my body feels bad."

What is in Murray’s future when it comes to the Davis Cup next week?

"I will have to rest and see," he said. "If I feel bad I won’t play, and if I feel fine I will play," he said.

What is it exactly that is affecting Murray’s health. The worry is that he is developing a form of mononucleosis, the same illness that affected Roger Federer last season.

I hope Andy Murray feels better because I really want to see him play in the Davis Cup. He was a favorite to win a Grand Slam at the beginning of this year.

Source: Tennis.com

Image Credit: Newscom

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Andy Murray Pulls Out of Dubai Because of Virus

The Men’s 2009 Dubai Championship is in full swing. There are several big names missing due to injuries (Nadal) and disagreements with the Visa controversy (Roddick).

Here are some highlights from Day 1 of the Men’s Dubai Championships:

See below for a post-match interview with Andy Murray.

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Highlights from Day 1 of Men’s Dubai Championships

Congratulations to Venus Williams for winning her 40th career title in Dubai on Saturday, February 21st. Williams defeated Virginie Razzano 6-4, 6-2.

The 2009 Dubai Championship has definitely been overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Israel’s Shahar Peer’s visa, which she wasn’t granted.

Williams said, “Despite a very challenging week for everyone, we got a positive result in the end. We all worked together. Shahar was very brave and paved the way for what happened this week with the men’s event, and hopefully all the right things will be in place when we come back.”

See below for pictures and a video clip from the Championships.

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Venus Williams Reigns in Dubai

They did compensate Peer and have ensured that her and other Israeli players will not be shut out of any future tournaments in the federation. Their reasoning behind this whole ordeal was the fear that because of the anger against Israel’s recent military offensive in the Gaza Strip, riots would happen during her match.

Part of the $300,000 will go to Peer and her doubles partner Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany. This is to make up for the $2 million dollar prize money that they could have won.

Dubai organizers have also said that Israeli players will get visas at least eight week in advance in order to remain on the 2010 tour schedule.

In other Dubai news, Andy Roddick has pulled out of the tournament and said that he would not defend his title there.

"I really didn’t agree with what went on over there. I don’t know if it’s the best thing to mix politics and sports, and that was probably a big part of it,” Roddick said.

Read the rest below.

He went on to say, "It’s just disappointing that reflects on a tournament that probably didn’t have much to do with the decision. Nevertheless, I just don’t feel like there’s a need for that in a sporting event. I don’t think you make political statements through sports.”

I completely agree. We have to make politics and sports separate. There will always be tension in our world between different countries, but sports is a place where everyone should be able to come together and put out differences aside. This is one reason why I love the Olympics so much. To see so many countries under one roof just amazes me. I hope the world of tennis has learned from this whole Dubai ordeal.

Source: NBC Sports

Image Credit: Newscom

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WTA Fines Dubai Championships Organizers

Venus Williams defeated her sister Serena Williams at the Dubai Championships, 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 (7-3), on Friday, February 20th. This win pushed Venus ahead into the finals. I really enjoy watching these sisters play each other. The power they both have always amazes me and although I know Serena was disappointed, I also know that she supports her sister 100%.

Serena struggled with her serves quite a bit in the first set, while Venus dominated.

"I loved the way the first set went," said Venus.

Who’s she facing in the finals? Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano and Venus will play today, February 21st.

During last week’s semi-finals in Paris, Serena had to pull out due to a knee injury. That same injury seemed to be bothering her during her match against Venus.

Check out a “How It Happened” breakdown of the sister’s match.

Who do you think will win the match today? I’m rooting for Venus! See below for pictures from the sisters’ match.

Source: The National

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Venus Defeats Sister Serena at Dubai

Yesterday, I shared with you the statement made by the Tennis Channel regarding the Israeli player, Shahar Peer, who was barred from playing in the Dubai Championships.

The tournament organizer made a statement regarding the decision saying “Peer’s ‘presence would have antagonized our fans’ because of the attacks in Gaza, which left about 1,300 Palestinians dead, at least half of them civilians, according to Gaza health officials.”

Another Israeli player is stuck in France hoping to make it in the Sunday draw. Andy Ram is in Marseilles, France, and awaiting word if he will be allowed into Dubai. Ram is ranked No. 7 in the world in doubles.

Ram’s lawyer, Amit Naor, told The Associated Press, "Andy wants to play, he’s not interested in all the other stuff," Naor said. "He’s not looking for trouble, he’s looking to play … we thought politics was already out of sports."

Sports is a place where politics has to be set aside. It’s a time when countries should be able to come together and showcase their best athletes. Instead, people are being barred and left out and there is something very wrong with that.

I understand that tournament officials want to make sure that everyone is safe, but it’s just despicable that a country has to be highlighted like this and that their best players are being punished.

What are your thoughts on this whole situation?

Check out some pictures below of protestors wanting Shahar Peer to leave the ASB Classic in New Zealand in early January.

Source: Wizbangsports.com

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Dubai Officials Have a Decision to Make

Injuries. They are a part of sports and can come at the most inconvenient times. There’s no way around them except to do what you can to heal and that is exactly what Switzerland’s Roger Federer is having to do.

Federer announced that he is pulling out of a tournament in Dubai next week, as well as the Davis Cup, which is being held on March 6-8 in Birmingham, AL. The reason for this decision is because of a back injury that has bothered him since last year.

This would have been the first time since 2004 that Federer has played in a first-round Davis Cup.

Federer posted a statement on his website on Tuesday, February 16th, saying, “As a precautionary measure, I will use the next few weeks to make sure the back injury is fully rehabilitated and I am ready for the rest of the 2009 season”.

Rafael Nadal may also have to pull out of the Dubai Championship because of a right leg injury. Andy Murray defeated Nadal at the ABN Amro tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands last week. Nadal was not himself and had to call a medical time out during the match.

The U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe was very disappointed by the decision Federer had to make.

“I’m kind of disappointed, to be honest. Obviously, it changes the complexion of the match, in that it makes us a pretty significant favorite.”

He went on to say, “He’s a big part of the reason we sold out. I’m kind of disappointed for tennis”.

Source: Tennis.com

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Roger Federer Pulls Out of Dubai, Davis Because of Back Injury

Venus Williams has made her way to the quarter-finals of the Dubai Championships with a 6-3 6-2 victory over Frenchwoman Alize Cornet on Wednesday, February 18th.

Williams was in control of the match the entire time and was very dominant in the second set. She only gave up 2 points in four games.

"I missed a few shots long (today) and was a little upset about that but I managed to rein it in," said Williams. "She is obviously a really good player with a lot of potential.

"I’m sure she didn’t play the way she wanted but I think I was able to put some pressure on her."

Yesterday, Williams was asked her thoughts on the strict drug-testing regulations. The players are required to make it known where they are for one hour everyday. She and others think the regulations are unfair.

More photos from the match, plus a video clip of the highlights below.

Source: Reuters

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Venus Williams Reaches Quarter-Finals in Dubai