International Premier Tennis League: Novak Djokovic to Serve For Singapore Slammers in Season 2

The International Premier Tennis League has now expanded to five teams. Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic will play for Singapore Slammers in the December 2-20 tournament.

Novak Djokovic to serve for Singapore Slammers in IPTL season 2

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Newly-crowned Wimbledon champion and current world number one, Novak Djokovic, will be leading the Singapore Slammers in the second season of the 2015 International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) from December 2-20, 2015. (Djokovic Pace US Open Direct Entry List)

Djokovic's teammates in the new-look Singapore Slammers franchise will feature former world number one Carlos Moya of Spain, Swiss teen sensation Belinda Bencic, current world number 12 Karolina Pliskova from the Czech Republic, Brazilian doubles specialist Marcelo Melo and rising Australian star Nick Kyrgios, who is the sole survivor of last year's line-up. (Last Man Standing For Novak Djokovic)

The team-based, multi-nation tennis league has expanded to five teams for its second edition with the Japan Warriors joining last season's champions, the Indian Aces. The UAE Royals, the Philippine Mavericks and the Singapore Slammers complete the line-up. The tournament starts in Japan and ends at Singapore's Indoor Stadium.

Top players from both the ATP and WTA tours have confirmed their participation for IPTL 2015. They include the only Asian to play in a Grand Slam final Kei Nishikori (Japan Warriors) along with Rafael Nadal (Indian Aces), Roger Federer (UAE Royals) and Serena Williams (Philippine Mavericks).

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal put out of business by ATO's unforced error

Done it: Novak Djokovic celebrates winning the Wimbledon title against Roger Federer. Photo: Jonathan Brady

Tennis champions Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal along with thousands of other sole traders and small business have fallen victim to an overzealous push by the Tax Office to clean up its registers.

The two tennis stars were stripped of their Australian business numbers, Tax Office insiders say, as the ATO moved to rid its registers of what it believed were more than 1 million unused ABNs.

Rafael Nadal and more than 24,000 other ABN holders were still using their registrations, or intended to use them again, when they were booted off the register. Photo: AP

But Rafa, Novak and more than 24,000 other ABN holders were still using their registrations, or intended to use them again, when they were booted off the register.

The ATO says the cancellations were the result of systems functioning "normally" but insiders say the process was botched with the Tax Office, beset by deep cuts to its workforce, moving too quickly to replace discarded public servants with automated systems.

Sources close to the office say a massive backlog has developed of individuals and businesses waiting to be issued with ABNs with the Tax Office conceding there are more than 17,000 applications currently outstanding.

The two tennis champs were among a number of high profile sports people, who compete periodically in Australia, to be affected by the mix-up, tax insiders say.But the ATO, which has also been under fire after its online tax return system failed to cope with the recent end-of-financial-year rush, says it is meeting its targets for issuing ABNs and ABRs with 93 per cent processed on time.

"This has come about because the organisation is trying, poorly, to automate processes due to
budget and staff cuts," one source told Fairfax Media.

"Someone didn't figure that there are non-resident clients who only lodge business activity statements statements every now and then.

"The sports people along with plenty of others were picked up with the sweep.

"ABR processing is a big mess."

An ATO spokesman said the ATO's systems did not specifically identify a taxpayer as an international sports star and would not confirm that Djokovic and Nadal had been booted off the register.

"We do not specifically identify high profile sportspersons so are not able to comment on that group in particular,"  he said.

But the spokesman confirmed the office of the business registrar, which operates out of the ATO, did undertake periodic sweeps to remove unused numbers and registrations "to ensure the integrity of the register".

"This program identifies registrants that have not shown any signs of business activity in the last four years, such as not declaring any business income," he said.

"These registrations are normally cancelled.

"These registrations may be cancelled automatically on the basis of information available to the registrar.

"In 2014-2015 this program of work cancelled 1.2 million redundant registrations.

"To date approximately two  per cent of these have been reinstated on the spot at the request of the ABN holder."

The spokesman defended the office's record of handling applications for ABNs.

"The ATO is meeting the service standard of 93 per cent of ABN registrations processed within 20 business days," he said.

"We registered more than 700,000 ABNs in 2014-2015.

"Currently there are 17,644 ABN applications in the system."

The two players' managers did not respond to requests for comment.

Novak Djokovic Has History in His Sights After Wimbledon Triumph

By claiming his third title in SW19, Novak Djokovic showed he is ready to dominate the sport as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have done.

Novak Djokovic - the Wimbledon 2015 champion!

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Victory over Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final brought Novak Djokovic level with his opponent in career meetings at 20 wins apiece. After a triumph that earned the Serb a third title at the All England Club and a ninth major in all, that may seem merely a statistical footnote. But for Djokovic, it gestures towards the wider truth that he is finally beginning to make up ground on Federer, if not in the affections of the public then certainly in the grand sweep of sporting history. (Djokovic Wins Third Wimbledon Title| Love and Marriage Key to Djokovic's Success)

Defeat to the Swiss maestro, which looked an even-money bet when an inspired Federer sent the Centre Court crowd into delirium by staving off six set points to win the second-set tie-break, would have reinforced the impression of Djokovic as a man playing third fiddle in a symphony of unprecedented excellence. But while he remains short of both Federer and Rafael Nadal in terms of majors won - his two biggest rivals have 17 and 14 respectively - he is now in a class of his own on nine. (Steel-Plated Djokovic a Step too Far for Federer)

"He's marching through history right now and we're watching it," said the former world No1 Andy Roddick after a win that lifted Djokovic one slam clear of Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors, Ken Rosewall and Fred Perry. (Third Title Feels as Sweet as First: Djokovic)

How different that picture might have looked had Djokovic foundered, as he had done in six of his previous nine major finals heading into the match. Then the talk would have turned to a man suffering a crisis of confidence after his recent defeat to Stan Wawrinka in the final of the French Open, the only grand slam Djokovic has yet to win. The Serb would have faced accusations not only of a failure of nerve on the game's biggest stages but also of complacency, following his decision not to play a warm-up event on grass for the second year running. (Federer Magnanimous After Defeat by Djokovic)

Instead, Djokovic confirmed that this is his time. This year has seen him at his most dominant since 2011, when he marked his emergence as a genuine rival to Federer and Nadal by winning in Melbourne, London and New York. Until now, he has struggled to match that high-water mark, failing to win more than one major a year. But victory in SW19 suggests that - like Federer and Nadal, who marked their best years by claiming at least two slams a season - Djokovic is ready to dominate the sport in earnest.

Certainly his comments to the press after his 7-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 victory spoke of a man with history on his mind. "I'm very proud with all the success that I've had so far in my career," said Djokovic. "If you had said to me as a 14-year-old back in Serbia, trying to find my way, that this was how I was going to end up at 28, of course I would have signed the deal and taken it right away.

"There were a couple of grand slam finals that I think I could have won, but having said that everything happens for a reason. I try to learn from every experience, especially the ones that don't end up victorious for me. I'm going to keep going. I'm 28, I feel good, I don't feel old, I have hopefully many more years in front of me. I'm going to try to push my own limits and see how far I can go."

Whether it will be enough to take him beyond his two great rivals remains to be seen. Federer may have thrown down the gauntlet for good with his seventh Wimbledon title three years ago, but Nadal will surely come again after a season spent labouring unsuccessfully to rediscover his best form. For now, though, Djokovic will train his sights on the US Open, where victory would draw him level with Bill Tilden, the great American champion of the 1920s, on 10 majors. Only a fool would bet against him.

Davis Cup: Andy Murray Looks for Queen's Boost, Serbia Without Novak Djokovic

Andy Murray, the world number three, will be looking for a lift after his Wimbledon semi-final exit to Roger Federer as Great Britain host France a few kilometres away in West London's Queen's Club in the Davis Cup World Group quarter-final from July 17-19

Andy Murray will be joined on his favoured grass surface by James Ward

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Andy Murray will lead Great Britain against France at The Queen's Club as Serbia travel to Argentina without Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic in Davis Cup World Group quarter-final action starting on Friday.

Murray, the world number three, will be looking for a lift after his Wimbledon semi-final exit to Roger Federer as Great Britain host France a few kilometres away in West London's Queen's Club from July 17-19.

Britain will be bidding to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 1981 where they will play either Australia or Kazakhstan, who clash in Darwin.

Murray, who lifted a fourth Queen's Club title before Wimbledon, will be joined on his favoured grass surface by James Ward, who reached the third round at Wimbledon, Dom Inglot and brother Jamie, who lost in the men's doubles final on Saturday. (Djokovic Has History in Sight After Wimbledon Triumph)

France have a talented lineup in world number 11 to 13-ranked players, Gilles Simon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet, alongside doubles specialist Nicolas Mahut.

The French have won the Davis Cup nine times, most recently in 2001, and are joint-third in the all-time list with Britain, who have not triumphed since 1936.

France captain Arnaud Clement said the team had been boosted by good performances at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

Gasquet fell in the semi-finals at SW19 to Djokovic, with Simon reaching the quarter-finals at the All England Club for the first time.

"They had a good Roland Garros, now a good Wimbledon. The guys are in good form. In terms of confidence it's the best we could have hoped for," said Clement ahead of the first Franco-British clash since 1992.

"I think Andy is a good guy to bring in all the other guys to a good level," warned Tsonga, who reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2011 and 2012.

"Today they have a great team. He has got his brother (Jamie Murray), he has James Ward and a few other guys.

"They play good tennis, they play at home, so for sure they will be a good team."

Kyrgios in spotlight

In Darwin, Australia also play their first quarter-finals since 2006 on grass against Kazakhstan.

Australia's top-ranked player Bernard Tomic has been banned following a rant about Tennis Australia, with Wally Masur's side spearheaded by 20-year-old Nick Kyrgios.

Kyrgios has been declared fit after a thigh-injury scare, and will be joined by Sam Groth, Thanasi Kokkinakis, and veteran Lleyton Hewitt.

Serbia will be without Wimbledon champion Djokovic

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Masur said he was sure Kyrgios, ranked 41, would be up to the task.

"I probably shouldn't say it, but he's a future Grand Slam winner," Masur said.

"He's an amazing player. But you don't just walk into those situations. There's a lot of hard work to be done."

Masur remains wary of a Kazakh side that have made the Davis Cup quarter-finals in four of the past five years.

"I'm actually nervous about this tie, because the Kazakhs are really good Davis Cup players," Masur said of his rivals whose top player is 63rd-ranked Mikhail Kukushkin.

"They beat Italy in the first round - Fabio Fognini and Andreas Seppi - pretty significant wins."

In Buenos Aires, world number one Djokovic will be absent as Serbia take on Argentina in a repeat of the 2011 semi-final, which the South Americans won 3-2.

Djokovic clinched a third Wimbledon and ninth career grand slam on Sunday, with captain Bogdan Obradovic having named Viktor Troicki, ranked 20, and 96th-ranked Dusan Lajovic along with doubles specialists Janko Tipsarevic and Nenad Zimonjic.

Leonardo Mayer will lead Argentina in the absence of injured duo Juan Monaco and Juan Martin del Potro, bidding for a semi-final place against either Canada or Belgium.

Canada will be without their top player Milos Raonic, who is nursing a foot injury, as his side travel to Ostend to play Belgium, who are lead by world number 15 David Goffin

It’s time to talk about Novak Djokovic catching Roger Federer

A DAY after winning Wimbledon for a ninth grand slam title, moving within five of Rafael Nadal’s total and putting him more than halfway to Roger Federer’s record of 17, Novak Djokovic was asked about the possibility of catching his two rivals.

He exhaled.

“I don’t want to say it’s too early to talk about it,” Djokovic began, then interrupted himself with a laugh. “I mean, it’s probably the right time to talk about it.”

It sure is.

The No. 1-ranked Djokovic has firmly established his bona fides as one of the greats of the game by just about any measure, including his three championships at Wimbledon, five at the Australian Open, and one at the US Open.

By getting to grand slam title No. 9, he pushed ahead of quite a group of guys with eight: Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, Fred Perry, Ken Rosewall. Plus, Djokovic is 28, and by all accounts only getting better.

As for chasing the numbers put up by contemporaries Federer and Nadal?

“I’m still far, far away from that. It’s still a long way ahead,” Djokovic said Monday at the All England Club, about 18 hours after earning his third Wimbledon championship, and second in a row, with a 7-6 (7-1) 6-7 (10-12) 6-4 6-3 victory over second-ranked Federer.

“Winning one grand slam, I know what it takes. It’s a lot of effort. A lot of things have to come together. So to reach these two guys would be something incredible. But honestly, I’m not thinking about it now.”

Instead, Djokovic said, he derives motivation from his “passion and love for the sport, and just the joy that I find in playing tennis,” along with a sense of “responsibility” he feels to “keep going and bring joy to myself and to” those closest to him, including his wife and their 8-month-old son, Stefan.

Djokovic also said he feels “like I have many years in front of me”.

That’s probably true, although it will not be easy to maintain the pace he established recently. Over the past 20 grand slam tournaments, Djokovic has reached 15 finals — a Federeresque rate — and won eight. And who were the men who lost to Djokovic in those eight? Federer (two), Nadal (three), and Andy Murray (three).

Not too shabby.

Novak Djokovic roars in delight at defeating Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final. Source: AP

As Federer put it during the trophy ceremony at Centre Court on Sunday: “Novak played not only great today but the whole two weeks, plus the whole year, plus last year, plus the year before that.”

If it weren’t for a four-set loss to Stan Wawrinka in the French Open final, after knocking out Nadal in the quarter-finals, Djokovic would be heading to the US Open, which he won in 2011, with a chance at a calendar-year Grand Slam, just like Serena Williams.

Disappointing as that defeat against Wawrinka was, preventing him from claiming a career Grand Slam, Djokovic recovered quickly.

“Considering where I was, my state of mind, I would say, three, four weeks ago,” Djokovic said Monday, “it’s pretty amazing to be here with you today as the Wimbledon champion”.

It was pointed out to Djokovic that he is the only player who has beaten seven-time Wimbledon champion Federer on the grass of the All England Club, as well as nine-time French Open champion Nadal on the red clay of Roland Garros.

And Djokovic happened to do it in the span of a little more than a month.

“That is a great achievement, now that you mention it,” Djokovic said, leaning back in his chair. “I didn’t think about it, but it feels pretty good. It’s probably an ultimate challenge to win against those two guys on their most preferred surfaces.”

Terrific as Djokovic is — owner of the best return in tennis; a genius along the baseline, thanks in part to a speedy, sliding, body-contorting style that lets him get to nearly every ball — he is intent on improving.

That’s why he brought aboard Boris Becker as a second coach, for example, to help his mental toughness and serve, among other things.

Djokovic’s serve is more of an asset than ever — he saved six of seven break points Sunday — and now he has designs on getting to the net more often.

“There is always something I can work on,” Djokovic said, “and I know I can get my game to a higher level.”

Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic an untouchable pair on top of tennis world

THOMAS LOVELOCK/AFP/Getty ImagesWimbledon Men's and Women's singles champions Novak Djokovic (R) and Serena Williams dancing on stage at the Champions Dinner in central London.

It was an unexpected way for Wimbledon to end: with the two victorious players gyrating on stage at London’s historic Guildhall to the strains of the Bee Gees’ Night Fever.

“It’s a tradition that had been a little bit forgotten,” said Novak Djokovic, with his characteristic feel for tennis history. And he was right, for what was once the Champions’ Ball was renamed the Champions’ Dinner as long ago as 1977. Until Sunday night, the idea of two newly-crowned players gliding across the dance floor had seemed as out of date as wooden rackets, mullet hairstyles and tiny shorts.

If the celebration was a surprise, the identity of the respective champions was not. Serena Williams has just won her eighth grand slam title from 13 attempts, while Djokovic’s note-perfect display against Roger Federer on Sunday took his tally to three from the past five.

When was the last time that two players had the sport in such an armlock? You probably have to go back to 1969 and the Australian pairing of Rod Laver and Margaret Court, who won seven of the eight majors that year.

While Williams now looks nailed on to equal and probably overtake Steffi Graf’s Open-era record of 22 grand slam titles, the former professionals were musing on Sunday night about Djokovic’s chances of making a similar challenge of his own. Greg Rusedski predicted another five or six majors, and Mats Wilander went further still, suggesting eight or 10. That would take Djokovic past Federer and make him, statistically speaking, the greatest of all time.

“I don’t want to say, it’s too early to talk about it,” Djokovic said, when this possibility was put to him Monday in the All England Club’s interview room. “It’s probably the right time to talk about it, but I am still far, far away from that, it’s still a long way ahead. Winning one grand slam — I know what it takes, it’s a lot of effort, a lot of things have to come together, so to reach these two guys (Federer and Rafael Nadal) would be something incredible. But, honestly, I am not thinking about it now.”

Djokovic is always unfailingly modest on these occasions, talking up the qualities and achievements of his more feted predecessors. He is careful to avoid triumphalism — and yet there is much for him to feel triumphant about, including the unprecedented feat of beating Nadal in Paris and Federer at Wimbledon in the same summer. “That is a great achievement, now that you mention it,” he said, when this point was brought up yesterday. “I didn’t think about it, but it feels pretty good. It’s probably an ultimate challenge to win against those two guys on their most preferred surfaces.”

And then there is the way Djokovic surged back from the frustration of his latest near-miss at Roland Garros. It is only a few weeks since the four-set defeat by Stan Wawrinka that left him holding the runner-up trophy in Paris for a second successive year, and then fixating on the one infuriating gap in his otherwise overflowing trophy cabinet.

AP Photo/Alastair GrantNovak Djokovic is always unfailingly modest on these occasions, talking up the qualities and achievements of his more feted predecessors.

“Considering where I was in my state of mind three or four weeks ago, it’s pretty amazing to be here with you today as the Wimbledon champion, because I’ve managed to overcome that huge challenge once again,” he said. “I was just mentally very disappointed, down on myself, and I didn’t know how far that feeling would stay with me, and how long I will feel the traces of Roland Garros. But Wimbledon was just around the corner, so I had to leave that behind and find myself on the court with a new opportunity to win a grand slam.”

Even if we forget the broader picture for a moment and just look at Wimbledon, Djokovic’s third title here puts him in exalted company, equal fourth in the Open era behind only Federer, Pete Sampras and Bjorn Borg. This is an astonishing statistic for a man whose movement on grass has often been said to fall short of his mind-boggling court coverage on the other two surfaces. Djokovic himself reckons: “Everything on the grass happens very fast, but in the last five years I think I’ve improved a lot and I would definitely now rate it with hard courts as my most successful surface.”

Yet, if much of the game is contested on the court, even more is played in the mind. It was Djokovic’s ability to deliver on the biggest points that his coach Boris Becker — himself, a three-time Wimbledon champion — celebrated.

“He’s a tough cookie,” Becker said. “I call him a street fighter. When the going gets tough, he gets better. When he bleeds a little bit, he goes forward. That’s his trademark.

Julian Finney/Getty ImagesSerena Williams now looks nailed on to equal and probably overtake Steffi Graf's Open-era record of 22 grand slam titles.

“At the beginning of the third set, that was the crucial moment when both had break points. That’s when matches are decided and Novak feels it, he smells it, understands it, when you have to go all in. It can’t always work but at least you have no regrets afterwards. That’s when he took the match away from Roger.”

Since his shock appointment as Djokovic’s head coach 18 months ago, Becker has clearly helped his new charge to relish the struggle. It was noticeable how businesslike Djokovic was in his body language on Sunday, in contrast to previous major finals where he has projected everything from despair to fury or physical exhaustion. And then there was the very different body language of the dance at the Guildhall, the Champions’ Dinner venue. Becker was a factor here too, as Djokovic explained yesterday.

“I suggested the idea to (All England Club chairman) Philip Brook and to Serena and fortunately they accepted it,” he said. “Boris told me that he had a dance with Navratilova when they both won in 1985, but after that there was no dancing. I was very pleased, because Serena is a great dancer.

“I was thinking more of a waltz, something sophisticated, that would blend into the environment of the beautiful hall where we had the dinner. But Serena wanted to move a little bit more, so then we considered other options. And Night Fever came to life.”

Their two-minute boogie may have been no more than the warm-up act. Do not be surprised if this pair of untouchable world-beaters keep dancing for many more slams to come.

Wimbledon: Andy Murray, Roger Federer and, Novak Djokovic in action on men's quarter-finals day

Andy Murray returns to Wimbledon's Centre Court for his quarter-final against Vasek Pospisil

The world's top four tennis players - Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka - are in action on day nine at Wimbledon as the men's quarter-finals are decided. Follow all the action with our live blog from 12.30pm.

Andy Murray v Vasek Pospisil - Centre Court 1pm

Murray is into his eighth successive Wimbledon quarter-final and takes a 3-0 lead into his match-up with world number 56 Vasek Pospisil, who had never previously got beyond the third round of a major before this Wimbledon.

All their three meetings have come in the last 10 months with the 25-year-old Canadian unable to win a single set.

Pospisil spent more than eight hours on court on Monday, first beating Viktor Troicki in the singles in five sets and then losing a five-setter with Jack Sock against Murray's brother Jamie and John Peers.

"He's played a lot of tennis here which is a positive for him," said Murray.

"But also maybe he's a little bit fatigued. So if that is the case, and I won't bank on that being the case, but if that is the case, I'll try to use that to my advantage."

Pospisil's win over Troicki was his third five-set win in four rounds at the All England Club this year.

Who is Vasek Pospisil? 

Novak Djokovic will play at Wimbledon for the third day in a row when he plays Marin Cilic on Wednesday

Nocak Djokovic v Marin Cilic - Centre Court

Novak Djokovic is developing a habit of playing Grand Slam matches over two days. He thinks his latest carried-over contest won't have any effect on him on Wednesday.

The defending champion and No. 1 seed at the All England Club will be competing for a third day in a row when he faces ninth seed and US Open champion Marin Cilic for a semi-finals berth.

That's because Djokovic's 6-7, 6-7, 6-1, 6-4, 7-5 victory over No. 14 Kevin Anderson began on Monday, was suspended because of darkness after four sets, and then resumed Tuesday. The good news for Djokovic is he only needed about 45 minutes to wrap things up, and his match against Cilic is scheduled for second on Centre Court on Wednesday, leaving extra time to rest.
                  
"I wouldn't call it a workout," Djokovic said of his final set against Anderson. "It was good that I played another hour on the match court but it was far, far more difficult than just a simple workout."

Roger Federer will play Gilles Simon for a place in the Wimbledon semi-finals

Roger Federer v Gilles Simon - Court One at 1pm
                  
Roger Federer is bidding to become the oldest Wimbledon champion and win a record eighth title in 2015.

The Swiss has been virtually untroubled on serve on his way to a 13th Wimbledon quarter-final, just one behind the record of 14 held by Jimmy Connors.

He has yet to drop serve, has faced just two break points in 58 service games and has committed only three double faults.

The last time he dropped serve was in the second set of his opening round win over Philipp Kohlschreiber in Halle -- more than 100 service games ago.

"Maybe the guys are returning terrible," joked Federer.

"Gilles Simon is one of the best return players we have in the game. I would think I'll be tested a lot. So that streak's maybe coming to an end, in my opinion."

Simon, one of three over-30s in the last eight, last made the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam in Australia in 2009.
He trails Federer 5-2 in career clashes. After winning their first two meetings in 2008, the Frenchman has lost five in succession although their only two Grand Slam matches - at the 2011 Australian Open and 2013 French Open - went to five sets.

Stan Wawrinka plays Richard Gasquet in the Wimbledon quarter-finals on Wednesday

Stan Wawrinka v Richard Gasquet - Court One

French Open champion Wawrinka is in the quarter-finals for the second successive year and is bidding to become just the fifth man to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year.

Wawrinka, the only quarter-finalist not to have dropped a set at the tournament, faces 21st seed Richard Gasquet with the two men locked at 1-1 in career meetings.

Gasquet won their first clash at the Paris Masters in 2006 with the 30-year-old Swiss gaining revenge at the 2013 French Open when he recovered from two sets to love down to win a fourth round encounter.