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Sony NEX-7 Digital Camera – Video Review

April 25, 2012 skelletonking Comments off

The Sony NEX-7 Digital Camera is a great addition the wide array of high quality compacts in the Camera market today. Because of its powerful features all packed in a very svelte design, its suited for enthusiasts looking for a reliable compact that takes photos that will definitely turn heads. Beginners will also find this piece of equipment a very worthy investment and they could start exploring the world of photography with features such as Easy and Intelligent Auto. For the professional shutterbug though, there is enough in here to keep their photography palette satisfied.

Click here to see Complete Sony NEX-7 Digital Camera Video Review

There has been a lot of suspense about this camera and wether it is even possible to live up to the hype that has been spread like wildfire online. Of course on paper it looks amazing. The build, the design, the features, the video capability, the new sensor, the built in OLED EVF (which is super duper uber FANTASTIC), and the tri-navi controls are everything the enthusiast market has ever wanted in a small take anywhere camera. Hell, I suspect the NEX-7 may even create more of us crazy gear heads because even when Uncle Joe sees this camera he is going to want one.

It has a way of making people wonder what the hell you are shooting with, and when they learn about it they seem to want to own one for themselves. This has happened to me three times while out and about shooting with the NEX-7. BUT the real question for me while shooting was to determine if it did indeed live up to the hype and was worth shelling out $1200 for the body alone, which to be fair is $6800 less than a Leica M9-P and you can still mount your favorite Leica, Zeiss ZM and Voigtlander M mount glass on to! Hell, you can mount just about any glass to this NEX-7, which makes it pretty damn special right there.

Refference : Video Review

Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Video Review

Verdasco goes through to face Berdych

November 13, 2011 skelletonking Leave a comment

November 7, 2011 — Updated 2100 GMT (0500 HKT)

Fernando Verdasco will next face ATP World Tour Finals hopeful Tomas Berdych in the Paris second round.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

World number 23 Fernando Verdasco reaches the second round of the Paris Masters
Spaniard Verdasco defeats Marin Cilic 3-6 6-2 6-3 and now faces fifth seed Tomas Berdych
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez also wins his first round match and he will play sixth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

(CNN) — Spain’s Fernando Verdasco is through to the second round of the Paris Masters after recovering from dropping the opening set to defeat Marin Cilic of Croatia.

Verdasco, ranked 23rd in the world, secured a hard-fought 3-6 6-2 6-3 victory and he will face fifth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych in the second round.

“It’s the last tournament of the year, and I just want to finish it in the best way possible,” Verdasco told the official ATP Tour website.

Among the other matches played on Monday’s opening day, with the top 16 seeds all receiving a bye into the second round, Spain’s Guillermo Garcia-Lopez saw off Colombian Santiago Giraldo 6-4 1-6 6-4 to set up a last 32 clash with sixth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

It’s the last tournament of the year, and I just want to finish the year in the best way as possible
Fernando Verdasco

Also progressing on Monday were Frenchmen Nicolas Mahut and Julien Benneteau, in-form German Florian Mayer and South African Kevin Anderson.

The Paris Masters is the final event on the ATP Tour calendar with three places still up for grabs in the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London.

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Roger Federer and David Ferrer have already secured their spots in the season-climax with seven players vying for the remaining places.

Depending on a host of differing scenarios, any three from Berdych, Tsonga, Mardy Fish, Nicolas Almagro, Janko Tipsarevic, Gilles Simon and Gael Monfils will take their place in ther London finals.

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Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Berdych, through, Verdasco

Doubles success hands Czechs Fed Cup

November 13, 2011 skelletonking Leave a comment

November 7, 2011 — Updated 1110 GMT (1910 HKT)

Lucie Hradecka (right) and Kveta Peschke celebrate their Fed Cup doubles success over Russia.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The Czech Republic claim their first Fed Cup since 1988 after beating Russia 3-2 in final
Doubles duo Lucie Hradecka and Kveta Peschke seal victory in deciding rubber in Moscow
It ends a superb year for Petra Kvitova after her Wimbledon and WTA Tour Finals win

(CNN) — The Czech Republic have secured their first Fed Cup title since 1988 after doubles duo Lucie Hradecka and Kveta Peschke won the deciding rubber to give them a 3-2 victory over Russia in Moscow on Sunday.

The pair defeated Maria Kirilenko and Elena Vesnina 6-4 6-2 as the Czechs emulated their compatriots from the former Czechoslavakia 23 years ago.

The clash was finely poised at 1-1 after Saturday’s opening day, but Petra Kvitova gave the Czechs a perfect start with a 4-6 6-2 6-3 success over Svetlana Kuznetsova in Sunday’s opening singles.

However, Russia fought back and took the match to the deciding doubles rubber when Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova saw off Lucie Safarova 6-2 6-4.

I have been part of this team for 13 years and I am so proud of all my teammates
Kveta Peschke

But it was the Czechs who proved victorious and 36-year-old doubles specialist Peschke told the official Fed Cup website: “It feels fantastic to win.

“I have been part of this team for 13 years and I am so proud of all my teammates and the people behind the scenes,” she added.

The success also completes a remarkable year for Kvitova, who came into 2011 relatively unknown but has now added the Fed Cup to her victories at Wimbledon and the WTA Tour Finals in Istanbul.

The world number two told reporters: “I wasn’t playing my tennis in the first set making too many mistakes, while Svetlana moved and returned very well.

“It was tough to come back into the match in the second set but I forced myself into playing with crosses mainly instead of my favorite flat drives.”

Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Czechs, Doubles, hands, success

Federer ends drought with Swiss win

November 13, 2011 skelletonking Leave a comment

November 6, 2011 — Updated 1721 GMT (0121 HKT)

Roger Federer’s fifth Swiss Indoor victory ended a 10-month ATP Tour title drought.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Third seed Roger Federer defeats Kei Nishikori to win the Swiss Indoors title in Basel
Federer cruises to a 6-1 6-3 victory for a fifth triumph in his ‘home’ tournament
The success ends a 10-month drought for Federer since winning event in Doha

(CNN) — Third seed Roger Federer returned to winning ways after a 10-month title drought with a convincing straight sets victory over Japan’s Kei Nishikori in the Swiss Indoors championship in Basel.

Former world number one Federer delighted his home fans by powering to a 6-1 6-3 success, his fifth in the last six Basel events.

The triumph also ended a relatively barren 2011 for Federer, whose only other ATP Tour title this season came in January’s Qatar Open in Doha.

Nishikori, who had stunned world number one Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, had no answer to 30-year-old Federer, who was reaching his first final since losing to Rafael Nadal in the French Open at Roland Garros in June.

It was a good match and I’m very happy for the win
Roger Federer

Federer, who was securing his 68th career title, told reporters: “It’s great to win at home once again. It was a perfect match for me and now I have big hopes for Paris and London this month.”

Federer continued: “I’ve known, ever since I hit with him as a teenager, that Kei could have a good future. He has had some injuries but he’s playing well now. It was a good match and I’m very happy for the win.”

Nishikori added: “I tried to fight, but Roger would not let me into the match. I’m very glad to have played the final, it has always been one of my goals to play Roger.”

Meanwhile, Spain’s Marcel Granollers defeated Argentina’s Juan Monaco 6-2 4-6 7-6 (7/3) to win the Valencia Open on Sunday.

It was the 25-year-old’s third career title and second this year following his victory over compatriot Fernando Verdasco in the Gstaad final in July.

Categories: Uncategorized Tags: drought, Federer, Swiss

Berdych completes Tour Finals line-up

November 13, 2011 skelletonking Leave a comment

November 10, 2011 — Updated 2149 GMT (0549 HKT)

World number six Tomas Berdych reached the ATP World Tour Finals for the first time in 2010.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Tomas Berdych has sealed his place at the ATP World Tour Finals
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Mardy Fish also assured of their berths at the season-ending event
Novak Djokovic into the quarterfinals of Paris Masters with a win over Viktor Troicki
Second seed Andy Murray into the last eight after beating Andy Roddick

(CNN) — Czech Tomas Berdych defeated Serb Janko Tipsarevic 7-5 6-4 at the Paris Masters on Thursday, a victory which confirmed the line-up for the forthcoming ATP World Tour Finals.

World number six Berdych’s win ended Tipsarevic’s hopes of playing at the eight-man London event, while also ensuring Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and American Mardy Fish‘s presence at the season-ending tournament.

“It was a kind of really special day, because it was the one that decides if I [qualify] for London,” the 26-year-old told the Tour’s official website after setting up a quarterfinal match with second seed Andy Murray.

“This is my second season where I’m able to make it, and I’m extremely happy for it… These days it’s not that easy in the time of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.”

American No.1 Fish was forced to retire hurt in his third-round match with Argentina’s Juan Monaco with the contest level at one-set all and going with serve in the decider.

Monaco will face third seed Roger Federer in the last eight after the Swiss beat France’s Richard Gasquet 6-2 6-4.

Top seed Novak Djokovic, already guaranteed to end 2011 as world No. 1, came from behind to see off the challenge of fellow Serb Viktor Troicki.

This is my second season where I’m able to make it, and I’m extremely happy for it
Tomas Berdych

Four-time grand slam winner Djokovic eventually sealed a 4-6 6-3 6-1 win in the French capital and will face Tsonga in the last eight.

“Jo is one of the home favorites and one of the crowd favorites,” Djokovic said of the upcoming match. “He is a great player, has a very powerful serve, and he kind of performs [with] as much energy he gets from the crowd.”

Briton Murray recorded his 17th successive win, powering past 2003 U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick 6-2 6-2.

Three-time grand slam finalist Murray has not lost since a U.S. Open semifinal defeat to Spain’s Nadal in September and got the better of American Roddick in 61 minutes.

“I started the match well, which against him is always important, because he plays his best when he’s ahead,” said the 24-year-old.

“He’s able to put pressure on you, and can kind of dominate the match with his serve. But because I broke him earlier, I was able to dictate a lot of what happened out there. Played very well. Very few hiccups. I played very smart.”

Also into the quarterfinals of the indoor event is fourth seed David Ferrer, who notched up a straight-sets 6-3 6-2 win over Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov.

The Spaniard will now face American John Isner after he beat Feliciano Lopez, from Spain, 6-4 6-2.

Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Berdych, completes, Finals, lineup

Injured Djokovic beaten in Basel semis

November 13, 2011 skelletonking Leave a comment

November 5, 2011 — Updated 2147 GMT (0547 HKT)

Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic grimaces during Saturday’s defeat by Kei Nishikori in Switzerland.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic beaten by Kei Nishikori in Swiss semifinals
Serbian in doubt for next week’s Paris Masters due to shoulder problem
Japan’s Nishikori plays defending champion Roger Federer in Sunday’s final
Juan Martin del Potro’s Valencia defeat puts Tomas Berdych in ATP World Tour Finals

(CNN) — Novak Djokovic has had a phenomenal 2011, but his exertions appear to be taking their toll. Injuries are threatening to derail the world No. 1′s hopes of finishing the tennis season on a high note.

Djokovic suffered just his fourth defeat in 71 matches this year on Saturday, losing 2-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-0 to Japan’s rising star Kei Nishikori in the semifinals of the Swiss Indoors event.

The Serbian has won three out of four grand slam titles this season, but is battling to be fit for the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals after a recurring shoulder problem hampered him in Basel.

Djokovic, the champion here in 2009 and runner-up last year, said he would travel to France for next week’s penultimate event, the Paris Masters, despite his fitness worries.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to train for the next few days. I could barely serve for much of the match, I was in pain,” the 24-year-old told reporters after losing a set 6-0 for just the sixth time in his career.

I was feeling afraid of the shoulder and what might happen to it. My rhythm on my serve has been completely off
Novak Djokovic

Has men’s tennis reached burn-out?

“My shoulder is very bad, we won’t even talk about the third set. I have a lot of pain in my body from the competition this week. I hope I can be ready for Paris.”

Djokovic returned to action in Switzerland after six weeks out with a back injury suffered during his epic U.S. Open final against Rafael Nadal, an ailment which left him unable to guide Serbia into a second successive Davis Cup final.

“It was a shock to the body. Competition is different to practice. I may have forced things too much,” he said.

“I was feeling afraid of the shoulder and what might happen to it. My rhythm on my serve has been completely off.”

World No. 32 Nishikori made history by becoming the first Japanese player to beat a top-ranked opponent.

The 21-year-old, a wild-card entry after reaching the Shanghai Masters semis, will play defending champion Roger Federer in Sunday’s final as he seeks his second ATP Tour title — the first came in 2008.

Third seed Federer has won four of his 67 career titles in his hometown event, where he has now won 42 out of 49 matches.

The 16-time grand slam champion defeated compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 on Saturday — his 10th win in their 11 meetings — to reach the final for the sixth year in a row. Apart from his 2009 defeat by Djokovic, Federer also lost in the 2000 and 2001 finals.

Juan Martin del Potro’s hopes of reaching the eight-man season finale suffered a blow on Saturday when the Argentine lost in the semifinals of the Valencia Open hard-court event.

The sixth seed could have moved up to ninth in the rankings with victory, and was in good form having not dropped a set all week, but was surprisingly beaten 6-4 7-6 (7-4) by last year’s runner-up Marcel Granollers.

The result means that Tomas Berdych became the sixth player to qualify for the event, the second year in a row the Czech has done so.

World No. 34 Granollers reached his fourth career final, having won two titles on clay.

He will next face Argentine wildcard entry Juan Monaco, who upset defending champion David Ferrer — beating Granollers’ fellow Spaniard 7-5 1-6 6-3.

Ferrer has already qualified for the London showpiece later this month.

Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Basel, beaten, Djokovic, Injured, semis

Djokovic wins in Paris to pocket $1.6m

November 13, 2011 skelletonking Leave a comment

November 9, 2011 — Updated 1915 GMT (0315 HKT)

By playing on Wednesday, Novak Djokovic ensured he will pick up a bonus check for $1.6 million.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Novak Djokovic will collect a $1.6m bonus check for finishing 2011 as world No.1
Djokovic defeated Croat Ivan Dodig to reach second round of the Paris Masters
Second seed Andy Murray through after win over Jeremy Chardy
16-time grand slam winner Roger Federer also victorious on Wednesday

(CNN) — World number one Novak Djokovic beat Croat Ivan Dodig 6-4 6-3 at the Paris Masters on Wednesday, a win which earned the Serb a check for $1.6 million.

A shoulder injury had cast doubt over Djokovic’s participation in the French tournament, with the 24-year-old having already pulled out of last month’s Shanghai Masters.

The top seed would have been entitled to a $2m bonus for ending the year at number one in the world rankings, but that figure is subject to the player having featured in all eight of the Masters 1000 events on the ATP Tour.

The bonus had already been reduced to $1.6m due to Djokovic’s absence in China, and would have been wiped out altogether had he failed to play in France.

But Djokovic was fit to take to the court at the indoor tournament, revealing his pleasure at being able to play in front of the Paris crowd.

“I think it’s one of the most entertaining indoor tournaments,” Djokovic told the ATP Tour’s official website. “People are coming in numbers here to watch matches. I like playing it.”

World No. 3 Andy Murray is also safely into the third round courtesy of a 6-2 6-4 defeat of home-crowd favorite Jeremy Chardy in the French capital.

People are coming in numbers here to watch matches, I like playing it
Novak Djokovic

The victory was second seed Murray’s 16th in-a-row, a run which stretches back to his U.S. Open semifinal defeat to Rafael Nadal and has seen him move above 16-time grand slam winner Roger Federer in the world rankings.

Murray converted three of his six break points to seal a fifth career win over world No. 110 Chardy and set up a last-16 clash with American Andy Roddick.

Federer continued his recent revival with a 6-2 6-3 win over French wildcard Adrian Mannarino. The Swiss clinched his fifth career triumph at the Swiss Indoors in Basel earlier this month, and was in fine form as he dispatched Mannarino in 56 minutes.

Fourth seed David Ferrer also earned a straight-sets success against French opposition, advancing beyond qualifier Nicolas Mahut 6-4 6-4.

The Spaniard, who is already assured of his place at the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London later this month, faced only two break points on his way to victory in one hour and 27 minutes.

Serb Janko Tipsarevic continued his bid to reach the World Tour Finals with a crushing 6-1 6-0 triumph over American Alex Bogomolov Jr.

World No. 13 Tipsarevic, who must reach the final to stand any chance of competing at the O2 Arena, now faces Tomas Berdych, the Czech who can seal his World Tour Finals berth with victory in the third round clash.

Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Djokovic, Paris, pocket

No. 1 Djokovic pulls out of Paris Masters

November 13, 2011 skelletonking Leave a comment

November 11, 2011 — Updated 2052 GMT (0452 HKT)

Novak Djokovic will end the year as the top ranked male tennis player whether he competes in the ATP Tour World Finals or not.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Novak Djokovic pulls out of the Paris Masters with a shoulder injury
Djokovic earned a $1.6 million bonus after winning his opening match of the tournament
Second seed Andy Murray beaten in quarterfinals by Tomas Berdych
Roger Federer clocks up 800th career win as he dispatches Juan Monaco

(CNN) — World number one Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the Paris Masters with a shoulder injury.

The 24-year-old moved into the last eight of the competition on Thursday with a three-set over fellow Serbian Viktor Troicki but said he was not fit enough to face Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Friday’s scheduled quarterfinal.

Djokovic has been struggling with shoulder and back injuries since winning the U.S. Open in September, and was forced to withdraw from the Shanghai Masters as he missed the ATP Tour’s Asian leg.

“Sadly I have to inform you that I have withdrawn from the tournament,” he said on his official website on Friday, raising doubts that he will be fit to play in the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London this month.

“I have pushed myself to the limit by playing, and after the match yesterday my shoulder got worse.

“For this reason, I have to put my health first and withdraw even though my urges as a professional player are making me want to play until the last drop of energy.

I have pushed myself to the limit by playing, and after the match yesterday my shoulder got worse
Novak Djokovic

“I am very sorry for all of you who bought tickets and wanted to come and watch me play. My season has been long and tiring, I played all of my matches at my highest level, and now my body is aching for recovery. Hoping for your understanding and support.”

Earlier in the week Djokovic rejected claims that he had played in Paris just to collect a year-end $1.6 million bonus check for finishing top of the rankings, saying they were “ridiculous.”

The tournament lost another big attraction in quarterfinal action Friday as second seed Andy Murray crashed out to Czech Tomas Berdych.

Murray was bidding to extend his unbeaten streak to 19 matches, but was beaten 4-6 7-6 6-4 by sixth seed Berdych, who will be joining him at the ATP Tour Finals in London later this month.

Berdych leveled with superb play in the second set tiebreak and a crucial break in the ninth game of the decider left him to serve out for victory and his third win in four matches with Scot Murray.

His reward is a semifinal clash against Roger Federer after the third seed saw off Juan Monaco of Argentina 6-3 7-5.

It was the 800th win of the Swiss maestro’s remarkable career and was wrapped up in just under 90 minutes at the Bercy Arena.

Tsonga will play John Isner of the United States for a place in the final after he upset fourth seed David Ferrer of Spain 6-3 3-6 6-3 in the final quarterfinal of an eventful day in the French capital.

Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Djokovic, Masters, Paris, pulls

Tennis star courts the Kremlin

November 13, 2011 skelletonking Leave a comment

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Russian tennis player Anna Chakvetadze is standing for Russian parliament
The 24-year-old has struggled with injuries and illness in 2011
She is hoping to boost sport’s profile with the fringe Right Cause party
Party has been called a puppet of Kremlin, but she says it can make a difference

Moscow (CNN) — If a country’s standing can be measured by its sporting ambitions, then Russia’s status as a superpower is once again on the rise.

Its big-spending football league is attracting top international stars, and the next few years will see it host major sporting spectacles for the first time since the Soviet-era regime staged the 1980 Olympic Games that were notoriously boycotted by the United States.

And ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and the 2018 soccer World Cup, one of Russia’s prominent athletes has put aside her sporting dreams to concentrate on contributing to the politics of the Kremlin.

Anna Chakvetadze was one of Russia’s seemingly never ending line of top female tennis players when she burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old in 2004.

A junior finalist at Wimbledon the previous year, she stunned compatriot and world No. 3 Anastasia Myskina at the U.S. Open and went on to reach a career-high fifth in the rankings, winning eight tournaments and almost $4 million on the WTA Tour.

Putin is really significantly supported by Russians. If he is elected he will take the real steps for further development of the state
Anna Chakvetadze

However, she has now turned to politics after sliding outside the top 150 following a combination of injuries and illness.

“I would like to develop youth sport. I was a sportsman myself so I know about problems in sport,” the 24-year-old told CNN.

“I would like youth sport in our country to be affordable to people from all social classes. We have to give the same access to sport for kids from poor families. Ideally, my goal is to get the majority involved in sport activities … sport should come to every family.”

Chakvetadze has chosen the fringe “Right Cause Party” as she stands for Russia’s lower parliament in the December 4 elections, with parties needing 7% of the total vote to earn seats. Former top-ranked men’s tennis player Marat Safin will also be standing, seeking one of 450 places.

And they’ll both be hoping to join fellow sports figures Svetlana Khorkina and Alina Kabaeva in the State Duma after the two former Olympic champion gymnasts won respective elections in 2007

Formed in 2008 from the ashes of three other parties, Right Cause has positioned itself as “anti-old guard” and dismissed the relevancy of former president Vladimir Putin and other longtime political stalwarts who have stood for decades.

“It’s a challenge for me. I have joined Right Cause because it’s a young party with fresh ideas,” Chakvetadze said.

“I was invited to join it when (Mikhail) Prokhorov was in it. But even now all the basic ideas that the Right Cause stands for haven’t changed and I share the program and idea of the party.”

Billionaire businessman Prokhorov stepped down in September after a few months as party leader, dismissing Right Cause as a “puppet party” of the Kremlin.

It is an accusation Luke Harding — a reporter for British newspaper The Guardian and the first Western journalist to be expelled from Russia since the end of the Cold War in 2011 — supports.

Over the last decade-plus under Putin there has been a restoration of the classic authoritarian model
Journalist Luke Harding

“Russia was a quasi-democracy under Boris Yeltsin in the 1990s. But over the last decade-plus under Putin there has been a restoration of the classic authoritarian model, with the squashing of independent TV, proper elections, and opposition forces,” Harding, the author of “Mafia State: How one reporter became the enemy of a brutal new Russia,” told CNN.

“Today’s Russia does have political ‘parties,’ like Right Cause. But they are not parties in the real sense — their role is simply decorative, to create the illusion of voter choice and to legitimize decisions taken behind closed doors in the Kremlin.

“There’s a long tradition in Russia of getting sportsmen and women to stand for parties: they help to enthuse a weary and cynical electorate.”

Prime Minister Putin has announced that next year he intends to again stand for president, a position he held for two consecutive terms — the maximum allowed — before endorsing the campaign of his 2008 successor Dmitry Medvedev.

While her fellow Right Cause candidate Andrei Bogdanov has listed Putin among the Russian establishment “we have had enough of,” Chakvetadze said the 59-year-old — who is a strong supporter of sport — is popular with the people.

“The real opposition is a constructive one that has something to offer to authorities [other than] beautiful election campaign slogans. I guess the Right Cause is able to become a constructive opponent,” she said.

This year was really a tough one for me. There were several traumas and I decided to take care and restore my health
Anna Chakvetadze

“As for the next president, Putin is really significantly supported by Russians. If he is elected he will take the real steps for further development of the state and improving lifestyle for citizens, which is a good thing. The main thing is to keep on moving.”

Chakvetadze said sport is an important part of becoming a healthy nation, and acknowledged that improvements need to be made before the big events in 2014 and 2018.

“First we should develop the infrastructure — build new stadiums, hotels, additional railway service and air travel,” she said.

“We have to provide our guests and citizens with the highest level of security service. We must not lose face. Big sport forums like this will definitely increase interest in sport and will contribute to the promotion of healthy lifestyles.

“On the other hand it will make our authorities move and develop the infrastructure of territories where these competitions will take place, attract new investment into our country.”

Chakvetadze has struggled to maintain the peak levels of 2007, when she reached the U.S. Open semifinals and was also part of Russia’s successful Fed Cup team, but she has not closed the door on her tennis career.

“This year was really a tough one for me. There were several traumas and I decided to take care and restore my health,” she said.

“It doesn’t mean that I’m over with my sport career. I just took a pause for an unknown period of time. So all my goals now are related with this party project.”

Categories: Uncategorized Tags: courts, Kremlin, Tennis

Federer secures first Paris Masters crown

November 13, 2011 skelletonking Leave a comment

November 13, 2011 — Updated 1847 GMT (0247 HKT)

Roger Federer smiles as he lifts the Paris Masters trophy for the first time in his illustrious career.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Roger Federer beats Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to clinch his first ever Paris Masters title
World number four beats Frenchman Tsonga 6-1 7-6 to seal 69th career victory
Federer has now won 18 Masters Series titles, one less than world No. 1 Rafael Nadal

(CNN) — Roger Federer finally clinched his first Paris Masters crown Sunday after a straight sets victory over Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

The world number four took just one hour and 26 minutes to record a 6-1 7-6 win and collect his 18th Masters Series trophy.

Federer, 30, has 16 grand slam titles to his name, including the French Open in 2009, but had never previously made the final of the hard court tournament in Paris.

And he made light work of the opening set, saving two early break points before racing into a 5-0 lead, eventually wrapping it up in just half an hour.

But the second set was a far closer affair as Tsonga forced his way back into the match and took it to a tie break. But Federer snuffed out any hope of a deciding set with an emphatic 7-3 win.

“I’m just really ecstatic to have played so well this week from start to finish,” Federer told the ATP Tour’s official web site.

“Basically from first ball struck against [Adrian] Mannarino all the way until the very end here. I couldn’t be more happy.

I have had some really tough losses this year, but I kept believing that still the year wasn’t over
Roger Federer

“I have had many attempts trying to win Paris Bercy, and for some reason, I wasn’t able to win it earlier. But this one obviously feels great and it’s a special victory.”

It was Federer’s 69th career title and he will now take a 12-match winning streak into the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London later this month.

He added: “I have played well for a few months now. Maybe I didn’t win the US Open, but we all know I was one point away from making the finals and then who knows?

“But Novak was able to come back in that great match against me at the Open. And before that I think I had some really good moments, where I actually did play very well, such as Wimbledon and the French Open where I think more was possible, too.

“I have had some really tough losses this year, but I kept believing that still the year wasn’t over, I can still finish this year on a high, which that proves to be the case. Now I still have a massive highlight coming up in a week’s time.”

Tsonga will move to a career-high sixth in the world rankings on Monday but he rued not being able to take advantage of the two break points he had during the opening game of the final.

“If I had played better at the start it would have changed things. The key of the match was there,” he said.

“Every time we play each other it’s similar. If I am able to fight back at the start, then I play well. But if I lose the first set like I did today, then it becomes more difficult for me.”

Categories: Uncategorized Tags: crown, Federer, first, Masters, Paris, secures

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