Behind the Headlines - Catching up on tennis news

Roger Federer

So the US Open is a little more than a week away and there’s plenty of exciting tennis going around. But for tennis nuts like me, there’s so much more than Nadal beating Federer once again or Serena Williams reaching yet another semi-final. Here’s a rundown of some of the tennis news that never makes it to the front pages or hasn’t made it yet..

Federer, Nadal and the Rankings – Roger Federer may have lost to Rafael Nadal once again (the third time this year). But Federer is sure going all out to ensure he ekes the most out of his final years. This week in Cincinnati, Federer moved back to the 90 inch frame he was using earlier and said he will do some more racket testing after the US Open. Also, as per Darren Cahill, Federer has lost six pounds in order to reduce the strain on his back, which has been bothering him for a while now.

Federer will also drop to no. 7 in the world rankings next week, his lowest since 2002 while Nadal has a chance to move back to no. 2 in the world if he wins Cincinnati this weekend. The rankings on Monday take special significance as they determine the US Open seedings. Nadal at no. 2 means we could have a Djokovic-Murray showdown in the semi-finals.

On another ranking note, John Isner will move back into the top 20 next week, ending the absence of American representation after just one week. This was the first time since computerised rankings were introduced in the 1970s that no American male player was in the top 20.

Coaching Changes – – Two top women players have made coaching changes heading into the US Open.

World no. 3 Maria Sharapova has fired Jimmy Connors after working with the tennis legend only for a month. In her only tournament since teaming up, Sharapova lost her first match this week to American Sloane Stephens in three sets. Just last week, Sharapova said how she values the experience that Connors brings but her the brief statement announcing the split said she felt this was not the right fit at this point in her career.

Meanwhile, former US Open champion Samantha Stosur has split from her coach of six years David Taylor. Stosur commented, “After six years working together my coach David Taylor and I have decided to part ways. We’ve had a tremendous working relationship and I owe so much of my success to Dave’s hard work and enduring support. Dave and I started working together during my comeback from Lyme disease, one of the most challenging times of my life.His dedication during the many highs and lows of my career has been unwavering both on and off the court. I wish Dave all the very best for the future. During the US Open I’ll be working with the Tennis Australia team, including Fed Cup captain Alicia Molik, and I’ll start thinking about longer term options after New York.”