Third-seeded Novak Djokovic scrambled to a 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (3) victory over local favorite Gael Monfils on Sunday to win the Paris Masters for the first time. The victory gave Djokovic back-to-back ATP Tour titles after his win over top-ranked Roger Federer in the Swiss Indoors final last Sunday. The third-ranked Djokovic also beat World No.
Suspended Belgian tennis players Yanina Wickmayer and Xavier Malisse are launching appeals with European authorities challenging the legality of the whereabouts rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency. Victory at the European Commission in Brussels and the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights could force WADA to change its rules on when and where athletes can be tested out of competition.
Butch Buchholz, founder of the annual tennis tournament on Key Biscayne, is stepping down as chairman following the 2010 event. The event Buchholz started in 1985 is the world's fifth-largest tennis tournament and known as the Sony Ericsson Open. Buchholz, a former top-five player, says he plans to pursue new business opportunities and remain active in tennis.
Known for furious, racket-throwing rants, Marat Safin would rather be remembered for the hard work he put in during a 12-year career marked by two Grand Slam titles and a Davis Cup win. The former No. 1 ended his career Wednesday after losing to Juan Martin del Potro 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in the second round of the Paris Masters.
Ninth-ranked Vera Zvonareva's agent says she will have arthroscopic surgery on her right ankle. The operation is to remove scar tissue and is scheduled for Wednesday. Zvonareva plans to stay in the Netherlands for two weeks of rehabilitation and is expected to be able to return to a tennis court in four to five weeks, her agent, Ben Crandell, said via e-mail.