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News and Notes

Jul 25th 2016
Eugenie Bouchard

With much of the tennis world focused on Canada and Coupe Rogers in Toronto and Montreal as well as ITF Events in Lexington, Prague, and Wuhan, here are some news and notes heading into the week of July 25, 2016.

Canadian Eugenie Bouchard has committed to play in the Olympic Games in Rio. With many players withdrawing due to health concerns, Bouchard will represent Canada in August.

Meanwhile, the world no. 1 Serena Williams has withdrawn from Rogers Cup play due to a shoulder injury.  Williams was a one-seed in the event and had hoped to earn her fourth title at the Premier 5 event but released a statement stating, “Due to inflammation in my shoulder, I, unfortunately must withdraw from the Rogers Cup.” Williams will now turn her focus to the Olympic games in Rio, where she hopes to repeat her results from 2012. The American won gold in singles along with doubles, paired with sister Venus in London.

American Victoria Duval announced that she would not play again in 2016 and hopes to resume her career in 2017. Duval, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2014, returned to the tour last summer but tweeted that her comeback to Wimbledon took a toll on her body.

Victoria Duval

Elsewhere, legendary Australian Rod Laver will be honored with a life-size bronze statue of himself at the former Milton Courts in Queensland, by 2019. The statue will show Laver resting in the shade of an umpire chair on a hot day, during a match with Tony Roche in 1969.

The doubles team of Jack Sock and Vasek Pospisil, who won the Wimbledon doubles title in 2014, have decided not to pair together for the remainder of the hardcourt season. Sock and American Steve Johnson will partner as one American doubles team, along with the Bryan Brothers, in the Rio Olympics. Pospisil will join Daniel Nestor in doubles competition for Team Canada.

When Paolo Lorenzi won the title at Kitzbuhel this weekend, he became the oldest first-time titlist on the ATP Tour. The 34-year old was just happy to win stating, “I think it’s great to win an ATP trophy. I don’t look at the age. l try to play more big tournaments with my ranking and try to do my best.”

It was announced on Monday that Germany will host Poland in a Davis Cup relegation playoff the weekend of September 16-18. The winner of the tie will remain in the World Group. Japan and Ukraine will also play that weekend with a spot in the 2017 World Group at stake.