Novak Djokovic begins his Sony Open title defense on Friday night, March 22. Djokovic, the 2013 Australian Open champion, is looking for a place in the Sony Open record books by attempting to win three straight Miami titles.
Possibly standing in Djokovic’s path is a potential semifinal encounter with Juan Martin Del Potro. If both players advance to the semis in Miami, it would be a rematch of last week’s 2013 BNP Paribas Open semifinal. In that match, Del Potro emerged the victor ending Djokovic’s 17 match winning streak. The only player to have won the Miami title three years in a row is Andre Agassi (2001 – 2003).
Here is the official press release from the tournament :
WORLD NO. 1 NOVAK DJOKOVIC TO KICK-OFF EVENING SESSION PLAY ON FRIDAY, MARCH 22
MIAMI, Fla. (www.sonyopentennis.com) – World No. 1 and two-time defending Sony Open champion Novak Djokovic will return to South Florida on Friday, March 22 (Session 8) at 7:30 p.m. to begin his quest to a three peat at this year’s 2013 Sony Open. Djokovic’s potential opponents will be determined when the men’s draw is announced on Monday, March 18.
Djokovic has proven from his success at the Sony Open that this is one of his favorite stops on tour. The gregarious Serbian star has always stated that he “enjoys the beautiful city of Miami and the tennis fever that goes on in South Florida.”
The three time Sony Open champion (’07,’11,‘12) is looking to continue his hot start to 2013 after capturing the Australian Open crown in January. Djokovic has consistently had great results at the Sony Open, reaching the finals four of the last six years, including an epic championship win over Andy Murray last year.
Arguably the best player in the world the past two years, Djokovic has won 19 titles including 5 Grand Slams since the start of 2011 and is looking to hold a tighter grasp on the number one ranking.
The Sony Open offers the ultimate entertainment experience over a span of two weeks with an array of events taking place in between exceptional matches featuring the best players on the planet. The exciting restaurants and lounges on site contribute to the electrifying buzz in which fans can enjoy and prepare for the launch of the evening session. Also prior to Djokovic’s evening match, Fila will host “FILA Friday Night” on the entertainment stage at 6:00 p.m. This event brings some of the top ATP and WTA players to the stage in which fans can participate in a question and answer session.
Tickets to the 2013 Sony Open are on sale now and can be purchased by phone (305-442-3367) or via the internet at www.sonyopentennis.com. A thrilling two weeks of tennis conclude with the women’s final on Saturday, March 30 and the men’s final on Sunday, March 31.
ABOUT THE SONY OPEN: The 2013 Sony Open will be played March 18-April 31 at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Miami. The two-week combined event is owned and operated by IMG. The Sony Open is one of nine ATP Masters 1000 Series events on the ATP calendar, a Premier Mandatory event on the WTA calendar, and features the top men’s and women’s tennis players in the world. In 2012 Novak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray for his third Sony Open title, while Agnieszka Radwanska knocked off Maria Sharapova to capture her first title in Miami. For ticket information, call (305) 442-3367 or visit the website at www.SonyOpenTennis.com
ABOUT SONY MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS: Sony Mobile Communications is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation, a leading global innovator of audio, video, game, communications, key device and information technology products for both the consumer and professional markets. Through its Xperia™ smartphone portfolio, Sony Mobile Communications delivers the best of Sony technology, premium content and services, and easy connectivity to Sony’s world of networked entertainment experiences. For more information: www.sonymobile.com
ABOUT IMG: IMG Worldwide is a global sports, entertainment and media business, with nearly 3,000 employees operating in 30 countries around the globe. IMG’s areas of expertise are diverse and wide ranging: IMG College; IMG’s Joint Ventures in China, Brazil and India; IMG Media; IMG Events and Federations; IMG Fashion; IMG Models; IMG Art+Commerce; IMG Clients; IMG Academies; IMG Consulting and IMG Licensing. More information is available at www.imgworld.com.




After six time defending champion Rafael Nadal was pushed in the semifinals by Andy Murray to three sets lasting two hours and fifty-eight minutes, the question was whether the world number one would have enough left in the tank to get over the finish line.
Novak Djokovic kept his winning streak and perfect season alive today. Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal in the final of the Sony Ericsson Open 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 to win his second title in Miami and his fourth consecutive of the season.
Tim Henman and Goran Ivanisevic faced each other at the Royal Albert Hall in London last night for the first time since their epic semi-final at Wimbledon in 2001. Ivanisevic broke the hearts of the British public by beating Henman in a thrilling five set match spread across three days due to the unpredictable British weather.
Today, Roger Federer claimed his fifth year-end ATP finals title with a superlative performance over a defiant, but defeated world number one, Rafael Nadal, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.
Following his Australian Open victory in February, Roger Federer’s game had been in a tailspin. In his best form since Melbourne, Federer made the final at the Rogers Cup last week, but went down to Andy Murray. However, today, Federer edged out wildcard Mardy Fish 6-7,7-6,6-4 at the Western and Southern Financial Group Masters for his second straight Western and Southern Financial Group Masters title and his 17th Masters’ shield.
With the quarterfinal spots at stake, after nearly five hours, the stormy weather cleared to allow play at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic. While Tomas Berdych, the number one seed, and Fernando Verdasco, the third seed, battled their way into the next round. For the Americans, the tournament was a disaster. Andy Roddick, the three time champion and second seed, 2007 finalist John Isner as well as 2010 Atlanta champion Mardy Fish were all swept away.
The list of competitors who have successfully prevailed their initial outing in the finals at a major is brief. Today, Tomas Berdych was hoping to add his name to that distinguished roll of honor. To do so, the Czech would have to overcome his biggest hurdle these two weeks, 2008 Wimbledon champion and world number one, Rafael Nadal. Nadal dispatched newcomer Berdych 6-3,7-5,6-4 to capture his second back to back French Open and Wimbledon trophies. With a total of eight majors, Nadal moves up to fifth in the record books besides Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors and Andre Agassi.
