Happy New Year 2017

The New Year is upon us, with tons of books to be read, and adventures to be led.
May you find fulfillment and joy this year! Happy New Year!

Serbian Ana Ivanovic Retires From Tennis

Ana Ivanovic of Serbia retired from tennis at age 29 on Wednesday December 28. 2016. This put an end to her career in which she was ranked No. 1 in 2008 but was dogged with persistent injuries that took a toll on her career.

On a Facebook live broadcast she said, "it was a difficult decision, but there is so much to celebrate." She won 15 tour titles, including the 2008 French Open, and is now ranked No. 63.

"It's been well-known that I've been hampered by injuries. ... I can only play if I can perform up to my own high standards and I can no longer do that," she said. "So it's time to move on."

Ivanovic became a UNICEF national ambassador for Serbia in 2007 and says that position will figure in her plans.

"I will become an ambassador of sport and healthy life. I will also explore opportunities in business, beauty and fashion among other endeavors," she said on her Facebook page. "I will also have more time for my philanthropic activities with my work with UNICEF. I've lived my dreams and I really hope to help others do so as well."

Merry Christmas 2016

May God bless you and your family with a joyous, loving and peaceful celebration this Christmas and all throughout the year.

Ex-Sunnyvale Tennis Instructor Accused Of Molesting 2 Girls

Sunnyvale, California - Matt Reza Montana 61, a former tennis instructor in Sunnyvale is facing 31 counts, a majority being lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 in addition to a single charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child. His victims are two underage sisters according to the city officials and prosecutors.

He appeared at the Palo Alto Courthouse on Wednesday morning December 14 and he did not enter a plea. He's scheduled to return to court on January 11, 2017 according to Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Pinaki Chakravorty.

Chakravorty said that the alleged molestation by Montana was exposed when one of the victims told a friend about what happened and the friend told her own mother. The friend's mother then told the victim's mother, who decided to have her daughter see a therapist, who encouraged the victim to talk with law enforcement.

Montana gave tennis lessons to the first victim one to three times a week and was allegedly abused between 2006 and 2013, according to Chakravorty. One charge was filed on behalf of the second victim, the first victim's sister, who was allegedly abused from 2009 to 2011.

According to city officials, Montana is a registered sex offender previously convicted of sexual battery in 1996, when he was sentenced to three years of probation and a year in jail. Montana failed to inform his employer BG Tennis, Sunnyvale's contractor for its tennis programs, that he was registered as a sex offender as required by law, city officials said.

Source:
http://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/Former-Sunnyvale-Tennis-Instructor-Accused-Of-10796399.php

34 People Arrested in Spain For Tennis Match-Fixing

MADRID — The Spanish police have arrested 34 people who they suspect are involved in a criminal betting organization that fixed tennis matches in tournaments held in Spain and Portugal. Those bets were usually placed on men’s matches in at least 17 tournaments and yielded profits of more than half a million euros €500,000 (£420,420), according to the police statements issued on Thursday.

The arrested include 6 tennis players, Spain's interior ministry said, but they didn't identify any those arrested. They are accused of deliberately arranging the loss of tennis games in at least 17 different events.

A police spokesperson told the AFP news agency that players were offered between €500 (£419) and €1,000 (£837) to throw matches. "Sometimes they promised €500 and in the end only paid €50. The players were above all the victims," he added.

The players involved are relatively lower-ranked - all are outside the top 800 worldwide.

Match-fixing has become a major concern in tennis, particularly at the game’s lower professional levels. Under pressure to tackle the problem more forcefully, tennis officials agreed last January to authorize an independent review of the sport’s integrity efforts and committed to adopting all of the review panel’s recommendations when they are issued next year.