Tennis considers minor rule changes for Rio 2016

ROME AP - Tennis officials are considering adding third-set tiebreakers at the 2016 Rio Olympics after marathon matches in London this year.

Also, bronze-medal matches could be eliminated to lighten the loads of players entered in multiple events.

ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti tells The Associated Press at the European Olympic Committees meeting in Rome that the matches this year were "very balanced and very long and that ruins the scheduling somewhat."

Roger Federer beat Juan Martin del Potro 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 19-17 in the London semifinals and was soundly beaten by Andy Murray in straight sets in the gold-medal match.

If bronze-medal matches are eliminated, it would mark a return to handing out two bronzes for each of the semifinal losers, as happened at the 1988 Seoul Games.

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Federer hopes to play 2016 Games in Rio. Roger Federer 31, says he won't play as often in the next few years but wants to compete in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

''I have to make sure that I take care of my schedule, of my body, of my mind,''. ''Hopefully, I can still stay on tour for many more years and hopefully play the Olympics here in three and a half years or so, so I have to look far ahead and not just the next six months.''

Tennis umpire Lois Goodman free after murder charge dropped

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Citing insufficient evidence, prosecutors have suddenly dropped a murder case against professional tennis referee Lois Goodman in the death of her husband.

A judge dismissed the case without prejudice, meaning it could be brought back.

The 70-year-old Goodman was accused of bludgeoning her 80-year-old husband Alan to death with a coffee cup in April.

Authorities initially believed he fell down stairs at home while his wife was away, but later decided it was homicide after a mortuary reported suspicious injuries.

Goodman was arrested in August as she arrived to serve as a line judge at the U.S. Open.

He was fired Nov. 19, one day after losing in the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 tournament.

Happy Thanksgiving! 2012

Keep your spirits alive. Spend time with family and friends. Happy Thanksgiving!

Czech Republic, Spain tied 1-1 in Davis Cup

 Tomas Berdych defeated Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3 to give the Czech Republic a 1-1 tie with Spain after the opening singles matches Friday in the Davis Cup final.

Spain's David Ferrer beat Radek Stepanek 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. The fifth-ranked Ferrer has won a tour-best seven titles this season.

Novak Djokovic still perfect at the ATP finals

Novak Djokovic of Serbia

No. 1 ranked Novak Djokovic beat Tomas Berdych at the ATP finals 6-2, 7-6 (6) Friday and qualifying for the semifinals of the season-ending event.

Djokovic is 3-0 in Group A and will play Sunday for a spot in Monday's final. The other semifinalist from the group will be decided later Friday when Andy Murray takes on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the O2 Arena.

Barack Obama re-elected as president of the United States

Breaking News

Barack Obama wins re-elected as president of the United States defeating Mitt Romney.

Janowicz into Paris Masters semis

Polish qualifier Jerzy Janowicz continued his brilliant run at the Paris Masters on Friday advancing to the semifinals after Janko Tipsarevic stopped playing because of dizziness and fatigue.

Janowicz was leading 3-6, 6-1, 4-1 against the eighth-seeded Tipsarevic. Janowicz saved one match point in his third-round win against Murray on Thursday and had broken Tipsarevic for the second time in the third set when the Serb called for a trainer.

Tipsarevic continued for a few moments, and Janowicz was 40-0 up on his serve when Tipsarevic waved his racket to indicate he was stopping, drawing jeers from the crowd at the Bercy indoor arena. There were huge cheers for the 21-year-old Janowicz.

Organizers said that Tipsarevic, who qualified Thursday for the season-ending World Tour Finals in London next week, started feeling fatigued at the end of the first set.

Gilles Simon of France celebrates after defeating Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych during their quarterfinal match at the Paris Tennis Masters tournament, Friday, Nov. 2, 2012.

The 69th-ranked Janowicz faces Gilles Simon in the semifinals. The Frenchman beat fifth-seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-4. Janowicz understands the challenge of playing Simon before a Paris crowd.

source yahoo sports