Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic aims to reclaim the world number one spot by the end of the year, he said during a promotional tour to Taipei. Djokovic was knocked off the world number one ranking when Swiss legend Roger Federer won his seventh Wimbledon title and 17th career Grand Slam title in July to reclaim the position he last held in May 2010. “That’s one of the goals. Of course I want to be number one of the world again. It’s an ambition. It’s possible (by) the end of the year,” Djokovic told reporters. “I try to focus on each tournament individually and see how it goes. I need to play really well because there are so many great players in this moment… so we’ll see.” After a remarkable 2011, when he recorded one of the greatest individual seasons in tennis history and a dominant start to 2012, Djokovic has come up short in the last two Grand Slams, losing to Rafael Nadal in the French Open final and Federer at Wimbledon.
Serena withdraws from China Open: Reigning Wimbledon and US Open champion Serena Williams has withdrawn from the China Open because of flu while her sister Venus has also pulled out, citing a back injury, organisers said Friday. Serena, who confirmed her place among the tennis greats this year by raising her Grand Slam haul to 15 and winning Gold at the London Olympics, pulled out late on Thursday, just two days before the start of the first round. It is a big blow to the organisers of the Beijing event as the world number four — who has already qualified for the season-ending WTA Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, next month — is one of the tour’s most bankable stars. “We would have loved for Venus and Serena to play the China Open this year, but unfortunately players get injured and sick and are unable to compete,” Charles Hsiung, a director of the tournament, said.
