Rich Benvin

Roger Federer, stuck in a slump, said he will work with coach Jose Higueras at the Estoril Open in Portugal this week. "I am excited as I have asked Jose Higueras, one of the most respected and accomplished coaches in the world of tennis, to join me," the top-ranked player said on his Web site Monday.

Defending champion Martina Hingis has withdrawn from next week's Italian Open due to hip and back injuries. Hingis complained of pain after losing 6-4, 6-0 to Patty Schnyder in the third round of the German Open on Thursday. She had missed the previous six weeks with a variety of ailments. Second-ranked Maria Sharapova has already withdrawn with a right shoulder injury and top-ranked Justine Henin...

Rafael Nadal went to a hospital for a checkup following a dizzy spell Thursday, although he was not planning to withdraw from the Rome Masters. Nadal will attempt to extend his 73-match clay-court winning streak later Thursday against Mikhail Youzhny. "Everything is OK. It was just a routine checkup. He's playing tonight," Nadal's spokesman Benito Barbadillo said.

Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the Italian Open due to a right shoulder injury. The second-ranked Russian hasn't played since losing to Serena Williams in the fourth round of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami in March. She also pulled out of Rome last year with a foot problem. Organizers made the announcement Wednesday, five days before the tournament is scheduled to start.

Top-seeded Vera Zvonareva won her sixth career WTA title Sunday by beating third-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 7-6 (2), 6-2 in the Prague Open final. The 13th-ranked Russian didn't drop a set in Prague in winning for the first time in two years. It was her fourth final of the year. "It was really difficult," Zvonareva said.

The U.S. Open and CBS have agreed to a new six-year deal worth about $145 million for broadcasting the Grand Slam tennis tournament. They tore up the last three years of an agreement that was to run through 2008; the new deal was agreed to last year and runs through 2011, the USTA said Monday. It also gives CBS the rights to events in the U.S.

Roger Federer rallied from a set down to defeat Olivier Rochus of Belgium 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 Tuesday in the first round of the clay-court Estoril Open. The top-ranked Swiss player had 17 aces, but also many unforced errors, against the 80th-ranked Belgian. It was Federer's first match since he started working with coach Jose Higueras, a clay-court specialist.

Philipp Kohlschreiber won his first title by beating doubles partner Mikhail Youzhny 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 at the BMW Open on Sunday. The 23-year-old German needed four match points to close out the match, and denied the third-seeded Russian his fourth title. He became the first German winner of the clay-court event since Michael Stich in 1994.

Her muscles aching when she gets out bed, Kim Clijsters is done with tennis at 23. The former U.S. Open champion, once ranked No. 1, initially planned to quit after the season. Now, with injuries having exacted too much and her thoughts turning to family and a "new life," her retirement is immediate. "Health and private happiness are so much more important," she said on her Web site Sunday.

For Pete Sampras, it was a day to live dangerously. First, the future Hall of Famer faced a triple match point against Todd Martin in the final of the Champion's Cup event at Boston University on Sunday. Then, between beating Martin and grabbing the first-prize check of $50,000, Sampras shared some bad news with the Red Sox fans in the crowd.

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A South Carolina teaching pro has sued organizers of the recently concluded half-grass, half-clay tennis match between stars Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Renata Marcinkowska, a former WTA tour player who now lives in Rock Hill, took action against management and marketing giant, IMG, and two advertising firms involved in Wednesday's exhibition in Palma De Mallorca, Spain.

Pete Sampras routed Petr Korda 6-1, 6-2 in the opening round of the Champions Cup on Thursday, the 14-time major winner's first tournament in nearly five years. In the first match, John McEnroe beat Tim Mayotte 6-1, 7-5. But the night belonged to Sampras, who hadn't played in a competitive match since beating Andre Agassi in the 2002 U.S.

The King of Clay ruled in this oddest of matches between the two best players in tennis. Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (10) in an exhibition Wednesday on a half-grass, half-clay court when the top-ranked Swiss failed to reach a forehand that took a funny bounce across the green side. "We're used to playing long, hard games with a lot of tension involved," Federer said.

Australian Open champion Serena Williams on Wednesday pulled out of next week's German Open due to a groin injury. She has played just four tournaments this year. The former top-ranked American withdrew on April 11 from the Charleston event with a strained groin, and then pulled out April 22 from the Fed Cup match against Belgium with a right knee injury.