Recent Stories of interest from “Around the Pro Tennis Globe”

• According to the Tennis.com website, the Djokovic family has completed a deal to purchase the ATP Amersfoort tournament and move it to Belgrade. Tournament Director Hans Felius told the media that the tournament had been struggling seriously to find a sponsor. In the past, Novak Djokovic mentioned he would enjoy seeing an event in Serbia due to the increasing popularity of tennis in his home country.
  
  
• On Sunday, Swedish tennis legend Jonas Bjorkman won his 700th career doubles match, by winning the If Stockholm Open doubles title with partner Kevin Ullyett. Bjorkman will be playing the Masters Madrid and Paris events in hopes of qualifying for the year-end Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai. A winner of 53 career doubles titles and 6 singles titles, Bjorkman will hang up the racquets for good once his season is completed. “This is a perfect ending for me to win the doubles title in Stockholm, in my last match in Sweden, with my family and friends, old coaches, watching me. The only person who was missing today was my son, Max, who is back in Monte Carlo at school.”
  
  
• According to Bob Larson’s Daily Tennis, Roger Federer, who withdrew from last week’s If Stockholm Open, says he is taking the rest of his 2008 season week by week. “I needed some rest, I'll just see where this tournament takes me. I'm playing this week by week.” He is scheduled to play Radek Stepanek tomorrow in the second round at the Mutua Madrilena Masters Madrid.
  
  
• Andy Murray’s brother Jamie, a doubles specialist on the ATP Tour, showed serious signs of a frustrating season, announcing that he might not play the rest of the 2008 season. “I’m ready to stop for the year,” the Scotland native said. “I’ll see how I feel over the next couple of days as to whether I continue.” Murray owns a 28-29 record on the year that includes winning the Delray Beach title with Max Mirnyi. He lost yesterday with his brother in the first round of doubles in Madrid.
  
  
• 2004 French Open champion Gaston Gaudio has delayed his return to competitive ATP tennis after injuring his thigh. He was originally scheduled to play next week’s Buenos Aires challenger, but will have to skip the event. Once ranked as high as No. 5 in the world in 2005, Gaudio last played an ATP level match in January when he lost in the opening round to Santiago Ventura, 6-0, 6-3, in Vina del Mar, Chile.