OFF THE COURT - Davis Cup, new coaches, and moving tournaments

Every week, there is a lot of action on the tennis court as the professional tours crisscross the globe. But just as much action is happening off the court as well. This new series brings you the latest tennis news off the court.

- India will take on New Zealand in their next Davis Cup Asia Oceania Group 1 tie in September. India lost 2-3 to Uzbekistan this weekend. India need to win the September tie to retain their place in Group 1. India’s top ranked men’s player Somdev Devvarman tweeted that he expects to be back in action well before the September tie. Devvarman has not played since January and is on the verge of exiting the top 200 rankings in the world.

- World no. 1 Victoria Azarenka has hired former World No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo as a consultant to her team. Azarenka is being coached by Sam Symuk and he will continue as her full time coach. Mauresmo has already started working with Azarenka and the two have been training in Roland Garros this week. Azarenka is 26-1 this year on the tour.

- Two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova has decided to split from coach Olga Morozova after four months, and has hired former world No. 18 Amos Mansdorf of Israel as her new coach. “I wanted to announce officially that we stopped working with Olga Morozova, but I can’t describe how much I appreciate her effort and positive energy as well as what she has given me,” Kuznetsova said in a statement. “I want to congratulate her. A few days ago she became a grandmother!”

- The combined ATP and WTA tournaments in Memphis will be sold to the sport agency IMG and moved to to Rio de Janeiro. If The Memphis men’s tournament is an ATP 500 event, while the women’s tournament is a lower-level WTA international event. Rio is seeking to increase its international sports exposure with the World Cup and the Summer Olympics both headed to Brazil in the next four years. The sale of the men’s tournament still needs ATP sanction.

- After beating Radek Stepanek on Friday in their Davis Cup quarter-final tie in Prague, Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia, blasted the 32-year-old Czech in his post match press conference.

“I would just like all of you to know what kind of person is Radek Stepanek. I have this thing that I always believe in the best in people, and even though players are saying that he can be not so nice on the court, I never believed it, even though I played him three times. As you can see my behavior on the court was, I think, fair enough. When he fell, I crossed the net to see if he needs help. I was always letting him go past the net first. I even two times admitted a ball (was in) that was questionable. After five hours and 10 minutes instead of shaking my hand, he gave me he the middle finger and told me I am “stinking” … something bad, it’s a swear word. Let’s just say “vagina”. I just say it like that. I just want you to know what kind of person is your Czech player, Radek Stepanek.”

Stepanek had a different story however. “We normally shook hands,” he said.