From Sportbox.ru & Sovsport.ru, Dec 19: 

Tarpischev selects 9 sportswomen for the goblet of the federation

The President of the Russian tennis federation and captain of the men and women's commands, Shamil Tarpischev, severely criticized the new ATP and WTA calendars, which do not consider the interests of composite commands.

"Next year's experiment confronts players with chaos," cites Tarpischev on the radio show “Lighthouse”. "The calendar is not connected with the plans of the International Tennis Federation for the Davis and Fed Cups.

"How it is possible to play the Fed Cup team tournament on the following week after the Australian Open championship? It is necessary to guess, prior to the beginning of the tournament, who will be in what form after it -- which is generally absurd. (Thank you, Shamil.)

"To play 'from the list', without the training process, I count as abnormal. This is clearly a lottery. Therefore, I forewent the usual determination of composition and now to the goblet of the federation, I chose to call nine of the sportswomen."

(The articles don't list which nine potential players Shamil alerted, and I haven't found that info elsewhere yet. )

Well you know Paul i hear this enterview on radio Mayak. And you not found information about this cos he didn't say  in live enterview who is this 9 players hehehe.  I think it's will be all Top players but who will play in Fed cup will depend on their conditions after Australian open. ( almost the same as me said Shamil on his enterview)

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WAYNE KRASAVCHIKKKK!!!!

Tarpischev talks Maria, Svetlana, the olimpioniki and reveals Fed Cup choices. Plays through Windows Media Player:

http://streaming.visionip.tv/Russia_Today 

Shamil wants Lenochka, Kuzi & Chaki to play the first Fed Cup tie against China -- in Moscow, Feb 7-8. (Assuming they win, Dementieva would be replaced in the semifinal by Vera Z.) The lists probably will be filled out by one or another of the rising Russian players like Kleybanova, Pavlyuchenkova, or others.

The Russia Today sportscast with the Tarpischev interview should be replayed again at 23:45 GMT.

TEAMS ANNOUNCED:

WORLD GROUP FIRST ROUND

RUSSIA v CHINA
Venue: Olympic Stadium, Moscow, Russia (hard - indoors)

Russia
Elena Dementieva
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Anna Chakvetadze
Alisa Kleybanova
Captain: Shamil Tarpischev

China (The order of the names like Zheng Jie is reversed and incorrect because the Fed Cup site is run by a bunch of Anglo-American panderers who won't get off trying to impose their culture on the world.)
Jie Zheng
Zi Yan
Shuai Zhang
Tian Tian Sun
Captain: Qi Zhang

http://www.fedcup.com/ties/tie.asp?tie=100012226

Teams from other ties at:

http://www.fedcup.com/news/newsarticle.asp?articleid=12091

Russian Fed Cup site (English version)

http://www.fc.tennis-russia.ru/index-eng.html

The Russian Team played against China Team one time. It was the World Group qualifing tie
in July 2002 in Beijing.

The final score was 5-0 to Russian Team.

R1 - T.PANOVA (RUS) def. J.ZHENG (CHN) 6-3  6-1
R2 - E.DEMENTIEVA (RUS) def. T.SUN (CHN) 6-2  6-3
R3 - E.DEMENTIEVA (RUS) def. J.ZHENG (CHN) 6-4  6-0
R4 - E.BOVINA (RUS) def. N.LI (CHN) 6-0  6-2
R5 - E.BOVINA / T.PANOVA (RUS) def. Z.YAN / J.ZHENG (CHN) 6-3  7-6(3)

That was six & a half years ago. Zheng Jie, Yan Zi, and Sun Tian-Tian have come a long way since then. Of course,  so has Lenochka.

GOOOOOOOO RUSSIA!!!!  I hope there will be another 5-0 win for Russia!!!  You can do it girls!!  Good Luck!!!

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SANDRA BULLOCK = Best Actress at the Oscars 2010!!!

If you have a few seconds free, PLEASE go and sign the petition to try and help stop all commercial whaling: http://whaleman.org/index.htm

Maria Sharapova | Novak Djokovic | Jelena Jankovic | Grigor Dimitrov | Kim Clijsters | Rafael Nadal | Elena Dementieva |
Andy Roddick | Laura Robson | Fernando Verdasco | Maria Kirilenko | Lleyton Hewitt | Melanie Oudin.

(Hunh. Didn't realize that Elena hasn't played any of the Chinese team in Tour/tournament meetings. Anyway--head-to-head is pretty Russia-friendly so far. Nonetheless, that was before Kuzi & Chaki were screwing up so much. We will see.)

Players - «Head to Head»

 

Russian Team		Chinese Team	Head to Head score	Matches
1. Elena Dementieva	vs.	Jie Zheng	0 – 0	-
		Zi Yan	0 – 0	-
		Shuai Zhang	0 – 0	-
		Tian Tian Sun	0 – 0	-
2. Svetlana Kuznetsova	vs.	Jie Zheng	2 - 0	2006, Doha, Hard, Kuznetsova - 6/0 6/1 2008, Beijing, Hard, Kuznetsova - 7/6(3) 7/5
		Zi Yan	0 – 0	-
		Shuai Zhang	1 - 0	2008, US Open, Hard, Kuznetsova - 6/4 6/2
		Tian Tian Sun	0 – 0	-
3. Anna Chakvetadze	vs.	Jie Zheng	3 - 0	2005, New Haven, Hard, Chakvetadze - 6/4 6/4 2006, Australian Open, Hard, Chakvetadze - 5/7 6/2 6/4 2007, Hobart, Hard, Chakvetadze - 4/5 6/1 6/1
		Zi Yan	2 - 1	2006, Sydney, Hard, Zi Yan - 6/3 6/3 2006, Wimbledon, Grass, Chakvetadze - 6/3 6/2 2007, Rome, Clay, Chakvetadze - 6/1 6/3
		Shuai Zhang	1 - 0	2006, Guangzhou, Hard, Chakvetadze - 6/3 5/7 6/0
		Tian Tian Sun	0 - 0	-
4. Alisa Kleybanova	vs.	Jie Zheng	2 - 0	2008, Gold Coast, Hard, Kleybanova – 6/2 4/6 6/1 2008, Rome, Clay, Kleybanova – 6/3 6/2
		Zi Yan	0 - 0	-
		Shuai Zhang	0 - 0	-
		Tian Tian Sun	0 - 0	-

It looks pretty good for our russian girls.

shrapi:

It looks pretty good for our russian girls.

Yes it does.

                                                     (Team Russia a year ago.)

New on Fed Cup site:

Russia rules the Fed Cup roost

No matter where you turn in the women’s game today you’re apt to find a Russian woman ruling the day. Just take a look at the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year. Down to the nitty-gritty of the event, only Serena Williams spoiled the symmetry of an all-Russian semifinal line-up. Williams rebounded from a first-set quarterfinal loss to ship Svetlana Kuznetsova back to Moscow. But the rest of the final four were rounded at by Elena Dementieva, Dinara Safina and Vera Zvonareva. So, it certainly comes as no surprise that when it comes to Fed Cup the team to beat is the team from Russia. It’s been that way for quite a while now – the Russians took the Fed Cup home four of the last five years, only missing out on the trophy in 2006. There’s a simple formula to the Russian success: An incredible wealth of talent to pool from and each and every player cherishes the opportunity to participate. At the moment, five of the top 10 players in the world hail from Russia – Safina, Dementieva, Zvonareva, Kuznetsova, and Maria Sharapova. Take your pick, but whichever players Russian Fed Cup Captain Shamil Tarpishev selects to play on any particular squad, they’ll capably bond together for the common cause of a winning performance. For the upcoming 2009 first round against China P.R., Tarpishev is fielding a team with Dementieva, Kuznetsova, Anna Chakvetadze and Alisa Kleybanova. At the Australian Open, Dementieva and Kuznetsova addressed the importance of playing Fed Cup, a philosophy which clearly leads to the Russians consistently rallying to success. Dementieva said: “We just have a very good team spirit, I guess. It’s really amazing. It’s such a tough competition between all of us when it comes to the Fed Cup. We can feel and we can play as a team. I think that’s a lot to do with our captain, Shamil, the way he creates the atmosphere during the Fed Cup competition. Sometimes it’s really hard for him because every single player is thinking that she is the best one and she’s the leader of the team. But, somehow, he can organize everything and everyone feels good when we play together.” Kuznetsova said: “We have so many players and I like that we can switch players, especially because the Fed Cup schedule is so hard. I think this year we are going to switch players around. There are good teams out there, but our girls always agree to play so that’s why we are first. For me, it is the best competition because I like to play on a team, it’s so much fun. It’s like a group and in tennis, you are always by yourself. When you play as a team, especially when we play at home, it’s the best atmosphere and I love being there.” Although not nominated to the first-round team, Zvonareva broached the subject of whether the Russians are invincible. “There is no one unbeatable but we definitely feel like a strong team,” Zvonareva said. “We definitely feel like a strong team because we support each other very well. And all of us, we can all play singles and doubles. It makes it very exciting for all of us to practice with each other. Fed Cup is a place we can get together and feel like a team because we’re all on the same schedule, which is very nice. Every country is tough and it depends on who is playing. When the Williams sisters are playing, it’s hard to beat them. When other countries get together, like Ivanovic and Jankovic, it will be tough, but I still think we can make a win.” While the Russians delight in their dominance, the rest of the nations playing Fed Cup admit to admiring as well as sometimes fearing the Fed Cup. powerhouse. more at...

paul_pipkin:

For the upcoming 2009 first round against China P.R., Tarpishev is fielding a team with Dementieva, Kuznetsova, Anna Chakvetadze and Alisa Kleybanova. At the Australian Open, Dementieva and Kuznetsova addressed the importance of playing Fed Cup, a philosophy which clearly leads to the Russians consistently rallying to success. Dementieva said: “We just have a very good team spirit, I guess. It’s really amazing. It’s such a tough competition between all of us when it comes to the Fed Cup. We can feel and we can play as a team. I think that’s a lot to do with our captain, Shamil, the way he creates the atmosphere during the Fed Cup competition. Sometimes it’s really hard for him because every single player is thinking that she is the best one and she’s the leader of the team. But, somehow, he can organize everything and everyone feels good when we play together.” Kuznetsova said: “We have so many players and I like that we can switch players, especially because the Fed Cup schedule is so hard. I think this year we are going to switch players around. There are good teams out there, but our girls always agree to play so that’s why we are first. For me, it is the best competition because I like to play on a team, it’s so much fun. It’s like a group and in tennis, you are always by yourself. When you play as a team, especially when we play at home, it’s the best atmosphere and I love being there.”

02.02.2009 Russian team begins training

Today began the first training of participants in the Russian team within the framework of preparation for the Fed Cup tie, Russia - China, which will pass in the Olympiyskiy on February 7 to 8.

During the day, under the management of the trainer of the composite, Andrey Olkhovskiy, on court will be Elena Dementieva, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Anna Chakvetadze and Alisa Kleybanova. In the trainings will also participate, though not entered in the declared composition (for this tie), Anastasia Pavlyuchenkov, Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina.

Let us recall that according to the rules of the International Federation of Tennis, it is possible to make replacements in the composition of the composite to the last day (before play).

(Note that Olkhovskiy is also Lenochka's personal coach. )

http://www.tennis-russia.ru/

02.02.2009

Российская сборная приступила к тренировкам

Сегодня начались первые тренировки участниц российской сборной в рамках подготовки к матчу Кубка Федерации, Россия – Китай, который пройдет в с/к «Олимпийский» 7-8 февраля.

В течение дня под руководством тренера сборной Андрея Ольховского на корт выйдут Елена Дементьева, Светлана Кузнецова, Анна Чакветадзе и Алиса Клейбанова.

В тренировках также примут участие не вошедшие в заявленный состав Анастасия Павлюченкова, Екатерина Макарова и Елена Веснина.

Напомним, что по правилам Международной Федерации Тенниса за один день до жеребьевки в составе сборной возможно произвести замены.

A video on sportbox.ru (in Russian) shows Kuzi & Chaki hitting balls with Vesnina Monday at the Olympiyskiy . Also remarks from Lenochka.

http://video.sportbox.ru/VidySporta/Tennis/v_20090202214700_rossijankinachinajutzashhitutitu

To view vids on sportbox, you may need to upgrade MicroSoft's "SilverLight". This may be good to have the next time sportbox streams an event live:

http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/resources/install.aspx

Best wishes for '09 Maria. I'm a big fan even just based on the courage you have.

No doubt about it, Russia definitely has the strongest team! They have so many good players to call upon. When you look at the other teams e.g. USA has no one to back up the Williams sisters,  same applies to Serbia, no one to backup Jankovic & Ivanovic. China will really be up against it. However, I'm sure they will do their very best to upset their big brother (sister!) from Russia.

Right, GREGG. The Chinese are not to be underestimated and there are ways they could win. Should Zheng Jie pull out both her singles matches, evening the tie at 2-2--then the Chinese deploy their formidable doubles talents & the Russians could be in trouble. Now, Zheng is not 100% (problematic wrist issue), but still... never depend on opponents' injuries.

Latest release:

03.02.2009

Fed Cup: preparation of the Russian team for the tie is according to a plan

Russian ladies’ team keeps preparing for the first round tie of the Fed Cup Russia v China, which will be held on February 7-8 at the sports complex “Olympiisky”.

Elena Dementieva, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Anna Chakvetadze, Elena Vesnina and Alisa Kleybanova have been training today. The captain of the Russian team Shamil Tarpishev and team coaches Andrey Olhovsky, Larisa Savchenko * have been assisting them on the court.

As Andrey Olkhovsky said, the preparation for the tie is going well. “At the moment all the tennis players officially stated for the tie are training on the courts, - said Olkhovsky. - All of them participated in the Australian Open and one of the main issues now is their acclimatization while changing different time zones. Luckily, all the players are in good shape and keep training. “

The Chinese team is expected to arrive today. Tomorrow they will start their first trainings at “Olympiysky”.
The official press-conference of both teams will be held on Wednesday at 14:00 (11:00 GMT) at the press-center of the tie.

 

* Larisa Savchenko: This is interesting. Wikipedia says:

Larisa Savchenko Neiland (born Larisa Savchenko July 21, 1966 in Lvov) is a retired Ukrainian-born tennis player who represented Latvia in play. She turned professional in 1988, one of a group of other Soviet players (Natasha Zvereva, Leila Meskhi) that emerged in time for tennis's full re-entry into the Olympics. A former number one doubles player, Neiland won sixty-five top-level doubles titles. Neiland also reached two grand slam quarterfinals; at Wimbledon in 1988 and at the U.S. Open in 1994. In Neiland's almost 17-full-year career, she won $US4,083,936 in prize money.

S-E WTA player registry lists her as "Larisa Neiland", a Latvian, and neither source acknowledges her coaching in Russia under her maiden name--although the Russian Tennis Federation site makes clear this is not a new position.

Just a tad political, hunh?

"Dementieva - Nail of the Program" 

sportbox.ru vid (in Russian) Lenochka & the girls train today at the Olympiisky with Olkhovsky, Tarpischev & his crew. Vera Semenova is there--Lenochka's mum has lost a little weight but looks pretty good.

http://video.sportbox.ru/VidySporta/Tennis/v_20090203221700_dementjevagvozdprogrammy

Russian friends: Ilnur, Dartagnan--would anyone care to give us a little translation of this one?

 

paul_pipkin:

Right, GREGG. The Chinese are not to be underestimated and there are ways they could win. Should Zheng Jie pull out both her singles matches, evening the tie at 2-2--then the Chinese deploy their formidable doubles talents & the Russians could be in trouble. Now, Zheng is not 100% (problematic wrist issue), but still... never depend on opponents' injuries.

Latest release:

03.02.2009

Fed Cup: preparation of the Russian team for the tie is according to a plan

Russian ladies’ team keeps preparing for the first round tie of the Fed Cup Russia v China, which will be held on February 7-8 at the sports complex “Olympiisky”.

Elena Dementieva, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Anna Chakvetadze, Elena Vesnina and Alisa Kleybanova have been training today. The captain of the Russian team Shamil Tarpishev and team coaches Andrey Olhovsky, Larisa Savchenko * have been assisting them on the court.

As Andrey Olkhovsky said, the preparation for the tie is going well. “At the moment all the tennis players officially stated for the tie are training on the courts, - said Olkhovsky. - All of them participated in the Australian Open and one of the main issues now is their acclimatization while changing different time zones. Luckily, all the players are in good shape and keep training. “

The Chinese team is expected to arrive today. Tomorrow they will start their first trainings at “Olympiysky”.
The official press-conference of both teams will be held on Wednesday at 14:00 (11:00 GMT) at the press-center of the tie.

 

* Larisa Savchenko: This is interesting. Wikipedia says:

Larisa Savchenko Neiland (born Larisa Savchenko July 21, 1966 in Lvov) is a retired Ukrainian-born tennis player who represented Latvia in play. She turned professional in 1988, one of a group of other Soviet players (Natasha Zvereva, Leila Meskhi) that emerged in time for tennis's full re-entry into the Olympics. A former number one doubles player, Neiland won sixty-five top-level doubles titles. Neiland also reached two grand slam quarterfinals; at Wimbledon in 1988 and at the U.S. Open in 1994. In Neiland's almost 17-full-year career, she won $US4,083,936 in prize money.

S-E WTA player registry lists her as "Larisa Neiland", a Latvian, and neither source acknowledges her coaching in Russia under her maiden name--although the Russian Tennis Federation site makes clear this is not a new position.

Just a tad political, hunh?