Blue clay surfaces nixed by ATP
LONDON, June 23 (UPI) -- Blue clay surfaces, first used in competition last month in Madrid, have been banned for future ATP Tour tournaments, the tour's chief said Saturday.
The blue clay was used on a one-year experimental basis at last month's Madrid Open. Such surfaces make tennis balls easier to see on television.
But the surface was met with complaints from superstars Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic among others. Both voiced displeasure about the court conditions in Madrid as they each made earlier-than-expected exits.
"After careful consideration, I have decided that blue clay courts will not be allowed next year," ATP Executive Chairman and President Brad Drewett said in a statement.
"I very much believe in innovation and exploring ways to enhance our sport. While the blue clay may have offered better visibility on television, there were clearly issues with the quality of the courts in Madrid this year, which were not acceptable at an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament, one of our top events worldwide."
Title IX marks 40th anniversary
WASHINGTON, June 23 (UPI) -- Title IX, which guarantees women equal treatment in U.S. schools, colleges and universities, marked its 40th anniversary Saturday.
It was a small part of the Equal Opportunity in Education Act, signed by President Richard Nixon on June 23, 1972: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity."
The law's biggest impact has been in women's sports. President Obama, in an op-ed piece, said he was reminded of its effect when he gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom recently to Pat Summitt, the longtime coach of women's basketball at the University of Tennessee.
"When she started out as a basketball coach, Pat drove the team van to away games," Obama said. "She washed the uniforms in her own washing machine. One night she and her team even camped out in an opponent's gym because they had no funding for a hotel."
The impact has been less in other areas because schools do not have separate male or female physics or art classes. Critics of Title IX say it is unfair to boys and men because they are more likely to participate in sports than their sisters and their sports sometimes have to be cut to preserve gender balance.
Joan McDermott, athletic director of Metropolitan College in Denver, says that it not true.
"It's because of budget choices by the administration, so that's an ongoing rap that Title IX gets," she told The Christian Science Monitor.
Armstrong blasts doping investigation
LOS ANGELES, June 23 (UPI) -- Cyclist Lance Armstrong fired back at U.S. doping officials, alleging shaky evidence and witnesses who were improperly pressured.
Armstrong's attorney Friday filed a response to the allegations leveled by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency that portrayed the case as "long on stale accusations" with little hard evidence to back them up.
Attorney Robert Luskin said in his written response the case was "offensive to any notions of due process and fair play."
The USADA has recommended Armstrong be stripped of his seven Tour de France championships on the grounds of long-running use of performance-enhancing drugs. An agency official told the Los Angeles Times it could file formal charges against Armstrong as early as next week.
Piquet Jr. claims first NASCAR victory
ELKHART LAKE, Wis., June 23 (UPI) -- Former Formula One driver Nelson Piquet Jr. corralled his first career NASCAR win Saturday, claiming the Nationwide Series event at Road America.
The Brazilian, who is now a regular driver in NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series, notched a victory in just his third Nationwide start.
He finished 2.26 seconds ahead of Michael McDowell on the 4.048-mile, 14-turn Wisconsin road course.
The 26-year-old son of three-time F1 world champion Nelson Piquet started on the pole and led for 19 of the event's 50 laps, becoming the fifth foreign-born driver to win a Nationwide Series race this year.
Claiming third place was Ron Fellows, while Italy's Max Papis and Sam Hornish Jr. rounded out the Top 5.
Elliott Sadler settled for 15th place but retained his points lead, posting an 11-point advantage over 18th-place finisher Austin Dillon.
