Title signals Rusedski 'revival'

Greg Rusedski rolled back the years to win the Hall of Fame Tennis Championship here on Sunday night.

Greg Rusedski rolled back the years to win the Hall of Fame Tennis Championship here on Sunday night.

He had won his first ATP title here as a 20-year-old in 1993 playing under the Canadian flag. And he reclaimed his place in the world's top 100 by out-gunning his fellow big-server Alexander Popp, of Germany, 7-6, 7-6.

He then hit out at critics who had called on him to retire after failing a drugs test at Indianapolis last summer.

He was cleared this year by an anti-doping panel which heard that he had taken supplements supplied by ATP trainers. "My critics were basically telling me to retire," Rusedski said. "I'm glad I hung in there. This is the start of a comeback. I've had a miserable two years. It's a great feeling to come back here 11 years later."

Neither player lost his serve in the final as Rusedski saved four break points and Popp three. Popp, whose mother is British, said: "I just lost the match because he served a little better."