The 2014 Wimbledon Ladies Champion and The WTA

by Savannah


Photo via CliveBrunskillGettyImagesEurope

It's been awhile since a women's match meant so much to so many people. Petra Kvitova ran the WTA's favorite and new golden girl Eugenie Bouchard out of London. She did it using old school big babe tennis. Early on Ms Bouchard tried to take advantage of Petra's inability to move well but in the end it was Petra who won the two long rallies that commentators had been saying Bouchard needed in order to defeat her opponent showing that she does know how to hit winners on the run. Petra also got off some cross court shots that left vapor trails. When her game plan didn't work Bouchard may as well have thrown in the towel and said "no mas". The match was over. She had nothing to counter the power and yes, skill, thrown at her by Ms Kvitova. Her vaunted game (vaunted by some anyway. I'll get to that in a few) was exposed for what it is: ugly technique, lack of ability to think her way out of a jam, a game still based more on a junior game than on a pro level, top ten one. Bouchard's comment after the match, that winning her Junior Wimbledon title meant more to her than making a Wimbledon Final was shocking to me.

"I still think my junior title was better than this. I think winning a tournament without losing a match is always something special. That was a big moment for me," said the Montreal native.

"But I appreciate what I've done these past few weeks, though and this whole year. I think it comes close."

Appreciating what she did at the tournament seemed more of an afterthought than a true expression of being proud of getting to a Wimbledon Final at 19.

There was also the way she had to be prodded into making a circuit of the court showing off her trophy. I'm guessing I had turned away by then because I didn't see that happen although it was mentioned on #TennisTwitter.

I think before I move on I should say something about the much commented on Carlos Rodriguez style coaching done by Bouchard's coach Nick Saviano. ESPN's Chris Evert did get in a snide remark about Saviano talking to himself and his player but that was the extent of comment on it. If he was doing the same thing today no one was talking about it. Did chair ump Marija Cicak let it be known she wasn't having it? Did it get so blatant that they spoke to Saviano about it? Thursday Bouchard had all the answers. Today she had none. What changed between then and today?

I can segue into my main points by citing the abysmal, one sided ESPN coverage. A casual fan tuning in for the match could be excused for thinking Bouchard was dominating woman's tennis. ESPN aired what could only be described as a feature film feating the Canadian and showed her in a kimono during one of her post match interviews. I thought for a minute that Bouchard was playing herself until they showed Petra in a two or three minute clip and pawned her off on Hannah Storm for a short in studio interview before they went back to all Eugenie all the time. It was a horrible display of corporate cheerleading by a network that is able to cover other sports with much better fairness. It's why I feel that ESPN is one of the big losers today.

The biggest loser today though was the WTA and its CEO Stacey Allaster. One tennishead posted a joke after the match that Allaster had stepped down as CEO. A lot of people didn't get the joke. The people who founded the WOMENS Tennis Association did not intend to found a pep squad. The WTA was founded to advance the visibility of women who play tennis and give them the recognition they deserve. Recently though the organization seems to have become cheerleaders for the type of player it seems to favor. Everyone else is relegated to soft porn photo sessions or invisibility. As has been pointed out this blonde obsession started with Chris Evert but it seems to have become worse under the current administration. First we had Caroline Wozniacki nicknamed "Sunshine" by Ms Allaster. Now we have the second coming Eugenie Bouchard. Allaster hasn't given her a nickname yet. It's getting to the point that you have to be an afficionado of women's tennis to know anyone outside of Maria Sharapova or Eugenie Bouchard. The excuse was that the woman who has really been the most consistent, Simona Halep, isn't known much outside of her native Romania and those of us who like to follow women's tennis for, you know, the tennis. They said that Halep didn't speak English well. I understand her very well. When fans can make jokes about the CEO resigning behind a single loss by a single player and have people believe it, when a player is openly called "WTA Favorite" and the title isn't challenged there is a problem.

I've been tracking a thread on a fan forum that asks why Bouchard is hated so much. What fans (not trolls) are saying is stop shoving this person down our throats. You tried to sell us on one mediocre player and now you're saying we should all be in love with a player who thinks her junior achievement ranks higher than her senior tour achievements, a player who needs to have media training beyond being "pretty and blonde", who needs to understand she's done nothing worthy of worship yet. I understand Canada's excitement but remember a guy named Milos Raonic who was going to decimate the big shots of men's tennis? That guy who can talk shit but can't put his money where his mouth is? Yeah him. The one who lost 4, 4 and 4 to that player he said was an old man standing in his way. He's not in the men's final by the way.

Sorry for digressing. When a hard fought for organization descends to the level of laughing stock it's time to revisit your mission. ATP players have gone back to heaping scorn on WTA players the way they used to back in the day. The joint tournaments that the WTA so values rarely feature women's matches even between top players. Instead of taking advantage of the dominace of Eastern European players with tournaments in that part of the world everything is being moved to Asia. I've read all about the potential audience but right now that potential seems a long, long way off. At the most hundreds of fans show up to tournaments held there (except for Japan which is also losing a tournament) and I'm being kind about how many show up. The WTA has become a side show, and no one is afraid to call it that to its face.

It's also interesting how after Kvitova disposed of Bouchard in 55 minutes all of these people came out of the woodwork saying women's matches should be best of 5 instead of best of 3 in majors. Why is that a thing now? Would it have made a difference today? I don't think so. Many of these same people were also praying for rain to give Bouchard time to "collect her thoughts" or whatever. Whatever. The gods rained their blessings down on Petra after the match was over.

So congratulations to Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic for winning her second Wimbledon title in three years and for showing what she, and many others, think about hype and those who are its recipients.

A Sad Note


photo via Amy Fetherolf TPN News

I first wrote about Victoria Duval when she was a child. Even then there was a bit of noise around her potential. I saw her take out Samantha Stosur last year at the US Open and was so glad to see her starting to put herself firmly on the road to being a major factor in women's tennis. You can only imagine how I felt when I read the announcement about her illness. I'm glad it was caught early. I'm glad that both of her parents are doctors. I'm very glad she is young and fit and has a great support system around her. Wishing you a speedy recovery Vicky. Stay strong.

2013 US Open Week 1

by Savannah

Day 1

The USTA needs to stop trying to make Lauren Davis happen. Watching her being dismantled by Carla Suarez-Navarro was painful to watch. Lauren, like fellow American Taylor Townsend, makes beautiful shots. What she needs to learn to do is put them together into a cohesive whole. In other words construct points, have a plan to get from A to B to C. Try to think one or two plays ahead instead of making a beautiful shot only to have it whiz by you because your opponent has positioned themselves not only to return it but to get it past you for a winner.

And it's not just the women. American men are having the same issues. They don't know how to think on court. When they are pressured you see frustration and melt downs not to mention thrown racquets or balls hit in anger. I keep thinking about the woman who was raging to no one in particular after Taylor Townsend lost her last qualifying match. She kept saying that Americans don't have the mental toughness of the Europeans. They don't.


via France24.com

Venus Williams drew Kirsten Flipkens in the first round. Unseeded and with physical issues that can render her ineffective on court no matter how strongly she wants to play no one knows what to expect from her. Playing Flipkens, who beat her in three sets in Toronto, I know I was hoping that Venus didn't embarrass herself. She didn't.

I would say Venus came dressed as the Pink Ranger but the dress was actually a floral print of the kind that is popular today. It also had a lingerie feel to it, another popular motif being shown for Fall.

For today Venus was her old domineering self. She defeated Flipkens in straight sets. I was glad to see her back to her old self. I hope she hangs around.

One of the bigger surprises for me was Ernests Gulbis loss to Andreas Haider-Maurer. I shouldn't say big surprise because during his hit with Jeremy Chardy the other day he was not happy with himself and was cursing up a storm. I didn't see the match today so I don't know what happened but he was missing stupidly Friday. I don't know if Haider-Maurer played the match of his life or not. I'm sure Ernests was practicing his cuss words again today.

The younger Williams sister opened the night session. As usual there was an opening ceremony which, as usual, I refused to watch. I was watching a food show I DVR'd Sunday so when I got to the tennis Serena Williams was in the process of pounding Francesca Schiavone into the pavement. For a minute there it looked as if Fran would be the second woman to be served a double bagel on Day 1 but she managed to get one game. That only infuriated Serena who closed out the match love and one in an hour. It seems the gods were on Serena's side because as soon as her match ended it began to rain. The second night matches were cancelled and rescheduled for Day 2. I hope people took note that after the match was over Serena didn't jump up and down, shake her fist in her opponents face or disrespect her in any way. Sportsmanship. It's a beautiful thing.

I should mention that there was a lot of talk about Serena's kit too. I'm not a fan of handkerchief hems. Never have been. But the cut of the skirt works on Serena. It's not something I would recommend for anyone else.

Day 2


via Mike Segar Reuters

This was my Day at the Open. it almost didn't happen because despite great seats at Ashe there was no one playing on that court we particularly wanted to see. We went so far as to try and sell our tickets back but waited too long to post them for sale and with no buyers we got on the #7 train and headed out to Willett's Point.

I could go on about how hard it is to watch Caroline Wozniacki play live but I won't. The woman she played, Duan Ying-Ying, hits a very hard flat ball. She's also tall like Li Na. Hopefully she'll play more top tier matches and gain confidence in her game and shot making. With more confidence she could've pulled off a big upset.

We wanted to see Gaël Monfils match but we met a friend for a snack so we went to Armstrong to wait for Victoria Duval's match.

Oh. My God.

Before Victoria took the court we suffered through one of the worst matches I've ever seen. Sara Errani took the court against Olivia Rogowska who was playing in place of Ayumi Morita who withdrew due to injury. Errani has no serve. None. And she's in the top five. Rogowska has no game though so I guess that's why the match turned into a romp for Errani.

Not that Rogowska didn't have her chances. At one point she had a chance to break. Or win the game. I don't even remember. All I remember is that Errani won that game and I face palmed. If Ms Duan had played Rogowska she would've won. That's how bad Rogowska was.

Once the stench was cleared from the court Victoria Duval took the court to play Samantha Stosur, the 2011 US Open Champion. People are going to make excuses about what happened, temporary coach and all that, but they'd be missing the point. The match was a war. Stosur had a ton of unforced errors - 56 if I remember correctly - but that is how tough Duval was playing her. Vicky was not afraid to stand toe to toe with Stosur who may have been guilty of looking past her first round opponent.

Vicky, with her father Jean-Maurice standing almost the entire match, played aggressively. She adjusted to whatever Stosur threw at her. An example: Duval tried a drop shot that didn't work and on the very next play made the very same shot. Duval made some nice shots but in context of the match she was playing. She wasn't making shots just to make pretty shots. She was using them as weapons in an arsenal that few thought she had, especially at her age.

I came in a fan. I've been following Duval since she was a young girl. I think I can say I was one of the first to blog about her in the early days of this site. By the middle of the second set Victoria had the Armstrong crowd lifting and carrying her on its back. During the third set it was a sight to behold as the ever swelling crowd lived and died with every shot. There were vocal Stosur fans in the crowd, especially one kid sitting behind me but their voices were drowned out by the shouts, cheers, moans and groans of the now pro Duval crowd.

To be hones I don't think Stosur knew what hit her. They'd set her up with a seemingly easy draw and I don't think she was expecting the teen with the high pitched voice to be able to neutralize her game and defeat her.

I wanted to hold off writing about Mlle. Duval until she played her next match but she deserves the glory she's receiving. She knows how to play and understands tennis at the pro level. She needs some work on her first serve but the rest of her game seems solid.

Along with everyone else I'm looking forward to her next match. I wonder what court she'll play on?

End Notes

James Blake announced that he will retire after the US Open. Wild Cards have kept him playing on the Main Tour, especially in the United States. I don't have much to say about Blake because I've never been a fan. Still he used his modest skills to have what many would call a successful tennis career. He's said that he wants to be Davis Cup Coach one day.

Good luck to James in his future endeavors.

Rain is predicted for Wednesday afternoon. It's likely I will be back out to Queens on Friday.

A Tale of Two Juniors - And of American Tennis

by Savannah

One is born November 30, 1995. The other is born February 17, 1995. Both have played at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Madison Keys, the February baby, made a nice run at the 2011 US Open at the tender age of 16 and many saw her as one of the bright lights of the junior circuit. She plays the American power game and has powerful ground strokes the way most American's do. She is tall and fit and while her movement could stand some improvement, although lack of movement hasn't hurt Petra Kvitova, she appears poised to make the transition to the main tour. She plays fast and isn't afraid to go for her shots, exactly what you'd expect of an American player.

The latest meme among American commentators is first strike tennis and Madison is in that mold.

The other teenager is named Victoria Duval. I posted about her back in 2007 and ironically the link is still available. Victoria was 12 at the time, a long way from her Main Tour debut on Arthur Ashe Stadium, at night, against the pro Kim Clijsters who has said this is her last US Open.
Ironically I kept missing her interviews but from what I understand she has a high pitched voice that many find adorable. What I find adorable is her tennis.
Victoria has been on a mini winning streak coming into the Open and while I didn't expect her to win - Clijsters is too wily to let a 16 year old defeat her on Ashe - I wanted to see what her attitude was. Long story short, I liked it. She didn't come on court with the attiude of "woe is me". She came with the mind set every player should take onto the court - "I'm here to win this bad boy and I'm going to fight to the best of my ability to do so". Victoria played well enough to have a 3-2 lead in the first set. Clijsters picked up her game after that and since Clijsters likes to play quickly it was over quickly.

So what did I like about her tennis? She's quick. She's fit. She's intelligent on the court. As an American she has the groundies but her game is much more than hit hard and harder. She showed potential for a subtlety I don't see in Madison's game yet, a court sense that some of the more highly touted and/or older young American women currently on the main tour.

I found an interview with Victoria on Tennis Panorama News that gives insight into teenager. I hope you enjoy the insight as much as I did.

There were several tennis heads who asked last night why Madison, who had done so well last year, was forced to play Qualifying and not given a Wild Card directly into the Main Draw. I wondered the same thing while I was watching her qualifying play. "Politics" was the answer given by one wag, and no one asked any questions about why not after that.

Whenever you have a large organization politics rears it's head. The women who received wild cards are Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Melanie Oudin, Nicole Gibbs, Mallory Burdette, Victoria Duval, Julia Cohen, Casey Dellacqua,and Kristina Mladenovic. Gibbs and Burdette are NCAA champion and runner up respectively so I understand them getting wild cards. Julia Cohen is a stalwart of the Challenger circuit. Case Dellacqua showed a bit of potential but has been injured I believe. Kristina Mldenovic also got a lot of hype a year or so ago but has yet to make an impression on the main tour.

Then we come to America's sweetheart, Melanie Oudin. This is the American Slam so is it so odd that she get a wild card and not have to play Qualifying? I guess. I mean there's always the chance she'll catch fire like she did in 2009 and go deep into the tournament right? As for Bethanie Mattek-Sands she's also suffered from injuries and hasn't played much or well lately.

You can make the argument that if you give Oudin a WC Madison should've been in there somewhere right? Bethanie is old in tennis years and no matter how well she is now her best days can be said to be gone. I don't know. Oudin played well three years ago and hasn't done anything since. Madison played well last year. It's just my opinion that she should've been given a Wild Card. If she lost in the first round, so be it. She's seventeen. I mean they're still trying to flog life into Coco Vandeweghe who from what I've seen will never be a top twenty let alone top ten player. You go with potential from my way of thinking but politics is politics. Madison will have to, like Victoria, suck it up and commit herself to fitness and discipline herself so that next year she won't have to rely on the good will of others to get her into the maid draw.

Speaking of fitness I'm anxious to see how Taylor Townsend looks once the junior tournament gets underway. She's the top ranked junior girl right now but I've yet to see her look even remotely fit. She's young, born April 18, 1996, so she's a full year behind Victoria and Madison but in this day and age there is no excuse for not being fit. I'm old enough to remember Lindsay Davenport's portly days, and how she was the butt of so many of the American men and often cited as a symbol for women tennis players being "fat and out of shape". Lindsay got her act together and we see how she ended her career.

There is one other teen, Samantha Crawford who is getting a lot of interest. I haven't seen her play yet and this is the first time I'm hearing all the talk. I'll have more to say if I get the chance to see her play.

I haven't found any listing of Taylor's height and weight - I looked hard - but I don't think the BMI is favorable for a teen let alone for an athlete. Again, she has time to change her fitness habits. I wish that some of the junior play made it's way into coverage. CBSsportsnetwork would be an excellent venue for that but I'm sure there's more to it than my simplistic viewpoint lets on.

Staying on the subject of fitness I did see Jack Sock play yesterday. Giving the fitness level in the ATP I was surprised to see him lugging a gut around. I mean they've put the hype beast behind this young man and all they kept saying was that he may now be more serious about his tennis and get more fit. One of the comms asked if he's a party animal and his partner hemmed and hawed saying he's a typical 19 year old. I remember the same things being said about Sam Querrey a few years ago. What is it that makes young American women fight like hell to succeed while the men seem to be blase at best? Querrey of course said that if he lost he still got to drive his mother's Porsche so it was no big deal if he lost. Unless Sock loses that gut I don't see him making the elite level of men's tennis.

End Note

I didn't subject myself to the fawning of the McEnroe brothers during Roger Federer's match against Donald Young. In sparing my health I understand that John in particular went on a particularly bitter rant against Young who as hard core fans know went on a now infamous anti USTA rant last year.

If that is the case the rant goes beyond being unprofessional. As was pointed out on Twitter last night lets look at ALL of the young American men who went pro the same time Young did. The picture ain't very pretty. Many of them are now out of the game all together or a coaching at the college level. That is more of an indictment of the USTA system than the failure of one young man isn't it? It's easier to dump on Young than the USTA Player Development organizaiton isn't it? Young didn't blow smoke up his own ass did he?

Sachia Vickery and Victoria Duval - 12's On the Move

Michelle Kaufman of the Miami Herald wrote this article about two up and coming junior girls.


Sachia Vickery

It's usually around 3 or 4 a.m., as she is serving yet another cocktail, when single mother Paula Liverpool asks herself why she's bartending at a strip club till 5 in the morning when she must get up at 8 for her day job.

And then her mind turns to Sachia Vickery, her 12-year-old daughter -- tucked away in bed in Miramar in her grandmother's care, resting her chiseled body for another day of elite tennis training.

Sachia, the nation's No. 1-ranked junior player in the 12-and-under division, is already winning tournaments against 14-year-olds. And her mother, an immigrant from Guyana, will do anything to make sure her only daughter can compete ``with the girls who carry Louis Vuitton luggage to tournaments.''


Nadine Duval understands completely. She left behind her physician husband and a neonatology practice in Haiti to move to South Florida to give her children a better life. Among them is daughter Victoria, 11, No. 3 in the 12-and-unders, who could end up across the net from Sachia this weekend at the Florida State Closed championship in Daytona Beach.

Victoria Duval and her mom Nadine

Liverpool spends roughly $3,500 a month on Sachia's tennis, mostly on travel and private coaching at the Patrick McEnroe Tennis Academy on Grove Isle. Sometimes, when she can't get away from work, she sends her daughter and mother to tournaments on a Greyhound bus.

By day, she is an administrator for Kaplan University. Four nights a week, when she bartends at Club Rolexx in North Miami, she gets by on three hours' sleep.

''Sachia's tennis is not a fad,'' Liverpool says. ``She is very motivated and talented, and I want to be able to make her dream come true."

Says Nadine Duval

''It's frustrating for me to have given up my practice, but I'm happy as a Mom,'' ``I feel I have a responsibility to my children, and sometimes things are good for them, even if they're not good for you.''

Both girls say they were inspired by Venus and Serena Williams.

''Venus and Serena gave little black girls everywhere somebody to look up to,'' said Liverpool. ``They see there's somebody who looks like them winning tennis tournaments all over the world, someone with a similar background, somebody not rich, and it motivates these girls to follow their dreams.''

Her coach, former tour pro Laurence Tieleman, is equally impressed: ``What's remarkable about Sachia is not so much how she strikes the ball, because a lot of girls can do that, but it's how she understands the game so well.''

Victoria's coach, Jai Dilouie, is equally effusive about his star. ''Other kids have good strokes but don't compete well,'' he said. ``Vicki is ultra competitive, plays smart shots, and knows how to win.''

For more of Michelle Kaufman's great article go Here

And thanks to my friend Allison for bringing these two young women to my attention!

Note: Final Girls 14 Singles USTA Florida State Closed Sectional BG 14, 16, & 18

(12) Sachia Vickery d. (2) Victoria Duval 7-6; 3-6; 6-1