Let's Talk About Roadkill

by Savannah

Let's see. The WTA in it's infinite wisdom moved Tokyo from earlier in the year to after the US Open to strengthen and boost the Fall Asian Swing. Tokyo became a Premier 5 Mandatory and except for Serena Williams all the top women arrived in Tokyo talking shit and taking names. Nothing wrong with that except that another Premier event starts qualifying play on October 3, 2009 in Beijing. All of the top players are entered there as well. What is a girl to do?

I'm not going to say that Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Chang Kai-Chen of Taiwan and Andrea Petkovic of Germany didn't deserve their wins today. It's just that a fan has to wonder if the top women just came for the cheese offered at Tokyo (appearance fees, that sort of thing) and are now on their way to Beijing.

One would think that of the three top seeds that lost today Dinara Safina had the most incentive to win even though she wasn't originally entered here despite being the defending champion. I didn't see the match but I understand the warm and cuddly relationship between Dinara and her coach was once again on display. I also see that uncomfortable questions are now being asked about the WTA's most consistent player, questions that get to the heart of what is wrong with the WTA.
I mean when articles appear asking if your standard bearer is the worst Number One Ever? it can't be good. For the record the author reserved that distinction for Jelena Jankovic but it doesn't change anything about what is going on in the WTA. Many fan sites already feature threads by concerned fans of women's tennis asking what the hell is going on and what can be done about it. Those of us who asked those questions a few years ago were flamed and said to be haters.

Those of you who read this space regularly know I've gone on ad nauseam about the subject for the last two years. My mother, rest her soul, always told me that you reap what you sow. When the changes were made a few years ago to reward "consistency" instead of quality many said then that what we see today was what would happen. The new regime seems to be a continuation of the old one and unless things get worse - they can - no changes will be made any time soon.

Let's be clear here. Ana Ivanovic already crashed and burned as did newly minted top ten player Flavia Pennetta. Rumors are swirling that Caroline Wozniacki is sick with the flu and may withdraw. She is still listed on the Order of Play for tomorrow and I think if Caroline can breathe she'll be on the court. Unless of course she takes her sick time and a lucky loser steps in for her. There was talk that the LL would be Melanie Oudin but how can you know who a LL is in advance? I mean isn't that stuff random?

So now with Venus out, number one ranked Dinara out and Svetlana Kuznetsova out are we looking at a Premier event or an International event? I liked the Tier I, II and III designations better but I don't work for the WTA. I guess under the old designations this would now be a Tier II.
Jelena Jankovic, defending champion at Beijing, is set to play Sabine Lisicki tomorrow. Sabine is coming back from injury. Elena Dementieva, Vera Zvonareva, Maria Sharapova, Nadia Petrova, Victoria Azarenka and Aggie Radwanska are still in Tokyo as well. It's going to be a very interesting day tomorrow.

Weekend Round Up

by Savannah

What a surprising weekend of results.


She hasn't gotten all the hype. No one was writing columns about her return to competitive tennis but Kimiko Date-Krumm, by winning Seoul, is the big story of the weekend. She will soon be 39 years old. Congratulations on your achievement Kimiko.

Congratulations also go to Gael Monfils who won at Metz, his first title since 2005. It was good to see him hold himself together mentally and win.

If Shahar Pe'er were a team they'd be screaming to break her up. Shahar, who has had a disastrous 2009 won her second title in a row at Tashkent.

I'm sure most tennisheads had penciled in Juan Monaco to win at Bucharest. Instead Albert Montanes of Spain hoisted the trophy and got a confetti shower. Congratulations to Albert.

Sugiyama Ai Says Farewell to Tennis

by Savannah

Tennis Talk

by Savannah

I've taken a few days off. I haven't watched any tennis or been on Twitter for a few days now because I felt so "tennised out". Rumors about the Monogram got me to start poking around and seeing what the hell is going on in the wonderful world of tennis. Some of the news may be old but it's worth repeating in case some of you, like me, needed a mental health break.

From James H Martin on Twitter:

Federer out of Shanghai Masters with back injury. His back does tend to act up outside of the majors, huh?

Can't vouch for the man but thought you all would like to know the latest chit chat...

And it goes on...

Nice commentary and a bit of truth from New York Magazine

Because we like baseball more than other sports, we're going to make a baseball analogy to what happened to Serena Williams in the U.S. Open semifinals on Saturday. The Yankees are up one run in the bottom of the ninth inning of a deciding playoff game, with a runner on first base and no one out. Bobby Abreu hits a ground ball to Robinson Cano, who flips to Derek Jeter, and on to first for the double play. But it turns out that Jeter didn't actually touch the bag on the turn — applying the "phantom" tag, which is generally acceptable and never, ever called — and the umps decide, today, for whatever reason, to call the runner safe. When Jeter and Joe Girardi argue, the umpires decide to give the Angels the run, and then another, costing the Yankees the game. If that happened, one doubts Girardi would be all that calm either.

Serena Williams, in the wake of her expletive-laden outburst on Saturday, has been fined $10,500, and there is some talk of a suspension. This is insane. Five facts:

1. There was no foot fault. Continued replays have shown that Williams's foot was not over the line on the serve, which caused a double fault, and the outburst.

2. Even if she did foot fault, you can't make that call. Like the phantom tag in baseball, that's not a call you ever make on a second serve — obviously, Williams had no real advantage with her foot near the line on a serve she's just trying to get in play — and that's definitely a call you don't make when someone's serving for their life in the semifinals of the U.S. Open.

3. The line judge is oversensitive. As if it weren't bad enough that the line judge — whose name, strangely, has not been released by the USTA — made the ridiculous call, she then, after being yelled at by Serena, scampered over to the head judge to make sure Serena was penalized another point. This happened to be match point. Now, let's be clear: Contrary to the headlines, Serena did not tell the line judge she would kill her. She said she wanted to take the ball and shove it down her fucking throat. Not exactly charming, no, but not fatal! More to the point: Is this the first time the line judge has ever been yelled at in a match? Did she really feel so "threatened" that she had to end the match? Shouldn't a line judge have a thicker skin that that?

4. Serena did not have a meltdown. She said a few "fucking"s and pointed a few times with her racket. Has no one ever seen Jimmy Connors or John McEnroe before? Serena, in the heat of a massively important match, lost her cool for a second, and said some things she surely regrets. But for crying out loud, what did she do that was so horrible? John McEnroe once sacrificed a goat at center court of Wimbledon after a bad call. (Note: This anecdote might be made up, but you get the point.) We're worried about Serena screaming after a wretched call? They're talking about suspending her? When did we become such wimps?

5. The role of a referee/umpire/judge is not to be noticed, and to let the players decide the match themselves. The line judge put herself at the middle of the action and let her own inability to handle an angry player decide who won the semifinal at the U.S. Open. We cannot fathom why she's not taking more heat. Because if we were Serena Williams ... we would have wanted to shove that ball down her throat, too.

Oh, and Kim Clijsters ended up winning the women's singles title last night. No one will remember that, though.

Cablevision and Tennis Channel

Tennis Channel has, at least for the moment, lost its battle with Cablevision. The channel has agreed to release its signal to Cablevision, even though Cablevision customers will have to pay an additional monthly fee for a sports package to view it. Tennis Channel had repeatedly said Cablevision’s terms were unacceptable and that Cablevision customers ought to receive the station with their standard cable packages. While Tennis Channel’s move to release its signal will please tennis fans who are Cablevision customers, it might well leave many of them wondering why Tennis Channel did not give in to Cablevision’s demands prior to the U.S. Open. Cablevision customers could not watch Tennis Channel during the U.S. Open because of the dispute. In a statement, Tennis Channel described the decision as a temporary move under its contract with the National Cable Television Cooperative, a group that negotiates programming deals. Cablevision had claimed that Tennis Channel was required to release its signal under the NCTC contract. —Tom Perrotta

Justine Henin news:

Justine Henin, on what prompted her comeback: "The victory of Roger Federer at Roland Garros really spoke to me... That brought back emotions in me and I felt something was missing."

On the scope of her comeback: "If I'm coming back, it's not for one year. It will be for three or four years, and then there is an important occasion, the London Olympics in 2012, the year I'll be 30."

Carlos Rodriguez, who will resume coaching Justine Henin on tour, says one of the driving forces behind her comeback is the desire to win Wimbledon and complete the career Slam. "Wimbledon, the fourth major, one wants to have it," he said. "It's one of the reasons for the return."

When Henin told him she wanted to play again, said Rodriguez, "It truly surprised me." But, he added, "Tennis, it's what she loves. I'm happy for her."

Uh huh.

Update on Gasquet

Richard Gasquet is searching for a new coach for next year, reports L'Equipe.

The paper added that Yannick Noah has advised Gasquet to pick a foreign coach who speaks French and specifically mentioned Brad Stine, the former coach of Jim Courier and Sebastien Grosjean.

Gasquet will play the third ATP event of his comeback this week in Metz, having won a French league event last week by beating Fabrice Santoro in the final.

I thought Gasquet was tied to Lagardere. By the way "Pamela" has been ordered into rehab.

Damir Dokic's 15 month sentence has been upheld by a Serbian court. Hope that he gets the help he obviously needs.

Andy Murray has released a calendar featuring his physique. Just the Christmas gift for someone you feel close to.

We Told You So...And Double Standards

by Savannah

From the New York Times

September 22, 2009
Henin to Return to Competitive Tennis

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 1:44 p.m. ET

BRUSSELS (AP) -- Former world No. 1 Justine Henin is returning to competitive tennis, making the announcement barely a week after Kim Clijsters capped her comeback from retirement with a second U.S. Open title.

Henin had been retired for just over a year, but at 27 says she has the fire and physical strength to compete for an eighth Grand Slam title. Her announcement on VTM television capped an about-face that went from her ''definitive decision'' to retire last year, to weeks of no comment to a smiling admission Tuesday that she truly missed the game too much.

She wants to play two exhibition tournaments, in Charleroi, Belgium, and Dubai, to hone her skills ahead of a competitive return next year with plans to compete in the next Grand Slam, the Australian Open.

''The fire within burns again,'' Henin said. ''I want to come back in January.''

Henin officially retired on May 14, 2008, initially rejecting any thought of a comeback with a dogged determination that had come to mark her play throughout a decade-long career that yielded seven Grand Slam titles and one Olympic gold medal.

At 27, it certainly is not too late for a comeback. As Clijsters proved, breaking back into the top tier at short notice is far from impossible. She won the U.S. Open in her third tournament since announcing her return.

''Subconsciously, it might have had an impact,'' Henin said of Clijster's successful comeback. ''But it certainly was not the most important reason.''

Like Clijsters, Henin is still in her prime and has been able to rest her body for over a year. Throughout her retirement, during which she became a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, Henin looked fit enough to immediately step back onto a court.

As recently as May, she complained about the old injuries that still gave her pain in the mornings and the dreaded life of living in a bubble as she was shuttled around the world chasing victories.

''The last 15 months I've been able to recharge the batteries, emotionally as well,'' Henin said.

Henin said coming face to face with the world's misery on UNICEF trips to places like eastern Congo widened her horizons like tennis never could.

Henin has won nearly $20 million in prize money and had been ranked No. 1 for all but seven weeks since Nov. 13, 2006, until her retirement. When she retired after a string of early tournament exits just ahead of Roland Garros, she felt the fire no longer within and gave in.

It was the first time in a life totally centered around her prodigious talent for whipping backhands past hapless competitors. She became the first woman player to retire as No. 1.

Then, suddenly, this summer the craving came back.

Craig and I said from the beginning that Henin's sudden "retirement" was related to something other than "burn out" in the traditional sense. We both always said that she would be back after a certain period of time. And now she's back.

The WTA issued the following statement.

STATEMENT FROM STACEY ALLASTER, CHAIRMAN & CEO, SONY ERICSSON WTA TOUR, IN RE JUSTINE HENIN ANNOUNCEMENT

Justine is one of the great champions in the history of women's tennis, and we, along with millions of her fans around the globe, are thrilled with her announcement today. Justine is that rare athlete who decided to step away from the game at the height of her powers, and no doubt she will be a force to be reckoned with from the get go. Her career was marked by so many amazing moments, and a new chapter begins today.

I could go on a rant about why the returns of both Clijsters and Henin have certain elements in tennis overjoyed but I won't because it would just mean rehashing everything that's been said about how TPTB really feel about having those Williams Women universally recognized as the best in the business. Henin has proven herself over the years to be a liar, a cheat and a person who exhibits unsportsmanlike conduct on a consistent basis. She is no different from Dinara Safina in her need for her coach to choreograph her every move on court.

The only thing I will give her is that she never had a cupcake draw handed to her. That is all I concede.

So now they've got what they want. Will Justine cherry pick her tournaments the way Kim has? Will she wait until the end of the year to enter a major or two? All this remains to be seen.

Now excuse me while I go do the "I told you so dance" in the corner.



The Agassi Incident

Just in case you were wondering what it is and why it's caused most of those calling for Serena Williams head to suddenly mute their calls here is an article from 2001 that describes what happened.

...it was flawed by moments when Agassi, who may never have another good chance of winning the title, could not contain his frustration and resentment.

The former champion complained so sulkily about one line decision that a section of the crowd booed him. On another occasion he swore loudly enough to upset a line judge, who came trotting dramatically all the way from her position at the back of the court to tell the umpire, which resulted in Agassi receiving a code violation warning. At the end he launched a ball into the back stop, nearly hitting the line judge who had made the tough call. He was lucky not to suffer further censure for that.

In the press conference the one-time king of glitz was caustic, embittered and almost unable to answer. Was the warning a little unfair? "Yeah, big time. I blame her husband for that," Agassi spat. What did he think about the quality of tennis? "I thought it sucked - really did."

For the entire article please go HERE

And lest we forget the new Belgian sensation Yanina Wickmayer sent a lineswoman to the hospital after throwing a ball at her in anger.

"Yanina displayed "Brat-Like" behavior throughout the tournament. Yanini had 5 code violations. She came close to hitting ball boys on 2 occasions. She launched balls over fences. For her final Code Violation and Disqualification Yanini hit a hard forehand to the back fence striking a defense-less 60 year old woman directly in the face causing a huge bruise. Yanini is dangerous and should seek anger management help."

I hope the ITF comes out with an official statement regarding the default. As Wickmayer was also in the doubles final, she voided the whole final day of play.

This is an eyewitness account that was posted on the fanboard Tennis Forum. Please take time to read the defenders of Wickmayer's actions and note that the ITF did absolutely nothing towards censuring her.

So the next time you hear some sanctimonious bullshit artist talking about "the image the kids will have of tennis" just hand them a nice steaming cup of my favorite joe.

The Weekend Wrap Up

by Savannah

Shahar Pe'er is the Guangzhou 2009 Champion

Olga Govortsova and Tatiana Poutchek won the Doubles Championship at Guangzhou

Vania King and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova

Melinda Czink 2009 Quebec City Champion

Davis Cup Results


It will be defending champions Spain against the Czech Republic December 4-6 in Spain.
Complete results are listed below.

WORLD GROUP SEMIFINALS

CZECH REPUBLIC defeated CROATIA 4-1
Venue: Sportska Dvorana “Zatika”, Porec, CRO (clay - indoors)

Radek Stepanek (CZE) d. Ivo Karlovic (CRO) 67(5) 76(5) 76(6) 67(2) 1614
Tomas Berdych (CZE) d. Marin Cilic (CRO) 63 63 36 46 63
Tomas Berdych/Radek Stepanek (CZE) d. Marin Cilic/Lovro Zovko (CRO) 61 63 64
Jan Hajek (CZE) d. Roko Karanusic (CRO) 76(4) 64
Lovro Zovko (CRO) d. Lukas Dlouhy (CZE) 63 64

SPAIN defeated ISRAEL 4-1
Venue: Polaris World la Torre Golf Resort, Torre Pacheco, Murcia, ESP (clay - outdoors)

David Ferrer (ESP) d. Harel Levy (ISR) 61 64 63
Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP) d. Dudi Sela (ISR) 64 62 60
Tommy Robredo/Feliciano Lopez (ESP) d. Jonathan Erlich/Andy Ram (ISR) 76(6) 67(7) 64 62
David Ferrer (ESP) d. Andy Ram (ISR) 63 61
Harel Levy (ISR) d. Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 75 62

Spain to host Czech Republic in 2009 World Group Final in Spain on 4-6 December.

WORLD GROUP PLAY-OFFS

CHILE defeated AUSTRIA 3-2
Venue: Medialuna Monumental of Rancagua, Rancagua, CHI (clay – outdoors)

Nicolas Massu
Nicolas Massu (CHI) d. Jurgen Melzer (AUT) 46 64 64 63
Paul Capdeville (CHI) d. Stefan Koubek (AUT) 64 64 36 16 64
Julian Knowle/Jurgen Melzer (AUT) d. Paul Capdeville/Nicolas Massu (CHI) 62 64 63
Jurgen Melzer (AUT) d. Paul Capdeville (CHI) 76(2) 46 62 57 64
Nicolas Massu (CHI) d. Stefan Koubek (AUT) 64 46 64 76(6)

BELGIUM defeated UKRAINE 3-2
Venue: Spiroudome de Charleroi, Charleroi, BEL (clay – indoors)

Christophe Rochus (BEL) d. Illya Marchenko (UKR) 63 64 36 62
Steve Darcis (BEL) d. Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) 62 63 64
Sergei Bubka/Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) d. Xavier Malisse/Olivier Rochus (BEL) 76(5) 36 64 76(4)
Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) d. Xavier Malisse (BEL) 63 36 06 61 63
Steve Darcis (BEL) d. Sergei Bubka (UKR) 62 61 60

ECUADOR defeated BRAZIL 3-2
Venue: Ginasio Gigantinho, Porto Alegre, BRA (clay – indoors)

Marcos Daniel (BRA) d. Giovanni Lapentti (ECU) 76(3) 36 76(4) 62
Nicolas Lapentti (ECU) d. Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) 76(2) 64 75
Giovanni Lapentti/Nicolas Lapentti (ECU) d. Marcelo Melo/Andre Sa (BRA) 36 63 64 46 64
Nicolas Lapentti (ECU) d. Marcos Daniel (BRA) 64 64 16 26 86
Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) d. Julio-Cesar Campazano (ECU) 62 64

FRANCE defeated NETHERLANDS 4-1
Venue: MECC Maastricht, Maastricht, NED (clay – indoors)

Thiemo de Bakker (NED) d. Gael Monfils (FRA) 63 57 63 64
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) d. Jesse Huta Galung (NED) 76(2) 62 76(3)
Michael Llodra/Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) d. Thiemo de Bakker/Igor Sijsling (NED) 63 36 76(2) 64
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) d, Thiemo de Bakker (NED) 76(5) 62 36 76(4)
Jeremy Chardy (FRA) d. Jesse Huta Galung (NED) 63 62

INDIA defeated SOUTH AFRICA 4-1
Venue: Ellis Park Indoor Arena, Johannesburg, RSA (hard – indoors)

Somdev Devvarman (IND) d. Izak van der Merwe (RSA) 76(5) 63 64
Rohan Bopanna (IND) d. Rik de Voest (RSA) 26 64 62 64
Jeff Coetzee/Wesley Moodie (RSA) d. Mahesh Bhupathi/Rohan Bopanna (IND) 63 36 40 ret. (Bhupathi right groin injury)
Somdev Devvarman (IND) d. Rik de Voest (RSA) 36 67(3) 76(5) 62 64
Yuki Bhambri (IND) d. Izak van der Merwe (RSA) 36 63 64

SERBIA defeated UZBEKISTAN 5-0
Venue: Belgrade Arena, Belgrade, SRB (hard – indoors)

Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) d. Denis Istomin (UZB) 62 57 61 64
Viktor Troicki (SRB) d. Farrukh Dustov (UZB) 64 36 63 46 62
Janko Tipsarevic/Nenad Zimonjic (SRB) d. Farrukh Dustov/ Denis Istomin (UZB) 62 63 62
Viktor Troicki (SRB) d. Murad Inoyatov (UZB) 46 64 63
Ilia Bozoljac (SRB) d. Vaja Uzakov (UZB) 61 64

SWEDEN defeated ROMANIA 3-2
Venue: Idrottens Hus, Helsingborg, SWE (hard – indoors)

Victor Hanescu (ROU) d. Andreas Vinciguerra (SWE) 76(5) 76(10) ret. (sprained ankle)
Robin Soderling (SWE) d. Victor Crivoi (ROU) 62 61 75
Robert Lindstedt/Robin Soderling (SWE) d. Victor Hanescu/Horia Tecau (ROU) 61 76(7) 76(5)
Robin Soderling (SWE) d. Victor Hanescu (ROU) 75 61 60
Marius Copil (ROU) d. Andreas Vinciguerra (SWE) 46 ret. (ankle injury)

SWITZERLAND defeated ITALY 3-2
Venue: Centro Sportivo "Valletta Cambiaso", Genoa, ITA (clay – outdoors)

Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) d. Andreas Seppi (ITA) 64 61 62
Roger Federer (SUI) d. Simone Bolelli (ITA) 63 64 61
Simone Bolelli/Potito Starace (ITA) d. Marco Chiudinelli/Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) 62 64 76(3)
Roger Federer (SUI) d. Potito Starace (ITA) 63 60 64
Fabio Fognini (ITA) d. Michael Lammer (SUI) 75 76(4)

Belgium, Chile, Ecuador, France, India, Serbia, Sweden and Switzerland qualify for 2010 World Group.

EUROPE/AFRICA ZONE GROUP I SECOND ROUND PLAY-OFFS

POLAND defeated GREAT BRITAIN 3-2
Venue: Echo Arena, Liverpool, GBR (hard – indoors)

Andy Murray (GBR) d. Michal Przsiezny (POL) 64 62 64
Jerzy Janowicz (POL) d. Dan Evans (GBR) 63 63 76(5)
Marius Fyrstenberg/Marcin Matkowski (POL) d. Ross Hutchins/Andy Murray (GBR) 75 36 63 62
Andy Murray (GBR) d. Jerzy Janowicz (POL) 63 64 63
Michal Przsiezny (POL) d. Dan Evans (GBR) 62 61 75

SLOVAK REPUBLIC defeated F.Y.R. MACEDONIA 5-0
Venue: Sibamac Arena, Bratislava, SVK (hard – indoors)

Dominik Hrbaty (SVK) d. Dimitar Grabuloski (MKD) 62 64 64
Lukas Lacko (SVK) d. Lazar Magdincev (MKD) 61 61 63
Martin Klizan/Filip Polasek (SVK) d. Dimitar Grabuloski/Lazar Magdincev (MKD) 63 63 63
Lukas Lacko (SVK) d. Shendrit Deari (MKD) 63 60
Dominik Hrbaty (SVK) d. Tomislav Jotovski (MKD) 60 60

Great Britain and FYR Macedonia relegated to Europe/Africa Group II in 2010.

AMERICAS ZONE GROUP I SECOND ROUND PLAY-OFFS

URUGUAY defeated PERU 4-1
Venue: Club Tennis Las Terrazas De Miralores, Lima, PER (clay – outdoors)

Marcel Felder (URU) d. Luis Horna (PER) 62 63 61
Pablo Cuevas (URU) d. Mauricio Echazu (PER) 64 63 62
Pablo Cuevas/Marcel Felder (URU) d. Luis Horna/Ivan Miranda (PER) 76(2) 36 63 62
Federico Sansonetti (URU) d. Ivan Miranda (PER) 75 76(2)
Mauricio Echazu (PER) d. Ariel Behar (URU) 62 63

Peru relegated to Americas Group II in 2010.

ASIA/OCEANIA ZONE GROUP I THIRD ROUND PLAY-OFFS

CHINA, P.R. defeated THAILAND 4-1
Venue: Jiaxing International Tennis Center, Jiaxing, CHN (hard – indoors)

Shao-Xuan Zeng (CHN) d. Kittiphong Wachiramanowong (THA) 57 61 62 64
Danai Udomchoke (THA) d. Ze Zhang (CHN) 63 63 62
Shao-Xuan Zeng/Ze Zhang (CHN) d. Sanchai Ratiwatana/Sonchat Ratiwatana (THA) 26 46 64 75 62
Shao-Xuan Zeng (CHN) d. Danai Udomchoke (THA) 26 64 36 61 64
Mao-Xin Gong (CHN) d. Kittiphong Wachiramanowong (THA) 75 36 63

Thailand relegated to Asia/Oceania Group II in 2010.

EUROPE/AFRICA ZONE GROUP II FINAL ROUND

LATVIA defeated SLOVENIA 3-2
Venue: Tennis Centre "Lielupe", Jurmala, LAT (carpet - indoors)

Grega Zemlja (SLO) d. Andis Juska (LAT) 61 61 64
Ernests Gulbis (LAT) d. Luka Gregorc (SLO) 46 67(3) 64 64 86
Luka Gregorc/Grega Zemlja (SLO) d. Ernests Gulbis/Deniss Pavlovs (LAT) 67(5) 64 62 26 64
Ernests Gulbis (LAT) d. Grega Zemlja (SLO) 62 36 63 75
Andis Juska (LAT) d. Blaz Kavcic (SLO) 63 64 62

FINLAND defeated CYPRUS 3-2
Venue: Salohalli, Salo, FIN (hard – indoors)

Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) d. Photos Kallias (CYP) 62 61 60
Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) d. Henri Kontinen (FIN) 63 63 62
Henri Kontinen/Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) d. Marcos Baghdatis/Photos Kallias (CYP) 67(4) 16 62 63 75
Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) d. Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) 75 63 36 64
Henri Kontinen (FIN) d. Photos Kallias (CYP) 60 75 60

Latvia and Finland promoted to Europe/Africa Group I in 2010.

AMERICAS ZONE GROUP II FINAL

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC defeated VENEZUELA 3-2
Venue: Santo Domingo Tennis Club, Santo Domingo, DOM (clay – outdoors)

Jhonson Garcias of the Dominican Republic
Victor Estrella (DOM) d. Daniel Vallverdu (VEN) 64 63 46 75
Jose de Armas (VEN) d. Jose Hernandez (DOM) 63 61 36 61
Jose de Armas/Daniel Vallverdu (VEN) d. Victor Estrella/Jhonson Garcia (DOM) 64 76(6) 61
Victor Estrella (DOM) d. Jose de Armas (VEN) 63 26 76(6) 36 61
Jhonson Garcia (DOM) d. Daniel Vallverdu (VEN) 63 63 75

Dominican Republic promoted to Americas Group I in 2010

ASIA/OCEANIA ZONE GROUP II FINAL

PHILIPPINES defeated NEW ZEALAND 4-1
Venue: Philippine Columbian Association, Manila, PHI (clay – indoors)

Treat Conrad Huey (PHI) d. Daniel King-Turner (NZL) 64 67(5) 60 ret. (cramping)
Cecil Mamiit (PHI) d. Jose Statham (NZL) 64 75 62
Treat Conrad Huey/Cecil Mamiit (PHI) d GD Jones/Mikal Statham (NZL) 76(4) 63 75
Johnny Arcilla (PHI) v Mikal Statham (NZL) 63 26 64
Jose Statham (NZL) d. Vicente Elberto Anasta (PHI) 61 75

Philippines promoted to Asia/Oceania Group I in 2010.

Miscellany

The hype about Justine Henin coming back is reaching fever pitch. Do we really need this lying, cheating player back on the tour? Do we really? You don't get to be the head of the WTA by being Mr. Nice Guy but you do get there knowing how to do public relations work and how to schmooze the press. When Larry Scott basically said "don't let the door hit you on the way out" after Henin's sudden "retirement" you know something stunk to high heaven.

It's going to be interesting to see how Kim Clijsters cherry picks her way through next year. Roadkill doesn't affect her unless she's top ten. Let's see where she chooses to play before we start seeing angels dancing on the head of her racquet.

Liezel Huber, after she and Cara Black lost to Venus Williams and Serena Williams at the US Open said they won because "they're bigger and stronger than us". I turned it off after that since she could've gone on to say that they are a better doubles team than we are. Don't think she did though.

It's amazing to me how all of a sudden there is no good angle to prove or disprove that Serena foot faulted. I clearly remember that CBS showed conclusively that there was no foot fault. They had the angle. Now everyone says there's no conclusive proof. Right. Just remember people Mariana Alves is still working as a chair umpire in professional tennis. I know if I were playing and I saw that lines person I'd be just a wee bit wary of her calls. I'm being honest. The other thing that was funny about that incident was that the chair was totally oblivious to what was going on until someone said something to her. Can you imagine Lars Graf, Mohammad Lahyani, Carlos Bernardes or any of the top chair umpires not noticing the commotion? Again, I'm just saying.

Caroline Wozniacki is now a top five player.

WTA Top-10

1.Dinara Safina, Russia, 8,340 points

2.Serena Williams, United States, 7,807

3.Venus Williams, United States, 6,645

4.Elena Dementieva, Russia, 6,015

5.Caroline Wozniacki, Denmark, 5,850

6.Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russia, 5,580

7.Vera Zvonareva, Russia, 5,330

8.Jelena Jankovic, Serbia, 5,300

9.Victoria Azarenka, Belarus, 4,592

10.Flavia Pennetta, Italy, 3,490

So CBS had to issue a statement about the cavalier treatment given Juan Martin del Potro by Dick Enberg. Again it has to be said the the anger should be directed at the producer who was telling Enberg to speed it up so that the sponsors could get their say. Tennis fans unite! Do you think they would've said jack if tennisheads hadn't flooded their email accounts in protest? Yay us!

Thanks to Tennis Grandstand for posting the following information.

Apparently apparel company Fila has deep pockets. According to reports, Kim Clijsters was given a significant bonus by her shoe and clothing sponsor for her surprising US Open singles championship. And where companies usually insure these bonuses, CNBC says Fila did not. The bonus is reported to be in the range of USD $300,000, which could buy a lot of shoes for Clijsters’ young daughter. Darren Rovell of SportsBiz says that while it’s standard practice for companies to insure their big incentive bonuses to minimize the risk, Fila didn’t do it with Clijsters since she had played just two tournaments following a two-year retirement. The odds on Clijsters winning were as high as 40-to-1.

Zina Garrison has settled the racial discrimination suit she brought against the United States Tennis Association (USTA). A deal was signed on August 27, although its terms were not disclosed. A former Fed Cup captain, Garrison filed her lawsuit in February, saying she was unfairly treated, paid a lower salary than Davis Cup coach Patrick McEnroe while being held to higher standards. As a player, Garrison was the 1990 Wimbledon runner-up, at the time becoming the first black woman since Althea Gibson to play in a Grand Slam tournament singles final. She became the first black captain of the US Fed Cup team when she replaced Billie Jean King in 2004. Spokesman Chris Widmaier said the USTA is happy the case was resolved and looks forward to working with Garrison in the future.

The 2009 US Open - A Final Look

by Savannah


Juan Martin del Potro from Tandil, Argentina, is the 2009 United States Open Men's Champion. He is twenty years old.

Early in yesterdays match, when it looked as if the man I call The Monogram was going to run away with the win there was some light hearted banter among the talking heads of CBS about what was happening on court. Mary Carillo said, when asked what del Potro was good at, said that he was good at being tall. One of her peers asked her to clarify and she said it again just to make sure she was understood. Hilarity ensued. By the end of the evening they were all singing a different tune.

Young Mr. del Potro is the second Argentine to win the US Open. The first was Guillermo Vilas who won in 1977 when the event was still played on clay. It was an historic victory in many ways but it was what happened afterwards that shaped the face of American tennis. The men behind the curtain didn't like the fact that a South American had won and the decision was made to change the surface the US Open was played on, in fact to change most of the training for up and coming American tennis players, from clay which was the dominant surface, to hard courts. This was to stop "others" from winning what was thought to be an American championship. And yet thirty two years later another South American born man hoisted the trophy, this time in Arthur Ashe Stadium after winning the American Slam.

So what happened to the Americans this year? The only American player to make it to the semi finals was Serena Williams. Every other American was out early. Not one American man made it past the round of sixteen. Why was that? I mean we've got some guys who are "good at being tall" playing now don't we? Haven't we got men like John Isner? Sam Querrey? Why are countries that were said to only produce, to use the pejorative "dirtballers" suddenly producing kids who thrive on hard courts while American young people are falling by the wayside unable to compete internationally?

To stick with South America for a few more minutes let's look at Fernando Gonzalez, David Nalbandian, Guillermo Canas and Gustavo Kuerten. All are excellent hard court players but again, due to where they were born, they were looked down on by the tennis establishment. Canas had his career stolen from him just when he was coming into his own. Nalbandian is known for his hard partying ways in the American press and Gonzalez for years only had that forehand. Of the four Kuerten was known for his wins at Roland Garros and can be said to be the only true clay courter among the four.

Gonzalez made the decision to hire Larry Stefanki, an American, and suddenly he was competitive, going deeper in tournaments than he ever had before. He accepted that his game worked better on hard courts and embraced what Stefanki was teaching him. It was a major turning point for the South American men because it gave players like del Potro the freedom to develop and play the game the way they wanted to.

I want to take a minute and say that Stefanki, now working with American Andy Roddick, has once again pioneered a change. Roddick is now playing what I call "modern tennis". His serve is now part of his game not his entire game. This will bear fruit down the line since American youngsters will now have the freedom to embrace their inner player and not be forced to be mindless ball bashers with no idea how to construct a point and with no knowledge of strategy beyond hitting the ball hard.

I've been hitting the men pretty hard but the women are not exempt from this. While watching Serena Williams vs Kim Clijsters it occurred to me that the reason Serena was having so many problems is because she is not used to playing someone like Kim anymore. The current crop of women need their hands held through every point and can barely think for themselves. They aren't able to hit hard but with accuracy to any part of the court and adjust their games when need be. No matter how great a player you are if you've been getting by with using only 3/4 of your skills it's hard to reverse and start using tactics you haven't needed to use in a couple of years. Serena said as much when she said that now that she knew how Kim played she'd be ready for her next time.

The United States tennis establishment can no longer sit on the sidelines looking down their noses while arrogantly declaring that the only real tennis is played on either a hard or grass court. It's obvious that thirty years from Vilas victory that the American attitude towards the rest of the tennis world not located in Great Britain or Australia is archaic and that the rest of the world has caught up and surpassed us. When someone like James Blake could state without irony that American players don't care about the European clay court swing because they prefer Wimbledon and the hardcourts something is wrong. When your players have no idea how to counter the rise of players skilled in tactics and strategy something is wrong. When one of the young men you tout as the next big thing goes to a casino the night before a big match instead of preparing himself mentally and physically for the next day something is wrong. When a young South American player who came on the scene a couple of years ago and who will turn 21 on September 23 already has a Grand Slam trophy on his mantlepiece while the American hopes win smaller tournaments and serve as filler for European ones something is wrong. When an American man hasn't been a serious Grand Slam contender since 2003 something is wrong. When a tennis establishment is more interested in tearing down it's best player instead of, like the FFT supporting it's player come hell or high water something is wrong.

There are already new names on many tennisheads radar. Gianni Mina of France, Heather Watson of Great Britain, Noppawan Lertcheewakarn of Thailand, Kristina Mladinovic of France and Yuki Bhambri of India come to mind. How ironic is it that the two young Americans who did well during the US Open, Chase Buchanan who almost won the Junior Boy's Tournament and Melanie Oudin both come from outside of USTA Player Development?

Efforts are being made to change the culture of Player Development. "More clay, less ball bashing," seems to be the mantra yet the people being hired are wed to the system as it was, have been part of it all of their professional lives. As I see it change on that side of the street will be glacial. The innovation and more complete players are coming from outside of the tennis factories in Florida.

So while to many Juan Martin del Potro's victory is a clarion call to become the best player you can be and to use your skills to your advantage to others it's their worst nightmare come true. It took thirty years to get into this mess. It's going to take some time to get out of it. Is the narrow minded and provincial attitude that got us to this point going to once again win out or will it be acknowledged by more than words that something is wrong and the fix needs to be found sooner rather than later? We've come full circle people. It's 1977 again for United States tennis.


End Note:

Taking a couple of days off. I hope to be back for Davis Cup.