by Savannah
No movie will ever use that phrase to highlight the release of a potential blockbuster but hey, that's what I see when I look at the ATP and WTA draws for the 2016 edition of the Australian Open. Everyone has seen the draws already. Everyone has read the expert opinions on what will and won't happen. I guess everyone has made their Suicide Pool picks too. Note: I'm lousy at predictions so I give opinions here but no predictions.
So why am I talking about upsets?
A caveat for those who are reading this space for the first time. I don't talk much about ATP draws because I stan for a particular player so my opinions would tend to be biased therefore I do talk about the WTA quite a bit. There is one thing I can say about both draws though. There are some very nice traps set in both draws. When the top ranked players on both tours are given sacrificial lambs to start their campaigns it's very easy to pencil them in for the next round. I predict one or both will either be upset or come close to being upset because the players they're drawn against have nothing to lose. A fearless foe is a dangerous foe.
I base one observation on shoe style. As in Serena Williams hasn't been seen in heels in awhile. I know, I know the knee inflammation is gone and she's fine. We'll see shortly.
I also have questions about Simona Halep. I posted here last year that Halep anywhere near the net is a crap shoot. If you let her hit groundies to her hearts content she will carve you to pieces with the angles she can create. If you watched her match vs Svetlana Kuznetsova she didn't tank she played three sets. And in the end Sveta won because for once she seemed to give a damn and used her experience to beat Simona.
Halep doesn't like the heat either. With the temps in the 40's Celsius (100's Fahrenheit) this will be a factor. I don't know if they'll close the roofs due to heat since even when they're closed for inclement weather there are complaints that the tournament is turning into an indoor one.
The bottom of the bottom half will be interesting for other reasons. Sticking with the seeds Madison Keys hasn't played a competitive set since late last year. She's also got a new coach, Jesse Levine, an American whose highest rank was 199 back in July 2013. Her former coach, Lindsay Davenport, hinted that Keys is still carrying the injury that kept her out a good part of 2015. She was considered one of the top prospects for the United States about a year and a half ago. When she did play last year there was no discernable maturation in her game. The seed in her section is Ana Ivanovic. I'm not a big fan of Ana's style of play but I don't see any one getting in the way of her playing Madison, if Madison is healthy and mentally prepared.
I see Venus Williams vs Johanna Konta as a toss up with Venus having a slight edge based on experience on the Grand Slam level. Konta has proven that she is hungry and capable. Whether she will be able to beat Venus, who has never done well here, remains to be seen. Makarova's health is still suspect and there could be some surprising results in that part of the draw where the other seed is Karolina Pliskova. Pliskova's technique is still suspect to me and as the tournament wears on the heat can become a major factor for her as well.
Sabine Lisicki has shown nothing lately and I wouldn't be surprised if she's upset early.
So, will we see Victoria Azarenka vs Garbiñe Muguruza in the top half of the bottom section of the draw? There are some tantalizing possibilites in that part of the draw. Samantha Crawford, the WC from the United States is Azarenka's potential second round opponent assuming Crawford gets past Danka Kovinic who has a decent game and Azarenka gets past Alison Van Uytvanck. I've seen Van Uytvanck play very good tennis but Azarenka still should have the edge. With Victoria Duval coming back from illness I think Elina Svitolina gets past her. The quarter featuring Muguruza and Caroline Garcia should see Muguruza coming out with little trouble. What was the question? Oh yeah, it's very likely that we'll see Azarenka vs Muguruza.
I never though I'd say this but I see Agnieszka Radwanska doing very well in Melbourne. She's hungry and despite magazine covers and photo shoots that border on soft porn I think she will surprise here. Sure Eugenie Bouchard and a newly reinvigorated Monica Puig are in her quarter but neither player is mature enough to handle Aga's style of now you see it now you don't tennis in my opinion.
The top of the top? Too many ifs to have an opinion. Like I said I see upsets.
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Thursday, January 7, 2016
The Chill of Samantha Crawford and Woz in Beast Mode - WTA 2016
by Savannah
Getty Images
One of the most anticipated matches by tennis cogniscenti was the one between Belinda Bencic and Samantha Crawford. Non tennis nerds are forgiven for asking "who?" when it comes to both players. Bencic is an up and coming Swiss player and Crawford is a little known player out of Georgia. Each woman has taken a different road to the semi limelight of up and coming WTA players but Bencic, because of her association with Martina Hingis, is probably the better known player in tennis circles.
Coming into her match vs Crawford Bencic dismantled Sara Errani 6-1, 6-2 causing Errani to decry the late withdrawal of an unnamed player saying that said player ruined the draw. Maybe she was thinking that if the unnamed player had withdrawn earlier she would've moved from the ninth seed to the eighth and avoided Ms Bencic. But that did not happen and we ended up with Bencic vs Crawford.
Crawford, like Chung Hyeon, is one of those players you hear whispers about. Nothing distinct coming into this match but whispers all the same. It was a match many wanted to see. Sadly unless you were in Brisbane there was no way to see the match since it took place on a non televised court with not even a chance of a stream popping up somewhere it's not supposed to. So fans scoreboard watched and hung out on Twitter and when the dust settled Samantha Crawford had defeated Belinda Bencic 7-5, 7-5.
Needless to say at this point the whispers got very loud. Crawford was set to play fan favorite Andrea Petkovic next and many thought surely that would be the end of her run. As the saying goes "not hardly". This match was televised and I'm sure I was among the many who, watching Crawford play for the first time, were slackjawed watching in disbelief as Samantha dismantled Petkovic 6-3, 6-0. Petkovic had no idea what had just hit her and almost in spite of itself the United States has a potential star on it's hands.
Samantha is a big woman, 6'2", and has trained with Michael Joyce, ex coach of Maria Sharapova, whose name is already being linked by some to Crawford but make no mistake Ms Crawford's game is nothing like Sharapova's. First of all she can move well. Her forehands leave vapor trails. There are reports that her volleying is above average. She is facing another test tonight vs a resurgent Victoria Azarenka who starts the year fitter than I've seen her in a very long time.
Win or lose tonight this young woman is going to be hyped by the USTA. Let's hope she has people around her to protect her from the wiles of the USTA and let her continue her development. She's got a Wild Card into the Main Draw of the Australian Open. All eyes will be on her.
The other story of 2016 is Caroline Wozniacki. We're used to her by now, brick wall, counter puncher, father who goes for the histrionics during his courtside coaching sessions so who is this woman, wearing last years kit, who showed up in Auckland? I have never, ever, seen the Wozniacki who wiped the floor with Christina McHale 6-0, 6-2 and followed up with a beat down of Alexandra Dulgheru 6-1, 6-0. This Caroline was aggressive, in your face, hitting winners, you name it. Her father Victor Krason stayed in the stands while his daughter swaggered around the court. Absolutely amazing play from a player we all thought we knew. She'll be playing Sloane Stephens next. Sloane is being coached by Kamau Murray of Chicago now. I was going to say at the moment but I'm trying to be nice so early in the year.
This and That
The other stuff going on with the WTA is worthy of a right eyebrow quirk.
Let's start with all the withdrawals. Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova head the list. I wasn't surprised about Serena. The most recent pictures I'd seen of her she was wearing flats to formal events, something she last did when she had surgery on her foot. She played a bit at Hopman Cup before officially withdrawing and allowing Victoria Duval to get some much needed match play after her illness.
Sharapova? A forearm injury was cited as her reason for withdrawing. Like I said it's too early in the year to be mean so I'll accept her surprise withdrawal at face value.
There was Petra Kvitova citing gastric issues in Shenzen. Garbiñe Muguruza's foot was giving her problems.
Remember when they went in on Caroline Wozniacki for saying that the WTA made it's athlete's play hurt? Apparently there's not going to be any more of that in WTAland.
Speaking of Muguruza she went way off the reservation with her widely reported comments to the Spanish journal El Pais . In a wide ranging interview she said that all of the WTA players hate each other and that ayone who says anything different is lying. Her defenders are saying it was a joke citing the article as proof because after she said that she reportedly giggled. Others are saying she is very sarcastic in both Spanish and English and that her words shouldn't be taken at face value. The only Spanish I know is not repeatable in proper company so I linked to the article above. The Google translation is horrible as you would expect but the controversial part is translated as follows:
New girl trying to fit in or haterade? We don't know enough about her to decide.
Finally there was the kerfluffle betwen Jelena Ostapenko and Naomi Broady in Auckland. Ostapenko, frustrated because Broady wasn't rolling over and playing dead for her threw her racquet. It hit a ball kid. Under the rules that means automatic disqualification. Except in this case where the chair did absolutely nothing. Broady protested but seeing she was getting nowhere resumed playing and beat Ostapenko.
Remember when you were a kid and your Mom told you that in a dispute they always see the person who reacts not the one who started it? That's exactly what happened here. On their way to "shake hands" at the net Ostapenko lit into Broady who understandably went off. That is all everyone seems to be focused on. Is Broady a bit of a drama queen? Maybe. Is Ostapenko a menace to society? Judging by all of the support that flowed Broady's way I'm thinking Ostapenko is one of those insufferable brats who thinks that the tennis world should be bowing to her invincibility. My question is why is no one going after the chair for not doing his job? I'm betting he's part of the in crowd in Australia and they're perfectly happy to let Broady and Ostapenko be tarred and feathered by tennis fans instead of their boy.
So what, you may ask is going on with the ATP? Last I checked for the most part they seem to be going about their business and playing tennis.
Getty Images
One of the most anticipated matches by tennis cogniscenti was the one between Belinda Bencic and Samantha Crawford. Non tennis nerds are forgiven for asking "who?" when it comes to both players. Bencic is an up and coming Swiss player and Crawford is a little known player out of Georgia. Each woman has taken a different road to the semi limelight of up and coming WTA players but Bencic, because of her association with Martina Hingis, is probably the better known player in tennis circles.
Coming into her match vs Crawford Bencic dismantled Sara Errani 6-1, 6-2 causing Errani to decry the late withdrawal of an unnamed player saying that said player ruined the draw. Maybe she was thinking that if the unnamed player had withdrawn earlier she would've moved from the ninth seed to the eighth and avoided Ms Bencic. But that did not happen and we ended up with Bencic vs Crawford.
Crawford, like Chung Hyeon, is one of those players you hear whispers about. Nothing distinct coming into this match but whispers all the same. It was a match many wanted to see. Sadly unless you were in Brisbane there was no way to see the match since it took place on a non televised court with not even a chance of a stream popping up somewhere it's not supposed to. So fans scoreboard watched and hung out on Twitter and when the dust settled Samantha Crawford had defeated Belinda Bencic 7-5, 7-5.
Needless to say at this point the whispers got very loud. Crawford was set to play fan favorite Andrea Petkovic next and many thought surely that would be the end of her run. As the saying goes "not hardly". This match was televised and I'm sure I was among the many who, watching Crawford play for the first time, were slackjawed watching in disbelief as Samantha dismantled Petkovic 6-3, 6-0. Petkovic had no idea what had just hit her and almost in spite of itself the United States has a potential star on it's hands.
Samantha is a big woman, 6'2", and has trained with Michael Joyce, ex coach of Maria Sharapova, whose name is already being linked by some to Crawford but make no mistake Ms Crawford's game is nothing like Sharapova's. First of all she can move well. Her forehands leave vapor trails. There are reports that her volleying is above average. She is facing another test tonight vs a resurgent Victoria Azarenka who starts the year fitter than I've seen her in a very long time.
Win or lose tonight this young woman is going to be hyped by the USTA. Let's hope she has people around her to protect her from the wiles of the USTA and let her continue her development. She's got a Wild Card into the Main Draw of the Australian Open. All eyes will be on her.
The other story of 2016 is Caroline Wozniacki. We're used to her by now, brick wall, counter puncher, father who goes for the histrionics during his courtside coaching sessions so who is this woman, wearing last years kit, who showed up in Auckland? I have never, ever, seen the Wozniacki who wiped the floor with Christina McHale 6-0, 6-2 and followed up with a beat down of Alexandra Dulgheru 6-1, 6-0. This Caroline was aggressive, in your face, hitting winners, you name it. Her father Victor Krason stayed in the stands while his daughter swaggered around the court. Absolutely amazing play from a player we all thought we knew. She'll be playing Sloane Stephens next. Sloane is being coached by Kamau Murray of Chicago now. I was going to say at the moment but I'm trying to be nice so early in the year.
This and That
The other stuff going on with the WTA is worthy of a right eyebrow quirk.
Let's start with all the withdrawals. Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova head the list. I wasn't surprised about Serena. The most recent pictures I'd seen of her she was wearing flats to formal events, something she last did when she had surgery on her foot. She played a bit at Hopman Cup before officially withdrawing and allowing Victoria Duval to get some much needed match play after her illness.
Sharapova? A forearm injury was cited as her reason for withdrawing. Like I said it's too early in the year to be mean so I'll accept her surprise withdrawal at face value.
There was Petra Kvitova citing gastric issues in Shenzen. Garbiñe Muguruza's foot was giving her problems.
Remember when they went in on Caroline Wozniacki for saying that the WTA made it's athlete's play hurt? Apparently there's not going to be any more of that in WTAland.
Speaking of Muguruza she went way off the reservation with her widely reported comments to the Spanish journal El Pais . In a wide ranging interview she said that all of the WTA players hate each other and that ayone who says anything different is lying. Her defenders are saying it was a joke citing the article as proof because after she said that she reportedly giggled. Others are saying she is very sarcastic in both Spanish and English and that her words shouldn't be taken at face value. The only Spanish I know is not repeatable in proper company so I linked to the article above. The Google translation is horrible as you would expect but the controversial part is translated as follows:
The players are very difficult to make friends, we are very competitive and we are all the time on tour. And it is very difficult to make friends among other players because the next day we will compete. The boys is different, but the girls ... we all hate. Literal. And those who say otherwise are lying, "emphasizes having a good laugh. "Although we also look at things very women. We go over and suddenly think, 'I have the best nail ". Laughs again. "You can not avoid. It is incredibly different than with the boys. " Can it be macho? "I've often thought, because I see guys who are friends with each other. When we go to those events, a little commitment, before the tournament, the truth is I miss someone with whom to gossip: 'My God !, how would this dress? ".
New girl trying to fit in or haterade? We don't know enough about her to decide.
Finally there was the kerfluffle betwen Jelena Ostapenko and Naomi Broady in Auckland. Ostapenko, frustrated because Broady wasn't rolling over and playing dead for her threw her racquet. It hit a ball kid. Under the rules that means automatic disqualification. Except in this case where the chair did absolutely nothing. Broady protested but seeing she was getting nowhere resumed playing and beat Ostapenko.
Remember when you were a kid and your Mom told you that in a dispute they always see the person who reacts not the one who started it? That's exactly what happened here. On their way to "shake hands" at the net Ostapenko lit into Broady who understandably went off. That is all everyone seems to be focused on. Is Broady a bit of a drama queen? Maybe. Is Ostapenko a menace to society? Judging by all of the support that flowed Broady's way I'm thinking Ostapenko is one of those insufferable brats who thinks that the tennis world should be bowing to her invincibility. My question is why is no one going after the chair for not doing his job? I'm betting he's part of the in crowd in Australia and they're perfectly happy to let Broady and Ostapenko be tarred and feathered by tennis fans instead of their boy.
So what, you may ask is going on with the ATP? Last I checked for the most part they seem to be going about their business and playing tennis.
Monday, December 14, 2015
Serena Williams: Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year
by Savannah
Yu Tsai for SI via AP
First tennis player since Arthur Ashe won in 1992.
First solo female athlete since Mary Decker in 1983.
There are human beings Tweeting that a horse should've won the award and directing tweets to said horse.
There are tennis fans who feel another tennis player should've won it.
I'm sure there's weeping and gnashing of teeth in one tennis players camp.
And you know what? Suck it bitches.
Congratulations to Serena Jameka Williams for all she has accomplished not only this year (2015) but in her career. It's about time she got the recognition for all the blood, sweat and tears.
Yu Tsai for SI via AP
First tennis player since Arthur Ashe won in 1992.
First solo female athlete since Mary Decker in 1983.
There are human beings Tweeting that a horse should've won the award and directing tweets to said horse.
There are tennis fans who feel another tennis player should've won it.
I'm sure there's weeping and gnashing of teeth in one tennis players camp.
And you know what? Suck it bitches.
Congratulations to Serena Jameka Williams for all she has accomplished not only this year (2015) but in her career. It's about time she got the recognition for all the blood, sweat and tears.
Saturday, December 12, 2015
I Simply Don't Get It
by Savannah
This "off season" resembles a round of musical chairs more than anything else. Coaches are being hired and fired. One pro has hired a guy to travel with him and be his friend (and probably be his road manager). Borna Çoriç has hired Andy Murray's old coach Miles Maclagan. Milos Raonic lost his coach and as I type this I haven't heard of him hiring a new one.
Those changes are not what got me to break my "off season" to post a rant. The change that has pushed me over the edge is the one Madison Keys made. The official line is that she stopped working with Lindsay Davenport, her husband Jon Leach and Lisa Raymond because Lindsay couldn't travel and manage family time and broadcast committments. Surprise surprise. We all know that Lindsay has nannies to handle the children and maids to handle her housework but if they want to make it seem that she and her investment banker husband live like the hoi polloi that is their right.
As regular readers know Madison was my one to watch in 2015 for the WTA. You also know that all she did was tread water during the year, that her game didn't improve and her on court demanor didn't either. When I read she dumped Lindsay I was curious as to who her new coach would be and what it would say about her vision of her career and how she wanted to achieve it. So imagine my surprise and head scratch when I read who her new coach would be. My verbal response was "why"?
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Jesse Levine, to my knowledge, made no appreciable mark on the ATP tour. There was some snark about him not being able to decide if he was a citizen of the United States or Canada.
Here is a summary of his career via Wikipedia:
Singles
Career record 31–64 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup)
Career titles 0
Highest ranking No. 69 (October 1, 2012)
Here, from the same source, are his Grand Slam results.
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open 2R (2008, 2013)
French Open 2R (2012)
Wimbledon 3R (2009)
US Open 2R (2009)
As part of the announcement of Levine as coach it was said that he hit with Madison before she went on her run at Charleston where she lost in the final to Angelique Kerber in three sets after beating Kateryna Bondarenko, Andreea Mitu, Lauren Davis and Lucie Hradecka by very comfortable margins. Not exactly a Murderer's Row she beat was it? But that was enough to get Levine a job.
We all know the adage "those who can't do teach" and maybe Levine will turn out to be the one to move Madison's career forward. She can't have been happy with a year that saw her win no titles, unable to defend the one title she had won in 2014. She also had a major emotional break down on court.
Levine's hiring makes me wonder if there is some kind of a USTA plan to have American players paired with American's. John Isner hired the loathsome Justin Gimelstob and now Keys has hired Levine. I guess no top tier coach was available, willing or wanted by US players.
If Levine turns out to be what Keys needs I won't hesitate to say she made the right choice and that my initial misgivings were wrong. As of today though I see nothing he brings to her game and the choice baffles me. I don't see this choice moving Madison to the next level. Instead I see her ranking staying about the same.
Sorry guys. This is a bad choice for a "rising star".
©SavannahsWorld All Rigts Reserved except where indicated
This "off season" resembles a round of musical chairs more than anything else. Coaches are being hired and fired. One pro has hired a guy to travel with him and be his friend (and probably be his road manager). Borna Çoriç has hired Andy Murray's old coach Miles Maclagan. Milos Raonic lost his coach and as I type this I haven't heard of him hiring a new one.
Those changes are not what got me to break my "off season" to post a rant. The change that has pushed me over the edge is the one Madison Keys made. The official line is that she stopped working with Lindsay Davenport, her husband Jon Leach and Lisa Raymond because Lindsay couldn't travel and manage family time and broadcast committments. Surprise surprise. We all know that Lindsay has nannies to handle the children and maids to handle her housework but if they want to make it seem that she and her investment banker husband live like the hoi polloi that is their right.
As regular readers know Madison was my one to watch in 2015 for the WTA. You also know that all she did was tread water during the year, that her game didn't improve and her on court demanor didn't either. When I read she dumped Lindsay I was curious as to who her new coach would be and what it would say about her vision of her career and how she wanted to achieve it. So imagine my surprise and head scratch when I read who her new coach would be. My verbal response was "why"?
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Jesse Levine, to my knowledge, made no appreciable mark on the ATP tour. There was some snark about him not being able to decide if he was a citizen of the United States or Canada.
Here is a summary of his career via Wikipedia:
Singles
Career record 31–64 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup)
Career titles 0
Highest ranking No. 69 (October 1, 2012)
Here, from the same source, are his Grand Slam results.
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open 2R (2008, 2013)
French Open 2R (2012)
Wimbledon 3R (2009)
US Open 2R (2009)
As part of the announcement of Levine as coach it was said that he hit with Madison before she went on her run at Charleston where she lost in the final to Angelique Kerber in three sets after beating Kateryna Bondarenko, Andreea Mitu, Lauren Davis and Lucie Hradecka by very comfortable margins. Not exactly a Murderer's Row she beat was it? But that was enough to get Levine a job.
We all know the adage "those who can't do teach" and maybe Levine will turn out to be the one to move Madison's career forward. She can't have been happy with a year that saw her win no titles, unable to defend the one title she had won in 2014. She also had a major emotional break down on court.
Levine's hiring makes me wonder if there is some kind of a USTA plan to have American players paired with American's. John Isner hired the loathsome Justin Gimelstob and now Keys has hired Levine. I guess no top tier coach was available, willing or wanted by US players.
If Levine turns out to be what Keys needs I won't hesitate to say she made the right choice and that my initial misgivings were wrong. As of today though I see nothing he brings to her game and the choice baffles me. I don't see this choice moving Madison to the next level. Instead I see her ranking staying about the same.
Sorry guys. This is a bad choice for a "rising star".
©SavannahsWorld All Rigts Reserved except where indicated
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
The ATP At A Crossroads
by Savannah
via Getty Images
Just before the Davis Cup Finals began David Lloyd , former British Davis Cup captain and brother of John Lloyd who was once married to Chris Evert, launched a scathing critique of England's best, and only, tennis star Andy Murray. He was in such a lather that he attacked not only the player but his mother, Judy Murray. What was Lloyd so upset about?
His criticism of the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) is valid and no one is disputing that. What had people up in arms was his attack on the Murray family right before the beginning of the tie. Did he want England to lose? What macabre joy would he get out of that I wonder? Is he upset because Murray, of Scottish descent, came out for Scottish independence? There were many on Twitter who called Murray a hypocrite because he draped himself in the Union Jack and they at least had the balls to say that his stance on independence affected their perspective.
And what about his list of "great" British players. Rusedski, many of you will recall, was born in Canada and became a British citizen because one of his parents was born there. There was also quite an uproar about it as I recall.
Tim Henman's style of play was archaic while he was still playing.
As for the brothers Lloyd the less said the better.
You can't discuss Great Britain - England in particular - without at least touching on its caste system. The Lloyd brothers and Tim Henman are part of the inner circle, the upper class from which most tennis players were drawn. How do they go out to working or lower middle class families to try and convince them that tennis is the way to go and that they should ignore Man United? They barely concede that these people exist. It's one thing to cheer a player on the field. It's quite another thing to sit down with his family to discuss their talented son's sports options. They can't and they never will.
So why does it fall on the clan Murray to do so much? Judy Murray is doing all she can to build up girls and women's tennis in Great Britain yet she is accused of doing nothing. Are the Murray's, because of their ethnicity assumed to be able to reach kids outside of the public (really private) schools?
Needless to say Lloyd's ravings were not accepted by tennis fans, many of whom have been following the sport for years and know that the problem with British tennis isn't that the Murray clan isn't doing enough. It's that they've got no idea how to teach the modern game. If you listen to their commentary you get the impression that they despise it and long for the return of serve and volley as not just a tactic but the only way to play the game.
After Kyle Edmund's dreadful loss in the first rubber there were a lot of posts on Twitter about how well he did and that he is a bright light for the future. Uh huh. There is a British player who could possibly have taken some of the weight off of the Murray brother's shoulders but despite his change of citizenship the LTA doesn't seem in a hurry to ensure that he's eligible to play for Great Britain. It's galling that British superstar Dan Evans (ranked 185) gets credit for being on a winning Davis Cup team that he contributed absolutely nothing to. At least Edmund (ranked 102) tried.
The British reached the Davis Cup Final for the first time since 1936 on the back of Andy and Jamie Murray. They are Davis Cup Champions because of Clan Murray. They know this is the truth, a truth that galls them. What should have them in a panic is that there is absolutely no one ready to step into Andy Murray's sneakers. No one. And that is not Andy Murray's fault.
This post, the last one until summer season down under starts, is about the ATP as a whole though. Why do I say it's at a crossroads? It's widely perceived that it is the better run tour, that the caliber of it's top ten is much, much higher than that of the women's tour, that its tournaments draw more fans and more interest and that it promotes the GAME of mens tennis not just it's superstars or a specific look.
Let's look at the ATP Year End Top 20 rankings:
1 Novak Djokovic 16585
2 Andy Murray 8945
3 Roger Federer 8265
4 Stan Wawrinka 6865
5 Rafael Nadal 5230
6 Tomas Berdych 4620
7 David Ferrer 4305
8 Kei Nishikori 4235
9 Richard Gasquet 2850
10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 2635
11 John Isner 2495
12 Kevin Anderson 2475
13 Marin Cilic 2405
14 Milos Raonic 2170
15 Gilles Simon 2145
16 David Goffin 1880
17 Feliciano Lopez 1690
18 Bernard Tomic 1675
19 Benoit Paire 1633
20 Dominic Thiem 1600
What a dominant top player huh? He had a good year and fans should be flocking to him right? Well, no. That is not the way things are going. The tennis press, and some comms, are working very hard to try to rally fans to the number one. They've tried everything: guilt, shame, ethnic bias, you name it, to try and make fans like a player they are intent on not liking. I've often said that tennis fans are like cats. Try and make them go in one direction and they'll go whereever it is they want to go thank you very much.
The truth of the matter is that the current top player is a known quanity. He's been faking his way through matches for years and guess what - fans notice it! And they don't like it, or him. There is a litany of illnesses that have come and gone when it comes to him. His use of the hyperbaric chamber that wasn't a hyperbaric chamber was shoved out of public discussion by what passes as tennis journalism. The full court press is now on to make us like him. So far it's not working. The powers that be at the ATP know that an unpopular top man hurts their sport. I just don't think they can do anything to change things now.
The same is being done for the two spoiled brats from Australia, Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios. Just yesterday the head of Tennis Australia said in an interview that the two have now matured, that they've "turned the corner" and that al we can expect from them going forward is qualify tennis.
Here's an excerpt" from that interview:
I'm not holding my breath.
There have also been some critiques of the generation of players aged between 20-25. Not one superstar has emerged from that group despite all the hype surrounding many of them. I don't get the point of choosing one player and naming his entire generation after him. That's silly. But I understand the motivation.
We can argue about the top three or four but the truth of the matter is two of the men in that group were winning majors in their late teens and early twenties. They were blowing the older generation off the court and into the broadcast booth. That is not being done by the younger group. Is their skill set less? Are they less competitive than the top three or four? Are they not as mentally tough?
I did a post earlier this year about the premature rewarding of promising juniors. I postulated that it freezes them mentally and that instead of working hard to improve their games they think because they caught a top player on a bad day they're the shit and don't have to do anything but what they've been doing. I made the same point in my year end report cards on Zverev and Keys. No matter how you feel about any of the top three or four you can't accuse any of them of resting on their laurels. They have all worked to improve their game. I don't see that happening with the younger group. I do see the men in their late teens making moves to try and move to the next level though so maybe it won't be such a long wait for another rivalry to appear that equals the Duopoly that still dominates mens tennis rankings be damned. Maybe I should call it the top two plus two.
I also have a bone to pick with ATP marketing. The WTA outdid them with their second tier championship tournament. People were interested in Zhuhai. Did anyone really care about the recently concluded ATP event in South America? If you judge by Twitter mentions no one did. Unless you really follow the Challenger tour many of the players were unfamiliar to most fans. I also think that fans were worn out and unless a fairly big fish was strong armed into playing interest flagged. I know some will say the positive reaction to Zhuhai shows the "depth" of the women's tour. Meh. They had Venus Williams in Zhuhai and that was all the marketing they needed. There was no one comparable in South America. Most of the good fan sites have boards devoted to the Challenger tour now. There is interest. I get why men in the top 20 don't want to play against mostly Challenger level players. Maybe the ATP needs to look at what the WTA did and see if they can work something out that will hold fans interest at the end of a long season.
I should say that I didn't forget US men. There's nothing much to say. I am going to be paying more attention to them next year though. I've decided to keep my eye on Taylor Fritz, the player the USTA is hyping the most. Currently ranked #176 Fritz has won two Challenger titles, won the US Open Junior Boys Title, made the Boys Final at Roland Garros (a big deal for a US player at any level) and the Boys semi final at Wimbledon. His CV is as follows:
Born October 28, 1997 (age 18)
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Plays Right-handed (two handed-backhand)
It should be noted that his mother played professional tennis.
The young woman I'll be keeping my eye on is Naomi Osaka, ranked #156
Here's her CV:
Born 16 October 1997 (age 18)
Osaka, Japan
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Plays Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
She's got no main tour or ITF titles but she really impressed me at the Rising Star event in Singapore. She should have lost in the final to Caroline Garcia but she stayed focused while Garcia, the more experienced player, fell apart. It's not too much to say no one had picked Osaka going in.
Will I keep my eyes on my first two picks? Yes I will. 2016 is a crucial year for both Alexander Zverev and Madison Keys. Zverev, the younger of the two, has a few years to grow into his body and hone his game. Keys doesn't have that luxury. She's got to improve her on court focus and demeanor. No one is afraid of her. She's a big deal in the States and nowhere else. I understand managing your schedule but International events are there for a reason. If you think you're a top player but can't get over the hump then you need to play more. She's in danger of being passed by Karolina Pliskova, Belinda Bencic, and others who understand that playing hones your skills. No one likes losing but you learn everytime you play a match. Winning is the cherry on top. Zverev, one of the yonger players coming up, is improving his game. Keys is stagnant and doesn't seem to be making moves to take the next step.
End Note
Unless something drastic happens I will make my next blog post in late December. It's been a very interesting year in tennis, a year that pretty much saw the status quo continue on both tours.
On the WTA side Agnieszka Radwańska, who won the YEC and ended the year ranked #5 in the world has to hit the ground running. She was not expected to do well in Singapore and she did. I think she'll be able to pick off younger and less skilled players but the big girls know how to counter her. I don't see her winning a Slam but I think she can rise higher in the rankings by gobbling up the small fish.
As for the ATP the man on the move is Andy Murray. His wife is due to have their child early next year and I believe he's taking February off. The pressure will be on him to do very well in Melbourne though so he will have to come in ready to play at the level he did in Ghent. He's number two in the world.
I'll end by saying Happy Holidays to everyone. See you in a few weeks.
© SavannahsWorld. All Rights Reserved except where indicated
via Getty Images
Just before the Davis Cup Finals began David Lloyd , former British Davis Cup captain and brother of John Lloyd who was once married to Chris Evert, launched a scathing critique of England's best, and only, tennis star Andy Murray. He was in such a lather that he attacked not only the player but his mother, Judy Murray. What was Lloyd so upset about?
Andy Murray does not give enough back to the sport, while the Lawn Tennis Association has frittered away hundreds of millions without producing a single world-class talent.
‘The British players in recent years who have been good - Tim Henman, Greg Rusedski, Andy - they don’t in my opinion put enough back. They would say “Well, we’re winning this and winning that”. But I don’t mean that. I mean putting your heart and soul into it, a passion that is bigger than the person and even bigger than the game.
‘It’s about getting a kid who wants to play for Manchester United to want to play tennis instead. Andy is in such an incredible position with power to do that but he doesn’t. Tim is on the board of the LTA but he’s not out there grabbing people and that disappoints me.’
(...)
‘All these top players mask the failings, it is a pitiful organisation,’ said David. ‘They built a National Training Centre for £40million. That is my business, I’ve built lots of them. I know how much they cost and it’s maximum £10m, so where did the other £30m go?’
Lloyd also criticised the top players for not promoting the sport as well as they could.
‘I don’t think Andy does justice in presenting himself,’ said Lloyd. ‘I don’t think he goes out of his way to present the game. I only say things because I cannot believe we’ve been this unlucky
His criticism of the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) is valid and no one is disputing that. What had people up in arms was his attack on the Murray family right before the beginning of the tie. Did he want England to lose? What macabre joy would he get out of that I wonder? Is he upset because Murray, of Scottish descent, came out for Scottish independence? There were many on Twitter who called Murray a hypocrite because he draped himself in the Union Jack and they at least had the balls to say that his stance on independence affected their perspective.
And what about his list of "great" British players. Rusedski, many of you will recall, was born in Canada and became a British citizen because one of his parents was born there. There was also quite an uproar about it as I recall.
Tim Henman's style of play was archaic while he was still playing.
As for the brothers Lloyd the less said the better.
You can't discuss Great Britain - England in particular - without at least touching on its caste system. The Lloyd brothers and Tim Henman are part of the inner circle, the upper class from which most tennis players were drawn. How do they go out to working or lower middle class families to try and convince them that tennis is the way to go and that they should ignore Man United? They barely concede that these people exist. It's one thing to cheer a player on the field. It's quite another thing to sit down with his family to discuss their talented son's sports options. They can't and they never will.
So why does it fall on the clan Murray to do so much? Judy Murray is doing all she can to build up girls and women's tennis in Great Britain yet she is accused of doing nothing. Are the Murray's, because of their ethnicity assumed to be able to reach kids outside of the public (really private) schools?
Needless to say Lloyd's ravings were not accepted by tennis fans, many of whom have been following the sport for years and know that the problem with British tennis isn't that the Murray clan isn't doing enough. It's that they've got no idea how to teach the modern game. If you listen to their commentary you get the impression that they despise it and long for the return of serve and volley as not just a tactic but the only way to play the game.
After Kyle Edmund's dreadful loss in the first rubber there were a lot of posts on Twitter about how well he did and that he is a bright light for the future. Uh huh. There is a British player who could possibly have taken some of the weight off of the Murray brother's shoulders but despite his change of citizenship the LTA doesn't seem in a hurry to ensure that he's eligible to play for Great Britain. It's galling that British superstar Dan Evans (ranked 185) gets credit for being on a winning Davis Cup team that he contributed absolutely nothing to. At least Edmund (ranked 102) tried.
The British reached the Davis Cup Final for the first time since 1936 on the back of Andy and Jamie Murray. They are Davis Cup Champions because of Clan Murray. They know this is the truth, a truth that galls them. What should have them in a panic is that there is absolutely no one ready to step into Andy Murray's sneakers. No one. And that is not Andy Murray's fault.
This post, the last one until summer season down under starts, is about the ATP as a whole though. Why do I say it's at a crossroads? It's widely perceived that it is the better run tour, that the caliber of it's top ten is much, much higher than that of the women's tour, that its tournaments draw more fans and more interest and that it promotes the GAME of mens tennis not just it's superstars or a specific look.
Let's look at the ATP Year End Top 20 rankings:
1 Novak Djokovic 16585
2 Andy Murray 8945
3 Roger Federer 8265
4 Stan Wawrinka 6865
5 Rafael Nadal 5230
6 Tomas Berdych 4620
7 David Ferrer 4305
8 Kei Nishikori 4235
9 Richard Gasquet 2850
10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 2635
11 John Isner 2495
12 Kevin Anderson 2475
13 Marin Cilic 2405
14 Milos Raonic 2170
15 Gilles Simon 2145
16 David Goffin 1880
17 Feliciano Lopez 1690
18 Bernard Tomic 1675
19 Benoit Paire 1633
20 Dominic Thiem 1600
What a dominant top player huh? He had a good year and fans should be flocking to him right? Well, no. That is not the way things are going. The tennis press, and some comms, are working very hard to try to rally fans to the number one. They've tried everything: guilt, shame, ethnic bias, you name it, to try and make fans like a player they are intent on not liking. I've often said that tennis fans are like cats. Try and make them go in one direction and they'll go whereever it is they want to go thank you very much.
The truth of the matter is that the current top player is a known quanity. He's been faking his way through matches for years and guess what - fans notice it! And they don't like it, or him. There is a litany of illnesses that have come and gone when it comes to him. His use of the hyperbaric chamber that wasn't a hyperbaric chamber was shoved out of public discussion by what passes as tennis journalism. The full court press is now on to make us like him. So far it's not working. The powers that be at the ATP know that an unpopular top man hurts their sport. I just don't think they can do anything to change things now.
The same is being done for the two spoiled brats from Australia, Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios. Just yesterday the head of Tennis Australia said in an interview that the two have now matured, that they've "turned the corner" and that al we can expect from them going forward is qualify tennis.
Here's an excerpt" from that interview:
Both players endured turbulent years with on and off court controversies, including brushes with officialdom and the law, overshadowing anything they did on court.
Despite being the nation's top-ranked players, neither was considered as nominees for the prestigious Newcombe Medal -- which rewards Australia's "most outstanding elite tennis player and ambassador".
But Tiley said Tennis Australia had mended its fences with the pair and he expected them to be on their best behaviour at their home Grand Slam, the Australian Open, next month.
"I'd love nothing more than both Bernie and Nick to have a great 2016, as we all would," Tiley, who is also tournament director of the season's first major at Melbourne Park, told Wednesday's The Australian newspaper.
"There's no rifts; no animosity between Tennis Australia and those two guys. They are making a real go of a professional tennis career.
"They know what our expectations are and when they meet them they get rewarded and if they don't, they don't."
I'm not holding my breath.
There have also been some critiques of the generation of players aged between 20-25. Not one superstar has emerged from that group despite all the hype surrounding many of them. I don't get the point of choosing one player and naming his entire generation after him. That's silly. But I understand the motivation.
We can argue about the top three or four but the truth of the matter is two of the men in that group were winning majors in their late teens and early twenties. They were blowing the older generation off the court and into the broadcast booth. That is not being done by the younger group. Is their skill set less? Are they less competitive than the top three or four? Are they not as mentally tough?
I did a post earlier this year about the premature rewarding of promising juniors. I postulated that it freezes them mentally and that instead of working hard to improve their games they think because they caught a top player on a bad day they're the shit and don't have to do anything but what they've been doing. I made the same point in my year end report cards on Zverev and Keys. No matter how you feel about any of the top three or four you can't accuse any of them of resting on their laurels. They have all worked to improve their game. I don't see that happening with the younger group. I do see the men in their late teens making moves to try and move to the next level though so maybe it won't be such a long wait for another rivalry to appear that equals the Duopoly that still dominates mens tennis rankings be damned. Maybe I should call it the top two plus two.
I also have a bone to pick with ATP marketing. The WTA outdid them with their second tier championship tournament. People were interested in Zhuhai. Did anyone really care about the recently concluded ATP event in South America? If you judge by Twitter mentions no one did. Unless you really follow the Challenger tour many of the players were unfamiliar to most fans. I also think that fans were worn out and unless a fairly big fish was strong armed into playing interest flagged. I know some will say the positive reaction to Zhuhai shows the "depth" of the women's tour. Meh. They had Venus Williams in Zhuhai and that was all the marketing they needed. There was no one comparable in South America. Most of the good fan sites have boards devoted to the Challenger tour now. There is interest. I get why men in the top 20 don't want to play against mostly Challenger level players. Maybe the ATP needs to look at what the WTA did and see if they can work something out that will hold fans interest at the end of a long season.
I should say that I didn't forget US men. There's nothing much to say. I am going to be paying more attention to them next year though. I've decided to keep my eye on Taylor Fritz, the player the USTA is hyping the most. Currently ranked #176 Fritz has won two Challenger titles, won the US Open Junior Boys Title, made the Boys Final at Roland Garros (a big deal for a US player at any level) and the Boys semi final at Wimbledon. His CV is as follows:
Born October 28, 1997 (age 18)
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Plays Right-handed (two handed-backhand)
It should be noted that his mother played professional tennis.
The young woman I'll be keeping my eye on is Naomi Osaka, ranked #156
Here's her CV:
Born 16 October 1997 (age 18)
Osaka, Japan
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Plays Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
She's got no main tour or ITF titles but she really impressed me at the Rising Star event in Singapore. She should have lost in the final to Caroline Garcia but she stayed focused while Garcia, the more experienced player, fell apart. It's not too much to say no one had picked Osaka going in.
Will I keep my eyes on my first two picks? Yes I will. 2016 is a crucial year for both Alexander Zverev and Madison Keys. Zverev, the younger of the two, has a few years to grow into his body and hone his game. Keys doesn't have that luxury. She's got to improve her on court focus and demeanor. No one is afraid of her. She's a big deal in the States and nowhere else. I understand managing your schedule but International events are there for a reason. If you think you're a top player but can't get over the hump then you need to play more. She's in danger of being passed by Karolina Pliskova, Belinda Bencic, and others who understand that playing hones your skills. No one likes losing but you learn everytime you play a match. Winning is the cherry on top. Zverev, one of the yonger players coming up, is improving his game. Keys is stagnant and doesn't seem to be making moves to take the next step.
End Note
Unless something drastic happens I will make my next blog post in late December. It's been a very interesting year in tennis, a year that pretty much saw the status quo continue on both tours.
On the WTA side Agnieszka Radwańska, who won the YEC and ended the year ranked #5 in the world has to hit the ground running. She was not expected to do well in Singapore and she did. I think she'll be able to pick off younger and less skilled players but the big girls know how to counter her. I don't see her winning a Slam but I think she can rise higher in the rankings by gobbling up the small fish.
As for the ATP the man on the move is Andy Murray. His wife is due to have their child early next year and I believe he's taking February off. The pressure will be on him to do very well in Melbourne though so he will have to come in ready to play at the level he did in Ghent. He's number two in the world.
I'll end by saying Happy Holidays to everyone. See you in a few weeks.
© SavannahsWorld. All Rights Reserved except where indicated
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Alexander Zverev and Madison Keys 2015 Report Cards
by Savannah
Madison Keys
End of Year Rank: 18
Age: 20
Source: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images AsiaPac
Wins: 31
Losses:18
Best Tournament(s):
Australian Open: Semi Finalist
Charleston: Finalist
Strasbourg: Quarter Finalist (W/O to Kristina Mladenovic)
Wimbledon: Quarter Finalist
US Open: Round of 16
Notable Loss(es):
Eastbourne R32 To Belinda Bencic (Defending Champion)
There are huge chunks of the year missing from Madison's stats. I know that she was supposed to be out with injury and I understand that she is entitled to her off time but the images that have really stuck with me from 2015 are those of her at Coachella with Sam Querrey and other friends of hers. She has not accomplished enough to take a sabbatical like the world number one did after the US Open but it seems she, like other young US players, feel they're on the same level as the top players on their tour.
Sadly when Madison did play there was no discernible improvement in her game from 2014. At least in 2014 she won a title. This year she wasn't able to defend that title.
Madison has the potential to be a very good player but she is going to have to show more discipline when her opponent isn't cooperating with her plans and countering her every move. This year Madison seemed to get frustrated and fall apart when this happened. There was no evidence of a Plan B in her repertoire.
In other words she doesn't think well on court. No matter her potential she's got to kick her game up a notch or she is going to end up one of those mid level players with a decent following of fans who will be singing the lament "woulda coulda shoulda".
Grade for 2015: C
Alexander Zverev
End of Year Rank: 81
Age: 18
via Getty Images
Wins: 14
Losses: 17
Best Tournaments:
Rotterdam: Round of 16
Irving Tennis Classic (CH): Quarter Finalist
Open du Pays D'Aix (CH): Semi Finalist
Neckarcup (CH): Champion
Bästad: Semi Finalist
Citi Open: Quarter Finalist
Notable Achievement:
Winner ATP 2015 Star of Tomorrow Award
Alexander Zverev is right about where he should be for his age. He hasn't won any majors but that is okay. I think winning a major too young (or doing very well at a major at too young an age) makes a young person think there's not much more they have to do to improve their game. After all they beat such and such a great player so what they're doing has to be fine right? It's as if they're not paying attention to what the top players are doing. Male or female their games are constantly evolving, constantly changing. If you're playing the same game you played at eighteen when you're 24 something is wrong. If you're playing the same game you played at 18 at 30 you're playing Challenger level tennis.
I had to laugh when I saw that they gave this award to him instead of Chung Hyeon, who at 19 is ranked #51 in the world but maybe they wanted to make up for the way they treated him during the year. Many of his losses came after he had to play three rounds of Qualifying. I saw this at the US Open. He was playing Qualifying while some questionable players were direct entries into the Main Draw.
I hope that the young man is angry about 2015 regardless of the Award. It would be nice if he can win an ATP 250 during 2016 and be given wild cards into main draws at mid level events but we'll see. In order to do this he is going to have to keep his emotions in check especially during the business end of a match. This year he would start talking to himself, throwing up his hands and go into full meltdown mode. He's got about a year to stop doing that.
Grade for 2015: C
End Notes:
There were several times during the year that I wanted to drop these two as my players to watch and choose others. My choice on the men's side would've been easy: Chung Hyeon had a much better year than Zverev and is ranked 30 points higher. Right now it seems that he is being watched and praised by a small group of aficionados who see that a great tennis mind is being formed. He's not ready to win majors yet but I can see him winning a 250 or two and maybe going to the quarters in a M500. He does get frustrated on court but I haven't seen amy yelling and screaming breakdowns from him. You can almost hear him thinking "I'll do better next time" while going off to scout the top players on his own.
The women's side would've been difficult. Belinda Bencic? Elina Svitolina? Anna Karolina Schmiedlova? Daria Gavrilova? Alison van Uytvanck? I think Louisa Chirico of the US at 19 Is going to have to step up her game. There are lots of people in the States who want her to do well but does she have that steel will to get beyond being a rich girl dabbling in a rich person's sport? She's 5'9" (1.524m) tall, a decent height, and has a decent game. We'll see.
As for the other women named they have decent games but Bencic and Gavrilova can go full diva on you in the blink of an eye. Gavrilova wants her high emotion to distract her opponent and it has worked for her but once players learn to ignore your insanity on court they do and they beat you. I'm not impressed by Svitolina or Schmiedlova to be honest. I don't see great there. I see decent.
The one young woman I'm going to be looking at next year will be Osaka Naomi. Due to her mixed race heritage (her father is Haitian) she does not have the thin body of Asian women. She also has the ability to stay focused and win matches she shouldn't. Yes I'm talking about her match vs Caroline Garcia in Singapore. No one, not even me, saw her having a chance in that match but she won it.
By the time play starts again at the end of December I'll have made up my mind who I will follow in 2016.
My write up on the ATP will come a week or so after Davis Cup.
© SavannahsWorld All Rights Reserved except where indicated
Madison Keys
End of Year Rank: 18
Age: 20
Source: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images AsiaPac
Wins: 31
Losses:18
Best Tournament(s):
Australian Open: Semi Finalist
Charleston: Finalist
Strasbourg: Quarter Finalist (W/O to Kristina Mladenovic)
Wimbledon: Quarter Finalist
US Open: Round of 16
Notable Loss(es):
Eastbourne R32 To Belinda Bencic (Defending Champion)
There are huge chunks of the year missing from Madison's stats. I know that she was supposed to be out with injury and I understand that she is entitled to her off time but the images that have really stuck with me from 2015 are those of her at Coachella with Sam Querrey and other friends of hers. She has not accomplished enough to take a sabbatical like the world number one did after the US Open but it seems she, like other young US players, feel they're on the same level as the top players on their tour.
Sadly when Madison did play there was no discernible improvement in her game from 2014. At least in 2014 she won a title. This year she wasn't able to defend that title.
Madison has the potential to be a very good player but she is going to have to show more discipline when her opponent isn't cooperating with her plans and countering her every move. This year Madison seemed to get frustrated and fall apart when this happened. There was no evidence of a Plan B in her repertoire.
In other words she doesn't think well on court. No matter her potential she's got to kick her game up a notch or she is going to end up one of those mid level players with a decent following of fans who will be singing the lament "woulda coulda shoulda".
Grade for 2015: C
Alexander Zverev
End of Year Rank: 81
Age: 18
via Getty Images
Wins: 14
Losses: 17
Best Tournaments:
Rotterdam: Round of 16
Irving Tennis Classic (CH): Quarter Finalist
Open du Pays D'Aix (CH): Semi Finalist
Neckarcup (CH): Champion
Bästad: Semi Finalist
Citi Open: Quarter Finalist
Notable Achievement:
Winner ATP 2015 Star of Tomorrow Award
Alexander Zverev is right about where he should be for his age. He hasn't won any majors but that is okay. I think winning a major too young (or doing very well at a major at too young an age) makes a young person think there's not much more they have to do to improve their game. After all they beat such and such a great player so what they're doing has to be fine right? It's as if they're not paying attention to what the top players are doing. Male or female their games are constantly evolving, constantly changing. If you're playing the same game you played at eighteen when you're 24 something is wrong. If you're playing the same game you played at 18 at 30 you're playing Challenger level tennis.
I had to laugh when I saw that they gave this award to him instead of Chung Hyeon, who at 19 is ranked #51 in the world but maybe they wanted to make up for the way they treated him during the year. Many of his losses came after he had to play three rounds of Qualifying. I saw this at the US Open. He was playing Qualifying while some questionable players were direct entries into the Main Draw.
I hope that the young man is angry about 2015 regardless of the Award. It would be nice if he can win an ATP 250 during 2016 and be given wild cards into main draws at mid level events but we'll see. In order to do this he is going to have to keep his emotions in check especially during the business end of a match. This year he would start talking to himself, throwing up his hands and go into full meltdown mode. He's got about a year to stop doing that.
Grade for 2015: C
End Notes:
There were several times during the year that I wanted to drop these two as my players to watch and choose others. My choice on the men's side would've been easy: Chung Hyeon had a much better year than Zverev and is ranked 30 points higher. Right now it seems that he is being watched and praised by a small group of aficionados who see that a great tennis mind is being formed. He's not ready to win majors yet but I can see him winning a 250 or two and maybe going to the quarters in a M500. He does get frustrated on court but I haven't seen amy yelling and screaming breakdowns from him. You can almost hear him thinking "I'll do better next time" while going off to scout the top players on his own.
The women's side would've been difficult. Belinda Bencic? Elina Svitolina? Anna Karolina Schmiedlova? Daria Gavrilova? Alison van Uytvanck? I think Louisa Chirico of the US at 19 Is going to have to step up her game. There are lots of people in the States who want her to do well but does she have that steel will to get beyond being a rich girl dabbling in a rich person's sport? She's 5'9" (1.524m) tall, a decent height, and has a decent game. We'll see.
As for the other women named they have decent games but Bencic and Gavrilova can go full diva on you in the blink of an eye. Gavrilova wants her high emotion to distract her opponent and it has worked for her but once players learn to ignore your insanity on court they do and they beat you. I'm not impressed by Svitolina or Schmiedlova to be honest. I don't see great there. I see decent.
The one young woman I'm going to be looking at next year will be Osaka Naomi. Due to her mixed race heritage (her father is Haitian) she does not have the thin body of Asian women. She also has the ability to stay focused and win matches she shouldn't. Yes I'm talking about her match vs Caroline Garcia in Singapore. No one, not even me, saw her having a chance in that match but she won it.
By the time play starts again at the end of December I'll have made up my mind who I will follow in 2016.
My write up on the ATP will come a week or so after Davis Cup.
© SavannahsWorld All Rights Reserved except where indicated
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Where Do We Go From Here?
by Savannah
STR/AFP
Congratulations to Venus Williams who had a good end of year in Asia and ended the year ranked #7, a triumph over illness and the people who had written her off.
Let's look at the official year end rankings up to #50 for 2015.
1. Serena Williams USA 9945 +1460 points
2. Simona Halep ROU 6060 +1
3. Garbine Muguruza ESP 5200 +18
4. Maria Sharapova RUS 5011 -2
5. Agnieszka Radwanska POL 4495 +1
6. Petra Kvitova CZE 4210 -2
7. Venus Williams USA 3790 +12
8. Flavia Pennetta ITA 3621 +5
9. Lucie Safarova CZE 3590 +8
10. Angelique Kerber GER 3590 No Change In Position
11. Karolina Pliskova CZE 3285
12. Timea Bacsinszky SUI 3133
13. Carla Suarez Navarro ESP 3090
14. Belinda Bencic SUI 2900
15. Roberta Vinci ITA 2785
16. Ana Ivanovic SRB 2645
17. Caroline Wozniacki DEN 2641
18. Madison Keys USA 2600
19. Elina Svitolina UKR 2590
20. Sara Errani ITA 2525
21. Jelena Jankovic SRB 2445
22. Victoria Azarenka BLR 2276
23. Ekaterina Makarova RUS 2201
24. Andrea Petkovic GER 2185
25. Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS 2006
26. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova SVK 1875
27. Samantha Stosur AUS 1865
28. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS 1840
29. Kristina Mladenovic FRA 1725
30. Sloane Stephens USA 1715
31. Irina-Camelia Begu ROU 1630
32. Sabine Lisicki GER 1568
33. Lesia Tsurenko UKR 1445
34. Camila Giorgi ITA 1325
35. Caroline Garcia FRA 1320
36. Daria Gavrilova RUS 1300
37. Coco Vandeweghe USA 1247
38. Dominika Cibulkova SVK 1246
39. Monica Niculescu ROU 1245
40. Madison Brengle USA 1238
41. Barbora Strycova CZE 1170
42. Alison Van Uytvanck BEL 1157
43. Alize Cornet FRA 1155
44. Mona Barthel GER 1135
45. Teliana Pereira BRA 1132
46. Varvara Lepchenko USA 1125
47. Johanna Konta GBR 1107
48. Eugenie Bouchard CAN 1065
49. Yanina Wickmayer BEL 1043
50. Julia Goerges GER 1040
For the top ten I've added how many places they've moved up or down from last year.
I've written a lot about the WTA this past season, most of it critical. I don't want to go over ground I've already covered so I'll focus on how the women's tour ended. The word that came to mind right away was "messy".
Why "messy"? The WTA went all in leading up to the US Open and Serena Williams chance to make history. I thought the hype was a bit over the top and would only add to what had to be butterflies as big as bats in Serena's stomach and encroaching brain freeze in her mind. If anyone watched "The Soprano's" the hype reminded me of when Tony brpught a sable coat home for Carmela thinking that it would cover a multitude of his sins.
The oversell brings up what for me has been a consistent marketing issue for the WTA. Under Stacey Allaster's long reign the sport of women's tennis was pushed aside in favor of promoting a "look". She's gone now and I'm thinking that the new guy should be given a chance to start making his own mark. It seems as if he's started with the problematic $125k events. Previously taking place almost exclusively in Asia new ones are scheduled in Buenos Aires, Argentina, San Antonio, Texas, West Hempstead, New York and Bol, Croatia. Keep in mind these tournaments are not part of the main tour, and that top ten players need not apply (see page 15 of the WTA Handbook http://www.wtatennis.com/SEWTATour-Archive/Archive/AboutTheTour/rules2015.pdf )so any rumors you hear about a top tenner playing one of these are just folks trying to push ticket sales.
The fact that no new 125k's were announced for Asia gives hope to many fans that the obsessive focus on China may be lessening. I know the company line has been that China is the up and coming market but broadcast deals aren't cheap and I'm guessing only the guaranteed government money is keeping these events going. It's a cliché that Chinese tournament equals mostly empty stadium.
But I digress. After Serena's loss in New York instead of a drone telling the tennis press that Serena was taking an already planned sabbatical she was left hanging once again as fans, and some members of the press, criticized her for taking time off and planning to play some exhibition events later in the year. Only fans who pay close attention knew that the total silence from the WTA meant that this break was planned and was going to happen whether or not she made history.
Then there is the ill advised lawsuit filed by Eugenie Bouchard against the USTA/WTA. No matter how you feel about it the fact remains that the Plaintiffs, instead of trying to quietly settle out of court have hit back hard at Ms Bouchard. In an interview her lawyer described her as being "upset" because the USTA is "being really aggressive" with her. I don't even know how to respond to that. I have no reason to think her lawyer is misrepresenting how she feels but what did she expect? He's talking about her being paid "millions and millions" isn't he? If she gets a jury (in New York for a civil case there are usually six jurors with two alternates) where no one has a clue about tennis and how she was playing coming into the US Open she could end up getting exactly what she, through her lawyers, is asking for. How would having to bestow a large settlement on Ms Bouchard affect the corporation doing business as the USTA? Would it affect it's construction at the BJK NTC in Queens New York? What about the other work it does? Did she expect a champagne reception to be thrown in her honor?
The full USTA filing can be found
HERE . The most interesting thing to me is the following:
So she wasn't alone in the room. There is some pretty wild speculation out there about who the unnamed third party is but wouldn't it have made sense for Ms Bouchard to have mentioned that she and Mr or Ms X entered the room together? Why didn't she name the third party/parties to avoid speculation? Messy business this.
So, where does the WTA go from here?
There was a surprise winner at the YEC. Will she become a Slam contender? Will Serena pick up where she left off when it comes to Slams? Will Venus be able to continue to move up in the rankings? Will Petra Kvitova become a more consistent player in 2016? Will Garbiñe Muguruza be able to push Serena for the top ranking? What about Simona Halep? Will she figure out a way to handle pressure and hold it together enough to really challenge for Slams titles? What about Karolina Pliskova?
We know Flavia Pennetta is retired and will drop out of the top ten. Lucie Safarova has been ill and didn't play at all during the Fed Cup tie just recently completed. Fans don't like to talk about it but Venus health will continue to be an issue. At the present time with Pennetta out the top ten is really Kerber at #9 and Pliskova at #10. We can talk about whether Pliskova - or Muguruza for that matter - deserve their rankings based on the quality of their play over the year. Personally I don't think Pliskova is a top ten player. Her game is still a bit too juvenile for my tastes. Muguruza had a great beginning to and end of 2015. Her collaboration with Sam Sumyk seems to be working well and I'm sure she's aiming for bigger and better in 2016. Sumyk's job appears to be easier than Cahill's right now but we'll only know by the end of the spring hard court season in the US if Cahill has found a way to help his charge deal with the pressure of late tournament play.
Is the style of tennis going to change? Yes. Will it be at a lower level than we've become accustomed to? Yes. Will top players retire after Rio or after the US Open? Who knows?
And not forgetting the mess that led up to the YEC will the new guy try and imitate the ATP and arrange a week off leading into it? That gives time to build up anticipation among fans and the media. This year the YEC didn't stand out and I feel play was affected by people having to fly long distances to and from Asia.
How would I rate the year? It may surprise some but I'd give it a B based on excellence of Serena, the promise of Garbiñe, Belinda Bencic and maybe, just maybe, Madison Keys? I'll give my report card on the young players I chose to focus on this year next time.
I hope next year I can give a higher grade.
©2015 SavannahsWorld All Rights Reserved except where indicated
STR/AFP
Congratulations to Venus Williams who had a good end of year in Asia and ended the year ranked #7, a triumph over illness and the people who had written her off.
Let's look at the official year end rankings up to #50 for 2015.
1. Serena Williams USA 9945 +1460 points
2. Simona Halep ROU 6060 +1
3. Garbine Muguruza ESP 5200 +18
4. Maria Sharapova RUS 5011 -2
5. Agnieszka Radwanska POL 4495 +1
6. Petra Kvitova CZE 4210 -2
7. Venus Williams USA 3790 +12
8. Flavia Pennetta ITA 3621 +5
9. Lucie Safarova CZE 3590 +8
10. Angelique Kerber GER 3590 No Change In Position
11. Karolina Pliskova CZE 3285
12. Timea Bacsinszky SUI 3133
13. Carla Suarez Navarro ESP 3090
14. Belinda Bencic SUI 2900
15. Roberta Vinci ITA 2785
16. Ana Ivanovic SRB 2645
17. Caroline Wozniacki DEN 2641
18. Madison Keys USA 2600
19. Elina Svitolina UKR 2590
20. Sara Errani ITA 2525
21. Jelena Jankovic SRB 2445
22. Victoria Azarenka BLR 2276
23. Ekaterina Makarova RUS 2201
24. Andrea Petkovic GER 2185
25. Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS 2006
26. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova SVK 1875
27. Samantha Stosur AUS 1865
28. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS 1840
29. Kristina Mladenovic FRA 1725
30. Sloane Stephens USA 1715
31. Irina-Camelia Begu ROU 1630
32. Sabine Lisicki GER 1568
33. Lesia Tsurenko UKR 1445
34. Camila Giorgi ITA 1325
35. Caroline Garcia FRA 1320
36. Daria Gavrilova RUS 1300
37. Coco Vandeweghe USA 1247
38. Dominika Cibulkova SVK 1246
39. Monica Niculescu ROU 1245
40. Madison Brengle USA 1238
41. Barbora Strycova CZE 1170
42. Alison Van Uytvanck BEL 1157
43. Alize Cornet FRA 1155
44. Mona Barthel GER 1135
45. Teliana Pereira BRA 1132
46. Varvara Lepchenko USA 1125
47. Johanna Konta GBR 1107
48. Eugenie Bouchard CAN 1065
49. Yanina Wickmayer BEL 1043
50. Julia Goerges GER 1040
For the top ten I've added how many places they've moved up or down from last year.
I've written a lot about the WTA this past season, most of it critical. I don't want to go over ground I've already covered so I'll focus on how the women's tour ended. The word that came to mind right away was "messy".
Why "messy"? The WTA went all in leading up to the US Open and Serena Williams chance to make history. I thought the hype was a bit over the top and would only add to what had to be butterflies as big as bats in Serena's stomach and encroaching brain freeze in her mind. If anyone watched "The Soprano's" the hype reminded me of when Tony brpught a sable coat home for Carmela thinking that it would cover a multitude of his sins.
The oversell brings up what for me has been a consistent marketing issue for the WTA. Under Stacey Allaster's long reign the sport of women's tennis was pushed aside in favor of promoting a "look". She's gone now and I'm thinking that the new guy should be given a chance to start making his own mark. It seems as if he's started with the problematic $125k events. Previously taking place almost exclusively in Asia new ones are scheduled in Buenos Aires, Argentina, San Antonio, Texas, West Hempstead, New York and Bol, Croatia. Keep in mind these tournaments are not part of the main tour, and that top ten players need not apply (see page 15 of the WTA Handbook http://www.wtatennis.com/SEWTATour-Archive/Archive/AboutTheTour/rules2015.pdf )so any rumors you hear about a top tenner playing one of these are just folks trying to push ticket sales.
The fact that no new 125k's were announced for Asia gives hope to many fans that the obsessive focus on China may be lessening. I know the company line has been that China is the up and coming market but broadcast deals aren't cheap and I'm guessing only the guaranteed government money is keeping these events going. It's a cliché that Chinese tournament equals mostly empty stadium.
But I digress. After Serena's loss in New York instead of a drone telling the tennis press that Serena was taking an already planned sabbatical she was left hanging once again as fans, and some members of the press, criticized her for taking time off and planning to play some exhibition events later in the year. Only fans who pay close attention knew that the total silence from the WTA meant that this break was planned and was going to happen whether or not she made history.
Then there is the ill advised lawsuit filed by Eugenie Bouchard against the USTA/WTA. No matter how you feel about it the fact remains that the Plaintiffs, instead of trying to quietly settle out of court have hit back hard at Ms Bouchard. In an interview her lawyer described her as being "upset" because the USTA is "being really aggressive" with her. I don't even know how to respond to that. I have no reason to think her lawyer is misrepresenting how she feels but what did she expect? He's talking about her being paid "millions and millions" isn't he? If she gets a jury (in New York for a civil case there are usually six jurors with two alternates) where no one has a clue about tennis and how she was playing coming into the US Open she could end up getting exactly what she, through her lawyers, is asking for. How would having to bestow a large settlement on Ms Bouchard affect the corporation doing business as the USTA? Would it affect it's construction at the BJK NTC in Queens New York? What about the other work it does? Did she expect a champagne reception to be thrown in her honor?
The full USTA filing can be found
HERE . The most interesting thing to me is the following:
SEVENTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE
Without relieving the Plaintiff of its burden of proof of establishing his injuries or damages, if any, any damages sustained by the Plaintiff were proximately caused or contributed to by the intervening or superseding intentional conduct or negligence of third-parties that the Plaintiff has not named in this action.
So she wasn't alone in the room. There is some pretty wild speculation out there about who the unnamed third party is but wouldn't it have made sense for Ms Bouchard to have mentioned that she and Mr or Ms X entered the room together? Why didn't she name the third party/parties to avoid speculation? Messy business this.
So, where does the WTA go from here?
There was a surprise winner at the YEC. Will she become a Slam contender? Will Serena pick up where she left off when it comes to Slams? Will Venus be able to continue to move up in the rankings? Will Petra Kvitova become a more consistent player in 2016? Will Garbiñe Muguruza be able to push Serena for the top ranking? What about Simona Halep? Will she figure out a way to handle pressure and hold it together enough to really challenge for Slams titles? What about Karolina Pliskova?
We know Flavia Pennetta is retired and will drop out of the top ten. Lucie Safarova has been ill and didn't play at all during the Fed Cup tie just recently completed. Fans don't like to talk about it but Venus health will continue to be an issue. At the present time with Pennetta out the top ten is really Kerber at #9 and Pliskova at #10. We can talk about whether Pliskova - or Muguruza for that matter - deserve their rankings based on the quality of their play over the year. Personally I don't think Pliskova is a top ten player. Her game is still a bit too juvenile for my tastes. Muguruza had a great beginning to and end of 2015. Her collaboration with Sam Sumyk seems to be working well and I'm sure she's aiming for bigger and better in 2016. Sumyk's job appears to be easier than Cahill's right now but we'll only know by the end of the spring hard court season in the US if Cahill has found a way to help his charge deal with the pressure of late tournament play.
Is the style of tennis going to change? Yes. Will it be at a lower level than we've become accustomed to? Yes. Will top players retire after Rio or after the US Open? Who knows?
And not forgetting the mess that led up to the YEC will the new guy try and imitate the ATP and arrange a week off leading into it? That gives time to build up anticipation among fans and the media. This year the YEC didn't stand out and I feel play was affected by people having to fly long distances to and from Asia.
How would I rate the year? It may surprise some but I'd give it a B based on excellence of Serena, the promise of Garbiñe, Belinda Bencic and maybe, just maybe, Madison Keys? I'll give my report card on the young players I chose to focus on this year next time.
I hope next year I can give a higher grade.
©2015 SavannahsWorld All Rights Reserved except where indicated
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
