How'm I Doing?

by Savannah

It doesn't matter who you are. If you've been away from your line of work for an extended period of time the rust will show when you come back.

It was the same thing with Venus Williams and
Serena Williams. Although both won their matches neither woman had an easy time and anyone who thought they shouldn't play Eastbourne and should just show up and take names at the AELTC next week had to come away with a distinctly different view.

Venus opted to play in traditional whites. No French maid get ups or illusion filled wonders for her return. Facing the woman she had to retire against in Melbourne, Andrea Petkovic Venus needed three sets and all of her guile to defeat Petko 5-7, 7-5, 6-3. For a minute it looked as if Venus would be unable to close out the match but experience and intelligence prevailed and Venus was able to win it.

It was Serena's task to face the one player who loves taking Williams sister's scalps in the form of Tsvetana Pironkova. Things looked bleak as Serena, the rust almost visibly falling from her body, dropped the first set 1-6 to the suddenly very thin Bulgarian woman. It is always a mistake to underestimate a champion though and Serena pulled herself together and while she still missed a lot of finesse shots got the serve and groundies working and won the last two sets 6-3, 6-4.

The Wimbledon seedings will be announced tomorrow and to say it's going to be interesting is putting it mildly. Hopefully I'll be able to post them here and be able to say something mildly coherent about them.

I should mention that there were very few empty seats for Serena's match. In fact the attendance for today was the highest in many a year for Eastbourne.

It should be mentioned here that Kim Clijsters lost to WTA #82
Romina Oprandi in straight sets today 7-6(5), 6-3. The commentator was implying that Kim was not interested in the match when she made no effort to return at least one drop shot I saw where she had an easy play at the net. For me the hint that Kim was out of it was when Oprandi casually lobbed Kim in the open court.

At her presser a tearful Clijsters said there was pain in the ankle she injured at a wedding a few weeks ago and that she was awaiting a medical evaluation before making any decisions. I don't doubt her ankle is bothering her which is why I am still surprised she played the French Open. All that slippery clay underfoot could only aggravate an ankle problem. Grass isn't any easier. I don't know what compelled her to play on a natural surface after a severe sprain but again we'll have to wait until tomorrow to see what Ms Clijsters will decide about her immediate future.

Tennis News

Adam Helfant announced that he will be stepping down from the helm of the ATP at the end of the year. His tenure will be remembered for it's uneventful nature, something that was needed after the slash and burn approach of his predecessor. I guess that means he did all right. After all the ATP secured it's brand remaining the better of the two tours in terms of information, technology and promotion and boasts the players that put buns in the seats.

I haven't heard any rumors about who wants to step into his shoes. I'm hoping that the person will not try to restart the wars between the United States and the rest of the world that marred and in the end caused the exit of his predecessor.

Weekend Winners

Sabine Lisicki won at Birmingham. She also got a WC, a much discussed WC, into the Wimbledon Main Draw. I'd say she had the best week on the WTA tour.

The Doubles crown at Birmingham went to Olga Govortsova and
Alla Kudryavtseva. It was played indoors due to inclement weather.

Caroline Wozniacki won her oddly timed hard court tourmament in Copenhagen. She even got her hair did up all purty for the final.

The doubles team of Johanna Larsson and Jasmin Woehr won the doubles in Copenhagen.
Please don't ask me what the trophy represents. The Alien Babies put out a press release saying it's not one of them.

Andy Murray won the title at Queens Club this year. Once again the folks at Men Overcompensating for Shortcomings issued a release saying no one affiliated with their organization, past or present, had anything to do with the size of the trophy.

There was no press release of any kind regarding the Doubles trophy held up by Bob and Mike Bryan.

It's Adam Helfant

by Savannah


L. Jon Wertheim is reporting that Adam Helfant, a 44 year old Nike executive, will replace Etienne de Villiers as head of the ATP.

Source

Q: I gather you have some news from the tennis world.
A: I'm told by multiple sources that the search is over and the ATP has finally settled on a new chief executive: Adam Helfant, 44, a Harvard-educated former Nike executive with both a legal and marketing background. The contract is being finalized and an official announcement is forthcoming.

Q: Is this a surprise?
A: In several ways, it is. For one, as tennis' nerve center has gone "off shore", there was a sense that the job was going to go to a non-American. (One suspects that, in part to appease the European contingent, Helfant will relocate from the U.S. to London.) Also, the slate of candidates bandied around was comprised of classic tennis insiders, figures familiar with the sport who had either worked for the ATP or a management agency or had run a tournament. Helfant is none of the above.

This is a classic case of an outsider surprising the field. This can be both a plus and minus. He's likely to bring a broad range of experience to bear. On the other hand, outsiders tend to get frustrated by the snarled politics and inherent conflicts and competing fiefdoms that so often prevent the sport from moving forward. Too often, they eventually throw up their hands and say, "Who needs this?"

Q: What sealed it for Helfant?
A: I was told that the top players (which often means their agents and advisors) strongly supported his candidacy and thought highly of the global nature of his work at Nike. His predecessor, Etienne DeVilliers, was brought on with the mandate for change, which is polarizing in and of itself. But his real undoing came when he lost the backing of the top players.

Q: What is Helfant's mandate?
A: It's not quite Obama territory, but he has his work cut out for him from Day 1. One of the big jobs entails replacing Mercedes and shoring up the ATP's sponsorships, no small challenge in these times. He'll also need to address the never-ending calendar issues and assure that the new ranking system and tournament commitment system is in working order. Then there are broader marketing and broadcast issues, the ongoing quest for players to receive more revenue from the Grand Slams, the residue of the match-fixing scandal. No question he'll have his work cut out for him. At the same time, the process spanned months so one strongly suspects he is going into this position with eyes wide open.