2010 - The Year in Review

by Savannah

ATP Player of the Year

What did Rafael Nadal do to deserve being named ATP Player of the Year? After withdrawing from the Australian Open last January things looked bleak as Rafa had a horrid spring hard court season. Then came his return to the European clay. Once Rafa got his feet planted in the dirt he never looked back. Winning every tournament he played Rafa swept into Roland Garros like a Category 5 hurricane. Like those storms he swept up and flattened everyone in his path.

Usually a storm loses strength once it hits land but Rafa proved once again to be a rule unto himself. Once he landed in SW19 he again swept away everyone in his path.

As we all know hurricanes need warm water to build up strength. The North Atlantic isn't exactly warm and the pundits said the storm that had swept through Europe would lose strength and that it's power would be absorbed by the unforgiving concrete courts of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The result as we know is history.

I don't think there can be any debate about this. Enhorabuena Rafa!

WTA Player of the Year

There will be debate about this. Kim Clijsters won the popularity contest based on her one Slam win in 2010. Why wasn't the two slam winner named WTA player of the year? She didn't play after Wimbledon. That seems to be the only reason. Were people tired of seeing Serena Williams at the top and wanted to reward a member of the Blond Ambition crew? Was it because everyone knew that to name the slamless number one Player of the Year would make the WTA more of a laughing stock than it already is? I mean when major tennis magazines are calling your number one a work in progress your tour has issues.

I don't suffer from any delusions or illusions. Serena Williams is the WTA Player of the Year.

ATP Match of the Year

The torture that was John Isner vs Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon was not the match of the year. That honorific belongs to the semi final match played between Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray at the O2 Arena in London. It was a three set exhibition of high quality hard court tennis, a battle of wills, strategy and shotmaking that lifted fans out of their seats. You all know I'm not a fan of hard court hit hard and harder tennis. If all hard court matches were played at this level I'd become a fan. This is a must see match. Fans should use whatever means are at their disposal to see it. It would make someone a great holiday gift.

Coaches of the Year

Antoni Nadal has a lot to be happy about. His nephew sits on top of mens tennis. He has done what some said couldn't happen and made his student into a threat on all the surfaces tennis is played on. If you listen to some American commentators you hear that Toni is a very strict coach and that when he's not around Rafa must breathe a sigh of relief. Next time you see Andy Roddick ask him about working with a disciplinarian as opposed to doing what you want when you want. This is truly a "Family Affair" and Toni Nadal deserves our respect and admiration for a job very well done.

I usually choose Oracene Price and Richard Williams for WTA Coaches of the Year and they deserve honorable mention for the job they did with their injured daughters during 2010. The award this year goes to Sergey Demekhine who is now coaching Vera Zvonareva. There are lots of pictures around of him fully clothed but hey, you can Google him and see those. Vera has always had potential but always seemed to fall apart at critical times during her matches. This would result in the emotional outbursts she is famous for. With Sergey the emotions are still there but there haven't been any picking apart the bandages and wraps scenes. Even during the US Open final while suffering from brain freeze Vera played tennis. Making Bepa a legitimate, not just a statistical top five player in 2011 is the challenge facing Sergey.

WTA Match of the Year

What does it mean when I look back over the entire WTA season not one match leaps out at me? I was ready to publish this yesterday but thought that maybe I was mistaken and that there actually was a match that had slipped my mind. There were some good matches - Samantha Stosur vs Elena Dementieva at the US Open, and some inspiring matches - Francesca Schiavone vs Elena Demetieva at the French Open - but that's it. Neither of these matches could be called great.

I have read some excellent fan musings on the WTA and it's current situation. What it all boils down to is that the women who came on the scene ten or more years ago arrived with skills and mental toughness that the current crop of up and comers don't seem to have a clue about. The top player in the world can't make it through a match without her father racing down from his aerie to tell her what to do. Most of them have no idea what the word "strategy" means. They have no shots, no court presence, and other than bad attitude and a sense of entitlement bring nothing to the court. Watching them ball bash is the cure for insomnia. It's appalling that the top player is called a work in progress.

When did being cute start to matter more than having a solid game? Look no further than Anna Kournikova. She was the first with the long blond hair and cute outfits. Now it seems that every young woman coming on the court has to look as if she squeezed herself into a kit one size too small and have flowing tresses, preferably blond. Stefanie Graf and Monica Seles were the players of their generation but only purists remember them. Everyone knows Anna Kournikova. I'm laying off of Maria Sharapova because she is trying to do more with her game. 2011 will be crucial for her.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Until the WTA works harder at promoting mental ability instead of cuteness and marketability it will continue to put out a mediocre product and forgettable, cookie cutter players.

And while we all appreciate the effort put forth by Kimiko Date-Krumm what does it say about your sport that a forty year old woman can come back and be competitive? A lot has been made of her comeback and not all of it has been positive. Again it comes down to the skill set that women of her generation came to the pro level possessing not trying to learn.

Let's be real here. Serena is badly injured. Venus Williams played with pain most of the year. Love them or hate them the glimpse we've had of the WTA without either of them is pretty grim.

The ATP in 2011

The man pictured above will be the story for 2011 in the ATP. The picture has engendered a lot of criticism and speculation about it's meaning. It's simple. Almost every establishment tennis blogger, commentator and many fans see this man as the embodiment of men's tennis. Everyone else is seen as somehow unworthy (except for Andy Murray). Look for a lot of weeping and gnashing of teeth as well as grown men and women clothed in sack cloth and ashes. It is truly going to be a bumpy ride.

US Tennis in 2011

Dire. When our Fed Cup team's hopes rest on the shoulders of Melanie Oudin and Coco Vandeweghe we're in trouble. As for the men there are some bright if obnoxious lights. Sam Querrey comes to mind. John Isner wasn't allowed to completely heal from that horror of a match in London. Querrey showed that he needs a lot of coddling and Isner, while willing, wasn't physically or mentally able to recoup at the end of the season.
That leaves Andy Roddick as the American standard bearer. He's made the attempt to undo years of damage and had mixed results. Has he recovered from that Wimbledon final he should have won? That was in 2009. 2011 will mark a fresh start for him. Will he ever win a major again? The stars will have to perfectly align for that to happen. Roddick has also said he will play Davis Cup in 2011. That gives us a chance.
Frankly I don't see Isner and Querrey being ranked much higher than they are now. There is a lot of hope being placed on the shoulders of Ryan Harrison who made a good showing at the US Open. Once again our players are hampered by their inability to play on any surface other than outdoor hard court or super fast indoor courts.

The older players, Venus, Serena and Andy Roddick are going to be called on to do a hell of a lot for their country in 2011. Let's see how they hold up.

Monday, Monday

by Savannah

Per Antoni Nadal his nephew's fifth consecutive win at Monte Carlo was nice but he can do better.

"He played a good third set, but it's obvious he must play better than this week," said Nadal senior.
"He was missing a little confidence in his game and you could see that his serve was incredibly weak. But it's the first tournament on clay this season for him and I hope that with some more matches, it'll get better.
"We know that there's a lot of work to do before Roland-Garros. But he still won. It's a very important tournament for us and to win for a fifth time is incredible."

Meanwhile Jose Higueras has said that his former charge needs to change.

“When you stop improving, you deteriorate; in tennis it’s always like this” says the coach, who was prohibited by contract to speak about the Swiss last year. “But Federer continues just as before. His backhand, which today seems weak, is good, but the players have grown accustomed to it and that’s why it’s less effective, now it seems to play worse.”
Roger’s immobility contrasts with Nadal’s aptitude for reinvention. “In two years, (Nadal) is a completely new player, he has improved and changed his style. Federer keeps on being the same: now others can attack him. He has stagnated.”

It’s not only a problem of competition, but also of philosophy. “Tactics always work better if they win - it’s a question of confidence. Federer can improve his style of play, he doesn’t always use the most appropriate style. When I was with him, he played two brilliant matches, the semifinals and final of the US Open.”
“He was aggressive, he approached the net well, he was very fast, that’s why he won, this is the way he always has to be.” Higueras says on Federer’s current game, which has problems of strategy when he doesn’t cover the backhand, his worst shot, to optimize his resources. “The backhand has always served him well, it is a big shot, but the players know it. His forehand is more devastating and more difficult to defend,” says Higueras.

Thanks to the good people at the GoToTennis blog for the translation of the original article in Spanish. They provide a link to the original article.

There was also a flurry of anticipation about pictures of Roger Federer's wedding being available to the public. A Swiss publication made a donation to the Roger Federer Foundation for the rights. The Swiss newspaper Blick reports that Roger wore a Tom Ford suit, and that Mirka wore an Oscar de la Renta dress. Once again thanks to the gototennis blog for the scans.



Dinara Safina officially becomes the WTA number one today. Some feel that Dinara's statement regarding her ascension to number one was too self effacing. I think it was honest. She knows she has not been the best player this year and that she is for now Slamless. There's no pleasing everyone. She is number one based on her point total alone. If anyone has any doubt who the players feel are the top of the heap check out Sabine Lisicki's reaction to beating Venus Williams in Charleston last week. At any rate here is the WTA top ten.
1 (2)
SAFINA, DINARA RUS 8951
2 (1)
WILLIAMS, SERENA USA 8272
3 (3)
DEMENTIEVA, ELENA RUS 7391
4 (4)
JANKOVIC, JELENA SRB 7350
5 (5)
WILLIAMS, VENUS USA 7102
6 (6)
ZVONAREVA, VERA RUS 6270
7 (7)
IVANOVIC, ANA SRB 1745
8 (8)
AZARENKA, VICTORIA BLR 4646
9 (9)
KUZNETSOVA, SVETLANA RUS 4308
10 (10)
PETROVA, NADIA RUS 3840

The woman I thought was going to challenge for the top position, Vera Zvonareva severely twisted her ankle last week and is back in Russia for a complete evaluation.


End Notes
American gossip site TMZ.com has published unofficial pictures of Andy Roddick's wedding to Brooklyn Decker. Here are a few.

Heard Around

by Savannah

Kim Clijsters Returns

BREE, Belgium (AP)—Kim Clijsters will return to professional tennis after two years in retirement, saying she has regained the competitive hunger that led to the No. 1 ranking.

“I still have that craving,” the 25-year-old Belgian said Thursday. “I look forward to the challenge.”

Clijsters, who retired in May 2007 to get married and start a family, announced her comeback at the tennis facility where she has been practicing. She plans to enter the U.S. Open, which begins Aug. 31—her first competition at Flushing Meadows since winning her only Grand Slam singles championship there in 2005.

She asked for a wild card into the U.S. Open, along with WTA hard-court tournaments in Cincinnati and Toronto earlier in August.

“I want to be back at my peak as soon as possible, but I know that is not logical to ask that,” Clijsters said. “I will have to take it match by match.”

I have to admit I was never a big fan of Clijsters. For some reason she always got the softest draws possible and ended up in a disproportionate amount of quarter's and semi's. When she did get to a final she usually lost. She did win that US Open though and that made fans like me have to give her some credit. In my mind though she will always be "Cupcake Kim".
What are her chances? Here is another quote from her press conference.

“I am not coming back to lose in the first rounds,” she said. “Otherwise, I might as well go on holiday.”

People are looking at how far Martina Hingis got when she returned to the tour after a long layoff getting as high as number six in the WTA rankings. No offense but Hingis was a better player than Clijsters. I know the WTA is weak right now but I can see Victoria Azarenka wiping up the floor with Cupcake Kim. With Larry Scott gone I'm not sure Kim will have a sympathetic ear at the top.
I know her fans are ecstatic and I don't begrudge them their joy. I just don't see her beating Elena Demntieva in her present form let alone Venus Williams or Serena Williams.
Time, and match play, will tell.

Where My Girls At?

Serena Williams (seen above at the Miami player's party) wants to spearhead a revival of women's tennis in the United States.

MIAMI, March 25 (Reuters) - Serena Williams believes the United States needs to get more tour events if it is to address the lack of American women in the top 100 -- and she could be willing to play a role in bringing about that change.

The world number one is followed by her sister Venus, number six in the rankings, but the only other American women in the top 100 are Bethanie Mattek (37) and Jill Craybas (85).

The anticipated flood of talent following the emergence of the high-profile Williams sisters has no happened with the rankings dominated by East Europeans -- or as Serena puts it: "It seems like there are 12 Russians in the top 10".
(...)
The 27-year-old Williams said she could be interested in a role, after her playing days are over, trying to entice tournaments back to the U.S and developing young talent.

"That could be interesting it would be fun to get a lot of support back -- that is the only way we will get the players," she said.

Williams though has not completely given up hope on the next generation of players making the breakthrough.

"There are a few American players coming up, they are really, really young and haven't got attention yet and you never know.

This is an expansion of comments Serena has made in the past about the state of women's tennis in the United States and with all due respect I think she needs to look through different lens at the issue.

There may seem to be "twelve Russians in the top ten" but that is the result of their system. I don't see new tournaments being played in Russia. The new tournaments are in China and Spain not St Petersburg or Moscow. I don't pretend to be an expert on Russian tennis but I do know that none other than Elena Dementieva was turned down by one of the top clubs and went on to play for another one. If there is no "farm system" to use a baseball term the options are limited for a girl who is not to the manor born.

If Serena means what she says she will have to widen the net and look for girls not only in the cities but in the rural areas of this country, girls who would be more than willing and able to make the sacrifices necessary to play professional level tennis. Instead of worrying about what Russia, Spain or China is doing the United States tennis establishment needs to look high and low for girls who want to play tennis. It does the United States no good to complain about the number of women coming out of Eastern Europe and Russia when the more dire emergency, who will step into the shoes of Venus, Serena and Lindsay? Right now there is no one on the horizon.

End Notes

Australian Davis Cup Officials want to move the upcoming tie between their country and India moved to safer environs. Indian tennis officials say Chennai is perfectly safe. The ITF says it will make a decision soon.

Why are so many of Maria Sharapova's fans convinced she's had work done on her face? The lighting in this picture is horrible but she just looks glammed up here. Her face looks the same as it did in those other pictures where she looked like a rock star coming off an all nighter. As for the outfit? Meh. I don't like the necklace or whatever that is around her neck. I'm sure it's visible from the Space Station.

Seventeen year old Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova can't blame the lighting for this horror. Lack of mirrors maybe?

And if this is what the mack daddy's are wearing this year I have nothing to say. Not that I miss the wide brimmed hats with ostrich feather trim or the crushed velvet leisure suits but is this what it's come to? No wonder Radek Stepanek is taking the court wearing a table cloth for a shirt.

I would like to address those who think it's funny to throw Justin Gimelstob's name into contention for Larry Scott's vacated position. It's not funny. Don't forget the Slob has support in the upper echelons of American tennis. They just might take you seriously.

And finally why are some of Roger Federer's fans floating the idea of his working with Antoni Nadal? Has it come to this?

I'll end with this great picture of Venus Williams from a photo shoot she did for Marie Claire. Love it.

The Powers Behind the Throne 2008 Part 1

by Savannah

ATP Coaches of the Year

Antoni Nadal


What do you say about a man who's player ends the year as Number 1? Called Tio Toni by everyone Antoni demands nothing but discipline from his charge in his approach to tennis and respect for the sport of tennis. No broken racquets, no tantrums. Thanks to "Pat" on the Rafa fan site Vamos Brigade for translating this interview where Toni speaks for himself.

BIELLA, December 3, 2008 - Uncle Toni is a strong man, a hard teacher, the pillar of the phenomenon Rafa Nadal, the world #1. At Biella he was the big name of the symposium "Story of a project: tennis from 0 to 14 years." And he will help us discover more about the phenomenon of Majorca.

Which is the first rule of the trainer everybody envies?

"Education and respect for you, for your opponent, for the crowd, for everybody. When you get along well with the others, you tend to listen to their advice, you accept it and understand it. And you’ll also improve in sport. He has received a good education from his father.

It’s easy to say that when you are talking of a “pupil” like Rafa.

"Who fails to comply once will certainly do it twice. And he will blame everybody/everything but him: the racket, the coach, the court. When he was 10 years old, Rafa spent the whole summer fishing with his friends. When he resumed playing, he started to lose and he complained about it. I told him: “it’s your choice: either you practise to become a tennis player or a fisherman”. In his career he broke just one racket and it was not made on purpose.

No relapses?

Four years ago before playing Hanescu he had 4 chocolate croissants in his hand. Carlos Costa, his manager, came to me and said: “Don’t let him eat them. He cannot eat them now.” I replied: “Are you joking? If he gets sick, he will understand”

Discipline means results?

It’s all very easy in sport. Problems come if you don’t work and you don’t get adapted to changes and you don’t adapt these changes to your body. We are different to one another and not everything is the same for me and you.

Adapting, another key word for uncle Toni.

"During the US Open in 2005, Rafael complained about the balls. I told him: "Look, they won’t change them. If you want we can fly back to Majorca”. In Beijing he was like a fish out of the water. I urged him: “Be calm. Come on, you won’t play that bad” and he won the gold medal. Adaptation is mental strength.

Even mental strength can be “practised” like shots?

Absolutely, talking and talking, even with severity and hardness, to maintain discipline. You must be hard, because life is tough. Otherwise you don’t win four Roland Garros or try to win two Wimbledon. Many guys play well, very few can play with consistency at a high level.
(...)
Who is Rafa’s coach?

I have passion, I have a lot of experience because I taught the boys in Mallorca. I have learnt much with Rafael. And I learnt much from Solone
“Without method, order, determination and effort there is neither a genius nor a triumph”.

Let’s analyze 2009.

First of all, it won’t be just Federer-Nadal. I’d rather prefer to beat Borg’s record and win the fifth Roland Garros in a row than win US Open, because it’s records that make history. If we talk about mentality, Rafa can be compared to Borg but he has more intensity, he’s someone between Borg and Connors, and his way of using his body is closest to that of Jimbo.

For the entire interview in the original Italian please go HERE

Miles Maclagan

At the beginning of 2008 Andy Murray seemed to be on the well worn path of a tennis phenom who was unable to impose the mental and physical discipline needed to become one of the games top players. By the end of the year he was ranked number four with a bullet to borrow a term used in music circles when a song takes off like a rocket.

The tennis world rolled it's collective eyes when Murray fired American
Brad Gilbert not so much in surprise but because the collective wisdom was who could handle the volatile Scot if one of the anointed couldn't? In stepped baby faced Miles Maclagan who at the ripe old age of 33 has to be the coach who had the second best year. When Murray, who had been coachless for part of 2008 decided he needed a coach if only to have someone to curse out when things were going bad picked Maclagan, a fellow Scot, not much was expected. Maclagan was born in Zambia but grew up in Zimbabwe where he competed with Wayne Black of the tennis playing Black family. He did play pro and was ranked 172 in singles and 200 in doubles. He actually joined Murray's team in 2007 but it was in 2008 that his influence began to show.

The pressure will be on Miles and his charge in 2009. Many hope that Murray will improve his ranking. We'll see. As for now he deserves recognition for the year he and his pupil had in 2008.

Thierry Tulasne

This former top ten player from France saw his pupil Gilles Simon end up as part of the elite eight at the TMC Shanghai this year. Simon, like Andy Murray, made a name for himself in the second half of the year with victories over Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. With his strong play Gilles Simon is now challenging for the French number one Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Like Murray the pressure will be on Simon to produce next year. Tulasne, who has coached the likes of Sebastian Grosjean and Paul-Henri Mathieu will not be able to rest on his laurels.

Eric Winogradsky

The long time coach of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Winogradsky has been with the charismatic player seemingly forever. After reaching the final in Australia last year Tsonga sat out a large chunk of the year with injury and it looked as if the year would be a loss. Instead Winogradsky made the trip to Shanghai for the TMC along with his pupil. I'm sure the goal will be to make the short trip to London in 2009. Will Tsonga, who is reported to have chronic back problems be able to play a full schedule? It will be Winogradsky's job to manage Jo's schedule to see that he doesn't fall out of the top ten. The pressure of expectations can be a bitch.

Honorable Mention

Marián Vajda
Novak Djokovic is within striking distance of becoming the number two player in the world despite what many consider a lackluster season for the Serbian player.

Eduardo Davydenko
Nikolay Davydenko finished the year at number five in the world and once again made it to the year ending TMC. Not enough credit is given to this man who has kept his brother among the elite of the sport for several years now.

Miroslava Vavrinec/Roger Federer
This pair continues to do it their way. Roger remained officially coachless in 2008 ending the year at number two in the world. Will the pair continue to do things their way in 2009 or will someone be brought in to become Roger's official coach?