Time to Catch Up

by Savannah


Milos Raonic via PORNCHAIKITTIWONGSAKUL

I have been watching tennis. Well kind of. It's hard to switch time zones from one coast of the United States to another, a three hour difference. Changing fourteen hours is another thing altogether.


Zhang Shuai via WTATennis

There have been firsts during my little hiatus. There have been signs that some do have the ability to live up to what their Federations expect of them.


Ernests Gulbis via StPetersburg Open

Some even managed to drop their perceived don't give a damn attitude and hoist a trophy.


Gilles Simon via French Tennis Magazine

Some went into witsec to avoid aliens enraged that once again one of their children has been snatched.


Aga Radwanska via PAP/EPA/JEON HEON-KYUN

Common sense finally won out for one woman who decided that brunettes have more fun and that ombre hair works much better for her than a total blonde dye job. And she managed to lift a trophy.


Joao Sousa via AP/Vincent Thian

Do National firsts trump personal firsts? When they mesh its a beautiful thing no?


Petra Kvitova via AP

If all of tennis believes your personal life will cause your professional life to go on the skids the best way to shut people up is to win a title right? So what if you're still out of shape and your bustline will end up somewhere around your knees before you're thirty if you don't start using a decent sports bra? Oh, and you could stand to lose a few pounds so your gut doesn't hang over the top of your skirt? What was that? He likes it? Well then. Who are we to say? Maybe frump is the new in look but I didn't see it in the September Vogue. Then again Ms Wintour wouldn't let you anywhere near her magazine would she?

AHEM.

At any rate there was a lot of news taking place off court. I guess this is the time of year when Federations, what passes for the tennis press, players and anyone remotely associated with tennis decides to let mere mortals, aka regular fans, know some of what's going on behind the scenes.

An example of this was the announcement that Canadian Michael Downey will be the new chief executive of the British Lawn Tennis Association. Well he does speak English right? I won't go into how different British English is from all other forms of English but I digress.

A few days after Downey was publicly announced an interesting news article was published that said, well read this for yourself.

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) is set to announce a two-year funding freeze for grassroots projects just as clubs are bursting at the seams and desperate to capitalise on Andy Murray's Wimbledon triumph.

As LTA chief executive Roger Draper steps down from his £640,000-a-year post tomorrow at the end of a controversial five-year reign at the top of the game's governing body, documents circulated earlier this month warn that the highly contentious move is on its way.

Instead of awarding capital grants to clubs around the country, the LTA will announce that any club wanting to expand or improve its infrastructure will receive only an interest-free loan. Coaches and club chairmen said the move was incomprehensible at a time when interest in tennis was unprecedented.

Sources told The Independent on Sunday that the LTA is prioritising the elite game over grassroots tennis.

The source said: "There is only a certain amount of money at the LTA and something has to give, but it will be a shame if grassroots projects are being hit at a time when we all want to capitalise on the interest around the UK after Andy's fantastic year."

Emphasis mine. That emphasis on the elite game has worked soooo well for them hasn't it? Long time readers will remember the hype when Draper took over. He was going to stop the paying of large stipends and other kinds of support to players who have performed poorly at best on the world stage. I get the feeling nothing has changed.



Obviously feeling no pain Andy Murray, who is British Tennis, Tweeted this picture from his hospital bed after undergoing back surgery to relieve what's been described as a long term back injury. Keep in mind Murray had just played Davis Cup for England. I was going to say his country but he's a Scot by birth and seemingly by inclination. Is there any British man who can step into Murray's shoes in the near future? There's been some hype around Daniel Evans but we'll have to wait and see if he can handle the pressure.

Then there's the WTA. It deserves it's own series here but it gets tiresome writing the same thing over and over for me.

Anyway WTA CEO Stacey Allaster when asked whether women should play three-out-of-five sets at the Grand Slams, Allaster said her players were, “Ready, willing, and able—all you have to do is ask us.”

Really Stacey? Many of your players are dead on their feet if they have to go three sets. Five sets and you'll need paramedics courtside. Why fan the flames at this time especially when even your top players play in mostly empty stadiums (except in Istanbul)? You think people will pay to see who collapses in a heap first in the fourth set?

Meanwhile newly named Spanish Davis Cup Captain Carlos Moyá went after Ivan Lendl and his pupil, the above mentioned Andy Murray. Why? Maybe he was bored?

For me, Murray is neither Novak nor Rafa," Moya writes. "He can become one [of those types of players], but right now he is not. In terms of consistency, he is far away. Rafa has made 12 finals in 13 tournaments and has won 10. Djokovic has lost very few matches. Murray—not just this year—is a player who has trouble mentally enduring throughout the year.”

Moya also criticized Murray's coach, Ivan Lendl. Moya believes Lendl is having Murray focus too much on the majors and not enough on the other tournaments.

The original article is in Spanish . A translation is HERE

If we're going to have throw downs between the previous generation maybe Stacey Allaster can rent out her paramedic team. That'll help any cash flow issue no?

The controversy surrounding Marin Cilic continues. Tennis fans are shocked and appalled that Cilic cited an injury when he withdrew from Wimbledon. YAWN!!!
If Andre Agassi was given a pass by what passed for drug testing and discipline because he tested positive for crystal meth why do people think that Cilic is the first player to ever cite an injury as a reason to withdraw from a competition?

Anyway the ITF has " released the entire decision on Cilic. Read it and make up your own mind. I think Cilic has shown respect for the sport by opting not to play while his appeal is pending unlike others who continue to play.

Sigh. There's even more. Patty Schnyder has surfaced and is separated from her last Rainer. He's living with a new girlfriend on a horse farm somewhere while Patty is said to be teaching tennis somewhere. I've attached a horrid Google translation.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga continues making somewhat controversial statements " regarding tennis, his this time but of course he threw another player under a bus.

How did Murray win his slams? Because he's surrounded by 14 people. I won't be travelling with that many, but perhaps I'll have a group where I train.

It's complicated for me. I'm not going to pretend otherwise. It's really a bit sad because I train like crazy. I'm an animal physically, but that's not how I'm going to beat the top 2-3. I've tried to see just how far I can go. But there's a point where my body says to me "You're a nice guy, but this isn't possible." I can't go 5 sets with those guys without it affecting my health. I'm not on the same planet as Nadal and Djoko. Their level never drops, so I have to beat them quickly.

I have to be explosive. I have to change the way I work. I have to be quicker, pack more punch, move forward, hurt them.

Some things never change. The link is in French which the machine translations don't screw up as much as they do other languages.


Illustration Igor Kravarik

You didn't think I'd leave this out did you?

I have to say tennis fans are loyal fans. Player abused meth? Still has tons of fans. Player mistakenly takes a controlled substance? Loyal fans. Player and her family attack soon to be ex husband, steals his passport and other items, and it's a plot by the estranged husband to get his hands on her money.

So far only one source has posted a denial by Hingis camp and it wasn't attributed to anyone.
Why did Martina and her family jump her ex? Who knows? It'll probably be revealed by sources overseas not anyone who covers tennis here. There were questions about why she was enshrined in the Tennis Hall of Fame and then went back out on the main tour as a doubles player but have you read any explanation about why that was okay? Me neither.

I did find out that Hingis is known for having a temper. There is the incident from back in the day between her and her then doubles partner Anna Kournikova.

In November 2000 they played an exhibition match in Santiago, Chile, which featured an on-court strop, followed by a locker-room bust-up over a disputed line call. Hingis had asked Kournikova to intervene regarding the decision but the Russian is reported to have concurred with the line judge. At the next changeover Hingis, then the women's No1, hissed: "Do you think you are the queen? Because I am the queen."

Cut to the locker room later and a screaming match that involved vases, flowers and trophies being flung. "It was so bad I thought they were going to beat each other up," said a frightened Jaime Fillol, the former Chilean player, who organised the event.

The details are " HERE

Who says tennis is dull?

2013 US Open Week 1

by Savannah

Day 1

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

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


via France24.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

Day 2


via Mike Segar Reuters

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

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

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

Oh. My God.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

End Notes

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

Good luck to James in his future endeavors.

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

Don't Believe The Hype

by Savannah


I'm pretty sure Juan Martin del Potro was asking himself who the hell the guy across the net was. "No really," he was asking himself, "who the hell is that guy? I was told I was playing Ernests Gulbis. You know, the guy who got busted in Sweden for picking up ladies of ill repute and hasn't been able to think his way out of a paper bag since? Come on people, really, who is this guy?!"

Well Juan Martin the guy across the net was indeed Ernests Gulbis and he only showed up to take names. I don't think a tennis head on the planet, except for die hard Gulbis fans thought he had a chance. Sure tennis nerds knew he had hired Guillermo Canas as his coach but surely that wasn't going to help the ATP's newest head case.
ESPN2 was contracted to show the match and that usually means that there won't be a live stream anywhere unless your ISP gives you access to ESPN3 online. I have access to ESPN3 but I figured why bother to look? The outcome was preordained. Silly me. ESPN2 was giving updates but the tennis community on Twitter was already going "WTF"? ESPN2 did cut away from the match it was showing and what I saw was jaw dropping stuff. Gulbis was hurling bombs all over the court. The shot he hit to win the first set was picked up on radar screens around the world. Delpo got a couple of licks in but if this had been a heavy weight fight the cut man in his corner would've been busy. Not to mention Delpo would've been fighting with both eyes swollen and shut.
It was a hell of a display put on by Ernests. It's going to be interesting to see if he likes the feeling enough to keep improving. He could hurt a lot of people if he does.

Unfortunately Maria Sharapova knew exactly who was across the net from her. In one of the most hyped non slam matches ever the stands at the Stanford University tennis complex were crammed with fans who came to see a steel cage match between two of the biggest servers in the woman's game. Serena Williams, as we all know, was coming back from injury and ill health and if she was going to be vulnerable it would be now. Sure she'd played some WTT matches managing to lose to old foe Martina Hingis but no one could seriously think that she was ready to face a woman who had gone deep at Roland Garros and made the finals at Wimbledon so soon right? I mean it was obvious that she was having trouble with her breathing in Europe and with Sharapova throwing bombs her way it could be a short night for Serena, and not in a good way.

Instead it was Maria who was not allowed to breathe. To continue the boxing analogy if this had been a fight Maria's corner would've thrown in the towel. What can I say? It was a statement. No, I take that back. It was a declaration. It was a beat down. It was impressive. Majestic even. It was Sharapova bringing a knife to a gun fight. It got so bad that the talking ego Brad Gilbert dragged his fellow commentators into asking why Sharapova didn't ask for her coach to come down and help clear her head as well as try and cool Serena off. There was also talk of Maria trying to slow the pace of the match down. I think it was Mary Jo Fernandez who pointed out that Maria was taking all the time she could between points and that it wasn't helping.

I admire Maria for not pulling a Wozniacki and trying to figure it out on her own even when it was clear that she was not beating the woman across the net from her on this night. Maria Sharapova is nothing else if not a veteran at 24. She's hated and loved by many. I respect her.

At the end the two women showed nothing but respect for each other and by extension their sport. That led a lot of people to ask where this kinder, gentler Serena had come from. I think Serena said it best herself during her on screen post match interview with the ESPN crew. She loves tennis. She loves being around tennis. She missed all that goes with playing, the work, the commitment, the need for warming up before matches, something new to her pre match regimen.

I would add that only someone who has been as ill as she was, who has been to the brink and come back can have that calm, that clear cut vision of what is important in his or her life and seek to hold on to it.

Serena has won 13 Grand Slam titles. Ernests Gulbis has, I think one ATP title. But both had something to prove tonight. One player has to prove he has the cojones to do what he did tonight again and again. The other, well, has 13 Grand Slams.

Money Makes The World Go Around...

by Savannah

The State of Australian Tennis

I stumbled upon the following report on the state of tennis in Australia after I wrote the part about Ernests Gulbis and the state of American tennis. I wonder if such a program would ever be aired here. The main report is about 45 minutes long so make sure you have the time to sit through it. There are also interviews with some of the principals. Stunning piece of work.

Tennis Australia

The New Big Thing

“I felt comfortable,” he said. “I like being in the final. I was not putting pressure on myself. No one does that. My father never put pressure on me to play tennis. He let me do what I wanted. At the age of 13, 14, I never practiced more than a few hours a week. I think it is crazy to make kids practice six hours a day.”

Now, there is a back story to this. Most kids who find themselves being forced onto the practice courts are the offspring of parents who do not live in the Gulbis financial comfort zone. Ainars Gulbis is an investment businessman and, reputedly, the third richest man in Latvia. It has been known for young Ernests to be flown to ITF Futures tournaments in his father’s private plane.

So Gulbis carries a certain confidence about him on the tennis circuit, and if he slams a ball high out of court in frustration – as he did during his first-round victory over the highly promising young American Ryan Harrison – and cops a $500 fine, rest assured the hotel bill will still get paid.

And so it begins. Richard Evans laudatory piece on Ernests Gulbis, who won his first ATP title at Delray Beach Sunday will not be the last. Evans stops short of anointing the young Latvian as the second coming but he comes damn near close to doing so. To take a phrase from a totally different world "let the player play". We'll see how Mr. Gulbis fares against the big boys.

The State of Men's Tennis in America

I don't claim to be prescient. If I was I'd have my own 800 number right? But it brings a smile to my face when mainstream tennis media catches up to what this lowly blogger has been saying for the past couple of years about the state of American tennis. Who is there after Serena Williams and Venus Williams? Who is there after Andy Roddick? That silence you hear is the answer. Here are quotes from Andy Roddick and Pete Sampras on the current state of affairs.

Asked about America's bleak prospects recently, Roddick countered, "I would disagree strongly with that. Isner's been playing great recently, and he's shown in the last couple of Grand Slams that he's able to compete. Sam started a bit slow, but you see his ranking's moving up. And I have confidence in James to get back."

Sampras, interviewed at roughly the same time, countered, "It's a little thin. A down cycle right now. The game has spread all around the world, and players are showing up from everywhere. It might take five, 15, 20 years for the U.S. to get back -- hard to tell. I think people got pretty spoiled in the '90s, when there was me, Andre and Jim (Courier), a pretty rare group of guys."

Sports Illustrated
About John Isner and Sam Querrey the author of the article, Bruce Jenkins, says this:

There's nothing inherently wrong with Isner and Querrey, impressively ranked 21st and 22nd in the world, respectively, after Querrey's 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5), 6-3 victory.
(...)
It's just that there's nothing ... there. The serves are massive, but the groundstrokes -- while perfectly decent -- pale in comparison to the Cilics, Del Potros and Murrays of the world

Take a few and read the entire article as it's posted on The Bleacher Report.
My question is how did we go from top of the world to also ran in so short a period of time? Was it that we got so cocky that the rise of foreign born players, starting with Ivan Lendl, was ignored by us. Lendl wasn't the most charismatic player but he beat the Americans and all he got for his work were sneers from the then powers that be. If you weren't from England or Australia you were just someone playing tennis, not someone to be considered a true champion. There were a few players from the hinterlands that made an impression - Guillermo Vilas from Argentina for example, but as far as the tennis establishment in the States was concerned the potential for foreign born players to become top ten players was something to be thwarted not embraced. Our major tournaments went from clay or grass to concrete and our up and coming players were no longer taught strategy but simply to hit the ball hard and if that didn't work to hit it harder. We're reaping the results of that change and now find ourselves behind the eight ball struggling to catch up with the rest of the world.

I give both Isner and Querrey credit for recognizing their shortcomings and actually playing clay court events to try and acclimate themselves to the surface. And lets not forget Andy Roddick once was more than a serve. He is trying to get back to that place and deserves credit for doing so.

The American tennis establishment is now reduced to picking and choosing which foreign born players are worthy of it's praise. The pressure Tim Henman was under didn't come from his country alone. Despite early reservations Roger Federer has been elevated from mere human to a deity. Scottish born Andy Murray and now Ernests Gulbis are next in line to become tennis gods.

As is pointed out in the SI article we have gone from 43 men In the top 100 to eight. Getting to the top is a process and it seems as if some members of the establishment have gotten the message. The move is on to train our promising juniors on clay so that the basics - strategy, point construction and shot creation - are once again taught. The problem is that the United States has to make an attempt to reach beyond the country clubs and scout young people playing in parks or public courts. This outreach is compromised by the big PR firms now running tennis academies and their search for a particular look not a good player. Most of our past greats would not have passed the looks test.

Is Sampras right? Will it be another twenty years before the US has players deserving the designation "stars"? Time will tell.

Oh, and why don't I talk about the state of women's tennis? It speaks for itself. Other than Venus and Serena who is there?

This and That

by Savannah

Craig politely pointed out that I haven't posted in a few days. Hate when life slips up on you just for shits and giggles but it happens. I have been posting things on Twitter from time to time but I slighted last weekends winners by not giving them any recognition. Their pictures will be interspersed throughout this post.

Sex and the ATP

Every sport needs a sex scandal I suppose. When the news broke that two non Swedish players were busted for soliciting in Stockholm suspicion immediately fell on the Spanish surnamed players but that didn't prove out. There was a lot of talk about an Italian player who had pulled out of the event but he had never travelled to Stockholm so that boomlet died.

By the end of the day speculation was focused on Ernests Gulbis, whom it actually turned out to be. Gulbis and his unnamed friend were given a small fine and allowed to continue playing. In Sweden they arrest the johns not the ladies (or men) providing the services. Apparently they were busted in a hotel. I'm sure the ATP will be updating it's players manuals next year.

Yanina Wickmayer 2009 Linz Champion
Tennis Through American Eyes

Last week it was Andre Agassi. This week it's Pete Sampras. The men who formerly dominated tennis seem to be speaking out about their sport and where they see it going every time a microphone is shoved in their direction. Are we supposed to treat each of their pronouncements as coming from Mount Olympus or as pronouncements from the Oracle at Delphi?

The American tennis establishment has a very unique view of the tennis world. It's no secret that they are not happy with the European domination of tennis (except for the Monogram. Some of them have to be pulled away by the hair from his shrine) and are dreaming about the day a Brit, an American or an Aussie "restores order" to the tennis world.

But since opinions are like anal apertures and everyone has one they're entitled to theirs. It's when you see articles like the following one on James Blake that you wonder if the Americans have taken leave of their senses.

Franklin L. Johnson gives the following analysis of James Blake.

Here's why James Blake can return to the top five:

1. He has a top five forehand. There are few with a bigger stroke in the game. He has to learn how to use this massive shot more selectively. Coach Jones can help him graduate from a shot maker to a match taker.

2. JB possesses blue streak speed, quickness and agility. Only a handful of players can match this dazzling combination.

3. Blake's first serve is underrated. With a little work and a little more consistency, it could become fearsome.

These three gifts alone are sufficient to boost Blake into the top five and don't need much improvement. Here are parts of his game where Kelly Jones can make a big difference in turning James into a champion:

4. JB's backhand needs work. He allows his weight to fall to his left when he runs left, which makes it hard to recover to the center of the court. He tends to play the shot more to his back foot which results in floaters beyond the baseline. And he catches the shot a bit late which reduces his power and control. Consistently transferring his weight forward and playing the ball out front would solve all these problems.

5. Blake is a poor strategic thinker. It appears he rarely enters a match with a solid game plan nor does he consistently appear to recognize his opponent's strengths and weaknesses. He seems to rely completely on his shot making skills to win. While this approach pleases the fans with the occasional super shot, it's not enough to win with on a regular basis. Coach Jones can help him "see" the match from start to finish. Better match management and learning to make mid-match adjustments is the key to regaining a place in the top five.

6. James is a lover, not a fighter. He loves the fan adulation and star status. If he wants to get serious about his tennis, he has to forget the adulation when he steps to the baseline. He has to want it more than the guy on the other side of the net. For this, he needs to read chapters from Rafa's biography every day. If it doesn't exist, he should help Rafa write it.

7. Blake sometimes has trouble letting go of a poor shot or game. He lets the negativity linger at times — you can see it on his face as he stares up at the sky after an error. The top players press the delete key and do not carry one poor point over into the next nor do many of them show the negative body language he does. Blake must channel his emotion and energy in more positive and productive ways. Coach Jones will help him become more efficient in winning points on his serve so he can use most of his energy to attack his opponent.

8. James doesn't mind losing. He's a happy-go-lucky sort of fellow who likes to keep his life simple and uncomplicated. If he really wants to become a champion, he has to change his attitude both on and off the court. Champions hate to lose. This is what drives them to improve their great games. For the best, winning and losing matters. Coach Jones takes his job seriously. Maybe, some of his desire for excellence will inspire Blake.

You see what I mean? I could swear I heard Grace Slick singing "White Rabbit" while I read this.

Nikolay Davydenko 2009 Shanghai Masters

A big shout out goes to Andy Roddick for reaching the ATP year end final for the seventh straight year. People (including me) have dogged him about some of his play in the past and said that he has underachieved but once again he's proven that he belongs in a discussion of modern tennis. He's done great work with Larry Stefanki and has even played doubles this year making it to a final on the Asian swing. Congratulations Andy. Keep showing that Americans can play the modern game so that the players who come after you are not wed to the mindless ball bashing school of tennis.

Shahar Pe'er and Bali

Drama once again surrounds Shahar Pe'er. The Israeli's visa has not yet arrived and there are reports of concern in her camp. The island of Bali is populated by a majority Hindu population but Indonesia is one of if not the largest Muslim country in the world. In 2006 they pulled out of Fed Cup rather than play an Israeli team.
By winning two tournaments in South East Asia Shahar qualified for Bali. New WTA CEO Stacey Allaster faces a huge problem if the visa is not granted. Does the WTA pull out of Bali so late in the game and play the event elsewhere? Does it stick to its guns and make the authorities there grant the visa? Once a country agrees to host a WTA event doesn't it have to abide by the rules of the WTA?
It's reported that Shahar's agent Amit Naor (who is also Novak Djokovic's agent) and who usually deals with all of those issues for the Israeli players said he was promised the tournament would be canceled if Shahar won't get the visa.

End Notes
I can't believe the crappy coverage of the Kremlin Cup. There is almost a total blackout. I know, I should reup my subscription to Russian Television but it's amazing that this once great tournament has been reduced to what would have been a Tier III for the women. The men have a few big names but it's nothing like it used to be.

As I type this there is still one spot open for next week's YEC in Doha. The following women have qualified.

Dinara Safina 7652 1**

Serena Williams 7437 2**

Caroline Wozniacki 5570 3**

Elena Dementieva 5365 4**

Svetlana Kuznetsova 4773 5**

Victoria Azarenka 4371 6**

Venus Williams 4317 7**

==================

Jelena Jankovic 3660 8

Vera Zvonareva 3301 9

Flavia Pennetta 3060 10

Marion Bartoli 2715 11

Samantha Stosur 2691 12

Agnieszka Radwanska 2690 13

Maria Sharapova 2680 14

Na Li 2402 15

Samantha Stosur 2009 Champion Osaka
I'm glad to read that Martina Hingis has decided not to come back to the Main Tour. She's had a chance to live life and see that there is indeed life after tennis. In this time of "retirements" that look oddly like suspensions for one reason or another it's nice to see her stick to her guns.

Sunday Winners 7/26/2009

by Savannah

New champions and some returns to the winners circle are featured this weekend.

Bad Gastein

Andrea Petkovic won her first title
The doubles team of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka won the doubles crown

Hamburg

Nikolay Davydenko won his first title of the year after a long injury layoff.

Paul Hanley and Simon Aspelin are the Doubles Champions

Portoroz

Dinara Safina won at Portoroz.

Julia Gorges and Vladimira Uhlirova are the Doubles Champions

Indianapolis (US Open Series)

Robby Ginepri 2009 Indianapolis Champion.

New doubles pair Ernests Gulbis and Dmitry Tursunov win the Doubles Crown at Indianapolis

The Champions 10/7/07

David Ferrer Mens's Champion Tokyo 2007

Virginie Razzano Women's Champion 2007 Tokyo

Justine Henin Champion Stuttgart 2007

Tommy Robredo Champion Open de Moselle 2007

Other Results

Doubles Finals
Stuttgart
(1) Peschke/Stubbs (CZE/AUS) d. (2) Chan/Safina (TPE/RUS) 67(5) 76(4) 10-2

Tokyo
Doubles - Final
(2) T.Sun/Yan (CHN/CHN) d. (1) Chuang/King (TPE/USA) 16 62 10-6

Tashkent

Singles - Final
Pauline Parmentier (FRA) d. (1) Victoria Azarenka (BLR) 75 62

Doubles - Final (played Saturday)
Dzehalevich/Yakimova (BLR/BLR) d. (1) Poutchek/Rodionova (BLR/RUS) 26 64 10-7

ATP Challenger - Mons Belgium

Ernests Gulbis who played flawless tennis all week and beat Kristof Vliegen in the final.We may be hearing a lot more from this young man.