This Week in the ATP

by Savannah

When Lewis Carroll wrote the phrase "Curiouser and curiouser!" he was not referring to tennis, not the tennis of his time and surely not today's game or any of it's players. Still the phrase is apt to describe what is going on in the ATP, more specifically at Gstaad where a WC was denied one Viktor Troicki for the Qualifying tournament but granted into the Main Draw.

You remember Viktor? The player who told drug testers that he wasn't going to give a blood sample the day they requested it but that he could comply with their request the next day? The person who then said he thought he could do it because the lead tester told him he could, something the lead tester denied ever saying? The same person who enlisted the current ATP #1 player to argue his case in the press and to anyone who would listen? Yeah that guy. The good people who run the Gstaad tournament denied Troicki's request to enter the Qualifying draw as a WC. That made sense. He's been away for a year and there are many other players who abided by the rules and worked hard to be able to get into Qualifying so give a drug cheat a pass? Let him play a Challenger or two. It's not as if he were lighting the tour on fire with his play before and paying customers deserved to see someone who could play at the current pro level. So you can imagine my surprise to see he got a Wild Card into the Main Draw at the tournament. If they were going to do this why didn't they say that was their intention from the beginning instead of appearing to hold the moral high ground and all that?

Someone named Ravi Ubha wrote a pretty sympathetic to Troicki article in CNN's International edition that fans of Serbian tennis are using to justify their "outrage" at the suspension. When it first happened I said that if they gave Troicki a pass after refusing to take a mandatory test everyone would be telling the testers to come back the next day or the next week for that matter. That a top player would even defend someone in this situation is stunning in my opinion. But as I always say I can say what I want because I'm not beholden to anyone. If the current top player in the world, the person who represents men's tennis to the world, can't see why his friend was wrong and should've done what Marin Cilic did and take his punishment like a man instead of whining about it then I question that man's dedication to sportsmanship. Then again Troicki's best friend was caught using a non hyperbaric hyperbaric chamber and nothing was done so I guess he should expect the same treatment for his close friend.

Another ATP story of interest is IMG dropping Bernard Tomic with two years left on his contract with them. I guess when your father goes around beating people up and you're unable to sever your business relationship with him you're willing to pay that price. In a terse statement posted on Twitter and reported in Australian media IMG said the following.

"IMG and Bernard Tomic have mutually ended our relationship. We wish Bernard great success on and off the tennis court."

There was also this incident involving Tomic the younger reported in Tennis.com :

Tomic was also reported by Australian newspapers to have attended a party in February where underage girls were offered drugs, but he was not linked to illegal activity by police. In November, he was photographed partying with high school girls at a nightclub.

Tomic’s father, John, resumed coaching him in May, having been banned from tournaments for a year by the ATP following an assault on his son’s former hitting partner that left him with a broken nose and neck injuries.

No mention was made of the younger Tomic's naked wrestling with a male friend in a hot tub but boys will be boys.

Then there's Fabio Fognini using an ethnic slur against a Serbian player during his loss to said player last week. I found it ironic that after I responded to a reader's post with a comment about staying out of European ethnic disputes while acknowledging I know they exist this incident occurred. Some have responded by detailing a history of the Balkans while others argue that because the player involved has light colored hair it's impossible for him to be considered a member of the ethnic group Fognini referenced while others say it was the heat of battle. Still others point to the current issue of immigration and how it's being played out in Italy at the moment. I'm sticking to my guns and staying out of it. He said it. He admits he said it. And he gave a somewhat halfheared apology. Maybe he should stick to posing in his swim trunks no? That will give people a lot to talk about.


Photo via the ATP

I almost giggled myself silly this morning watching the match in Hamburg between seventeen year old Alexander Zverev of Germany and David Ferrer of Spain. What was so funny? That's Zverev pictured above. The commentators focused on the great week he had in Hamburg and how there was almost no way Ferrer was going to want to lose to a 17 year old kid who is still growing into his body. They also talked about how there have been plenty of good junior players who looked poised to make noise on the Main Tour who didn't pan out. Their conclusion was one good week does not a career make. Ferrer handed the kids ass to him and afterwards Zverev said that his loss today was a lesson and showed him how far he has to go to be a top player. I'm paraphrasing of course but I was glad to read his comments.

I'm sorry I said I was laughing to myself. I was because all I could think about was what Stacey Allaster would be doing to make this kid the face of the ATP. Come on. You know she would so do it.

The Disaster that is United States Tennis

by Savannah

This was a Fed Cup week for the women of the WTA so the ATP stepped into the breach with three 250 tournaments.


via PBZ Zagreb

Marin Cilic got a nice win over Tommy Haas in Zagreb. I saw some of the play up to the semi finals and Haas was playing well after being pushed by opponents so it's not like Cilic was facing an untested man across the net. I didn't see the Final but from the score it looks as if it was a decent match with Cilic winning 6-3, 6-4. Some would say he routined Haas. I can't say yea or nay. Team Figure Skating from Sochi occupied my time.

Meanwhile two of the Clown Princes of tennis ended up hoisting trophies.


TAM Perú

Fabio Fognini, who when he's not on top of his game and feels he doesn't have a chance can put on a horrid display on court obviously felt good in Viña del Mar winning the final over Leo Mayer 6-2, 6-4. I like to see Fognini when he's playing his best so I'm sorry I missed this one yesterday.


via AFP

Gaël Monfils is one of the biggest underachievers in tennis. With the talent he has there is no reason he couldn't easily be in the top five contending in Slams and M1000's. Instead when he feels pressed he goes into his act becoming a showman instead of a tennis player. Whenever I see Gaël start clowning I know he is finished.

Yesterday he played Richard Gasquet for the title in Montpellier and to be honest I expected Gasquet to win. I was surprised to see that Gaël won. Maybe he has matured and the new look is in effect inside and out. I hope so. He is too talented not to take advantage of it.

The Fed Cup Disaster

Italy didn't even think it had to send it's "A" team to play the United States in the US city of Cleveland, Ohio. The only player I'd heard of before was Karin Knapp. Mary Jo Fernandez, our Fed Cup coach, picked a good team in my opinion: Madison Keys, Alison Riske, Christina McHale and Lauren Davis who would team up with Riske to play doubles. I'm geoblocked from Fed Cup TV so I didn't make a particular effort to watch but I have to say that I was surprised that Madison Keys didn't win a singles match. Not one. At least McHale won a set. Keys went down to Camila Giorgi (sorry I have heard of her) 6-2, 6-1 and never took the court again. Is she injured? Did they make sure her brain was functioning? The only match the US won was when Riske and Davis took the doubles in straight sets. I wonder if the Italian team cared since they'd won the tie already.

This result was a disaster for American tennis and completed a Fed Cup/Davis Cup wipe out. Our men couldn't beat a team carried by one man and our women, who to their credit have been playing better lately, couldn't rise to the insult of have having a "B" team sent to play them and at least make the tie competitive.

Is it poor coaching? Is it because our top player didn't play? I call bullshit. These young women have had millions of dollars invested in them by the USTA and can't even beat Camila Giorgi and Karin Knapp. Nastassja Burnett and Alice Matteucci played doubles for Italy. Ironically there have been no calls for Mary Jo to step down because to be honest who would be stupid enough to take the job? Mary Jo is an insider and with her husband still a mega agent they're not going to go after her like they would any other Captain are they?

Serena Williams is 31 years old. She's focused on her legacy. Venus Williams is playing for pride and her legacy as well. I've been saying for a while now that after the Williams Sisters retire there is NO ONE. Of all the up and comers I've seen the only one who impressed is Victoria Duval and she may go to college instead of turning pro right away. Sloane Stephens? Forget her. She thinks she's playing for her legacy when she doesn't even have one and by the looks of things may never have one.

Andy Roddick was US tennis for years but he rightly decided it was time for him to step down and do other things. Those who were supposed to step into his shoes? Ain't happening.

But this means nothing to the US tennis establishment. There isn't an American in the top ten except for Serena and that drives them up the wall. There is this kid playing juniors now, Francis Tiafoe, who is sixteen and picked up tennis pretty much on his own. He's still four or five years away.

I'm sure there are frenzied meetings going on about what to do but I don't know if they can do anything. Offer Duval the moon to keep playing? Force Tiafoe to go up against the big boys when he hasn't finished growing mentally or physically yet? Our players can't think on court. Therefore they can't adapt on court. They think they're the shit without having any great achievements, hell without any achievements outside of lower level events or events tailor made for them. Hell at least the Brits have Andy Murray. We've got no one.

There Was Tennis Played Last Week...

by Savannah

Despite all the drama surrounding Marin Cilic's undisclosed positive drug test and three month suspension (It should be noted that baseball player Alex Rodriguez was reportedly offered a deal by Major League Baseball to sit out 2013 and 2014 and return in 2015 instead of being banned for life) and Viktor Troicki's attempts to drag everyone into the mess he created there was actual tennis played during the week. The US Open Series got underway with the ATP in Atlanta and the WTA in Stanford while the Europeans played in Gstaad, Umag and Baku (If they weren't busy withdrawing from parts of the US Open Series).


via sportsillustrated.cnn.com


The biggest, and maybe the most exciting win of the day saw Dominika Cibulkova avenge her loss to Agniezska Radwanska earlier this year in Sydney by pulling off a three set win in Stanford. No one expected her to win. Aga, who will make you crazy when she is on, was outplayed and visibly frustrated by the end of the match because Dominika simply would not go away. Not only was the woman some call "Queen Vulture" outplayed she was worn out. Dominika beat her at her own game. Wherever Aga hit the ball Dominika was there. Dominika also did what Jamie Hampton couldn't the day before and stopped herself from rushing her play.It was a long and exciting match. Exciting because Dominika, who as one wag on Twitter said, is about an inch tall, shouldn't have won. But she did.



How do you define dull? Here's my opinion. Put two very tall men who have very little game outside of their serve on a hard court and let them go at it. If you see Kevin Anderson is going to play John Isner during the US Open Series or the US Open set yourself a reminder to tidy up your sock drawer. Or do the laundry. Or take a nice long soak. Or take a walk. I guarantee you whether it's a best of three or best of five there will be at least three tiebreak sets involved. Look at it this way. You can dust, vacuum or cook dinner and come back and see the end of the match. I really don't like serve only tennis. Apparently a lot of people agreed with me on Tennis Twitter today. I didn't like it when I saw Andy Roddick do it against Fabrice Santoro at the US Open a few years back and I didn't like it sitting in my living room watching one of the most boring matches I've ever seen in my life. It was right up there with the infamous Gilles Simon vs Gaël Monfils match that still makes people groan in agony while trying to claw their eyes out. Someone had to win and Isner managed to do so.


via wtatennis.com

Congratulations to Elina Svitolina on winning her first WTA title. It's a shame no one saw her do it. I tend to wake up early and I put on a stream of Baku just to see some of the players I rarely if ever see play.I think I was one of the ten people world wide who did so. It's not even funny to snark about the WTA playing to empty stadiums in Asia anymore. There were literally no more than 50 people in the stadium during the two matches I watched and I'm including the tournament staff. I felt sorry for the players. They come out and do their best but how hard must it be to play in an empty stadium where the only cheers are from your family and staff? It's incomprehensible to me that the WTA is going to stage its YEC in China when the same situation that existed in Baku exists there. Unless they're going to pay for a lot of seat warmers the top women in the world will play before the same number of people that showed up in Baku. Sad.


in.sports.yahoo.com

I guess it's true that 30 is the new 20. It's also true that all good things must come to an end. Tommy Robredo, whom many thought would be out of the game by now due to the severity of the injury that kept him out most of last year, won the tournament in Umag. He defeated Fabio Fognini who had won back to back tournaments in Germany and was trying to win his third straight. Fognini ran right into the wall that he managed to dodge last week after getting a tough win over Gaël Monfils the day before. Robredo has Fognini's number and with nothing left in the tank Fognini saw his streak come to an end. Robredo was tired as well but he had more left than Fabio.


via au.eurosport.com

Mikhail Youzhny won the tournament in Gstaad over Robin Haase of the Netherlands becoming the first Russian to ever win the event. He said the following during his winners speech at Gstaad:

"First and foremost I would like to thank Federer for coming here and for losing in the first round."

It was a joke. Oh. Ha!

Miscellany

Maria Sharapova has pulled out of The Rogers Cup in Toronto because of a hip injury she sustained in Wimbledon. Uh huh.

There are rumors floating around that Rafael Nadal will not play in Cincinnati where he's never done well.

Ryan Harrison showed what a great guy he is during his match against John Isner. Isner wanted a ball back so he could use it for his next serve. Harrison threw the ball into the stands. Stay classy Ryan. You'll never be half the man Andy Roddick still is.

Andy Murray, or whoever runs his Twitter account, said that Baku should become a joint event. I think whoever typed those 140 characters wasn't using joint to mean an ATP/WTA event.

The US Open Effect and A Look Back at The Championships 2013

by Savannah

I actually started my Wimbledon post. I was going to have all these wise and pithy things to say about what happened but sometimes life gets in the way. Two people very close to me told me they were ill, one very seriously. One has been a tennis friend for quite some time and I'm sending best wishes to her during this difficult time.

Then Florida happened, or should I say "Floriduh" happened and while I wasn't totally surprised it was still depressing.

So here I am some weeks after the British made sure their man won Wimbledon - I mean he was the only one who knew how to play the grass that wasn't new or different this year - and just like the United States customizes it's Davis Cup surfaces the extra time Mr. Murray had to play on the not new or different grass paid off.

But Wimbledon will be the second part of this post.

Let's talk about the continuation of the European tennis season or Clay Part Deux. There's no other way to say it. Some weird and totally unexpected shit has been going down during afterWimbledon. That's what I'm going to call it. Some hard court aficionados think the grass season should be extended and that clay court play after The Championships is some kind of sacrilege.

Fortunately cooler heads prevail and the Europeans keep right on doing what they have been and playing on clay. You all remember how the ATP, under the "guidance" of the USTA and it's subsidiaries, the LTA, TA and to a lesser extent the FFT tried to get rid of Monte Carlo and downgraded Hamburg moving it to what was hoped would be an after thought time of the year so that everyone would have to come to the US earlier and play on the concrete right? Well it ain't exactly working out the way they thought it would. More on that later.



First of all this player named Fabio Fognini won not one but two ATP crowns in Germany - Stuttgart and Hamburg. Yes, the Hamburg just mentioned above. Fabio isn't new to the game. He's been around. He struts like a bantam rooster on court and while he's had moderate success has never really been thought of as a contender. Lets just ignore all the geopolitical stuff going on between Italy and Germany for now. The last thing German fans expected was this peacock of a man to come into their house and destroy their nascent hopes of rejoining the Big Boy's Club. Surely Tommy Haas, obviously a graduate of Professor Xavier's school, was going to win one if not both events right? Haas has kept his German passport but is also an American citizen. He's been playing very well and hell I expected him to win at least one event.

I think what Fognini does is bug the shit out of Haas. He struts and mugs and generally drives him nuts. Gaël Monfils needs to study what Fognini does. He's Monfils with discipline. He's not making it up as he goes along. He knows what he's doing when he goes into his act. The proof is that he's got back to back trophies he's taking home to Italy while Haas didn't even get a plate from Stuttgart. Philipp Kohlschreiber got that bad boy.



You may recognize the man in the hat as one Ivo Karlovic. Dr Ivo as he's known to tennisheads was diagnosed with viral meningitis a few months back and no one expected him to seriously contend this year. Well he's the champion of the inaugural Bogota tournament. You know, the one that replaced the tournament in Los Angeles that used to be part of the US Open series, the one that the Americans let go to Colombia so that that heretic Larry Ellison couldn't get his hands on it. Some guys from the United States went there but they came home rather quickly despite the lightening fast surface some compared to glass.

In fact there's a danger of there being no American men in the ATP Top 20 for the first time since 1973 when the modern ranking system began. Sam Querrey - you remember him right? - is ranked #20 right now but his 250 points from winning Los Angeles last year- the tournament that's now Bogota - will drop off and he'll be ranked lower than 20.

But I digress.



You have to be a hard core tennis fan to know who Yvonne Meusberger is. She's a staple on the ITF circuit but she always does well at Bad Gastein. This year she did really well and won the whole damn thing to win her first main tour title. Don't worry though. She's not someone ESPN will be talking about. She doesn't have that certain "je ne sais quoi" does she?



Then there was the WTA International tournament in Båstad, Sweden. Venus Williams was scheduled to play but due to medical issues she had to pull out. Her sister Serena Williams was set to play too. And play she did.

Until this week Serena had never won an International level tournament. She's played them. She just never stuck around to pick up a trophy. Serena however has a new attitude, one that's been visible for those who have no preconceived notions of her can easily see. She's more focused. She concentrates. She uses her intellect to overcome her opponents and she's learned how to slide. The sliding is new. The other things aren't. It's just that her level of intensity has risen and it doesn't matter if a bansidhe is screaming across the net from her or if she's playing someone ranked way below her. She accepts their challenges and instead of getting flustered as she would sometimes do when playing someone for the first time she absorbs their attacks and adjusts her game so that she can eventually win.

Congratulations to all the winners this week.

The 2013 Championships: A Look Back




I'm happy for Andy Murray. He got the monkey off his back and can go on with the rest of his life. There is talk that he will soon be Sir Andrew Baron Murray and that Judy is already practicing being Dame Murray. Will Kim Sears get to wear a tiara if she manages to get Andrew down the aisle? And lets not forget Scotland is holding a referendum next year to decide if it wants to split from the United Kingdom, a referendum most think will lead to secession and Scotland standing on its own. If that happens will Sir Andrew, uh, Andy, keep a title bestowed by what would become a foreign country? Decisions, decisions.



While the American and British press go bonkers over someone from the tennis Axis nations winning the biggest tournament in tennis there has been another, far uglier story sitting like a period bump in the center of the forehead of tennis commentary and that is the horrid way announcers, mostly British by the way, have reacted to Marion Bartoli winning the Ladies Championship. "How dare she have beaten Fraulein Lisicki!" they rage. Fraulein Lisicki wears cute short skirts, she's easy on the eyes, SHE'S BLONDE and has big doe like eyes. How dare this French woman, who is none of those things, beat the Fraulein!!!

Truth be told the British media acted like assholes the entire Fortnight. It started with Annabel Croft's insults directed towards WTA #1 Serena Williams. Croft made several comments about Serena's derriere and how her kits were so much bigger than the other players. Croft, who has one title to her name and whose highest ranking was #126 (12/21/1986) thought that her comments wouldn't get out. They did.

In case you missed it this is what Croft said:

One of the LTA invitees said: 'Annabel made many personal asides about Serena, saying that she was huge. She said all Serena's dresses were very carefully designed to hide her bulk.

'She then moved on to concentrate on what she termed as Serena's huge backside. She said she was in the ladies' changing room and wondering who was going to wear what looked like a wedding dress.

'She then saw Serena getting into this dress and that the train had been carefully designed to wrap around Serena's huge backside. It was quite offensive.

Did she apologize? This is what she's quoted as saying:

I apologise to anyone who might have taken offence, but it was meant as a harmless piece of banter. Serena has a magnificent bottom that every woman should aspire to.

Yeah that's an apology to Serena alright.

Everyone focused on the comments made by John Inverdale about Marion but the worst column of them all was written by one Mr. Greg Couch, an American. His magnum opus is entitled Women's Final Terrible For Tennis . Did he write about the merits of Marion's game vs that of Serena or Maria Sharapova or Victoria Azarenka, the women who sit at the top of the women's game? Did he talk about Marion's approach vs that of Li Na or Aga Radwanska? Nope. How's this gem?

Women’s tennis is desperate for stars. And this is the sport’s greatest stage, greatest opportunity. Yet with so little depth, two underdogs got here. Lisicki had a small chance to catch on in the US. Small, because I have a feeling no one was watching. But she did beat Williams, and could have been the Wimbledon champ. She is super-powerful. She is comfortable and personable in front of a camera.

And in terms of growing interest in the game, she could appeal to the average testosterone-defined fan sitting on his couch in front of the TV: She’s an attractive, powerful blonde woman in a short skirt.

Bartoli – more hard truth – is not going to sell in the US. She doesn’t have magazine looks, and plays in an ugly way.

Or this:

On top of that, there is no way Bartoli should be able to win Wimbledon.

Someone should have been able to take advantage of her lack of moment and reach, with those two-handed strokes. But all the top players kept losing before her, so she never played anyone in the top 10.

And this:

“You felt like you achieved something you dreamed about for maybe a million hours,’’ Bartoli said. “You went through pain, you went through tears, you went through low moments, and actually, it happened.’’

Nah, we can’t sell that.

Now if I had summarized and said that Couch said that Bartoli is too fug to win and that the cute German girl should've won for the betterment of women's tennis you would've thought I was hating wouldn't you? The kicker is unlike me, Couch is PAID to analyze tennis for the masses. Instead the "attractive, powerful blonde woman in a short skirt" got taken apart by this woman he can't/won't fantasize about and so she didn't deserve to win.

There have been two embarrassing cries on tennis courts within the last five years. One happened after the mens final in Melbourne when the winner had to console the runner up. The other was Sabine Lisicki in tears DURING her match. I don't even want to think about what was going through Couch's fevered brain while that was going on.

You see, and this is between me and you, once Maria Sharapova lost early they looked for someone, anyone, who could beat Serena Williams. Did their sub rosa harassment of Serena take it's toll on the Great One? We'll never know but when Lisicki came from behind to beat Serena you could hear the "Hallelujahs" as the tennis establishment fell to its knees. The mistake Lisicki made was believing the smoke being blown up her ass. She thought that Marion was going to roll over, eat a Twix on the sidelines, and that she'd walk over her prone body to accept the Venus Rosewater trophy. When Marion made it clear she was not having it things rapidly fell apart.

Now I have nothing against Lisicki. Her comeback is nothing short of miraculous, but come on people. Marion had been to a final before. She'd lost to none other than the Queen of Wimbledon Venus Williams. She learned from that. But no one that I heard commentating made that connection until the match was over and Marion was holding up the trophy. Too bad. Marion won Wimbledon playing like her idol, Monica Seles. Look up some old video of Monica. People like Couch, Croft and Inverdale would've deemed her unfit to win too.

The other match that made an impression on me was the Girls Final between Taylor Townsend and Belinda Bencic. There was a game in the first set that lasted twenty minutes. This was of course a day match and was played under the broiling sun. Taylor won the game and the set but after that she had nothing. Nothing mentally and nothing physically. Her coach(es) need to sit her down and go over that match with her. There is no way Bencic should've won that match. All Bencic did was wait for Townsend to fade physically and then she went about her business and took her apart.

I know we all gave Patrick McEnroe grief when he publicly shamed Taylor but I'm going to say it now. Girl you have got to get fit. You put aside the bows and cute hair. Now it's time to push away from the table and get in the gym. You will never attain your potential if you don't.

There are larger women playing tennis but look at the top ten. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that when we see Marion again she's going to have slimmed down. She's hungry now and wants more. She doesn't want to be a one slam wonder. And that is going to mean no more candy bars on the sidelines. Yes Taylor moves well IN THE EARLY STAGES OF A MATCH. She visibly slows down when things get physically demanding.

One of the critiques I read about United States tennis is that no one has that killer instinct. No one wants to sacrifice going to Chipotle in order to ensure that they're the best they can be on the court. This has been a problem in the States for a few years now. And don't hand me that crap about Taylor being built like Serena. Serena never had a paunch.



She's heavier here but she's not overweight. I doubt any of her people will read this but Taylor you are on the way to being another United States could've been if you don't work on yourself. No one on the main tour is going to be quaking in their sneakers to face you unless you give them a reason to. Right now everyone is looking at Belinda Bencic. I think you want everyone looking at you.

The US Open Series

This is getting boring. Every year the USTA dangles the promise of a huge paycheck in front of the top players hoping to lure them to the States to play the series of hard court tournaments dubbed the US Open Series. Breaking News: They aren't coming.

Look at the Stanford Main Draw. Look at Atlanta. They'll be here when the have to, for the Rogers Cup and Cincinnati, the back to back summer M1000/WTA Premiere events. And they're coming kicking and screaming. Once proud tournaments have main draws that are barely above Challenger or ITF circuit tournaments.

And let's face it there are no Americans who will draw a crowd unless their surname is Williams. I mean are you going to swelter in high heat and humidity to see Jack Sock?

Will things get better for the US Open series? Are there any up and coming Americans who will put butts in the seats like Serena Williams did in Båstad?

Name someone. I'm waiting.

Miscellany

So Jimmy Connors is now Maria Sharapova's coach. While you're thinking of a young US player who will put buns in the seats tell me what Connors will bring to Pova's game that she doesn't already have? Isn't it ironic that after Thomas Högstedt told Li Na via the internet that he was no longer her coach that there are stories floating around that he dumped Pova? Isn't it kind of funny that there was talk that he was going to be Caroline Wozniacki's new coach until she issued a statement saying no? I wonder if they were smart enough to put a clause in his contract forbidding him to work with top ten or twenty players?

All I know is that this is a deal made in IMG heaven. Connors gets the big payday he wanted and Pova is not in the embarrassing position of not having a coach. See? Was that hard to figure out?

Oh. So Roger Federer changed the size of his racquet. He's playing in Gstaad this week. He played Hamburg too.

Agniezska Radwanska got in a bit of trouble at home in Poland. She posed au naturel for the ESPN body issue. I'm surprised no one talked to her about the ramifications of doing that. Her hair is still its natural color in the ESPN pictures. Maybe blonde Aga is the new honey badger of the WTA.

Paris in the Spring - RG Day 5

by Savannah

DRAMA Takes Over the WTA

Did someone at the WTA consult with WWE folks and decide the way to make people watch their matches is to have it's players deliver verbal smack downs to each other? Today the barbs are flying hot and heavy. Here's a sample.

Q. This is going back a little bit, but you lost to Jelena in Madrid. I was wondering when you heard about that fist pump imitation she did after the match and just what your reaction was.
ANA IVANOVIC: You know, it's very, very hard for me to comment on that, you know. You know how they say: Sport doesn't build character. It shows it. Yeah, it's very hard for me to say.

Q. So apparently Ana was talking about what happened in Madrid after the match with you and the fist pump. You want to talk about, you know, your version of that? I know it was a big win for you, but why you decided...

JELENA JANKOVIC: What was her version?

Q. Well, she basically said that, you know, sports reveals character. That's what she was saying.

JELENA JANKOVIC: For me, you know, I don't need really to comment on that, you know. I don't think it's a right time to comment on this kind of thing.

But for me, as a player, it's ‑‑ every player has their way of, you know, motivating themselves and pumping themselves up, you know, if you win a point or you didn't win a point. But I don't think it's nice to put it, you know, the fist in their face. That's what can be a little irritating. That's the only ‑‑ but all the players, they do, you know, different kind of gestures, you know, with their hands.

But, you know, it's a little bit ‑‑ when you do that in the player's face, and especially after not winning a point after your opponent missed an easy ball, I don't think it's ‑‑ I don't think that's fair play.

Then there's this. The word "gross" in French means fat.

Notorious French interviewer Marc Olivier Fogiel has provoked outrage in France, following comments he made this morning on Europe 1 radio programme.

While another host was live on air reading out a biographical article about Marion, Fogiel, his microphone open, was overheard saying "Elle est grosse Marion Bartoli", translated as, "She is gross Marion Bartoli" - a blatantly derisory remark understood clearly enough in French and in English.

Walter Bartoli is understood to be extrememly angry and seeking to have it out with Fogiel on a French news station this evening.

Fogiel was previously embroiled in an incident over a racial slur, and two years running was voted the most disliked and unfriendly interviewer in France.

And this doozie. The link is in Russian.

Rausa Islanova on the split between her daughter Dinara Safina and Željko Krajan.

" Being a coach myself I can say that Krajan's coaching has produced almost zero result. I couldn't step it in because Dinara has got good results, (but) it had been based on her (previous)collaboration with her former coaches. Željko just listened to her and realized what were the things Dinara hadn't worked on with other coaches. Perhaps he used to say her something that she as a girl was pleased to hear. But the work that was to be done hasn't been done.

During this 2 years he hasn't make it better, he only made the shortcomings of her game worse. (Gaston) Etlis had arrived to Paris 2 days before the French Open started, Hernan Gumi had helped her before that. Anyway, problems can not be solved quickly and Dinara understands that.

It should be said that she did get to the Number #1 ranking and three Grand Slam finals. Anastasia Myskina said something very similar yesterday and also accused Kimiko Date Krumm of faking injury to throw Dinara off.

Finally there's this exchange reported by the Polish Press. The link is in Polish.

Robert Radwanski counted all errors of his daughter. Discretely, silently - hardly anyone heard it. Unfortunately Aga outbursted and started the polemic. She began: "Shut up, go home with all your mathematics, get out!" afterwards it got worse: "You're still counting? Fuck off! Do you understand? Fuck off!"

I wonder if they'll hand out popcorn before pressers and matches going forward?

Tennis News

There was tennis played today despite all the rain. Maybe some players would've preferred that their matches be postponed to tomorrow.
Alisa Kleybanova handed Ana Ivanovic a bagel.
Yaroslava Shvedova sent Agniezska Radwanska packing.
Jarmila Groth defeated injured Kimiko Date Krumm.
Anastasia Rodionova defeated Vera Zvonareva. The Tournament Director and the WTA must as thrilled as the French fans.

Gael Monfils threw away a two set lead to Fabio Fognini losing 9-7 in the darkness delayed fifth set of their match. Gael needs to decide if he wants to play tennis or continue to showboat.

End Notes

With all of the filmed footage available to ESPN of players from all over the world the casual American tennis fan has to be forgiven for thinking that the tennis world consists of Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova (I know she's Russian but that is downplayed on ESPN), John Isner, and Venus Williams especially if she's wearing that black lace thingy. After showing Andy Roddick and Venus Williams matches ad nauseum the commentators got to drool over the Monogram to close things out.

The American sports establishment has finally gotten the message that the rest of the world could care less about football and baseball and is now actively promoting the World Cup. Maybe in another few years the American tennis establishment will start to promote tennis as a world sport and not focus just on Americans who play "those people".

Lights Out

by Savannah

For those who haven't seen it here is a YouTube of the fifth set of the match between Gael Monfils and Fabio Fognini. About seventeen seconds in you see the actual situation on the court not the television enhanced version.

Paris In the Spring - RG Day 4

by Savannah

Why is anyone shocked that Taylor Dent served as a door mat for someone who can really play on clay? I'm stunned he even made it to the second round. The United States tennis establishment is determined to shove serve and volley down the throats of the rest of the world where it is rightly seen as a tactic during a match and not the sole strategy.

The announcer on ESPN3 calling the Aravane Rezai vs Angelique Kerber match said that the way Rezai plays reminds him of American trained female players. He's not totally wrong.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga complained bitterly during his post match presser today about his scheduling request not being granted.

Q. So you didn't want to play on Sunday? So you're surprised, I suppose. You're French No. 1, we're in France, this is a French tournament and an important one. Were you surprised? Did it get on your nerves to be imposed to play on a Sunday?

JO WILFRIED TSONGA: I expected this question, to tell you what I think about this. Frankly, I was a bit disappointed because I was playing on a Sunday. I had asked not to play on a Sunday, absolutely, because I had practiced in such a way that I thought I wanted to play on a Monday or Tuesday, to be totally fit.
But they imposed it on me. I had to play on a Sunday. I have to accept the rules. This is the game and this is it.
Now, if you're world No. 80 and you're not that important in the hierarchy, if I can say, loads of things are imposed on you in this case. What really bothered me is that, you know, if you look at Murray, if he decides on a day or hour at Wimbledon, nobody's going to impose anything on him.
For Federer in his country it's the same. In the U.S. I suppose it's the tame thing for the best American players. I think that Lleyton probably plays in the sun during the Australian Open because he loves the sun and other opponents don't like the sun. He wants to play in the sun.
Today we're in France. I'm French. I'm French No. 1. I would have thought it was legitimate for me to be listened to, that I would be given a choice. They should listen to me when I wanted to play or start.
But I accepted the rules, and that's all. I'm disappointed. That's true, because I expected a bit more from the organization and the rest, but this is the way it is. I mean, had I lost on Sunday because I was not feeling good, then many people would have been disappointed. This would have been a bit silly, I think.
But it wasn't the case, so I'm here, and I'm fit. I'm ready to play. This story will continue, and that's the end of the story.

Q. Is it a lesson for you? Will it not change your behavior vis a vis number of top managers to be firmer and to behave like someone who's got nerves?

JO WILFRIED TSONGA: No, no, because I'm quite open, and organizer or not, my job is to play tennis. Sometimes there are unforeseen events, so we have to adapt. But what I expected from them is to listen to me a little.
But, you know, sometimes it's this thing here, that thing there. You know, during Davis Cups you don't necessarily play in the towns you would like to play in. I'm French No. 1. I can't really decide when I'm going to start the tournament, which is at home.
So, you know, all these little details which sometimes can be quite annoying, sometimes we complain because we don't have enough good French players, but sometimes we're not given the best conditions. I think it's a bit of a pity.

I read that one of the Russian women made a similar request to the FFT and her request was granted while Tsonga's, along with that of a tired Richard Gasquet's, were not. Bitch on Jo.

The following exchange happened during Dinara Safina's post match presser yesterday. It's being reported by the Russian press.

Q: For how long do you plan to work with your new coach?
A: When you go out with a girl for a few times do you also ask her for how long she plans to date you?

Q: Your today's opponent left tennis for 10 years and then returned. Now she is winning. Maybe you should do that too?
A: Stupid questions you have today... (and left the room)

I would've left after punching the reporter in the face. At least she didn't cut and run like Viktoria Azarenka.

Cat Fight

Rezai on Bartoli: "Marion is a difficult girl....She attacked me many times in the press. "I don't have the same education as the one she has...I have respect for players."

Matches of the Day

No one expects anything from Svetlana Kuznetsova this French Open. Not only is she not expected to compete she was relegated to Court 1 for her match today. Instead of succumbing to expectations Sveta gutted out a three set win over a game Andrea Petkovic who actually served for the match in the second set. Sveta has played two matches and had to come from behind in both of them. I'm not saying she'll repeat as champion but she's not going down without a fight.

There are matches still being played as I post this. It's now going on 9p in Paris. Tomorrow's schedule will be interesting.

“One of the most amazing sights that I could barely see.”
Patrick McEnroe

In the heat of battle men should not be asked to make a decision about whether to stop and continue at a later time. Too much adrenaline and too much testosterone are flowing in their bodies and the thought process is muddled at best.

This is the decision Gael Monfils and Fabio Fognini were asked to make during the fifth set of their match. Monflls had been up two sets to none and looked to be cruising when Fognini woke up and leveled the match at two sets all. It was already late and as we all know Roland Garros has no lights. Figuring that common sense would prevail I figured they would stop play at 3-all. I was wrong. Instead an argument broke out and that guy named Drama who is always hanging out in the corner sipping scotch got up and took over. Both men wanted to continue. Fognini's camp was telling him to get off the court but he refused. Monfils was already walking back on court as if to say he was finished talking and it was time to play. Fognini got up in chair ump Carlos Bernardes face and next thing you know he penalized Fognini one point for delay. By this time it was pitch black and both players, pros that they are, were playing on instinct, knowing where the lines are and making sure they kept the ball away from them. For the most part that is. The only light was cast by the scoreboard and to say it was eerie was putting it mildly.

In the end, with the score at five all play was suspended. Monfils, who had been gung-ho to continue from the beginning was cramping and yet managed to play well. Fognini cursed his way off the court. Some are saying Carlos is not going to chair the conclusion of the match tomorrow because he gave Fognini the point penalty. The arguing had gone on for six minutes and it was time to crab or carry the basket. If he doesn't chair the conclusion I hope it's because he has another match to work.

If you're thinking this is a back to the future scenario it is. Last year it was Andy Roddick playing against Gael Monfils and the darkness.

It's going to be exciting to see how this all ends. Monfils was cramping at the end of play.

By the way matches featuring John Isner, Marcos Baghdatis and Andy Murray will also resume tomorrow.

In other news...

Husband and wife tennis players looking to be based in Istanbul, Turkey.

Late last year, soon after Australian husband-and-wife team Jarmila and Sam Groth lost their individual $150,000 scholarships at the Australian Institute of Sport, they received an offer they could not refuse. It was from Gavin Hopper, now involved with a new tennis academy in Turkey. Within months, the Groths, too, will be based in Istanbul.
(...)
Hopper is an experienced coach and trainer, whose clients before he served a 27-month jail term for indecently assaulting a 14-year-old student while a teacher at Wesley College in the 1980s, included Mark Philippoussis and Monica Seles. He also founded an academy on the Gold Coast with former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash. More recently, he has been working for the Turkish Tennis Federation and living with his family in Istanbul for several years.

SOURCE

Paul Annacone will not have his contract renewed by the Lawn Tennis Association when it expires in November of this year.

April Showers

by Savannah


The above picture would be the story of the day except for a guy named Stanislas Wawrinka from Switzerland. He got a straight set win over his countryman Roger Federer. It looked at times that Stan's nerve would not hold and that he'd find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Instead he held his focus and his wits and got the biggest win of his career to date.

Stan has been building toward this point for some time. We saw glimpses of his competitive spirit at Indian Wells but this battle took place on the red clay of the Monte Carlo Country Club/ Intermittent rain added to the atmosphere.

Meanwhile Italian Fabio Fognini went up 5-0 on
Andy Murray before crashing to earth and losing the first set in a TB before the rains washed out the rest of the day's play.

While the rain ruled in France I wonder if Venus Williams was looking for some kind of reprieve. Venus had trouble with her serve the entire match but young Sabine Lisicki of Germany was not going to let her off the hook and played with no fear as she took Venus out in straight sets. Lisicki has now beaten both Lindsay Davenport and Venus.