James Blake Talks About US Tennis

by Savannah

Long time readers know I'm not a big fan of James Blake. I always felt he was more interested in being liked than in going out and beating people.


via ATP Tennis

Be that as it may he's being mentioned as the possible head of USTA Player Development, the man who would determine how up and coming US talent, male and female, will be trained to play on the world's stage. He's been off the tour for a year and a half and if he does get the Player Development job what he thinks about the state of US tennis is important.

Tennis Now got a chance to talk with Blake and got some interesting answers from him regarding how he sees US tennis going forward. I'm excerpting the part of the interview that focuses on that. The full interview is at the link.

TN: The State of American men’s tennis is a concern for everybody in the states right now, especially given what happened over the weekend in Glasgow. It’s never a good thing to lose in Davis Cup, but maybe relegation would be a good thing that would cause the leadership to tear things down and give them a shot to play some of our younger talent.

I think I agree more with your first statement. It’s never a good thing to lose. I think you want to win, you want to put U.S. tennis on the map and give us a chance because I think the situation as it is right now… a guy like John Isner he could go out and beat anyone in the world on any given day, so I would never want to take him off the team. I wouldn’t want to take him out of the World Group, because you put him in the World Group, along with the Bryans, who are favored against any other doubles team on the planet, and you have a chance to beat any team.

I’m looking forward to that draw ceremony to see who we play in September, and hopefully we’ll get back and stay in the World Group.

TN: Kids like Jared Donaldson, Noah Rubin, Michael Mhoh, Francis Tiafoe and Stefan Kozlov have American fans excited about the future. What is your take on this younger crop of kids and what do you think they need to do to in order to get to elite status?

It’s going to be a little while before we talk about elite status with them but I think it’s the best situation possible when you have, as you mentioned when you reeled off four or five names, high-quality players hopefully able to push each other. Because then you don’t have one superstar that you are hanging all the hopes of American tennis on. I think it’s a really good scenario, and I think if these guys go out and push each other—I’m not going to be the one to go out on a limb and say this one or that one is the next superstar—hopefully in the next few years it will start to flesh itself out, and we’ll see who’s got the mental capacity, who’s physically able to handle the rigors of the tour, and who is going to be pushing themselves to the top of the game.

I hope that a few of these guys, not just one of them, emerge as top-caliber pros and make all these questions of what’s wrong with American tennis go away.

TN: I’ve heard you say that American tennis should not focus its energies on creating a new crop of clay-courters just because European players who’ve been trained on clay are having success on the tour now. You’ve said—and correct me if I’m wrong—that US tennis should stick with what works and embrace the faster surfaces. If more training on clay is not a solution, do you have any ideas of how to bring it forward?

If they feel like they are clay-court players I think we should give them the opportunity to develop on clay and have those resources available, but I don’t think it’s something that we should be actively pushing because history proves that we’re better on faster surfaces. We’ve had a lot more U.S. Open champions than French Open champions. We’ve got three of the four Slams on those surfaces. I think we stick with what works best for us, and that’s generally been our skillset, because we’ve been training that way from very young.

I think if we start forcing what’s not natural on them, it’s not necessarily going to make them the best clay-courters in the world. If you know you’re a great clay-courter—guys like Jim Courier, Michael Chang—they had that ability from early on, they could see that. If players want to practice more on clay and want to compete with all the Spaniards, the Argentinians and all the guys that have been playing on clay their whole lives, then we just need to have the resources to do that. But I don’t think we should push it on the guys that want to play like Pete Sampras or Roger Federer.

TN: Your name has been thrown out there as a possible head of player development with the USTA. Is there something intriguing about your name and the words player development in the same sentence to you?

Yes, it’s very intriguing, because for me it’s one job that would get me excited to get out of bed every morning, something where I hopefully can make a difference and make a positive change in what’s been going on with the USTA and Player Development. Honestly I think they’re already on the right track. I’d be trying to help and push that forward and make a lot of things go the right way and then let the players do the rest of the work. Let the players do the real hard work and just give them the opportunities.

I think that’s the biggest thing Player Development can do. Open up doors, give them the opportunity and find out what they can do with those opportunities.

(...)

TN: On the Tennis Podcast you picked Grigor Dimitrov to be next maiden Slam winner, and you said it can be this year. What makes you believe in Grigor as that type of a talent and do you still see him breaking through despite his early season struggles?

I just see his talent. He has such an amazing wealth of ability. He doesn’t just have one thing that makes him good and I think that’s also part of the reason why he’s had some struggles at times because he doesn’t always know the best way to be effective. He has so much ability he doesn’t just fit one gameplan. If you’re a player like Milos Raonic you have a pretty straightforward gameplan, and Grigor with so many different weapons sometimes he can confuse himself. Even a guy like Roger, early on in his career had so many ways to win it took him a little while to really have his “A” game and know what made a difference and made him the best player in the world.

With Grigor I think he still has that opportunity, so I still think he is the one young guy who has the best chance to break through and win a Slam.

TN: Is some of this caused by what you saw him do at Wimbledon last year? He can be a really great big-match player.

Yes, he can be. He can beat anyone in the world. It’s just a matter of him putting it together and figuring out what works best for him on a day-to-day basis. Not just that one time in a big match, he needs to be doing it every single practice so it becomes second nature.

TN: Where do you see Jack Sock fitting in with this group. He’s got some tremendous talent. Are you still in touch with him and what are your thoughts on his future?

Yes, he’s playing Indian Wells. I’ve been in touch with him, he feels stronger than ever, which is a good thing. Hopefully he can turn a negative into a positive, hopefully being bitten by the injury bug made him realize how important staying healthy is and he will sort of rededicate himself to being in the best shape he can be in.

He does have a lot of weapons, he just has to figure out how to harness them at the right times. He has unbelievable hands at the net, he moves a lot better than people give him credit for, I think he just has to find ways to put it together, and I think consistency is a big thing. Just being able to do it every day in practice, so that when you go out there you know even if you’re not at your best that day, your level is still high enough to win matches. That’s the thing that a lot of young guys don’t have.

Three statements Blake makes jump out at me. The first is about John Isner, Bob and Mike Bryan, and Davis Cup.

Isner can beat anybody? Since when? His movement is suspect, his on court thinking and shot construction can charitably be called mediocre, and who has he beaten lately? His Davis Cup performance was shocking because Ward dismantled him with relative ease. By the end of the match Isner was thinking like a junior playing his first main tour match.

Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan are 36 years old. How much longer will they be able to play top level tennis? In his comments Blake indicates that it's written in stone that those three, Isner and the Bryans, have to be on the team. So who will be the fourth man? Will one of the new jacks get a chance to be exposed to the mad house that is Davis Cup or will one of the current crop - Harrison, Young or Sock be rotated in? It's interesting that no mention was made of who will be Davis Cup captain after all the speculation about Courier being forced out.

The comments about Grigor Dimitrov seem to be taken right out of a PR statement. The reason Dimitrov gets confused on court is because he's got so many options it's hard for him to choose just one per Blake. Doesn't that get back to point construction and the ability to think, react and improvise on court? If he's to win a Slam the way so many is the States think he's about ready to do doesn't he have to put all of this together? If you saw him play in Acapulco where he was defending champion you saw him in the same mental place as Isner at the end of the match. He had run out of ideas and had no concept of how to change the momentum of the match. And this was on a hard court. You can have all the talent in the world but if you don't know how to channel and use it it's useless.

The third statement that caused me to raise an eyebrow was about Jack Sock. Sock has been injured a lot and hasn't been able to gain traction on the tour. What does Blake say about him? He's got lots of weapons and just has to learn to use them at the right time. Sound familiar? The thing a lot of young guys don't have is the ability to find a way to win when you're not playing your best Blake says.

And that leads me to the topic that led into this discussion: bringing up young US players on clay and then switching to hard court.

The reporter asked the question that needed to be asked and Blake, disingenuously answered another question, one that wasn't asked. No one is saying that the USTA needs to focus on making the next generation clay court players. What is being said is that learning to play on clay, learning how to construct a point, learning how to prepare physically and mentally for tough matches would give young US players the things they lack: the ability to construct points, to think on court, to anticipate, to ask questions of their opponents and demand an answer. In his comments about Sock isn't he admitting that the young man can't do what the top guys do? He may be delusional about Isner but the things he says about Sock, and Dimitrov, show that he, and maybe those in charge of developing players here in the States, are being short sighted to say the least.

Think about it. Would Pete Sampras be considered anything but a servebot today? Milos Raonic is the closest to Sampras style and he tends to lose his way and be out manuevered in matches. You can say what you want about Roger Federer but he is an all surface player, able to adapt his game to any surface. You can want to play like Sampras all you want but the majors, the Slams and Master's 1000's will elude you. As long as training on clay is seen as "forcing what's not natural on them" in the eyes of the USTA we're not going to have winners of major tournaments.

I like to go to at least one day of US Open Qualies because you get to see the players the USTA is pushing as the next big thing. For the last few years I've seen young players with all the shots but with no court sense. The only way US tennis will be on top again is when the current top players throw in the towel. The level of tennis, from what I see with a few exceptions, will drop precipitously and mediocre will become great. That's harsh but it's what I see. If I'm proven wrong so be it. I'm a tennis fan and I'd love to see my prediction be wrong.


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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?

The Rearview Mirror: Roger's Cup Edition

by Savannah

Where to start?

The hype? The bullshit that was being presented as hype? That's harsh. Wishful thinking maybe? Maybe it's all the same thing.

Let's start with the winners.


Photo: The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette

What is there left to say? As her father predicted years ago Serena Williams has become the dominant woman not only of her generation but of the next one too. She's reduced two of the women she faced finals to tears and proven that your sometime coach may be a tennis player whisperer but if the player he's whispering to ain't got the goods there's nothing he can do.

I mean really did anyone sincerely believe that Sorana Cirstea was going to be led by the hand to the championship? Like Sabine Lisicki before her she found out that hype doesn't win matches. Skill and experience win matches. If you need to be treated like a four year old scared to get on the pony to get through a match at a Premier 5 what the hell are you going to do at a Grand Slam when there is no coaching allowed? In the end Cirstea was the player she's been for the last couple of years. Unable to think clearly on court her play is erratic and ineffective.

During the semi final her sometime coach told her to stop looking at him and to focus on wht was going on on the court. Tennis 101.

Serena lose to her? Not unless, God forbid, she's injured in some way. I mean she was sick and got past Agniezska Radwanska for goodness sake. Did I say she was sick during that match?

I've learned to avoid ESPN's announcers unless I don't have a choice so I missed what was apparently a mind boggling bit of commentary from Ms Pam Shriver. I didn't hear it directly but people I trust were Tweeting that she feels Serena has had a disappointing year, clarifying her statement by saying that not winning Wimbledon had to be a disappointment. I think every one on the tour will take her year, Wimbledon or no Wimbledon.

(I should mention that the Wimbledon Champion, Marion Bartoli, looks like she's back to eating Twix again. She was woefully out of shape looking, and moving, like a beached whale before she took herself out of competition but I like Marion and hope she can get herself back to some level of fitness soon. Petra Kvitova has but she's on the new boyfriend diet.)

AHEM.

Anyway Serena romped through her draw and should be the odds on favorite for the US Open crown. She's played more tennis than she usually does this year but I think it's safe to say that she's on a mission no?

By the way I see some of the hacks, uh, journalists, who cover tennis for pay are whining about the poor attendance in Toronto. Excuse the language but where the fuck have they been for the last five years or more?! Attendance at WTA matches is woeful and has been for a long time. Regular readers of this space know I've been talking about it at forever but now that Serena is dominant and has no one to really worry about on the tour all of a sudden they're worried about attendance. One went so far as to hint that if Maria Sharapova had played attendance figures would be up. Like I said they haven't been paying attention, or they're pretending not to be paying attention. If they really haven't been paying attention here's a news flash for them: NO ONE WANTS TO WATCH WOMEN'S TENNIS BECAUSE OTHER THAN SERENA THERE IS NO ONE THEY FEEL THEY HAVE TO SEE!!!

I know that's harsh but hear me out. As I mentioned before Serena is the top dog. No one can beat her unless she's having a bad day. Okay. Now. Dyed in the wool tennis fans don't like Victoria Azarenka. I know that bothers some of her fans but it is what it is. Aga has no personality on court. If you're not used to watching tennis she'll have you in the land of Nod in no time. Like it or not there are people who will never warm up to Li Na. Sara Errani? That she is in the WTA top ten with no serve worth mentioning is a disgrace. Marion is just not presenting as an athlete right now. Angelique Kerber and Petra Kvitova have the same problem as Aga. No on court swagger.

Now. I'm going to say this again very slowly. The WTA has to stop selling personality and start selling the women's tour. You know, women's tennis? That thing these women all work hard to excel at? It also has to stop trying to pretend it's racism isn't racism. I don't like to play that card but when professional journalists start saying attendance would've been better if Sharapova had played what are they saying? Is this what tournament officials are saying instead of telling Stacy Allaster to do a better job with promoting ALL of her players not just one? I used to talk about the blonde pony tail brigade being the be all and end all of women's tennis. Looks like I'm going to have to resurrect that meme.

By the way did Sharapova ever make it up to Toronto to do her promotional work for the tour? I kept reading about cardboard cutouts and candles but nothing about her sitting in a booth and signing autographs. I could've just missed it but enquiring minds and all that ya know?


Getty ImagesPhoto By Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Let's talk about the men's draw. After everyone withdrew to rest their weary bones (or fevered brains - take your pick)it was a very strange one indeed. Since Roger Federer wasn't there due to his back the hype machine was in overload about Andrew Murray's return to the hard courts. He had a nice little section of the draw that included Ernests Gulbis, a man who really keeps you guessing about which persona he's bringing to the court that day.

The match I really wanted to see and couldn't was the one between Gulbis and Fabio Fognini. I wanted to see who would be able to mind fuck who. Gulbis, Fognini and Gael Monfils are a subculture on the main tour: guys who like to distract you with their antics and when you look up they've beaten you. Monfils hasn't done much of that lately and we all know how Fognini had big fun in Europe after Wimbledon but it was Gulbis who was standing after disposing of Murray rather routinely. For his part Murray played like he'd rather be someplace else. Of course he always plays like that but this time he was the one getting played. I should've included him in the same group with Monfils, Gulbis and Fognini.

While mini/major upsets were taking place the Canadians were showing they weren't there as cannon fodder. A new star named Vasek Pospisil reintroduced himself to the tennis world while a compatriot showed that he's ready to do whatever it takes to win a match. And it was ugly.

There's an old expression "character is what you do when no one is watching." What does it mean when a tennis player with a preexisting injury, one he's being treated for, walks to the sidelines when his opponent is ready to serve and says he can't grip his racquet returning to the court thirteen minutes later and seeming to be fine. The comm said the medics had already given the player the recommended dose of pain killers and that they couldn't provide him with any more. It didn't matter because he appeared to be fine after the MTO.

Then there was the whole running into the net, seeing that the chair umpire, doing his job, is focused on where the ball landed not you so you twist and turn to make it seem you did everything to avoid the net and succeeded in not touching it. Meanwhile everyone in the stadium and around the world saw you. Your opponent was worn out from a late match the night before and it's more than likely that the match was yours, that you didn't need the point you would've lost had you confessed to running into the net. If that's what you do with the world watching what are you up to when it's not?

Anyway Milos Raonic made it through to the final. One day he'll tell his grand children about a match that he was never in. The big story will be how he responds to the loss.

Don't forget Milos, we can see you when you're on court.

The Asian Swing Part 2

by Savannah



I don't mind staying up late if it's to witness history.

I intended to watch only one set of the Tokyo final and thought that I might be able to watch the entire match when Japan's Nishikori Kei raced to a 3-0 lead in the first set.

Then came the visit from the trainer and suddenly it seemed that Kei had forgotten what he'd been doing at the start of the match. He managed to hang in and force a tiebreak to decide the set and won a tense breaker 7-6(5).

But in the second set the man who had been scampering all over the court and creating some of the most amazing angles in recent memory disappeared. Milos Raonic was able to assert himself and use his serve effectively and take the second set 6-3.

So there I was looking at the clock and saying to myself that I'd be kicking myself if Nishikori became the first Japanese man in 40 years to win Tokyo. I wanted the chance to see the historic moment for myself.

I was rewarded with seeing the Nishikori who started the match come back. He feasted on Raonic's second serve and kept Milos pinned back unless he wanted him to come in, at which point he would unleash one of the many amazing shots he got off during the match. You could make the argument that Raonic wasn't thinking as clearly as he had been when he defeated Andy Murray the day before but that really wasn't the case. Nishikori wasn't allowing him to do what he wanted and a frustrated, emotional Milos was caught with no Plan B. Nishikori won the third set 6-0, an amazing feat against a big server like Raonic.

It was a stunning performance and one that I'm sure will get Asian fans buzzing. It followed on the heels of China's Zhang Ze making the quarterfinals in Beijing. Zhang has been given a wild card into Shanghai and it will be very interesting to see how deep he goes into the draw. I wonder if more Asian men begin to do well on the tour if fan interest will increase. It was interesting to see the array of important men sitting courtside last night. The stands were also packed to the rafters. It was a great match for Asian tennis and a great , innovative match for tennis in general. It was nice to see a mental AND physical match for a change.



I went on a bathroom break this morning and had just enough time to Victoria Azarenka defeat Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-1. When I turned on the match Sharapova was down 5-0 in the second set. I expected a much closer match. Since all I saw was the very end of the second set I can't comment on the match. The comm was saying that Sharapova's game wasn't working against Azarenka. With the score line that's the only assumption that can be made.

I wonder if the tennis media will be as upset about this loss by Pova as it was when she lost in spectacular fashion to Serena Williams this summer? No? I don't think so either. Although Azarenka isn't one of their faves she's not Serena.



I never had any intention of watching the men's final in Beijing because there was no doubt in my mind who would win. I only watch him play when I have no choice. I wasn't breaking night to watch him this morning even if he was playing Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The final score was 7-6(4), 6-2.

This and That



This is a picture of Roger Federer surrounded by security in Shanghai. The tight security was necessary because some nut job made threats against tennis in general and Federer in particular. Here is the story from
USA Today

11:40PM EST October 4. 2012 - Security was tightened around Roger Federer after the world No. 1 received an online death threat prior to a tournament in Shanghai, according to various reports.

Tournament director Yang Yibin confirmed the threat to the Shanghai Youth Daily. An anonymous poster using the name "Blue Cat Polytheistic Religion Founder 07" posted the threat on the popular Chinese website, Baidu.com. "On October 6, I plan to assassinate Federer for the purpose of tennis extermination," the posting read.

The threat was accompanied by a doctored photo of a axe-wielding executioner standing next to a decapitated Federer. The posting was taken seriously enough for the tournament to increase security around Federer and other players, but Yang told the newspaper he hopes it "was an oral threat only."

I hope the idjut is captured soon.

Shanghai Masters

Obviously Federer is in Shanghai. There was no way he wasn't going to be there to defend his ranking no matter how "wounded, tired and exhausted" he is. As usual he has a cakewalk to at least the quarters. If you haven't seen the draw I've posted it below.

[1] Roger Federer/BYE

[WC] Ze Zhang vs Qualifier

Denis Istomin vs Carlos Berlocq

[13] Stanislas Wawrinka vs Albert Ramos

[10] Marin Cilic vs Qualifier

Martin Klizan vs Thomaz Bellucci

Fernando Verdasco vs Go Soeda

[7] Juan Monaco/Bye

[3] Andy Murray/Bye

Florian Mayer vs Bernard Tomic

Alexandr Dolgopolov vs Jeremy Chardy

[15] Gilles Simon vs Jurgen Melzer

[11] Richard Gasquet vs Qualifier

[WC] Lleyton Hewitt vs Radek Stepanek

Kevin Anderson vs Jarkko Nieminen

[8] John Isner/Bye

[5] Jo-Wilfried Tsonga/Bye

Benoit Paire vs Qualifier

Marcos Baghdatis vs Fabio Fognini

[12] Milos Raonic vs Qualifier

[14] Kei Nishikori vs [WC] Wu Di

Sam Querrey vs [WC] Zhe Li

Andreas Seppi vs Qualifier

[4] Tomas Berdych/Bye

[6] Janko Tipsarevic/Bye

Mikhail Youzhny vs Victor Troicki

Tommy Robredo vs Qualifier

[9] Nicolas Almagro vs Tommy Haas

[16] Philipp Kohlschreiber vs Ryan Harrison

Feliciano Lopez vs Alejandro Falla

Grigor Dimitrov vs Pablo Andujar

[2] Novak Djokovic/Bye

I'm sure Stan Wawrinka is tired of always being the foil. I know I'm tired of him playing that role. Keep in mind almost everyone in this draw has played the last two weeks. Some made the quarter finals, semis and finals. No mercy from this tournament though.

End Note



This is one of my favorite pictures. Rafael Nadal takes us inside his trophy room to show off his new kicks.
Have fun figuring out what trophies we can see on the shelf there.

The Weekend - And A Response To Criticism

by Savannah

There is a new member of the WTA winners circle. Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino won the title in Bogota. Will she be the Spanish woman to take the top ten by storm?


Meanwhile Victoria Azarenka played despite what looked like an ankle turn and won the title in Doha.

Roger Federer showed that despite that US Open victory, one that seems to have taken place in an alternate universe, Juan Martin del Potro is his bitch romping to victory over the Argentine player.

Nicolas Almagro successfully defended his title in Sao Paulo.

Milos Raonic of Canada did the same in San Jose.

Doubles Results

Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond won in Doha.
Michael Llodra and Nenad Zimonjic won Rotterdam.
Mark Knowles and Xavier Malisse are the San Jose champions.
Eric Butorac and Bruno Soares took the title in Sao Paulo.



Former WTA #1 Caroline Wozniacki has decided to go all in on her critics going as far as naming the name of the former player now commentator who has been an icon of women's tennis longer than Wozniacki has been alive.

Excerpts from her interview are below.

Dubai - Former world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki hit back at Martina Navratilova on Monday for claiming that the Dane had never deserved to be top of the world rankings.

Wozniacki also suggested she has lost respect for Navratilova, regarded by many as the greatest female player ever, implying that her TV commentating sought to stir things up and that it would be better to "think a little bit."

"I would never say Martina was No 1 when there was no-one playing," Wozniacki said, "or that she was the best when no-one was playing. That would be disrespectful."

Her comment was an echo of Navratilova's remarks at an Australian Open press conference, in which the 55-year-old legend said: "Clearly nobody feels Wozniacki is a true No 1."

Navratilova, whose 18 Grand Slam singles titles were achieved when the women's game had less depth, also criticised the modern ranking system which placed Wozniacki at the top for 68 weeks.

This places too much emphasis on the quantity of wins rather than their quality, Navratilova alleged, suggesting fellow Czech Petra Kvitova, Wimbledon champion and winner of five other titles last year, should have become No 1 instead.

When Wozniacki was asked if she had lost respect as a result of some of the remarks made about her on television, she reacted immediately.

"I think I have to be honest, lost a little bit of respect. Because I respect what they have achieved," she said, referring to players of a previous era who are now commentators.

"And I really respect what someone else (has done), I know how hard it is to reach the top level of a sport like tennis.

"I think I would never say Martina was No 1 when there was no-one playing, or she was the best when no-one was playing. I mean that would be disrespectful.

"She was unbelievable. She won so many Grand Slams, her touch was unbelievable. Martina Hingis was unbelievable as well - for me my favourite player.

"But I think they should respect players that are playing now as well. Because they know how hard it is. You don't just wake up and say okay I want to win this tournament, and it just happens like this. At that point, you are like, they should just think a little bit."

Wozniacki reacted almost as strongly when asked about Navratilova's comment that it was Kvitova and Victoria Azarenka who now formed the game's best rivalry.

"They always have to make comments, and that's what they get paid for - to be comments, because they are not playing any more. And they need to stir everything up," Wozniacki said.

"When I was No 1 they needed to make a story so in the beginning when I was coming up they were saying I was the next big thing.

"Then when I had been there for a while and it got boring... then they said she hasn't won a Grand Slam - because and because and because.

"Soon it will be if Victoria (Azarenka) loses a match, 'how could she lose a match?'"

Just picture what the firestorm would be if Serena Williams said something like this for public consumption. I'm being nice saying there would be a firestorm. There would be a lot of icky brown waste matter clogging tennis blogs and columns wouldn't there? Instead Wozniacki will be patted on the head like an over indulged child and excuses will be made. What's that comment about heat and kitchens again?

The Winners Circle

by Savannah

The Memphis mens singles final between twenty year old Milos Raonic of Canada and twenty eight year old Andy Roddick of the United States did not need to be hyped. A battle between the man who has made the serve the basis of his career and the young upstart who has a booming serve and good court movement should be a classic. For once the anticipation and the hype proved to be right.

Don't get me wrong; it didn't start out that way. Both men focused on their serves and to say it was dull is putting it mildly. I don't think there was even one rally in the first set. With neither man able to break the others serve a tiebreak was played to choose the first set winner. That is when things started to get interesting.
Roddick, no matter how you feel about his game, is an experienced player and he won the first set 7-6(7) over Raonic who appeared mentally and physically fried. As the saying goes looks are deceiving.

The second set featured a little more nuance and there were some rallies but once again a tiebreak was needed. This tiebreak was what got people "all up in this match" as Craig Tweeted. The serve dominated but it was obvious young Raonic was not going without a fight. As the tiebreak wore on I thought we'd end up with a 20-18 score. It ended up 7-6(11) in Raonic's favor and it appeared that just like he had all week Raonic would pull out a three set victory. Andy Roddick, however, was not having it. The third set ebbs and flows were epic and featured flashes of Raonic's reputedly epic temper. He and his coach had a major blowout in Johannesburg and Raonic has stated publicly that he's working on keeping his temper in check. The thing is, and I'm speaking as someone with a very bad temper, you can't let it even think it's got a chance to take over. all reasoning and focus goes out the window. That is what happened in the third set to Raonic. Still he got within 5-6 of Roddick and it looked as if there would be a third tiebreak to decide the match.

But the old warrior, the man who briefly slipped out of the top ten for the first time in years last year had other ideas. Showing that he still has it Roddick pulled out all the stops fighting off all challenges by the young man across the net. When it was all on the line Andy launched himself toward a ball that looked to be on it's way out and that he couldn't have really seen. Miraculously the ball landed in, Raonic couldn't return it and Andy Roddick, stunned at what he'd just done, was the Memphis champion.

Midway through the third set I started pulling for Andy. I thought about his Wimbledon loss and figured that if he lost to this kid his confidence would take a blow he might never recover from. I'm not a fan of his game, the last time I saw him live at the US Open was against Fabrice Santoro and to say that was not a tennis match is putting it mildly. Serve, serve, serve is not tennis in my opinion and it's worse in person BUT men's tennis needs veterans like Roddick. He needs to be there, in the top ten, holding his own. We can debate if he has another Slam in him or if the changes he's made will keep him among the sport's elite till the cows come home. Andy didn't win with his new tennis yesterday. He won with his old style and for one day, in a memorable match up between old and new, old and wise won the day.


First there was the comment Caroline Wozniacki made that she "gave" Kim Clijsters a week at Number One. Now there's this one given during her post match interview today in Dubai.

Q. Do you think it’s unfair when people criticize you or when people talk your game and they say, She gets lots of balls back, but she hasn’t got a big weapon? You’ve got to No. 1 in the world. Do you think that’s unfair when you hear people say that?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Um, well, if I don’t have a weapon, then what do the others have? Since I’m No. 1, I must do something right. I think there’re (sic) not actually criticizing me. I think the other players should be offended.

I think Caroline needs to slow her roll. Svetlana Kuznetsova played like she'd never seen a tennis court before. Inexplicably she kept hitting to Wozniacki's strength instead of maximizing hers. Whenever she did step onto the court and use her forehand she won the points. I've sat through miserable finals before but what got me upset was that Sveta was simply playing dumb tennis. I made it through half of the second set before switching to HGTV to watch dreamboat Scott McGilivray redesign someone's income property. That is a first for me. If I didn't know that Sveta can play better, if I didn't know she could think and strategize better I wouldn't have been so pissed off. The thing is Wozniacki's sense of entitlement will only grow because absent Serena Williams, Venus Williams and while I hate to say it Justine Henin there is absolutely no one who plays the type of game that throws Wozniacki off especially in her age group.
What the WTA has managed to do with it's ranking system is make the Grand Slams irrelevant in women's tennis. As long as you can play every week and make at least the semi finals you can be #1. This is why the women's game, and ranking system, is a joke.
As for Kim Clijsters I've said it before and I will keep saying it. She is nothing more than an older version of Wozniacki. She came back during a time when the best players of her generation are in the twilight of their careers and her big competition is a younger version of herself. Who says there's no luck in sports?

Robin Soderling has been on a tear. He won his third winter indoor title at Marseille.

Magdalena Rybarikova won the women's title at Memphis after highly touted Canadian Rebecca Marino was forced to retire due to injury.

Nicolas Almagro won his second title in a row defeating Juan Ignacio Chela at Buenos Aires.

Lourdes Dominguez Lino took the title in Bogota.

Liezel Huber and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez won the doubles crown at Dubai.

Edina Gallovits-Hall and Anabel Medina Garrigues are the doubles champions of Bogota.

In other doubles news the team of Robin Haase and Ken Skupski defeated the French team of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Julien Benneteau at Marseilles.

Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor won the mens doubles at Memphis while the team of Olga Govortsova and Alla Kudryavtseva won the women's title.

ATP Issues Security Warning for Acapulco

The Acapulco tournament, a combined ATP/WTA event has always been a favorite of mine. There is something about the heat, the late night matches on red clay, and the quality of the tennis that just makes me very happy. Despite that I was worried that the tournament might be cancelled when David Nalbandian made it clear that he was afraid to come to Acapulco because of security concerns. At first I thought it was just Nalby's way of getting out of a tournament he wasn't prepared for but two things happened. Reports of another massacre taking place inside the resort area brought me up short. The second was the ATP issuing a security warning to players.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -The ATP has warned players about security concerns at its tournament in Acapulco, Mexico, and has been reassured by Mexican officials that steps are being taken to ensure safety at the largest tournament in Latin America.

The Mexican Open begins Monday as a combined ATP and WTA event.

The Pacific resort city has been hit by a wave of drug violence in Mexico, although little of the violence happens in tourist areas.

In January, the bodies of 14 men with their heads chopped off were found outside a shopping center. A 15th body with its head intact was also found nearby.

The ATP, in a statement sent to The Associated Press, said it had received assurances from all levels of the Mexican government.

"Following an independent security assessment and discussions with tournament organizers, we are satisfied that responsible measures are being taken, and that the event has the full support of the authorities of Acapulco, the state of Guerrero, and the Mexican federal government," the statement said.

Players have received e-mails from the ATP about the situation, cautioning them about going out and suggesting they stay near their hotel. It's also been suggested they arrive as late as possible and leave once eliminated.

Tournament organizers have played down the security concerns, pointing out that the International Olympic Committee and President Jacques Rogge held their executive board meeting in the coastal resort in October.

David Nalbandian said Saturday that he was thinking about withdrawing since he already has a groin injury and could use the rest before Argentina's Davis Cup match against Romania March 4-6.

"It's a great and enjoyable tournament to play," said Nalbandian, who was beaten on Saturday by Tommy Robredo in the quarterfinals of the Copa Claro in Buenos Aires.

"But for right now it's a little more difficult because of the security situation. We (players) are a bit scared about this and we're trying to decide what to do."

Defending men's champion David Ferrer has stated he's not afraid and was in the resort town for a few days prior to the start of the tournament.

I'm not aware of the WTA issuing a warning to it's players.

This and That

by Savannah

Won my match against Shahar Peer 6-2 6-4, playing the semis tomorrow and got my number 1 ranking back

It's amusing to listen to commentators go on and on about the computer ranked WTA #1 Caroline Wozniacki's need to cut back on the number of tournaments she plays. I mean do they say this with a straight face? If she were to play a sensible schedule would she be ranked Number One?

Another thing needs to be said. I don't really have anything against Ms Wozniacki personally. How could I since I don't know her personally? I don't like her game and question how the WTA feels about a girl who, when she plays, the commentators spend more time talking about what she needs to improve instead of what she's doing right. I suspect an edict has come down to reverse that though since I heard commentators today talking about the pressure she puts on her opponents and how she is such a great defensive player. No one will say upfront that she is still playing Junior level tennis and is learning on her feet how to play the pro game, something she may never really do if her Tweets reflect her world view. I mean most players would have said I got THE top ranking back not MY top ranking. One of the things I notice about all the younger players is their inflated sense of entitlement. It's amazing when their games are so limited in scope and complexity.

However, as the saying goes "don't hate the playa hate the game". Caroline will go on playing the brutal schedule she does until or unless the ranking system is changed. Will it be? As soon as a certain two sisters retire I'd bet a lot of virtual money that the system will be revisited and revised to look more like the ATP system. I'm just sayin'.

Meanwhile the tennis media continues to foam at the mouth about young Milos Raonic of Canada. The young man is playing in Memphis this week and is into the semi finals. If you like the serve and nothing but the serve young Milos is your man. He does come in and exhibits speed in tracking down shots but his game is built around the serve. I am worried that the people around him may be asking too much of him.

It was reported on Twitter today by Greg Sharko of the ATP that Milos has accepted a Special Entry into Acapulco, something he had previously said he wouldn't do. The young man has played a hell of a lot of tennis from Australia to now and while sitting on the sidelines during a break today he looked exhausted. I can understand them wanting him to get some clay court play in but right now I think what he needs most is rest, especially with Indian Wells and Miami coming up, tournaments which suit his game and where he will be expected to do well.

Svetlana Kuznetsova, a two time Slam winner, is still in contention in Dubai. Is she a headcase? Yes. Can she play extraordinary tennis? Yes. Is anyone talking about her? No. She will face Flavia Pennetta in the semi finals tomorrow while two Slamless #1's, the above mentioned Wozniacki, and Jelena Jankovic, will play each other. Wonder which match will have the better quality of tennis? It's hard to predict these things especially since Bad Sveta can show up at any given moment.

As for the other semi, the one that will grab all the attention, I have no idea.

A Star is Born Eh?

by Savannah

There's an expression almost every American adult knows. Never assume because you will make an "ass" out of "u" and "me"
Fernando Verdasco. will look at the tapes of his match against the young Canadian Milos Raonic and realize that he may have come into the match with certain assumptions. Fernando was the defending champion. He'd played very well throughout the tournament defeating Juan Martin del Potro in the semi finals. Raonic is just 20 and was playing his first ATP final match. While it would probably not be a cake walk it was a match against another big server and he'd already won a match against a player like that.

I'm sure Fernando and his team will study that first set tiebreaker where he was up 6-2, four set points. In what can only be described as a complete mental collapse Verdasco lost that tiebreak 8-6. I guess he and his team felt that the kid would break under the pressure and Fernando would win the next two sets easily.

Instead Verdasco found himself in another tiebreak. And again he found himself on the losing end of a 7-5 tiebreak score.
We know that Verdasco has a broken bone in his foot. Someone posted on Twitter that he had a cortisone shot after the Australian Open since he wants to avoid surgery that will keep him out for weeks. He was shaking the foot on and off during the match but he didn't ask for or receive and medical attention.

As for Raonic the kid played with no fear. How important is he to the non European tennis establishment? When Justin Gimelstob went from mispronouncing Raonic to saying the name perfectly you know something is up. But where did Raonic go for a coach? Where was he hitting with top pros? Spain. The comment tonight was that he plays a little like a Canadian and a little like a Spaniard. That was when they weren't comparing him to Pete Sampras.

The Winter/Spring hardcourt season is now officially underway. Raonic has a Wild Card into the main draw at Memphis. Who is his first opponent? The #2 seed Fernando Verdasco. Hold on kids. It's gonna be a bumpy ride.

Doubles Results
Here are the results I omitted in the first weekend post.

Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares won the Doubles crown in Bahia.

Rajeev Ram and Scott Lipsky won in San Jose.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands paired with Meghann Shaughnessy to win the Paris Indoors title.

The team of Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci took the doubles crown in Pattaya City, Thailand.

The WTA Has A New Top Dog

by Savannah

The Official WTA Statement

Friday, February 11, 2011

KIM CLIJSTERS BECOMES WTA WORLD NO.1

Four-time Grand Slam Champion regains top ranking for the first time since March 2006

PARIS, FRANCE – By reaching the semifinals at the 2011 Open GDF SUEZ, Kim Clijsters will return to the
top of the WTA Rankings on Monday, February 14, 2011. Clijsters will surpass the current World No.1
Caroline Wozniacki who has held the top spot for 18 consecutive weeks since October 11, 2010. Clijsters
will be ranked WTA World No.1 for the fourth time in her career and will climb to the top of the WTA
Rankings for the first time since March 19, 2006. It has been 256 weeks since the last time Clijsters was
World No.1, the second longest streak between No.1 rankings in men’s or women’s tennis history (S.
Williams, 265 weeks).

“I am happy to regain the No.1 here in Paris as I feel like it’s close to home in Belgium,” Kim Clijsters
stated. “I’m proud that I have achieved this in my second career and as a mom. I hope that I can now go
on and win the tournament.”
“I congratulate Kim on achieving the World No.1 ranking once again in her career. It is incredible that
five years have passed since Kim was No.1, but the fans of women’s tennis are incredibly lucky to have
her back and playing the best tennis of her career. To be able to excel on the tennis court while being a
working mother is truly commendable,” said Stacey Allaster, Chairman and CEO of the WTA.

Clijsters has enjoyed a great beginning to the 2011 season, winning 15 out of 16 matches, highlighted
by capturing the 2011 Australian Open title, her fourth career Grand Slam, and reaching the final at the
Medibank International (Sydney) where she lost to China’s Li Na. In the past 52 weeks, Clijsters has won
five titles, including the 2010 US Open, the year-end WTA Championships (Doha), the Sony Ericsson
Open (Miami) and the Western & Southern Women’s Open (Cincinnati), in addition to the Australian
Open.

Clijsters is the owner of 41 WTA singles titles – 13th all time – and has 495 career match wins. She
boosted her career prize money earnings to more than $23 million at the Australian Open and ranks
third best all-time, behind Serena and Venus Williams, respectively. Since her WTA comeback in August
2009, Clijsters owns the best match winning percentage (.861, 68-11) and has won seven WTA singles
titles, including three of the last five Grand Slams.

TOTAL WEEKS AT WORLD NO.1

PLAYER DATE REACHED No.1 WEEKS*

Steffi Graf (GER) August 17, 1987 377

Martina Navratilova (TCH/USA) July 10, 1978 332

Chris Evert (USA) November 3, 1975 260

Martina Hingis (SUI) March 31, 1997 209

Monica Seles (YUG/USA) March 11, 1991 178

Serena Williams (USA) July 8, 2002 123

Justine Henin (BEL) October 20, 2003 117

Lindsay Davenport (USA) October 12, 1998 98

Amélie Mauresmo (FRA) September 13, 2004 39

Dinara Safina (RUS) April 20, 2009 26

Tracy Austin (USA) April 7, 1980 21

KIM CLIJSTERS (BEL) August 11, 2003 20

Jelena Jankovic (SRB) August 11, 2008 18

Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) October 11, 2010 18

Jennifer Capriati (USA) October 15, 2001 17

Maria Sharapova (RUS) August 22, 2005 17

Ana Ivanovic (SRB) June 9, 2008 12

Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (ESP) February 6, 1995 12

Venus Williams (USA) February 25, 2002 11

Evonne Goolagong (AUS) April 26, 1976 2

The good news is that a Slam winner sits on top of the WTA heap. I know her fans are happy for what she has accomplished in her second career. As usual the tired phrase "you can only beat who's across the net from you" will be repeated by some. My comment on this is not mine. It comes from a tennishead calling herself "Lilac".

As I have written before. I feel cheated. Clisjters was second tier in her era; never able to beat her rivals, Capriati, Serena, Venus, Henin for a trophy. Each is either retired or on the downside of their careers; and she's returned after a long rest to compete in a women's field with no great champions. Like I told Craig Hickman -- hey, if you can't win in your era, just wait and come back in a less competitive one to pick up slams. I'm no fan of Davenport, but I think it sucks that Clisjters has surpassed her in slam titles. Booo.

Not much more to say is there?

Miscellany

Dmitry Tursunov has learned the perils of social media at severe cost to his reputation as a player and a person. He tweeted today that he was stealing wi-fi from someone riding on the same train he was and then made what in my opinion was a slur aimed at people of Jewish descent. His major defense was that he dogs Russians as well and no one cared about that.

We're all adults here so lets be real. Every group has things that are considered peculiar to their cultural, racial or ethnic group. That said most people in today's world don't repeat those things outside of the group, and certainly not on a platform like Twitter where you never know who is following you and posts can go viral in a matter of minutes. I thought Tursunov would say "sorry" and disappear for awhile. Instead he continued to try and defend his comments. Speaking personally I stopped following a person who made insulting racial comments about Serena Williams.

I hope someone has gotten to Tursunov and his attempts at defending himself stop.

Tennis Talk

I'm sorry I don't remember the names of the commentators who covered the Milos Raonic vs Richard Berankis match in San Jose this afternoon but I applaud their analysis of the current situation in men's tennis especially as it relates to the United States.

Raonic as we know is a young Canadian who has been the story of 2011 so far. He is tall, with a huge serve and mobility similar to Juan Martin del Potro. Long story short the commentators talked about how the USTA would simply love to have a talent like Raonic but that none is forthcoming at this time. They spoke frankly about Andy Roddick having been the standard bearer for men's tennis in the States and that he may not have another Slam in him. They discussed the wisdom of regional vs national centers for up and coming players, and the allure that baseball, football and even hockey have on young American athletes. They talked about Roger Federer and how he seems to think the change in his style of play was his brainchild and that new coach Paul Annacone has not been given the credit he should be in Federer's public comments. They spoke about the Player Development structure in Spain and France and how France, while producing good players has not produced Grand Slam winners while Spain has. Guys, I don't know your names but I hope to hear more from you. I doubt very seriously that ESPN2 will hire you because you speak frankly and honestly. Enjoyed your broadcast.

If Bethanie Mattek-Sands keeps it up she'll become known for more than just her on court attire. I read somewhere today that a lot of the credit for her improved level of play - she defeated Andrea Petkovic today in Paris - goes to Fed Cup Captain Mary Jo Fernandez. If so my hat is off to Mary Jo. She still has no business being a commentator but if she brings out the latent talent Bethanie has always had she deserves her props.

It should be noted that Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is into the semi finals in Rotterdam after Tomas Berdych withdrew from the tournament due to illness.

There is also a flu epidemic sweeping Russia at the present time. As you all know Maria Sharapova withdrew from Paris due to a viral illness.

Both Alexandr Dolgopolov and Janko Tipsarevic have confirmed that the Tennis Integrity Unit has contacted them. The TIU is the sports anti-corruption arm that deals with suspicious betting. Dolgopolov said that he was not the only player contacted. "I wasn't really surprised because I knew some guys, you know, like Russian guys, they got those letters."

Janko Tipsarevic also confirmed that he was contacted over his three-set defeat to Horacio Zeballos in Moscow in October.

"I said to the TIU that I have no problem, they can send me a letter every week if they want," he told ubitennis.com. “All it needed was a phone call to my bank, to my phone company and I gave them everything. Easy, just took seven days, I sent them my account, the telephone list, everything they wanted, what’s the problem?"—

SOURCE