The WTA Crowns Its 2010 Queen...and Other Things

by Savannah

Kim Clijsters scored a big win for women's tennis by defeating the current WTA number one player Caroline Wozniacki in three sets 6-3, 5-7, 6-3. She did it on her own. There were looks to her box and yes, there was probably some coaching but at no time did someone come flying down to the court to scream instructions at her. She came back from walkabout pretty much on her own in the third set. You can argue there shouldn't have been a third set since Kim had a 4-1 lead in the second set but I think she saw herself on the flight home a little too soon. Let's be real here. Wozniacki is talented. At some point she could become worthy of the top ranking. Right now her play is as someone on Twitter said, that of a glorified junior player.

I think what has shaken WTA fans about Elena Dementieva's retirement is that she was made of the same stuff Clijsters is. She won or lost on her own. Her mother Vera sat in the stands and you could read how her daughter was doing on her face. Vera never made a trip to the court. Piotr Wozniacki is there every time you turn around.

That raises the question as to why on court coaching is allowed during the YEC. It's not allowed during Slams and since there were some making the argument that if Wozniacki won it was the equivalent of winning a Slam the question is a valid one. If the YEC is going to be treated as a major then on court coaching should not be allowed. Unfortunately once the Old Guard retires, mostly after the 2012 Olympics, the quality of tennis in the WTA is going to go down drastically. Of course there could be some youngster out there who will be able to step into the very large shoes of those who have gone before them, someone we haven't heard of yet. In the meantime congratulations to Kim Clijsters for her victory.


Christophe Rochus did not go quietly. The older and some would say lesser of the Rochus brothers delivered some body blows to the sport he and his brother played. Some excerpts.

Q: You were the first to denounce doping in tennis. Did it come back to haunt you?

A: "Oh yes! Notably, I received a threatening letter from the ATP that caused me problems later on, but that's not a concern. It's just proof that the system is rotten..."

Q: You saw some "dirty" things regarding that during your career?

A: "Like everyone, I saw some things. For me, it is inconceivable to be able to play five hours in the blazing sun one day, and run like a rabbit the next day."

Q: Do you remember a particular example?

A: "Yes, I remember a match against a guy whose name I won't mention. I won the first set 6-1, very easily. He went to the bathroom and came back to the court completely changed, almost. He led 5-3 in the second set and when I got it back to 5-5, his nose started to bleed. I said at the time that this was pretty weird."
(...)
Q: There were even rumours about Justine Henin when she retired. Do you think they were unfounded?

A: "I heard them just like you did. All I can say is that I was surprised by the fact that she suddenly stopped competing, without apparent reason. A great champion, generally, announces it several months in advance and does a sort of farewell tour..."

Q: We've felt, in the past, that you were irritated by the media aura cast by Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters.

A: "No. Understand me: I have a lot of admiration for the performances of these two players. What bothers me is that people compare the men's and women's circuits, which have nothing to do with each other. Justine wouldn't beat the No. 500 player on the ATP. It's as if we were comparing men's and women's soccer ..."

Q: To that extent?

A: "With the men, the level is very high from the first round. Even Nadal and Federer can be pushed. With the girls, before the quarterfinals, it's a joke. The level is distressingly weak and the difference between the top 10 and top 100 is enormous."

Q: Yes, at Grand Slams, the prize money is identical..."

A: "Yes, and I'm sorry, but that's not normal. The majority of the players think the way I do, even if they don't say it out loud. In all objectivity, you can't compare the amount of effort necessary to reach the second week of a Grand Slam for the men and the women. And I'm not talking just about the matches that are five sets for the men and three sets for the women. Everything is different. All you have to do is look at how easily some players come back after a long break ..."

Q: You're thinking of Kim and Justine?

A: "Not necessarily. Look at the recent performances of Kimiko Date. She stopped for 10 years and she returned to the top at age 40. As if it were nothing. It's a disgrace. That type of story would never happen on the ATP Tour. The failed comeback of Thomas Muster is the best proof."

Enjoy your retirement Christophe.

The Others
There were three ATP tournaments taking place while the women played in Doha.

Mikhail Kukushin made his first main tour final and proceeded to win it. Much was made of his coach being his girlfriend. From the looks of things he could care less. He won.

Gael Monfils won the title at Montpellier.

Jurgen Melzer hoists what has to be the most phallic trophy I've ever seen after his win in the city of Wien, known in the West as Vienna.
Next week the ATP has the stage to itself with tournaments in Valencia and Basel.
Miscellany

I'm not quite sure why these pictures are surfacing now but they're nice. The picture shown above is one of Venus, her sister Lyandrea (sp) and a twelve year old Caroline Wozniacki. The accompanying article says that the picture decorated Caroline's bedroom walls for some time. Proof?

And there you have it folks. I don't really want to get into the why of these pictures. I think most of you who read this blog understand the workings of the various PR machines in tennis.

I'll feature the Doubles winners at Doha and the other tournaments tomorrow.

Doha 2010- The Finalists

by Savannah

Haters to the left.

From Serena Williams on the retirement of Elena Dementieva.

You will be missed!
Elena you will be missed. The matches we competed in were always so intense. You helped make me better both on and off the court...

All the best to you Love, and to all your endeavors.

I think this closes the book on all the chit chat don't you?

It'll be Kim Clijsters against Caroline Wozniacki for the WTA YEC crown.

Should we start calling this the Blonde Ambition Final?

A Fond Farewell

by Savannah

With Elena Dementieva's retirement after her match against Francesca Schiavone at the end of round robin play in Doha it seems as if that clock is ticking louder than ever. No she never won a Grand Slam. No she never got higher than number three in the rankings. Heaven knows she had no serve. And yes she was different. A truly beautiful woman she was never the one hyped by the tennis establishment let alone the media. Yet for twelve years she was a mainstay in her sport and spent years ranked within the top echelon of tennis. I became a fan late in her career but admired her ability to fight, to try and be the best she could be whenever she took the court.

To be honest she did look a little distracted in the second half of the year. Rumor is she had told a select few that this was going to be her last year. It was hinted that she wanted what life has to offer away from the court, away from airports and practice and training. Maybe she'll be seen at NHL games watching her boyfriend. Will their engagement make the news cycle around the world? I doubt it. Elena is not that person.

Some are saying her retirement is the beginning of the end of the Golden Age of women's tennis. Was there such a thing? Let's look at active players who have been at or near the top of the sport in singles and when they turned pro.

Patty Schnyder turned Pro in August 1994

Venus Williams turned Pro October 31, 1994

Serena Williams turned Pro September 1995

Kim Clijsters turned Pro in 1997

Francesca Schiavone turned Pro in 1998

Elena Dementieva turned Pro August 25, 1998

Justine Henin turned Pro January 1, 1999

Daniela Hantuchova turned Pro May 1999

Svetlana Kuznetsova turned Pro 2000

Maria Sharapova turned Pro April 19, 2001

How do you define a "Golden Age"? I think what people mean is that before all the up and comers began to play the same generic game there were players who brought a unique style and personality to the game and to the court. These women are innovative and can think their way out of a paper bag. You very rarely see any of the women above (with the notable exception of Maria Sharapova) resort to on court coaching. They take pride in what makes tennis great - the ability to go mind to mind with the person across the net figuring out their game and developing a way to beat them. Does that mean that a "Golden Age" is about to end?

There's been a lot of talk in the broadcast booth about the recent spate of slamless number one players, women who play almost every week in order to amass the points that will put their name at the top of the heap. There's also been a lot of talk about the toll that takes on the body.
But that's an end of year discussion and not one that needs to be had now.

Elena Dementieva is going to be missed. I'm not sure if she asked that her name be taken off of the rankings list or if she wants it to fall off naturally. 2011 is going to start out strangely without her name on the entry list for the Australian Open.

For those who haven't seen it here is the tape of Elena's farewell speech.

Best wishes and much success with the rest of your life Elena.

Doha 2010 - Day 3

by Savannah

It's still jarring to hear a tennis commentator refer to the woman ranked as the World #1 as having a "junior game". It's just as jarring to hear another commentator talk about her inability to dominate a match and say that that is something she will have to learn.
Still I'm sure there were massive sighs of relief and the Code Red was cancelled when Caroline Wozniacki won her match against Francesca Schiavonethus avoiding elimination from the semi finals. How would it look for the number one player not to make the semi finals of the year end championships? Is there any amount of spin that could've made that palatable?
As it stands the win assures Wozniacki the year end number one ranking which is all you're hearing about. Somewhere there is a champagne party being hosted.

I didn't think I'd be back in time to see any of the women's matches but I walked in the door in time to see Elena Dementieva defeat Samantha Stosur in three sets. I was glad to see Elena so happy when the match was over. Stosur, by winning the first set, will play in the semi finals this weekend.

Kim Clijsters defeated a spent Victoria Azarenka in three sets to join Vera Zvonareva, Samantha Stosur and Caroline Wozniacki in the semi finals. Semi final play will begin on Saturday. It was obvious that Azarenka had nothing left in the third set.

Oh, and Mr. Mad Professah, I got something right. Weird but don't worry. I'm not predicting anything for Saturday.

The IMG Mess

It's not going away. Greg Couch is still reporting the latest information.

The smear campaign is working and Jim Agate appears to be scum, financially desperate and baselessly suing one of the richest men in the world. After all, Teddy Forstmann, CEO of IMG, is a billionaire and one of the most powerful men in the sports world. Agate, who filed a lawsuit claiming he was the go-between for Forstmann with Costa Rican gambling houses, is not.

IMG has aggressively said that Agate tried this lawsuit once before and it was "thrown out,'' and that Agate later sent a letter to Forstmann apologizing for "falsely attacking'' him. IMG even sent me a copy of that letter.

But documents FanHouse obtained this week from sources close to the situation show Forstmann apparently paid Agate $575,000 in hush money over the past 18 months as part of a legal settlement to make that first case disappear.

And the apology? Term No. 6 in the settlement says this: "Agate will deliver a letter to Forstmann in which Agate apologizes for his conduct directed at Mr. Forstmann ...''

Did Agate's apology show a mentally unstable man, as IMG portrayed, or one cutting a deal with a rich guy who wants his problems to go away?

"Bought and paid for,'' a source said about the apology.

FanHouse called IMG for comment and company officials said they would respond later Thursday.

Sources also played me a scratchy voice mail message of what sounds like Forstmann asking Agate to place a $2,000 bet on Vijay Singh, an IMG client, to win the British Open. Forstmann has said he has bet on sporting events but hasn't acknowledged betting through Agate. Agate and his attorneys declined to comment, but the lawsuit lists a copy of that tape for evidence.

In court documents from the current lawsuit, Agate lists nearly 600 bets he claims to have placed for Forstmann, including more than $150,000 on the 2007 NCAA Basketball Tournament alone.
And this sports gambling scandal is about to start mushrooming, a disaster for tennis -- as Agate claims Forstmann got inside information from his client, Roger Federer – but also for golf, NCAA basketball and possibly other sports, too. In court documents from the current lawsuit, Agate lists nearly 600 bets he claims to have placed for Forstmann, including more than $150,000 on the 2007 NCAA Basketball Tournament alone.

IMG is huge in the sports world, and its CEO has power and access. He compromises the world's most famous athletes, and their sports, by placing bets.

An IMG vice president told FanHouse that Forstmann did, as Agate claimed, bet $40,000 on Federer to beat Rafael Nadal in the 2007 French Open final. IMG seems to say that betting for Federer, instead of against, makes it OK.

Agate's suit also claims that Forstmann bet on Singh in a head-to-head bet over Tiger Woods, another IMG client. IMG denies that.
(...)
A sport depends on its credibility, that games are played fairly and that players are playing by the rules. Forstmann is a big player, whether on the court , and isn't playing by the rules. He is putting suspicion in the minds of fans, and once that suspicion is there, it's hard to get past it.

But Nadal is also an IMG client. More importantly, the Tennis Integrity Unit said it is a violation of tennis rules for a tournament owner -- IMG owns and operates several tournaments -- to bet on the game at all.
(...)
Federer has said he had nothing to do with Forstmann's bet. It's hard to believe Federer would be involved, as he has taken seriously his responsibility to the game. But Forstmann has now put Federer in a position to have to defend himself.

In fact, Forstmann said he might have called Federer the night before the match. What was said? Did Federer know that Forstmann was planning to bet?

Forstmann has given one interview since Agate filed a lawsuit again. He told the Daily Beast that he did lose $40,000 on that match, but that it's a small sum for someone as rich as he is. He also referred to Agate as a "scumbag lowlife'' and "shakedown artist.'' The VP, Jim Gallagher, called Agate a "whackjob.''

But here's a question: If Agate is scum, then why did Forstmann hang around with him for at least 10 years, traveling him around the world on his private plane, placing him in his Huggy Bear charity tennis tournament in the Hamptons, golfing with him in some of the world's most prestigious courses and putting him together with some of the world's beautiful people?
(...)
As for whether the first lawsuit was thrown out or settled, it might have been both. First, it was discharged, and then, apparently, Agate was about to file again. Forstmann's attorneys, in the current suit, have filed a motion saying that the first case was dismissed from court over two years ago and then "subsequently settled pursuant to a settlement agreement between James Agate, the principal of Agate Printing, and Theodore Forstmann.'' The attorneys are calling for that settlement to be sealed.

For the complete article click on Greg's name.

Doha 2010 - Day 1

by Savannah

Billie Jean King on the state of her baby the WTA,.

Billie Jean King, who co-founded the Women's Tennis Association and remains among the sport's more forceful advocates, concedes that women's tennis "is not in a great place right now." But King argues that the sport always goes in cycles; this particular down cycle, she said, is due more to freak injuries and bad luck. She also suspects it's exaggerated by media, whom she believes delight in pointing out injury or frailty (real or perceived) among female athletes.

"I just want everybody to be healthy at the same time because we really have depth if we can get them all playing," King said. "We've had a very bad year. But it's not going to be like that forever."

SOURCE

Doha - A Dismal Start

Jelena Jankovic did not have a great second half of the year. Still most people, well me, expected her to suck it up and bring her "A" game to Doha. The opening match between JJ and Vera Zvonareva should have been competitive. Instead JJ dropped the first set 6-3 and disappeared for the second set losing it 6-0. She is still saying she is ill.

For some reason I didn't expect much from the Caroline Wozniacki/Elena Dementieva match and I got even less. The final score was 6-1, 6-1 Wozniacki and it wasn't even that close. Elena is obviously injured but she did play the entire match.

There was one match worthy of the name and that was not between two new school WTA'ers. Francesca Schiavone and Samantha Stosur, neither of whom have official WTA sanctioned nick names both came to play.

I'm sure Franny will be talking to herself after blowing a 4-0 second set lead and losing the set and the match 6-4.

The win has to be a confidence booster for Stosur who tightened up her game winning six games in a row.

There is a lot of speculation that both Elena Dementieva and Jelena Jankovic will withdraw from the tournament. Li Na and Shahar Peer are the alternates. It was announced today that Li is a confirmed player in Bali, an event she said she didn't want to play. We should know more tomorrow.

Wednesday Order of Play - Doha

Khalifa Tennis Complex (from 17.00hrs - 10a Eastern US Time)

1. Vera Zvonareva vs. Victoria Azarenka

2. Kim Clijsters vs. Jelena Jankovic

3. Caroline Wozniacki vs. Samantha Stosur

The Weekend's Winners - and The WTA in the Desert

by Savannah

The WTA wound up it's season with a Premier event in Moscow and an International event in Luxembourg. The only women who got a break were the ones who took one.

Roberta Vinci won the singles title in Luxembourg.

Timea Bacsinszky and Tathiana Garbin were the Luxembourg doubles champions.
Meanwhile in Moscow there was a Victor/Victoria moment.

Victoria Azarenka fought like hell to come back from being down 0-4 in the second set to defeat Maria Kirilenko in straight sets 6-3, 6-4. Kirilenko will have nightmares about that second set.

Meanwhile the Glam Girls team of Flavia Pennetta and Gisela Dulko won the doubles championship.
The ATP staged 250 events in Moscow and Stockholm.

To no one's surprise Roger Federer won easily in Stockholm. It seems Jonas Bjorkman managed to detach himself from Roger's anus.

Eric Butorac and Jean-Julien Rojer won the doubles championship.

In Moscow the team of Dmitry Tursunov and Igor Kunitsyn took the doubles championship.

Viktor Troicki won his first ATP title in Moscow defeating Marcos Baghdatis in three sets.
Congratulations to them all.

Women in the Desert

The WTA Year End Championships begin tomorrow in Doha. The WTA is also introducing it's new logo, featured above with seven of the eight competitor at this event. The group breakdown is as follows:

Maroon

Caroline Wozniacki

Francesca Schiavone

Samantha Stosur

Elena Dementieva

White

Vera Zvonareva

Kim Clijsters

Jelena Jankovic

Victoria Azarenka

The White Group is quite competitive while the Maroon Group is pretty, well, WTAish. May the best woman win.

Idle Chit Chat

As everyone in the world knows Maria Sharapova's engagement to Los Angeles Laker Sasha Vujacic was the big news last week. They look very happy in this picture and I'm glad to see that. Of course, being me, I wanted to see the ring.

Looks like he stepped up to the plate and did right by her. I don't think a date has been set. The NBA season is about to start and her season will start in January. Best wishes to both of them.

The Weekend's Stars

by Savannah

In what can only be described as a dominant performance Andy Murray brought his "A" game to the singles final of the Shanghai Masters and destroyed Roger Federer 6-3, 6-2. Murray was asking questions that Federer, who reclaimed the number two ranking on his way to the final, couldn't answer reducing Federer to a racquet throwing, cursing, nit picking mess. I mean when Federer called on the chair to make sure the line judges calls were louder you knew things were going badly for him. The win gives Murray his sixth Master's shield.

Jurgen Melzer and Leander Paes won the doubles championship in Shanghai defeating the team of M. Fyrstenberg and M. Matkowski 7-5, 4-6, 10-5.
Meanwhile the ladies produced some interesting and unexpected results.

Ana Ivanovic got pissed off after being penalized for taking too long a potty break in Linz and rode that anger right to the trophy ceremony defeating Patty Schnyder 6-1, 6-2. The win gave Ana her first title since, well, Linz in 2008.

Barbora Zahlavova Strycova and Renata Voracova won the doubles 7-5, 7-6(6) over the team of Peschke and Srebotnik.

The final in Osaka pitted forty year old Kimiko Date-Krumm of Japan against thirty three year old Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand. Tamarine won a hard fought battle 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-1.

Chang Kai-chen and Lilia Osterloh won the doubles title in Osaka.
Congratulations to all the winners!

Miscellany

The WTA continues with it's two year ending events. There is Doha, where the women who have won Premier and Premier Mandatory events as well as Slams will play and Bali, where the winners of International events will play. The field for Doha is just about set. Caroline Wozniacki leads the field and is joined by Vera Zvonareva, Kim Clijsters, Francesca Schiavone, Samantha Stosur, Jelena Jankovic and Elena Dementieva.

Li Na and Victoria Azarenka are battling for the last spot. Alternates are still to be determined, while who will play in Bali is still to be determined.

As for the ATP there is only one year ending event, The W.T.F. to be held in London. I know they want you to use the full name, World Team Finals and not the acronym but if that's the case why make it so fun to use just the initials.

Anyway so far there are only four men who have qualified, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray.