Catching Our Collective Breath

by Savannah


Aaron Favila AP

I've been a lazy woman. Well, not exactly. I was a little under the weather and then, well, needed a minute to get over what happened at the Australian Open. It wasn't the result as much as it was the so called "fan" reaction to it.
There are issues with an internet that is open to all regardless of maturity or state of haterdom if that's a word. Some are so blinded by hate of a particular player that they're unwilling to see what's in front of their eyes. Instead, through their blinders they project their insecurities and ethnic or racial biases onto a player, a man or woman they don't know personally. The player is vilified for breathing by some of these people.

And let's be clear these ethnic and/or racial biases are found in players too. Sometimes it's amazing to read comments by players implying that since they can't beat Player A they must be doping or cheating in some way.


AFP

It's a nasty fact of tennis that is really pretty out in the open but rarely ever commented on by those media giants of the tennis world. It goes without saying that commentators often betray their biases and make viewers who enjoy the sport and root for players based on ability angry enough to turn the sound off when their viewing options are limited but when Federations betray their bias it's really disheartening.

But enough of that. My mother always said "empty barrels make the most noise" and nothing in my life experience has proven that statement wrong.


Xinhua/Li Jundong

This past week there were two women's events, one in Thailand and the other indoors in Paris. Having just finished getting my sleep pattern back to normal I didn't even try to see any of the Pattaya City tournament.



That is going to be a problem for Stacey Allaster's Asian focus but I don't think she cares about little things like that. I guess viewers will come from the Asian continent.

I did watch the GDF Suez event despite the time difference. I would wake up early, put on TennisTV and yes, I would fall asleep again. I did see the semifinals and finals though since they started a bit later in the morning for me.


Saeed Khan AFP/Getty

Alizé Cornet fought hard but in the end back to back three set matches did her in. Her match against Andrea Petkovic was, lets call it interesting. If you love on court drama and histrionics that was the match for you. I have to say Petko's meltdown and tirade against chair umpire Mariana Alves was justified. She's a horror and has always been but she's a Gold Badge. If you don't believe it Wiki is your friend. I'm sure Petko will be fined for throwing her racquet (not smashing it) and tearing at her clothes while raging but a Gold Badge chair umpire should be invisible. Alves never is.


Quinn Rooney Getty

Of course the big news out of that tournament is that the top seed, Maria Sharapova, was defeated by fellow Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova who went on to win the event. While not denying Pavs will and determination she is not the best advertisement for women's tennis. Ranked #21 she is visibly unfit and no one would say she scampers around the court like a gazelle. That she's more fit that she was last year isn't saying much. Right now she reminds me of Lindsay Davenport before she got fit.



Pavs also has issues of focus and concentration that need to be addressed. If she is willing to work at getting more fit she could easily push her way into the top ten. Slimness is not guarantor of ease of movement on the court but the focus and determination it takes to improve your fitness could lead to better focus and concentration on the court.

Speaking of WTA rankings a fan calling themselves "shevedbarilescu" made the following point about the top sixteen WTA players.

The top 16 is currently represented by 14 Europeans, 1 American and 1 Chinese. Of those the American and the Chinese are the only active players to have won a Grand Slam title in the last 12 months. Coincidentally Serena and Na are also the two oldest players in the top 16. Worrying times for Stacey.

I had never looked at the top sixteen that way. Let's look at the women ranked 1-10.

1 WILLIAMS, SERENA 13000
2 AZARENKA, VICTORIA 6581
3 LI, NA CHINA 6570
4 RADWANSKA, AGNIESZKA POLAND 5750
5 SHARAPOVA, MARIA RUSSIA 5416
6 KVITOVA, PETRA CZECH REPUBLIC 4745
7 ERRANI, SARA ITALY 4440
8 JANKOVIC, JELENA SERBIA 4310
9 KERBER, ANGELIQUE GERMANY 4030
10 HALEP, SIMONA ROMANIA 3760

Serena Williams won two Slams last year. Victoria Azarenka won one. Li Na won the French in 2011 so technically the fan is wrong but I assume they're including the Australian Open from this year. I started this post last week but there was no movement in the top ten rankings.

Let's look at the ATP Top Ten.

1 Nadal, Rafael (ESP) 14,330
2 Djokovic, Novak (SRB) 10,620
3 Wawrinka, Stanislas (SUI) 5,710
4 Del Potro, Juan Martin (ARG) 5,370
5 Ferrer, David (ESP) 5,280
6 Murray, Andy (GBR) 4,720
7 Berdych, Tomas (CZE) 4,540
8 Federer, Roger (SUI) 4,355
9 Gasquet, Richard (FRA) 3,050
10 Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried (FRA) 2,885

Keeping to the criteria I set, highlighting the players who won a Slam last year there are three men in the top ten who won a Slam with one man winning two. Including the Australian Open for this year Stan Wawrinka is highlighted.

Will Aga Radwanska ever win a Slam? Things would have to really break her way for that to happen in my opinion.


Chris Hyde Getty Images Asia/Pac

In fact all of the women in the top ten outside of the top two will have problems winning a Slam. If Serena Williams does play Indian Wells this year she will have a lot to prove to the tournament and the fans who will welcome her as a conquering heroine as well as to herself. It can't be an easy situation for her after so long but if she was inspired by "Mandela" then she may be able to overcome the hoopla. We'll see.

I'm sure some feel I'm slighting Li Na but once Serena and Victoria Azarenka were out she was the logical choice to win the event. She'll also need the right chair umpires to avoid paying hefty fines for coaching won't she?


Matt King Getty Images AsiaPac

Davis Cup

The big winners on court this weekend were Great Britain and Japan. The Czech Republic won their tie 3-2 against The Netherlands and will play Japan who defeated Canada 4-1. Canada was missing it's big threats Milos Raonic and Vasek Pospisil to injury didn't stand a chance to be honest. Japan will be up against the Czechs next round and with Nishikori Kei their strongest player I'm not sure if they'll prevail. This far ahead of the next tie it's hard to make positive statements because anything can happen between now and then.

Great Britain will face Italy next round and with it's leader Andy Murray having to be taken off court Sunday in a golf cart Britain has more immediate worries than the next Davis Cup tie. Indian Wells and Miami are coming up not to mention the French Open and it's run up tournaments. I wonder if Murray will pass up the French again?

As for the United States its gamble that clay would neutralize Murray (quick name someone else on the British DC team) backfired. We don't have anyone who can challenge an ATP top ten right now and on our worse surface we didn't stand a chance. There are some junior boys with a bit of hype around them but they're a good three to four years away mentally and physically.

As for the top ten men David Ferrer and Juan Martin del Potro are on the bubble. Both need good South American clay court swings and United States spring hard court swings to stay in the top ten.



Ekaterina Makarova was the winner in Pattaya City.


Kenzo Tribouillard AFP

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova triumphant in Paris.

Fed Cup

The US Fed Cup team will be led by Madison Keys. Her teammates are Alison Riske, Christina McHale and Lauren Davis.

We'll be facing an Italian team minus Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci. Karin Knapp will lead the Italians. Her teammates are Camila Giorgi, Nastassja Burnett, and Alice Matteucci.

I think we stand a chance on a hard court. Go Team!

The State of the WTA

Most "state of" analyses of tennis take place after a major. I'm doing mine before the start of the United States Open on August 29th because there have been tectonic shifts in the conversation around women's tennis and most of it has to do with the woman pictured above.

The WTA top ten is as follows.

1 Wozniacki, Caroline 11/07/90 DEN 9915 22
2 Zvonareva, Vera 07/09/84 RUS 7045 21
3 Clijsters, Kim 08/06/83 BEL 6726 15
4 Azarenka, Victoria 31/07/89 BLR 6390 21
5 Li, Na 26/02/82 CHN 5671 18
6 Kvitova, Petra 08/03/90 CZE 5561 21
7 Sharapova, Maria 19/04/87 RUS 5446 14
8 Schiavone, Francesca 23/06/80 ITA 4955 21
9 Bartoli, Marion 02/10/84 FRA 4325 26
10 Stosur, Samantha 30/03/84 AUS 3775 21

Lets take a brief look at the top female tennis players starting with Samantha Stosur.

I have to be frank. I've never understood all the hoopla about Samantha. Yes she's made the transition from a doubles player to a competent singles player but I'm at a loss for all the adulation and rapturous cyberink spent on touting her as the second coming. I wonder if she was from any country other than Australia the Grand Poobahs would be so busy pumping her status up as the next big thing. Tennisheads all know that Stosur is the best Australian player right now and someone in the axis has to have a Big Star. It's obvious that the best of Britain so far is faltering and France, well, the less said the better.

Australia is so desperate to have a star that all of the drama between Bernard Tomic and his family is being swept under the rug and there is a lot chatter about Tomic's new found maturity and dedication to the game. Kind of the same thing that's being done regarding United States player Ryan Harrison.

But this is a WTA post. To my knowledge Stosur has never thrown a racquet, verbally assaulted a chair umpire or engaged in any conduct detrimental to tennis. It's clear that the hype is putting pressure on her and the hype machine needs to back off. I think if they did she could relax and play her game without worrying about the critiques that will come afterward. She could move up a couple of places if that would happen.

Marion Bartoli

I'm surprised that Marion has never really capitalized on her talent. Of course this could have to do with her almost constant brawling with the French Federation and her unorthodox style and her fathers unorthodox approach to fitness and play. When Marion's game is on it's on. She's slimmed down a great deal and can move much better than she used to.

I have to question the necessity of all the jumping up and down and gesticulating between points. The last match I saw Marion play she visibly flagged after playing a tough set. When the between point stuff stopped so did her game. I think she's ranked right about where she should be this year. the tennis press tends to ignore Maid Marion and allows her to fly under the radar. All of that works to her advantage.

Francesca Schiavone

The question is what the hell is this old broad doing in the WTA top ten at this stage of her career? The answer is she's there because she knows how to play tennis. Not slap the ball around, screaming and grunting all the time although she does make a bit of noise, but how to think and strategize on the fly, something that is an asset and very rare among the younger generation. She's not going to win all the time but you'll know you've been in a match after playing her. She doesn't let go of your throat easily as her coach knows.

It's the intangibles she brings that make her one of the women who can go deep at the US Open.

Maria Sharapova

Maria is still one of the most polarizing figures in tennis. Despite the kinder, gentler, giggly about her fiancé Maria the Siberian Ban Sidhe is still in residence and as determined as ever to regain her spot at the top of the game.

When pressured Maria can still make double faults and while her movement has improved no one would call her a gazelle on the courts. Pressure also causes brain freeze with her and she isn't the confident figure she makes herself out to be when that happens. She's added a beautifully disguised drop shot to her repertoire and this can help her with her movement issues since she'll catch her opponents off guard.

The draw is all important to Maria's chances of making the second week in New York. She's been given cupcake draws and well hidden within the draw in the past but this year I think the USTA is going to have to produce a more competitive draw for all seeded players, top to bottom. Can she make the semi's? If things align in her favor there's no reason why she can't. Is she a top ten player? Are any of them?

Petra Kvitova

I believe Petra really suffers from asthma. This will hinder her during the US summer hard court swing and prevent her from playing at her best. Her two performances this summer in the States have been disappointing. That she's now perceived as a threat by her peers is putting it mildly. I think we'll see her treated as such by the makers of random draws and especially those in New York.

Kvitova is experiencing the pressure a top tier player has to face and I don't think it'll make dealing with her asthma easier. When she is relaxed she's a joy to watch if you like Big Babe tennis. As a Big Babe she doesn't move well either and that can be a liability for her going forward unless she develops a shot that will keep her opponents off balance and allow her to get in position for a good return. Can she win the big one? She won Wimbledon. It felt weird writing that.

Li Na

It's amazing how this personality has been muted by the WTA press machine. It wasn't until this years Australian Open that the world at large got to know Li Na. There are a thousand reasons why, all negative, so I won't go into them here. Suffice it to say Li is another old broad who knows how to play tennis. The American comms like to make a big deal about endorsements and how she's surpassed Sharapova in the monetary value of her deals but they talk very little about how she managed to win a Grand Slam title this year. It could be said that she almost won two and would have if nerves and the newness of being in a Slam final hadn't gotten to her in Melbourne.
I thought that she was fueled by anger in Melbourne but that it had dissipated somewhat when she got to Paris. It's interesting how her former coach Thomas Hogstedt is being touted as a near genius by the American tennis establishment and not a word is spoken about his association with Li Na. I'm just saying.

If Li can control her emotions and play the mental game of tennis like she did in Australia and France she will continue to be a force to be reckoned with in women's tennis. Like Kvitova she's got a target on her back and is no longer considered fodder in a draw. Still she's a Grand Slam Champion and somehow I think she has it in mind to be more than a one time champion.

Victoria Azarenka

No one with the amount of junk food Azarenka carries in her tennis bag can stay mentally or physically focused over a long period of time. If you think I'm kidding about her junk food watch her Bag Check on Tennis Channel. I'm not sure if the Bag Checks are on YoutTube or not but Tennis Channel posts them on their website.

I'm not a revisionist when it comes to bad behavior on court. I'm tired of Andy Roddick's petulance on court as well as his apologies afterwards. This is learned behavior and he's probably been getting away with it since he was two. Azarenka has been advised to cut the shit and she hasn't gone after a chair umpire or had a complete breakdown on court in a long while now but I still think that in the end she doesn't have the temperament to win a major. Not that she doesn't want to but her knowledge of the game is severely lacking and like many of her generation of players she's incapable of thinking and constructing points while playing. She can overpower lesser opponents but when she starts playing more experienced players she shows up mentally fragile.

I'm always stunned at her ranking. I remain so.

Kim Clijsters

I have to admit I was surprised that Kim withdrew from the US Open. I thought she was doing her usual and trying to come into New York as the most rested player. She's done this the last couple of years and with the help of a soft draw has been able to go deep.

Kim is not only out of the Open. She announced earlier this year that she was not going to Japan, something the tennis press seems to have missed hearing since they're acting as if this is the first she's said she would miss at least some of the Asian swing. She's also announced that 2012 will be her last year playing competitively.

I'm not a fan of her style of play but that doesn't mean she doesn't deserve her ranking. Like everyone else she is ranked where she is mostly because of where she's played and how deep she's been able to get when she plays. I don't think her style will leave a lasting impression on the game.

Vera Zvonareva

Last night, for one glorious set, Vera Zvonareva showed why she is ranked number two in the WTA. There was pinpoint accuracy in her shot making and she moved with ease around the court frustrating her fellow Russian Maria Sharapova. The ESPN commentators swooned when Thomas Hogstedt told his player that Bepa wouldn't play like that for long and Bepa set out to prove him right. It was as if Vera forgot what to do on court, forgot what she'd done the first set and that gave Sharapova the opening she needed. In no time Sharapova won the next two sets and the match.

Is it any wonder people ask how Vera is ranked #2 in the world? She didn't ask for her coach, to her credit, but she totally lost the plot. The way she played last night it's a wonder she's in the top ten let alone the top three.

Then again Sharapova does not like losing to Russians and she will fight tooth and nail to make sure she beats them. Is it because the Russian's are all headcases unable to fight their way through a match? I don't know. I do know that Vera can and has played better than she did last night. Her mental collapses in big matches are becoming legendary and overshadow her wins.

Caroline Wozniacki


Where do I start? She has played the most matches, defeated many lower ranked players, and the CEO of the WTA calls her "Sunshine".
She is friends with all the top players including the Williams women, and hasn't met a photo op she doesn't like. The male dominated ranks of tennis journalists love her to death (it's not quite Ana Ivanovic worship but it's close) and she has a fan base that simply adores her.

So why is it when you mention her name you get side eyes, rolling eyes, hands thrown in the air, sucked teeth and facepalms? As I said she does have her fans but they sometimes get drowned out in the screaming.

She's a "pusher". Not of drugs but in her style of play. Offense seems to be, well, offensive to her and it drives many people up the wall including her opponents who often end up at a loss to explain how she beat them. It doesn't help that the commentators and the WTA think she walks on water. It's never good when your professional association gives you a nick name and makes it clear that you're the favorite, the new face of the sport. They did this to Sharapova too if you recall. Many fans still can't stand her because of the overt favoritism that came her way.

Be that as it may there's new drama around her regarding her coaching situation. Apparently her father, Victor or Piotr, whichever you prefer, is not coaching her anymore. People have been quick to say that Caroline wants to take her tennis in a new direction and that Victor/Piotr has agreed he's not the man to take her there. There's also a lot of blather about her and a pro golfer.

Personally I wonder if Victor/Piotr has stepped down for other reasons. The tennis press in the United States has not had much to say about Mr Wozniacki's name change and I have never heard them even mention it. The Danish press strongly hinted that there are reasons the man legally known as Victor Krason might want to use the name he was given at birth when working with his daughter. The only American to cover this was Christopher Clarey of the New York Times.

As you all know I can find a conspiracy in opening a newspaper so maybe I'm just being overly suspicious. It doesn't help that the Krason/Wozniacki family is playing games with who the new coach will be. It leads me to suspect that the stepping down has nothing to do with Caroline's desire to play more offensively and that her father had to step down quickly.

There is also talk of a power struggle between the golfer Caroline is said to be dating and her father. That gets an eye roll from me. Professional athletes don't make changes when someone has been in their life all of five minutes. Between her agents, her management company and the WTA I don't think there's a lot of room for the "fuck all of you" school of pro tennis.

Keep in mind I have no idea of what is really going on. The above is idle speculation on my part.

No report on the state of the WTA is complete without discussing one Miss Serena Williams. When she made her return in Europe I said that if she comes back and lays waste to the WTA it wouldn't be the brightest hour for the WTA. Serena wasn't physically ready to come back then and the rust was literally dripping from her. That is not the case now.

Serena has gotten herself to #31 in the rankings, high enough to be a seed at the US Open. There are a lot of people arguing that the US Open should do like Wimbledon does and give Serena a higher seed. It's not that all of these people are suddenly in love with Serena Williams. It's because as a lower seed she is tantamount to a dangerous floater and can take out some of the blonde ponytailed darlings the WTA relentlessly promotes early in the tournament. Ranking her among the top ten would seem to insure that she faces qualifiers and wild cards as well as lower ranked players and wouldn't meet one of the darlings until the second week.

In other words they're scared shitless of Serena continuing her rampage through the ranks of the WTA. Rank her higher they're screaming or there will be chaos! Bonuses and television rankings depend on certain darlings making it to the second week. We can't have this old woman beating up the little kids and taking their lunch money can we?

I still think Serena is not 100%. She was breathing heavily in her later matches in both Toronto and Stanford. It's going to be a hard road for her in New York if the Open takes place in typical NYC August weather. But I don't underestimate her will to win. She will also have a day off between each match that will probably help.

The state of the WTA depends on the physical condition of Serena Williams. And that's the truth.

They're Back

by Savannah

David Nalbandian can count himself among the few who have returned to the Main Tour after hip surgery. Showing the form he usually reserves for the indoor season Nalbandian came out like a house on fire and weathered the inevitable challenge from Marcos Baghdatis to win the singels title at Legg Mason in hot and steamy Washington DC. It was a great week of tennis for David.

Mardy Fish and Mark Knowles won the men's doubles crown in Washington. Fish somewhat redeemed himself in my eyes by staying and playing doubles.

Everyone knows that Svetlana Kuznetsova, when on, is one of the best players in women's tennis. It's the when on and brain is fully engaged part that is important. This week Sveta was all systems go and found herself in the San Diego final against Aggie Radwanska, the modern day Martina Hingis. There was that blip in the second set where Sveta lost focus and found herself on the losing end of a 7-6(7) tiebreak but she came back in third set and won it decisively 6-3. Women's tennis is always more fun with Sveta in the mix.

The fairly new doubles team of Maria Kirilenko and Zheng Jie pose with the trophies they received for winning the doubles crown in San Diego.

Caroline Wozniacki, aka Sunshine (Cliff Drysdale and Pam Shriver were affectionately using her nickname yesterday while broadcasting the San Diego final but I digress) won the inaugural Copenhagen event where she was - gasp - the top seed. She defeated Klara Zakopalova in straight sets. She also debuted her new summer do while proudly holding up the tureen, uh, trophy.

The doubles winners in Copenhagen, Julia Goerges and Anna-Lena Gronefeld posed proudly with their trophies. Goerges has had a pretty good summer so far. It's going to be interesting to see her in the States.

The Week Ahead

The women are in the MidWestern United States playing in Cincinnati while the men's tour is north of the border in Toronto, Canada. I haven't checked to see if the cameras are on so that tennis fans will get to see the early round action. It does the reputation of the American tennis authorities no good to make fans in the States have to scramble to see tournaments where the best players are featured. Then again - oh never mind.

An American Free Zone

1 Rafael Nadal 10,745

2 Novak Djokovic 6,905

3 Roger Federer 6,795

4 Andy Murray 5,305

5 Robin Soderling 4,740

6 Nikolay Davydenko 4,285

7 Tomas Berdych 3,780

8 Juan Martin Del Potro 3,770

9 Fernando Verdasco 3,475

10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 3,455

This is the first time since the modern ranking system went into effect that there is not one American man in the Top Ten. Andy Roddick, who has been American men's tennis is now ranked #11.
11 Roddick, Andy (USA) 3,235

We all knew this day was coming. Andy Roddick should not be blamed for what has happened. He has done all he could to try and get himself into shape mentally and physically to play the modern game. Was it a few years too late? Maybe. Will he be back in the Top Ten? Good runs leading into the US Open can ensure that especially with Tsonga being injured. I'm not going to write one of those posts going into the whys and wherefores of how we got to this place. I've written about it a lot and don't really feel the need to now. Let's just say that we're up that proverbial thick brown creek without a paddle.

1 1 Williams, Serena 26/09/81 USA 8355

2 2 Jankovic, Jelena 28/02/85 SRB 5900

3 3 Wozniacki, Caroline 11/07/90 DEN 5710

4 4 Williams, Venus 17/06/80 USA 5287

5 5 Stosur, Samantha 30/03/84 AUS 4690

6 6 Dementieva, Elena 15/10/81 RUS 4590

7 7 Clijsters, Kim 08/06/83 BEL 4510

8 8 Schiavone, Francesca 23/06/80 ITA 4285

9 10 Radwanska, Agnieszka 06/03/89 POL 4070

10 9 Zvonareva, Vera 07/09/84 RUS 3905

I don't get why the WTA always prints the players birthdays and usually remove them but I left them in now because we need to take a really good look at the women's Top Ten. Caroline Wozniacki and Agnieszka Radwanska are the only babies in the group. Everyone else is "middle aged" when it comes to tennis years. There are Americans, two in fact, in the top ten of women's tennis but of course the establishment spends more time snarking about them than praising them for their accomplishments. We're headed up that same dark brown creek we're mired in on the men's side. We can believe all we want.

Fashion Statement of the Week

A closer look at Caroline Wozniacki's hair. This is a variation on traditional African corn rows where twists are used instead of tightly braiding the hair. The style puts less stress on both the hair and the hair line. Nice summer do for the young woman.

The State of Women's Tennis

by Savannah

Any discussion of men's tennis these days seems to always get around to the topic of the greatest of all times - GOAT for short. Part of these arguments, aside from fans of the players most often in the discussion, has to do with the era in which Player A played as opposed to the era Player B is playing in. Weak era is the epithet given to this time in men's tennis.

If some fans consider the current crop of ATP players to be "weak" what can be said of the WTA where a woman who gave birth in June of this year just came back to the tour and not only did well but took home the championship trophy beating one of the biggest names on the women's tour along the way? And not just any big name, the number three ranked player in the world.



Lindsay's win is great for working mothers and obviously a joy for her fans. But if a woman who recently gave birth can come in and roll over what was a pretty decent field for a post Grand Slam Tier III event what do the rankings mean? Tennisheads were already rolling their eyes at Svetlana Kuznetsova being the number two player in the world behind Justine Henin. Jelena Jankovic has played her way to number three. Maria Sharapova, the world number four, had been beaten badly in every Grand Slam she played this year coming into the US Open. At the US Open her draw had even the corporate press asking questions and she still went out to a teenager from Poland in the third round. Anna Chakvetadze comes in at number five. Let's take a few minutes and look critically at the top five women in the world.

Justine Henin


Given her back story, her diminutive size and recent divorce you'd think Justine would have a lock on fan favorite. Instead she is one of the least loved players in recent memory. Forget Steffi vs Monica (Steffi was always the heavy in that scenario). She is known by various epithets all related to what is perceived as her cheat at all costs character. I saw her live at the US Open. I was sitting courtside when she took out an obviously ailing Serena Williams. Given the history of the US Open and the Williams sisters I expected a groundswell of fan support for Justine. Instead the crowd was doing all it could to lift Serena, a sight unseen in New York until now. Going home on the train one tennis fan shot down his friend who wanted to praise Justine by saying she's a liar and a cheat and that "after the hand incident" in Paris against Serena he could never ever root for her. And I guess it's best not to discuss the "gastric distress" she suffered at the Australian Open.For the first time in at least ten years I didn't watch a tennis final being broadcast live on network television. Apparently I wasn't alone as the ratings dropped this year.
Justine plays an extremely limited schedule and has yet held onto the number one ranking. A friend who is a casual fan of the sport noticed that the NY crowd seemed cool to Justine. Cool is putting it mildly.

Svetlana Kuznetsova

When Sveta is on she plays beautiful tennis. When she's not she looks as if she's never seen a tennis court before. These changes in play can happen in one match. Yet she is now the number two player in the world. Why? I guess she stepped in you know what somewhere and came up smelling like a rose. I really have no idea why she is number two to be honest with you. She's in the top five of the "Tennis Headcase's" list in my opinion and has not played well (Davis Cup aside). It's my understanding that during the US Open Final she mounted no offense against Henin and her predictable loss was quick. Again, I don't have an explanation for her high ranking except that she's played a pretty full schedule this year and that her accumulated points give her the number two ranking.

Jelena Jankovic

Jelena has played her way to number three in the world. Some would say all that tennis she played in the beginning of the year has caught up with her. Fan of her as I am I have to agree. But looking critically at her she has a very weak serve and while the rest of her game is solid how do you make a kid coming up practice her serve when Jelena is number three? As part of the Serbian Trinity she is getting a lot of publicity. She has the engaging mother, the on court personality and is well educated to boot. She also has a tongue that has a mind of it's own which while refreshing will not win her too many supporters in the WTA boardroom. She's twice this year mused on the suspect draws in women's tennis in front of the press. She's also taken to using the imperial "we" when referring to herself. This happened after she had a melt down over line calls in Bali on her way to losing to Lindsay. As the saying goes "don't hate the player hate the game" Jelena. You have played the most aggressive schedule of any of the top ten this year. You are mentally and physically tired. You have to be. You lost. Bad calls are part of the game. This is the second major melt down in as many years Jelena. Your melt down last year at the US Open sent Justine on her way. This one has relaunched Lindsay's career. People are going to start to like seeing you across the net if you keep this up.

Maria Sharapova

Larry Scott has proclaimed her the "Golden Girl", the woman who will usher in a golden age of women's tennis. All publicity, all praises, all the glory goes to Ms Sharapova at the expense of the other women on the tour. Admittedly Justine would be a hard sell and for entirely different reasons so would Sveta. Jelena would not be a hard sell at all with her bubbly personality and generally good game. But none of this will happen. It's all about Maria as far as the WTA head honcho is concerned. Too bad. Because unless her opponents are headcases, injured or been tired out by their previous matches Ms Sharapova hasn't won a thing this year. Well she did win that one event during the US Open series after her opponents, who had played a full summer season, were tired out by competitive matches before meeting her. When set to meet another member of the Serbian Trinity, Ana Ivanovic, Maria withdrew twenty minutes before the match was to begin citing a mysterious shin, calf or foot injury. Ana had beaten her soundly earlier this year. I for one expected her to get an easy draw at the US Open but even I didn't expect what she actually got. And I certainly didn't expect teenager Aggie Radwanska to take her out in three sets in the third round. That loss dropped her to number four in the world and the shoulder injury is back. Unless she starts winning again - and this is going to be difficult for her unless she plays a schedule similar to Jelena which ain't gonna happen, the top players have peeped her hole card and know what to do to beat her. I'm sure they'll find some lower ranked players who are willing to play bum of the month for the Golden Girl. I wonder if there are enough of them around to keep her in the top five.

Anna Chakvetadze

This girl has the looks the ad agencies want. She's got a good game, a very good game. She's played well all year and is a fan favorite. But she trains in Moscow. Lives in Moscow. She is Russian after all so this is logical. She doesn't speak English that well but that can be remedied. With proper schedule management I think Anna has the ability to move past Sharapova and even Jankovic. She built her momentum over the year and while I think the US Open series tired her out a bit she still did well at the US Open. She, along with Sveta, were on the Sharapova side of the draw. They of course were seeded to take each other out once Maria was out of the picture which is what happened with Anna losing to Sveta in the semi finals.

Anna, Jelena, and Justine will, in my opinion, be the top three women. They're the only three with "game" on a consistent basis. The rest of the top ten? I think Ana Ivanovic will move into the top four from her number six position. Serena Williams, at number 7, needs to get healthy.
Nadia Petrova, whom I predicted would fall out of the top ten is still there. Again, will wonders never cease although she too has injury problems. Venus Williams, at number 9, won a Slam this year. She was visibly ill during her semi final match against Justine. Rounding out the top ten is the surprising Marion Bartoli. She's the dark horse in this. She obviously has the will to play top tennis. She is also working on her fitness. Can she make the top five? I don't see why not.

Of course all of this depends on what Venus Williams and Serena Williams do next year. Serena has to defend her Oz Open Championship. Venus has Wimbledon to defend. If they play moderately a la Justine Henin, they can easily move into the top five. They were my wild cards at the beginning of the year as well.

So what does all of this have to do with Lindsay Davenport and her easy win in Bali? Everything. She is not down to fighting form yet but she is a seasoned veteran. Can she work herself into shape and play a fairly aggressive schedule in 2008? Why not? Can she make life difficult for the women in the top ten? Of course she can. Will her ability to ease herself into the top ranks again make the WTA look like a bunch of ladies who lunch? Yes. Who will she replace in the top ten? Too soon to tell. Lindsay, like Jelena, has a tongue with a mind of it's own. I'm sure there are people who are not too thrilled at her coming back.

Arguments about the GOAT on the women's side tend to involve Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. None of the current crop enters the discussion. Why? Because you'd have to discuss the Grand Slam wins of Ms Serena Williams and Ms Venus Williams. You'd have to discuss their importance in generating fan support and television revenue. Never really hyped by the WTA both of these women bring rock star auras to any event they play in. One fan asked why any final not involving one of them is boring.

When one player is declared sacred and the other women made to feel like so much chopped liver you have a problem. You can declare anything you want. At the end of the day that player has to win. If she doesn't win even with amazingly weak "random" draws in her favor then what do you do next? Until someone wakes up and realizes there are great and good players who need to be put in the public's mind now, that the game doesn't revolve around one so far mediocre player things will continue to go badly for the women. It wasn't good for women's tennis to see the player hyped as the second coming play what were essentially two exhibition matches on the national stage at night during the US Open. It definitely wasn't good to see her go out to a girl still in her teens in her third match while the players who bring the game and the glamor were playing in the heat of the day and in some cases on outer courts.

So congratulations Lindsay! Work your show. And give 'em hell.