Tennis Gossip !!

7-14-06

7-14-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Pete Sampras
went 1-for-2 in his latest World TeamTennis outing, winning a doubles, losing a doubles with Rick Leach to Mark Knowles and Sam Warburg, and losing to Warburg 5-2 in singles as his Newport Beach Breakers lost to the Sacramento Capitals...Serena Williams will arrive in Cincinnati to begin practicing today, and will play her opening-round match, her first since January at the Australian Open, on Tuesday night. Will it be fat Serena or buff-Slam-winning Serena?...From Langston Wertz, Jr., of the Charlotte Observer: "Serena Williams, where are you? Ratings for Saturday's Wimbledon final were down 45 percent. Amelie Mauresmo and Justine Henin-Hardenne, solid but uninteresting players, are battling for every other major championship nowadays. And neither one can consistently hold your racket. Serena, I hear you when you say your knee hurts, but it bothers me when you're at every Hollywood premiere, posing in high heels, or wearing all white at the Kentucky Derby, looking glam -- and not limping. U.S. Fed Cup coach Zina Garrison and Billie Jean King think you could be the greatest female athlete ever. Not just the best tennis player."...From Forbes.com: "British Prime Minister Tony Blair's tennis partner, Lord Levy, who made his money as an impresario in the 1960s and 1970s managing singers like Alvin Stardust and Chris Rea, has been arrested by police investigating the U.K.'s "cash-for-honors" scandal in which government figures have been accused of selling British titles." -- So that explains those 'Lord Tarango' references...Hard to keep up the argument against equal prize money at Wimbledon when the women's final was better than the men's, with Amelie Mauresmo and Justine Henin-Hardenne actually playing grasscourt tennis, trying to beat each other to the net, while Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal comparatively slogged away from the baseline...From Court Coverage on the Mariano Puerta's doping cut-back: "Apart from the fact that it accepts Puerta's far-fetched story, this is intriguingly sensible: the rule doesn't make any sense, so we won't apply it. In other words, they're pointing out that the anti-doping code makes no distinction between an athlete whose first offence was using HGH vs. an athlete whose first offence was taking a recently-banned hair loss drug. This decision makes that distinction, and calls for the code to be changed to that effect. No public reaction from WADA on this yet."...Venus Williams somehow won the award for best women's tennis player at the ESPYs, with Roger Federer winning for the men...Pete Sampras and Jim Courier will play a three-set exhibition match during the WTA stop in Carson...From Steve Bierley of The Guardian: "With Greg Rusedski missing because of injury and the doubles specialist James Auckland getting married, Britain's Davis Cup captain Jeremy [Ed. Note: "Master"] Bates has had to cobble together a Davis Cup team to play Israel in Eastbourne next week, but even so the selection of the 29-year-old Jamie Delgado, ranked outside the world's top 400, smacks of desperation."...The Telegraph's Gavin Versi on WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott being on the same page as the ATP's E.T. in being unable to change the tennis calendar since the Slams won't budge: "Fundamental to any structural changes in the calendar is moving the Grand Slam tournaments. At present one of the four major tournaments, the Australian Open, takes place in only the third week of the season, while the French Open and Wimbledon are played within a six-week period. "We do think that [moving it back] would offer some improvements to the calendar but all the indications from Australia are that that is not going to be possible in the foreseeable future," Scott told The Sunday Telegraph. Game over? If this one piece of illogical scheduling cannot be changed -- and there are reasons for this, such as conflicts with other Australian events, sponsorship and television issues -- then how can authorities change the calendar?"...From Neil Harman writing for The Times: "Brad Gilbert has never been to Eastbourne. That the celebrated American coach is scheduled to arrive on the Sussex coast next week indicates that one of the most significant deals in the history of British tennis is about to be confirmed. The sport's landscape may never be quite the same again...so the small print of the agreement to entice Gilbert to become the fulcrum of Roger Draper's celebration of 100 days as the LTA's chief executive was being meticulously checked. Exactly what the final draft will entail has become a popular guessing game, but confirmation of [Andy] Murray's selection for next week's EuroAfrica zone group one Davis Cup tie against Israel at Devonshire Park, and that Gilbert will be lurking at the side of the court, confirms that there definitely is a deal. Where the former coach of Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick will be placed strategically in the LTA hierarchy remains the greatest poser...Where Gilbert stands in all this is the most intriguing question. He is clearly going to spend a lot of time on the road with Murray, as well as a definitive period in Britain overseeing a coaching programme that has plenty of idealistic proteges, none of whom has the experience of the big time that Gilbert can bring to the table."...From Mike Koreen of the Toronto Sun: "With the wilting women of tennis off to Montreal this year, Grant Connell is not afraid to make promises about men's star power in Toronto next month. The first-year tournament director of the Rogers Cup -- Aug. 5-13 at the Rexall Centre at York University -- didn't hesitate when asked if he will promote the fact Wimbledon champion Roger Federer and runner-up Rafael Nadal are scheduled to compete in the tournament. "Absolutely," Connell said at a news conference yesterday. Tennis Canada was criticized last year for promoting appearances by such stars as Venus Williams, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova in Toronto, only to see those three and other big names drop out because of supposed injuries. But the men's ATP tour has a much better record of delivering its stars to tier I events, like the Rogers Cup. The Canadian men's tournament in Montreal last year had nine of the top 10 players and the year before in Toronto each of the top 10 players showed up. The top 50 ATP players automatically are entered in this year's event." -- Except the ATP Masters Series events aren't called "Tier I" -- go back to writing golf Mike. And, as every year, both Federer and Nadal are looking forward to the bigger Cincy event, so good chance one or both will pull from Toronto...From the ATP: "Roger Federer's burgeoning trophy cabinet just lost more precious real estate. The ATP World No. 1 was voted Best International Male Athlete at ESPN's ESPY Awards in Hollywood on Wednesday night. Federer was unable to attend the ceremony, but tennis was represented by James Blake, who was nominated for two awards, and Venus Williams. Blake was nominated alongside Federer, Rafael Nadal and David Nalbandian for Best Male Tennis Player and also for Best Game for his 2005 US Open quarterfinal with Andre Agassi. The ESPYs will be shown on Sunday night at 9 pm ET on ESPN." And from SI.com on the ESPYs: "Comedian Will Ferrell interrupted [Lance] Armstrong's acceptance speech to sing the 1970s song Times of Your Life with lyrics rewritten for Armstrong. "You've beat the best, let's not forget every urine test," Ferrell crooned after introducing a white-suited astronaut the comic insisted was Armstrong's long-lost father, Neil Armstrong. "Neil Armstrong is not my dad and I don't even think that's Neil Armstrong," the cyclist said. "Well said," Ferrell replied before plowing on with the musical parody."
 
7-17-06

7-17-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
With Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski out of the Top 50, here's Andy Murray speaking to The Sunday Mirror on supporting the next generation of British/Scottish players: "I would like to see a big change in the culture of British tennis. But it's not just me who is suddenly going to change everything. I can only do my bit. I haven't seen any change in the number of kids playing the game here in years. It has to be more fun for kids to want to start playing tennis, and there has to be easier access to courts. We have to go back to the clubs and put together more programmes for kids. At the same time it must not be overly expensive. Tennis must not be a sport just for people who happen to have money. Hopefully, more young people will enjoy seeing me come on to the court listening to my i-Pod, having a bad haircut and looking a bit scruffy."...Andy Roddick speaking on his slumping ways: "Whatever it is, is between the ears. I might just need one good week to turn the ship. Or maybe back-to-back consistent matches. I'm not in the panic mode. I hate to use the word 'comeback' because that's overused. But the summer gives me a chance to put some points on the board. It's kind of a fun position. No one is expecting anything. I'm excited to get out there again."...Andy Murray is reportedly receiving $200-400K for his book deal with Random House...Tommy Robredo after winning the Bastad title: "I'm going to go party tonight, but first I'm going to the beach with my friends. It's good to enjoy it when you win a title, because you don't have a chance to win every week."...Jonas Bjorkman has won six Bastad doubles titles...Monday on the upset tip watch for (5) Carlos Moya vs. Guillermo "G-Lo" Garcia-Lopez in an all-Spanish...Andy Roddick is playing doubles with countryman Bobby Reynolds "Wrap" in Indy, while Vince Spadea and Justin Gimelstob make for an entertaining team...James Blake revels in the top seeded position as the top-ranked American over Andy Roddick this week in Indy...Former NCAA champ Amer Delic can take center stage in the second round at Indy against No. 2 seed Andy Roddick if he can get by Paraguay's Ramon Delgado in his opener...Kim Clijsters clipped Vania King, losing only one game to put Belgium in the Fed Cup final...Goran Prpic is the new Croatian Davis Cup captain...Serena Williams faces No. 2 seed and former French Open champ Anastasia Myskina in the first round at Cincinnati...China is in the Fed Cup World Group for the first time ever...Lindsay Davenport has pulled from her next event at Stanford next week with her ongoing back injury...From Mike DePalmer, Jr. writing for Tennisnews.com: "I read with fascination that the USTA is changing their headquarters from Key Biscayne to the Evert tennis academy. It amazes me that with all the great players this country has put out over the years the USTA had little or anything to do with their development other than sanction junior tennis tournaments or provide financial aid for kids to travel with a coach. Now the USTA thinks that by changing facilities that now they are going to develop talent. Oh, and by the way didn't they just build a state of the art training facility in Carson, California? If the USTA would like to learn how to run a tennis academy they should spend time in Bradenton, Florida at the IMG Sports Academy (formerly known as the Nick Bollettieri tennis Academy). This is by no means an endorsement add for Nick Bollettieri. You may not like his sunglasses, million dollar tan or his uncanny ability for self- promotion but there is no denying that there are no ten tennis academy in the United States that has developed more kids into world class tennis players than Nick i.e. Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Tommy Haas, Max Mirnyi, Monica Seles, Mary Pierce, Anna Kournikova, Maria Sharapova and the list goes on. All from the same facility for the last 26 years. Many of Nick's top staff have never even played college tennis but have been with him since the academy was first built in 1980. They have honed a system for as many as 200 kids that stay 9 months out of the year go to school and work on their tennis and yet year after year they produce players...P.S. My nephew won the 14 and under Orange Bowl last year under my father's tutelage. But now the USTA has taken over the coaching and I hold my breath for his tennis future."...From SportingLife.com: "Great Britain's Davis Cup captain [Jeremy] Bates insists it is "more than likely" that American [Brad] Gilbert -- former coach of Andre Agassi -- will accept a coaching role with the Lawn Tennis Association with special responsibility for overseeing [Andy] Murray's progress. Bates has asked Gilbert to come to Eastbourne this week, where the GB team take on Israel with the winners retaining a place in the Europe/Africa Zone Group One. Bates told the Independent on Sunday: "I am not involved in finalising the deal but it is more than likely it is going to happen. "I don't know when Brad's official start date is with Andy; he is coming because I would like him to be there. And Andy would like him to be there too, because it is imperative that we win; we have to win."
 
7-18-06

7-18-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Jim Courier
and Aaron Krickstein tuned up for upcoming Outback Champions Series events this fall in Charlotte, Memphis and Houston by teaming to lead the United States to victory last weekend at the sixth annual Nations Senior Cup in Marbella, Spain. Courier and Krickstein joined forces with doubles specialist Jonathan Stark to defeat Spain 3-0 in the championship match Saturday in the International Tennis Federation (ITF)-sanctioned team championship for veteran ATP and Davis Cup standouts...From X-blogger Shawn Randall: "You know women's tennis is in trouble when the WTA dips into their un-original bag of ideas to better the game, only to pull out the on-court coaching card...Wow. You mean the WTA matches are not enough of an entertainment value, you guys need to add the coaches into the mix? Just great. Can't wait to see even more of Yuri Sharapov and his mangy phone hat on my TV. That's a sure-fire way to add entertainment value! And nothing says excitement more to me than seeing Carlos Rodriguez sitting courtside. Why not just bring the agents down, mom and dad, too. We all know there are few whack jobs and degenerates in that group, as well...Wasn't this cutting-edge test carried out at the ATP several years ago while [WTA Tour CEO Larry] Scott was still there in office? Doesn't Scott remember how that worked out? Apparently not. Watching Raul Viver consult with Ramon Delgado during a changeover didn't exactly translate into must-see-TV (yes, I watched a lot of tennis back then and don't you forget it)...So instead of spending time and money on crappy "groundbreaking" PR gimmicks like coaching, replay, etc., how about the WTA addressing things like injuries, shortening the season and above all promoting individual players like Mauresmo and Henin who are in the middle of their own Federer/Nadal-type rivalry? Last I checked Henin has been in the all three 2006 Slam finals, losing two to Mauresmo. That's a rivalry. Promote that, especially right now leading up to the US Open because one of them if not both will be in the final. Plus, the fact they don't like each makes it even better! What is the WTA waiting for? Slap up some posters with Henin and Mauresmo giving each other the finger and put them all around New York City. Get the two of them in a room and get them talk smack at each other. Throw in Pierre Yves or whatever Justine's husband's name is. Stir up it for God sakes. Do something, anything other than waste time with experiments like on-court coaching which we all know isn't going to become standard practice on the tour."...Campbell Soup has signed on to sponsor the ATP Newport event through 2008...If you enjoy the ATP website's unique writing style on tournament reviews (one earlier this week featured the same player's name at the beginning of a sentence for six sentences in a row) and hear yourself saying 'I want to be part of that team!' then you are in luck as the ATP (which also does the lion's share of the WTA's website) is looking for writers -- get your resumes in, beat the rush...Australian David Taylor, former coach of Alicia Molik, has signed on to coach Ana Ivanovic...Indian doubles star and tennis promoter Mahesh Bhupathi says enjoy what little spark Sania Mirza produced because that is it right now for talent in the Indian pipeline: "To be brutally honest, there is no one who can make it to the next level," Bhupathi told Hindu News Service. "Be that (376th-ranked) Isha Lakhani or Bhambari sisters -- Ankita and Sanaa -- I don't forsee them making it big at the international level." -- Stop holding back Mahesh, tell us how you really feel. Nice pep talk for the kids, tell that to their parents at your academy...Daniela Hantuchova has pulled from Cincy with a right foot injury sustained over the weekend in Davis Cup play...From The Globe and Mail on Rafael Nadal possibly pulling from the Masters Series-Canada: "ATP representatives in Europe talked yesterday to the Nadal camp about the Rogers Cup and ATP spokesman Pete Holtermann said from Indianapolis, Ind., "At this point, Rafa hasn't made a decision. It could go either way." [Tournament Director and former player Grant] Connell calmly claimed, "We just have to wait and chat with him again. We'll do everything we can to get him here. Maybe it will help if the [ATP] Tour can talk to him and say, 'You're the defending champion, you have responsibilities.'" -- Translation: 'Connell calmly claimed, 'Maybe it will help if the Tour had some control over their f*****g top players, and could get them playing these f*****g all-important Masters Series events instead of pulling out on a f*****g whim.' Then his head exploded. Nice pub for Pete Holtermann, last seen walking in front of cars after the U.S. lost in the World Cup...From Paul Daughertly writing for the Cincy Enquirer: "It's great sleeping until noon, until the day you wake up and wonder what you're doing with your life. The thought occurred to Serena Williams, as she rested her surgically fixed knee. "What to do all day, you know?" she said. Williams spent months shedding the skin of regimented responsibility so second-nature to tennis players, waking up whenever, shopping in Beverly Hills, commuting to her home in Florida, doing much of nothing. It was good, but then what? "I was twiddling my thumbs for hours," Williams said. That doesn't mean she was itching to return to tennis. Or maybe it does. It's hard to tell. Tennis, or normal life? Listening to Williams, a wizened pro at age 24, you get the feeling she doesn't know the answer, either." -- Too bad she didn't spend months shedding other things...Andy Murray, the Brit Davis Cup team, nor guest/future coach Brad Gilbert are too pumped on traveling to the bomb factory that is Israel for their upcoming Davis Cup match. Security for the event is reportedly on "High Alert"...Robby Ginepri on folding under the pressure of being a Top 20-ranked American in 2006: "At the beginning (of the year), I felt a little more pressure. I was coming in as one of the top Americans, and everyone was taking aim at me." Ginepri's agent Tom Ross speaking with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "It's fair to say he's underachieved since last summer. I think the trick with Robby is to keep it fresh and fun, and that's difficult. The difference from a year ago is that he has to feel he can do it, because he already has done it. A lot of people fully expect Robby to, if not exactly do it again, to win week-in and week-out. He's fully capable of beating anyone." -- And he's fully capable of doing the mind-clutch under the weight of expectations, which isn't a great look to someone like U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe...From the New York Times on Hall of Fame inductee Gabriela Sabatini: "Now she lives in Buenos Aires, owns rental apartments there and is involved in a group building a club for tennis, golf and polo. There are now 14 perfumes under her name, and she travels often to Miami and Europe to promote them. There is occasionally time to play tennis, but the chances are far apart. Two years ago, she played against Graf at a charity event. Last year, she played two exhibitions: one against Graf and one against Martina Hingis. "I might play against a friend every three, four or five months," Sabatini said. "I exercise three times a week in a gym, but you lose mobility if you don't stay with tennis." Sabatini says she has no regrets about retiring young. "I was not enjoying tennis that much," she said. "It was not making me happy anymore. I would wake up in the morning and knew I would have to practice, and I didn't want to do that. I realized that the day had arrived. It was tough.? -- Yeah, Robby Ginepri feels you. Or wishes he did. Gabby is now slumlord? With 14 perfumes?...Look for the Brad Gilbert-Andy Murray announcement Tuesday according to the British press...Anna Kournikova put in another 0-for-2 doubles effort Monday night, leading the Sacramento Capitals to another loss. Anna's overall record is 0-4 in women's doubles, 0-4 in mixed doubles, and 0-1 in singles.
 
7-19-06

7-19-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Lleyton Hewitt
on Pat Rafter: "He was a huge influence. The first match that I ever saw in Davis Cup live was Pat Rafter coming back from 2-6-11. It was an amazing feeling for me to be the orange boy at that tie and it made me want to play the Davis Cup more than anything. So that meant a lot, and Pat really took me under his wing in a lot of ways as well. I was fortunate enough to play a lot of doubles with him at Davis Cup and we made a couple of finals. We were on the same team. It was disappointing that a couple of years that we did win the Davis Cup, he was actually injured for the finals and couldn't actually get his name on the trophy. That was probably one of the more disappointing things about playing with Pat. But he came so close to winning Wimbledon as well, which would have been a great success for him. He had a great career and he's one of my close friends."...From the TIA Update Newsletter: "Tennis Racquet Market gets off to a flying start in 2006! TIA 1st quarter census reports: Shipments increased 10% in dollars (6.6% in units) with the strongest increase in youth racquets (20% in dollars). Also the TIA Pro Specialty Retail Audit shows racquet sales at pro specialty stores increased by 13% in units and 12% in dollars compared to 2005."...Hey, our interns are human, and they work for free. Stop lighting them up with the e-mails. They have feelings. They're people. Like you and me. Maybe like you...From the Indian Express: "Finally, it seems Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza has decided to revert to former coach S. Narendranath, with whom she feels comfortable and who has helped her as a junior following her Wimbledon success. The decision of taking Narendranath on board incidentally comes exactly a year after she decided to take along a travelling coach. While John Farrington was roped in sometime during July last year, it was Aussie legend Tony Roach who helped her prepare for 2006 prior to the Australian Open. The world No 40 will thus have Narendranath in tow as coach-cum-hitting partner apart from being a guide as she begins to tackle the gruelling hard court season, which has already begun in Cincinnati. Narendranath, who runs his own academy -- GVK Pro Tennis Academy -- at Hyderabad, thus replaces former Davis Cupper Asif Ismail, who was roped in for a five-week stint which ended after Wimbledon."...Joachim "Euro-Roddick" Johansson lost in the first round of a challenger in Turkey...From Belgian X-Discussion board member HoB: "The only thing I know is from the press communique released by Carlos Rodriguez, her coach. Apparently, Justine [Henin-Hardenne] told the Fed Cup captain on Sunday that she wouldn't compete, but the captain and the president of the tennis federation asked her to wait going public with the news, to avoid that one of the top 50 Americans suddenly decided to play. However, Carlos Rodriguez suspects that it actually was to blacken Justine's reputation by misleading fans for three days (contrary to the promise that she would have made her decision public on Sunday). The second issue is that Carl Maes (Fed Cup captain and a former coach of Kim Clijsters) and Justine first agreed that she would come and root for the team -- which received quite some media attention here. Two days after, Maes allegedly asked her not to come because neither the team or the supporters wanted her present.
Since she was not welcome for the semi-finals and due to the lack of respect shown, Carlos Rodriguez cannot see how she will be welcome in the final. Justine is 'incommunicado' with respect to the Fed cup and all communications in this regard will be handled by Rodriguez. Carl Maes refused to comment up till now, but to me this story sounds rather one-sided. Maybe it's just my bad side, but I don't buy the "Justine, the tragic heroine" stuff. How about "I-care-more-about-my-personal-career-because-nobody's-interested-in-Fed-cup-besides-I-don't-like-sharing-attention-it-gives-me-a-bad-mood-and-a-sore-tummy"? Don't get me wrong, Justine is a great player, but not exactly a good sport. Besides, her entourage is very protective of her. OK, you can substitute that with paranoid towards the rest of the world. If she wants to bail Fed Cup, fine with me, but be open about it. And don't play the health card because you played too much, if you sneer to Mauresmo who tried to cut you some slack. And certainly don't expect anyone else to be glad about your decision and welcome you with open arms because you're prepared to watch Fed cup. Maybe she just wants Clijsters to beg her to play; but refusing to play the Fed Cup final in your own country is just plain stupidity and far worse for Justine's image than anything Carl Maes could have done."...From News24.com: "Triple French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne could boycott Belgium's Fed Cup final against Italy in a row sparked by her withdrawal from the semi-final, her coach Carlos Rodriguez said Tuesday. Henin-Hardene pulled out of the semi-final win against the United States last weekend complaining of fatigue following her run to the Wimbledon final, where she was beaten by France's Amelie Mauresmo. "It's out of the question, at this moment, that Justine is going to take part in the final," said Rodriguez in a letter sent to the Belga press agency. Belgium beat the US 4-1 in Ostend and will face Italy in the final on September 16-17 at Charleroi. "It's inconceivable that she'll rejoin the team in September having been rejected in July," said Rodriguez. Henin-Hardenne is angry that the Belgian tennis federation objected to her supporting the team from the sidelines in Ostend because they feared a hostile response from the crowd over her decision not to play in the tie. "I think it shows a lack of respect for what Justine has done for Belgian tennis," added a furious Rodriguez."...Alexandra "Dr. A" Stevenson before retiring with a shoulder injury at Cincy: "The good news is I've won five sets in three days. It gives me confidence in my shoulder. Now I know I'm back. I'm not 100 percent, but I'm 97 percent better." -- Watch out for the three percent...From the AP: "After the loss at Wimbledon, the second-seeded Roddick worked to turn his season around, including a week of lessons from Jimmy Connors. "Jimmy had some real good ideas, which I think I'll keep to myself. The workouts were fun. They were intense," Roddick said. "I was a lot more prepared this time. I'm more physically and mentally ready for this than I have been in some time." Also Tuesday, defending champion Robby Ginepri rallied to beat Alejandro Falla 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, with an instant replay challenge overturning a key point. The event is the first U.S. Open Series tournament to allow players to challenge calls and get them reviewed using instant replay. Ginepri and Falla were tied at 5-5 in the second set when chair umpire Zsolt Beda of Hungary ruled a shot by Ginepri was out, giving Falla a 6-5 lead. But Ginepri challenged the ruling and the video showed his shot was actually in, giving him the lead. He went on to capture the second set. "I'm glad they started it here," Ginepri said. "I needed to come up with the challenge, and it worked in my favor."...From the BBC on the foot-dragging with the LTA-Brad Gilbert merger: "Brad Gilbert should be confirmed this week as both Andy Murray's new coach and an LTA performance director. LTA chief executive Roger Draper is close to announcing a deal with the American, reportedly worth ?500,000. "Hopefully, Brad joins us as an LTA performance coach and we will sub-contract him to Andy for 25 weeks," Draper told the Times. "The rest of the year he'll be working with our other top players and coaches and with our younger generations."...From Tennis Week: "Conchita Martinez will receive a celebratory send-off in San Diego next month. The Acura Classic will honor Martinez with an official American farewell ceremony during the tournament's night session on Tuesday, August 1. A part-time Cardiff resident, Martinez announced her retirement from professional singles tennis in Spain earlier this year. Her 18-year career was highlighted by a 1994 championship win at Wimbledon over Martina Navratilova and a top-10 ranking for more than six straight years without a break (April 1991 to June 1997). A local fan favorite at the Acura Classic, she took the championship title in 1995, won the doubles title last year in a marathon three-set final and was presented the Acura Classic Loyalty Award in 2003."...Paradorn Srichaphan blogging for the ATP: "First thing in the morning I called my parents back in Thailand. It's part of my routine to call them twice a day. With a 12 hour time difference it works best to call them first thing in the morning and just before I go to bed. You may think that I run out of things to say calling them so often but the calls are always really short, just one or two minutes. It's really just to hear their voices. I'll just say something like 'Hey dad, I am doing okay, I'm practicing twice today and it's a little hot here again.' With my friends I communicate mainly through text messaging. Sometimes I wonder if they have too much time on their hands. One friend, who is a car lover, sent me a message saying that he was taking his car to get washed. Make sure you get it clean I wrote back. We were just making fun of each other. My friends will tell me what they did today and tell me what the weather us like, so I know everything that is going on through texting."...From the AP: "Total U.S. Open prize money will be approximately $18.5 million this year, increasing $750,000 from last year's tennis tournament, and the men's and women's singles champions will each get $1.2 million. The money for each of the singles champions and the total purse are the highest of any of the Grand Slams. The overall payout for singles players will increase 6.7 percent, the U.S. Tennis Association announced Tuesday."...Mardy Fish had a tough 0-3 stop in World TeamTennis Tuesday night, losing two in doubles and singles to Eric Nunez...Pete Sampras and Rick Leach also lost in doubles to Dan Nestor and Phil Bester...From USA Today's impressive Doug Robson: "According to players, officials and tournaments, surface speed has been trending toward the middle, meaning grass and indoor courts are slower, clay is faster and balls bounce higher and with less pace on hardcourts. No less an intergenerational authority than Martina Navratilova is convinced this homogenization has taken over the sport. "Everything's slower," says the nine-time Wimbledon singles champ, who at 49 has played in four decades on tour. On grass, "The slice stays low, but the topspin doesn't," says Navratilova, who finished her career at Wimbledon two weeks ago in doubles and mixed doubles. Many players assert that hardcourts in the USA are no exception. "You don't have these American hardcourt tournaments which are just unplayable from the baseline, unreturnable," says No. 1 Roger Federer, the reigning U.S. Open champion who won his fourth consecutive Wimbledon crown July 9 against Rafael Nadal. "Everywhere you sort of get into the points. It's actually quite slow now." Rick Leach, a former No. 1 doubles player who played for 20 years at Wimbledon, says he kept balls from previous tournaments and the felt covering is much less fluffy from years past. The materials used in most indoor surfaces are more cushioned and slower. Likewise, some events in the USA are using surfaces with more granules in the paint, which causes the ball to grip more and accentuate the effect of topspin. "In my opinion, there has been a conscious effort to slow the ball speed down a bit," says Jim Lathrop, whose company, Total Tennis, oversees resurfacing for the courts at the ATP's Cincinnati Masters tournament. "I mean, Indian Wells, forget about it," Navratilova says of March's Pacific Life Open tournament. "You hit a great volley, and the person's got five minutes to run it down and hit it by you."
 
7-21-06

7-21-06

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TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
From the ATP LA event: "Four-time and defending champion Andre Agassi; twins Bob and Mike Bryan, the world's No. 1 doubles team two out of the last three years; and tennis great Pam Shriver (joining in as chair umpire) will be part of the Gibson/Baldwin Night at the Net, a star-studded event along with celebrity players actor/comedian Jon Lovitz and Entourage star Jeremy Piven. Additional participants include host comedian Fred Willard and Jack and Stench from the "Jamie, Jack and Stench Show" on STAR 98.7 FM as ball boys for the tournament. This event is especially significant because Agassi has recently announced his retirement from professional tennis after the 2006 U.S. Open. Performers include multi-GRAMMY Award nominee Brian McKnight, and Verve recording artist Mindi Abair."...From Peter Bodo blogging for TennisWorld: "I've been thinking about this on-court coaching experiment the WTA is about to embark upon, and I flat out think it stinks. I'm pretty much march in lock-step with L. Jon on this one. No amount of spin or hype about "growing the game" (does it every occur to Larry Scott that he may be growing the game right out of its identity, which has served it pretty well so far?) or tangential buzz about a new cast of characters and new set of intrigues can overcome the fact that with on-court coaching, the rich will get richer while the absolute grandeur of individual performance will be diluted -- if not altogether lost. Contemplate this scenario. Anastasia Myskina is serving Serena Williams off the court in the final of the Kool-Aid Classic; she's just won the first set 6-4. On the next changeover, Serena asks her courtside coach (Nick Bollettieri?) what to do. (Myskina, meanwhile, takes a sip of water, nudges Jens Gerlach awake, and they start making out). Bollettieri, miked for ESPN, whispers: "Serena darling. Stop trying to attack that second serve. Play from two steps behind the baseline and go crosscourt with the return to set up your forehand." Okay, Serena does it. She storms back to take the next two sets, 7-6, 7-5. So play television producer for a moment. Who is it that you want for your first post-match sound bite (hint: who do the sideline reporters jog along with at the end of the first half in a football game, the offensive tackle or the head coach?). This idea absolutely undermines the one truly great thing tennis has going for it: the integrity of the individual, and the way he or she is able to respond to the challenge of a rival, as well as the inherent stress of competition. That's the main reason that most fans watch tennis, and the ability to perform admirably under stress is still No. 1 in the book of tennis virtues."...World TeamTennis highlights: Todd Martin/Amir Hadad blanking Jan-Michael and Tory Gambill in doubles, then Martin losing to Jan-Mike in singles; Venus Williams and Lisa Raymond losing to Julie Ditty\Viktoriya Kutuzova, winning only a game, then Venus losing to Kutuzova in singles; Pete Sampras beating Alex Bogomolov, Jr. in singles but losing both his men's and mixed doubles Wednesday, then Thursday winning in singles but losing in doubles...From the Andy Murray blog: "Flew back from Newport Sunday night. Got stuck in a really bad traffic jam on the way to Boston airport and got there one hour before the flight was due to leave. I was one of the last people to check in and the guy behind the desk said "Could you wait for ten minutes?" I had really no clue what I was waiting for but then he came over and said "Sorry there are no seats left...I'll have to bump you up a class!" Really nice. Better food, better sleep. Flight left at 6 in the evening and arrived at 5 in the morning. Spent Monday chilling then went to Eastbourne to join the team on Tuesday. Staying in the Grand Hotel -- really nice, right next to the sea. Only problem is it's been about 49 degrees since we got here and there's no air conditioning in the rooms. Room is pretty big and they've given me one of those portable fan things, but it's still hotter than it is outside. Compared to Newport the courts at Devonshire Park are much flatter and better bounce but they're very fast. Practiced with Bog for about 3 hours today. Played a bit of football as well but had to stop the game early because a few of the players got a bit heated. One match ended with Alan Mackin wrestling with Ron, the stringer. And in another one Bog's coach Mike got an ankle injury from a dirty slide tackle from Lee Childs! Had to go to the official dinner on Wednesday. These things are pretty dull. All you do is sit and listen to a few speeches which you have heard about ten times before. And you eat the smallest portions of the fanciest food. Not my cup of tea."...Andre Agassi's 21st consecutive US Open appearance will break the record of Jimmy Connors...Brenda Schultz-McCarty set a new serving record with a 130-mph blast in the Cincy qualifying...Simon Barnes writing for the Times Online on Brad Gilbert: "And that's the Gilbert revolution: clarity. Not just talking about being professional, but actually going the whole way. Could Gilbert have taken the Henman out of Tim? Could he have taught Henman to guard a lead, to keep concentration, to bully lesser players into submission, to see himself as a player who dines at the top table as of right? We'll never know, just as we will never know if a true winning-ugly philosophy could have lifted the England football team to coherent performances in Germany. But certainly, as we look around English sport, we find a certain deference, a certain sense of apology and bluster, a readiness to hide behind present hardship, a readiness to accept second-best, a reluctance to seize an occasion. Gilbert is a man of mystique, most of it self-created. He is always photographed in his wraparound shades, a cheap if effective gimmick. Indeed, the whole concept of winning ugly, as Gilbert sells it, is cheap but effective. Don't be squeamish. Destroy an opponent's rhythm. Prepare properly. Remember that the warm-up begins with your brain. Not rocket science, no. Every professional athlete knows these things."...Serena Williams, with her low ranking, will receive a wildcard for the US Open...Wayne Arthurs, dropping 29 aces in a losing effort at Indy...From Reuters: "World No. 3 Justine Henin-Hardenne will play for Belgium in the final of the Fed Cup against Italy in September despite an initial threat from her coach that she would boycott the squad. The French Open champion's coach, Carlos Rodriguez, told a news conference on Thursday that the player would be available for the match on home soil on Sept. 16-17. "Coach Carlos Rodriguez was happy to announce that a restoration for Justine to the national Fed Cup squad has occurred. Justine will be honored to help Belgium gain their first Fed Cup title since 2001," said a message on Henin-Hardenne's Web site. Rodriguez had previously said his charge was unlikely to take part because of what he described as the shocking treatment she received following her withdrawal from last weekend's semifinal win against the United States. He insisted that Henin-Hardenne had informed team captain Carl Maes that she was too worn out to play after her Wimbledon final loss to Amelie Mauresmo, a week before the semifinal. However, Maes kept this secret for several days, making it look like she had pulled out at the last minute. She was also encouraged to cheer on her team and then urged not to attend lest the crowd turn against her. Rodriguez said Belgian tennis officials had not shown Henin-Hardenne due respect but added that the threat not to compete was never meant that earnestly. "Debates were opened and truths were revealed from the Fed Cup tie last weekend in Ostend leading to a newer, greater understanding with parties involved," Rodriguez said." -- Thank god that's over with and the integrity of top players showing up for a Fed Cup match is upheld ...Word in Canada is that Rafael Nadal will now not skip the Masters Series-Canada...Read what you want into this -- Jelena Jankovic on why on-court coaching will be great: "Every player sometimes gets a little lost on the court. Sometimes when a player gets down, the coach can motivate the player...I think the (matches) will be more close. It won't be like 6-0, 6-0 matches."
 
7-23-06

7-23-06

DAILY TENNIS-X E-NEWSLETTER
Who cares if you need it or not, show your love for Tennis-X, contribute to the fund, only eight bucks for one year of daily tennis news! Pay as you go! You know you want to. Bring a friend. Preferably a girlfriend. Read what tennis industry insiders read each morning to get their heads around the latest news, insight and opinion on pro tennis. A year's subscription costs less than a meal and a pint. Get the Tennis-X Daily Dish in your e-mail in-box, even before it's posted on the web, by signing up for the net's most complete daily e-newsletter at http://www.tennis-x.com/subscribe.php

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
From Mariano Puerta on returning to action next June after his drug sentence was reduced: "I do not know if I will return next June. If I want to return, I must start training now to start the pre-season on April 2007. I must make a very big effort, mentally mainly. I will take a decision in the next few days."...NBC commentator Jim Courier getting a little over-pumped about the return of American tennis, citing Justin Gimelstob in the Newport final and three Americans making it to the semis in the very weak Indy field. Newport/Indy is a little early, get back to us after the US Open with the American-upstarts update...The end of RCA as a sponsor for Indy will also end the poorly-produced Nipper and Chipper dog commercials. The commercial features the now-retired Todd Martin, and for those that can't remember when RCA advertised heavily with the dogs, the commercials now make no sense. Nice effort RCA...From the Hartford Courant: "One arrived and returned to Manhattan on a private helicopter; the other drove his car from an Avon motel. One has 64 ATP singles titles, 14 of them Grand Slams, and more than $43 million in career earnings. The other is 256th in the singles rankings and is still looking for his first ATP win. But Glenn Weiner can add something to his resume that not every tennis player can. He beat Pete Sampras in singles Friday as the FoxForce defeated the Newport Beach Breakers 24-16 in a World TeamTennis match before 2,500 at Blue Fox Run. "I was very nervous and very excited, both at the same time," said Weiner, who once hit balls with Sampras seven years ago when they were both training in Tampa, Fla. "This was almost surreal. Boris Becker and Pete Sampras were the two players I loved to watch while growing up." There maybe should also be an asterisk added next to Weiner's 5-2 victory because Sampras, arguably the greatest player of all time, strained his right hamstring in the fourth game. "I tweaked it a little bit," said Sampras, who ended a three-year retirement to play seven matches with the Breakers this summer. "It will be OK. I wish I could have played a little better, but I did the best I could."...What happened to the Andy Roddick blogging on his website? Blog about the new mojo. Blog about Jimmy Connors yelling at you. Judging by the player's box shots from Saturday, maybe Connors can yell at coach John who looks like he is going Peter Lundgren...From tennisnews.com: "Emmi, Switzerland's leading milk processor, and Roger Federer, the world's No. 1 tennis player and reigning Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open Champion, have agreed to a multi-year partnership. From July 2006, Federer will be the face of Emmi for the international marketing of innovative concepts such as the new performance drink LACTO TAB." Mmmm, sounds delicious...Andy Murray and Jamie Delgado blew a 4-1 lead in the fifth set Saturday, losing their Davis Cup doubles match to Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich of Israel, dropping to a 1-2 deficit in the series where they now must win both singles Sunday. Murray strained his neck and shoulder diving for balls in the fifth set: "I'll wake up tomorrow and see how I feel and if necessary have some treatment. But if I play I want to win and win comfortably. The neck started getting worse towards the end of the match, and I wasn't feeling too good. But it is not over yet. It is a disappointment. We had plenty of chances and I had a point on my serve at 4-1 in the final set. I thought we were unlucky and played a lot of good points." Brit captain Jeremy "Master" Bates says the road will be tough to avoid Davis Cup relegation hell for another year with a loss: "We still have two winnable matches tomorrow -- and so, yes, there are some positives. The guys put themselves out there and gave it their best shot, but it is a tough ask now. People say the doubles are always pivotal, but we've still got a chance."...Canada is one match from rejoining the Davis Cup World Group for 2007, leading Venezuela 2-0 with the doubles rained out Saturday...From ANDnetwork.com: "Its all gloomy for the Zimbabwe Davis Cup team who were left trailing hosts Greece 2-0 in the Euro/African Zone Group Two playoffs at the Salonica Country Club in Thessaloniki on Friday 21 July 2006. Reports from Greece indicated that Zimbabwe lost both their opening singles matches to their Greece opponents. First to go down was United States-based Pfungwa Mahefu who lost 26, 06, 06 to the hosts' Kostanantinos Economidis. Greece have now taken a comfortable 20 lead. Playing captain Gwinyai Tongoona and Chidzikwe still have a chance of winning the doubles against Greece's Alexiou Elefterious and Paris Gemouchidis. Zimbabwe managed to send only three players to the assignment and Tongoona, the oldest member of the team, is now doubling as captain. Tennis Zimbabwe failed to get funds to send nonplaying captain Claudio Murape while the fourth player Takanyi Garan'anga was also dropped." -- Ouch! Where are the Black brothers when you need them?...From Deadspin.com: "1:30, NBC. Tennis. U.S. Open Series: RCA Championship, Semifinals. There are three Americans in the men's semifinals, Roddick, Blake, and Ginepri. There must've been a major clerical error somewhere."...Very big stage for James Blake Sunday against Andy Roddick in the Indy final, a chance to prove that his recent win over Roddick at Queen's on grass, his first win in their first seven encounters, wasn't a fluke. A lot on the line for both players, who privately (and not-so-privately) covet that "No.-1 ranked American" next to their name.
 
7-23-06

7-23-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
From Mariano Puerta on returning to action next June after his drug sentence was reduced: "I do not know if I will return next June. If I want to return, I must start training now to start the pre-season on April 2007. I must make a very big effort, mentally mainly. I will take a decision in the next few days."...NBC commentator Jim Courier getting a little over-pumped about the return of American tennis, citing Justin Gimelstob in the Newport final and three Americans making it to the semis in the very weak Indy field. Newport/Indy is a little early, get back to us after the US Open with the American-upstarts update...The end of RCA as a sponsor for Indy will also end the poorly-produced Nipper and Chipper dog commercials. The commercial features the now-retired Todd Martin, and for those that can't remember when RCA advertised heavily with the dogs, the commercials now make no sense. Nice effort RCA...From the Hartford Courant: "One arrived and returned to Manhattan on a private helicopter; the other drove his car from an Avon motel. One has 64 ATP singles titles, 14 of them Grand Slams, and more than $43 million in career earnings. The other is 256th in the singles rankings and is still looking for his first ATP win. But Glenn Weiner can add something to his resume that not every tennis player can. He beat Pete Sampras in singles Friday as the FoxForce defeated the Newport Beach Breakers 24-16 in a World TeamTennis match before 2,500 at Blue Fox Run. "I was very nervous and very excited, both at the same time," said Weiner, who once hit balls with Sampras seven years ago when they were both training in Tampa, Fla. "This was almost surreal. Boris Becker and Pete Sampras were the two players I loved to watch while growing up." There maybe should also be an asterisk added next to Weiner's 5-2 victory because Sampras, arguably the greatest player of all time, strained his right hamstring in the fourth game. "I tweaked it a little bit," said Sampras, who ended a three-year retirement to play seven matches with the Breakers this summer. "It will be OK. I wish I could have played a little better, but I did the best I could."...What happened to the Andy Roddick blogging on his website? Blog about the new mojo. Blog about Jimmy Connors yelling at you. Judging by the player's box shots from Saturday, maybe Connors can yell at coach John who looks like he is going Peter Lundgren...From tennisnews.com: "Emmi, Switzerland's leading milk processor, and Roger Federer, the world's No. 1 tennis player and reigning Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open Champion, have agreed to a multi-year partnership. From July 2006, Federer will be the face of Emmi for the international marketing of innovative concepts such as the new performance drink LACTO TAB." Mmmm, sounds delicious...Andy Murray and Jamie Delgado blew a 4-1 lead in the fifth set Saturday, losing their Davis Cup doubles match to Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich of Israel, dropping to a 1-2 deficit in the series where they now must win both singles Sunday. Murray strained his neck and shoulder diving for balls in the fifth set: "I'll wake up tomorrow and see how I feel and if necessary have some treatment. But if I play I want to win and win comfortably. The neck started getting worse towards the end of the match, and I wasn't feeling too good. But it is not over yet. It is a disappointment. We had plenty of chances and I had a point on my serve at 4-1 in the final set. I thought we were unlucky and played a lot of good points." Brit captain Jeremy "Master" Bates says the road will be tough to avoid Davis Cup relegation hell for another year with a loss: "We still have two winnable matches tomorrow -- and so, yes, there are some positives. The guys put themselves out there and gave it their best shot, but it is a tough ask now. People say the doubles are always pivotal, but we've still got a chance."...Canada is one match from rejoining the Davis Cup World Group for 2007, leading Venezuela 2-0 with the doubles rained out Saturday...From ANDnetwork.com: "Its all gloomy for the Zimbabwe Davis Cup team who were left trailing hosts Greece 2-0 in the Euro/African Zone Group Two playoffs at the Salonica Country Club in Thessaloniki on Friday 21 July 2006. Reports from Greece indicated that Zimbabwe lost both their opening singles matches to their Greece opponents. First to go down was United States-based Pfungwa Mahefu who lost 26, 06, 06 to the hosts' Kostanantinos Economidis. Greece have now taken a comfortable 20 lead. Playing captain Gwinyai Tongoona and Chidzikwe still have a chance of winning the doubles against Greece's Alexiou Elefterious and Paris Gemouchidis. Zimbabwe managed to send only three players to the assignment and Tongoona, the oldest member of the team, is now doubling as captain. Tennis Zimbabwe failed to get funds to send nonplaying captain Claudio Murape while the fourth player Takanyi Garan'anga was also dropped." -- Ouch! Where are the Black brothers when you need them?...From Deadspin.com: "1:30, NBC. Tennis. U.S. Open Series: RCA Championship, Semifinals. There are three Americans in the men's semifinals, Roddick, Blake, and Ginepri. There must've been a major clerical error somewhere."...Very big stage for James Blake Sunday against Andy Roddick in the Indy final, a chance to prove that his recent win over Roddick at Queen's on grass, his first win in their first seven encounters, wasn't a fluke. A lot on the line for both players, who privately (and not-so-privately) covet that "No.-1 ranked American" next to their name.
 
7-24-06

7-24-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
World TeamTennis update: on Saturday Todd Martin lost to Scott Lipsky in singles then won his doubles as his Boston Lobsters edged the New York Buzz; Mardy Fish went crazy with a singles win (d. Crabb) and two doubles wins as his Houston Wranglers beat Venus Williams' (who won her singles and lost her doubles) Philadelphia Freedoms...Serena Williams after her semifinal loss to Vera "The Crying Game" Zvonareva at Cincy: "I was fighting, but my balls kept flying. Maybe I should've added more spin. I think I was just off today -- better now than three weeks from now. Every forehand, I think I was aiming at the ball kids or the umpire instead of the court."...What will LA end up doing for an Andre Agassi farewell for the player who says he doesn't want any farewell-tour type events? Give him a thank-you card in the player tunnel? A handshake?...19-year-old Serb Novak Djokovic is officially on the map with an impressive claycourt win over Nicolas Massu in the Amersfoort final, let the LTA bidding begin -- Greg Rusedski is just about done, time to buy another player...Opening-round matches to watch for punters this week: (5) Carlos Moya vs. Jiri Novak, (2) Juan Carlos vs. Spanish countryman Al "The Dropshot Dragon" Portas in Umag, and in LA (WC) Sam Querrey vs. Vince Spadea in an all-American, Marat Safin vs. Mardy Fish, (5) Andre Agassi vs. Xavier "X-Man" Malisse, Andy Murray vs. (7) Dominik "The Dominator" Hrbaty, (4) Robby Ginepri vs. Justin Gimelstob in an all-American, and (2) Lleyton Hewitt vs. the pesky Paul Goldstein...Props to the ATP for finally getting the rankings history on the website for the media...Jamie Delgado filled in for an injured Andy Murray in Britain's loss to Israel Sunday. Come back Tim, Greg, Fred. Britain now faces Ukraine in a relegation play-off on Sept. 22-24 where it will bid to avoid descending to Group II for the first time since 1996...From Jeff Jacobs writing for the Hartford Courant: "Sampras told The New York Times recently that he saw how fans flocked to Arnold Palmer at the 1999 pro-am at the Bob Hope Classic and wished he could have such a personal connection. So he's using this WTT season and a few ensuing exhibitions to interact more with fans and sponsors, to have a little fun. Instead of disappearing, Sampras even wants to appear in an exhibition against Federer. "I heard some rumbling, some people might be trying to put something together," Sampras said. "I would welcome it. Just for the sport. I'm still hitting the ball well enough where I can at least compete against him a little bit. He'd probably tune me up pretty good. He's busy with his priorities and I don't blame him. But it could happen if we want it to happen."...From Ananova.com on the LTA-Brad Gilbert deal, which was initially supposed to be announced last Tuesday but is reportedly hung up over the amount of time Gilbert will spend in Britain each year: "Lawn Tennis Association chief executive Roger Draper is confident of striking a deal with leading coach Brad Gilbert "in the not too distant future". Gilbert, who has coached Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick, is being targeted as the ideal man to help guide Andy Murray into the world's top 10 and give the whole of British tennis a much-needed boost. "Hopefully we will have him on board in the not-too-distant future," said Draper. "We are still talking to Brad. It is a big commitment for him. He lives out in the States." He added: "Belief and confidence has been lacking in British tennis and Brad is the sort of person we believe can help inspire some of our talented young coaches and drive British tennis up to world-class levels, where we aspire to be. As with all these things there are complexities, working out the number of weeks and schedules. Brad is a busy guy. We want Brad on board but we also want him to be fully committed." Draper added that Gilbert could continue to be based in California, though he would need to spend time at the LTA's new national centre in Roehampton. "If this deal did come off we would want to spend quite a bit of time in Roehampton but tennis is a global sport and we don't mind where our players train. We just want more in the top 100 in the world and get back to winning ways," Draper told Sportsweek on BBC Radio Five Live."
 
7-25-06

7-25-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
From the Newport Beach Daily Pilot: "When Pete Sampras elected to end a near-four-year retirement to join the Newport Beach Breakers of World Team Tennis, he likely didn't plan on days like Sunday. The 14-time Grand Slam singles champion, considered by some to be the best player in the history of the sport, was trounced, 5-0, by John Paul Fruttero in the Breakers' 23-15 loss to the St. Louis Aces at the Dwight Davis Memorial Tennis Center. Fruttero, whose highest singles ATP singles ranking was 183 last year, dropped Sampras' WTT singles record to 2-4. Sampras, whose career ATP singles record was 762-222 (a .774 winning percentage) has contributed to six of the Breakers' eight losses this season and Breakers Coach Dick Leach has said Sampras' inability to get into proper playing shape has afforded the Breakers "no chance" to win. The team has not won with Sampras in the lineup." -- Ouch...Andre Agassi speaking to the LA Times on his best memory of the LA tournament: "The most memorable time here for me was losing to Pete six and six in the finals (in 1999), and then showering in those showers they have here and getting real dressed up and getting in my convertible, a '76 El Dorado, and driving down the road for my first date with Steffi [Graf]. I never remember not caring so much after losing a match." Their first dinner together was in La Jolla. Agassi laughed about the way the day unfolded. "It was perfect," he said. "That was my actual best memory is losing here, a match where they got to see something good." Seven years later, he and Graf are married and have two children, 4-year-old Jaden Gil and 2-year-old Jaz Elle. The family is expected to be on hand during the tournament, as it was last year, when Jaden Gil hugged his father after Agassi defeated Gilles Muller in the final."...Dutchman John van Lottum has announced his retirement...There are two Americans in the men's Top 10 this week as Andy Roddick rises to No. 10 and James Blake to a career-high No. 5...From Leo Schlink writing for the Herald Sun on Lleyton Hewitt sewing the seeds to bail from Australia's Davis Cup match at Argentina, where he ranks high on the most-hated list: "Lleyton Hewitt has warned Tennis Australia he will miss September's Davis Cup semi-final against Argentina unless security issues are resolved. Speaking exclusively to the Herald Sun, Hewitt yesterday said he would withdraw from the September 22-24 tie in Buenos Aires if his safety concerns were not allayed. "The biggest concern is my safety," said Hewitt, a reviled figure in Argentina after a series of confrontations with Argentine players. "The situation has got steadily worse for visiting teams and it takes only one whacker over there to turn things on its head. I've got a family to think about and there are issues around the security situation. I've spoken to (Swedish captain) Mats Wilander about playing in Argentina and he says it's a bit of a circus. With what's happened between me and (David) Nalbandian, (Guillermo) Coria and (Juan-Ignacio) Chela, that makes it different again. Those guys have been stirring things up. Nalbandian's been talking it up about how much he wants me down there, so there are concerns over the safety issues. My management through Rob (Aivatoglou) has been pro-active in dealings with Tennis Australia, but the message coming back is that security arrangements are not what they could be."...Mario "Baby Goran" Ancic has reportedly injured his knee in a jet-skiing accident, possible damaging ligaments or tendons...From Neil Harman writing for the Times Online: "Any doubts about the extraordinary influence exerted by Andy Murray on British tennis were dispelled yesterday with confirmation that Brad Gilbert will become his coach and the least likely member of the LTA in the week that Jeremy Bates chose, with great reluctance, to fall on his Davis Cup sword. Negotiations to entice the former coach of Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick into the British game -- a decision that may not sit well in the Home Counties -- were halted during the tie against Israel at the weekend to prevent unwanted distractions. Now that Great Britain are preparing for a relegation fixture in Ukraine in September with no one to lead them, the nation needs all the distractions it can muster. Gilbert does not come cheaply and there are those who believe his move to Britain is nothing more than a stunt that is going to cost the LTA an awful lot of money and credibility. But Murray and his management had been on his case for weeks, the British No 1's desires override almost everything in the sport and the deal had to be airtight. Should last night's scan on the 19-year-old's injured neck register the all-clear, Murray will team up for the first time with Gilbert at the Legg Mason Classic in Washington DC next week...Gilbert cannot be the (Davis Cup) captain -- he would need a British passport and to have lived in the country for 24 consecutive months to qualify -- but there is nothing in the rules to stop him becoming a "shadow" in the front row of the support box with someone in the chair, a contemporary who suited the character of the players. The make-up of the team certainly must change...Bates, the former British No 1, will keep a role inside the LTA in charge of player development, but with hindsight, he was too conservative in his selections for the Davis Cup. He knows now that he should not have reinstated Alex Bogdanovic, Jamie Delgado gave his all against Israel but will be 30 next birthday, Alan Mackin has lost his two live rubbers ? though they were against Mark Philippoussis in Australia and Roger Federer in Switzerland -- and players who were brought in as hitting partners and caught the eye were promptly dropped for the subsequent ties."...Former No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero losing to countryman Al "The Dropshot Dragon" Portas, ouch...Serb Novak Djokovic speaking with inside-tennis.net on playing for Britain: "Well, you never know. But I have to say that at this moment there is no serious talk about me coming to Britain; it is just a rumor and right now I don't want to get into it deeply. I am playing for my country right now, I feel good making a great success right now; I'm at the top of my tennis. Right now we are in the middle of the season so I don't feel comfortable to think about it too much. But you never know in tennis and in life, maybe it might happen one day but for now there is nothing there."...From FOX Sports on a rugby player trying to claim the Mariano Puerta drug defense: "Lawyers for Wendell Sailor called on the drugs case involving a beaten French Open tennis finalist while trying to save the disgraced Australia rugby union wing from a two-year ban for cocaine use. The revelation was contained in a 35-page finding released yesterday by the anti-doping tribunal that last week rubbed out Sailor until May 11, 2008, for returning a positive sample after a Super 14 match this season. Argentine star Mariano Puerta was initially banned for eight years for a second offence after failing a drugs test the night he lost to Rafael Nadal in last year's title decider at Roland Garros. On appeal to the Court of Arbitration in Sport, Puerta had his suspension cut to two years. The player claimed he ingested etilefrine after sipping from his wife's wine glass the night before the match. His wife was taking a medication containing the substance. But the tribunal that sat on the Sailor case dismissed any calls for a reduced suspension, saying Puerta claimed to have ingested etilefrine inadvertently. "There was no such attempt by Sailor," judiciary committee chairman John Gleeson wrote in his conclusion. CAS also found Puerta had acted negligently but so slightly a reduction in penalty was warranted. "Sailor's conduct was not negligent," Gleeson added."
 
7-26-06

7-26-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Jimmy Connors
on coaching Andy Roddick: "I would like to try to give him a little bit of what made me what I was, and he is able to suck that up like a sponge. He's proven that already. It's not always in the game. It's the intangibles that could make the difference, along with a few tweaks here and there. I'm not sitting down there breaking down and criticizing everything. I'm just trying to make him the best that he can be." -- Don't be afraid to bark at that backhand Jimmy...Monday WTT results: John Paul Fruttero, who beat Pete Sampras 5-0 last week, gets blanked 5-0 by Jaymon Crabb; Martina Navratilova goes 1-1 in doubles to edge her Boston Lobsters over the Delaware Smash; Sampras loses his singles to Jan-Michael Gambill (ouch) but wins in doubles as his Newport Beach Breakers edge the Houston Wranglers 20-19. Tuesday WTT results: Sampras sat out of the Newport Beach Breakers line-up, with his team going on to beat the John McEnroe-led New York Sportimes 21-20. After McEnroe won his singles (d. Ramon Delgado) and both doubles, the entire match was tied at 20-20 and came down to a match-determining tiebreak, where Delgado then gained revenge over McEnroe by rolling him 7-0...Andy Roddick on his part-time coaching relationship with Jimmy Connors: "We both clicked. I then had a good week in Indy. It means a lot when someone who's won as much as Jimmy has says he has belief in you. I'm pretty exited that I get to pick his brain on a more regular basis. I've been going into matches hoping that something good would happen as opposed to making something good happen. I never felt that I couldn't play tennis."...Guillermo Coria, Lleyton Hewitt, no year-end championship for you...From Joel Drucker writing for CBSSportsline.com on the Andy Roddick-Jimmy Connors phenomenon: "Certainly Connors doesn't need the money, nor is he necessarily keen on schlepping week after week to pro tournaments to handle such coaching duties as booking practice courts and finding hitting partners. Those matters will remain in the hands of Roddick's brother, John, a former All-American at the University of Georgia. Connors says he and Roddick have agreed to partner through the end of 2006, which to me is a mix of trips to tournaments and hours of cell phone calls. It's the first question that's intriguing. Here's where the two share common ground: Both hail from the no-nonsense Midwest, earnest jocks willing to work hard and have a bit of fun. Each enjoys emoting on the court, too, as you might expect from two high-intensity Americans who always celebrate their birthdays during the U.S. Open. Where they differ was revealed in one of Roddick's comments: "I'm looking forward to picking Jimmy's brain on a regular basis. Last week, as Roddick made his way to the finals in Indianapolis (with Connors at home watching on TV), he made an effort to hit returns earlier, particularly on second serves. In baseline rallies he also struck his backhand more decisively. Both these steps are signs of Connors' input; Connors never backed off from taking a good swipe at the ball. If Roddick can commit to taking balls early like this -- and he'll need to practice hours to get the technique down -- he might benefit on several fronts."...Grammy award winning artist Lionel Richie will join Andy Roddick at the second annual Andy Roddick Foundation Charity Gala and Auction on Tuesday, Nov. 21st, 2006 at the Four Seasons Hotel Austin in Austin, Texas...Former ATP player and current Masters Series-Canada Tournament Director Grant Connell writing for the Toronto Sun: "Last week, the WTA Tour announced that our sister tournament in Montreal, the Rogers Cup, will be the first event to allow on-court coaching during matches. While the new protocol is designed to make the game more fan friendly and entertaining for TV and in-stadium viewers, I believe more importantly, it will increase the quality of the game. As a former player on tour, I first thought this addition might take away from the essence of the game. Being all by yourself (or with your doubles partner) with your thoughts on court is one of the toughest mental experiences an athlete could encounter. Are they ruining the purity of my sport? After further discussion with friends and colleagues, I've come to realize that tennis may be the only sport that hasn't allowed in-game assistance. If done right, it will enhance the product on court and could really take tennis to a whole new level. Under the WTA testing that will take place next month in Montreal, women may request their coach to come on court once per set as well as during set breaks. Additionally, if a player takes a medical time out or bathroom break, the opposing player only may request her coach. Here's where I think the rules become interesting. Players designate their coach in advance of the match, but are allowed to designate a fellow player or other individual to serve as her official coach for the match. If you don't have a coach, pick a friend on tour to come help you out. Better yet, which sponsor is going to attempt to create a contest allowing a fan to coach a player?" -- Circus time! Pick a friend! Pick the tournament's sponsor's director of marketing! Point to someone in the crowd and yell 'Coach me!'...John Lloyd on the open Brit Davis Cup captaincy: "The Davis Cup is something I've loved and I'd be an idiot if I wasn't interested. The competition fascinates me," Lloyd told BBC Sport. "But the bottom line is that no-one's mentioned it to me, and there would be a lot to discuss if they did. The job's changed a lot since I was a player."...From tennisnews.com: "The USTA today announced that ratings on NBC for the first week of the US Open Series increased on NBC, with the Sunday final of the RCA Championship that featured James Blake defeating Andy Roddick up 50% over 2005 (1.2 vs. .8) and the Saturday semifinal (Roddick vs. Robby Ginepri) up 13% over last year (0.9 vs. 0.8)." -- Is our math (or "maths" as the Brits say) bad or do those numbers not add up?...Nicole Vaidisova blogging for the WTA: "I just wanted to chill out in the hotel. I watched that movie, Something's Gotta Give, and had to unpack all my bags, which I don't really like. That's one of my least favorite things about traveling on the Tour -- all the packing and unpacking. It never ends and you always have to worry if your bags are too heavy and whether you're going to be hit with a huge charge at the airport. This morning, I woke up at 8:45. I am still on Florida time (I live and train at the IMG/Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida) and came from Europe two days before that so the jet-lag is still a bit there. But I had a Starbucks breakfast -- coffee and a chocolate muffin -- breakfast of champions. Then, back to training -- some jogging and exercises with my dad, who's my coach, on the track, which is right by the courts, followed by lunch in the players' lounge. Because of the extreme heat right now in California, they have to turn the lights down in the lounge so that they can keep the air conditioning running and not use up too much power. I must say though that I prefer the Stanford heat over the Sacramento heat. That was like a sauna. After lunch, back to the hotel for yet another movie -- this time, Alien vs. Predator. I know, I know, it's a terrible movie, but for some odd reason, I liked watching it. It's like the smart person in me knows it's a bad movie, and I shouldn't watch it, but the silly person says that it's great. The silly person won." -- Starbucks and two movies, nice day...From Haaretz.com: "Anna Smashnova began defense of the Budapest Grand Prix yesterday with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 defeat of Eleni Daniilidou of Greece and then had her day crowned with an award from the International Tennis Federation for her contribution to the Fed Cup. Smashnova has played 61 Fed Cup ties for Israel, more than any other player on the circuit."...From FOX Sports Australia: "Tennis Australia announced extra security today for its team contesting the Davis Cup semi-final in Buenos Aires after Lleyton Hewitt threatened to boycott the tie, saying he feared for his safety. Former world No.1 Hewitt is reviled in Argentina after a series of clashes with players from the South American country and said he was apprehensive about the September 22-24 tie. "The biggest concern is my safety," he said. "The situation has got steadily worse for visiting teams and it takes only one whacko over there to turn things on its head. I've got my family to think about and there are issues around the security situation." But Tennis Australia spokesman John Lindsay said his organisation was taking the issue seriously and doing everything it could to ensure a safe environment for the players. "We have been over there and reviewed the security situation and are liaising with the Argentinians to make sure everything is satisfactory," he said. "We have made some recommendations about steps we would like to see taken and are implementing extra security measures of our own. The security and safety of all our players is an important consideration for Tennis Australia." -- Take as as many trips over there as you want, Lleyton is pulling...From Tennisreporters.net's Matt Cronin on Jelena Jankovic: "By the end of August, she will have to choose whether she will pay for Serbia or Montenegro, as the two countries will have spit by then. The edge should go to Serbia, given that she grew up there and her mother, Snezana, is a native, but her dad, Veselin, is from Montenegro, so things could get tricky around the dinner table. "There's a lot of talk and questions as to which country I will play for," she said. "There's so much politics and I really don't know yet." Like many Eastern Europeans, Jankovic is blunt. Vera Zvonareva crushed her in Cincy last week and while she said that the Russian is playing very solid, Jankovic said that the reason why she played so badly was because she just had her period. "I felt really dizzy. My legs were heavy, but I gave my best anyway," she said."...Andy Murray has reportedly been given the OK to play Washington next week, coming off a neck injury...From the Brit Lawn Tennis Association: "The LTA today announced that Brad Gilbert will join the organisation and as part of his role has agreed to become Andy Murray's new coach. Brad will also play a vital role in supporting wider LTA performance programmes. Roger Draper, Chief Executive of the LTA said: "We promised a new approach to coaching and I am confident that Brad will bring that to the LTA. He has a world-class track record and will play a central role in helping us improve our performance and success from elite players like Andy, through to our up and coming talent. Brad will be fully focussed on front-line coaching and is not a replacement for the position of Performance Director. As part of our new strategy for British tennis we want the best people in the world actually 'on the ground' helping create more tennis champions." Brad Gilbert commented: "I am really looking forward to working with Andy as he is one of the most talented young players on the tour. I am also looking forward to working at the LTA and it is great to see Roger Draper making changes for the benefit of British Tennis." Andy Murray commented: "While growing up, Agassi was one of the players I looked up to. He won several Grand Slams and reached number one in the world with Brad so I am delighted to now have Brad as my coach."
 
7-27-06

7-27-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
From the Mercury News on golf dad Ivan Lendl: "From his lawn-chair perch, peering through binoculars on Tuesday, Ivan Lendl could have been a general studying a battlefield. Not so. Try golf parent, decked out in rest-of-his-life casual, visor pulled down tight against the sun at White Manor Country Club, trying to keep track of his two talented teenage daughters in the McDonald's Betsy Rawls Girls Championship. So, how many of these tournaments does Lendl, 46, the former No. 1 tennis player in the world, trek to these days? "Twenty to 25 a year," he said, as if even he can't believe it. "Expensive? Yes. And it hurts my game, too." But Lendl wasn't complaining. A dozen years retired from tennis, the iron-willed Czech, who won eight Grand Slam titles and more than $21 million, is perfectly happy being Golf Dad Lendl. So far, so good. In addition to being a co-leader after the first round of the 54-hole Betsy Rawls, with a 1-under-par 70, Marika, 16, a high school junior and the oldest of five Lendl girls, is the No. 15-ranked junior girl in the country. Two shots back, tied for fifth after a 1-over 72, is her younger sister, Isabelle, 14, a sophomore, who is ranked No. 5 among girls in the United States. Under NCAA guidelines, both girls are too young to be recruited, but coaches from big-time programs are watching. "Just look at their rankings -- that's all you need to know," said an assistant coach from a former national championship team, declining to be quoted by name. Not surprisingly, Marika and Isabelle Lendl have designs on playing on the LPGA Tour. And, perhaps surprisingly, both girls idolize Tiger Woods, not Annika Sorenstam."...From Patrick McEnroe writing for ESPN.com: "The final at the RCA Championship was the best I've seen Andy Roddick play in a while. Spending just a few days with Jimmy Connors made a difference. It was obvious he got through to Andy as he was hitting the ball as well as I've seen him hit it all year...I believe Connors will help restore Roddick's confidence. Judging from what he said in his press conference, Connors really believes in him. Look, Andy has a lot of respect for Connors -- who wouldn't as a player and a competitor? -- and I think Jimmy just said to him you have the game and the tools, you can get back to where you were. Connors hasn't been a coach before, and before taking over as Roddick's coach, he hadn't really shown any interest in that aspect of the game. Andy took that as a sign that Connors believes in him."...And here's Brad Gilbert's scary "wake-up call" rant in today's The Times, headlined "Here's your wake-up call Andy, because hard work starts now": "It's just gone five in the morning, I'm on my second cup of coffee, I'm a morning man. It's a beautiful time of the day. The philosophy is that you get your practice in early, then maybe you get another one in later in the day -- but the first one you definitely do early. If Andy Murray isn't an early-morning person, that's going to change. The standards I set are those I learnt from my only coach, Tom Chivington from Foothills College in Los Altos, California -- you put in an honest, hard day's work every day. It doesn't mean you are going to win every time but it sure gives you a better chance. Every day you want to be that little bit better. And it can never be the coach's way or the highway; the player will have his opinions and I hear Andy's are pretty strong. I'll certainly have mine and it's about where we meet. Basically, we spend the first few weeks learning about who the other is ?-- we're getting it on for the first time in Washington tomorrow -- and it's gonna take time to implement all that I want to do. I don't want to take away his self-confidence, or want him to throw himself under a bus...He's got a lot of listening to do but I'm not a bone-killer...I don't see myself as a hard-ass but I do lead by example...There is a card game called Texas Hold 'Em where the most important thing is reading the person. It's about him learning to read me and me him...I talk really fast, he talks a little slow and methodical. We're going to have to strike a happy medium on that one...I loved my time with TV but I'm a coach and coaching is something I have a great passion about...There's no magic pill to take that makes you a better player, Andy needs to become physically stronger and over the next year that will be a big focus for us. He needs to be more hardened if he wants to be a really successful professional player. All you have to do is to look at Rafael Nadal: he has set the fitness bar to a new level for the other guys...What I've seen in the past few months is that he has a great talent, like a cross between Wayne Ferreira and Miloslav Mecir...He'll be spending quite a bit of time in California at my place, where he can have some peace and be a kid, then we'll train together in Florida, getting him ready for next year. This is a unique turn of events for me. I'm used to working with just one player, but now I'm working for the entire LTA. These guys will discover that the passion I have will extend to everything they want me to do. I'm eager to see the new facility at Roehampton, I want to meet the other coaches and the players -- but I can tell them all as well, we'll be on the courts early, no late starts."...World TeamTennis playoff scenario: The Philadelphia Freedoms join the Springfield Lasers, wildcard team Newport Beach Breakers and conference champions New York Sportimes (Eastern) and Sacramento Capitals (Western) for the playoffs which begin on Thursday, July 27 with a wildcard quarterfinal between Newport Beach and Springfield at 7 p.m. (PDT) at the Palisades Tennis Club in Newport Beach, Calif...Andre Agassi lost the first set Wednesday night at LA before thinking 'I can't go out to this guy who beat Pete!', coming back to defeat George Bastl (who defeated Pete Sampras at his last Wimbledon) in three sets...(1) Bryan brothers vs. Fish-Gimelstob next up in LA...Jimmy Connors is in Andy Roddick's player's box courtside this week in LA...From Newsday.com: "World Wrestling Entertainment chairman Vince McMahon may portray a bad boy on his pro wrestling television shows, but he still knows how to be nice to his mother. McMahon is paying for a $2.3 million indoor-outdoor tennis complex for the borough of Ebensburg, about 75 miles east of Pittsburgh. McMahon's mother, Vicky Agnew, is a tennis buff and lives in Ebensburg. McMahon's mother will help run the center, which will feature three indoor and three outdoor tennis courts, a pro shop, and office when it opens in about seven months. "Vince wanted to do this for me, and also to give something to Ebensburg," Agnew said."...From SI.com's Jon Wertheim: "Let's take this opportunity to praise the websites of both the WTA and the ATP. These vignettes (link) on the ATP's site are a nice new touch." -- Just praise the ATP Jon, since they are essentially doing both sites these days...From Tennis Week: "The "Winning Ugly" author is planting a piece of the Brad Gilbert Tennis Nation on Fourth Street in his San Rafael community. Gilbert and his childhood buddy, Devin Sconyers, have opened a 1,500-square foot tennis retail shop, Brad Gilbert Tennis Nation, a few minutes from Gilbert's home. "We're going to treat you good," Gilbert told the Marin Independent Journal. "We're going to give you good prices. We're going to be spreading the love of tennis. Come in and watch tennis, look at clothes and equipment and hang out. We'll represent San Rafael well by having a great product." --'Our prices are insaaaaane!'...Tom Mcferson writing for Tennisreporters.net on the Marat Safin-Mardy Fish match in LA: "It would have also been understandable for Safin to lose focus after three instant-replay rulings went against him, two on challenges by Fish. A well-known anti-instant-replay guy ("I'm not so sure about it," he said diplomatically after the match), no one would have held it again Safin to see him explode in a patented racket-bouncing rage after coming out on the losing end of three challenges, one which gave Fish double break point. But Safin kept his composure and shook it off. In the first set, both players held serve easily, until at 4-5, Fish blew a couple forehands to give Safin the set. Safin fell behind a break early in the second, but managed to break back and level the match at four-all. Fish's forehand, shaky in the first set, a total disaster in the second, betrayed him time and time again, and Safin eventually capitalized with the break at 6-5."...From the AP on James Blake finding a Top 5 ranking comes with perks -- free water!: "Capitalizing on his surge up the tennis rankings, James Blake has signed a multiyear, mid-six-figure endorsement deal with bottled water company Evian. It's the American's first non-tennis sponsorship deal since he made his debut in the top 10 early this year."...From tennisnews.com: "Rumors are flying that the USTA is about to announce a new name for is national tennis center in New York, home of the US Open. The talk is the new name is The Billie Jean King USTA National Tennis Center." and "Another week in tennis and another betting controversy is at hand. UK betting exchange Betfair is expected to forward their betting records to the ATP after Juan Monaco was sensationally backed from 1.70 into 1.14 to win in straight sets against Leonardo Azzaro in Kitzbuhel on Tuesday. Over $200,000 was traded on the betting option -- considerably more than other matches played on the day. The Austrian tournament controversially boasts a bookmaker as its major sponsor."...Top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko, not a happy camper after having trouble with the altitude and bombing out in his opener this week in Kitzbuhel on clay: "Lapentti didn't win the match today -- I lost it. I was just trying to play my normal game and hit as many winners as I could, but every time the ball was going out by up to two or three metres. I will have to think about whether I should come here again, or whether I should just head straight to the American tournaments." If you're U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe you can't be too bummed ahead of the U.S.-Russia tie in September to see Marat Safin still struggling with his knee, and Davydenko's uneven results, especially getting worked in the Bastad final by Tommy the R. -- time to sit down Andy Roddick and James Blake with some popcorn and watch that video a couple times...TCU six-year tennis coach and former ATP player Joey Rive resigned Wednesday after the school said it found he violated NCAA rules by making excessive phone calls to international recruits: "Although my intent was not to gain a recruiting advantage, I made a mistake with regard to the rule that permits just one call per week," Rive said in a release. "I take full responsibility for my actions and deeply regret that I have negatively impacted both TCU and the men's tennis program."...Two months out, still no decision if Lleyton Hewitt will bail on Australia's Davis Cup semifinal at Argentina over "security concerns" (aka everyone in Argentine hates him)...From Canada's National Post: "Israeli tennis player Harel Levy is struggling to regain the form he showed in 2001 when he was ranked No.30 on the ATP Tour computer. But tennis is the least of his worries these days. Each day, he wakes up, turns on the television and is reminded of people who are facing a much more difficult struggle back home. "It's difficult to get it out of your mind," Levy said after beating Conor Niland of Ireland 6-4, 7-6 (7-1) in the opening round of the US$50,000 Natrel Challenger. "You're worried about your family and friends, but you also have to concentrate on your job." Levy noted that his parents and two sisters live in Tel Aviv and are safe, although the 28-year-old conceded that safe is a relative term in the Middle East. "Every day, you hope for good news and an end to the problems over there."
 
7-28-06

7-28-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Gustavo Kuerten
retirement watch: the Brazilian will miss Davis Cup and the US Open with his chronic thigh injury...Tennis writer Ray McNulty points out that the top U.S. "country-club"-sport players in golf and tennis are Black from the first time in U.S. history...From Linda Pearce writing for The Age: "If Lleyton Hewitt decides not to play in September's Davis Cup semi-final against Argentina in Buenos Aires, Tennis Australia has vowed to ensure that inadequate security would not be to blame. Tennis Australia chief executive Steve Wood and director of player development Craig Tiley confirmed to The Age this month that Australia would take its own security force to Buenos Aires, where efforts are being made in conjunction with the local federation and the International Tennis Federation to guarantee player safety. "Security is of paramount importance to Tennis Australia for all of our players, so we've got a plan in place and we're working through that with Lleyton now," Wood said yesterday. "I think he's looking over that plan at the moment and just considering what he's doing. Yes, we're looking to send some of our security specialists with the team. This would be the first time we've been in that situation where we've employed the services of security to assist with the player comfort. It's a very patriotic environment. We've had a lot of success in those environments in the past in Australia and we just thought that this would be an additional comfort for our players (in Argentina)." Hewitt, who skipped the first-round tie in Switzerland but returned for the quarter-final against Belarus at Kooyong, has said he has concerns about travelling to a country where he is wildly unpopular with local fans after a series of confrontations with Argentinian players." -- Heh, "wildly unpopular."...From Paul Kelso writing for The Guardian: "Brad Gilbert describes his new charge Andy Murray as "one of the most talented young players on the tour". Surprising then to discover, having accepted an invitation to "check out which up-and-comers have caught Brad's eye" on the Future Stars section of the coach's website, that there is no mention of the Scottish teenager. Plenty of American, Russian and Belgian players, but no Andrew Murray. Plainly the LTA's ?500,000 cheque has helped draw Metallica fan Gilbert's attention to the Scot's potential. Gilbert's exact role in helping the LTA develop other young talent remains unclear, however, not to mention where cuts will be made elsewhere in the LTA to fund his salary. It also remains to be seen if his commitment to British tennis will be sufficient for him to abandon his busy corporate schedule. According to bradgilberttennis.com the great man is available for bookings "to appear at your function, give a clinic or two or just 'schmooze' with your corporate types". Given that corporate schmoozing is about the only area in which British tennis excels, here's hoping he sticks to the game."...From news24.com: "Poland's navy said on Thursday that it had identified a sunken shipwreck in the Baltic Sea as almost certainly being Nazi Germany's only aircraft carrier, the Graf Zeppelin -- a find that promises to shed light on a 59-year-old mystery surrounding the ship's fate. The Polish oil company Petrobaltic discovered the shipwreck on July 12 on the sea floor about 60km north of the port city of Gdansk. Suspecting it could be the wreckage of the Graf Zeppelin, the Polish navy sent a survey vessel on Tuesday, navy spokesperson Bartosz Zajda said. "We are 99% sure -- even 99.9% -- that these details point unambiguously to the Graf Zeppelin," Dariusz Beczek, the commander of the vessel, ORP Arctowski, said after returning to port on Thursday morning." -- What the hell is that? The interns were amused by a news story that at first glance you'd think had something to do with either Steffi Graf or Led Zellelin...From WTT on Thursday: "Pete Sampras used a hard fought victory over Nick Monroe of the Springfield Lasers to lead the Newport Beach Breakers into Saturday's semifinals of the World TeamTennis Playoffs with a 23-18 (OT 1-1) win in action Thursday at the Palisades Tennis Club in Newport Beach. Sampras' 5-4 win in men's singles evened the match at nine all after Springfield won the opening set of women's doubles with Victoria Azarenka and Andreea Vanc teaming up to defeat the Breakers' Tina Krizan and Anastassia Rodionova, 5-4. Sampras and Ramon Delgado were up 2-0 in men's doubles, when Sampras was substituted for at the start of the third game of the set after straining his left hamstring. The Breakers replaced Sampras with Rick Leach and went on to win men's doubles, defeating Monroe and Alex Vlaski 5-1. The Breakers then added to their lead as Leach and Krizan defeated Vanc and Vlaski in mixed doubles with a quick 5-2 win. Vanc sent the match into overtime, capturing a 5-3 win over Rodionova in women's singles. Rodionova sealed the victory for the Breakers, winning the game in overtime. "I was playing well tonight in both singles and doubles," Sampras said following the match. "Early in the doubles I felt I had tweaked my hamstring and I pulled myself out. I really wanted to help the team win tonight and advance, but at the same time, I was not going to risk an injury." After the match, Sampras was listed as questionable for Saturday's semifinal. Earlier in the evening, Azarenka and New York Sportimes' David Martin were named the WTT 2006 Female and Male Rookies of the Year."...Mark Philippoussis will play the Binghamton (NY) Challenger in two weeks...Kim Clijsters has spoken out against the WTA Tour's planned on-court coaching experiment...Andy Roddick says he may pull from LA after injuring his back in a three-set win Thursday night over Scott Oudesma: "I hit that one passing shot and strained something in my side. If it feels like it feels now, I don't know that there's much hope for tomorrow. But weird things have happened. I think you have to look at the big picture. I'm not going to risk all I have going for me now." -- Why the ATP's story wrap failed to note Roddick injured himself and may pull? Not sure...From Tennisreporters.net's Matt Cronin: "US players Taylor Dent and Jenny Hopkins will be wed in December in Florida. Dent's back is still not healed and his career could be done."...From Neil Harman writing for The Times: "[Brad] Gilbert has it written into his contract that if he and Murray do not see eye to eye -- and having gone out on such a limb to persuade him to work with him, it would be the crassest of fallouts -- he will continue to work for the LTA in whatever capacity best suits the parties for three years. In terms of innovation, the LTA under Roger Draper, its chief executive of four months, cannot be faulted. Gilbert has no track record of working with a federation and is not one for seminars or lectures, but what he does is bring a no-holds-barred, focused, driven persona and a track record to which no British coach can come close. If he improves everyone in the sport in Britain by 50 per cent, British tennis will be transformed as never before. What his role will be in the Davis Cup, he does not know. The approach for John Lloyd to become captain has set out another LTA stall and Gilbert said: "If they want me to help, I'll help. John's a good man, but they definitely need to win this tie in the Ukraine. They don't want to fall another level."
 
7-29-06

7-29-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Andre Agassi
rocking the golf socks Friday in LA against Fernando Gonzalez, that's not the way to go out on the farewell tour...Brad Gilbert's first event with Andre Agassi resulted in a title, Gilbert's first event with Andy Roddick was a title -- Gilbert's first event with Andy Murray?...Lindsay Davenport says she will skip San Diego and make her next appearance at Carson. The Williams sisters also pulled from San Diego putting tournament organizers on suicide watch, Venus with a re-injury of her wrist, and Serena with the ongoing knee problem that won't go away...Paul Malone writing for The Australian: "Mark Philippoussis may have to win a play-off series against Australian players to receive a US Open wildcard -- and he will have to also declare his Davis Cup availability. Tennis Australia director of player development Craig Tiley confirmed last night that the body had secured a wildcard exchange program between the Australian and US Opens in recent talks with the US Tennis Association. Tiley said Tennis Australia would decide closer to the US Open in New York, which starts on August 28, whether to award the male and female wildcards at Australia's disposal or invite players to a wildcard play-off series at Flushing Meadows or Forest Hills."...Scott Cambers writing for The Times on Andy Murray's regular training schedule: "Yes Andy, you too could have a body like Rafael's. You just have to adopt a few Spanish practices and tweak your daily training schedule -- slightly: 7.00: No idea what that time means; 10.00: Struggles out of bed, finishes off the Mars bar on his bedside table for breakfast; 11.00: On court for a training session, stretches a bit, talks about last night's episode of Prison Break; 1.30: Times his lunch to coincide with Neighbours; 3.00: Wakes up from siesta -- he learnt that in Spain -- and stretches a bit; 3.30: Gets back on court and plays a couple of tie-breaks with his hitting partner; 5.00: Exhausted, goes home and reads a copy of Men's Health magazine, thinks about doing some weights; 6.00-midnight: Plays on his X-Box and settles down with a takeaway pizza to watch Big Brother."...Congrats to whoever wrote the Friday ATP LA review, misspelling "appearance" three times, and two different ways...From contactmusic.com: "David Hasselhoff is suing an English tabloid newspaper after it claimed he went on a drunken rampage at the Wimbledon tennis championships earlier this month (JUL06). The 53-year-old actor has battled alcohol problems in the past, but he insists the reports were untrue. His decided to sue after his children started asking him about his behaviour. Hasselhoff says, "It makes me angry when my children ask me about it. When my child says to me, 'Dad, were you drunk at Wimbledon?' that is when I am suing, I called the attorney and said, 'Sue the s**t out of them!'" The ex-Baywatch hunk was reportedly ejected by security guards after he tried to force his way into a private players' bar at the London club while intoxicated, claims that were denied by the All England Lawn Tennis Club. In a further attack on the British Press Hasselhoff adds, "These papers print garbage just for the hell of it and it is beyond upsetting. It not only affects my reputation, it hurts my children."
 
7-30-06

7-30-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
The Newport Beach Breakers (sans Pete Sampras) advanced to WTT finals with 19-18 win over the Sacramento Capitals...Approximately one week until the potential senior tour meeting between former No. 1s Marcelo Rios and John McEnroe...From people.aol.com: "Renee Zellweger and Kenny Chesney aren't the only celeb exes who are still on friendly terms: Mandy Moore and tennis star Andy Roddick, who broke up in 2004 after more than a year together, recently shared an intimate lunch at the poolside Backyard restaurant at L.A.'s W hotel. Beating the California heat under an oversized canvas umbrella, Roddick and Moore were animated and close during their meal. At one point, two bikini-clad women sashayed past their table, catching Roddick's glance. But after Moore turned her head mid-sentence to see what caught his attention, she quickly engaged him in a conversation that brought his gaze back to her. Could something more than friendship be brewing? Rumors have been circulating that the actress's relationship with beau Zach Braff is on the rocks. Stay tuned..."...Hey Britain, you'd better purchase those Djokovic brothers before they get out of your price range. You've already spent all your tennis fantasy cash on Brad Gilbert...From Matt Cronin at Tennisreporters.net: "Vaidisova then began to melt down. She was broken to 6-5 when she erred on a forehand and looked at her stepfather and coach, Alex Kodat, who was sitting courtside. The shy Kodat looked down and Vaidisova smacked a ball in his direction. "I don't feel my temper had an effect on how I played but emotions are part of the game and I'll always be that way," said Vaidisova, who doubled faulted 10 times during the match. "I just had no rhythm on my serve." In the second set, Vaidisova also didn't do much from the backcourt, with her return or at the net. She didn't not compete well and part of that is because she wasn't sure how she would beat Clijsters if she couldn't play first strike tennis." And: "The Acura Classic, a tennis fixture in San Diego since 1984, has sold its Tier I designation back to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour and will more than likely see its last year of play in 2007, tennisreporters.net has learned. Co-owners Raquel Giscafre and Jane Stratton had put the well-attended tournament at the La Costa Resort for sale and were apparently unable to find buyers. The tournament would have been forced to leave La Costa after 2007 anyway as the resort owners no longer desired to have the event there. Giscafre and Stratton briefly looked into getting financing for a new stadium in San Diego, but we unsuccessful. The WTA, which is reconfiguring its calendar for 2010, stepped in and bought the Tier I designation and will likely sell it to Cincinnati, which is looking to host a combined men's and women's tournament the same week that the women's Canadian Open is now played. The tour is looking to establish three "A-level" tournaments during the US Open Series, one that is almost sure to be Montreal, another that could be Cincinnati and another that could be Los Angeles or Stanford. The tour will opening up bidding on this new "A" designation, where the tournaments will be asked to provide at least $1 million in prize money in exchange for an increased player commitment from the tour's stars. Currently, the Tier II tournaments at Stanford and Los Angeles offer around $600,000 in prize money. At this point, any tournament that does not receive an "A" designation will be dropped to a "B" level, where they will only have to offer around $225,000 in prize money, but not be guaranteed any top 10 players. However, negotiations on the topics between the tour, the Slams, the ITF and the tournaments are still on-going." And: "The word off the court is that Dean Goldfine (late of Andy Roddick) is now coaching Tatiana Golovin. James Blake has signed a new deal with Evian, worth somewhere in the six figures every year. Maria Sharapova went to her friend Andy Roddick's match in LA the other night. Props to Ms. Sharapova for being the only women's athlete to make SI's Top 20 international earners list. Earning a cool $25.4 million she came in at No. 4, just behind Rolandinho and ahead of David Beckham. Wow. Check this out from Jerry Magee in the SD Union-Tribune on the fallout from the Williams sisters pullout from SD: "Next year, promised Raquel Giscafre, an officer of the firm that offers the event at the La Costa Resort and Spa, if the sisters indicate a desire to compete in the Acura, their names will not be included on lists of entries. Giscafre clearly was miffed that the sisters acted as they did. Giscafre said lodgings had been set aside for the members of Team Williams and that Serena's interests had been advised that she would be playing in the feature match on Tuesday evening. "Players these days are unreliable, particularly the Williams sisters," said Giscafre. "It's just remarkable that they both pulled out, but the public is used to it. People probably never believed they were coming." Serena deserves that for taking the wild card and then backing out, but that's a pretty tough indictment of Venus, who was practicing last week in LA and did legitimately re-injure her left wrist. But the sisters' lack of direct communication to the tournament directors is appalling." -- Cronin, grinding out the news during his home-coast Cali swing...Rutgers University has axed its tennis program...Dmitry Tursunov is in his first career final at LA...From the blogging Steve Tignor of tennis.com: "Brad Gilbert, on the other hand, is just the sort of ex-player who becomes a great coach in every sport. He's the guy who had to become a student of the game to make it, but who could never win on the game's biggest stages (BG never made a Slam semi). Don't let the "winning ugly" stuff fool you, though; nobody wins 20 pro titles unless he's also a tremendous athlete, and Gilbert is a big, strong guy. While he's no technical expert -- Gilbert once told TENNIS that he's "not about the grips" -- he is a diligent scout and tactician. As anyone who"s seen him on ESPN knows, he's got an opinion for what to do in every situation, which is what any instinctive, indecisive athlete needs from a coach. [Andy] Murray seems like an ideal player for Gilbert to reshape. He's young, has all sorts of talent, and is already a good thinker on court. What he needs is professional polish and a dose of confidence that he can be a consistent winner at the pro level -- despite his sporadic success, I still don't think Murray completely believes in himself yet. Gilbert is a tennis enthusiast (he still appears to love watching the sport and breaking down matches after all these years), a born competitor, and a sports junkie who believes in giving your best every time you step on court, exactly what the often-downbeat and surly Murray hasn't done so far. If they can survive the culture clash, and Murray doesn't get sick of BG's relentless chatter (and erratic grammar), they should be a solid partnership."...American Vania King has turned pro...From Larry Stewart of the LA Times: "Not to bore anyone with what I did on my summer vacation, but my wife and I were in Rome on June 29 and, as we were leaving St. Peter's Basilica, there was [American tennis commentator] Pat O'Brien and his girlfriend, Betsy Stephens, also walking out. This, apparently, is the new Pat O'Brien, having undergone 40 days of rehab last year for what he says was an addiction to alcohol. A few days after returning home, I saw O'Brien again. He was at the Ritz-Carlton in Pasadena, where television reporters from around the country have been holed up for the 17-day Television Critics Assn. summer tour. O'Brien, who lives in Los Feliz, was there because CBS was announcing his return to sports after a nearly 10-year absence. He will serve as the host of CBS' late-night highlights show during the U.S. Open tennis, which begins Aug. 28. Patrick McEnroe will be O'Brien's co-host. O'Brien remains the host of 'The Insider,' a half-hour syndicated news magazine show. After seven years with 'Access Hollywood,' O'Brien is in his third season on 'The Insider.'"...Novak Djokovic is aiming in Umag Sunday to become the first player since Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu in 2002 to win his first and second ATP titles in consecutive tournaments...The LA doubles final is the top-seeded Bryan brothers against Andy Murray's brother Jamie and unknown American Eric Butorac. Butorac won the NCAA Division III doubles title in 2002 for Gustavus Adolphus College.
 
7-31-06

7-31-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
From Washington-based X-blogger Lynn Berenbaum at the ATP Washington stop: "Washingtonians are smart and cosmopolitan people, and have also managed to lend influence to the sports blogging world. For example, one day last November, DC hockey blogger Eric McErlain got an interesting email: it was from Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis inviting him to a Caps game. Leonsis was apparently surfing the 'net looking for info about his team, and stumbled upon McErlain's hockey blog, offwingopinion.com. Not only did Leonsis take him to the game, Eric got to spend time in the owner's suite with the big man himself. Needlessly, the whole thing played out on Eric?'s website, and the episode highlighted what will be the next wave for sports of all kinds & at all levels: to use the ever-expanding world of new media. I think I'm safe in saying that Leonsis is a pretty savvy businessman and saw a good opportunity to reach out and connect with real fans, and it was a win for everyone. Not everything's roses and sunshine though. You may have read that this year has been particularly hard for tennis bloggers and Internet press with the ATP. As we all know, tennis is undergoing some major overhauls, so let's hope they remedy this deficiency pronto."...From Supertennis.co.za: "France's Mary Pierce makes her comeback after six months of injury drama when she plays at the San Diego WTA tournament starting on Monday. The 31-year-old Frenchwoman last competed when she lost the final at the Paris indoors in mid-February to countrywoman Amelie Mauresmo. While Pierce was returning, a trio of American former world No. 1 players were pulling out. Lindsay Davenport, another long-term absentee, plus Venus and Serena Williams all withdrew on Friday, citing injury worries. Davenport, who has not played since mid-March when she lost to Martina Hingis at Indian Wells, has been troubled by chronic back pain. Venus Williams, ranked 24th, and her No. 109 sister also joined the stampede to the gates, with reports of ankle and knee worries respectively. "I'm training and rehabilitating and look forward to being back on the WTA as soon as possible," read a statement from Venus. Serena, whose only event since a first-round Australian Open defeat in January was a minor Tier IV event in Cincinnati this month, has reportedly been advised by her doctor to not compete."...From the WTT final: "The Philadelphia Freedoms captured their second World TeamTennis championship, ousting the Newport Beach Breakers, 21-14, in a back and forth battle Sunday at the Palisades Tennis Club in Newport Beach, Calif. The match was close throughout the afternoon until the final set when Philadelphia shut out the Breakers 5-0 in mixed doubles to capture their second King Trophy. This is the second WTT crown for the Freedoms, who also won the title in 2001."...Tommy Haas rejoins the Top 20 after his LA win...Ranked at No. 29 after his LA runner-up effort, Dmitry Tursunov is the second highest-ranked player not to have won a tournament behind Marcos Baghdatis at No. 11...Andy Roddick blogging on his website: "I have been obsessing over Early 90's rock lately. I can't get enough of Smashing Pumpkins or the Metallica Black Album. i know these are well-known, and I am not exactly being insightful here, but they have been in heavy rotation recently. I also cannot wait to listen to more of Pharrell's new album. I downloaded it about 3 minutes before writing this blog...Butthead of the week?- Ken Jennings. He is the Jeopardy guy who was unbeatable for awhile. after his run was all said and done, he had made about 2 and a half million on the show. how did he show his thanks? By absolutely ripping the show recently. he called the host "robotic" and ripped on the format of the show...um, was that the same "boring" show that has pretty much set you up for life? BUTTHEAD!!!!! Fine of the week?- goes to a recent waitress I had at a steak restaurant..she gave me a soup spoon and a fork to eat my steak...that was tough...an off week for the fine game. Self-chuck?? anyone who wears a wool skull/ ski cap in the summer...is it really that cool looking? haha."...Andy Murray blogging Sunday on his website: "Flew to Washington Thursday and met up with Brad. First time here for me. Venue is cool -- the William HG Fitzgerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park. Practice has been good. Played with Safin yesterday. Played good...Talking of LA. My brother Jamie is through to the doubles final to play the Bryan twins. I am so pumped for him. It's his first ATP Tour final -- and only his third ATP Tour event. He is playing with an American called Eric Butorac who is a leftie like Jamie and is out there with his coach Louis Cayer who is doing a great job. I've been following his matches on the live scoreboard on the laptop which is really tough coz you have no clue whats going on. Yesterdays semi against Hrabaty [sic] and Coetzee was so tight -- 11-9 in the super tie break -- saved a match point at 9 all and then Coetzee doubled on match point for the Muzcat and the Bootcat! Will have the lap top out again for tonights final!!"...From Sport-India.times.com: "Andre Agassi is drafting a business plan for his post-tennis life -- a life set to involve his inner circle, including Australian coach Darren Cahill. The 36-year-old American idol crashed out against Chile's Fernando Gonzalez 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in the quarterfinals Friday at the Countrywide Classic. But with four weeks and five tournaments to go before his farewell at next month's US Open, Agassi is anything but stressed. He is calmly preparing for a busy future. "Business is just an excuse to spend time with people that you care about," said the multi-millionaire husband of Steffi Graf, who has 60 career titles and dozens of projects in his personal pipeline. "My business has been managed by my best friend {Perry Rogers) for the past 13 years. There will also be a place for (personal trainer) Gil (Reyes) and (coach) Darren -- but don't tell him, I want him to sweat," joked a relaxed Agassi. "This is what life's all about," said Agassi, who a decade ago founded a school for underprivileged children in his native Las Vegas which has won awards for its innovations -- including a thriving tennis development programme. "I'm not really worried about retirement. I don't know quite what to expect, but being bored is not on the list. There will be a lot for me to take in." Agassi said that while little of his life after September has been settled, staying in tennis is a serious consideration for the future. "I'd love to be a part of the game," said the four-time LA champion, who last won that title in 2005. "But only if it would help the game. I'm not sure that that scenario would be right now."...Novak Djokovic on his retirement in the Umag final: "It was for my breathing problems; I had to give up in the tiebreak because of this problem, It's unfortunate that it finished this way even though I didn't want it to. It's the third match this year where it had finished like this with me giving up. Usually anyone that gets to the final fights to the end which is why I'm a bit disappointed, but on the other hand it was a wise decision to retire because I don't want to risk this season and the future of my career. It was more serious than it looked; I was feeling very dizzy for a couple of minutes. The doctor told me that I shouldn't play and I accepted his advice. I will speak to my doctor and ask him what should I do and what should I take, but the main thing to do right now is to rest. I've had two very difficult and exhausting weeks; two ATP finals in a row on this surface is a big success for me."...Jan-Michael Gambill speaking with the Washington Post on coming back from a shoulder injury: "I made my way the first time I played, I'll make my way again. It's a little weird coming to [Washington] where I was on the poster before, I was one of the guys promoting the tournament and now I'm just in the qualifying. My game is serving big, I can't really just go out there and serve small and win. I have to play the way I have to play and have fun with it." Gambill lost in the qualifying over the weekend...From News.com.au: "Tennis player Mark Philippoussis has split from fiancee Alexis Barbara, New Idea magazine said in its latest edition. Philippoussis became engaged to the then 18-year-old model in March 2005, after a much publicised split with songstress Delta Goodrem. New Idea cites sources close to Philippoussis confirming the end of the couple's engagement. "He's totally focusing on his tennis and that is clearly showing," one insider said."...Tim Henman speaking with The Times ahead of Washington this week: "My back is absolutely fantastic. I couldn't be more positive, especially as last year I was really struggling with my game and my fitness. I've nothing to lose and so much to gain. I'm more into process than results orientated. I'm moving on step by step, I want to get back into the top 50 and I'd like to be seeded at the Australian in 2007."...Brad Gilbert has Andy Murray training with Andre Agassi in Washington this week, hoping a little of the American icon's work ethic rubs off on the Brit-Scot sloth, and Gilbert is also looking into hiring a trainer to put some muscle on his protege and increase his aerobic stamina...From the AP on the Novak Djokovic retirement in the Umag final: "Djokovic paused several times during the 73-minute first set, showing respiratory troubles. A physician held him around the chest to help him breathe normally before the tiebreaker. At 3-1, he suddenly lay down on the clay court, and his father Srdjan, and a doctor ran on to the court and checked his pulse. They took the 19-year-old by his arms and sat him in his courtside chair. With his mother, Dijana, crying in the stands, Djokovic decided to retire."
 
8-01-06

8-01-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
From Eleanor Preston writing for The Guardian: "Talk to the people who know Brad Gilbert best and the picture that emerges of Andy Murray's new coach is full of contradictions. But then what else would you expect of a man who describes himself as a Jewish redneck? On the one hand he is an all-American man's man who loves Cadillacs and obsesses about the Oakland Raiders NFL team. On the other he is, in his own words, a "neurotic jew" who is said to be so phobic about germs that he carries anti-bacterial hand lotion with him everywhere....According to one ESPN insider, Gilbert has "an ego the size of Centre Court" and frequently mispronounced players' names. Yet despite the reservations of some colleagues, executives at ESPN remained dazzled by Gilbert and, by all accounts, would happily have continued to pay him around 75,000 (pounds) per grand slam tournament had the offer from Murray and the Lawn Tennis Association not come up."...After losing in the Washington qualies, Jan-Michael Gambill says he doesn't know where he will play next. Only 11 months until the next World TeamTennis season...Andre Agassi on retirement and resting: "There are times where you have to rest. Try to swing that with a three-year-old and a five-year-old. They're just not buying it. And why should they?...This has been my life. It hasn't been about hitting the ball, it's about being part of a great sport, a lot of great people. It's not just saying good-bye to the sport, to a business, to hitting a tennis ball. It's saying good-bye to all the people you've done this with, from the fans to the sport itself to your peers. You've lived something on so many different levels and to walk away from that, I don't take that lightly at all."...From Reuters: "The Fed Cup final between Belgium and Italy will take place in Charleroi, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said on Monday. The Sept. 16-17 tie will be held at the 6,200-capacity Spiroudome arena. World number two Kim Clijsters and French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne are expected to team up for hosts Belgium, who are aiming to win their second Fed Cup title following their success in 2001. Francesca Schiavone and Flavia Pennetta will spearhead the Italian challenge." -- That's a lay-up as George W. Bush's staff would say, where do we bet on that?...Practically-empty stands Monday during the day at the ATP stop in Washington where a Heat Advisory was issued...Andy Roddick has pulled from Washington with his back injury, replaced in the draw by Jan-Mike Gambill, who now knows what his next tournament will be...Tennis.com blogger Steve Tignor on Dmitry Tursunov: "His famous ATP blog showed he has a brain, now Tursunov, at 23, is suddenly proving he can play. He was the better man for most of the first two sets [in LA] and should have won the match. Add to that his virtually flawless performance against Fernando Gonzalez in the semis and you've got a breakout performance for the Russian turned Californian. Tursunov's forehand is one of the truly brilliant shots in the sport, an unparalleled combination of balance and explosiveness -- he hit one 114 mph yesterday. Tursunov can also return brutally off both wings, and, as my man Jimmy Arias (why does everyone love Jim Courier so much?) pointed out, he mixes up his serves well, saving the big bomb for the right moments. So why didn't Tursunov win? Part of it was nerves; this was his first ATP final, and he was playing a veteran. But part of it was also his lingering slacker approach. Granted, his half-Russian, half-surfer background is not an ideal recipe for mental toughness. On court, Tursunov combines the anger of Safin -- he almost pulled an umpire out of his chair at Wimbledon -- with the perpetual slumped shoulders of a U.S. high schooler."...Mary "I'm like Roger Federer" Pierce is no longer being coached by her brother David. Last week she was training in Florida with her nutty dad Jim: "I guess I'm a bit like Roger Federer, I'm not totally alone here. But I know my game pretty well and what I need to do. I would prefer to have my brother here but he decided to take a break."...Maria Sharapova on her fitness level: "The past two weeks have been the first time that I've had full practice where I didn't need to see the trainer every day. The last time (I was fully fit) was Indian Wells and that was a good week for me. I've been doing progressively better. I'm excited going into a tournament feeling healthy and playing pretty well. Physically I've improved a lot. If you look at my body shape two years ago to now, I never felt like I was ready then. I feel a lot stronger and I experienced a lot more. Then, I never had big injuries and now I've learned to deal with the world expecting me to play when I've been injured."...LTA head Roger Draper on banking the future of British tennis on Brad Gilbert: "The confidence and belief levels in British tennis are pretty low right now. We need people like Brad around to lift spirits and confidence and get them back to winning ways. Brad is a sort of supercoach who's going to work with all the people in British tennis to improve the performance levels across the board. Brad is a full-time LTA employee. This is not a circus coming to town and then waltzing off again, this is about creating a long-term sustainable future for British tennis." -- Oh but it will be a bit like the circus coming to town, or country -- you don't know what you're in for...From AFP: "It's not the knock on the door that worries Martina Hingis -- it's the timing. The Swiss former world number one, making her WTA summer hardcourt start here this week, complained that a Sunday drug test during a pre-tournament training day threw off her carefully prepared routine for no good reason. Hingis, who returned in January after a long break from the sport, said drug testers need to have some consideration. "They should look at a player's schedule. They just come in and screw up your whole day," the five-time Grand Slam winner said Monday. "They could come at the end of the day or in the morning, but not in the middle of the day when you have training scheduled. It's not a big difference if it's in the morning, the night or the next day. It's not like anything's going to go away." Hingis said she will never forget a 6 a.m. test performed in Switzerland in 1996. "I'm not running away, but I want my two hours of sleep. It's OK to test me. But don't show up at 6," Hingis lammented. "How far can they go? I'm not afraid of test, but they could at least respect my private hours."...From the San Diego Union-Tribune's Jerry Magee on 14-year-old American sensation Coco Vandeweghe: "The tennis world, meantime, is finding out about Coco as she finds out about herself. There were few seats available at La Costa's grandstand court for her test against Bondarenko, which could not have begun more positively for the San Diego County schoolgirl. She broke in the opening game, then held at love. "I was pumped up," Coco said. But losing her serve at 2-1 in the opening set unnerved her, Coco admitted. "I expected to hold my serve the whole match," she said. "When I lost it, I said, 'Oh, boy, don't lose your serve.' Because my serve is my weapon." To her mother, the best thing Coco did was play without fear. "That's her game," said her mother, once a champion swimmer and a member of a U.S. Olympic team as a volleyball player...Michael H. O'Shea, Coco's father, noted that she still is growing. A few months ago, Coco said, she was 5 feet, 11 inches. She now is 6-1. She has a brother, Beau, 16, who is 6-6. Kiki Vandeweghe, her uncle and former UCLA and NBA star, is 6-8."
 
8-02-06

8-02-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Canadian Frank Dancevic is the first Canuck ranked in the Top 100 on the ATP Rankings since Daniel Nestor in 2000...From Bobby "Not the Race Car Driver" Gordon writing for the student-run UCLA Daily Bruin: "In this day and age of celebrity athletes with big paychecks and even bigger egos, being in a press conference with [Andre] Agassi is a surreal experience. He is not soft-spoken, but talks with a calmness and a presence that make him powerfully eloquent and makes the people around him feel as though he is really listening to their questions and answering them thoughtfully. Coming from someone who has been giving interviews for decades, it is unbelievable. He comes off much more as a Buddhist monk than as a bad boy. Sitting a few feet away from Agassi, I couldn't help feeling like this tennis legend who had won 60 ATP titles in his long and illustrious career was more down-to-earth than I am."...The ATP's DEUCE magazine is now available for free online at Deucemagazine.com...From the ever-grinding Matt Cronin at Tennisreporters.net: "On Saturday, I reported that the Acura co-owners Raquel Giscafre and Jane Stratton had already sold their Tier I designation back to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. Now I've been told that the sale has not been completed yet, and that the tour is still in negotiations with the tournament. The Sony Ericsson WTA board has authorized the negotiations with the tournament, but at this point, that's what they are -- dealings...It would be an absolute crime if the tournament leaves, because with it goes the thousands of diehard fans that have consistently shown for more than two decades that they are willing to spend money watching pro tennis...The [WTA] tour is trying to convince its tournaments, players and, to a lesser degree, the media and fans that its Roadmap 2010 is the way to go and that the idea of reconfiguring the tournament from four tiers into two -- "As" and "Bs" -- is a sound plan. What that will look like in 2010 is a little unclear, but the intention is to go with more star-studded events, lessen the amount of medium-sized tournaments that the frequently-injured stars are playing and separate the tournaments that really want to put up the huge bucks to get the "A" designation from those on the borderline, or the small ones who don't have big enough sponsors...And what if no tournament outside of the oil rich nations or the non-democracies in Asia come up with the cash? Is the tour going to move every major tournament outside of the Slams out of US and Western Europe? Won't that make mincemeat out of the US Open Series, which has a powerful backer in the USTA and has already proven in one year that a race to a Slam amongst the stars helps generate more fan interest? Does anyone think that the USTA wants to see the US summer hard court tournaments have weakened fields. Think again...Just looked what happens with the men's tour with the Masters Series: the guys are playing when they want to and could care less about getting a big zero in their rankings points if they don't show. The increased money isn't a big factor either...Here's what really struck home the last eight days: the tour says that the bidding for the "A" designation will be transparent and everyone will get a fair shot and I believe that they will, but many tournaments are very uncomfortable about discussing their futures, so don't expect the wires services to be filled with updates when events are trying to sell tickets and sponsorships for their events. Things will be transparent when there is an obvious success story to be told, but will continue to be kept hidden when there are a lot of chips still on the table."...From AndyRoddick.com: "Reach for your dreams by setting goals," Andy Roddick read aloud from the book "Let the Games Begin!" by Maya Ajmara and Michael J. Regan at the "Celebrity Reading Room Event" on Monday, July 31st at Legg Mason. Andy, James Blake, and Paul Goldstein were the tennis pro's who came to read parts of this story at the 13th annual Washington Tennis and Education Foundation's Arthur Ashe "Reading is Fundamental" event to children from the WTEF, and shared stories of living out their pro tennis dreams. After reading the first part of the book, the players were asked to each pick one child from the audience who seemed most enthusiastic about reading to come up and read along with them. Wayne Bryan, Mike and Bob's father, and Pearl Hicks, a WTEF volunteer reading room teacher, asked a few tennis trivia questions and gave out numerous prizes throughout the morning. The grand prize, though, came when Andy, James, and Paul all jumped up and down with the kids yelling "Reading rocks!" at the end of the event for the cameras."...The reportedly newly-single Mark Philippoussis pulled out of the Vancouver Challenger with a back injury...Joel Drucker writing for CBS.Sportsline.com: "Much as I admired [Lindsay] Davenport's focus on tennis and distaste for artifice, I wince when I hear tales of how she sometimes won't even return her agent's calls that offer opportunities for her to promote herself and the game that has made her a multi-millionaire. Because she is an articulate American, I would have also liked to see her play a bigger role in such areas as the WTA board, and, yes, be more available for various interviews. One reason there is so much money in tennis is that pioneers like Billie Jean King, as well as lesser players like Rosie Casals, made themselves extremely accessible and continually tilted at windmills. Surely Davenport must see that if past efforts helped build her world, then she might keep the soil fertile for future generations. Is Davenport incredibly difficult? No, not at all. But while last week in Los Angeles I heard Andre Agassi speak about how, if appropriate, he wants to continue to make a difference in tennis after he has quit playing, I suspect Davenport's not thinking about that at all. I know it's her choice, but the part of me that's invested in tennis' growth would hate to see someone as classy and thoughtful as Davenport go the way of Greta Garbo." -- Joel, also investigate the comments Davenport has already made about the part she would like to play in tennis after her retirement...From Tennis Week: "The blue U.S. Open courts will be visited by Bikini Bottom's most famous resident later this month. Former U.S. Open champions Andy Roddick and Serena Williams and fifth-ranked James Blake will be accompanied by larger-than-life stars SpongeBob Square Pants and Dora the Explorer as well as singer/songwriters Cheyenne Kimball and Teddy Geiger on court for the annual Arthur Ashe Kids' Day presented by Hess to kick off the 2006 U.S. Open. The full-day tennis and music festival, which includes interactive games, musical entertainment, and free clinics, will be hosted by Daisy Fuentes and Quddus on Saturday, August 26 from 10 am. to 4 p.m. at the National Tennis Center."...Headline from Reuters: "Hingis urges Kournikova to think hard about comeback" -- Is that "making news" since Kournikova has already said she is not making a comeback?...Hopefully Sam Stosur's WTA blog will wander to this side of not-boring after her opener...Sebastien Grosjean blogging for the ATP: "I arrived in Washington D.C. on Saturday afternoon. As some of you might know I live in Boca Raton, Florida (USA), so it was a short trip. I chose Boca Raton as my new hometown for a few reasons. First, when I was a kid I used to travel to the United States to play junior tournaments and ended up really enjoying Florida. Second, I had and still have many friends here. Third, the weather is good thorough the year. Fourth, there are always some good players to practice with. I currently practice at the Chris Evert Tennis Academy which soon will turn into the USTA Tennis Competition Training Center."...From Paul Hunter writing for the Toronto Sun: "Unlike last summer, when the women's Rogers Cup was plagued by late withdrawals from big-name players, it looks like the top names in men's tennis will appear on the marquee next week. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the world's top two players, are expected to continue their rivalry next week on the hard courts of the Rexall Centre at York University. "The good news is that the Federer camp and the Nadal camp have booked rooms. That's pretty much the telltale sign right there that they are confirmed 100 per cent," rookie tournament director Grant Connell said yesterday. "Their rivalry is the biggest reason why we're up 15 per cent (in ticket sales) on last year. I've been part of this event as a player and doing little jobs for about 20 years and as far as I can remember, this is the best buzz we've had going into this tournament." Last year, the buzz was the grumbling of disappointed fans. On the eve of the event, glamour girl Maria Sharapova and star Venus Williams -- both of whom had been featured in glossy ticket brochures -- withdrew citing injuries. It cast a pall over the Toronto event, which alternates between hosting a men's and women's event each year. (The women's event this year is Aug. 12 to 20 in Montreal.) But Connell said the situation is different on the men's tour where the top 50 players in the world are mandated to appear in the nine ATP Masters Series tournaments, of which Toronto is one. While the draw is still expected to be stellar, one player Connell remains uncertain about is Andre Agassi. The 36-year-old legend is gearing up for his retirement farewell at the U.S. Open but has been troubled by back and hip problems. He has stated publicly that he plans to play the final tournaments, which includes Toronto where he is a three-time champion. But unlike Federer and Nadal, who are not playing this week and haven't played since meeting in the Wimbledon final this year, Agassi has been on court in Washington. "If I have any trepidation, I have a little trepidation (regarding Agassi) only because he is older and I know he's gearing up for his last run at the U.S. Open. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed," said Connell."...Jerry Magee writing for the San Diego Union-Tribune: "For meeting with the media, Sharapova chose black exercise pants. She had her hair tied back by a black knit head band and wore earrings of the finest gold that were at least three inches long and were in an Asian motif. That woman knows what it means to be eclectic."...From Dale Robertson writing for the Houston Chronicle: "American tennis may be sputtering and wheezing, but the USTA's coffers are full. The U.S. Open again will set the prize-money pace, offering at least $18.5 million total this fall with another $2.6 million possibly in the offing because of the link to the U.S. Open Series, the 10 lead-in hard-court tournaments. The men's and women's champions each will get $1.2 million with another $1 million in bonus cash should they also win the Open Series, as Kim Clijsters did last September in what became the richest payout in women's sports history. And both champions will leave the grounds with Lexus' new hybrid sedan, the GS450h."
 
8-03-06

8-03-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Hats off to India's Somdev Dev Varman for having the sports agency pull to get a main draw wildcard this week at the ATP stop in Washington. The 21-year-old has been slogging it on the Futures circuit for the past six years with only one win in 2004, and both his career Challenger appearances resulted in first-round losses. Dev Varman got fed a bagel set in his opening-round loss this week at No 343-ranked Edgardo Massa...From Matt Null writing for the North County Times: "After an Internet report surfaced over the weekend stating the Acura Classic has been sold to the WTA and would likely leave the San Diego area after 2007, tournament officials were quick to say "Not so fast." "I can assure you that both Raquel (Giscafre) and I intend to be here running and owning the tournament in 2006 and 2007, which is the last year of our current La Costa agreement," said tournament co-creator Jane Stratton of Promotion Sports, Inc., responding to the report on tennisreporters.net. "It is premature to consider what may or may not happen after that." The tournament signed the two-year agreement last year with the La Costa Resort and Spa. At the time the tournament began in 1984 at Balboa Park, it was called the Ginny of San Diego, with prize money totaling $50,000. Now in its 23rd year, the Acura ---- which has been at the La Costa Resort and Spa for the past 16 years ---- offers a purse of $1.34 million. The event has changed venues three times since its inception."...From X-blogger Lynn Berenbaum on the Andre Agassi exit at Washington: "I really thought it was going to go to a first set tie-break, so I went over near the end of the set. We were standing by the chain waiting to go in when Andrea Stoppini broke Agassi to take the first set 6-4, marking the beginning of the end. Agassi completely smashed his racquet to bits in a tirade while the crowd gasped and sighed at what they had just witnessed. No one really seemed to have prepared themselves for the second set yet, and I regret having missed the best of what the man apparently had to offer last night. Andre was hitting balls long, far wide, and into the net. Suddenly the younger guy was up 3-0. With every point Andre managed to win the sold out crowd rocked the place with cheers. With every point Andre lost the fans still cried "You can do it!" and whispered to each other about how sad it was to see him choke it. Darren Cahill sat at the baseline expressionlessly watching when, close to the end of the second, Agassi walked over near him and screamed something like, "I can't fucking see it! It's getting smaller and smaller!!" Soon it was over and the place went crazy. He immediately tried to make for the exit, but he could see all the fans waiting by the player tunnel, and knew he could never walk out like that."...From the Washington Times on Jan-Mike Gambill making the main draw as a lucky loser: "I found out when I was in the hotel last night," Gambill said. "It is a good opportunity. It is the first time I have ever in my entire career gotten a lucky loser." After turning pro in 1995, Gambill slowly climbed the rankings, reaching a career high No. 14 in the world in June 2001. Gambill remained a fixture in the top 100 until January 2005 when injuries slowed him down. He eventually was forced out of competition after shredding tendons in his right shoulder -- a crushing blow to a player who prides himself on serves that clock more than 130 mph. For the next eight months, Gambill couldn't bare to watch tennis. Finally healthy, Gambill has competed in just one tournament this year. He retired in the first round and earned just $520 for his effort. But Roddick's strained muscle gave Gambill a free ticket to his second main draw of the year. "I had to earn it all, so I know what it takes to do that," Gambill said. "When I first came out, I toughed it out in the qualifiers for almost a year before I broke through. It's a little weird coming to a tournament where I was on the poster before as one of the guys promoting the tournament and now I'm a qualifier. It doesn't matter. I don't have that big of an ego. I just like playing tennis and doing it my way and having fun with it, so that's what I'm going to go do. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out."...Highlights Thursday in Washington include (1) Blake vs. Safin, (14) Henman vs. (LL) Gambill, (16) Fish vs. the Agassi-killer (Q) Stoppini, and (8) Murray vs. (12) Feliciano "F-Lo" Lopez...From the AP: "A federal judge ruled against tennis star Maria Sharapova on Wednesday, saying a Florida production company was entitled to market a documentary on her despite her agents' attempts to halt distribution. U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks said Byzantium Productions Inc. was lawful in its production of two films, Anna's Army and Russian Women's Tennis. The documentaries did not violate trademark laws, the judge found."...From SI.com's Jon Wertheim: "We hear that Ronald Agenor, at the ripe age of 41, has entered the U.S. Open qualifying draw."...From the New York Times: "Nine years after christening its stadium for Arthur Ashe, the United States Tennis Association is adding Billie Jean King's name to the National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. The change will take effect Aug. 28, during an opening-night ceremony at the United States Open. "I'm still in shock," King said yesterday by telephone from Prescott, Ariz. King was aware the organization was planning to honor her, but she was still unable to temper her excitement. "I'd heard the rumors, but it's still a dream, and I just wish my dad were alive. He would have loved it."...Andy Murray after getting a "C" grade from coach Brad Gilbert after his win Wednesday in Washington: "He said I played a tentative service game at 5-2 in the second set. I was maybe a little too defensive with the weather. Working with a new coach, it's always a little difficult. You always want to impress him. I was just glad to get through. I think he was grading me on the American scale."
 
8-04-06

8-04-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
From Jerry Magee writing for the S.D. Union-Tribune: "When Martina Hingis was checking in for the Acura Classic, tournament official Raquel Giscafre asked her which of six Acura models she would prefer to have placed at her disposal. Hingis did some hemming and hawing. She later would explain that she is not familiar with the names of the vehicles that make up the Acura fleet. Oh, another thing. Giscafre said something about Hingis having the use of a golf cart during the event at the La Costa Resort and Spa. Mustn't permit stars of Hingis' rank to become overly weary going about the grounds. Ah, life on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. The travel can be burdensome and a schedule that stretches from January to mid-November clearly should be trimmed, but once they arrive at a tournament site, the players become persons of privilege...Saundra (last name withheld at her request) is the woman who has Nadia Petrova as her houseguest during the tournament. The other evening, Saundra said she was weary when she returned home after coordinating the activities of the Acura's ball girls and boys. "Nadia noticed and fixed me some chicken soup," said Saundra. "She is spoiling me something fierce." Vera Zvonareva contends that Court 2 here, on which she was playing yesterday, is higher on one side than the other."...C'mon, is Brad Gilbert-Andy Murray or Jimmy Connors-Andy Roddick really in the same league as Martina Hingis-Radek Stepanek?...Tennis Australia President Geoff Pollard underwent a triple bypass heart operation on Tuesday...From the ATP: "The ATP Masters Series and the Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai are set to introduce streaming of live action via its online media service atpmastersseries.tv. Subscribers in select markets will be able to watch a fully continuous program featuring the best live action from the televised courts with English language commentary direct on their desktops. The service will be introduced at the summer's upcoming two ATP Masters Series tournaments, the Rogers Masters in Toronto, beginning next week from August 7, and the Western and Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati the following week. Action from the Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai, where the rivalry between ATP World No. 1 Roger Federer and No. 2 Rafael Nadal is set to play out from November 12-19, also will be streamed. Various pricing options will be offered -- from daily access at $7.95 to weekly tournament passes at $12.95 and year-round 'season ticket' subscriptions for only $69.95..."...From AndyRoddick.com: "Andy created much envy as he talked about his extravagant home theatre, and if you want to know the truth about A-Rod -- "none of my friends call me that" -- and more, then check out Andy's [ATP website] vignette."...Britain will play at the Ukraine on clay in their zonal relegation playoff...From Elizabeth Newman writing for SI.com: "In a few weeks, after the U.S. Open, Agassi will retire from tennis, ending an illustrious 20-year career. Agassi is trying to do what few champions before him have: leave the court at the top of his game." -- Funny, we thought he was leaving the game because he's currently ranked outside the Top 20 after roughly a year of poor play due to a back injury that is forcing him to retire. And from later in the article: "Of course we all wanted more, because we were used to having it all with Andre. We didn't want to see him toil too long past his prime, as Ali, Marino and Jordan did before him. No champion should go out like this. As fans, we embraced Agassi's rebel "image is everything" motto of his youth that helped him to win 60 titles, including eight grand slams, and we later celebrated the mature elder statesman of the game he had become. We wanted his final run to be memorable, but it has been anything but." -- Wait, you just said he was at the top of his game. We're confused...From Peter Bodo's Tennisworld blog: "It's funny but a friend just told me on the phone that my buddy and amateur ethicist Matt Cronin tried to take a bite out of my ankle over at his Tennisreporters (Matt: I linked to you. See? Did it kill me?) website. Matt's my friend and he's a good roommate (just watch you don't get stuck paying his big laundry tab!), and I'm highly amused by the way he's positioned himself as the world's foremost expert on conflict-of-interest while simultaneously being the leading example of it. (Now that ought to get the crew over at Tennis-X cutting?and-pasting, huh? And Matt: I linked again! See, once you get going, it's hard to stop!)." -- Wow, the rare Tennisworld link since we pub Pete's blog on a weekly basis...Why doesn't the ATP live scoring show point-by-point instead of just when a game changes?...Nice pink and purple hair braids from Feliciano "F-Lo" Lopez in Washington...From X-blogger Lynn Berenbaum: "I came in for the second set of Andy Murray-Ramon Delgado. It definitely wasn't a bloodbath, and as I mentioned before, I'm sure Brad Gilbert is going to zero in on Murray's service game. Gilbert, for his part, was dressed all in black -- in 105 degree heat -- and sitting on a pile of towels. He is a freeeek with a capital 'eek.'"...From The Washington Post's readexpress.com: "If the thought of playing tennis in this heat is enough to make you sizzle, you're probably not James Blake. And if the mere notion of watching tennis sounds intolerable, you're definitely not Lynn Berenbaum, who is blogging live from the Legg Mason Tennis Classic here in D.C. A longtime local resident and tennis fan, Berenbaum has attended the last five Legg Mason tournaments, which she's written about previously on her tennis blog, Off the Baseline). Her entries on Tennis-X cover the court with a specifically Washingtonian flair."
 
8-05-06

8-05-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
From ABC Sport on Maria "The Global Brand" Sharapova: "Maria Sharapova has never been afraid of speaking her mind and the Russian freely admits that a desire to build on a successful start to her career is fuelled by the prospect of an ever-expanding bank account. "It's never enough. I always look for more," Sharapova told reporters. "Bring on the money." According to a recent survey in Sport Illustrated, the 19-year-old world number four is the world's highest-paid female athlete, earning an estimated $33.4 million dollars a year. Sharapova is also ranked number four on the magazine's international top-20 list, behind Formula One driver Michael Schumacher, MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi and soccer star Ronaldinho. However, she has moved ahead of Real Madrid's David Beckham, baseball player Ichiro Suzuki and Swiss tennis player Roger Federer, who earns an estimated $29 million a year. Sharapova, who has endorsements from a string of multinational companies, says she will always find time for another major contract. "When I was working my way to the top of tennis, I didn't say I was number two, I said I wanted to be number one," she said. "There's not limit to how much money you can make."...What's the verdict on Sean McDonough in the booth with Patrick McEnroe for ESPN? Any good, or does it sound like he is reading the stock report?...During her week off before San Diego, Maria Sharapova chooses to go train in LA, where Andy Roddick is playing, and where she pops up to watch his matches -- Hmmm...Best irreverent tennis connection from the AP: "DAVENPORT, Iowa -- A man was charged after police say he threatened a detective with nunchuks. McCory J. Slemmons, 26, of Davenport, was charged Wednesday with assault while displaying a dangerous weapon and public intoxication. The detective was monitoring an area where officers were looking for a robbery suspect early Wednesday morning when Slemmons approached him and accused the detective of "looking at his wife," court documents said. The detective arrested Slemmons, who later admitted during a police interview that had been drinking vodka and beer, records show." -- Shocking, didn't see that ending coming...Another tough week for U.S. tennis. Last year there was an American in every final in every US Open Series event, now Washington is the second straight event without an American in the semifinals after LA...Andre Agassi has pulled from the Masters Series-Canada...Nicole Vaidisova will crack the Top 10 for the first time Monday after her results this week in San Diego...From Allan Hall writing for The Age: "It took him nine years, $A12 million, endless planning wrangles and battles with mice and local planning officials but Boris Becker finally has a home. The Wimbledon tennis legend threw a grand opening party for "Son Coll" ("Good Mountain") in Majorca this week that included a guest who surprised everyone. Dressed in a flamenco-style pink and black dress, Angela Ermakova, mother of Becker's love-child spawned during their infamous "quickie" sex romp in the broom cupboard of a top London restaurant -- met the cream of German society and Becker's mother when she arrived for the housewarming. Becker led her by the hand through the partygoers, patiently introducing her to all. But it is understood that they are just good friends -- there is no rekindling of their extremely short affair."...From the WTA San Diego website: "If there was an award for "The Good Deed of the Week," top-seeded Kim Clijsters of Belgium would be the clear cut winner. On Thursday night as part of the Acura Classic's fourth annual charity event to benefit the Scripps Polster Breast Care Center, a Black Labrador puppy was auctioned off in between the night session matches. During the charity dinner earlier in the evening at the La Costa Resort and Spa, Clijsters noticed the puppy had taken a liking to a woman attending the function. She met the woman, Jackie Morgan of nearby Cardiff. Later, Clijsters learned that Morgan's nine-year-old Black Labrador "Kimba" had died the year before. At the on-court auction, hosted by former tennis stars and current ESPN2 broadcasters Mary Joe Fernandez and Pam Shriver, the top seeded Belgian joined in the bidding, which had reached several thousand dollars, for the Black Labrador puppy named Ace. Finally, when the bidding reached $11,000, Clijsters made the winning bid. Upon receiving Ace, she called out to Morgan, who was in the stands, to come down to the court. When Morgan reached the court, Clijsters presented her with Ace. An overjoyed Morgan appropriately renamed the puppy "Kim.""...Venus Williams has pulled from the WTA stop in Carson next week with her ongoing wrist injury. Oft-injured players Serena Williams (knee) and Lindsay Davenport (back) are still scheduled to play the event...From Sky Sports: "Murray Hails New Coach"; from Reuters: "Murray Not Yet Ready to Call Gilbert a Miracle Worker."...ESPN is showing the ATP Washington and WTA San Diego semis today from 2-6pm on ESPN2, with The Tennis Channel picking up the coverage at night.
 
8-06-06

8-06-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Maria "The Global Icon" Sharapova
is 0-4 career against Kim Clijsters, in their most recent meeting losing in three sets at the 2005 US Open...Linton Weeks writing for the Washington Post: "It seemed so simple to the boys. After coming from behind to win a tennis match at Wimbledon last month, Mike Bryan punched his brother Bob in the nose. The Bryans -- 28-year-old California identical twins who are the top-ranked professional doubles team in the world -- were down two sets to one, and everything one brother said to the other was being misinterpreted. "We just stopped talking," says left-hander Bob, who is an inch taller, 10 pounds heavier and two minutes younger than right-hander Mike. They know each other well enough to know when to shut up. Even after the victory, they didn't speak. On the way to their living quarters in London, they were sitting in the back seat of the car and "Bob just turns and takes a punch at my arm," Mike says. Then Mike hits Bob in the face. They go at it. The car is rocking, they say. The driver doesn't know what is going on. Back in their rooms, the brawl rolls on. "Mike kung-fu kicks me in the stomach," Bob says. "Then I break his guitar." "Five minutes later," Mike says, "we're sitting down to dinner as if nothing has happened." The Bryan brothers know how to fight."...From The Jakarta Post: "The Indonesian Tennis Association (Pelti) is hoping for a light punishment from the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for its decision to withdraw from its World Group play-off tie against Israel because of security concerns. The tie was scheduled for July 15-16 in Tel Aviv. "We are still waiting for the ITF ruling. In the meantime, we are asking for leniency given that we had a valid reason (for withdrawing)," Pelti deputy secretary-general August Ferry Raturandang told The Jakarta Post on Friday. "We had been prepared for the tie but the worsening situation in Israel, with reports of attacks and casualties, forced us to call off the plan."...Will Weslie Moodie play Floyd Landis in the movie version of the Tour de France controversy?...ESPN's Sean McDonough calling Arnaud Clement a "journeyman"? Clement, who is seeded this week when opponent Marat Safin isn't? C'mon, former Top 10-ranked players aren't journeymen...ESPN's Patrick McEnroe, noting on Friday it is a "stretch" to say that Brit Andy Murray will reach the No. 1 ranking someday...Advice to chair umpires: when you're a young-ish chair umpire and Marat Safin is yelling at you about how many matches you've umpired, instead of going frozen pizza and just staring with no answer, try telling him to "play on" or say "suck it" in Russian or -- do something...No Americans in the ATP Washington semifinals Saturday for the first time since 1981...From Sam Stosur blogging for the WTA website: "Since then I have just been on the net doing what I usually do, writing a few e-mails, getting the important stuff done first and then messing around. Because I watched The Family Guy last night I remembered a site that the other notorious Sony Ericsson Wta Tour Blogger, Bryanne Stewart, showed me, the Stewie Soundboard. It's so funny. I could repeat some lines but I don't think that's a good idea --- I don't want to scare everyone away!"...Marat Safin on his semifinal loss Saturday to Arnaud Clement in Washington: "I had a couple of double faults at important moments. I haven't been in the semifinals in a long time. I got nervous."...Tennisreporters.net's Matt Cronin responding to the writing-biting foray launched by blogging pal Pete Bodo at Tennis.com: "Here I am working in the eternal world of the spotless sunshine and I get smacked in the side of the laptop by a Peter Bodo blog (tennis.com) that somehow mentions a laundry tab from Paris (I think that Peter drank that bottle of fine Dewar's all by himself after I left and was duped into a double bill by the hotel staff), my being the "foremost expert on conflict-of-interest while simultaneously being the leading example of it" (Where the heck did that come from a so-called friend and what exactly does that mean?) and then how I'm too easily dismissing the importance of heart and head in tennis based on two paragraphs I wrote on Andy Roddick that was sent to him by one of his tennis world off-worlders...Funny enough, the day that Peter blogged, I had discussed Andy's year with one former male player and another current women's veteran, both brainy and well respected types who will go unnamed because they weren't formal interviews. The woman commented that Roddick has no idea how to construct a point, and the man swears that after watching tape of Roddick's win in the '03 US Open final, that Andy was much better mover then he is now...Peter may be dead wrong a lot. I don't feel like I'm dead wrong a lot about pro tennis...Who is being cynical or missing the big picture and why the silliness about a "comparably breathtaking lack of feeling for the Big Picture." What Big Picture? Roddick's Big Picture? US tennis' Big Picture? Peter's Big Picture?."...Martina Hingis after her loss to Kim Clijsters in San Diego: "I'm lacking stamina. It's the focus. I wish I could play her every day so I could used to her intensity. I'm pushing the top players, but you have to play matches like today a lot. I started doubting myself. I'm not happy with just reaching the quarterfinals...After a loss, I can go back to my foundation and build up again. My mom told me not to give up after I've been playing better much better. Don't back off." -- Your mom should also give Marat a call...From Sarah D'Esti Miller writing for the Binghamton Press and Sun-Bulletin: "Apparently, Jan-Michael Gambill and Mark Philippoussis, who are scheduled to play in the dBI Tennis Challenger Tournament at Binghamton's Recreation Park as wild cards, are considered by many to be serious examples of exquisite man flesh...In my reluctant research I have found that both Philippoussis, 30, and Gambill, 29, have had modeling contracts; both are more than 6 feet tall and both have won millions of dollars by hitting a scratchy yellow ball over a net...[Gambill] likes Reba McEntire (although he doesn't really like country music), U2, matchbox 20, Stevie Nicks, R.E.M., Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Cash and Cher. I have nothing but admiration for guys who are man enough to publicly admit they like Cher." -- Uhhh, we're not man enough to come out with a comment to that...From the AP on the Roger Federer of eating: "Takeru Kobayashi downed 58 bratwursts in 10 minutes Saturday to set a new record at the Johnsonville World Brat Eating Championship. The 27-year-old Japanese man, considered one of the world's greatest eaters, won $8,000 at the contest in Sheboygan. Defending champion Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas was unable to defend her title, eating only 34 brats, half a brat less than last year. At the time, her performance set a new world record." -- Kobayashi can eat on all surfaces...The Washington doubles final today is (1) Bryan/Bryan vs. (2) Hanley/Ullyett.
 
8-07-06

8-07-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
From the ATP: "ATPtennis.com, the official Web site for the governing body of men's tennis, is offering fans the chance to become $1 million richer. The 2006 Penn $1,000,000 Pick 'Em Contest presented by HEAD, to be played at the ATP Masters Series event in Cincinnati, Ohio, will award top dollar for a perfect bracket. To win the $1 million prize, a participant must correctly predict winners of all matches in the 64-player singles draw at the Western and Southern Financial Group Masters, the sixth ATP Masters Series event of the season being held from August 14-20. Registration is free and opens soon on ATPtennis.com." -- Now that's a good promo...Eric Koreen writing for the Canadian National Post on his favorite at the MS-Canada: "ROGER FEDERER, SWITZERLAND (NO. 1 IN WORLD). If the tournament isn't being played on clay, the Swiss Mister is the favourite." -- Except the only time they played on hard this year when Nadal won?...Vince Spadea on his tell-all book Break Point: The Secret Diary of a Pro Tennis Player: "It's a book, it's something where the truth was told and everyone knows what the truth really is. You can't fight that."...From Reuters: "A women's tennis tournament scheduled to take place in Tel Aviv in October was cancelled by the Israel Tennis Association (ITA) on Sunday due to the precarious security situation in the region, officials said. The $145,000 Anda Open scheduled for October 16-22 would have been the first high level WTA tournament to be held in Israel. "The decision not to hold the tournament was taken after many deliberations. It is a joint decision of the International Tennis Federation and the Anda Open...and the Israel Tennis Association," a statement said. Israel launched a massive air and ground offensive in Lebanon after Shi'ite guerrilla group Hizbollah captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on July 12. At least 759 people have been killed in Lebanon during the war. Hizbollah has killed 58 Israeli soldiers and 36 civilians."...Andy Murray says he is big enough to be consulted before Britain anoints a new Davis Cup coach, speaking to the BBC: "I'd probably like to speak to someone first before a decision is made."...Kim Clijsters on the one-speed Maria Sharapova: "When she's playing well she has one of the best games out there. She doesn't change her game a lot. She hits clean, deep and hard. When she's on, it's very hard to beat her. But when she's not playing well, she's not like [Amelie] Mauresmo or Justine [Henin-Hardenne] who can just work her way into the match. But she's doing it a lot better and her attitude is great."...From NewKerala.com: "Tennis star Andy Roddick, when asked what he would be if not a tennis player, said he would be a sixth-grade teacher. According to pagesix.com, Roddick, who once used to date singer Mandy Moore, was speaking to Smash magazine, said he was not shady enough to be a sports agent. He declined to discuss his relationship with Maria Sharapova but revealed that a fan once sent him her underwear. He said: "My new address isn't listed, so my parents get a lot of my mail. My mom will open some of it and read it and say, 'Not with my son, you won't!'"...Rafael Nadal is trying to become the first repeat winner at the MS-Canada since Andre Agassi in 1995...Frantisek Cermak and Leos Friedl, who have won three doubles titles this year, are ending their partnership...Dominik "The Dominator" Hrbaty is blogging for the ATP from Toronto this week...Six of the Top 10 are playing doubles this week at the MS-Canada...Roger Federer has won 48 straight on North American soil...ATP players have been correct on 42 percent of replay challenges on average through Indy-LA-Washington thus far during the US Open Series...Talk about defense -- Nikolay Davydenko is No. 1 on tour in Points Returning 1st Serve, No. 2 in Points Returning Second Serve, and No. 1 in Return Games Won on the ATP MatchFacts...Andy Roddick is out of the Top 10 again at No. 11, with Lleyton Hewitt ranked No. 12 this week. James Blake drops from 5 to No. 6, passed by Sopot winner Nikolay Davydenko...Best doubles opener this week at the MS-Canada: Russians Marat Safin/Dmitry Tursunov vs. Americans James Blake/Robby Ginepri, winner to face No. 2 seeds Jonas Bjorkman/Max "The Beast" Mirnyi.
 
8-08-06

8-08-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Canadian-turned-Brit "Grinning" Greg Rusedski will likely plunge out of the Top 100 after his early loss at the Masters Series-Canada. Hello Challenger circuit? Hello retirement? "This is most likely the last time I'll play tennis in Toronto for sure. If I were to come back next year it would probably be in Montreal and that would probably be the last one. It's been something like 11 years now -- I think time kind of heals things. You mature, you change. Last year was very special for me getting to the semifinals. Getting such nice support from the Canadian fans in Montreal. Even today they were very polite. I have nothing to complain about."...Dominik "The Dominator" Hrbaty blogging for the ATP website: "In the evening we went to a restaurant in Masaryk Town where they have really good Czech food. I love it and there are very few times in the year when I can find a Czech restaurant. I went for the roasted duck with a big apple dumpling cut into pieces and some sweet cabbage. I ate like half the duck so my coach had to roll me back to the hotel. They are closed on Monday and Tuesday so we'll have to find somewhere else to eat the next couple of nights. Unfortunately I'm not a big enough star for them to open the restaurant up for me especially. Maybe if I win the tournament they'll open it up next Monday night for a celebration!...On Sunday night we went to a modern Italian restaurant where they gave you giant plates with tiny meals in the middle. I'd need to eat five main courses just to get a decent feed at this place! I felt like I needed to call into McDonald's on the way back to fill my stomach. We won't be going back there -- that's not enough food for a sportsman."...The former Klara "Kouky" Koukalova is now Klara Zakopalova. Bummer...Not a lot of Andy blogging going on at Roddick's website, you'd think he has the time...Guillermo Coria, who began working with Jose Higueras before Wimbledon, has now hired on former player and coach Horacio de la Pena. The two will begin working together at the US Open...From Tom Tebbutt writing for The Globe and Mail: "Young girls squealing at tennis stars is nothing new. It happened with Bjorn Borg in the 1970s, John McEnroe in the 1980s and Andre Agassi in the early 1990s. Today, judging by the twin phalanxes of red-shirted Rogers Cup security guards who protected him as he rode in a golf cart through the crowds at the Rogers Cup on Saturday, Rafael Nadal is the new rock star of tennis. Nadal was coming back from a practice session on the grounds when screaming, shouting admirers, mostly teenaged girls, rushed at the golf cart. Their enthusiasm for the bronzed and boyishly virile world No. 2 was frenzied, bordering on the scary."...Roger Federer has reached the final of his last 16 tournaments, approaching the record 18 by Ivan Lendl. Federer is coming off a three-week vacation in Dubai...No. 3 seed David Nalbandian after losing to Davide Sanguinetti in his opener at the MS-Canada: "I had a headache, maybe a little bit of fever. Didn't feel really good to try to push myself to play good. From last night, maybe I start feeling -- I was sweating. I had a headache last night as well. Woke up, had the same thing. But I say I want to try, nothing to lose. I'm not going to feel worse than this. I tried, but nothing changed."...Serena Williams says her knee is almost at 100 percent, but since when has what Serena says and reality been in the same orbit?: "I'm really confident or I wouldn't be out here. But my first goal is to get back into the Top 100, and that would be really exciting. Once I get there, I can really move forward in the rankings. Everyone says I've achieved so much but there so much more that I'd like to achieve, that I'd like to get to do. Most of all, I would like to take more titles. I love to compete and that's something I knew I wanted to get back to. It's cool that I've been able to come back and train without pain. I think that's the most promising thing."...Lindsay Davenport on her return in LA: "For the first time in many years I have nothing to lose. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders, taking a break, stepping away from tennis and relaxing. Your ranking falls and I don't have to be the one or two seed at every Slam. I can be the floater and that's exciting."...From the Delhi Newsline on Stephen Amritraj: "Having been sidelined since May last year because of a knee injury, Stephen is returning to the professional circuit after a long gap. "I tore ligaments in my right knee during my last college match in 2005, and I had to have surgery on it. It was quite serious and I've had the same problem in my left knee as well. I'm wearing ankle braces to prevent any further damage. I try to come to India to play in tournaments at least twice a year. Last year I had to play the Satellites here, but the injury got in the way," says the Political Science graduate from Duke University. And even though he is officially registered as a US citizen, the 22-year-old wants the Indian flag next to his name. "There's never been a doubt in my mind about this; I want to play in team competitions as an Indian, and the formalities are in the process of being sorted out," he says."...The Times says John Lloyd will be introduced as the new British Davis Cup captain this week.
 
8-9-06

8-9-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
From the AP: "Former top-ranked tennis player Yevgeny Kafelnikov is being pursued for an unpaid tax debt of almost 150,000 Swiss francs (US$122,000), authorities said Tuesday. The Russian owes the town of Moehlin taxes for 2003 and 2004, as well as for a villa he bought there in 2001, the town's financial administrator Christian Gasser said. Gasser confirmed reports in Swiss media that the former French Open and Australian Open champion was being ordered to pay the sum and would have his villa impounded as security. "We simply needed some guarantee and didn't want to wait too long," he said. Kafelnikov's whereabouts are currently unknown, Gasser added." -- Look for the fat man down the street at the poker hall...Sorry ESPN, when I'm watching tennis, I don't need your new commentator explaining to me how the rankings work...X-Discussion Boarder mariam on some of the personnel changes with ESPN's tennis coverage: "Give [Sean McDonough] a few more days. He'll make BG, Fowler and co. look like competent, informed, and really just a swell group of guys. Seriously, what is the added value here? I mean he spent 15 minutes telling us how important the masters series and majors were as compared to the tournament last week in washington. yeah no shit, genius, how long did it take you to gather that from the media guide? It could be that my Red Sox bias is taking over (he was god-awful as a Sox announcer), but I somehow doubt that. cliffy has been relegated to the monkey boy role in the wta coverage, essentially doing what fowler does during majors: sit behind that stupid desk and set up the scintillating Pam Shriver/Mary Joe Fernandez "analysis" by asking stupid questions like "How much of a factor do you think the Clijsters-Sharapova H2H record will be in this match?"...Radek Stepanek pulled from the MS-Canada with a back strain...Pete Sampras beat Jim Courier 6-1, 6-4 Monday night in an exhibition match in LA: "It's a mystery every time I step out there," said Sampras, who lost more matches than he won during the World TeamTennis season. "I don't know what I'm going to do. I felt good out there tonight. I know Jim's game and I knew what he was going to do, and then I just got into a rhythm and served big and I played very good. I'm not killing myself, I'm practicing three to four days a week and getting back in shape, but it was pretty encouraging, the way I was hitting the ball tonight. It was a little bit of my old self." Hello U.S. senior tour. Courier probably tossed him that match to reel him in...From Arash Markazi writing for SI.com: "If any of the players have a problem with their draw at the JP Morgan Chase Open, which begins today, they should take it up with world-renowned chef Wolfgang Puck, who held the tournament draw at Cut, his new steakhouse at the Regent Beverly Wilshire near Rodeo Drive. While Puck served up some amazing Kobe beef tartar and short ribs over glasses of red and white, he picked numbered chips from the glass trophy and set the bracket. I, too, picked a match, so if Mara Santangelo and Ahsha Rolle don't like their matchup, my apologies. Serena Williams placed the top seeds in the bracket but would not put her hand in the glass bowl to set the matches. "I'm superstitious," she said. "You guys do that." After giving Williams a big hug, Puck, a huge tennis fan who plays as often as he can despite recently undergoing hip-replacement surgery, said, "I've had Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Aniston and all these celebrities come by recently, but I'm most impressed with having these tennis players and Serena Williams here today. I plan on being at the tennis matches this week to cook some food and watch some great tennis. Not only are these women beautiful players, but they are also beautiful to look at."...From the Toronto Star on Daniel Nestor getting heckled-out of the MS-Canada: "It was difficult to know who was more uncomfortable: Tomas Berdych, who unexpectedly struggled against a Torontonian playing only his second singles match in two years, or doubles specialist Daniel Nestor, who endured taunts from a pocket of fans near the top of the main stadium at the Rogers Cup. "Hey Nestor, you're mother's here," sounded one bellow from a man amidst the Croatian flags. "She's going to take you home." Not exactly clever, but Nestor had had enough. He approached the umpire's chair asking: "Are you just going to let them yell anything?" The umpire said he would let it go on for one more service. Nestor double-faulted to end a surprisingly tight match. "Obviously, I play at times with fans that are against me...it's just surprising that you're on your home court in Canada and they're against you. I don't know if they thought he was Croatian. They were definitely a pro-Croatian group," said Nestor after losing 6-4, 7-5 to Berdych, who hails from the Czech Republic. "I'm always surprised when people are that patriotic in another country. They came to Canada to live here. My first choice, when I'm cheering for sports, is Canada. I'm Canadian even though I was born in another country. Sort of disturbing when you see guys that are that into their native land when they're living in Canada, you know. But that's life."...Highlights Wednesday at the MS-Canada include Ferrero vs. (15) Gonzalez, (5) Blake vs. Gasquet, (1) Federer vs. Grosjean, (2) Nadal vs. (Q) H.-T. Lee vs. (2) Nadal, and Henman vs. Murray in an all-Brit match-up...New Zealand player Mark Nielsen has decided not to appeal against his two-year drugs ban, citing the expense...Sam Querrey joins Mardy Fish and Tim Henman as MS-Cincy wildcard recipients...John Lloyd has officially been named British Davis Cup captain.
 
8-10-06

8-10-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Another rough tournament for the American men, with every U.S. player out by the second round this week at the MS-Canada...The ATP's Greg "The Remorseless Eating Machine" Sharko is never afraid to dish out an eat-down beat-down, and now the stat guru is answering fan questions on the ATP website at: http://www.atptennis.com/en/newsandscores/news/2006/sharko.asp . Stat geeks unite...From the NY Post's Page 6: "John Macom and Binge, his Hoboken pop-rock band, took a shortcut in creating their latest tune, an ode to tennis champ Maria Sharapova. Macom took the melody and most of the lyrics from a song they recorded some years ago, an elegy to fellow Russian tennis beauty Anna Kournikova, who is semi-retired these days. Lyrical descriptions of Maria/Anna are interchangeable, referring to backhands, forehands, long legs, blue eyes and the kicker, "(Anna K/Maria S) with the real short hemline/ Will you take my hand and let's go to the Krem-a-line now."...From the ATP: "The ATP, in conjunction with strategic creative partner VML, has created an ATP Doubles Revolution commercial featuring an original song, "Revolution," recorded by Stanford ATP Doubles Race leaders Bob and Mike Bryan. The commercial, available for viewing starting today on ATPtennis.com, features doubles footage as well as distinct ATP Doubles Revolution imagery showcasing the Bryans and other top teams in the Stanford ATP Doubles Race including Jonas Bjorkman-Max Mirnyi, Paul Hanley-Kevin Ullyett, Mark Knowles-Daniel Nestor and Jonathan Erlich-Andy Ram. The commercial will be shown in upcoming television broadcasts and can be seen on video boards being used at all ATP tournaments this summer."...Brad Gilbert 45 years old yesterday..."Outside of the Grand Slams, these are the biggest tournaments in men's tennis," says the new ESPN commentator in a space-filling moment. Thanks!...New Brit Davis Cup captain John Lloyd says one of his aims is to get Tim Henman to play Davis Cup again: "I would love to have Tim back in any capacity," Lloyd told BBC Sport. "He would bring class and be a great example to the younger players. I'm certainly going to speak to Tim -- he'd probably say 'Never say never.'"...Andy Murray spouting off about the British Davis Cup choice to the BBC: "I don't think I had any say in who the Davis Cup captain was, but John's definitely a good choice."...According to TR.net, Lindsay Davenport has re-hired Adam Peterson as her coach...Can more players be injured? Where are the sport's caretakers?...When will the Slam's senior events get in line with the tour's senior events?...From Tennis Week: "Andre Agassi will take his final bow in his farewell to tennis at this month's U.S. Open. But tennis fans will be able to see Agassi in action at least one more time this year. The eight-time Grand Slam champion and wife Steffi Graf, who holds 22 Grand Slam titles, will team up again as mixed doubles partners at the second annual Genworth Children's Advantage Classic set for 7:30 p.m. on December 8 at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Virginia."...From Dominik "The Dominator" Hrbaty blogging for the ATP: "The [Toronto] hotel is very nice. Tennis players usually get a good hotel. So they all seem the same. But at this one, the breakfast is good -- very European, good bread. It's much different from breakfast in U.S. hotels -- scrambled eggs or pancakes. I'm not a fan of those breakfasts. I like European bread with ham and cheese, maybe tuna. To start with, I'll have some cornflakes, good fruit, a little bit of vegetables like tomatoes. Coming to Canada from the first couple summer tournaments in the U.S. always gives me a boost from the food -- that it's more French and European. That makes it very nice to come here. I don't have a favorite hotel on the tour, but my favorite place to go is Melbourne. That's because I've stayed with a Slovak family for many years. They cook for us and come support me. We are great friends. They call me "son," and I call them "father and mother." They are beautiful people. These are the two weeks on the tour I enjoy the most...I had just finished dinner and was walking back to the player lounge with two chocolate cookies. I'd eaten one and was holding the other one when I saw Ivan [Lendl] and Roger [Federer]. I didn't want to eat the other cookie in front of two guys who own 16 Grand Slam titles between them, so for the 45 minutes we were talking I held it in my left hand. By the end there was chocolate all over my hand, but fortunately I could still shake hands with a clean right hand."...From the Toronto Star on Dmitry Tursunov describing players' web habits: "He described countryman Marat Safin as downloading "so many movies it feels like is he planning to open (a) Blockbuster Video in Moscow." And he noted that Frenchman Gael Monfils "is nuts over MSN. A couple of days ago he was sitting in the lobby and, I'm not kidding, talking on six MSN Windows at the same time. The guy is like Neo in [The] Matrix. He has no idea what he is writing anymore or who he is writing to. He just puts 'lol' and moves on to the next window. The girl is probably telling him that her kittens died and he just says, 'lol.'"...From The Times Online on Brad Gilbert coaching from the stands during the Andy Murray v Tim Henman match: "When one call appeared to go against Henman in the sixth game of the first set, Gilbert, seated at that end of the court, shouted: "That was a terrible call, it was inside the line." Then with Murray serving at 4-2, another call seemed to go against Henman and then yet another, on an overrule by Gerry Armstrong, the British umpire. On the latter, Murray looked up at Gilbert, indicating he wanted to give the point to Henman, but Gilbert said: "No, no, you've got to play the calls."...Marat Safin on why he won't quit the game, speaking to the Canadian National Post: "Just because the tennis is shit, I can't complain and say that it's enough...I still think I can be in the Top 10, for sure. Tennis right now is pretty open. I keep on trying. The money I have, it's not like I'm suffering and starving and living in the streets. I have a great life, and I still have to give back to tennis, for what tennis gave to me."...From Paul Teetor writing for the Easy Reader (not a pot magazine) with more on Pete Sampras' exo win over Jim Courier on Monday: "The Sampras-Courier exhibition match drew a near-capacity crowd to the Home Depot Center on what is normally the slowest day of the Los Angeles stop of the women's pro tour, now in its fourth year in Carson after a 20-year-run at the Manhattan Beach Country Club. This was a Home Depot crowd rooting for the hometown boy, the balding guy with the bashful grin, the Prince of Palos Verdes. The loud voices from the boisterous crowd began early and often as the announcer revealed that Sampras has a 16-4 lifetime edge over Courier, his teenage pal from Florida who met him on the junior circuit in 1988 and convinced him he was ready to play the men's tour...The domination was so complete that after Sampras flicked a half-volley winner from the baseline he turned to the crowd in back of him and gave a what-can-I-say grin-and-shrug that was reminiscent of Michael Jordan the night he started raining three-pointers in the finals against Portland. Sampras rolled on in the second set and soon walked off with a 6-1, 6-2 victory. He embraced Courier at the net and after the thunderous ovation died down one female fan high up with the bleacher bums couldn't restrain herself. "I still love you Pete," she cried out in the quiet of the summer night. "Do you need a ride home?" -- No but he needs a senior tour wildcard...Jan-Michael Gambill retired in a match at the Binghamton Challenger with his recurring shoulder injury: "(It's) the same arm injury I've been fighting for the last eight months. It's just too much tennis on my arm right now and it's disappointing. I felt it in the first set and the whole arm just hurts."...Amelie Mauresmo (shoulder) and Venus Williams (wrist) have pulled out of the WTA stop in Montreal...From AFP: "Argentina's Davis Cup captain, Alberto Mancini, has shrugged off security fears voiced by Lleyton Hewitt before next month's semifinal matches against Australia. Hewitt has yet to commit to play on Australia's Davis Cup team on Sept. 22 to 24 because of concerns for his safety. Hewitt is not well liked in Argentina after a series of clashes with Argentine players. "I'm sure that he'll come," Mancini told the sports daily Ole. "We've never had a security or any other type of problem with visiting players and we don't need to do anything different from what we've been doing up until now," Mancini said. "I think he's exaggerating his worries.". But Mancini said Argentina could beat Australia with or without Hewitt. Mancini said: "It will be tough if Hewitt is there, because he's a very experienced player, a great competitor and in a tournament like the Davis Cup you have to respect him. Although he is playing his best at the moment, we can beat him at any time."...Highlights at the MS-Canada Thursday are (4) Ljubicic vs. (15) Gonzalez, Moya vs. Murray, (13) Berdych vs. (2) Nadal, and (1) Federer vs. Tursunov...The qualifying draw next week at the MS-Cincinnati will have some considerable heft, with three singles winners this year in Arnaud Clement (Washingto), Stan Wawrinka (Umag) and Daniele "Choppin'" Bracciali (Casablanca), along with Max "The Beast" Mirnyi, Vince Spadea, Julien Benneteau and "Dr." Ivo Karlovic.
 
8-11-06

8-11-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Ivan Ljubicic
will climb to a career-high No. 3 Monday on the ATP Rankings, and says he is ready for some recognition: "I have to say it's a little bit frustrating. In Gstaad three weeks ago I was the No. 1 seed and when I was doing credentials they asked me if I was a coach or a player. Here when I came the woman asked me, 'Are you a qualifier or main draw?' It's fine when you are No. 20 or 30 but when you are No. 3 or 4 in the world it is not easy."...America-lovin' Andy Murray is in the quarters of a Masters Series event for the first time at the MS-Canada: "I love the American way of life. You get up at 6am in the morning, go downstairs. Normally in most countries, everyone will be looking sleepy. They're all really happy to see you. I just prefer it a little bit more. It makes it easier for me to get up in the morning. I normally like my sleep. Here, I find it much easier to get up. I feel just a little bit more lively. I'm not getting up too early. I got up a little bit earlier today, but I have been sleeping quite a lot. But if I'm staying with Brad [Gilbert]...he was up at 2am this morning, which is actually ridiculous!"...Tomas Berdych showed that big flat balls to Rafael Nadal's forehand is the way to beat the Spaniard, handing him only his sixth loss this year...Justine Henin-Hardenne has joined the all-star exodus from Montreal, citing a knee injury. She could enter the US Open without playing a match since Wimbledon...Nice giant s-bomb on international TV Thursday night by Roger Federer -- you know you own the game when even the chair umpire starts laughing...WTA Montreal is going to look like a challenger by the time everyone gets done pulling. Maybe time for the WTA to investigate why half the top players are injured and skipping the Tier I event? Nah, just a "fluke"...Serena Williams responding to Daniela Hantuchova's assertion she didn't need a medical time-out during their match: "To be honest that's kind of childish. I obviously fell and I was kind of injured. I'm notorious for rolling my ankle and I rolled it again. It throbbed and stung but I just kept moving. It's a shame for somebody to take the low way out. She's obviously upset over the loss. If she has more words to say I would prefer for her to say them to me. I'd be more than happy to settle it out of court (laughing)."...Andy Murray with the book on beating former No. 1 Carlos Moya: "Moya has got a great forehand. His backhand is his slightly weaker side. I wanted to try to get the ball wide on his forehand so I could, therefore, play into his backhand and try to come into the net. I won 16 of my 19 points when I came up to the net. That was a pretty good statistic. It worked pretty well." -- Not that you need the book nowadays...Andy Murray on his improving fitness level: "It's the first time I've made the final of a tournament, then won three matches the next week. That's obviously a good sign. I've won them all in straight sets, which has been good as well. I haven't had too many long matches. At my age, I do need to get physically stronger. This is a first step -- get mentally stronger as well, not put mind over matter."...From the ever-grinding Matt Cronin on the WTA Cali swing: "The tournament stories just keep churning. A source told TennisReporters.net the USTA offered to buy the Tier I designation from Acura Classic owners Raquel Giscafre and Jane Stratton for $7 million, but they were turned down. San Diego is now negotiating with the WTA Tour board to buy the designation, and apparently, Shanghai is in play again to buy a big event. The USTA is no longer interested in buying the Acura's designation, but is very interested in staging a combined men's and women's event at the Home Depot Center in Carson. The USTA owns a portion of the JPMorgan Chase Open and the Countrywide Classic at UCLA (Los Angeles). However, the Southern California Tennis Association, which owns the Countrywide, has been very resistant to moving the tournament because attendance has always been solid in UCLA's Westwood. Carson is another matter. In the past, there have been good nights at the Home Depot Center in Carson (where the women's tournament is now being played), which seats 8,000. But, as Maria Sharapova said on Wednesday, there were more of her friends in the audience than regular fans. In fact, there were more fans for the Pete Sampras-Jim Courier exo (Pete won in three) than there was for any single woman's match so far...Former Roland Garros champ Iva Majoli will be married in Zagreb on the day of the US Open women's final. Jennifer Capriati and Monica Seles are planning on attending." -- Note: Sampras won the exo in straight sets 6-1, 6-4. More from Cronin on Serbs Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic: "They are friendly, but not friends. According to Ivanovic, that's a generational and geographical thing (Ivanovic trains in Switzerland and Jankovic mostly in Florida). Jankovic has been said to slightly jealous of the publicity paid to Ivanovic, who has done a good job not only on court, but off court, has spread her wings in magazine layouts, too." -- Or not spreading her wings, unfortunately for fans: http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y214/qtor/anaivanoviccasopisana0edit2ta.jpg and "More on the Iva Maojli wedding, which will be held on the last Saturday of the US Open: Jennifer Capriati and Mary Pierce will be bridesmaids (if Pierce doesn't reach the Open final) and Goran Ivanisevic will also attend. Majoli will give birth to a baby girl in November...Sharapova presented the LA Times' brilliant Lisa Dillman with the 2005 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Media Representative Award."...A brickbat to FOX Sports for running a story from Askmen.com by Mo Aroro, who shows an impressive lack of tennis knowledge in listing Rafael Nadal at No. 3 on his list of "Top 10 sports pretty boys": "But Nadal spends an alarming amount of energy on his ultra-flashy tennis outfits, and his win-loss record is skewed by the fact that he's a much better player on clay than on other surfaces. There is a risk that he could become another Carlos Moya or Gustavo Kuerten, a clay court monster who is just ordinary on other surfaces. If Nadal wants off this list, he needs to show that he's dedicated to developing his game more than developing a new line of apparel."...Mats Wilander speaking to the Cincy Enquirer on playing senior tennis: "It's always more fun to win than to lose, but the bottom line in something like this is that we have fun and show people the other side of tennis, a little slower, a little more finesse than the younger guys. Well, a lot slower."...From SI.com's Richard Deitsch: "The sports division that spanned the globe to give viewers a constant variety of sports and famously asked pigskin-crazed fans if they were ready for some football has a new name: ESPN on ABC. ESPN will become the overarching brand for all sports programming carried on the ABC Television Network beginning Saturday, Sept. 2 -- the debut of ABC's college football season. "We're using the word evolutionary," said George Bodenheimer, President, ESPN, Inc. and ABC Sports and Co-Chairman, Disney Media Networks. "We're trying to move the ball forward in sports television and we think this is another step in that direction."...The move merely confirms what has become standard operating procedure for ESPN. Many ESPN staffers have long referred to ABC Sports as either ESPN 3 or ESPN South."...From Dave Feschuk writing for the Toronto Star: "In the racquet-stringing room at the Rexall Centre they've been tossing around a question this week: How many cows will be killed to keep Roger Federer, the world's best tennis player, in fresh racquets this year? Do the math: The Swiss master is said to go through an estimated 900 sets of strings a year. Since strings lose tension as they're played -- and since Federer is acutely attuned to his ever-changing equipment -- he will use five to seven freshly strung Wilsons per match at this week's Rogers Cup, which is fewer than the 10 to 12 he'll use at a Grand Slam event, where there is the possibility of an additional two sets. So how is this perilous for bovines? Federer is among the many top players who employ a mixture of synthetic strings -- polyester, to be precise -- and a material known as natural gut. Natural gut, as tennis aficionados know well, is made from the small intestines of cows -- specifically, in Federer's case, French cows. While racquet technology is space age, strings continue to be made from animal innards, much as they have since the 16th century, because no one has invented a material preferred by the gamut of top players. Depending on whom you believe in the stringing room, it takes the guts of as many as a 6 1/2 cows to string one of Federer's racquets. Multiplied by 900, it's a staggering carcass count. And people think bullfighting is brutal business."
 
8-12-06

8-12-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
From Matt Cronin at the WTA stop in LA on Serena Williams swearing at and bumping opponents: "In a previously unreported incident from her three-set Thursday night victory over Daniela Hantuchova, the Slovak said that Williams bumped into her on purpose during a changeover early in the second set. A photographer sitting court side said that Williams also swore at Hantuchova. "She always does that," Hantuchova told TennisReporters.net. "She did say something to me on the next changeover, but I'm not sure what it was." Serena was not available for comment."...From the ATP $1 million Cincy contest fine print: "Everyone who agrees to the Terms and Conditions of the Contest and Contest Privacy Statement and then registers may participate, but everyone who registers and plays is not eligible to win the prizes. Eligibility to win prizes is subject to paragraphs 4 and 5 below and, in addition, is open only to those currently residing in the following countries: Germany, the United States (except the states of Florida and New York), the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Canada (except the province of Quebec), South Africa, Australia (except the states of New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria), Brazil, Japan, India, Switzerland, Netherlands, Croatia, Austria, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Portugal and Thailand. The Grand Prize Winner, if any, will receive a cash prize of U.S. $1,000,000 paid via a 40 year annuity with payments of U.S. $25,000 to be made each year over the 40 year term to be paid in accordance with the prize indemnity insurance policy agreement."...From the USTA: "The USTA today announced that chart-topping singer/songwriters Cheyenne Kimball and Teddy Geiger will join US Open contenders Andy Roddick, James Blake, Serena Williams and more for the annual Arthur Ashe Kids' Day presented by Hess to kick off the 2006 US Open. The full-day tennis and music festival for children and families -- including interactive games, musical entertainment, and free clinics -- will be hosted by Daisy Fuentes and Quddus. In addition, as a special treat for younger fans, America's favorite animated icons SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer will be roaming the grounds of the USTA National Tennis Center to meet and greet kids throughout the day. The festivities are set for Saturday, August 26 at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y., from 10 a.m.-4 p.m."...ESPN commentator Cliff Drysdale during Friday's Serena Williams match: "To me she looks fit, she's, uh, trimmer than she was in Australia."...From Tennis Week: "ATP founding member Ray Keldie will meet ATP officials face-to-face in a mediation meeting set for next Thursday in Jacksonville, Florida in an effort to resolve his lawsuit against the ATP. If the 1968 Australian doubles finalist and the ATP are unable to reach a resolution, Keldie's case against the ATP will proceed to trial. Keldie is one of 79 founding members of the ATP and remains the only founding member who has been denied pension benefits. The ATP has offered Keldie a $1,000 settlement according to his attorney, Lawrence D. Bache, but Bache estimates Keldie would be entitled to "over $80,000 to date in pension benefits, plus benefits for the next nine years" if the ATP recognizes his pension rights."...From the Toronto Star on players' thoughts on airplane terrorism: "I always scan the passengers for shady characters," said Bob Bryan, Mike's brother and partner, who said on one flight he had his racquet out ready to leap to the attack because one passenger made him so nervous. "(But) you've got to go and keep your fingers crossed that nothing happens. I know security is great at the tournaments. They have metal detectors at the Open. At all the tournaments in the last five years, since 9/11, they have dogs and other things, so we feel pretty safe. Since 9/11, (the potential risk) was in the back of my mind every time I got on a flight. Now it will be resurfacing a little bit." Ivan Ljubicic, the Croatian who lost in the third round here yesterday, figures he takes 70 to 80 flights a year. While some top players such as Andy Roddick and Roger Federer often charter, Ljubicic, though the world's No. 4-ranked player, feels that is not an affordable luxury. "It's way too expensive. I was thinking about it but it's way too big a cost," he said. "I'm probably going to drive to Cincinnati. Maybe we can try to drive as much as we can. Sometimes it's not far. It's not just about whether it hits me," he continued. "I'm just sad to see what in the world is going on."...Daniel Nestor says the ATP needs to promote more than Roger and Rafa: "I think men's tennis is so deep; sometimes it works against itself because it is so deep that you have different semifinalists, different finalists often in each tournament. It's hard for people to follow that. People want to see the same faces over and over. In the '80s and '70s you had maybe 10 guys that would rotate in the semis, the rivalries were much better. Obviously, Federer/Nadal is an exception. Outside of that, there are a lot of great players. I think it's unfortunate that people don't really know who they are. I think tennis needs to do a much better job promoting all of its stars."...Andy Murray's brother Jamie is looking more and more like a solid Davis Cup doubles prospect for Britain, this week advancing to the final at the Binghamton Challenger...From the AP: "During the match, [Serena] Williams' father, Richard, did a television interview in which he said his daughter's left knee "is hurting a lot." Afterward, she begged to differ. "It was hurting a bit in the match in spurts," she said. "I should cue my dad in more. In practice he asked if my knee hurt and I said, 'Yeah.'" Williams explained she dodged her father's question because she didn't want to get into it with him, adding that her positive response referred to her left ankle, which she rolled Thursday. Both her ankles were taped Friday, and she said the left one "felt really good."...Meghann Shaughnessy, spinning a 20-mph second serve into the middle of the net on match point against Serena Williams, uhhhhg-ly...From the entertaining Dominik "The Dominator" Hrbaty blogging for the ATP: "Greetings everyone from Cincinnati, the U.S.' Queen City. It hasn't been too exciting since Wayne Arthurs and I lost in the doubles quarterfinals last night in Toronto. I got back to the hotel at midnight and then had a 1:45 p.m. flight to Cincinnati today. We went to the airport three hours early, thinking security would be real tight. But we were able to go through with no problem. I was expecting chaos, but it went well. It was a small plane, so they just took our racquets when we got on, stored them in the back and gave them back afterward...Tonight I'll go for dinner and have baby back ribs. They have good ribs everywhere in Cincinnati. I first learned about them from some cousins who used to live in Cincinnati. I've never had better ribs than here in Cincy and will enjoy some good ones tonight...I told you earlier the week that I read War and Peace. You might be interested to know that I read it in Slovak. And I liked it so much, I might read another Tolstoy novel: Anna Karenina. It would be hard for me to read a book like that in English. The only books I have read in English are Harry Potter. There are always a few words I don't understand, but I'm usually able to pick it up from the context. The last Harry Potter book I finished in 10 days."...Roger Federer on being extended to a third set Friday night by Xavier "X-Man" Malisse: "For me, there was no reason to panic. We were back to zero and he's got to win another 40 points or so to win the set. That's a long way, especially against me and I'm very well aware of that."
 
8-13-06

8-13-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBSAndre Agassi (back), Lleyton Hewitt (knee), and Guillermo Coria (shoulder) have pulled from the MS-Cincy...Maria Sharapova (fatigue) has joined the giant top-player exodus from the WTA stop in Montreal...From the plump-looking Thomas Muster from this week's senior tour event in the Algarve: "For next year, count on me being in better shape." -- Good luck not getting your ass handed to you again by Marcelo Rios next week at your homecountry event in Graz, Austria...From Stephanie Myles writing for Canada.com: "Days before the WTA Tour's Rogers Cup begins, with workers hammering away and the corporate tents and concession stands rising from the concrete, the future of Canadian women's tennis was on display. They were battling on courts in the shadows of Uniprix Stadium, where one day they hope to battle the world's best. But for now, eight of the country's best prospects were fighting for one spot -- not in the Rogers Cup main draw, but in the qualifying draw, in front of their mothers and coaches and a few mesmerized teenage boys. "We want to give more opportunity to more players to play in the tournament," said Sylvain Bruneau, Tennis Canada's national women's coach. "Rather than just decide arbitrarily, we want them to fight for it." Vancouver's Rebecca Marino, the second-youngest of the group (she won't turn 16 until December), won the shootout, defeating Stefi Gjine, also of Vancouver, 6-3, 7-5 in the final match Friday morning. Women's tennis in Canada is going through a good stretch. It's still a far cry from those heady days in the 1980s when Carling Bassett (who peaked at No. 8 in the world) and Helen Kelesi (No. 13) played on the world's biggest stages and were always capable of causing a big surprise."...From tennis writer Matt Cronin: "[Elena] Dementieva's mother and coach, Vera, is on vacation and won't re-join her daughter until the US Open. So her 27-year-old brother, Vsevolod, who was a good junior, has subbed in as her tutor. Her boyfriend, Buffalo Sabre hockey star Maxim Afinogenov, is also here supporting her. But it's her brother who is talking tennis. "He thinks [my success this week] is a big part of his help and he really helped me today," she said. "He likes me to play defensively and I don't; I like to go on the attack. So we have that discussion every time, but he liked the way I was playing today."...From the Andy Roddick blog: "I am going to play in Cincy, and I cannot wait to get out there!!!! This injury has been insanely annoying, because I have been waiting all year to play well and felt like i was starting to get there before i got hurt...I started hitting some light serves yesterday, and have not hit them full out yet, but the pain is gone which is a good thing. Jimmy [Connors] has been down here all week, and it is a blast working with him. I feel like I learn so much every time I am on the court with him. Bobby Reynolds was here for a little bit as well to train, and Sam Querrey has been down here for the last four days...both great guys!...Self-chuck of the week -- if you watch movies on lifetime network...proceed to the nearest wall...just when I thought acting could not get worse than soap operas, lifetime movie channel happened. Butthead of the week -- Maurice Clarett...I really feel sorry for this guy. he was the star running back of a national championship team not too long ago, and now his life is in disarray...he was picked up with four guns in his car while wearing a bullet proof vest...you wonder what happened to make something like this take place...it is a real shame, and I hope he gets some help and is able to right the path."...From Will Swanton and Leo Codutti writing for the Sydney Morning Herald: "Argentina's Davis Cup captain, Alberto Mancini, has accused Lleyton Hewitt of exaggerating his security fears as he stalls his decision on whether to play in the Davis Cup semi-final in Buenos Aires next month. Hewitt is yet to announce his availability for the tie and the Argentinians suspect he's using the security issue as an excuse to get out of representing his country. Hewitt's previous insatiable appetite for the Davis Cup crumbled after a blow-up with Tennis Australia this year and not even the departure of Australian Open director Paul McNamee has fully healed the rift. Mancini told the main sports tabloid in Buenos Aires, Ole, that Argentina would start firm favourites regardless of Hewitt's decision. "I think his worries are a little exaggerated," he is reported to have said. "We've never had any problems with security of any kind with visitors and I think we would not have to do anything different now."...Roger Federer has reached the final in 17 straight events, and next week in Cincy can tie Ivan Lendl's record of 18, another record falling to the Swiss -- a rare one that's not Pete Sampras'...WTA Montreal Tournament Director Eugene Lapierre speaking to ESPN on the mass exodus of players from the event: "Something is clearly wrong with the system in its actual form. The star players are often put in a situation where they can't respect their engagements. We will try to correct the situation by working closely with the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour."...Mark Philippoussis withdrew from the Binghamton Challenger Saturday with a foot injury.
 
8-14-06

8-14-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Elena Dementieva
, coached by her mother, on the WTA tour's on-court coaching experiment this week in Montreal: "I think it will be interesting to see the coaches come down and see what they say, but I don't think I will have my mother come. I'm already with her 24/7 and it's the only time I get a break from her." And from Serena Williams: "I don't like it. I think it takes away from tennis. When I'm out there, I've done all the hard work. It takes away from the integrity of the sport."...From MultiChannel News: "DirecTV will take its interactive technology to the tennis courts as it teams up with NBC Universal to show viewers different takes of USA Network's U.S. Open coverage on a single screen at the same time. The direct-broadcast satellite service will also give fantasy-football fans updated statistics for up to nine players as part of its enhanced NFL Sunday Ticket out-of-market game package, according to David Feldstein, senior project manager and producer of DirecTV Interactive Services. From Aug. 28-Sept. 1, DirecTV's U.S. Open interactive coverage will provide all subscribers with five channels of tennis coverage daily encompassing nearly all of the matches played, Feldstein said. In addition, a special U.S. Open Mix channel will feature all five channels, as well as USA's own coverage, simultaneously."...From the AP: "[Jelena] Jankovic nearly quit tennis earlier this year, when she won one match in her first 10 tournaments after contracting a mysterious virus in South Korea in 2005. "I didn't feel like playing tennis," she said. "I didn't practice at all. When you don't train, you don't know how to perform. When I started losing, that's not what I want to do. Now that's the past and I'm healthy. I really enjoy my time on court." After the Open ends, Jankovic plans to return to Belgrade to start her second year of college, making her a rarity on the WTA Tour. "Most of them have never seen an ordinary classroom," she said of her fellow pros. "My ambition is to finish my university because a tennis career is very short." Soon, Jankovic will have to declare whether she represents Serbia -- her mother's country -- or the newly independent Republic of Montenegro -- her father's homeland. "This is my parents' decision," she said."...Elena Dementieva -- nice win in LA, but amidst all the hubbub, you're still not winning a Slam with that horrible serve and no-confidence at the net..."The" Donald Young won the 2006 Junior Nationals in Kalamazoo and will get a US Open wildcard...Current Roger Federer streaks: 54 consecutive match wins in North America; 62-0 in 2006 against every player other than Rafael Nadal; 17 straight finals (Ivan Lendl holds the all-time record at 18); 11th Masters Series win tying him with Pete Sampras in second place behind Andre Agassi who holds the record with 17; and 133 consecutive weeks at the No. 1 ranking, already topping Pete Sampras and behind only Ivan Lendl (157) and Jimmy Connors (160)...Robby Ginepri blogging for the ATP: "On Friday I hit with James Blake. It's not too tough finding a hitting partner before the event starts. Sometimes you see guys at the airport and line something up for the next few days. If not, you can just sign up for a partner. Friday night we went to a Mexican restaurant. It had unbelievable guacamole, though in all modesty, I must say that I make a better one. The Dos Equis beer was pretty good too! Saturday night I hung out with the boys. We played poker. Mardy Fish, James Blake and Paul Goldstein were part of the game. I came in fourth. James won it. He was lucky as usual. He called Mardy in an all-in hand. Mardy had a better hand, but James popped a trump card at the end to win it. Mardy was furious and wouldn't stop giving James a hard time. Yesterday I played two hours with James. We played a few sets, and I lost. We do this thing we call hozelrocket. Whoever loses has to stand at the fence facing it. That was me. James stood at the other baseline and fired a ball as hard as he could at me. Fortunately, his aim's not too good, so he missed. That game isn't so much fun to play with Andy Roddick. We involve the coaches too. And mine -- Diego Ayala -- wasn't so lucky. He got hit in the back. He's going to coach me at Cincinnati and the US Open. We go a long way back and played doubles together. It's good to have someone here who's a good friend and keeps it chilled and relaxed, the way I like it."
 
8-18-06

8-18-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
The men's wildcards for New Haven next week will be an ultra-hot property, especially with CBS Sports broadcasting the Friday semifinals and Saturday final in the U.S...From X-discussion boarder and Canadian ccm: "i challenge any of y'all to top this comment from our perennial tennis expert, peter burwash, trying to break things down for the casual viewer. "oh! murray doesn't want to be kicking that [whatever it was]. [pause as he considers how to relate this to a non-tennis player/fan] you know, because the foot, er, the feet are a very important thing to a tennis player." yes peter, tennis players need their feet."...Stacey Allaster, president of the WTA Tour speaking with the Toronto Star: "It's unacceptable for a Tier 1 event like the Rogers Cup not to have a Tier 1 field. We need the top players to play the premier events."...The Tennis Channel announced the hiring of David Egdes as senior vice president, Tennis Industry Relations, and Tennis Channel Open tournament director. Egdes joins the network after serving five years as vice president of World TeamTennis in Los Angeles, and close to 10 years as an executive and agent at IMG. Egdes will also be the tournament director for The Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas...To the players' delight the free keg of Heineken in the US Open locker room will stay for the foreseeable future as the brewmaker has signed a deal with the USTA extending their sponsorship through 2010...Todd Martin will play the Outback Champions Series events at Charlotte and Memphis in September and October...The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Lleyton Hewitt's knee problem will likely have him out of action until the US Open (and likely provide a convenient excuse to skip the Davis Cup finals at Argentina where he is Public Enemy No. 1)...Cincy Tournament Director Bruce Flory trying to play off Andre Agassi's pull-out: "Agassi is, what, the 25th player (actually No. 22) in the world? From a competition point of view, it's not a huge factor. If you were to list the top 10 guys who have a chance to win it, I wouldn't have put him on the list. You have him playing against Federer, Nadal, Ljubicic, and I wouldn't pick him. For the tournament, it's not like a contender got knocked out." -- Wha? Can you really be that clueless on having Agassi stop at your event on his going-away tour, not as a contender but as a media sensation? After fans were driving down from CANADA to see him after he pulled from the MS-Canada? Yikes. Let your PR guys do the talking from now on...From the Canadian National Post: "The Bryan Bump went into hiding on Saturday when the Bryans defeated Canadian Daniel Nestor and Mark Knowles 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 10-5, because Bob Bryan didn't "want to get Nestor's fans riled up." But expect more than a few bumps later this month when Bob Bryan teams up with Martina Navratilova in mixed doubles at the U.S. Open. "I gave Venus [Williams] one," said Bob Bryan, who was warned by his brother that the ultra-fit Navratilova may knock him over. "She runs the show," Bob Bryan said of the 50-year-old. "If she wants to do one, I'll give it to her."...From Tennis Week: "The tennis court takes on a circular shape in two years time as the Olympic rings will be on display behind the baseline in Beijing. The International Tennis Federation announced the tennis competition of the 2008 Olympic Games will be contested Sunday, August 10-Sunday, August 17, 2008. The tennis event begins two days after the Olympic opening ceremonies and will conclude a week before the start of the 2008 U.S. Open."...From The Australian's Patrick Smith pulling the rip cord on John McEnroe: "The American is now 47 and playing the old men's tour. He is slower, less athletic but no less vile. You will have seen him on the news last weekend. He berated the umpire. He swore at him. He struck the court with his racquet. Poor man got a call he didn't like. McEnroe is as bad now as he ever was. Some suggest that on the grumpy tour he plays to the crowd. It is theatre because he can no longer entertain with his volleying, so he must draw attention to himself through his awfulness. Indeed, the crowd seemed to lap it up like voyeurs do a car crash at the Grand Prix, a fall in the steeplechase and biffo at the football. So McEnroe is now a clown. McBozo. If tennis continues to allow McEnroe to romp around the world behaving badly, then ultimately the game is hurt deeply, as is sport in general. No matter what the grade of competence or age, sport must retain its standards. It must never give away its values of dignity and grace for popularity. Or, heaven forbid, sponsorship or ratings. Tennis tolerates McEnroe and others who play and act boorishly because they fear the game has precious little else to offer."...Tim Henman writing on his website on trying to avert another beating at the hands of young Andy Murray: "Obviously it's not an easy match, it never is when you play against somebody from the same country. But it's a good opportunity for me as last week's loss to Andy left a bitter taste in my mouth. I didn't play particularly well and missing such an easy shot on set point in the second set didn't sit very well with me. It's nice to be able to get back on court so soon with him to try to play better to give myself a better chance of beating him."...Robby Ginepri blogging for the ATP: "I did my press conference. Dealing with the press comes with the territory. A lot of the questions are easy. You can avoid them by talking about whatever you feel like. It's pretty easy. I like off-the-wall questions. That's better for the fans. They know tennis and can see that you didn't make enough first serves or made too many unforced errors. Questions about my cooking or my support of the Atlanta Falcons would probably be more interesting for them."...Matches of interest Tuesday at the MS-Cincy are Murray vs. Henman in an all-Brit, (WC) Querrey vs. (2) Nadal, (9) Roddick vs. Bracciali, (1) Federer vs. Srichaphan, (14) Haas vs. Verdasco, Monfils vs. Safin, Rusedski vs. (4) Ljubicic, (7) Robredo vs. the hot-handed Gasquet, and an all-Chilean in Massu vs. (13) Gonzalez...Marcelo Rios has qualified for the senior tour season-ending event at the Royal Albert Hall, the BlackRock Masters, earlier than any other player in the 10-year history of the event...From the Cincinnati Enquirer: "Three days and still no word from American Andy Roddick to the media. The 23-year-old, who will return to the hardcourts for the first time since suffering a back strain in Los Angeles in July, was to meet with local media Monday, but he was not made available following his rain-delayed practice in the afternoon. Roddick, who has been on site since Saturday, plays Italy's Daniele Bracciali after 3 p.m. today."
 
8-16-06

8-16-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
From the Justine Henin-Hardenne website: "After a few days of rest, Justine returned back on the practice court for training, but to further fine tune her hardcourt game she may play in New Haven at the Pilot Pen (Tier II) next week with the use of a wildcard."...What's up with the new "crime drama" piano music ESPN is using in their tennis coverage when going to commercial?...The USTA says Ne-Yo (Ne-who?) has been added as a performer for Arthur Ashe Kids' Day at the US Open, joining "chart-topping singer/songwriters Cheyenne Kimball, Teddy Geiger and Ne-Yo, joining US Open contenders Andre Agassi, James Blake, Andy Roddick, Anna Kournikova, Serena Williams and the Cheetah Girls for the annual Arthur Ashe Kids' Day presented by Hess to kick off the 2006 US Open."...From TheAdvocate.com: "The Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation has announced plans to sponsor an exhibition tennis match between Pete Sampras and Todd Martin, October 29, 2006 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center to help alleviate the financial challenges facing LSU Health Sciences Center students."...Judy Murray writing for the BBC on son Andy and coach Brad Gilbert: "The only thing they've disagreed on is their taste in music -- Brad can't stand rap. Plus, Brad's been making him put his hand in pickle juice to harden up the skin and stop him from getting blisters. It sounds disgusting and a bit painful but he said it wasn't so much that, but your hands really stink afterwards. Brad will stay with Andy while he is in the States and throughout the indoor season but then Andy will be into a real training block over the winter. It will be interesting to see how far he can go in the next two or three years."...From Canada.com on the on-court coaching at the WTA stop in Montreal: "I'm sure the girls don't like it. But I think it's good for the spectators, and for the TV and things like that. It adds something to talk about," said Oded Teig, travelling coach for Israeli player Shahar Peer. After coming back from a 0-4 deficit to win six straight games and take the first set against Varvaro Lepchenko of Uzbekistan, Peer called upon Teig to come to the court between sets. What could Teig say? Keep doing what you're doing? Don't change a thing? "She felt a little uncomfortable facing the (lefty) opponent, a little out of balance. She couldn't move her around too much. I just told her to do some stuff, mix it up. She played all right," Teig said. As soon as Peer called for her coach, Lepchenko called for hers. As if one was waiting for the other to blink. The idea of on-court coaching, which also will be used next month at the tournament in New Haven, Conn., doesn't seem to be a big hit. "I spoke to some of the players and I can't say they are so excited about it, because it will feel kind of strange; you will have a coach walking on court and sitting next to you or spending a minute on coaching you," said Nadia Petrova, the No. 3 seed. "I think the better way would be if they would just allow some kind of coaching from the side of the court and limit it, for example, to a couple of words or sentences, not more. But we'll see how many players would use it, and it will be quite interesting if they will be in favour (of it)." During singles qualifying matches last weekend, players called for a coach a total of 50 times in 36 matches -- in 16 of the 24 first-round matches, and nine of the 12 final-round matches."...Argentine Guillermo Canas has taken a wildcard into a challenger after the US Open...Lucky for Roger Federer that The Thai Fighter did the throat-clutcher on Tuesday, lots of streaks would have ended...Lleyton Hewitt is out for the New Haven wildcard after being told to stay off his tendinitis-stricken knee...Marcos Baghdatis has received a New Haven wildcard...Shahar Peer and Karolina "The Spreminator" Sprem have signed with SFX...Greg Rusedski has lost seven matches in a row...What, you ask, are you missing this week at the MS-Cincy food court?: Tabby's American Grill and Bar (American cuisine), Subway (subs and salads), Tandoor (Indian cuisine), Grand Oriental (Chinese cuisine), Moe's Southwest Grill (Mexican cuisine), HoneyBaked Ham (ham and oven-roasted turkey sandwiches and salads), Putter's 2 Putt Tavern and Grill (sandwiches: portabella mushroom & grilled rib-eye), Baba Budan's Espresso (hot and iced coffees), Icee/Blue Chip Cookies (cookies) and local favorites Skyline Chili (Cincinnati-style chili), LaRosa's (pizza slices and whole pies) and United Dairy Farmers (frozen treats)...Hightlights Wednesday at the MS-Cincy are (Q) H.-T. Lee vs. (2) Nadal, (6) Blake vs. the former No. 1 Ferrero, (1) Federer vs. Murray, (9) Roddick vs. Vliegen, Monfils vs. (8) Baghdatis, (WC) Fish vs. (13) Gonzalez, and Tursunov vs. (15) Ginepri. "It's a difficult match but one I'm looking forward to," said Murray on facing Federer. "If I play perfectly for two sets then, yes, I've got a chance, but to play perfect tennis against someone like Federer is near enough impossible. You have to go out there with a game plan, not just expecting to get blown away or lose. If you do, then you can get close, and maybe the luck's with you on the day and you can maybe get a set. He's only lost to one player this year. I'm going to have to play the best match of my life to have a chance of winning."...From Lisa Dillman of the LA Times: "A longtime summer tradition -- professional women's tennis at the highest level on the grounds of La Costa Resort and Spa -- will be ending after next year's tournament. Tournament owners Raquel Giscafre and Jane Stratton of Promotion Sports, Inc., announced Tuesday that they had sold the event to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. Attendance was not the issue. Organizers said 83,054 fans attended the recently completed Acura Classic, up 8.1% from last year. It has been held at La Costa for the last 16 years. Instead, the problem was finding a venue able to accommodate presumed growth of the tournament. "We've been unable to find a facility in San Diego County that's appropriate to accommodate the size of the tournament," Giscafre said. "We looked and there's nothing here. So, it's been a long ride and a very fun one." Cincinnati may end up filling La Costa's spot, though it may not be a direct replacement."
 
8-17-06

8-17-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
From Missy Stoddard writing for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "Three years of tax returns for Richard Williams show he made almost $2 million managing his tennis phenom daughters, Venus and Serena, according to lawyers suing the family for damages in a contract dispute over a 2001 Battle of the Sexes tournament. Attorneys for Carol Clarke and Keith Rhodes, principals in a company known as CCKR, say the 1998, 1999 and 2000 tax returns were public documents found in the divorce file of Richard and Oracene Williams. The lawyers claim Richard Williams held himself out as his daughters' manager and committed his girls to play in the tournament, slated to raise $45 million, with 80 percent of the profit going to Richard Williams' company. The Williamses later reneged on the promise, Clarke and Rhodes said."...From Matt Cronin at TennisReporters.net: "I'm not one to crow in public (but I often open my beak and sing in private), but after Jane Stratton and Raquel Giscafre announced that they had sold their Tier I tournament to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour on Tuesday, I feel like climbing up my roof top and letting loose louder than Peter Pan did when he met Wendy. The truth be told...That's not because I broke the story two days before the tournament began (some 20 days ago), but because of the amount of hand slapping I had to endure during the tournament. Part of that was because of the spotty follow-up reporting done by some of the local papers after I broke the story (I don't know who is doing the hiring at the North County Times, but the next time they decide to hire a reporter, maybe they should tell him that merely printing denials and not doing his own investigation is not considered to be real reporting), and part of that was because sheer venting from some officials because they didn't want the story out. Nonetheless, after next year, the tournament is gone from La Costa, which didn't want it anymore because it's too busy selling time-shares."...From SMH.com: "Paris Hilton's vow of celibacy is just to win a bet. The hotel heiress recently announced she was giving up sex for a year to concentrate on her new singing career and to make herself a stronger person. But it has now been revealed that Paris has formed a "single girls club" with her friends and they have a bet to see who can last the longest without sex. Paris said: "I'm not doing it with anyone. I want to concentrate on work. I'll kiss but nothing else. Another member of the 'club' is tennis ace Serena Willams, and the idea is that the bet will encourage them to put their work first."...That was a pretty poor tank job from Roger "I Need a Vacation! I've Played Two Whole Events Since Wimbledon!" Federer at the MS-Cincinnati: "The streaks? I don't care about those now that they're over," said Federer, who hadn't lost in straight sets in his last 194 matches. "It's going to be a relief for everybody, and now we can move on...Two Masters series back-to-back -- 12 matches in 13 days -- it's something of the impossible." -- From Turkish Press: "Cyril Suk quit as captain of the Czech Republic Davis Cup team in protest at the planned return of world number eight Radek Stepanek. Stepanek revealed earlier in the day that after talks with Czech tennis federation boss Ivo Kaderka he intended to return for the September 22-24 World Group play-off tie against the Netherlands. I don't want to be an obstacle and I want our team to have the best players," said Suk who has clashed with Stepanek in the past. Stepanek added: "We (with Kaderka) had a frank discussion and shook hands to put the past behind us." In the absence of Stepanek the Czech Republic last year fell out of the World Group for the first time. The player had said that he wanted to concentrate on his individual career but his differences with Suk were blamed."...From AnaIvanovic.com: "Ana decided against appointing David Taylor as an authorised on-court coach during her first round match against Tatiana Golovin on Monday, which she won 6-4, 6-2. Both players were entitled to nominate someone to come onto court to coach them during the match, as part of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's two-week experiment with on-court coaching, which began at the Rogers Cup yesterday. Like many players, Ana and David are both opposed to the concept and decided against the Australian coaching during the match. David explained: "I would like Ana to be able to process what is happening intrinsically, and be able to follow through with the plan alone. I believe this leads to greater belief in one's abilities." Ana concurred. "I think it is important to be independent on the court," she said. "David and I decided not to do it. I was fully focused on my game and was very pleased with how I played." Golovin is without a coach in Montreal and she too did not nominate anyone to coach her during the match. "The players are ambivalent about it, but I think tennis is an individual sport," she said."...From the Cincinnati Enquirer: "The only person who didn't appear surprised by the result was Federer. He said a day prior he had considered skipping the Cincinnati event because he had played all last week in Toronto, where he won the Tennis Masters Series event, and today said it was unreasonable for anyone to expect him to win both tournaments." -- Nice tank-job Rog, next time just pull out physically too instead of just mentally...From Richard Jago of The Guardian: "Many players feel that the only way to stop the brilliant Swiss player employing his multiple attacking options is to deny him as many chances by attacking him first. Murray did not do that. Although the 19-year-old Scot applied orthodox pressure to the Federer second serve, he was otherwise prepared to rally it out with the tired champion, who had made no secret of the fact that he had almost pulled out of the physical and mental challenge of trying to win two big titles in two weeks." -- Uh huh. Tank...From Mark Hodgkinson of The Telegraph: "Put simply, Murray's defeat of Federer last night was the shock of the year." -- Or tank of the year?...From The London Free Press (Canadian): "If a fan bought tickets for a Toronto Maple Leafs game and the American Hockey League Marlies showed up, there would be screams for refunds. When the Toronto Blue Jays are on the playbill, would Paul Godfrey give you a Syracuse Excuse? Not if he wants to get a vault-full instead of an earful. But, year after year, Canadian tennis fans pay to see Andre Agassi or Maria Sharapova and get a bunch of players whose names look like a word jumble, and all it results in are platitudes from the bozos who run this circus. The major men's and women's tennis tours promise each year it will never happen again. They promise the advertised players will show up. It's always the same: "Just trust us." It's what tour officials said last year when Sharapova and the Williams sisters bailed on Toronto. What happens? They show up in Montreal this week with Shabar Peer and Sybille Bammer." -- Don't put down the box-office pull of The Bammer...Bad news for Kim Clijsters after coming off major wrist surgery a couple years ago, injuring it Wednesday in Montreal: "I'm going to have an MRI tomorrow and we'll see what the doctors say. From the beginning I could feel that my backhand wasn't right. I couldn't get the speed and power that I usually produce in my backhand swing. My wrist felt really tight. I was slicing more to protect it. It was hurting, and then I slipped and landed on it in the worst position possible."...Jimmy Connors on righting the Andy Roddick ship: "Let's not get out of control and think his game is not there," Connors told Reuters in a telephone interview on Wednesday. "But like all athletes I think you find success and then you also fall upon some hard times and you lose a little confidence. It's just a matter of him getting that confidence back and once he gets that back he's off and running again."...Marcelo Rios speaking with the BBC: "My back was troubling me a lot and I had a lot of back surgeries. That was one of the reasons for retiring. I would love to play professional (ATP tournaments) but I'm not fit enough to do it."...Andy Murray says he's special after beating Roger Federer: "There comes a time when it's meant to be. Federer won against Sampras at Wimbledon [five years ago] and that was a moment when you looked at him and said 'This guy's special.'"...Maria Sharapova was fined $150K for pulling out of Montreal.

Your U.S. Open Schedule
http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/2006-08-16/83.php
 
8-18-06

8-18-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
World No. 3 Justine Henin-Hardenne has taken a wildcard into New Haven next week...From Canada.com: "Lindsay Davenport decided late that she actually wanted to play in Canada, but she had not signed up for a commitment sheet, stating she would play a certain number of tournaments in the second half of the year. So in a week with no actual second seed, Davenport was denied by the inflexible WTA bureaucracy."...From Canon: "Canon is calling tennis fans of all ages to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum to help kick off the 2006 US Open and its Canon NYC PowerShot Zone locations throughout the city. The day-long event [Monday, August 28] will feature a tennis court, interactive tennis and photography stations and celebrity tennis demonstrations with tennis greats John McEnroe and Luke and Murphy Jensen atop the Intrepid flight deck. Fans will have the opportunity to try and "Beat Maria Sharapova's Fastest Serve," touch and try the latest Canon PowerShot cameras, and have their photo taken with Maria Sharapova look-alikes."...Great ATP You-Pick-'Em $1 Million Contest this week in Cincy -- until you realized the chance of winning was like 1 in 900 billion, and the best anyone did was five wrong in the first round. The top finishers will get various prizes that are not $1 million dollars...The world No. 1 doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan were recognized for achieving the career Grand Slam during a Center Court presentation Wednesday evening at the Western and Southern Financial Group Masters. Andreas Swick of Adidas, the sports clothing brand sponsoring the Bryans, presented Mike with a Fender guitar and Bob with a Korg keyboard in commemoration of their achievement. The customized instruments, sporting Adidas' trademark three-stripes, were personalized with the dates and titles from the four Grand Slam triumphs: 2003 Roland Garros, 2005 US Open, 2006 Australian Open and 2006 Wimbledon."...The video replay system has brought out some (extra) player personalities, with Andy Roddick having fun being a complete jerk to any chair umpire who gets a call wrong that he successfully challenged...Question from the Wednesday Rafael Nadal press conference: "Is hardcourt more a challenge for you than clay? Your record on clay is so dominant it would seem that maybe hardcourts aren't as good for you as clay." -- Good stuff, insightful, you gotta love the local media: 'Uh, Rafa, this tennis game you play, can it be played with both hands, legally?'...From X-Discussion boarder louise: "[Kristof] Vliegen looks like the self-PhotoShop of an 8-year-old who can't wait to be big."...Nicole Vaidisova (shoulder) and Jelena Jankovic (unspecified injury) pulled from Montreal Thursday...Andy Murray, who looked like he was going to puke and/or pass out while beating Robby Ginepri Thursday: "That's the toughest match I've played. I felt ill after the first two games, which shows that physically there is still a lot to be done. I showed good heart to get through, but I shouldn't be tired after two or three games. I've played a lot recently and I'm not used to it. I've had three (days) in a row here and it was tough mentally against Roger Federer and again today. My legs started to go a bit and there's not many who can do that, maybe only the Rafael Nadal's of this world. It's good for me physically because I'm not used to playing so many matches. Hopefully I'll play late tomorrow when the weather's a bit cooler."...Announced US Open wildcards are Mark Philippoussis, Scoville Jenkins, Alex Kuznetsov, Wayne Odesnik, Sam Querrey, Phillip Simmonds, Ryan Sweeting and Donald Young...From the Cincinnati.com blog: "So apparently there's no bathroom for the TV announcers to use in their TV booth atop Center Court here. So Patrick McEnroe, who's been calling the games for ESPN2 has been using the nearby Mercedes-Benz luxury suite to go to the bathroom between sets and/or matches. Well, the ladies who occupy the suite have been thinking for the past couple days that John McEnroe keeps coming into their suite to use the bathroom -- and they've been rather excited about that, telling anyone who comes in that John McEnroe might walk in at any minute. Well, today, the caterer in the suite -- not even realizing there was a Patrick McEnroe -- asked Patrick if he was the guy they all referred to as John. "That's a low blow," Patrick responded, before setting the folks in the box straight about who he was."...The exhausted Andy Murray will get a reprieve Friday with a night match against Andy Roddick, who he has beaten in both of their career encounters...From The Scotsman: "Great Britain Davis Cup captain John Lloyd has axed Alex Bogdanovic from his squad for the crucial Euro-African Zone relegation clash against Ukraine in Odessa next month, which could create an opening for Andy Murray's brother, Jamie."...The Mexican Tennis Federation announced that Oscar Ortiz will captain the country's Davis Cup team after Oliver Fernandez on Thursday announced his resignation to media. "I have completed my cycle as captain," Fernandez told reporters. "I have other personal commitments and responsibilities which do not allow me to dedicate the time the captain's responsibilities need."
 
8-19-06

8-19-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
From X-blogger Sean Randall: "Fed clearly didn't look like the Fed that we have known, and I wonder just how much the Swiss wanted to partake in Cincy. Fed said winning Toronto, Cincy back-to-back was next to impossible. Well Rog, Andy Roddick did it a few years ago if I remember correctly, so it's not impossible. You just got to want it. But from Fed's viewpoint, he won Toronto so he basically defended his points from his 2005 Cincy win -- anything from this Cincy would have been gravy as they say. Plus with Nadal losing early in Toronto, where he won lost year, even if he wins Cincy it's a wash between he and Federer -- like last year they would each win a summer TMS title, just switching. Fed knows where his games at -- remember he struggled to win Halle but then flipped the switch at the W, and he knows the math with his huge ranking lead over Nadal. Problem is an early exit at the Open for Fed would narrow that gap and set up Nadal for the ultimate No. 1 shot at the Australian Open where everyone thinks the Spaniard's heavy topspin will be most effective."...After beating an exhausted Andy Murray Friday night, Andy Roddick acted like he had won the US Open...Croatian television has reportedly confirmed that Mario Ancic will miss the US Open after a jetskiing accident...Gael "Force" Monfils has received a wildcard in New Haven, and Mardy Fish is in the main draw after the withdrawal of Joachim Johansson...Tim Henman says he will not return to Davis Cup play for Britain under new coach John Lloyd...From Matt Cronin writing for Tennisreporters.net: "How anyone can argue that the [women] stars need to play less when they are hardly playing at all this summer past Wimbledon befuddles me. I have to throw the onus on to the Slams now, as it's incredibly obvious that it's the quick jaunt from Roland Garros to Wimbledon that is killing the summer hard court season. Want some evidence? How about that eight of the Top-10 WTA players have been injured this summer (excepting the Iron Woman -- Elena Dementieva -- and her cautious countrywoman, Svetlana Kuznetsova). It also came as no surprise that on Friday, two women who played a lot post Wimbledon -- Nicole Vaidisova and Jelena Jankovic -- pulled out of Montreal before their third-round matches. Jankovic, who played all three weeks in California and reached the Carson final, withdrew with a right-shoulder injury, as did Vaidisova, who played World TeamTennis, Stanford and San Diego. Did Nicole Vaidisova admit to faking an injury? Interestingly, the irrepressible Canadian scribe Tom Tebbutt reported that Vaidisova said, "I'm not injured; I'm just preventing it from getting injured." A fine should be forthcoming. But since the Czech knows that Clijsters, who beat her both weeks in Cali, won't show at the Open, then why not pull out and hope for a good draw?"
 
8-20-06

8-20-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
From The Telegraph: "[Andy Murray] and [Brad] Gilbert flew to the Bollettieri academy in Florida yesterday. Murray has been given two days off before beginning preparations for the year's final Grand Slam, which takes place Flushing Meadows in New York on August 28. Gilbert has recruited a specialist fitness trainer, who is best known for his work with basketball players to help with Murray's conditioning. The new trainer should play a part, even if his impact over the short space of a week might be negligible. "It's a guy that Brad uses, or Brad used, and knows very well from over in California," Murray said. "He works with some NBA players, and he works with big guys who he wants to take away body fat and put on muscle. I definitely need a bit more muscle, but I could probably do with some more body fat as well." Murray blamed fatigue for his loss to Roddick in Cincinnati on Friday, having beaten him en route to the San Jose title in February and then overpowered him in straight sets at Wimbledon. However after reaching the final in Washington and semi-finals last week in Toronto, losing in the quarter-finals at Cincinnati may prove a blessing. Murray will be playing best-of-five-sets matches at the US Open, rather than the best-of-three matches he has contested recently. "I'm going to relax for a couple of days," Murray said. "I think I've done enough the last few weeks to earn a few days' rest. Then I'm going to work really hard."...From the Times Online: "[Andy] Murray's propensity to allow his anger to erupt, become distracted and cast the blame on to others is another challenge for a coach who during his playing days delighted in raising the ire of the likes of John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors. [Brad] Gilbert may have a remedy. One of his favourite mantras says: "Anger is a powerful force in competition, but is impossible to separate from fear." He points out that his career was proof that the firepower anger generates can be defeated by "speed, spin, tenacity and strategy." Roddick's anger management was a big issue for Gilbert when the pair began an 18-month working relationship in June 2003. Although coaching a player during a match is banned, except in the Davis Cup, the pair formulated a plan that involved Roddick looking across to Gilbert whenever he felt anger rising. His coach would point his two index fingers towards his temples. "To us it meant KIT -- keep it together -- and your game will take you out of these tense situations," explained Gilbert. "If your brain takes you out of the game, it's hard for your game to bring you back to where you want to be." Not surprisingly, given the three characters involved, there was an air of confrontation in the early exchanges on Friday as the players drilled shots in the general direction of their opponent's head. After a Murray near-miss, Roddick wagged a finger at the Scot."
 
8-21-06

8-21-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Jonas Bjorkman and Max "The Beast" Mirnyi
are the first team to repeat as title winners in Cincinnati since 1937...Wildcard Ryan Sweeting beat Vince Spadea in the last round of the New Haven qualifying...From Feliciano "F-Lo" Lopez blogging for the ATP: "I had a nice surprise for the tournament director Anne Worcester. I spoke to her on the courts today and told her that Rafa was coming to get in some practice. It's too early for him to go to New York to practice as none of the players are there. You can imagine that Ann was very surprised, but because the draw had already been made she knew there was no point asking if Rafa wanted to play the event. Rafa wants to practice here today and tomorrow. Today he couldn't find anyone to hit with so he hit with my coach. The fans were very surprised to see him here and when word started to get around it became packed around his practice court. Tomorrow I think he's going to practice with Blake."...Andy Roddick is back in the Top 10 at No. 10...IMG has signed Gael Monfils...From Lisa Raymond blogging for the WTA website: Speaking of Sam [Stosur], she is coachless this week so I have been designated her coach for "on-court coaching". Pretty funny! Since we started playing doubles together a year ago, we have become good friends and I have seen her play a lot of tennis. In her first round of qualies she called me out during the set break. When I got out there, we both just laughed. She was playing well, winning 6-3 and her opponent had called for her coach first so she figured, 'Why not?' I basically just told her to stay focused, keep doing what she was doing, and then asked where we were going to dinner later! No, I'm kidding. I think the best part of being able to have someone come out on court with you is just to keep you centered, focused, and calm you down if need be. Bottom line, the player has to go out there and execute, not the coach. By the way, Sam won and I'm taking 5% :) (Just kidding Sam, in case you are reading this!)"...Andy Murray moves into the Top 20 for the first time at No. 19...Amelie Mauresmo on her groin injury last month and shoulder injury last week: "It was good to have a rest but it was also frustrating because my injury stopped me from doing the sports I normally like to do while on holidays like surfing. Still, it was nice to be able to spend time with my relatives and friends...The doctors have detected a slight inflammation (in the shoulder) and told me to be careful. I concentrated on physical training and I'm confident I'll be ready for the US Open."...Roger Federer is aiming to join John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl as the only players to win three consecutive US Open titles in the Open Era...From Dale Robertson writing for the Houston Chronicle: "Despite much widespread skepticism -- I've certainly expressed my share -- Jim Courier already was insisting on Friday that Andy Roddick's decision to partner up with Jimmy Connors had had a profoundly positive effect on Roddick's game. And lo, three days later, Roddick won his first title in 10 months, taking the Masters Series event in Cincinnati and, with it, the U.S. Open Series championship. Roddick had reached his first final of the year a few weeks ago in Indianapolis. Connors, 54 next month, may be out of touch with the modern tour and its players, but what Jimbo did best in his prime, accounting for his eight Grand Slam titles, apparently translates into any era, and Roddick seems to be soaking up his advice like a sponge. "I haven't been around them personally," Courier said, "but (watching on TV), I saw a clear, distinct change in Andy's game -- things I've never seen him do, but things he needed to do." Courier, the winner of four Slams himself in the 1990s, was so excited by what he was seeing early in the Cincinnati tournament that he dashed off a congratulatory e-mail to Roddick. "I told him, 'I'm really excited for you -- you're going where you need to be going,'" Courier said. What really caught his eye? Roddick's vastly improved shot anticipation and footwork, as well as his refound swagger. "Andy was walking and moving like a man who believed in his game again, and that was great to see," Courier said. "I think good things are on the horizon for him, whether or not it plays out this week or at the U.S. Open. He's got the weapons, and now he's looking like he'll be able to use them in the right way."...Juan Carlos Ferrero was looking to become the first unseeded player to win Cincinnati since Miguel Olvera of Ecuador in 1960.
 
8-25-06

8-25-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
From The New York Times: "In Monte Carlo this spring, [Dmitry] Tursunov was late for his first-round match when he discovered that he had brought the wrong jerseys, the ones with his Davis Cup Russia logos. He ripped off the logos and plastered them on the lockers of the French players he had beaten the day before."...ESPN's Mary Joe Fernandez, saying the strong women's field at New Haven is due to the women wanting to be "match tough" while omitting any mention of all the top player injuries and sit-outs, nice WTA PR...Please folks, if you ever get the opportunity to stand behind the ESPN commentating booth at a tournament, definitely jump up and down and wave like an idiot, then get on your cell phone while on camera to tell someone to watch you on TV. Classy...The Tennis Channel has signed a nine-year deal with the French Tennis Federation for the rights to carry the French Open in the U.S. when matches aren't being run on NBC Sports, which holds the network broadcast rights...Judy Murray writing for the BBC on how her and son Andy like the US Open better than stodgy old Wimbledon: "It's no secret that Andy's favourite Grand Slam is the US Open and from a tennis fan's point of view I have to say that I love it too. Andy likes America full stop. He loves the positivity and the upbeat nature of the country. It's just alive and the last Grand Slam of the year reflects this. As soon as you walk through the gates of Flushing Meadows you feel more like you are at a show. There is a huge open plaza where they have all sorts of entertainment -- the whole atmosphere is a lot more rock 'n' roll. There are bands, celebrities, entertainers on stilts, jugglers, comedians and dancers. It's very lively and very noisy and the public get much more involved. On the show courts you have big screens showing you slow-motion replays and they do on-court interviews with the players at the end of the matches, which is a great idea. It's a lot better than fans just seeing the interviews on TV and brings the crowd a lot closer to the players which can only be a good thing."...Reports are that Andre Agassi will play Monday night at the US Open...From Richard Osborn in his US Open preview for Tennisreporters.net: "[Nicole] Vaidisova, who is many folks' sexy pick, could get a rude awakening in the form of [Jelena] Jankovic, who has performed better than she has on hard courts this summer, beating [Ana] Ivanovic and Serena [Williams] to reach the Carson final." -- Sexy pick? Preview by Austin Powers? 'Yeah baby, my sexy pick!"...Why did the "Grand Slam Network" relinquish its rights to the French Open cable coverage in the U.S.? No return after the poor ratings? Now in the U.S. it goes to The Tennis Channel, which carries roughly one-ninth the households of ESPN. Not a great deal for U.S. tennis fans. Will ESPN still call itself the "Grand Slam Network" with only the Australian Open and Wimbledon? The worldwide leader in sports (/darts/poker) on the retreat...From Joel Drucker writing for CBSSportsLine.com: "As the U.S. Open nears, there is a slight degree of movement in the ranks. Reigning superpowers Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal might soon be challenged by a flock of intriguing contenders. Coming out of the French Open and Wimbledon, I hadn't thought that would be the case. By romping to each of those finals, Federer and Nadal seemed headed to Martina Navratilova-Chris Evert levels of dominance...Consider the range of personalities and playing styles that are bubbling beneath the two titans, ranging from cagey Andy Murray to clean-hitting Tomas Berdych, resurgent Andy Roddick, aggressive James Blake and shotmaker Richard Gasquet. Workhorse Ivan Ljubicic and fluid crowd-pleaser Marcos Baghdatis didn't do as well as expected during the U.S. Open Series but certainly have the skills." -- Can't see it, at the end of the year no one will be close to Federer and Nadal...From Paul Malone of The Australian: "The wraps came off a cautious Lleyton Hewitt yesterday when he completed his first public practice session at Flushing Meadows in his rearguard fight to make an impact at the US Open. Hewitt hit for 55 minutes with coach Roger Rasheed and moved encouragingly in his first disclosed session since his August 9 retirement from a match in Toronto, Canada, with patella tendinitis in his right knee. Neither Hewitt nor Rasheed would comment on how conclusive the session had been for his chances of being fit to play Spaniard Albert Montanes, the world No.75, in the first round of the US Open."

Also see:
US Open Draws: Women's Singles Preview
http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/

Carillo Speaks Truth to Power on Federer Cincy Loss
http://www.tennis-x.com/story/2006-08-25/c.php
 
8-26-06

8-26-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Former South African star Wayne Ferreira was seen around the grounds Friday at the US Open, watching the Robert Kendrick-Evgeny Korolev match...Andre Agassi speaking with Time magazine on being a punk: "I still spend many days being a punk, to be honest. But I've basically grown up. And when I look at myself 20 years ago, I understand that person a heck of a lot more than I want to be that person."...The injured Venus Williams will stay at the US Open for Monday night's National Tennis Center dedication to Billie Jean King...Luke Jensen on Andre Agassi, speaking with Tennis Week: "I am really lucky because I got to see the whole body of work starting with the juniors. I'm a couple of years old than him, but Murphy (Jensen) would play him. He was always playing up with Chang. The first time I ever heard of Andre Agassi was when Murphy called home from the 16 indoors and said "I'm playing doubles with this guy from Vegas who hits the living shit out of the ball." I'm saying "How old is this guy?" "He's 14 and he doesn't care, he just hits it and we're just cranking." I remember he was playing satellites and he honestly played -- not in the jean shorts, this was before '86 -- he played in blue jeans. And won the match."...Not a good sign for Andre Agassi's US Open effort when he suddenly pulls from today's Media Day with the top players...Roger Federer says the rise of Rafael Nadal is a feather in the cap of the "youngster": "If it continues the way it is going at the moment, that we play each other often in the Grand Slam finals, that's only going to help. So I am excited that he has come along and he's done a great job, playing very consistently at a young age. It's an unbelievable thing -- something I was not even close to doing."...Tennis writer Matt Cronin says WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott came correct in bringing the hammer down on Lindsay Davenport: "Maybe Davenport, who is playing in only her second tournament since March, is winning out of anger. She has certainly vented on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour as of late, saying that she was denied wild cards into San Diego and Montreal because she wouldn't commit to a schedule back in April when she was injured. The former Player Council representative said she even thought of suing the tour. I don't get that and from my read of the situation it looks like CEO Larry Scott is doing what he should: asking the players to set a schedule so the tournament and tour can promote the players. Davenport could have said that she couldn't commit until July because of an injury, rather than placing herself into tournaments where she knew she had little chance of playing. I can't imagine Scott penalizing her for that. But saying that you can't commit to anything at all when you are a marquee player; that's a really tough spot to put the tour to be in when it is trying to sell the sport. Here Scott is constantly having his feet held to the fire for not providing enough notable players to the tournaments, and at the same time, Davenport and some of the other elite players are saying that he shouldn't be able to wield stick to penalize them with if they ignore their basic calendar commitments. The only option he has is to deny them entry when they aren't willing to play ball with him, or to fine them out of the bonus pool at year's end, which doesn't matter to the wealthy players anyway. The players aren't always right, even someone as well thought of as Davenport."...From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "Now that 19-year-old Andy Murray of Scotland has played all four majors, he declared the food in the U.S. Open players cafeteria "the best of the Slams." Why? "It's the variety," he said. Thursday was typical, offering players salads, carved meats, sandwiches, wraps and Mexican fare. Murray, who will be listed as from the United Kingdom, will wear his heart on his wrist -- with replica Scottish flag wristbands...Gustavo Kuerten, the three-time French Open winner, will miss his first U.S. Open since 1996, but not because of the hip injury that put him off tour last year. He now has a serious shoulder problem...Robby Ginepri split with Francisco Montana of Miami, who coached him to the top 20 a year ago and helped him to a semifinal finish at the U.S. Open. Diego Ayala is coaching Ginepri..."...Peter Bodo says that the rash of injuries today are from players not working too hard, but not working hard enough, speaking with ESPN: "I've been around some players like [Jim] Courier and [Pete] Sampras for extended periods of training and I don't think the level of effort is even close. I spent some time with [Carlos] Moya a few weeks ago and he'd do five crunches and then talked to his trainer for five minutes. Running? He'd jog 150 yards." -- Don't know if you can pin the whole tour's fitness on Moya, who subsequently struggles to win two matches in a row these days...Taylor Dent blogging for The Tennis Channel: "I've been getting a lot of questions about my status and why I'm not playing and I would love to answer those straight off the bat. My back has been bothering me off and on for roughly six years and the treatments I was getting to take the pain away have lost their effect. When I aggravated my back again this year in February, it has been a long process to get it pain free. The doctors told me that the best thing for my back would be a long rehab program and I've been doing that with Dave Hogarth at the IMG Bolletieri Academy in Bradenton, Florida. We both feel that my back has been making steady progress and I am hoping to be back in action early next year, ready for the Australian Open. For someone who has spent his life being pretty active, its been hard for me to sit around the house all day playing computer games. Thankfully, Tommy Haas, Xavier Malisse, and some other friends in town have been coming over to the house for ping pong and some light basketball games to keep me sane."...From the ATP: "The Swedish Open in Bastad -- an international ATP tournament -- has gained a new title sponsor. Catella, the Sweden-based European finance group, has signed a five-year contract with the event organisers. The move means Catella advances from main sponsor to title sponsor of the tournament, which will now be called the Catella Swedish Open."
 
8-27-06

8-27-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Andre Agassi
at the Saturday US Open ATP Player Meeting: "I want to thank you for all the years, all the beatings and for making me look better than I was. I am not much of an advice-giver, but I feel like I have walked in your shoes and can tell you: Be kind to each other, and be kind to our sport."...Dmitry Tursunov blogging for the ATP: "After much debating I decided to start writing again because the week of Estoril has been the best week on tour for me. People were just too afraid to get on my bad side! They would say hello in the morning and let me take the best croissant at the breakfast bar. They would sign up with me to practice, and one 15-year-old kid even let me win against him on clay! So I thought about the pros and the cons and decided that to improve my ranking I owe it to myself to start writing again."...Winsor Dobbin writing for The Sydney Morning Herald: "Technology has changed tennis forever. Where once you had grace you now have power, where once there was artistry there is now athleticism. Bigger, stronger players, new high-tech materials, and longer racquets with larger heads have rewritten the textbook on how the game is played. With the US Open beginning tomorrow, the sport has an image problem. It is largely dominated by racquet-generated power, booming serves and shorter points. Serve-and-volley duels are a thing of the past as the vast majority of players try to slug their way to victory from behind the baseline using crunching groundstrokes and extreme topspin."...Mike Bryan speaking with SI.com on twin pranks: "We've pulled a lot on the phone. I mean, my parents can't even tell us apart on the phone. Sometimes my girlfriend will call me, and Bob will pick up and talk to her and she'll have no clue it was Bob until maybe a week later. Bob: Yeah, she'll say, "I love you" and I'll say, "I love you" and she'll just keep it going and have no clue."...From the LA Times: "The deal means ESPN2, which has been televising weekday French Open matches since 2002, probably will no longer be involved in coverage of the event. ESPN2 could remain in the picture if a deal was reached with the Tennis Channel, which plans to sell a portion of its rights to a more widely distributed network. A partnership with USA, OLN or another cable entity is more likely. According to a source, ESPN passed on renewing its deal with the French Open because of financial considerations."
 
8-28-06

8-28-06

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Strangest sight Sunday at the US Open: Italian Davide Sanguinetti practicing in the rain, with his coach squeeging the court where he wanted to ball to land, with a small but wondrous crowd gathering...Monday night at the US Open will feature a ceremony renaming the USTA National Tennis Center in honor of Billie Jean King, then Andre Agassi playing possibly his final pro match against Andrei Pavel. In the U.S., USA Network's coverage of the night session will begin at 7 p.m. EST. King will be honored by Chris Evert, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and Venus Williams, with singer Diana Ross performing...Coach Darren Cahill, who reportedly pulled the plug on Andre Agassi participating in the Saturday Media Day at the US Open: "Andre has practiced hard the last two weeks and he's in good form. You never quite know until he gets out there and deals with a few nerves he's going to have, walking out for his last tournament. If he can play the way he has been practicing we look forward to him playing a great match against a very tough opponent in Pavel. Then regardless of if he wins or loses he will hold his head up high and be satisfied. He's just worried about his tennis. He can't be worried about everything else that is going on around it. He's been here 21 years in a row and that in itself tells an incredible story." After his coaching stint with Agassi ends after the Open, Cahill will reportedly have little want of going back out on the circuit with another player after being "taken care of" financially by Agassi and wanting to spend more time at home with his family...From Gerard Baker of The Times: "Beaming out from a deep blue background are six very cool-looking tennis stars in various Hollywood-meets-Fifth Avenue poses. Instantly recognisable, to most Americans, are the happy faces of Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and Venus Williams. Alongside them, as if to make up the numbers, are the figures of Roger Federer, Kim Clijsters and Maria Sharapova. As a marketing tool for casual American fans of the game it is brilliant. In tennis terms it is, of course, a bit of a fraud. None of the American stars depicted in this tableau of top tennis is in the first eight in the ATP or the WTA world rankings Indeed there's only one American among those 16 best male and female players in the world -- James Blake, presumably deemed unrecognisable by the USTA's marketers. Playing on home soil in front of a highly partisan crowd over the next fortnight might just lift Roddick back to his old form or perhaps even propel Agassi to an emotional final US Open triumph. But if form holds, then the tournament will simply underscore how uncompetitive American professional tennis has become in the past few years, how much ground it has ceded to the Swiss, the Russians, the Belgians and almost everyone else."...Maria Sharapova speaking with USA Today: "I really do enjoy my sponsor relationships off the court. I am so lucky to be associated with them (her sponsors). Not only are these great companies, but I am working and learning from great people at these companies. I enjoy Maria the businesswoman."...World No. 1 Roger Federer and No. 2 Rafael Nadal have accounted for 5 of the 7 Masters Series titles this year and all three Grand Slam titles. Would you bet on anyone else? Between them they have also won the last six Slams. According to the ATP's Greg "The Remorseless Eating Machine" Sharko, the last time the same two players reached three Grand Slam finals in a year was 1964 when Roy Emerson defeated Fred Stolle in the Australian, Wimbledon and U.S. finals. Federer beat Andre Agassi in last year's final, and a win this year will put him in the rarified air of three-consecutive US Open champs with Ivan Lendl (1985-87) and John McEnroe (1979-81). Another record that looks to fall to Federer is consecutive weeks at No. 1. The Swiss has 135, behind only Lendl (157) and Andy Roddick's coach Jimmy Connors (160). Agassi's 21 consecutive US Open appearance, and his last, is an Open Era (since 1968) record, ahead of Connors (20). Agassi is 77-18 at the US Open, second in wins only to Connors (98-17). The Bryan brothers have set an Open Era record by reaching the last seven Grand Slam finals, and will tie the non-Open-Era record of Aussies Ken McGregor and Frank Sedgman if they reach the final at the 2006 US Open. Players among the Top 16 seeds with losing or .500 records at the US Open during their careers are No. 3 Ivan Ljubicic (6-7 win-loss), No. 7 Nikolay Davydenko (5-5), No. 8 Marcos Baghdatis (1-2), and No. 11 David Ferrer (2-3).
 
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